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CHAPTER X “FOR TO-MORROW WE DIE!”
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I remembered Fonseca’s visit of the night before, and considered it natural he should take the morning train to the capital.

“But Valcour would not need to murder Madam Izabel,” said I. “They were doubtless in the plot together, and she would have no hesitation1 in giving him the ring had he demanded it. On the contrary, our general was already incensed2 against the daughter of the chief, and suspected her of plotting mischief3. I am satisfied he has the ring.”

“The general will be with us presently,” answered Mazanovitch, quietly. “But, gentlemen, you all stand in need of refreshment4, and Senhor Harcliffe should have his burns properly dressed. Kindly5 follow me.”

He led the way up a narrow flight of stairs that made two abrupt6 turns—for no 128apparent reason—before they reached the upper landing. Following our guide we came to a back room where a table was set for six. A tall, studious-looking Brazilian greeted us with a bow and immediately turned his spectacled eyes upon me. On a small side table were bandages, ointments7, and a case of instruments lying open.

Within ten minutes the surgeon had dressed all my wounds—none of which, however, was serious, merely uncomfortable—and I felt greatly benefited by the application of the soothing8 ointments.

Scarcely was the operation completed when the door opened to admit Fonseca. He gave me a nod, glanced questioningly at the others, and then approached the table and poured out a glass of wine, which he drank eagerly. I noticed he was in full uniform.

“General,” said I, unable to repress my anxiety, “have you the ring?”

He shook his head and sat down with a gloomy expression upon his face.

“I slept during the journey from Cuyaba,” he said presently, “and only on my 129arrival at Rio did I discover that Senhora de Mar9 had traveled by the same train. She was dead when they carried her into the station.”

“And Valcour?” It was Mazanovitch who asked the question.

“Valcour was beside the body, wild with excitement, and swearing vengeance10 against the murderer.”

“Be seated, gentlemen,” requested our host, approaching the table. “We have time for a slight repast before our friends arrive.”

“May I join you?” asked a high, querulous voice. A slender figure, draped in black and slightly stooping, stood in the doorway11.

“Come in,” said Fonseca, and the new arrival threw aside his cloak and sat with us at the table.

“The last supper, eh?” he said, in a voice that quavered somewhat. “For to-morrow we die. Eh, brothers?—to-morrow we die!”

“Croaker!” cried Fonseca, with scorn. “Die to-morrow, if you like; die to-night, 130for all I care. The rest of us intend to live long enough to shout huzzas for the United States of Brazil!”

“In truth, Senhor Piexoto,” said Marco, who was busily eating, “we are in no unusual danger to-night.”

Startled by the mention of the man’s name, I regarded him with sudden interest.

The reputation of Floriano Piexoto, the astute12 statesman who had plotted so well for the revolutionary party, was not unknown to me, by any means. Next to Fonseca no patriot13 was more revered14 by the people of Brazil; yet not even the general was regarded with the same unquestioning affection. For Piexoto was undoubtedly15 a friend of the people, and despite his personal peculiarities16 had the full confidence of that rank and file of the revolutionary party upon which, more than upon the grandees17 who led it, depended the fate of the rising republic.

His smooth-shaven face, sunken cheeks, and somewhat deprecating gaze gave him the expression of a student rather than a statesman, and his entire personality was in 131sharp contrast to the bravado18 of Fonseca. To see the two leaders together one would never suspect that history would prove the statesman greater than the general.

“Danger!” piped Piexoto, shrilly19, in answer to Sergeant20 Marco’s remark, “you say there is no danger? Is not de Pintra dead? Is not the ring gone? Is not the secret vault21 at the Emperor’s mercy?”

“Who knows?” answered Fonseca, with a shrug22.

“And who is this?” continued Piexoto, turning upon me a penetrating23 gaze. “Ah, the American secretary, I suppose. Well, sir, what excuse have you to make for allowing all this to happen under your very nose? Are you also a traitor24?”

“I have not the honor of your acquaintance, senhor,” said I, stiffly; “nor, in view of your childish conduct, do I greatly desire it.”

Fonseca laughed, and the Pole turned his impassive face, with its half-closed eyelids25, in my direction. But Piexoto seemed rather pleased with my retort, and said:

“Never mind; your head sits as insecurely 132upon its neck as any present. ‘Tis really a time for action rather than recrimination. What do you propose, Mazanovitch?”

“I am waiting to hear if you have discovered the present possessor of the ring,” answered the captain.

