The cold was intense on that December evening. Silvine and Prosper1, together with little Charlot, were alone in the great kitchen of the farmhouse2, she busy with her sewing, he whittling3 away at a whip that he proposed should be more than usually ornate. It was seven o'clock; they had dined at six, not waiting for Father Fouchard, who they supposed had been detained at Raucourt, where there was a scarcity4 of meat, and Henriette, whose turn it was to watch that night at the hospital, had just left the house, after cautioning Silvine to be sure to replenish5 Jean's stove with coal before she went to bed.
Outside a sky of inky blackness overhung the white expanse of snow. No sound came from the village, buried among the drifts; all that was to be heard in the kitchen was the scraping of Prosper's knife as he fashioned elaborate rosettes and lozenges on the dogwood stock. Now and then he stopped and cast a glance at Charlot, whose flaxen head was nodding drowsily6. When the child fell asleep at last the silence seemed more profound than ever. The mother noiselessly changed the position of the candle that the light might not strike the eyes of her little one; then sitting down to her sewing again, she sank into a deep reverie. And Prosper, after a further period of hesitation7, finally mustered8 up courage to disburden himself of what he wished to say.
"Listen, Silvine; I have something to tell you. I have been watching for an opportunity to speak to you in private--"
Alarmed by his preface, she raised her eyes and looked him in the face.
"This is what it is. You'll forgive me for frightening you, but it is best you should be forewarned. In Remilly this morning, at the corner by the church, I saw Goliah; I saw him as plain as I see you sitting there. Oh, no! there can be no mistake; I was not dreaming!"
"My God! my God!"
Prosper went on, in words calculated to give her least alarm, and related what he had learned during the day by questioning one person and another. No one doubted now that Goliah was a spy, that he had formerly10 come and settled in the country with the purpose of acquainting himself with its roads, its resources, the most insignificant11 details pertaining12 to the life of its inhabitants. Men reminded one another of the time when he had worked for Father Fouchard on his farm and of his sudden disappearance13; they spoke14 of the places he had had subsequently to that over toward Beaumont and Raucourt. And now he was back again, holding a position of some sort at the military post of Sedan, its duties apparently15 not very well defined, going about from one village to another, denouncing this man, fining that, keeping an eye to the filling of the requisitions that made the peasants' lives a burden to them. That very morning he had frightened the people of Remilly almost out of their wits in relation to a delivery of flour, alleging16 it was short in weight and had not been furnished within the specified17 time.
"You are forewarned," said Prosper in conclusion, "and now you'll know what to do when he shows his face here--"
She interrupted him with a terrified cry.
"Do you think he will come here?"
"_Dame_! it appears to me extremely probable he will. It would show great lack of curiosity if he didn't, since he knows he has a young one here that he has never seen. And then there's you, besides, and you're not so very homely18 but he might like to have another look at you."
She gave him an entreating19 glance that silenced his rude attempt at gallantry. Charlot, awakened21 by the sound of their voices, had raised his head. With the blinking eyes of one suddenly aroused from slumber22 he looked about the room, and recalled the words that some idle fellow of the village had taught him; and with the solemn gravity of a little man of three he announced:
"Dey're loafers, de Prussians!"
His mother went and caught him frantically23 in her arms and seated him on her lap. Ah! the poor little waif, at once her delight and her despair, whom she loved with all her soul and who brought the tears to her eyes every time she looked on him, flesh of her flesh, whom it wrung25 her heart to hear the urchins26 with whom he consorted27 in the street tauntingly28 call "the little Prussian!" She kissed him, as if she would have forced the words back into his mouth.
"Who taught my darling such naughty words? It's not nice; you must not say them again, my loved one."
Whereon Charlot, with the persistency30 of childhood, laughing and squirming, made haste to reiterate31:
"Dey're dirty loafers, de Prussians!"
And when his mother burst into tears he clung about her neck and also began to howl dismally32. _Mon Dieu_, what new evil was in store for her! Was it not enough that she had lost in Honore the one single hope of her life, the assured promise of oblivion and future happiness? and was that man to appear upon the scene again to make her misery33 complete?
"Come," she murmured, "come along, darling, and go to bed. Mamma will kiss her little boy all the same, for he does not know the sorrow he causes her."
And she went from the room, leaving Prosper alone. The good fellow, not to add to her embarrassment34, had averted35 his eyes from her face and was apparently devoting his entire attention to his carving37.
Before putting Charlot to bed it was Silvine's nightly custom to take him in to say good-night to Jean, with whom the youngster was on terms of great friendship. As she entered the room that evening, holding her candle before her, she beheld38 the convalescent seated upright in bed, his open eyes peering into the obscurity. What, was he not asleep? Faith, no; he had been ruminating39 on all sorts of subjects in the silence of the winter night; and while she was cramming40 the stove with coal he frolicked for a moment with Charlot, who rolled and tumbled on the bed like a young kitten. He knew Silvine's story, and had a very kindly41 feeling for the meek42, courageous43 girl whom misfortune had tried so sorely, mourning the only man she had ever loved, her sole comfort that child of shame whose existence was a daily reproach to her. When she had replaced the lid on the stove, therefore, and came to the bedside to take the boy from his arms, he perceived by her red eyes that she had been weeping. What, had she been having more trouble? But she would not answer his question: some other day she would tell him what it was if it seemed worth the while. _Mon Dieu!_ was not her life one of continual suffering now?
Silvine was at last lugging44 Charlot away in her arms when there arose from the courtyard of the farm a confused sound of steps and voices. Jean listened in astonishment45.
"What is it? It can't be Father Fouchard returning, for I did not hear his wagon46 wheels." Lying on his back in his silent chamber47, with nothing to occupy his mind, he had become acquainted with every detail of the routine of home life on the farm, of which the sounds were all familiar to his ears. Presently he added: "Ah, I see; it is those men again, the francs-tireurs from Dieulet, after something to eat."
"Quick, I must be gone!" said Silvine, hurrying from the room and leaving him again in darkness. "I must make haste and see they get their loaves."
A loud knocking was heard at the kitchen door and Prosper, who was beginning to tire of his solitude48, was holding a hesitating parley49 with the visitors. He did not like to admit strangers when the master was away, fearing he might be held responsible for any damage that might ensue. His good luck befriended him in this instance, however, for just then Father Fouchard's carriole came lumbering50 up the acclivity, the tramp of the horse's feet resounding51 faintly on the snow that covered the road. It was the old man who welcomed the newcomers.
"Ah, good! it's you fellows. What have you on that wheelbarrow?"
Sambuc, lean and hungry as a robber and wrapped in the folds of a blue woolen52 blouse many times too large for him, did not even hear the farmer; he was storming angrily at Prosper, his honest brother, as he called him, who had only then made up his mind to unbar the door.
"Say, you! do you take us for beggars that you leave us standing53 in the cold in weather such as this?"
But Prosper did not trouble himself to make any other reply than was expressed in a contemptuous shrug54 of the shoulders, and while he was leading the horse off to the stable old Fouchard, bending over the wheelbarrow, again spoke up.
"So, it's two dead sheep you've brought me. It's lucky it's freezing weather, otherwise we should know what they are by the smell."
Cabasse and Ducat, Sambuc's two trusty henchmen, who accompanied him in all his expeditions, raised their voices in protest.
