登陆注册
4709000000052

第52章

The opening of hostilities could not long be delayed. When the hour of dinner arrived, after coming to an agreement with Pinzon regarding the plan to be pursued, the first condition of which was that the friends should pretend not to know each other, Pepe Rey went to the dining-room. There he found his aunt, who had just returned from the cathedral where she had spent the morning as was her habit. She was alone, and appeared to be greatly preoccupied. The engineer observed that on that pale and marble-like countenance, not without a certain beauty, there rested a mysterious shadow. When she looked up it recovered its sinister calmness, but she looked up seldom, and after a rapid examination of her nephew's countenance, that of the amiable lady would again take on its studied gloom.

They awaited dinner in silence. They did not wait for Don Cayetano, for he had gone to Mundogrande. When they sat down to table Dona Perfecta said:

"And that fine soldier whom the Government has sent us, is he not coming to dinner?"

"He seems to be more sleepy than hungry," answered the engineer, without looking at his aunt.

"Do you know him?"

"I have never seen him in all my life before."

"We are nicely off with the guests whom the Government sends us. We have beds and provisions in order to keep them ready for those vagabonds of Madrid, whenever they may choose to dispose of them."

"There are fears of an insurrection," said Pepe Rey, with sudden heat, "and the Government is determined to crush the Orbajosans--to crush them, to grind them to powder."

"Stop, man, stop, for Heaven's sake; don't crush us!" cried Dona Perfecta sarcastically. "Poor we! Be merciful, man, and allow us unhappy creatures to live. And would you, then, be one of those who would aid the army in the grand work of crushing us?"

"I am not a soldier. I will do nothing but applaud when I see the germs of civil war; of insubordination, of discord, of disorder, of robbery, and of barbarism that exist here, to the shame of our times and of our country, forever extirpated."

"All will be as God wills."

"Orbajosa, my dear aunt, has little else than garlic and bandits; for those who in the name of some political or religious idea set out in search of adventures every four or five years are nothing but bandits."

"Thanks, thanks, my dear nephew!" said Dona Perfecta, turning pale. "So Orbajosa has nothing more than that? Yet there must be something else here--something that you do not possess, since you have come to look for it among us."

Rey felt the cut. His soul was on fire. He found it very difficult to show his aunt the consideration to which her sex, her rank, and her relation to himself entitled her. He was on the verge of a violent outbreak, and a force that he could not resist was impelling him against his interlocutor.

"I came to Orbajosa," he said, "because you sent for me; you arranged with my father--"

"Yes, yes; it is true," she answered, interrupting him quickly and making an effort to recover her habitual serenity. "I do not deny it. I am the one who is really to blame. I am to blame for your ill-humor, for the slights you put upon us, for every thing disagreeable that has been happening in my house since you entered it."

"I am glad that you are conscious of it."

"In exchange, you are a saint. Must I also go down on my knees to your grace and ask your pardon?"

"Senora," said Pepe Rey gravely, laying down his knife and fork, "I entreat you not to mock me in so pitiless a manner. I cannot meet you on equal ground. All I have said is that I came to Orbajosa at your invitation."

"And it is true. Your father and I arranged that you should marry Rosario. You came in order to become acquainted with her. I accepted you at once as a son. You pretended to love Rosario--"

"Pardon me," objected Pepe; "I loved and I love Rosario; you pretended to accept me as a son; receiving me with deceitful cordiality, you employed from the very beginning all the arts of cunning to thwart me and to prevent the fulfilment of the proposals made to my father; you determined from the first day to drive me to desperation, to tire me out; and with smiles and affectionate words on your lips you have been killing me, roasting me at the slow fire; you have let loose upon me in the dark and from behind an ambush a swarm of lawsuits; you have deprived me of the official commission which I brought to Orbajosa; you have brought me into disrepute in the town; you have had me turned out of the cathedral; you have kept me constantly separated from the chosen of my heart; you have tortured your daughter with an inquisitorial imprisonment which will cause her death, unless God interposes to prevent it."

Dona Perfecta turned scarlet. But the flush of offended pride passed away quickly, leaving her face of a greenish pallor. Her lips trembled.

Throwing down the knife and fork with which she had been eating, she rose swiftly to her feet. Her nephew rose also.

"My God! Holy Virgin of Succor!" she cried, raising both her hands to her head and pressing it between them with the gesture indicative of desperation, "is it possible that I deserve such atrocious insults?

Pepe, my son, is it you who speak to me in this way? If I have done what you say, I am indeed very wicked."

She sank on the sofa and covered her face with her hands. Pepe, approaching her slowly, saw that his aunt was sobbing bitterly and shedding abundant tears. In spite of his conviction he could not altogether conquer the feeling of compassion which took possession of him; and while he condemned himself for his cowardice he felt something of remorse for the severity and the frankness with which he had spoken.

"My dear aunt," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder, "if you answer me with tears and sighs, you will not convince me. Proofs, not emotions, are what I require. Speak to me, tell me that I am mistaken in thinking what I think; then prove it to me, and I will acknowledge my error."

