'So was Frederick the Great, so was Nietzsche, so was Van Gogh. We are in good, in illustrious company, Mister Bond. On the other hand, what are you? You are a common thug, a blunt instrument wielded2 by dolts3 in high places. Having done what you are told to do, out of some mistaken idea of duty or patriotism4, you satisfy your brutish instincts with alcohol, nicotine5 and sex while waiting to be dispatched on the next misbegotten foray. Twice before, your Chief has sent you to do battle with me, Mister Bond, and, by a combination of luck and brute7 force, you were successful in destroying two projects of my genius. You and your government would categorize these projects as crimes against humanity, and various authorities still seek to bring me to book for them. But try and summon such wits as you possess, Mister Bond, and see them in a realistic light and in the higher realm of my own thinking.'
Blofeld was a big man, perhaps six foot three, and powerfully built. He placed the tip of the samurai sword, which has almost the blade of the scimitar, between his straddled feet, and rested his sinewy8 hands on its boss. Looking up at him from across the room, Bond had to admit that there was something larger than life in the looming9, imperious figure, in the hypnotically direct stare of the eyes, in the tall white brow, in the cruel downward twist of the thin lips. The square-cut, heavily draped kimono, designed to give the illusion of bulk to a race of smallish men, made something huge out of the towering figure, and the golden dragon embroidery10, so easily to be derided11 as a childish fantasy, crawled menacingly across the black silk and seemed to spit real fire from over the left breast. Blofeld had paused in his harangue12. Waiting for him to continue, Bond took the measure of his enemy. He knew what would be coming - justification13. It was always so. When they thought they had got you where they wanted you, when they knew they were decisively on top, before the knock-out, even to an audience on the threshold of extinction14, it was pleasant, reassuring15 to the executioner, to deliver his apologia - purge16 the sin he was about to commit. Blofeld, his hands relaxed on the boss of his sword, continued. The tone of his voice was reasonable, self-assured, quietly expository.
He said, 'Now, Mister Bond, take Operation Thunderball, as your Government dubbed17 it. This project involved the holding to ransom18 of the Western World by the acquisition by me of two atomic weapons. Where lies the crime in this, except in the Erewhon of international politics? Rich boys are playing with rich toys. A poor boy comes along and takes them and offers them back for money. If the poor boy had been successful, what a valuable by-product19 might have resulted for the whole world. These were dangerous toys which, in the poor boy's hands, or let us say, to discard the allegory, in the hands of a Castro, could lead to the wanton extinction of mankind. By my action, I gave a dramatic example for all to see. If I had been successful and the money had been handed over, might not the threat of a recurrence20 of my attempt have led to serious disarmament talks, to an abandonment of these dangerous toys that might so easily get into the wrong hands? You follow my reasoning? Then this recent matter of the bacteriological warfare21 attack on England. My dear Mister Bond, England is a sick nation by any standards. By hastening the sickness to the brink22 of death, might Britain not have been forced out of her lethargy into the kind of community effort we witnessed during the war? Cruel to be kind, Mister Bond. Where lies the great crime there? And now this matter of my so-called "Castle of Death".' Blofeld paused and his eyes took on an inward look. He said, 'I will make a confession23 to you, Mister Bond. I have come to suffer from a certain lassitude of mind which I am determined24 to combat. This comes in part from being a unique genius who is alone in the world, without honour - worse, misunderstood. No doubt much of the root cause of this accidie is physical - liver, kidneys, heart, the usual weak points of the middle-aged25. But there has developed in me a certain mental lameness26, a disinterest in humanity and its future, an utter boredom27 with the affairs of mankind. So, not unlike the gourmet28, with his jaded29 palate, I now seek only the highly spiced, the sharp impact on the taste buds, mental as well as physical, the tickle30 that is truly exquisite31. And so, Mister Bond, I came to devise this useful and essentially32 humane33 project - the offer of free death to those who seek release from the burden of being alive. By doing so, I have not only provided the common man with a solution to the problem of whether to be or not to be, I have also provided the Japanese Government, though for the present they appear to be blind to my magnanimity, with a tidy, out-of-the-way charnel-house which relieves them of a constant flow of messy occurrences involving the trains, the trams, the volcanoes and other unattractively public means of killing34 yourself. You must admit that, far from being a crime, this is a public service unique in the history of the world.'