"Oh!" cried the first, with his loud-mouthed Provencal volubility, "they've only been dead three days. They're some of the animals that died on the Raffins farm, where the disease has been putting in its fine work of late."
"_Procumbit humi bos_," spouted55 the other, the ex-court officer whose excessive predilection56 for the ladies had got him into difficulties, and who was fond of airing his Latin on occasion.
Father Fouchard shook his head and continued to disparage57 their merchandise, declaring it was too "high." Finally he took the three men into the kitchen, where he concluded the business by saying:
"After all, they'll have to take it and make the best of it. It comes just in season, for there's not a cutlet left in Raucourt. When a man's hungry he'll eat anything, won't he?" And very well pleased at heart, he called to Silvine, who just then came in from putting Charlot to bed: "Let's have some glasses; we are going to drink to the downfall of old Bismarck."
Fouchard maintained amicable58 relations with these francs-tireurs from Dieulet wood, who for some three months past had been emerging at nightfall from the fastnesses where they made their lurking59 place, killing60 and robbing a Prussian whenever they could steal upon him unawares, descending61 on the farms and plundering62 the peasants when there was a scarcity of the other kind of game. They were the terror of all the villages in the vicinity, and the more so that every time a provision train was attacked or a sentry63 murdered the German authorities avenged65 themselves on the adjacent hamlets, the inhabitants of which they accused of abetting66 the outrages67, inflicting68 heavy penalties on them, carrying off their mayors as prisoners, burning their poor hovels. Nothing would have pleased the peasants more than to deliver Sambuc and his band to the enemy, and they were only deterred69 from doing so by their fear of being shot in the back at a turn in the road some night should their attempt fail of success.
It had occurred to Fouchard to inaugurate a traffic with them. Roaming about the country in every direction, peering with their sharp eyes into ditches and cattle sheds, they had become his purveyors of dead animals. Never an ox or a sheep within a radius70 of three leagues was stricken down by disease but they came by night with their barrow and wheeled it away to him, and he paid them in provisions, most generally in bread, that Silvine baked in great batches71 expressly for the purpose. Besides, if he had no great love for them, he experienced a secret feeling of admiration72 for the francs-tireurs, a set of handy rascals73 who went their way and snapped their fingers at the world, and although he was making a fortune from his dealings with the Prussians, he could never refrain from chuckling74 to himself with grim, savage75 laughter as often as he heard that one of them had been found lying at the roadside with his throat cut.
"Your good health!" said he, touching76 glasses with the three men. Then, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand: "Say, have you heard of the fuss they're making over the two headless uhlans that they picked up over there near Villecourt? Villecourt was burned yesterday, you know; they say it was the penalty the village had to pay for harboring you. You'll have to be prudent77, don't you see, and not show yourselves about here for a time. I'll see the bread is sent you somewhere."
Sambuc shrugged78 his shoulders and laughed contemptuously. What did he care for the Prussians, the dirty cowards! And all at once he exploded in a fit of anger, pounding the table with his fist.
"_Tonnerre de Dieu!_ I don't mind the uhlans so much; they're not so bad, but it's the other one I'd like to get a chance at once--you know whom I mean, the other fellow, the spy, the man who used to work for you."
"Goliah?" said Father Fouchard.
Silvine, who had resumed her sewing, dropped it in her lap and listened with intense interest.
"That's his name, Goliah! Ah, the brigand79! he is as familiar with every inch of the wood of Dieulet as I am with my pocket, and he's like enough to get us pinched some fine morning. I heard of him to-day at the Maltese Cross making his boast that he would settle our business for us before we're a week older. A dirty hound, he is, and he served as guide to the Prussians the day before the battle of Beaumont; I leave it to these fellows if he didn't."
"_Per silentia amica lunoe_," added Ducat, whose quotations81 were not always conspicuous82 for their appositeness.
But Sambuc again brought his heavy fist down upon the table. "He has been tried and adjudged guilty, the scoundrel! If ever you hear of his being in the neighborhood just send me word, and his head shall go and keep company with the heads of the two uhlans in the Meuse; yes, by G-d! I pledge you my word it shall."
There was silence. Silvine was very white, and gazed at the men with unwinking, staring eyes.
"Those are things best not be talked too much about," old Fouchard prudently83 declared. "Your health, and good-night to you."
They emptied the second bottle, and Prosper, who had returned from the stable, lent a hand to load upon the wheelbarrow, whence the dead sheep had been removed, the loaves that Silvine had placed in an old grain-sack. But he turned his back and made no reply when his brother and the other two men, wheeling the barrow before them through the snow, stalked away and were lost to sight in the darkness, repeating:
"Good-night, good-night! _an plaisir_!"
They had breakfasted the following morning, and Father Fouchard was alone in the kitchen when the door was thrown open and Goliah in the flesh entered the room, big and burly, with the ruddy hue84 of health on his face and his tranquil85 smile. If the old man experienced anything in the nature of a shock at the suddenness of the apparition86 he let no evidence of it escape him. He peered at the other through his half-closed lids while he came forward and shook his former employer warmly by the hand.
"How are you, Father Fouchard?"
Then only the old peasant seemed to recognize him.
"Hallo, my boy, is it you? You've been filling out; how fat you are!"
And he eyed him from head to foot as he stood there, clad in a sort of soldier's greatcoat of coarse blue cloth, with a cap of the same material, wearing a comfortable, prosperous air of self-content. His speech betrayed no foreign accent, moreover; he spoke with the slow, thick utterance87 of the peasants of the district.
"Yes, Father Fouchard, it's I in person. I didn't like to be in the neighborhood without dropping in just to say how-do-you-do to you."
The old man could not rid himself of a feeling of distrust. What was the fellow after, anyway? Could he have heard of the francs-tireurs' visit to the farmhouse the night before? That was something he must try to ascertain88. First of all, however, it would be best to treat him politely, as he seemed to have come there in a friendly spirit.
"Well, my lad, since you are so pleasant we'll have a glass together for old times' sake."
He went himself and got a bottle and two glasses. Such expenditure89 of wine went to his heart, but one must know how to be liberal when he has business on hand. The scene of the preceding night was repeated, they touched glasses with the same words, the same gestures.
"Here's to your good health, Father Fouchard."
"And here's to yours, my lad."
Then Goliah unbent and his face assumed an expression of satisfaction; he looked about him like a man pleased with the sight of objects that recalled bygone times. He did not speak of the past, however, nor, for the matter of that, did he speak of the present. The conversation ran on the extremely cold weather, which would interfere91 with farming operations; there was one good thing to be said for the snow, however: it would kill off the insects. He barely alluded92, with a slightly pained expression, to the partially93 concealed94 hatred95, the affright and scorn, with which he had been received in the other houses of Remilly. Every man owes allegiance to his country, doesn't he? It is quite clear he should serve his country as well as he knows how. In France, however, no one looked at the matter in that light; there were things about which people had very queer notions. And as the old man listened and looked at that broad, innocent, good-natured face, beaming with frankness and good-will, he said to himself that surely that excellent fellow had had no evil designs in coming there.
"So you are all alone to-day, Father Fouchard?"
"Oh, no; Silvine is out at the barn, feeding the cows. Would you like to see her?"
Goliah laughed. "Well, yes. To be quite frank with you, it was on Silvine's account that I came."
Old Fouchard felt as if a great load had been taken off his mind; he went to the door and shouted at the top of his voice:
"Silvine! Silvine! There's someone here to see you."
