“‘This is an unexpected pleasure,’ said I, for the sake of saying something, as we descended7 the steps down the river embankment to the ferry-boat.
“‘The world is not so large a place as people pretend,’ replied Mr. Birchmore. ‘Have you been long in Dresden?’
“‘A week or so. I’ve been doing the neighbourhood, and was told that Saxon Switzerland must not be left out of the list. I came near going by the boat ——’ Here I suddenly recollected8 that if Mr. Birchmore had gone by boat, as his daughter said he had, his presence in Schandau before us was wholly inexplicable9. ‘How did you manage to get here so quickly?’ I exclaimed; ‘the steamer can’t be due for three hours yet!’
“He looked at me in apparent perplexity; Miss Birchmore seemed to share my own surprise. There was a pause of a few moments; then she said in a low tone:
“‘You know, papa, I got word that, from some misunderstanding, you had taken the steamer instead of the train.’
“‘Ah, to be sure,’ he rejoined, with a short laugh; ‘I see the difficulty. You must look upon me, I suppose, as a sort of magician, able to transport myself about the country on some new telegraphic principle. Well, I’m afraid I can’t lay claim to any such supernatural power. I shall lose credit by the explanation, but you shall have it nevertheless.’
“‘No, no! give us room for the exercise of our imagination,’ cried I, laughing. The fact was, I felt as if my query11 had been in some way unfortunate. There was a certain effort in Mr. Birchmore’s manner, and a want of spontaneity in his laugh. In my ignorance of the true lay of the land, I was continually making some irritating blunder; and the more I tried to make myself agreeable, the worse was my success.
“Mr. Birchmore, notwithstanding that I deprecated it, chose to make his explanation. ‘Kate was right,’ said he; ‘my first intention was to go by train. Afterwards I decided12 on the boat, and left the hotel with the purpose of getting our passage that way, and sending Kate word to meet me at the landing. But the boat turned out to be so crowded that I changed my mind again: it was then so late that I hadn’t time to reach the central railway station; my only chance of catching13 the train was to jump into a droschkey at the steamboat landing and drive as the kutcher never drove before, for the lower station, which was half-a-mile nearer. I got there barely in time; and Kate, it seems, was waiting at the central all the while!’
“‘And of course,’ added Miss Birchmore, ‘the people at the hotel fancied he had gone by the boat, and sent me word so. Oh yes, I understand it all now; don’t you, Mr. Gainsborough?’
“‘I don’t take it kindly14 of your father to strip away the illusions from life so pitilessly,’ returned I, in a humorous tone; ‘I should have been much happier in believing that he had flown through the air on the Arabian king’s wishing-carpet.’ This sally sufficed to raise the smile of which we all seemed so greatly in want, and so we got into the ferry-boat in a comparatively easy frame of mind.
“The valet to whom I have already alluded sat on a thwart15 near the bows, in such a position that I had a full view of him. A more unconciliating object I have seldom beheld16. His body and arms were long, but his legs were short, and bowed outwards17. His features were harsh, forbidding, and strongly marked; but there was an expression of power stamped upon them which fascinated my gaze in spite of the ugliness which would otherwise have made me glad to look away. It was not the power of intellect, for although there was plenty of a saturnine18 kind of intelligence in the countenance19, it was not to be supposed that a fellow in his position of life would be remarkable20 for brains. No, this power was of another kind; I do not know how to describe it; but I believe some people would get out of the difficulty by calling it magnetic. Whatever it was, it produced a very disagreeable impression on me, and I could not but wonder that Mr. Birchmore should have chosen to take such a creature into his employ. I had the sense, however, on this occasion to keep my speculations21 to myself; I was resolved not to make a fool of myself again if I could help it — at least, not with this particular family. I noticed that whenever Mr. Birchmore had occasion to address this man, he did so in a peculiarly severe and peremptory22 tone, very different from his usual low-voiced style. There was seemingly no great affection for him on his master’s part, therefore; and certainly the valet looked incapable23 of a tender feeling towards any human creature. Possibly, however, he was invaluable24 as a servant, and his unpropitiating exterior25 might cover an honest and faithful heart. Only should such turn out to be the case, I would never again put faith either in physiognomy or my own instinct of aversion. I disliked to think of this ill-favoured mortal being in daily association with my lovely Kate Birchmore — for already, in my secret soul, I called her mine! and I made up my mind that if ever fortune granted me the privilege of making her what I called her, I would see to it that monsieur the valet formed a part of anyone’s household rather than ours.
“Meanwhile the ferryman had poled and paddled us across the river, on the shore of which a swarm26 of hotel-porters stood ready to rend27 us limb from limb. But Mr. Birchmore put them all aside save one, to whom he pointed28 out my trunk, and gave him some directions which I did not hear.
