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Chapter 89
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STEPHEN OF BOR怑 SAT STOLIDLY1 on the high-backed chair in his court. A crowd of toadying2 favor-seekers stood in line as his bailiff brought him up to date on a new tax. Behind him, the seneschal readied a report on the status of his demesne3. His thoughts were a thousand miles away.

An incompleteness jabbed at Stephen. Since he had been back, the business of his estates, his holdings, things that had once meant everything to him, now seemed trivial, worthless. These functionaries4 droned on and on, but he could not fix. His mind was a brooding pit that focused on a single, far-off point of light.

The prize. The treasure.

It haunted him, invaded his dreams. This holy relic5 miraculously6 preserved for centuries in the tombs of the Holy Land. He longed for it with an avarice7 he had felt for no woman. Something that had touched Him. He woke in the night dreaming about it, his body covered in sweat. His lips grew dry just thinking of its touch.

With such a prize in hand, Bor俥 would be among the most powerful duchies in Europe. What a cathedral he would build to house its glory. What was the worth of the meager8 bones of his own patron saint, resting in his reliquary? It was nothing compared to this prize. People would come from all over the world to make pilgrimages to Bor俥. No cleric would be greater than him, or closer to God.

And he knew who had it.

A furor9 built in Stephen's chest. His underlings were lathering10 on, blabbering about his holdings, his wealth. It was all rubbish-insignificant. He felt as if he were about to explode.

Get out, he stood and screamed. The bailiff and the seneschal looked at him, surprised. Get out! Leave me be! You go on about this new tax, or a new flock of sheep. Your eyes are fixed11 on the ground. I am dreaming of everlasting12 life.

He swept his hand across the table in front of him, and a tray of wine goblets13 clattered14 to the floor. Everybody scurried15, fleeing their places as if the whole structure were about to collapse16.

Only Norbert, his jester, remained, clinging to the base of his chair and shaking like a man in seizure17, trying to make him laugh.

It is no use, Norbert. Do not waste your jest. Let it be.

It is no jest. Norbert shook, lips trembling. Your chair is on my hand.

Finally Stephen grunted18 back a smile and the loyal jester rolled away, shaking his swollen19 hand.

A servant nervously20 approached to clear the mess. Stephen waved him away. His eyes followed the trail of spilled wine until they came to rest upon someone's boot.

Who is so presumptuous21 as to approach? Stephen thought. He looked up at the face of Morgaine, the leader of his Tafur guard. Black Cross.

Have you come to taunt22 me, Morgaine, with news of another village laid waste without my prize?

No, I have come to cheer you, my lord, with news that I know where the treasure is.

Stephen's eyes widened. Where?

Your cousin, the lady Emilie, has led me right to it, Black Cross said with a pinched smile.

Emilie? Stephen's face twitched23. What has Emilie to do with this prize? She is in Toulon.

She is not in Toulon, Black Cross said. He whispered close. But in a little pisshole in the duchy of Treille, Veille du P?re.

