… “Have I then murder’d thee!”
To account for Sir Archibald Oswald’s disappearance2 from Arandale, and the subsequent discovery of his body in the lake, we must accompany him in a walk before breakfast, on the morning after he had evinced so much emotion the previous evening; first of a furious description, when Henry’s voice arrested his attention; and finally, of a tender and subdued3 nature, when, on hearing Julia sing, all violence had not only been allayed4, but, unconscious tears had flowed over his haggard countenance5.
[360]
Having retired6 without supper, and, consequently, without the excess in wine, which, with him, too frequently formed the principal part of that meal, the unhappy Oswald slept better than was his custom. He rose earlier; he felt some degree of composure; a lucid7 interval8 was probably approaching.
He wandered into the deep woods that surround Arandale Castle. The solitude9 they afforded was of a cheering and animated10 kind. Stately deer crossed his path; birds sang, and peacocks screamed in every branch, and the cawing rooks were, as usual, in busy motion, in and over the tops of all the high old trees.
The path he chanced to take, led him to the sheet of water before noticed. Our old acquaintances, the two swans, were slowly sailing on its calm surface. Half the quiet bosom11 of the lake was in deep shadow from the great trees, which seemed resting the weight of their branches upon it. The other half shone brightly[361] in the early sun; and every leaf, every blade of grass, which, amid so much cover, the rays of light could reach, was glittering with dew. The morning air was exhilarating. Oswald’s broken heart felt soothed12 by the influence of surrounding objects. He stood contemplating13 the scene with calmer feelings than were common to him. There was a peculiar14 stillness in the moment; the next, the sound of approaching footsteps fell on his ear. He looked round, and beheld15, as he believed, one who had long been the object of his search, and of his hatred16, coming towards him.
Oswald stamped on the earth, uttered a yell, at once of triumph and defiance17. His eyes flashed with the fire of phrenzy; he gnashed his teeth; his whole countenance became distorted with the horrible rage of a maniac18. Henry paused! for it was, indeed, this unfortunate son of a desperate father, whom the bewildered perceptions of the madman had mistaken[362] for that father. A father whose very memory could thus entail19 on his offspring, not only the wild vengeance20 of others, but almost a necessity in himself to become the perpetrator of crime, actual, if not intentional21.
Henry saw, and endeavoured to avoid Oswald; but the unhappy being crossed his path, and seized on his throat with violence, reiterating22, “Villain23! villain! villain!” accusing him of deeds of the blackest dye, and calling upon him with threats and imprecations to restore the rights of his son! At first Henry, to do him justice, only sought to escape; next, only to defend himself: but when it became evident that the maniac’s purpose was to put him to death, and that, with that purpose, was coupled an insane glee at the immediate24 prospect25 of its fulfilment; and that, added to all this, Henry began to feel himself actually threatened with strangulation; his own angry passions kindled26, and he put his strength to the struggle. Oswald,[363] however, having at first fastened on Henry’s cravat27, maintained his hold with the ferocious28 tenacity29 of a bull-dog, and pursued his advantage with the supernatural force derived30 from phrenzy. There were moments when Henry gave himself up for lost! It was now that he forgot his assailant’s age and imbecility of mind, and with all the strength of youthful sinews clasped his arms round the old man’s waist, and, in a few seconds, brought him to the ground. Here the sight of Oswald’s grey hairs lying amid the grass and fallen leaves might have recalled better feelings; but even here the poor maniac’s fury was unabated: his countenance still expressed his horrible intention, and his hand still grasped the cravat of Henry. In the latter the instinct of self-preservation grew each moment more fierce.
The efforts of Oswald, even in this prostrate31 position, continued for a time as frantic32 as ever. When, suddenly, all became still: the[364] hands had relaxed their hold, and Henry gazed in mute horror and unavailing remorse33 on a passive—nay, a lifeless form!—himself as motionless.