“‘I take the liberty,’ he then said, turning to me, ‘to so far do the honours of this place as to recommend you to the most agreeable hotel in it — the Badehaus, at the farther end of the village, and about half a mile up the valley. These hotels that front the river would give you better fare, perhaps, and less unpretending accommodation; but if quiet and coolness are what you are after — not to mention the medicinal spring water and a private brass30 band — the Badehaus is the thing.’
“‘The Badehaus be it, by all means.’ This attention surprised me, not because I misdoubted my friend’s courtesy, but because I had imagined that his courtesy would not stand in the way of an unobtrusive attempt to withdraw himself and his daughter from my immediate31 companionship. Yet so far was this from being the case, that he had taken some pains to secure our being together — for of course the Badehaus must be his own quarters. I glanced at Kate, who had taken her father’s arm, and was pacing beside him thoughtfully, with downcast eyes. Was she glad as well as I?
“We passed through a narrow alley29 between two friendly buildings, which seemed strongly inclined to lean on one another’s shoulders; crossed the rough cobble-stones of the little market-place, and, gaining the farther side of the bridge, found ourselves on a broad level walk which skirted the southern side of the small valley wherein the village lies. On our right hand was a series of stuccoed villas33, built against the steep side of the hill; on our left a strip of meadow, with a brook34 brawling35 through it; and beyond this again the straggling array of the village, and the hill on the other side. Overhead, the spreading branches of low trees kept off the glare of the sun. Had Kate and I been there alone, methought, the charm of the place would have been complete.
“‘What delightful36 little villas these are!’ I exclaimed. ‘Aren’t they better than any hotel — even the Badehaus?’
“‘If you think of spending any great time here — I believe they don’t let for less than a week. But probably these are all full at this season. Higher up the valley, two or three miles beyond the hotel, you would find detached farmhouses38, whose owners no doubt would be glad of a lodger39. If you are not broken in to a traveller’s hardships, though, you’ll prefer the Badehaus.’
“‘I think I shall prefer it as long as you are there.’
“‘Well, I’m sorry to say that won’t be long — we shall move to-morrow morning. If I had expected you, I— I should have been happy to have arranged matters otherwise. But the fact is, I have engaged rooms at one of the farmhouses I spoke40 of, and to-morrow they will expect us.’
“My spirits fell at this news like a feather in a vacuum, and I daresay my face showed it. There could be no doubt now that Mr. Birchmore was resolved to get rid of me. That he would go to-morrow to some distant farmhouse37 I did not question; but as to his having intended any such thing before he saw me alight from the train, I confess I didn’t believe it. It was an unpremeditated expedient41; and his inviting42 me up to the Badehaus was only a polite mitigation of the shock.
“‘I am very sorry!’ was all I could say.
“Kate turned her face a little towards me at the words, and her eyes met mine sidelong. Only that look — she did not speak; but I saw, or thought I saw, enough in it to make our parting at such brief notice a sentimental43 impossibility. At whatever sacrifice of the laws of ceremony and civilised reserve, I determined44 that my acquaintance with her, so well begun, should not thus be nipped in the bud. I would sooner win her as a barbarian45 than lose her as a man of the world. How to execute my determination was a problem to be solved at my leisure.
“We sauntered on to the hotel, chatting discursively46; my mind was too much preoccupied47 to be thoroughly48 aware what we were talking about. Arrived at our destination, I followed my trunk to my room, having arranged to take an early dinner with my friends. It was nearly two hours before we met again. The dinner passed with the same sort of desultory49 conversation that we had affected50 during our walk. Mr. Birchmore’s manner was serious and rather cold. Kate, too, was subdued51 and grave; not the brilliant laughing Kate of the railway carriage. We were waited upon at table by the saturnine valet whom his master called Slurk — a name that seemed to me to suit him excellently well. He waited on us in perfect silence from the beginning of the meal to the end, though several times peremptorily52 addressed by his master. There was to me something disagreeably impressive in the fellow’s very taciturnity — it seemed to indicate reserved power. Kate, I noticed, was careful never to speak to him, but I saw his glance several times directed fixedly53 upon her.
“After dinner Mr. Birchmore produced a cigar and said:
“‘I must take a droschkey over to our farmhouse. Do you young people care to come, or would you rather stay here?’
“‘I think I’ll stay, papa, please,’ answered Kate.
“‘And I, to see that nobody runs away with her,’ I added with an easy smile.
“‘Slurk, get me a carriage,’ said Mr. Birchmore; and nodding a good-bye to us he went out.
“‘How far is it from here — this farmhouse, Miss Birchmore?’ I asked, when we were alone.
“‘I believe about two miles.’
“‘I should like to know its exact situation.’
“‘Why didn’t you go with papa, then?’
“‘Can’t you imagine?’
“She had been absently puckering55 her handkerchief into folds in her lap. Now she looked up.
“‘Why do you wish to know where we are going?’
