“Gently, gently!” cried the man, sitting up.
“Where do you wish to go, ladies?” asked the officer.
“To Versailles,” said the elder lady, still speaking German.
“Oh, to Versailles!” repeated the coachman; “four miles and a half over this ice. No, I would rather not.”
“We will pay well,” said the lady.
This was repeated to the coachman in French by the young officer.
“But how much?” said the coachman; “you see it is not only going, I must come back again.”
“A louis; is that enough?” asked the lady of the officer, who, turning to the coachman, said,—
“These ladies offer you a louis.”
“Well, that will do, though I risk breaking my horses’ legs.”
“Why, you rascal3, you know that if you were paid all the way there and back, it would be but twelve francs, and we offer you twenty-four.”
“Oh, do not stay to bargain,” cried the lady; “he shall have twenty louis if he will only set off at once.”
“One is enough, madame.”
“Come down, sir, and open the door.”
“I will be paid first,” said the man.
“You will!” said the officer fiercely.
“Oh! let us pay,” said the lady, putting her hand in her pocket. She turned pale. “Oh! mon Dieu, I have lost my purse! Feel for yours, Andrée.”
“Oh! madame, it is gone too.”
They looked at each other in dismay, while the young officer watched their proceedings4, and the coachman sat grinning, and priding himself on his caution.
The lady was about to offer her gold chain as a pledge, when the young officer drew out a louis, and offered it to the man, who thereupon got down and opened the door.
The ladies thanked him warmly and got in.
“And now, sir, drive these ladies carefully and honestly.”
The ladies looked at each other in terror; they could not bear to see their protector leave them.
“Oh! madame,” said Andrée, “do not let him go away.”
“But why not? we will ask for his address, and return him his louis to-morrow, with a little note of thanks, which you shall write.”
“But, madame, suppose the coachman should not keep faith with us, and should turn us out half way, what would become of us?”
“Oh! we will take his number.”
“Yes, madame, I do not deny that you could have him punished afterwards; but meanwhile, you would not reach Versailles, and what would they think?”
“True,” replied her companion.
The officer advanced to take leave.
“Monsieur,” said Andrée, “one word more, if you please.”
“At your orders, madame,” he said politely, but somewhat stiffly.
“Monsieur, you cannot refuse us one more favor, after serving us so much?”
“What is it, madame?”
“You need not fear,” replied he; “I have his number, and if he does not behave well, apply to me.”
“To you, sir?” said Andrée in French, forgetting herself; “we do not even know your name.”
“You speak French,” exclaimed the young man, “and you have been condemning8 me all this time to blunder on in German!”
“Excuse us, sir,” said the elder lady, coming to Andrée’s rescue, “but you must see, that though not perhaps foreigners, we are strangers in Paris, and above all, out of our places in a hackney coach. You are sufficiently9 a man of the world to see that we are placed in an awkward position. I feel assured you are generous enough to believe the best of us, and to complete the service you have rendered, and above all, to ask us no questions.”
“Madame,” replied the officer, charmed with her noble, yet pleasing manner, “dispose of me as you will.”
“Then, sir, have the kindness to get in, and accompany us to Versailles.”
The officer instantly placed himself opposite to them, and directed the man to drive on.
After proceeding5 in silence for some little time, he began to feel himself surrounded with delicate and delicious perfumes, and gradually began to think better of the ladies’ position. “They are,” thought he, “ladies who have been detained late at some rendezvous10, and are now anxious to regain11 Versailles, much frightened, and a little ashamed; still, two ladies, driving themselves in a cabriolet! However,” recollected12 he, “there was a servant behind; but then again, no money on either of them, but probably the footman carried the purse; and the carriage was certainly a very elegant one, and the horse could not have been worth less than one hundred and fifty louis; therefore they must be rich, so that the accidental want of money proves nothing. But why speak a foreign language when they must be French? However, that at least shows a good education, and they speak both languages with perfect purity; besides, there is an air of distinction about them. The supplication13 of the younger one was touching14, and the request of the other was noble and imposing15; indeed, I begin to feel it dangerous to pass two or three hours in a carriage with two such pretty women, pretty and discreet16 also; for they do not speak, but wait for me to begin.”
On their parts, the ladies were doubtless thinking of him, for just as he had arrived at these conclusions, the elder lady said to her companion, but this time in English:
“Really, this coachman crawls along; we shall never reach Versailles; I fear our poor companion must be terribly ennuyé.”
“Particularly,” answered Andrée, smiling, “as our conversation has not been very amusing.”
“Do you not think he has a most distinguished17 air?”
“Yes, certainly.”
“Besides, he wears the uniform of a naval18 officer, and all naval officers are of good family. He looks well in it, too, for he is very handsome.”
Here the young man interrupted them. “Your pardon, ladies,” said he, in excellent English, “but I must tell you that I understand English perfectly19; I do not, however, know Spanish; therefore, if you can and like to speak in that language, you are safe from my understanding you.”
“Oh, monsieur,” replied the lady, laughing, “we had no harm to say of you, as you must have heard; therefore we will content ourselves with French for the remainder of the time.”
“Thanks, madame, but if my presence be irksome to you——”
“You cannot suppose that, sir, as it was we who begged you to accompany us.”
