I nodded and slyly opened the door enough to pass half-way out. Some man was parleying with Miss Harper. "Now, madam, you know you haven't locked up your parlor3 to maintain an abstract right; you've locked it up because you've got the man in there that I've come for."
"Whom have you come for, sir?"
"Lieutenant4 O'Brien, of the rebel army. Shall I order this man to kick that door in? Answer quickly."
"Sir, there is no Lieutenant O'Brien in there, nor elsewhere in this house; there never has been."
"Stand aside, madam."
"Stop, sir! I command you! There is no Lieutenant of any name on this place!"
"Oh, yes there is; he goes by various names, but one of them is Ned Ferry. Sergeant5, we'll kick together; now!"--Bang!
I leaned back into the room to say "It's all right! Oh, but that sweet woman's a 'coon! Let them batter6!" As I thrust my head out again Miss Harper was exclaiming "Oh, sirs, don't do that!"--Bang!--"For the honor of your calling and your flag--" Bang!
"There's no Lieutenant in there." Bang!
"Corporal, go find an axe7 or something."
"Oh, you need not, sirs, I'll unlock the door."
"Well, be quick about it, and then stand clear; we don't want any woman hurt." The key rattled8 at the keyhole and then dropped to the floor. "You did that by intention! Give me that key!" He tried the lock. "We've jammed it, corporal, but another good kick will fetch it; now!"--Bang!--crash!--open flew the door.
"Well, I will be damned!" said the officer.
"Sir," said Miss Harper, "you give me no occasion to doubt it." She followed the men upstairs. "Estelle, go back to your sister and cousin; and if you, my dear,"--to our hostess--"will kindly9 go also, and stay with them--"
I closed the door. It had no key, but there was a small catch to the knob and I turned it on while the men were looking into the adjacent rooms. When they reached ours Miss Harper was again at their front. Inside, the three of us silently noted10 our strategic advantages: we were in the darkest part of the room, the bed's covering was a dull red, Ferry had on his shirt of black silk, the white pillows were hidden at his back, Charlotte and I were darkly clad, the light from our west window would be in our assailants' faces as they entered, and they would be silhouetted11 against a similar light from the hall's front. We noiselessly cocked our weapons and Charlotte and I each sank to one knee. "The door is very thin," murmured Ferry, "we can fire before they enter; they will get, anyhow, our smoke, and if they fire as they rush in we can aim under their flash."
It was only then that I observed that Charlotte was armed. But the fact made her seem only the more a true woman, since I knew that only for her honor or his life would she ever take deadly aim. Her weapon was the slender revolver she had carried ever since the day which had made her Charlotte Oliver, the thing without which she never could have reached this hour of blissful extremity12.
"In here there is a lady, ill," we heard Miss Harper say.
"Is she alone?"
Ferry prompted in a whisper, the three of us cried "Yes!" and he added "Pass one side from the door, Miss Harper, we are going to shoot through it."
"Hello, in there! Lieutenant Ferry, of Ferry's scouts,"--
"Captain Ferry," retorted Miss Harper, and I echoed the amendment13.
"Damn the difference; I give you one half-minute, Captain Ferry, to say you surrender! If you weren't wounded I wouldn't give you that. Corporal, go get a log out of that fireplace downstairs."
"Oh, shame!" wailed14 Miss Harper, half-way down the hall.
"Captain," called Ferry, "I give you one quarter-minute to get away from that door." He whispered to Charlotte, pointing to a panel of it higher than any one's head.
"Oh, sirs," we again heard Miss Harper cry, "withhold15! Captain Ferry, they have called in four more men!" We heard the four downstairs coming at a run. "Oh, sir--"
"Go away, madam!" bellowed16 the officer as his men thundered into the upper hall. "Now, Captain Ferry, there are six of us here and three under each of your windows. Do you--?"
"Oh, sir, the lady! the sick lady!"
"That's his look-out, madam. If the sick lady isn't Charlotte Oli'--"
"And if she is?" called Ferry, depressing Charlotte's weapon to an aim barely breast high.
"Then throwing away your life won't save hers! Do you surren'--?"
Ferry made a quick gesture for her to shoot low, but she solemnly shook her head and fired through the top of the uppermost panel, and the assault came.
The log burst the door in at a blow, Ferry and I fired, and our foes17 sprang in. Certainly they were brave; the doorway18 let them in only by twos, and the fire-log, falling under foot, became a stumbling-block; yet in an instant the room was ringing and roaring with the fray19 and benighted20 with its smoke. Their first ball bit the top of my shoulder and buried itself in the wall--no, not their first, but the first save one; for the bureau mirror stood in dim shade, and the Federal leader made the easy mistake of firing right into it. The error sealed his fate; Ferry fired under his flash and sent him reeling into the arms of his followers21. They replied hotly but blindly, and in a moment the room was void of assailants. Ferry started to spring from the bed, but Charlotte threw her arms about him, and as she pressed her head hard down on his breast I could not help but hear "No, my treasure, my heart's whole treasure, no!"
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收听单词发音
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1
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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2
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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3
parlor
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| n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅 | |
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4
lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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5
sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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6
batter
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| v.接连重击；磨损；n.牛奶面糊；击球员 | |
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7
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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8
rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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9
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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10
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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11
silhouetted
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| 显出轮廓的，显示影像的 | |
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12
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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13
amendment
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| n.改正，修正，改善，修正案 | |
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14
wailed
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15
withhold
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| v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡 | |
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16
bellowed
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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17
foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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18
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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19
fray
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| v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗 | |
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20
benighted
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| adj.蒙昧的 | |
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21
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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