“‘Because I’ve taken a great fancy to — to Mr. Slurk, and I can’t bear to think of losing sight of him!’
“I had expected her to laugh and perhaps blush; instead of that an expression of something like terror swept over her face, and she laid her finger on her lip.
“‘Don’t talk of him!’ she whispered.
“Her emotion had so surprised me that I could only stare in silence. Here was another mystery — or stay! could it be that Slurk was at the bottom of all those strange signs and enigmas56 that I had been puzzling myself over from the first? I was prepared to believe whatever amount of evil concerning the fellow might be required. But what could he have done, or have it in his power to do, that could so affect Miss Birchmore? Had he held her life or fortune at the mercy of a word she could hardly have betrayed more dismay at my jesting satire57.
“‘It’s nothing,’ she said, recovering herself after a moment. ‘Only I don’t like him much, and you — and I wasn’t expecting to hear his name just then.’
“‘Heaven knows, it is a very different name I should have spoken!’
“‘No, no, no. You have amused yourself with me to-day; and to-morrow, you must find someone else to amuse you, that’s all!’
“‘Amused myself, Miss Birchmore!’
“‘Well, Mr. Gainsborough, I’m sorry if I failed to entertain you. I’m sure I tried hard. But it’s so difficult to entertain an Englishman!’
“‘Upon my word, I believe you’ve been laughing at me from the beginning! But however ridiculous I may be, Miss Birchmore, I can have thoughts and feelings that are not ridiculous ——’
“‘Oh, please — please don’t be angry. And I’m sure I never thought you ridiculous, I— oh, anything but that!’
“The tone, the look which accompanied these last words made me forget caution and self-possession for the moment. ‘Miss Birchmore — oh Kate! I cannot lose sight of you — I cannot lose you! Do you care — is it nothing to you if we never meet after to-day? Kate, I love you!’
“Had the confession58 come too soon? Was she offended? She shrank away from me with a searching glance.
“‘Do not forget yourself, sir! You are an honourable59 English gentleman. What have you said?’
“‘I love you — yes, love you!’
“‘Love me!’ she repeated slowly, and caught her breath; her eyes fixed54 themselves on me with an inward look, as of intense reverie. ‘It must not be — it must not be! but he does love me!’ Her hands fell in her lap; there were tears now in her eyes, but a smile quivered over her lips.
“‘Why do you say it must not be, Kate? It is! It shall be!’ I took her hand, which she scarcely attempted to withdraw; I felt that I had won her, and would hold her against all comers. Just then a knock came at the door; she snatched her hand away and rose to her feet. Mr. Slurk entered.
“‘The band is going to play in the court,’ he said in German. ‘I have kept chairs and a table for the lady and gentleman beneath the trees.’ He made a low obeisance60 as he spoke, but his malignant61 glance never swerved62 from Kate; and she, half turning towards him, seemed impelled63 by a power stronger than her own will to meet it, though slightly shivering the while with pure aversion. For my own part, I longed with all my heart to kick the varlet into the hall, or throw him out of the window. But prudence64 warned me to bide65 my time. If I obtained the footing to which I aspired66 in Mr. Birchmore’s family, I would settle summarily with Mr. Slurk; meanwhile, I should best consult my interests by conducting myself with all due quietness and decorum. I offered Kate my arm to lead her from the room; but with a barely perceptible gesture she declined it, and walked swiftly before me through the doorway67, Slurk making another deep obeisance as we passed. The fellow had a smooth unimpeachable68 way of getting the better of one that made my blood boil; I commanded myself not without an effort, and nursed my wrath69 to keep it warm.
“When we reached the court, the brass band had established itself in the little pagoda70 erected71 there for its accommodation, and was just striking up; and there, sure enough, were a table and chairs awaiting us beneath the trees. But neither of us was in a humour to face a crowd of people; and by a tacit agreement we turned to the right, and crossing the little plank72 bridge which spanned the narrow stream that skirted the hotel grounds, we found ourselves in the high-road leading up the valley. Along this we walked for some distance, both of us silent; at length the opening of a path presented itself, which climbed by a zigzag73 route to the summit of the pine-clad hill. Into this we turned, and in a few moments were out of sight of alien eyes amidst the thick-growing hemlocks74. The ascent75 was steep, and at the first turning in the path my beautiful companion paused for breath.
“‘Will you take my arm now, Kate?’ I said.
“With a faint smile she complied. ‘Just for this once,’ I heard her murmur76, seemingly speaking to herself. ‘Never again — but this once I will!’
“‘Now, Kate,’ I said resolutely77, bending forward so as to catch her eye, ‘let us have done with mysteries. No more “never-agains” and “just-this-onces,” if you please! First, I want you tell me whether you love me?’
“She drew her breath hard. ‘I can tell you nothing, Mr. Gainsborough ——’
“‘You shall not call me “Mr. Gainsborough.” If you can’t call me “Tom,” call me nothing; but I will never be “Mr. Gainsborough” to you again!’
