Besides the things, that we have heard and seen,
Recounts most horrid1 sights, seen by the watch.
JULIUS CAESAR
In the morning, Emily found Madame Montoni nearly in the same condition, as on the preceding night; she had slept little, and that little had not refreshed her; she smiled on her niece, and seemed cheered by her presence, but spoke2 only a few words, and never named Montoni, who, however, soon after, entered the room. His wife, when she understood that he was there, appeared much agitated3, but was entirely4 silent, till Emily rose from a chair at the bed-side, when she begged, in a feeble voice, that she would not leave her.
The visit of Montoni was not to sooth his wife, whom he knew to be dying, or to console, or to ask her forgiveness, but to make a last effort to procure5 that signature, which would transfer her estates in Languedoc, after her death, to him rather than to Emily. This was a scene, that exhibited, on his part, his usual inhumanity, and, on that of Madame Montoni, a persevering7 spirit, contending with a feeble frame; while Emily repeatedly declared to him her willingness to resign all claim to those estates, rather than that the last hours of her aunt should be disturbed by contention8. Montoni, however, did not leave the room, till his wife, exhausted9 by the obstinate10 dispute, had fainted, and she lay so long insensible, that Emily began to fear that the spark of life was extinguished. At length, she revived, and, looking feebly up at her niece, whose tears were falling over her, made an effort to speak, but her words were unintelligible11, and Emily again apprehended12 she was dying. Afterwards, however, she recovered her speech, and, being somewhat restored by a cordial, conversed13 for a considerable time, on the subject of her estates in France, with clearness and precision. She directed her niece where to find some papers relative to them, which she had hitherto concealed14 from the search of Montoni, and earnestly charged her never to suffer these papers to escape her.
Soon after this conversation, Madame Montoni sunk into a dose, and continued slumbering15, till evening, when she seemed better than she had been since her removal from the turret16. Emily never left her, for a moment, till long after midnight, and even then would not have quitted the room, had not her aunt entreated18, that she would retire to rest. She then obeyed, the more willingly, because her patient appeared somewhat recruited by sleep; and, giving Annette the same injunction, as on the preceding night, she withdrew to her own apartment. But her spirits were wakeful and agitated, and, finding it impossible to sleep, she determined19 to watch, once more, for the mysterious appearance, that had so much interested and alarmed her.
It was now the second watch of the night, and about the time when the figure had before appeared. Emily heard the passing steps of the sentinels, on the rampart, as they changed guard; and, when all was again silent, she took her station at the casement20, leaving her lamp in a remote part of the chamber21, that she might escape notice from without. The moon gave a faint and uncertain light, for heavy vapours surrounded it, and, often rolling over the disk, left the scene below in total darkness. It was in one of these moments of obscurity, that she observed a small and lambent flame, moving at some distance on the terrace. While she gazed, it disappeared, and, the moon again emerging from the lurid22 and heavy thunder clouds, she turned her attention to the heavens, where the vivid lightnings darted23 from cloud to cloud, and flashed silently on the woods below. She loved to catch, in the momentary24 gleam, the gloomy landscape. Sometimes, a cloud opened its light upon a distant mountain, and, while the sudden splendour illumined all its recesses25 of rock and wood, the rest of the scene remained in deep shadow; at others, partial features of the castle were revealed by the glimpse — the antient arch leading to the east rampart, the turret above, or the fortifications beyond; and then, perhaps, the whole edifice26 with all its towers, its dark massy walls and pointed27 casements28 would appear, and vanish in an instant.
Emily, looking again upon the rampart, perceived the flame she had seen before; it moved onward29; and, soon after, she thought she heard a footstep. The light appeared and disappeared frequently, while, as she watched, it glided30 under her casements, and, at the same instant, she was certain, that a footstep passed, but the darkness did not permit her to distinguish any object except the flame. It moved away, and then, by a gleam of lightning, she perceived some person on the terrace. All the anxieties of the preceding night returned. This person advanced, and the playing flame alternately appeared and vanished. Emily wished to speak, to end her doubts, whether this figure were human or supernatural; but her courage failed as often as she attempted utterance31, till the light moved again under the casement, and she faintly demanded, who passed.
‘A friend,’ replied a voice.
‘What friend?’ said Emily, somewhat encouraged ‘who are you, and what is that light you carry?’
‘I am Anthonio, one of the Signor’s soldiers,’ replied the voice.
‘And what is that tapering32 light you bear?’ said Emily, ‘see how it darts33 upwards,— and now it vanishes!’
‘This light, lady,’ said the soldier, ‘has appeared to-night as you see it, on the point of my lance, ever since I have been on watch; but what it means I cannot tell.’
‘This is very strange!’ said Emily.
‘My fellow-guard,’ continued the man, ‘has the same flame on his arms; he says he has sometimes seen it before. I never did; I am but lately come to the castle, for I have not been long a soldier.’
‘How does your comrade account for it?’ said Emily.
‘He says it is an omen17, lady, and bodes35 no good.’
‘And what harm can it bode34?’ rejoined Emily.
‘He knows not so much as that, lady.’
Whether Emily was alarmed by this omen, or not, she certainly was relieved from much terror by discovering this man to be only a soldier on duty, and it immediately occurred to her, that it might be he, who had occasioned so much alarm on the preceding night. There were, however, some circumstances, that still required explanation. As far as she could judge by the faint moon-light, that had assisted her observation, the figure she had seen did not resemble this man either in shape or size; besides, she was certain it had carried no arms. The silence of its steps, if steps it had, the moaning sounds, too, which it had uttered, and its strange disappearance36, were circumstances of mysterious import, that did not apply, with probability, to a soldier engaged in the duty of his guard.