And he went away about his business without further apprehension96, since the lass was there to look out for the property. A man must be in a bad way, he reflected, to let a fancy for a girl keep such a hold on him after such a length of time, years and years.
When Silvine entered the room she was not surprised to find herself in presence of Goliah, who remained seated and contemplated97 her with his broad smile, in which, however, there was a trace of embarrassment. She had been expecting him, and stood stock-still immediately she stepped across the doorsill, nerving herself and bracing98 all her faculties99. Little Charlot came running up and hid among her petticoats, astonished and frightened to see a strange man there. Then succeeded a few seconds of awkward silence.
Silence again settled down upon the room. He had known there was a child, although he had gone away before the birth of his offspring, but this was the first time he had laid eyes on it. He therefore wished to explain matters, like a young man of sense who is confident he can give good reasons for his conduct.
"Come, Silvine, I know you cherish bitter feelings against me--and yet there is no reason why you should. If I went away, if I have been cause to you of so much suffering, you might have told yourself that perhaps it was because I was not my own master. When a man has masters over him he must obey them, mustn't he? If they had sent me off on foot to make a journey of a hundred leagues I should have been obliged to go. And, of course, I couldn't say a word to you about it; you have no idea how bad it made me feel to go away as I did without bidding you good-by. I won't say to you now that I felt certain I should return to you some day; still, I always fully102 expected that I should, and, as you see, here I am again--"
She had turned away her head and was looking through the window at the snow that carpeted the courtyard, as if resolved to hear no word he said. Her persistent103 silence troubled him; he interrupted his explanations to say:
"Do you know you are prettier than ever!"
True enough, she was very beautiful in her pallor, with her magnificent great eyes that illuminated104 all her face. The heavy coils of raven105 hair that crowned her head seemed the outward symbol of the inward sorrow that was gnawing106 at her heart.
"Come, don't be angry! you know that I mean you no harm. If I did not love you still I should not have come back, that's very certain. Now that I am here and everything is all right once more we shall see each other now and then, shan't we?"
She suddenly stepped a pace backward, and looking him squarely in the face:
"Never!"
"Never!--and why? Are you not my wife, is not that child ours?"
She never once took her eyes from off his face, speaking with impressive slowness:
"Listen to me; it will be better to end that matter once for all. You knew Honore; I loved him, he was the only man who ever had my love. And now he is dead; you robbed me of him, you murdered him over there on the battlefield, and never again will I be yours. Never!"
She raised her hand aloft as if invoking107 heaven to record her vow108, while in her voice was such depth of hatred that for a moment he stood as if cowed, then murmured:
"Yes, I heard that Honore was dead; he was a very nice young fellow. But what could you expect? Many another has died as well; it is the fortune of war. And then it seemed to me that once he was dead there would no longer be a barrier between us, and let me remind you, Silvine, that after all I was never brutal109 toward you--"
But he stopped short at sight of her agitation110; she seemed as if about to tear her own flesh in her horror and distress111.
"Oh! that is just it; yes, it is that which seems as if it would drive me wild. Why, oh! why did I yield when I never loved you? Honore's departure left me so broken down, I was so sick in mind and body that never have I been able to recall any portion of the circumstances; perhaps it was because you talked to me of him and appeared to love him. My God! the long nights I have spent thinking of that time and weeping until the fountain of my tears was dry! It is dreadful to have done a thing that one had no wish to do and afterward112 be unable to explain the reason of it. And he had forgiven me, he had told me that he would marry me in spite of all when his time was out, if those hateful Prussians only let him live. And you think I will return to you. No, never, never! not if I were to die for it!"
Goliah's face grew dark. She had always been so submissive, and now he saw she was not to be shaken in her fixed113 resolve. Notwithstanding his easy-going nature he was determined114 he would have her, even if he should be compelled to use force, now that he was in a position to enforce his authority, and it was only his inherent prudence115, the instinct that counseled him to patience and diplomacy116, that kept him from resorting to violent measures now. The hard-fisted colossus was averse117 to bringing his physical powers into play; he therefore had recourse to another method for making her listen to reason.
"Very well; since you will have nothing more to do with me I will take away the child."
"What do you mean?"
Charlot, whose presence had thus far been forgotten by them both, had remained hanging to his mother's skirts, struggling bravely to keep down his rising sobs118 as the altercation119 waxed more warm. Goliah, leaving his chair, approached the group.
"You're my boy, aren't you? You're a good little Prussian. Come along with me."
But before he could lay hands on the child Silvine, all a-quiver with excitement, had thrown her arms about it and clasped it to her bosom120.
"He, a Prussian, never! He's French, was born in France!"
"You say he's French! Look at him, and look at me; he's my very image. Can you say he resembles you in any one of his features?"
She turned her eyes on the big, strapping121 lothario, with his curling hair and beard and his broad, pink face, in which the great blue eyes gleamed like globes of polished porcelain122; and it was only too true, the little one had the same yellow thatch123, the same rounded cheeks, the same light eyes; every feature of the hated race was reproduced faithfully in him. A tress of her jet black hair that had escaped from its confinement124 and wandered down upon her shoulder in the agitation of the moment showed her how little there was in common between the child and her.
"I bore him; he is mine!" she screamed in fury. "He's French, and will grow up to be a Frenchman, knowing no word of your dirty German language; and some day he shall go and help to kill the whole pack of you, to avenge64 those whom you have murdered!"
"Mammy, mammy, I'm 'fraid! take me away!"
Then Goliah, doubtless because he did not wish to create a scandal, stepped back, and in a harsh, stern voice, unlike anything she had ever heard from his lips before, made this declaration:
"Bear in mind what I am about to tell you, Silvine. I know all that happens at this farm. You harbor the francs-tireurs from the wood of Dieulet, among them that Sambuc who is brother to your hired man; you supply the bandits with provisions. And I know that that hired man, Prosper, is a chasseur d'Afrique and a deserter, and belongs to us by rights. Further, I know that you are concealing127 on your premises128 a wounded man, another soldier, whom a word from me would suffice to consign129 to a German fortress130. What do you think: am I not well informed?"
She was listening to him now, tongue-tied and terror-stricken, while little Charlot kept piping in her ear with lisping voice:
"Oh! mammy, mammy, take me away, I'm 'fraid!"
"Come," resumed Goliah, "I'm not a bad fellow, and I don't like quarrels and bickering131, as you are well aware, but I swear by all that's holy I will have them all arrested, Father Fouchard and the rest, unless you consent to admit me to your chamber on Monday next. I will take the child, too, and send him away to Germany to my mother, who will be very glad to have him; for you have no further right to him, you know, if you are going to leave me. You understand me, don't you? The folks will all be gone, and all I shall have to do will be to come and carry him away. I am the master; I can do what pleases me--come, what have you to say?"
But she made no answer, straining the little one more closely to her breast as if fearing he might be torn from her then and there, and in her great eyes was a look of mingled132 terror and execration133.
"It is well; I give you three days to think the matter over. See to it that your bedroom window that opens on the orchard134 is left open. If I do not find the window open next Monday evening at seven o'clock I will come with a detail the following day and arrest the inmates135 of the house and then will return and bear away the little one. Think of it well; _au revoir_, Silvine."