“‘I thought we were to have no more “never-agains?”’ she rejoined, with a passing sparkle of the former playfulness in her air.
“‘None of yours, I meant.’
“‘I will call you “Tom,” if you please, on one condition.’
“‘What condition?’
“‘That you let it be “just this once!”’
“‘Kate, do you love me?’
“‘Oh, you are cruel!’ she cried, with passionate78 emphasis, slipping her hand from my arm and facing me with glowing looks. ‘I wish I could say I hate you! You are a man of the world, and I a poor girl from a convent, who know nothing. I am trying to do right, and you oppose me — you make it hard and bitter to me. If you loved me as I— as I would love if I were a man, you would not press me so. I tell you, it must not be!’
“‘What is, shall be, Kate! Dear Kate, we love each other; and who in the world shall prevent it, or forbid our being married?’
“‘Hush79! hush!’ She came a step nearer to me, and caught my sleeve with her little hand, as a timorous80 child might do; glancing nervously81 over her shoulder as if something fearful were hidden amongst the trees. ‘Did you hear nothing?’ she whispered. ‘Did not someone call me?’
“‘Only I have called you, dear. I called you “Kate;” and I want to call you “wife!”’
“She continued to stand motionless, with that frightened listening expression still on her face; and yet my words had apparently82 passed unheard. What was it, then, that her ears were strained to catch? To my sense, the forest was full of shadowy stillness, tempered only by a faint whispering of leaves, and now and then a bird-note high overhead.
“Gradually the strange preoccupation left her. Her breathing, which had been irregular and laboured, now came evenly and gently once more. She glanced sidelong at me for a moment; then, with a swift tender movement she came yet a trifle closer, and laid her other hand upon my arm.
“‘Tom — Tom dear! I will say it, for we shall be parted soon, and then, if I am alive, I shall be comforted a little to think that I did say it! Listen — Tom dear, I love you! Never forget that I said it — Tom, I love you!’
“I was taken deliciously by surprise. You must not expect me to tell how I felt or what I said. I can only remember that I took her in my arms and kissed her. The bird that warbled over our heads seemed to utter the ecstasy83 that I felt.
“Presently we began to move on again. I don’t know why I didn’t speak; perhaps I thought that our kiss had been the seal of her surrender, and that therefore words were for the moment impertinent; by-and-by the converse84 would be renewed from a fresh basis. Besides, my thoughts were flying too fast, just then, for speech to overtake them. I was thinking how singular had been the manner and progress of our acquaintance. It was scarcely in accordance with what I believed to be my normal temperament85 and disposition86 to plunge87 so abruptly88 and almost recklessly into a new order and responsibility of life. I had fancied myself too cautious, too cool-headed, for such an impulsive89 act. But it was done, and the fact that Kate’s feelings had responded to my own seemed to justify90 the apparent risk. We were meant for each other, and had come together in sheer despite of all combinations of circumstances to keep us apart. Knowing, as we did, scarcely anything of each other as worldly knowledge goes, we had yet felt that inward instinct and obligation to union which made the most thorough worldly knowledge look like folly91. What would my mother say to it? How would the news be relished92 by her father? I cared not; I foresaw difficulties enough in store, but none that appalled93 me. After all, an honourable man and woman, honestly in love with each other, are a match against the world, or superior to it. union is strength, and the union of loving hearts is the strongest strength of all.
“‘And do you want to marry me really, Tom?’
“We had gained the summit of the steep hill, and were now pacing along the ridge32. The narrow winding94 valley lay sheer beneath us on the right, with the white road and the dark stream lying side by side at the bottom of it. The crest95 of the opposing hillside seemed but a short stone’s-throw distant; the aroma96 of our privacy was the sweeter for the pigmy droschkey, with its mannikin inmate97, which was crawling along through the dust so far below. We commanded the world, while we were ourselves hidden from it.
“‘I should rather think I did, Kate!’
“‘I thought Englishmen only married as a matter of business; that they married settlements and dowries and rank and influence, and added women merely as a matter of custom and politeness.’
“‘I am satisfied to marry for love; if that’s un-English, so much the better for me!’
“‘You would take me without anything but just myself?’
“‘What is worth having, compared with you?’
“‘Oh Tom! But then, you cannot have just myself alone. Nobody in the world is independent of everything — not even an American — not even an American girl who has lived seven years in a convent! I may not be able to bring you anything good — anything that would make me more acceptable; but what if I were to bring you something bad — something terrible — something that would make you shudder99 at me if I were ten times as lovable as you say I am?’
“‘Why then, I should have to love you twenty times more than ever I suppose, that’s all!’ I answered, with a laugh.
