EXECUTION
It was near midnight; the moon, lessened1 by its decline, and reddened by the last traces of the storm, arose behind the little town of Armentieres, which showed against its pale light the dark outline of its houses, and the skeleton of its high belfry. In front of them the Lys rolled its waters like a river of molten tin; while on the other side was a black mass of trees, profiled on a stormy sky, invaded by large coppery clouds which created a sort of twilight2 amid the night. On the left was an old abandoned mill, with its motionless wings, from the ruins of which an owl3 threw out its shrill4, periodical, and monotonous5 cry. On the right and on the left of the road, which the dismal6 procession pursued, appeared a few low, stunted7 trees, which looked like deformed8 dwarfs9 crouching10 down to watch men traveling at this sinister11 hour.
>From time to time a broad sheet of lightning opened the horizon in its whole width, darted13 like a serpent over the black mass of trees, and like a terrible scimitar divided the heavens and the waters into two parts. Not a breath of wind now disturbed the heavy atmosphere. A deathlike silence oppressed all nature. The soil was humid and glittering with the rain which had recently fallen, and the refreshed herbs sent forth14 their perfume with additional energy.
Two lackeys15 dragged Milady, whom each held by one arm. The executioner walked behind them, and Lord de Winter, D'Artagnan, Porthos, and Aramis walked behind the executioner. Planchet and Bazin came last.
The two lackeys conducted Milady to the bank of the river. Her mouth was mute; but her eyes spoke16 with their inexpressible eloquence17, supplicating18 by turns each of those on whom she looked.
Being a few paces in advance she whispered to the lackeys, "A thousand pistoles to each of you, if you will assist my escape; but if you deliver me up to your masters, I have near at hand avengers who will make you pay dearly for my death."
Grimaud hesitated. Mousqueton trembled in all his members.
Athos, who heard Milady's voice, came sharply up. Lord de Winter did the same.
"Change these lackeys," said he; "she has spoken to them. They are no longer sure."
Planchet and Bazin were called, and took the places of Grimaud and Mousqueton.
On the bank of the river the executioner approached Milady, and bound her hands and feet.
Then she broke the silence to cry out, "You are cowards, miserable19 assassins--ten men combined to murder one woman. Beware! If I am not saved I shall be avenged20."
"You are not a woman," said Athos, coldly and sternly. "You do not belong to the human species; you are a demon21 escaped from hell, whither we send you back again."
"Ah, you virtuous22 men!" said Milady; "please to remember that he who shall touch a hair of my head is himself an assassin."
"The executioner may kill, without being on that account an assassin," said the man in the red cloak, rapping upon his immense sword. "This is the last judge; that is all. NACHRICHTER, as say our neighbors, the Germans."
And as he bound her while saying these words, Milady uttered two or three savage23 cries, which produced a strange and melancholy24 effect in flying away into the night, and losing themselves in the depths of the woods.
"If I am guilty, if I have committed the crimes you accuse me of," shrieked25 Milady, "take me before a tribunal. You are not judges! You cannot condemn26 me!"
"I offered you Tyburn," said Lord de Winter. "Why did you not accept it?"
"Because I am not willing to die!" cried Milady, struggling. "Because I am too young to die!"
"The woman you poisoned at Bethune was still younger than you, madame, and yet she is dead," said D'Artagnan.
"I will enter a cloister27; I will become a nun," said Milady.
"You were in a cloister," said the executioner, "and you left it to ruin my brother."
Milady uttered a cry of terror and sank upon her knees. The executioner took her up in his arms and was carrying her toward the boat.
"Oh, my God!" cried she, "my God! are you going to drown me?"
These cries had something so heartrending in them that M. d'Artagnan, who had been at first the most eager in pursuit of Milady, sat down on the stump28 of a tree and hung his head, covering his ears with the palms of his hands; and yet, notwithstanding, he could still hear her cry and threaten.
D'Artagnan was the youngest of all these men. His heart failed him.
"Oh, I cannot behold29 this frightful30 spectacle!" said he. "I cannot consent that this woman should die thus!"
Milady heard these few words and caught at a shadow of hope.
"D'Artagnan, D'Artagnan!" cried she; "remember that I loved you!"
The young man rose and took a step toward her.
But Athos rose likewise, drew his sword, and placed himself in the way.
"If you take one step farther, D'Artagnan," said he, "we shall cross swords together."
D'Artagnan sank on his knees and prayed.
"Come," continued Athos, "executioner, do your duty."
