For several days Father Alexis had been occupied in painting a group of three figures, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their posterity6 on their knees. It was the exact copy of a picture in the Convent of Lavra. These patriarchs were gravely seated upon a grassy7 bank, separated from each other by little shrubs8 of a somewhat fantastic shape. Their venerable heads were crowned with aureoles; their abundant hair, combed with the greatest care, fell majestically9 upon their shoulders, and their thick beards descended11 to the middle of their breasts.
Father Alexis worked for nearly an hour, when he heard a step in the court, and turning his head quickly, perceived Gilbert coming towards the chapel. The priest thrilled with joy, as a fisherman might, who after long hours of mortal waiting sees a fish of good size imprudently approaching his net. Eager for his prey13, he threw aside his brush, quickly descended the ladder with the agility14 of a young man and ran to place himself in ambuscade near the door, where he waited with bated breath. As soon as Gilbert appeared, he rushed upon him, seized him by the arm, and looked upon him with eyes which seemed to say: "You are caught, and you won't escape from me either."
When he had recovered from his first excess of joy, "Ah, my son," exclaimed he, "what happy inspiration brings you hither?"
"M. Leminof is not well to-day," answered Gilbert, "and I thought I could make no better use of my leisure than to pay my respects to you."
"Oh! what a charming idea," said the priest, looking at him with ineffable15 tenderness. "Come, come, my son, I will show you all, yes all."
This word ALL was pronounced with such an energetic accent, that Gilbert was startled. It may be readily believed that it was not exactly about Byzantine pictures that he was curious at this moment. Nevertheless, he entered with great good-nature into a minute examination of the images of the choir and the nave; he praised all which appeared praiseworthy, kept silent upon the prominent defects which offended the delicacy16 of his taste, and allowed himself to criticise17 only some of the details.
At last he announced to the priest that he wished to talk with him of a serious matter.
"A serious matter?"
And the face of the good father became grave. "Have you anything to confess to me? What am I saying? You are not orthodox, my child,—would to God you were."
They descended and seated themselves upon the end of a white marble step, which extended the entire width of the nave, at the entrance of the choir.
"My son," began the priest timidly, "yesterday evening—"
"Ah! you are a good, generous child. You saw my embarrassment19, and you wished,—I confess it, a slight drowsiness,—flesh is weak,— ah, it is good in you. Favors do not turn your head. Speak, speak, I am all attention."
"It is understood that you will keep the secret, father, for you know—"
"I understand! we should be lost if it were known that we talked of certain things together. Oh! you need not be afraid. If Kostia Petrovitch alludes20 to this matter, I shall appear to know nothing, and I shall accuse myself of having violated the precept21 of the great Solomon, who said, 'When thou sittest down to eat with a prince, consider attentively22 what is done before thee.'
"Speak with confidence, my child, and rest assured that this mouth has an old tongue in it which never says what it does not want to."
When Gilbert had finished his recital23, Father Alexis burst forth24 in exclamations25 accompanied by many signs of the cross.
"Oh! unhappy child!" cried he; "what folly26 is thine! He has then sworn his own destruction? To wish to die in mortal sin! A spirit of darkness must have taken possession of him. Then he invokes27 St. George no longer every morning and evening? He prays no more,—he no longer carries on his heart the holy amulet28 I gave him. Ah! why did I fall asleep yesterday evening? What beautiful things I would have said to him! I would have commenced by representing to him—"
"I do not doubt your eloquence29; but it is not remonstrance30, nor good counsel that this child wants: a little happiness would answer the purpose far better."
"It is not a question of maxims of education, but of a father who betrays an open hatred32 to his son."
"Holy Virgin33!" exclaimed the priest with a gesture of terror, "you must not say such things, my child. These are words which the good God does not like to hear. Never repeat them, it would be neither prudent12 nor charitable."
Gilbert persisted; announcing the conjectures34 which he had formed as certainties, and even exaggerating his suspicions in the hope that the priest, in correcting him, would furnish the explanations which he desired. The success of this little artifice35 surpassed his expectation.
"I know for a certainty," said he, "that M. Leminof loved his wife,—that she was unfaithful to him—that he finished by suspecting her, and that he revenged himself—"
"False! false!" cried the priest with deep emotion. "To hear you one would believe that Count Kostia killed his wife. You have heard lying reports. The truth is, that the Countess Olga poisoned herself, and then feeling the approach of death, became terrified and implored36 aid. It was useless: they could not counteract37 the effects of the poison. She then sent in haste for me. I had but just time to receive her confession38. Oh! what a frightful39 scene, my child! Why recall it to me? And above all, whose calumnious40 tongue—"
"I have been told, also," pursued the inflexible41 Gilbert, "that after this deplorable event M. Leminof, holding in abhorrence42 the localities which witnessed his dishonor, quitted Moscow and Russia, and went to Martinique. Having arrived there, he lost, after some months' residence, one of his two children, a daughter if I am not mistaken, and this death may have been hastened by—"
"A fresh calumny43!" interrupted the priest, looking steadily44 at Gilbert. "The young girl died of yellow fever. Kostia Petrovitch never raised a finger against his children. Ah! tell me what viper's tongue—"
"It is not a calumny, at least, to state that he has two good reasons for not loving his son. First, because he is the living portrait of his mother, and then because he doubts, perhaps, if this child is really his son."
