Subsequently I made a clean breast of affairs to Gerald and Lord Humphrey Degge. They heard me with attentive1, even sympathetic, countenances3; but by and by the face of Lord Humphrey brightened as he saw a not unformidable rival thus jockeyed from the field; and when I had ended, Gerald rose and with an oath struck his open palm upon the table.
"This is the most fortunate coincidence," he swears, "that I have ever known of. I come prepared to find my grandmother the wife of a beggarly play-actor, and I discover that, to the contrary, she has contracted an alliance with a gentleman for whom I entertain sincere affection."
"Surely," I cried, aghast, "you cannot deliberate acceptance of this iniquitous4 and inadvertent match!"
"What is your meaning, Captain Audaine?" says the boy, sharply. "What other course is possible?"'
"O Lord!" said I, "after to-night's imbroglio5 I have nothing to observe concerning the possibility of anything; but if this marriage prove a legal one, I am most indissuadably resolved to rectify6 matters without delay in the divorce court."
Now Gerald's brows were uglily compressed. "A divorce," said he, with an extreme of deliberation, "means the airing of to-night's doings in the open. I take it, 'tis the duty of a man of honor to preserve the reputation of his grandmother stainless7; whether she be a housemaid or the Queen of Portugal, her frailties8 are equally entitled to endurance, her eccentricities9 to toleration: can a gentleman, then, sanction any proceeding10 of a nature calculated to make his grandmother the laughing-stock of England? The point is a nice one."
"For, conceive," said Lord Humphrey, with the most knavish11 grin I ever knew a human countenance2 to pollute itself with, "that the entire matter will be convoyed by the short-hand writers to the public press, and after this will be hawked12 about the streets; and that the venders will yell particulars of your grandmother's folly13 under your very windows; and that you must hear them in impotence, and that for some months the three kingdoms will hear of nothing else. Gad14, I quite feel for you, my dear."
"I have fallen into a nest of madmen," I cried. "You know, both of you, how profoundly I adore Mr. Gerald's sister, the accomplished15 and bewitching Miss Allonby; and in any event, I demand of you, as rational beings, is it equitable16 that I be fettered17 for life to an old woman's apron-strings because a doctor of divinity is parsimonious18 of his candles?"
But Gerald had drawn19 with a flourish. "You have repudiated20 my kinswoman," says he, "and you cannot deny me the customary satisfaction. Harkee, my fine fellow, Dorothy will marry my friend Lord Humphrey if she will be advised by me; or if she prefer it, she may marry the Man in the Iron Mask or the piper that played before Moses, so far as I am concerned: but as for you, I hereby offer you your choice between quitting this apartment as my grandfather or as a corpse21."
"I won't fight you!" I shouted. "Keep the boy off, Degge!" But when the infuriate lad rushed upon me, I was forced, in self-protection, to draw, and after a brief engagement to knock his sword across the room.
"Gerald," I pleaded, "for the love of reason, consider! I cannot fight you. Heaven knows this tragic22 farce23 hath robbed me of all pretension24 toward your sister, and that I am just now but little better than a madman; yet 'tis her blood which exhilarates your veins25, and with such dear and precious fluid I cannot willingly imbrue my hands. Nay26, you are no swordsman, lad,—keep off!"
And there I had blundered irretrievably.
"No swordsman! By God, I fling the words in your face, Frank Audaine! must I send the candlestick after them?" And within the instant he had caught up his weapon and had hurled27 himself upon me, in an abandoned fury. I had not moved. The boy spitted himself upon my sword and fell with a horrid28 gasping29.
"You will bear me witness, Lord Humphrey," said I, "that the quarrel was not of my provokement."
But at this juncture30 the outer door reopened and Dorothy tripped into the room, preceding Lady Allonby and Mr. George Erwyn. They had followed in the family coach to dissuade31 the Marchioness from her contemplated32 match by force or by argument, as the cat might jump; and so it came about that my dear mistress and I stared at each other across her brother's lifeless body.
And 'twas in this poignant33 moment I first saw her truly. In a storm you have doubtless had some utterly34 familiar scene leap from the darkness, under the lash35 of lightning, and be for the instant made visible and strange; and I beheld36 her with much that awful clarity. Formerly37 'twas her beauty had ensnared me, and this I now perceived to be a fortuitous and happy medley38 of color and glow and curve, indeed, yet nothing more. 'Twas the woman I loved, not her trappings; and her eyes were no more part of her than were the jewels in her ears. But the sweet mirth of her, the brave heart, the clean soul, the girl herself, how good and generous and kind and tender,—'twas this that I now beheld, and knew that this, too, was lost;—and, in beholding39, the little love of yesterday fled whimpering before the sacred passion which had possessed40 my being. And I began to laugh.
"My dear," said I, "'twas to-night that you promised me your answer, and to-night you observe in me alike your grandfather and your brother's murderer."
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收听单词发音
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1
attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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2
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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3
countenances
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| n.面容( countenance的名词复数 )；表情；镇静；道义支持 | |
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4
iniquitous
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| adj.不公正的；邪恶的；高得出奇的 | |
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5
imbroglio
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| n.纷乱，纠葛，纷扰，一团糟 | |
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6
rectify
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| v.订正，矫正，改正 | |
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7
stainless
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| adj.无瑕疵的，不锈的 | |
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8
frailties
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| n.脆弱( frailty的名词复数 )；虚弱；（性格或行为上的）弱点；缺点 | |
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9
eccentricities
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| n.古怪行为( eccentricity的名词复数 )；反常；怪癖 | |
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10
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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11
knavish
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| adj.无赖（似）的，不正的；刁诈 | |
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12
hawked
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| 通过叫卖主动兜售（hawk的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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13
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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14
gad
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| n.闲逛；v.闲逛 | |
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15
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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16
equitable
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| adj.公平的；公正的 | |
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17
fettered
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| v.给…上脚镣，束缚( fetter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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18
parsimonious
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| adj.吝啬的，质量低劣的 | |
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19
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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20
repudiated
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| v.（正式地）否认( repudiate的过去式和过去分词 )；拒绝接受；拒绝与…往来；拒不履行（法律义务） | |
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21
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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23
farce
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| n.闹剧，笑剧，滑稽戏；胡闹 | |
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pretension
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| n.要求；自命，自称；自负 | |
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25
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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26
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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28
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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29
gasping
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| adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词 | |
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30
juncture
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| n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头 | |
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31
dissuade
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| v.劝阻，阻止 | |
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32
contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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33
poignant
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| adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的 | |
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34
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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35
lash
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| v.系牢；鞭打；猛烈抨击；n.鞭打；眼睫毛 | |
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36
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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37
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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38
medley
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| n.混合 | |
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39
beholding
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| v.看，注视( behold的现在分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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40
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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