On the same day a very different scene was passing in another quarter, whither for a few moments we must transport the reader. In a large and aristocratic-looking brick house, situated3 near the then fashionable suburb of Glasnevin, surrounded by stately trees, and within furnished with the most prodigal4 splendour, combined with the strictest and most minute attention to comfort and luxury, and in a large and lofty chamber5, carefully darkened, screened round by the rich and voluminous folds of the silken curtains, with spider-tables laden7 with fruits and wines and phials of medicine, crowded around him, and rather buried than supported among a luxurious8 pile of pillows, lay, in sore bodily torment9, with fevered pulse, and heart and brain busy with a thousand projects of revenge, the identical Nicholas Blarden, whose signal misadventure in the theatre, upon the preceding evening, we have already recorded. A decent-looking matron sate10 in a capacious chair, near the bed, in the capacity of nurse-tender, while her constrained11 and restless manner, as well as the frightened expression with which, from time to time, she stole a glance at the bloated mass of scars and bruises, of which she had the care, pretty plainly argued the sweet and patient resignation with which her charge endured his sufferings. In the recess12 of the curtained window sate a little black boy, arrayed according to the prevailing13 fashion, in a fancy suit, and with a turban on his head, and carrying in his awe-struck countenance14, as well as in the immobility of his attitude, a woeful contradiction to the gaiety of his attire15.
The woman started to her feet, and with a step which fell noiselessly upon the deep-piled carpets which covered the floor, she hastened to supply him.
"Come in, can't you?" shouted Blarden.
"How do you feel now, Nicky dear?" inquired a female voice—and a handsome face, with rather a bold expression, and crowned by a small mob-cap, overlaid with a profusion18 of the richest lace, peeped into the room through the half-open door—"how do you feel?"
"In hell—that's all," shouted he.
"Doctor Mallarde is below, love," added she, without evincing either surprise or emotion of any kind at the concise19 announcement which the patient had just delivered.
"Let him come up then," was the reply.
"And a Mr. M'Quirk—a messenger from Mr. Chancey."
"Let him come up too. But why the hell did not Chancey come himself?—That will do—pack—be off."
The lady tossed her head, like one having authority, looked half inclined to say something sharp, but thought better of it, and contented20 herself with shutting the door with more emphasis than Dr. Mallarde would have recommended.
The physician of those days was a solemn personage: he would as readily have appeared without his head, as without his full-bottomed wig21; and his ponderous22 gold-headed cane23 was a sort of fifth limb, the supposition of whose absence involved a contradiction to the laws of anatomy24; his dress was rich and funereal25; his step was slow and pompous26; his words very long and very few; his look was mysterious; his nod awful; and the shake of his head unfathomable: in short, he was in no respect very much better than a modern charlatan27. The science which he professed28 was then overgrown with absurdities29 and mystification. The temper of the times was superstitious30 and credulous31, the physician, being wise in his generation, framed his outward man (including his air and language) accordingly, and the populace swallowed his long words and his electuaries with equal faith.
Doctor Mallarde was a doctor-like person, and, in theatrical32 phraseology, looked the part well. He was tall and stately, saturnine33 and sallow in aspect, had bushy, grizzled brows, and a severe and prominent dark eye, a thin, hooked nose, and a pair of lips just as thin as it. Along with these advantages he had a habit of pressing the gold head of his professional cane against one corner of his mouth, in a way which produced a sinister34 and mysterious distortion of that organ; and by exhibiting the medical baton35, the outward and visible sign of doctorship, in immediate36 juxtaposition37 with the fountain of language, added enormously to the gravity and authority of the words which from time to time proceeded therefrom.
