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第48章

lay morals-第48章

小说: lay morals 字数: 每页4000字

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But Nance was somewhat sore。  'I know you keep talking;' she  said; and; turning half away from him; began to wring out a  sheet across her shoulder。  'I wonder you are not wearied of  your voice。  When the hands lie abed the tongue takes a  walk。'

Mr。 Archer laughed unpleasantly; rose and moved to the  water's edge。  In this part the body of the river poured  across a little narrow fell; ran some ten feet very smoothly  over a bed of pebbles; then getting wind; as it were; of  another shelf of rock which barred the channel; began; by  imperceptible degrees; to separate towards either shore in  dancing currents; and to leave the middle clear and stagnant。   The set towards either side was nearly equal; about one half  of the whole water plunged on the side of the castle; through  a narrow gullet; about one half ran ripping past the margin  of the green and slipped across a babbling rapid。

'Here;' said Mr。 Archer; after he had looked for some time at  the fine and shifting demarcation of these currents; 'come  here and see me try my fortune。'

'I am not like a man;' said Nance; 'I have no time to waste。'

'Come here;' he said again。  'I ask you seriously; Nance。  We  are not always childish when we seem so。'

She drew a little nearer。

'Now;' said he; 'you see these two channels … choose one。'

'I'll choose the nearest; to save time;' said Nance。

'Well; that shall be for action;' returned Mr。 Archer。  'And  since I wish to have the odds against me; not only the other  channel but yon stagnant water in the midst shall be for  lying still。  You see this?' he continued; pulling up a  withered rush。  'I break it in three。  I shall put each  separately at the top of the upper fall; and according as  they go by your way or by the other I shall guide my life。'

'This is very silly;' said Nance; with a movement of her  shoulders。

'I do not think it so;' said Mr。 Archer。

'And then;' she resumed; 'if you are to try your fortune; why  not evenly?'

'Nay;' returned Mr。 Archer with a smile; 'no man can put  complete reliance in blind fate; he must still cog the dice。'

By this time he had got upon the rock beside the upper fall;  and; bidding her look out; dropped a piece of rush into the  middle of the intake。  The rusty fragment was sucked at once  over the fall; came up again far on the right hand; leaned  ever more and more in the same direction; and disappeared  under the hanging grasses on the castle side。

'One;' said Mr。 Archer; 'one for standing still。'

But the next launch had a different fate; and after hanging  for a while about the edge of the stagnant water; steadily  approached the bleaching…green and danced down the rapid  under Nance's eyes。

'One for me;' she cried with some exultation; and then she  observed that Mr。 Archer had grown pale; and was kneeling on  the rock; with his hand raised like a person petrified。   'Why;' said she; 'you do not mind it; do you?'

'Does a man not mind a throw of dice by which a fortune  hangs?' said Mr。 Archer; rather hoarsely。  'And this is more  than fortune。  Nance; if you have any kindness for my fate;  put up a prayer before I launch the next one。'

'A prayer;' she cried; 'about a game like this?  I would not  be so heathen。'

'Well;' said he; 'then without;' and he closed his eyes and  dropped the piece of rush。  This time there was no doubt。  It  went for the rapid as straight as any arrow。

'Action then!' said Mr。 Archer; getting to his feet; 'and  then God forgive us;' he added; almost to himself。

'God forgive us; indeed;' cried Nance; 'for wasting the good  daylight!  But come; Mr。 Archer; if I see you look so serious  I shall begin to think you was in earnest。'

'Nay;' he said; turning upon her suddenly; with a full smile;  'but is not this good advice?  I have consulted God and  demigod; the nymph of the river; and what I far more admire  and trust; my blue…eyed Minerva。  Both have said the same。   My own heart was telling it already。  Action; then; be mine;  and into the deep sea with all this paralysing casuistry。  I  am happy to…day for the first time。'



THE GREAT NORTH ROAD CHAPTER VIII … THE MAIL GUARD



SOMEWHERE about two in the morning a squall had burst upon  the castle; a clap of screaming wind that made the towers  rock; and a copious drift of rain that streamed from the  windows。  The wind soon blew itself out; but the day broke  cloudy and dripping; and when the little party assembled at  breakfast their humours appeared to have changed with the  change of weather。  Nance had been brooding on the scene at  the river…side; applying it in various ways to her particular  aspirations; and the result; which was hardly to her mind;  had taken the colour out of her cheeks。  Mr。 Archer; too; was  somewhat absent; his thoughts were of a mingled strain; and  even upon his usually impassive countenance there were  betrayed successive depths of depression and starts of  exultation; which the girl translated in terms of her own  hopes and fears。  But Jonathan was the most altered: he was  strangely silent; hardly passing a word; and watched Mr。  Archer with an eager and furtive eye。  It seemed as if the  idea that had so long hovered before him had now taken a more  solid shape; and; while it still attracted; somewhat alarmed  his imagination。

At this rate; conversation languished into a silence which  was only broken by the gentle and ghostly noises of the rain  on the stone roof and about all that field of ruins; and they  were all relieved when the note of a man whistling and the  sound of approaching footsteps in the grassy court announced  a visitor。  It was the ostler from the 'Green Dragon'  bringing a letter for Mr。 Archer。  Nance saw her hero's face  contract and then relax again at sight of it; and she thought  that she knew why; for the sprawling; gross black characters  of the address were easily distinguishable from the fine  writing on the former letter that had so much disturbed him。   He opened it and began to read; while the ostler sat down to  table with a pot of ale; and proceeded to make himself  agreeable after his fashion。

'Fine doings down our way; Miss Nance;' said he。  'I haven't  been abed this blessed night。'

Nance expressed a polite interest; but her eye was on Mr。  Archer; who was reading his letter with a face of such  extreme indifference that she was tempted to suspect him of  assumption。

'Yes;' continued the ostler; 'not been the like of it this  fifteen years: the North Mail stopped at the three stones。'

Jonathan's cup was at his lip; but at this moment he choked  with a great splutter; and Mr。 Archer; as if startled by the  noise; made so sudden a movement that one corner of the sheet  tore off and stayed between his finger and thumb。  It was  some little time before the old man was sufficiently  recovered to beg the ostler to go on; and he still kept  coughing and crying and rubbing his eyes。  Mr。 Archer; on his  side; laid the letter down; and; putting his hands in his  pocket; listened gravely to the tale。

'Yes;' resumed Sam; 'the North Mail was stopped by a single  horseman; dash my wig; but I admire him!  There were four  insides and two out; and poor Tom Oglethorpe; the guard。  Tom  showed himself a man; let fly his blunderbuss at him; had him  covered; too; and could swear to that; but the Captain never  let on; up with a pistol and fetched poor Tom a bullet  through the body。  Tom; he squelched upon the seat; all over  blood。  Up comes the Captain to the window。  〃Oblige me;〃  says he; 〃with what you have。〃  Would you believe it?  Not a  man says cheep! … not them。  〃Thy hands over thy head。〃  Four  watches; rings; snuff…boxes; seven…and…forty pounds overhead  in gold。  One Dicksee; a grazier; tries it on: gives him a  guinea。  〃Beg your pardon;〃 says the Captain; 〃I think too  highly of you to take it at your hand。  I will not take less  than ten from such a gentleman。〃  This Dicksee had his money  in his stocking; but there was the pistol at his eye。  Down  he goes; offs with his stocking; and there was thirty golden  guineas。  〃Now;〃 says the Captain; 〃you've tried it on with  me; but I scorns the advantage。  Ten I said;〃 he says; 〃and  ten I take。〃  So; dash 

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