Denise had kept vigil all that night, praying, and striving to quiet a heart that would not be quieted. And when the dawn had come she had gone out into the garden and stood there silently, looking at the familiar things that had mingled2 with her life. Yet very strange had garden, hermitage, and woodland seemed to Denise that morning; the strangeness of leave-taking was over them, and the sadness of farewell. Even the rose trees that had been given her, and which she had cherished, had seemed to catch her memory, with their thorns. Memories, memories! Some infinitely3 dear; others, brutal4 and full of shame. The thatch5 would rot, the walls crumble6, the garden beckon7 back the wilderness8. And a great bitterness had fallen upon her, because of what she was losing, and of what she had suffered, and yet might suffer. She had felt glad in measure when she had heard the tinkling9 bells on Dom Silvius’s bridle10 as he had come riding through the beech11 wood. Her love of the place had hurt her. The very stones had cried out, and the pansies had scowled12 at her as she went down the path.
At Battle there was joy that day, and a ringing of bells, for Abbot Reginald had ordered it. And the song of the bells went over the woodlands that gleamed or grew gloomy as the clouds drifted. The cuckoo called; green herbs rose to the knees; the meadows rippled14 with gold; the oaks were in leaf. Over the blue hills, and through slumbrous valleys filled with haze15, Silvius and Denise came to the Abbey lands.
Before her there, beside a wayside cross, Denise saw many people gathered to welcome her, but her heart wished them away. She would have come quietly to this new refuge, nor had she foreshadowed Dom Silvius’s pageantry. Here were gathered the Abbey singing boys in white stoles, the precentor with them; also a number of the Brethren, two and two, solemn figures with hoods16 and hanging sleeves that seemed to catch the shadows. All the townsfolk had streamed out from their boroughs17, old and young. Some carried green boughs19, the girls had their bosoms20 full of flowers, even toddling21 children had their posies.
Denise’s blood became as water in her when she saw all these people gathered there, ready with their gaping22 awe23, and their inquisitive24 reverence25. The bright colours of their clothes, the greens, blues26, and russets became a blur27 before eyes that felt hot with bitter tears. It was all so much mockery to Denise. The precentor’s arms waved; the singing boys moved off two and two to lead her, singing some quaint28 chant. The people were down on their knees beside the road, all save the girls who strewed29 their flowers before her. And Denise rode by on her white palfrey, her eyes blind, her cheeks burning, a strangle of humiliation30 in her throat, knowing what these people could not know, and shamed to the heart because of it. She saw neither the silent faces under the row of cowls, nor the green boughs that waved, nor the hands that were stretched out to her by children and by women. Nor did she see Dom Silvius’s subtle and happy face as he rode beside her, carrying a wooden cross upon his shoulder.
So the white-stoled boys chanted, the bells rang and the slow and sombre Brethren threaded their way between the green boughs and the colours. The people followed on, and began to buzz and to chatter31. “The Lady of Miracles has come to dwell with us,” they said. Their mouths were full of all manner of marvels32, and each began to think of the advantage that might be dreamed of.
“She shall keep the sheep rot from us,” quoth one.
“And cure the bone ache and the rheumatics,” said another.
A fat, pork butcher with a face the colour of swine’s flesh remembered that his dame33 was to take to her bed in a month, and that he would have her blessed by Denise. A charm against “the staggers” was the desire of a carrier. Wuluric, a wax chandler, wondered whether his trade would be increased. One old woman was eaten up with a sore that would not heal. “I shall beg me a little of her spittle,” said she, “a holy virgin’s spittle on a dock leaf is a wondrous34 cure.”
So they brought Denise to her cell near Mountjoye Hill, and from that hour they began to call the little field below it “Virgin’s Croft.”
All this had happened the day before Oswald and Peter had told the Lord of the Saw-pit the tale of the devil in the Goldspur beech wood. According to Grimbald’s bidding they brought the pony35 to him at dawn, helped him from his hiding-place, and set him upon the beast which bore up bravely though Grimbald’s heels nearly ploughed the ground. They started off through the woods, thinking to make Goldspur within two hours, but their reckonings were without the sanction of heaven, for Grimbald’s pony stumbled over a red ant’s mound36, and threw the priest heavily, for he was weak after his many days abed. And Grimbald lay on his back with his arms spread out like the arms of a man crucified, and Oswald and Peter stood and stared at him, and wondered whether he was dead.
They knelt down and chafed37 his feet and hands until Grimbald came to his senses again, and cheered them with the uttering of a few godly curses. The men lifted him up, and for their clumsiness he cursed them further, and bade them put him with his back against a tree. Grimbald, being a heavy man, had broken his right collar-bone in the fall, and he was still weak for such rough byplay.