同类推荐
  • 千转大明陀罗尼经

    千转大明陀罗尼经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 周慎斋遗书

    周慎斋遗书

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 江阴城守后纪

    江阴城守后纪

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 女科精要

    女科精要

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 平蜀记

    平蜀记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 我的初恋情人

    我的初恋情人

    顾时逸和贺夕南本是一对青梅竹马,却因为误会分手。分手后的夕南在远离故乡的海滨小城开了一家名为“西南”的饭馆,意为故乡的方向。饭馆承载了夕南对家乡的思念之情,陈力身为好友兼店长帮助夕南守着西南。原以为生活就要这么平淡过下去,夕南突然收到了高中毕业十周年聚会的邀请函,并得知顾时逸也会参加。贺夕南踏上回乡之路,一是为了同学聚会,二是为了寻找食材.与顾时逸再次重逢之时,误会依旧,感情也依旧......
  • 聊斋志异(中国古典文学名著)

    聊斋志异(中国古典文学名著)

    《聊斋志异》,简称《聊斋》,俗名《鬼狐传》,是中国清代著名小说家蒲松龄创作的一部文言短篇小说集。全书共有短篇小说491篇。题材非常广泛,内容极其丰富,艺术成就很高。作品成功地塑造了众多的艺术典型,人物形象鲜明生动,故事情节曲折离奇,结构布局严谨巧妙,文笔简练,描写细腻,堪称中国古典文言短篇小说之巅峰。
  • 倾朝艳妃

    倾朝艳妃

    五年前的她,是琴棋书画样样精通的温婉淑女;五年后的她,却成为了一掌便可吞噬天下的绝世女侠。毁容、陷害、阴谋、爱情...到底是什么,让莫名穿越的她脱胎换骨,华丽蜕变?当年,他为了帮她解毒,亲手打掉了她腹中的胎儿,不想,却将她的心一同打碎。她要为父报仇,不顾他的拼命祈求,无情的决然离去。当她成功归来,却发现他最心爱且无血缘关系的妹妹已经顶替了自己的位置。他的心房,到底为谁而敞开?
  • 玉皇心印妙经注

    玉皇心印妙经注

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 先婚后爱:总裁你要矜持点

    先婚后爱:总裁你要矜持点

    “刘浩天!”洛欣难以置信地看着这一切,歇斯底里叫了一声,“你们在干嘛?”“叫什么叫!反正现在我和浩天该做的做了,不该做的也做了!洛欣,你这个时候回来真是太不凑巧了呢!”她的全心全意却换来闺蜜和男朋友的双背叛!家产被夺,身无分文,吃上官司,走投无路之时,却在此时遇到了他……”女人,我正在帮你……“--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 总裁请立正!

    总裁请立正!

    他与她,青梅竹马,然只为那一道莫须有的鸿沟分开十二年,相爱不敢爱~十二年里,他耐心守候,坚如磐石;她忙忙碌碌,只为忘却~再相遇,是剪不断的情!——小清新,小纯情片段一:日落,醉美夕阳。他说:我不轻易给承诺,给了定会实现!她说:承诺是莫须有的东西,我不要!
  • 我的人间起风了

    我的人间起风了

    18-45岁的人生经历,苦辣酸甜人生百态。我们这一辈子学业、事业、家庭、未来种种都烦恼着我们,如果有空隙的时间,谁不想停下来享受一杯茶香....45岁究竟会如何,我选择了隐居深山...
  • 农家恶女

    农家恶女

    疼!头好晕,好疼!失手从高低杠上摔下来磕到了头,夏小翜疼得忍不住呲牙咧嘴,连睡觉都无法睡熟。“娘,二姐好像醒了。”小女娃稚嫩的声音响起,也就五六岁的样子,夏小翜听着,皱了皱眉,不知道是谁在说话。“是吗?我看看。”又是一道温和的女人声音,“二妞儿,二妞儿?你醒了吗?”夏小翜很不耐烦,张嘴就吼,却吼得毫无气势:“靠!谁特么开着电视呢?吵我睡觉……
  • 奥特英雄之宇宙末日

    奥特英雄之宇宙末日

    宇宙面临着巨大危机!贝利亚使用克隆基因掌控着成千上万的怪兽!被称为光之国的奥特之星被毁灭!成为贝利亚的老巢!而贝利亚又将罪恶之手伸向了全宇宙所有的星球!
  • 南天珠

    南天珠

    廖凡因为一次车祸的乌龙事件,被一个表面看起来和善的老不修破神仙骗到这个奇怪的地方,找叫南天珠的破东西。这个地方不仅有鲛人魔物,还帝王圣兽!好吧!看来只好逆来顺受,用这个小不拉几的身体生活下去,更名为莫闲。哎——你说!这身体小就小吧!长那么祸国殃民干嘛!这不成心找麻烦吗?新书上传请多关照~~~嘿嘿~~O(∩_∩)O~