The boat, soon loaded, went dragging through the flame-lit tide toward the ship. The old dame10 sat clutching Yvonne’s hand under the warm privacy of the cloak. Here was a weight off her mind. She loved Yvonne de Lamourie and Paul Grande better than any one else in the world; and with 230all her heart she believed that to hold them apart would mean ruin to others in the end, as well as to themselves. This which had now come about (she had trembled lest Yvonne should not prove quite strong enough at the last) seemed to her the best exit from a bad closure. Anderson she had ever regarded with hostile and unreasoning contempt; and now it suited her whim to tell herself that a part of her present satisfaction lay in the thought of him so ignominiously11 thwarted13. But in very truth she believed that the thwarting14 was for his good; that he would recover from his hurt in time, and see himself well saved from the lifelong mordancy15 of a loveless marriage. In a word, what Mother Pêche wanted was the good of those she loved, and as little ill as might be to those she accounted enemies.
Though the boat was packed with intimates of hers, she was absorbed in studying so much of Yvonne’s face as could be seen through the half-drawn hood16. “She is, indeed, much better already,” said the old dame to herself. “This was the one medicine.”
Yvonne, for her part, had no eyes but for the ship she was approaching. Eagerly she scanned the bulwarks17. Women’s heads, and children’s, she saw in plenty; but no men, save the sailors and a few red-coats.
“Are none of the—are there no men on this 231ship?” she whispered to Mother Pêche, in a sudden awful doubt.
“But think, chérie,” muttered the old woman, “these men are dangerous. Would they be left on deck like women and children? But no, indeed. They are in the hold, surely; and in irons belike. But they are there—or on the other ship,” she added uneasily in her heart.
By this the boat was come to the ship-side. By some one’s carelessness it was not rightly fended18, and was suffered to bump heavily. One gunwale dipped; an icy flood poured in; there was imminent19 peril of swamping.
Women jumped up with screams, and children caught at them, terror-stricken by the looming20 black wall of the ship’s side. The boatmen cursed fiercely. The two soldiers in the boat shouted: “Sit down! damn you! sit down!” with such authority that all obeyed at once. The shrill21 clamour ceased; the peril was over; the embarkation22 went on. Mother Pêche, with nerves of steel, had but gripped the more firmly upon Yvonne’s hand. As for Yvonne, she had apparently23 taken no note of the disturbance24.
Driven by a consuming purpose, which had gathered new fuel from the picture of the fettered25 captives in the hold, Yvonne had no sooner reached the deck than she started off to find the 232captain. But Mother Pêche was at her elbow on the instant, clinging to her.
“I must see the captain at once!” exclaimed Yvonne, “and make some inquiry—find out something!”
“Yes, chérie,” whispered the old dame, with loving irony26, “and get yourself recognized, and be taken back next boat to Monsieur George Anderson.”
The girl’s head drooped27. She saw how near she had been to undoing28 herself through impatience29. She submissively followed the red shawl to a retired30 place near the bow of the ship. There the two settled themselves into a warm nest of beds and blankets, wherefrom they could watch the end of the embarking31. But what more engrossed32 their eyes was the end of Grand Pré; for by now the sea of fire was roaring over more than half the village, the whole world seemed awash with ruddy air, and the throbs33 of scorching34 heat, even at their distance and with the wind blowing from them, made them cover their faces from time to time and marvel35 if this could be a December night.
Fascinated by the monstrous36 roar, the mad red light, the rolling level canopy37 of cloud, the old woman sat a long time silent, her startling eyes very wide open, her hawk38 face set in rigid39 lines. But the lines softened40, the eyes filmed suddenly, 233at a sound close beside her. Yvonne had buried her face in a coloured quilt, and was sobbing41 tempestuously42.
“It is well! It had to come! It was just a pulling of herself up by the roots to leave her father and mother, poor heart!” thought the old woman to herself. Then after a few minutes, she said aloud:
“That is right, dear heart! Cry all you can. Cry it all out. You have held it back too long.”
“Oh, how could I leave them so? How could I be so cruel?” moaned the girl, catching43 her breath at every word or two. “They will die of sorrow, I know they will!”
“No, chérie, they will not die of sorrow,” said the old dame softly. “They will grieve; but they have each other. And they will see you again; and they will know you are safe, with your—husband,” she finished slowly.
Yvonne was silent at the word; but it was not repeated, though she listened for it.
“But how will they know I am safe?” she asked.
“Because,” said the old woman, rising nimbly to her feet, “the sailors are getting up the anchor now, and there is the last boat returning to the land. I go to send word by them, saying where you are. It is too late for any one to follow you now.”
234She went to the side of the ship, and called to the boat as it rowed away:
“Will you have the goodness, gentlemen, to send word to Monsieur de Lamourie that his daughter is safe and well, and that she has of her own choice gone into exile for a reason which he will understand; but that she will come back, with love, when things are something changed?”
The boat stopped, and the soldiers listened with astonishment44 to this strange message. There was a moment of indecision, and she trembled lest the boat should put back. But there was no one aboard with authority to thwart12 the will of Mademoiselle de Lamourie, so a doubtful voice cried:
“The message shall be delivered.”
The oars45 dipped again, and the boat ran swiftly toward the landing; and the ship sped smoothly46 out with the tide.
The hawk face in the red shawl hurried back to Yvonne. The girl, sorely overwrought, had once more buried her head in the quilt, that she might the more unrestrainedly give way to her tears. Though she had no least dream of going back, nevertheless the sending of the message, and the realization47 that the ship was actually under way, had overwhelmed her. Moreover, it had been for weeks that she had endured the great strain dry-eyed, her breast anguished48 for the relief of tears. Now that the relief had come, however, it threatened 235to grow excessive, too exhausting in its violence. Mother Pêche sat beside her, watching for a while in silence. Then she seemed to think the passionate49 outburst should be checked. But she was far too wise to say so.
