“S. T. X. X. I. I.
“M. D. C. C. C. L. I.
“If I can translate it my fortune is made. I shall be made member of the Academy of Inscriptions6 and Belles-lettres of Pont-Audemer! But the task is a long and difficult one. Antiquity7 guards its secrets with jealous care. I greatly fear that I have come across a monument relative to the Eleusinian mysteries. In that case there may perhaps be two interpretations8 to discover; the one the vulgar or demontique; the other the sacred or hieratique. You must give me your advice.”
I replied: “My advice is that of an ignorant man. I think that you have discovered a mile-stone such as one often sees on long roads, and that the inscription which has given you so much trouble can, without doubt, be translated thus:
“Stade, 22, 1851. Good evening, my dear M. Mérinay; I am going to write to my father and then put on my red uniform.”
My letter to my parent was an ode, a hymn10, a chant of happiness. The exuberant11 joy which filled my heart overflowed12 upon the paper. I invited the family to my wedding, not forgetting good Aunt Rosenthaler. I implored13 my father to sell his inn at once; I ordered that Frantz and Jean Nicolas should leave the service; I advised my other brothers to change their business. I took everything upon myself; I assumed the responsibility of the future of the whole family. Without losing a moment I sealed the letter and sent it by special messenger to Piraeus, to catch the German-Lloyd steamer, which sailed Friday morning at 6 o’clock. “In this way,” I said to myself, “they will rejoice in my happiness almost as soon as I shall.”
At a quarter to nine sharp I entered the Palace with John Harris. Neither Lobster14, M. Mérinay nor Giacomo were invited. My three-cornered hat was a little rusty15, but by candlelight this little defect was not noticeable. My sword was seven or eight centimetres too short; but what of that? Courage is not measured by the length of a sword, and I had without vanity the right to pass for a hero. The red coat was tight-fitting; it pinched me under the arms, and the trimming on the cuffs16 was quite a distance from my hands; but the embroidery17 showed to advantage, as papa had prophesied18.
The ballroom19, decorated with taste and brilliantly lighted, was divided into two sections. On one side behind the throne for the King and Queen were the fauteuils reserved for the ladies; on the other were chairs for the ugly sex. With one glance I swept the space occupied by the ladies. Mary-Ann had not yet arrived.
At nine o’clock I saw enter the King and Queen, followed by the Grand Mistress, the Marshal of the Palace, the aides-de-camp, the Ladies of Honor, and the orderly officers, among whom I recognized M. George-Micrommatis. The King was magnificently dressed in Palikar uniform, and the Queen was resplendent with exquisite20 elegancies which could come only from Paris. The gorgeousness of the toilets and the glitter of the national costumes made me almost forget Mary-Ann. I fixed21 my eyes on the door and waited.
The members of the Diplomatic Corps22 and the most distinguished23 guests were ranged in a circle around the King and Queen, who conversed24 pleasantly with those near them for a half hour or so. I was on the outside row with John Harris. An officer, standing25 in front of us, stepped back suddenly with his whole weight upon my foot and the pain drew from me an exclamation26. He turned his head and I recognized Captain Pericles, freshly decorated with the Ordre du Sauveur. He made excuses and asked for news. I could not refrain from informing him that my health did not concern him. Harris, who knew my history entirely27, politely said to the captain: “Is it not M. Pericles to whom I have the honor of speaking?”
“Himself!”
“I am charmed! Will you be good enough to accompany me, for a moment, into the card-room? It is still empty and we will be alone.”
“At your orders, Monsieur.”
M. Pericles, pale as a soldier who is leaving a hospital, smilingly followed us. Arrived, he faced John Harris and said to him: “Monsieur, I await your pleasure.”
In reply Harris tore off his cross with its new ribbon, and put it in his pocket, saying: “There, Monsieur, that is all I have to say to you!”
“Monsieur!” cried the captain, stepping back.
“No noise, Monsieur, I pray you. If you care for this toy you can send two of your friends for it to Mr. John Harris, Commander of The Fancy.”
“Monsieur,” Pericles replied, “I do not know by what right you take from me a cross which is worth fifteen francs, and which I shall be obliged to replace at my own expense.”
“Do not let that trouble you, Monsieur; here is an English sovereign, with the head of the Queen of England on it; fifteen francs for the cross, ten for the ribbon. If there is anything left, I beg of you to drink to my health.”
“Monsieur,” said the officer, pocketing the piece, “I have only to thank you.” He saluted28 without another word, but his eyes promised nothing pleasant.
“My dear Hermann,” Harris said to me, “it will be prudent29 for you to leave this country as soon as possible with your future bride. This gendarme30 has the air of a polished brigand31. As for me, I shall remain here eight days in order to give him time to demand satisfaction. After that I shall obey the orders which I have received to go to the Sea of Japan.”