She now enquired37 of the sentinel, whether he had seen any person besides his fellow watch, walking on the terrace, about midnight; and then briefly38 related what she had herself observed.
‘I was not on guard that night, lady,’ replied the man, ‘but I heard of what happened. There are amongst us, who believe strange things. Strange stories, too, have long been told of this castle, but it is no business of mine to repeat them; and, for my part, I have no reason to complain; our Chief does nobly by us.’
‘I commend your prudence,’ said Emily. ‘Good night, and accept this from me,’ she added, throwing him a small piece of coin, and then closing the casement to put an end to the discourse39.
When he was gone, she opened it again, listened with a gloomy pleasure to the distant thunder, that began to murmur40 among the mountains, and watched the arrowy lightnings, which broke over the remoter scene. The pealing41 thunder rolled onward, and then, reverbed by the mountains, other thunder seemed to answer from the opposite horizon; while the accumulating clouds, entirely concealing42 the moon, assumed a red sulphureous tinge43, that foretold44 a violent storm.
Emily remained at her casement, till the vivid lightning, that now, every instant, revealed the wide horizon and the landscape below, made it no longer safe to do so, and she went to her couch; but, unable to compose her mind to sleep, still listened in silent awe45 to the tremendous sounds, that seemed to shake the castle to its foundation.
She had continued thus for a considerable time, when, amidst the uproar46 of the storm, she thought she heard a voice, and, raising herself to listen, saw the chamber door open, and Annette enter with a countenance47 of wild affright.
‘She is dying, ma’amselle, my lady is dying!’ said she.
Emily started up, and ran to Madame Montoni’s room. When she entered, her aunt appeared to have fainted, for she was quite still, and insensible; and Emily with a strength of mind, that refused to yield to grief, while any duty required her activity, applied48 every means that seemed likely to restore her. But the last struggle was over — she was gone for ever.
When Emily perceived, that all her efforts were ineffectual, she interrogated49 the terrified Annette, and learned, that Madame Montoni had fallen into a doze50 soon after Emily’s departure, in which she had continued, until a few minutes before her death.
‘I wondered, ma’amselle,’ said Annette, ‘what was the reason my lady did not seem frightened at the thunder, when I was so terrified, and I went often to the bed to speak to her, but she appeared to be asleep; till presently I heard a strange noise, and, on going to her, saw she was dying.’
Emily, at this recital51, shed tears. She had no doubt but that the violent change in the air, which the tempest produced, had effected this fatal one, on the exhausted frame of Madame Montoni.
After some deliberation, she determined that Montoni should not be informed of this event till the morning, for she considered, that he might, perhaps, utter some inhuman6 expressions, such as in the present temper of her spirits she could not bear. With Annette alone, therefore, whom she encouraged by her own example, she performed some of the last solemn offices for the dead, and compelled herself to watch during the night, by the body of her deceased aunt. During this solemn period, rendered more awful by the tremendous storm that shook the air, she frequently addressed herself to Heaven for support and protection, and her pious52 prayers, we may believe, were accepted of the God, that giveth comfort.
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1
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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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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agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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inhuman
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| adj.残忍的，不人道的，无人性的 | |
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7
persevering
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| a.坚忍不拔的 | |
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8
contention
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| n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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10
obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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11
unintelligible
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| adj.无法了解的，难解的，莫明其妙的 | |
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12
apprehended
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| 逮捕，拘押( apprehend的过去式和过去分词 )； 理解 | |
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13
conversed
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的过去式 ) | |
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14
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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15
slumbering
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的现在分词形式） | |
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turret
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| n.塔楼，角塔 | |
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17
omen
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| n.征兆，预兆；vt.预示 | |
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18
entreated
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| 恳求，乞求( entreat的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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20
casement
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| n.竖铰链窗；窗扉 | |
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21
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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lurid
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| adj.可怕的；血红的；苍白的 | |
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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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24
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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25
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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26
edifice
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| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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casements
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| n.窗扉( casement的名词复数 ) | |
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onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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30
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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31
utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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32
tapering
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| adj.尖端细的 | |
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33
darts
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| n.掷飞镖游戏；飞镖( dart的名词复数 )；急驰，飞奔v.投掷，投射( dart的第三人称单数 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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34
bode
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| v.预示 | |
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35
bodes
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| v.预示，预告，预言( bode的第三人称单数 )；等待，停留( bide的过去分词 )；居住；（过去式用bided）等待 | |
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36
disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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37
enquired
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| 打听( enquire的过去式和过去分词 )； 询问； 问问题； 查问 | |
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38
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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39
discourse
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| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
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40
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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41
pealing
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| v.（使）（钟等）鸣响，（雷等）发出隆隆声( peal的现在分词 ) | |
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42
concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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43
tinge
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| vt.(较淡)着色于，染色；使带有…气息；n.淡淡色彩，些微的气息 | |
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44
foretold
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| v.预言，预示( foretell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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45
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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46
uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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47
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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48
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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49
interrogated
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| v.询问( interrogate的过去式和过去分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询 | |
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50
doze
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| v.打瞌睡；n.打盹，假寐 | |
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51
recital
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| n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会 | |
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52
pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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