“That’s right, dearie,” murmured the subtle old dame at the girl’s ear. “Just cry as hard as you like, if it does you good. There’s so many women crying on this ship, poor souls, that you’re no ways noticeable.”
So many women crying! True, they had not the same to cry about that she had, but Yvonne felt that her grief was suddenly cheapened. She must try to be less weak than those others. With an obstinate50 effort she strangled her sobs51. Her shoulders heaved convulsively for a minute or two, and then, with a strong shudder52, she sat up, throwing back her deep hair and resolutely53 dashing the tears from her eyes.
“What a fool I am, mother!” she cried. “Here am I, where, after weeks of dreadful thinking, I deliberately54 made up my mind to be. And I do not repent55 my decision—no, not for one instant. It had to be. Yet—why, I’m acting56 just like a baby! But now I’m done with tears, mother. You shall see that I am strong enough for what I’ve undertaken.”
“Of course you are, dear heart!” said the old woman softly. “The bravest of us women must 236have our cry once in a while, or something is sure to go wrong inside of us.”
“And now hadn’t I better find the captain, and ask who’s on board?” cried Yvonne, springing lightly to her feet, and no longer troubling to keep the hood about her face.
“But no, chérie!” urged the old woman. “Don’t you see how every one is still busy, and shouting, and cursing, and unpleasant? This is not the time. Wait just a little. And tell me, now, how you got away.”
Yvonne sat down again, and told the whole story, vividly57, with light in her eyes, and with those revealing gestures of her small hands. The old woman’s face darkened at the tale of the spy.
“And so you see, mother,” she concluded, “I feel very confident that he is in this ship—for the man could have no reason to lie to me about it. I am sure from his face that he is the kind of man to do nothing without a reason.”
“Tell me what he looked like, chérie!” said the old woman, the whites of her eyes flashing nervously58.
Yvonne described him—she made him stand there on the deck before them. Mother Pêche knew that picture well. Le F?ret was one of the few living creatures she feared. She rose to her feet, and involuntarily cast an eager look in the direction of the other ship, whose sails, a league away, shone scarlet59 in that disastrous60 light.
237“What is the matter?” asked Yvonne, in swift alarm.
“My old legs need stretching. I was too long still,” said Mother Pêche.
“No, you are troubled at something. Tell me at once,” cried Yvonne, rising also, and letting her cloak drop.
“Yes, chérie, yes!” answered the old woman, much agitated61, and not daring to deceive her. “I am much troubled. That was Le F?ret, Vaurin’s man, whom Captain Grande knocked down that day at the forge. He would do anything. He would lie even to you!”
Yvonne grew pale to the lips.
“Then you think Paul is not”—she began, in a strained voice.
“I think he may not be in this ship,” interrupted Mother Pêche hurriedly. “But I’ll go right now and find out. Wait here for me.” And she went off briskly, poking62 through the confusion with her staff.
She knew men, this old dame; and she quickly found out what she wanted to find out. Trembling with apprehension63, she came back to Yvonne—and went straight to the point.
“No, no, dear heart!” she began. “He is not here. He is on the other ship yonder. I have a plan, though”—
But there was no use going on; for Yvonne had dropped in a faint.
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1
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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witchcraft
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| n.魔法，巫术 | |
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devoutly
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| adv.虔诚地，虔敬地，衷心地 | |
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whim
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| n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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anathema
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| n.诅咒；被诅咒的人(物)，十分讨厌的人(物) | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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deride
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| v.嘲弄，愚弄 | |
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reverenced
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| v.尊敬，崇敬( reverence的过去式和过去分词 )；敬礼 | |
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dame
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| n.女士 | |
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ignominiously
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| adv.耻辱地，屈辱地，丢脸地 | |
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thwart
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| v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的) | |
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thwarted
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| 阻挠( thwart的过去式和过去分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过 | |
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14
thwarting
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| 阻挠( thwart的现在分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过 | |
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mordancy
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| n.尖酸，刻薄 | |
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hood
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| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
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bulwarks
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| n.堡垒( bulwark的名词复数 )；保障；支柱；舷墙 | |
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18
fended
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| v.独立生活，照料自己( fend的过去式和过去分词 )；挡开，避开 | |
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19
imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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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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21
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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embarkation
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| n. 乘船, 搭机, 开船 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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25
fettered
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| v.给…上脚镣，束缚( fetter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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26
irony
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| n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄 | |
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27
drooped
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| 弯曲或下垂，发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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28
undoing
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| n.毁灭的原因，祸根；破坏，毁灭 | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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30
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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embarking
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| 乘船( embark的现在分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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engrossed
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| adj.全神贯注的 | |
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throbs
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| 体内的跳动( throb的名词复数 ) | |
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34
scorching
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| adj. 灼热的 | |
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35
marvel
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| vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事 | |
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36
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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38
hawk
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| n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员 | |
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39
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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40
softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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41
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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42
tempestuously
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| adv.剧烈地，暴风雨似地 | |
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43
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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44
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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45
oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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46
smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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47
realization
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| n.实现；认识到，深刻了解 | |
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48
anguished
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| adj.极其痛苦的v.使极度痛苦(anguish的过去式) | |
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49
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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50
obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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51
sobs
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| 啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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52
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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53
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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54
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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55
repent
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| v.悔悟，悔改，忏悔，后悔 | |
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56
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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57
vividly
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| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
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58
nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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59
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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60
disastrous
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| adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的 | |
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61
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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62
poking
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| n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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63
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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