He sauntered quietly away, and she remained standing, rooted to her place, her head filled with such a swarming136, buzzing crowd of terrible thoughts that it seemed to her she must go mad. And during the whole of that long day the tempest raged in her. At first the thought occurred to her instinctively137 to take her child in her arms and fly with him, wherever chance might direct, no matter where; but what would become of them when night should fall and envelop138 them in darkness? how earn a livelihood139 for him and for herself? Then she determined she would speak to Jean, would notify Prosper, and Father Fouchard himself, and again she hesitated and changed her mind: was she sufficiently140 certain of the friendship of those people that she could be sure they would not sacrifice her to the general safety, she who was cause that they were menaced all with such misfortune? No, she would say nothing to anyone; she would rely on her own efforts to extricate141 herself from the peril142 she had incurred143 by braving that bad man. But what scheme could she devise; _mon Dieu!_ how could she avert36 the threatened evil, for her upright nature revolted; she could never have forgiven herself had she been the instrument of bringing disaster to so many people, to Jean in particular, who had always been so good to Charlot.
The hours passed, one by one; the next day's sun went down, and still she had decided144 upon nothing. She went about her household duties as usual, sweeping145 the kitchen, attending to the cows, making the soup. No word fell from her lips, and rising ever amid the ominous146 silence she preserved, her hatred of Goliah grew with every hour and impregnated her nature with its poison. He had been her curse; had it not been for him she would have waited for Honore, and Honore would be living now, and she would be happy. Think of his tone and manner when he made her understand he was the master! He had told her the truth, moreover; there were no longer gendarmes147 or judges to whom she could apply for protection; might made right. Oh, to be the stronger! to seize and overpower him when he came, he who talked of seizing others! All she considered was the child, flesh of her flesh; the chance-met father was naught29, never had been aught, to her. She had no particle of wifely feeling toward him, only a sentiment of concentrated rage, the deep-seated hatred of the vanquished148 for the victor, when she thought of him. Rather than surrender the child to him she would have killed it, and killed herself afterward. And as she had told him, the child he had left her as a gift of hate she would have wished were already grown and capable of defending her; she looked into the future and beheld him with a musket149, slaughtering150 hecatombs of Prussians. Ah, yes! one Frenchman more to assist in wreaking152 vengeance153 on the hereditary154 foe155!
There was but one day remaining, however; she could not afford to waste more time in arriving at a decision. At the very outset, indeed, a hideous156 project had presented itself among the whirling thoughts that filled her poor, disordered mind: to notify the francs-tireurs, to give Sambuc the information he desired so eagerly; but the idea had not then assumed definite form and shape, and she had put it from her as too atrocious, not suffering herself even to consider it: was not that man the father of her child? she could not be accessory to his murder. Then the thought returned, and kept returning at more frequently recurring157 intervals158, little by little forcing itself upon her and enfolding her in its unholy influence; and now it had entire possession of her, holding her captive by the strength of its simple and unanswerable logic159. The peril and calamity160 that overhung them all would vanish with that man; he in his grave, Jean, Prosper, Father Fouchard would have nothing more to fear, while she herself would retain possession of Charlot and there would be never a one in all the world to challenge her right to him. All that day she turned and re-turned the project in her mind, devoid161 of further strength to bid it down, considering despite herself the murder in its different aspects, planning and arranging its most minute details. And now it was become the one fixed, dominant162 idea, making a portion of her being, that she no longer stopped to reason on, and when finally she came to act, in obedience163 to that dictate164 of the inevitable165, she went forward as in a dream, subject to the volition166 of another, a someone within her whose presence she had never known till then.
Father Fouchard had taken alarm, and on Sunday he dispatched a messenger to the francs-tireurs to inform them that their supply of bread would be forwarded to the quarries167 of Boisville, a lonely spot a mile and a quarter from the house, and as Prosper had other work to do the old man sent Silvine with the wheelbarrow. It was manifest to the young woman that Destiny had taken the matter in its hands; she spoke, she made an appointment with Sambuc for the following evening, and there was no tremor168 in her voice, as if she were pursuing a course marked out for her from which she could not depart. The next day there were still other signs which proved that not only sentient169 beings, but inanimate objects as well, favored the crime. In the first place Father Fouchard was called suddenly away to Raucourt, and knowing he could not get back until after eight o'clock, instructed them not to wait dinner for him. Then Henriette, whose night off it was, received word from the hospital late in the afternoon that the nurse whose turn it was to watch was ill and she would have to take her place; and as Jean never left his chamber under any circumstances, the only remaining person from whom interference was to be feared was Prosper. It revolted the chasseur d'Afrique, the idea of killing a man that way, three against one, but when his brother arrived, accompanied by his faithful myrmidons, the disgust he felt for the villainous crew was lost in his detestation of the Prussians; sure he wasn't going to put himself out to save one of the dirty hounds, even if they did do him up in a way that was not according to rule; and he settled matters with his conscience by going to bed and burying his head under the blankets, that he might hear nothing that would tempt20 him to act in accordance with his soldierly instincts.
It lacked a quarter of seven, and Charlot seemed determined not to go to sleep. As a general thing his head declined upon the table the moment he had swallowed his last mouthful of soup.
"Come, my darling, go to sleep," said Silvine, who had taken him to Henriette's room; "mamma has put you in the nice lady's big bed."
But the child was excited by the novelty of the situation; he kicked and sprawled170 upon the bed, bubbling with laughter and animal spirits.
"No, no--stay, little mother--play, little mother."
"Go to sleep, my darling; shut your eyes and go to sleep, to please mamma."
And finally slumber overtook him, with a happy laugh upon his lips. She had not taken the trouble to undress him; she covered him warmly and left the room, and so soundly was he in the habit of sleeping that she did not even think it necessary to turn the key in the door.
Silvine had never known herself to be so calm, so clear and alert of mind. Her decision was prompt, her movements were light, as if she had parted company with her material frame and were acting172 under the domination of that other self, that inner being which she had never known till then. She had already let in Sambuc, with Cabasse and Ducat, enjoining173 upon them the exercise of the strictest caution, and now she conducted them to her bedroom and posted them on either side the window, which she threw open wide, notwithstanding the intense cold. The darkness was profound; barely a faint glimmer174 of light penetrated175 the room, reflected from the bosom of the snow without. A deathlike stillness lay on the deserted176 fields, the minutes lagged interminably. Then, when at last the deadened sound was heard of footsteps drawing near, Silvine withdrew and returned to the kitchen, where she seated herself and waited, motionless as a corpse177, her great eyes fixed on the flickering179 flame of the solitary180 candle.
And the suspense181 was long protracted182, Goliah prowling warily183 about the house before he would risk entering. He thought he could depend on the young woman, and had therefore come unarmed save for a single revolver in his belt, but he was haunted by a dim presentiment184 of evil; he pushed open the window to its entire extent and thrust his head into the apartment, calling below his breath:
"Silvine! Silvine!"
Since he found the window open to him it must be that she had thought better of the matter and changed her mind. It gave him great pleasure to have it so, although he would rather she had been there to welcome him and reassure185 his fears. Doubtless Father Fouchard had summoned her away; some odds186 and ends of work to finish up. He raised his voice a little:
"Silvine! Silvine!"
No answer, not a sound. And he threw his leg over the window-sill and entered the room, intending to get into bed and snuggle away among the blankets while waiting, it was so bitter cold.