“Give me a mouthful of water,” he said.
But neither Oswald nor Peter had water with them, nor was there a pool near, nor a running brook38. Grimbald looked at them with mighty39 disdain40, and Oswald, sneaking41 off, mounted his pony to get what he could. Five miles rode Oswald that morning before he came to Burghersh village, and begged a hornful of mead1 there, and a bottle of water. He bumped back again at a rollicking canter, till his pony’s coat was as wet as if he had swum a stream. Grimbald had been sick as a dog with the twist of the fall, but the mead heartened him, and he bade Oswald splash the water on his face. Then they bound his right arm to his body with their girdles, and when he had rested awhile, he made them put him again upon the pony.
Nor was this mounting an easy matter, though approached in subtle and backward fashion over the pony’s tail. Happily the beast had no kick in him, being tired and subdued42. So they had Grimbald astride, and started off once more, the men walking one on either side, and steadying him as they went.
What with the time wasted, and the slow travelling that they made, evening was making the beech wood brilliant as they climbed up out of the valley. The great sentinel trees that stood forward from the main host cast purple shadows upon the grass. A small herd43 of red deer went trotting44 into the green-wood, and there was a great silence save for the sucking patter of their hoofs46.
One corner of Denise’s glade47 was still steeped in sunlight when Grimbald and his men came from under the beech trees. They could see that both the wicket gate and the cell door stood open. Grimbald dismounted at the wicket, and leaning on Oswald’s shoulder, went up the path towards the cell. They were close to the threshold when a brownish thing flew forth48 into their faces, screamed, and sped away on noiseless wings. It was only a great owl13, but Oswald had covered his face with his arm like one who fears a blow.
Grimbald pushed on alone and entered the cell. One glance showed him that it was empty. He saw the rough bed with the coverlet spread awry50, the wooden settle, the hutch where Denise had kept her clothes, the great water-jar in the corner. In the cupboard he found nothing but a dry loaf, a drinking horn, and the lamp that she had used. There seemed no sign of violence, nor even of a hurried flight.
Grimbald stood there awhile considering, and then went out into the gathering51 dusk. It seemed probable to him that Denise had not been in the cell for some days, for was not the bread dry and the water-jar empty? He walked about the garden, turning his beak52 of a nose this way and that like an eagle, his weakness and his broken bone forgotten in the unravelling53 of this coil. The little lodge54 built of faggots where Denise had kept her tools and wood, enlightened him no further, and he was ruffling55 his brows over it when he heard Oswald calling. The man had caught all Grimbald’s spirit of unrest, just as a dog catches the moods of his master, and searching the ground he had found hoof45 marks on the grass.
Grimbald found him kneeling outside the wattle fence, pointing at something that lay across a grass tussock, something that glistened56 like a few shreds57 from a woman’s hair. Oswald went on his hands and knees with his face close to the turf. He beat to and fro awhile, crawled forward across the glade, lay almost flat a moment, and then started up with an eager cry. He had found the fresh print of a horse’s hoofs in the grass under the fringe of a tree whose boughs nearly touched the ground.
Grimbald went to see what Oswald had to show him. Dusk was falling fast, and they both stooped low over the marks in the grass. But Oswald started up on his haunches and sniffed58 the air like a dog.
“Hist!”
His eyes dilated59 as he turned his head to and fro, staring into the deepening gloom under the trees. Something was moving out yonder. They heard one bough18 strike another, a dead branch crack, the faint brushing of feet through leaves and grass. Oswald laid a hand on the knife at his belt; his teeth showed between snarling60 lips.
But Grimbald caught him by the shoulder, and they turned back towards the cell where Peter loitered at the wicket in the dusk, and the pony stood with tired and drooping61 head. They were half across the glade when a man came running after them, and they could see that he was armed.
Grimbald swung round instantly, and stood with head thrown back, shoulders squared. A sword flashed not three paces from him before his lion’s roar made the dusk quiver. The man’s sword dropped, and he came to a dead pause.
“Grimbald!”
They caught each other as men do who love greatly, and for a moment neither spoke62. Then Aymery stood back, and picked up his sword.
“Denise? Is she here?”
Grimbald’s forehead became seamed with lines. His short silence betrayed perhaps more than he could tell.
“We came to find her, brother,” he said.
“And she is gone?”
“The cell is empty.”
Aymery’s voice sounded harsh as the rasp of a saw. He swung his sword up and let it rest upon his shoulder. Even in the dusk Grimbald saw that glitter in the eyes, that fierce closure of the lips, that spreading of the nostrils63.
