At this hour of the day, the three arched windows gave but a dull and scanty11 light; and more was supplied by three bronze lamps, suspended from the ceiling by iron chains; even their brilliant flames were hardly sufficient to light up the depths of this cavernous hall. Below the three lamps was spread a long table, where twenty guests might easily find room; at one of the rounded ends of this table, three covers and three morocco chairs had been arranged in a semi-circle; at the other end, a solitary12 cover was placed before a simple wooden stool. The Count seated himself and motioned Gilbert to place himself at his right; then unfolding his napkin, he said harshly to the great German valet de chambre:
"Why are not my son and Father Alexis here yet? Go and find them."
Some moments after, the door opened, and Stephane appeared. He crossed the hall, his eyes downcast, and bending over the long thin hand which his father presented to him without looking at him, he touched it slightly with his lips. This mark of filial deference13 must have cost him much, for he was seized with that nervous trembling to which he was subject when moved by strong emotions. Gilbert could not help saying to himself:
"My child, the seraphim14 and apostles are well revenged for the humiliation15 you inflicted16 upon them."
It seemed as if the young man divined Gilbert's thoughts, for as he raised his head, he launched a ferocious17 glance at him; then seating himself at his father's left, he remained as motionless as a statue, his eyes fixed18 upon his plate. Meantime he whom they called Father Alexis did not make his appearance, and the Count, becoming impatient, threw his napkin brusquely upon the table, and rose to go after him; but at this same moment the door opened, and Gilbert saw a bearded face which wore an expression of anxiety and terror. Much heated and out of breath, the priest threw a scrutinizing19 glance upon his lord and master, and from the Count turned his eyes towards the empty stool, and looked as if he would have given his little finger to be able to reach even that uncomfortable seat without being seen.
"Father Alexis, you forget yourself in your eternal daubs!" exclaimed M. Leminof, reseating himself. "You know that I dislike to wait. I profess20, it is true, a passionate21 admiration22 for the burlesque23 masterpieces with which you are decorating the walls of my chapel24; but I cannot suffer them to annoy me, and I beg you not to sacrifice again the respect you owe me to your foolish passion for those coarse paintings; if you do, I shall some fine morning bury your sublime25 daubings under a triple coat of whitewash26."
This reprimand, pronounced in a thundering tone, produced the most unhappy effect upon Father Alexis. His first movement was to raise his eyes and arms toward the arched ceiling where, as if calling the four-and-twenty elders to witness, he exclaimed:
"You hear! The profane27 dare call them daubs, those incomparable frescoes29 which will carry down the name of Father Alexis to the latest posterity30!"
But in the heart of the poor priest terror soon succeeded to indignation. He dropped his arms, and bending down, sunk his head between his shoulders, and tried to make himself as small as possible; much as a frightened turtle draws himself into his shell, and fears that even there he is taking up too much room.
"Well! what are these grimaces31 for? Do you mean to make us wait until to-morrow for your benediction32?"
The Count pronounced these words in the rude tone of a corporal ordering recruits to march in double-quick time. Father Alexis made a bound as if he had received a sharp blow from a whip across his back, and in his agitation34 and haste to reach his stool, he struck violently against the corner of a carved sideboard; this terrible shock drew from him a cry of pain, but did not arrest his speed, and rubbing his hip33, he threw himself into his place and, without giving himself time to recover breath, he mumbled35 in a nasal tone and in an unintelligible36 voice, a grace which he soon finished, and everybody having made the sign of the cross, dinner was served.
"What a strange role religion plays here," thought Gilbert to himself as he carried his spoon to his lips. "They would on no account dine until it had blessed the soup, and at the same time they banish37 it to the end of the table as a leper whose impure38 contact they fear."
