CHAPTER XIII—OOLANGA’S HALLUCINATIONS

 During the last few days Lady Arabella had been getting exceedingly impatient.  Her debts, always pressing, were growing to an embarrassing amount.  The only hope she had of comfort in life was a good marriage; but the good marriage on which she had fixed¹ her eye did not seem to move quickly enough—indeed, it did not seem to move at all—in the right direction.  Edgar Caswall was not an ardent² wooer.  From the very first he seemed difficile, but he had been keeping to his own room ever since his struggle with Mimi Watford.  On that occasion Lady Arabella had shown him in an unmistakable way what her feelings were; indeed, she had made it known to him, in a more overt³ way than pride should allow, that she wished to help and support him.  The moment when she had gone across the room to stand beside him in his mesmeric struggle, had been the very limit of her voluntary action.  It was quite bitter enough, she felt, that he did not come to her, but now that she had made that advance, she felt that any withdrawal⁴ on his part would, to a woman of her class, be nothing less than a flaming insult.  Had she not classed herself with his nigger servant, an unreformed savage⁵?  Had she not shown her preference for him at the festival of his home-coming?  Had she not . . . Lady Arabella was cold-blooded, and she was prepared to go through all that might be necessary of indifference⁶, and even insult, to become chatelaine of Castra Regis.  In the meantime, she would show no hurry—she must wait.  She might, in an unostentatious way, come to him again.  She knew him now, and could make a keen guess at his desires with regard to Lilla Watford.  With that secret in her possession, she could bring pressure to bear on Caswall which would make it no easy matter for him to evade⁷ her.  The great difficulty was how to get near him.  He was shut up within his Castle, and guarded by a defence of convention which she could not pass without danger of ill repute to herself.  Over this question she thought and thought for days and nights.  At last she decided⁸ that the only way would be to go to him openly at Castra Regis.  Her rank and position would make such a thing possible, if carefully done.  She could explain matters afterwards if necessary.  Then when they were alone, she would use her arts and her experience to make him commit himself.  After all, he was only a man, with a man’s dislike of difficult or awkward situations.  She felt quite sufficient confidence in her own womanhood to carry her through any difficulty which might arise.

 

From Diana’s Grove⁹ she heard each day the luncheon-gong from Castra Regis sound, and knew the hour when the servants would be in the back of the house.  She would enter the house at that hour, and, pretending that she could not make anyone hear her, would seek him in his own rooms.  The tower was, she knew, away from all the usual sounds of the house, and moreover she knew that the servants had strict orders not to interrupt him when he was in the turret¹⁰ chamber¹¹.  She had found out, partly by the aid of an opera-glass and partly by judicious¹² questioning, that several times lately a heavy chest had been carried to and from his room, and that it rested in the room each night.  She was, therefore, confident that he had some important work on hand which would keep him busy for long spells.

 

Meanwhile, another member of the household at Castra Regis had schemes which he thought were working to fruition.  A man in the position of a servant has plenty of opportunity of watching his betters and forming opinions regarding them.  Oolanga was in his way a clever, unscrupulous rogue¹³, and he felt that with things moving round him in this great household there should be opportunities of self-advancement.  Being unscrupulous and stealthy—and a savage—he looked to dishonest means.  He saw plainly enough that Lady Arabella was making a dead set at his master, and he was watchful¹⁴ of the slightest sign of anything which might enhance this knowledge.  Like the other men in the house, he knew of the carrying to and fro of the great chest, and had got it into his head that the care exercised in its porterage indicated that it was full of treasure.  He was for ever lurking¹⁵ around the turret-rooms on the chance of making some useful discovery.  But he was as cautious as he was stealthy, and took care that no one else watched him.

 

It was thus that the negro became aware of Lady Arabella’s venture into the house, as she thought, unseen.  He took more care than ever, since he was watching another, that the positions were not reversed.  More than ever he kept his eyes and ears open and his mouth shut.  Seeing Lady Arabella gliding¹⁶ up the stairs towards his master’s room, he took it for granted that she was there for no good, and doubled his watching intentness and caution.

 

Oolanga was disappointed, but he dared not exhibit any feeling lest it should betray that he was hiding.  Therefore he slunk downstairs again noiselessly, and waited for a more favourable¹⁷ opportunity of furthering his plans.  It must be borne in mind that he thought that the heavy trunk was full of valuables, and that he believed that Lady Arabella had come to try to steal it.  His purpose of using for his own advantage the combination of these two ideas was seen later in the day.  Oolanga secretly followed her home.  He was an expert at this game, and succeeded admirably on this occasion.  He watched her enter the private gate of Diana’s Grove, and then, taking a roundabout course and keeping out of her sight, he at last overtook her in a thick part of the Grove where no one could see the meeting.

