"Oh," thought Sir Richard, "all is safe. She is shutting herself in for the night, I suppose. Well, Mrs. Lovett, we will see what we can find in your cupboards."
The little bit of wax light, which Sir Richard had lighted, gave but a weak kind of twilight1 while he moved about with it in his hand, but when he stuck it on a corner of the mantel-shelf it burnt much clearer, and was sufficient to enable him just to see what he was about. So thoroughly2 impressed was he with the idea that Mrs. Lovett had retired3 to rest, that he paid no sort of attention to the house, and may be said, in a manner of speaking, to have negligently4 shut his ears to all sounds that did not violently attack them. He opened a cupboard, in which were some books, and on the top-shelf, lying in a confused kind of heap, were some watches, and several sets of very rich buckles5 for shoes. There were, likewise, several snuff-boxes in the lot. Were these little trifles presented to Mrs. Lovett, by Todd, as proofs of the thriving business he was carrying on? Sir Richard put two of the watches in his pocket.
"These may be identified," he said. "And now, if I can but find the door by which she descends6 to the oven below, I—"
At this moment he was startled by a sudden accession of light in the room. His first idea, and a natural enough one too, was, that the little wax light was playing some vagaries7 incidental to all lights, and he turned rapidly from the cupboard to look at it. What was his astonishment8 to see the door that led to the upper part of the house open, and Mrs. Lovett, partially9 undressed, standing10 upon the threshold with a chamber-candlestick in her hand in which was a rushlight, the dim and dubious11 rays from which had produced the extra illumination that had first startled Sir Richard Blunt. No wonder that, with amazement12 upon his countenance13, he now glanced upon this vision, for such it looked like at the moment; and yet he saw that Mrs. Lovett it was to all intents and purposes, and that he was discovered in his exploring expedition in her parlour appeared to be one of those facts it would have required no small share of moral hardihood to dispute. Seeing, however, should not always be believing, despite the venerable saying which asserts as much.
Mrs. Lovett In A State Of Somnambulism.
Mrs. Lovett In A State Of Somnambulism.
"I must apprehend14 her, now," thought Sir Richard Blunt; "I have no resource but to apprehend her at once."
With this object he was about to dart15 forward, when something strange about the appearance of Mrs. Lovett arrested his attention, and stayed his progress. He paused and remained leaning partly upon the back of a chair, while she slowly advanced into the room, and then as she came nearer to him he became convinced of what he had begun to suspect, namely—that she was walking in her sleep. There is something awful in this wandering of the mortal frame when its senses seem to be locked up in death. It looks like a resurrection from the grave—as though a corpse16 was again revisiting
"The glimpses of the pale moon;"
and even Sir Richard Blunt, with all his constitutional and acquired indifference17 to what would be expected to startle any one else could not help shrinking back a little, and feeling an unusual sort of terror. This transient nervousness of his, though, soon passed away, and then he set himself to watch the actions of Mrs. Lovett with all the keenness of intense interest and vividly18 awakened19 curiosity. She did not disappoint him. Moving forward into the room with a slow and stately action, so that the little flame of the rushlight was by no means disturbed, she reached the middle of the parlour and then she paused. She assumed such a natural attitude of listening, that Sir Richard Blunt voluntarily shrunk down behind the chair, for it seemed to him at the moment that she must have heard him. Then, in a low and slightly indistinct tone, she spoke21—
"Hush22! hush! So still. The poison! Where is the poison?—Will he take it? Ah, that is the question, and yet how clear it is. But he is fiend-like in his suspicions. When will he come?"
She moved on towards the cupboard, in which the decanter of poisoned wine had been placed, and opening it, she felt in vain upon the shelf for it. It was still upon the table, and if anything more than another could have been a convincing proof of the mere23 mechanical actions of the somnambulist, this fact, that she passed the wine where it was, and only recollected24 where it had been, would have been amply sufficient. After finding that her search was ineffectual, she turned from the cupboard, and stood for a few moments in silence. Then a horror shook her frame, and she said—
"They must all die. Bandage your eyes, and you will shut out the death shrieks25. Yes, that will be something, to get rid of those frightful27 echoes. Bandage after bandage will, and shall do it."
Sir Richard stood silently watching; but such was the horror of the tones in which she spoke, that even his heart felt cold, as though the blood flowed but sluggishly28 through its accustomed channels.
