O'Connor pursued his way towards the city, following the broken horse-track, which then traversed the low grounds which lie upon the left bank of the Liffey. The Phœnix Park, or, as it was then called, the Royal Park, was at the time of which we write a much wilder place than it now is. There were no trim plantations1 nor stately clumps2 of tufted trees, no signs of care or culture. Broad patches of shaggy thorn spread with little interruption over the grounds, and regular roads were then unknown. The darkness became momentarily deeper and more deep as O'Connor pursued his solitary3 way; and the difficulty of proceeding4 grew every instant greater, for the heavy rains had interrupted his path with deep sloughs5 and pools, which became at length so frequent, and so difficult of passage, that he was fain to turn from the ordinary track, and seek an easier path along the high grounds which overhang the river. The close screen of the wild gnarled thorns which covered the upper level on which he now moved, still further deepened the darkness; and he became at length so entirely6 involved in the pitchy gloom, that he dismounted, and taking his horse by the head, led him forward through the tangled7 brake, and under the knotted branches of the old hoary8 thorns, stumbling among the briers and the crooked9 roots, and every moment encountering the sudden obstruction10, either of some stooping branch, or the trunk of one of the old trees; so that altogether his progress was as tedious and unpleasant as it well could be. His annoyance11 became the greater as he proceeded; for he was so often compelled to turn aside, and change his course, to avoid these interruptions, that in the utter darkness he began to grow entirely uncertain whether or not he was moving in the right direction. The more he paused, and the oftener he reflected, the more entirely puzzled and bewildered did he become. Glad indeed would he have been that he had followed the track upon which he had at first entered, and run the hazard of all the sloughs and pools which crossed it; but he was now embarked12 in another route; and even had he desired it, so perplexed13 was he, that he could not have effected his retreat. Fully14 alive to the ridiculousness, as well as the annoyance of his situation, he slowly and painfully stumbled forward, conscious that if only he could move for half an hour or thereabout consistently in the same direction, he must disengage himself in some quarter or another from the entanglement15 in which he was involved. In vain he looked round him; nothing but entire darkness encountered him. In vain he listened for any sound which might intimate the neighbourhood of any living thing. Nothing but the hushed soughing of the evening breeze through the old boughs16 was audible; and he was forced to continue his route in the same troublesome uncertainty17.
At length he saw, or thought he saw, a red light gleaming through the trees. It disappeared—it came again. He stopped, uncertain whether it was one of those fitful marsh-fires which but mock the perplexity of benighted18 travellers; but no—this light shone clearly, and with a steady beam, through the branches; and towards it he directed his steps, losing it now, and again recovering it, till at length, after a longer probation19 than he had at first expected, he gained a clear space of ground, intersected only by a few broken hedges and ditches, but free from the close wood which had so entirely darkened his advance. In this position he was enabled to discern that the light which had guided him streamed from the window of an old shattered house, partially20 surrounded by a dilapidated wall, having a few ruinous outhouses attached to it. In this building he beheld21 the old mansion-house of Finiskea, which then occupied the ground on which at present stands the powder-magazine, and which, by a slight alteration22 in sound, though without any analogy in meaning, has given its name to the Phœnix Park. The light streamed through the diamond panes23 of a narrow casement24; and still leading his horse, O'Connor made his way over the broken fences towards the old house. As he approached, he perceived several figures moving to and fro in the chamber25 from which the light issued, and detected, or thought he did so, among them the remarkable26 form of the priest who had lately been his companion upon the road. As he advanced, someone inside drew a curtain across the window, though, as O'Connor conjectured27, wholly unaware28 of his approach, and thus precluded29 any further reconnoitering on his part.
"At all events," thought he, "they can spare me some one to put me upon my way. They can hardly complain if I intrude30 upon such an errand."
With this reflection, he led his horse round the corner of the building to the door, which was sheltered by a small porch roofed with tiles. By the faint light, which in the open space made objects partially discernible, he perceived two men, as it appeared to him, fast asleep—half sitting and half lying on the low step of the door. He had just come near enough to accost31 them, when, somewhat to his surprise, he was seized from behind in a powerful grip, and his arms pinioned32 to his sides. A single antagonist33 he would easily have shaken off; but a reinforcement was at hand.
The two figures started to their feet; their strength, combined with the efforts of his first assailant, effectually mastered O'Connor, and one of them shoved the door open.
"Pretty watch you keep," said he, as the party hurried their prisoner, wholly without the power of resistance, into the house.
Three or four powerful, large-limbed fellows, well armed, were seated in the hall, and arose on his entrance. O'Connor saw that resistance against such odds35 were idle, and resolved patiently to submit to the issue, whatever it might be.
"Gentlemen that's caught peeping is sometimes made to see more than they have a mind to," observed one of O'Connor's conductors.
