“AT LAST, what with being tired and cold, and the uneasiness that possessed1 me, I resolved to take a walk through the house; first calling in at the study, for a glass of brandy to warm me. This, I did, and, while there, I examined the door, carefully; but found all as I had left it the night before.
“The day was just breaking, as I left the tower; though it was still too dark in the house to be able to see without a light, and I took one of the study candles with me on my round. By the time I had finished the ground floor, the daylight was creeping in, wanly2, through the barred windows. My search had shown me nothing fresh. Everything appeared to be in order, and I was on the point of extinguishing my candle, when the thought suggested itself to me to have another glance round the cellars. I had not, if I remember rightly, been into them since my hasty search on the evening of the attack.
“For, perhaps, the half of a minute, I hesitated. I would have been very willing to forego the task — as, indeed, I am inclined to think any man well might — for of all the great, awe-inspiring rooms in this house, the cellars are the hugest and weirdest3. Great, gloomy caverns4 of places, unlit by any ray of daylight. Yet, I would not shirk the work. I felt that to do so would smack5 of sheer cowardice6. Besides, as I reassured7 myself, the cellars were really the most unlikely places in which to come across anything dangerous; considering that they can be entered, only through a heavy oaken door, the key of which, I carry always on my person.
“It is in the smallest of these places that I keep my wine; a gloomy hole close to the foot of the cellar stairs; and beyond which, I have seldom proceeded. Indeed, save for the rummage8 round, already mentioned, I doubt whether I had ever, before, been right through the cellars.
“As I unlocked the great door, at the top of the steps, I paused, nervously9, a moment, at the strange, desolate10 smell that assailed11 my nostrils12. Then, throwing the barrel of my weapon forward, I descended13, slowly, into the darkness of the underground regions.
“Reaching the bottom of the stairs, I stood for a minute, and listened. All was silent, save for a faint drip, drip of water, falling, drop by drop, somewhere to my left. As I stood, I noticed how quietly the candle burnt; never a flicker14 nor flare15, so utterly16 windless was the place.
“Quietly, I moved from cellar to cellar. I had but a very dim memory of their arrangement. The impressions left by my first search were blurred17. I had recollections of a succession of great cellars, and of one, greater than the rest, the roof of which was upheld by pillars; beyond that my mind was hazy18, and predominated by a sense of cold and darkness and shadows. Now, however, it was different; for, although nervous, I was sufficiently19 collected to be able to look about me, and note the structure and size of the different vaults20 I entered.
“Of course, with the amount of light given by my candle, it was not possible to examine each place, minutely; but I was enabled to notice, as I went along, that the walls appeared to be built with wonderful precision and finish; while here and there, an occasional, massive pillar shot up to support the vaulted21 roof.
“Thus, I came, at last, to the great cellar that I remembered. It is reached, through a huge, arched entrance, on which I observed strange, fantastic carvings22, which threw queer shadows under the light of my candle. As I stood, and examined these, thoughtfully, it occurred to me how strange it was, that I should be so little acquainted with my own house. Yet, this may be easily understood, when one realises the size of this ancient pile, and the fact that only my old sister and I live in it, occupying a few of the rooms, such as our wants decide.
“Holding the light high, I passed on into the cellar, and, keeping to the right, paced slowly up, until I reached the further end. I walked quietly, and looked cautiously about, as I went. But, so far as the light showed, I saw nothing unusual.
“At the top, I turned to the left, still keeping to the wall, and so continued, until I had traversed the whole of the vast chamber23. As I moved along, I noticed that the floor was composed of solid rock, in places covered with a damp mould, in others bare, or almost so, save for a thin coating of light-grey dust.
“I had halted at the doorway24. Now, however, I turned, and made my way up the centre of the place; passing among the pillars, and glancing to right and left, as I moved. About half way up the cellar, I stubbed my foot against something that gave out a metallic25 sound. Stooping quickly, I held the candle, and saw that the object I had kicked, was a large, metal ring. Bending lower, I cleared the dust from around it, and, presently, discovered that it was attached to a ponderous26 trap-door, black with age.
“Feeling excited, and wondering to where it could lead, I laid my gun on the floor, and, sticking the candle in the trigger guard, took the ring in both hands, and pulled. The trap creaked loudly — the sound echoing, vaguely27, through the huge place — and opened, heavily.
“Propping the edge on my knee, I reached for the candle, and held it in the opening, moving it to right and left; but could see nothing. I was puzzled and surprised. There were no signs of steps, nor even the appearance of there ever having been any. Nothing; save an empty blackness. I might have been looking down into a bottomless, sideless well. Then, even as I stared, full of perplexity, I seemed to hear, far down, as though from untold28 depths, a faint whisper of sound. I bent29 my head, quickly, more into the opening, and listened, intently. It may have been fancy; but I could have sworn to hearing a soft titter, that grew into a hideous30, chuckling31, faint and distant. Startled, I leapt backwards32, letting the trap fall, with a hollow clang, that filled the place with echoes. Even then, I seemed to hear that mocking, suggestive laughter; but this, I knew, must be my imagination. The sound, I had heard, was far too slight to penetrate33 through the cumbrous trap.
“For a full minute, I stood there, quivering — glancing, nervously, behind and before; but the great cellar was silent as a grave, and, gradually, I shook off the frightened sensation. With a calmer mind, I became again curious to know into what that trap opened; but could not, then, summon sufficient courage, to make a further investigation34. One thing I felt, however, was that the trap ought to be secured. This, I accomplished35 by placing upon it several large pieces of ‘dressed’ stone, which I had noticed in my tour along the East wall.
“Then, after a final scrutiny36 of the rest of the place, I retraced37 my way through the cellars, to the stairs, and so reached the daylight, with an infinite feeling of relief, that the uncomfortable task was accomplished.
收听单词发音 |
1
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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wanly
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| adv.虚弱地；苍白地，无血色地 | |
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weirdest
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| 怪诞的( weird的最高级 )； 神秘而可怕的； 超然的； 古怪的 | |
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caverns
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| 大山洞，大洞穴( cavern的名词复数 ) | |
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smack
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| vt.拍，打，掴；咂嘴；vi.含有…意味；n.拍 | |
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cowardice
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| n.胆小，怯懦 | |
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reassured
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| adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词) | |
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rummage
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| v./n.翻寻，仔细检查 | |
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nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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assailed
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| v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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flicker
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| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
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15
flare
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| v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发 | |
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16
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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blurred
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| v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离 | |
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hazy
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| adj.有薄雾的，朦胧的；不肯定的，模糊的 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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vaults
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| n.拱顶( vault的名词复数 )；地下室；撑物跳高；墓穴 | |
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vaulted
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| adj.拱状的 | |
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carvings
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| n.雕刻( carving的名词复数 )；雕刻术；雕刻品；雕刻物 | |
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23
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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ponderous
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| adj.沉重的，笨重的，(文章)冗长的 | |
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vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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untold
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| adj.数不清的，无数的 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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30
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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31
chuckling
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 ) | |
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32
backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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33
penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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34
investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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35
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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36
scrutiny
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| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
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retraced
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| v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
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