登陆注册
5150400000149

第149章

Amyas was quite bewildered; and to his mind the apparition seemed magical, and Frank prophetic; for as the figure came nearer, incredulous as he tried to be, there was no denying that the shape and the walk were exactly those of her, to find whom they had crossed the Atlantic.True, the figure was somewhat taller; but then, "she must be grown since I saw her," thought Amyas; and his heart for the moment beat as fiercely as Frank's.

But what was that behind her? Her shadow against the white wall of the house.Not so.Another figure, cloaked likewise, but taller far, was following on her steps.It was a man's.They could see that he wore a broad sombrero.It could not be Don Guzman, for he was at sea.Who then? Here was a mystery; perhaps a tragedy.And both brothers held their breaths, while Amyas felt whether his sword was loose in the sheath.

The Rose (if indeed it was she) was within ten yards of them, when she perceived that she was followed.She gave a little shriek.

The cavalier sprang forward, lifted his hat courteously, and joined her, bowing low.The moonlight was full upon his face.

"It is Eustace, our cousin! How came he here, in the name of all the fiends?""Eustace! Then that is she, after all!" said Frank, forgetting everything else in her.

And now flashed across Amyas all that had passed between him and Eustace in the moorland inn, and Parracombe's story, too, of the suspicious gipsy.Eustace had been beforehand with them, and warned Don Guzman! All was explained now: but how had he got hither?

"The devil, his master, sent him hither on a broomstick, I suppose:

or what matter how? Here he is; and here we are, worse luck!"And, setting his teeth, Amyas awaited the end.

The two came on, talking earnestly, and walking at a slow pace, so that the brothers could hear every word.

"What shall we do now?" said Frank."We have no right to be eavesdroppers.""But we must be, right or none." And Amyas held him down firmly by the arm.

"But whither are you going, then, my dear madam?" they heard Eustace say in a wheedling tone."Can you wonder if such strange conduct should cause at least sorrow to your admirable and faithful husband?""Husband!" whispered Frank faintly to Amyas."Thank God, thank God! I am content.Let us go."But to go was impossible; for, as fate would have it, the two had stopped just opposite them.

"The inestimable Senor Don Guzman--" began Eustace again.

"What do you mean by praising him to me in this fulsome way, sir?

Do you suppose that I do not know his virtues better than you?""If you do, madam" (this was spoken in a harder tone), "it were wise for you to try them less severely, than by wandering down towards the beach on the very night that you know his most deadly enemies are lying in wait to slay him, plunder his house, and most probably to carry you off from him.""Carry me off? I will die first!"

"Who can prove that to him? Appearances are at least against you.""My love to him, and his trust for me, sir!""His trust? Have you forgotten, madam, what passed last week, and why he sailed yesterday?"The only answer was a burst of tears.Eustace stood watching her with a terrible eye; but they could see his face writhing in the moonlight.

"Oh!" sobbed she at last."And if I have been imprudent, was it not natural to wish to look once more upon an English ship? Are you not English as well as I? Have you no longing recollections of the dear old land at home?"Eustace was silent; but his face worked more fiercely than ever.

"How can he ever know it?"

"Why should he not know it?"

"Ah!" she burst out passionately, "why not, indeed, while you are here? You, sir, the tempter, you the eavesdropper, you the sunderer of loving hearts! You, serpent, who found our home a paradise, and see it now a hell!""Do you dare to accuse me thus, madam, without a shadow of evidence?""Dare? I dare anything, for I know all! I have watched you, sir, and I have borne with you too long.""Me, madam, whose only sin towards you, as you should know by now, is to have loved you too well? Rose! Rose! have you not blighted my life for me--broken my heart? And how have I repaid you? How but by sacrificing myself to seek you over land and sea, that Imight complete your conversion to the bosom of that Church where a Virgin Mother stands stretching forth soft arms to embrace her wandering daughter, and cries to you all day long, 'Come unto me, ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest!' And this is my reward!""Depart with your Virgin Mother, sir, and tempt me no more! You have asked me what I dare; and I dare this, upon my own ground, and in my own garden, I, Donna Rosa de Soto, to bid you leave this place now and forever, after having insulted me by talking of your love, and tempted me to give up that faith which my husband promised me he would respect and protect.Go, sir!"The brothers listened breathless with surprise as much as with rage.Love and conscience, and perhaps, too, the pride of her lofty alliance, had converted the once gentle and dreamy Rose into a very Roxana; but it was only the impulse of a moment.The words had hardly passed her lips, when, terrified at what she had said, she burst into a fresh flood of tears; while Eustace answered calmly:

"I go, madam: but how know you that I may not have orders, and that, after your last strange speech, my conscience may compel me to obey those orders, to take you with me?""Me? with you?"