Veille du P?re? I know that name. I thought you had already sacked-

Yes. Morgaine nodded, seeing Stephen come to understand. She is with the innkeeper as we speak. And so is the treasure.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 stolidly 3d5f42d464d711b8c0c9ea4ca88895e6     
adv.迟钝地,神经麻木地
参考例句:
  • Too often people sat stolidly watching the noisy little fiddler. 人们往往不动声色地坐在那里,瞧着这位瘦小的提琴手闹腾一番。 来自辞典例句
  • He dropped into a chair and sat looking stolidly at the floor. 他坐在椅子上,两眼呆呆地望着地板。 来自辞典例句
2 toadying 9d70796d071d282bc6e046e4a6634780     
v.拍马,谄媚( toady的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • He objected to the toadying to aristocracy. 他反对对于贵族阶级的奉承。 来自辞典例句
  • Her generosity encouraged toadying among her neighbours. 她的慷慨好施鼓励了她邻居们的谄媚奉承。 来自辞典例句
3 demesne 7wcxw     
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。
4 functionaries 90e939e920ac34596cdd9ccb420b61fe     
n.公职人员,官员( functionary的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The Indian transmitters were court functionaries, not missionaries. 印度文化的传递者都是朝廷的官员而不是传教士。 来自辞典例句
  • All government institutions functionaries must implement state laws, decrees and policies. 所有政府机关极其工作人员都必须认真执行国家的法律,法规和政策。 来自互联网
5 relic 4V2xd     
n.神圣的遗物,遗迹,纪念物
参考例句:
  • This stone axe is a relic of ancient times.这石斧是古代的遗物。
  • He found himself thinking of the man as a relic from the past.他把这个男人看成是过去时代的人物。
6 miraculously unQzzE     
ad.奇迹般地
参考例句:
  • He had been miraculously saved from almost certain death. 他奇迹般地从死亡线上获救。
  • A schoolboy miraculously survived a 25 000-volt electric shock. 一名男学生在遭受2.5 万伏的电击后奇迹般地活了下来。
7 avarice KeHyX     
n.贪婪;贪心
参考例句:
  • Avarice is the bane to happiness.贪婪是损毁幸福的祸根。
  • Their avarice knows no bounds and you can never satisfy them.他们贪得无厌,你永远无法满足他们。
8 meager zB5xZ     
adj.缺乏的,不足的,瘦的
参考例句:
  • He could not support his family on his meager salary.他靠微薄的工资无法养家。
  • The two men and the woman grouped about the fire and began their meager meal.两个男人同一个女人围着火,开始吃起少得可怜的午饭。
9 furor 5f8za     
n.狂热;大骚动
参考例句:
  • His choice of words created quite a furor.他的措辞引起了相当大的轰动。
  • The half hour lecture caused an enormous furor.那半小时的演讲引起了极大的轰动。
10 lathering e49d19834f6fe8704078c606337f34e0     
n.痛打,怒骂v.(指肥皂)形成泡沫( lather的现在分词 );用皂沫覆盖;狠狠地打
参考例句:
  • After this my skin is really illuminous and clean even though there was no lathering. 在这以后即使我不使用泡沬之类的,皮肤也特别光滑干净。 来自互联网
  • And yet Carl is standing there lathering his face and not a single detail is altered. 可是卡尔却站在那儿往脸上抹肥皂,全然不动声色。 来自互联网
11 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
12 everlasting Insx7     
adj.永恒的,持久的,无止境的
参考例句:
  • These tyres are advertised as being everlasting.广告上说轮胎持久耐用。
  • He believes in everlasting life after death.他相信死后有不朽的生命。
13 goblets 9daf09d5d5d8453cf87197359c5852df     
n.高脚酒杯( goblet的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Oh the goblets of the breast! Oh the eyes of absence! 噢,乳房的杯盏!噢,失神的双眼! 来自互联网
  • Divide the digestive biscuit crumbs mixture between 6 goblets. 消化?底分成6双玻璃杯中。 来自互联网
14 clattered 84556c54ff175194afe62f5473519d5a     
发出咔哒声(clatter的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • He dropped the knife and it clattered on the stone floor. 他一失手,刀子当啷一声掉到石头地面上。
  • His hand went limp and the knife clattered to the ground. 他的手一软,刀子当啷一声掉到地上。
15 scurried 5ca775f6c27dc6bd8e1b3af90f3dea00     
v.急匆匆地走( scurry的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She said goodbye and scurried back to work. 她说声再见,然后扭头跑回去干活了。
  • It began to rain and we scurried for shelter. 下起雨来,我们急忙找地方躲避。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 collapse aWvyE     
vi.累倒;昏倒;倒塌;塌陷
参考例句:
  • The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
  • The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。
17 seizure FsSyO     
n.没收;占有;抵押
参考例句:
  • The seizure of contraband is made by customs.那些走私品是被海关没收的。
  • The courts ordered the seizure of all her property.法院下令查封她所有的财产。
18 grunted f18a3a8ced1d857427f2252db2abbeaf     
(猪等)作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 ); (指人)发出类似的哼声; 咕哝着说
参考例句:
  • She just grunted, not deigning to look up from the page. 她只咕哝了一声,继续看书,不屑抬起头来看一眼。
  • She grunted some incomprehensible reply. 她咕噜着回答了些令人费解的话。
19 swollen DrcwL     
adj.肿大的,水涨的;v.使变大,肿胀
参考例句:
  • Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着,她的双腿已经肿了。
  • A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她,她的手臂肿起来了。
20 nervously tn6zFp     
adv.神情激动地,不安地
参考例句:
  • He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇,努力忍着不哭出来。
  • He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。
21 presumptuous 6Q3xk     
adj.胆大妄为的,放肆的,冒昧的,冒失的
参考例句:
  • It would be presumptuous for anybody to offer such a view.任何人提出这种观点都是太放肆了。
  • It was presumptuous of him to take charge.他自拿主张,太放肆了。
22 taunt nIJzj     
n.辱骂,嘲弄;v.嘲弄
参考例句:
  • He became a taunt to his neighbours.他成了邻居们嘲讽的对象。
  • Why do the other children taunt him with having red hair?为什么别的小孩子讥笑他有红头发?
23 twitched bb3f705fc01629dc121d198d54fa0904     
vt.& vi.(使)抽动,(使)颤动(twitch的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • Her lips twitched with amusement. 她忍俊不禁地颤动着嘴唇。
  • The child's mouth twitched as if she were about to cry. 这小孩的嘴抽动着,像是要哭。 来自《简明英汉词典》


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