It has sometimes struck me that some of you, when you have heard me tell these little adventures of mine, may have gone away with the impression that I was conceited1. There could not be a greater mistake than this, for I have always observed that really fine soldiers are free from this failing. It is true that I have had to depict2 myself sometimes as brave, sometimes as full of resource, always as interesting; but, then, it really was so, and I had to take the facts as I found them. It would be an unworthy affectation if I were to pretend that my career has been anything but a fine one. The incident which I will tell you tonight, however, is one which you will understand that only a modest man would describe. After all, when one has attained4 such a position as mine, one can afford to speak of what an ordinary man might be tempted5 to conceal6.
You must know, then, that after the Russian campaign the remains7 of our poor army were quartered along the western bank of the Elbe, where they might thaw8 their frozen blood and try, with the help of the good German beer, to put a little between their skin and their bones. There were some things which we could not hope to regain9, for I daresay that three large commissariat fourgons would not have sufficed to carry the fingers and the toes which the army had shed during that retreat. Still, lean and crippled as we were, we had much to be thankful for when we thought of our poor comrades whom we had left behind, and of the snowfields — the horrible, horrible snowfields. To this day, my friends, I do not care to see red and white together. Even my red cap thrown down upon my white counterpane has given me dreams in which I have seen those monstrous10 plains, the reeling, tortured army, and the crimson11 smears12 which glared upon the snow behind them. You will coax13 no story out of me about that business, for the thought of it is enough to turn my wine to vinegar and my tobacco to straw.
Of the half-million who crossed the Elbe in the autumn of the year ’12 about forty thousand infantry14 were left in the spring of ’13. But they were terrible men, these forty thousand: men of iron, eaters of horses, and sleepers16 in the snow; filled, too, with rage and bitterness against the Russians. They would hold the Elbe until the great army of conscripts, which the Emperor was raising in France, should be ready to help them to cross it once more.
But the cavalry17 was in a deplorable condition. My own hussars were at Borna, and when I paraded them first, I burst into tears at the sight of them. My fine men and my beautiful horses — it broke my heart to see the state to which they were reduced. ‘But, courage,’ I thought, ‘they have lost much, but their Colonel is still left to them.’ I set to work, therefore, to repair their disasters, and had already constructed two good squadrons, when an order came that all colonels of cavalry should repair instantly to the dep?ts of the regiments18 in France to organize the recruits and the remounts for the coming campaign.
You will think, doubtless, that I was over-joyed at this chance of visiting home once more. I will not deny that it was a pleasure to me to know that I should see my mother again, and there were a few girls who would be very glad at the news; but there were others in the army who had a stronger claim. I would have given my place to any who had wives and children whom they might not see again. However, there is no arguing when the blue paper with the little red seal arrives, so within an hour I was off upon my great ride from the Elbe to the Vosges. At last I was to have a period of quiet. War lay behind my mare20’s tail and peace in front of her nostrils21. So I thought, as the sound of the bugles22 died in the distance, and the long, white road curled away in front of me through plain and forest and mountain, with France somewhere beyond the blue haze23 which lay upon the horizon.
It is interesting, but it is also fatiguing24, to ride in the rear of an army. In the harvest time our soldiers could do without supplies, for they had been trained to pluck the grain in the fields as they passed, and to grind it for themselves in their bivouacs. It was at that time of year, therefore, that those swift marches were performed which were the wonder and the despair of Europe. But now the starving men had to be made robust25 once more, and I was forced to draw into the ditch continually as the Coburg sheep and the Bavarian bullocks came streaming past with waggon26 loads of Berlin beer and good French cognac. Sometimes, too, I would hear the dry rattle27 of the drums and the shrill28 whistle of the fifes, and long columns of our good little infantry men would swing past me with the white dust lying thick upon their blue tunics30. These were old soldiers drawn31 from the garrisons32 of our German fortresses34, for it was not until May that the new conscripts began to arrive from France.
Well, I was rather tired of this eternal stopping and dodging35, so that I was not sorry when I came to Altenburg to find that the road divided, and that I could take the southern and quieter branch. There were few wayfarers36 between there and Greiz, and the road wound through groves37 of oaks and beeches38, which shot their branches across the path. You will think it strange that a Colonel of hussars should again and again pull up his horse in order to admire the beauty of the feathery branches and the little, green, new-budded leaves, but if you had spent six months among the fir trees of Russia you would be able to understand me.
There was something, however, which pleased me very much less than the beauty of the forests, and that was the words and looks of the folk who lived in the woodland villages. We had always been excellent friends with the Germans, and during the last six years they had never seemed to bear us any malice40 for having made a little free with their country. We had shown kindnesses to the men and received them from the women, so that good, comfortable Germany was a second home to all of us. But now there was something which I could not understand in the behaviour of the people. The travellers made no answer to my salute41; the foresters turned their heads away to avoid seeing me; and in the villages the folk would gather into knots in the roadway and would scowl42 at me as I passed. Even women would do this, and it was something new for me in those days to see anything but a smile in a woman’s eyes when they were turned upon me.
It was in the hamlet of Schmolin, just ten miles out of Altenburg, that the thing became most marked. I had stopped at the little inn there just to damp my moustache and to wash the dust out of poor Violette’s throat. It was my way to give some little compliment, or possibly a kiss, to the maid who served me; but this one would have neither the one nor the other, but darted43 a glance at me like a bayonet-thrust. Then when I raised my glass to the folk who drank their beer by the door they turned their backs on me, save only one fellow, who cried, ‘Here’s a toast for you, boys! Here’s to the letter T!’ At that they all emptied their beer mugs and laughed; but it was not a laugh that had good-fellowship in it.