“‘You don’t mean what you say — at least you don’t know what you say. You are not so brave as you think you are, sir! What do you know of me?’ She spoke these sentences in a lower, graver tone than the previous ones, which had been uttered in a vein100 of half-wayward, fanciful playfulness. Almost immediately, however, she roused herself again, as though unwilling101 to let the lightsome humour escape so soon.
“‘Well, let us pretend that you have married me, for better or worse, and that it is all settled. Now, where will you take me to first?’
“‘Where do you wish to go?’
“‘Oh, it must be somewhere where nobody could come after us,’ she exclaimed, with a curious subdued laugh. ‘Nobody that either of us has ever known; neither your mother, nor my father, nor — nor anybody! And there we must stay always; because as soon as we came out, we should lose each other, and never find each other again. And that would be sadder than never to have met, wouldn’t it?’
“‘But, my darling Kate,’ interposed I, laughing again, ‘where on earth, in this age of railways and steamboats and telegraphs and balloons, are we to find such a very retired102 spot? Unless we took a voyage to the moon, or could find our way down to the centre of the earth, we should hardly feel safe, I fear!’
“‘Oh, well, you must arrange about that; only it is as I tell you; and you see marrying me is not such a simple matter after all. Well, now, suppose we have reached the place, wherever it is — what would you give me for a wedding present?’
“‘What would you like?’
“‘No — you are to decide that. It wouldn’t be proper for your wife to choose her own wedding present, you know.’
“‘I believe such a thing does sometimes happen though, when the people are very fashionable and aristocratic.’
“‘But I am not aristocratic; I am an American. Now, what will you give me?’
“‘What do you say to the diamonds?’
“‘Well, I think I will take the diamonds,’ she said meditatively103, as though weighing the question in her mind. ‘Yes, papa said I might wear diamonds after I was married. But might not your mother object?’
“‘Not when she knows whom they are for; and, at any rate, she is going to leave them to me in her will.’
“‘Oh! and you expect that the news of our marriage will kill her?’
“‘It ought rather to give her a new lease of life. But you shall have the diamonds all the same. Will you try them on now?’
“‘Why, have you got them with you?’
“‘Certainly: I always carry them in this pocket.’
“‘How careless! You might lose them.’
“‘No: the pocket buttons up; see!’ and turning back the flap of my coat, I showed her how all was made secure.
“‘But what if robbers were to attack you?’
“‘Then I should talk to them with this,’ I rejoined, taking my revolver from another pocket, and holding it up.
“‘Oh, that’s a derringer! they have those in America. What a pretty one! Let me look at it.’
“‘No,’ said I, replacing it in my pocket; ‘it has a hair-trigger, and every barrel is loaded. You shall look at something much prettier, and not dangerous at all. Here — sit down on this stump104, and take off your hat, and I’ll put them on for you.’
“The stump of which I spoke stood at the end of the path we had been following, and within a few rods of the brink105 of a precipitous gorge106, which entered the side of the steep mountain-spur nearly at right angles. Across this gorge (which, though seventy to one hundred feet in depth, was scarcely more than half as wide at the top) a wooden bridge had formerly107 been thrown; but age or accident had broken it down, until only a single horizontal beam remained, spanning the chasm108 from side to side, and supported by three or four upright and transverse braces109. The beam itself was scarcely nine inches in width; and the whole structure was a dizzy thing to look at. My nerves were trained to steadiness by a good deal of gymnastic experience; but it would have needed a strong inducement to get me across that beam on foot.
“Kate sat down on the stump as I directed; but her manner had become languid and indifferent; the brightness and sparkle of her late mood were gone. As she looked up at me, her level eyebrows110 were slightly contracted, and the corners of her mouth drooped111. Her hands were folded listlessly in her lap. She was dressed in some soft white material, through which was visible the warm gleam of her arms and shoulders; the skirt was caught up in such a way as to allow freedom in walking; she wore a broad-brimmed white hat over her black hair; a yellow sash confined her waist, and her hands were bare. I untied112 the ribbons of her hat, she permitting me to do so without resistance; and then, kneeling before her, I unbuttoned the diamonds from my pocket, and laid them, in their case, upon her lap.
“‘Now, dear, shall I put them on you, or will you do it yourself?’
“She opened the case, and the gems113 flashed in the checkered114 sunshine that filtered down between the leaves of the trees. The sight seemed to rouse her somewhat; a faint spot of colour showed in either cheek, and she drew in a long breath.
“‘They are splendid!’ she said. ‘I never saw anything like them. No, your mother would need to die before giving up these.’
“‘They won’t look their best until you have put them on. Come!’
“‘Oh, I’m afraid! what if ——’
“‘Afraid of what?’
“‘What if someone were to come and see ——’
“‘Nonsense, my darling! There’s no one within half a mile of us; and if there were, they would only see a lovely girl looking her loveliest.’
“‘How nicely you talk to me! Well then — you put them on me. I won’t touch them myself.’