"Who," he thought to himself, "for the world's wealth, would have this woman's memory of the past?"
She still held the light, and it appeared to him as though she were about to go into the shop, but she paused before she reached the half-glass door of communication between it and the parlour, and shook like one in an ague.
"Another!—another!" she said. "How strange it is that I always know. The air seems full of floating particles of blood, and they all fall upon me! Off, off. Oh, horror! horror! I choke—I choke. Off, I say. How the hot blood steams up in a sickly vapour. There—there, now! Why does Todd let them shriek26 in such a fashion?"
She now shook so, that Sir Richard Blunt made sure she would either drop the light she carried, or, at all events, shake it out, but neither of these contingencies29 took place; and, after a few moments, she got more calm. The violent agitation30 of her nerves gradually subsided31. She spoke horrors, but it was in a different tone; and abandoning, apparently32, the intention of going into the shop, she approached a portion of the parlour which had not yet been subjected to the scrutiny33 of Sir Richard Blunt, although it would not ultimately have escaped him. The appearance of this part of the room was simply that there was there a cupboard, but the back of this seeming cupboard formed, in reality, the door that led down the flight of stairs to the other strong iron door that effectually shut in the captive cook to his duties among the ovens. This was just the place that Sir Richard Blunt wanted to find out; and here we may as well state, that Sir Richard had an erroneous, but very natural idea, under the circumstances, that the cook or cooks were accomplices34 of Mrs. Lovett in her nefarious35 transactions. Had he been at all aware of the real state of affairs below, our friend, who had become so thoroughly disgusted with the pies, would not have been left for so long in so precarious36 a situation. Mrs. Lovett paused, after opening the lock of the cupboard, and in a strange, sepulchral37 sort of voice, she said—
"Has he done it?"
"Done what?" Sir Richard would fain have asked; but, although he had heard that people, when walking in their sleep, will answer questions put to them under such circumstances, he was doubtful of the fact, and by no means wished to break the trance of Mrs. Lovett.
"Has he done it?" she again repeated. "Is he no more? How many does it make? One—two—three—four—five—six—seven. Yes, seven, it must be the seventh, and I have heard all. Hush! hush! Todd—Todd—Todd, I say. Are you dead? No—no. He would not drink the wine. The devil, his master, whispered to him that it had in it the potent38 drug that would send his spirits howling to its Maker39, and he would not drink. God! he would not drink! No—no—no!"
She pronounced these words in such a tone of agony, that her awakening40 from the strange sleep she was in, seemed to be a natural event from such a strong emotion, but it did not take place. No doubt Mrs. Lovett had been long habituated to these nocturnal rambles41. She now began slowly and carefully the descent of the stairs leading to the oven; but she had not got many paces, when a current of air from below, and which, no doubt, came through the small grating in the iron door, extinguished her light. This circumstance, however, appeared to be perfectly42 unnoticed by her, and she proceeded in the profound darkness with the same ease as though she had had a light. Sir Richard would have followed her as he was, but in the dark he did not feel sufficient confidence in her as a guide to do so; and with as noiseless a tread as possible, he went back, and fetched from the chimney-piece shelf his own little wax light, which was still burning, and carefully guarding its flame from a similar catastrophe43 to what had happened to Mrs. Lovett's light, he descended44 the staircase, slowly and cautiously, after her. She went with great deliberation, and it was not until being rather surprised at the total absence of sound from her tread, that upon looking down to her feet, he found that they were bare. After this, he could have no doubt but that, almost immediately upon her lying down in bed, this somnambulistic trance had come over her, and she had risen to creep below, and go through the singular scene we are describing. Step by step they both descended, until Mrs. Lovett came to the iron door. She did not attempt to open it. If she had, Heaven only knows what might have resulted from the desperate risk the captive cook might have made to escape. But even in the madness of Mrs. Lovett—for a sort of madness the scene she was enacting45 might be called—there was a kind of method, and she had no idea of opening the iron door that shut the cook from the upper world. Pausing, then, at the door leading to the ovens, she, with as much facility as though she had had broad daylight to do it in, unfastened the small square wicket in the top part of the window. A dull reddish glare of light came through it from the furnaces, which night nor day were extinguished.
"Hist! hist!" said Mrs. Lovett.