I was turning this over in my head and wondering what their boorish44 conduct could mean, when I saw, as I rode from the village, a great T new carved upon a tree. I had already seen more than one in my morning’s ride, but I had given no thought to them until the words of the beer-drinker gave them an importance. It chanced that a respectable-looking person was riding past me at the moment, so I turned to him for information.
‘Can you tell me, sir,’ said I, ‘what this letter T is?’
He looked at it and then at me in the most singular fashion. ‘Young man,’ said he, ‘it is not the letter N.’ Then before I could ask further he clapped his spurs into his horses ribs45 and rode, stomach to earth, upon his way.
At first his words had no particular significance in my mind, but as I trotted46 onwards Violette chanced to half turn her dainty head, and my eyes were caught by the gleam of the brazen47 N’s at the end of the bridle48-chain. It was the Emperor’s mark. And those T’s meant something which was opposite to it. Things had been happening in Germany, then, during our absence, and the giant sleeper15 had begun to stir. I thought of the mutinous49 faces that I had seen, and I felt that if I could only have looked into the hearts of these people I might have had some strange news to bring into France with me. It made me the more eager to get my remounts, and to see ten strong squadrons behind my kettle-drums once more.
While these thoughts were passing through my head I had been alternately walking and trotting50, as a man should who has a long journey before, and a willing horse beneath, him. The woods were very open at this point, and beside the road there lay a great heap of fagots. As I passed there came a sharp sound from among them, and, glancing round, I saw a face looking out at me — a hot, red face, like that of a man who is beside himself with excitement and anxiety. A second glance told me that it was the very person with whom I had talked an hour before in the village.
‘Come nearer!’ he hissed51. ‘Nearer still! Now dismount and pretend to be mending the stirrup leather. Spies may be watching us, and it means death to me if I am seen helping52 you.’
‘Death!’ I whispered. ‘From whom?’
‘From the Tugendbund. From Lutzow’s night-riders. You Frenchmen are living on a powder magazine, and the match has been struck that will fire it.’
‘But this is all strange to me,’ said I, still fumbling53 at the leathers of my horse. ‘What is this Tugendbund?’
‘It is the secret society which has planned the great rising which is to drive you out of Germany, just as you have been driven out of Russia.’
‘And these T’s stand for it?’
‘They are the signal. I should have told you all this in the village, but I dared not be seen speaking with you. I galloped54 through the woods to cut you off, and concealed55 both my horse and myself.’
‘I am very much indebted to you,’ said I, ‘and the more so as you are the only German that I have met today from whom I have had common civility.’
‘All that I possess I have gained through contracting for the French armies,’ said he. ‘Your Emperor has been a good friend to me. But I beg that you will ride on now, for we have talked long enough. Beware only of Lutzow’s night-riders!’
‘Banditti?’ I asked.
‘All that is best in Germany,’ said he. ‘But for God’s sake ride forwards, for I have risked my life and exposed my good name in order to carry you this warning.’
Well, if I had been heavy with thought before, you can think how I felt after my strange talk with the man among the fagots. What came home to me even more than his words was his shivering, broken voice, his twitching58 face, and his eyes glancing swiftly to right and left, and opening in horror whenever a branch cracked upon a tree. It was clear that he was in the last extremity59 of terror, and it is possible that he had cause, for shortly after I had left him I heard a distant gunshot and a shouting from somewhere behind me. It may have been some sportsman halloaing to his dogs, but I never again heard of or saw the man who had given me my warning.
I kept a good look-out after this, riding swiftly where the country was open, and slowly where there might be an ambuscade. It was serious for me, since 500 good miles of German soil lay in front of me; but somehow I did not take it very much to heart, for the Germans had always seemed to me to be a kindly60, gentle people, whose hands closed more readily round a pipe-stem than a sword-hilt — not out of want of valour, you understand, but because they are genial62, open souls, who would rather be on good terms with all men. I did not know then that beneath that homely63 surface there lurks64 a devilry as fierce as, and far more persistent65 than, that of the Castilian or the Italian.
And it was not long before I had shown to me that there was something more serious abroad than rough words and hard looks. I had come to a spot where the road runs upwards66 through a wild tract56 of heath-land and vanishes into an oak wood. I may have been half-way up the hill when, looking forward, I saw something gleaming under the shadow of the tree-trunks, and a man came out with a coat which was so slashed67 and spangled with gold that he blazed like a fire in the sunlight. He appeared to be very drunk, for he reeled and staggered as he came towards me. One of his hands was held up to his ear and clutched a great red handkerchief, which was fixed68 to his neck.
I had reined69 up the mare and was looking at him with some disgust, for it seemed strange to me that one who wore so gorgeous a uniform should show himself in such a state in broad daylight. For his part, he looked hard in my direction and came slowly onwards, stopping from time to time and swaying about as he gazed at me. Suddenly, as I again advanced, he screamed out his thanks to Christ, and, lurching forwards, he fell with a crash upon the dusty road. His hands flew forward with the fall, and I saw that what I had taken for a red cloth was a monstrous wound, which had left a great gap in his neck, from which a dark blood-clot hung, like an epaulette upon his shoulder.
‘My God!’ I cried, as I sprang to his aid. ‘And I thought that you were drunk!’
‘Not drunk, but dying,’ said he. ‘But thank Heaven that I have seen a French officer while I have still strength to speak.’
I laid him among the heather and poured some brandy down his throat. All round us was the vast countryside, green and peaceful, with nothing living in sight save only the mutilated man beside me.
‘Who has done this?’ I asked, ‘and what are you? You are French, and yet the uniform is strange to me.’
