This time I found myself in a regular arsenal3. All the furniture was of the fifteenth or sixteenth century—the carved and canopied4 bedstead, supported by great posts, was draped with green damask à fleur d’or; the window curtains were of the same material. The walls were covered with Spanish leather, and in the open spaces were sustained trophies5 of Gothic and modern arms.
There was no mistaking the tastes of the occupant of this room: they were as warlike as those of his brother were peaceable.
“Look here,” he said, passing into an inner room, “here you are in three centuries at once—see! I will dress while you amuse yourself, for I must make haste or supper will be announced.”
“Which are the historic arms of which you spoke6 amongst all these swords, arquebuses, and poignards?” I asked.
“There are three. Let us take them in order. If you look by the head of my bed you will find a poignard with a very large hilt—the pommel forms a seal.”
“Yes, I have it.”
“The famous Sampietro, the assassin of Vanina?”
“It is the same thing, I fancy.”
“To the rest of the world, perhaps—not in Corsica.”
“Look for yourself. It carries the arms of Sampietro—only the fleur-de-lis of France is missing. You know that Sampietro was not authorized10 to wear the lily until after the siege of Perpignan.”
“Oh! it has been in our family for three hundred years. It was given to a Napoleon de Franchi by Sampietro himself.”
“Do you remember on what occasion?”
“Yes. Sampietro and my ancestor fell into an ambuscade of Genoese, and defended themselves like lions. Sampietro’s helmet was knocked off, and a Genoese on horseback was about to kill Sampietro with his mace12 when my ancestor plunged13 his dagger into a joint14 in his enemy’s armour15. The rider feeling himself wounded spurred his horse, carrying away in his flight the dagger so firmly embedded16 in his armour that he was unable to withdraw it, and as my ancestor very much regretted the loss of his favourite weapon Sampietro gave him his own. Napoleon took great care of it, for it is of Spanish workmanship, as you see, and will penetrate17 two five-franc pieces one on top of another.”
“May I make the attempt?”
“Certainly.”
Placing the coins upon the floor, I struck a sharp blow with the dagger. Lucien had not deceived me.
When I withdrew the poignard I found both pieces pierced through and through, fixed18 upon the point of the dagger.
“This is indeed the dagger of Sampietro,” I said. “But what astonishes me is that being possessed of such a weapon he should have employed the cord to kill his wife.”
“He did not possess it at that time,” replied Lucien; “he had given it to my ancestor.”
“Ah! true!”
“Sampietro was more than sixty years old when he hastened from Constantinople to Aix to teach that lesson to the world, viz., that women should not meddle19 in state affairs.”
“Now,” said I to Lucien, who all this time had been dressing21, “let us pass on from Sampietro to some one else.”
“You see those two portraits close together?”
“Yes, Paoli and Napoleon.”
“Well, near the portrait of Paoli is a sword.”
“Precisely so.”
“That is his sword.”
“Paoli’s sword? And is it as authentic as the poignard of Sampietro?”
“Yes, at least as authentic; though he did not give it to one of my male ancestors, but to one of the ladies.”
“To one of your female ancestors?”
“Yes. Perhaps you have heard people speak of this woman, who in the war of independence presented herself at the Tower of Sullacaro, accompanied by a young man?”
“No, tell me the story.”
“Oh, it is a very short one.”
“So much the worse.”
“Well, you see, we have not much time to talk now.”
“I am all attention.”
“Well, this woman and this young man presented themselves before the Tower of Sullacaro and requested to speak with Paoli; but as he was engaged writing, he declined to admit them; and then, as the woman insisted, the two sentinels repulsed22 her, when Paoli, who had heard the noise, opened the door and inquired the cause.”
“ ‘It is I,’ said the woman; ‘I wish to speak to you.’
“ ‘What have you to say to me?’
“ ‘I have come to tell you that I have two sons. I heard yesterday that one had been killed for defending his country, and I have come twenty leagues to bring you the other!!!’ ”
“You are relating an incident of Sparta,” I said.
“Yes, it does appear very like it.”
“And who was this woman?”
“She was my ancestress.”
“Paoli took off his sword and gave it to her.
“ ‘Take it,’ he said, ‘I like time to make my excuses to woman.’ ”
“And now this sabre?”
“That is the one Buonaparte carried at the battle of the Pyramids.”
“No doubt it came into your family in the same manner as the poignard and the sword.”
“Entirely. After the battle Buonaparte gave the order to my grandfather, who was an officer in the Guides, to charge with fifty men a number of Mamelukes who were at bay around a wounded chieftain. My grandfather dispersed24 the Mamelukes and took the chief back a prisoner to the First Consul25. But when he wished to sheath his sword he found the blade had been so bent26 in his encounter with the Mamelukes that it would not go into the scabbard. My grandfather therefore threw sabre and sheath away as useless, and, seeing this, Buonaparte gave him his own.”
“But,” I said, “in your place I would rather have had my grandfather’s sabre, all bent as it was, instead of that of the general’s, which was in good condition.”
“Look before you and you will find it. The First Consul had it recovered, and caused that large diamond to be inserted in the hilt. He then sent it to my family with the inscription27 which you can read on the blade.”
I advanced between the windows, where, hanging half-drawn from its scabbard, which it could not fully28 enter, I perceived the sabre bent and hacked29, bearing the simple inscription—
“Battle of the Pyramids, 21st of July, 1798.”
At that moment the servant came to announce that supper was served.
“Very well, Griffo,” replied the young man; “tell my mother that we are coming down.”
As he spoke he came forth30 from the inner room, dressed, as he said, like a mountaineer; that is to say, with a round velvet31 coat, trowsers, and gaiters; of his other costume he had only retained his pouch32.
He found me occupied in examing two carbines hanging opposite each other, and both inscribed—
“21st September, 1819: 11 A.M.”
“Are these carbines also historical?” I asked.
“Yes,” he answered. “For us, at least, they bear a historical significance. One was my father’s—”
He hesitated.
“And the other,” I suggested.
“And the other,” he said, laughing, “is my mother’s. But let us go downstairs; my mother will be awaiting us.”
Then passing in front of me to show me the way he courteously33 signed to me to follow him.
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1
inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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arsenal
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| n.兵工厂，军械库 | |
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canopied
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| adj. 遮有天篷的 | |
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trophies
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| n.（为竞赛获胜者颁发的）奖品( trophy的名词复数 )；奖杯；（尤指狩猎或战争中获得的）纪念品；（用于比赛或赛跑名称）奖 | |
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6
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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dagger
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| n.匕首，短剑，剑号 | |
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avenger
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| n. 复仇者 | |
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authentic
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| a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的 | |
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authorized
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| a.委任的，许可的 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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12
mace
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| n.狼牙棒，豆蔻干皮 | |
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13
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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14
joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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15
armour
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| （=armor）n.盔甲；装甲部队 | |
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embedded
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| a.扎牢的 | |
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penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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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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meddle
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| v.干预，干涉，插手 | |
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assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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repulsed
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| v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 )；驳斥；拒绝 | |
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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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dispersed
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| adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
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consul
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| n.领事；执政官 | |
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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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inscription
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| n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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hacked
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| 生气 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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32
pouch
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| n.小袋，小包，囊状袋；vt.装...入袋中，用袋运输；vi.用袋送信件 | |
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33
courteously
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| adv.有礼貌地，亲切地 | |
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