Signor Ferrari was a gentleman who knew how to make himself thoroughly2 comfortable; and, in order to do so, squandered3 his earnings4 in a most spendthrift fashion. At present he was receiving a very handsome salary for his singing in Sultana Fatima, therefore he denied himself nothing in the way of luxury. He was a true Bohemian in every action of his life, and accepted his fluctuating fortunes with the utmost equanimity5. If he fared badly on dry bread and water one day, he was hopeful of oysters6 and champagne7 the next; and when the feast of Dives was before him, made the most of it in eating and drinking, so as to recompense himself for all future deprivations8, which would be the lot of poverty-stricken Lazarus.
While his voice lasted he was well aware that he could command an excellent income which satisfied him completely; for when he grew old and songless he was quite prepared to return to Italy, and live there the happy-go-lucky life of his youth on polenta and sour wine. In his impulsive9 southern fashion he loved Mrs. Belswin madly; but, strangely enough, it never for a moment occurred to him to save money against his possible marriage with her. If he starved, she would starve; if he made money, she would share it; and if she objected to such a chequered existence, Signor Ferrari was quite confident enough in his own powers of will and persuasion10 to be satisfied that he could force her to accept his view of the matter. This was the Ferrari philosophy, and no bad one either as times go, seeing that a singer's livelihood11 depends entirely12 upon the caprice of the public. As long as he could get enough to eat, be the food rich or plain, a smoke, and plenty of sleep, the world could go hang for all he cared. He lived in the present, never thought about the past, and let the future take care of itself; so altogether managed to scramble13 through life in a leisurely14, selfish manner eminently15 egotistical in fashion.
At present, being in the heyday16 of life, he was dining with Dives, which was happiness enough in itself; but, in order that nothing should be wanting to complete his felicity, he had received a letter from Mrs. Belswin, telling him of her contemplated17 arrival. Under these circumstances he had nothing left to wish for, and lounging on the sofa in his sitting-room18 in a state of blissful contentment awaited the coming of his fair friend.
"Buõno," said the signor, with smiling satisfaction, folding up the letter and putting it in his pocket, "the singing-bird returns to its nest. This time I will clip its wings, so that it flies not again. Per Bacco, the kind heart of Stephano surprises himself, for who would let his bird fly as he has done? But I fear not the jealousy19, offspring of suspicion. Ecco! she loves but me, and comes again to the nest. And what a nest! Cospetto! My Lucrezia will be hard to please if she likes not this palazzo del amor."
It was a very pretty nest indeed, from a lodging-house point of view, although its incongruity20 of colouring and furnishing would have driven an artist out of his mind; but then the signor was not exacting21 in the way of harmonious23 effect, and, provided his dwelling24 was fairly comfortable, felt completely satisfied. Lying on the sofa, he looked complacently25 at the furniture, covered with painfully bright blue satin, at the scarlet26 curtains, the green wall-paper, and at all the wax flowers, Berlin wool mats, and gimcrack ornaments27 with which the room was adorned28. Ferrari had added to this splendid furnishing an excellent piano for professional purposes, and numerous photographs, principally feminine, of his artistic29 friends; so that he conceived himself to be housed in a princely fashion.
It was three o'clock by the incorrect French timepiece on the tawdry mantelpiece, and Ferrari was getting somewhat impatient, as Mrs. Belswin had mentioned two o'clock as the time of her arrival; but with his accustomed philosophy he manifested no anger at the delay.
"La Donna é mobile," he hummed, shrugging his shoulders, as he strolled towards the piano. "Women are always late; it is one of their charming follies31. Ah! EH! EE! Diavolo! my voice is bad this day. These English fogs are down my throat Ah! Eh! EE! Dio! What a note! Voce del oca.
"Ask not the stars the fate they deal.
Read in my eyes the love I feel."
"That's a good song, that serenade to Fatima. It shows off my voice. I'll sing it to exercise my high notes."