All at once there was a furious rush, with the noise of trampling187, shuffling188 feet, and smothered189 oaths and the sound of labored190 breathing. Sambuc and his two companions had thrown themselves on Goliah, and notwithstanding their superiority in numbers they found it no easy task to overpower the giant, to whom his peril lent tenfold strength. The panting of the combatants, the straining of sinews and cracking of joints191, resounded192 for a moment in the obscurity. The revolver, fortunately, had fallen to the floor in the struggle. Cabasse's choking, inarticulate voice was heard exclaiming: "The cords, the cords!" and Ducat handed to Sambuc the coil of thin rope with which they had had the foresight193 to provide themselves. Scant194 ceremony was displayed in binding195 their hapless victim; the operation was conducted to the accompaniment of kicks and cuffs196. The legs were secured first, then the arms were firmly pinioned197 to the sides, and finally they wound the cord at random198 many times around the Prussian's body, wherever his contortions199 would allow them to place it, with such an affluence200 of loops and knots that he had the appearance of being enmeshed in a gigantic net. To his unintermitting outcries Ducat's voice responded: "Shut your jaw201!" and Cabasse silenced him more effectually by gagging him with an old blue handkerchief. Then, first waiting a moment to get their breath, they carried him, an inert202 mass, to the kitchen and deposited him upon the big table, beside the candle.
"Ah, the Prussian scum!" exclaimed Sambuc, wiping the sweat from his forehead, "he gave us trouble enough! Say, Silvine, light another candle, will you, so we can get a good view of the d----d pig and see what he looks like."
Silvine arose, her wide-dilated eyes shining bright from out her colorless face. She spoke no word, but lit another candle and came and placed it by Goliah's head on the side opposite the other; he produced the effect, thus brilliantly illuminated, of a corpse between two mortuary tapers203. And in that brief moment their glances met; his was the wild, agonized204 look of the supplicant205 whom his fears have overmastered, but she affected206 not to understand, and withdrew to the sideboard, where she remained standing with her icy, unyielding air.
"The beast has nearly chewed my finger off," growled207 Cabasse, from whose hand blood was trickling208. "I'm going to spoil his ugly mug for him."
He had taken the revolver from the floor and was holding it poised209 by the barrel in readiness to strike, when Sambuc disarmed210 him.
"No, no! none of that. We are not murderers, we francs-tireurs; we are judges. Do you hear, you dirty Prussian? we're going to try you; and you need have no fear, your rights shall be respected. We can't let you speak in your own defense211, for if we should unmuzzle you you would split our ears with your bellowing212, but I'll see that you have a lawyer presently, and a famous good one, too!"
He went and got three chairs and placed them in a row, forming what it pleased him to call the court, he sitting in the middle with one of his followers213 on either hand. When all three were seated he arose and commenced to speak, at first ironically aping the gravity of the magistrate214, but soon launching into a tirade215 of blood-thirsty invective216.
"I have the honor to be at the same time President of the Court and Public Prosecutor217. That, I am aware, is not strictly218 in order, but there are not enough of us to fill all the roles. I accuse you, therefore, of entering France to play the spy on us, recompensing us for our hospitality with the most abominable219 treason. It is to you to whom we are principally indebted for our recent disasters, for after the battle of Nouart you guided the Bavarians across the wood of Dieulet by night to Beaumont. No one but a man who had lived a long time in the country and was acquainted with every path and cross-road could have done it, and on this point the conviction of the court is unalterable; you were seen conducting the enemy's artillery220 over roads that had become lakes of liquid mud, where eight horses had to be hitched221 to a single gun to drag it out of the slough222. A person looking at those roads would hesitate to believe that an army corps178 could ever have passed over them. Had it not been for you and your criminal action in settling among us and betraying us the surprise of Beaumont would have never been, we should not have been compelled to retreat on Sedan, and perhaps in the end we might have come off victorious223. I will say nothing of the disgusting career you have been pursuing since then, coming here in disguise, terrorizing and denouncing the poor country people, so that they tremble at the mention of your name. You have descended224 to a depth of depravity beyond which it is impossible to go, and I demand from the court sentence of death."
Silence prevailed in the room. He had resumed his seat, and finally, rising again, said:
"I assign Ducat to you as counsel for the defense. He has been sheriff's officer, and might have made his mark had it not been for his little weakness. You see that I deny you nothing; we are disposed to treat you well."
Goliah, who could not stir a finger, bent90 his eyes on his improvised225 defender226. It was in his eyes alone that evidence of life remained, eyes that burned intensely with ardent227 supplication228 under the ashy brow, where the sweat of anguish229 stood in big drops, notwithstanding the cold.
Ducat arose and commenced his plea. "Gentlemen, my client, to tell the truth, is the most noisome230 blackguard that I ever came across in my life, and I should not have been willing to appear in his defense had I not a mitigating231 circumstance to plead, to wit: they are all that way in the country he came from. Look at him closely; you will read his astonishment in his eyes; he does not understand the gravity of his offense232. Here in France we may employ spies, but no one would touch one of them unless with a pair of pincers, while in that country espionage233 is considered a highly honorable career and an extremely meritorious234 manner of serving the state. I will even go so far as to say, gentlemen, that possibly they are not wrong; our noble sentiments do us honor, but they have also the disadvantage of bringing us defeat. If I may venture to speak in the language of Cicero and Virgil, _quos vult perdere Jupiter dementat_. You will understand the allusion235, gentlemen."
And he took his seat again, while Sambuc resumed:
"All I have to say," shouted the Provencal, "is that we are wasting a deal of breath in settling that scoundrel's hash. I've had my little troubles in my lifetime, and plenty of 'em, but I don't like to see people trifle with the affairs of the law; it's unlucky. Let him die, I say!"
Sambuc rose to his feet with an air of profound gravity.
"This you both declare to be your verdict, then--death?"
"Yes, yes! death!"
The chairs were pushed back, he advanced to the table where Goliah lay, saying:
"You have been tried and sentenced; you are to die."
The flame of the two candles rose about their unsnuffed wicks and flickered237 in the draught238, casting a fitful, ghastly light on Goliah's distorted features. The fierce efforts he made to scream for mercy, to vociferate the words that were strangling him, were such that the handkerchief knotted across his mouth was drenched239 with spume, and it was a sight most horrible to see, that strong man reduced to silence, voiceless already as a corpse, about to die with that torrent240 of excuse and entreaty241 pent in his bosom.
Cabasse cocked the revolver. "Shall I let him have it?" he asked.
"No, no!" Sambuc shouted in reply; "he would be only too glad." And turning to Goliah: "You are not a soldier; you are not worthy242 of the honor of quitting the world with a bullet in your head. No, you shall die the death of a spy and the dirty pig that you are."
He looked over his shoulder and politely said:
"Silvine, if it's not troubling you too much, I would like to have a tub."
During the whole of the trial scene Silvine had not moved a muscle. She had stood in an attitude of waiting, with drawn243, rigid244 features, as if mind and body had parted company, conscious of nothing but the one fixed idea that had possessed245 her for the last two days. And when she was asked for a tub she received the request as a matter of course and proceeded at once to comply with it, disappearing into the adjoining shed, whence she returned with the big tub in which she washed Charlot's linen246.
"Hold on a minute! place it under the table, close to the edge."
She placed the vessel247 as directed, and as she rose to her feet her eyes again encountered Goliah's. In the look of the poor wretch248 was a supreme249 prayer for mercy, the revolt of the man who cannot bear the thought of being stricken down in the pride of his strength. But in that moment there was nothing of the woman left in her; nothing but the fierce desire for that death for which she had been waiting as a deliverance. She retreated again to the buffet250, where she remained standing in silent expectation.