“The parure consisted of a necklace and a pair of earrings115. I lifted them, flashing, from the case; clasped the necklace round her throat, she sitting motionless, and hung the earrings in her ears. A light, that matched their marvellous gleam, seemed to enter into her eyes as I did so.
“‘You and these diamonds were made for each other!’ I said; and bending forwards, I kissed her on the lips.
“For more than a minute she sat there quite still, I kneeling in front of her; we were looking straight into one another’s eyes. Then, all at once, a troubled anxious look came into her face. She rose with a startled gesture to her feet.
“‘Hush! hush! did you hear?’
“‘What’s the matter?’ cried I, jumping up in surprise.
“‘Hush! someone calling — calling me!’
“Again that strange fancy! What did it mean? I could not repress a certain thrill at the heart as I gazed at her. It was very weird116 and strange.
“As I gazed, a singular change crept over her. Her face was now quite colourless, and its pallor was intensified117 by the blackness of her mystical eyes. Those eyes slowly grew fixed — immovable, as if frozen. The lids trembled for a moment, then drooped, then lifted again to their widest extent, and so remained. Her lips, slightly parted, showed the white teeth set edge to edge behind them. The rigidity118 descended through her whole body; she was like a marble statue. She breathed low and deeply, as one who is in profound slumber120.
“‘Kate, what has happened to you?’ I cried in alarm, putting my hand on her shoulder. Her arm was fixed like iron; she seemed to hear nothing, feel nothing. She was as much beyond any power of mine to influence her as if she had been dead. The diamonds that glittered on her bosom121 were not more insensible than she.
“I must confess that I was somewhat unnerved by the situation. Kate was evidently in some sort of trance; but what had put her into that state, and how was she to be got out of it? For aught I knew, it might be the prelude122 to a fit or other seizure123 of that nature, involving consequences dangerous if not fatal. In the bewilderment of the moment the only remedy that I could think of was cold water; to dash her with water might be of use, and could scarcely make matters worse. About thirty paces from where we were standing10 a small rill meandered124 amongst the roots of the trees, and trickled125 at last in a tiny cascade126 down the rocky side of the gorge. Towards this I ran, and stooping down, attempted to scoop127 up some of the refreshing128 element in the crown of my straw hat.
“Rising with the dripping hat in my hands, I turned to go back; but the sight that then met my eyes caused me to drop everything and spring forward with a gasp129 of horror.
“Moving as if in obedience130 to some power external or at least foreign to herself, as a mechanical figure might move, steadily131, deliberately132, and yet blindly, Kate had advanced directly towards the narrow chasm, and when I first beheld her she already seemed balancing on the brink. Before I could cover half the distance that separated us, she had set foot on the long beam which spanned the abyss, and had begun to walk along it. By the time I reached the hither end, she was halfway133 over, stepping as unconsciously as if she were on an ordinary sidewalk, though the slightest deflection from a straight course would have sent her down a hundred feet to the jagged boulders134 below.
“Standing on the hither verge135, every nerve so tensely strung that I seemed to hear the blood humming through my brain, I watched the passage of those small feet, which I had admired that morning as they peeped coquettishly from beneath her dress in the railway carriage — I watched them pass, step after step, along that awful beam. I suppose the transit136 must have been accomplished137 in less than a minute, but it seemed to me that I was watching it for hours. I uttered no sound, lest it might rouse her from her trance and insure the catastrophe138 that else she might escape; I did not attempt to overtake her, fearful lest the beam should fail to support our united weight. I saw her pass on, rigid119, unbending, but sure of foot as a rope-dancer; and at last I saw her reach the opposite side, and stand once more on solid earth, preserved from death as it seemed by a miracle. I have no distinct recollection of how I followed; I only know that a few seconds afterwards I was standing beside her, with my arm round her waist.
“I led her forwards a few paces out of sight of the ravine, the mere98 thought of which now turned me sick, and brought her to a plot of soft turf, beneath a tree with low spreading branches. The trance was evidently passing away; her limbs no longer had that unnatural139 rigidity; her eyelids140 drooped heavily, and her jaw141 relaxed. A violent trembling seized upon her; she sank down on the turf as if all power of self-support had gone out of her. At that moment I fancied I heard a slight crackle among the shrubbery not far off; I looked quickly up, and saw — or thought I saw — a short ungainly figure obscurely stealing away through the underbush. Almost immediately he vanished amidst the trees, leaving me in doubt whether my eyesight had not after all played me false.
“As I turned again to Kate, she was sitting up against the trunk of the tree, the diamonds flashing at her throat and ears, and a puzzled questioning expression on her face.
“‘What makes you look so strange?’ she murmured. ‘Where is your hat! How did we come here, Tom? I thought ——’
“She stopped abruptly, and rose slowly to her feet. Her eyes were cast down shamefacedly, and she bit her lip. She lifted her hand to her throat, and felt the diamonds there. Then, with an apprehensive142, almost a cowering143 glance, she peered stealthily round through the trees, as though expecting to see something that she dreaded144. Finally she turned again, appealingly, to me, but said nothing.