"An impious doubt, which I have combated with all my strength. This child was born nine years before his mother committed her first and only fault. I have said it, and I repeat it. It has been objected that he was born after six years of a marriage which seemed condemned45 by Heaven to an eternal sterility:—fatal circumstance, which appeared proof positive to a vindictive46 and ulcerated heart. But again, who could have told you—"
"One more word: before leaving for Martinique, M. Leminof did everything he could to discover the lover of his wife. His suspicions fell upon one of his intimate friends named Morlof. In his blind fury he killed him, but nevertheless Morlof was innocent."
"Did they tell you that he assassinated47 him?" said Father Alexis, who became more and more agitated48. "Another calumny! he killed him in a regular duel49. Holy Virgin! the sin was grave enough; but the police hushed up the matter, and absolution has been granted him."
"Alas50!" resumed Gilbert, "if the church has pardoned, the conscience of the murderer persists in condemning51; it curses that rash hand which shed innocent blood, and by a strange aberration52 it exhorts53 him to wash out this fatal mistake in the blood of the real offender54. This offender, after six years' fruitless search, he has not given up the hope of discovering; he will go into the very bowels55 of the earth to find him, if he must, and if by chance there is some heart upon which the name is written, he will open that heart with the point of his sword to decipher those letters of blood and of fire!"
Gilbert pronounced these last words in a vibrating voice. He had suddenly forgotten where he was and to whom he was speaking. He thought he again saw before him the scene of the corridor, and could again hear those terrible words which had frozen the blood in his veins56. The priest was seized with a convulsive trembling; but he soon mastered it. He raised himself slowly and stood up before Gilbert, his arms crossed upon his breast. Within a few moments his face became dignified57, and at the same time his language. Now the transformation58 was complete; Gilbert had no longer before him the timid, easy soul who trembled before a frown, the epicure59 in quest of agreeable sensations, the vain artist ingeniously begging eulogies60. The priest's eyes opened wide and shone like coals of fire; his lips, wreathed in a bitter smile, seemed ready to launch the thunders of excommunication; and a truly sacerdotal majesty61 diffused62 itself as if by miracle over his face. Gilbert could scarcely believe his eyes; he looked at him in silence, incapable63 of recognizing this new Father Alexis, who had just been revealed to him.
Then, said the priest, speaking to himself:
"Brother! what simplicity64 is yours! A few caresses65, a few cajoleries, and your satisfied vanity silences your distrust and disarms66 your good sense! Did you not know that this young man is the intimate friend of your master?"
Then bowing towards Gilbert:
"They thought then that you could make me speak. And you imagined yourself that a coarse artifice and some threatening talk would suffice to tear from me a secret I have guarded for nearly seven years. Presumptuous67 young man, return to him who sent you, and repeat faithfully what I am about to say to you: One day at Martinique, in a remote house some distance from the outskirts68 of the town of St. Pierre,—let me speak, my story will be short.— Picture to yourself a great dark hall, with a table in the center.— They shut me in there near noon; the next day at evening I was there still, and for thirty hours I neither ate nor drank. The night came,—they stretched me upon a table,—bound me and tied me down. Then I saw bending over me a face more terrible than thou wilt69 ever see, even in thy dreams, and a mouth which sneered70 as the damned must sneer71, approached my ear and said to me: 'Father Alexis, I want your secret—I will have it.' I breathed not a word; they tightened72 the cords with a jack74, and I did not speak; they piled weights on my chest, and I spoke75 not; they put boots upon me which I hope never to see upon thy feet, and I spake not; my bones cracked, and I spake not; I saw my blood gush76 out, and I did not speak. At length a supreme77 anguish78 seized me, a red cloud passed over my eyes, I felt my heart freezing, and I thought myself dying. Then I spoke and said: 'Count Leminof, thou canst kill me, but thou shalt not tear from me the secrets of the confessional.'" And at these words, the priest stooping, laid bare his right foot and showed Gilbert the bruised79 and withered80 flesh, and bones deformed81 by torture; then covering it again he recoiled82, as if from a serpent in his path, and cried in a thundering voice, extending his arms to Heaven:
"God curse the vipers83 who take the form of doves! Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"
As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE! THE BLACK ROBE! TIGHTEN73 THE IRON BOOTS!"
"That black robe then," said he to himself, "was Father Alexis."
He rose and looked at the priest in surprise and admiration84; he could not take his eyes from that face which he believed he saw for the first time, and he murmured in a low voice:
"My God! how complex is the heart of man. What a discovery I have just made!"
Then he tried to approach him; but the priest, still recoiling85 and raising his arms threateningly above his head, repeated:
"Cursed be the vipers who come in the form of doves!"
"And I say," cried Gilbert, "blessed forever be the lips which have touched the sacred coal, and keep their secrets even unto death!"
