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BENITO CERENO-Part4_HERMAN MELVILLE (1819-1891)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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servant lost its original charm of simple-hearted attachment.

In his embarrassment, the visitor turned his face to the other



side of the ship. By so doing, his glance accidentally fell on a young

Spanish sailor, a coil of rope in his hand, just stepped from the deck



to the first round of the mizzen-rigging. Perhaps the man would not

have been particularly noticed, were it not that, during his ascent to



one of the yards, he, with a sort of covert intentness, kept his eye

fixed on Captain Delano, from whom, presently, it passed, as if by a



natural sequence, to the two whisperers.

His own attention thus redirected to that quarter, Captain



Delano gave a slight start. From something in Don Benito's manner just

then, it seemed as if the visitor had, at least partly, been the



subject of the withdrawnconsultation going on- a conjecture as little

agreeable to the guest as it was little flattering to the host.



The singular alternations of courtesy and ill-breeding in the

Spanish captain were unaccountable, except on one of two suppositions-



innocent lunacy, or wicked imposture.

But the first idea, though it might naturally have occurred to



an indifferentobserver, and, in some respects, had not hitherto

been wholly a stranger to Captain Delano's mind, yet, now that, in



an incipient way, he began to regard the stranger's conduct

something in the light of an intentional affront, of course the idea



of lunacy was virtually vacated. But if not a lunatic, what then?

Under the circumstances, would a gentleman, nay, any honest boor,



act the part now acted by his host? The man was an impostor. Some

lowborn adventurer, masquerading as an oceanic grandee; yet so



ignorant of the first requisites of mere gentlemanhood as to be

betrayed into the present remarkable indecorum. That strange



ceremoniousness, too, at other times evinced, seemed not

uncharacteristic of one playing a part above his real level. Benito



Cereno- Don Benito Cereno- a sounding name. One, too, at that

period, not unknown, in the surname, to supercargoes and sea



captains trading along the Spanish Main, as belonging to one of the

most enterprising and extensive mercantile families in all those



provinces; several members of it having titles; a sort of Castilian

Rothschild, with a noble brother, or cousin, in every great trading



town of South America. The alleged Don Benito was in early manhood,

about twenty-nine or thirty. To assume a sort of roving cadetship in



the maritime affairs of such a house, what more likely scheme for a

young knave of talent and spirit? But the Spaniard was a pale invalid.



Never mind. For even to the degree of simulating mortal disease, the

craft of some tricksters had been known to attain. To think that,



under the aspect of infantile weakness, the most savage energies might

be couched- those velvets of the Spaniard but the velvet paw to his



fangs.

From no train of thought did these fancies come; not from



within, but from without; suddenly, too, and in one throng, like

hoar frost; yet as soon to vanish as the mild sun of Captain



Delano's good-nature regained its meridian.

Glancing over once again toward Don Benito- whose side-face,



revealed above the skylight, was now turned toward him- Captain Delano

was struck by the profile, whose clearness of cut was refined by the



thinness incident to ill-health, as well as ennobled about the chin by

the beard. Away with suspicion. He was a true off-shoot of a true



hidalgo Cereno.

Relieved by these and other better thoughts, the visitor,



lightly humming a tune, now began indifferently pacing the poop, so as

not to betray to Don Benito that be had at all mistrusted



incivility, much less duplicity; for such mistrust would yet be proved

illusory, and by the event; though, for the present, the



circumstance which had provoked that distrust remained unexplained.

But when that little mystery should have been cleared up, Captain



Delano thought he might extremely regret it, did he allow Don Benito




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