Chapter 49

ALL THE NEXT DAY I waited for dusk to fall. Time passed with agonizing¹ slowness. To make things worse, Baldwin called for me to entertain him while he got new boots measured by a shoemaker.What scum he was. I had to keep him amused while I thought of plunging² a dagger³ into his heart.

Yet all the while I could barely count the time. I kept repeating Bette's words to myself. I went over in my mind what I would do. How I would pull this off. I dreamed of Sophie's face-the face I had known since I was a child. I imagined us back at our inn. Rebuilding it from scratch... Starting our life again. Having another child.

I sat on my bare mat as the afternoon wound down, watching the sun descend⁴. Finally, the light from the slats above my space grew dim.It was dusk.... It was finally time to see Sophie.

I made my way down to the kitchen. Bette was bustling⁵ about, complaining to the staff, a damp cloth pressed to her head for effect. I've got to lie down. I've got the duke's meals still to prepare. Who will carry over the soup to the Tavern⁶? Hugh, what luck, she said, spotting me. Will you be a dear?

I am but two hands, I joked to the staff, andone... I wiggled a finger and sniffed⁷ with a wrinkled nose.... I use for scratching.

That's all I need. Bette led me away. Just make sure the other stays out of the soup.

She took a covered pot from the hearth⁸ and announced, Give it to Armand, the jailer. And give him that jug⁹ of wine. You've done me a good turn, fool. Then she gripped me conspiratorially¹⁰ by the arm. I wish you luck, Hugh. Be careful. It's a bad place you go to now. It is hell.

I carried the pot and the jug of wine across the courtyard. My arms trembled a bit. Two guards stood at the door of the keep, different ones than those who had booted me away the other day.

Ding, ding, ding...dinner bell, I announced ceremoniously.

Who the hell are they putting to work in the kitchen now? one of them asked.

I do it all... jokes to dessert. The duke's expenses must be trimmed.

The duke must be bankrupt if he sent you, the other guard said.

To my relief, they didn't question me. One opened the heavy door. If you had nicer tits, I'd carry it down for you. He sniffed.

The door slammed shut behind me. I felt a tremor¹¹ of relief. I was in!

I stood in a narrow stone corridor lit only by candles. A narrow stairway leading down.

A draft hit me, then noises-the clang of iron, someone calling out, a high-pitched wail¹². I stepped down cautiously, my heart nearly bounding out of my chest, my neck beaded with cold sweat.

I descended¹³ one step at a time, the pot clanging against the narrow walls, the wine jug pressed to my chest.

The fearsome noises intensified¹⁴. The smell grew horrible, like burned flesh. It made me think of Civetot.

I winced¹⁵.Poor Sophie. If she was here, I had to get her out. Tonight.

Finally, the passageway leveled off into a low, dungeonlike setting. The foul¹⁶ stink¹⁷ of excrement¹⁸ was all around. There was shouting from within, like that of mad people, terrifying moans and shrieks¹⁹. I saw a hearth, and in it iron instruments, their tips white with heat.

My stomach grew hollow. Suddenly I did not know what to do-if I found her.

Two soldiers sat straddling a wooden tabletop, stripped down to sleeveless tunics²⁰ and skirts. A swarthy one with hulking, imposing²¹ shoulders snickered at the sight of me. We must be fucked. Look who brings our dinner.

You're Armand? I lugged²² the pot over.

He shrugged²³. And if you're the new chef, the duke's really got it in for these poor bastards²⁴. Where's Bette?

Down with a headache. She sent me instead.

Just set it here. There's a pot from this afternoon you can take back up.

I placed the pot on the table by a stack of wooden bowls. How many guests tonight... in la Taverne?

What's it to you? the other asked.

Never been down here before. I looked around, ignoring him. Cheery. You mind if I take a look?

This isn't a marketplace, fool. You've done your chore. Now bug²⁵ off.

My chance was slipping away. I felt I only had a moment more to make my case. C'mon, let me take in their food. I spend my day making silly jokes and spinning around like a top. Let me take a look. I'll bring them their bowls.

I placed the wine jug on the table in front of him. Anyway, you guys really want to touch that slop?

Armand slowly pulled the jug toward him. He took a swig of wine, then passed it along.

What the hell. He shrugged and winked²⁶ at his partner. Why not give the jester's dick its rise. Take what you want in there. It's free for the asking.

