BOOK IV. CHAPTER I.

Which shows what was the conversation that passed between Periander and Auristella.

Many and long were the disputes among our little band of pilgrims, whether the marriage of Isabella Castrucho, effected by so many devices and so much deceit, was valid¹ or not. Periander oftentimes repeated that it was so, for that it was not their business to search into the case, but the thing which had displeased² him was the mingling³ of baptism, marriage, and funeral together, and the ignorance of the physician, who had not been skilful⁴ enough to see through the trick of Isabella, nor to perceive the danger of her uncle. Sometimes they discoursed⁵ upon these matters, at others they retraced⁶ their past dangers. Croriano and Ruperta were eagerly trying to discover who Periander and Auristella could be, but they could not succeed in this; Constance and Antonio they also knew nothing of. They had known who the three French ladies were from the first commencement of their acquaintance.

By easy journeys they reached Aqua-pendente, a place near Rome. As they approached the town Periander and Auristella went on a little in advance of the others, out of hearing, and Periander spoke⁷ thus:—"You know well, dear lady, that the reasons which made us leave our own country and our royalty⁸ were as good as they were necessary. Already is the air of Rome playing on our cheeks, and the hopes that have supported us are beating in our hearts; already it seems to me that I am in possession of the beloved object so long desired. Look well, O Lady, whether your feelings still remain unchanged; scrutinize⁹ well your heart, and see if it is still firm and true to its first intentions, or will be after you have fulfilled your vow¹⁰, which I doubt not that it will, for your royal blood cannot deceive nor give false promises. Let me then hear you say, O lovely Sigismunda, that the Periander you see before you, is the Persiles that you saw in the palace of my royal father; the same Persiles who pledged his word to you to be your husband there, and who would gladly fulfil that promise in the Deserts of Lybia, should our adverse¹¹ fortune take us there."

Auristella looked wonderingly at him, listening attentively¹² to all he said. She marvelled¹³ how Periander could doubt her truth, and said to him:—"O Persiles, in all my life I have never loved but one, that one has been yourself. It is now two years since I gave my heart to you, not perforce, but of my own free-will, and it is as firm and true now as it was the first day I made you master of it. If it were possible that my affection could have increased, it would have done so among the many wanderings and dangers we have gone through together; it gives pleasure to me to hear that you are unchanged in yours for me, and in accomplishing my vow I shall willingly fulfil my promise to you; but tell me, what are we to do afterwards, since we are still bound by the same constraint¹⁴, and still under the dominion¹⁵ of the same yoke¹⁶ that is about our necks? We are far distant from our homes, and known to none in these countries, without any support to cling to in our need. I do not speak thus, because I lack the courage to suffer any inconveniences or distresses¹⁷, since it will be with you, but I say it because any trouble you may be in will be mine also; until now my heart has suffered alone, henceforward it will suffer for itself and for you, though I am wrong to talk of two hearts, for are not ours but one?"

"Lady," replied Periander, "why should we not be the fabricators of our own fortune? they say every man makes his own from beginning to end. I will not answer for what I may do after our happy fate has united us; the inconvenience of our present divided state will soon be over, when we are one; there are fields enough where we can maintain ourselves, cottages wherein we may find shelter and clothes to cover us; for as to the happiness two souls made one, can feel, it is as you say unequalled by any other, and we could not enjoy this more beneath the gilded¹⁸ roofs of a palace. We shall find means to let my mother know where we are, and she will not fail in finding a way to help us, and in the mean time we have an inestimable treasure in our diamond cross, and the two pearls of priceless value which you possess, and which we have no fear of losing, for who would think such treasures could be hid beneath a pilgrim's weeds?"

Here they were overtaken by the rest of their party, and the conversation ceased, which was the first they had held upon these kind of subjects; for Auristella's excessive modesty¹⁹ and reserve never gave any opportunities to Periander to talk to her in private, and thus they had been able to keep up the play of brother and sister with all who knew them. The deceased Clodio, alone, had ever suspected the truth.

A part of this and the beginning of second Chapter are omitted, and Chapter II. included in Chapter I.

The travellers were now approaching Rome, the sight of which rejoiced their hearts, and the joy which filled their souls also invigorated their bodies. The hearts of Periander and Auristella beat tumultuously, as they saw themselves so near the end of all their desires. Those of Croriana and Ruperta, and those of the three French ladies were gladdened at the prospect²⁰ of a happy termination to their journey, and Constance and Antonio shared in this feeling of satisfaction.

