小说搜索     点击排行榜   最新入库
首页 » 经典英文小说 » The Queen’s Necklace王后的项链 » CHAPTER XX. GOLD.
选择底色: 选择字号:【大】【中】【小】
CHAPTER XX. GOLD.
关注小说网官方公众号(noveltingroom),原版名著免费领。
 We must now return to the interior of the room. Beausire was much surprised to see Oliva lock the door, and still more so not to see his adversary1. He began to feel triumphant2, for if he was hiding from him he must, he thought, be afraid of him. He therefore began to search for him; but Oliva talked so loud and fast that he advanced towards her to try and stop her, but was received with a box on the ear, which he returned in kind. Oliva replied by throwing a china vase at his head, and his answer was a blow with a cane3. She, furious, flew at him and seized him by the throat, and he, trying to free himself, tore her dress.
 
Then, with a cry, she pushed him from her with such force that he fell in the middle of the room.
 
He began to get tired of this, so he said, without commencing another attack, “You are a wicked creature; you ruin me.”
 
“On the contrary, it is you who ruin me.”
 
“Oh, I ruin her!—she who has nothing!”
 
“Say that I have nothing now, say that you have eaten, and drank, and played away all that I had.”
 
“You reproach me with my poverty.”
 
“Yes, for it comes from your vices4.”
 
“Do not talk of vices; it only remained for you to take a lover.”
 
“And what do you call all those wretches5 who sit by you in the tennis-court, where you play?”
 
“I play to live.”
 
“And nicely you succeed; we should die of hunger from your industry.”
 
“And you, with yours, are obliged to cry if you get your dress torn, because you have nothing to buy another with.”
 
“I do better than you, at all events;” and, putting her hand in her pocket, she drew out some gold and threw it across the room.
 
When Beausire saw this, he remained stupefied.
 
“Louis!” cried he at last.
 
She took out some more, and threw them in his face.
 
“Oh!” cried he, “Oliva has become rich!”
 
“This is what my industry brings in,” said she, pushing him with her foot as he kneeled down to pick up the gold.
 
“Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen,” counted he, joyfully7.
 
“Miserable wretch6!” said Oliva.
 
“Nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two.”
 
“Coward!”
 
“Twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five.”
 
“Infamous wretch!”
 
He got up. “And so, mademoiselle, you have been saving money when you kept me without necessaries. You let me go about in an old hat, darned stockings, and patched clothes, while you had all this money! Where does it come from! From the sale of my things?”
 
“Scoundrel!” murmured Oliva, looking at him with contempt.
 
“But I pardon your avarice,” continued he.
 
“You would have killed me just now,” said Oliva.
 
“Then I should have been right; now I should be wrong to do it.”
 
“Why, if you please?”
 
“Because now you contribute to our ménage.”
 
“You are a base wretch.’”
 
“My little Oliva!”
 
“Give me back my money.”
 
“Oh, my darling!”
 
“If you do not, I will pass your own sword through your body!”
 
“Oliva!”
 
“Will you give it?”
 
“Oh, you would not take it away?”
 
“Ah, coward! you beg, you solicit8 for the fruits of my bad conduct—that is what they call a man! I have always despised you.”
 
“I gave to you when I could, Nicole.”
 
“Do not call me Nicole.”
 
“Pardon, then, Oliva. But is it not true?”
 
“Fine presents, certainly: some silver buckles10, six louis d’or, two silk dresses, and three embroidered11 handkerchiefs.”
 
“It is a great deal for a soldier.”
 
“Hold your tongue! The buckles you stole from some one else, the louis d’or you borrowed and never returned, the silk dresses——”
 
“Oliva! Oliva!”
 
“Give me back my money.”
 
“What shall I give you instead?”
 
“Double the quantity.”
 
“Well,” said the rogue12, gravely, “I will go to the Rue9 de Bussy and play with it, and bring you back, not the double, but the quintuple;” and he made two steps to the door.
 
She caught him by the coat.
 
“There,” said he, “you have torn my coat.”
 
“Never mind; you shall have a new one.”
 
“That will be six louis, Oliva. Luckily, at the Rue de Bussy they are not particular about dress.”
 
Oliva seized hold of the other tail, and tore it right off.
 
Beausire became furious.
 
“Mort de tous les diables!” cried he, “you will make me kill you at last! You are tearing me to bits! Now I cannot go out.”
 
“On the contrary, you must go out immediately.”
 
“Without a coat?”
 
“Put on your great-coat.”
 
“It is all in holes.”
 
“Then do not put it on; but you must go out.”
 
“I will not.”
 
She took out of her pocket another handful of gold, and put it into his hands.
 
Beausire kneeled at her feet and cried, “Order, and I will obey!”
 
“Go quickly to the Capucin, Rue de Seine, where they sell dominoes for the bal masque, and buy me one complete, mask and all.”
 
“Good.”
 
“And one for yourself—black, but mine white; and I only give you twenty minutes to do it in.”
 
“Are we going to the ball?”
 
“Yes, if you are obedient.”
 
