Tony jumped over the wall. He might have landed in the midst of a family party; but in so much luck was with him. He found the Farfalla bobbing at the foot of the water steps with Mr. Wilder and Miss Hazel already embarked1. They were waiting for Constance, who had obligingly run back to the house to fetch the rainbow shawl (finished that afternoon) as Miss Hazel distrusted the Italian night breeze.
Constance stepped out from the door as Tony emerged from the bushes. She regarded him in startled surprise; he was still in some slight disarray2 from his encounter with the lieutenant3.
“May I speak to you, Miss Wilder? I won’t detain you but a moment.”
She nodded and kept on, her heart thumping4 absurdly. He had received the letter of course; and there would be consequences. She paused at the top of the water steps.
“You go on,” she called to the others, “and pick me up on your way back. Tony wants to see me about something, and I don’t like to keep Mrs. Eustace and Nannie waiting.”
Giuseppe pushed off and Constance was left standing5 alone on the water steps. She turned as Tony approached; there was a touch of defiance6 in her manner.
“Well?”
He came to her side and leaned carelessly against the parapet, his eyes on the Farfalla as she tossed and dipped in the wash of the Regina Margarita which was just puffing7 out from the village landing. Constance watched him, slightly taken aback; she had expected him to be angry, sulky, reproachful—certainly not nonchalant. When he finally brought his eyes from the water, his expression was mildly melancholy9.
“Signorina, I have come to say good bye. It is very sad, but tomorrow, I too—” he waved his hand toward the steamer—“shall be a passenger.”
“You are going away from Valedolmo?”
He nodded.
“Unfortunately, yes. I should like to stay, but—” he shrugged—“life isn’t all play, Miss Wilder. Though one would like to be a donkey-man forever, one only may be for a summer’s holiday. I am your debtor10 for a unique and pleasant experience.”
She studied his face without speaking. Did it mean that he had got the letter and was hurt, or did it perhaps mean that he had got the letter and did not care to appear as Jerry Junior? That he enjoyed the play so long as he could remain incognito11 and stop it where he pleased, but that he had no mind to let it drift into reality? Very possibly it meant—she flushed at the thought—that he divined Nannie’s plot, and refused also to consider the fourth candidate.
“And the young American man, Signor Abraham Lincoln, will he come tomorrow for tea?”
“Ah, signorina, he is desolated13, but it is not possible. He has received a letter and he must go; he has stopped too long in Valedolmo. Tomorrow morning early, he and I togever, we sail away to Austria.” His eyes went back to the trail of smoke left by the little steamer.
“And Costantina, Tony. You are leaving her behind?” It took some courage to put this question, but she did not flinch14; she put it with a laugh which contained nothing but raillery.
Tony sighed—a deep melodramatic sigh—and laid his hand on his heart.
“Ah, signorina, zat Costantina, she has not any heart. She love one man one day, anozzer ze next. I go away to forget.”
His eyes dropped to hers; for an instant the mocking light died out; a questioning, wounded look took its place.
She felt a quick impulse to hold out her hands, to say, “Jerry, don’t go!” If she only knew! Was he going because he thought that she wished to dismiss him, or because he wished to dismiss himself? Was it pique15 that bade him carry the play to the end, or was it merely the desire to get out of an awkward situation gracefully16?
She stood hesitating, scanning the terrace pavement with troubled eyes; when she raised them to his face the chance was gone. He straightened his shoulders with an air of finality and picked up his hat from the balustrade.
She nodded and smiled.
“I will give the monkey a penny when he comes—good-bye.”
He bowed over her hand and touched it lightly to his lips.
“Signorina, addio!”
As he strode away into the dusky lane of cypresses18, she heard him whistling softly “Santa Lucia.” It was the last stroke, she reflected, angrily; he might at least have omitted that! She turned away and dropped down on the water steps to wait for the Farfalla. The terrace, the lake, the beautiful Italian night, suddenly seemed deserted19 and empty. Before she knew it was coming, she had leaned her head against the balustrade with a deep sob20. She caught herself sharply. She to sit there crying, while Tony went whistling on his way!
As the Farfalla drifted idly over the water, Constance sat in the stern, her chin in her hand, moodily21 gazing at the shimmering22 path of moonlight. But no one appeared to notice her silence, since Nannie was talking enough for both. And the only thing she talked about was Jerry Junior, how funny and clever and charming he was, how phenomenally good—for a man; when she showed signs of stopping, Mr. Wilder by a question started her on. It seemed to Constance an interminable two hours before they dropped their guests in the garden of the Hotel du Lac, and headed again for Villa8 Rosa.
As they approached their own water steps it became apparent that someone—a man—was standing at the top in an attitude of expectancy23. Constance’s heart gave a sudden bound and the next instant sank deep. A babble24 of frenzied25 greetings floated out to meet them; there was no mistaking Gustavo. Moreover, there was no mistaking the fact that he was excited; his excitement was contagious26 even before they had learned the reason. He stuttered in his impatience27 to share the news.