Sambuc opened the drawer of the table and took from it a large kitchen knife, the one that the household employed to slice their bacon.
"So, then, as you are a pig, I am going to stick you like a pig."
He proceeded in a very leisurely251 manner, discussing with Cabasse, and Ducat the proper method of conducting the operation. They even came near quarreling, because Cabasse alleged252 that in Provence, the country he came from, they hung pigs up by the heels to stick them, at which Ducat expressed great indignation, declaring that the method was a barbarous and inconvenient253 one.
"Bring him well forward to the edge of the table, his head over the tub, so as to avoid soiling the floor."
They drew him forward, and Sambuc went about his task in a tranquil, decent manner. With a single stroke of the keen knife he slit254 the throat crosswise from ear to ear, and immediately the blood from the severed255 carotid artery256 commenced to drip, drip into the tub with the gentle plashing of a fountain. He had taken care not to make the incision257 too deep; only a few drops spurted258 from the wound, impelled259 by the action of the heart. Death was the slower in coming for that, but no convulsion was to be seen, for the cords were strong and the body was utterly260 incapable261 of motion. There was no death-rattle, not a quiver of the frame. On the face alone was evidence of the supreme agony, on that terror-distorted mask whence the blood retreated drop by drop, leaving the skin colorless, with a whiteness like that of linen. The expression faded from the eyes; they became dim, the light died from out them.
"Say, Silvine, we shall want a sponge, too."
She made no reply, standing riveted262 to the floor in an attitude of unconsciousness, her arms folded tightly across her bosom, her throat constricted263 as by the clutch of a mailed hand, gazing on the horrible spectacle. Then all at once she perceived that Charlot was there, grasping her skirts with his little hands; he must have awaked and managed to open the intervening doors, and no one had seen him come stealing in, childlike, curious to know what was going on. How long had he been there, half-concealed behind his mother? From beneath his shock of yellow hair his big blue eyes were fixed on the trickling blood, the thin red stream that little by little was filling the tub. Perhaps he had not understood at first and had found something diverting in the sight, but suddenly he seemed to become instinctively aware of all the abomination of the thing; he gave utterance to a sharp, startled cry:
"Oh, mammy! oh, mammy! I'm 'fraid, take me away!"
It gave Silvine a shock, so violent that it convulsed her in every fiber264 of her being. It was the last straw; something seemed to give way in her, the excitement that had sustained her for the last two days while under the domination of her one fixed idea gave way to horror. It was the resurrection of the dormant265 woman in her; she burst into tears, and with a frenzied266 movement caught Charlot up and pressed him wildly to her heart. And she fled with him, running with distracted terror, unable to see or hear more, conscious of but one overmastering need, to find some secret spot, it mattered not where, in which she might cast herself upon the ground and seek oblivion.
It was at this crisis that Jean rose from his bed and, softly opening his door, looked out into the passage. Although he generally gave but small attention to the various noises that reached him from the farmhouse, the unusual activity that prevailed this evening, the trampling of feet, the shouts and cries, in the end excited his curiosity. And it was to the retirement267 of his sequestered268 chamber that Silvine, sobbing269 and disheveled, came for shelter, her form convulsed by such a storm of anguish that at first he could not grasp the meaning of the rambling270, inarticulate words that fell from her blanched271 lips. She kept constantly repeating the same terrified gesture, as if to thrust from before her eyes some hideous, haunting vision. At last he understood, the entire abominable scene was pictured clearly to his mind: the traitorous272 ambush273, the slaughter151, the mother, her little one clinging to her skirts, watching unmoved the murdered father, whose life-blood was slowly ebbing274; and it froze his marrow--the peasant and the soldier was sick at heart with anguished275 horror. Ah, hateful, cruel war! that changed all those poor folks to ravening276 wolves, bespattering the child with the father's blood! An accursed sowing, to end in a harvest of blood and tears!
Resting on the chair where she had fallen, covering with frantic24 kisses little Charlot, who clung, sobbing, to her bosom, Silvine repeated again and again the one unvarying phrase, the cry of her bleeding heart.
"Ah, my poor child, they will no more say you are a Prussian! Ah, my poor child, they will no more say you are a Prussian!"
Meantime Father Fouchard had returned and was in the kitchen. He had come hammering at the door with the authority of the master, and there was nothing left to do but open to him. The surprise he experienced was not exactly an agreeable one on beholding277 the dead man outstretched on his table and the blood-filled tub beneath. It followed naturally, his disposition278 not being of the mildest, that he was very angry.
"You pack of rascally279 slovens! say, couldn't you have gone outdoors to do your dirty work? Do you take my place for a shambles280, eh? coming here and ruining the furniture with such goings-on?" Then, as Sambuc endeavored to mollify him and explain matters, the old fellow went on with a violence that was enhanced by his fears: "And what do you suppose I am to do with the carcass, pray? Do you consider it a gentlemanly thing to do, to come to a man's house like this and foist281 a stiff off on him without so much as saying by your leave? Suppose a patrol should come along, what a nice fix I should be in! but precious little you fellows care whether I get my neck stretched or not. Now listen: do you take that body at once and carry it away from here; if you don't, by G-d, you and I will have a settlement! You hear me; take it by the head, take it by the heels, take it any way you please, but get it out of here and don't let there be a hair of it remaining in this room at the end of three minutes from now!"
In the end Sambuc prevailed on Father Fouchard to let him have a sack, although it wrung the old miser's heartstrings to part with it. He selected one that was full of holes, remarking that anything was good enough for a Prussian. Cabasse and Ducat had all the trouble in the world to get Goliah into it; it was too short and too narrow for the long, broad body, and the feet protruded282 at its mouth. Then they carried their burden outside and placed it on the wheelbarrow that had served to convey to them their bread.
"You'll not be troubled with him any more, I give you my word of honor!" declared Sambuc. "We'll go and toss him into the Meuse."
"Be sure and fasten a couple of big stones to his feet," recommended Fouchard, "so the lubber shan't come up again."
And the little procession, dimly outlined against the white waste of snow, started and soon was buried in the blackness of the night, giving no sound save the faint, plaintive283 creaking of the barrow.
In after days Sambuc swore by all that was good and holy he had obeyed the old man's directions, but none the less the corpse came to the surface and was discovered two days afterward by the Prussians among the weeds at Pont-Maugis, and when they saw the manner of their countryman's murder, his throat slit like a pig, their wrath284 and fury knew no bounds. Their threats were terrible, and were accompanied by domiciliary visits and annoyances285 of every kind. Some of the villagers must have blabbed, for there came a party one night and arrested Father Fouchard and the Mayor of Remilly on the charge of giving aid and comfort to the francs-tireurs, who were manifestly the perpetrators of the crime. And Father Fouchard really came out very strong under those untoward286 circumstances, exhibiting all the impassability of a shrewd old peasant, who knew the value of silence and a tranquil demeanor287. He went with his captors without the least sign of perturbation, without even asking them for an explanation. The truth would come out. In the country roundabout it was whispered that he had already made an enormous fortune from the Prussians, sacks and sacks of gold pieces, that he buried away somewhere, one by one, as he received them.
