I entertained certain guests of state—
The great of older days, who, faithful still,
"Who am I?" asked John Armitage soberly.
He tossed the stick of a match into the fireplace, where a pine-knot smoldered4, drew his pipe into a glow and watched Oscar screw the top on a box of ointment5 which he had applied6 to Armitage's arm. The little soldier turned and stood sharply at attention.
"Yon are Mr. John Armitage, sir. A man's name is what he says it is. It is the rule of the country."
"Thank you, Oscar. Your words reassure7 me. There have been times lately when I have been in doubt myself. You are a pretty good doctor."
If you are not poisoned, and do not die, you will recover—yes?"
"Thank you, Sergeant9. You are a consoling spirit; but I assure you on my honor as a gentleman that if I die I shall certainly haunt you. This is the fourth day. To-morrow I shall throw away the bandage and be quite ready for more trouble."
"It would be better on the fifth—"
"The matter is settled. You will now go for the mail; and do take care that no one pots you on the way. Your death would be a positive loss to me, Oscar. And if any one asks how My Majesty10 is—mark, My Majesty—pray say that I am quite well and equal to ruling over many kingdoms."
"Yes, sire."
And Armitage roared with laughter, as the little man, pausing as he buckled11 a cartridge12 belt under his coat, bowed with a fine mockery of reverence13.
"If a man were king he could have a devilish fine time of it, Oscar."
"You are mighty15 right, as we say in Montana; and I'll tell you quite confidentially16, Sergeant, that if I were out of work and money and needed a job the thought of being king might tempt17 me. These gentlemen who are trying to stick knives into me think highly of my chances. They may force me into the business—" and Armitage rose and kicked the flaring18 knot.
Oscar drew on his gauntlet with a jerk.
"They killed the great prime minister—yes?"
"They undoubtedly19 did, Oscar."
"He was a good man—he was a very great man," said Oscar slowly, and went quickly out and closed the door softly after him.
The life of the two men in the bungalow20 was established in a definite routine. Oscar was drilled in habits of observation and attention and he realized without being told that some serious business was afoot; he knew that Armitage's life had been attempted, and that the receipt and despatch21 of telegrams was a part of whatever errand had brought his master to the Virginia hills. His occupations were wholly to his liking22; there was simple food to eat; there were horses to tend; and his errands abroad were of the nature of scouting23 and in keeping with one's dignity who had been a soldier. He rose often at night to look abroad, and sometimes he found Armitage walking the veranda24 or returning from a tramp through the wood. Armitage spent much time studying papers; and once, the day after Armitage submitted his wounded arm to Oscar's care, he had seemed upon the verge25 of a confidence.
"To save life; to prevent disaster; to do a little good in the world—to do something for Austria—such things are to the soul's credit, Oscar," and then Armitage's mood changed and he had begun chaffing in a fashion that was beyond Oscar's comprehension.
The little soldier rode over the hills to Lamar Station in the waning26 spring twilight27, asked at the telegraph office for messages, stuffed Armitage's mail into his pockets at the post-office, and turned home as the moonlight poured down the slopes and flooded the valleys. The Virginia roads have been cursed by larger armies than any that ever marched in Flanders, but Oscar was not a swearing man. He paused to rest his beast occasionally and to observe the landscape with the eye of a strategist. Moonlight, he remembered, was a useful accessory of the assassin's trade, and the faint sounds of the spring night were all promptly28 traced to their causes as they reached his alert ears.
At the gate of the hunting-park grounds he bent29 forward in the saddle to lift the chain that held it; urged his horse inside, bent down to refasten it, and as his fingers clutched the iron a man rose in the shadow of the little lodge30 and clasped him about the middle. The iron chain swung free and rattled31 against the post, and the horse snorted with fright, then, at a word from Oscar, was still. There was the barest second of waiting, in which the long arms tightened32, and the great body of his assailant hung heavily about him; then he dug spurs into the horse's flanks and the animal leaped forward with a snort of rage, jumped out of the path and tore away through the woods.
