An Improvement on Jacob's LadderIn the morning of the day after that on which I swore my oath againstthe Six, I gave certain orders, and then rested in greater contentment than Ihad known for some time. I was at work; and work, though it cannot curelove, is yet a narcotic1 to it; so that Sapt, who grew feverish2, marvelled3 tosee me sprawling4 in an armchair in the sunshine, listening to one of myfriends who sang me amorous5 songs in a mellow6 voice and induced in mea pleasing melancholy7. Thus was I engaged when young Rupert Hentzau,who feared neither man nor devil, and rode through the demesne-- whereevery tree might hide a marksman, for all he knew-- as though it had beenthe park at Strelsau, cantered up to where I lay, bowing with burlesquedeference, and craving8 private speech with me in order to deliver amessage from the Duke of Strelsau. I made all withdraw, and then he said,seating himself by me:
"The King is in love, it seems?""Not with life, my lord," said I, smiling.
"It is well," he rejoined. "Come, we are alone, Rassendyll--"I rose to a sitting posture9.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
"I was about to call one of my gentlemen to bring your horse, my lord.
If you do not know how to address the King, my brother must find anothermessenger.""Why keep up the farce10?" he asked, negligently11 dusting his boot withhis glove.
"Because it is not finished yet; and meanwhile I'll choose my ownname.""Oh, so be it! Yet I spoke12 in love for you; for indeed you are a manafter my own heart.""Saving my poor honesty," said I, "maybe I am. But that I keep faithwith men, and honour with women, maybe I am, my lord."He darted13 a glance at me--a glance of anger.
"Is your mother dead?" said I.
"Ay, she's dead.""She may thank God," said I, and I heard him curse me softly. "Well,what's the message?" I continued.
I had touched him on the raw, for all the world knew he had broken hismother's heart and flaunted14 his mistresses in her house; and his airymanner was gone for the moment.
"The duke offers you more than I would," he growled15. "A halter foryou, sire, was my suggestion. But he offers you safe-conduct across thefrontier and a million crowns.""I prefer your offer, my lord, if I am bound to one.""You refuse?""Of course.""I told Michael you would;" and the villain16, his temper restored, gaveme the sunniest of smiles. "The fact is, between ourselves," he continued,"Michael doesn't understand a gentleman."I began to laugh.
"And you?" I asked.
"I do," he said. "Well, well, the halter be it.""I'm sorry you won't live to see it," I observed.
"Has his Majesty17 done me the honour to fasten a particular quarrel onme?""I would you were a few years older, though.""Oh, God gives years, but the devil gives increase," laughed he. "I canhold my own.""How is your prisoner?" I asked.
"The K--?""Your prisoner.""I forgot your wishes, sire. Well, he is alive."He rose to his feet; I imitated him. Then, with a smile, he said:
"And the pretty princess? Faith, I'll wager18 the next Elphberg will bered enough, for all that Black Michael will be called his father."I sprang a step towards him, clenching19 my hand. He did not move aninch, and his lip curled in insolent20 amusement.
"Go, while your skin's whole!" I muttered. He had repaid me withinterest my hit about his mother.
Then came the most audacious thing I have known in my life. Myfriends were some thirty yards away. Rupert called to a groom21 to bringhim his horse, and dismissed the fellow with a crown. The horse stoodnear. I stood still, suspecting nothing. Rupert made as though to mount;then he suddenly turned to me: his left hand resting in his belt, his rightoutstretched: "Shake hands," he said.
I bowed, and did as he had foreseen--I put my hands behind me.
Quicker than thought, his left hand darted out at me, and a small daggerflashed in the air; he struck me in the left shoulder --had I not swerved22, ithad been my heart. With a cry, I staggered back. Without touching23 thestirrup, he leapt upon his horse and was off like an arrow, pursued by criesand revolver shots--the last as useless as the first--and I sank into my chair,bleeding profusely24, as I watched the devil's brat25 disappear down the longavenue. My friends surrounded me, and then I fainted.
I suppose that I was put to bed, and there lay, unconscious, or halfconscious, for many hours; for it was night when I awoke to my full mind,and found Fritz beside me. I was weak and weary, but he bade me be ofgood cheer, saying that my wound would soon heal, and that meanwhileall had gone well, for Johann, the keeper, had fallen into the snare26 we hadlaid for him, and was even now in the house.