“I thought I partly understood the significance of this dumb-show. She was subject to these somnambulistic trances, and was ashamed of them. She knew not, on this occasion, what extravagance she might have committed in the presence of me, her lover. She feared the construction I might put upon it, yet was too timid — or, it might be, too proud — to speak. But her misgiving145 did me injustice146. Shocked and grieved though I was, I loved her more than ever.
“‘You were faint, my dear, that’s all,’ I said, cheerfully and affectionately. ‘I brought you under this tree, and now you’re all right.’
“She shook her head, with a piteous smile. ‘I know what has been the matter with me, Mr. Gainsborough,’ she said, with an attempt at reserve and coldness in her tone. ‘I had hoped I might have parted from you before you knew, but — it was not to be so! It is very good of you to pretend to ignore it, and I thank you — I thank you. Here,’ she added, nervously unclasping the necklace and removing the earrings, ‘I have worn these too long. Take them, please.’
“‘Kate, you shall wear them forever!’ cried I, passionately147.
“‘I must not begin yet, at all events,’ she returned more firmly. ‘Take them, please, or you will make me feel more humiliated148 than I do now.’ She put them in my unwilling hands. ‘And now we’ll get our hats and go back to the hotel,’ she continued, with a smile which was pathetic in its effort to seem indifferent and unconstrained. ‘Where are they? Ah!’
“She had just caught sight of her white hat lying beside the stump on the farther side of the gorge. The suppressed scream and the start indicated that she now for the first time realised by what a perilous149 path she had come hither. She remained for a moment gazing at the beam with a sort of fascination150; then, moving forward to the brink, looked down the sheer precipice151 to the rocks below.
“‘I wish I had fallen!’ she said, almost below her breath; ‘or,’ she added, after a short pause, in a tone still lower, but of intense emphasis, ‘I wish he had!’
“‘You wish I had?’
“‘I did not know you were so near,’ she answered, drawing back from the verge. ‘No, no — not you! Come, we must walk round this place. Tell me,’ she said, facing me suddenly, ‘did you see anyone?’
“‘I think not. I fancied I heard ——’
“‘We must get back to the hotel,’ she interrupted excitedly; ‘at least, I must get back. I don’t like to be here. I wish you would leave me. I would rather say good-bye to you here than there.’
“‘I never mean to say good-bye to you at all, Kate. If this is the trouble you hinted at, you overrate it entirely152. Why, two people out of every seven are somnambulists. It is as common as to have black hair. Besides, you will outgrow153 it in a few years; it is only a nervous affection, which any doctor can cure.’
“‘It is not that; you don’t understand,’ she said, with a sigh.
“‘Whatever it is, I’m determined not to lose you. I shall tell your father, when I see him, that I love you, and that wherever he takes you I shall follow. No one can or shall keep us apart.’
“The resolution with which I spoke seemed to impress her somewhat. ‘You can speak to him if you will. But, oh! it is no use. It cannot be; you don’t understand. Let me go; good-bye. No, do not come with me; please do not! I have a reason for asking it. I will see you once more — to-morrow, before we leave. But let me go alone now, if you love me.’
“She went, walking quickly away through the wood. I watched her for a few moments, and then returned to the grass plot beneath the tree, and threw myself down there in a very dissatisfied frame of mind. The sun had set before I returned to the hotel.
