Since Aramis’s singular transformation1 into a confessor of the order, Baisemeaux was no longer the same man. Up to that period, the place which Aramis had held in the worthy2 governor’s estimation was that of a prelate whom he respected and a friend to whom he owed a debt of gratitude3; but now he felt himself an inferior, and that Aramis was his master. He himself lighted a lantern, summoned a turnkey, and said, returning to Aramis, “I am at your orders, monseigneur.” Aramis merely nodded his head, as much as to say, “Very good”; and signed to him with his hand to lead the way. Baisemeaux advanced, and Aramis followed him. It was a calm and lovely starlit night; the steps of three men resounded4 on the flags of the terraces, and the clinking of the keys hanging from the jailer’s girdle made itself heard up to the stories of the towers, as if to remind the prisoners that the liberty of earth was a luxury beyond their reach. It might have been said that the alteration5 effected in Baisemeaux extended even to the prisoners. The turnkey, the same who, on Aramis’s first arrival had shown himself so inquisitive6 and curious, was now not only silent, but impassible. He held his head down, and seemed afraid to keep his ears open. In this wise they reached the basement of the Bertaudiere, the two first stories of which were mounted silently and somewhat slowly; for Baisemeaux, though far from disobeying, was far from exhibiting any eagerness to obey. On arriving at the door, Baisemeaux showed a disposition7 to enter the prisoner’s chamber8; but Aramis, stopping him on the threshold, said, “The rules do not allow the governor to hear the prisoner’s confession9.”
Baisemeaux bowed, and made way for Aramis, who took the lantern and entered; and then signed to them to close the door behind him. For an instant he remained standing10, listening whether Baisemeaux and the turnkey had retired11; but as soon as he was assured by the sound of their descending12 footsteps that they had left the tower, he put the lantern on the table and gazed around. On a bed of green serge, similar in all respect to the other beds in the Bastile, save that it was newer, and under curtains half-drawn, reposed14 a young man, to whom we have already once before introduced Aramis. According to custom, the prisoner was without a light. At the hour of curfew, he was bound to extinguish his lamp, and we perceive how much he was favored, in being allowed to keep it burning even till then. Near the bed a large leathern armchair, with twisted legs, sustained his clothes. A little table — without pens, books, paper, or ink — stood neglected in sadness near the window; while several plates, still unemptied, showed that the prisoner had scarcely touched his evening meal. Aramis saw that the young man was stretched upon his bed, his face half concealed15 by his arms. The arrival of a visitor did not caused any change of position; either he was waiting in expectation, or was asleep. Aramis lighted the candle from the lantern, pushed back the armchair, and approached the bed with an evident mixture of interest and respect. The young man raised his head. “What is it?” said he.
“You desired a confessor?” replied Aramis.
“Yes.”
“Because you were ill?”
“Yes.”
“Very ill?”
The young man gave Aramis a piercing glance, and answered, “I thank you.” After a moment’s silence, “I have seen you before,” he continued. Aramis bowed.
Doubtless the scrutiny17 the prisoner had just made of the cold, crafty18, and imperious character stamped upon the features of the bishop19 of Vannes was little reassuring20 to one in his situation, for he added, “I am better.”
“And so?” said Aramis.
“Why, then — being better, I have no longer the same need of a confessor, I think.”
“Not even of the hair-cloth, which the note you found in your bread informed you of?”
The young man started; but before he had either assented22 or denied, Aramis continued, “Not even of the ecclesiastic23 from whom you were to hear an important revelation?”
“If it be so,” said the young man, sinking again on his pillow, “it is different; I am listening.”
Aramis then looked at him more closely, and was struck with the easy majesty24 of his mien25, one which can never be acquired unless Heaven has implanted it in the blood or heart. “Sit down, monsieur,” said the prisoner.
Aramis bowed and obeyed. “How does the Bastile agree with you?” asked the bishop.
“Very well.”
“You do not suffer?”
“No.”
“You have nothing to regret?”
“Nothing.”
“Not even your liberty?”
“What do you call liberty, monsieur?” asked the prisoner, with the tone of a man who is preparing for a struggle.
“I call liberty, the flowers, the air, light, the stars, the happiness of going whithersoever the sinewy26 limbs of one-and-twenty chance to wish to carry you.”
The young man smiled, whether in resignation or contempt, it was difficult to tell. “Look,” said he, “I have in that Japanese vase two roses gathered yesterday evening in the bud from the governor’s garden; this morning they have blown and spread their vermilion chalice27 beneath my gaze; with every opening petal28 they unfold the treasures of their perfumes, filling my chamber with a fragrance29 that embalms30 it. Look now on these two roses; even among roses these are beautiful, and the rose is the most beautiful of flowers. Why, then, do you bid me desire other flowers when I possess the loveliest of all?”
Aramis gazed at the young man in surprise.
“If flowers constitute liberty,” sadly resumed the captive, “I am free, for I possess them.”
“But the air!” cried Aramis; “air is so necessary to life!”
“Well, monsieur,” returned the prisoner; “draw near to the window; it is open. Between high heaven and earth the wind whirls on its waftages of hail and lightning, exhales31 its torrid mist or breathes in gentle breezes. It caresses32 my face. When mounted on the back of this armchair, with my arm around the bars of the window to sustain myself, I fancy I am swimming the wide expanse before me.” The countenance33 of Aramis darkened as the young man continued: “Light I have! what is better than light? I have the sun, a friend who comes to visit me every day without the permission of the governor or the jailer’s company. He comes in at the window, and traces in my room a square the shape of the window, which lights up the hangings of my bed and floods the very floor. This luminous34 square increases from ten o’clock till midday, and decreases from one till three slowly, as if, having hastened to my presence, it sorrowed at bidding me farewell. When its last ray disappears I have enjoyed its presence for five hours. Is not that sufficient? I have been told that there are unhappy beings who dig in quarries35, and laborers36 who toil37 in mines, who never behold38 it at all.” Aramis wiped the drops from his brow. “As to the stars which are so delightful39 to view,” continued the young man, “they all resemble each other save in size and brilliancy. I am a favored mortal, for if you had not lighted that candle you would have been able to see the beautiful stars which I was gazing at from my couch before your arrival, whose silvery rays were stealing through my brain.”
Aramis lowered his head; he felt himself overwhelmed with the bitter flow of that sinister40 philosophy which is the religion of the captive.
“So much, then, for the flowers, the air, the daylight, and the stars,” tranquilly41 continued the young man; “there remains42 but exercise. Do I not walk all day in the governor’s garden if it is fine — here if it rains? in the fresh air if it is warm; in perfect warmth, thanks to my winter stove, if it be cold? Ah! monsieur, do you fancy,” continued the prisoner, not without bitterness, “that men have not done everything for me that a man can hope for or desire?”
“Men!” said Aramis; “be it so; but it seems to me you are forgetting Heaven.”
“Indeed I have forgotten Heaven,” murmured the prisoner, with emotion; “but why do you mention it? Of what use is it to talk to a prisoner of Heaven?”
