太子爷小说网 > 英语电子书 > lay morals >

第43节

lay morals-第43节

小说: lay morals 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!




By this time he had got upon the rock beside the upper fall;  and; bidding her look out; dropped a piece of rush into the  middle of the intake。  The rusty fragment was sucked at once  over the fall; came up again far on the right hand; leaned  ever more and more in the same direction; and disappeared  under the hanging grasses on the castle side。

'One;' said Mr。 Archer; 'one for standing still。'

But the next launch had a different fate; and after hanging  for a while about the edge of the stagnant water; steadily  approached the bleaching…green and danced down the rapid  under Nance's eyes。

'One for me;' she cried with some exultation; and then she  observed that Mr。 Archer had grown pale; and was kneeling on  the rock; with his hand raised like a person petrified。   'Why;' said she; 'you do not mind it; do you?'

'Does a man not mind a throw of dice by which a fortune  hangs?' said Mr。 Archer; rather hoarsely。  'And this is more  than fortune。  Nance; if you have any kindness for my fate;  put up a prayer before I launch the next one。'

'A prayer;' she cried; 'about a game like this?  I would not  be so heathen。'

'Well;' said he; 'then without;' and he closed his eyes and  dropped the piece of rush。  This time there was no doubt。  It  went for the rapid as straight as any arrow。

'Action then!' said Mr。 Archer; getting to his feet; 'and  then God forgive us;' he added; almost to himself。

'God forgive us; indeed;' cried Nance; 'for wasting the good  daylight!  But come; Mr。 Archer; if I see you look so serious  I shall begin to think you was in earnest。'

'Nay;' he said; turning upon her suddenly; with a full smile;  'but is not this good advice?  I have consulted God and  demigod; the nymph of the river; and what I far more admire  and trust; my blue…eyed Minerva。  Both have said the same。   My own heart was telling it already。  Action; then; be mine;  and into the deep sea with all this paralysing casuistry。  I  am happy to…day for the first time。'



THE GREAT NORTH ROAD CHAPTER VIII … THE MAIL GUARD



SOMEWHERE about two in the morning a squall had burst upon  the castle; a clap of screaming wind that made the towers  rock; and a copious drift of rain that streamed from the  windows。  The wind soon blew itself out; but the day broke  cloudy and dripping; and when the little party assembled at  breakfast their humours appeared to have changed with the  change of weather。  Nance had been brooding on the scene at  the river…side; applying it in various ways to her particular  aspirations; and the result; which was hardly to her mind;  had taken the colour out of her cheeks。  Mr。 Archer; too; was  somewhat absent; his thoughts were of a mingled strain; and  even upon his usually impassive countenance there were  betrayed successive depths of depression and starts of  exultation; which the girl translated in terms of her own  hopes and fears。  But Jonathan was the most altered: he was  strangely silent; hardly passing a word; and watched Mr。  Archer with an eager and furtive eye。  It seemed as if the  idea that had so long hovered before him had now taken a more  solid shape; and; while it still attracted; somewhat alarmed  his imagination。

At this rate; conversation languished into a silence which  was only broken by the gentle and ghostly noises of the rain  on the stone roof and about all that field of ruins; and they  were all relieved when the note of a man whistling and the  sound of approaching footsteps in the grassy court announced  a visitor。  It was the ostler from the 'Green Dragon'  bringing a letter for Mr。 Archer。  Nance saw her hero's face  contract and then relax again at sight of it; and she thought  that she knew why; for the sprawling; gross black characters  of the address were easily distinguishable from the fine  writing on the former letter that had so much disturbed him。   He opened it and began to read; while the ostler sat down to  table with a pot of ale; and proceeded to make himself  agreeable after his fashion。

'Fine doings down our way; Miss Nance;' said he。  'I haven't  been abed this blessed night。'

Nance expressed a polite interest; but her eye was on Mr。  Archer; who was reading his letter with a face of such  extreme indifference that she was tempted to suspect him of  assumption。

'Yes;' continued the ostler; 'not been the like of it this  fifteen years: the North Mail stopped at the three stones。'

Jonathan's cup was at his lip; but at this moment he choked  with a great splutter; and Mr。 Archer; as if startled by the  noise; made so sudden a movement that one corner of the sheet  tore off and stayed between his finger and thumb。  It was  some little time before the old man was sufficiently  recovered to beg the ostler to go on; and he still kept  coughing and crying and rubbing his eyes。  Mr。 Archer; on his  side; laid the letter down; and; putting his hands in his  pocket; listened gravely to the tale。