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1
embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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constrained
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| adj.束缚的,节制的 | |
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conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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infancy
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| n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期 | |
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6
plausibility
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| n. 似有道理, 能言善辩 | |
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7
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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8
recollected
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| adj.冷静的；镇定的；被回忆起的；沉思默想的v.记起，想起( recollect的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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10
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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11
query
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| n.疑问，问号，质问；vt.询问，表示怀疑 | |
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12
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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13
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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14
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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15
thwart
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| v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的) | |
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16
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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17
outwards
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| adj.外面的，公开的，向外的；adv.向外；n.外形 | |
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18
saturnine
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| adj.忧郁的，沉默寡言的，阴沉的，感染铅毒的 | |
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19
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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20
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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21
speculations
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| n.投机买卖( speculation的名词复数 )；思考；投机活动；推断 | |
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22
peremptory
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| adj.紧急的，专横的，断然的 | |
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23
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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24
invaluable
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| adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的 | |
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25
exterior
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| adj.外部的，外在的；表面的 | |
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26
swarm
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| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
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27
rend
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| vt.把…撕开，割裂；把…揪下来，强行夺取 | |
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28
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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29
alley
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| n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路 | |
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brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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31
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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32
ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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33
villas
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| 别墅，公馆( villa的名词复数 )； （城郊）住宅 | |
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34
brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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35
brawling
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| n.争吵，喧嚷 | |
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36
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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37
farmhouse
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| n.农场住宅（尤指主要住房） | |
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38
farmhouses
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| n.农舍，农场的主要住房( farmhouse的名词复数 ) | |
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39
lodger
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| n.寄宿人，房客 | |
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40
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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41
expedient
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| adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计 | |
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42
inviting
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| adj.诱人的，引人注目的 | |
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43
sentimental
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| adj.多愁善感的，感伤的 | |
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44
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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45
barbarian
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| n.野蛮人；adj.野蛮(人)的；未开化的 | |
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46
discursively
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| adv.东拉西扯地，推论地 | |
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47
preoccupied
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| adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式) | |
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48
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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49
desultory
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| adj.散漫的，无方法的 | |
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50
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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51
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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52
peremptorily
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| adv.紧急地，不容分说地，专横地 | |
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53
fixedly
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| adv.固定地；不屈地，坚定不移地 | |
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54
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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55
puckering
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| v.（使某物）起褶子或皱纹( pucker的现在分词 )；小褶纹；小褶皱 | |
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56
enigmas
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| n.难于理解的问题、人、物、情况等，奥秘( enigma的名词复数 ) | |
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57
satire
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| n.讽刺，讽刺文学，讽刺作品 | |
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58
confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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59
honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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60
obeisance
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| n.鞠躬，敬礼 | |
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61
malignant
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| adj.恶性的，致命的；恶意的，恶毒的 | |
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62
swerved
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| v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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63
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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64
prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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65
bide
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| v.忍耐；等候；住 | |
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66
aspired
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| v.渴望，追求( aspire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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67
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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68
unimpeachable
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| adj.无可指责的；adv.无可怀疑地 | |
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69
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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70
pagoda
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| n.宝塔（尤指印度和远东的多层宝塔），（印度教或佛教的）塔式庙宇 | |
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71
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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72
plank
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| n.板条，木板，政策要点，政纲条目 | |
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73
zigzag
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| n.曲折，之字形；adj.曲折的，锯齿形的；adv.曲折地，成锯齿形地；vt.使曲折；vi.曲折前行 | |
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74
hemlocks
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| 由毒芹提取的毒药( hemlock的名词复数 ) | |
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75
ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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76
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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77
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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78
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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79
hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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80
timorous
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| adj.胆怯的，胆小的 | |
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81
nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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82
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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83
ecstasy
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| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
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84
converse
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| vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反 | |
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85
temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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86
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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87
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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88
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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89
impulsive
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| adj.冲动的，刺激的；有推动力的 | |
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90
justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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91
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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92
relished
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| v.欣赏( relish的过去式和过去分词 )；从…获得乐趣；渴望 | |
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93
appalled
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| v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的 | |
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94
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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95
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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96
aroma
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| n.香气，芬芳，芳香 | |
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97
inmate
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| n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人 | |
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98
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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99
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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100
vein
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| n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络 | |
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101
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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103
meditatively
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| adv.冥想地 | |
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104
stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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106
gorge
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| n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃 | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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chasm
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| n.深坑，断层，裂口，大分岐，利害冲突 | |
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braces
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| n.吊带，背带；托架( brace的名词复数 )；箍子；括弧；（儿童）牙箍v.支住( brace的第三人称单数 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来 | |
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110
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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111
drooped
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| 弯曲或下垂，发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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112
untied
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| 松开，解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 )； 解除，使自由； 解决 | |
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113
gems
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| growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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114
checkered
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| adj.有方格图案的 | |
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115
earrings
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| n.耳环( earring的名词复数 )；耳坠子 | |
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weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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intensified
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| v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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118
rigidity
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| adj.钢性，坚硬 | |
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rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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120
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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122
prelude
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| n.序言，前兆，序曲 | |
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123
seizure
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| n.没收；占有；抵押 | |
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124
meandered
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| （指溪流、河流等）蜿蜒而流( meander的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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trickled
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| v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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126
cascade
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| n.小瀑布，喷流；层叠；vi.成瀑布落下 | |
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scoop
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| n.铲子，舀取，独家新闻；v.汲取，舀取，抢先登出 | |
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refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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129
gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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130
obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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halfway
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| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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134
boulders
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| n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾 | |
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135
verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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136
transit
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| n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过 | |
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137
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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140
eyelids
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| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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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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apprehensive
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| adj.担心的，恐惧的，善于领会的 | |
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143
cowering
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| v.畏缩，抖缩( cower的现在分词 ) | |
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144
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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145
misgiving
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕 | |
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146
injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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passionately
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| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
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148
humiliated
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| 感到羞愧的 | |
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149
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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150
fascination
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| n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋 | |
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151
precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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152
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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153
outgrow
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| vt.长大得使…不再适用；成长得不再要 | |
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