"My heart has bled for you, madam, for many a year.It longs now that it had bled itself to death, and never known the last worst agony of telling you--"And drawing close to her he whispered in her ear--what, the brothers heard not--but her answer was a shriek which rang through the woods, and sent the night-birds fluttering up from every bough above their heads.

同类推荐
  • 扁鹊难经

    扁鹊难经

    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。
  • Histories

    Histories

    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。
  • THE MOONSTONE

    THE MOONSTONE

    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。
  • 佛说除一切疾病陀罗尼经

    佛说除一切疾病陀罗尼经

    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。
  • 同昌公主外传

    同昌公主外传

    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
  • 战俘的归路

    战俘的归路

    巨济岛约400平方公里,是韩国的第二大岛屿。这里地势险峻,地貌荒凉,四面是海。早在古代高丽王朝,这里就是流放囚犯之地,被称为死亡之岛。把战俘关押在这里,没有任何逃脱的可能。当卢志云他们这批300多人的战俘队伍,被美军用海轮运送到巨济岛上岸码头时,呈现在他们眼前的是令人无法想象的情景。
  • 笙知他寒暖

    笙知他寒暖

    【长明灯系列】第一部:《笙知他寒暖》裴家的小姐裴冬笙,从生下来就没吃过什么苦头,前面五个哥哥,就她一女孩,全府上下几乎团宠!因是冬天生的,生字又不好听,就换了笙。裴冬笙还有个小名儿,是她娘亲取的,叫夏吉。娘亲的姓氏,盼望她吉祥平安。不过没多少人知道,就她的爹爹、娘亲、五个哥哥,就没了。平平安安的长到五岁,突然来一个和尚,嘴里说着什么变故之类的,裴冬笙当时不以为然,她的娘亲和爹爹听了之后,也没有怎么样,就是鄞都最盛大的上元节不准她去了。五个哥哥故意买几个灯笼来引她,她气急了,告了娘亲,父亲亲自给她做了一提灯笼,还将五个哥哥给禁足一个月。她在那之后第七个上元节时,硬邀着哥哥们拉她去,几个哥哥实在不敢,裴冬笙就哭,因为当时娘亲和爹爹出去了,于是裴冬笙就去了她这一生第一个上元节……(作者不太会写简介,捂脸,希望大家看正文,再评价!)
  • 御界之

    御界之

    故事的开始,一个普通的少年,不断遭遇着变故,不断成长的故事。
  • 不成功你找我

    不成功你找我

    古往今来,以成功为目标,引领无数帝王将相、英雄豪杰乃至黎民百姓前仆后继!千百年,人们从未停止过对成功的探索与追求。为了成功,为了实现美好的理想,激励着一代又一代人勇敢前行,留下了多少可歌可泣的千古绝唱!有人成功了,成为人们传颂的楷模;有人失败了,成了人们茶余饭后的感叹。人们在敬仰诺贝尔成功的同时,也应该钦敬失败的索布雷诺,即使失败了,也要在失败中度过辉煌的一生!成功的秘笈究竟在哪里?人们开始反思。终于有一天,人们似乎悟出了成功的天机,原来成功的秘笈就在我们身边。仁者见仁,智者见智,愿每个奋发图强的人都能把聪明才智无限地发挥出来,从而让心灵和财富都能获得巨大成功!
  • 太上飞步南斗太微玉经

    太上飞步南斗太微玉经

    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。
  • 朕的神朝系统

    朕的神朝系统

    众生大陆,王朝林立。即将完蛋的王朝迎来了它的春天,王子周川临危受命,携神朝系统降临。系统在手,天下朕有。混世魔尊牛魔王一斧破神关,桀骜不驯大翅金鹏云动九霄!“吾乃白起,镇北平息侯,今日奉主之令,灭杀圣教众神,尔等不可投降!”“吾乃霍去病,镇南冠军侯,凡铁骑所到之处,皆为大周国土!犯我大周者,国破家亡!”
  • 刀锋之白虎傲啸

