酷兔英语
    当前位置:
  1. 首页
  2. 文章
  3. 娱乐英语
  4. 原版小说
  5. 正文

The Red Inn-Part4_Honore de Balzac(1799-1850)_Translated Works(翻译文学)-第2页

0 收藏 0 分享 0 赞

章节正文
文章总共2页
murderer." He raised his head proudly. "This injustice restores to me



my innocence. My life would always have been wretched; my death leaves

me without reproach. But is there a future?"



The whole eighteenth century was in that sudden question. He remained

thoughtful.



"Tell me," I said to him, "how you answered. What did they ask you?

Did you not relate the simple facts as you told them to me?"



He looked at me fixedly for a moment; then, after that awful pause, he

answered with feverish excitement:--



"First they asked me, 'Did you leave the inn during the night?' I

said, 'Yes.' 'How?' I answered, 'By the window.' 'Then you must have



taken great precautions; the innkeeper heard no noise.' I was

stupefied. The sailors said they saw me walking, first to Andernach,



then to the forest. I made many trips, they said, no doubt to bury the

gold and diamonds. The valise had not been found. My remorse still



held me dumb. When I wanted to speak, a pitiless voice cried out to

me, 'YOU MEANT TO COMMIT THAT CRIME!' All was against me, even myself.



They asked me about my comrade, and I completely exonerated him. Then

they said to me: 'The crime must lie between you, your comrade, the



innkeeper, and his wife. This morning all the windows and doors were

found securely fastened.' At those words," continued the poor fellow,



"I had neither voice, nor strength, nor soul to answer. More sure of

my comrade than I could be of myself, I could not accuse him. I saw



that we were both thought equallyguilty of the murder, and that I was

considered the most clumsy. I tried to explain the crime by



somnambulism, and so protect my friend; but there I rambled and

contradicted myself. No, I am lost. I read my condemnation in the eyes



of my judges. They smiled incredulously. All is over. No more

uncertainty. To-morrow I shall be shot. I am not thinking of myself,"



he went on after a pause, "but of my poor mother." Then he stopped,

looked up to heaven, and shed no tears; his eyes were dry and strongly



convulsed. "Frederic--"

["Ah! true," cried Monsieur Hermann, with an air of triumph. "Yes, the



other's name was Frederic, Frederic! I remember now!"

My neighbor touched my foot, and made me a sign to look at Monsieur



Taillefer. The former purveyor had negligently dropped his hand over

his eyes, but between the interstices of his fingers we thought we



caught a darkling flame proceeding from them.

"Hein?" she said in my ear, "what if his name were Frederic?"



I answered with a glance, which said to her: "Silence!"

Hermann continued:]



"Frederic!" cried the young surgeon, "Frederic basely deserted me. He

must have been afraid. Perhaps he is still hidden in the inn, for our



horses were both in the courtyard this morning. What an

incomprehensible mystery!" he went on, after a moment's silence.



"Somnambulism! somnambulism? I never had but one attack in my life,

and that was when I was six years old. Must I go from this earth," he



cried, striking the ground with his foot, "carrying with me all there

is of friendship in the world? Shall I die a double death, doubting a



fraternal love begun when we were only five years old, and continued

through school and college? Where is Frederic?"



He wept. Can it be that we cling more to a sentiment than to life?

"Let us go in," he said; "I prefer to be in my cell. I do not wish to



be seen weeping. I shall go courageously to death, but I cannot play

the heroic at all moments; I own I regret my beautiful young life. All



last night I could not sleep; I remembered the scenes of my childhood;

I fancied I was running in the fields. Ah! I had a future," he said,



suddenly interrupting himself; "and now, twelve men, a sub-lieutenant

shouting 'Carry-arms, aim, fire!' a roll of drums, and infamy! that's



my future now. Oh! there must be a God, or it would all be too

senseless."



Then he took me in his arms and pressed me to him with all his

strength.



"You are the last man, the last friend to whom I can show my soul. You

will be set at liberty, you will see your mother! I don't know whether



you are rich or poor, but no matter! you are all the world to me. They

won't fight always, 'ceux-ci.' Well, when there's peace, will you go



to Beauvais? If my mother has survived the fatal news of my death, you

will find her there. Say to her the comforting words, 'He was



innocent!' She will believe you. I am going to write to her; but you




文章总共2页
文章标签:翻译  译文  翻译文  

章节正文
Copyright © 2023 Qeto All rights reserved.
商务合作 | 联系我们 | 关于我们 | 版权声明 | 隐私条款 | 如果智培

京ICP备05059198号-1 京公网安备 11011202003401号