The sun had reached his meridian²¹ height, and the heat was excessively great; there was a little wood to the right of the road, and they determined²² to go thither²³ and to gain a shelter from the scorching²⁴ rays which threatened to be intolerable, and to remain there perhaps even for the night, as they did not wish to enter Rome till the next day. They went accordingly, and as they advanced further into the wood the pleasantness of the place and the freshness of the herbage, through which clear streams murmured, confirmed them in their first intention. They penetrated²⁵ so far in, that on looking around, they found they were quite hidden from the sight of any one passing along the public road, and as they were debating where to settle themselves, from the variety of pleasant spots which offered for their choice, all equally peaceful and inviting²⁶, Auristella, looking up by chance, perceived a picture hanging on the bough²⁷ of a green willow²⁸, about the size of a quarter of a sheet of paper. It was a painting of the face only, of a very beautiful woman; on looking a little closer at the picture she saw clearly that it was her own likeness²⁹, and, surprised and wondering, she pointed³⁰ it out to Periander; at the same instant Croriano exclaimed, that the ground was wet with blood, and he shewed them his feet all dyed with the crimson³¹ hue³², and it was yet warm. The picture, which Periander instantly took down, and the blood which Croriano had discovered, disturbed them greatly, and made them anxious to find out the owner of the one and the cause of the other. Auristella was at a loss to divine when and how anybody could have become possessed³³ of her picture, nor did Periander recollect³⁴ that the servant of the Duke de Nemours had told him that the artist who had painted the portraits of the three French ladies, could also take that of Auristella, though he had seen her only once. If he had remembered this, he might easily have come to the conclusion which he did not guess. Croriano and Antonio followed the track of blood till they came to a sort of thicket³⁵ or tuft of trees, at the foot of one of which, they saw a man of noble aspect, dressed as a pilgrim, seated on the ground with his hand pressed upon his heart, and covered with blood, a sight which distressed³⁶ them very greatly to look upon, and still more when it met the eyes of Croriano, who went up to him, and raising his head, he discovered a countenance³⁷ all bleeding and wounded, which, having wiped with a handkerchief, he knew to be the Duke de Nemours, for in spite of the different dress in which he found him, he recognized him at once, for they were great friends. The wounded duke, or he who appeared to be the duke, without opening his eyes, said in feeble accents, "Better, far better would it have been, O thou, whoever thou mayest be, mortal enemy of my peace, had the blow which thou hast struck been through my heart, for there thou wouldst have found a portrait still more vivid and true than the one which thou hast taken from me, and hung upon the tree, that it might not serve as a shield and defence to me in the hour of battle."

Constance, who had now come up, being of a tender and compassionate³⁸ nature, hastened to inspect the wounds of the sufferer, and to staunch the flowing blood, without attending to the complaining words he uttered. Meantime Periander and Auristella, guided also by the same bloody³⁹ track, had gone on a little further, and discovered among some green rushes, another man, also in pilgrim's weeds, and equally bloody, except his face, which was clean, and exposed to view, and was therefore instantly known by them both to be the Prince Arnoldo, who lay before them more dead than alive.

1 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？

2 displeased   

a.不快的

参考例句：

• The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了，瞪了我一眼。
• He was displeased about the whole affair. 他对整个事情感到很不高兴。

3 mingling   

adj.混合的

参考例句：

• There was a spring of bitterness mingling with that fountain of sweets. 在这个甜蜜的源泉中间，已经掺和进苦涩的山水了。
• The mingling of inconsequence belongs to us all. 这场矛盾混和物是我们大家所共有的。

4 skilful   

(=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的

参考例句：

• The more you practise,the more skilful you'll become.练习的次数越多，熟练的程度越高。
• He's not very skilful with his chopsticks.他用筷子不大熟练。

5 discoursed   

演说（discourse的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He discoursed on an interesting topic. 他就一个有趣的题目发表了演讲。
• The scholar discoursed at great length on the poetic style of John Keats. 那位学者详细讲述了约翰·济慈的诗歌风格。

6 retraced   

v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯

参考例句：

• We retraced our steps to where we started. 我们折回我们出发的地方。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We retraced our route in an attempt to get back on the right path. 我们折返，想回到正确的路上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 spoke   

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

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 royalty   

n.皇家，皇族

参考例句：

• She claims to be descended from royalty.她声称她是皇室后裔。
• I waited on tables，and even catered to royalty at the Royal Albert Hall.我做过服务生， 甚至在皇家阿伯特大厅侍奉过皇室的人。

9 scrutinize   

n.详细检查，细读

参考例句：

• Her purpose was to scrutinize his features to see if he was an honest man.她的目的是通过仔细观察他的相貌以判断他是否诚实。
• She leaned forward to scrutinize their faces.她探身向前，端详他们的面容。

10 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

11 adverse   

adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的

参考例句：

• He is adverse to going abroad.他反对出国。
• The improper use of medicine could lead to severe adverse reactions.用药不当会产生严重的不良反应。