He did so, and was just in the middle of the first verse when Mrs. Belswin made her appearance, upon which he stopped abruptly32, and came forward to greet her with theatrical33 effusion.
"Stella dora! once more you shine," he cried, seizing her hands, with a passionate34 look in his dark eyes. "Oh, my life! how dear it is to see thee again."
"You missed me then, Stephano?" said Mrs. Belswin, sinking wearily into a chair.
"Missed thee, carissima!" exclaimed the Italian, throwing himself on his knees before her and kissing her hand; "by this, and this, and this again, I swear that all has been dark to me without the light of thine eyes. But you will not leave me again, angela mia. Thou hast come back for ever to be my wife."
Mrs. Belswin drew her hand away sharply and frowned, for in her present irritable35 state of mind the exaggerated manner of Ferrari jarred on her nerves.
"How can that be acting, cruel one, which is the truth?" replied Ferrari, reproachfully, rising from his knees. "Thou knowst my love, and yet when I speak you are cold. Eh, Donna Lucrezia, is your heart changed?"
"Oh, business!" interrupted Stephano, suspiciously. "Cospetto! You want once more to leave me."
"For a time; yes."
"Oh, for a time; yes!" echoed Ferrari, mockingly. "Amica mia, you have a strange way of speaking to him who adores you. Dio, you play with me like a child. I love you, and wish you for my wife. You say 'yes,' and depart for a time. Now return you to me and again say, 'Stephano, I leave you for a time.'"
"I made no promise to be your wife," said Mrs. Belswin, angrily, "nor will I do so unless you help me now."
"Help you! and in what way? Has the little daughter been cruel? You wish me to speak as father to her."
"I wish you to do nothing of the sort. My daughter is quite well, and I was perfectly38 happy with her."
"And without me," cried Ferrari, jealously; upon which Mrs. Belswin made a gesture of irritation39.
"We can settle that afterwards," she said, drawing off her gloves: "meanwhile let us talk sense. I shall be up in town for a fortnight."
"And you stay, cara?"
"Bene! I will then have you to myself for two weeks."
"It all depends on whether you will help me in what I wish to do."
"Ebbene! Is it il marito?"
Mrs. Belswin nodded, and the Italian burst out laughing.
"Povero diavolo. He has then come again."
"No! but he arrives next week."
"That's the very question! I don't want him to see me."
"Then return not to the little daughter."
"I must! I must!" cried Mrs. Belswin in despair. "I can't give up my child after meeting her again. Twenty years, Stephano, and I have not seen her; now I am beside her every day. She loves me--not as her mother, but as her friend. I can't give up all this because my husband is returning."
"But there is nothing more you can do," he said, spreading out his hands with a dramatic gesture, "eh, carrissima? Think of what is this affair. Il marito has said to you, 'Good-bye.' The little daughter thinks you to be dead. If then you come to reveal yourself, il marito--eh, amica mia! it is a trouble for all."
"What can I do?"
"Nothing! oh no, certainly! You have beheld43 the little daughter for a time. Now you are to me again. I say, Stella 'dora, with me remain and forget all."
"No, I will not! I will not!" cried Mrs. Belswin, savagely45, rising to her feet. "Cannot you see how I suffer? If you love me as you say, you must see how I suffer. Give up my child, my life, my happiness! I cannot do it."
"Dio! you cannot make the miracles."
"I can! I must! Do you think I will stay with you while my child calls me?"
"With me you must stay, my Norma. I love thee. I will not leave you no more."
"You can't stop me."
"Ebbene," said Ferrari, conscious that he held the advantage. "Go, then, and see how il marito will behold you."
Mrs. Belswin felt her helplessness, and clenched46 her hands with a savage44 cry of despair, that seemed to be torn out of her throbbing47 heart. Up and down the gaudy48 room she paced, with her face convulsed with rage, and her fierce eyes flashing with an unholy fire, while Ferrari, secure in his position, sat quietly near the window, smoking leisurely. His self-possession seemed to provoke her, ready as she was to vent50 her impotent anger on anything, and, stopping abruptly she poured forth51 all her anger.