“Oh, always.”
 
“Go, then, and show your zeal13.”
 
“I run; but the money?”
 
“You have twenty-five louis, that you picked up.”
 
“Oh, Oliva, I thought you meant to give me those.”
 
“You shall have more another time, but if I give you them now, you will stop and play.”
 
“She is right,” said he to himself; “that is just what I intended to do;” and he set off.
 
As soon as he was gone, Oliva wrote rapidly these words: “The peace is signed, and the ball decided14 on; at two o’clock we shall be at the Opera. I shall wear a white domino, with a blue ribbon on my left shoulder.” Then, rolling this round a bit of the broken vase, she went to the window and threw it out.
 
The valet picked it up, and made off immediately.
 
In less than half an hour M. Beausire returned, followed by two men, bringing, at the cost of eighteen louis, two beautiful dominoes, such as were only turned out at the Capucin, makers15 to her majesty16 and the maids of honor.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 adversary mxrzt     
adj.敌手,对手
参考例句:
  • He saw her as his main adversary within the company.他将她视为公司中主要的对手。
  • They will do anything to undermine their adversary's reputation.他们会不择手段地去损害对手的名誉。
2 triumphant JpQys     
adj.胜利的,成功的;狂欢的,喜悦的
参考例句:
  • The army made a triumphant entry into the enemy's capital.部队胜利地进入了敌方首都。
  • There was a positively triumphant note in her voice.她的声音里带有一种极为得意的语气。
3 cane RsNzT     
n.手杖,细长的茎,藤条;v.以杖击,以藤编制的
参考例句:
  • This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
  • English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。
4 vices 01aad211a45c120dcd263c6f3d60ce79     
缺陷( vice的名词复数 ); 恶习; 不道德行为; 台钳
参考例句:
  • In spite of his vices, he was loved by all. 尽管他有缺点,还是受到大家的爱戴。
  • He vituperated from the pulpit the vices of the court. 他在教堂的讲坛上责骂宫廷的罪恶。
5 wretches 279ac1104342e09faf6a011b43f12d57     
n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 );可怜的人;恶棍;坏蛋
参考例句:
  • The little wretches were all bedraggledfrom some roguery. 小淘气们由于恶作剧而弄得脏乎乎的。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • The best courage for us poor wretches is to fly from danger. 对我们这些可怜虫说来,最好的出路还是躲避危险。 来自辞典例句
6 wretch EIPyl     
n.可怜的人,不幸的人;卑鄙的人
参考例句:
  • You are really an ungrateful wretch to complain instead of thanking him.你不但不谢他,还埋怨他,真不知好歹。
  • The dead husband is not the dishonoured wretch they fancied him.死去的丈夫不是他们所想象的不光彩的坏蛋。
7 joyfully joyfully     
adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地
参考例句:
  • She tripped along joyfully as if treading on air. 她高兴地走着,脚底下轻飘飘的。
  • During these first weeks she slaved joyfully. 在最初的几周里,她干得很高兴。
8 solicit AFrzc     
vi.勾引;乞求;vt.请求,乞求;招揽(生意)
参考例句:
  • Beggars are not allowed to solicit in public places.乞丐不得在公共场所乞讨。
  • We should often solicit opinions from the masses.我们应该经常征求群众意见。
9 rue 8DGy6     
n.懊悔,芸香,后悔;v.后悔,悲伤,懊悔
参考例句:
  • You'll rue having failed in the examination.你会悔恨考试失败。
  • You're going to rue this the longest day that you live.你要终身悔恨不尽呢。
10 buckles 9b6f57ea84ab184d0a14e4f889795f56     
搭扣,扣环( buckle的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • She gazed proudly at the shiny buckles on her shoes. 她骄傲地注视着鞋上闪亮的扣环。
  • When the plate becomes unstable, it buckles laterally. 当板失去稳定时,就发生横向屈曲。
11 embroidered StqztZ     
adj.绣花的
参考例句:
  • She embroidered flowers on the cushion covers. 她在这些靠垫套上绣了花。
  • She embroidered flowers on the front of the dress. 她在连衣裙的正面绣花。
12 rogue qCfzo     
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。
13 zeal mMqzR     
n.热心,热情,热忱
参考例句:
  • Revolutionary zeal caught them up,and they joined the army.革命热情激励他们,于是他们从军了。
  • They worked with great zeal to finish the project.他们热情高涨地工作,以期完成这个项目。
14 decided lvqzZd     
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。
15 makers 22a4efff03ac42c1785d09a48313d352     
n.制造者,制造商(maker的复数形式)
参考例句:
  • The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
  • The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 majesty MAExL     
n.雄伟,壮丽,庄严,威严;最高权威,王权
参考例句:
  • The king had unspeakable majesty.国王有无法形容的威严。
  • Your Majesty must make up your mind quickly!尊贵的陛下,您必须赶快做出决定!


欢迎访问英文小说网

©英文小说网 2005-2010

有任何问题,请给我们留言,管理员邮箱:[email protected]  站长QQ :点击发送消息和我们联系56065533