Aramis looked steadily43 at this singular youth, who possessed44 the resignation of a martyr45 with the smile of an atheist46. “Is not Heaven in everything?” he murmured in a reproachful tone.
“Say rather, at the end of everything,” answered the prisoner, firmly.
“Be it so,” said Aramis; “but let us return to our starting-point.”
“I ask nothing better,” returned the young man.
“I am your confessor.”
“Yes.”
“Well, then, you ought, as a penitent47, to tell me the truth.”
“My whole desire is to tell it you.”
“Every prisoner has committed some crime for which he has been imprisoned48. What crime, then, have you committed?”
“You asked me the same question the first time you saw me,” returned the prisoner.
“And then, as now you evaded49 giving me an answer.”
“And what reason have you for thinking that I shall now reply to you?”
“Because this time I am your confessor.”
“Then if you wish me to tell what crime I have committed, explain to me in what a crime consists. For as my conscience does not accuse me, I aver50 that I am not a criminal.”
“We are often criminals in the sight of the great of the earth, not alone for having ourselves committed crimes, but because we know that crimes have been committed.”
The prisoner manifested the deepest attention.
“Yes, I understand you,” he said, after a pause; “yes, you are right, monsieur; it is very possible that, in such a light, I am a criminal in the eyes of the great of the earth.”
“Ah! then you know something,” said Aramis, who thought he had pierced not merely through a defect in the harness, but through the joints51 of it.
“No, I am not aware of anything,” replied the young man; “but sometimes I think — and I say to myself —”
“What do you say to yourself?”
“That if I were to think but a little more deeply I should either go mad or I should divine a great deal.”
“And then — and then?” said Aramis, impatiently.
“Then I leave off.”
“You leave off?”
“Yes; my head becomes confused and my ideas melancholy52; I feel ennui53 overtaking me; I wish —”
“What?”
“I don’t know; but I do not like to give myself up to longing55 for things which I do not possess, when I am so happy with what I have.”
“You are afraid of death?” said Aramis, with a slight uneasiness.
“Yes,” said the young man, smiling.
Aramis felt the chill of that smile, and shuddered56. “Oh, as you fear death, you know more about matters than you say,” he cried.
“And you,” returned the prisoner, “who bade me to ask to see you; you, who, when I did ask to see you, came here promising58 a world of confidence; how is it that, nevertheless, it is you who are silent, leaving it for me to speak? Since, then, we both wear masks, either let us both retain them or put them aside together.”
Aramis felt the force and justice of the remark, saying to himself, “This is no ordinary man; I must be cautious. — Are you ambitious?” said he suddenly to the prisoner, aloud, without preparing him for the alteration.
“What do you mean by ambitious?” replied the youth.
“Ambition,” replied Aramis, “is the feeling which prompts a man to desire more — much more — than he possesses.”
“I said that I was contented59, monsieur; but, perhaps, I deceive myself. I am ignorant of the nature of ambition; but it is not impossible I may have some. Tell me your mind; that is all I ask.”
“An ambitious man,” said Aramis, “is one who covets61 that which is beyond his station.”
“I covet60 nothing beyond my station,” said the young man, with an assurance of manner which for the second time made the bishop of Vannes tremble.
He was silent. But to look at the kindling62 eye, the knitted brow, and the reflective attitude of the captive, it was evident that he expected something more than silence — a silence which Aramis now broke. “You lied the first time I saw you,” said he.
“Lied!” cried the young man, starting up on his couch, with such a tone in his voice, and such a lightning in his eyes, that Aramis recoiled63, in spite of himself.
“I should say,” returned Aramis, bowing, “you concealed from me what you knew of your infancy64.”
“A man’s secrets are his own, monsieur,” retorted the prisoner, “and not at the mercy of the first chance-comer.”
“True,” said Aramis, bowing still lower than before, “’tis true; pardon me, but today do I still occupy the place of a chance-comer? I beseech65 you to reply, monseigneur.”
This title slightly disturbed the prisoner; but nevertheless he did not appear astonished that it was given him. “I do not know you, monsieur,” said he.
“Oh, but if I dared, I would take your hand and kiss it!”
The young man seemed as if he were going to give Aramis his hand; but the light which beamed in his eyes faded away, and he coldly and distrustfully withdrew his hand again. “Kiss the hand of a prisoner,” he said, shaking his head, “to what purpose?”
“Why did you tell me,” said Aramis, “that you were happy here? Why, that you aspired66 to nothing? Why, in a word, by thus speaking, do you prevent me from being frank in my turn?”
The same light shone a third time in the young man’s eyes, but died ineffectually away as before.
“You distrust me,” said Aramis.
“And why say you so, monsieur?”
“Oh, for a very simple reason; if you know what you ought to know, you ought to mistrust everybody.”
“Then do not be astonished that I am mistrustful, since you suspect me of knowing what I do not know.”
Aramis was struck with admiration67 at this energetic resistance. “Oh, monseigneur! you drive me to despair,” said he, striking the armchair with his fist.
“And, on my part, I do not comprehend you, monsieur.”
“Well, then, try to understand me.” The prisoner looked fixedly68 at Aramis.
“Sometimes it seems to me,” said the latter, “that I have before me the man whom I seek, and then —”
“And then your man disappears — is it not so?” said the prisoner, smiling. “So much the better.”
Aramis rose. “Certainly,” said he; “I have nothing further to say to a man who mistrusts me as you do.”
“And I, monsieur,” said the prisoner, in the same tone, “have nothing to say to a man who will not understand that a prisoner ought to be mistrustful of everybody.”
“Even of his old friends,” said Aramis. “Oh, monseigneur, you are too prudent70!”
“Of my old friends? — you one of my old friends — you?”
“Do you no longer remember,” said Aramis, “that you once saw, in the village where your early years were spent —”
“Do you know the name of the village?” asked the prisoner.
“Noisy-le-Sec, monseigneur,” answered Aramis, firmly.
“Go on,” said the young man, with an immovable aspect.
“Stay, monseigneur,” said Aramis; “if you are positively71 resolved to carry on this game, let us break off. I am here to tell you many things, ’tis true; but you must allow me to see that, on your side, you have a desire to know them. Before revealing the important matters I still withhold72, be assured I am in need of some encouragement, if not candor73; a little sympathy, if not confidence. But you keep yourself intrenched in a pretended which paralyzes me. Oh, not for the reason you think; for, ignorant as you may be, or indifferent as you feign74 to be, you are none the less what you are, monseigneur, and there is nothing — nothing, mark me! which can cause you not to be so.”
“I promise you,” replied the prisoner, “to hear you without impatience75. Only it appears to me that I have a right to repeat the question I have already asked, ‘Who are you?’”
“Do you remember, fifteen or eighteen years ago, seeing at Noisy-le-Sec a cavalier, accompanied by a lady in black silk, with flame-colored ribbons in her hair?”
“Yes,” said the young man; “I once asked the name of this cavalier, and they told me that he called himself the Abbe d’Herblay. I was astonished that the abbe had so warlike an air, and they replied that there was nothing singular in that, seeing that he was one of Louis XIII.‘s musketeers.”
