To-day that building is by way of being a farm. Part of the ground-floor is used for storerooms and barns, evidence of a wider cultivation6, formerly7 flourishing, but very much fallen off since the days when Raoul's grandfather made it his business in life.
The old Baron8, as they called him, had a right to the title and to the apostrophe since the property, before the Revolution, formed the barony d'Avernoie. A great sportsman, a fine figure of a man, and fond of wine and women, he had very little liking9 for work; and his son, Raoul's father, inheriting this distaste, had in his manner of life shown an equal lack of care for the future.
"I have done what I could, once I was demobilized," Raoul confided10 to Dorothy, "to restore prosperity here; and up-hill work it has been. But what would you? My father and my grandfather lived their lives in the assurance, which evidently sprang from those legends you have heard of: 'One of these days we shall be rich. So why worry?' And they did not worry. Actually we are in the hands of a money-lender who has bought up all our debts; and I have just heard that during my stay at Roborey my grandfather signed a bill of sale which gives that money-lender the power to turn us out of the house in six weeks."
He was an excellent young fellow, a trifle slow-witted, rather awkward in manner, but of an upright disposition11, serious and thoughtful. The charm of Dorothy had made an instant conquest of him, and in spite of an invincible12 timidity which had always prevented him from putting into words his deeper feelings, he did not hide either his admiration13 or the fact that she had robbed him of his peace of mind. Everything that she said charmed him. Everything that she bade him do was done.
Following her advice he made no secret of the assault of which his grandfather had been the victim and lodged14 a complaint against this unknown criminal. To the people about him he talked openly about the fortune which he expected to come to him shortly and of the investigations15 on foot to discover a gold medal, the possession of which was the first condition of obtaining it. Without revealing Dorothy's name, he did not conceal16 the fact that she was a distant cousin, or the reasons which brought her to the Manor.
Three days later, having screwed double stages out of One-eyed Magpie17, Saint-Quentin arrived in company with Castor and Pollux. Dorothy would not hear of any abode18 but her beloved caravan19, which was installed in the middle of the court-yard; and once more the five comrades settled down to their happy, careless life. Castor and Pollux fought with less vigor20. Saint-Quentin fished in the lake. The captain, always immensely consequential21, took the old baron under his care and related to him and to Goliath interminable yarns22.
As for Dorothy, she was observing. They found that she wore an air of mystery, keeping her thoughts and proceedings23 to herself. She spent hours playing with her comrades superintending their exercises. Then, her eyes fixed24 on the old baron, who, accompanied by his faithful dog, with tottering25 gait and dulled eyes, would go and lean against a tree in the orchard4, she watched everything which might be a manifestation26 of instinct in him or of a survival of the past. At other times Raoul surprised her in some corner, motionless and silent. It seemed to him then as if the whole affair was confined to her brain, and that it was there, much more than on the estate of Hillocks Manor that she was looking for the guiding clue.
Several days in succession she spent the hours in the loft27 of a granary where there were some bookshelves, and on them, old newspapers, bundles of papers, pamphlets, printed during the last century, histories of the district, communal28 reports, and parish records.
"Well," asked Raoul, laughing. "Are we getting on? I have an impression that your eyes are beginning to see more clearly."
"Perhaps. I won't say that they aren't."
The eyes of Dorothy! In that combination of charming things her face, it was they above everything which held one's attention. Large, almond-shaped and lengthened29 in the shadow of their black lashes30, they surprised one by the inconceivable diversity of their coloring and expression: of the blue which changed like the blue of the sea according to the hour and the light; of a blue which seemed to vary with the successive thoughts which changed her expression. And these eyes, so delightful31 that it seemed that they must always be smiling or laughing, were in moments of meditation32 the gravest eyes that ever were, when she half-closed and fixed them on some image in her mind.
Raoul, now, only saw through them, and was only really interested in what they expressed. The fabulous33 story of the treasure and the medal was wholly summed up for him in the charming spectacle afforded by two beautiful eyes observant or thoughtful, troubled or joyful34. And perhaps Dorothy allowed herself to be observed with a certain satisfaction. The love of this big, shy young fellow touched her by its respectfulness, she who had only known hitherto the brutal35 homage36 of desire.
One day she made him take a seat in the little boat which was moored37 to the shore of the lake, and letting it drift with the current she said to him:
"We are drawing near."
"Near what?" he asked, startled.
"You believe?"
"I believe that you made no mistake the day on which you saw in your grandfather's hands that gold medal in which all the traditions of the family seem to be summed up. Unfortunately the poor man lost his reason before you were put in possession of the facts; and the thread which bound the past to the future has been broken."
"Then what do you hope for, if we do not find that medal? We've searched everywhere, his room, his clothes, the house, the orchard, and found nothing."
"It is impossible that he should keep to himself forever the answer to the enigma39. If his reason is dead, his instincts survive. And what an instinct that is that centuries have been forming! Doubtless he has put the coin within reach, or within sight. You may be sure that he has hidden it in such a way that no execrable piece of bad luck could rob him of it without his being aware of it. But don't worry: at the appointed hour some unconscious gesture will reveal the truth to us."