“Self-defence is not murder!” he at length murmured. “Self-defence is not murder!” he repeated. But no false arguments could stifle34 the shocking conviction to which his suddenly cooled faculties35 had awakened36. The conviction that a too fatal fierceness had accompanied the pressure with which he had held the fallen madman to the earth after immediate danger to himself had ceased. The vital breath, suspended by wild excitement and frantic exertion37, might have, would have returned had not that cruelly continued pressure impeded38 the efforts of nature.
Such feelings, however, shortly yielded to a dread39 of the consequences of what had happened; attended thus by, at least, very suspicious circumstances.
[365]
He stood up, and looked all round him. It was solitude everywhere; and Oswald’s hat had rolled into the lake. He seized the thought, drew the body towards the margin40, and pushed it in also.
It sunk, and the water closed over it. Henry gazed on the spot whence it had disappeared, till the last spreading circle had melted away; then, turned to depart. But, started and shuddered41 on beholding42 full, attentive43 eyes fixed44 upon him, as it were observing his movements! For a moment, he felt detected; but the next, recovered from his panic, for the eyes were only those of a stately deer. The animal stood at a little distance, beneath a tree; his face turned full round, his head proudly erect45, sustaining the weight of his branching horns.
Henry envied him! And now striking hastily into a walk, that led towards the Castle, he debated with himself, in great agitation46, whether he should mention what had happened to[366] Lord Arandale, pleading the dreadful necessity of self-defence, against a maniac, who would else have taken his life; or, whether he should remain silent, and suffer it to be supposed that Oswald had drowned himself. That such a man should commit an act of suicide could not surprise any one, and Henry, therefore, determined47 on the latter alternative.
It was on this occasion that he entered the breakfast-room on the first morning of the races, just as Lady Arandale was enquiring48 of the butler, if any one had been in Sir Archibald’s room. It was at this breakfast that Lady Susan had observed on Henry’s not having any appetite.
It may now too be imagined what his feelings of consternation49 must have been, when, within an hour after, little Arthur, mistaking him for Edmund, laid hold of the side of his coat, and asked him, in a cautious whisper, where his poor papa was.
The body of Sir Archibald Oswald, over which we have seen the peaceful surface of the waters close, rose again at the usual time. But before any one had chanced to visit a place so sequestered50, both it and the hat had been gently borne along towards a narrow outlet51, at the further end of the lake, and received into the strait, or pass, which was too confined to allow of their further progress.
And here they might still have lain, had not the work people, mentioned by the Earl, found it necessary to clear this pass.
END OF VOL. II.
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1
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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2
disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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3
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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4
allayed
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| v.减轻，缓和( allay的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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5
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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lucid
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| adj.明白易懂的，清晰的，头脑清楚的 | |
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8
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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10
animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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12
soothed
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| v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦 | |
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13
contemplating
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| 深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想 | |
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14
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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15
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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16
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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17
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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18
maniac
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| n.精神癫狂的人；疯子 | |
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entail
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| vt.使承担，使成为必要，需要 | |
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20
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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21
intentional
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| adj.故意的，有意（识）的 | |
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reiterating
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| 反复地说，重申( reiterate的现在分词 ) | |
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23
villain
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| n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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26
kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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27
cravat
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| n.领巾，领结；v.使穿有领结的服装，使结领结 | |
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ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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29
tenacity
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| n.坚韧 | |
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30
derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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32
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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33
remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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34
stifle
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| vt.使窒息；闷死；扼杀；抑止，阻止 | |
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faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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36
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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37
exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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38
impeded
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| 阻碍，妨碍，阻止( impede的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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39
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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41
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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42
beholding
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| v.看，注视( behold的现在分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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43
attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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44
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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45
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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46
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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47
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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48
enquiring
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| a.爱打听的，显得好奇的 | |
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49
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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50
sequestered
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| adj.扣押的；隐退的；幽静的；偏僻的v.使隔绝，使隔离( sequester的过去式和过去分词 )；扣押 | |
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51
outlet
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| n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄 | |
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