“Well,” said Aramis, “that musketeer and abbe, afterwards bishop of Vannes, is your confessor now.”
“I know it; I recognized you.”
“Then, monseigneur, if you know that, I must further add a fact of which you are ignorant — that if the king were to know this evening of the presence of this musketeer, this abbe, this bishop, this confessor, here— he, who has risked everything to visit you, tomorrow would behold the steely glitter of the executioner’s axe76 in a dungeon77 more gloomy, more obscure than yours.”
While listening to these words, delivered with emphasis, the young man had raised himself on his couch, and was now gazing more and more eagerly at Aramis.
The result of his scrutiny was that he appeared to derive78 some confidence from it. “Yes,” he murmured, “I remember perfectly79. The woman of whom you speak came once with you, and twice afterwards with another.” He hesitated.
“With another, who came to see you every month — is it not so, monseigneur?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know who this lady was?”
The light seemed ready to flash from the prisoner’s eyes. “I am aware that she was one of the ladies of the court,” he said.
“You remember that lady well, do you not?”
“Oh, my recollection can hardly be very confused on this head,” said the young prisoner. “I saw that lady once with a gentleman about forty-five years old. I saw her once with you, and with the lady dressed in black. I have seen her twice since then with the same person. These four people, with my master, and old Perronnette, my jailer, and the governor of the prison, are the only persons with whom I have ever spoken, and, indeed, almost the only persons I have ever seen.”
“Then you were in prison?”
“If I am a prisoner here, then I was comparatively free, although in a very narrow sense — a house I never quitted, a garden surrounded with walls I could not climb, these constituted my residence, but you know it, as you have been there. In a word, being accustomed to live within these bounds, I never cared to leave them. And so you will understand, monsieur, that having never seen anything of the world, I have nothing left to care for; and therefore, if you relate anything, you will be obliged to explain each item to me as you go along.”
“And I will do so,” said Aramis, bowing; “for it is my duty, monseigneur.”
“Well, then, begin by telling me who was my tutor.”
“A worthy and, above all, an honorable gentleman, monseigneur; fit guide for both body and soul. Had you ever any reason to complain of him?”
“Oh, no; quite the contrary. But this gentleman of yours often used to tell me that my father and mother were dead. Did he deceive me, or did he speak the truth?”
“He was compelled to comply with the orders given him.”
“Then he lied?”
“In one respect. Your father is dead.”
“And my mother?”
“She is dead for you.”
“But then she lives for others, does she not?”
“Yes.”
“And I— and I, then” (the young man looked sharply at Aramis) “am compelled to live in the obscurity of a prison?”
“Alas80! I fear so.”
“And that because my presence in the world would lead to the revelation of a great secret?”
“Certainly, a very great secret.”
“My enemy must indeed be powerful, to be able to shut up in the Bastile a child such as I then was.”
“He is.”
“More powerful than my mother, then?”
“And why do you ask that?”
“Because my mother would have taken my part.”
Aramis hesitated. “Yes, monseigneur; more powerful than your mother.”
“Seeing, then, that my nurse and preceptor were carried off, and that I, also, was separated from them — either they were, or I am, very dangerous to my enemy?”
“Yes; but you are alluding81 to a peril82 from which he freed himself, by causing the nurse and preceptor to disappear,” answered Aramis, quietly.
“Disappear!” cried the prisoner, “how did they disappear?”
“In a very sure way,” answered Aramis —“they are dead.”
The young man turned pale, and passed his hand tremblingly over his face. “Poison?” he asked.
“Poison.”
The prisoner reflected a moment. “My enemy must indeed have been very cruel, or hard beset83 by necessity, to assassinate84 those two innocent people, my sole support; for the worthy gentleman and the poor nurse had never harmed a living being.”
“In your family, monseigneur, necessity is stern. And so it is necessity which compels me, to my great regret, to tell you that this gentleman and the unhappy lady have been assassinated85.”
“Oh, you tell me nothing I am not aware of,” said the prisoner, knitting his brows.
“How?”
“I suspected it.”
“Why?”
“I will tell you.”
At this moment the young man, supporting himself on his two elbows, drew close to Aramis’s face, with such an expression of dignity, of self-command and of defiance86 even, that the bishop felt the electricity of enthusiasm strike in devouring87 flashes from that great heart of his, into his brain of adamant88.
“Speak, monseigneur. I have already told you that by conversing89 with you I endanger my life. Little value as it has, I implore90 you to accept it as the ransom91 of your own.”
“Well,” resumed the young man, “this is why I suspected they had killed my nurse and my preceptor —”
“Whom you used to call your father?”
“Yes; whom I called my father, but whose son I well knew I was not.”
“Who caused you to suppose so?”
“Just as you, monsieur, are too respectful for a friend, he was also too respectful for a father.”
“I, however,” said Aramis, “have no intention to disguise myself.”
The young man nodded assent21 and continued: “Undoubtedly, I was not destined92 to perpetual seclusion,” said the prisoner; “and that which makes me believe so, above all, now, is the care that was taken to render me as accomplished93 a cavalier as possible. The gentleman attached to my person taught me everything he knew himself — mathematics, a little geometry, astronomy, fencing and riding. Every morning I went through military exercises, and practiced on horseback. Well, one morning during the summer, it being very hot, I went to sleep in the hall. Nothing, up to that period, except the respect paid me, had enlightened me, or even roused my suspicions. I lived as children, as birds, as plants, as the air and the sun do. I had just turned my fifteenth year —”
“This, then, is eight years ago?”
“Yes, nearly; but I have ceased to reckon time.”
“Excuse me; but what did your tutor tell you, to encourage you to work?”
“He used to say that a man was bound to make for himself, in the world, that fortune which Heaven had refused him at his birth. He added that, being a poor, obscure orphan94, I had no one but myself to look to; and that nobody either did, or ever would, take any interest in me. I was, then, in the hall I have spoken of, asleep from fatigue95 with long fencing. My preceptor was in his room on the first floor, just over me. Suddenly I heard him exclaim, and then he called: ‘Perronnette! Perronnette!’ It was my nurse whom he called.”
“Yes, I know it,” said Aramis. “Continue, monseigneur.”
“Very likely she was in the garden; for my preceptor came hastily downstairs. I rose, anxious at seeing him anxious. He opened the garden-door, still crying out, ‘Perronnette! Perronnette!’ The windows of the hall looked into the court; the shutters96 were closed; but through a chink in them I saw my tutor draw near a large well, which was almost directly under the windows of his study. He stooped over the brim, looked into the well, and again cried out, and made wild and affrighted gestures. Where I was, I could not only see, but hear — and see and hear I did.”
“Go on, I pray you,” said Aramis.
“Dame98 Perronnette came running up, hearing the governor’s cries. He went to meet her, took her by the arm, and drew her quickly towards the edge; after which, as they both bent99 over it together, ‘Look, look,’ cried he, ‘what a misfortune!’
“‘Calm yourself, calm yourself,’ said Perronnette; ‘what is the matter?’
“‘The letter!’ he exclaimed; ‘do you see that letter?’ pointing to the bottom of the well.
“‘What letter?’ she cried.
“‘The letter you see down there; the last letter from the queen.’
“At this word I trembled. My tutor — he who passed for my father, he who was continually recommending me modesty100 and humility101 — in correspondence with the queen!
“‘The queen’s last letter!’ cried Perronnette, without showing more astonishment102 than at seeing this letter at the bottom of the well; ‘but how came it there?’
“‘A chance, Dame Perronnette — a singular chance. I was entering my room, and on opening the door, the window, too, being open, a puff103 of air came suddenly and carried off this paper — this letter of her majesty’s; I darted104 after it, and gained the window just in time to see it flutter a moment in the breeze and disappear down the well.’
“‘Well,’ said Dame Perronnette; ‘and if the letter has fallen into the well, ’tis all the same as if it was burnt; and as the queen burns all her letters every time she comes —’
“And so you see this lady who came every month was the queen,” said the prisoner.
“‘Doubtless, doubtless,’ continued the old gentleman; ‘but this letter contained instructions — how can I follow them?’
“‘Write immediately to her; give her a plain account of the accident, and the queen will no doubt write you another letter in place of this.’
“‘Oh! the queen would never believe the story,’ said the good gentleman, shaking his head; ‘she will imagine that I want to keep this letter instead of giving it up like the rest, so as to have a hold over her. She is so distrustful, and M. de Mazarin so — Yon devil of an Italian is capable of having us poisoned at the first breath of suspicion.’”
Aramis almost imperceptibly smiled.
“‘You know, Dame Perronnette, they are both so suspicious in all that concerns Philippe.’
“Philippe was the name they gave me,” said the prisoner.
“‘Well, ’tis no use hesitating,’ said Dame Perronnette, ‘somebody must go down the well.’
“‘Of course; so that the person who goes down may read the paper as he is coming up.’
“‘But let us choose some villager who cannot read, and then you will be at ease.’
“‘Granted; but will not any one who descends106 guess that a paper must be important for which we risk a man’s life? However, you have given me an idea, Dame Perronnette; somebody shall go down the well, but that somebody shall be myself.’
“But at this notion Dame Perronnette lamented107 and cried in such a manner, and so implored108 the old nobleman, with tears in her eyes, that he promised her to obtain a ladder long enough to reach down, while she went in search of some stout-hearted youth, whom she was to persuade that a jewel had fallen into the well, and that this jewel was wrapped in a paper. ‘And as paper,’ remarked my preceptor, ‘naturally unfolds in water, the young man would not be surprised at finding nothing, after all, but the letter wide open.’
“‘But perhaps the writing will be already effaced109 by that time,’ said Dame Perronnette.
“‘No consequence, provided we secure the letter. On returning it to the queen, she will see at once that we have not betrayed her; and consequently, as we shall not rouse the distrust of Mazarin, we shall have nothing to fear from him.’
“Having come to this resolution, they parted. I pushed back the shutter97, and, seeing that my tutor was about to reenter, I threw myself on my couch, in a confusion of brain caused by all I had just heard. My governor opened the door a few moments after, and thinking I was asleep gently closed it again. As soon as ever it was shut, I rose, and, listening, heard the sound of retiring footsteps. Then I returned to the shutters, and saw my tutor and Dame Perronnette go out together. I was alone in the house. They had hardly closed the gate before I sprang from the window and ran to the well. Then, just as my governor had leaned over, so leaned I. Something white and luminous glistened110 in the green and quivering silence of the water. The brilliant disk fascinated and allured111 me; my eyes became fixed69, and I could hardly breathe. The well seemed to draw me downwards112 with its slimy mouth and icy breath; and I thought I read, at the bottom of the water, characters of fire traced upon the letter the queen had touched. Then, scarcely knowing what I was about, and urged on by one of those instinctive113 impulses which drive men to destruction, I lowered the cord from the windlass of the well to within about three feet of the water, leaving the bucket dangling114, at the same time taking infinite pains not to disturb that coveted115 letter, which was beginning to change its white tint116 for the hue117 of chrysoprase — proof enough that it was sinking — and then, with the rope weltering in my hands, slid down into the abyss. When I saw myself hanging over the dark pool, when I saw the sky lessening118 above my head, a cold shudder57 came over me, a chill fear got the better of me, I was seized with giddiness, and the hair rose on my head; but my strong will still reigned119 supreme120 over all the terror and disquietude. I gained the water, and at once plunged121 into it, holding on by one hand, while I immersed the other and seized the dear letter, which, alas! came in two in my grasp. I concealed the two fragments in my body-coat, and, helping122 myself with my feet against the sides of the pit, and clinging on with my hands, agile123 and vigorous as I was, and, above all, pressed for time, I regained124 the brink125, drenching126 it as I touched it with the water that streamed off me. I was no sooner out of the well with my prize, than I rushed into the sunlight, and took refuge in a kind of shrubbery at the bottom of the garden. As I entered my hiding-place, the bell which resounded when the great gate was opened, rang. It was my preceptor come back again. I had but just time. I calculated that it would take ten minutes before he would gain my place of concealment127, even if, guessing where I was, he came straight to it; and twenty if he were obliged to look for me. But this was time enough to allow me to read the cherished letter, whose fragments I hastened to unite again. The writing was already fading, but I managed to decipher it all.
“And will you tell me what you read therein, monseigneur?” asked Aramis, deeply interested.
“Quite enough, monsieur, to see that my tutor was a man of noble rank, and that Perronnette, without being a lady of quality, was far better than a servant; and also to perceived that I must myself be high-born, since the queen, Anne of Austria, and Mazarin, the prime minister, commended me so earnestly to their care.” Here the young man paused, quite overcome.
“And what happened?” asked Aramis.
“It happened, monsieur,” answered he, “that the workmen they had summoned found nothing in the well, after the closest search; that my governor perceived that the brink was all watery128; that I was not so dried by the sun as to prevent Dame Perronnette spying that my garments were moist; and, lastly, that I was seized with a violent fever, owing to the chill and the excitement of my discovery, an attack of delirium129 supervening, during which I related the whole adventure; so that, guided by my avowal130, my governor found the pieces of the queen’s letter inside the bolster131 where I had concealed them.”
“Ah!” said Aramis, “now I understand.”
“Beyond this, all is conjecture132. Doubtless the unfortunate lady and gentleman, not daring to keep the occurrence secret, wrote of all this to the queen and sent back the torn letter.”
“After which,” said Aramis, “you were arrested and removed to the Bastile.”
“As you see.”
“Your two attendants disappeared?”
“Alas!”
“Let us not take up our time with the dead, but see what can be done with the living. You told me you were resigned.”
“I repeat it.”
“Without any desire for freedom?”
“As I told you.”
“Without ambition, sorrow, or thought?”
The young man made no answer.
“Well,” asked Aramis, “why are you silent?”
“I think I have spoken enough,” answered the prisoner, “and that now it is your turn. I am weary.”
Aramis gathered himself up, and a shade of deep solemnity spread itself over his countenance. It was evident that he had reached the crisis in the part he had come to the prison to play. “One question,” said Aramis.
“What is it? speak.”
“In the house you inhabited there were neither looking-glasses nor mirrors?”
“What are those two words, and what is their meaning?” asked the young man; “I have no sort of knowledge of them.”
“They designate two pieces of furniture which reflect objects; so that, for instance, you may see in them your own lineaments, as you see mine now, with the naked eye.”
“No; there was neither a glass nor a mirror in the house,” answered the young man.
Aramis looked round him. “Nor is there anything of the kind here, either,” he said; “they have again taken the same precaution.”
“To what end?”
“You will know directly. Now, you have told me that you were instructed in mathematics, astronomy, fencing, and riding; but you have not said a word about history.”
“My tutor sometimes related to me the principal deeds of the king, St. Louis, King Francis I., and King Henry IV.”
“Is that all?”
“Very nearly.”
“This also was done by design, then; just as they deprived you of mirrors, which reflect the present, so they left you in ignorance of history, which reflects the past. Since your imprisonment133, books have been forbidden you; so that you are unacquainted with a number of facts, by means of which you would be able to reconstruct the shattered mansion134 of your recollections and your hopes.”
“It is true,” said the young man.
“Listen, then; I will in a few words tell you what has passed in France during the last twenty-three or twenty-four years; that is, from the probable date of your birth; in a word, from the time that interests you.”
“Say on.” And the young man resumed his serious and attentive135 attitude.
“Do you know who was the son of Henry IV.?”
“At least I know who his successor was.”
“How?”
“By means of a coin dated 1610, which bears the effigy136 of Henry IV.; and another of 1612, bearing that of Louis XIII. So I presumed that, there being only two years between the two dates, Louis was Henry’s successor.”
“Then,” said Aramis, “you know that the last reigning137 monarch138 was Louis XIII.?”
“I do,” answered the youth, slightly reddening.
“Well, he was a prince full of noble ideas and great projects, always, alas! deferred139 by the trouble of the times and the dread140 struggle that his minister Richelieu had to maintain against the great nobles of France. The king himself was of a feeble character, and died young and unhappy.”
“I know it.”
“He had been long anxious about having a heir; a care which weighs heavily on princes, who desire to leave behind them more than one pledge that their best thoughts and works will be continued.”
“Did the king, then, die childless?” asked the prisoner, smiling.
“No, but he was long without one, and for a long while thought he should be the last of his race. This idea had reduced him to the depths of despair, when suddenly, his wife, Anne of Austria —”
The prisoner trembled.
“Did you know,” said Aramis, “that Louis XIII.‘s wife was called Anne of Austria?”
“Continue,” said the young man, without replying to the question.
“When suddenly,” resumed Aramis, “the queen announced an interesting event. There was great joy at the intelligence, and all prayed for her happy delivery. On the 5th of September, 1638, she gave birth to a son.”
Here Aramis looked at his companion, and thought he observed him turning pale. “You are about to hear,” said Aramis, “an account which few indeed could now avouch141; for it refers to a secret which they imagined buried with the dead, entombed in the abyss of the confessional.”
“And you will tell me this secret?” broke in the youth.
“Oh!” said Aramis, with unmistakable emphasis, “I do not know that I ought to risk this secret by intrusting it to one who has no desire to quit the Bastile.”
“I hear you, monsieur.”
“The queen, then, gave birth to a son. But while the court was rejoicing over the event, when the king had show the new-born child to the nobility and people, and was sitting gayly down to table, to celebrate the event, the queen, who was alone in her room, was again taken ill and gave birth to a second son.”
“Oh!” said the prisoner, betraying a bitter acquaintance with affairs than he had owned to, “I thought that Monsieur was only born in-”
Aramis raised his finger; “Permit me to continue,” he said.
The prisoner sighed impatiently, and paused.
“Yes,” said Aramis, “the queen had a second son, whom Dame Perronnette, the midwife, received in her arms.”
“Dame Perronnette!” murmured the young man.
“They ran at once to the banqueting-room, and whispered to the king what had happened; he rose and quitted the table. But this time it was no longer happiness that his face expressed, but something akin54 to terror. The birth of twins changed into bitterness the joy to which that of an only son had given rise, seeing that in France (a fact you are assuredly ignorant of) it is the oldest of the king’s sons who succeeds his father.”
“I know it.”
“And that the doctors and jurists assert that there is ground for doubting whether the son that first makes his appearance is the elder by the law of heaven and of nature.”
The prisoner uttered a smothered143 cry, and became whiter than the coverlet under which he hid himself.
“Now you understand,” pursued Aramis, “that the king, who with so much pleasure saw himself repeated in one, was in despair about two; fearing that the second might dispute the first’s claim to seniority, which had been recognized only two hours before; and so this second son, relying on party interests and caprices, might one day sow discord144 and engender145 civil war throughout the kingdom; by these means destroying the very dynasty he should have strengthened.”
“Oh, I understand! — I understand!” murmured the young man.
“Well,” continued Aramis; “this is what they relate, what they declare; this is why one of the queen’s two sons, shamefully146 parted from his brother, shamefully sequestered147, is buried in profound obscurity; this is why that second son has disappeared, and so completely, that not a soul in France, save his mother, is aware of his existence.”
“Yes! his mother, who has cast him off,” cried the prisoner in a tone of despair.
“Except, also,” Aramis went on, “the lady in the black dress; and, finally, excepting —”
“Excepting yourself — is it not? You who come and relate all this; you, who rouse in my soul curiosity, hatred148, ambition, and, perhaps, even the thirst of vengeance149; except you, monsieur, who, if you are the man to whom I expect, whom the note I have received applies to, whom, in short, Heaven ought to send me, must possess about you —”
“What?” asked Aramis.
“A portrait of the king, Louis XIV., who at this moment reigns150 upon the throne of France.”
“Here is the portrait,” replied the bishop, handing the prisoner a miniature in enamel151, on which Louis was depicted152 life-like, with a handsome, lofty mien. The prisoner eagerly seized the portrait, and gazed at it with devouring eyes.
“And now, monseigneur,” said Aramis, “here is a mirror.” Aramis left the prisoner time to recover his ideas.
“So high! — so high!” murmured the young man, eagerly comparing the likeness153 of Louis with his own countenance reflected in the glass.
“What do you think of it?” at length said Aramis.
“I think that I am lost,” replied the captive; “the king will never set me free.”
“And I— I demand to know,” added the bishop, fixing his piercing eyes significantly upon the prisoner, “I demand to know which of these two is king; the one this miniature portrays154, or whom the glass reflects?”
“The king, monsieur,” sadly replied the young man, “is he who is on the throne, who is not in prison; and who, on the other hand, can cause others to be entombed there. Royalty155 means power; and you behold how powerless I am.”
“Monseigneur,” answered Aramis, with a respect he had not yet manifested, “the king, mark me, will, if you desire it, be the one that, quitting his dungeon, shall maintain himself upon the throne, on which his friends will place him.”
“Tempt me not, monsieur,” broke in the prisoner bitterly.