During the first part of the repast, Gilbert's attention was concentrated on Father Alexis. This priestly face excited his curiosity. At first sight it seemed impressed with a certain majesty39, which was heightened by the black folds of his robe, and the gold crucifix which hung upon his breast. Father Alexis had a high, open forehead; his large, strongly aquiline40 nose gave a manly41 character to his face; his black eyes, finely set, were surmounted42 by well-curved eyebrows43, and his long grizzly44 beard harmonized very well with his bronzed cheeks furrowed45 by venerable wrinkles. Seen in repose46, this face had a character of austere47 and imposing48 beauty. And if you had looked at Father Alexis in his sleep, you would have taken him for a holy anchorite recently come out of the desert, or better still, for a Saint John contemplating49 with closed eyes upon the height of his Patmos rock, the sublime visions of the Apocalypse; but as soon as the face of the good priest became animated50, the charm was broken. It was but an expressive51 mask, flexible, at times grotesque52, where were predicted the fugitive53 and shallow impressions of a soul gentle, innocent, and easy, but not imaginative or exalted54. It was then that the monk55 and the anchorite suddenly disappeared, and there remained but a child sixty years old, whose countenance56, by turns uneasy or smiling, expressed nothing but puerile57 pre-occupations, or still more puerile content. This transformation58 was so rapid that it seemed almost like a juggler's trick. You sought St. John, but found him no more, and you were tempted59 to cry out, "Oh, Father Alexis, what has become of you? The soul now looking out of your face is not yours." This Father Alexis was an excellent man; but unfortunately, he had too decided60 a taste for the pleasures of the table. He could also be accused of having a strong ingredient of vanity in his character; but his self-love was so ingenuous61, that the most severe judge could but pardon it. Father Alexis had succeeded in persuading himself that he was a great artist, and this conviction constituted his happiness. This much at least could be said of him, that he managed his brush and pencil with remarkable62 dexterity63, and could execute four or five square feet of fresco28 painting in a few hours. The doctrines64 of Mount Athos, which place he had visited in his youth, had no more secrets for him; Byzantine aesthetics65 had passed into his flesh and bones; he knew by heart the famous "Guide to Painting," drawn66 up by the monk Denys and his pupil Cyril of Scio. In short, he was thoroughly67 acquainted with all the receipts by means of which works of genius are produced, and thus, with the aid of compasses, he painted from inspiration, those good and holy men who strikingly resembled certain figures on gold backgrounds in the convents of Lavra and Iveron. But one thing brought mortification68 and chagrin69 to Father Alexis,—Count Kostia Petrovitch refused to believe in his genius! But on the other hand, he was a little consoled by the fact that the good Ivan professed70 unreserved admiration for his works; so he loved to talk of painting and high art with this pious71 worshiper of his talents.
"Look, my son," he would say to him, extending the thumb, index and middle fingers of his right hand, "thou seest these three fingers: I have only to say a word to them, and from them go forth72 Saint Georges, Saint Michaels, Saint Nicholases, patriarchs of the old covenant73, and apostles of the new, the good Lord himself and all his dear family!"
And then he would give him his hand to kiss, which duty the good serf performed with humble74 veneration75. However, if Count Kostia had the barbarous taste to treat the illuminated76 works of Father Alexis as daubs, he was not cruel enough to prevent him from cultivating his dearly-loved art. He had even lately granted this disciple77 of the great Panselinos, the founder78 of the Byzantine school, an unexpected favor, for which the good father promised himself to be eternally grateful. One of the wings of the Castle of Geierfels enclosed a pretty and sufficiently79 spacious80 chapel, which the Count had appropriated to the services of the Greek Church, and one fine day, yielding to the repeated solicitations of Father Alexis, he had authorized81 him to cover the walls and dome82 with "daubs" after his own fashion. The priest commenced the work immediately. This great enterprise absorbed at least half of his thoughts; he worked many hours every day, and at night he saw in dreams great patriarchs in gold and azure83, hanging over him and saying:
"Dear Alexis, we commend ourselves to thy good care; let thy genius perpetuate84 our glory through the Universe."