'I saw one man being disgustingly murdered yesterday.' 'Tidying up, Mister Bond. Tidying up. The man came here wishing to die. What you saw done was only helping35 a weak man to his seat on the boat across the Styx. But I can see that we have no contact. I cannot reach what serves you for a mind. For your part, you cannot see further than the simple gratification of your last cigarette. So enough of this idle chatter36. You have already kept us from our beds far too long. Do you want to be hacked37 about in a vulgar brawl38, or will you offer your neck in the honourable39 fashion?' Blofeld took a step forward and raised his mighty40 sword in both hands and held it above his head. The light from the oil lamps shimmered41 on the blade and showed up the golden filigree42 engraving43.
Bond knew what to do. He had known as soon as he had been led back into the room and had seen the wounded guard's stave still standing44 in the shadowed angle of the wall. But there was a bell-push near the woman. She would have to be dealt with first! Had he learned enough of the thrusts and parries of bojutsu from the demonstration45 at the ninja training camp? Bond hurled46 himself to the left, seized the stave and leaped at the woman whose hand was already reaching upwards47.
The stave thudded into the side of her head and she sprawled48 grotesquely49 forward off her chair and lay still. Blofeld's sword whistled down, inches from his shoulder. Bond twisted and lunged to his full extent, thrusting his stave forward in the groove50 of his left hand almost as if it had been a billiard cue. The tip caught Blofeld hard on the breastbone and flung him against the wall, but he hurtled back and came inexorably forward, swishing his sword like a scythe51. Bond aimed at his right arm, missed and had to retreat. He was concentrating on keeping his weapon as well as his body away from the whirling steel, or his stave would be cut like a matchstick, and its extra length was his only hope of victory. Blofeld suddenly lunged, expertly, his right knee bent52 forward. Bond feinted to the left, but he was inches too slow and the tip of the sword flicked53 his left ribs54, drawing blood. But before Blofeld could withdraw, Bond had slashed55 two-handed, sideways, at his legs. His stave met bone. Blofeld cursed, and made an ineffectual stab at Bond's weapon. Then he advanced again and Bond could only dodge56 and feint in the middle of the room and make quick short lunges to keep the enemy at bay. But he was losing ground in front of the whirling steel, and now Blofeld, scenting57 victory, took lightning steps and thrust forward like a snake. Bond leaped sideways, saw his chance and gave a mighty sweep of his stave. It caught Blofeld on his right shoulder and drew a curse from him. His main sword arm! Bond pressed forward, lancing again and again with his weapon and scoring several hits to the body, but one of Blofeld's parries caught the stave and cut off that one vital foot of extra length as if it had been a candle-end. Blofeld saw his advantage and began attacking, making furious forward jabs that Bond could only parry by hitting at the flat of the sword to deflect58 it. But now the stave was slippery in the sweat of his hands and for the first time he felt the cold breath of defeat at his neck. And Blofeld seemed to smell it, for he suddenly executed one of his fast running lunges to get under Bond's guard. Bond guessed the distance of the wall behind him and leaped backwards59 against it. Even so he felt the sword-point fan across his stomach. But, hurled back by his impact with the wall, he counter-lunged, swept the sword aside with his stave and, dropping his weapon, made a dive for Blofeld's neck and got both hands to it. For a moment the two sweating faces were almost up against each other. The boss of Blofeld's sword battered60 into Bond's side. Bond hardly felt the crashing blows. He pressed with his thumbs, and pressed and pressed and heard the sword clank to the floor and felt Blofeld's fingers and nails tearing at his face, trying to reach his eyes. Bond whispered through his gritted61 teeth, 'Die, Blofeld! Die!' And suddenly the tongue was out and the eyes rolled upwards and the body slipped down to the ground. But Bond followed it and knelt, his hands cramped62 round the powerful neck, seeing nothing, hearing nothing, in the terrible grip of blood lust1.