Another removed his sword, and having satisfied himself that he had not any other weapon upon his person, observed,—
"You may let his elbows loose; but jist keep him tight by the collar."
"Let the gentlemen know there's a bird limed," observed the first speaker; and one of the others passed from the narrow hall to execute the mission.
After some little delay, O'Connor, who awaited the result with more of curiosity and impatience36 than of alarm, was conducted by two of the armed men who had secured him through a large passage terminating in a chamber, which they also traversed, and by a second door at its far extremity37 found entrance into a rude but spacious38 apartment, floored with tiles, and with a low ceiling of dark plank39, supported by ponderous40 beams. A large wood fire burned in the hearth41, beside which some half dozen men were congregated42; several others were seated by a massive table, on which were writing materials, with which two or three of them were busily employed; a number of open letters were also strewn upon it, and here and there a brace43 of horse-pistols or a carbine showed that the party felt neither very secure, nor very much disposed to surrender without a struggle, should their worst anticipations44 be realized, in any attempt to surprise them.
Most of those who were present bore, in their disordered dress and mud-soiled boots, the evidence of recent travel. They were lighted chiefly by the broad, uncertain gleam of the blazing wood fire, in which the misty45 flame of two or three wretched candles which burned upon the table shone pale and dim as the last stars of night in the red dawn of an autumnal sun. In this strong and ruddy light the groups of figures, variously attired46, some seated by the table, and others standing47 with their ample cloaks still folded around them, acquired by the contrast of broad light and shade a character of picturesqueness48 which had in it something wild and imposing49. This singular tableau50 occupied the further end of the room, which was one of considerable length, and as the prisoner was led forward to the bar of the tribunal, those who composed it eyed him sternly and fixedly51.
"Bind52 his hands fast," said a lean and dark-featured man, with a singularly forbidding aspect and a deep, stern voice, who sat at the head of the table with a pile of papers beside him. Spite of O'Connor's struggles, the order was speedily executed, and with such good-will that the blood almost started from his nails.
"Now, sir," continued the same speaker, "who are you, and what may your errand be?"
"Before I answer your questions you must satisfy me that you have authority to ask them," replied O'Connor. "Who, I pray, are you, who dare to seize the person, and to bind the limbs of a free man? I shall know this ere one of your questions shall have a reply."
"I have seen you, young sir, before—scarce an hour since," observed one of those who stood by the hearth. "Look at me, and say do you remember my features?"
"I do," replied O'Connor, who had no difficulty in recognizing those of the priest who had parted from him so abruptly53 on that evening—"of course I recollect54 your face; we rode side by side from Leixlip to-day."
"You recollect my caution too—you cannot have forgotten that," continued the priest, menacingly. "You know how peremptorily55 I warned you against following me, yet you have dogged me here; on your own head be the consequences—the fool shall perish in his folly56."
"I have not dogged you here, sir," replied O'Connor; "I seek my way to Dublin. The river banks are so soft that a horse had better swim than seek to keep them; I therefore took the upper ground, and after losing myself among the woods, at length saw a light, reached it, and here I am."
"A truce58 to these inventions, sir," said he. "It is indeed possible that you speak the truth, but it is in the highest degree probable that you lie; it is, in a word, plain—satisfactorily plain, that you followed me hither, as I suspected you might have done; you have dogged me, sir, and you have seen all that you sought to behold59; you have seen my place of destination and my company. I care not with what motive60 you have acted—that is between yourself and your Maker61. If you are a spy, which I shrewdly suspect, Providence62 has defeated your treason, and punished the traitor63; if mere64 curiosity impelled65 you, you will remember that ill-directed curiosity was the sin which brought death upon mankind, and cease to wonder that its fruits may be bitter to yourself. What say you, young man?"
"I have told you plainly how I happened to reach this place," replied O'Connor; "I have told you once—I will repeat the statement no more; and once again I ask, on what authority you question me, and dare thus to bind my hands and keep me here against my will?"
"Authority sufficient to satisfy our own consciences," rejoined the priest. "The responsibility rests not upon you; enough it is for you to know that we have the power to detain you, and that we exercise that power, as we most probably shall another, still less conducive66 to your comfort."
"You have the power to make me captive, I admit," rejoined O'Connor—"you have the power to murder me, as you threaten, but though power to keep or kill is all the justification67 a robber or a bravo needs, methinks such an argument should hardly satisfy a consecrated68 minister of Christ."
The expression with which the priest regarded the young man grew blacker and more truculent69 at this rebuke70, and after a silence of a few seconds he replied,—
"We are doubly authorized71 in what we do—ay, trebly warranted, young traitor. God Almighty72 has given us the instinct of self-defence, which in a righteous cause it is laudable to consult and indulge; the Church, too, tells us in these times to deal strictly73 with the malignant74 persecutors of God's truth; and lastly, we have a royal warranty—the authority of the rightful king of these realms, investing us with powers to deal summarily with rebels and traitors75. Let this satisfy you."
"I honour the king," rejoined O'Connor, "as truly as any man here, seeing that my father lost all in the service of his illustrious sire, but I need some more satisfactory assurance of his delegated authority than the bare assertion of a violent man, of whom I know absolutely nothing, and until you show me some instrument empowering you to act thus, I will not acknowledge your competency to subject me to an examination, and still resolutely76 protest against your detaining me here."
"You refuse, then, to answer our questions?" said the hard-featured little person who sat at the far end of the table.
"Until you show authority to put them, I peremptorily do refuse to answer them," replied the young man.
The little person looked expressively77 at the priest, who appeared to hold a high influence among the party. He answered the look by saying,—
"His blood be upon his own head."
"Nay78, not so fast, holy father; let us debate upon this matter for a few minutes, ere we execute sentence," said a singularly noble-looking man who stood beside the priest. "Remove the prisoner," he added, with a voice of command, "and keep him strictly guarded."
"Well, be it so," said he, reluctantly.
The little man who sat at the head of the table made a gesture to those who guarded O'Connor, and the order thus given and sanctioned was at once carried into execution.
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1
plantations
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| n.种植园，大农场( plantation的名词复数 ) | |
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clumps
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| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
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3
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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4
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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sloughs
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| n.沼泽( slough的名词复数 )；苦难的深渊；难以改变的不良心情；斯劳(Slough)v.使蜕下或脱落( slough的第三人称单数 )；舍弃；除掉；摒弃 | |
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6
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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7
tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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8
hoary
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| adj.古老的；鬓发斑白的 | |
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crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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10
obstruction
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| n.阻塞，堵塞；障碍物 | |
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11
annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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12
embarked
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| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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13
perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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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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entanglement
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| n.纠缠，牵累 | |
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16
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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17
uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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18
benighted
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| adj.蒙昧的 | |
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probation
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| n.缓刑(期)，(以观后效的)察看；试用(期) | |
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20
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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21
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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alteration
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| n.变更，改变；蚀变 | |
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panes
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| 窗玻璃( pane的名词复数 ) | |
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24
casement
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| n.竖铰链窗；窗扉 | |
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25
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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26
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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conjectured
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| 推测，猜测，猜想( conjecture的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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unaware
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| a.不知道的，未意识到的 | |
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precluded
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| v.阻止( preclude的过去式和过去分词 )；排除；妨碍；使…行不通 | |
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intrude
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| vi.闯入；侵入；打扰，侵扰 | |
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accost
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| v.向人搭话，打招呼 | |
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pinioned
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| v.抓住[捆住]（双臂）( pinion的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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33
antagonist
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| n.敌人，对抗者，对手 | |
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34
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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37
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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plank
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| n.板条，木板，政策要点，政纲条目 | |
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40
ponderous
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| adj.沉重的，笨重的，(文章)冗长的 | |
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41
hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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42
congregated
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| （使）集合，聚集( congregate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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43
brace
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| n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备 | |
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44
anticipations
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| 预期( anticipation的名词复数 )； 预测； （信托财产收益的）预支； 预期的事物 | |
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45
misty
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| adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的 | |
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46
attired
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| adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服，使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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47
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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48
picturesqueness
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49
imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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50
tableau
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| n.画面，活人画（舞台上活人扮的静态画面） | |
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51
fixedly
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| adv.固定地；不屈地，坚定不移地 | |
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52
bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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53
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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54
recollect
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| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
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55
peremptorily
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| adv.紧急地，不容分说地，专横地 | |
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56
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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57
sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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58
truce
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| n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束 | |
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59
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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60
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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61
maker
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| n.制造者，制造商 | |
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62
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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63
traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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64
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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65
impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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66
conducive
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| adj.有益的，有助的 | |
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67
justification
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| n.正当的理由；辩解的理由 | |
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68
consecrated
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| adj.神圣的，被视为神圣的v.把…奉为神圣，给…祝圣( consecrate的过去式和过去分词 )；奉献 | |
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69
truculent
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| adj.野蛮的，粗野的 | |
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70
rebuke
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| v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise | |
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71
authorized
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| a.委任的，许可的 | |
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72
almighty
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| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
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73
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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74
malignant
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| adj.恶性的，致命的；恶意的，恶毒的 | |
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75
traitors
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| 卖国贼( traitor的名词复数 )； 叛徒； 背叛者； 背信弃义的人 | |
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76
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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77
expressively
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| ad.表示(某事物)地；表达地 | |
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78
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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