Oscar's whole strength was taxed to hold his seat as the burly figure thumped33 against the horse's flanks. He had hoped to shake the man off, but the great arms still clasped him. The situation could not last. Oscar took advantage of the moonlight to choose a spot in which to terminate it. He had his bearings now, and as they crossed an opening in the wood he suddenly loosened his grip on the horse and flung himself backward. His assailant, no longer supported, rolled to the ground with Oscar on top of him, and the freed horse galloped34 away toward the stable.
A rough and tumble fight now followed. Oscar's lithe35, vigorous body writhed36 in the grasp of his antagonist37, now free, now clasped by giant arms. They saw each other's faces plainly in the clear moonlight, and at breathless pauses in the struggle their eyes maintained the state of war. At one instant, when both men lay with arms interlocked, half-lying on their thighs38, Oscar hissed39 in the giant's ear:
"You are a Servian: it is an ugly race."
"We expected you; you are a bad hand with the knife," grunted41 Oscar, and feeling the bellows-like chest beside him expand, as though in preparation for a renewal42 of the fight, he suddenly wrenched43 himself free of the Servian's grasp, leaped away a dozen paces to the shelter of a great pine, and turned, revolver in hand.
"Throw up your hands," he yelled.
The Servian fired without pausing for aim, the shot ringing out sharply through the wood. Then Oscar discharged his revolver three times in quick succession, and while the discharges were still keen on the air he drew quickly back to a clump44 of underbrush, and crept away a dozen yards to watch events. The Servian, with his eyes fixed45 upon the tree behind which his adversary46 had sought shelter, grew anxious, and thrust his head forward warily47.
Then he heard a sound as of some one running through the wood to the left and behind him, but still the man he had grappled on the horse made no sign. It dawned upon him that the three shots fired in front of him had been a signal, and in alarm he turned toward the gate, but a voice near at hand called loudly, "Oscar!" and repeated the name several times.
Behind the Servian the little soldier answered sharply in English:
"All steady, sir!"
The use of a strange tongue added to the Servian's bewilderment, and he fled toward the gate, with Oscar hard after him. Then Armitage suddenly leaped out of the shadows directly in his path and stopped him with a leveled revolver.
"Easy work, Oscar! Take the gentleman's gun and be sure to find his knife."
The task was to Oscar's taste, and he made quick work of the Servian's pockets.
"Your horse was a good despatch bearer. You are all sound, Oscar?"
"Never better, sir. A revolver and two knives—" the weapons flashed in the moonlight as he held them up.
"Good! Now start your friend toward the bungalow."
They set off at a quick pace, soon found the rough driveway, and trudged48 along silently, the Servian between his captors.
When they reached the house Armitage flung open the door and followed
Oscar and the prisoner into the long sitting-room49.
Armitage lighted a pipe at the mantel, readjusted the bandage on his arm, and laughed aloud as he looked upon the huge figure of the Servian standing50 beside the sober little cavalryman51.
"Oscar, there are certainly giants in these days, and we have caught one. You will please see that the cylinder52 of your revolver is in good order and prepare to act as clerk of our court-martial. If the prisoner moves, shoot him."
He spoke53 these last words very deliberately54 in German, and the Servian's small eyes blinked his comprehension. Armitage sat down on the writing-table, with his own revolver and the prisoner's knives and pistol within reach of his available hand. A smile of amusement played over his face as he scrutinized55 the big body and its small, bullet-like head.
"He is a large devil," commented Oscar.
"He is large, certainly," remarked Armitage. "Give him a chair. Now," he said to the man in deliberate German, "I shall say a few things to you which I am very anxious for you to understand. You are a Servian."
The man nodded.
"Your name is Zmai Miletich."
The man shifted his great bulk uneasily in his chair and fastened his lusterless little eyes upon Armitage.
"Your name," repeated Armitage, "is Zmai Miletich; your home is, or was, in the village of Toplica, where you were a blacksmith until you became a thief. You are employed as an assassin by two gentlemen known as Chauvenet and Durand—do you follow me?"
The man was indeed following him with deep engrossment. His narrow forehead was drawn56 into minute wrinkles; his small eyes seemed to recede57 into his head; his great body turned uneasily.
"I ask you again," repeated Armitage, "whether you follow me. There must be no mistake."