    刀锋之白虎傲啸

    主角龙城在一个机缘巧合下,和自己所厌恶的刀进入了一个人和武器共存的世界,每个人都拥有一把属于自己的神兵利器,通过不断地战斗,开始明白手中那把刀的意义,也开始改变对那把刀的感觉。
  • 诺桑觉寺(纯爱·英文馆)

    诺桑觉寺(纯爱·英文馆)

    《诺桑觉寺》,与其他五部奥斯丁的长篇不同,采用了公开的叙述者和外露的作者型的叙述声音,展现了作者权威。它是奥斯丁打算出版的第一部小说,定稿完成于1797年左右,即奥斯丁大概22岁的时候。在这部小说中,作者初露锋芒,文风初步成形,就是以“一个村镇上的三、四户人家”为生活背景,以极具讽刺的笔法叙述一个婚嫁故事。
  • 相爷您的医妻有点毒

    相爷您的医妻有点毒

    一个医女成为一代医圣,和六国权相携手一生的风华之路。**************她是流落在外十六年的丞相嫡女宋晚致,再次回归,却被堵在城门口三天而不得入。——我家夫人说了,什么嫡女,连老子娘都死了千八百年了,还敢上前攀亲戚?就她那没见识的样,便是我们丞相府中最下等的丫头也比她好些。不过她想要进丞相府给我家夫人洗脚,倒是可以求着夫人试试。结果,丞相夫人被扇了一巴掌之后,亲自为她擦拭着轿子说——大小姐,请。回归丞相府,一只玉手挑动掩藏在皇权深处的处处风波,暗地医术生杀在手。一国太子,权贵世子,少年将军,一个个男人凑上前来,心思叵测,只为娶她。结果,她转身嫁了回家途中遇见的一个种田农夫。——这便是我的夫君,请问诸位还有什么想说的?太子:瞎眼了!世子:没见识!将军:走着瞧!然而那位农夫却只一心待她,将她如珠似宝的捧在手里,不理会众人嘲讽,安然自在。直到有一天,一位神秘男子突然到来,对他说:“你算什么人,不过是一个最下贱的农夫而已。你以为你护得了她?你以为你看到的她就是真正的她吗?她早就嫁了人,还为了一个人,灭了一座城,绝非表面那样温雅柔和,而是杀伐果断,狠辣无双,被无数人敬仰的天下凤凰。这样的女子,你配得?”农夫微微一笑:“在下不管她曾经是谁,曾经是谁的妻子,只要她还在我身边,我便让她百岁安康。她灭一座城,我救一座城。她覆一个国,我便还这天下一个太平盛世。她的双手若有鲜血,我给她悉数洗清。”神秘男子:你到底是谁?!当真正的面纱揭开,谁都不知道,这位最平常的男人,竟然是传说中六国权相——苏梦忱!十五岁,他让陈国换皇权。十六岁,他替梁国定江山。十七岁,他使宋国灭赵国。十八岁,他将三国免战争。四年风云,三年蛰伏,再次出现,他携着她手,一同平天下。素手起,她一根银针救黎民百姓于水火。广袖拂,他一指乾坤定天下太平于战乱。且将这一碗红豆慢慢熬成汤,待这一生一世为你相思成疾,许一场地老天荒,共一次相濡以沫,可好?***************男主VS女主1,“公子是农夫?”“……是。”“姑娘是厨娘?”“……是。”——待将天下事了,我为你种田可好?——待将病人医罢,我为你做饭可好?2,——入我相思门,知我相思苦。法门何在?——汝愿进?愿剃一生无忧发,铺就相思门前红尘路;愿卸一身富贵衣,洗尽相思门前菩提树;
  • 婳棠书

    婳棠书

    他是一国王爷,从小征战沙场,名扬天下,成为一个人人敬畏的铁血残王。他以为他的一生都会奉献战争,最终孤独终老,却没有想到会遇到她……从开始他就知道她的到来,蹊跷可疑,抱着打探的心思与她周旋,却没想到也将自己的心搭了进去……“璃儿,如今局势,和解已经不可能了,想要天下太平,战争是唯一出路……”“璃儿,别怪我狠心,只有如此,才能让你认清现实的残酷……”“璃儿,在你心里,我还是比不上他吗……”……雨吹雪呼啸,红纱风舞凉。回眸之间,已是枉然,褪去青涩,展露锋芒。一身红衣如血,笔直站在雪山高峰上,周身气场冷冽,悲凉蔓延,良久,她转头,淡然的眼底,是死寂的平静。看着那不远处的身影,红唇亲启,“婳棠已亡。”