 

Lady Arabella was much surprised.  She had not seen the negro for several days, and had almost forgotten his existence.  Oolanga would have been startled had he known and been capable of understanding the real value placed on him, his beauty, his worthiness¹⁸, by other persons, and compared it with the value in these matters in which he held himself.  Doubtless Oolanga had his dreams like other men.  In such cases he saw himself as a young sun-god, as beautiful as the eye of dusky or even white womanhood had ever dwelt upon.  He would have been filled with all noble and captivating qualities—or those regarded as such in West Africa.  Women would have loved him, and would have told him so in the overt and fervid¹⁹ manner usual in affairs of the heart in the shadowy depths of the forest of the Gold Coast.

 

Oolanga came close behind Lady Arabella, and in a hushed voice, suitable to the importance of his task, and in deference²⁰ to the respect he had for her and the place, began to unfold the story of his love.  Lady Arabella was not usually a humorous person, but no man or woman of the white race could have checked the laughter which rose spontaneously to her lips.  The circumstances were too grotesque²¹, the contrast too violent, for subdued²² mirth.  The man a debased specimen²³ of one of the most primitive²⁴ races of the earth, and of an ugliness which was simply devilish; the woman of high degree, beautiful, accomplished²⁵.  She thought that her first moment’s consideration of the outrage—it was nothing less in her eyes—had given her the full material for thought.  But every instant after threw new and varied²⁶ lights on the affront²⁷.  Her indignation was too great for passion; only irony²⁸ or satire²⁹ would meet the situation.  Her cold, cruel nature helped, and she did not shrink to subject this ignorant savage to the merciless fire-lash³⁰ of her scorn.

 

Oolanga was dimly conscious that he was being flouted³¹; but his anger was no less keen because of the measure of his ignorance.  So he gave way to it, as does a tortured beast.  He ground his great teeth together, raved³², stamped, and swore in barbarous tongues and with barbarous imagery.  Even Lady Arabella felt that it was well she was within reach of help, or he might have offered her brutal³³ violence—even have killed her.

 

“Am I to understand,” she said with cold disdain³⁴, so much more effective to wound than hot passion, “that you are offering me your love?  Your—love?”

 

For reply he nodded his head.  The scorn of her voice, in a sort of baleful hiss³⁵, sounded—and felt—like the lash of a whip.

 

“And you dared! you—a savage—a slave—the basest thing in the world of vermin!  Take care!  I don’t value your worthless life more than I do that of a rat or a spider.  Don’t let me ever see your hideous³⁶ face here again, or I shall rid the earth of you.”

 

As she was speaking, she had taken out her revolver and was pointing it at him.  In the immediate³⁷ presence of death his impudence³⁸ forsook³⁹ him, and he made a weak effort to justify⁴⁰ himself.  His speech was short, consisting of single words.  To Lady Arabella it sounded mere⁴¹ gibberish, but it was in his own dialect, and meant love, marriage, wife.  From the intonation⁴² of the words, she guessed, with her woman’s quick intuition, at their meaning; but she quite failed to follow, when, becoming more pressing, he continued to urge his suit in a mixture of the grossest animal passion and ridiculous threats.  He warned her that he knew she had tried to steal his master’s treasure, and that he had caught her in the act.  But if she would be his, he would share the treasure with her, and they could live in luxury in the African forests.  But if she refused, he would tell his master, who would flog and torture her and then give her to the police, who would kill her.

1 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

2 ardent   

adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的

参考例句：

• He's an ardent supporter of the local football team.他是本地足球队的热情支持者。
• Ardent expectations were held by his parents for his college career.他父母对他的大学学习抱着殷切的期望。

3 overt   

adj.公开的，明显的，公然的

参考例句：

• His opponent's intention is quite overt.他的对手的意图很明显。
• We should learn to fight with enemy in an overt and covert way.我们应学会同敌人做公开和隐蔽的斗争。

4 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

5 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

6 indifference   

n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎

参考例句：

• I was disappointed by his indifference more than somewhat.他的漠不关心使我很失望。
• He feigned indifference to criticism of his work.他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。

7 evade   

vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避

参考例句：

• He tried to evade the embarrassing question.他企图回避这令人难堪的问题。
• You are in charge of the job.How could you evade the issue?你是负责人，你怎么能对这个问题不置可否？

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 grove   

n.林子，小树林，园林

参考例句：

• On top of the hill was a grove of tall trees.山顶上一片高大的树林。
• The scent of lemons filled the grove.柠檬香味充满了小树林。

10 turret   

n.塔楼，角塔

参考例句：

• This ancient turret has attracted many visitors.这座古老的塔楼吸引了很多游客。
• The soldier scaled the wall of the fortress by turret.士兵通过塔楼攀登上了要塞的城墙。

11 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

12 judicious   

adj.明智的，明断的，能作出明智决定的

参考例句：

• We should listen to the judicious opinion of that old man.我们应该听取那位老人明智的意见。
• A judicious parent encourages his children to make their own decisions.贤明的父亲鼓励儿女自作抉择。

13 rogue   

n.流氓；v.游手好闲

参考例句：

• The little rogue had his grandpa's glasses on.这淘气鬼带上了他祖父的眼镜。
• They defined him as a rogue.他们确定他为骗子。

14 watchful   

adj.注意的，警惕的

参考例句：

• The children played under the watchful eye of their father.孩子们在父亲的小心照看下玩耍。
• It is important that health organizations remain watchful.卫生组织保持警惕是极为重要的。

15 lurking   

潜在

参考例句：

• Why are you lurking around outside my house? 你在我房子外面鬼鬼祟祟的，想干什么？
• There is a suspicious man lurking in the shadows. 有一可疑的人躲在阴暗中。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

16 gliding   

v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的

参考例句：

• Swans went gliding past. 天鹅滑行而过。
• The weather forecast has put a question mark against the chance of doing any gliding tomorrow. 天气预报对明天是否能举行滑翔表示怀疑。

17 favourable   

adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的

参考例句：

• The company will lend you money on very favourable terms.这家公司将以非常优惠的条件借钱给你。
• We found that most people are favourable to the idea.我们发现大多数人同意这个意见。

18 worthiness   

价值，值得

参考例句：

• It'satisfies the spraying robot's function requirement and has practical worthiness. " 运行试验表明，系统工作稳定可靠，满足了喷雾机器人的功能要求，具有实用价值。
• The judge will evaluate the worthiness of these claims. 法官会评估这些索赔的价值。

19 fervid   

adj.热情的；炽热的

参考例句：

• He is a fervid orator.他是个慷慨激昂的演说者。
• He was a ready scholar as you are,but more fervid and impatient.他是一个聪明的学者，跟你一样，不过更加热情而缺乏耐心。

20 deference   

n.尊重，顺从；敬意

参考例句：

• Do you treat your parents and teachers with deference?你对父母师长尊敬吗？
• The major defect of their work was deference to authority.他们的主要缺陷是趋从权威。

21 grotesque   

adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物）

参考例句：

• His face has a grotesque appearance.他的面部表情十分怪。
• Her account of the incident was a grotesque distortion of the truth.她对这件事的陈述是荒诞地歪曲了事实。

22 subdued   

adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
• I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。

23 specimen   

n.样本，标本

参考例句：

• You'll need tweezers to hold up the specimen.你要用镊子来夹这标本。
• This specimen is richly variegated in colour.这件标本上有很多颜色。

24 primitive   

adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物

参考例句：

• It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
• His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

25 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

26 varied   

adj.多样的，多变化的

参考例句：

• The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。
• The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。

27 affront   

n./v.侮辱，触怒

参考例句：

• Your behaviour is an affront to public decency.你的行为有伤风化。
• This remark caused affront to many people.这句话得罪了不少人。

28 irony   

n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄

参考例句：

• She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
• In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。

29 satire   

n.讽刺，讽刺文学，讽刺作品

参考例句：

• The movie is a clever satire on the advertising industry.那部影片是关于广告业的一部巧妙的讽刺作品。
• Satire is often a form of protest against injustice.讽刺往往是一种对不公正的抗议形式。

30 lash   

v.系牢；鞭打；猛烈抨击；n.鞭打；眼睫毛

参考例句：

• He received a lash of her hand on his cheek.他突然被她打了一记耳光。
• With a lash of its tail the tiger leaped at her.老虎把尾巴一甩朝她扑过来。

31 flouted   

v.藐视，轻视( flout的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• North Vietnam flouted the accords from the day they were signed. 北越从签字那天起就无视协定的存在。 来自辞典例句
• They flouted all our offers of help and friendship. 他们对我们愿意提供的所有帮助和友谊表示藐视。 来自辞典例句

32 raved   

v.胡言乱语( rave的过去式和过去分词 )；愤怒地说；咆哮；痴心地说

参考例句：

• Andrew raved all night in his fever. 安德鲁发烧时整夜地说胡话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They raved about her beauty. 他们过分称赞她的美。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

33 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

34 disdain   

n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑

参考例句：

• Some people disdain labour.有些人轻视劳动。
• A great man should disdain flatterers.伟大的人物应鄙视献媚者。

35 hiss   

v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满

参考例句：

• We can hear the hiss of air escaping from a tire.我们能听到一只轮胎的嘶嘶漏气声。
• Don't hiss at the speaker.不要嘘演讲人。

36 hideous   

adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的

参考例句：

• The whole experience had been like some hideous nightmare.整个经历就像一场可怕的噩梦。
• They're not like dogs,they're hideous brutes.它们不像狗，是丑陋的畜牲。

37 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

38 impudence   

n.厚颜无耻；冒失；无礼

参考例句：

• His impudence provoked her into slapping his face.他的粗暴让她气愤地给了他一耳光。
• What knocks me is his impudence.他的厚颜无耻使我感到吃惊。

39 forsook   

forsake的过去式

参考例句：

• He faithlessly forsook his friends in their hour of need. 在最需要的时刻他背信弃义地抛弃朋友。
• She forsook her worldly possessions to devote herself to the church. 她抛弃世上的财物而献身教会。

40 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

41 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

42 intonation   

n.语调，声调；发声

参考例句：

• The teacher checks for pronunciation and intonation.老师在检查发音和语调。
• Questions are spoken with a rising intonation.疑问句是以升调说出来的。