Bond slowly came to himself. The golden dragon's head on the black silk kimono spat6 flame at him. He unclasped his aching hands from round the neck and, not looking again at the purple face, got to his feet. He staggered. God, how his head hurt! What remained to be done? He tried to cast his mind back. He had had a clever idea. What was it? Oh yes, of course! He picked up Blofeld's sword and sleep-walked down the stone passage to the torture room. He glanced up at the clock. Five minutes to midnight. And there was the wooden box, mud-spattered, down beside the throne on which he had sat, days, years before. He went to it and hacked it open with one stroke of the sword. Yes, there was the big wheel he had expected! He knelt down and twisted and twisted until it was finally closed. What would happen now? The end of the world? Bond ran back up the passage. Now he must get out, get away from this place! But his line of retreat was closed by the guards! He tore aside a curtain and smashed the window open with his sword. Outside there was a balustraded terrace that seemed to run round this storey of the castle. Bond looked around for something to cover his nakedness. There was only Blofeld's sumptuous63 kimono. Coldly, Bond tore it off the corpse64, put it on and tied the sash. The interior of the kimono was cold, like a snake's skin. He looked down at Irma Bunt. She was breathing heavily with a drunken snore. Bond went to the window and climbed out, minding his bare feet among the glass splinters.
But he had been wrong! The balustrade was a brief one, closed at both ends. He stumbled from end to end of it, but there was no exit. He looked over the side. A sheer hundred-foot drop to the gravel65. A soft fluted66 whistle above him caught his ear. He looked up. Only a breath of wind in the moorings of that bloody68 balloon! But then a lunatic idea came to him, a flashback to one of the old Douglas Fairbanks films when the hero had swung across a wide hall by taking a flying leap at the chandelier. The helium balloon was strong enough to hold taut69 fifty feet of framed cotton strip bearing the warning sign! Why shouldn't it be powerful enough to bear the weight of a man?
Bond ran to the corner of the balustrade to which the mooring67 line was attached. He tested it. It was taut as a wire! From somewhere behind him there came a great clamour in the castle. Had the woman woken up? Holding on to the straining rope, he climbed on to the railing, cut a foothold for himself in the cotton banner and, grasping the mooring rope with his right hand, chopped downwards70 below him with Blofeld's sword and threw himself into space.
It worked! There was a light night breeze and he felt himself wafted71 gently over the moonlit park, over the glittering, steaming lake, towards the sea. But he was rising, not falling! The helium sphere was not in the least worried by his weight! Then blue-and-yellow fire fluttered from the upper storey of the castle and an occasional angry wasp72 zipped past him. Bond's hands and feet were beginning to ache with the strain of holding on. Something hit him on the side of the head, the same side that was already sending out its throbbing73 message of pain. And that finished him. He knew it had! For now the whole black silhouette74 of the castle swayed in the moonlight and seemed to jig75 upwards and sideways and then slowly dissolve like an icecream cone76 in sunshine. The top storey crumbled77 first, then the next, and the next, and then, after a moment, a huge jet of orange fire shot up from hell towards the moon and a buffet78 of hot wind, followed by an echoing crack of thunder, hit Bond and made his balloon sway violently.
What was it all about? Bond didn't know or care. The pain in his head was his whole universe. Punctured79 by a bullet, the balloon was fast losing height. Below, the softly swelling80 sea offered a bed. Bond let go with hands and feet and plummeted81 down towards peace, towards the rippling82 feathers of some childhood dream of softness and escape from pain.
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1
lust
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| n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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wielded
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| 手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的过去式和过去分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响） | |
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dolts
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| n.笨蛋，傻瓜( dolt的名词复数 ) | |
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patriotism
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| n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义 | |
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nicotine
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| n.(化)尼古丁，烟碱 | |
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spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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sinewy
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| adj.多腱的，强壮有力的 | |
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looming
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| n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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embroidery
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| n.绣花，刺绣；绣制品 | |
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derided
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| v.取笑，嘲笑( deride的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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harangue
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| n.慷慨冗长的训话，言辞激烈的讲话 | |
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justification
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| n.正当的理由；辩解的理由 | |
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extinction
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| n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种 | |
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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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purge
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| n.整肃，清除，泻药，净化；vt.净化，清除，摆脱；vi.清除，通便，腹泻，变得清洁 | |
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dubbed
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| v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制 | |
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ransom
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| n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救 | |
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by-product
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| n.副产品，附带产生的结果 | |
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recurrence
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| n.复发，反复，重现 | |
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warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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middle-aged
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| adj.中年的 | |
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lameness
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| n. 跛, 瘸, 残废 | |
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boredom
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| n.厌烦，厌倦，乏味，无聊 | |
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gourmet
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| n.食物品尝家；adj.出于美食家之手的 | |
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jaded
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| adj.精疲力竭的；厌倦的；（因过饱或过多而）腻烦的；迟钝的 | |
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tickle
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| v.搔痒，胳肢；使高兴；发痒；n.搔痒，发痒 | |
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exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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essentially
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| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
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humane
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| adj.人道的，富有同情心的 | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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chatter
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| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
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hacked
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| 生气 | |
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brawl
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| n.大声争吵，喧嚷；v.吵架，对骂 | |
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honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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shimmered
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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filigree
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| n.金银丝做的工艺品；v.用金银细丝饰品装饰；用华而不实的饰品装饰；adj.金银细丝工艺的 | |
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43
engraving
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| n.版画；雕刻（作品）；雕刻艺术；镌版术v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的现在分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
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44
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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demonstration
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| n.表明，示范，论证，示威 | |
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46
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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48
sprawled
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| v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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grotesquely
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| adv. 奇异地,荒诞地 | |
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50
groove
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| n.沟，槽；凹线，（刻出的）线条，习惯 | |
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51
scythe
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| n. 长柄的大镰刀，战车镰； v. 以大镰刀割 | |
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52
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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53
flicked
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| （尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的过去式和过去分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等） | |
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54
ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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55
slashed
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| v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
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dodge
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| v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计 | |
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scenting
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| vt.闻到（scent的现在分词形式） | |
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58
deflect
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| v.(使)偏斜，(使)偏离，(使)转向 | |
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backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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60
battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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61
gritted
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| v.以沙砾覆盖（某物），撒沙砾于( grit的过去式和过去分词 )；咬紧牙关 | |
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cramped
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| a.狭窄的 | |
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sumptuous
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| adj.豪华的，奢侈的，华丽的 | |
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64
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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66
fluted
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| a.有凹槽的 | |
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67
mooring
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| n.停泊处；系泊用具，系船具；下锚v.停泊，系泊（船只）(moor的现在分词) | |
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68
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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taut
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| adj.拉紧的，绷紧的，紧张的 | |
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downwards
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| adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地） | |
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71
wafted
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| v.吹送，飘送，（使）浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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72
wasp
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| n.黄蜂，蚂蜂 | |
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throbbing
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| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
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74
silhouette
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| n.黑色半身侧面影，影子，轮廓；v.描绘成侧面影，照出影子来，仅仅显出轮廓 | |
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75
jig
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| n.快步舞（曲）；v.上下晃动；用夹具辅助加工；蹦蹦跳跳 | |
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76
cone
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| n.圆锥体，圆锥形东西，球果 | |
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77
crumbled
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| （把…）弄碎， （使）碎成细屑( crumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 衰落； 坍塌； 损坏 | |
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78
buffet
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| n.自助餐；饮食柜台；餐台 | |
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79
punctured
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| v.在（某物）上穿孔( puncture的过去式和过去分词 )；刺穿（某物）；削弱（某人的傲气、信心等）；泄某人的气 | |
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80
swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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81
plummeted
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| v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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82
rippling
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| 起涟漪的，潺潺流水般声音的 | |
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