"Why do you sit there smiling, and smiling, like a fool?" she shrieked52, stamping her foot. "Can you not suggest something? Can you not do something?"
"Eh, carissima, I would say, 'Be quiet' The people below will hear you cry out."
"Let them! What do I care? I am a desperate woman, Ferrari, and I am determined53 to keep my position beside my child. I will stop at nothing--nothing--not even murder!"
"Murder!"
Signor Ferrari let the cigarette drop from his fingers, and jumped up with a cry of dismay looking pale and unnerved. She saw this, and lashing49 him with her tongue, taunted54 him bitterly.
"Yes, murder, you miserable55! I thought you were a brave man; but I see I made a mistake. You love me! You want to be my husband! No, no, no! I marry a brave man--yes, a brave man; not a coward!"
"Eh, Lucrezia. You think I am a brave man if I go to assassin il marito. Cospetto! I am an Italian; but the Italians are not fools. If another man loved you, and would take you away, I would kill him--yes! But il marito--eh, that is not quite the same. I kill him and you return to the little daughter for always. What gain to me, carissima? I kill him, and your law gives me the rope. What gain to me? No, Donna Lucrezia. Do what you love. Stab him with a stiletto, or give the poison, I say nothing; but as for me to obey--Dio, the life is not trouble to me yet."
"You are afraid."
He bounded across the room, and seized her roughly by the wrist.
"Devil-woman, I have no fear! You lie to speak so I You lie, figlia inferna."
"Then why do you refuse to help me?"
"Per Bacco, I am no assassin. Il marito is not an enemy to me. To you he is hateful. Revenge yourself as it pleases; but I--cospetto. You ask too much."
He flung her away from him with a gesture of anger, and began to walk about the room. Mrs. Belswin remained silent, savagely disappointed at the failure of her plan, and presently Ferrari began to talk again in his rapid, impulsive fashion.
"If there was any gain. Yes. But I see not anything. I would work against myself. You know that, Signora Machiavelli. Ah, yes; I am not blind, cara mia. While il marito lives, you are mine. He will keep you from the little daughter. But he dies--eh, and you depart."
"No, no! I swear----"
"I refuse your swearing. They are false. Forget, il marito--forget the little daughter! You are mine, mia moglie, and you depart not again."
Mrs. Belswin laughed scornfully, and put on her gloves again with the utmost deliberation. Then, taking up her umbrella, she moved quickly towards the door; but not so quickly as to prevent Ferrari placing himself before her.
"Where go you?" demanded the Italian, between his clenched teeth.
"To find a braver man than Stephano Ferrari."
"No; you will find no one."
"Won't I? Pshaw! I have found one already."
The Italian sprang on her with a bound like a tiger, seized her hands, and placed his face so close to her own that she could feel his hot breath on her cheek.
"You have a lover, traditrice?"
"No."
"You lie! I believe you not!"
Mrs. Belswin laughed, and made an attempt to go away.
"I will not."
"Sit in that chair, I order."
"You order!"
"Yes, I, Stephano Ferrari."
She looked first at the Italian, then at the chair; and his aspect was so determined that, in order to avoid an unseemly struggle, she sat down as desired, with a shrug30 of the shoulders.
"Now, tell me of this lover."
"There is nothing to tell."
"You lie!"
"I do not lie."
With eyes as fierce as his own, she looked straight at him, and it became a question as to which of them had the stronger will. Her determination to retain her position at any price, even at the cost of her husband's life, had roused all her worst passions, and for the first time since he had known her, the Italian averted59 his eyes with a shudder60 of dread61.
"Jettatura," he cried, recoiling62 from her malignant63 gaze, and making horns with his fingers to avert58 the blighting64 consequences of her look. Mrs. Belswin saw her advantage, and immediately began to play on his superstition65.