“Be not weak, monseigneur,” persisted Aramis; “I have brought you all the proofs of your birth; consult them; satisfy yourself that you are a king’s son; it is for us to act.”
“No, no; it is impossible.”
“Unless, indeed,” resumed the bishop ironically, “it be the destiny of your race, that the brothers excluded from the throne should be always princes void of courage and honesty, as was your uncle, M. Gaston d’Orleans, who ten times conspired156 against his brother Louis XIII.”
“What!” cried the prince, astonished; “my uncle Gaston ‘conspired against his brother’; conspired to dethrone him?”
“Exactly, monseigneur; for no other reason. I tell you the truth.”
“And he had friends — devoted157 friends?”
“As much so as I am to you.”
“And, after all, what did he do? — Failed!”
“He failed, I admit; but always through his own fault; and, for the sake of purchasing — not his life — for the life of the king’s brother is sacred and inviolable — but his liberty, he sacrificed the lives of all his friends, one after another. And so, at this day, he is a very blot158 on history, the detestation of a hundred noble families in this kingdom.”
“I understand, monsieur; either by weakness or treachery, my uncle slew159 his friends.”
“By weakness; which, in princes, is always treachery.”
“And cannot a man fail, then, from incapacity and ignorance? Do you really believe it possible that a poor captive such as I, brought up, not only at a distance from the court, but even from the world — do you believe it possible that such a one could assist those of his friends who should attempt to serve him?” And as Aramis was about to reply, the young man suddenly cried out, with a violence which betrayed the temper of his blood, “We are speaking of friends; but how can I have any friends — I, whom no one knows; and have neither liberty, money, nor influence, to gain any?”
“I fancy I had the honor to offer myself to your royal highness.”
“Oh, do not style me so, monsieur; ’tis either treachery or cruelty. Bid me not think of aught beyond these prison-walls, which so grimly confine me; let me again love, or, at least, submit to my slavery and my obscurity.”
“Monseigneur, monseigneur; if you again utter these desperate words — if, after having received proof of your high birth, you still remain poor-spirited in body and soul, I will comply with your desire, I will depart, and renounce160 forever the service of a master, to whom so eagerly I came to devote my assistance and my life!”
“Monsieur,” cried the prince, “would it not have been better for you to have reflected, before telling me all that you have done, that you have broken my heart forever?”
“And so I desire to do, monseigneur.”
“To talk to me about power, grandeur161, eye, and to prate162 of thrones! Is a prison the fit place? You wish to make me believe in splendor163, and we are lying lost in night; you boast of glory, and we are smothering164 our words in the curtains of this miserable165 bed; you give me glimpses of power absolute whilst I hear the footsteps of the every-watchful jailer in the corridor — that step which, after all, makes you tremble more than it does me. To render me somewhat less incredulous, free me from the Bastile; let me breathe the fresh air; give me my spurs and trusty sword, then we shall begin to understand each other.”
“It is precisely166 my intention to give you all this, monseigneur, and more; only, do you desire it?”
“A word more,” said the prince. “I know there are guards in every gallery, bolts to every door, cannon167 and soldiery at every barrier. How will you overcome the sentries168 — spike169 the guns? How will you break through the bolts and bars?”
“Monseigneur — how did you get the note which announced my arrival to you?”
“You can bribe170 a jailer for such a thing as a note.”
“If we can corrupt171 one turnkey, we can corrupt ten.”
“Well; I admit that it may be possible to release a poor captive from the Bastile; possible so to conceal16 him that the king’s people shall not again ensnare him; possible, in some unknown retreat, to sustain the unhappy wretch172 in some suitable manner.”
“Monseigneur!” said Aramis, smiling.
“I admit that, whoever would do this much for me, would seem more than mortal in my eyes; but as you tell me I am a prince, brother of the king, how can you restore me the rank and power which my mother and my brother have deprived me of? And as, to effect this, I must pass a life of war and hatred, how can you cause me to prevail in those combats — render me invulnerable by my enemies? Ah! monsieur, reflect on all this; place me, tomorrow, in some dark cavern173 at a mountain’s base; yield me the delight of hearing in freedom sounds of the river, plain and valley, of beholding174 in freedom the sun of the blue heavens, or the stormy sky, and it is enough. Promise me no more than this, for, indeed, more you cannot give, and it would be a crime to deceive me, since you call yourself my friend.”
Aramis waited in silence. “Monseigneur,” he resumed, after a moment’s reflection, “I admire the firm, sound sense which dictates175 your words; I am happy to have discovered my monarch’s mind.”
“Again, again! oh, God! for mercy’s sake,” cried the prince, pressing his icy hands upon his clammy brow, “do not play with me! I have no need to be a king to be the happiest of men.”
“But I, monseigneur, wish you to be a king for the good of humanity.”
“Ah!” said the prince, with fresh distrust inspired by the word; “ah! with what, then, has humanity to reproach my brother?”
“I forgot to say, monseigneur, that if you would allow me to guide you, and if you consent to become the most powerful monarch in Christendom, you will have promoted the interests of all the friends whom I devote to the success of your cause, and these friends are numerous.”
“Numerous?”
“Less numerous than powerful, monseigneur.”
“Explain yourself.”
“It is impossible; I will explain, I swear before Heaven, on that day that I see you sitting on the throne of France.”
“But my brother?”
“You shall decree his fate. Do you pity him?”
“Him, who leaves me to perish in a dungeon? No, no. For him I have no pity!”
“So much the better.”
“He might have himself come to this prison, have taken me by the hand, and have said, ‘My brother, Heaven created us to love, not to contend with one another. I come to you. A barbarous prejudice has condemned176 you to pass your days in obscurity, far from mankind, deprived of every joy. I will make you sit down beside me; I will buckle177 round your waist our father’s sword. Will you take advantage of this reconciliation178 to put down or restrain me? Will you employ that sword to spill my blood?’ ‘Oh! never,’ I would have replied to him, ‘I look on you as my preserver, I will respect you as my master. You give me far more than Heaven bestowed179; for through you I possess liberty and the privilege of loving and being loved in this world.’”
“And you would have kept your word, monseigneur?”
“On my life! While now — now that I have guilty ones to punish —”
“In what manner, monseigneur?”
“What do you say as to the resemblance that Heaven has given me to my brother?”
“I say that there was in that likeness a providential instruction which the king ought to have heeded180; I say that your mother committed a crime in rendering181 those different in happiness and fortune whom nature created so startlingly alike, of her own flesh, and I conclude that the object of punishment should be only to restore the equilibrium182.”
“By which you mean —”
“That if I restore you to your place on your brother’s throne, he shall take yours in prison.”
“Alas! there’s such infinity183 of suffering in prison, especially it would be so for one who has drunk so deeply of the cup of enjoyment184.”
“Your royal highness will always be free to act as you may desire; and if it seems good to you, after punishment, you will have it in your power to pardon.”
“Good. And now, are you aware of one thing, monsieur?”
“Tell me, my prince.”
“It is that I will hear nothing further from you till I am clear of the Bastile.”