1 agonizing   

adj.痛苦难忍的；使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦；折磨(agonize的ing形式)

参考例句：

• I spent days agonizing over whether to take the job or not. 我用了好些天苦苦思考是否接受这个工作。
• his father's agonizing death 他父亲极度痛苦的死

2 plunging   

adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• War broke out again, plunging the people into misery and suffering. 战祸复发，生灵涂炭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He is plunging into an abyss of despair. 他陷入了绝望的深渊。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 dagger   

n.匕首，短剑，剑号

参考例句：

• The bad news is a dagger to his heart.这条坏消息刺痛了他的心。
• The murderer thrust a dagger into her heart.凶手将匕首刺进她的心脏。

4 descend   

vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降

参考例句：

• I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
• We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。

5 bustling   

adj.喧闹的

参考例句：

• The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
• This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。

6 tavern   

n.小旅馆，客栈；小酒店

参考例句：

• There is a tavern at the corner of the street.街道的拐角处有一家酒馆。
• Philip always went to the tavern,with a sense of pleasure.菲利浦总是心情愉快地来到这家酒菜馆。

7 sniffed   

v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣，吸了吸鼻子，擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 hearth   

n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面

参考例句：

• She came and sat in a chair before the hearth.她走过来，在炉子前面的椅子上坐下。
• She comes to the hearth,and switches on the electric light there.她走到壁炉那里，打开电灯。

9 jug   

n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂

参考例句：

• He walked along with a jug poised on his head.他头上顶着一个水罐，保持着平衡往前走。
• She filled the jug with fresh water.她将水壶注满了清水。

10 conspiratorially   

参考例句：

• Winking conspiratorially at his chum. 对同房间的人狡黠地眨了眨眼。 来自互联网

11 tremor   

n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震

参考例句：

• There was a slight tremor in his voice.他的声音有点颤抖。
• A slight earth tremor was felt in California.加利福尼亚发生了轻微的地震。

12 wail   

vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸

参考例句：

• Somewhere in the audience an old woman's voice began plaintive wail.观众席里，一位老太太伤心地哭起来。
• One of the small children began to wail with terror.小孩中的一个吓得大哭起来。

13 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

14 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 winced   

赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He winced as the dog nipped his ankle. 狗咬了他的脚腕子，疼得他龇牙咧嘴。
• He winced as a sharp pain shot through his left leg. 他左腿一阵剧痛疼得他直龇牙咧嘴。

16 foul   

adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规

参考例句：

• Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。
• What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气！

17 stink   

vi.发出恶臭；糟透，招人厌恶；n.恶臭

参考例句：

• The stink of the rotten fish turned my stomach.腐烂的鱼臭味使我恶心。
• The room has awful stink.那个房间散发着难闻的臭气。

18 excrement   

n.排泄物，粪便

参考例句：

• The cage smelled of excrement.笼子里粪臭熏人。
• Clothing can also become contaminated with dust,feathers,and excrement.衣着则会受到微尘、羽毛和粪便的污染。

19 shrieks   

n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• shrieks of fiendish laughter 恶魔般的尖笑声
• For years, from newspapers, broadcasts, the stages and at meetings, we had heard nothing but grandiloquent rhetoric delivered with shouts and shrieks that deafened the ears. 多少年来， 报纸上， 广播里， 舞台上， 会场上的声嘶力竭，装腔做态的高调搞得我们震耳欲聋。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

20 tunics   

n.（动植物的）膜皮( tunic的名词复数 )；束腰宽松外衣；一套制服的短上衣；（天主教主教等穿的）短祭袍

参考例句：

• After work colourful clothes replace the blue tunics. 下班后，蓝制服都换成了色彩鲜艳的衣服。 来自辞典例句
• The ancient Greeks fastened their tunics with Buttons and loops. 古希腊人在肩部用钮扣与环圈将束腰外衣扣紧。 来自互联网

21 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

22 lugged   

vt.用力拖拉（lug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• She lugged the heavy case up the stairs. 她把那只沉甸甸的箱子拖上了楼梯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They used to yell that at football when you lugged the ball. 踢足球的时候，逢着你抢到球，人们总是对你这样嚷嚷。 来自辞典例句

23 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 bastards   

私生子( bastard的名词复数 )； 坏蛋； 讨厌的事物； 麻烦事 （认为别人走运或不幸时说）家伙

参考例句：

• Those bastards don't care a damn about the welfare of the factory! 这批狗养的，不顾大局！ 来自子夜部分
• Let the first bastards to find out be the goddam Germans. 就让那些混账的德国佬去做最先发现的倒霉鬼吧。 来自演讲部分

25 bug   

n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器

参考例句：

• There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
• The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。

26 winked   

v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮

参考例句：

• He winked at her and she knew he was thinking the same thing that she was. 他冲她眨了眨眼，她便知道他的想法和她一样。
• He winked his eyes at her and left the classroom. 他向她眨巴一下眼睛走出了教室。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》