“A bell!” said Dick, sitting up. “Can we be, then, so near to Holywood?”
A little after, the bell clanged again, but this time somewhat nearer hand; and from that time forth2, and still drawing nearer and nearer, it continued to sound brokenly abroad in the silence of the morning.
“It is some one walking,” returned Matcham, and “the bell tolleth ever as he moves.”
“I see that well,” said Dick. “But wherefore? What maketh he in Tunstall Woods? Jack5,” he added, “laugh at me an ye will, but I like not the hollow sound of it.”
“Nay,” said Matcham, with a shiver, “it hath a doleful note. An the day were not come”—
But just then the bell, quickening its pace, began to ring thick and hurried, and then it gave a single hammering jangle, and was silent for a space.
“It is as though the bearer had run for a pater-noster while, and then leaped the river,” Dick observed.
“And now beginneth he again to pace soberly forward,” added Matcham.
“Nay,” returned Dick—“nay, not so soberly, Jack. ’Tis a man that walketh you right speedily. ’Tis a man in some fear of his life, or about some hurried business. See ye not how swift the beating draweth near?”
“It is now close by,” said Matcham.
They were now on the edge of the pit; and as the pit itself was on a certain eminence7, they commanded a view over the greater proportion of the clearing, up to the thick woods that closed it in.
The daylight, which was very clear and grey, showed them a riband of white footpath8 wandering among the gorse. It passed some hundred yards from the pit, and ran the whole length of the clearing, east and west. By the line of its course, Dick judged it should lead more or less directly to the Moat House.
Upon this path, stepping forth from the margin9 of the wood, a white figure now appeared. It paused a little, and seemed to look about; and then, at a slow pace, and bent10 almost double, it began to draw near across the heath. At every step the bell clanked. Face, it had none; a white hood11, not even pierced with eye-holes, veiled the head; and as the creature moved, it seemed to feel its way with the tapping of a stick. Fear fell upon the lads, as cold as death.
“His touch is death,” said Matcham. “Let us run.”
“Not so,” returned Dick. “See ye not?—he is stone blind. He guideth him with a staff. Let us lie still; the wind bloweth towards the path, and he will go by and hurt us not. Alas13, poor soul, and we should rather pity him!”
“I will pity him when he is by,” replied Matcham.
The blind leper was now about halfway14 towards them, and just then the sun rose and shone full on his veiled face. He had been a tall man before he was bowed by his disgusting sickness, and even now he walked with a vigorous step. The dismal15 beating of his bell, the pattering of the stick, the eyeless screen before his countenance16, and the knowledge that he was not only doomed17 to death and suffering, but shut out for ever from the touch of his fellow-men, filled the lads’ bosoms18 with dismay; and at every step that brought him nearer, their courage and strength seemed to desert them.
As he came about level with the pit, he paused, and turned his face full upon the lads.
“Mary be my shield! He sees us!” said Matcham, faintly.
“Hush!” whispered Dick. “He doth but hearken. He is blind, fool!”
The leper looked or listened, whichever he was really doing, for some seconds. Then he began to move on again, but presently paused once more, and again turned and seemed to gaze upon the lads. Even Dick became dead-white and closed his eyes, as if by the mere19 sight he might become infected. But soon the bell sounded, and this time, without any farther hesitation20, the leper crossed the remainder of the little heath and disappeared into the covert21 of the woods.
“He saw us,” said Matcham. “I could swear it!”
“Tut!” returned Dick, recovering some sparks of courage. “He but heard us. He was in fear, poor soul! An ye were blind, and walked in a perpetual night, ye would start yourself, if ever a twig22 rustled23 or a bird cried ‘Peep.’”
“Dick, good Dick, he saw us,” repeated Matcham. “When a man hearkeneth, he doth not as this man; he doth otherwise, Dick. This was seeing; it was not hearing. He means foully24. Hark, else, if his bell be not stopped!”
Such was the case. The bell rang no longer.
“Nay,” said Dick, “I like not that. Nay,” he cried again, “I like that little. What may this betoken? Let us go, by the mass!”
“He hath gone east,” added Matcham. “Good Dick, let us go westward26 straight; I shall not breathe till I have my back turned upon that leper.”
“Jack, y’ are too cowardly,” replied Dick. “We shall go fair for Holywood, or as fair, at least, as I can guide you, and that will be due north.”
They were afoot at once, passed the stream upon some stepping-stones, and began to mount on the other side, which was steeper, towards the margin of the wood. The ground became very uneven27, full of knolls28 and hollows; trees grew scattered30 or in clumps31; it became difficult to choose a path, and the lads somewhat wandered. They were weary, besides, with yesterday’s exertions32 and the lack of food, and they moved but heavily and dragged their feet among the sand.
Presently, coming to the top of a knoll29, they were aware of the leper, some hundred feet in front of them, crossing the line of their march by a hollow. His bell was silent, his staff no longer tapped the ground, and he went before him with the swift and assured footsteps of a man who sees. Next moment he had disappeared into a little thicket33.
The lads, at the first glimpse, had crouched34 behind a tuft of gorse; there they lay, horror-struck.
“Certain, he pursueth us,” said Dick—“certain! He held the clapper of his bell in one hand, saw ye? that it should not sound. Now may the saints aid and guide us, for I have no strength to combat pestilence35!”
“What maketh he?” cried Matcham. “What doth he want? Who ever heard the like, that a leper, out of mere malice36, should pursue unfortunates? Hath he not his bell to that very end, that people may avoid him? Dick, there is below this something deeper.”
“Nay, I care not,” moaned Dick; “the strength is gone out of me; my legs are like water. The saints be mine assistance!”
“Would ye lie there idle?” cried Matcham. “Let us back into the open. We have the better chance; he cannot steal upon us unawares.”
“Not I,” said Dick. “My time is come, and peradventure he may pass us by.”
“Bend me, then, your bow!” cried the other. “What! will ye be a man?”
Dick crossed himself. “Would ye have me shoot upon a leper?” he cried. “The hand would fail me. Nay, now,” he added—“nay, now, let be! With sound men I will fight, but not with ghosts and lepers. Which this is, I wot not. One or other, Heaven be our protection!”
“Now,” said Matcham, “if this be man’s courage, what a poor thing is man! But sith ye will do naught37, let us lie close.”
Then came a single, broken jangle on the bell.
“He hath missed his hold upon the clapper,” whispered Matcham. “Saints! how near he is!”
But Dick answered never a word; his teeth were near chattering38.
Soon they saw a piece of the white robe between some bushes; then the leper’s head was thrust forth from behind a trunk, and he seemed narrowly to scan the neighbourhood before he once again withdrew. To their stretched senses, the whole bush appeared alive with rustlings and the creak of twigs39; and they heard the beating of each other’s heart.
Suddenly, with a cry, the leper sprang into the open close by, and ran straight upon the lads. They, shrieking40 aloud, separated and began to run different ways. But their horrible enemy fastened upon Matcham, ran him swiftly down, and had him almost instantly a prisoner. The lad gave one scream that echoed high and far over the forest, he had one spasm41 of struggling, and then all his limbs relaxed, and he fell limp into his captor’s arms.
Dick heard the cry and turned. He saw Matcham fall; and on the instant his spirit and his strength revived; With a cry of pity and anger, he unslung and bent his arblast. But ere he had time to shoot, the leper held up his hand.
“Hold your shot, Dickon!” cried a familiar voice. “Hold your shot, mad wag! Know ye not a friend?”
And then laying down Matcham on the turf, he undid42 the hood from off his face, and disclosed the features of Sir Daniel Brackley.
“Sir Daniel!” cried Dick.
“Ay, by the mass, Sir Daniel!” returned the knight43. “Would ye shoot upon your guardian44, rogue45? But here is this”—And there he broke off, and pointing to Matcham, asked: “How call ye him, Dick?”
“Nay,” said Dick, “I call him Master Matcham. Know ye him not? He said ye knew him!”
“Ay,” replied Sir Daniel, “I know the lad;” and he chuckled46. “But he has fainted; and, by my sooth, he might have had less to faint for! Hey, Dick? Did I put the fear of death upon you?”
“Indeed, Sir Daniel, ye did that,” said Dick, and sighed again at the mere recollection. “Nay, sir, saving your respect, I had as lief ’a’ met the devil in person; and to speak truth, I am yet all a-quake. But what made ye, sir, in such a guise47?”
Sir Daniel’s brow grew suddenly black with anger.
“What made I?” he said. “Ye do well to mind me of it! What? I skulked48 for my poor life in my own wood of Tunstall, Dick. We were ill sped at the battle; we but got there to be swept among the rout49. Where be all my good men-at-arms? Dick, by the mass, I know not! We were swept down; the shot fell thick among us; I have not seen one man in my own colours since I saw three fall. For myself, I came sound to Shoreby, and being mindful of the Black Arrow, got me this gown and bell, and came softly by the path for the Moat House. There is no disguise to be compared with it; the jingle50 of this bell would scare me the stoutest52 outlaw53 in the forest; they would all turn pale to hear it. At length I came by you and Matcham. I could see but evilly through this same hood, and was not sure of you, being chiefly, and for many a good cause, astonished at the finding you together. Moreover, in the open, where I had to go slowly and tap with my staff, I feared to disclose myself. But see,” he added, “this poor shrew begins a little to revive. A little good canary will comfort me the heart of it.”
The knight, from under his long dress, produced a stout51 bottle, and began to rub the temples and wet the lips of the patient, who returned gradually to consciousness, and began to roll dim eyes from one to another.
“What cheer, Jack!” said Dick. “It was no leper, after all; it was Sir Daniel! See!”
“Swallow me a good draught54 of this,” said the knight. “This will give you manhood. Thereafter, I will give you both a meal, and we shall all three on to Tunstall. For, Dick,” he continued, laying forth bread and meat upon the grass, “I will avow55 to you, in all good conscience, it irks me sorely to be safe between four walls. Not since I backed a horse have I been pressed so hard; peril56 of life, jeopardy57 of land and livelihood58, and to sum up, all these losels in the wood to hunt me down. But I be not yet shent. Some of my lads will pick me their way home. Hatch hath ten fellows; Selden, he had six. Nay, we shall soon be strong again; and if I can but buy my peace with my right fortunate and undeserving Lord of York, why, Dick, we’ll be a man again and go a-horseback!”
“Selden,” Dick faltered—“Selden”—And he paused again.
Sir Daniel put down the wine untasted.
“How!” he cried, in a changed voice. “Selden? Speak! What of Selden?”
The knight heard in silence; but as he listened, his countenance became convulsed with rage and grief.
“Now here,” he cried, “on my right hand, I swear to avenge62 it! If that I fail, if that I spill not ten men’s souls for each, may this hand wither63 from my body! I broke this Duckworth like a rush; I beggared him to his door; I burned the thatch64 above his head; I drove him from this country; and now, cometh he back to beard me? Nay, but, Duckworth, this time it shall go bitter hard!”
He was silent for some time, his face working.
“Eat!” he cried, suddenly. “And you here,” he added to Matcham, “swear me an oath to follow straight to the Moat House.”
“I will pledge mine honour,” replied Matcham.
“What make I with your honour?” cried the knight. “Swear me upon your mother’s welfare!”
Matcham gave the required oath; and Sir Daniel re-adjusted the hood over his face, and prepared his bell and staff. To see him once more in that appalling65 travesty66 somewhat revived the horror of his two companions. But the knight was soon upon his feet.
“Eat with despatch,” he said, “and follow me yarely to mine house.”
And with that he set forth again into the woods; and presently after the bell began to sound, numbering his steps, and the two lads sat by their untasted meal, and heard it die slowly away up hill into the distance.
“And so ye go to Tunstall?” Dick inquired.
“Yea, verily,” said Matcham, “when needs must! I am braver behind Sir Daniel’s back than to his face.”
