登陆注册
5256400000120

第120章 CHAPTER VII(3)

"Ah! this is well!" he stammered, in a voice stifled with rage. He drew his sword, then stammering, for anger as well as fear makes a man tremble: "Here! On the spot! Come on! Swords! Swords! Blood on the pavement!"But the other never stirred. When he beheld his adversary on guard and ready to parry,--"Captain Phoebus," he said, and his tone vibrated with bitterness, "you forget your appointment."The rages of men like Phoebus are milk-soups, whose ebullition is calmed by a drop of cold water. This simple remark caused the sword which glittered in the captain's hand to be lowered.

"Captain," pursued the man, "to-morrow, the day after to-morrow, a month hence, ten years hence, you will find me ready to cut your throat; but go first to your rendezvous.""In sooth," said Phoebus, as though seeking to capitulate with himself, "these are two charming things to be encountered in a rendezvous,--a sword and a wench; but Ido not see why I should miss the one for the sake of the other, when I can have both."He replaced his sword in its scabbard.

"Go to your rendezvous," said the man.

"Monsieur," replied Phoebus with some embarrassment, "many thanks for your courtesy. In fact, there will be ample time to-morrow for us to chop up father Adam's doublet into slashes and buttonholes. I am obliged to you for allowing me to pass one more agreeable quarter of an hour. Icertainly did hope to put you in the gutter, and still arrive in time for the fair one, especially as it has a better appearance to make the women wait a little in such cases. But you strike me as having the air of a gallant man, and it is safer to defer our affair until to-morrow. So I will betake myself to my rendezvous; it is for seven o'clock, as you know." Here Phoebus scratched his ear. "Ah. ~Corne Dieu~! I had forgotten!

I haven't a sou to discharge the price of the garret, and the old crone will insist on being paid in advance. She distrusts me.""Here is the wherewithal to pay."

Phoebus felt the stranger's cold hand slip into his a large piece of money. He could not refrain from taking the money and pressing the hand.

"~Vrai Dieu~!" he exclaimed, "you are a good fellow!""One condition," said the man. "Prove to me that I have been wrong and that you were speaking the truth. Hide me in some corner whence I can see whether this woman is really the one whose name you uttered.""Oh!" replied Phoebus, "'tis all one to me. We will take, the Sainte-Marthe chamber; you can look at your ease from the kennel hard by.""Come then," said the shadow.

"At your service," said the captain, "I know not whether you are Messer Diavolus in person; but let us be good friends for this evening; to-morrow I will repay you all my debts, both of purse and sword."They set out again at a rapid pace. At the expiration of a few minutes, the sound of the river announced to them that they were on the Pont Saint-Michel, then loaded with houses.

"I will first show you the way," said Phoebus to his companion, "I will then go in search of the fair one who is awaiting me near the Petit-Chatelet."His companion made no reply; he had not uttered a word since they had been walking side by side. Phoebus halted before a low door, and knocked roughly; a light made its appearance through the cracks of the door.

"Who is there?" cried a toothless voice.

"~Corps-Dieu! Tête-Dieu! Ventre-Dieu~!" replied the captain.

The door opened instantly, and allowed the new-corners to see an old woman and an old lamp, both of which trembled.

The old woman was bent double, clad in tatters, with a shaking head, pierced with two small eyes, and coiffed with a dish clout; wrinkled everywhere, on hands and face and neck; her lips retreated under her gums, and about her mouth she had tufts of white hairs which gave her the whiskered look of a cat.

The interior of the den was no less dilapitated than she;there were chalk walls, blackened beams in the ceiling, a dismantled chimney-piece, spiders' webs in all the corners, in the middle a staggering herd of tables and lame stools, a dirty child among the ashes, and at the back a staircase, or rather, a wooden ladder, which ended in a trap door in the ceiling.

On entering this lair, Phoebus's mysterious companion raised his mantle to his very eyes. Meanwhile, the captain, swearing like a Saracen, hastened to "make the sun shine in a crown" as saith our admirable Régnier.

"The Sainte-Marthe chamber," said he.

The old woman addressed him as monseigneur, and shut up the crown in a drawer. It was the coin which the man in the black mantle had given to Phoebus. While her back was turned, the bushy-headed and ragged little boy who was playing in the ashes, adroitly approached the drawer, abstracted the crown, and put in its place a dry leaf which he had plucked from a fagot.

The old crone made a sign to the two gentlemen, as she called them, to follow her, and mounted the ladder in advance of them. On arriving at the upper story, she set her lamp on a coffer, and, Phoebus, like a frequent visitor of the house, opened a door which opened on a dark hole. "Enter here, my dear fellow," he said to his companion. The man in the mantle obeyed without a word in reply, the door closed upon him; he heard Phoebus bolt it, and a moment later descend the stairs again with the aged hag. The light had disappeared.

同类推荐
  • 汉学商兑重序

    汉学商兑重序

    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。
  • 虏庭事实

    虏庭事实

    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。
  • 张文端公诗选

    张文端公诗选

    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。
  • 社学要略

    社学要略

    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。
  • Isaac Bickerstaff

    Isaac Bickerstaff

    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
  • 重生宠妃:帝王情深几许

    重生宠妃:帝王情深几许

    惊才绝艳,身份尊贵,却错爱他人。被情爱迷了眼的她看不清嫡亲兄长的肺腑之心,看不见他的情深几许。一朝重生,重绽风华。欠了她的,她不想放过,她欠了的,她愿以一生偿还。前世那人死之前,含笑叫她阮阮的模样就那样深深刻在了她的心上,这一世,她只愿不负他情深。
  • 宋朝我最牛

    宋朝我最牛

    九零后大学生意外穿越到北宋末年,债主来了,没事,随便搞个发明就能用钱把债主砸死。方腊来了,没事,随便搞个发明就能把你打得哭爹喊娘。金人来了,没事,随便弄出个东东让他们开开眼。大宋有我张九言,从此就不一样喽。
  • 退散吧,白莲花!

    退散吧,白莲花!

    穿越到白莲花游戏中,疏影感觉压力好大。为了达到回家的目的,疏影走上了和白莲花女主敌对的道路。本着干一行爱一行的职业素养,是要把白莲花所有的桃花全都斩断,灭掉所有的金手指,达到驱散吧,白莲花的目的!【情节虚构,请勿模仿】
  • 创世记之生肖崛起

    创世记之生肖崛起

    十二生肖一直都是神一般的存在,冥冥中护佑着我们,而今一个激活他们的金手指出现,那就是十二生肖天命珠,它将在凡人中选择融合对象,与之融合,释放神奇的力量,让融合者成为超人般的存在,开启新的修真时代。十二生肖非传说,择天选命金珠合。一时天地风云起,生肖崛起唱战歌。捍卫星球成宿命,血战沙场斩妖魔。
  • 钻石就在你家后院(提高学生学习能力的故事全集)

    钻石就在你家后院(提高学生学习能力的故事全集)

    站在生命的起跑线上,开始一场人生的马拉松赛跑,为什么起点相同,结局却迥然不同?秘诀就在于学习。学习能够点石成金、削璞为玉。提高学习能力,会让你从平庸中脱颖而出,踏上人生闪光大道,奔赴心中远大前程。
  • 宁倾天下

    宁倾天下

    宁倾负,一名受过特殊训练的警员,因一次意外穿越到九国纷争的动乱年代。在她初醒于这个异世界时,一枚冷箭就险些索取了她的性命。她是前朝公主温孤息悲,也是摇铃镇以舞技闻名的镜缘,她,还是赫连国一人之下万人之上的国师宁倾负!是真实,是梦境,是圈套,一切只能在飞马逐鹿的权谋生涯中慢慢揭开。“明月在上,黄土在下,我楚天遮,愿与温孤息悲结为兄妹,虽没同年同月同日生,惟愿同年同月同日死,如违此誓,天诛地灭!”“温孤息悲,你怎么可以死!你怎么可以这么轻易就逃脱寡人对你的惩罚!你怎么能令寡人来不及恨完你,就离开寡人,离开这里,离开这漫漫大地…”“镜缘,你知道么,这三年来,我想的最多的,是你!请代替我,自由的活着!”“国师,你想让我当霍去病?”“不,我想让你成为那个破格录用霍去病之人!”现代的灵魂,古代的身体,多重的身份,宁倾负,如何在阴谋诡诈的时代存活,如何辅助赫连国迈向霸主地位!当双手不得不沾满血腥,当爱与友情成犄角之势,她何去何从!青灯古佛,谒语道破生死玄机:愿我来世,得菩提时,身如琉璃,内外明澈,净无瑕秽!
  • 古代火箭

    古代火箭

    “中国文化知识读本”丛书是由吉林文史出版社和吉林出版集团有限责任公司组织国内知名专家学者编写的一套旨在传播中华五千年优秀传统文化,提高全民文化修养的大型知识读本。 王忠强编著的《古代火箭》为丛书之一,生动介绍了火药的发明与应用、中国古代火箭之路、火箭类型的发展、中国火箭的世界之路等内容。 《古代火箭》中优美生动的文字、简明通俗的语言、图文并茂的形式,把中国文化中的物态文化、制度文化、行为文化、精神文化等知识要点全面展示给读者。
  • 总裁的危险新娘

    总裁的危险新娘

    灰姑娘?不!她不是灰姑娘,易碎的玻璃鞋不适合粗暴的她,所以宋大总裁你给我滚远点!什么超级巨星携带巨钻像向她求婚?她可不可以考虑一下?巨星灿然一笑:“女人,跟我结婚吧!”宋岩怒了,一把抱住儿子就跑:“女人,有本事你别追!”
  • 口齿类要

    口齿类要

    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。
  • 地球揭秘(走进科学)

    地球揭秘(走进科学)

    《地球揭秘》所描述的是在地球上所形成的自然现象,激发科学家们努力去探索它的奥秘。