"I have the evil eye, you think. Yes; it is so. Why have you never discovered it before? Because I gave you love. To those who cross me not, I am kind; but an insult---- Ah! you shrink. Well, then, take care. I never forgive. I never forget."
Ferrari, completely cowed by her manner, threw himself on his knees before her, and held out his hands with a gesture of entreaty66.
"Stella 'dora, leave me not. Behold me at your feet, cruel one. I die in your anger."
Mrs. Belswin saw that she had gained command over him, but was too wise to push her conquest too far; so, bending down, she gave him her hand, which he covered with fierce kisses.
"Rise, Stephano, and I will tell you all. For two weeks I will be in town, and with you all the days. You can call at my hotel if it pleases you. If I decide nothing about my husband you can come down with me to Deswarth, and we will face him together."
"But this lover?"
"I have no lover. I spoke67 in jest. Your devotion has touched me, and I will reward it by becoming your wife. For the present," said Mrs. Belswin, with a charming smile, "I will say 'a reverderci.' If you send me a box I will come and hear you sing to-night."
Ferrari once more kissed her hand, there was a rustling68 of skirts, a closing of the door, and she was gone.
The Italian stood where she had left him, with a scared look on his face; and after a few minutes looked at the door through which she had vanished, with a nervous smile.
"Jettatura!" he muttered, shivering. "Jettatura."
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收听单词发音
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1
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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3
squandered
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| v.（指钱，财产等）浪费，乱花( squander的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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earnings
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| n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得 | |
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equanimity
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| n.沉着，镇定 | |
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oysters
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| 牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 ) | |
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7
champagne
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| n.香槟酒；微黄色 | |
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deprivations
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| 剥夺( deprivation的名词复数 )； 被夺去； 缺乏； 匮乏 | |
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9
impulsive
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| adj.冲动的，刺激的；有推动力的 | |
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10
persuasion
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| n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派 | |
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11
livelihood
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| n.生计，谋生之道 | |
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12
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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13
scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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14
leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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15
eminently
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| adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地 | |
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16
heyday
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| n.全盛时期，青春期 | |
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17
contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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18
sitting-room
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| n.（BrE）客厅，起居室 | |
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19
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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20
incongruity
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| n.不协调，不一致 | |
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21
exacting
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| adj.苛求的，要求严格的 | |
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22
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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23
harmonious
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| adj.和睦的，调和的，和谐的，协调的 | |
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24
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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25
complacently
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| adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地 | |
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26
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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27
ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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28
adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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29
artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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30
shrug
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| v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等) | |
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31
follies
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| 罪恶，时事讽刺剧； 愚蠢，蠢笨，愚蠢的行为、思想或做法( folly的名词复数 ) | |
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32
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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33
theatrical
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| adj.剧场的，演戏的；做戏似的，做作的 | |
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34
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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35
irritable
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| adj.急躁的；过敏的；易怒的 | |
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36
vexed
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| adj.争论不休的；（指问题等）棘手的；争论不休的问题；烦恼的v.使烦恼( vex的过去式和过去分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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strand
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| vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地） | |
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41
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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44
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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45
savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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46
clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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47
throbbing
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| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
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48
gaudy
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| adj.华而不实的；俗丽的 | |
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49
lashing
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| n.鞭打；痛斥；大量；许多v.鞭打( lash的现在分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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50
vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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51
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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52
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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54
taunted
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| 嘲讽( taunt的过去式和过去分词 )； 嘲弄； 辱骂； 奚落 | |
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55
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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56
winced
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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57
infamous
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| adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的 | |
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58
avert
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| v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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59
averted
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| 防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移 | |
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60
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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61
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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62
recoiling
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| v.畏缩( recoil的现在分词 )；退缩；报应；返回 | |
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63
malignant
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| adj.恶性的，致命的；恶意的，恶毒的 | |
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64
blighting
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| 使凋萎( blight的现在分词 )； 使颓丧； 损害； 妨害 | |
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65
superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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66
entreaty
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| n.恳求，哀求 | |
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67
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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rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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