Raoul objected.
"But what if d'Estreicher took it from him?"
"He did not. If he had, we should not have heard the noise of the struggle. Your grandfather resisted to the end; and it was only our coming which put d'Estreicher to flight."
"Oh, that ruffian! If only I had him in my hands!" exclaimed Raoul.
The boat was drifting gently. Dorothy said in a very low voice, barely moving her lips:
"Not so loud! He can hear us."
"What! What do you mean?"
"I say that he is close by and that he doesn't lose a single word of what we say," she went on in the same low voice.
Raoul was dumfounded.
"But—but—what does it mean? Can you see him?"
"No. But I can feel his presence; and he can see us."
"Where from?"
"From some place among the hillocks. I have been thinking that this name of Hillocks Manor pointed40 to some inpenetrable hiding-place, and I've discovered a proof of it in one of those old books, which actually speaks of a hiding-place where the Vendéans lay hid, and says that it is believed to be in the neighborhood of Tiffauges and Clisson."
"But how should d'Estreicher have learnt of it?"
"Remember that the day of the assault your grandfather was alone, or believed himself to be alone. Strolling among the hillocks, he would have disclosed one of the entrances. D'Estreicher was watching him at the time. And since then the rascal41 had been using it as a refuge.
"Look at the ground, all humps and ravines. On the right, on the left, everywhere, there are places in the rock for observations, so to speak, from which one can hear and see everything that takes place inside the boundaries of the estate. D'Estreicher is there."
"What is he doing?"
"He's searching and, what's more, he is keeping an eye on my investigations. He also—for all that I can't guess exactly the reason—wants the gold medal. And he is afraid that I shall get it before him."
"But we must inform the police!"
"Not yet. This underground hiding-place should have several issues, some of which perhaps run under the river. If we give the ruffian warning, he will escape."
"Then what's your plan?"
"How?"
"I'll tell you at the appointed time, and that will not be long. I repeat: the hour draws near."
"What proof have you?"
"This," she said. "I have seen the money-lender, Monsieur Voirin, and he showed me the bill of sale. If by five o'clock on July 31st Monsieur Voirin, who has desired all his life to acquire the Manor, has not received the sum of three hundred thousand francs in cash or government securities, the Manor becomes his property."
"I know," said he. "And it will break my heart to go away from here."
She protested:
"There's no question of your going away from here."
"Why not? There's no reason why I should become rich in a month."
"Yes, there is a reason, the reason which has always sustained your grandfather, the reason which made him act as he did on this occasion, which made him say to old Voirin—I repeat the money-lender's words: 'Don't get bucked43 about this, Voirin. On the 31st of July I shall pay you in cash.' This is the first time that we are face to face with a precise fact. Up to now words and a confused tradition. To-day a fact. A fact which proves that, according to your grandfather all the legends which turn round these promised riches come to a head on a certain day in the month of July."
"Raoul, to-day's the 27th of June. In a few weeks you will be rich; and I too. And d'Estreicher will be hanged high and dry as I predicted to his face."
That very evening Dorothy slipped out of the Manor and furtively45 made her way to a lane which ran between very tall hedges. After an hour's walking she came to a little garden at the bottom of which a light was shining.
Her private investigations had brought to her knowledge the name of an old lady, Juliet Assire, whom the gossip of the countryside declared to be one of the old flames of the Baron. Before his attack, the Baron paid her a visit, for all that she was deaf, in poor health, and rather feeble-witted. Moreover, thanks to the lack of discretion46 of the maid who looked after her and whom Saint-Quentin had questioned, Dorothy had learnt that Juliet Assire was the possessor of a medal of the kind they were searching for at the Manor.
Dorothy had formed the plan of taking advantage of the maid's weekly evening out to knock at the door and question Juliet Assire. But Fortune decided47 otherwise. The door was not locked, and when she stepped over the threshold of the low and comfortable sitting-room48, she perceived the old lady asleep in the lamplight, her head bent49 over the canvas which she was engaged in embroidering50.
"Suppose I look for it?" thought Dorothy. "What's the use of asking her questions she won't answer?"
She looked round her, examined the prints hanging on the wall, the clock under its glass case, the candlesticks.
Further on an inner staircase led up to the bedrooms. She was moving towards it when the door creaked. On the instant she was certain that d'Estreicher was about to appear. Had he followed her?... Had he by any chance brought her there by a combination of machinations? She was frightened and thought only of flight.... The staircase? The rooms on the first floor.... She hadn't the time! Near her was a glass door.... Doubtless it led to the kitchen.... And from there to the back door through which she could escape.
She went through it and at once found out her mistake. She was in a dark closet, a cupboard rather, against the boards of which she had to flatten51 herself before she could get the door shut. She found herself a prisoner.
At that moment the door of the room opened, very quietly. Two men came cautiously into it; and immediately one of them whispered:
"The old woman's asleep."
Through the glass, which was covered by a torn curtain, Dorothy easily recognized d'Estreicher, in spite of his turned-up coat-collar and the flaps of his cap, which were tied under his chin. His confederate in like manner had hidden half his face in a muffler.
"That damsel does make you play the fool," he said.