‘It is that of the Emperor’s new guard of honour. I am the Marquis of Chateau71 St Arnaud, and I am the ninth of my blood who has died in the service of France. I have been pursued and wounded by the night-riders of Lutzow, but I hid among the brushwood yonder, and waited in the hope that a Frenchman might pass. I could not be sure at first if you were friend or foe72, but I felt that death was very near, and that I must take the chance.’
‘Keep your heart up, comrade,’ said I; ‘I have seen a man with a worse wound who has lived to boast of it.’
‘No, no,’ he whispered; ‘I am going fast.’ He laid his hand upon mine as he spoke73, and I saw that his finger-nails were already blue. ‘But I have papers here in my tunic29 which you must carry at once to the Prince of Saxe-Felstein, at his Castle of Hof. He is still true to us, but the Princess is our deadly enemy. She is striving to make him declare against us. If he does so, it will determine all those who are wavering, for the King of Prussia is his uncle and the King of Bavaria his cousin. These papers will hold him to us if they can only reach him before he takes the last step. Place them in his hands tonight, and, perhaps, you will have saved all Germany for the Emperor. Had my horse not been shot, I might, wounded as I am ——’ He choked, and the cold hand tightened74 into a grip, which left mine as bloodless as itself. Then, with a groan76, his head jerked back, and it was all over with him.
Here was a fine start for my journey home. I was left with a commission of which I knew little, which would lead me to delay the pressing needs of my hussars, and which at the same time was of such importance that it was impossible for me to avoid it. I opened the Marquis’s tunic, the brilliance77 of which had been devised by the Emperor in order to attract those young aristocrats78 from whom he hoped to raise these new regiments of his Guard. It was a small packet of papers which I drew out, tied up with silk, and addressed to the Prince of Saxe-Felstein. In the corner, in a sprawling79, untidy hand, which I knew to be the Emperor’s own, was written: ‘Pressing and most important.’ It was an order to me, those four words — an order as clear as if it had come straight from the firm lips with the cold grey eyes looking into mine. My troopers might wait for their horses, the dead Marquis might lie where I had laid him amongst the heather, but if the mare and her rider had a breath left in them the papers should reach the Prince that night.
I should not have feared to ride by the road through the wood, for I have learned in Spain that the safest time to pass through a guerilla country is after an outrage80, and that the moment of danger is when all is peaceful. When I came to look upon my map, however, I saw that Hof lay further to the south of me, and that I might reach it more directly by keeping to the moors81. Off I set, therefore, and had not gone fifty yards before two carbine shots rang out of the brushwood and a bullet hummed past me like a bee. It was clear that the night-riders were bolder in their ways than the brigands82 of Spain, and that my mission would have ended where it had begun if I had kept to the road.
It was a mad ride, that — a ride with a loose rein70, girth-deep in heather and in gorse, plunging83 through bushes, flying down hill-sides, with my neck at the mercy of my dear little Violette. But she — she never slipped, she never faltered84, as swift and as surefooted as if she knew that her rider carried the fate of all Germany beneath the buttons of his pelisse. And I— I had long borne the name of being the best horseman in the six brigades of light cavalry, but I never rode as I rode then. My friend the Bart had told me of how they hunt the fox in England, but the swiftest fox would have been captured by me that day. The wild pigeons which flew overhead did not take a straighter course than Violette and I below. As an officer, I have always been ready to sacrifice myself for my men, though the Emperor would not have thanked me for it, for he had many men, but only one — well, cavalry leaders of the first class are rare.
But here I had an object which was indeed worth a sacrifice, and I thought no more of my life than of the clods of earth that flew from my darling’s heels.
We struck the road once more as the light was failing, and galloped into the little village of Lobenstein. But we had hardly got upon the cobblestones when off came one of the mare’s shoes, and I had to lead her to the village smithy. His fire was low, and his day’s work done, so that it would be an hour at the least before I could hope to push on to Hof. Cursing at the delay, I strode into the village inn and ordered a cold chicken and some wine to be served for my dinner. It was but a few miles to Hof, and I had every hope that I might deliver my papers to the Prince on that very night, and be on my way for France next morning with despatches for the Emperor in my bosom85. I will tell you now what befell me in the inn of Lobenstein.
The chicken had been served and the wine drawn, and I had turned upon both as a man may who has ridden such a ride, when I was aware of a murmur86 and a scuffling in the hall outside my door. At first I thought that it was some brawl87 between peasants in their cups, and I left them to settle their own affairs. But of a sudden there broke from among the low, sullen88 growl89 of the voices such a sound as would send Etienne Gerard leaping from his death-bed. It was the whimpering cry of a woman in pain. Down clattered90 my knife and my fork, and in an instant I was in the thick of the crowd which had gathered outside my door.
The heavy-cheeked landlord was there and his flaxen-haired wife, the two men from the stables, a chambermaid, and two or three villagers. All of them, women and men, were flushed and angry, while there in the centre of them, with pale cheeks and terror in her eyes, stood the loveliest woman that ever a soldier would wish to look upon. With her queenly head thrown back, and a touch of defiance92 mingled93 with her fear, she looked as she gazed round her like a creature of a different race from the vile94, coarse-featured crew who surrounded her. I had not taken two steps from my door before she sprang to meet me, her hand resting upon my arm and her blue eyes sparkling with joy and triumph.
‘A French soldier and gentleman!’ she cried. ‘Now at last I am safe.’
‘Yes, madam, you are safe,’ said I, and I could not resist taking her hand in mine in order that I might reassure95 her. ‘You have only to command me,’ I added, kissing the hand as a sign that I meant what I was saying.
‘I am Polish,’ she cried; ‘the Countess Palotta is my name. They abuse me because I love the French. I do not know what they might have done to me had Heaven not sent you to my help.’
I kissed her hand again lest she should doubt my intentions. Then I turned upon the crew with such an expression as I know how to assume. In an instant the hall was empty.
