He Prepares a Stratagem1 but Finds Himself Countermined — Proceeds on His Journey, and is Overtaken by a Terrible Tempest.
In the course of this journey, Ferdinand, who was never deficient2 in his political capacity, held a secret conclave3 with his own thoughts, not only touching4 the plan of his own future conduct, but also concerning his associate, of whose fidelity5 and adherence6 he began to entertain such doubts as discouraged him from the prosecution7 of that design in which the Tyrolese had been at first included; for he had lately observed him practise the arts of his occupation among the French officers, with such rapacity8 and want of caution, as indicated a dangerous temerity9 of temper, as well as a furious rage of acquiring, which might be some time or other satiated upon his own friends. In other words, our adventurer was afraid that his accomplice10 would profit by his knowledge of the road and countries through which they travelled, and, after having made free with his most valuable effects, in consequence of the familiarity subsisting11 between them, leave him some morning without the ceremony of a formal adieu.
Aroused by this suspicion, he resolved to anticipate the supposed intention of the Tyrolese, by taking his own departure in the same abrupt12 manner; and this scheme he actually put in execution, upon their arrival in Bar-le-duc, where it was agreed they should spend a day to repose13 and refresh themselves from the fatigue14 of hard riding. Ferdinand, therefore, taking the advantage of his companion’s absence — for the Tyrolese had walked abroad to view the town — found means to hire a peasant, who undertook to conduct him through a by-road as far as Chalons, and with his guide he accordingly set out on horseback, after having discharged the bill, left a blank paper sealed up in form of a letter, directed to his friend, and secured behind his own saddle a pair of leathern bags, in which his jewels and cash were usually contained. So eager was our hero to leave the Tyrolese at a considerable distance behind, that he rode all night at a round pace without halting, and next morning found himself at a village distant thirteen good leagues from any part of the route which he and his companion had at first resolved to pursue.
Here, thinking himself safely delivered from the cause of all his apprehension15, he determined16 to lie incognito17 for a few days, so as that he might run no risk of an accidental meeting upon the road with the person whose company he had forsaken18; and accordingly took possession of an apartment, in which he went to rest, desiring his guide to wake him when dinner should be ready. Having enjoyed a very comfortable refreshment19 of sleep, with his bags under his pillow, he was summoned, according to his direction, and ate a very hearty20 meal, with great tranquillity21 and internal satisfaction. In the afternoon he amused himself with happy presages22 and ideal prospects23 of his future fortune, and, in the midst of these imaginary banquets, was seized with an inclination24 of realising his bliss25, and regaling his eyesight with the fruits of that success which had hitherto attended his endeavours. Thus inflamed26, he opened the repository, and, O reader! what were his reflections, when, in lieu of Mademoiselle Melvil’s ear-rings and necklace, the German’s golden chain, divers27 jewels of considerable value, the spoils of sundry28 dupes, and about two hundred ducats in ready money, he found neither more nor less than a parcel of rusty29 nails, disposed in such a manner as to resemble in weight and bulk the moveables he had lost.
It is not to be supposed our adventurer made this discovery without emotion. If the eternal salvation30 of mankind could have been purchased for the tenth part of his treasure, he would have left the whole species in a state of reprobation31, rather than redeem32 them at that price, unless he had seen in the bargain some evident advantage to his own concerns. One may, therefore, easily conceive with what milkiness33 of resignation he bore the loss of the whole, and saw himself reduced from such affluence34 to the necessity of depending upon about twenty ducats, and some loose silver, which he carried in his pocket, for his expense upon the road. However bitter this pill might be in swallowing, he so far mastered his mortification35, as to digest it with a good grace. His own penetration36 at once pointed37 out the canal through which this misfortune had flowed upon him; he forthwith placed the calamity38 to the account of the Tyrolese, and never doubting that he had retired39 with the booty across the Rhine, into some place to which he knew Fathom40 would not follow his footsteps, he formed the melancholy41 resolution of pursuing with all despatch42 his journey to Paris, that he might, with all convenient expedition, indemnify himself for the discomfiture43 he had sustained.
With regard to his confederate, his conjecture44 was perfectly45 right; that adventurer, though infinitely46 inferior to our hero in point of genius and invention, had manifestly the advantage of him in the articles of age and experience; he was no stranger to Fathom’s qualifications, the happy exertion47 of which he had often seen. He knew him to be an economist48 of the most frugal49 order, consequently concluded his finances were worthy50 of examination; and, upon the true principles of a sharper, eased him of the encumbrance51, taking it for granted, that, in so doing, he only precluded52 Ferdinand from the power of acting53 the same tragedy upon him, should ever opportunity concur54 with his inclination. He had therefore concerted his measures with the dexterity55 of an experienced conveyancer, and, snatching the occasion, while our hero, travel-tainted, lay sunk in the arms of profound repose, he ripped up the seams of the leather depository, withdrew the contents, introduced the parcel of nails, which he had made up for the purpose, and then repaired the breach56 with great deliberation.
Had Fathom’s good genius prompted him to examine his effects next morning, the Tyrolese, in all probability, would have maintained his acquisition by force of arms; for his personal courage was rather more determined than that of our adventurer, and he was conscious of his own ascendency in this particular; but his good fortune prevented such explanation. Immediately after dinner, he availed himself of his knowledge, and, betaking himself to a remote part of the town, set out in a post-chaise for Luneville, while our hero was meditating57 his own escape.
Fathom’s conception was sufficient to comprehend the whole of this adventure, as soon as his chagrin58 would give his sagacity fair play; nor would he allow his resolution to sink under the trial; on the contrary, he departed from the village that same afternoon, under the auspices59 of his conductor, and found himself benighted60 in the midst of a forest, far from the habitations of men. The darkness of the night, the silence and solitude61 of the place, the indistinct images of the trees that appeared on every side, “stretching their extravagant62 arms athwart the gloom,” conspired63, with the dejection of spirits occasioned by his loss, to disturb his fancy, and raise strange phantoms64 in his imagination. Although he was not naturally superstitious65, his mind began to be invaded with an awful horror, that gradually prevailed over all the consolations66 of reason and philosophy; nor was his heart free from the terrors of assassination67. In order to dissipate these disagreeable reveries, he had recourse to the conversation of his guide, by whom he was entertained with the history of divers travellers who had been robbed and murdered by ruffians, whose retreat was in the recesses68 of that very wood.
In the midst of this communication, which did not at all tend to the elevation69 of our hero’s spirits, the conductor made an excuse for dropping behind, while our traveller jogged on in expectation of being joined again by him in a few minutes. He was, however, disappointed in that hope; the sound of the other horse’s feet by degrees grew more and more faint, and at last altogether died away. Alarmed at this circumstance, Fathom halted in the middle of the road, and listened with the most fearful attention; but his sense of hearing was saluted70 with nought71 but the dismal72 sighings of the trees, that seemed to foretell73 an approaching storm. Accordingly, the heavens contracted a more dreary74 aspect, the lightning began to gleam, and the thunder to roll, and the tempest, raising its voice to a tremendous roar, descended75 in a torrent76 of rain.
In this emergency, the fortitude77 of our hero was almost quite overcome. So many concurring78 circumstances of danger and distress79 might have appalled80 the most undaunted breast; what impression then must they have made upon the mind of Ferdinand, who was by no means a man to set fear at defiance81! Indeed, he had well-nigh lost the use of his reflection, and was actually invaded to the skin, before he could recollect82 himself so far as to quit the road, and seek for shelter among the thickets83 that surrounded him. Having rode some furlongs into the forest, he took his station under a tuft of tall trees, that screened him from the storm, and in that situation called a council within himself, to deliberate upon his next excursion. He persuaded himself that his guide had deserted84 him for the present, in order to give intelligence of a traveller to some gang of robbers with whom he was connected; and that he must of necessity fall a prey85 to those banditti, unless he should have the good fortune to elude86 their search, and disentangle himself from the mazes87 of the wood.
Harrowed with these apprehensions88, he resolved to commit himself to the mercy of the hurricane, as of two evils the least, and penetrate89 straightforwards through some devious90 opening, until he should be delivered from the forest. For this purpose he turned his horse’s head in a line quite contrary to the direction of the high road which he had left, on the supposition that the robbers would pursue that track in quest of him, and that they would never dream of his deserting the highway, to traverse an unknown forest, amidst the darkness of such a boisterous91 night. After he had continued in this progress through a succession of groves92, and bogs93, and thorns, and brakes, by which not only his clothes, but also his skin suffered in a grievous manner, while every nerve quivered with eagerness and dismay, he at length reached an open plain, and pursuing his course, in full hope of arriving at some village, where his life would be safe, he descried94 a rush-light at a distance, which he looked upon as the star of his good fortune, and riding towards it at full speed, arrived at the door of a lone95 cottage, into which he was admitted by an old woman, who, understanding he was a bewildered traveller, received him with great hospitality.
When he learned from his hostess, that there was not another house within three leagues; that she could accommodate him with a tolerable bed, and his horse with lodging96 and oats, he thanked Heaven for his good fortune, in stumbling upon this homely97 habitation, and determined to pass the night under the protection of the old cottager, who gave him to understand, that her husband, who was a faggot-maker, had gone to the next town to dispose of his merchandise; and that, in all probability, he would not return till next morning, on account of the tempestuous98 night. Ferdinand sounded the beldame with a thousand artful interrogations, and she answered with such appearance of truth and simplicity99, that he concluded his person was quite secure; and, after having been regaled with a dish of eggs and bacon, desired she would conduct him into the chamber100 where she proposed he should take his repose. He was accordingly ushered101 up by a sort of ladder into an apartment furnished with a standing-bed, and almost half filled with trusses of straw. He seemed extremely well pleased with his lodging, which in reality exceeded his expectation; and his kind landlady102, cautioning him against letting the candle approach the combustibles, took her leave, and locked the door on the outside.
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stratagem
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| n.诡计，计谋 | |
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deficient
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| adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的 | |
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conclave
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| n.秘密会议，红衣主教团 | |
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touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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fidelity
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| n.忠诚，忠实；精确 | |
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adherence
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| n.信奉，依附，坚持，固着 | |
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prosecution
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| n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营 | |
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rapacity
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| n.贪婪，贪心，劫掠的欲望 | |
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temerity
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| n.鲁莽，冒失 | |
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accomplice
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| n.从犯，帮凶，同谋 | |
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subsisting
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| v.（靠很少的钱或食物）维持生活，生存下去( subsist的现在分词 ) | |
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abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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incognito
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| adv.匿名地；n.隐姓埋名；adj.化装的，用假名的，隐匿姓名身份的 | |
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Forsaken
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| adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词 | |
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refreshment
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| n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点 | |
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hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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tranquillity
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| n. 平静, 安静 | |
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presages
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| v.预示，预兆( presage的第三人称单数 ) | |
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prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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bliss
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| n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福 | |
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inflamed
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| adj.发炎的，红肿的v.（使）变红，发怒，过热( inflame的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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divers
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| adj.不同的；种种的 | |
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sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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reprobation
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| n.斥责 | |
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redeem
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| v.买回，赎回，挽回，恢复，履行（诺言等） | |
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milkiness
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| 乳状； 乳白色； 浑浊； 软弱 | |
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affluence
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| n.充裕，富足 | |
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mortification
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| n.耻辱，屈辱 | |
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penetration
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| n.穿透，穿人，渗透 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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calamity
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| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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fathom
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| v.领悟，彻底了解 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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despatch
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| n./v.(dispatch)派遣；发送；n.急件；新闻报道 | |
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discomfiture
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| n.崩溃；大败；挫败；困惑 | |
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conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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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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infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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economist
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| n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人 | |
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frugal
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| adj.节俭的，节约的，少量的，微量的 | |
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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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encumbrance
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| n.妨碍物，累赘 | |
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precluded
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| v.阻止( preclude的过去式和过去分词 )；排除；妨碍；使…行不通 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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concur
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| v.同意，意见一致，互助，同时发生 | |
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dexterity
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| n.(手的)灵巧，灵活 | |
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breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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meditating
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| a.沉思的，冥想的 | |
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chagrin
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| n.懊恼；气愤；委屈 | |
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auspices
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| n.资助，赞助 | |
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benighted
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| adj.蒙昧的 | |
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solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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conspired
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| 密谋( conspire的过去式和过去分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致 | |
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phantoms
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| n.鬼怪，幽灵( phantom的名词复数 ) | |
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superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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consolations
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| n.安慰，慰问( consolation的名词复数 )；起安慰作用的人（或事物） | |
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assassination
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| n.暗杀；暗杀事件 | |
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recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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nought
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| n.／adj.无，零 | |
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dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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foretell
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| v.预言，预告，预示 | |
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dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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fortitude
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| n.坚忍不拔；刚毅 | |
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concurring
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| 同时发生的，并发的 | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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appalled
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| v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的 | |
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defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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recollect
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| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
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thickets
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| n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 )；丛状物 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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elude
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| v.躲避，困惑 | |
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mazes
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| 迷宫( maze的名词复数 )； 纷繁复杂的规则； 复杂难懂的细节； 迷宫图 | |
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apprehensions
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| 疑惧 | |
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penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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90
devious
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| adj.不坦率的，狡猾的；迂回的，曲折的 | |
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91
boisterous
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| adj.喧闹的，欢闹的 | |
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92
groves
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| 树丛，小树林( grove的名词复数 ) | |
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93
bogs
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| n.沼泽，泥塘( bog的名词复数 )；厕所v.（使）陷入泥沼， （使）陷入困境( bog的第三人称单数 )；妨碍，阻碍 | |
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descried
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| adj.被注意到的，被发现的，被看到的 | |
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95
lone
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| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
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96
lodging
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| n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
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97
homely
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| adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的 | |
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98
tempestuous
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| adj.狂暴的 | |
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99
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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100
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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ushered
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| v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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landlady
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| n.女房东，女地主 | |
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