All these stories were a terrible source of alarm to Henriette when she came to hear of them. Jean, fearing he might endanger the safety of his hosts, was again eager to get away, although the doctor declared he was still too weak, and she, saddened by the prospect288 of their approaching separation, insisted on his delaying his departure for two weeks. At the time of Father Fouchard's arrest Jean had escaped a like fate by hiding in the barn, but he was liable to be taken and led away captive at any moment should there be further searches made. She was also anxious as to her uncle's fate, and so she resolved one morning to go to Sedan and see the Delaherches, who had, it was said, a Prussian officer of great influence quartered in their house.
"Silvine," she said, as she was about to start, "take good care of our patient; see he has his bouillon at noon and his medicine at four o'clock."
The maid of all work, ever busy with her daily recurring tasks, was again the submissive and courageous woman she had been of old; she had the care of the farm now, moreover, in the absence of the master, while little Charlot was constantly at her heels, frisking and gamboling around her.
"Have no fear, madame, he shall want for nothing. I am here and will look out for him."
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收听单词发音
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1
prosper
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| v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣 | |
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2
farmhouse
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| n.农场住宅（尤指主要住房） | |
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3
whittling
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| v.切，削（木头），使逐渐变小( whittle的现在分词 ) | |
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4
scarcity
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| n.缺乏，不足，萧条 | |
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5
replenish
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| vt.补充；(把…)装满；(再)填满 | |
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6
drowsily
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| adv.睡地，懒洋洋地，昏昏欲睡地 | |
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7
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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8
mustered
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| v.集合，召集，集结（尤指部队）( muster的过去式和过去分词 )；（自他人处）搜集某事物；聚集；激发 | |
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9
stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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10
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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11
insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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12
pertaining
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| 与…有关系的，附属…的，为…固有的(to) | |
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13
disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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14
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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15
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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16
alleging
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| 断言，宣称，辩解( allege的现在分词 ) | |
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17
specified
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| adj.特定的 | |
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18
homely
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| adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的 | |
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19
entreating
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| 恳求，乞求( entreat的现在分词 ) | |
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20
tempt
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| vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣 | |
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21
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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22
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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23
frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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25
wrung
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| 绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 )； 握紧（尤指别人的手）； 把（湿衣服）拧干； 绞掉（水） | |
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26
urchins
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| n.顽童( urchin的名词复数 )；淘气鬼；猬；海胆 | |
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27
consorted
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| v.结伴( consort的过去式和过去分词 )；交往；相称；调和 | |
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28
tauntingly
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| 嘲笑地，辱骂地； 嘲骂地 | |
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29
naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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30
persistency
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| n. 坚持(余辉, 时间常数) | |
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31
reiterate
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| v.重申，反复地说 | |
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32
dismally
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| adv.阴暗地，沉闷地 | |
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33
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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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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35
averted
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| 防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移 | |
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36
avert
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| v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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37
carving
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| n.雕刻品，雕花 | |
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38
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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39
ruminating
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| v.沉思( ruminate的现在分词 )；反复考虑；反刍；倒嚼 | |
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40
cramming
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| n.塞满，填鸭式的用功v.塞入( cram的现在分词 )；填塞；塞满；（为考试而）死记硬背功课 | |
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41
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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42
meek
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| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
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43
courageous
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| adj.勇敢的，有胆量的 | |
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44
lugging
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| 超载运转能力 | |
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45
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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46
wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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47
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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48
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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49
parley
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| n.谈判 | |
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50
lumbering
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| n.采伐林木 | |
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51
resounding
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| adj. 响亮的 | |
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52
woolen
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| adj.羊毛(制)的；毛纺的 | |
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53
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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54
shrug
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| v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等) | |
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55
spouted
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| adj.装有嘴的v.（指液体）喷出( spout的过去式和过去分词 )；滔滔不绝地讲；喋喋不休地说；喷水 | |
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56
predilection
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| n.偏好 | |
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57
disparage
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| v.贬抑，轻蔑 | |
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58
amicable
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| adj.和平的，友好的；友善的 | |
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59
lurking
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| 潜在 | |
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60
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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61
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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62
plundering
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| 掠夺，抢劫( plunder的现在分词 ) | |
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63
sentry
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| n.哨兵，警卫 | |
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64
avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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65
avenged
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| v.为…复仇，报…之仇( avenge的过去式和过去分词 )；为…报复 | |
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66
abetting
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| v.教唆（犯罪）( abet的现在分词 )；煽动；怂恿；支持 | |
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67
outrages
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| 引起…的义愤，激怒( outrage的第三人称单数 ) | |
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68
inflicting
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的现在分词 ) | |
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69
deterred
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| v.阻止，制止( deter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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70
radius
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| n.半径，半径范围；有效航程，范围，界限 | |
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71
batches
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| 一批( batch的名词复数 )； 一炉； （食物、药物等的）一批生产的量； 成批作业 | |
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72
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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73
rascals
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| 流氓( rascal的名词复数 )； 无赖； （开玩笑说法）淘气的人（尤指小孩）； 恶作剧的人 | |
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74
chuckling
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 ) | |
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75
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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76
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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77
prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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78
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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79
brigand
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| n.土匪，强盗 | |
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80
attested
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|
| adj.经检验证明无病的，经检验证明无菌的v.证明( attest的过去式和过去分词 )；证实；声称…属实；使宣誓 | |
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81
quotations
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| n.引用( quotation的名词复数 )；[商业]行情（报告）；（货物或股票的）市价；时价 | |
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82
conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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83
prudently
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| adv. 谨慎地，慎重地 | |
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84
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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85
tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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86
apparition
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| n.幽灵，神奇的现象 | |
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87
utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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88
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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89
expenditure
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| n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗 | |
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90
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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91
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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92
alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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93
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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94
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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95
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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96
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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97
contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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98
bracing
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| adj.令人振奋的 | |
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99
faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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100
dulcet
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| adj.悦耳的 | |
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101
curt
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| adj.简短的，草率的 | |
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102
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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103
persistent
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| adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的 | |
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104
illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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105
raven
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| n.渡鸟，乌鸦；adj.乌亮的 | |
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106
gnawing
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| a.痛苦的，折磨人的 | |
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107
invoking
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| v.援引( invoke的现在分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求 | |
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108
vow
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| n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓 | |
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109
brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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110
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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111
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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112
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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113
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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114
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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115
prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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116
diplomacy
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| n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕 | |
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117
averse
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| adj.厌恶的；反对的，不乐意的 | |
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118
sobs
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| 啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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119
altercation
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| n.争吵，争论 | |
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120
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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121
strapping
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| adj. 魁伟的, 身材高大健壮的 n. 皮绳或皮带的材料, 裹伤胶带, 皮鞭 动词strap的现在分词形式 | |
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122
porcelain
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| n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的 | |
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123
thatch
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| vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部；n.茅草(屋) | |
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124
confinement
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| n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限 | |
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125
tightening
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| 上紧，固定，紧密 | |
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126
shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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127
concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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128
premises
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| n.建筑物，房屋 | |
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129
consign
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| vt.寄售（货品），托运，交托，委托 | |
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130
fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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131
bickering
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| v.争吵( bicker的现在分词 )；口角；（水等）作潺潺声；闪烁 | |
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132
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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133
execration
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| n.诅咒，念咒，憎恶 | |
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134
orchard
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| n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场 | |
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135
inmates
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| n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 ) | |
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136
swarming
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| 密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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137
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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138
envelop
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| vt.包，封，遮盖；包围 | |
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139
livelihood
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| n.生计，谋生之道 | |
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140
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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141
extricate
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| v.拯救，救出；解脱 | |
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142
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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143
incurred
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| [医]招致的，遭受的； incur的过去式 | |
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144