‘Countess,’ said I, ‘you are now under my protection. You are faint, and a glass of wine is necessary to restore you.’ I offered her my arm and escorted her into my room, where she sat by my side at the table and took the refreshment96 which I offered her.
How she blossomed out in my presence, this woman, like a flower before the sun! She lit up the room with her beauty. She must have read my admiration97 in my eyes, and it seemed to me that I also could see something of the sort in her own. Ah! my friends, I was no ordinary-looking man when I was in my thirtieth year. In the whole light cavalry it would have been hard to find a finer pair of whiskers. Murat’s may have been a shade longer, but the best judges are agreed that Murat’s were a shade too long. And then I had a manner. Some women are to be approached in one way and some in another, just as a siege is an affair of fascines and gabions in hard weather and of trenches98 in soft. But the man who can mix daring with timidity, who can be outrageous99 with an air of humility100, and presumptuous101 with a tone of deference102, that is the man whom mothers have to fear. For myself, I felt that I was the guardian103 of this lonely lady, and knowing what a dangerous man I had to deal with, I kept strict watch upon myself. Still, even a guardian has his privileges, and I did not neglect them.
But her talk was as charming as her face. In a few words she explained that she was travelling to Poland, and that her brother who had been her escort had fallen ill upon the way. She had more than once met with ill-treatment from the country folk because she could not conceal her good-will towards the French. Then turning from her own affairs she questioned me about the army, and so came round to myself and my own exploits. They were familiar to her, she said, for she knew several of Poniatowski’s officers, and they had spoken of my doings. Yet she would be glad to hear them from my own lips. Never have I had so delightful104 a conversation. Most women make the mistake of talking rather too much about their own affairs, but this one listened to my tales just as you are listening now, ever asking for more and more and more. The hours slipped rapidly by, and it was with horror that I heard the village clock strike eleven, and so learned that for four hours I had forgotten the Emperor’s business.
‘Pardon me, my dear lady,’ I cried, springing to my feet, ‘but I must go on instantly to Hof.’
She rose also, and looked at me with a pale, reproachful face. ‘And me?’ she said. ‘What is to become of me?’
‘It is the Emperor’s affair. I have already stayed far too long. My duty calls me, and I must go.’
‘You must go? And I must be abandoned alone to these savages105? Oh, why did I ever meet you? Why did you ever teach me to rely upon your strength?’ Her eyes glazed106 over, and in an instant she was sobbing107 upon my bosom.
Here was a trying moment for a guardian! Here was a time when he had to keep a watch upon a forward young officer. But I was equal to it. I smoothed her rich brown hair and whispered such consolations108 as I could think of in her ear, with one arm round her, it is true, but that was to hold her lest she should faint. She turned her tear-stained face to mine. ‘Water,’ she whispered. ‘For God’s sake, water!’
I saw that in another moment she would be senseless. I laid the drooping109 head upon the sofa, and then rushed furiously from the room, hunting from chamber91 to chamber for a carafe110. It was some minutes before I could get one and hurry back with it. You can imagine my feelings to find the room empty and the lady gone.
Not only was she gone, but her cap and silver-mounted riding switch which had lain upon the table were gone also. I rushed out and roared for the landlord. He knew nothing of the matter, had never seen the woman before, and did not care if he never saw her again. Had the peasants at the door seen anyone ride away? No, they had seen nobody. I searched here and searched there, until at last I chanced to find myself in front of a mirror, where I stood with my eyes staring and my jaw111 as far dropped as the chin-strap of my shako would allow.
Four buttons of my pelisse were open, and it did not need me to put my hand up to know that my precious papers were gone. Oh! the depth of cunning that lurks in a woman’s heart. She had robbed me, this creature, robbed me as she clung to my breast. Even while I smoothed her hair, and whispered kind words into her ear, her hands had been at work beneath my dolman. And here I was, at the very last step of my journey, without the power of carrying out this mission which had already deprived one good man of his life, and was likely to rob another one of his credit. What would the Emperor say when he heard that I had lost his despatches? Would the army believe it of Etienne Gerard? And when they heard that a woman’s hand had coaxed112 them from me, what laughter there would be at mess-table and at camp-fire! I could have rolled upon the ground in my despair.
But one thing was certain — all this affair of the fracas113 in the hall and the persecution114 of the so-called Countess was a piece of acting57 from the beginning. This villainous innkeeper must be in the plot. From him I might learn who she was and where my papers had gone. I snatched my sabre from the table and rushed out in search of him. But the scoundrel had guessed what I would do, and had made his preparations for me. It was in the corner of the yard that I found him, a blunderbuss in his hands and a mastiff held upon a leash115 by his son. The two stable-hands, with pitchforks, stood upon either side, and the wife held a great lantern behind him, so as to guide his aim.
‘Ride away, sir, ride away!’ he cried, with a crackling voice. ‘Your horse is at the door, and no one will meddle116 with you if you go your way; but if you come against us, you are alone against three brave men.’
I had only the dog to fear, for the two forks and the blunderbuss were shaking about like branches in a wind. Still, I considered that, though I might force an answer with my sword-point at the throat of this fat rascal117, still I should have no means of knowing whether that answer was the truth. It would be a struggle, then, with much to lose and nothing certain to gain. I looked them up and down, therefore, in a way that set their foolish weapons shaking worse than ever, and then, throwing myself upon my mare, I galloped away with the shrill laughter of the landlady118 jarring upon my ears.
I had already formed my resolution. Although I had lost my papers, I could make a very good guess as to what their contents would be, and this I would say from my own lips to the Prince of Saxe-Felstein, as though the Emperor had commissioned me to convey it in that way. It was a bold stroke and a dangerous one, but if I went too far I could afterwards be disavowed. It was that or nothing, and when all Germany hung on the balance the game should not be lost if the nerve of one man could save it.
