Demetrios, having gleaned4 this knowledge in a pothouse, purchased a stout5 file, a scarlet6 cap and a lute7. Ambrogio Bracciolini, head-gaoler at the fortress—so the gossips told Demetrios—had been a jongleur in youth, and minstrels were always welcome guests at San' Alessandro.
The gaoler was a very fat man with icy little eyes. Demetrios took his measure to a hair's breadth as this Bracciolini straddled in the doorway8.
Demetrios had assumed an admirable air of simplicity9.
"God give you joy, messire," he said, with a simper; "I come bringing a precious balsam which cures all sorts of ills, and heals the troubles both of body and mind. For what is better than to have a pleasant companion to sing and tell merry tales, songs and facetious10 histories?"
"You appear to be something of a fool," Bracciolini considered, "but all do not sleep who snore. Come, tell me what are your accomplishments11."
"I can play the lute, the violin, the flageolet, the harp12, the syrinx and the regals," the other replied; "also the Spanish penola that is struck with a quill13, the organistrum that a wheel turns round, the wait so delightful14, the rebeck so enchanting15, the little gigue that chirps16 up on high, and the great horn that booms like thunder."
Bracciolini said:
"That is something. But can you throw knives into the air and catch them without cutting your fingers? Can you balance chairs and do tricks with string? or imitate the cries of birds? or throw a somersault and walk on your head? Ha, I thought not. The Gay Science is dying out, and young practitioners17 neglect these subtile points. It was not so in my day. However, you may come in."
So when night fell Demetrios and Bracciolini sat snug18 and sang of love, of joy, and arms. The fire burned bright, and the floor was well covered with gaily19 tinted20 mats. White wines and red were on the table.
Presently they turned to canzons of a more indecorous nature. Demetrios sang the loves of Douzi and Ishtar, which the gaoler found remarkable21. He said so and crossed himself. "Man, man, you must have been afishing in the mid-pit of hell to net such filth22."
"I learned that song in Nacumera," said Demetrios, "when I was a prisoner there with Messire de la Forêt. It was a favourite song with him."
"Ay?" said Bracciolini. He looked at Demetrios very hard, and Bracciolini pursed his lips as if to whistle. The gaoler scented23 from afar a bribe24, but the face of Demetrios was all vacant cheerfulness.
Bracciolini said, idly:
"So you served under him? I remember that he was taken by the heathen.
Demetrios, able to tell a tale against any man, told now the tale of Melicent's immolation26, speaking with vivacity27 and truthfulness28 in all points save that he represented himself to have been one of the ransomed Free Companions.
Bracciolini's careful epilogue was that the proconsul had acted foolishly in not keeping the emeralds.
"He gave his enemy a weapon against him," Bracciolini said, and waited.
"Oh, but that weapon was never used. Sire Perion found service at once, under King Bernart, you will remember. Therefore Sire Perion hid away these emeralds against future need—under an oak in Sannazaro, he told me. I suppose they lie there yet."
"Humph!" said Bracciolini. He for a while was silent. Demetrios sat adjusting the strings29 of the lute, not looking at him.
Bracciolini said, "There were eighteen of them, you tell me? and all fine stones?"
"Ey?—oh, the emeralds? Yes, they were flawless, messire. The smallest was larger than a robin's egg. But I recall another song we learned at Nacumera—"
Demetrios sang the loves of Lucius and Fotis. Bracciolini grunted30, "Admirable" in an abstracted fashion, muttered something about the duties of his office, and left the room. Demetrios heard him lock the door outside and waited stolidly31.
"My man,"—and his voice rasped—"I believe you to be a rogue33. I believe that you are contriving34 the escape of this infamous35 Comte de la Forêt. I believe you are attempting to bribe me into conniving36 at his escape. I shall do nothing of the sort, because, in the first place, it would be an abominable37 violation38 of my oath of office, and in the second place, it would result in my being hanged."
"And in addition, I believe you have lied to me throughout. I do not believe you ever saw this Comte de la Forêt. I very certainly do not believe you are a friend of this Comte de la Forêt's, because in that event you would never have been mad enough to admit it. The statement is enough to hang you twice over. In short, the only thing I can be certain of is that you are out of your wits."
"They say that I am moonstruck," Demetrios answered; "but I will tell you a secret. There is a wisdom lies beyond the moon, and it is because of this that the stars are glad and admirable."
"That appears to me to be nonsense," the gaoler commented; and he went on: "Now I am going to confront you with Messire de la Forêt. If your story prove to be false, it will be the worse for you."
"It is a true tale. But sensible men close the door to him who always speaks the truth."
"These reflections are not to the purpose," Bracciolini submitted, and continued his argument: "In that event Messire de la Forêt will undoubtedly40 be moved by your fidelity41 in having sought out him whom all the rest of the world has forsaken42. You will remember that this same fidelity has touched me to such an extent that I am granting you an interview with your former master. Messire de la Forêt will naturally reflect that a man once torn in four pieces has no particular use for emeralds. He will, I repeat, be moved. In his emotion, in his gratitude43, in mere44 decency45, he will reveal to you the location of those eighteen stones, all flawless. If he should not evince a sufficiency of such appropriate and laudable feeling, I tell you candidly46, it will be the worse for you. And now get on!"
Bracciolini pointed47 the way and Demetrios cringed through the door. Bracciolini followed with drawn48 sword. The corridors were deserted49. The head-gaoler had seen to that.
His position was simple. Armed, he was certainly not afraid of any combination between a weaponless man and a fettered one. If this jongleur had lied, Bracciolini meant to kill him for his insolence50. Bracciolini's own haphazard51 youth had taught him that a jongleur had no civil rights, was a creature to be beaten, robbed, or stabbed with impunity52.