12 attentively   

adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神

参考例句：

• She listened attentively while I poured out my problems. 我倾吐心中的烦恼时，她一直在注意听。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She listened attentively and set down every word he said. 她专心听着，把他说的话一字不漏地记下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 marvelled   

v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I marvelled that he suddenly left college. 我对他突然离开大学感到惊奇。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I marvelled at your boldness. 我对你的大胆感到惊奇。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 constraint   

n.(on)约束，限制；限制(或约束)性的事物

参考例句：

• The boy felt constraint in her presence.那男孩在她面前感到局促不安。
• The lack of capital is major constraint on activities in the informal sector.资本短缺也是影响非正规部门生产经营的一个重要制约因素。

15 dominion   

n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图

参考例句：

• Alexander held dominion over a vast area.亚历山大曾统治过辽阔的地域。
• In the affluent society,the authorities are hardly forced to justify their dominion.在富裕社会里，当局几乎无需证明其统治之合理。

16 yoke   

n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶

参考例句：

• An ass and an ox,fastened to the same yoke,were drawing a wagon.驴子和公牛一起套在轭上拉车。
• The defeated army passed under the yoke.败军在轭门下通过。

17 distresses   

n.悲痛( distress的名词复数 )；痛苦；贫困；危险

参考例句：

• It was from these distresses that the peasant wars of the fourteenth century sprang. 正是由于这些灾难才爆发了十四世纪的农民战争。 来自辞典例句
• In all dangers and distresses, I will remember that. 在一切危险和苦难中，我要记住这一件事。 来自互联网

18 gilded   

a.镀金的，富有的

参考例句：

• The golden light gilded the sea. 金色的阳光使大海如金子般闪闪发光。
• "Friends, they are only gilded disks of lead!" "朋友们，这只不过是些镀金的铅饼！ 来自英汉文学 - 败坏赫德莱堡

19 modesty   

n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素

参考例句：

• Industry and modesty are the chief factors of his success.勤奋和谦虚是他成功的主要因素。
• As conceit makes one lag behind,so modesty helps one make progress.骄傲使人落后，谦虚使人进步。

20 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

21 meridian   

adj.子午线的；全盛期的

参考例句：

• All places on the same meridian have the same longitude.在同一子午线上的地方都有相同的经度。
• He is now at the meridian of his intellectual power.他现在正值智力全盛期。

22 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

23 thither   

adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的

参考例句：

• He wandered hither and thither looking for a playmate.他逛来逛去找玩伴。
• He tramped hither and thither.他到处流浪。

24 scorching   

adj. 灼热的

参考例句：

• a scorching, pitiless sun 灼热的骄阳
• a scorching critique of the government's economic policy 对政府经济政策的严厉批评

25 penetrated   

adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The knife had penetrated his chest. 刀子刺入了他的胸膛。
• They penetrated into territory where no man had ever gone before. 他们已进入先前没人去过的地区。

26 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

27 bough   

n.大树枝，主枝

参考例句：

• I rested my fishing rod against a pine bough.我把钓鱼竿靠在一棵松树的大树枝上。
• Every bough was swinging in the wind.每条树枝都在风里摇摆。

28 willow   

n.柳树

参考例句：

• The river was sparsely lined with willow trees.河边疏疏落落有几棵柳树。
• The willow's shadow falls on the lake.垂柳的影子倒映在湖面上。

29 likeness   

n.相像，相似（之处）

参考例句：

• I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
• She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。

30 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

31 crimson   

n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色

参考例句：

• She went crimson with embarrassment.她羞得满脸通红。
• Maple leaves have turned crimson.枫叶已经红了。

32 hue   

n.色度；色调；样子

参考例句：

• The diamond shone with every hue under the sun.金刚石在阳光下放出五颜六色的光芒。
• The same hue will look different in different light.同一颜色在不同的光线下看起来会有所不同。

33 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

34 recollect   

v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得

参考例句：

• He tried to recollect things and drown himself in them.他极力回想过去的事情而沉浸于回忆之中。
• She could not recollect being there.她回想不起曾经到过那儿。

35 thicket   

n.灌木丛，树林

参考例句：

• A thicket makes good cover for animals to hide in.丛林是动物的良好隐蔽处。
• We were now at the margin of the thicket.我们现在已经来到了丛林的边缘。

36 distressed   

痛苦的

参考例句：

• He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题。
• The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。

37 countenance   

n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同

参考例句：

• At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。
• I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地，仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。

38 compassionate   

adj.有同情心的，表示同情的

参考例句：

• She is a compassionate person.她是一个有同情心的人。
• The compassionate judge gave the young offender a light sentence.慈悲的法官从轻判处了那个年轻罪犯。

39 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。