It was midnight when I rode into Hof, but every window was blazing, which was enough it itself, in that sleepy country, to tell the ferment119 of excitement in which the people were. There was hooting120 and jeering121 as I rode through the crowded streets, and once a stone sang past my head, but I kept upon my way, neither slowing nor quickening my pace, until I came to the palace. It was lit from base to battlement, and the dark shadows, coming and going against the yellow glare, spoke of the turmoil122 within. For my part, I handed my mare to a groom123 at the gate, and striding in I demanded, in such a voice as an ambassador should have, to see the Prince instantly, upon business which would brook124 no delay.
The hall was dark, but I was conscious as I entered of a buzz of innumerable voices, which hushed into silence as I loudly proclaimed my mission. Some great meeting was being held then — a meeting which, as my instincts told me, was to decide this very question of war and peace. It was possible that I might still be in time to turn the scale for the Emperor and for France. As to the major-domo, he looked blackly at me, and showing me into a small ante-chamber he left me. A minute later he returned to say that the Prince could not be disturbed at present, but that the Princess would take my message.
The Princess! What use was there in giving it to her? Had I not been warned that she was German in heart and soul, and that it was she who was turning her husband and her State against us?
‘It is the Prince that I must see,’ said I.
‘Nay, it is the Princess,’ said a voice at the door, and a woman swept into the chamber. ‘Von Rosen, you had best stay with us. Now, sir, what is it that you have to say to either Prince or Princess of Saxe-Felstein?’
At the first sound of the voice I had sprung to my feet. At the first glance I had thrilled with anger. Not twice in a lifetime does one meet that noble figure, that queenly head, and those eyes as blue as the Garonne, and as chilling as her winter waters.
‘Time presses, sir!’ she cried, with an impatient tap of her foot. ‘What have you to say to me?’
‘What have I to say to you?’ I cried. ‘What can I say, save that you have taught me never to trust a woman more? You have ruined and dishonoured125 me for ever.’
She looked with arched brows at her attendant.
‘Is this the raving127 of fever, or does it come from some less innocent cause?’ said she. ‘Perhaps a little blood-letting —’
‘Ah, you can act!’ I cried. ‘You have shown me that already.’
‘Do you mean that we have met before?’
‘I mean that you have robbed me within the last two hours.’
‘This is past all bearing,’ she cried, with an admirable affectation of anger. ‘You claim, as I understand, to be an ambassador, but there are limits to the privileges which such an office brings with it.’
‘You brazen it admirably,’ said I. ‘Your Highness will not make a fool of me twice in one night.’ I sprang forward and, stooping down, caught up the hem3 of her dress. ‘You would have done well to change it after you had ridden so far and so fast,’ said I.
It was like the dawn upon a snow-peak to see her ivory cheeks flush suddenly to crimson.
‘Insolent!’ she cried. ‘Call the foresters and have him thrust from the palace’
‘I will see the Prince first.’
‘You will never see the Prince. Ah! Hold him, Von Rosen, hold him.’
She had forgotten the man with whom she had to deal — was it likely that I would wait until they could bring their rascals128? She had shown me her cards too soon. Her game was to stand between me and her husband. Mine was to speak face to face with him at any cost. One spring took me out of the chamber. In another I had crossed the hall. An instant later I had burst into the great room from which the murmur of the meeting had come. At the far end I saw a figure upon a high chair under a da?s. Beneath him was a line of high dignitaries, and then on every side I saw vaguely129 the heads of a vast assembly. Into the centre of the room I strode, my sabre clanking, my shako under my arm.
‘I am the messenger of the Emperor,’ I shouted. ‘I bear his message to His Highness the Prince of Saxe-Felstein.’
The man beneath the da?s raised his head, and I saw that his face was thin and wan61, and that his back was bowed as though some huge burden was balanced between his shoulders.
‘Your name, sir?’ he asked.
‘Colonel Etienne Gerard, of the Third Hussars.’
Every face in the gathering130 was turned upon me, and I heard the rustle131 of the innumerable necks and saw countless132 eyes without meeting one friendly one amongst them. The woman had swept past me, and was whispering, with many shakes of her head and dartings of her hands, into the Prince’s ear. For my own part I threw out my chest and curled my moustache, glancing round in my own debonair133 fashion at the assembly. They were men, all of them, professors from the college, a sprinkling of their students, soldiers, gentlemen, artisans, all very silent and serious. In one corner there sat a group of men in black, with riding-coats drawn over their shoulders. They leaned their heads to each other, whispering under their breath, and with every movement I caught the clank of their sabres or the clink of their spurs.
‘The Emperor’s private letter to me informs me that it is the Marquis Chateau St Arnaud who is bearing his despatches,’ said the Prince.
‘The Marquis has been foully134 murdered,’ I answered, and a buzz rose up from the people as I spoke. Many heads were turned, I noticed, towards the dark men in the cloaks.
‘Where are your papers?’ asked the Prince.
‘I have none.’
A fierce clamour rose instantly around me. ‘He is a spy! He plays a part!’ they cried. ‘Hang him!’ roared a deep voice from the corner, and a dozen others took up the shout. For my part, I drew out my handkerchief and nicked the dust from the fur of my pelisse. The Prince held out his thin hands, and the tumult135 died away.
‘Where, then, are your credentials136, and what is your message?’
‘My uniform is my credential, and my message is for your private ear.’
He passed his hand over his forehead with the gesture of a weak man who is at his wits’ end what to do. The Princess stood beside him with her hand upon his throne, and again whispered in his ear.