“I am sorry that your ardor32 has carried you so far. I do not wish to leave Greece without a specimen33 or two of the Boryana variabilis. I have an incomplete one without the roots in my tin box which I forgot when we left the camp.”
“Leave a sketch34 of your plant with Lobster or Giacomo. They will make a pilgrimage into the mountains for your sake. But for God’s sake! make haste to get to a place of safety!”
In the meantime my happiness had not arrived at the ball, and I tired my eyes staring at all the dancers. Toward midnight I lost all hope. I left the dancing hall and planted myself near a whist table, where four experienced players were displaying great skill. I had become interested in watching the game, when a silvery laugh made my heart bound. Mary-Ann was behind me. I could not see her, I dared not turn toward her, but I felt her presence, and my joy was overwhelming. What was the cause of her mirth I never knew. Perhaps some ridiculous uniform; one meets such in every country at official balls. I remembered that there was a mirror in front of me. I raised my eyes and I saw her, without being seen, between her mother and her uncle; more beautiful, more radiant than on the day when she appeared to me for the first time. Three strands35 of pearls were around her neck and lay partly on her divine shoulders. Her eyes shone in the candlelight, her teeth glistened36 as she laughed, the light played in her hair. Her toilet was such as all young girls wear; she did not wear, like Mrs. Simons, a bird of paradise on her head; but she was not the less beautiful; her skirt was looped up with bouquets37 of natural flowers. She had flowers on her corsage, and in her hair, and what flowers, Monsieur? I give you a thousand guesses. I thought that I should die of joy when I recognized upon her the—Boryana variabilis. Everything came to me from Heaven at the same moment! Is there anything sweeter than to find a coveted38 flower, for which one thought to search, in the hair of one whom one loves? I was the happiest of men and of naturalists39. Excess of happiness made me cast to the winds all the proprieties40. I turned quickly toward her, and holding out my hands, I cried:
“Mary-Ann! It is I!”
Will you believe it, Monsieur, she recoiled41 as if terrified, instead of falling into my arms. Mrs. Simons raised her head, so haughtily42 that it seemed to me as if her bird of paradise would fly away with it to the ceiling. The old gentleman took me by the hand, led me aside, examined me as if I was a curious beast, and said to me: “Monsieur, have you been presented to these ladies?”
“There is no question about that, my worthy43 Mr. Sharper! My dear uncle! I am Hermann. Hermann Schultz! Their companion in captivity44! their savior! Ah! I have had some wonderful experiences since their departure! I will relate them to you at your house.”
“Yes, yes,” he replied. “But the English custom, Monsieur, exacts, absolutely, that one be presented to ladies before one relates stories to them.”
“But since they know me, my good and excellent Mr. Sharper. We have dined more than ten times together. I have rendered them a service worth a hundred thousand francs! You know it well; at the camp of the King of the Mountains.”
“Yes; yes; but you have not been presented.”
“But do you not know that I have exposed myself to a thousand deaths for my dear Mary-Ann?”
“Very well! but you have not been presented.”
“Present me, then, yourself.”
“Yes, yes; but you must first be presented to me.”
“Wait!”
I ran like a crazy man across the ballroom; I jostled several couples who were waltzing; my sword got entangled45 between my legs, I slipped on the waxed floor, and fell my full length. It was John Harris who helped me up.
“For whom are you searching?”
“They are here, I have seen them. I shall marry Mary-Ann; but I must be presented first. It is the English custom. Help me! Where are they? Have you not seen a large woman, with a bird of paradise head-dress?”
“Yes, she left the ball with a pretty girl.”
“Left the ball! But, my friend, she is Mary-Ann’s mother!”
“Be calm! we will find them again. I will have you presented by the American Minister.”
“That is the very thing! I will show you my uncle, Edward Sharper. I left him here. Where in the devil has he hidden? He ought not to be far away!”
Uncle Edward had disappeared. I dragged poor Harris to the Place des Palais, before the Hotel des Etrangers. Mrs. Simons’ apartments were lighted. At the end of a few moments the lights were extinguished. Everyone had gone to bed.
“Let us do the same,” Harris suggested. “Sleep will calm you. To-morrow between one and two, I will arrange your affairs.”
I passed a night much worse than those of my captivity. Harris slept with me, or rather, he did not sleep. We heard the carriages coming from the ball, descend46 Rue47 d’Hèrmes with their freight of uniforms and toilets. About five o’clock, weariness closed my eyes. Three hours afterwards, Dimitri entered my room and said:
“Great news! Your Englishwomen have gone!”
“Where?”
“To Trieste.”
“Wretch! art thou sure of it?”
“It was I who accompanied them to the ship.”
“My poor friend,” Harris exclaimed, seizing my hands. “Gratitude may be assumed, but love does not come at will.”
