With this philosophical6 remark, the Rexanian entered the carriage and seated himself gloomily behind the taciturn and dispirited driver. There was a melancholy7 aspect to the conveyance8 as it moved slowly away from the lodge gate. The broken-hearted steed seemed to be plunged9 in a gloomy revery regarding the iconoclastic10 influence of bicycles; the driver cracked his tattered11 whip in a hopeless way, as if he realized the impotence of his efforts to give an appearance of life and activity to his antiquated12 turnout; while Rudolph’s face wore an expression of mingled13 apprehension14 and dismay that grew more intense the farther he rolled away from the manor-house.
It was this depressing caravan15 that met the restless gaze of Ludovics about a quarter of a mile below the lodge. He had cut loose from his alcoholic16 moorings at the road-house, and was tacking17 toward Rudolph’s ill-fated residence with a purpose much more steady than his steps. He paused by the side of the roadway and aroused Rudolph from his dark forebodings by a loud cry.
[95]
“Rudolph!” shouted Ludovics. “Rudolph! Have they turned you out? Good! I knew you were the right kind! Here, man, give me the grip.”
The little inebriate18 had reached the side of the carriage and seized Rudolph’s cold, damp, flabby hand.
The lodge-keeper gazed calmly at his unruly compatriot. The thought had entered his mind that it was possible to save time by sending Ludovics for the doctor while he and his disheartened driver returned to the lodge.
“Ludovics,” remarked Rudolph, diplomatically, “I’m glad to see you.” Then he leaned down over the back wheel and whispered, “Be cautious, Ludovics. The driver there is not one of us.”
“I see,” he said, with drunken gravity, “you have hypnotized him, Rudolph. It is well.”
“Yes, that’s it,” answered the lodge-keeper, who was weighing all the chances and trying to reach a decision. Finally he said, “Ludovics, I must get back to the lodge at once. You passed a large white house with pillars in front of it, about a quarter of a mile below here. There’s a sign on the gate reading ‘Dr. C. H. Moore.’ Now I want you to go back there and tell the doctor to come to the lodge at once. Do you understand me?”
Ludovics drew himself up haughtily22, as if Rudolph had cast a slur23 upon his intellectual ability.
[96]
“Of course I understand you,” he answered, petulantly24. Then a vivid suspicion flashed through his befuddled25 brain.
“Tell me, Rudolph,” he cried, in low, feverish26 tones, “is he sick? Didn’t his food agree with him? Ha ha! Well done, Rudolph! I knew you were the right kind, Rudolph. He needs a doctor, does he? Good! I’ll go and get the doctor, Rudolph. Give him something more to eat and drink before the doctor gets there, brother. He’s a stubborn boy, you know. But I trust you, Rudolph, I trust you. Dr. Moore, you said? Dr. Moore? Down the road? Very good, Rudolph. I’m off.” Ludovics laughed with a fiendish glee that horrified27 even the unimpressionable lodge-keeper.
“Be careful what you say, Ludovics,” he said, harshly. “Simply ring the bell and say that Dr. Moore is wanted at the Strongs’ manor-house. Understand me! Don’t talk too much, or you may get into trouble. Now go.”
Leaning forward, Rudolph directed the driver to arouse himself and his horse from lethargy and return to the lodge gate. A moment later the broken-spirited horse was retracing28 his steps hopelessly, while Rudolph was leaning back in his seat in a more contented29 frame of mind. He had saved at least ten minutes by entrusting30 his mission to Ludovics.
The latter had turned his back on the vehicle and was making his way down the road at a pace that indicated a set purpose and a slight recovery from alcoholic domination on his part. Suddenly he paused, looked back at the retreating carriage, and, leaving the[97] road, leaned against a fence and indulged for a moment in an inward debate. Then he took from a pocket in his coat a flask31 that he had purchased at the road-house, and, removing the cork32, swallowed a fiery33 mouthful of the raw liquor.
“I wonder,” he said argumentatively to himself, “I wonder if Rudolph is a truly patriotic34 cook? There’s a king up here in Westchester County who needs a doctor. I’m going for the doctor. I look well, don’t I, Ludovics, getting a doctor for a sick king? I wish I knew how sick he is. If he’s as sick of himself as I am of kings, he’ll die anyway.” He staggered to the road and turned again toward the manor-house.
