Chapter 84

AS SOON AS THE HATED BAILIFF was out of sight, panic spread through town. I marched back out of the woods, grateful that no one had spoken against me. But I saw the mood had changed.

What do we do now? A frightened Martin the tailor shook his head. You heard him; the prick¹ suspects. How long can we keep up this ruse²?

Jean Dueux, a farmer, looked ashen³. The land we work returned to the demesne⁴? We'd be ruined. Our entire lives lie in this land.

People crowded around me, shouting and afraid. I was the cause of their misery⁵. If you want me to leave, I will. I bowed my head.

It's not you, the tailor said, looking around for support. Everyone's afraid. We've finally picked ourselves up from the ruins. If Baldwin's men come back...

Theywill come back, Martin, I said to his worried face. They will come back again and again. Whether I stay or go.

We took you in, the baker's wife shouted. What is it you expect us to do now?

I went over to the inn, and I felt my wife's soul stirring in the rubble⁶. Do you think I drag these rocks every day and sweat building these walls so that this inn I promised my dead wife I would rebuild can be brought down once again?

We all feel that way, Hugh, the tailor said. We've all rebuilt. But what can we do to stop it?

We can defend ourselves, I shouted.

Defend?The word was whispered through the crowd.

Yes,defend. Draw the line. Fight them. Show them they can never take away our lives again.

Fight? Our liege? People looked stunned⁸. But we are all pledged to him, Hugh.

I told you before....Break the pledge.

The gravity of these words silenced the buzzing crowd. Break it, I said again.

If we did, that would betreason , the tailor objected.

I turned to the miller⁹. Any moretreason , Georges, than the murder of your son? Or you, Marte-your husband lies not far from my son. Was it any less treason when he was struck down defending your home? Or my own boy, who did not even know the word when he was tossed into the flames.

Baldwin's a ruddy prick, the miller replied. But these obligations you want to throw down, they are the law. Baldwin would come at us with everything he has. He would crush us like moths¹⁰.

It can be done, Georges. I've seen how a small, able detachment can defend themselves for months against a greater force. I'm not trying to stoke up fire like the little hermit¹¹, then have you follow me to ruin. But we can beat him if we stand up.

The duke has trained men. Odo stepped forward. Weapons. We are just farmers and smiths. One town. Fifty men.

Yes, and in each town between here and Treille there are another fifty men who hate Baldwin just as you do. Hundreds who have suffered the same misery and oppression. We beat them back just once, these men will join us. What can Baldwin do, fight us all?

Some were nodding in agreement; for others, the thought of standing¹² up against the liege was almost impossible to conceive.

Hugh's right, Marie, the miller's wife, said. We have all lost husbands and children. Our homes have been ruined. I'm tired of quaking in my bed every time we hear the sound of riders.

I too, Odo shouted out. We've pandered¹³ to that bastard¹⁴ our whole lives. What comes of it? A load of shit and death. He stepped over to me and shrugged¹⁵. I'm a smith. I know smelting¹⁶, not soldiering. But if you need me, I can wield¹⁷ a hell of a fucking hammer. Count me in!

One by one, other voices were raised in agreement. Farmers, carters, shoemakers... people who had simply reached the end of their tether.

What sayyou , priest? the tailor begged, hoping for an ally. Even if we beat Baldwin back, will we survive one hell only to be damned to another?

I cannot say. Father Leo shrugged. What I can promise, though, is that the next time Baldwin's riders come to town, you can count on me to throw a stone or two.

There were shouts of acquiescence¹⁸ all around. But the town was still divided. The tailor, the tanner, and some farmers who were petrified¹⁹ to lose their lands.

I went up to the tailor. One thing Ican promise... Baldwin's men will come. You'll rebuild your homes and pay to the bone every year until your hands blister²⁰ or your will dies. But they will always come. Until we tell themthey cannot.

The tailor shook his head. You wear a patchwork²¹ skirt and a bell upon your cap, andyou're going to show us how to fight?

I will. I looked him in the eye.

The tailor seemed to measure me up and down. He fingered the hem⁷ of my tunic²². Whoever did this, it's a nice job. Then he took my hand and clasped it wearily. God help us, he declared.