‘We are here in council together, some of my trusty subjects and myself,’ said he. ‘I have no secrets from them, and whatever message the Emperor may send to me at such a time concerns their interests no less than mine.’
There was a hum of applause at this, and every eye was turned once more upon me. My faith, it was an awkward position in which I found myself, for it is one thing to address eight hundred hussars, and another to speak to such an audience on such a subject. But I fixed my eyes upon the Prince, and tried to say just what I should have said if we had been alone, shouting it out, too, as though I had my regiment19 on parade.
‘You have often expressed friendship for the Emperor,’ I cried. ‘It is now at last that this friendship is about to be tried. If you will stand firm, he will reward you as only he can reward. It is an easy thing for him to turn a Prince into a King and a province into a power. His eyes are fixed upon you, and though you can do little to harm him, you can ruin yourself. At this moment he is crossing the Rhine with two hundred thousand men. Every fortress33 in the country is in his hands. He will be upon you in a week, and if you have played him false, God help both you and your people. You think that he is weakened because a few of us got the chilblains last winter. Look there!’ I cried, pointing to a great star which blazed through the window above the Prince’s head. ‘That is the Emperor’s star. When it wanes137, he will wane138 — but not before.’
You would have been proud of me, my friends, if you could have seen and heard me, for I clashed my sabre as I spoke, and swung my dolman as though my regiment was picketed139 outside in the courtyard. They listened to me in silence, but the back of the Prince bowed more and more as though the burden which weighed upon it was greater than his strength. He looked round with haggard eyes.
‘We have heard a Frenchman speak for France,’ said he. ‘Let us have a German speak for Germany.’
The folk glanced at each other, and whispered to their neighbours. My speech, as I think, had its effect, and no man wished to be the first to commit himself in the eyes of the Emperor. The Princess looked round her with blazing eyes, and her clear voice broke the silence.
‘Is a woman to give this Frenchman his answer?’ she cried. ‘Is it possible, then, that among the night-riders of Lutzow there is none who can use his tongue as well as his sabre?’
Over went a table with a crash, and a young man had bounded upon one of the chairs. He had the face of one inspired — pale, eager, with wild hawk140 eyes, and tangled141 hair. His sword hung straight from his side, and his riding-boots were brown with mire39.
‘It is Korner!’ the people cried. ‘It is young Korner, the poet! Ah, he will sing, he will sing.’
And he sang! It was soft, at first, and dreamy, telling of old Germany, the mother of nations, of the rich, warm plains, and the grey cities, and the fame of dead heroes. But then verse after verse rang like a trumpet-call. It was of the Germany of now, the Germany which had been taken unawares and overthrown142, but which was up again, and snapping the bonds upon her giant limbs. What was life that one should covet143 it? What was glorious death that one should shun144 it? The mother, the great mother, was calling. Her sigh was in the night wind. She was crying to her own children for help. Would they come? Would they come? Would they come?
Ah, that terrible song, the spirit face and the ringing voice! Where were I, and France, and the Emperor? They did not shout, these people — they howled. They were up on the chairs and the tables. They were raving, sobbing, the tears running down their faces. Korner had sprung from the chair, and his comrades were round him with their sabres in the air. A flush had come into the pale face of the Prince, and he rose from his throne.
‘Colonel Gerard,’ said he, ‘you have heard the answer which you are to carry to your Emperor. The die is cast, my children. Your Prince and you must stand or fall together.’
He bowed to show that all was over, and the people with a shout made for the door to carry the tidings into the town. For my own part, I had done all that a brave man might, and so I was not sorry to be carried out amid the stream. Why should I linger in the palace? I had had my answer and must carry it, such as it was. I wished neither to see Hof nor its people again until I entered it at the head of a vanguard. I turned from the throng145, then, and walked silently and sadly in the direction in which they had led the mare.
It was dark down there by the stables, and I was peering round for the hostler, when suddenly my two arms were seized from behind. There were hands at my wrists and at my throat, and I felt the cold muzzle146 of a pistol under my ear.
‘Keep your lips closed, you French dog,’ whispered a fierce voice. ‘We have him, captain.’
‘Have you the bridle?’
‘Here it is.’
‘Sling it over his head.’
I felt the cold coil of leather tighten75 round my neck. An hostler with a stable lantern had come out and was gazing upon the scene. In its dim light I saw stern faces breaking everywhere through the gloom, with the black caps and dark cloaks of the night-riders.
‘What would you do with him, captain?’ cried a voice.
‘Hang him at the palace gate.’
‘An ambassador?’
‘An ambassador without papers.’
‘But the Prince?’
‘Tut, man, do you not see that the Prince will then be committed to our side? He will be beyond all hope of forgiveness. At present he may swing round tomorrow as he has done before. He may eat his words, but a dead hussar is more than he can explain.’
‘No, no, Von Strelitz, we cannot do it,’ said another voice.
‘Can we not? I shall show you that!’ and there came a jerk on the bridle which nearly pulled me to the ground. At the same instant a sword flashed and the leather was cut through within two inches of my neck.
‘By Heaven, Korner, this is rank mutiny,’ cried the captain. ‘You may hang yourself before you are through with it.’
‘I have drawn my sword as a soldier and not as a brigand,’ said the young poet. ‘Blood may dim its blade, but never dishonour126. Comrades, will you stand by and see this gentleman mishandled?’
A dozen sabres flew from their sheaths, and it was evident that my friends and my foes147 were about equally balanced. But the angry voices and the gleam of steel had brought the folk running from all parts.
‘The Princess!’ they cried. ‘The Princess is coming!’
