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第29章

mary stuart-第29章

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was at hand; on the evening of the fifth; before the queen had

counted five beats; the light reappeared: the queen leaned upon Mary

Seyton; she was nearly fainting; between dread and 'delight。  Her

escape was fixed for the next evening。



The queen tried once more; and obtained the same reply: there was no

longer a doubt; everything was ready except the prisoner's courage;

for it failed her for a moment; and if Mary Seyton had not drawn up a

seat in time; she would have fallen prone; but; the first moment

over; she collected herself as usual; and was stronger and more

resolute than ever。



Till midnight the queen remained at the window; her eyes fixed on

that star of good omen: at last Mary Seyton persuaded her to go to

bed; offering; if she had no wish to sleep; to read her some verses

by M。 Ronsard; or some chapters from the Mer des Histoires; but Mary

had no desire now for any profane reading; and had her Hours read;

making the responses as she would have done if she had been present

at a mass said by a Catholic priest: towards dawn; however; she grew

drowsy; and as Mary Seyton; for her part; was dropping with fatigue;

she fell asleep directly in the arm…chair at the head of the queen's

bed。



Next day she awoke; feeling that someone was tapping her on the

shoulder: it was the queen; who had already arisen。



〃Come and see; darling;〃 said she;〃come and see the fine day that

God is giving us。  Oh! how alive is Nature! How happy I shall be to

be once more free among those plains and mountains! Decidedly; Heaven

is on our side。〃



〃Madam;〃 replied Mary; 〃I would rather see the weather less fine: it

would promise us a darker night; and consider; what we need is

darkness; not light。〃



〃Listen;〃 said the queen; 〃it is by this we are going to see if God

is indeed for us; if the weather remains as it is; yes; you are

right; He abandons us; but if it clouds over; oh! then; darling; this

will be a certain proof of His protection; will it not?〃



Mary Seyton smiled; nodding that she adopted her mistress's

superstition; then the queen; incapable of remaining idle in her

great preoccupation of mind; collected the few jewels that she had

preserved; enclosed them in a casket; got ready for the evening a

black dress; in order to be still better hidden in the darkness: and;

these preparations made; she sat down again at the window;

ceaselessly carrying her eyes from the lake to the little house in

Kinross; shut up and dumb as usual。



The dinner…hour arrived: the queen was so happy that she received

William Douglas with more goodwill than was her wont; and it was with

difficulty she remained seated during the time the meal lasted; but

she restrained herself; and William Douglas withdrew; without seeming

to have noticed her agitation。



Scarcely had he gone than Mary ran to the window; she had need of

air; and her gaze devoured in advance those wide horizons which she

was about to cross anew; it seemed to her that once at liberty she

would never shut herself up in a palace again; but would wander about

the countryside continually: then; amid all these tremors of delight;

from time to time she felt unexpectedly heavy at heart。  She then

turned round to Mary Seyton; trying to fortify her strength with

hers; and the young girl kept up her hopes; but rather from duty than

from conviction。



But slow as they seemed to the queen; the hours yet passed: towards

the afternoon some clouds floated across the blue sky; the queen

remarked upon them joyfully to her companion; Mary Seyton

congratulated her upon them; not on account of the imaginary omen

that the queen sought in them; but because of the real importance

that the weather should be cloudy; that darkness might aid them in

their flight。  While the two prisoners were watching the billowy;

moving vapours; the hour of dinner arrived; but it was half an hour

of constraint and dissimulation; the more painful that; no doubt in

return for the sort of goodwill shown him by the queen in the

morning; William Douglas thought himself obliged; in his turn; to

accompany his duties with fitting compliments; which compelled the

queen to take a more active part in the conversation than her

preoccupation allowed her; but William Douglas did not seem in any

way to observe this absence of mind; and all passed as at breakfast。



Directly he had gone the queen ran to the window: the few clouds

which were chasing one another in the sky an hour before had

thickened and spread; andall the blue was blotted out; to give

place to a hue dull and leaden as pewter。  Mary Stuart's

presentiments were thus realised: as to the little house in Kinross;

which one could still make out in the dusk; it remained shut up; and

seemed deserted。



Night fell: the light shone as usual; the queen signalled; it

disappeared。  Mary Stuart waited in vain; everything remained in

darkness: the escape was for the same evening。  The queen heard eight

o'clock; nine o'clock; and ten o'clock strike successively。  At ten

o'clock the sentinels were relieved; Mary Stuart heard the patrols

pass beneath her windows; the steps of the watch recede: then all

returned to silence。  Half an hour passed away thus; suddenly the

owl's cry resounded thrice; the queen recognised George Douglas's

signal: the supreme moment had come。



In these circumstances the queen found all her strength revive: she

signed to Mary Seyton to take away the bar and to fix the rope

ladder; while; putting out the lamp; she felt her way into the

bedroom to seek the casket which contained her few remaining jewels。

When she came back; George Douglas was already in the room。



〃All goes well; madam;〃 said he。  〃Your friends await you on the

other side of the lake; Thomas Warden watches at the postern; and God

has sent us a dark night。〃



The queen; without replying; gave him her hand。  George bent his knee

and carried this hand to his lips; but on touching it; he felt it

cold and trembling。



〃Madam;〃 said he; 〃in Heaven's name summon all your courage; and do

not let yourself be downcast at such a moment。〃



〃Our Lady…of…Good…Help;〃 murmured Seyton; 〃come to our aid!〃



〃Summon to you the spirit of the kings your ancestors;〃 responded

George; 〃for at this moment it is not the resignation of a Christian

that you require; but the strength and resolution of a queen〃



〃Oh; Douglas! Douglas;〃 cried Mary mournfully; 〃a fortune…teller

predicted to me that I should die in prison and by a violent death:

has not the hour of the prediction arrived?〃



〃Perhaps;〃 George said; 〃but it is better to die as a queen than to

live in this ancient castle calumniated and a prisoner。〃



〃You are right; George;〃 the queen answered; 〃but for a woman the

first step is everything: forgive me〃。  Then; after a moment's pause;

〃Come;〃 said she; 〃I am ready。〃



George immediately went to the window; secured the ladder again and

more firmly; then getting up on to the sill and holding to the bars

with one hand; he stretched out the other to the queen; who; as

resolute as she had been timid a moment before; mounted on a stool;

and had already set one foot on the window…ledge; when suddenly the

cry; 〃Who goes there?〃 rang out at the foot of the tower。  The queen

sprang quickly back; partly instinctively and partly pushed by

George; who; on the contrary; leaned out of the window to see whence

came this cry; which; twice again renewed; remained twice unanswered;

and was immediately followed by a report and the flash of a firearm:

at the same moment the sentinel on duty on the tower blew his bugle;

another set going the alarm bell; and the cries; 〃To arms; to arms!〃

and 〃Treason; treason!〃 resounded throughout the castle。



〃Yes; yes; treason; treason!〃 cried George Douglas; leaping down into

the room。  〃Yes; the infamous Warden has betrayed us!〃  Then;

advancing to Mary; cold and motionless as a statue; 〃Courage; ma

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