“Exacted it, even,” said Andrée.
“Oh, madame, you overwhelm me; pray pardon me my momentary20 hesitation21; but Paris is so full of snares22 and deceptions23.”
“You then took us for——”
“Monsieur took us for snares, that is all.”
“Oh! ladies,” said the young man, quite humiliated24, “I assure you, I did not.”
“But what is the matter? The coach stops.”
“I will see, madame.”
“Oh! I think we are overturning; pray take care, sir.”
And Andrée, in her terror, laid her hand on the young man’s shoulder.
He, yielding to an impulse, attempted to seize her little hand; but she had in a moment thrown herself back again in the carriage. He therefore got out, and found the coachman engaged in raising one of his horses, which had fallen on the ice.
The horse, with his aid, was soon on its legs again, and they pursued their way.
It seemed, however, that this little interruption had destroyed the intimacy25 which had begun to spring up, for after the ladies had asked and been told the cause of their detention26, all relapsed into silence.
The young man, however, who had derived27 some pleasure from the touch of that little hand, thought he would at least have a foot in exchange; he therefore stretched out his, and endeavored to touch hers, which, was, however, quickly withdrawn28; and when he did just touch that of the elder lady, she said, with great sang-froid,——
“I fear, sir, I am dreadfully in your way.”
He colored up to the ears, and felt thankful to the darkness, which prevented it from being seen. After this, he desisted, and remained perfectly still, fearing even to renew the conversation, lest he should seem impertinent to these ladies, to whom, at first, he had thought himself rather condescending29 in his politeness.
Still, in spite of himself, he felt more and more strongly attracted towards them, and an increasing interest in them. From time to time he heard them speak softly to each other, and he caught these words:
“So late an hour! what excuse for being out?”
At last the coach stopped again, but this time it was no accident, but simply that they had arrived at Versailles.
The young man thought the time had passed with marvelous quickness.
“We are at Versailles,” said the coachman.
“Where must he stop, ladies?” asked the officer.
“At the Place d’Armes.”
“At the Place d’Armes, coachman,” said the officer; “go on.—I must say something to them,” thought he, “or they will now think me a stupid, as they must before have thought me impertinent.”
“Mesdames,” said he, “you are at length arrived.”
“Thanks to your generous assistance.”
“What trouble we have given you,” added Andrée.
“Oh, madame, do not speak of it!”
“Well, sir, we shall not forget; will you tell us your name?”
“My name?”
“Certainly, sir; you do not wish to make us a present of a louis, I hope.”
“Oh, madame, if that is it,” said the young man, rather piqued30, “I yield; I am the Comte de Charney, and as madame has already remarked, a naval officer.”
“Charney,” repeated the elder lady, “I shall not forget.”
“Yes, madame, Georges de Charney.”
“And you live——?”
The coach stopped. The elder lady opened the door and jumped out quickly, holding out a hand to her companion.
“But pray, ladies,” said he, preparing to follow them, “take my arm; you are not yet at your own home.”
“Oh, sir, do not move.”
“Not move?”
“No; pray remain in the coach.”
“You cannot walk alone at this time of night; it is impossible.”
“Now, you see,” said the elder lady, gaily31, “after almost refusing to oblige us, you wish to be too obliging.”
“But, madame——”
“Sir, remain to the end a loyal and gallant32 cavalier; we thank you, M. de Charney, with all our hearts, and will not even ask your word——”
“To do what, madame?”
“To shut the door, and order the man to drive back to Paris, without even looking where we go, which you will do, will you not?”
“I will obey you, madame; coachman, back again.” And he put a second louis into the man’s hand, who joyfully33 set off on his return.
The young man sighed, as he took his place on the cushions which the unknown ladies had just occupied.
They remained motionless till the coach was out of sight, and then took their way towards the castle.
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收听单词发音
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1
tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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2
awaken
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| vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起 | |
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3
rascal
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| n.流氓；不诚实的人 | |
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proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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6
rue
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| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
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7
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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8
condemning
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| v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地 | |
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9
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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10
rendezvous
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| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
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11
regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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12
recollected
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| adj.冷静的；镇定的；被回忆起的；沉思默想的v.记起，想起( recollect的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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13
supplication
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| n.恳求，祈愿，哀求 | |
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14
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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15
imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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16
discreet
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| adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的 | |
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17
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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18
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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19
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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20
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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21
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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22
snares
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| n.陷阱( snare的名词复数 )；圈套；诱人遭受失败（丢脸、损失等）的东西；诱惑物v.用罗网捕捉，诱陷，陷害( snare的第三人称单数 ) | |
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23
deceptions
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| 欺骗( deception的名词复数 )； 骗术，诡计 | |
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24
humiliated
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| 感到羞愧的 | |
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intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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26
detention
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| n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下 | |
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27
derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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28
withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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29
condescending
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| adj.谦逊的,故意屈尊的 | |
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30
piqued
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| v.伤害…的自尊心( pique的过去式和过去分词 )；激起（好奇心） | |
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31
gaily
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| adv.欢乐地，高兴地 | |
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32
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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33
joyfully
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| adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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