“I was going to say to your highness that I should only have the pleasure of seeing you once again.”
“And when?”
“The day when my prince leaves these gloomy walls.”
“Heavens! how will you give me notice of it?”
“By myself coming to fetch you.”
“Yourself?”
“My prince, do not leave this chamber save with me, or if in my absence you are compelled to do so, remember that I am not concerned in it.”
“And so I am not to speak a word of this to any one whatever, save to you?”
“Save only to me.” Aramis bowed very low. The prince offered his hand.
“Monsieur,” he said, in a tone that issued from his heart, “one word more, my last. If you have sought me for my destruction; if you are only a tool in the hands of my enemies; if from our conference, in which you have sounded the depths of my mind, anything worse than captivity185 result, that is to say, if death befall me, still receive my blessing186, for you will have ended my troubles and given me repose13 from the tormenting187 fever that has preyed188 on me for eight long, weary years.”
“Monseigneur, wait the results ere you judge me,” said Aramis.
“I say that, in such a case, I bless and forgive you. If, on the other hand, you are come to restore me to that position in the sunshine of fortune and glory to which I was destined by Heaven; if by your means I am enabled to live in the memory of man, and confer luster189 on my race by deeds of valor190, or by solid benefits bestowed upon my people; if, from my present depths of sorrow, aided by your generous hand, I raise myself to the very height of honor, then to you, whom I thank with blessings191, to you will I offer half my power and my glory: though you would still be but partly recompensed, and your share must always remain incomplete, since I could not divide with you the happiness received at your hands.”
“Monseigneur,” replied Aramis, moved by the pallor and excitement of the young man, “the nobleness of your heart fills me with joy and admiration. It is not you who will have to thank me, but rather the nation whom you will render happy, the posterity192 whose name you will make glorious. Yes; I shall indeed have bestowed upon you more than life, I shall have given you immortality193.”
The prince offered his hand to Aramis, who sank upon his knee and kissed it.
“It is the first act of homage194 paid to our future king,” said he. “When I see you again, I shall say, ‘Good day, sire.’”
“Till then,” said the young man, pressing his wan105 and wasted fingers over his heart — “till then, no more dreams, no more strain on my life — my heart would break! Oh, monsieur, how small is my prison — how low the window — how narrow are the doors! To think that so much pride, splendor, and happiness, should be able to enter in and to remain here!”
“Your royal highness makes me proud,” said Aramis, “since you infer it is I who brought all this.” And he rapped immediately on the door. The jailer came to open it with Baisemeaux, who, devoured195 by fear and uneasiness, was beginning, in spite of himself, to listen at the door. Happily, neither of the speakers had forgotten to smother142 his voice, even in the most passionate196 outbreaks.
“What a confessor!” said the governor, forcing a laugh; “who would believe that a compulsory197 recluse198, a man as though in the very jaws199 of death, could have committed crimes so numerous, and so long to tell of?”
Aramis made no reply. He was eager to leave the Bastile, where the secret which overwhelmed him seemed to double the weight of the walls. As soon as they reached Baisemeaux’s quarters, “Let us proceed to business, my dear governor,” said Aramis.
“Alas!” replied Baisemeaux.
“You have to ask me for my receipt for one hundred and fifty thousand livres,” said the bishop.
“And to pay over the first third of the sum,” added the poor governor, with a sigh, taking three steps towards his iron strong-box.
“Here is the receipt,” said Aramis.
“And here is the money,” returned Baisemeaux, with a threefold sigh.
“The order instructed me only to give a receipt; it said nothing about receiving the money,” rejoined Aramis. “Adieu, monsieur le governeur!”
And he departed, leaving Baisemeaux almost more than stifled200 with joy and surprise at this regal present so liberally bestowed by the confessor extraordinary to the Bastile.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
transformation
|
|
| n.变化；改造；转变 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
worthy
|
|
| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
gratitude
|
|
| adj.感激，感谢 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
resounded
|
|
| v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
alteration
|
|
| n.变更，改变；蚀变 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
inquisitive
|
|
| adj.求知欲强的，好奇的，好寻根究底的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
disposition
|
|
| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
chamber
|
|
| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
confession
|
|
| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
retired
|
|
| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
descending
|
|
| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
repose
|
|
| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
reposed
|
|
| v.将（手臂等）靠在某人（某物）上( repose的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
concealed
|
|
| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
conceal
|
|
| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
scrutiny
|
|
| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
crafty
|
|
| adj.狡猾的，诡诈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
bishop
|
|
| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
reassuring
|
|
| a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
assent
|
|
| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
assented
|
|
| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
ecclesiastic
|
|
| n.教士，基督教会；adj.神职者的，牧师的，教会的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
majesty
|
|
| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
mien
|
|
| n.风采；态度 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
sinewy
|
|
| adj.多腱的，强壮有力的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
chalice
|
|
| n.圣餐杯；金杯毒酒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
petal
|
|
| n.花瓣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
fragrance
|
|
| n.芬芳，香味，香气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
embalms
|
|
| n.保存（尸体）不腐( embalm的名词复数 )；使不被遗忘；使充满香气v.保存（尸体）不腐( embalm的第三人称单数 )；使不被遗忘；使充满香气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
exhales
|
|
| v.呼出，发散出( exhale的第三人称单数 )；吐出（肺中的空气、烟等），呼气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
caresses
|
|
| 爱抚，抚摸( caress的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
countenance
|
|
| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
luminous
|
|
| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
quarries
|
|
| n.（采）石场( quarry的名词复数 )；猎物（指鸟，兽等）；方形石；（格窗等的）方形玻璃v.从采石场采得( quarry的第三人称单数 )；从（书本等中）努力发掘（资料等）；在采石场采石 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
laborers
|
|
| n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
toil
|
|
| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
behold
|
|
| v.看，注视，看到 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
delightful
|
|
| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
sinister
|
|
| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
tranquilly
|
|
| adv. 宁静地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
remains
|
|
| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
steadily
|
|
| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
possessed
|
|
| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
martyr
|
|
| n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
atheist
|
|
| n.无神论者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
penitent
|
|
| adj.后悔的；n.后悔者；忏悔者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
imprisoned
|
|
| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
evaded
|
|
| 逃避( evade的过去式和过去分词 )； 避开； 回避； 想不出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
aver
|
|
| v.极力声明；断言；确证 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
joints
|
|
| 接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
melancholy
|
|
| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
ennui
|
|
| n.怠倦，无聊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
akin
|
|
| adj.同族的，类似的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
longing
|
|
| n.（for）渴望 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
shuddered
|
|
| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
shudder
|
|
| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
promising
|
|
| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
contented
|
|
| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
covet
|
|
| vt.垂涎；贪图(尤指属于他人的东西) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
covets
|
|
| v.贪求，觊觎( covet的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
kindling
|
|
| n. 点火, 可燃物 动词kindle的现在分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
recoiled
|
|
| v.畏缩( recoil的过去式和过去分词 )；退缩；报应；返回 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
infancy
|
|
| n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
beseech
|
|
| v.祈求，恳求 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
aspired
|
|
| v.渴望，追求( aspire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
admiration
|
|
| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
fixedly
|
|
| adv.固定地；不屈地，坚定不移地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
fixed
|
|
| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
prudent
|
|
| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
positively
|
|
| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
withhold
|
|
| v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
candor
|
|
| n.坦白，率真 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
feign
|
|
| vt.假装，佯作 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
impatience
|
|
| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
axe
|
