But, now, there was not a single circumstance to sustain his involved and sinking life. A renegade—a renegade without conviction, without necessity, in absolute violation11 of the pledge he had given to the person he most honored and most loved, as he received her parting spirit. And why was all this? and bow was all this? What system of sorcery had encompassed12 his existence? For he was spell-bound—as much as any knight13 in fairy-tale whom malignant14 influences had robbed of his valor15 and will and virtue16. No sane17 person could credit, even comprehend, his position. Had he the opportunity of stating it in a court of justice tomorrow, he could only enter into a narrative18 which would decide his lot as an insane being. The magical rites19 had been so gradual, so subtle, so multifarious, all in appearance independent of each other, though in reality scientifically combined, that, while the conspirators20 had probably effected his ruin both in body and in soul, the only charges he could make against them would be acts of exquisite21 charity, tenderness, self-sacrifice, personal devotion, refined piety22, and religious sentiment of the most exalted23 character.
What was to be done? And could any thing be done? Could he escape? Where from and where to? He was certain, and had been for some time, from many circumstances, that he was watched. Could he hope that the vigilance which observed all his movements would scruple24 to prevent any which might be inconvenient25? He felt assured that, to quit that palace alone, was not in his power. And were it, whither could he go? To whom was he to appeal? And about what was he to appeal? Should he appeal to the Holy Father? There would be an opportunity for that tomorrow. To the College of Cardinals27, who had solemnized yesterday with gracious unction his spiritual triumph? To those congenial spirits, the mild Assessor of the Inquisition, or the president of the Propaganda, who was busied at that moment in circulating throughout both the Americas, all Asia, all Africa, all Australia, and parts of Europe, for the edification of distant millions, the particulars of the miraculous29 scene in which he was the principal actor? Should he throw himself on the protection of the ambiguous minister of the British crown, and invoke30 his aid against a conspiracy31 touching32 the rights, reason, and freedom of one of her majesty’s subjects? He would probably find that functionary33 inditing34 a private letter to the English Secretary of State, giving the minister a graphic35 account of the rare doings of yesterday, and assuring the minister, from his own personal and ocular experience, that a member of one of the highest orders of the British peerage carried in the procession a lighted taper36 after two angels with amaranthine flowers and golden wings.
Lothair remained in his apartments; no one approached him. It was the only day that the monsignore had not waited on him. Father Coleman was equally reserved. Strange to say, not one of those agreeable and polite gentlemen, fathers of the oratory37, who talked about gems38, torsos, and excavations39, and who always more or less attended his levee, troubled him this morning. With that exquisite tact40 which pervades41 the hierarchical circles of Rome, every one felt that Lothair, on the eve of that event of his life which Providence42 had so long and so mysteriously prepared, would wish to be undisturbed.
Restless, disquieted43, revolving44 all the incidents of his last year, trying, by terrible analysis, to ascertain45 how he ever could have got into such a false position, and how he could yet possibly extricate46 himself from it, not shrinking in many things from self-blame, and yet not recognizing on his part such a degree of deviation47 from the standard of right feeling, or even of commonsense48, as would authorize49 such an overthrow50 as that awaiting him—high rank and boundless51 wealth, a station of duty and of honor, some gifts of Nature, and golden youth, and a disposition52 that at least aspired53, in the employment of these, accidents of life and fortune, at something better than selfish gratification, all smashed—the day drew on.
Drew on the day, and every hour it seemed his spirit was more lone26 and dark. For the first time the thought of death occurred to him as a relief from the perplexities of existence. How much better had he died at Mentana! To this pass had arrived the cordial and brilliant Lord of Muriel, who enjoyed and adorned55 life, and wished others to adorn54 and to enjoy it; the individual whom, probably, were the majority of the English people polled, they would have fixed56 upon as filling the most enviable of all positions, and holding out a hope that he was not unworthy of it. Born with every advantage that could command the sympathies of his fellow-men, with a quick intelligence and a noble disposition, here he was at one-and-twenty ready to welcome death, perhaps even to devise it, as the only rescue from a doom57 of confusion, degradation58, and remorse59.
He had thrown himself on a sofa, and had buried his face in his hands to assist the abstraction which he demanded. There was not an incident of his life that escaped the painful inquisition of his memory. He passed his childhood once more in that stern Scotch60 home, that, after all, had been so kind, and, as it would seem, so wise. The last words of counsel and of warning from his uncle, expressed at Muriel, came back to him. And yet there seemed a destiny throughout these transactions which was; irresistible61! The last words of Theodora, her look, even more solemn than her tone, might have been breathed over a tripod, for they were a prophecy, not a warning.
How long he had been absorbed in this passionate62 reverie he knew not but when he looked up again it was night, and the moon had touched his window. He rose and walked up and down the room, and then went into the corridor. All was silent; not an attendant was visible; the sky was clear and starry63, and the moonlight fell on the tall, still cypresses64 in the vast quadrangle.
Lothair leaned over the balustrade and gazed upon the moonlit fountains. The change of scene, silent and yet not voiceless, and the softening65 spell of the tranquillizing hour, were a relief to him. And after a time he wandered about the corridors, and after a time he descended66 into the court. The tall Swiss, in his grand uniform, was closing the gates which had just released a visitor. Lothair motioned that he too wished to go forth, and the Swiss obeyed him. The threshold was passed, and Lothair found himself for the first time alone in Rome.
Utterly67 reckless, he cared not where he went or what might happen. The streets were quite deserted68, and he wandered about with a strange curiosity, gratified as he sometimes encountered famous objects he had read of, and yet the true character of which no reading ever realizes.
The moonlight becomes the proud palaces of Rome, their corniced and balconied fronts rich with deep shadows in the blaze. Sometimes he encountered an imperial column; sometimes he came to an arcadian square flooded with light and resonant69 with the fall of statued fountains. Emerging from a long, straggling street of convents and gardens, he found himself in an open space full of antique ruins, and among them the form of a colossal70 amphitheatre that he at once recognized.
It rose with its three tiers of arches and the huge wall that crowns them, black and complete in the air; and not until Lothair had entered it could he perceive the portion of the outer wall that was in ruins, and now bathed with the silver light. Lothair was alone. In that huge creation, once echoing with the shouts, and even the agonies, of thousands, Lothair was alone.
He sat him down on a block of stone in that sublime and desolate71 arena72, and asked himself the secret spell of this Rome that had already so agitated73 his young life, and probably was about critically to affect it. Theodora lived for Rome and died for Rome. And the cardinal28, born and bred an English gentleman, with many hopes and honors, had renounced74 his religion, and, it might be said, his country, for Rome. And for Rome, tomorrow, Catesby would die without a pang75, and sacrifice himself for Rome, as his race for three hundred years had given, for the same cause, honor and broad estates and unhesitating lives. And these very people were influenced by different motives76, and thought they were devoting themselves to opposite ends. But still it was Rome—republican or Caesarian, papal or pagan, it still was Rome.
Was it a breeze in a breezeless night that was sighing amid these ruins? A pine-tree moved its head on a broken arch, and there was a stir among the plants that hung on the ancient walls. It was a breeze in a breezeless night that was sighing amid the ruins.
There was a tall crag of ancient building contiguous to the block on which Lothair was seated, and which on his arrival he had noted77, although, long lost in reverie, he had not recently turned his glance in that direction. He was roused from that reverie by the indefinite sense of some change having occurred which often disturbs and terminates one’s brooding thoughts. And looking round, he felt, he saw, he was no longer alone. The moonbeams fell upon a figure that was observing him from the crag of ruin that was near, and, as the light clustered and gathered round the form, it became every moment more definite and distinct.
Lothair would have sprung forward, but he could only extend his arms: he would have spoken, but his tongue was paralyzed.
“Lothair,” said a deep, sweet voice that never could be forgotten.
“I am here,” he at last replied.
“Remember!” and she threw upon him that glance, at once serene78 and solemn, that had been her last, and was impressed indelibly upon his heart of hearts.
Now, he could spring forward and throw himself at her feet, but alas79! as he reached her, the figure melted into the moonlight, and she was gone—that divine Theodora, who, let us hope, returned at last to those Elysian fields she so well deserved.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
calamities
|
|
| n.灾祸，灾难( calamity的名词复数 )；不幸之事 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
lustre
|
|
| n.光亮，光泽；荣誉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
bereavement
|
|
| n.亲人丧亡，丧失亲人，丧亲之痛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
mitigated
|
|
| v.减轻，缓和( mitigate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
distractions
|
|
| n.使人分心的事[人]( distraction的名词复数 )；娱乐，消遣；心烦意乱；精神错乱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
inevitable
|
|
| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
clarion
|
|
| n.尖音小号声；尖音小号 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
forth
|
|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
sublime
|
|
| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
elevation
|
|
| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
violation
|
|
| n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
encompassed
|
|
| v.围绕( encompass的过去式和过去分词 )；包围；包含；包括 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
knight
|
|
| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
malignant
|
|
| adj.恶性的，致命的；恶意的，恶毒的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
valor
|
|
| n.勇气，英勇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
virtue
|
|
| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
sane
|
|
| adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
narrative
|
|
| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
rites
|
|
| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
conspirators
|
|
| n.共谋者，阴谋家( conspirator的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
exquisite
|
|
| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
piety
|
|
| n.虔诚，虔敬 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
exalted
|
|
| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
scruple
|
|
| n./v.顾忌，迟疑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
inconvenient
|
|
| adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
lone
|
|
| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
cardinals
|
|
| 红衣主教( cardinal的名词复数 )； 红衣凤头鸟（见于北美，雄鸟为鲜红色）； 基数 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
cardinal
|
|
| n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
miraculous
|
|
| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
invoke
|
|
| v.求助于(神、法律)；恳求，乞求 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
conspiracy
|
|
| n.阴谋，密谋，共谋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
touching
|
|
| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
functionary
|
|
| n.官员；公职人员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
inditing
|
|
| v.写（文章，信等）创作，赋诗，创作( indite的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
graphic
|
|
| adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
taper
|
|
| n.小蜡烛，尖细，渐弱；adj.尖细的；v.逐渐变小 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
oratory
|
|
| n.演讲术；词藻华丽的言辞 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
gems
|
|
| growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
excavations
|
|
| n.挖掘( excavation的名词复数 )；开凿；开凿的洞穴（或山路等）；（发掘出来的）古迹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
tact
|
|
| n.机敏，圆滑，得体 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
pervades
|
|
| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
providence
|
|
| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
disquieted
|
|
| v.使不安，使忧虑，使烦恼( disquiet的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
revolving
|
|
| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
ascertain
|
|
| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
extricate
|
|
| v.拯救，救出；解脱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
deviation
|
|
| n.背离，偏离；偏差，偏向；离题 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
commonsense
|
|
| adj.有常识的；明白事理的；注重实际的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
authorize
|
|
| v.授权，委任；批准，认可 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
overthrow
|
|
| v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
boundless
|
|
| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
disposition
|
|
| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
aspired
|
|
| v.渴望，追求( aspire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
adorn
|
|
| vt.使美化，装饰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
adorned
|
|
| [计]被修饰的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
fixed
|
|
| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
doom
|
|
| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
degradation
|
|
| n.降级；低落；退化；陵削；降解；衰变 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
remorse
|
|
| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
scotch
|
|
| n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
irresistible
|
|
| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
passionate
|
|
| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
starry
|
|
| adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
cypresses
|
|
| n.柏属植物，柏树( cypress的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
softening
|
|
| 变软，软化 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
descended
|
|
| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
utterly
|
|
| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
deserted
|
|
| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
resonant
|
|
| adj.(声音)洪亮的，共鸣的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
colossal
|
|
| adj.异常的，庞大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
desolate
|
|
| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
arena
|
|
| n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
agitated
|
|
| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
renounced
|
|
| v.声明放弃( renounce的过去式和过去分词 )；宣布放弃；宣布与…决裂；宣布摒弃 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
pang
|
|
| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
motives
|
|
| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
noted
|
|
| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
serene
|
|
| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
alas
|
|
| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |