登陆注册
5216600000043

第43章 CHAPTER VIII(4)

Joan during the siege endured all the worst fatigues of war that any soldier has to bear.She saw her faithful friends fall around her wasted by hunger or decimated by sickness.When all food was exhausted,dead and decomposed bodies were thrown into the castle that they might pollute the air she breathed.Otho with his troops was kept at Aversa;Louis of Anjou,the brother of the King of France whom she had named as her successor when she disinherited her nephew,never appeared to help her,and the Provenqal ships from Clement VIIwere not due to arrive until all hope must be over.Joan asked for a truce of five days,promising that,if Otho had not come to relieve her in that time,she would surrender the fortress.

On the fifth day Otho's army appeared on the side of Piedigrotta.

The fight was sharp on both sides,and Joan from the top of a tower could follow with her eyes the cloud of dust raised by her husband's horse in the thickest of the battle.The victory was long uncertain:

at length the prince made so bold an onset upon the royal standard,in his,eagerness to meet his enemy hand to hand,that he plunged into the very middle of the army,and found himself pressed on every side.Covered with blood and sweat,his sword broken in his hand,he was forced to surrender.An hour later Charles was writing to his uncle,the King of Hungary,that Joan had fallen into his power,and he only awaited His Majesty's orders to decide her fate.

It was a fine May morning:the queen was under guard in the castle of Aversa:Otho had obtained his liberty on condition of his quitting Naples,and Louis of Anjou had at last got together an army of 50,000men and was marching in hot haste to the conquest of the kingdom.

None of this news had reached the ears of Joan,who for some days had lived in complete isolation.The spring lavished all her glory on these enchanted plains,which have earned the name of the blessed and happy country,campagna felite.The orange trees were covered with sweet white blossoms,the cherries laden with ruby fruit,the olives with young emerald leaves,the pomegranate feathery with red bells;the wild mulberry,the evergreen laurel,all the strong budding vegetation,needing no help from man to flourish in this spot privileged by Nature,made one great garden,here and there interrupted by little hidden runlets.It was a forgotten Eden in this corner of the world.Joan at her window was breathing in the perfumes of spring,and her eyes misty with tears rested on a bed of flowery verdure a light breeze,keen and balmy,blew upon her burning brow and offered a grateful coolness to her damp and fevered cheeks.

Distant melodious voices,refrains of well-known songs,were all that disturbed the silence of the poor little room,the solitary nest where a life was passing away in tears and repentance,a life the most brilliant and eventful of a century of splendour and unrest.

The queen was slowly reviewing in her mind all her life since she ceased to be a child--fifty years of disillusionment and suffering.

She thought first of her happy,peaceful childhood,her grandfather's blind affection,the pure joys of her days of innocence,the exciting games with her little sister and tall cousins.Then she shuddered at the earliest thought of marriage,the constraint,the loss of liberty,the bitter regrets;she remembered with horror the deceitful words murmured in her ear,designed to sow the seeds of corruption and vice that were to poison her whole life.Then came the burning memories of her first love,the treachery and desertion of Robert of Cabane,the moments of madness passed like a dream in the arms of Bertrand of Artois--the whole drama up to its tragic denouement showed as in letters of fire on the dark background of her sombre thoughts.Then arose cries of anguish in her soul,even as on that terrible fatal night she heard the voice of Andre asking mercy from his murderers.A long deadly silence followed his awful struggle,and the queen saw before her eyes the carts of infamy and the torture of her accomplices.All the rest of this vision was persecution,flight,exile,remorse,punishments from God and curses from the world.Around her was a frightful solitude:husbands,lovers,kindred,friends,all were dead;all she had loved or hated in the world were now no more;her joy,pain,desire,and hope had vanished for ever.The poor queen,unable to free herself from these visions of woe,violently tore herself away from the awful reverie,and kneeling at a prie-dieu,prayed with fervour.She was still beautiful,in spite of her extreme pallor;the noble lines of her face kept their pure oval;the fire of repentance in her great black eyes lit them up with superhuman brilliance,and the hope of pardon played in a heavenly smile upon her lips.

Suddenly the door of the room where Joan was so earnestly praying opened with a dull sound:two Hungarian barons in armour entered and signed to the queen to follow them.Joan arose silently and obeyed;but a cry of pain went up from her heart when she recognised the place where both Andre and Charles of Durazzo had died a violent death.But she collected her forces,and asked calmly why she was brought hither.For all answer,one of the men showed her a cord of silk and gold.

"May the will of a just God be done!"cried Joan,and fell upon her knees.Some minutes later she had ceased to suffer.

This was the third corpse that was thrown over the balcony at Aversa.

End

同类推荐
  • 观河集节钞

    观河集节钞

    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。
  • A Ward of the Golden Gate

    A Ward of the Golden Gate

    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 Cask of Amontillado

    The Cask of Amontillado

    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。
  • 松隐唯庵然和尚语录

    松隐唯庵然和尚语录

    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。
  • 元始上真众仙记 枕中书

    元始上真众仙记 枕中书

    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。
热门推荐
  • 拓荒者的足迹:中国文化产业改革发展十年路径与政策回顾

    拓荒者的足迹:中国文化产业改革发展十年路径与政策回顾

    文化蓝皮书(产业)的10年堪称是“凿空”和“破壁”的拓荒之旅。作为文化蓝皮书(产业)的主编,本书作者亲历了中国文化产业从萌芽到现在的生机蓬勃、飞速发展,10年来,亲手撰写每年度蓝皮书的总报告,从长时段、全球视野俯瞰中国文化产业在历史、在世界的位置,他提出的政策建言屡屡为中央决策层采纳。中国文化产业从无到有的出生成长轨迹,在文化蓝皮书10年的总报告中,如此鲜明地呈现。10年,沉甸甸的脚步、艰难的转型、从最初“还处在转型过程中、总体图景相当破碎、发展前景却非常远大的产业”(首部文化产业蓝皮书总报告语),到“我们相信,坚冰已经打破,航道已经开通,中国的文化产业已经站在了新的历史起点上,必将创造新的奇迹”(第十部总报告语),本书真实呈现了中国文化产业10年发展现场。
  • 最强召唤系统

    最强召唤系统

    一首江湖曲,引发了一段江湖传说。天尊人生格言:“我的剑,就是真理。”沈浪人生格言:“以德服人,不服的都是死人。” 新书《最强大武道系统》
  • 少年儿童不可不知的80种文明礼仪

    少年儿童不可不知的80种文明礼仪

    本书从家庭、学校、公共场合、人际交往四个方面介绍少年儿童成长中应该注意和学习的各种文明礼仪和行为规范。全书设置80个小节,每节都配有生动有趣的小故事、小案例,贴近实际生活,融入了时代特色和生活气息。每个小节又设置了实践小课堂,教授你具体的注意事项,解决你“怎么做”的问题,方便你在学习过程中对这些知识进行具体的实际操作。
  • 晚风还新时光却匆匆老去

    晚风还新时光却匆匆老去

    花已经开了,我们能否不要说再见,愿我们时光静好,余生很长。值得你欣赏的故事,它们孤独热烈,深沉温柔,带着遗憾和美好。在以后的日子里,给自己一个微笑,让心情豁然开朗。生活得快乐而知足,宁静而致远。愿你想要的都有,得不到的都释怀。
  • 救救那个球员

    救救那个球员

    少年崛起于NBA,闻名于NBA,这是一个传奇后卫的故事……
  • 恶少相公,你给我趴下

    恶少相公,你给我趴下

    一道圣旨下,刚穿越过来的她稀里糊涂的嫁人了。听说,她的夫君是京城第一恶少,吃喝嫖赌样样精通。听说,她的夫君业余最大的爱好就是坐在街头看美女,看到合意的就抢回家去。听说,她的夫君连当今皇后和六王妃都调戏过,至于结局嘛…不说也罢。听说,她的夫君家有两个风姿各异的表妹,她们是他后宫的主要成员。听说…但是!吃:这么一桌破烂饭菜要一百两?抢劫呢!笨恶少,你爹有钱也不带你这样糟蹋的!喝:两坛酒下去就不行了?一点酒量都没有,你还自称是恶少?嫖:跟别人抢姑娘,还是姿色如此一般的姑娘,你疯了吗?再怎么说,咱也得非花魁不要啊!赌:输了一千两,最后才勉强捞回二十两的赌本,你还好意思得瑟?街头:笨蛋笨蛋!姑娘家是像你这么调戏的吗?看看夫人我是怎么做的!两位表妹:相公,你若是真把她们收入后宫,看我怎么鄙视你!总结:相公,你这个恶少做得真是太不称职了。我看,你还是跟夫人我好好学学吧!我保证,在我的调教之下,你一定会成长为一个有品位、高格调的纨绔子弟!PS:本简介仅供参考,具体内容请见文章正文。本文为小茶穿越三部曲中的最后一部,其它姐妹文链接:穿越第一部:《大龄皇后》穿越第二部:《六王妃》小茶现代文:《酷总裁的妖娆姐》小茶朋友弯月儿的美文:《皇后大人,您在上》
  • 人生那么漫长我陪你走下去

    人生那么漫长我陪你走下去

    我想你们一定会遇到你想要的,如果找不到,一定不要放弃,生活总会有盼头的。
  • 明伦汇编人事典十三岁部

    明伦汇编人事典十三岁部

    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。
  • 流年碎影,民国女子的爱与忧伤

    流年碎影,民国女子的爱与忧伤

    本书甄选24 位知名的民国才女,用细腻的心思和唯美的笔触,将读者带入一段段充满传奇的人生故事中。她们有的是出身豪门的名媛,尊贵、高雅;有的是书香才女,出语惊人、绚烂如花;有的是风月场里的明星,烫着时髦的头发,穿着香艳的旗袍,妆容精致,眼神中流淌着忧伤……她们姿态万千,在那段岁月里演绎了不同的人生传奇。那些泛黄的老故事,经尽岁月沉淀,泛着独特的风韵与芬芳。本书作者搜集了大量资料,梳理湮没在时间长河中的如烟往事,以女性的直觉和独特的视角,走近那些风华绝代的民国女子。这不仅仅是一部怀旧之作,更是品爱之旅。
  • 血族亲王:鸢尾未落

    血族亲王:鸢尾未落

    她是血族世界年龄最小的亲王,但不过二十岁就遇上了血族世界最强大腹黑的私生子。他们隔了一千多岁的代沟,压力空前巨大。他大骂她是骗子,浪荡成性,却又爱她入骨丝丝入扣天下无双。他翻遍世界去找她,她走在他面前,却说她死了。她说,我不相信神灵却祈祷此刻和你在一起。他说,我从不相信人类这些无聊的传说,但遇见你我无比相信这些都是真的。她因为家族一次又一次放弃他,他却可以为了他什么都不要。她是自私渣女他是腹黑暖男,一生只爱她一个。不过她真的好喜欢他,喜欢到每次看见都忍不住笑出声。我是不是很笨啊。是。那怎么办?某女抓狂中。你有我。