"And the queer thing is," pursued Fritz, "that I fancy he's notaltogether sorry to find himself here. He seems to think that when BlackMichael has brought off his coup27, witnesses of how it was effected--saving,of course, the Six themselves--will not be at a premium28."This idea argued a shrewdness in our captive which led me to buildhopes on his assistance. I ordered him to be brought in at once. Saptconducted him, and set him in a chair by my bedside. He was sullen29, andafraid; but, to say truth, after young Rupert's exploit, we also had our fears,and, if he got as far as possible from Sapt's formidable six-shooter, Saptkept him as far as he could from me. Moreover, when he came in hishands were bound, but that I would not suffer.
I need not stay to recount the safeguards and rewards we promised the fellow--all of which were honourably30 observed and paid, so that he livesnow in prosperity (though where I may not mention); and we were themore free inasmuch as we soon learnt that he was rather a weak man thana wicked, and had acted throughout this matter more from fear of the dukeand of his own brother Max than for any love of what was done. But hehad persuaded all of his loyalty31; and though not in their secret counsels,was yet, by his knowledge of their dispositions32 within the Castle, able tolay bare before us the very heart of their devices. And here, in brief, is hisstory:
Below the level of the ground in the Castle, approached by a flight ofstone steps which abutted33 on the end of the drawbridge, were situated34 twosmall rooms, cut out of the rock itself. The outer of the two had nowindows, but was always lighted with candles; the inner had one squarewindow, which gave upon the moat. In the outer room there lay always,day and night, three of the Six; and the instructions of Duke Michael were,that on any attack being made on the outer room, the three were to defendthe door of it so long as they could without risk to themselves. But, sosoon as the door should be in danger of being forced, then Rupert Hentzauor Detchard (for one of these two was always there) should leave theothers to hold it as long as they could, and himself pass into the innerroom, and, without more ado, kill the King who lay there, well-treatedindeed, but without weapons, and with his arms confined in fine steelchains, which did not allow him to move his elbow more than three inchesfrom his side. Thus, before the outer door were stormed, the King wouldbe dead. And his body? For his body would be evidence as damning ashimself.
"Nay, sir," said Johann, "his Highness has thought of that. While thetwo hold the outer room, the one who has killed the King unlocks the barsin the square window (they turn on a hinge). The window now gives nolight, for its mouth is choked by a great pipe of earthenware35; and this pipe,which is large enough to let pass through it the body of a man, passes intothe moat, coming to an end immediately above the surface of the water, sothat there is no perceptible interval36 between water and pipe. The Kingbeing dead, his murderer swiftly ties a weight to the body, and, dragging it to the window, raises it by a pulley (for, lest the weight should prove toogreat, Detchard has provided one) till it is level with the mouth of the pipe.
He inserts the feet in the pipe, and pushes the body down. Silently, withoutsplash or sound, it falls into the water and thence to the bottom of the moat,which is twenty feet deep thereabouts. This done, the murderer criesloudly, "All's well!" and himself slides down the pipe; and the others, ifthey can and the attack is not too hot, run to the inner room and, seeking amoment's delay, bar the door, and in their turn slide down. And though theKing rises not from the bottom, they rise and swim round to the other side,where the orders are for men to wait them with ropes, to haul them out,and horses. And here, if things go ill, the duke will join them and seeksafety by riding; but if all goes well, they will return to the Castle, andhave their enemies in a trap. That, sir, is the plan of his Highness for thedisposal of the King in case of need. But it is not to be used till the last; for,as we all know, he is not minded to kill the King unless he can, before orsoon after, kill you also, sir. Now, sir, I have spoken the truth, as God ismy witness, and I pray you to shield me from the vengeance37 of DukeMichael; for if, after he knows what I have done, I fall into his hands, Ishall pray for one thing out of all the world--a speedy death, and that Ishall not obtain from him!"The fellow's story was rudely told, but our questions supplemented hisnarrative. What he had told us applied38 to an armed attack; but if suspicionswere aroused, and there came overwhelming force--such, for instance, as I,the King, could bring--the idea of resistance would be abandoned; theKing would be quietly murdered and slid down the pipe. And--here comesan ingenious touch--one of the Six would take his place in the cell, and, onthe entrance of the searchers, loudly demand release and redress39; andMichael, being summoned, would confess to hasty action, but he wouldsay the man had angered him by seeking the favour of a lady in the Castle(this was Antoinette de Mauban) and he had confined him there, as heconceived he, as Lord of Zenda, had right to do. But he was now, onreceiving his apology, content to let him go, and so end the gossip which,to his Highness's annoyance40, had arisen concerning a prisoner in Zenda,and had given his visitors the trouble of this enquiry. The visitors, baffled, would retire, and Michael could, at his leisure, dispose of the body of theKing.
Sapt, Fritz, and I in my bed, looked round on one another in horror andbewilderment at the cruelty and cunning of the plan. Whether I went inpeace or in war, openly at the head of a corps41, or secretly by a stealthyassault, the King would be dead before I could come near him. If Michaelwere stronger and overcame my party, there would be an end. But if I werestronger, I should have no way to punish him, no means of proving anyguilt in him without proving my own guilt42 also. On the other hand, Ishould be left as King (ah! for a moment my pulse quickened) and itwould be for the future to witness the final struggle between him and me.
He seemed to have made triumph possible and ruin impossible. At theworst, he would stand as well as he had stood before I crossed his path-withbut one man between him and the throne, and that man an impostor;at best, there would be none left to stand against him. I had begun to thinkthat Black Michael was over fond of leaving the fighting to his friends; butnow I acknowledged that the brains, if not the arms, of the conspiracywere his.
"Does the King know this?" I asked.
"I and my brother," answered Johann, "put up the pipe, under theorders of my Lord of Hentzau. He was on guard that day, and the Kingasked my lord what it meant. "Faith," he answered, with his airy laugh,"it's a new improvement on the ladder of Jacob, whereby, as you have read,sire, men pass from the earth to heaven. We thought it not meet that yourMajesty should go, in case, sire, you must go, by the common route. Sowe have made you a pretty private passage where the vulgar cannot stareat you or incommode your passage. That, sire, is the meaning of thatpipe." And he laughed and bowed, and prayed the King's leave toreplenish the King's glass--for the King was at supper. And the King,though he is a brave man, as are all of his House, grew red and then whiteas he looked on the pipe and at the merry devil who mocked him. Ah, sir"(and the fellow shuddered), "it is not easy to sleep quiet in the Castle ofZenda, for all of them would as soon cut a man's throat as play a game atcards; and my Lord Rupert would choose it sooner for a pastime than any other--ay, sooner than he would ruin a woman, though that he loves also."The man ceased, and I bade Fritz take him away and have himcarefully guarded; and, turning to him, I added:
"If anyone asks you if there is a prisoner in Zenda, you may answer"Yes." But if any asks who the prisoner is, do not answer. For all mypromises will not save you if any man here learns from you the truth as tothe prisoner of Zenda. I'll kill you like a dog if the thing be so much asbreathed within the house!"Then, when he was gone, I looked at Sapt.
"It's a hard nut!" said I.
"So hard," said he, shaking his grizzled head, "that as I think, this timenext year is like to find you still King of Ruritania!" and he broke out intocurses on Michael's cunning.
I lay back on my pillows.
"There seems to me," I observed, "to be two ways by which the Kingcan come out of Zenda alive. One is by treachery in the duke's followers43.""You can leave that out," said Sapt.
"I hope not," I rejoined, "because the other I was about to mention is-bya miracle from heaven!"
收听单词发音 |
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narcotic
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| n.麻醉药，镇静剂；adj.麻醉的，催眠的 | |
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feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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marvelled
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| v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sprawling
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| adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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amorous
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| adj.多情的；有关爱情的 | |
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mellow
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| adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟 | |
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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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craving
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| n.渴望,热望 | |
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posture
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| n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势 | |
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farce
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| n.闹剧，笑剧，滑稽戏；胡闹 | |
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negligently
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12
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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darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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flaunted
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| v.炫耀，夸耀( flaunt的过去式和过去分词 )；有什么能耐就施展出来 | |
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growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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villain
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| n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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wager
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| n.赌注；vt.押注，打赌 | |
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clenching
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的现在分词 ) | |
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insolent
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| adj.傲慢的，无理的 | |
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groom
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| vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁 | |
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swerved
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| v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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profusely
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| ad.abundantly | |
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brat
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| n.孩子；顽童 | |
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snare
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| n.陷阱，诱惑，圈套；（去除息肉或者肿瘤的）勒除器；响弦，小军鼓；vt.以陷阱捕获，诱惑 | |
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coup
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| n.政变；突然而成功的行动 | |
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premium
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| n.加付款；赠品；adj.高级的；售价高的 | |
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sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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honourably
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| adv.可尊敬地，光荣地，体面地 | |
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loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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dispositions
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| 安排( disposition的名词复数 )； 倾向； （财产、金钱的）处置； 气质 | |
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abutted
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| v.（与…）邻接( abut的过去式和过去分词 )；（与…）毗连；接触；倚靠 | |
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situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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earthenware
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| n.土器，陶器 | |
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interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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redress
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| n.赔偿，救济，矫正；v.纠正，匡正，革除 | |
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annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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