1 prick   

v.刺伤，刺痛，刺孔；n.刺伤，刺痛

参考例句：

• He felt a sharp prick when he stepped on an upturned nail.当他踩在一个尖朝上的钉子上时，他感到剧烈的疼痛。
• He burst the balloon with a prick of the pin.他用针一戳，气球就爆了。

2 ruse   

n.诡计，计策；诡计

参考例句：

• The children thought of a clever ruse to get their mother to leave the house so they could get ready for her surprise.孩子们想出一个聪明的办法使妈妈离家，以便他们能准备给她一个惊喜。It is now clear that this was a ruse to divide them.现在已清楚这是一个离间他们的诡计。

3 ashen   

adj.灰的

参考例句：

• His face was ashen and wet with sweat.他面如土色，汗如雨下。
• Her ashen face showed how much the news had shocked her.她灰白的脸显示出那消息使她多么震惊。

4 demesne   

n.领域，私有土地

参考例句：

• The tenants of the demesne enjoyed certain privileges.领地的占有者享有一定的特权。
• Keats is referring to epic poetry when he mentions Homer's"proud demesne".当济慈提到荷马的“骄傲的领域”时，他指的是史诗。

5 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

6 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

7 hem   

n.贴边，镶边；vt.缝贴边；(in)包围，限制

参考例句：

• The hem on her skirt needs sewing.她裙子上的褶边需要缝一缝。
• The hem of your dress needs to be let down an inch.你衣服的折边有必要放长1英寸。

8 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

9 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

10 moths   

n.蛾( moth的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The moths have eaten holes in my wool coat. 蛀虫将我的羊毛衫蛀蚀了几个小洞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The moths tapped and blurred at the window screen. 飞蛾在窗帘上跳来跳去，弄上了许多污点。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

11 hermit   

n.隐士，修道者；隐居

参考例句：

• He became a hermit after he was dismissed from office.他被解职后成了隐士。
• Chinese ancient landscape poetry was in natural connections with hermit culture.中国古代山水诗与隐士文化有着天然联系。

12 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

13 pandered   

v.迎合（他人的低级趣味或淫欲）( pander的过去式和过去分词 )；纵容某人；迁就某事物

参考例句：

• The newspaper here pandered to people's interest in sex scandals. 这里的报纸迎合了人们对桃色新闻的兴趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His films never pandered to public taste. 他的电影从不迎合公众的口味。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 bastard   

n.坏蛋，混蛋；私生子

参考例句：

• He was never concerned about being born a bastard.他从不介意自己是私生子。
• There was supposed to be no way to get at the bastard.据说没有办法买通那个混蛋。

15 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》

16 smelting   

n.熔炼v.熔炼，提炼（矿石）( smelt的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• a method of smelting iron 一种炼铁方法
• Fire provided a means of smelting ores. 火提供了熔炼矿石的手段。 来自辞典例句

17 wield   

vt.行使，运用，支配；挥，使用(武器等)

参考例句：

• They wield enormous political power.他们行使巨大的政治权力。
• People may wield the power in a democracy.在民主国家里，人民可以行使权力。

18 acquiescence   

n.默许；顺从

参考例句：

• The chief inclined his head in sign of acquiescence.首领点点头表示允许。
• This is due to his acquiescence.这是因为他的默许。

19 petrified   

adj.惊呆的；目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆，使惊呆；变僵硬；使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• I'm petrified of snakes. 我特别怕蛇。
• The poor child was petrified with fear. 这可怜的孩子被吓呆了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 blister   

n.水疱；(油漆等的)气泡；v.(使)起泡

参考例句：

• I got a huge blister on my foot and I couldn't run any farther.我脚上长了一个大水泡，没办法继续跑。
• I have a blister on my heel because my shoe is too tight.鞋子太紧了，我脚后跟起了个泡。

21 patchwork   

n.混杂物；拼缝物

参考例句：

• That proposal is nothing else other than a patchwork.那个建议只是一个大杂烩而已。
• She patched new cloth to the old coat,so It'seemed mere patchwork. 她把新布初到那件旧上衣上，所以那件衣服看上去就象拼凑起来的东西。

22 tunic   

n.束腰外衣

参考例句：

• The light loose mantle was thrown over his tunic.一件轻质宽大的斗蓬披在上衣外面。
• Your tunic and hose match ill with that jewel,young man.你的外套和裤子跟你那首饰可不相称呢，年轻人。