“No; our people were ignorant of its very existence, save in a few cases, and none of them has seen it. Therefore the Emperor has it, without doubt.”

“Why without doubt?” asked Mazanovitch.

“Who else could desire it? Who else could know its value? Who else would have murdered Madam Izabel to secure it?”

“Why the devil should the Emperor cause his own spy to be murdered?” inquired Fonseca, in his harsh voice. “You are a fool, Piexoto.”

“What of Leon de Mar?” asked the other, calmly. “He hated his wife. Why should he not have killed her himself, in order to be rid of her and at the same time secure the honor of presenting his Emperor with the key to the secret vault?”

133“Leon de Mar,” said Mazanovitch, “is in Rio Grande do Sul. He has been stationed there for three weeks.”

For a time there was silence.

“Where is Paola?” suddenly asked Piexoto. “I want to know what Paola is doing in this crisis.”

“He was last seen near de Pintra’s residence,” said Figgot. “But we know nothing of his present whereabouts.”

“You may be sure of one thing,” declared Marco stoutly26; “that Francisco Paola is serving the Cause, wherever he may be.”

The general snorted derisively27, and Piexoto looked at him with the nearest approach to a smile his anxious face had shown.

“How we admire one another!” he murmured.

“Personally I detest28 both you and Paola,” responded the general, frankly29. “But the Cause is above personalities30, and as for your loyalty31, I dare not doubt it. But we wander from the subject in hand. Has the Emperor the ring or is he seeking it as eagerly as we are?”

134“The Emperor has not the ring,” said Mazanovitch, slowly; “you may be assured of that. Otherwise—”

Piexoto gave a start.

“To be sure,” said he, “otherwise we would not be sitting here.”