“Alas!” sighed Dimitri. This sentiment had an echo in his heart.
Since that day, Monsieur, I have lived like the beasts; drank, ate, breathed. I sent my collection to Hamburg without one specimen of the Boryana variabilis. My friends accompanied me to the French steamer the day after the ball. They thought it wise to make the journey during the night, for fear of encountering M. Pericles’ soldiers. We arrived without accident at Piraeus; but when a short distance from the shore, a half-dozen invisible muskets48 sent their bullets singing about our ears. It was the pretty Captain sending his adieux.
I scoured49 the mountains of Malta, of Sicily, and of Italy, and my herbarium was much richer than I. My father, who had had the good sense to keep his inn, wrote to me, at Messina, that my efforts were appreciated. Perhaps I might find a place on arriving; but I determined50 to count on nothing.
Harris was en route for Japan. In one or two years I hoped to have news of him. The little Lobster had written me from Rome that he was still exercising with the pistol. Giacomo continued to seal letters all day and crack nuts at night. M. Mérinay found a new interpretation9 from the inscription on the monument, one more clever than mine. His great work upon Demosthenes ought to be printed some day or other. The King of the Mountains made peace with the authorities. He built a fine mansion51 on the road to Pentelicus, with a guard-house for lodging52 twenty-five devoted53 Palikars. In the meantime, he has rented a small hotel in the modern city, at the edge of the open sewer54. He receives many people, and actively55 engages in public affairs, in order to be elected to the Ministry56. Dimitri goes there occasionally, to supper, but sighs in the kitchen.
I have never heard of Mrs. Simons, of Mr. Sharper, nor of Mary-Ann. If this silence continues, I shall soon think of them no more. Sometimes, even in the middle of the night, I dream that I am before her and that my tall, thin figure is reflected in her eyes. Then I awake, I weep hot tears and I furiously bite my pillow. What I regret, believe me, is not the woman, it is the fortune and the position which escaped me. It is a good thing for me that I have not yielded up my heart, and each day I give thanks for my natural coldness. What I might complain of, my dear Monsieur, is, if unfortunately, I had fallen in love!
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1
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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beverage
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| n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料 | |
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medley
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| n.混合 | |
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inscription
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| n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文 | |
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limestone
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| n.石灰石 | |
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inscriptions
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| （作者）题词( inscription的名词复数 )； 献词； 碑文； 证劵持有人的登记 | |
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7
antiquity
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| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
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8
interpretations
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| n.解释( interpretation的名词复数 )；表演；演绎；理解 | |
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interpretation
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| n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理 | |
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10
hymn
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌 | |
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11
exuberant
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| adj.充满活力的；（植物）繁茂的 | |
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12
overflowed
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| 溢出的 | |
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implored
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| 恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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14
lobster
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| n.龙虾，龙虾肉 | |
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15
rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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16
cuffs
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| n.袖口( cuff的名词复数 )v.掌打，拳打( cuff的第三人称单数 ) | |
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17
embroidery
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| n.绣花，刺绣；绣制品 | |
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18
prophesied
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| v.预告，预言( prophesy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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19
ballroom
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| n.舞厅 | |
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exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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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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corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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23
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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conversed
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的过去式 ) | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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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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saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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gendarme
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| n.宪兵 | |
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brigand
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| n.土匪，强盗 | |
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ardor
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| n.热情，狂热 | |
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specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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35
strands
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| n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 ) | |
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glistened
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| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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bouquets
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| n.花束( bouquet的名词复数 )；（酒的）芳香 | |
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coveted
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| adj.令人垂涎的；垂涎的，梦寐以求的v.贪求，觊觎(covet的过去分词)；垂涎；贪图 | |
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naturalists
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| n.博物学家( naturalist的名词复数 )；（文学艺术的）自然主义者 | |
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40
proprieties
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| n.礼仪，礼节；礼貌( propriety的名词复数 )；规矩；正当；合适 | |
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41
recoiled
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| v.畏缩( recoil的过去式和过去分词 )；退缩；报应；返回 | |
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42
haughtily
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| adv. 傲慢地, 高傲地 | |
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43
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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44
captivity
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| n.囚禁；被俘；束缚 | |
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45
entangled
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| adj.卷入的；陷入的；被缠住的；缠在一起的v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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47
rue
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| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
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48
muskets
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| n.火枪，（尤指）滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 ) | |
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49
scoured
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| 走遍（某地）搜寻（人或物）( scour的过去式和过去分词 )； （用力）刷； 擦净； 擦亮 | |
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50
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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51
mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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52
lodging
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| n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
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53
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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54
sewer
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| n.排水沟，下水道 | |
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55
actively
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| adv.积极地，勤奋地 | |
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56
ministry
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| n.(政府的)部；牧师 | |
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