Upon the other hand, if the vagabond's tale were true, one of two things would happen. Either Perion would not be brought to tell where the emeralds were hidden, in which event Bracciolini would kill the jongleur for his bungling53; or else the prisoner would tell everything necessary, in which event Bracciolini would kill the jongleur for knowing more than was convenient. This Bracciolini had an honest respect for gems54 and considered them to be equally misplaced when under an oak or in a vagabond's wallet.
Consideration of such avarice55 may well have heartened Demetrios when the well-armoured gaoler knelt in order to unlock the door of Perion's cell. As an asp leaps, the big and supple56 hands of the proconsul gripped Bracciolini's neck from behind, and silenced speech.
Demetrios, who was not tall, lifted the gaoler as high as possible, lest the beating of armoured feet upon the slabs57 disturb any of the other keepers, and Demetrios strangled his dupe painstakingly58. The keys, as Demetrios reflected, were luckily attached to the belt of this writhing59 thing, and in consequence had not jangled on the floor. It was an inaudible affair and consumed in all some ten minutes. Then with the sword of Bracciolini Demetrios cut Bracciolini's throat. In such matters Demetrios was thorough.
点击收听单词发音
1 fettered | |
v.给…上脚镣,束缚( fetter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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2 condemnation | |
n.谴责; 定罪 | |
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3 impeded | |
阻碍,妨碍,阻止( impede的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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4 gleaned | |
v.一点点地收集(资料、事实)( glean的过去式和过去分词 );(收割后)拾穗 | |
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6 scarlet | |
n.深红色,绯红色,红衣;adj.绯红色的 | |
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7 lute | |
n.琵琶,鲁特琴 | |
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8 doorway | |
n.门口,(喻)入门;门路,途径 | |
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9 simplicity | |
n.简单,简易;朴素;直率,单纯 | |
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10 facetious | |
adj.轻浮的,好开玩笑的 | |
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11 accomplishments | |
n.造诣;完成( accomplishment的名词复数 );技能;成绩;成就 | |
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12 harp | |
n.竖琴;天琴座 | |
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13 quill | |
n.羽毛管;v.给(织物或衣服)作皱褶 | |
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14 delightful | |
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的 | |
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15 enchanting | |
a.讨人喜欢的 | |
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16 chirps | |
鸟叫,虫鸣( chirp的第三人称单数 ); 啾; 啾啾 | |
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17 practitioners | |
n.习艺者,实习者( practitioner的名词复数 );从业者(尤指医师) | |
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18 snug | |
adj.温暖舒适的,合身的,安全的;v.使整洁干净,舒适地依靠,紧贴;n.(英)酒吧里的私房 | |
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19 gaily | |
adv.欢乐地,高兴地 | |
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20 tinted | |
adj. 带色彩的 动词tint的过去式和过去分词 | |
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21 remarkable | |
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的 | |
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22 filth | |
n.肮脏,污物,污秽;淫猥 | |
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23 scented | |
adj.有香味的;洒香水的;有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词) | |
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24 bribe | |
n.贿赂;v.向…行贿,买通 | |
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25 ransomed | |
付赎金救人,赎金( ransom的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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26 immolation | |
n.牺牲品 | |
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27 vivacity | |
n.快活,活泼,精神充沛 | |
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28 truthfulness | |
n. 符合实际 | |
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29 strings | |
n.弦 | |
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30 grunted | |
(猪等)作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 ); (指人)发出类似的哼声; 咕哝着说 | |
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31 stolidly | |
adv.迟钝地,神经麻木地 | |
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32 armour | |
(=armor)n.盔甲;装甲部队 | |
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33 rogue | |
n.流氓;v.游手好闲 | |
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34 contriving | |
(不顾困难地)促成某事( contrive的现在分词 ); 巧妙地策划,精巧地制造(如机器); 设法做到 | |
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35 infamous | |
adj.声名狼藉的,臭名昭著的,邪恶的 | |
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36 conniving | |
v.密谋 ( connive的现在分词 );搞阴谋;默许;纵容 | |
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37 abominable | |
adj.可厌的,令人憎恶的 | |
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38 violation | |
n.违反(行为),违背(行为),侵犯 | |
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39 feigned | |
a.假装的,不真诚的 | |
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40 undoubtedly | |
adv.确实地,无疑地 | |
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41 fidelity | |
n.忠诚,忠实;精确 | |
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42 Forsaken | |
adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词 | |
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43 gratitude | |
adj.感激,感谢 | |
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44 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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45 decency | |
n.体面,得体,合宜,正派,庄重 | |
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46 candidly | |
adv.坦率地,直率而诚恳地 | |
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47 pointed | |
adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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48 drawn | |
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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49 deserted | |
adj.荒芜的,荒废的,无人的,被遗弃的 | |
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50 insolence | |
n.傲慢;无礼;厚颜;傲慢的态度 | |
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51 haphazard | |
adj.无计划的,随意的,杂乱无章的 | |
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52 impunity | |
n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除 | |
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53 bungling | |
adj.笨拙的,粗劣的v.搞糟,完不成( bungle的现在分词 );笨手笨脚地做;失败;完不成 | |
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54 gems | |
growth; economy; management; and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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55 avarice | |
n.贪婪;贪心 | |
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56 supple | |
adj.柔软的,易弯的,逢迎的,顺从的,灵活的;vt.使柔软,使柔顺,使顺从;vi.变柔软,变柔顺 | |
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57 slabs | |
n.厚板,平板,厚片( slab的名词复数 );厚胶片 | |
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58 painstakingly | |
adv. 费力地 苦心地 | |
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59 writhing | |
(因极度痛苦而)扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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