"My state is now that of a widow," said she, "and no sort of amusement is seductive to me;" and on her return to Petrograd, she gave this marvel3 and all the other treasures in the inheritance to the new Emperor.
The Emperor Nikolai Pavlovitch also paid no heed4 to the flea at first, because there was a disturbance5 at his accession to the throne. But later on, one day, he began to inspect the casket which had come to him from his brother, and from it he drew forth6 the snuff-box, and from the snuff-box the diamond as big as a walnut7, and in it he found the steel flea, which had not been wound up for a long time, and therefore did not work, but lay as though petrified8.
The Emperor gazed at it and marvelled9. "What sort of a nonsensical[Pg 24] trifle is this? and why did my brother preserve it so carefully?"
The courtiers wanted to fling it away, but the Emperor said: "No, this has some meaning."
They summoned a chemist from the apothecary's shop at the Anitchkoff Bridge, who was accustomed to weigh out poisons on the tiniest of scales, and showed it to him; and he immediately took the flea, and placed it on his tongue, and said: "I feel a chill, as from some strong metal." And then he bit it gently with his teeth, and announced: "You may say what you please, this is not a real flea, but a nymfozoria, and 'tis made of metal, and the work is not ours, not Russian."
The Emperor ordered that they should instantly find out whence came this thing, and what was the meaning of it.
They flew to look in the archives and[Pg 25] lists, but nothing was recorded in the archives. They began to question first one person and then another—no one knew anything about it. But, happily, that Cossack of the Don, Platoff, was still alive, and even still reclining on his couch of vexation and smoking his pipe. When he heard the uproar10 in the palace, he rose immediately from his couch, flung away his pipe, and presented himself before the Emperor in all his Orders.
And Platoff answers: "I want nothing from Your Majesty12 for myself, since I eat and drink what I please, and am content with all things: but I am come to report to you concerning that nymfozoria which has been found. It was thus and so," says he, "and this is what took place before my own eyes in England—and there is a tiny key with it,[Pg 26] and I have the very melkoscope with which it can be seen, and with the key the nymfozoria can be wound up through its belly13, and it will skip over any space you like, and make variations in all directions."
They wound it up, and it began to leap, and Platoff says: "This, Your Majesty, is really a very delicate and interesting bit of work, but it is not meet that we should view it with ecstasy14 of spirit only; we must also submit it to Russian inspection15 in Tula or in Sesterbek,"—Sesthoryetzk was still called Sesterbek at that time,—"to see whether our artisans cannot surpass this, so that the English may not exalt16 themselves above the Russians."
"Thou sayest well, valiant old man, and I commission thee to establish this matter. This little box I do not want at present, in all my anxieties, therefore do thou take it with thee; and[Pg 27] stretch thyself not again upon thy couch of vexation, but go thou to the peaceful Don, and hold there with my men of the Don internecine17 converse18 with regard to their life and loyalty19, and as to what pleaseth them. And when thou shalt pass through Tula, show thou this nymfozoria to my Tula artisans, and bid them meditate20 upon it. Say to them from me that my brother marvelled at this thing and praised the people who made the nymfozoria above all others; but I am convinced that my own people are no worse than they. They will not let my words pass unheeded, but will make something."
点击收听单词发音
1 flea | |
n.跳蚤 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2 burnished | |
adj.抛光的,光亮的v.擦亮(金属等),磨光( burnish的过去式和过去分词 );被擦亮,磨光 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3 marvel | |
vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异;n.令人惊异的事 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4 heed | |
v.注意,留意;n.注意,留心 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5 disturbance | |
n.动乱,骚动;打扰,干扰;(身心)失调 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7 walnut | |
n.胡桃,胡桃木,胡桃色,茶色 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8 petrified | |
adj.惊呆的;目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆,使惊呆;变僵硬;使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
9 marvelled | |
v.惊奇,对…感到惊奇( marvel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
10 uproar | |
n.骚动,喧嚣,鼎沸 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
11 valiant | |
adj.勇敢的,英勇的;n.勇士,勇敢的人 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
12 majesty | |
n.雄伟,壮丽,庄严,威严;最高权威,王权 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
13 belly | |
n.肚子,腹部;(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分,膛 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
14 ecstasy | |
n.狂喜,心醉神怡,入迷 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
15 inspection | |
n.检查,审查,检阅 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
16 exalt | |
v.赞扬,歌颂,晋升,提升 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
17 internecine | |
adj.两败俱伤的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
18 converse | |
vi.谈话,谈天,闲聊;adv.相反的,相反 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
19 loyalty | |
n.忠诚,忠心 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
20 meditate | |
v.想,考虑,(尤指宗教上的)沉思,冥想 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
欢迎访问英文小说网 |