"Who speaks?" said a dull hollow voice, which sounded as if coming from the tomb. "Who speaks to me?"
Mrs. Lovett shut the small wicket in a moment.
"He has not done it, yet," she said. "He has not done it yet. No—no—no. But blood will flow—yes. It must be so. One—two—three—four—five—six—seven. The seventh, and not the last. Horrible! horrible!—most horrible! If, now, I could forget—"
She began rapidly to ascend46 the stairs, so that Sir Richard Blunt had to take two at a step, and once three, in order to be up before her, and even then she reached the parlour so close upon him, that it was a wonder she did not touch him; but he succeeded in evading47 her by a hair's breadth, and then she stood profoundly still for a few moments with her hands clasped. This quiescent48 state, however, did not last long, for suddenly, with eagerness, she leaned forward, and spoke again.
"No suspicion!" she said; "all is well!—Dear me, heap up thousands more. Oh, Todd, have we not enough?—There, clean up that blood!—Here is a cloth!—Stop it up—don't you see where it is running to, like a live thing?—He is not dead yet.—How clumsy.—Another blow with the hammer!—There—there—on the forehead!—What a crash!—Did the bone go that time?—Why the eyes have started out!—Horror! horror!—Oh, God, no—no—no—I cannot come here again.—Oh, God!—Oh, God!"
She sunk down upon the floor in a huddled49 up mass, and Sir Richard Blunt, who could not forbear shuddering50 at the last words that had come from her lips now he thought that her trance was over, rapidly approaching her, said—
"Wretched woman, your career is over."
She suddenly rose, and with the same stately movement as before, she made her way from the parlour by the door leading to the staircase. During all the strange scenes she had gone through, she had not abandoned the light, and although the air in the narrow passage of the staircase had extinguished it, she still continued to carry it with the same care as though it lit her on her way. Seeing that she still walked in that strange and hideous51 sleep, the magistrate52 let her pass him, nor did he make any attempt to follow her.
"Be it so," he said. "Let her awaken20 once again in the fancied security of her guilt53. The doom54 of the murderess is hanging over her, and she shall not escape. But there is time yet."
He watched her until, by the turn of the stairs, she disappeared from his sight, and then he sat down to think. And there, for a brief space, we leave Sir Richard, while we take a peep at Tobias.
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收听单词发音
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1
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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2
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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3
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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4
negligently
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5
buckles
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| 搭扣，扣环( buckle的名词复数 ) | |
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6
descends
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| v.下来( descend的第三人称单数 )；下去；下降；下斜 | |
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7
vagaries
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| n.奇想( vagary的名词复数 )；异想天开；异常行为；难以预测的情况 | |
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8
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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9
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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10
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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11
dubious
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| adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的 | |
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12
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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13
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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14
apprehend
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| vt.理解，领悟，逮捕，拘捕，忧虑 | |
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15
dart
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| v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲 | |
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16
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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17
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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18
vividly
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| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
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19
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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20
awaken
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| vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起 | |
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21
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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22
hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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23
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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24
recollected
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| adj.冷静的；镇定的；被回忆起的；沉思默想的v.记起，想起( recollect的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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25
shrieks
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| n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
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26
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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27
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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28
sluggishly
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| adv.懒惰地；缓慢地 | |
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29
contingencies
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| n.偶然发生的事故，意外事故( contingency的名词复数 )；以备万一 | |
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30
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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31
subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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32
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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33
scrutiny
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| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
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34
accomplices
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| 从犯，帮凶，同谋( accomplice的名词复数 ) | |
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35
nefarious
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| adj.恶毒的，极坏的 | |
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36
precarious
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| adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的 | |
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37
sepulchral
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| adj.坟墓的，阴深的 | |
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38
potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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39
maker
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| n.制造者，制造商 | |
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40
awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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41
rambles
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| （无目的地）漫游( ramble的第三人称单数 )； （喻）漫谈； 扯淡； 长篇大论 | |
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42
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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43
catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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44
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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45
enacting
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| 制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的现在分词 ) | |
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46
ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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47
evading
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| 逃避( evade的现在分词 )； 避开； 回避； 想不出 | |
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48
quiescent
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| adj.静止的，不活动的，寂静的 | |
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49
huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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50
shuddering
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| v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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51
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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52
magistrate
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| n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官 | |
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53
guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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54
doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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