登陆注册
5150400000123

第123章

"You need not be modest about entering it now, sir," whispered he, with a sort of sneer."There has been no frail flesh and blood in it for many a day."Amyas sighed.

"I sweep it out myself every morning, and keep all tidy.See here!" and he pulled open a drawer."Here are all her gowns, and there are her hoods; and there--I know 'em all by heart now, and the place of every one.And there, sir--"And he opened a cupboard, where lay in rows all Rose's dolls, and the worn-out playthings of her childhood.

"That's the pleasantest place of all in the room to me," said he, whispering still, "for it minds me of when--and maybe, she may become a little child once more, sir; it's written in the Scripture, you know--""Amen!" said Amyas, who felt, to his own wonder, a big tear stealing down each cheek.

"And now," he whispered, "one thing more.Look here!"--and pulling out a key, he unlocked a chest, and lifted up tray after tray of necklaces and jewels, furs, lawns, cloth of gold."Look there!

Two thousand pound won't buy that chest.Twenty years have I been getting those things together.That's the cream of many a Levant voyage, and East Indian voyage, and West Indian voyage.My Lady Bath can't match those pearls in her grand house at Tawstock; I got 'em from a Genoese, though, and paid for 'em.Look at that embroidered lawn! There's not such a piece in London; no, nor in Alexandria, I'll warrant; nor short of Calicut, where it came from....Look here again, there's a golden cup! I bought that of one that was out with Pizarro in Peru.And look here, again!"--and the old man gloated over the treasure.

"And whom do you think I kept all these for? These were for her wedding-day--for her wedding-day.For your wedding-day, if you'd been minded, sir! Yes, yours, sir! And yet, I believe, I was so ambitious that I would not have let her marry under an earl, all the while I was pretending to be too proud to throw her at the head of a squire's son.Ah, well! There was my idol, sir.I made her mad, I pampered her up with gewgaws and vanity; and then, because my idol was just what I had made her, I turned again and rent her.

"And now," said he, pointing to the open chest, "that was what Imeant; and that" (pointing to the empty bed) "was what God meant.

Never mind.Come downstairs and finish your wine.I see you don't care about it all.Why should you! you are not her father, and you may thank God you are not.Go, and be merry while you can, young sir!...And yet, all this might have been yours.And--but Idon't suppose you are one to be won by money--but all this may be yours still, and twenty thousand pounds to boot.""I want no money, sir, but what I can earn with my own sword.""Earn my money, then!"

"What on earth do you want of me!"

"To keep your oath," said Salterne, clutching his arm, and looking up into his face with searching eyes.

"My oath! How did you know that I had one?""Ah! you were well ashamed of it, I suppose, next day! A drunken frolic all about a poor merchant's daughter! But there is nothing hidden that shall not be revealed, nor done in the closet that is not proclaimed on the house-tops.""Ashamed of it, sir, I never was: but I have a right to ask how you came to know it?""What if a poor fat squinny rogue, a low-born fellow even as I am, whom you had baffled and made a laughing-stock, had come to me in my loneliness and sworn before God that if you honorable gentlemen would not keep your words, he the clown would?""John Brimblecombe?"

"And what if I had brought him where I have brought you, and shown him what I have shown you, and, instead of standing as stiff as any Spaniard, as you do, he had thrown himself on his knees by that bedside, and wept and prayed, sir, till he opened my hard heart for the first and last time, and I fell down on my sinful knees and wept and prayed by him?""I am not given to weeping, Mr.Salterne," said Amyas; "and as for praying, I don't know yet what I have to pray for, on her account:

my business is to work.Show me what I can do; and when you have done that, it will be full time to upbraid me with not doing it.""You can cut that fellow's throat."

"It will take a long arm to reach him."

"I suppose it is as easy to sail to the Spanish Main as it was to sail round the world.""My good sir," said Amyas, "I have at this moment no more worldly goods than my clothes and my sword, so how to sail to the Spanish Main, I don't quite see.""And do you suppose, sir, that I should hint to you of such a voyage if I meant you to be at the charge of it? No, sir; if you want two thousand pounds, or five, to fit a ship, take it! Take it, sir! I hoarded money for my child: and now I will spend it to avenge her."Amyas was silent for a while; the old man still held his arm, still looked up steadfastly and fiercely in his face.

"Bring me home that man's head, and take ship, prizes--all! Keep the gain, sir, and give me the revenge!""Gain? Do you think I need bribing, sir? What kept me silent was the thought of my mother.I dare not go without her leave."Salterne made a gesture of impatience.

"I dare not, sir; I must obey my parent, whatever else I do.""Humph!" said he."If others had obeyed theirs as well!--But you are right, Captain Leigh, right.You will prosper, whoever else does not.Now, sir, good-night, if you will let me be the first to say so.My old eyes grow heavy early now-a-days.Perhaps it's old age, perhaps it's sorrow."So Amyas departed to the inn, and there, to his great joy, found Cary waiting for him, from whom he learnt details, which must be kept for another chapter, and which I shall tell, for convenience'

sake, in my own words and not in his.

