The mob had stormed the Vatican; Octavian Colonna, with a handful of fighting men, ascended1 the undefended marble staircase.
The papal guards lay slain2 in the courtyard and in the entrance hall; chamberlains, secretary, pages, and priests, fled or surrendered.
With the Lord Colonna was Theirry of Dendermonde, who had entered Rome that morning by the Appian Gate and headed a faction4 of the lawless crowd in their wild attack on the Vatican. To himself he kept saying —
“I shall know, she did not come; I shall know, she did not come.”
It was early morning; the terrific storm of last night still lingered over Rome; flashes of blue light divided the murky5 clouds and the thunder hung about the Aventine; the Colonna grew afraid; he waited below in the gorgeous audience-chamber3 and sent up to the Pope’s apartments, demanding his submission6 and promising7 him safety.
The overawed crowd retired8 into the courtyard and the Piazza9 while Paolo Orsini ascended the silver stairs.
He returned with this message —
“His Holiness’s apartments were locked, nor could they make him hear.”
“Break down the doors,” said the Colonna, but he trembled.
It was a common thought among the knights10 that Michael II had escaped; a monk11 offered to show them the secret passage where his Holiness might be even now; many went; but Theirry followed the attendants to the gilt12 door of the ebony cabinet.
They broke the lock and entered, fearfully.
On the floor torn fragments of parchments, a pile of ashes with a ruby13 ring lying in the midst...
Nothing else.
“His Holiness is in his chamber — we dare not enter.”
They had always been afraid of him; even now his name held terror.
“The Colonna waits our news!” cried Theirry wildly, “I— I dare enter.”
They tiptoed to the other gilt door; it took them some time to remove the lock.
When at last the door gave and swung open they shrunk away — but Theirry passed into the chamber.
The sombre light of dawn filled it; heavy shadows obscured the rich splendours of golden colours, of gleaming white walls; the men crept after him — it seemed to Theirry as if the world had stopped about them.
On the magnificent purple bed lay the Pope; on his brow the tiara glittered, and on his breast the chasuble; the crozier lay by his side on the samite coverlet, and his feet glittered in their golden shoes; by the crozier was a letter and a jade14 bottle.
The attendants shrieked15 and fled.
Theirry crept to the bedside and took up the parchment; his name was over the top; he broke the seal.
He read the fair writing.
“If I be a devil I go whence I came, if a man I lived as one and die as one, if woman I have known Love, conquered it and by it have been vanquished16. Whatsoever17 I am, I perish on the heights, but I do not descend18 from them. I have known things in their fulness and will not stay to taste the dregs. So, to you greeting, and not for long farewell.”
The letter fell from Theirry’s hand, fluttered and sank to the floor.
He raised his eyes and saw through the window the meteor, blazing over Rome.
Dead...
He looked now at the proud smooth face on the pillow; the gems19 of the papal crown gleaming above the red locks, the jewelled chasuble sparkling in the strengthening dawn until he was nearly fooled into thinking the bosom20 heaved beneath.
He was alone.
At least he could know.
The air was like incense21 sweet and stifling22; his blood seemed to beat in his brain with a little foolish sound of melody; a shaft23 of grey light fell over the splendours of the bed, the roses and dragons, hawks24 and hounds sewn on the curtains and coverlets; from the Pope’s garments rose a subtle and beautiful perfume.
“Ursula,” said Theirry; he bent25 over the bed until the pearls in his ears touched his cheeks. Without the thunder muttered.
To know —
He lifted the dead Pope’s arm; there seemed to be neither weight nor substance under the stiff silk. He dropped the sleeve; his cold fingers unclasped the heavy chasuble, underneath26 lay perfumed samite, white and soft.
An awful sensation crept through his veins27; he thought that under these gorgeous vestments was nothing — nothing — ashes.
He did not dare to uncover the bosom that lay, that must lie, under the gleaming samite... But he must know.
He lifted up the fair crowned head to peer madly into the proud features...
It came away in his hands, like crumbling28 wood that may preserve, till touched, the semblance29 of the carving30...so the Pope’s head parted from the trunk.
Theirry smiled with horror and stared at what he held.
Then it disappeared, fell into ashes before his eyes, and the tiara rolled on to the floor. Gone — like an image of smoke.
He sank across the headless thing on the bed.
“Must I follow you to know, follow you to hell?” he whispered.
Now he could open the rich garments.
They were empty of all save dust.
The strange strong perfume was stinging and numbing31 his brain, his heart; he thought he heard the fiends coming for his soul — at last.
He hid his face in the purple silk robes and felt his blood grow cold.
The room darkened about him, he knew he was being drawn32 downwards33 into eternity34, he sighed and slipped from the bed on to the floor.
As his last breath hovered35 on his lips the meteor vanished, the thunder-clouds rolled away from a fair blue sky and a glorious sunrise laughed over the city.
The reign36 of Antichrist was ended.
Through the Pope’s chamber the notes of silver trumpets37 quivered.
Balthasar’s trumpets as his hosts marched triumphantly38 into Rome.
The End
1 ascended | |
v.上升,攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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2 slain | |
杀死,宰杀,杀戮( slay的过去分词 ); (slay的过去分词) | |
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3 chamber | |
n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所 | |
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4 faction | |
n.宗派,小集团;派别;派系斗争 | |
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5 murky | |
adj.黑暗的,朦胧的;adv.阴暗地,混浊地;n.阴暗;昏暗 | |
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6 submission | |
n.服从,投降;温顺,谦虚;提出 | |
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7 promising | |
adj.有希望的,有前途的 | |
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8 retired | |
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的 | |
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9 piazza | |
n.广场;走廊 | |
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10 knights | |
骑士; (中古时代的)武士( knight的名词复数 ); 骑士; 爵士; (国际象棋中)马 | |
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11 monk | |
n.和尚,僧侣,修道士 | |
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12 gilt | |
adj.镀金的;n.金边证券 | |
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13 ruby | |
n.红宝石,红宝石色 | |
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14 jade | |
n.玉石;碧玉;翡翠 | |
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15 shrieked | |
v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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16 vanquished | |
v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 );战胜;克服;抑制 | |
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17 whatsoever | |
adv.(用于否定句中以加强语气)任何;pron.无论什么 | |
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18 descend | |
vt./vi.传下来,下来,下降 | |
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19 gems | |
growth; economy; management; and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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20 bosom | |
n.胸,胸部;胸怀;内心;adj.亲密的 | |
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21 incense | |
v.激怒;n.香,焚香时的烟,香气 | |
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22 stifling | |
a.令人窒息的 | |
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23 shaft | |
n.(工具的)柄,杆状物 | |
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24 hawks | |
鹰( hawk的名词复数 ); 鹰派人物,主战派人物 | |
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25 bent | |
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
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26 underneath | |
adj.在...下面,在...底下;adv.在下面 | |
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27 veins | |
n.纹理;矿脉( vein的名词复数 );静脉;叶脉;纹理 | |
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28 crumbling | |
adj.摇摇欲坠的 | |
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29 semblance | |
n.外貌,外表 | |
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30 carving | |
n.雕刻品,雕花 | |
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31 numbing | |
adj.使麻木的,使失去感觉的v.使麻木,使麻痹( numb的现在分词 ) | |
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32 drawn | |
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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33 downwards | |
adj./adv.向下的(地),下行的(地) | |
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34 eternity | |
n.不朽,来世;永恒,无穷 | |
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35 hovered | |
鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 ); 靠近(某事物); (人)徘徊; 犹豫 | |
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36 reign | |
n.统治时期,统治,支配,盛行;v.占优势 | |
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37 trumpets | |
喇叭( trumpet的名词复数 ); 小号; 喇叭形物; (尤指)绽开的水仙花 | |
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38 triumphantly | |
ad.得意洋洋地;得胜地;成功地 | |
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