太子爷小说网 > 英语电子书 > the red one >

第20节

the red one-第20节

小说: the red one 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!




fished forth a second one; their brains were well…mellowed and a…

glow; although they had not got around to telling their real names。

But their English had improved。  They spoke it correctly; while the

argo of tramp…land ceased from their lips。



〃It's my constitution;〃 Whiskers was explaining。  〃Very few men

could go through what I have and live to tell the tale。  And I

never took any care of myself。  If what the moralists and the

physiologists say were true; I'd have been dead long ago。  And it's

the same with you two。  Look at us; at our advanced years;

carousing as the young ones don't dare; sleeping out in the open on

the ground; never sheltered from frost nor rain nor storm; never

afraid of pneumonia or rheumatism that would put half the young

ones on their backs in hospital。〃



He broke off to mix another drink; and Fatty took up the tale。



〃And we've had our fun;〃 he boasted; 〃and speaking of sweethearts

and all;〃 he cribbed from Kipling; 〃'We've rogued and we've ranged

… '〃



〃'In our time;'〃 Slim completed the crib for him。



〃I should say so; I should say so;〃 Fatty confirmed。  〃And been

loved by princesses … at least I have。〃



〃Go on and tell us about it;〃 Whiskers urged。  〃The night's young;

and why shouldn't we remember back to the roofs of kings?〃



Nothing loth; Fatty cleared his throat for the recital and cast

about in his mind for the best way to begin。



〃It must be known that I came of good family。  Percival Delaney;

let us say; yes; let us say Percival Delaney; was not unknown at

Oxford once upon a time … not for scholarship; I am frank to admit;

but the gay young dogs of that day; if any be yet alive; would

remember him … 〃



〃My people came over with the Conqueror;〃 Whiskers interrupted;

extending his hand to Fatty's in acknowledgment of the

introduction。



〃What name?〃 Fatty queried。  〃I did not seem quite to catch it。〃



〃Delarouse; Chauncey Delarouse。  The name will serve as well as

any。〃



Both completed the handshake and glanced to Slim。



〃Oh; well; while we're about it 。 。 。 〃  Fatty urged。



〃Bruce Cadogan Cavendish;〃 Slim growled morosely。  〃Go on;

Percival; with your princesses and the roofs of kings。〃



〃Oh; I was a rare young devil;〃 Percival obliged; 〃after I played

ducks and drakes at home and sported out over the world。  And I was

some figure of a man before I lost my shape … polo; steeple…

chasing; boxing。  I won medals at buckjumping in Australia; and I

held more than several swimming records from the quarter of a mile

up。  Women turned their heads to look when I went by。  The women!

God bless them!〃



And Fatty; alias Percival Delaney; a grotesque of manhood; put his

bulgy hand to his puffed lips and kissed audibly into the starry

vault of the sky。



〃And the Princess!〃 he resumed; with another kiss to the stars。

〃She was as fine a figure of a woman as I was a man; as high…

spirited and courageous; as reckless and dare…devilish。  Lord;

Lord; in the water she was a mermaid; a sea…goddess。  And when it

came to blood; beside her I was parvenu。  Her royal line traced

back into the mists of antiquity。



〃She was not a daughter of a fair…skinned folk。  Tawny golden was

she; with golden…brown eyes; and her hair that fell to her knees

was blue…black and straight; with just the curly tendrilly tendency

that gives to woman's hair its charm。  Oh; there were no kinks in

it; any more than were there kinks in the hair of her entire

genealogy。  For she was Polynesian; glowing; golden; lovely and

lovable; royal Polynesian。〃



Again he paused to kiss his hand to the memory of her; and Slim;

alias Bruce Cadogan Cavendish; took advantage to interject:



〃Huh!  Maybe you didn't shine in scholarship; but at least you

gleaned a vocabulary out of Oxford。〃



〃And in the South Seas garnered a better vocabulary from the

lexicon of Love;〃 Percival was quick on the uptake。



〃It was the island of Talofa;〃 he went on; 〃meaning love; the Isle

of Love; and it was her island。  Her father; the king; an old man;

sat on his mats with paralysed knees and drank squareface gin all

day and most of the night; out of grief; sheer grief。  She; my

princess; was the only issue; her brother having been lost in their

double canoe in a hurricane while coming up from a voyage to Samoa。

And among the Polynesians the royal women have equal right with the

men to rule。  In fact; they trace their genealogies always by the

female line。〃



To this both Chauncey Delarouse and Bruce Cadogan Cavendish nodded

prompt affirmation。



〃Ah;〃 said Percival; 〃I perceive you both know the South Seas;

wherefore; without undue expenditure of verbiage on my part; I am

assured that you will appreciate the charm of my princess; the

Princess Tui…nui of Talofa; the Princess of the Isle of Love。〃



He kissed his hand to her; sipped from his condensed milk can a

man…size drink of druggist's alcohol; and to her again kissed her

hand。



〃But she was coy; and ever she fluttered near to me but never near

enough。  When my arm went out to her to girdle her; presto; she was

not there。  I knew; as never before; nor since; the thousand dear

and delightful anguishes of love frustrated but ever resilient and

beckoned on by the very goddess of love。〃



〃Some vocabulary;〃 Bruce Cadogan Cavendish muttered in aside to

Chauncey Delarouse。  But Percival Delaney was not to be deterred。

He kissed his pudgy hand aloft into the night and held warmly on。



〃No fond agonies of rapture deferred that were not lavished upon me

by my dear Princess; herself ever a luring delight of promise

flitting just beyond my reach。  Every sweet lover's inferno

unguessed of by Dante she led me through。  Ah!  Those swooning

tropic nights; under our palm trees; the distant surf a langourous

murmur as from some vast sea shell of mystery; when she; my

Princess; all but melted to my yearning; and with her laughter;

that was as silver strings by buds and blossoms smitten; all but

made lunacy of my lover's ardency。



〃It was by my wrestling with the champions of Talofa that I first

interested her。  It was by my prowess at swimming that I awoke her。

And it was by a certain swimming deed that I won from her more than

coquettish smiles and shy timidities of feigned retreat。



〃We were squidding that day; out on the reef … you know how;

undoubtedly; diving down the face of the wall of the reef; five

fathoms; ten fathoms; any depth within reason; and shoving our

squid…sticks into the likely holes and crannies of the coral where

squid might be lairing。  With the squid…stick; bluntly sharp at

both ends; perhaps a foot long; and held crosswise in the hand; the

trick was to gouge any lazying squid until he closed his tentacles

around fist; stick and arm。 … Then you had him; and came to the

surface with him; and hit him in the head which is in the centre of

him; and peeled him off into the waiting canoe。 。 。 。 And to think

I used to do that!〃



Percival Delaney paused a moment; a glimmer of awe on his rotund

face; as he contemplated the mighty picture of his youth。



〃Why; I've pulled out a squid with tentacles eight feet long; and

done it under fifty feet of water。  I could stay down four minutes。

I've gone down; with a coral…rock to sink me; in a hundred and ten

feet to clear a fouled anchor。  And I could back…dive with a once…

over and go in feet…first from eighty feet above the surface … 〃



〃Quit it; delete it; cease it;〃 Chauncey Delarouse admonished

testily。  〃Tell of the Princess。  That's what makes old blood leap

again。  Almost can I see her。  Was she wonderful?〃



Percival Delaney kissed unutterable affirmation。



〃I have said she was a mermaid。  She was。  I know she swam thirty…

six hours before being rescued; after her schooner was capsized in

a double…squall。  I have seen her do ninety feet and bring up pearl

shell in each hand。  She was wonderful。  As a woman she was

ravishing; sublime。  I have said she was a sea…goddess。  She was。

Oh; for a Phidias or a Praxiteles to have made the wonder of her

body immortal!



〃And that day; out for squid on the reef; I was almost sick for

her。  Mad … I know I was mad for her。  We would step over the side

from the big canoe; and swim down; side by side; into the delicious

depths of cool and colour; and she would look at me; as we swam;

and with her eyes tantalize me to further madness。  And at last;

down; far down; I lost myself and reached for her。  She eluded me

like the mermaid she was; and I saw the laughter on her face as she

fled。  She fled deeper; and I knew I had her for I was between her

and the surface; but in the muck coral sand of the bottom she made

a churning with her squid stick。  It was the old trick to escape a

shark。  And she worked it on me; rolling the water so that I could

not see her。  And when I came up; she was there ahead of me;

clinging to the s

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 1 0

你可能喜欢的