The conversation at length turned upon subjects which the Count amused himself by debating every day with his secretary. They spoke of the Lower Empire, which M. Leminof regarded as the most prosperous and most glorious age of humanity. He had little fancy for Pericles, Caesar, Augustus, and Napoleon, and considered that the art of reigning85 had been understood by Justinian and Alexis Comnenus alone. And when Gilbert protested warmly in the name of human dignity against this theory:
"Stop just there!" said the Count; "no big words, no declamation86, but listen to me! These pheasants are good. See how Father Alexis is regaling himself upon them. To whom do they owe this flavor which is so enchanting87 him? To the high wisdom of my cook, who gave them time to become tender. He has served them to us just at the right moment. A few days sooner they would have been too tough; a few days later would have been risking too much, and we should have had the worms in them. My dear sir, societies are very much like game. Their supreme88 moment is when they are on the point of decomposition89. In their youth they have a barbarous toughness. But a certain degree of corruption90, on the contrary, imperils their existence. Very well! Byzantium possessed91 the art of making minds gamey and arresting decomposition at that point. Unfortunately she carried the secret to the grave with her."
A profound silence reigned92 in the great hall, uninterrupted except by the rhythmic93 sound of the good father's jaws94. Stephane leaned his elbows on the table; his attitude expressive of dreamy melancholy95; his head inclined and leaning against the palm of his right hand; his black tunic96 without any collar exposing a neck of perfect whiteness; his long silky hair falling softly upon his shoulders; the pure and delicate contour of his handsome face; his sensitive mouth, the corners curving slightly upwards97, all reminded Gilbert of the portrait of Raphael painted by himself, all, except the expression, which was very different.
A profound melancholy filled Gilbert's heart. Nothing about him commanded his sympathies, nothing promised any companionship for his soul; at his left the stern face of a drowsy98 tyrant99, made more sinister100 by sleep; opposite him a young misanthrope101, for the moment lost in clouds; at his right an old epicure102 who consoled himself for everything by eating figs103; above his head the dragons of the Apocalypse. And then this great vaulted hall was cold, sepulchral104; he felt as though he were breathing the air of a cellar; the recesses105 and the corners of the room were obscured by black shadows; the dark wainscotings which covered the walls had a lugubrious106 aspect; outside were heard ominous noises. A gale107 of wind had risen and uttered long bellowings like a wounded bull, to which the grating of weathercocks and the dismal108 cry of the owls109 responded.
When Gilbert had re-entered his own room he opened the window that he might better hear the majestic110 roll of the river. At the same moment a voice, carried by the wind from the great square tower, cried to him:
"Monsieur, the grand vizier, don't forget to burn plenty of candles to the devil! this is the advice which your most faithful subject gives you in return for the profound lessons of wisdom with which you favored his inexperience to-day!"
It was thus Gilbert learned Stephane was his neighbor.
"It is consoling," thought he, "to know that he can't possibly come in here without wings. And," added he, closing his window, "whatever happens, I did well to write to Mme. Lerins yesterday— to-day I am not so well satisfied."