"Willingly, monseigneur," said the executioner; "for as I am a good Catholic, I firmly believe I am acting31 justly in performing my functions on this woman."
"That's well."
Athos made a step toward Milady.
"I pardon you," said he, "the ill you have done me. I pardon you for my blasted future, my lost honor, my defiled32 love, and my salvation33 forever compromised by the despair into which you have cast me. Die in peace!"
Lord de Winter advanced in his turn.
"I pardon you," said he, "for the poisoning of my brother, and the assassination34 of his Grace, Lord Buckingham. I pardon you for the death of poor Felton; I pardon you for the attempts upon my own person. Die in peace!"
"And I," said M. d'Artagnan. "Pardon me, madame, for having by a trick unworthy of a gentleman provoked your anger; and I, in exchange, pardon you the murder of my poor love and your cruel vengeance35 against me. I pardon you, and I weep for you. Die in peace!"
"I am lost!" murmured Milady in English. "I must die!"
Then she arose of herself, and cast around her one of those piercing looks which seemed to dart12 from an eye of flame.
She saw nothing; she listened, and she heard nothing.
"Where am I to die?" said she.
"On the other bank," replied the executioner.
Then he placed her in the boat, and as he was going to set foot in it himself, Athos handed him a sum of silver.
"Here," said he, "is the price of the execution, that it may be plain we act as judges."
"That is correct," said the executioner; "and now in her turn, let this woman see that I am not fulfilling my trade, but my debt."
And he threw the money into the river.
The boat moved off toward the left-hand shore of the Lys, bearing the guilty woman and the executioner; all the others remained on the right- hand bank, where they fell on their knees.
The boat glided36 along the ferry rope under the shadow of a pale cloud which hung over the water at that moment.
The troop of friends saw it gain the opposite bank; the figures were defined like black shadows on the red-tinted horizon.
Milady, during the passage had contrived37 to untie38 the cord which fastened her feet. On coming near the bank, she jumped lightly on shore and took to flight. But the soil was moist; on reaching the top of the bank, she slipped and fell upon her knees.
She was struck, no doubt, with a superstitious39 idea; she conceived that heaven denied its aid, and she remained in the attitude in which she had fallen, her head drooping40 and her hands clasped.
Then they saw from the other bank the executioner raise both his arms slowly; a moonbeam fell upon the blade of the large sword. The two arms fell with a sudden force; they heard the hissing41 of the scimitar and the cry of the victim, then a truncated42 mass sank beneath the blow.
The executioner then took off his red cloak, spread it upon the ground, laid the body in it, threw in the head, tied all up by the four corners, lifted it on his back, and entered the boat again.
In the middle of the stream he stopped the boat, and suspending his burden over the water cried in a loud voice, "Let the justice of God be done!" and he let the corpse43 drop into the depths of the waters, which closed over it.
Three days afterward44 the four Musketeers were in Paris; they had not exceeded their leave of absence, and that same evening they went to pay their customary visit to M. de Treville.
"Well, gentlemen," said the brave captain, "I hope you have been well amused during your excursion."
"Prodigiously," replied Athos in the name of himself and his comrades.
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1
lessened
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| 减少的，减弱的 | |
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twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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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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stunted
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| adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的 | |
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deformed
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| adj.畸形的；变形的；丑的，破相了的 | |
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dwarfs
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| n.侏儒，矮子（dwarf的复数形式）vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的第三人称单数形式） | |
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crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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dart
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| v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲 | |
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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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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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lackeys
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| n.听差( lackey的名词复数 )；男仆（通常穿制服）；卑躬屈膝的人；被待为奴仆的人 | |
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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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eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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supplicating
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| v.祈求，哀求，恳求( supplicate的现在分词 ) | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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avenged
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| v.为…复仇，报…之仇( avenge的过去式和过去分词 )；为…报复 | |
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demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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virtuous
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| adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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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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25
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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26
condemn
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| vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑 | |
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cloister
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| n.修道院；v.隐退，使与世隔绝 | |
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stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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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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defiled
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| v.玷污( defile的过去式和过去分词 )；污染；弄脏；纵列行进 | |
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33
salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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assassination
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| n.暗杀；暗杀事件 | |
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vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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36
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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contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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untie
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| vt.解开，松开；解放 | |
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superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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40
drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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truncated
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| adj.切去顶端的，缩短了的，被删节的v.截面的( truncate的过去式和过去分词 )；截头的；缩短了的；截去顶端或末端 | |
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corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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44
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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