THE DEPARTURE OF THE PEER—THE BILLET AND THE SHATTERED MIRROR.
Never yet did day pass more disagreeably to mortal man than that whose early events we have recorded did to Lord Aspenly. His vanity and importance had suffered more mortification1 within the last few hours than he had ever before encountered in all the eight-and-sixty winters of his previous useful existence. And spite of the major's assurances to the contrary, he could not help feeling certain very unpleasant misgivings2, as the evening approached, touching3 the consequences likely to follow to himself from his meditated4 retreat.
He resolved by the major's advice to leave Morley Court without a formal leave-taking, or, in short, any explanatory interview whatever with Sir Richard. And for the purpose of taking his departure without obstruction5 or annoyance6, he determined7 that the hour of his setting forth8 should be that at which the baronet was wont9 to retire for a time to his dressing-room, previously10 to appearing at supper. The note which was to announce his departure was written and sealed, and deposited in his waistcoat pocket. He felt that it supplied but a very meagre explanation of so decided11 a step as he was constrained12 to take; nevertheless it was the only explanation he had to offer. He well knew that its perusal13 would be followed by an explosion, and he not unwisely thought it best, under all the circumstances, to withdraw to a reasonable distance before springing the mine.
The evening closed ominously14 in storm and cloud; the wind was hourly rising, and distant mutterings of thunder bespoke15 a night of tempest. Lord Aspenly had issued his orders with secrecy16, and they were punctually obeyed. At the hour indicated, his own and his servant's horses were at the door. Lord Aspenly was crossing the hall, cloaked, booted, and spurred for the road, when he encountered Emily Copland.
"Dear me, my lord, can it be possible—surely you are not going to leave us to-night?"
"Indeed, it is but too true, fair lady," rejoined his lordship, with a dolorous17 shrug18. "An unlucky contretemps requires my attendance in town; my precipitate19 flight," he continued, with an attempt at a playful smile, "is accounted for in this note, which perhaps you will kindly21 deliver to Sir Richard, when next you see him. I trust, Miss Copland, that fortune will often grant me the privilege of meeting you. Be assured it is one which I prize above all others. Adieu."
His lordship gallantly22 kissed the hand which was extended to receive the note, and then, with his best bow, withdrew.
A few petulant23 questions, which bespoke his inward acerbity24, he addressed to his servant—glanced with a very sour aspect at the lowering sky—clambered stiffly into the saddle, and then, desiring his attendant to follow him, rode down the avenue at a speed which seemed prompted by an instinctive25 dread26 of pursuit.
As the wind howled and the thunder rolled and rumbled27 nearer and nearer, Emily Copland could not but wonder more and more what urgent and peremptory28 cause could have induced the little peer to adopt this sudden resolution, and to carry it into effect upon such a night of storm. Surely that motive29 must be a strange and urgent one which would not brook30 the delay of a few hours, especially during the violence of such weather as the luxurious31 little nobleman had perhaps never voluntarily encountered in the whole course of his life. Curiosity prompted her to deliver the note which she held in her hand at once; she therefore ran lightly upstairs, and rapidly threading all the intervening lobbies and rambling32 passages, she knocked at her uncle's door.
The girl entered the room. The Italian was at the toilet, arranging his master's dressing-case, and the baronet himself in his night-gown and slippers34, and with a pamphlet in his hand, reclined listlessly upon a sofa.
"Who is that?—who is it?" inquired he in the same tone, without turning his eyes from the volume which he read.
"Per dina!" exclaimed the Neapolitan—"Mees Emily—she is vary seldom come here. You are wailcome, Mees Emily; weel you seet down?—there is chair. Sir Richard, it is Mees Emily."
"What does the young lady want?" inquired he, drily.
"I have gotten a note for you, uncle," replied she.
"Well, put it down?—put it there on the table, anywhere; I presume it will keep till morning," replied he, without removing his eyes from the pages.
"It is from Lord Aspenly," urged the girl.
"Eh! Lord Aspenly. How—give it to me," said the baronet, raising himself quickly and tossing the pamphlet aside. He broke the seal and read the note. Whatever its contents were, they produced upon the baronet an extraordinary effect; he started from the sofa with clenched35 hands and frantic36 gesture.
"Who—where—stop him, after him—he shall answer me—he shall!" cried, or rather shrieked37, the baronet in the hoarse38, choking scream of fury. "After him all—my sword, my horse. By ——, he'll reckon with me this night."
Never did the human form more fearfully embody39 the passions of hell; he stood before them absolutely transformed. The quivering face was pale as ashes; the livid veins40, like blue knotted cordage, protruded41 upon his forehead; the eye glared and rolled with the light of madness, and as he shook and raved42 there before them, no dream ever conjured43 up a spectacle more appalling44; he spit upon the letter—he tore it into fragments, and with his gouty feet stamped it into the fire.
There was no extravagance of frenzy45 which he did not enact46. He tossed his arms into the air, and dashed his clenched hands upon the table; he stamped, he stormed, he howled; and as with thick and furious utterance47 he volleyed forth his incoherent threats, mandates48, and curses, the foam49 hung upon his blackened lips.
"I'll bring him to the dust—to the earth. My very menials shall spurn50 him. Almighty51, that he should dare—trickster—liar—that he should dare to practise upon me this outrageous52 slight. Ay, ay—ay, ay—laugh, my lord—laugh on; but by the —— ——, this shall bring you to your knees, ay, and to your grave; and you—you," thundered he, turning upon the awe-struck and terrified young lady, "you no doubt had your share in this—ay, you have—you have—yes, I know you—you—you—hollow, lying ——, quit my house—out with you—turn her out—drive her out—away with her."
As the horrible figure advanced towards her, the girl by an effort roused herself from the dreadful fascination53, and turning from him, fled swiftly downstairs, and fell fainting at the parlour door.
Sir Richard still strode through his chamber54 with the same frantic evidences of unabated fury; and the Italian—the only remaining spectator of the hideous55 scene—sate calmly in a chair by the toilet, with his legs crossed, and his countenance56 composed into a kind of sanctimonious57 placidity58, which, however, spite of all his efforts, betrayed at the corners of the mouth, and in the twinkle of the eye, a certain enjoyment59 of the spectacle, which was not altogether consistent with the perfect affection which he professed60 for his master.
"Ay, ay, my lord," continued the baronet, madly, "laugh on—laugh while you may; but by the —— ——, you shall gnash your teeth for this!"
"You shall, my lord," continued Sir Richard, furiously. "Your disgrace shall be public—exemplary—the insult shall recoil62 upon, yourself—your punishment shall be memorable-public—tremendous."
"Mi Lord Aspenly and Sir Richard—both so coning," continued the Italian—"yees—yees—set one thief to catch the other."
The Neapolitan had, no doubt, bargained for the indulgence of his pleasant humour, as usual, free of cost; but he was mistaken. With the quickness of light, Sir Richard grasped a massive glass decanter, full of water, and hurled63 it at the head of his valet. Luckily for that gentleman's brains, it missed its object, and, alighting upon a huge mirror, it dashed it to fragments with a stunning64 crash. In the extremity65 of his fury, Sir Richard grasped a heavy metal inkstand, and just as the valet escaped through the private door of his room, hurled it, too, at his head. Two such escapes were quite enough for Signor Parucci on one evening; and not wishing to tempt20 his luck further, he ran nimbly down the stairs, leaped into his own room, and bolted and double-locked the door; and thence, as the night wore on, he still heard Sir Richard pacing up and down his chamber, and storming and raving66 in dreadful rivalry67 with the thunder and hurricane without.
点击收听单词发音
1 mortification | |
n.耻辱,屈辱 | |
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2 misgivings | |
n.疑虑,担忧,害怕;疑虑,担心,恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 );疑惧 | |
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3 touching | |
adj.动人的,使人感伤的 | |
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4 meditated | |
深思,沉思,冥想( meditate的过去式和过去分词 ); 内心策划,考虑 | |
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5 obstruction | |
n.阻塞,堵塞;障碍物 | |
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6 annoyance | |
n.恼怒,生气,烦恼 | |
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7 determined | |
adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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8 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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9 wont | |
adj.习惯于;v.习惯;n.习惯 | |
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10 previously | |
adv.以前,先前(地) | |
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11 decided | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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12 constrained | |
adj.束缚的,节制的 | |
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13 perusal | |
n.细读,熟读;目测 | |
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14 ominously | |
adv.恶兆地,不吉利地;预示地 | |
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15 bespoke | |
adj.(产品)订做的;专做订货的v.预定( bespeak的过去式 );订(货);证明;预先请求 | |
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16 secrecy | |
n.秘密,保密,隐蔽 | |
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17 dolorous | |
adj.悲伤的;忧愁的 | |
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18 shrug | |
v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等) | |
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19 precipitate | |
adj.突如其来的;vt.使突然发生;n.沉淀物 | |
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20 tempt | |
vt.引诱,勾引,吸引,引起…的兴趣 | |
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21 kindly | |
adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地 | |
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22 gallantly | |
adv. 漂亮地,勇敢地,献殷勤地 | |
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23 petulant | |
adj.性急的,暴躁的 | |
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24 acerbity | |
n.涩,酸,刻薄 | |
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25 instinctive | |
adj.(出于)本能的;直觉的;(出于)天性的 | |
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26 dread | |
vt.担忧,忧虑;惧怕,不敢;n.担忧,畏惧 | |
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27 rumbled | |
发出隆隆声,发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 ); 轰鸣着缓慢行进; 发现…的真相; 看穿(阴谋) | |
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28 peremptory | |
adj.紧急的,专横的,断然的 | |
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29 motive | |
n.动机,目的;adv.发动的,运动的 | |
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30 brook | |
n.小河,溪;v.忍受,容让 | |
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31 luxurious | |
adj.精美而昂贵的;豪华的 | |
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32 rambling | |
adj.[建]凌乱的,杂乱的 | |
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33 peevish | |
adj.易怒的,坏脾气的 | |
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34 slippers | |
n. 拖鞋 | |
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35 clenched | |
v.紧握,抓紧,咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36 frantic | |
adj.狂乱的,错乱的,激昂的 | |
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37 shrieked | |
v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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38 hoarse | |
adj.嘶哑的,沙哑的 | |
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39 embody | |
vt.具体表达,使具体化;包含,收录 | |
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40 veins | |
n.纹理;矿脉( vein的名词复数 );静脉;叶脉;纹理 | |
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41 protruded | |
v.(使某物)伸出,(使某物)突出( protrude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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42 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 | |
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43 conjured | |
用魔术变出( conjure的过去式和过去分词 ); 祈求,恳求; 变戏法; (变魔术般地) 使…出现 | |
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44 appalling | |
adj.骇人听闻的,令人震惊的,可怕的 | |
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45 frenzy | |
n.疯狂,狂热,极度的激动 | |
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46 enact | |
vt.制定(法律);上演,扮演 | |
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47 utterance | |
n.用言语表达,话语,言语 | |
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48 mandates | |
托管(mandate的第三人称单数形式) | |
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49 foam | |
v./n.泡沫,起泡沫 | |
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50 spurn | |
v.拒绝,摈弃;n.轻视的拒绝;踢开 | |
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51 almighty | |
adj.全能的,万能的;很大的,很强的 | |
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52 outrageous | |
adj.无理的,令人不能容忍的 | |
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53 fascination | |
n.令人着迷的事物,魅力,迷恋 | |
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54 chamber | |
n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所 | |
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55 hideous | |
adj.丑陋的,可憎的,可怕的,恐怖的 | |
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56 countenance | |
n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同 | |
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57 sanctimonious | |
adj.假装神圣的,假装虔诚的,假装诚实的 | |
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58 placidity | |
n.平静,安静,温和 | |
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59 enjoyment | |
n.乐趣;享有;享用 | |
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60 professed | |
公开声称的,伪称的,已立誓信教的 | |
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61 coning | |
形成圆锥形;舌进;堆锥四分取样法;水舌形成 | |
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62 recoil | |
vi.退却,退缩,畏缩 | |
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63 hurled | |
v.猛投,用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 );大声叫骂 | |
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64 stunning | |
adj.极好的;使人晕倒的 | |
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65 extremity | |
n.末端,尽头;尽力;终极;极度 | |
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66 raving | |
adj.说胡话的;疯狂的,怒吼的;非常漂亮的;令人醉心[痴心]的v.胡言乱语(rave的现在分词)n.胡话;疯话adv.胡言乱语地;疯狂地 | |
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67 rivalry | |
n.竞争,竞赛,对抗 | |
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