同类推荐
  • 太清五十八愿文

    太清五十八愿文

    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。
  • 晋江县志道光本

    晋江县志道光本

    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。
  • 圣虚空藏菩萨陀罗尼经

    圣虚空藏菩萨陀罗尼经

    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。
  • 雪交亭正气录

    雪交亭正气录

    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。
  • 蜗触蛮三国争地记

    蜗触蛮三国争地记

    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
  • 总裁是个妻管严

    总裁是个妻管严

    为了替母报仇,找个牛郎借宝宝。可不料爬错床、上错人,误惹腹黑狼大叔!大叔有三好:宠妻如宝,吊打渣渣,永远吃不饱!“大叔,梅小姐骂我不懂规矩,我打了她……”“手疼不疼?下次,别自己动手,免得累着自己。”“大叔,我去面试了,他们说我没设计天赋。”“哪家公司?我去收购了,给你玩!”“大叔,你每天晚上都欺负我,我要跟你离婚。”陆总裁将小娇妻逼到墙角,危险的眯起眼睛:“再说一遍?”“……”呜呜,大叔我错了!--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 与魔鬼的谈话

    与魔鬼的谈话

    宏大的善,亦即人间的爱,同时也是重大的诱惑,能够在我们心中引发出像“上帝是否软弱无力、是否邪恶”这样的问题,因而引发出怀疑之罪。这一罪恶又引发出骄傲,从骄傲中产生出下一轮的罪过。但是,也有相反的情况,恶能够转变为善。撒旦的王国不仅仅是阴暗的中世纪。在今天,恶也在我们周围设置陷阱,不断地把我们拖拉进去。
  • 滴血轮回

    滴血轮回

    一张古老的羊皮卷藏匿着一个无所不能的宝贝的位置,羊皮卷出世,势必掀起一阵血雨腥风,林龙一个部队的末等兵,一次野外训练,被同伴恶意丢下迷失在无人岛,机遇巧合下竟捡到传闻中的羊皮卷,得到能量无穷的古剑,凡界,神界,看一个小喽喽如何称雄霸帝……
  • 狡狐储君:精明王爷绵羊妃

    狡狐储君:精明王爷绵羊妃

    历经两个月充满血泪的魔鬼训练,成功甩掉六公斤的肥肉后,最重要的一天终于来了。这天,碰到一个帅哥和一位美女,两人吵架吵得轰烈,他们在吵什么,我不太清楚。当我经过他们时,帅哥突然转身抓住我的手问“小姐,我们交往好吗?”十个白痴有九个半知道自己正在被利用,不赏对方一巴掌已经很对不起自己,怎么可能点头说好?但恰好的,从没被人追过的我就是那半个知道被利用,还笑着猛点头说“好啊、好啊”的花痴女。开玩笑,一个人一辈子有几次机会可以被帅哥利用?何况他的美色是会让正常女人犯痴的那种。于是我的眼光巴在他的脸上不放,于是我让帅哥搂住肩膀一路傻笑。但在我的于是尚未结束时,帅哥已经搂着我、拐弯绕进巷子口,转过头对我说:“谢谢,再联络。”接着就走掉了。为了记住这段奇缘,我写了篇小说,然后,手里就多了一张支票。于是,我决定把这张支票拿到旅行社,换一趟不远、不近、有文化、有意义的北京六日行。这一去我掉在一个陌生的世界里。
  • 每天懂点孩子心理学

    每天懂点孩子心理学

    孙玉梅,资深记者、编辑,现从事中外儿童教育理论研究和策划撰稿工作,致力于先进家庭教育理论方面的研究工作及普及类图书的写作策划,在多所知名早教机构担任顾问等工作。
  • 绝色阴阳师

    绝色阴阳师

    在玄武大陆,拳头的另一个称号叫灵力,灵力分为七段,分别是赤橙黄绿青蓝紫。每段分为三阶。因为灵力的存在,会的称为灵力师,不会的便是麻瓜。如果你是一个麻瓜,但你有一颗聪明的脑子,赚到足够多的钱,那么小日子也是不错的。但真正遇到一些事情,麻瓜必要找灵力师帮忙。说到底,最有能力的就是灵力师。玄武大陆上的人,麻瓜自是比灵力师多多了。就是因为这个比例,灵力师会特……
  • 大约是爱(同名电视剧原著)

    大约是爱(同名电视剧原著)

    同名剧12月3日在腾讯视频开播,美好纯粹的爱恋,许你童话般的深情。爱是一场不期而遇,却满足你生命中所有的期许。单纯活泼的女大学生周是与英俊多金的云玛总裁卫卿,本是毫无交集的两人却意外地相遇。他为她着迷,而她避之不及。开始时是逢场作戏,可渐渐地,他们谁也无法控制爱情的枝桠在心底蔓生。而在此时,一个少年的介入,却让他们之间再生波澜……
  • 神级高手都市行

    神级高手都市行

    一个偶然间得到的一本修真秘籍,让他平凡的人生不在平凡,从此他的人生之中奇遇连连。下面就请一起看他如何成长,如何去完成他的使命吧……
  • 快穿之拯救大男主

    快穿之拯救大男主

    作为一个优秀的男主拯救者,卿玖必须保持着不动心、不动情、时刻保持着高冷范的劳动者。完成每个时空的任务,除了可以拯救这个时空的灭绝,还可以让身为植物人的自己重新过着正常人的生活,总之一举好几得!但……面对各种妖艳冷酷的男主让我攻略,作为颜狗的她表示,亚历山大。每一次痛彻心扉后,被无情地洗掉所有记忆,每一世的相逢,再分离,遇上同一个人……重获新生,在遇到的那个人,可一切都不一样了。--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 零号区

    零号区

    五十年代末期,一支中苏联合地质勘探队在中国东北中苏边境进行勘探作业时,神秘失踪。两国随即派遣救援队前往搜救,岂料,两国救援队全军覆没,无一生还。而后,这里被永久性封锁,标识为“零号区”。