酷兔英语

章节正文

first time I ever entered it, and this vault the only part of it
within which I ever was."

"But I tell thee," said Manfred (wishing to find out if the youth had
discovered the trap-door), "it was this way I heard the noise. My

servants heard it too."
"My Lord," interrupted one of them officiously, "to be sure it was the

trap-door, and he was going to make his escape."
"Peace, blockhead!" said the Prince angrily; "if he was going to

escape, how should he come on this side? I will know from his own
mouth what noise it was I heard. Tell me truly; thy life depends on

thy veracity."
"My veracity is dearer to me than my life," said the peasant; "nor

would I purchase the one by forfeiting the other."
"Indeed, young philosopher!" said Manfred contemptuously; "tell me,

then, what was the noise I heard?"
"Ask me what I can answer," said he, "and put me to death instantly" target="_blank" title="ad.立即,立刻">instantly if

I tell you a lie."
Manfred, growing impatient at the steady valour and indifference of

the youth, cried -
"Well, then, thou man of truth, answer! Was it the fall of the trap-

door that I heard?"
"It was," said the youth.

"It was!" said the Prince; "and how didst thou come to know there was
a trap-door here?"

"I saw the plate of brass by a gleam of moonshine," replied he.
"But what told thee it was a lock?" said Manfred. "How didst thou

discover the secret of opening it?"
"Providence, that delivered me from the helmet, was able to direct me

to the spring of a lock," said he.
"Providence should have gone a little farther, and have placed thee

out of the reach of my resentment," said Manfred. "When Providence
had taught thee to open the lock, it abandoned thee for a fool, who

did not know how to make use of its favours. Why didst thou not
pursue the path pointed out for thy escape? Why didst thou shut the

trap-door before thou hadst descended the steps?"
"I might ask you, my Lord," said the peasant, "how I, totally

unacquainted with your castle, was to know that those steps led to any
outlet? but I scorn to evade your questions. Wherever those steps

lead to, perhaps I should have explored the way - I could not be in a
worse situation than I was. But the truth is, I let the trap-door

fall: your immediate arrival followed. I had given the alarm - what
imported it to me whether I was seized a minute sooner or a minute

later?"
"Thou art a resolutevillain for thy years," said Manfred; "yet on

reflection I suspect thou dost but trifle with me. Thou hast not yet
told me how thou didst open the lock."

"That I will show you, my Lord," said the peasant; and, taking up a
fragment of stone that had fallen from above, he laid himself on the

trap-door, and began to beat on the piece of brass that covered it,
meaning to gain time for the escape of the Princess. This presence of

mind, joined to the frankness of the youth, staggered Manfred. He
even felt a disposition towards pardoning one who had been guilty of

no crime. Manfred was not one of those savage tyrants who wanton in
cruelty unprovoked. The circumstances of his fortune had given an

asperity to his temper, which was naturally humane; and his virtues
were always ready to operate, when his passions did not obscure his

reason.
While the Prince was in this suspense, a confused noise of voices

echoed through the distant vaults. As the sound approached, he
distinguished the clamours of some of his domestics, whom he had

dispersed through the castle in search of Isabella, calling out -
"Where is my Lord? where is the Prince?"

"Here I am," said Manfred, as they came nearer; "have you found the
Princess?"

The first that arrived, replied, "Oh, my Lord! I am glad we have
found you."

"Found me!" said Manfred; "have you found the Princess?"
"We thought we had, my Lord," said the fellow, looking terrified, "but

- "
"But, what?" cried the Prince; "has she escaped?"

"Jaquez and I, my Lord - "
"Yes, I and Diego," interrupted the second, who came up in still

greater consternation.
"Speak one of you at a time," said Manfred; "I ask you, where is the

Princess?"
"We do not know," said they both together; "but we are frightened out

of our wits."
"So I think, blockheads," said Manfred; "what is it has scared you

thus?"
"Oh! my Lord," said Jaquez, "Diego has seen such a sight! your

Highness would not believe our eyes."
"What new absurdity is this?" cried Manfred; "give me a direct answer,

or, by Heaven - "
"Why, my Lord, if it please your Highness to hear me," said the poor

fellow, "Diego and I - "
"Yes, I and Jaquez - " cried his comrade.

"Did not I forbid you to speak both at a time?" said the Prince:
"you, Jaquez, answer; for the other fool seems more distracted than

thou art; what is the matter?"
"My gracious Lord," said Jaquez, "if it please your Highness to hear

me; Diego and I, according to your Highness's orders, went to search
for the young Lady; but being comprehensive that we might meet the

ghost of my young Lord, your Highness's son, God rest his soul, as he
has not received Christian burial - "

"Sot!" cried Manfred in a rage; "is it only a ghost, then, that thou
hast seen?"

"Oh! worse! worse! my Lord," cried Diego: "I had rather have seen ten
whole ghosts."

"Grant me patience!" said Manfred; "these blockheads distract me. Out
of my sight, Diego! and thou, Jaquez, tell me in one word, art thou

sober? art thou raving? thou wast wont to have some sense: has the
other sot frightened himself and thee too? Speak; what is it he

fancies he has seen?"
"Why, my Lord," replied Jaquez, trembling, "I was going to tell your

Highness, that since the calamitous misfortune of my young Lord, God
rest his precious soul! not one of us your Highness's faithful

servants - indeed we are, my Lord, though poor men - I say, not one of
us has dared to set a foot about the castle, but two together: so

Diego and I, thinking that my young Lady might be in the great
gallery, went up there to look for her, and tell her your Highness

wanted something to impart to her."
"O blundering fools!" cried Manfred; "and in the meantime, she has

made her escape, because you were afraid of goblins! - Why, thou
knave! she left me in the gallery; I came from thence myself."

"For all that, she may be there still for aught I know," said Jaquez;
"but the devil shall have me before I seek her there again - poor

Diego! I do not believe he will ever recover it."
"Recover what?" said Manfred; "am I never to learn what it is has

terrified these rascals? - but I lose my time; follow me, slave; I
will see if she is in the gallery."

"For Heaven's sake, my dear, good Lord," cried Jaquez, "do not go to
the gallery. Satan himself I believe is in the chamber next to the

gallery."
Manfred, who hitherto had treated the terror of his servants as an

idle panic, was struck at this new circumstance. He recollected the
apparition of the portrait, and the sudden closing of the door at the

end of the gallery. His voice faltered, and he asked with disorder -
"What is in the great chamber?"

"My Lord," said Jaquez, "when Diego and I came into the gallery, he
went first, for he said he had more courage than I. So when we came

into the gallery we found nobody. We looked under every bench and
stool; and still we found nobody."

"Were all the pictures in their places?" said Manfred.
"Yes, my Lord," answered Jaquez; "but we did not think of looking

behind them."
"Well, well!" said Manfred; "proceed."

"When we came to the door of the great chamber," continued Jaquez, "we
found it shut."

"And could not you open it?" said Manfred.
"Oh! yes, my Lord; would to Heaven we had not!" replied he - "nay, it

was not I neither; it was Diego: he was grown foolhardy, and would go
on, though I advised him not - if ever I open a door that is shut

again - "
"Trifle not," said Manfred, shuddering, "but tell me what you saw in

the great chamber on opening the door."
"I! my Lord!" said Jaquez; "I was behind Diego; but I heard the

noise."
"Jaquez," said Manfred, in a solemn tone of voice; "tell me, I adjure

thee by the souls of my ancestors, what was it thou sawest? what was
it thou heardest?"

"It was Diego saw it, my Lord, it was not I," replied Jaquez; "I only
heard the noise. Diego had no sooner opened the door, than he cried

out, and ran back. I ran back too, and said, 'Is it the ghost?' 'The
ghost! no, no,' said Diego, and his hair stood on end - 'it is a

giant, I believe; he is all clad in armour, for I saw his foot and
part of his leg, and they are as large as the helmet below in the

court.' As he said these words, my Lord, we heard a violent motion
and the rattling of armour, as if the giant was rising, for Diego has

told me since that he believes the giant was lying down, for the foot
and leg were stretched at length on the floor. Before we could get to

the end of the gallery, we heard the door of the great chamber clap
behind us, but we did not dare turn back to see if the giant was

following us - yet, now I think on it, we must have heard him if he
had pursued us - but for Heaven's sake, good my Lord, send for the

chaplain, and have the castle exorcised, for, for certain, it is
enchanted."

"Ay, pray do, my Lord," cried all the servants at once, "or we must
leave your Highness's service."

"Peace, dotards!" said Manfred, "and follow me; I will know what all
this means."

"We! my Lord!" cried they with one voice; "we would not go up to the
gallery for your Highness's revenue." The young peasant, who had

stood silent, now spoke.
"Will your Highness," said he, "permit me to try this adventure? My

life is of consequence to nobody; I fear no bad angel, and have
offended no good one."

"Your behaviour is above your seeming," said Manfred, viewing him with
surprise and admiration - "hereafter I will reward your bravery - but

now," continued he with a sigh, "I am so circumstanced, that I dare
trust no eyes but my own. However, I give you leave to accompany me."

Manfred, when he first followed Isabella from the gallery, had gone
directly to the apartment of his wife, concluding the Princess had

retired thither. Hippolita, who knew his step, rose with anxious
fondness to meet her Lord, whom she had not seen since the death of

their son. She would have flown in a transport mixed of joy and grief
to his bosom, but he pushed her rudely off, and said -

"Where is Isabella?"
"Isabella! my Lord!" said the astonished Hippolita.

"Yes, Isabella," cried Manfred imperiously; "I want Isabella."
"My Lord," replied Matilda, who perceived how much his behaviour had

shocked her mother, "she has not been with us since your Highness
summoned her to your apartment."

"Tell me where she is," said the Prince; "I do not want to know where
she has been."

"My good Lord," says Hippolita, "your daughter tells you the truth:
Isabella left us by your command, and has not returned since; - but,

my good Lord, compose yourself: retire to your rest: this dismal day
has disordered you. Isabella shall wait your orders in the morning."

"What, then, you know where she is!" cried Manfred. "Tell me
directly, for I will not lose an instant - and you, woman," speaking

to his wife, "order your chaplain to attend me forthwith."


文章标签:名著  

章节正文