“The cell has been empty some days, I judge. I was troubled for the sake of Denise, for I had heard a strange tale from Oswald here. We came, and found nothing.”
Aymery swung to and fro with swift, sharp strides. Then his sword shot out and pointed64 Oswald away.
“Go. Out of earshot.”
The man went. Aymery brought his sword back to his shoulder, stretched out an arm, and showed Grimbald something coiled about his wrist.
“Look, a coil of her hair!”
“This——?”
“They put it under my door at Pevensey, the dogs! Yesterday I broke out and hid in the marshes66. They gave chase, and I killed one of those who followed, and took his horse and arms. That was to-day. Then I galloped67 here.”
He tossed his head, shaking back his hair, his eyes hard as a frost. Then he pointed towards the hermitage with his sword.
“What is there in yonder?”
“There is nothing, brother, but her bed, hutch and cupboard and the like.”
“No more than that?”
“Nothing.”
Aymery bent forward slightly, and looked into Grimbald’s face. For a moment they stared each other in the eyes as though asking and answering silent questions. Then Aymery seemed to understand.
“There has been some devil’s work here,” he said, and Grimbald told him Oswald’s tale, and showed where the hoof prints might be seen by daylight.
“God knows the rest!” he said, smoothing his beard.
But Aymery was kneeling, and praying to the cross of his sword.
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收听单词发音
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1
mead
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| n.蜂蜜酒 | |
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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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3
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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thatch
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| vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部；n.茅草(屋) | |
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crumble
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| vi.碎裂，崩溃；vt.弄碎，摧毁 | |
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7
beckon
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| v.(以点头或打手势)向...示意，召唤 | |
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wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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tinkling
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| n.丁当作响声 | |
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bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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beech
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| n.山毛榉；adj.山毛榉的 | |
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scowled
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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rippled
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| 使泛起涟漪（ripple的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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15
haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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16
hoods
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| n.兜帽( hood的名词复数 )；头巾；（汽车、童车等的）折合式车篷；汽车发动机罩v.兜帽( hood的第三人称单数 )；头巾；（汽车、童车等的）折合式车篷；汽车发动机罩 | |
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17
boroughs
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| （尤指大伦敦的）行政区( borough的名词复数 )； 议会中有代表的市镇 | |
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bough
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| n.大树枝，主枝 | |
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boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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20
bosoms
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| 胸部( bosom的名词复数 )； 胸怀； 女衣胸部（或胸襟）； 和爱护自己的人在一起的情形 | |
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21
toddling
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| v.（幼儿等）东倒西歪地走( toddle的现在分词 )；蹒跚行走；溜达；散步 | |
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22
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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23
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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24
inquisitive
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| adj.求知欲强的，好奇的，好寻根究底的 | |
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25
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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26
blues
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| n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐 | |
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27
blur
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| n.模糊不清的事物；vt.使模糊，使看不清楚 | |
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28
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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29
strewed
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| v.撒在…上( strew的过去式和过去分词 )；散落于；点缀；撒满 | |
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30
humiliation
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| n.羞辱 | |
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chatter
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| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
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32
marvels
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| n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 )；令人惊奇的事物（或事例）；不平凡的成果；成就v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 ) | |
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33
dame
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| n.女士 | |
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wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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35
pony
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| adj.小型的；n.小马 | |
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36
mound
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| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
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37
chafed
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| v.擦热（尤指皮肤）( chafe的过去式 )；擦痛；发怒；惹怒 | |
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38
brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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39
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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40
disdain
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| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
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41
sneaking
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| a.秘密的，不公开的 | |
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42
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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43
herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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44
trotting
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| 小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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45
hoof
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| n.(马，牛等的)蹄 | |
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46
hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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47
glade
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| n.林间空地，一片表面有草的沼泽低地 | |
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48
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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49
credulous
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| adj.轻信的，易信的 | |
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50
awry
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| adj.扭曲的，错的 | |
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51
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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52
beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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53
unravelling
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| 解开，拆散，散开( unravel的现在分词 )； 阐明； 澄清； 弄清楚 | |
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54
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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55
ruffling
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| 弄皱( ruffle的现在分词 )； 弄乱； 激怒； 扰乱 | |
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56
glistened
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| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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57
shreds
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| v.撕碎，切碎( shred的第三人称单数 )；用撕毁机撕毁（文件） | |
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58
sniffed
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| 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 | |
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59
dilated
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| adj.加宽的，扩大的v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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60
snarling
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的现在分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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61
drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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62
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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63
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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64
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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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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66
marshes
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| n.沼泽，湿地( marsh的名词复数 ) | |
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67
galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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stiffen
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| v.(使)硬，(使)变挺，(使)变僵硬 | |
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