And rushing upon him he took him in his arms, and kissed three times the scar which the cruel bite of Solon had left.
Father Alexis was surprised, stupefied, and confounded. He looked at Gilbert, then at Abraham, then at Jacob. He uttered disjointed phrases. He called upon Heaven to witness what had happened to him, gesticulated and wept until, overcome by emotion, he dropped on the marble step, and hid his face, bathed in tears, in his hands.
"Father," said Gilbert respectfully, seating himself near him, "pardon me for the agitation86 I have caused you. And if by chance some distrust of me remains87, listen to what I am about to tell you, for I am going to put myself at your mercy, and by betraying a secret it will depend upon you to have me expelled from this house the day and hour you please."
He then related to him the scene of the corridor.
"Judge for yourself what impression the terrible words I heard produced upon me! For some days my mind has been at work. I ceaselessly tried to picture to myself the details of this lamentable88 affair; but fearing to stray in my suspicions, I wished to make a clean breast of it, and came to find you. I have grieved you sorely, father; once more, will you pardon my rash curiosity?"
Father Alexis raised his head. Farewell to the saint! farewell to the prophet! His face had resumed its habitual89 expression; the sublime90 tempest which had transfigured it had left but a few almost invisible traces of its passage. He looked at Gilbert reproachfully.
"Ah!" said he, "it was only for this that you sought me? My dear child, you do not love the arts then?"
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1
chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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nave
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| n.教堂的中部；本堂 | |
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choir
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| n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱 | |
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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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serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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posterity
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| n.后裔，子孙，后代 | |
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grassy
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| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
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shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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majestically
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| 雄伟地； 庄重地； 威严地； 崇高地 | |
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10
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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12
prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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14
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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ineffable
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| adj.无法表达的，不可言喻的 | |
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delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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criticise
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| v.批评，评论；非难 | |
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precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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alludes
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| 提及，暗指( allude的第三人称单数 ) | |
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precept
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| n.戒律；格言 | |
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attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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recital
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| n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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exclamations
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| n.呼喊( exclamation的名词复数 )；感叹；感叹语；感叹词 | |
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folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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invokes
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| v.援引( invoke的第三人称单数 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求 | |
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amulet
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| n.护身符 | |
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eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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remonstrance
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| n抗议，抱怨 | |
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maxims
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| n.格言，座右铭( maxim的名词复数 ) | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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conjectures
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| 推测，猜想( conjecture的名词复数 ) | |
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artifice
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| n.妙计，高明的手段；狡诈，诡计 | |
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implored
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| 恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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counteract
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| vt.对…起反作用，对抗，抵消 | |
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confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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calumnious
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| adj.毁谤的，中伤的 | |
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inflexible
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| adj.不可改变的，不受影响的，不屈服的 | |
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42
abhorrence
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| n.憎恶；可憎恶的事 | |
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43
calumny
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| n.诽谤，污蔑，中伤 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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vindictive
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| adj.有报仇心的，怀恨的，惩罚的 | |
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47
assassinated
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| v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏 | |
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agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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duel
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| n./v.决斗；(双方的)斗争 | |
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50
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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51
condemning
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| v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地 | |
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52
aberration
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| n.离开正路，脱离常规，色差 | |
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53
exhorts
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| n.劝勉者，告诫者，提倡者( exhort的名词复数 )v.劝告，劝说( exhort的第三人称单数 ) | |
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54
offender
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| n.冒犯者，违反者，犯罪者 | |
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55
bowels
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| n.肠，内脏，内部；肠( bowel的名词复数 )；内部，最深处 | |
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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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dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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58
transformation
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| n.变化；改造；转变 | |
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epicure
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| n.行家，美食家 | |
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60
eulogies
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| n.颂词，颂文( eulogy的名词复数 ) | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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diffused
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| 散布的，普及的，扩散的 | |
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incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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caresses
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| 爱抚，抚摸( caress的名词复数 ) | |
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disarms
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| v.裁军( disarm的第三人称单数 )；使息怒 | |
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presumptuous
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| adj.胆大妄为的，放肆的，冒昧的，冒失的 | |
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outskirts
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| n.郊外，郊区 | |
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wilt
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| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
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70
sneered
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| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sneer
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| v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语 | |
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72
tightened
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| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
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tighten
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| v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧 | |
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jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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75
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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gush
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| v.喷，涌；滔滔不绝(说话)；n.喷，涌流；迸发 | |
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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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78
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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79
bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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80
withered
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| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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81
deformed
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| adj.畸形的；变形的；丑的，破相了的 | |
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82
recoiled
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| v.畏缩( recoil的过去式和过去分词 )；退缩；报应；返回 | |
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vipers
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| n.蝰蛇( viper的名词复数 )；毒蛇；阴险恶毒的人；奸诈者 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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85
recoiling
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| v.畏缩( recoil的现在分词 )；退缩；报应；返回 | |
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86
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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87
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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lamentable
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| adj.令人惋惜的，悔恨的 | |
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habitual
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| adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的 | |
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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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