In the presence of such a spectre as this—intimately associated with all that was nauseous and deadly on earth—it is hardly to be wondered at that even Nicholas Blarden felt himself somewhat uneasy and abashed38. The physician felt his pulse, gazing the while upon the ceiling, and pressing the gold head of his cane, as usual, to the corner of his mouth; made him put out his tongue, asked him innumerable questions, which we forbear to publish, and ended by forbidding his patient the use of every comfort in which he had hitherto found relief, and by writing a prescription39 which might have furnished a country dispensary with good things for a twelvemonth. He then took his leave and his fee, with the grisly announcement, that unless the drugs were all swallowed, and the other matters attended to in a spirit of absolute submission40, he would not answer for the life of the patient.
"I am d——d glad he's gone at last," exclaimed Blarden, with a kind of gasp41, as if a weight had been removed from his breast. "Curse me, if I did not feel all the time as if my coffin42 was in the room. Are you there, M'Quirk?"
"Here I am, Mr. Blarden," rejoined the person addressed, whom we may as well describe, as we shall have more to say about him by-and-by.
Mr. M'Quirk was a small, wiry man, of fifty years and upwards43, arrayed in that style which is usually described as "shabby genteel." He was gifted with one of those mean and commonplace countenances44 which seem expressly made for the effectual concealment45 of the thoughts and feelings of the possessor—an advantage which he further secured by habitually47 keeping his eyes as nearly closed as might be, so that, for any indication afforded by them of the movements of the inward man, they might as well have been shut up altogether. The peculiarity48, if not the grace, of his appearance, was heightened by a contraction49 of the muscles at the nape of the neck, which drew his head backward, and produced a corresponding elevation50 of the chin, which, along with a certain habitual46 toss of the head, gave to his appearance a kind of caricatured affectation of superciliousness51 and hauteur52, very impressive to behold53. Along with the swing of the head, which we have before noticed, there was, whenever he spoke54, a sort of careless libration of the whole body, which, together with a certain way of jerking or twitching55 the right shoulder from time to time, were the only approaches to gesticulation in which he indulged.
"Well, what does your master say?" inquired Blarden—"out with it, can't you."
"Ay! what does he say?" reiterated57 Blarden, in no very musical tones. "D—— you, are you choking, or moonstruck? Out with it, can't you?"
"Chancey says that you had better think the matter over—and that's his opinion," replied M'Quirk.
"And a fine opinion it is," rejoined Blarden, furiously. "Why, in hell's name, what's the matter with him—the—drivelling idiot? What's law for—what's the courts for? Am I to be trounced and cudgelled in the face of hundreds, and—and half murdered, and nothing for it? I tell you, I'll be beggared before the scoundrel shall escape. If every penny I'm worth in the world can buy it, I'll have justice. Tell that sleepy sot Chancey that I'll make him work. Ho—o—o—oh!" bawled58 the wretch59, as his anguish60 all returned a hundredfold in the fruitless attempt to raise himself in bed.
"Drink, here—drink—I'm choking! Hock and water. D—— you, don't look so stupid and frightened. I'll not be bamboozled61 by an old 'pothecary. Quick with it, you fumbling62 witch."
He finished the draught, and lay silently for a time.
"See—mind me, M'Quirk," he said, after a pause, "tell Chancey to come out himself—tell him to be here before evening, or I'll make him sorry for it, do you mind; I want to give him directions. Tell him to come at once, or I'll make him smoke for it, that's all."
"I understand—all right—very well; and so, as you seem settling for a snooze, I wish you good-evening, Mr. Blarden, and all sorts of pleasure and happiness," rejoined the messenger.
The patient answered by a grin and a stifled63 howl, and Mr. M'Quirk, having his head within the curtains, which screened him effectually from the observation of the two attendants, and observing that Mr. Blarden's eyes were closely shut in the rigid64 compression of pain, put out his tongue, and indulged for a few seconds in an exceedingly ugly grimace65, after which, repeating his farewell in a tone of respectful sympathy, he took his departure, chuckling66 inwardly all the way downstairs, for the little gentleman had a playful turn for mischief67.
When Gordon Chancey, Esquire, barrister-at-law, in obedience68 to this summons, arrived at Cherry Hill, for so the residence of the sick voluptuary was called, he found his loving friend and patron, Nicholas Blarden, babbling69 not of green fields, but of green curtains, theatres, dice-boxes, bright eyes, small-swords, and the shades infernal—in a word, in a high state of delirium70. On calling next day, however, he beheld71 him much recovered; and after an extremely animated72 discussion, these two well-assorted confederates at length, by their united ingenuity73, succeeded in roughly sketching74 the outlines of a plan of terrific vengeance, in all respects worthy75 of the diabolical76 council in which it originated, and of whose progress and development this history very fully6 treats.
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1
bruises
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| n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 ) | |
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vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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prodigal
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| adj.浪费的，挥霍的，放荡的 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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torment
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| n.折磨；令人痛苦的东西(人)；vt.折磨；纠缠 | |
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10
sate
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| v.使充分满足 | |
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constrained
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| adj.束缚的,节制的 | |
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recess
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| n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处） | |
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prevailing
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| adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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16
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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17
draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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18
profusion
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| n.挥霍；丰富 | |
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concise
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| adj.简洁的，简明的 | |
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20
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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wig
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| n.假发 | |
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22
ponderous
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| adj.沉重的，笨重的，(文章)冗长的 | |
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cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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24
anatomy
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| n.解剖学，解剖；功能，结构，组织 | |
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funereal
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| adj.悲哀的；送葬的 | |
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pompous
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的；夸大的；豪华的 | |
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charlatan
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| n.骗子；江湖医生；假内行 | |
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professed
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| 公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的 | |
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absurdities
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| n.极端无理性( absurdity的名词复数 )；荒谬；谬论；荒谬的行为 | |
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30
superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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credulous
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| adj.轻信的，易信的 | |
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32
theatrical
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| adj.剧场的，演戏的；做戏似的，做作的 | |
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33
saturnine
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| adj.忧郁的，沉默寡言的，阴沉的，感染铅毒的 | |
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sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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baton
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| n.乐队用指挥杖 | |
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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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juxtaposition
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| n.毗邻，并置，并列 | |
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38
abashed
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| adj.窘迫的，尴尬的v.使羞愧，使局促，使窘迫( abash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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39
prescription
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| n.处方，开药；指示，规定 | |
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40
submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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41
gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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42
coffin
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| n.棺材，灵柩 | |
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43
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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44
countenances
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| n.面容( countenance的名词复数 )；表情；镇静；道义支持 | |
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45
concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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46
habitual
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| adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的 | |
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47
habitually
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| ad.习惯地，通常地 | |
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48
peculiarity
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| n.独特性，特色；特殊的东西；怪癖 | |
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49
contraction
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| n.缩略词，缩写式，害病 | |
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50
elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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51
superciliousness
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| n.高傲，傲慢 | |
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52
hauteur
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| n.傲慢 | |
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53
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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54
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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55
twitching
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| n.颤搐 | |
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56
disdain
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| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
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57
reiterated
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| 反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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58
bawled
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| v.大叫，大喊( bawl的过去式和过去分词 )；放声大哭；大声叫出；叫卖（货物） | |
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59
wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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60
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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61
bamboozled
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| v.欺骗，使迷惑( bamboozle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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62
fumbling
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| n. 摸索,漏接 v. 摸索,摸弄,笨拙的处理 | |
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63
stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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64
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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65
grimace
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| v.做鬼脸，面部歪扭 | |
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66
chuckling
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 ) | |
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67
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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69
babbling
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| n.胡说，婴儿发出的咿哑声adj.胡说的v.喋喋不休( babble的现在分词 )；作潺潺声（如流水）；含糊不清地说话；泄漏秘密 | |
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70
delirium
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| n. 神智昏迷,说胡话;极度兴奋 | |
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71
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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72
animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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73
ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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74
sketching
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| n.草图 | |
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75
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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diabolical
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| adj.恶魔似的，凶暴的 | |
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