贝壳电子书 > 英文原著电子书 > the house of the wolf(狼之家) >

第48章

the house of the wolf(狼之家)-第48章

小说: the house of the wolf(狼之家) 字数: 每页4000字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!




of hate!     If you had flinched I would have killed you; for so you would 

have suffered most; M。 de Pavannes。             As it is; take your lifea gift!      and 

suffer as I should if I were saved and spared by my enemy!〃 

     Slowly the full sense of his words came home to me。                  Slowly; not in 

its full completeness indeed until I heard Louis in broken phrases; phrases 

half proud and half humble; thanking him for his generosity。                 Even then I 

almost lost the true and wondrous meaning of the thing when I heard his 

answer。     For he cut Pavannes short with bitter caustic gibes; spurned his 

proffered gratitude with insults; and replied to his acknowledgments with 

threats。 

     〃Go!     go!〃    he continued to cry violently。          〃Have I brought you so 

far safely that you will cheat me of my vengeance at the last; and provoke 



                                              150 


… Page 151…

                                  THE HOUSE OF THE WOLF 



me     to  kill  you?    Away!       and    take   these    blind   puppies    with   you! 

Reckon me as much your enemy now as ever!                  And if I meet you; be sure 

you will meet a foe!       Begone; M。 de Pavannes; begone!〃 

     〃But; M。 de Bezers;〃 Louis persisted; 〃hear me。             It takes two to〃 

     〃Begone!      begone!      before   we   do   one   another   a   mischief!〃    cried 

the Vidame furiously。         〃Every word you say in that strain is an injury to 

me。    It robs me of my vengeance。           Go!     in God's name!〃 

     And we went; for there was no change; no promise of softening in his 

malignant aspect as he spoke; nor any as he stood and watched us draw off 

slowly  from   him。      We   went   one   by  one;   each   lingering   after   the   other; 

striving; out of a natural desire to thank him; to break through that stern 

reserve。     But grim and unrelenting; a picture of scorn to the last; he saw 

us go。 

     My latest memory of that strange manstill fresh after a lapse of two 

and fifty yearsis of a huge form towering in the gloom below the state 

canopy; the sunlight which poured in through the windows and flooded us; 

falling short of him; of a pair of fierce cross eyes; that seemed to glow as 

they covered us; of a lip that curled as in the enjoyment of some cruel jest。 

And so Iand I think each of us four saw the last of Raoul de Mar; Vidame 

de Bezers; in this life。 

     He was a man whom we cannot judge by to…day's standard; for he was 

such an one in his vices and his virtues as the present day does not know; 

one who in his time did immense eviland if his friends be believed; little 

good。     But the evil is forgotten; the good lives。         And if all that good save 

one   act   were   buried   with   him;   this   one   act   alone;   the   act   of   a   French 

gentleman;   would   be   told   of   himay!     and   will   be   toldas   long   as   the 

kingdom      of  France;    and   the  gracious    memory      of  the  late  king;   shall 

endure。 

     *         *          *          *         *          * 

     I see again by the simple process of shutting my eyes; the little party of 

fivefor Jean; our servant; had rejoined uswho on that summer day rode 

over    the  hills  to  Caylus;    threading    the   mazes    of  the  holm…oaks;      and 



                                              151 


… Page 152…

                                   THE HOUSE OF THE WOLF 



galloping down the rides; and hallooing the hare from her form; but never 

pursuing her; arousing the nestling farmhouses from their sleepy stillness 

by joyous shout and laugh; and sniffing; as we climbed the hill…side again; 

the scent of the ferns that died crushed under our horses' hoofsdied only 

that   they   might   add   one   little   pleasure   more   to   the   happiness   God   had 

given   us。    Rare   and   sweet   indeed   are   those   few   days   in   life;   when   it 

seems   that   all   creation   lives   only   that   we   may   have   pleasure   in   it;   and 

thank God for it。       It is well that we should make the most of them; as we 

surely did of that day。 

     It was nightfall when we reached the edge of the uplands; and looked 

down on Caylus。         The last rays of the sun lingered with us; but the valley 

below     was    dark;   so  dark    that  even   the   rock   about    which    our   homes 

clustered   would   have   been   invisible   save   for   the   half…dozen   lights   that 

were beginning to twinkle into being on its summit。                   A silence fell upon 

us as we slowly wended our way down the well…known path。 

     All day long we had ridden in great joy; if thoughtless; yet innocent; if 

selfish; yet thankful; and always blithely; with a great exultation and relief 

at heart; a great rejoicing for our own sakes and for Kit's。 

     Now with the nightfall and the darkness; now when we were near our 

home;   and   on   the   eve   of   giving   joy   to   another;   we   grew   silent。 There 

arose other thoughtsthoughts of all that had happened since we had last 

ascended   that   track;   and   so   our   minds   turned   naturally   back   to   him   to 

whom  we   owed   our   happinessto   the   giant   left   behind   in   his   pride   and 

power and his loneliness。 The others could think of him with full hearts; 

yet   without   shame。      But   I   reddened;  reflecting   how  it   would   have   been 

with us if I had had my way; if I had resorted in my shortsightedness to 

one last violent; cowardly deed; and killed him; as I had twice wished to 

do。 

     Pavannes      would     then   have    been    lost  almost    certainly。    Only     the 

Vidame with his powerful troopwe never knew whether he had gathered 

them   for   that   purpose   or   merely   with   an   eye   to   his   governmentcould 

have saved him。         And few men however powerful perhaps Bezers only 



                                                152 


… Page 153…

                                  THE HOUSE OF THE WOLF 



of all men in Paris would have dared to snatch him from the mob when 

once it had sighted him。         I dwell on this now that my grandchildren may 

take warning by it; though never will they see such days as I have seen。 

     And   so   we   clattered   up   the   steep   street   of   Caylus   with   a   pleasant 

melancholy upon us; and passed; not without a more serious thought; the 

gloomy;   frowning   portals;   all   barred   and   shuttered;   of   the   House   of   the 

Wolf; and under the very window; sombre and vacant; from which Bezers 

had incited the rabble in their attack on Pavannes' courier。               We had gone 

by day; and we came back by night。             But we had gone trembling; and we 

came back in joy。 

     We did not need to ring the great bell。           Jean's cry; 〃Ho!       Gate there! 

Open      for  my   lords!〃    had     scarcely   passed    his   lips  before   we    were 

admitted。      And   ere   we   could   mount   the   ramp;   one   person   outran   those 

who came forth to see what the matter was; one outran Madame Claude; 

outran old Gil; outran the hurrying servants; and the welcome of the house。 

I saw a slender figure all in white break away from the little crowd and 

dart towards us; disclosing as it reached me a face that seemed still whiter 

than   its   robes;   and   yet   a   face   that   seemed   all   eyeseyes   that   asked   the 

question the lips could not frame。 

     I stood aside with a low bow; my hat in my hand; and said simply it 

was the great effect of my life〃VOILA Monsieur!〃 

     And then I saw the sun rise in a woman's face。 

     *          *         *          *          *         * 

     The Vidame de Bezers died as he had lived。              He was still Governor of 

Cahors when Henry the Great attacked it on the

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的