Never did wedding barouche so gorgeous roll over the asphalt of Mulberry as the one in which Signor Di Bello and his bride rode to church; and never had the people beheld1 such an illustrious couple in nuptial2 parade. With an overdone3 mimicry4 of the princesses and duchesses she had watched so often driving in the Chiaja of Naples, Juno sat erect5 and grand of mien6, deigning7 scarcely a glance to right or left. Now and then she did smile with a feigned8 grace, or bow with mock condescension9 in response to some wild salvo of “bravoes” shot as they passed by a caffè from the throats of Signor Di Bello’s boon10 comrades. Nor did these salutes11 meet with a less dignified[Pg 239] return from the bridegroom. His old friends wondered, and avowed13 that the bubbling merchant was not himself to-day. And, in truth, for the first time in his life the signore had put on an air of loftiness and gravity. No one could say that the radiant creature in purple by his side surpassed him in grandeur14. Perhaps it was the example of Juno, perhaps the witchery of his looking-glass. An hour before, arrayed in evening clothes spick and span from the tailor, who had worked overtime15, Signor Di Bello had viewed his mirrored self with much approval and delight. It was his first dress suit, and the round brow, the bushy hair, and the King Humbert mustache showed above the broad field of shirt front in bolder relief and a light that was new to their owner. His facial likeness16 to the monarch17 of Italy had ever been a spring of secret pride, but not until to-day, when he beheld himself in royal raiment, had the similitude played him any mental pranks18. Fondly he gazed in the mirror’s verge19, and [Pg 240]said to himself: “Ah! that is the head of the king, and the head is on my shoulders.” And it was because the king had got into that head so badly that Signor Di Bello rode to his wedding with the stateliness of a royal chief.
At length the plumed20 steeds turned into the Sicilian quarter, and the bridal pair could see the Gothic façade of San Patrizio a block away. At this stage the march lost its triumphal flavour. They had entered the enemy’s country. Here the dusky women at windows breathed no auguries22 of good fortune, and the white-shirted men on the sidewalk, idling in their Sunday best, had no “bravo” for the distinguished23 bridegroom. For about half the distance the Genovese and his Neapolitan were permitted to pass in respect if not in love. Doubtless this silent show of bad blood would have continued unbroken till the church portals were reached, but for the act of a certain earringed fellow who stood on a low balcony. In the long ago his eyes had [Pg 241]seen Humbert, and now he was struck so hard with the resemblance borne him by the man in the carriage that, in a voice ringing sharp to a hundred ears, he shouted:
“Long live the king!” (“Evviva il re!”)
All within earshot laughed as they saw the aptness of the gibe24, and, while the barouche moved along slowly, a dozen tongues by turns re-echoed the cry with derisive25 resonance26:
“Long live the king!”
It would have been difficult to tell from the faces of Juno and Signor Di Bello whether they were pleased or offended.
Among the few who cried out was a young man in black velveteen coat and flowing cravat27. His pallid28 face was serious, had a puzzled look, and his “Long live the king!” did not smack29 of mockery. He fell in beside the carriage, and kept up with it, though with one hand he lugged30 a large valise. Twice he tripped and almost fell in his effort to follow without taking his eyes [Pg 242]off Juno. When the carriage stopped he stood at the curbstone as though enchained, fascinated by the sight of her, and stared half in bewilderment as Signor Di Bello with a grand, knightly31 grace, helped her to alight. Then he ran ahead, set down his valise, and stood at the church door. As they passed in, his gaze still fixed32 upon her and his hands clasped ecstatically, he exclaimed in a voice that all could hear;
“O beautiful signora! How happy I am! The marble does not lie!”
“Soul of an ostrich33!” gasped34 Signor Di Bello, clutching the little silver-tipped horn against the evil eye which he had added to his watch chain that morning. “What the kangaroo does he mean?”
Juno gave no answer. In the vestibule a mincing35 sacristan, low of bow and smiling, came forward to meet the rich merchant and his bride and conduct them at once to the altar. Already a frail36 girl in pink and a hulking fellow clad in new jeans and fumbling37 his hat were at the rail receiving[Pg 243] a wedlock38 yoke39. In the rear pews sat other wedding parties, awaiting their turns at the altar—solemn-faced brides and listless grooms40, bridesmaids in gayest feather, best men with red neckties, aged41 fathers and mothers half asleep. A stream of opal light from the clerestory windows fell upon these waiting groups, touching42 their coarse faces with a ghastly hue43, but adding a mellow44 beauty to their cheap finery. It was an hour of silent prayer, yet none the less a season when marrying and giving in marriage is in full tide at San Patrizio. Save where the mating couples and their trains were assembled, every pew contained a row of bowed heads that were covered with shawls or gaudy45 kerchiefs—the heads of gaunt-cheeked age whose lips never ceased moving in prayer, and who looked up at passers-by with the eyes of a dying dog, side by side with the gleaming teeth and flashing eyes of swarthy youth. The hush46 was broken when the priest asked the names of the pairing men and women. Then his [Pg 244]voice was audible only in the foremost seats. Wedding parties kept arriving. Always a sacristan met them at the holy-water font, and, with a monitory finger on his lips, led them to a rear pew. These were the commoners of Mulberry—the toilers with hod or sweat-shop needle—who in funereal47 soberness had come to the church on foot. They could wait. But for Signor Di Bello and Juno there was no delay. As they passed up the aisle48 Juno’s purple satin brushed the rough-shod feet of women at prayer, prostrate49 on the floor. A pew had been reserved for them on the gospel side. When the priest caught sight of Signor Di Bello, he bustled50 into the sacristy to put on a different robe. At the same moment the man of the black velveteen moved up the aisle with quick, smooth step, and dropped into a pew on the epistle side, well forward, from which he could turn and watch Juno. Again he fastened upon her the stare that never flinched52. For the first time since she had entered upon her bigamous adventure she felt a [Pg 245]twinge of misgiving53. Who was this fellow with his big eyes always upon her? Some friend of Bertino aware that she was already a wife? The priest beckoned54 them before him, and as they approached the velveteen coat slipped into a seat nearer the communion rail.
“What is your name?” asked the priest of the bridegroom.
“Giorgio Di Bello.”
“And yours?” of the bride.
“Juno Castagna.”
“A lie! She is the Presidentessa!” It was the staring man. His voice, loud and high pitched, resounded55 through the church and brought up every row of bowed heads. As he spoke56 the words he arose and left the pew, and stood close to the three at the balustrade. “She can not be that,” he went on, heedless of the priest’s upraised hands. “She must be the Presidentessa.”
Signor Di Bello seemed ready to fall upon the intruder, and the sacerdotal hand restrained him. Two sacristans hurried up [Pg 246]the aisle, but without danger to praying women, for these were all on their feet now.
“The Presidentessa, I tell you—I that know so well.” He pointed57 his finger at the bride. Juno had winced58 at first, but now she understood it all, and knew she was safe for the present. “Did I not make every line of that face out of the marble? Don’t believe it, father. She is the Presidentessa. Juno! Oh, no, no! Child of the Mother, not that! Where is the peacock, if she is Juno?”
By this time the assistants, each holding an arm, had led Armando to the sacristy, and closing the door, smothered59 the last part of his frantic60 outburst. The priest went on with the ceremony, but every bowed head in the pews had been lifted and every eye and ear was now alert.
“Stop! In the name of the good God, stop!”
The words were shouted from the rear [Pg 247]of the church by Signor Tomato, who hurried up the aisle, while the three at the altar stood silent, astounded62.
“That woman is already a wife,” the banker continued, puffing63 as though he had had a hard run for it. “I swear it by the Madonna of Mount Carmel. Her husband is alive. Only yesterday I saw him, and you know what the proverb says: Once a——”
“Silence!” commanded the priest. “This is no place for oaths or—proverbs.”
“Bah!” Signor Di Bello broke out. “The dog is crazy.”
The priest eyed Juno a moment. “Well, what do you say, signorina?”
“Don’t believe him, padre,” she answered. Then, turning to the banker: “Stupid one, you do not know what you are saying. It is some other woman.”
The banker chuckled64 grimly and nodded his head in mock concurrence65. “Ah, yes; you are right. I do not know you. It was some other woman. Oh that it had been! [Pg 248]But alas66! it was you—you, the last lady, and I, poor wretch67, thought you the First Lady—the Presidentessa!”
“The Presidentessa again?” said the priest, bewildered.
“Yes, padre. So it was she tricked us—me and her husband. Some other woman! Anima mia! Does a man forget the face that has robbed him? In marble I first saw it, and never has it left me, day or night. Ah, the trouble, grand trouble it has brought me! Seven hundred liras! All gone.—But you, Signor Di Bello, are rich. You will pay it back. You will be grateful; for have I not saved you from this woman? She has deceived me, she has deceived her husband; but see, I do not let her deceive you.”
“Go away and mind your own affairs,” said Signor Di Bello, pushing the banker aside. At the same moment the assistants appeared and would have thrown the second intruder into the sacristy with the first, but for the priest. He made a sign for them to [Pg 249]desist; then he ordered them to drive back and out of the church the women, girls, and men who were crowding before the altar. When at last the doors were closed and the hubbub68 without had become a faint murmur69, the priest said:
“You must wait for a week, Signor Di Bello. Then, if I find that all is well, you may come back and I will marry you.”
“Bravo!” cried the banker.
“Silence! Come to me Tuesday with the man you say is this woman’s husband.”
“Si, padre,” said the banker. “I shall be here.”
Juno took the happening more seriously than Signor Di Bello did. “What matters it if two crazy donkeys do wag their tongues?” he said, on the way down the aisle to the door. “You are mine, and nothing else matters. In a week we shall laugh at these meddlers—the priest as well.” But Juno knew that the disclosures which the signore did not believe meant the collapse70 of her [Pg 250]reckless scheme. Plainly the banker and Bertino had met, and the history of the bust51 as well as the secret of their marriage had come out. And they would meet again before Bertino should receive her letter warning him to fly from the imaginary danger. In a few hours her husband would know that his uncle not only lived, but had sought to appropriate his wife. What firebrands of vendetta71! Now it was she who should have to fly, else feel the temper of Bertino’s knife. What a blockhead she had been to put off so long the writing of that letter! Had she sent it two or three days ago, he would be far from New York now, perhaps out of America.
When the doors opened for them to pass into the street they found the church steps thronged72 with the populace of Mulberry. Word of the doings at the altar had gone abroad, and the appearance of the brideless groom12 and the groomless bride was the signal for a shower of jeers73 and derisive greetings. But the signore mustered74 a bold [Pg 251]front and proved himself worthy75 of his royal resemblance.
“We shall go to Casa Di Bello,” he said as they entered the carriage, “and have the wedding feast just as though that noodle of a priest had not refused to marry you. And why not? It will only be observing the event a week in advance; for next Sunday the priest will see that these meddlers have made a fool of him, and he will be glad to marry you to Signor Di Bello. Now for the diversions of the feast of the marriage.”
He threw off the lid of a large pasteboard box that the driver handed down and took out a handful of candy beans of many colors, the size of limas. With them he pelted76 the people in front of the church, who put up their hands for protection, and quickly returned wishes of good luck, for this hail of sweets always comes after the church rites77. The people thought they had been married, after all, which was just the effect that Signor Di Bello was willing his joke should have. As they passed the churchyard[Pg 252] the signore shouted to a man perched on the wall to let the nuptial birds go. Next moment there arose three pigeons with white streamers attached to their legs to insure their recapture; it is an ill omen21 for one to gain its freedom. This was a Neapolitan rite78 in reverence79 of the Madonna and the Padre Eterno which Juno had asked for.
They could have turned the corner and driven one block to Casa Di Bello, whose dormer windows were visible over the monuments of the graveyard80; but the signore, determined81 that the observance should be in every respect like that for a genuine wedding, ordered the coachman to make a tour of Mulberry. Up and down they drove, he showering the hard and heavy sweets and receiving noisy felicitations all along the way. He had dropped his regal bearing and was all a-smile now. His old comrades rejoiced to see that he was himself again.
“See what marriage does for one,” remarked Cavalliere Bruno, the wit of Caffè [Pg 253]Good Appetite. “Our comrade goes forth82 to the altar like a king, and comes back like a gentleman.”
But the broad smiles vanished from the signore’s face when they drew near to Casa Di Bello. Before the door stood a cab on whose top lay a trunk of ancient pattern that he knew too well. On the sidewalk, gesturing madly, were the leading families of the Torinesi, the Milanesi, and the Genovesi, with a scant83 sprinkling of southern tribes. They surrounded the barouche and shook their fists at the occupants. A fine trick, indeed! A joke, perhaps, but not the joke of a signore. Ask people to a wedding feast, and then have the door slammed in their faces!
“Oh, misery84 is mine!” groaned85 Signor Di Bello, but for a reason more terrible than the tumult86 of the barred-out guests. That trunk on the cab had told him the withering87 truth. “She is here,” he whimpered, his courage all gone, and cold despair leaving his arms limp at his side.
[Pg 254]
“What is amiss?” asked Juno, and the others stopped their hullabaloo.
“You must go to your lodging,” he said.—“Coachman, drive to the Restaurant of Santa Lucia.—My friends, the wedding feast is postponed88 until next Sunday.”
The carriage wheeled about and dashed away, leaving the first families aching with mystification.
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收听单词发音
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1
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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2
nuptial
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| adj.婚姻的，婚礼的 | |
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3
overdone
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| v.做得过分( overdo的过去分词 )；太夸张；把…煮得太久；（工作等）过度 | |
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4
mimicry
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| n.（生物）拟态，模仿 | |
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5
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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6
mien
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| n.风采；态度 | |
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7
deigning
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| v.屈尊，俯就( deign的现在分词 ) | |
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8
feigned
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| a.假装的，不真诚的 | |
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condescension
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| n.自以为高人一等，贬低(别人) | |
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10
boon
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| n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠 | |
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11
salutes
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| n.致敬，欢迎，敬礼( salute的名词复数 )v.欢迎，致敬( salute的第三人称单数 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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12
groom
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| vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁 | |
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13
avowed
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| adj.公开声明的，承认的v.公开声明，承认( avow的过去式和过去分词) | |
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14
grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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15
overtime
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| adj.超时的，加班的；adv.加班地 | |
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16
likeness
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| n.相像，相似（之处） | |
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17
monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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18
pranks
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| n.玩笑，恶作剧( prank的名词复数 ) | |
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19
verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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plumed
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| 饰有羽毛的 | |
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omen
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| n.征兆，预兆；vt.预示 | |
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22
auguries
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| n.（古罗马）占卜术，占卜仪式( augury的名词复数 )；预兆 | |
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23
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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gibe
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| n.讥笑；嘲弄 | |
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derisive
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| adj.嘲弄的 | |
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resonance
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| n.洪亮；共鸣；共振 | |
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27
cravat
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| n.领巾，领结；v.使穿有领结的服装，使结领结 | |
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28
pallid
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| adj.苍白的，呆板的 | |
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29
smack
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| vt.拍，打，掴；咂嘴；vi.含有…意味；n.拍 | |
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30
lugged
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| vt.用力拖拉（lug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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31
knightly
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| adj. 骑士般的 adv. 骑士般地 | |
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32
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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ostrich
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| n.鸵鸟 | |
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34
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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35
mincing
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| adj.矫饰的；v.切碎；切碎 | |
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36
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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fumbling
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| n. 摸索,漏接 v. 摸索,摸弄,笨拙的处理 | |
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wedlock
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| n.婚姻，已婚状态 | |
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yoke
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| n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶 | |
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40
grooms
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| n.新郎( groom的名词复数 )；马夫v.照料或梳洗（马等）( groom的第三人称单数 )；使做好准备；训练；（给动物）擦洗 | |
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41
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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42
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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43
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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44
mellow
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| adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟 | |
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45
gaudy
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| adj.华而不实的；俗丽的 | |
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46
hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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47
funereal
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| adj.悲哀的；送葬的 | |
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48
aisle
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| n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道 | |
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49
prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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50
bustled
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| 闹哄哄地忙乱，奔忙( bustle的过去式和过去分词 )； 催促 | |
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51
bust
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| vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部 | |
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52
flinched
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| v.（因危险和痛苦）退缩，畏惧( flinch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
misgiving
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕 | |
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54
beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55
resounded
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| v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音 | |
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56
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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57
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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58
winced
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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59
smothered
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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61
wilt
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| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
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62
astounded
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| v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶 | |
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63
puffing
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| v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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64
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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concurrence
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| n.同意；并发 | |
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alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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hubbub
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| n.嘈杂；骚乱 | |
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69
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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70
collapse
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| vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷 | |
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vendetta
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| n.世仇，宿怨 | |
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thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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jeers
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| n.操纵帆桁下部（使其上下的）索具；嘲讽( jeer的名词复数 )v.嘲笑( jeer的第三人称单数 ) | |
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74
mustered
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| v.集合，召集，集结（尤指部队）( muster的过去式和过去分词 )；（自他人处）搜集某事物；聚集；激发 | |
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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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76
pelted
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| （连续地）投掷( pelt的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续抨击； 攻击； 剥去…的皮 | |
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rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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rite
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| n.典礼，惯例，习俗 | |
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reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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graveyard
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| n.坟场 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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83
scant
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| adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略 | |
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84
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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85
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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87
withering
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| 使人畏缩的，使人害羞的，使人难堪的 | |
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postponed
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| vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发） | |
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