“I don’t think I’m a success going for doctors,” he mused35. “I do better when I’m going for kings.” He placed an unsteady hand on the rear pocket of his trousers and satisfied himself that the revolver he had purchased with a part of Norman Benedict’s gratuity36 was in its place.
“There’s nothing so good for a sick king as pills,” he muttered. “Pills! Pills made of lead! They’re much more certain than Rudolph’s cooking. Rudolph means well, but he doesn’t drink enough brandy.”
As this conclusion forced itself upon him, he stopped again and drew fresh patriotic inspiration from his flask. It was beginning to grow dark as Ludovics reached the high fence that enclosed the grounds of the manor-house and ran up flush with the front wall of the lodge. The sun had sunk in the west like a glowing cannon-ball blushing for its crimes.
“It’s lucky I’m small,” mused Ludovics, as[98] he nimbly mounted the railing and let himself down on the other side. For a moment it struck him as curious that he could climb a fence with more assurance than he could follow a roadway.
“That must be good brandy,” he muttered. “It doesn’t help my walking much, but it makes me climb like a cat.”
Stealthily he made his way through the tangled37 grass that covered the lawn until he stood beneath the balcony at the rear of the manor-house. The waters of the Sound were leaden-hued, and the gathering38 gloom of night gave a dreary39 aspect to the scene before him.
“The doctor has come,” said Ludovics to himself, a mocking smile overspreading his face as he glanced upward and saw how easy it would be for a man of his weight and agility40 to reach the second story of the manor-house. “Just where my patient is, I don’t know, but I’m almost sure that Rudolph said he was going to put the king in the rear room on the second floor.” The cold, damp breeze that had arisen when the sun went down chilled the murderous little Rexanian to the marrow41: another pull at the flask was necessary to check the trembling of his hands.
“I’ll cure him,” he continued, leaning against one of the posts that supported the balcony. “I’ll cure him. My medicine chest is ready for use. It never fails. When I doctor a king—eh, Ludovics?—he’s never sick again, is he? Rudolph’s cooking is not so sure as my little pills. One pill in a vital part, and the man is never sick again! Isn’t that wonderful? Never sick again!”
[99]
Thus muttering to himself, Ludovics began to climb the post at the southern end of the balcony, his teeth gleaming in the half-light as he grinned maliciously42, while his eyes glanced with feverish eagerness at a ray of light that flared43 from a window above him.
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1
sullenly
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| 不高兴地，绷着脸，忧郁地 | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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nemesis
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| n.给以报应者，复仇者，难以对付的敌手 | |
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gateway
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| n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法 | |
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lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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philosophical
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| adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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8
conveyance
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| n.(不动产等的)转让，让与；转让证书；传送；运送；表达；（正）运输工具 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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10
iconoclastic
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| adj.偶像破坏的，打破旧习的 | |
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tattered
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| adj.破旧的，衣衫破的 | |
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antiquated
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| adj.陈旧的，过时的 | |
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13
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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15
caravan
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| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
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16
alcoholic
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| adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者 | |
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17
tacking
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| （帆船）抢风行驶，定位焊[铆]紧钉 | |
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18
inebriate
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| v.使醉 | |
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19
withering
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| 使人畏缩的，使人害羞的，使人难堪的 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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21
phlegmatic
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| adj.冷静的，冷淡的，冷漠的，无活力的 | |
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haughtily
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| adv. 傲慢地, 高傲地 | |
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23
slur
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| v.含糊地说；诋毁；连唱；n.诋毁；含糊的发音 | |
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24
petulantly
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25
befuddled
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| adj.迷糊的，糊涂的v.使烂醉( befuddle的过去式和过去分词 )；使迷惑不解 | |
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26
feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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27
horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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28
retracing
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| v.折回( retrace的现在分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
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29
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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30
entrusting
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的现在分词 ) | |
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31
flask
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| n.瓶，火药筒，砂箱 | |
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32
cork
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| n.软木，软木塞 | |
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33
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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34
patriotic
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| adj.爱国的，有爱国心的 | |
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35
mused
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| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
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36
gratuity
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| n.赏钱，小费 | |
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37
tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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38
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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39
dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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40
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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41
marrow
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| n.骨髓；精华；活力 | |
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42
maliciously
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| adv.有敌意地 | |
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43
Flared
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| adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词 | |
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