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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145
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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146
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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147
gendarmes
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| n.宪兵，警官( gendarme的名词复数 ) | |
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148
vanquished
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| v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制 | |
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149
musket
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| n.滑膛枪 | |
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150
slaughtering
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| v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的现在分词 ) | |
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151
slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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152
wreaking
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| 诉诸（武力），施行（暴力），发（脾气）( wreak的现在分词 ) | |
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153
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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154
hereditary
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| adj.遗传的，遗传性的，可继承的，世袭的 | |
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155
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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156
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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157
recurring
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| adj.往复的，再次发生的 | |
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158
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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159
logic
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| n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性 | |
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160
calamity
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| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
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161
devoid
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| adj.全无的，缺乏的 | |
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162
dominant
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| adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因 | |
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163
obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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164
dictate
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| v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令 | |
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165
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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166
volition
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| n.意志；决意 | |
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167
quarries
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| n.（采）石场( quarry的名词复数 )；猎物（指鸟，兽等）；方形石；（格窗等的）方形玻璃v.从采石场采得( quarry的第三人称单数 )；从（书本等中）努力发掘（资料等）；在采石场采石 | |
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168
tremor
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| n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震 | |
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169
sentient
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| adj.有知觉的，知悉的；adv.有感觉能力地 | |
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170
sprawled
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| v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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171
caressing
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| 爱抚的，表现爱情的，亲切的 | |
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172
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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173
enjoining
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| v.命令( enjoin的现在分词 ) | |
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174
glimmer
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| v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光 | |
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175
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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176
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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177
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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178
corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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179
flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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180
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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181
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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182
protracted
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| adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词 | |
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183
warily
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| adv.留心地 | |
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184
presentiment
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| n.预感，预觉 | |
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185
reassure
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| v.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
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186
odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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187
trampling
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| 踩( trample的现在分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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188
shuffling
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| adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式 | |
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189
smothered
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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190
labored
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| adj.吃力的，谨慎的v.努力争取(for)( labor的过去式和过去分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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191
joints
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| 接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语） | |
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192
resounded
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| v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音 | |
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193
foresight
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| n.先见之明，深谋远虑 | |
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194
scant
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| adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略 | |
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195
binding
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| 有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的 | |
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196
cuffs
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| n.袖口( cuff的名词复数 )v.掌打，拳打( cuff的第三人称单数 ) | |
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197
pinioned
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| v.抓住[捆住]（双臂）( pinion的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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198
random
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| adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动 | |
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199
contortions
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| n.扭歪，弯曲；扭曲，弄歪，歪曲( contortion的名词复数 ) | |
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200
affluence
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| n.充裕，富足 | |
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201
jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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202
inert
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| adj.无活动能力的，惰性的；迟钝的 | |
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203
tapers
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| （长形物体的）逐渐变窄( taper的名词复数 )； 微弱的光； 极细的蜡烛 | |
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204
agonized
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| v.使（极度）痛苦，折磨( agonize的过去式和过去分词 )；苦斗；苦苦思索；感到极度痛苦 | |
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205
supplicant
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| adj.恳求的n.恳求者 | |
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206
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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207
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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208
trickling
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| n.油画底色含油太多而成泡沫状突起v.滴( trickle的现在分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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209
poised
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| a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
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210
disarmed
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| v.裁军( disarm的过去式和过去分词 )；使息怒 | |
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211
defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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212
bellowing
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的现在分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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213
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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214
magistrate
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| n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官 | |
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215
tirade
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| n.冗长的攻击性演说 | |
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216
invective
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| n.痛骂，恶意抨击 | |
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217
prosecutor
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| n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人 | |
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218
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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219
abominable
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| adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的 | |
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220
artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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221
hitched
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| （免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的过去式和过去分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上 | |
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222
slough
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| v.蜕皮，脱落，抛弃 | |
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223
victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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224
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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225
improvised
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| a.即席而作的,即兴的 | |
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226
defender
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| n.保卫者，拥护者，辩护人 | |
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227
ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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228
supplication
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| n.恳求，祈愿，哀求 | |
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229
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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230
noisome
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| adj.有害的，可厌的 | |
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231
mitigating
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| v.减轻，缓和( mitigate的现在分词 ) | |
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232
offense
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| n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪 | |
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233
espionage
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| n.间谍行为，谍报活动 | |
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234
meritorious
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| adj.值得赞赏的 | |
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235
allusion
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| n.暗示，间接提示 | |
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236
defendant
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| n.被告；adj.处于被告地位的 | |
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237
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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238
draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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239
drenched
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| adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
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240
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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241
entreaty
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| n.恳求，哀求 | |
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242
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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243
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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244
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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245
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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246
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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247
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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248
wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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249
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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250
buffet
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| n.自助餐；饮食柜台；餐台 | |
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251
leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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252
alleged
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| a.被指控的，嫌疑的 | |
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253
inconvenient
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| adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的 | |
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254
slit
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| n.狭长的切口；裂缝；vt.切开，撕裂 | |
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255
severed
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| v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂 | |
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256
artery
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| n.干线，要道；动脉 | |
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257
incision
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| n．切口，切开 | |
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258
spurted
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| （液体，火焰等）喷出，（使）涌出( spurt的过去式和过去分词 )； （短暂地）加速前进，冲刺 | |
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259
impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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260
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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261
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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262
riveted
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| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
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263
constricted
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| adj.抑制的，约束的 | |
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264
fiber
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| n.纤维，纤维质 | |
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265
dormant
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| adj.暂停活动的；休眠的；潜伏的 | |
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266
frenzied
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| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
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267
retirement
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| n.退休，退职 | |
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268
sequestered
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| adj.扣押的；隐退的；幽静的；偏僻的v.使隔绝，使隔离( sequester的过去式和过去分词 )；扣押 | |
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269
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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270
rambling
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| adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的 | |
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271
blanched
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| v.使变白( blanch的过去式 )；使（植物）不见阳光而变白；酸洗（金属）使有光泽；用沸水烫（杏仁等）以便去皮 | |
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272
traitorous
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| adj. 叛国的, 不忠的, 背信弃义的 | |
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273
ambush
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| n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击 | |
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274
ebbing
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| （指潮水）退( ebb的现在分词 )； 落； 减少； 衰落 | |
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275
anguished
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| adj.极其痛苦的v.使极度痛苦(anguish的过去式) | |
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276
ravening
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| a.贪婪而饥饿的 | |
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277
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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278
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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279
rascally
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| adj. 无赖的，恶棍的 adv. 无赖地，卑鄙地 | |
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280
shambles
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| n.混乱之处；废墟 | |
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281
foist
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| vt.把…强塞给，骗卖给 | |
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282
protruded
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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283
plaintive
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| adj.可怜的，伤心的 | |
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284
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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285
annoyances
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| n.恼怒( annoyance的名词复数 )；烦恼；打扰；使人烦恼的事 | |
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286
untoward
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| adj.不利的，不幸的，困难重重的 | |
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287
demeanor
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| n.行为；风度 | |
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288
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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