And even as they spoke I saw her in front of us, her sweet face framed in the darkness. I had cause to hate her, for she had cheated and befooled me, and yet it thrilled me then and thrills me now to think that my arms have embraced her, and that I have felt the scent148 of her hair in my nostrils. I know not whether she lies under her German earth, or whether she still lingers, a grey-haired woman in her Castle of Hof, but she lives ever, young and lovely, in the heart and memory of Etienne Gerard.
‘For shame!’ she cried, sweeping149 up to me, and tearing with her own hands the noose150 from my neck. ‘You are fighting in God’s own quarrel, and yet you would begin with such a devil’s deed as this. This man is mine, and he who touches a hair of his head will answer for it to me.’
They were glad enough to slink off into the darkness before those scornful eyes. Then she turned once more to me.
‘You can follow me, Colonel Gerard,’ she said. ‘I have a word that I would speak to you.’
I walked behind her to the chamber into which I had originally been shown. She closed the door, and then looked at me with the archest twinkle in her eyes.
‘Is it not confiding151 of me to trust myself with you?’ said she. ‘You will remember that it is the Princess of Saxe-Felstein and not the poor Countess Palotta of Poland.’
‘Be the name what it might,’ I answered, ‘I helped a lady whom I believed to be in distress152, and I have been robbed of my papers and almost of my honour as a reward.’
‘Colonel Gerard,’ said she, ‘we have been playing a game, you and I, and the stake was a heavy one. You have shown by delivering a message which was never given to you that you would stand at nothing in the cause of your country. My heart is German and yours is French, and I also would go all lengths, even to deceit and to theft, if at this crisis I could help my suffering fatherland. You see how frank I am.’
‘You tell me nothing that I have not seen.’
‘But now that the game is played and won, why should we bear malice? I will say this, that if ever I were in such a plight153 as that which I pretended in the inn of Lobenstein, I should never wish to meet a more gallant154 protector or a truer-hearted gentleman than Colonel Etienne Gerard. I had never thought that I could feel for a Frenchman as I felt for you when I slipped the papers from your breast.’
‘But you took them, none the less.’
‘They were necessary to me and to Germany. I knew the arguments which they contained and the effect which they would have upon the Prince. If they had reached him all would have been lost.’
‘Why should your Highness descend155 to such expedients156 when a score of these brigands, who wished to hang me at your castle gate, would have done the work as well?’
‘They are not brigands, but the best blood of Germany,’ she cried, hotly. ‘If you have been roughly used, you will remember the indignities157 to which every German has been subjected, from the Queen of Prussia downwards158. As to why I did not have you waylaid159 upon the road, I may say that I had parties out on all sides, and that I was waiting at Lobenstein to hear of their success. When instead of their news you yourself arrived I was in despair, for there was only the one weak woman betwixt you and my husband. You see the straits to which I was driven before I used the weapon of my sex.’
‘I confess that you have conquered me, your Highness, and it only remains for me to leave you in possession of the field.’
‘But you will take your papers with you.’ She held them out to me as she spoke. ‘The Prince has crossed the Rubicon now, and nothing can bring him back. You can return these to the Emperor, and tell him that we refused to receive them. No one can accuse you then of having lost your despatches. Good-bye, Colonel Gerard, and the best I can wish you is that when you reach France you may remain there. In a year’s time there will be no place for a Frenchman upon this side of the Rhine.’
And thus it was that I played the Princess of Saxe-Felstein with all Germany for a stake, and lost my game to her. I had much to think of as I walked my poor, tired Violette along the highway which leads westward160 from Hof. But amid all the thoughts there came back to me always the proud, beautiful face of the German woman, and the voice of the soldier-poet as he sang from the chair. And I understood then that there was something terrible in this strong, patient Germany — this mother root of nations — and I saw that such a land, so old and so beloved, never could be conquered. And as I rode I saw that the dawn was breaking, and that the great star at which I had pointed161 through the palace window was dim and pale in the western sky.
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conceited
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| adj.自负的，骄傲自满的 | |
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depict
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| vt.描画，描绘；描写，描述 | |
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hem
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| n.贴边，镶边；vt.缝贴边；(in)包围，限制 | |
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attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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thaw
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| v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和 | |
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regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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smears
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| 污迹( smear的名词复数 )； 污斑； （显微镜的）涂片； 诽谤 | |
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coax
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| v.哄诱，劝诱，用诱哄得到，诱取 | |
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infantry
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| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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sleeper
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| n.睡眠者，卧车，卧铺 | |
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sleepers
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| n.卧铺（通常以复数形式出现）；卧车( sleeper的名词复数 )；轨枕；睡觉（呈某种状态）的人；小耳环 | |
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cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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regiments
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| （军队的）团( regiment的名词复数 )； 大量的人或物 | |
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regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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mare
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| n.母马，母驴 | |
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nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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bugles
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| 妙脆角，一种类似薯片但做成尖角或喇叭状的零食； 号角( bugle的名词复数 )； 喇叭； 匍匐筋骨草； （装饰女服用的）柱状玻璃（或塑料）小珠 | |
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haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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fatiguing
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| a.使人劳累的 | |
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robust
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| adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的 | |
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waggon
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| n.运货马车，运货车；敞篷车箱 | |
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rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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tunic
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| n.束腰外衣 | |
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tunics
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| n.（动植物的）膜皮( tunic的名词复数 )；束腰宽松外衣；一套制服的短上衣；（天主教主教等穿的）短祭袍 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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garrisons
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| 守备部队，卫戍部队( garrison的名词复数 ) | |
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fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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fortresses
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| 堡垒，要塞( fortress的名词复数 ) | |
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dodging
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| n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避 | |
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wayfarers
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| n.旅人，（尤指）徒步旅行者( wayfarer的名词复数 ) | |
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groves
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| 树丛，小树林( grove的名词复数 ) | |
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beeches
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| n.山毛榉( beech的名词复数 )；山毛榉木材 | |
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mire
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| n.泥沼，泥泞；v.使...陷于泥泞，使...陷入困境 | |
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malice
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| n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋 | |
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salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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scowl
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| vi.(at)生气地皱眉，沉下脸，怒视；n.怒容 | |
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darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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boorish
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| adj.粗野的，乡巴佬的 | |
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ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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trotted
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| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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brazen
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| adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的 | |
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bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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mutinous
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| adj.叛变的，反抗的；adv.反抗地，叛变地；n.反抗，叛变 | |
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trotting
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| 小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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51
hissed
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| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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fumbling
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| n. 摸索,漏接 v. 摸索,摸弄,笨拙的处理 | |
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galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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tract
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| n.传单，小册子，大片(土地或森林) | |
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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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twitching
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| n.颤搐 | |
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extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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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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wan
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| (wide area network)广域网 | |
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genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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homely
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| adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的 | |
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lurks
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| n.潜在，潜伏；（lurk的复数形式）vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的第三人称单数形式） | |
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persistent
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| adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的 | |
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upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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slashed
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| v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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reined