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1
turbid
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| adj.混浊的，泥水的，浓的 | |
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amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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3
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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4
conversed
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的过去式 ) | |
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vaulted
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| adj.拱状的 | |
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apocalyptic
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| adj.预示灾祸的，启示的 | |
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7
trumpets
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| 喇叭( trumpet的名词复数 )； 小号； 喇叭形物； （尤指）绽开的水仙花 | |
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busts
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| 半身雕塑像( bust的名词复数 )； 妇女的胸部； 胸围； 突击搜捕 | |
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relics
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| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
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ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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12
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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13
deference
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| n.尊重，顺从；敬意 | |
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seraphim
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| n.六翼天使(seraph的复数)；六翼天使( seraph的名词复数 ) | |
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15
humiliation
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| n.羞辱 | |
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inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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17
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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19
scrutinizing
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| v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的现在分词 ) | |
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profess
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| v.声称，冒称，以...为业，正式接受入教，表明信仰 | |
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21
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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burlesque
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| v.嘲弄，戏仿；n.嘲弄，取笑，滑稽模仿 | |
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24
chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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26
whitewash
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| v.粉刷，掩饰；n.石灰水，粉刷，掩饰 | |
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27
profane
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| adj.亵神的，亵渎的；vt.亵渎，玷污 | |
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fresco
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| n.壁画；vt.作壁画于 | |
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frescoes
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| n.壁画( fresco的名词复数 )；温壁画技法，湿壁画 | |
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30
posterity
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| n.后裔，子孙，后代 | |
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grimaces
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| n.（表蔑视、厌恶等）面部扭曲，鬼脸( grimace的名词复数 )v.扮鬼相，做鬼脸( grimace的第三人称单数 ) | |
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32
benediction
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| n.祝福；恩赐 | |
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hip
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| n.臀部，髋；屋脊 | |
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agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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unintelligible
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| adj.无法了解的，难解的，莫明其妙的 | |
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banish
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| vt.放逐，驱逐；消除，排除 | |
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38
impure
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| adj.不纯净的，不洁的；不道德的，下流的 | |
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39
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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40
aquiline
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| adj.钩状的，鹰的 | |
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41
manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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42
surmounted
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| 战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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43
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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44
grizzly
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| adj.略为灰色的，呈灰色的；n.灰色大熊 | |
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45
furrowed
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| v.犁田，开沟( furrow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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47
austere
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| adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的 | |
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48
imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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49
contemplating
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| 深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想 | |
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50
animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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51
expressive
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| adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的 | |
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52
grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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53
fugitive
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| adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者 | |
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54
exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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55
monk
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| n.和尚，僧侣，修道士 | |
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56
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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57
puerile
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| adj.幼稚的，儿童的 | |
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58
transformation
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| n.变化；改造；转变 | |
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59
tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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60
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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61
ingenuous
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| adj.纯朴的，单纯的；天真的；坦率的 | |
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62
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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63
dexterity
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| n.(手的)灵巧，灵活 | |
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64
doctrines
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| n.教条( doctrine的名词复数 )；教义；学说；（政府政策的）正式声明 | |
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aesthetics
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| n.(尤指艺术方面之)美学，审美学 | |
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66
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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67
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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68
mortification
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| n.耻辱，屈辱 | |
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chagrin
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| n.懊恼；气愤；委屈 | |
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70
professed
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| 公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的 | |
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pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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72
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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73
covenant
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| n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约 | |
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humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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75
veneration
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| n.尊敬，崇拜 | |
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76
illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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77
disciple
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| n.信徒，门徒，追随者 | |
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78
Founder
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| n.创始者，缔造者 | |
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79
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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80
spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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81
authorized
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| a.委任的，许可的 | |
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82
dome
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| n.圆屋顶，拱顶 | |
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azure
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| adj.天蓝色的，蔚蓝色的 | |
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perpetuate
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| v.使永存，使永记不忘 | |
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reigning
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| adj.统治的，起支配作用的 | |
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declamation
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| n. 雄辩，高调 | |
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enchanting
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| a.讨人喜欢的 | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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decomposition
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| n. 分解, 腐烂, 崩溃 | |
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corruption
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| n.腐败，堕落，贪污 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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rhythmic
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| adj.有节奏的，有韵律的 | |
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jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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tunic
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| n.束腰外衣 | |
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upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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drowsy
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| adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的 | |
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tyrant
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| n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人 | |
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sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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misanthrope
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| n.恨人类的人；厌世者 | |
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epicure
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| n.行家，美食家 | |
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103
figs
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| figures 数字，图形，外形 | |
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sepulchral
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| adj.坟墓的，阴深的 | |
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recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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lugubrious
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| adj.悲哀的，忧郁的 | |
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gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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owls
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| n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 ) | |
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majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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