Oscar, anxious to take his own part in the conversation, prodded58 Zmai in the ribs59 with a pistol barrel, and the big fellow growled60 and nodded his head.
"There is a house in the outskirts61 of Vienna where you have been employed at times as gardener, and another house in Geneva where you wait for orders. At this latter place it was my great pleasure to smash you in the head with a boiling-pot on a certain evening in March."
"Your conspirators64 are engaged upon a succession of murders, and when they have removed the last obstacle they will establish a new Emperor-king in Vienna and you will receive a substantial reward for what you have done—"
The blood suffused65 the man's dark face, and he half rose, a great roar of angry denial breaking from him.
"That will do. You tried to kill me on the King Edward; you tried your knife on me again down there in Judge Claiborne's garden; and you came up here tonight with a plan to kill my man and then take your time to me. Give me the mail, Oscar."
He opened the letters which Oscar had brought and scanned several that bore a Paris postmark, and when he had pondered their contents a moment he laughed and jumped from the table. He brought a portfolio66 from his bedroom and sat down to write.
"Don't shoot the gentleman as long as he is quiet. You may even give him a glass of whisky to soothe67 his feelings."
Armitage wrote:
"MONSIEUR:
"Your assassin is a clumsy fellow and you will do well to send him back to the blacksmith shop at Toplica. I learn that Monsieur Durand, distressed68 by the delay in affairs in America, will soon join you—is even now aboard the Tacoma, bound for New York. I am profoundly grateful for this, dear Monsieur, as it gives me an opportunity to conclude our interesting business in republican territory without prejudice to any of the parties chiefly concerned.
"You are a clever and daring rogue69, yet at times you strike me as immensely dull, Monsieur. Ponder this: should it seem expedient70 for me to establish my identity—which I am sure interests you greatly—before Baron71 von Marhof, and, we will add, the American Secretary of State, be quite sure that I shall not do so until I have taken precautions against your departure in any unseemly haste. I, myself, dear friend, am not without a certain facility in setting traps."
* * * * *
Armitage threw down the pen and read what he had written with care. Then he wrote as signature the initials F.A., inclosed the note in an envelope and addressed it, pondered again, laughed and slapped his knee and went into his room, where he rummaged72 about until he found a small seal beautifully wrought74 in bronze and a bit of wax. Returning to the table he lighted a candle, and deftly75 sealed the letter. He held the red scar on the back of the envelope to the lamp and examined it with interest. The lines of the seal were deep cut, and the impression was perfectly76 distinct, of F.A. in English script, linked together by the bar of the F.
"Oscar, what do you recommend that we do with the prisoner?"
"He should be tied to a tree and shot; or, perhaps, it would be better to hang him to the rafters in the kitchen. Yet he is heavy and might pull down the roof."
"You are a bloodthirsty wretch77, and there is no mercy in you. Private executions are not allowed in this country; you would have us before a Virginia grand jury and our own necks stretched. No; we shall send him back to his master."
"It is a mistake. If your Excellency would go away for an hour he should never know where the buzzards found this large carcass."
"Tush! I would not trust his valuable life to you. Get up!" he commanded, and Oscar jerked Zmai to his feet.
"You deserve nothing at my hands, but I need a discreet78 messenger, and you shall not die to-night, as my worthy79 adjutant recommends. To-morrow night, however, or the following night—or any other old night, as we say in America—if you show yourself in these hills, my chief of staff shall have his way with you—buzzard meat!"
"The orders are understood," said Oscar, thrusting the revolver into the giant's ribs.
"Now, Zmai, blacksmith of Toplica, and assassin at large, here is a letter for Monsieur Chauvenet. It is still early. When you have delivered it, bring me back the envelope with Monsieur's receipt written right here, under the seal. Do you understand?"
It had begun to dawn upon Zmai that his life was not in immediate80 danger, and the light of intelligence kindled81 again in his strange little eyes. Lest he might not fully73 grasp the errand with which Armitage intrusted him, Oscar repeated what Armitage had said in somewhat coarser terms.
Again through the moonlight strode the three—out of Armitage's land to the valley road and to the same point to which Shirley Claiborne had only a few days before been escorted by the mountaineer.