'Yes;' resumed Sam; 'the North Mail was stopped by a single  horseman; dash my wig; but I admire him!  There were four  insides and two out; and poor Tom Oglethorpe; the guard。  Tom  showed himself a man; let fly his blunderbuss at him; had him  covered; too; and could swear to that; but the Captain never  let on; up with a pistol and fetched poor Tom a bullet  through the body。  Tom; he squelched upon the seat; all over  blood。  Up comes the Captain to the window。  〃Oblige me;〃  says he; 〃with what you have。〃  Would you believe it?  Not a  man says cheep! … not them。  〃Thy hands over thy head。〃  Four  watches; rings; snuff…boxes; seven…and…forty pounds overhead  in gold。  One Dicksee; a grazier; tries it on: gives him a  guinea。  〃Beg your pardon;〃 says the Captain; 〃I think too  highly of you to take it at your hand。  I will not take less  than ten from such a gentleman。〃  This Dicksee had his money  in his stocking; but there was the pistol at his eye。  Down  he goes; offs with his stocking; and there was thirty golden  guineas。  〃Now;〃 says the Captain; 〃you've tried it on with  me; but I scorns the advantage。  Ten I said;〃 he says; 〃and  ten I take。〃  So; dash my buttons; I call that man a man!'  cried Sam in cordial admiration。

'Well; and then?' says Mr。 Archer。

'Then;' resumed Sam; 'that old fat fagot Engleton; him as  held the ribbons and drew up like a lamb when he was told to;  picks up his cattle; and drives off again。  Down they came to  the 〃Dragon;〃 all singing like as if they was scalded; and  poor Tom saying nothing。  You would 'a' thought they had all  lost the King's crown to hear them。  Down gets this Dicksee。   〃Postmaster;〃 he says; taking him by the arm; 〃this is a most  abominable thing;〃 he says。  Down gets a Major Clayton; and  gets the old man by the other arm。  〃We've been robbed;〃 he  cries; 〃robbed!〃  Down gets the others; and all around the  old man telling their story; and what they had lost; and how  they was all as good as ruined; till at last Old Engleton  says; says he; 〃How about Oglethorpe?〃 says he。  〃Ay;〃 says  the others; 〃how about the guard?〃  Well; with that we  bousted him down; as white as a rag and all blooded like a  sop。  I thought he was dead。  Well; he ain't dead; but he's  dying; I fancy。'

'Did you say four watches?' said Jonathan。

'Four; I think。  I wish it had been forty;' cried Sam。  'Such  a party of soused herrings I never did see … not a man among  them bar poor Tom。  But us that are the servants on the road  have all the risk and none of the profit。'

'And this brave fellow;' asked Mr。 Archer; very quietly;  'this Oglethorpe … how is he now?'

'Well; sir; with my respects; I take it he has a hole bang  through him;' said Sam。  'The doctor hasn't been yet。  He'd  'a' been bright and early if it had been a passenger。  But;  doctor or no; I'll make a good guess that Tom won't see to… morrow。  He'll die on a Sunday; will poor Tom; and they do  say that's fortunate。'

'Did Tom see him that did it?' asked Jonathan。

'Well; he saw him;' replied Sam; 'but not to swear by。  Said  he was a very tall man; and very big; and had a 'ankerchief  about his face; and a very quick shot; and sat his horse like  a thorough gentleman; as he is。'

'A gentleman!' cried Nance。  'The dirty knave!'

'Well; I calls a man like that a gentleman;' returned the  ostler; 'that's what I mean by a gentleman。'

'You don't know much of them; then;' said Nance。

'A gentleman would scorn to stoop to such a thing。  I call my  uncle a better gentleman than any thief。'

'And you would be right;' said Mr。 Archer。

'How many snuff…boxes did he get?' asked Jonathan。

'O; dang me if I know;' said Sam; 'I didn't take an  inventory。'

'I will go back with you; if you please;' said Mr。 Archer。   'I should like to see poor Oglethorpe。  He has behaved well。'

'At your service; sir;' said Sam; jumping to his feet。  'I  dare to say a gentleman like you would not forget a poor  fellow like Tom … no; nor a plain man like me; sir; that went  without his sleep to nurse him。  And excuse me; sir;' added  Sam; 'you won't forget about the letter neither?'

'Surely not;' said Mr。 Archer。

Oglethorpe lay in a low bed; one of several in a long garret  of the inn。  The rain soaked in places through the roof and  fel

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的