It fetched me wide awake with a start, and I was up and weaponed instantly—having taken the precaution to lay my sword in easy reach before blowing out the candle. Groping my way cautiously to the secret door, I crouched2 and listened. All was silent save for the intermittent3 clamor of the wassailers in the room beneath. After waiting a full minute I opened the door and looked without. The high dormer window in the end of the corridor made the darkness something less than visible, and I could see that the passage was empty. But on the floor at my feet was my supper; a roasted fowl4 on a server, hot from the spit, with maize5 bread and garnishings fit for an epicure6.
Since, as an appanage of Appleby Hundred, this was mine own house, and, by consequence, the fowl was mine, I ate as a hungry man should, making no scruple7 on the score of pride. Nor did I forget to be grateful to my lady; though when I remembered that this was doubtless but another leaf out of her duty-book, the meat was like to choke me. And it was this thought that made me resolve thrice over to loose her from the onerous8 burden of me so soon as ever the morning light should come to help me find the way out of my covert9 prison.
None the less, for all my fine resolves to be astir and off by daybreak, the sun was shining broadly in at my garret window when I awoke.
Seeing the sun, I tumbled out of my settle-bed, with a malediction10 on the sloth11 that had bound me so fast, and made for the door. But some one had been before me, entering whilst I slept. On a broken chair were a basin and ewer12, with soap and towels; beside the chair was my portmanteau; and on a deal box, neatly13 covered with a linen14 cloth, was my breakfast.
You, my dears, who have your maid or man to tell you when your bath is ready, and to lay out the fresh, clean garments sweet from the laundering15, may wonder that I put away the thought of flight and let the breakfast cool whilst I shaved and washed and scrubbed, and doffed16 the vagabond and donned the gentleman. I did it; did it leisurely17, rolling the privilege as a sweet morsel18 under my tongue. They say the raiment never makes the man; 'tis a half-truth only. For in his own regard, at least, the man is vagabond or gentleman as he may dress the one part or the other. And I am sure of this; that when I drew up another of the cast-off chairs to sit at meat, freshly groomed19, and clad in the field uniform of a captain of her Apostolic Majesty's Hussars, I was the fitter by many transmigrations to cope with fate or any other adversary20.
And now, the claims of decency21 paid in full, and the keen edge of hunger somewhat dulled, I was free to think of my sweet lady's loving-kindness to one she hated—and to wonder what she would do and be for one she loved. As you would guess, there were dregs of bitterness in that cup; and I was once again set sharp upon relieving her of the burden of me.
Having my Austrian uniform, I was now ready to move in that venture outlined in part to Colonel Davie; but to set my plan in action I must first get free of the house unseen by my Lord or any of his suite22. How to do this unaided I could not determine; and, since any fresh blundering would surely breed new trouble for Margery, I was forced to wait for her return.
I made sure she would come, if only to be the sooner quit of me; and so she did, tapping at the wainscot door whilst I was dallying23 with the breakfast leavings. 'Twas worth something to see her start of surprise when I opened to her; but she was far too true a lady to be one thing to the unwashed vagabond and another to the gentleman-clad.
I gave her good morning, and was beginning in some formal fashion to thank her for her thoughtful care, when she cut me short.
"'Tis my bounden duty, sir," she said, twanging once again upon that frayed24 string. "You are my guest and my—husband; though God knows I would you were neither."
"Merci, Madame," said I; stung so sharply that the retort would out in spite of everything. "As once before, I am your poor misfortunate pensioner25; but this time you are not less willing to give than I am to receive."
She gave me a look that I could not fathom26, and for a flitting instant I could have sworn there was a mocking smile a-lurk at the back of the beautiful eyes. Then she went straight to the subject-matter of her errand, brushing aside the small passage at arms as if it had not been.
"You are in a most perilous27 situation, Captain Ireton; do you know it? News of your presence in Charlotte has got abroad, and at this very moment Tarleton's dragoons are making a house-to-house search for you."
"So; some one has betrayed me?"
She nodded.
"Do you know who it was?"
She nodded again.
I considered of it for a little time, and then said: "I must not be taken here. Will your—ah—duty stretch the length of showing me an unwatched door?"
"There are no doors unwatched. You must stay here till nightfall."
"'Twas a man you hate—and who hates you heartily29 in return. He saw you come here last night; he knows you are here now—or guesses it."
I had no right to pry30 into her confidence as a thief would break into a house. But I was loath31 to fight my battle in the dark if she, or any one, could give me light.
"His name, if you may give it, Mistress Margery. It may point the way out of this coil."
"'Tis Owen Pengarvin. He was here last night when you came."
Now I remembered the little man in black whom I had seen coming down the stair whilst I knocked at the door. But this left me in a greater maze32 than ever.
"If he knows I am here, why does he let them search elsewhere?"
"He has reasons of his own; reasons of—of—" but instead of telling me what they were she broke off to say: "But now you know why all the doors of this house are under guard."