There they sent the Servian forward to the Springs, and Armitage went home, leaving Oscar to wait for the return of the receipt.
It was after midnight when Oscar placed it in Armitage's hands at the bungalow.
"Oscar, it would be a dreadful thing to kill a man," Armitage declared, holding the empty envelope to the light and reading the line scrawled82 beneath the unbroken wax. It was in French:
"You are young to die, Monsieur."
"You are not a good churchman. It is a grievous sin to do murder."
"That is quite true, though I may seem to forget it. Our work will be done soon, please God, and we shall ask the blessed sacrament somewhere in these hills."
Oscar crossed himself and fell to cleaning his rifle.
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收听单词发音
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1
vassal
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| n.附庸的；属下；adj.奴仆的 | |
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pact
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| n.合同，条约，公约，协定 | |
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3
weir
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| n.堰堤，拦河坝 | |
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4
smoldered
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| v.用文火焖烧，熏烧，慢燃( smolder的过去式 ) | |
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5
ointment
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| n.药膏，油膏，软膏 | |
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6
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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7
reassure
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| v.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
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8
steward
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| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
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sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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11
buckled
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| a. 有带扣的 | |
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12
cartridge
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| n.弹壳，弹药筒；(装磁带等的)盒子 | |
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13
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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14
salutes
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| n.致敬，欢迎，敬礼( salute的名词复数 )v.欢迎，致敬( salute的第三人称单数 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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15
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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16
confidentially
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| ad.秘密地，悄悄地 | |
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17
tempt
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| vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣 | |
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18
flaring
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| a.火焰摇曳的，过份艳丽的 | |
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19
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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20
bungalow
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| n.平房，周围有阳台的木造小平房 | |
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despatch
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| n./v.(dispatch)派遣；发送；n.急件；新闻报道 | |
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22
liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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scouting
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| 守候活动，童子军的活动 | |
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24
veranda
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| n.走廊；阳台 | |
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verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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26
waning
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| adj.（月亮）渐亏的，逐渐减弱或变小的n.月亏v.衰落( wane的现在分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡 | |
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27
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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28
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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29
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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30
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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31
rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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32
tightened
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| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
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33
thumped
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| v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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34
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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35
lithe
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| adj.(指人、身体)柔软的，易弯的 | |
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36
writhed
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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antagonist
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| n.敌人，对抗者，对手 | |
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thighs
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| n.股，大腿( thigh的名词复数 )；食用的鸡（等的）腿 | |
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39
hissed
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| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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40
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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41
grunted
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| （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 | |
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42
renewal
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| adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来 | |
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43
wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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44
clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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45
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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46
adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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warily
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| adv.留心地 | |
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48
trudged
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| vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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49
sitting-room
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| n.（BrE）客厅，起居室 | |
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50
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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51
cavalryman
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| 骑兵 | |
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52
cylinder
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| n.圆筒，柱(面)，汽缸 | |
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53
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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54
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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55
scrutinized
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| v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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56
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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57
recede
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| vi.退(去)，渐渐远去；向后倾斜，缩进 | |
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58
prodded
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| v.刺，戳( prod的过去式和过去分词 )；刺激；促使；（用手指或尖物）戳 | |
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59
ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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60
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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61
outskirts
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| n.郊外，郊区 | |
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62
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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63
venom
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| n.毒液，恶毒，痛恨 | |
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64
conspirators
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| n.共谋者，阴谋家( conspirator的名词复数 ) | |
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65
suffused
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| v.（指颜色、水气等）弥漫于，布满( suffuse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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66
portfolio
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| n.公事包；文件夹；大臣及部长职位 | |
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67
soothe
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| v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承 | |
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68
distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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69
rogue
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| n.流氓；v.游手好闲 | |
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70
expedient
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| adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计 | |
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71
baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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72
rummaged
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| 翻找，搜寻( rummage的过去式和过去分词 )； 已经海关检查 | |
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73
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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74
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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75
deftly
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| adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地 | |
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76
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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77
wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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78
discreet
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| adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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80
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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81
kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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82
scrawled
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| 乱涂，潦草地写( scrawl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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83
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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84
repent
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| v.悔悟，悔改，忏悔，后悔 | |
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