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| 勒缰绳使（马）停步( rein的过去式和过去分词 )； 驾驭； 严格控制； 加强管理 | |
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rein
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| n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治 | |
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71
chateau
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| n.城堡，别墅 | |
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72
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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73
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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74
tightened
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| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
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75
tighten
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| v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧 | |
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76
groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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77
brilliance
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| n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智 | |
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78
aristocrats
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| n.贵族( aristocrat的名词复数 ) | |
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79
sprawling
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| adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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80
outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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81
moors
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| v.停泊，系泊（船只）( moor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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82
brigands
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| n.土匪，强盗( brigand的名词复数 ) | |
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83
plunging
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| adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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84
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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85
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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86
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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87
brawl
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| n.大声争吵，喧嚷；v.吵架，对骂 | |
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88
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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89
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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90
clattered
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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91
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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92
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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93
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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94
vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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95
reassure
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| v.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
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96
refreshment
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| n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点 | |
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97
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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98
trenches
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| 深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕 | |
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99
outrageous
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| adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的 | |
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100
humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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101
presumptuous
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| adj.胆大妄为的，放肆的，冒昧的，冒失的 | |
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102
deference
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| n.尊重，顺从；敬意 | |
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103
guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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104
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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105
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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106
glazed
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| adj.光滑的，像玻璃的；上过釉的；呆滞无神的v.装玻璃( glaze的过去式)；上釉于，上光；（目光）变得呆滞无神 | |
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107
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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108
consolations
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| n.安慰，慰问( consolation的名词复数 )；起安慰作用的人（或事物） | |
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109
drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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110
carafe
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| n.玻璃水瓶 | |
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111
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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112
coaxed
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| v.哄，用好话劝说( coax的过去式和过去分词 )；巧言骗取；哄劝，劝诱 | |
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113
fracas
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| n.打架；吵闹 | |
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114
persecution
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| n. 迫害,烦扰 | |
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115
leash
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| n.牵狗的皮带，束缚；v.用皮带系住 | |
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116
meddle
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| v.干预，干涉，插手 | |
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117
rascal
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| n.流氓；不诚实的人 | |
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118
landlady
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| n.女房东，女地主 | |
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119
ferment
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| vt.使发酵；n./vt.（使）激动，（使）动乱 | |
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120
hooting
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| （使）作汽笛声响，作汽车喇叭声( hoot的现在分词 )； 倒好儿； 倒彩 | |
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121
jeering
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| adj.嘲弄的，揶揄的v.嘲笑( jeer的现在分词 ) | |
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122
turmoil
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| n.骚乱，混乱，动乱 | |
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123
groom
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| vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁 | |
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124
brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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125
dishonoured
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| a.不光彩的，不名誉的 | |
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126
dishonour
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| n./vt.拒付（支票、汇票、票据等）；vt.凌辱，使丢脸；n.不名誉，耻辱，不光彩 | |
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127
raving
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| adj.说胡话的；疯狂的，怒吼的；非常漂亮的；令人醉心[痴心]的v.胡言乱语(rave的现在分词)n.胡话；疯话adv.胡言乱语地；疯狂地 | |
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128
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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129
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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130
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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131
rustle
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| v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声 | |
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132
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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133
debonair
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| adj.殷勤的，快乐的 | |
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134
foully
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| ad.卑鄙地 | |
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135
tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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136
credentials
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| n.证明，资格，证明书，证件 | |
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137
wanes
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| v.衰落( wane的第三人称单数 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡 | |
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138
wane
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| n.衰微，亏缺，变弱；v.变小，亏缺，呈下弦 | |
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139
picketed
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| 用尖桩围住（picket的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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140
hawk
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| n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员 | |
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141
tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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142
overthrown
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| adj. 打翻的，推倒的，倾覆的 动词overthrow的过去分词 | |
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143
covet
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| vt.垂涎；贪图(尤指属于他人的东西) | |
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144
shun
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| vt.避开，回避，避免 | |
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145
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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146
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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147
foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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148
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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149
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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150
noose
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| n.绳套，绞索（刑）；v.用套索捉；使落入圈套；处以绞刑 | |
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151
confiding
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| adj.相信人的，易于相信的v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的现在分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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152
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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153
plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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154
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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155
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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156
expedients
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| n.应急有效的，权宜之计的( expedient的名词复数 ) | |
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157
indignities
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| n.侮辱，轻蔑( indignity的名词复数 ) | |
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158
downwards
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| adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地） | |
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159
waylaid
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| v.拦截，拦路( waylay的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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160
westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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161
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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