"Rot! You're always shadowing her. You're losing your head about her.... You'll go on doing it till the day she helps you to lose it for good."
"I don't say, no. She nearly succeeded in doing it at Roberey. But I need her."
"What for?"
"For the medal. She's the only person capable of laying her hands on it."
"Not here—in any case. We've already searched the house twice."
"Badly, without a doubt, since she is coming to it. At least when we caught sight of her she was certainly coming in this direction. The chatter53 of the maid has sent her here; and she has chosen the night when the old woman would be alone."
"You are stuck on your little pet."
"I'm stuck on her," growled d'Estreicher. "Only let me lay my hands on her, and I swear the little devil won't forget it in a hurry!"
Dorothy shivered. There was in the accents of this man a hate and at the same time a violence of desire which terrified her.
He was silent, posted behind the door, listening for her coming.
Several minutes passed. Juliet Assire still slept, her hand hanging lower and lower over her work.
At last d'Estreicher muttered:
"She isn't coming. She must have turned off somewhere."
"Ah well, let's clear out," said his accomplice54.
"No."
"Have you got an idea?"
"A determination—to find the medal."
"But since we've already searched the house twice——"
"We went about it the wrong way. We must change our methods.... All the worse for the old woman!"
He banged the table at the risk of waking Juliet Assire.
"After all, it's too silly! The maid distinctly said: 'There's a medal in the house, the kind of thing they're looking for at the Manor.' Then let's make use of the opportunity, what? What failed in the case of the Baron may succeed to-day."
"What? You'd——"
"Make her speak—yes. As I tried to make the Baron speak. Only, she's a woman, she is."
D'Estreicher had taken off his cap. His evil face wore an expression of savage55 cruelty. He went to the door, locked it, and put the key in his pocket. Then he came back to the arm-chair in which the good lady was sleeping, gazed at her a moment and of a sudden fell upon her, gripping her throat, and thrust her backwards56 against the back of the chair.
"You needn't give yourself all that trouble. If you squeeze too hard, you'll kill the poor old thing."
D'Estreicher opened his fingers a little. The old woman opened her eyes wide and uttered a low groan58.
"Speak!" d'Estreicher commanded. "The Baron intrusted a medal to you. Where have you put it?"
Juliet Assire did not clearly understand what was happening to her. She struggled. Exasperated59, he shook her.
"Will you prattle60? Hey? Where's your old sweetheart's medal? He gave it to you all right. Don't say he didn't, you old hag! Your maid's telling everybody who cares to listen to her. Come, speak up. If you don't——"
He picked one of the iron fire-dogs with copper61 knobs from the hearthstone and brandished62 it crying:
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1
manor
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| n.庄园，领地 | |
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gorge
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| n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃 | |
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orchards
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| （通常指围起来的）果园( orchard的名词复数 ) | |
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orchard
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| n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场 | |
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isolating
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| adj.孤立的，绝缘的v.使隔离( isolate的现在分词 )；将…剔出（以便看清和单独处理）；使（某物质、细胞等）分离；使离析 | |
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cultivation
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| n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成 | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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invincible
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| adj.不可征服的，难以制服的 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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investigations
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| （正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究 | |
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conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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magpie
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| n.喜欢收藏物品的人，喜鹊，饶舌者 | |
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abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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caravan
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| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
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vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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consequential
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| adj.作为结果的，间接的；重要的 | |
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yarns
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| n.纱( yarn的名词复数 )；纱线；奇闻漫谈；旅行轶事 | |
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proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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25
tottering
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| adj.蹒跚的，动摇的v.走得或动得不稳( totter的现在分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠 | |
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26
manifestation
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| n.表现形式；表明；现象 | |
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loft
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| n.阁楼，顶楼 | |
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communal
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| adj.公有的，公共的，公社的，公社制的 | |
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lengthened
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| （时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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lashes
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| n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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meditation
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| n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录 | |
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fabulous
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| adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的 | |
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joyful
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| adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的 | |
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brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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homage
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| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
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moored
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| adj. 系泊的 动词moor的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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foretold
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| v.预言，预示( foretell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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enigma
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| n.谜，谜一样的人或事 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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rascal
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| n.流氓；不诚实的人 | |
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lair
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| n.野兽的巢穴；躲藏处 | |
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bucked
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| adj.快v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的过去式和过去分词 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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furtively
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| adv. 偷偷地, 暗中地 | |
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discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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sitting-room
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| n.（BrE）客厅，起居室 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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embroidering
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| v.（在织物上）绣花( embroider的现在分词 )；刺绣；对…加以渲染（或修饰）；给…添枝加叶 | |
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51
flatten
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| v.把．．．弄平，使倒伏；使(漆等)失去光泽 | |
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52
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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chatter
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| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
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accomplice
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| n.从犯，帮凶，同谋 | |
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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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backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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exasperated
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| adj.恼怒的 | |
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prattle
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| n.闲谈；v.（小孩般）天真无邪地说话；发出连续而无意义的声音 | |
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61
copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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62
brandished
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| v.挥舞( brandish的过去式和过去分词 )；炫耀 | |
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skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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