|
| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
dungeon
|
|
| n.地牢，土牢 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
derive
|
|
| v.取得；导出；引申；来自；源自；出自 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
perfectly
|
|
| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
alas
|
|
| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
alluding
|
|
| 提及，暗指( allude的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
peril
|
|
| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
beset
|
|
| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
assassinate
|
|
| vt.暗杀，行刺，中伤 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
85
assassinated
|
|
| v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
86
defiance
|
|
| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
87
devouring
|
|
| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
88
adamant
|
|
| adj.坚硬的，固执的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
89
conversing
|
|
| v.交谈，谈话( converse的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
90
implore
|
|
| vt.乞求，恳求，哀求 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
91
ransom
|
|
| n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
92
destined
|
|
| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
93
accomplished
|
|
| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
94
orphan
|
|
| n.孤儿；adj.无父母的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
95
fatigue
|
|
| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
96
shutters
|
|
| 百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
97
shutter
|
|
| n.百叶窗；(照相机)快门；关闭装置 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
98
dame
|
|
| n.女士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
99
bent
|
|
| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
100
modesty
|
|
| n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
101
humility
|
|
| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
102
astonishment
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
103
puff
|
|
| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
104
darted
|
|
| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
105
wan
|
|
| (wide area network)广域网 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
106
descends
|
|
| v.下来( descend的第三人称单数 )；下去；下降；下斜 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
107
lamented
|
|
| adj.被哀悼的，令人遗憾的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
108
implored
|
|
| 恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
109
effaced
|
|
| v.擦掉( efface的过去式和过去分词 )；抹去；超越；使黯然失色 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
110
glistened
|
|
| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
111
allured
|
|
| 诱引，吸引( allure的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
112
downwards
|
|
| adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
113
instinctive
|
|
| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
114
dangling
|
|
| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
115
coveted
|
|
| adj.令人垂涎的；垂涎的，梦寐以求的v.贪求，觊觎(covet的过去分词)；垂涎；贪图 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
116
tint
|
|
| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
117
hue
|
|
| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
118
lessening
|
|
| 减轻，减少，变小 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
119
reigned
|
|
| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
120
supreme
|
|
| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
121
plunged
|
|
| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
122
helping
|
|
| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
123
agile
|
|
| adj.敏捷的，灵活的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
124
regained
|
|
| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
125
brink
|
|
| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
126
drenching
|
|
| n.湿透v.使湿透( drench的现在分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
127
concealment
|
|
| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
128
watery
|
|
| adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
129
delirium
|
|
| n. 神智昏迷,说胡话;极度兴奋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
130
avowal
|
|
| n.公开宣称，坦白承认 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
131
bolster
|
|
| n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
132
conjecture
|
|
| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
133
imprisonment
|
|
| n.关押，监禁，坐牢 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
134
mansion
|
|
| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
135
attentive
|
|
| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
136
effigy
|
|
| n.肖像 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
137
reigning
|
|
| adj.统治的，起支配作用的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
138
monarch
|
|
| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
139
deferred
|
|
| adj.延期的，缓召的v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
140
dread
|
|
| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
141
avouch
|
|
| v.确说，断言 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
142
smother
|
|
| vt./vi.使窒息；抑制；闷死；n.浓烟；窒息 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
143
smothered
|
|
| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
144
discord
|
|
| n.不和，意见不合，争论，（音乐）不和谐 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
145
engender
|
|
| v.产生，引起 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
146
shamefully
|
|
| 可耻地； 丢脸地； 不体面地； 羞耻地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
147
sequestered
|
|
| adj.扣押的；隐退的；幽静的；偏僻的v.使隔绝，使隔离( sequester的过去式和过去分词 )；扣押 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
148
hatred
|
|
| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
149
vengeance
|
|
| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
150
reigns
|
|
| n.君主的统治( reign的名词复数 )；君主统治时期；任期；当政期 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
151
enamel
|
|
| n.珐琅，搪瓷，瓷釉；(牙齿的)珐琅质 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
152
depicted
|
|
| 描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
153
likeness
|
|
| n.相像，相似（之处） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
154
portrays
|
|
| v.画像( portray的第三人称单数 )；描述；描绘；描画 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
155
royalty
|
|
| n.皇家，皇族 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
156
conspired
|
|
| 密谋( conspire的过去式和过去分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
157
devoted
|
|
| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
158
blot
|
|
| vt.弄脏（用吸墨纸）吸干；n.污点，污渍 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
159
slew
|
|
| v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
160
renounce
|
|
| v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
161
grandeur
|
|
| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
162
prate
|
|
| v.瞎扯，胡说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
163
splendor
|
|
| n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
164
smothering
|
|
| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的现在分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
165
miserable
|
|
| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
166
precisely
|
|
| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
167
cannon
|
|
| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
168
sentries
|
|
| 哨兵，步兵( sentry的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
169
spike
|
|
| n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
170
bribe
|
|
| n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
171
corrupt
|
|
| v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
172
wretch
|
|
| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
173
cavern
|
|
| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
174
beholding
|
|
| v.看，注视( behold的现在分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
175
dictates
|
|
| n.命令，规定，要求( dictate的名词复数 )v.大声讲或读( dictate的第三人称单数 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
176
condemned
|
|
| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
177
buckle
|
|
| n.扣子，带扣；v.把...扣住，由于压力而弯曲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
178
reconciliation
|
|
| n.和解，和谐，一致 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
179
bestowed
|
|
| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
180
heeded
|
|
| v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的过去式和过去分词 )；变平，使（某物）变平( flatten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
181
rendering
|
|
| n.表现，描写 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
182
equilibrium
|
|
| n.平衡，均衡，相称，均势，平静 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
183
infinity
|
|
| n.无限，无穷，大量 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
184
enjoyment
|
|
| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
185
captivity
|
|
| n.囚禁；被俘；束缚 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
186
blessing
|
|
| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
187
tormenting
|
|
| 使痛苦的，使苦恼的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
188
preyed
|
|
| v.掠食( prey的过去式和过去分词 )；掠食；折磨；（人）靠欺诈为生 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
189
luster
|
|
| n.光辉；光泽，光亮；荣誉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
190
valor
|
|
| n.勇气，英勇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
191
blessings
|
|
| n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
192
posterity
|
|
| n.后裔，子孙，后代 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
193
immortality
|
|
| n.不死，不朽 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
194
homage
|
|
| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
195
devoured
|
|
| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
196
passionate
|
|
| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
197
compulsory
|
|
| n.强制的，必修的；规定的，义务的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
198
recluse
|
|
| n.隐居者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
199
jaws
|
|
| n.口部；嘴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
200
stifled
|
|
| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |