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第9章

st. ives-第9章

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how did you recognise me? and how did you know I was here?'



Carefull separating his coat skirts; the lawyer took a seat beside 

me on the edge of the flags。



'It is rather an odd story;' says he; 'and; with your leave; I'll 

answer the second question first。  It was from a certain 

resemblance you bear to your cousin; M。 le Vicomte。'



'I trust; sir; that I resemble him advantageously?' said I。



'I hasten to reassure you;' was the reply: 'you do。  To my eyes; M。 

Alain de St。…Yves has scarce a pleasing exterior。  And yet; when I 

knew you were here; and was actually looking for you … why; the 

likeness helped。  As for how I came to know your whereabouts; by an 

odd enough chance; it is again M。 Alain we have to thank。  I should 

tell you; he has for some time made it his business to keep M。 de 

Keroual informed of your career; with what purpose I leave you to 

judge。  When he first brought the news of your … that you were 

serving Buonaparte; it seemed it might be the death of the old 

gentleman; so hot was his resentment。  But from one thing to 

another; matters have a little changed。  Or I should rather say; 

not a little。  We learned you were under orders for the Peninsula; 

to fight the English; then that you had been commissioned for a 

piece of bravery; and were again reduced to the ranks。  And from 

one thing to another (as I say); M。 de Keroual became used to the 

idea that you were his kinsman and yet served with Buonaparte; and 

filled instead with wonder that he should have another kinsman who 

was so remarkably well informed of events in France。  And it now 

became a very disagreeable question; whether the young gentleman 

was not a spy?  In short; sir; in seeking to disserve you; he had 

accumulated against himself a load of suspicions。'



My visitor now paused; took snuff; and looked at me with an air of 

benevolence。



'Good God; sir!' says I; 'this is a curious story。'



'You will say so before I have done;' said he。  'For there have two 

events followed。  The first of these was an encounter of M。 de 

Keroual and M。 de Mauseant。'



'I know the man to my cost;' said I: 'it was through him I lost my 

commission。'



'Do you tell me so?' he cried。  'Why; here is news!'



'Oh; I cannot complain!' said I。  'I was in the wrong。  I did it 

with my eyes open。  If a man gets a prisoner to guard and lets him 

go; the least he can expect is to be degraded。'



'You will be paid for it;' said he。  'You did well for yourself and 

better for your king。'



'If I had thought I was injuring my emperor;' said I; 'I would have 

let M。 de Mauseant burn in hell ere I had helped him; and be sure 

of that!  I saw in him only a private person in a difficulty: I let 

him go in private charity; not even to profit myself will I suffer 

it to be misunderstood。'



'Well; well;' said the lawyer; 'no matter now。  This is a foolish 

warmth … a very misplaced enthusiasm; believe me!  The point of the 

story is that M。 de Mauseant spoke of you with gratitude; and drew 

your character in such a manner as greatly to affect your uncle's 

views。  Hard upon the back of which; in came your humble servant; 

and laid before him the direct proof of what we had been so long 

suspecting。  There was no dubiety permitted。  M。 Alain's expensive 

way of life; his clothes and mistresses; his dicing and racehorses; 

were all explained: he was in the pay of Buonaparte; a hired spy; 

and a man that held the strings of what I can only call a 

convolution of extremely fishy enterprises。  To do M。 de Keroual 

justice; he took it in the best way imaginable; destroyed the 

evidences of the one great…nephew's disgrace … and transferred his 

interest wholly to the other。'



'What am I to understand by that?' said I。



'I will tell you;' says he。  'There is a remarkable inconsistency 

in human nature which gentlemen of my cloth have a great deal of 

occasion to observe。  Selfish persons can live without chick or 

child; they can live without all mankind except perhaps the barber 

and the apothecary; but when it comes to dying; they seem 

physically unable to die without an heir。  You can apply this 

principle for yourself。  Viscount Alain; though he scarce guesses 

it; is no longer in the field。  Remains; Viscount Anne。'



'I see;' said I; 'you give a very unfavourable impression of my 

uncle; the Count。'



'I had not meant it;' said he。  'He has led a loose life … sadly 

loose … but he is a man it is impossible to know and not to admire; 

his courtesy is exquisite。'



'And so you think there is actually a chance for me?' I asked。



'Understand;' said he: 'in saying as much as I have done; I travel 

quite beyond my brief。  I have been clothed with no capacity to 

talk of wills; or heritages; or your cousin。  I was sent here to 

make but the one communication: that M。 de Keroual desires to meet 

his great…nephew。'



'Well;' said I; looking about me on the battlements by which we sat 

surrounded; 'this is a case in which Mahomet must certainly come to 

the mountain。'



'Pardon me;' said Mr。 Romaine; 'you know already your uncle is an 

aged man; but I have not yet told you that he is quite broken up; 

and his death shortly looked for。  No; no; there is no doubt about 

it … it is the mountain that must come to Mahomet。'



'From an Englishman; the remark is certainly significant;' said I; 

'but you are of course; and by trade; a keeper of men's secrets; 

and I see you keep that of Cousin Alain; which is not the mark of a 

truculent patriotism; to say the least。'



'I am first of all the lawyer of your family!' says he。



'That being so;' said I; 'I can perhaps stretch a point myself。  

This rock is very high; and it is very steep; a man might come by a 

devil of a fall from almost any part of it; and yet I believe I 

have a pair of wings that might carry me just so far as to the 

bottom。  Once at the bottom I am helpless。'



'And perhaps it is just then that I could step in;' returned the 

lawyer。  'Suppose by some contingency; at which I make no guess; 

and on which I offer no opinion … '



But here I interrupted him。  'One word ere you go further。  I am 

under no parole;' said I。



'I understood so much;' he replied; 'although some of you French 

gentry find their word sit lightly on them。'



'Sir; I am not one of those;' said I。



'To do you plain justice; I do not think you one;' said he。  

'Suppose yourself; then; set free and at the bottom of the rock;' 

he continued; 'although I may not be able to do much; I believe I 

can do something to help you on your road。  In the first place I 

would carry this; whether in an inside pocket or my shoe。'  And he 

passed me a bundle of bank notes。



'No harm in that;' said I; at once concealing them。



'In the second place;' he resumed; 'it is a great way from here to 

where your uncle lives … Amersham Place; not far from Dunstable; 

you have a great part of Britain to get through; and for the first 

stages; I must leave you to your own luck and ingenuity。  I have no 

acquaintance here in Scotland; or at least' (with a grimace) 'no 

dishonest ones。  But further to the south; about Wakefield; I am 

told there is a gentleman called Burchell Fenn; who is not so 

particular as some others; and might be willing to give you a cast 

forward。  In fact; sir; I believe it's the man's trade: a piece of 

knowledge that burns my mouth。  But that is what you get by 

meddling with rogues; and perhaps the biggest rogue now extant; M。 

de Saint…Yves; is your cousin; M。 Alain。'



'If this be a man of my cousin's;' I observed; 'I am perhaps better 

to keep clear of him?'



'It was through some paper of your cousin's that we came across his 

trail;' replied the lawyer。  'But I am inclined to think; so far as 

anything is safe in such a nasty business; you might apply to the 

man Fenn。  You might even; I think

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