They ate hastily, and set forth along the path through the airy upper levels of the forest, where great beeches67 stood apart among green lawns, and the birds and squirrels made merry on the boughs68. Two hours later, they began to descend69 upon the other side, and already, among the tree-tops, saw before them the red walls and roofs of Tunstall House.
“Here,” said Matcham, pausing, “ye shall take your leave of your friend Jack, whom y’ are to see no more. Come, Dick, forgive him what he did amiss, as he, for his part, cheerfully and lovingly forgiveth you.”
“And wherefore so?” asked Dick. “An we both go to Tunstall, I shall see you yet again, I trow, and that right often.”
“Ye’ll never again see poor Jack Matcham,” replied the other, “that was so fearful and burthensome, and yet plucked you from the river; ye’ll not see him more, Dick, by mine honour!” He held his arms open, and the lads embraced and kissed. “And, Dick,” continued Matcham, “my spirit bodeth ill. Y’ are now to see a new Sir Daniel; for heretofore hath all prospered70 in his hands exceedingly, and fortune followed him; but now, methinks, when his fate hath come upon him, and he runs the adventure of his life, he will prove but a foul25 lord to both of us. He may be brave in battle, but he hath the liar’s eye; there is fear in his eye, Dick, and fear is as cruel as the wolf! We go down into that house, Saint Mary guide us forth again!”
And so they continued their descent in silence, and came out at last before Sir Daniel’s forest stronghold, where it stood, low and shady, flanked with round towers and stained with moss71 and lichen72, in the lilied waters of the moat. Even as they appeared, the doors were opened, the bridge lowered, and Sir Daniel himself, with Hatch and the parson at his side, stood ready to receive them.
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收听单词发音
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1
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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betoken
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| v.预示 | |
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jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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6
ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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7
eminence
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| n.卓越，显赫；高地，高处；名家 | |
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footpath
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| n.小路，人行道 | |
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margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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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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hood
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| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
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hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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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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dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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16
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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bosoms
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| 胸部( bosom的名词复数 )； 胸怀； 女衣胸部（或胸襟）； 和爱护自己的人在一起的情形 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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covert
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| adj.隐藏的；暗地里的 | |
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twig
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| n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解 | |
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rustled
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| v.发出沙沙的声音( rustle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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foully
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| ad.卑鄙地 | |
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foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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uneven
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| adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的 | |
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knolls
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| n.小圆丘，小土墩( knoll的名词复数 ) | |
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knoll
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| n.小山，小丘 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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clumps
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| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
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exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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pestilence
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| n.瘟疫 | |
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malice
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| n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋 | |
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naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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39
twigs
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| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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spasm
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| n.痉挛，抽搐；一阵发作 | |
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Undid
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| v. 解开, 复原 | |
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knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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45
rogue
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| n.流氓；v.游手好闲 | |
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46
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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47
guise
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| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
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48
skulked
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| v.潜伏，偷偷摸摸地走动，鬼鬼祟祟地活动( skulk的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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49
rout
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| n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮 | |
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50
jingle
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| n.叮当声，韵律简单的诗句；v.使叮当作响，叮当响，押韵 | |
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52
stoutest
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| 粗壮的( stout的最高级 )； 结实的； 坚固的； 坚定的 | |
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53
outlaw
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| n.歹徒，亡命之徒；vt.宣布…为不合法 | |
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54
draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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55
avow
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| v.承认，公开宣称 | |
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56
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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jeopardy
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| n.危险；危难 | |
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livelihood
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| n.生计，谋生之道 | |
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stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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ambush
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| n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击 | |
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61
massacre
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| n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀 | |
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avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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63
wither
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| vt.使凋谢，使衰退，(用眼神气势等)使畏缩；vi.枯萎，衰退，消亡 | |
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64
thatch
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| vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部；n.茅草(屋) | |
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65
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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66
travesty
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| n.歪曲，嘲弄，滑稽化 | |
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67
beeches
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| n.山毛榉( beech的名词复数 )；山毛榉木材 | |
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68
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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69
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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70
prospered
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| 成功，兴旺( prosper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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71
moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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72
lichen
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| n.地衣, 青苔 | |
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