Chapter 101

THAT DAY, I called the town together in the church. I stood at the front, in the same bloody¹ rags I had worn in the fight, holding the lance. I took a sweeping² look around the room. The place was full-the miller³, Odo, even people who never went to church.

Where have you been, Hugh? Georges stood up in his place. We've all been celebrating.

Yes, that lancemust be holy. Odo stood too. Since it found you, it's been hard to even buy you an ale.

Everyone laughed.

Don't blame Hugh, Father Leo put in. If such a pretty maiden⁴ were visiting me, I wouldn't waste my time drinking with you clowns, either.

If you had such a pretty maiden, we'd all be in church a lot more often, Odo roared.

Everyone laughed again. Even Emilie smiled from the back.

I do owe you an ale, I said, acknowledging Odo. I owe you all an ale, for your courage. We did a great thing the other day. But the ale must wait. We are not done.

Damn right we are not done. Marie, the miller's wife, stood up. I have an inn to run, and when that fat bailiff comes back, I intend to stuff him so full of squirrel droppings he pukes himself dead.

And I'll be happy to serve it to him. I smiled at Marie. But the inn... it has to wait too.

Suddenly everyone noticed the look on my face. The laughter settled into a hush⁵.

I pray I have not drawn⁶ you in against your will, but we cannot stay here. Life will not return to what it was. Baldwin has made a promise to all of you, and he will keep it. We have to march.

March? Voices rang out, skeptical⁷. To where?

To Treille, I answered. Baldwin will come at us with everything now. We must march againsthim.

The church went silent. Then, one by one, people shouted up to the front.

But this is our home, Jean Dueux, a farmer, protested. All we want is for things to go back to the way they were.

Things will never go back, Jean, I said. When Baldwin hears of this, he'll send his henchmen to ride down upon us with the full fury of his will. He will raze⁸ the town.

You talk of marching against Treille, Jocelyn, the tanner's wife, declared. Do you see any war horses or artillery⁹? We're just farmers and widows.

No, you are not. I shook my head. You're fighters now. And in every town there are others, who have farmed and toiled¹⁰ their entire lives only to hand over what their liege demands.

And they will join us? Jocelyn sniffed¹¹. These others? Or will they just cheer and cross themselves as we march by?

Hugh is right, Odo's deep voice cut in. Baldwin will make us pay, just like the bailiff promised. It's too late to back down.

He will surely take my lands anyway, Jean moaned, after what's happened here.

H-Hugh has the lance, Alphonse said. It is a greater weapon than all the arrows in Treille.

Shouts and murmurs¹² rose around the church. Some stood in agreement, but most were afraid. I could see it in their faces. Am I a soldier? Am I fit to fight? If we march, will others follow?

Suddenly a pounding was heard from the church steps outside. People froze. Everyone in town was already inside.

Then three men stepped into the doorway¹³. They were dressed in working hides and tunics¹⁴. They knelt, made the sign of the cross. We seek Hugh, a large one said, taking off his hat. The one with the lance.

I am Hugh, I said from the front.

The man grinned at his companions, seemingly from relief. I am glad you truly exist. You sounded more like a fable¹⁵. I'm Alois, a woodsman. We've come from Morrisaey.

Morrisaey?Morrisaey was halfway¹⁶ between here and Treille.

We heard about your fight, one of the others said. Farmers, bondsmen fighting like devils. Against our liege. We wanted to know if it was true.

Look around.These are your devils, I said. Then I showed him the lance. Here is their pitchfork.

Alois's eyes grew wide. The holy lance. Word is that it changes things for us. That it's a sign. We couldn't just sit by and twiddle our thumbs if there was going to be a fight.

My chest expanded. This is good news, Alois. How many men do you have? I was hoping it was more than these three.

Sixty-two, the woodsman shouted proudly. Sixty-six if the fucking Freemasons don't back down.

I looked around the church. Go back and tell your townsmen you are now one hundred and ten. A hundredfourteen if the fucking Masons take part.

The man from Morrisaey grinned at his companions again. Then he turned back, Too late for that... he said.

He swung the church doors open wide. I saw a crowd in the square. Everyone rushed out of their seats to look and saw woodsmen carrying axes, farmers with hoes and spades, ragged-looking peasants carting hens and geese. Alois smiled. Already brought 'em.

1 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

2 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

3 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。

4 maiden   

n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的

参考例句：

• The prince fell in love with a fair young maiden.王子爱上了一位年轻美丽的少女。
• The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow.这架飞机明天首航。

5 hush   

int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静

参考例句：

• A hush fell over the onlookers.旁观者们突然静了下来。
• Do hush up the scandal!不要把这丑事声张出去！

6 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

7 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

8 raze   

vt.铲平，把(城市、房屋等)夷为平地，拆毁

参考例句：

• The nuclear weapons stored by the United States alone are sufficient to raze the planet.仅美国储存的核武器就足以毁灭地球。
• The earthquake made the city raze to the ground.地震把这个城市夷为平地。

9 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

10 toiled   

长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉

参考例句：

• They toiled up the hill in the blazing sun. 他们冒着炎炎烈日艰难地一步一步爬上山冈。
• He toiled all day long but earned very little. 他整天劳碌但挣得很少。

11 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》

12 murmurs   

n.低沉、连续而不清的声音( murmur的名词复数 )；低语声；怨言；嘀咕

参考例句：

• They spoke in low murmurs. 他们低声说着话。 来自辞典例句
• They are more superficial, more distinctly heard than murmurs. 它们听起来比心脏杂音更为浅表而清楚。 来自辞典例句

13 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

14 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

15 fable   

n.寓言；童话；神话

参考例句：

• The fable is given on the next page. 这篇寓言登在下一页上。
• He had some motive in telling this fable. 他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

16 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。