“Signore! Dio mio! A calamity28 has happened. Zat Tony, zat donk’-man! he has got hisself arrested. Zay say it is a lie, zat he is American citizen; he is an officer who is dessert from ze Italian army. Zay say he just pretend he cannot spik Italian—but it is not true. He know ten—leven words.”
They came hurrying up the steps and surrounded him, Mr. Wilder no less shocked than Gustavo himself.
Constance laid her hand on Gustavo’s sleeve and whirled him about.
“What do you mean? I don’t understand. Where is Tony?”
“In jail, signorina. Four carabinieri are come to take him away. And he fight—Dio mio! he fight like ze devil. But zay put—” he indicated handcuffs—“and he go.”
Constance dropped down on the upper step and leaning her head against the balustrade, she laughed until she was weak.
Her father whirled upon her indignantly.
“Constance! Haven’t you any sympathy for the man? This isn’t a laughing matter.”
“I know, Dad, but it’s so funny—Tony an Italian officer! He can’t pronounce the ten—leven words he does know right.”
“Of course he can’t; he doesn’t know as much Italian as I do. Can’t these fools tell an American citizen when they see one? I’ll teach ’em to go about chucking American citizens in jail. I’ll telegraph the consul31 in Milan; I’ll make an international matter of it!”
He fumed32 up and down the terrace, while Constance rose to her feet and followed after with a pretense33 at pacification34.
“Hush, Dad! Don’t be so excitable. It was a very natural mistake for them to make. But if Tony is really what he says he is it will be very easily proved. You must be sure of your ground though, before you act. I don’t like to say anything against poor Tony now that he is in trouble, but I have always felt that there was a mystery connected with him. For all we know he may be a murderer or a brigand35 or an escaped convict in disguise. We only have his word you know that he is an American citizen.”
“His word!” Mr. Wilder fairly exploded. “Are you utterly36 blind? He’s exactly as much an American citizen as I am. He’s—” He stopped and fanned himself furiously. He had sworn never to betray Tony’s secret, and yet, the present situation was exceptionable.
Constance patted him on the arm.
“There, Dad. I haven’t a doubt his story is true. He was born in Budapest, and he’s a naturalized American citizen. It’s the duty of the United States Government to protect him—but it won’t be difficult; I dare say he’s got his naturalization papers with him. A word in the morning will set everything straight.”
“Leave him in jail all night?”
“But you can’t do anything now; it’s after ten o’clock; the authorities have gone to bed.”
She turned to Gustavo; her tone was reassuring37.
“In the morning we’ll get some American war-ships to bombard the jail.”
“Signorina, you joke!” His tone was reproachful.
She suddenly looked anxious.
“Gustavo, is the jail strong?”
“Ver’ strong, signorina.”
“He can’t escape and get over into Austria? We are very near the frontier, you know.”
“No, signorina, it is impossible.” He shook his head hopelessly.
Constance laughed and slipped her hand through her father’s arm.
“Come, Dad. The first thing in the morning we’ll go down to the jail and cheer him up. There’s not the slightest use in worrying any more tonight. It won’t hurt Tony to be kept in—er—cold storage for a few hours—I think on the whole it will do him good!”
She nodded dismissal to Gustavo, and drew her father, still muttering, toward the house.
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收听单词发音
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1
embarked
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| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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2
disarray
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| n.混乱，紊乱，凌乱 | |
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3
lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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4
thumping
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| adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持 | |
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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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defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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puffing
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| v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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villa
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| n.别墅，城郊小屋 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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debtor
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| n.借方，债务人 | |
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incognito
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| adv.匿名地；n.隐姓埋名；adj.化装的，用假名的，隐匿姓名身份的 | |
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jargon
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| n.术语，行话 | |
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desolated
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| adj.荒凉的，荒废的 | |
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flinch
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| v.畏缩，退缩 | |
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pique
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| v.伤害…的自尊心，使生气 n.不满，生气 | |
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16
gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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17
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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18
cypresses
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| n.柏属植物，柏树( cypress的名词复数 ) | |
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19
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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sob
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| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
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moodily
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| adv.喜怒无常地；情绪多变地；心情不稳地；易生气地 | |
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22
shimmering
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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23
expectancy
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| n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额 | |
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babble
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| v.含糊不清地说，胡言乱语地说，儿语 | |
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25
frenzied
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| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
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26
contagious
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| adj.传染性的，有感染力的 | |
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27
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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28
calamity
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| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
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29
outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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30
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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31
consul
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| n.领事；执政官 | |
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32
fumed
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| 愤怒( fume的过去式和过去分词 )； 大怒； 发怒； 冒烟 | |
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33
pretense
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| n.矫饰，做作，借口 | |
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34
pacification
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| n. 讲和，绥靖，平定 | |
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35
brigand
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| n.土匪，强盗 | |
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36
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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37
reassuring
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| a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的 | |
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