The hall was long and broad. At one end of it was the door of the room occupied by the engineer, in the centre that of the dining-room, and at the other end were the staircase and a large closed door reached by a step. This door opened into a chapel1 in which the Polentinos performed their domestic devotions. Occasionally the holy sacrifice of the mass was celebrated2 in it.
Rosario led her cousin to the door of the chapel and then sank down on the doorstep.
“Here?” murmured Pepe Rey.
“You are frozen. Rosario, why do you tremble so?”
Her teeth were chattering6, and her whole frame trembled convulsively. Rey felt the burning heat of his cousin’s face against his own, and he cried in alarm:
“Very.”
“Are you really ill?”
“Yes.”
“And you have left your room——”
“To see you.”
The engineer wrapped his arms around her to protect her from the cold, but it was not enough.
“Wait,” he said quickly, rising. “I am going to my room to bring my travelling rug.”
“Put out the light, Pepe.”
Rey had left the lamp burning in his room, through the door of which issued a faint streak8 of light, illuminating9 the hall. He returned in an instant. The darkness was now profound. Groping his way along the wall he reached the spot where his cousin was sitting, and wrapped the rug carefully around her.
“You are comfortable now, my child.”
“Yes, so comfortable! With you!”
“With me—and forever!” exclaimed the young man, with exaltation.
But he observed that she was releasing herself from his arms and was rising.
“What are you doing?”
A metallic10 sound was heard. Rosario had put the key into the invisible lock and was cautiously opening the door on the threshold of which they had been sitting. The faint odor of dampness, peculiar11 to rooms that have been long shut up, issued from the place, which was as dark as a tomb. Pepe Rey felt himself being guided by the hand, and his cousin’s voice said faintly:
“Enter!”
They took a few steps forward. He imagined himself being led to an unknown Elysium by the angel of night. Rosario groped her way. At last her sweet voice sounded again, murmuring:
“Sit down.”
They were beside a wooden bench. Both sat down. Pepe Rey embraced Rosario again. As he did so, his head struck against a hard body.
“What is this?” he asked.
“The feet.”
“Rosario—what are you saying?”
“The feet of the Divine Jesus, of the image of Christ crucified, that we adore in my house.”
Pepe Rey felt a cold chill strike through him.
“Kiss them,” said the young girl imperiously.
The mathematician12 kissed the cold feet of the holy image.
“Pepe,” then cried the young girl, pressing her cousin’s hand ardently between her own, “do you believe in God?”
“Rosario! What are you saying? What absurdities13 are you imagining?” responded her cousin, perplexed14.
“Answer me.”
Pepe Rey felt drops of moisture on his hands.
“Why are you crying?” he said, greatly disturbed. “Rosario, you are killing15 me with your absurd doubts. Do I believe in God? Do you doubt it?”
“You would suffer in my estimation, you would lose your aureole of purity—your charm—if you gave credit to such nonsense.”
“When I heard them accuse you of being an atheist, although I could bring no proof to the contrary, I protested from the depths of my soul against such a calumny17. You cannot be an atheist. I have within me as strong and deep a conviction of your faith as of my own.”
“How wisely you speak! Why, then, do you ask me if I believe in God?”
“Because I wanted to hear it from your own lips, and rejoice in hearing you say it. It is so long since I have heard the sound of your voice! What greater happiness than to hear it again, saying: ‘I believe in God?’”
“Rosario, even the wicked believe in him. If there be atheists, which I doubt, they are the calumniators, the intriguers with whom the world is infested18. For my part, intrigues19 and calumnies20 matter little to me; and if you rise superior to them and close your heart against the discord21 which a perfidious22 hand would sow in it, nothing shall interfere23 with our happiness.”
“But what is going on around us? Pepe, dear Pepe, do you believe in the devil?”
The engineer was silent. The darkness of the chapel prevented Rosario from seeing the smile with which her cousin received this strange question.
“We must believe in him,” he said at last.
“What is going on? Mamma forbids me to see you; but, except in regard to the atheism24, she does not say any thing against you. She tells me to wait, that you will decide; that you are going away, that you are coming back——Speak to me with frankness—have you formed a bad opinion of my mother?”
“Do you not believe, as I do, that she loves us both, that she desires only our good, and that we shall in the end obtain her consent to our wishes?”
“If you believe it, I do too. Your mama adores us both. But, dear Rosario, it must be confessed that the devil has entered this house.”
“Don’t jest!” she said affectionately. “Ah! Mamma is very good. She has not once said to me that you were unworthy to be my husband. All she insists upon is the atheism. They say, besides, that I have manias26, and that I have the mania27 now of loving you with all my soul. In our family it is a rule not to oppose directly the manias that are hereditary28 in it, because to oppose them aggravates29 them.”
“Well, I believe that there are skilful30 physicians at your side who have determined31 to cure you, and who will, in the end, my adored girl, succeed in doing so.”
“No, no; a thousand times no!” exclaimed Rosario, leaning her forehead on her lover’s breast. “I am willing to be mad if I am with you. For you I am suffering, for you I am ill; for you I despise life and I risk death. I know it now—to-morrow I shall be worse, I shall be dangerously ill, I shall die. What does it matter to me?”
“You are not ill,” he responded, with energy; “there is nothing the matter with you but an agitation32 of mind which naturally brings with it some slight nervous disturbances33; there is nothing the matter with you but the suffering occasioned by the horrible coercion34 which they are using with you. Your simple and generous soul does not comprehend it. You yield; you forgive those who injure you; you torment35 yourself, attributing your suffering to baleful, supernatural influences; you suffer in silence; you give your innocent neck to the executioner, you allow yourself to be slain36, and the very knife which is plunged37 into your breast seems to you the thorn of a flower that has pierced you in passing. Rosario, cast those ideas from your mind; consider our real situation, which is serious; seek its cause where it really is, and do not give way to your fears; do not yield to the tortures which are inflicted38 upon you, making yourself mentally and physically39 ill. The courage which you lack would restore you to health, because you are not really ill, my dear girl, you are—do you wish me to say it?—you are frightened, terrified. You are under what the ancients, not knowing how to express it, called an evil spell. Courage, Rosario, trust in me! Rise and follow me. That is all I will say.”
“Ah, Pepe—cousin! I believe that you are right,” exclaimed Rosario, drowned in tears. “Your words resound40 within my heart, arousing in it new energy, new life. Here in this darkness, where we cannot see each other’s faces, an ineffable41 light emanates42 from you and inundates43 my soul. What power have you to transform me in this way? The moment I saw you I became another being. In the days when I did not see you I returned to my former insignificance44, my natural cowardice45. Without you, my Pepe, I live in Limbo46. I will do as you tell me, I will arise and follow you. We will go together wherever you wish. Do you know that I feel well? Do you know that I have no fever: that I have recovered my strength; that I want to run about and cry out; that my whole being is renewed and enlarged, and multiplied a hundred-fold in order to adore you? Pepe, you are right. I am not sick, I am only afraid; or rather, bewitched.”
“That is it, bewitched.”
“Bewitched! Terrible eyes look at me, and I remain mute and trembling. I am afraid, but of what? You alone have the strange power of calling me back to life. Hearing you, I live again. I believe if I were to die and you were to pass by my grave, that deep under the ground I should feel your footsteps. Oh, if I could see you now! But you are here beside me, and I cannot doubt that it is you. So many days without seeing you! I was mad. Each day of solitude47 appeared to me a century. They said to me, to-morrow and to-morrow, and always to-morrow. I looked out of the window at night, and the light of the lamp in your room served to console me. At times your shadow on the window was for me a divine apparition48. I stretched out my arms to you, I shed tears and cried out inwardly, without daring to do so with my voice. When I received the message you sent me with the maid, when I received your letter telling me that you were going away, I grew very sad, I thought my soul was leaving my body and that I was dying slowly. I fell, like the bird wounded as it flies, that falls and, falling, dies. To-night, when I saw that you were awake so late, I could not resist the longing49 I had to speak to you; and I came down stairs. I believe that all the courage of my life has been used up in this single act, and that now I can never be any thing again but a coward. But you will give me courage; you will give me strength; you will help me, will you not? Pepe, my dear cousin, tell me that you will; tell me that I am strong, and I will be strong; tell me that I am not ill, and I will not be ill. I am not ill now. I feel so well that I could laugh at my ridiculous maladies.”
As she said this she felt herself clasped rapturously in her cousin’s arms. An “Oh!” was heard, but it came, not from her lips, but from his, for in bending his head, he had struck it violently against the feet of the crucifix. In the darkness it is that the stars are seen.
In the exalted50 state of his mind, by a species of hallucination natural in the darkness, it seemed to Pepe Rey not that his head had struck against the sacred foot, but that this had moved, warning him in the briefest and most eloquent51 manner. Raising his head he said, half seriously, half gayly:
“Lord, do not strike me; I will do nothing wrong.”
At the same moment Rosario took the young man’s hand and pressed it against her heart. A voice was heard, a pure, grave, angelic voice, full of feeling, saying:
“Lord whom I adore, Lord God of the world, and guardian52 of my house and of my family; Lord whom Pepe also adores; holy and blessed Christ who died on the cross for our sins; before thee, before thy wounded body, before thy forehead crowned with thorns, I say that this man is my husband, and that, after thee, he is the being whom my heart loves most; I say that I declare him to be my husband, and that I will die before I belong to another. My heart and my soul are his. Let not the world oppose our happiness, and grant me the favor of this union, which I swear to be true and good before the world, as it is in my conscience.”
“Rosario, you are mine!” exclaimed Pepe Rey, with exaltation. “Neither your mother nor any one else shall prevent it.”
Rosario sank powerless into her cousin’s arms. She trembled in his manly53 embrace, as the dove trembles in the talons54 of the eagle.
Through the engineer’s mind the thought flashed that the devil existed; but the devil then was he. Rosario made a slight movement of fear; she felt the thrill of surprise, so to say, that gives warning that danger is near.
“Swear to me that you will not yield to them,” said Pepe Rey, with confusion, observing the movement.
“I swear it to you by my father’s ashes that are—”
“Where?”
“Under our feet.”
The mathematician felt the stone rise under his feet—but no, it was not rising; he only fancied, mathematician though he was, that he felt it rise.
“I swear it to you,” repeated Rosario, “by my father’s ashes, and by the God who is looking at us——May our bodies, united as they are, repose55 under those stones when God wills to take us out of this world.”
“Yes,” repeated the Pepe Rey, with profound emotion, feeling his soul filled with an inexplicable56 trouble.
Both remained silent for a short time. Rosario had risen.
“Already?” he said.
She sat down again.
“You are trembling again,” said Pepe. “Rosario, you are ill; your forehead is burning.”
“I think I am dying,” murmured the young girl faintly. “I don’t know what is the matter with me.”
She fell senseless into her cousin’s arms. Caressing57 her, he noticed that her face was covered with a cold perspiration58.
“She is really ill,” he said to himself. “It was a piece of great imprudence to have come down stairs.”
He lifted her up in his arms, endeavoring to restore her to consciousness, but neither the trembling that had seized her nor her insensibility passed away; and he resolved to carry her out of the chapel, in the hope that the fresh air would revive her. And so it was. When she recovered consciousness Rosario manifested great disquietude at finding herself at such an hour out of her own room. The clock of the cathedral struck four.
“How late it is!” exclaimed the young girl. “Release me, cousin. I think I can walk. I am really very ill.”
“I will go upstairs with you.”
“Oh, no; on no account! I would rather drag myself to my room on my hands and feet. Don’t you hear a noise?”
Both were silent. The anxiety with which they listened made the silence intense.
“Don’t you hear any thing, Pepe?”
“Absolutely nothing.”
“Pay attention. There, there it is again. It is a noise that sounds as if it might be either very, very distant, or very near. It might either be my mother’s breathing or the creaking of the vane on the tower of the cathedral. Ah! I have a very fine ear.”
“Too fine! Well, dear cousin, I will carry you upstairs in my arms.”
“Very well; carry me to the head of the stairs. Afterward59 I can go alone. As soon as I rest a little I shall be as well as ever. But don’t you hear?”
They stopped on the first step.
“It is a metallic sound.”
“Your mother’s breathing?”
“No, it is not that. The noise comes from a great distance. Perhaps it is the crowing of a cock?”
“Perhaps so.”
“It sounds like the words, ‘I am going there, I am going there!’”
“Now, now I hear,” murmured Pepe Rey.
“It is a cry.”
“It is a cornet.”
“A cornet!”
“Yes. Let us hurry. Orbajosa is going to wake up. Now I hear it clearly. It is not a trumpet60 but a clarionet. The soldiers are coming.”
“Soldiers!”
“I don’t know why I imagine that this military invasion is going to be advantageous61 to me. I feel glad. Up, quickly, Rosario!”
“I feel glad, too. Up, up!”
In an instant he had carried her upstairs, and the lovers took a whispered leave of each other.
“I will stand at the window overlooking the garden, so that you may know I have reached my room safely. Good-by.”
“Good-by, Rosario. Take care not to stumble against the furniture.”
“I can find my way here perfectly62, cousin. We shall soon see each other again. Stand at your window if you wish to receive my telegraphic despatch63.”
Pepe Rey did as he was bade; but he waited a long time, and Rosario did not appear at the window. The engineer fancied he heard agitated64 voices on the floor above him.
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1
chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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ardently
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| adv.热心地，热烈地 | |
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imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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6
chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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streak
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| n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动 | |
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9
illuminating
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| a.富于启发性的，有助阐明的 | |
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metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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mathematician
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| n.数学家 | |
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absurdities
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| n.极端无理性( absurdity的名词复数 )；荒谬；谬论；荒谬的行为 | |
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perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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atheist
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| n.无神论者 | |
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calumny
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| n.诽谤，污蔑，中伤 | |
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infested
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| adj.为患的，大批滋生的（常与with搭配）v.害虫、野兽大批出没于( infest的过去式和过去分词 )；遍布于 | |
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intrigues
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| n.密谋策划( intrigue的名词复数 )；神秘气氛；引人入胜的复杂情节v.搞阴谋诡计( intrigue的第三人称单数 )；激起…的好奇心 | |
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calumnies
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| n.诬蔑，诽谤，中伤（的话）( calumny的名词复数 ) | |
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discord
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| n.不和，意见不合，争论，（音乐）不和谐 | |
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perfidious
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| adj.不忠的，背信弃义的 | |
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interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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atheism
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| n.无神论，不信神 | |
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delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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manias
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| n.（mania的复数形式） | |
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mania
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| n.疯狂；躁狂症，狂热，癖好 | |
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hereditary
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| adj.遗传的，遗传性的，可继承的，世袭的 | |
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aggravates
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| 使恶化( aggravate的第三人称单数 )； 使更严重； 激怒； 使恼火 | |
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skilful
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| (=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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disturbances
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| n.骚乱( disturbance的名词复数 )；打扰；困扰；障碍 | |
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coercion
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| n.强制，高压统治 | |
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torment
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| n.折磨；令人痛苦的东西(人)；vt.折磨；纠缠 | |
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slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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physically
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| adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律 | |
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resound
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| v.回响 | |
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ineffable
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| adj.无法表达的，不可言喻的 | |
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emanates
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| v.从…处传出，传出( emanate的第三人称单数 )；产生，表现，显示 | |
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43
inundates
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| v.淹没( inundate的第三人称单数 )；（洪水般地）涌来；充满；给予或交予（太多事物）使难以应付 | |
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44
insignificance
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| n.不重要；无价值；无意义 | |
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cowardice
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| n.胆小，怯懦 | |
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46
limbo
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| n.地狱的边缘；监狱 | |
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47
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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apparition
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| n.幽灵，神奇的现象 | |
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49
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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50
exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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51
eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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52
guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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53
manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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talons
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| n.（尤指猛禽的）爪( talon的名词复数 )；（如爪般的）手指；爪状物；锁簧尖状突出部 | |
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55
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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56
inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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caressing
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| 爱抚的，表现爱情的，亲切的 | |
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perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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trumpet
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| n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘 | |
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advantageous
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| adj.有利的；有帮助的 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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63
despatch
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| n./v.(dispatch)派遣；发送；n.急件；新闻报道 | |
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64
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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