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 hesitation tdsz5     
n.犹豫,踌躇
参考例句:
  • After a long hesitation, he told the truth at last.踌躇了半天,他终于直说了。
  • There was a certain hesitation in her manner.她的态度有些犹豫不决。
2 incensed 0qizaV     
盛怒的
参考例句:
  • The decision incensed the workforce. 这个决定激怒了劳工大众。
  • They were incensed at the decision. 他们被这个决定激怒了。
3 mischief jDgxH     
n.损害,伤害,危害;恶作剧,捣蛋,胡闹
参考例句:
  • Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。
  • He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。
4 refreshment RUIxP     
n.恢复,精神爽快,提神之事物;(复数)refreshments:点心,茶点
参考例句:
  • He needs to stop fairly often for refreshment.他须时不时地停下来喘口气。
  • A hot bath is a great refreshment after a day's work.在一天工作之后洗个热水澡真是舒畅。
5 kindly tpUzhQ     
adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地
参考例句:
  • Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
  • A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。
6 abrupt 2fdyh     
adj.突然的,意外的;唐突的,鲁莽的
参考例句:
  • The river takes an abrupt bend to the west.这河突然向西转弯。
  • His abrupt reply hurt our feelings.他粗鲁的回答伤了我们的感情。
7 ointments ee856f2e3e8f1291a0fc58ac7d37352a     
n.软膏( ointment的名词复数 );扫兴的人;煞风景的事物;药膏
参考例句:
  • The firm has been dispensing ointments. 本公司配制药膏。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Antibiotic ointments are useful for concurrent bacterial infections. 抗菌素软膏对伴发的细菌感染是有用的。 来自辞典例句
8 soothing soothing     
adj.慰藉的;使人宽心的;镇静的
参考例句:
  • Put on some nice soothing music.播放一些柔和舒缓的音乐。
  • His casual, relaxed manner was very soothing.他随意而放松的举动让人很快便平静下来。
9 mar f7Kzq     
vt.破坏,毁坏,弄糟
参考例句:
  • It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
  • Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。
10 vengeance wL6zs     
n.报复,报仇,复仇
参考例句:
  • He swore vengeance against the men who murdered his father.他发誓要向那些杀害他父亲的人报仇。
  • For years he brooded vengeance.多年来他一直在盘算报仇。
11 doorway 2s0xK     
n.门口,(喻)入门;门路,途径
参考例句:
  • They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
  • Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。
12 astute Av7zT     
adj.机敏的,精明的
参考例句:
  • A good leader must be an astute judge of ability.一个优秀的领导人必须善于识别人的能力。
  • The criminal was very astute and well matched the detective in intelligence.这个罪犯非常狡猾,足以对付侦探的机智。
13 patriot a3kzu     
n.爱国者,爱国主义者
参考例句:
  • He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
  • He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。
14 revered 1d4a411490949024694bf40d95a0d35f     
v.崇敬,尊崇,敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • A number of institutions revered and respected in earlier times have become Aunt Sally for the present generation. 一些早年受到尊崇的惯例,现在已经成了这代人嘲弄的对象了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven. 中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。 来自辞典例句
15 undoubtedly Mfjz6l     
adv.确实地,无疑地
参考例句:
  • It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
  • He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。
16 peculiarities 84444218acb57e9321fbad3dc6b368be     
n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪
参考例句:
  • the cultural peculiarities of the English 英国人的文化特点
  • He used to mimic speech peculiarities of another. 他过去总是模仿别人讲话的特点。
17 grandees b56a4bfd572b54025901b6b6f4afff8a     
n.贵族,大公,显贵者( grandee的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The highest-ranking members of the Spanish aristocracy are the grandees. 西班牙贵族中爵位最高的成员乃是大公。 来自辞典例句
  • Several grandees of the town are present at the party. 城里的几位要人出席了晚会。 来自互联网
18 bravado CRByZ     
n.虚张声势,故作勇敢,逞能
参考例句:
  • Their behaviour was just sheer bravado. 他们的行为完全是虚张声势。
  • He flourished the weapon in an attempt at bravado. 他挥舞武器意在虚张声势。
19 shrilly a8e1b87de57fd858801df009e7a453fe     
尖声的; 光亮的,耀眼的
参考例句:
  • The librarian threw back his head and laughed shrilly. 图书管理员把头往后面一仰,尖着嗓子哈哈大笑。
  • He half rose in his seat, whistling shrilly between his teeth, waving his hand. 他从车座上半欠起身子,低声打了一个尖锐的唿哨,一面挥挥手。
20 sergeant REQzz     
n.警官,中士
参考例句:
  • His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
  • How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹?
21 vault 3K3zW     
n.拱形圆顶,地窖,地下室
参考例句:
  • The vault of this cathedral is very high.这座天主教堂的拱顶非常高。
  • The old patrician was buried in the family vault.这位老贵族埋在家族的墓地里。
22 shrug Ry3w5     
v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等)
参考例句:
  • With a shrug,he went out of the room.他耸一下肩,走出了房间。
  • I admire the way she is able to shrug off unfair criticism.我很佩服她能对错误的批评意见不予理会。
23 penetrating ImTzZS     
adj.(声音)响亮的,尖锐的adj.(气味)刺激的adj.(思想)敏锐的,有洞察力的
参考例句:
  • He had an extraordinarily penetrating gaze. 他的目光有股异乎寻常的洞察力。
  • He examined the man with a penetrating gaze. 他以锐利的目光仔细观察了那个人。
24 traitor GqByW     
n.叛徒,卖国贼
参考例句:
  • The traitor was finally found out and put in prison.那个卖国贼终于被人发现并被监禁了起来。
  • He was sold out by a traitor and arrested.他被叛徒出卖而被捕了。
25 eyelids 86ece0ca18a95664f58bda5de252f4e7     
n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 );眼睛也不眨一下;不露声色;面不改色
参考例句:
  • She was so tired, her eyelids were beginning to droop. 她太疲倦了,眼睑开始往下垂。
  • Her eyelids drooped as if she were on the verge of sleep. 她眼睑低垂好像快要睡着的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
26 stoutly Xhpz3l     
adv.牢固地,粗壮的
参考例句:
  • He stoutly denied his guilt.他断然否认自己有罪。
  • Burgess was taxed with this and stoutly denied it.伯杰斯为此受到了责难,但是他自己坚决否认有这回事。
27 derisively derisively     
adv. 嘲笑地,嘲弄地
参考例句:
  • This answer came derisively from several places at the same instant. 好几个人都不约而同地以讥讽的口吻作出回答。
  • The others laughed derisively. 其余的人不以为然地笑了起来。
28 detest dm0zZ     
vt.痛恨,憎恶
参考例句:
  • I detest people who tell lies.我恨说谎的人。
  • The workers detest his overbearing manner.工人们很讨厌他那盛气凌人的态度。
29 frankly fsXzcf     
adv.坦白地,直率地;坦率地说
参考例句:
  • To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说,我一点也不赞成这个主意。
  • Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说,我不反对改革。
30 personalities ylOzsg     
n. 诽谤,(对某人容貌、性格等所进行的)人身攻击; 人身攻击;人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
  • Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。
31 loyalty gA9xu     
n.忠诚,忠心
参考例句:
  • She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
  • His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。


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