"Truly," said I; and therewith I fell to pacing up and down the narrow clear-way in the garret, striving to see how I might come off with nothing worse than the loss of my burdensome life.
'Twas easy to guess how this shaveling lawyer had discomfited34 me. Forewarned is forearmed in any soldier camp; and through his blabbing, the plan by which I had hoped to lull35 resentment36 and forestall37 suspicion was nipped in the bud. I saw the far-reaching consequences, and was made to know how a trapped rat will turn and fight in sheer desperation whilst the terrier is shaking him to death.
When that leaven38 began to work in me I was fit for the daringest thing that offered; so I paused to ask if my Lord Cornwallis were yet in the house.
"He is writing letters in his bed-room," was her answer.
"I will not—unless you first tell me what you mean to do." She said it firmly, but now I was fronting death and could be as firm as she.
"If you will not show me the way, I shall find it for myself." So much I said; but as for telling her that I meant to save his Lordship and all the others the trouble of running me down, I could not do that.
"You are going to give yourself up," she said; and when I would not deny it, she darted41 before me and set her back against the wainscot door. "'Tis folly42, folly!" she cried. "He would but pull the bell-cord and—"
"And give the order that Colonel Tarleton's sentence be executed upon me, you would say. Be it so. But in that event I can at least clear you and your father of any complicity in my hiding."
"I say you shall not go!"
What touch of savagery43 is it in a man that will not suffer him to let a woman, loved or unloved, stand in the last resort against his will? At any other time I would have pleaded with her; would have ended, mayhap, by weakly deferring44 to her wish. But now—well, you must remember, my dears, that I was the trapped rat. I took her gently in my arms, set her aside, and stepped out into the corridor.
I looked for nothing less than a volcano-burst of righteous indignation to pay me out for this piece of tyranny. But now, as twice or thrice before, my lady showed me how little a man may know of a woman's moods.
"You need not be so masterful rough with me," she said, with a pouting45 of the sweet lips that set me back upon that thought of a wayward child wanting to be kissed. "If you say I must, I am in duty bound to show you the way." And so she led on and I followed, in a deeper maze than any she had ever set me in.
Arrived at a pair of doors in the main passage, she showed me the one that opened to my Lord's bed-chamber and ran away; ran with her hands to her face as if to shut out a sight which would not bear looking upon.
I turned my back stiffly upon this newer wonder, pulled myself together and rapped on the door. A voice within bade me enter; the door opened under my hand and I stood in the presence of the man who, as I made no doubt, would shortly summon his guards and have me out to my rope and tree.
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收听单词发音
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1
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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3
intermittent
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| adj.间歇的，断断续续的 | |
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4
fowl
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| n.家禽，鸡，禽肉 | |
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maize
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| n.玉米 | |
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epicure
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| n.行家，美食家 | |
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7
scruple
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| n./v.顾忌，迟疑 | |
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onerous
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| adj.繁重的 | |
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covert
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| adj.隐藏的；暗地里的 | |
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malediction
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| n.诅咒 | |
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sloth
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| n.[动]树懒；懒惰，懒散 | |
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12
ewer
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| n.大口水罐 | |
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neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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14
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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15
laundering
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| n.洗涤（衣等），洗烫（衣等）；洗（钱）v.洗（衣服等），洗烫（衣服等）( launder的现在分词 )；洗（黑钱）（把非法收入改头换面，变为貌似合法的收入） | |
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16
doffed
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| v.脱去，（尤指）脱帽( doff的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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17
leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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morsel
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| n.一口，一点点 | |
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groomed
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| v.照料或梳洗（马等）( groom的过去式和过去分词 )；使做好准备；训练；（给动物）擦洗 | |
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adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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decency
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| n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重 | |
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22
suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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dallying
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| v.随随便便地对待( dally的现在分词 )；不很认真地考虑；浪费时间；调情 | |
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24
frayed
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| adj.磨损的v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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pensioner
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| n.领养老金的人 | |
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fathom
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| v.领悟，彻底了解 | |
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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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28
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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30
pry
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| vi.窥(刺)探，打听；vt.撬动(开，起) | |
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31
loath
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| adj.不愿意的；勉强的 | |
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32
maze
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| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
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33
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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34
discomfited
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| v.使为难( discomfit的过去式和过去分词)；使狼狈；使挫折；挫败 | |
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35
lull
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| v.使安静，使入睡，缓和，哄骗；n.暂停，间歇 | |
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36
resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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37
forestall
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| vt.抢在…之前采取行动；预先阻止 | |
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38
leaven
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| v.使发酵；n.酵母；影响 | |
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39
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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40
debtor
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| n.借方，债务人 | |
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41
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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42
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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43
savagery
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| n.野性 | |
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44
deferring
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| v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的现在分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从 | |
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45
pouting
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| v.撅（嘴）( pout的现在分词 ) | |
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