登陆注册
5456100000010

第10章

"To be a proper rejoinder to my question," he said, rather neatly, "yours should be asked twenty-five years hence.""It remains perfectly true that at a given moment I was capable of doing as I say. That was what she wanted--a rich, susceptible, credulous, convenient young Englishman established near her en permanence. And yet," I added, "I must do her complete justice. Ihonestly believe she was fond of me." At this Stanmer got up and walked to the window; he stood looking out a moment, and then he turned round. "You know she was older than I," I went on. "Madame Scarabelli is older than you. One day in the garden, her mother asked me in an angry tone why I disliked Camerino; for I had been at no pains to conceal my feeling about him, and something had just happened to bring it out. 'I dislike him,' I said, 'because you like him so much.' 'I assure you I don't like him,' she answered. 'He has all the appearance of being your lover,' I retorted. It was a brutal speech, certainly, but any other man in my place would have made it. She took it very strangely; she turned pale, but she was not indignant. 'How can he be my lover after what he has done?' she asked. 'What has he done?' She hesitated a good while, then she said: 'He killed my husband.' 'Good heavens!' I cried, 'and you receive him!' Do you know what she said? She said, 'Che voule?'""Is that all?" asked Stanmer.

"No; she went on to say that Camerino had killed Count Salvi in a duel, and she admitted that her husband's jealousy had been the occasion of it. The Count, it appeared, was a monster of jealousy--he had led her a dreadful life. He himself, meanwhile, had been anything but irreproachable; he had done a mortal injury to a man of whom he pretended to be a friend, and this affair had become notorious. The gentleman in question had demanded satisfaction for his outraged honour; but for some reason or other (the Countess, to do her justice, did not tell me that her husband was a coward), he had not as yet obtained it. The duel with Camerino had come on first; in an access of jealous fury the Count had struck Camerino in the face; and this outrage, I know not how justly, was deemed expiable before the other. By an extraordinary arrangement (the Italians have certainly no sense of fair play) the other man was allowed to be Camerino's second. The duel was fought with swords, and the Count received a wound of which, though at first it was not expected to be fatal, he died on the following day. The matter was hushed up as much as possible for the sake of the Countess's good name, and so successfully that it was presently observed that, among the public, the other gentleman had the credit of having put his blade through M. de Salvi. This gentleman took a fancy not to contradict the impression, and it was allowed to subsist. So long as he consented, it was of course in Camerino's interest not to contradict it, as it left him much more free to keep up his intimacy with the Countess."Stanmer had listened to all this with extreme attention. "Why didn't SHE contradict it?"I shrugged my shoulders. "I am bound to believe it was for the same reason. I was horrified, at any rate, by the whole story. I was extremely shocked at the Countess's want of dignity in continuing to see the man by whose hand her husband had fallen.""The husband had been a great brute, and it was not known," said Stanmer.

"Its not being known made no difference. And as for Salvi having been a brute, that is but a way of saying that his wife, and the man whom his wife subsequently married, didn't like him."Stanmer hooked extremely meditative; his eyes were fixed on mine.

"Yes, that marriage is hard to get over. It was not becoming.""Ah," said I, "what a long breath I drew when I heard of it! Iremember the place and the hour. It was at a hill-station in India, seven years after I had left Florence. The post brought me some English papers, and in one of them was a letter from Italy, with a lot of so-called 'fashionable intelligence.' There, among various scandals in high life, and other delectable items, I read that the Countess Bianca Salvi, famous for some years as the presiding genius of the most agreeable seen in Florence, was about to bestow her hand upon Count Camerino, a distinguished Bolognese. Ah, my dear boy, it was a tremendous escape! I had been ready to marry the woman who was capable of that! But my instinct had warned me, and I had trusted my instinct.""'Instinct's everything,' as Falstaff says!" And Stanmer began to laugh. "Did you tell Madame de Salvi that your instinct was against her?""No; I told her that she frightened me, shocked me, horrified me.""That's about the same thing. And what did she say?""She asked me what I would have? I called her friendship with Camerino a scandal, and she answered that her husband had been a brute. Besides, no one knew it; therefore it was no scandal. Just YOUR argument! I retorted that this was odious reasoning, and that she had no moral sense. We had a passionate argument, and I declared I would never see her again. In the heat of my displeasure I left Florence, and I kept my vow. I never saw her again.""You couldn't have been much in love with her," said Stanmer.

"I was not--three months after."

"If you had been you would have come back--three days after.""So doubtless it seems to you. All I can say is that it was the great effort of my life. Being a military man, I have had on various occasions to face time enemy. But it was not then I needed my resolution; it was when I left Florence in a post-chaise."Stanmer turned about the room two or three times, and then he said:

"I don't understand! I don't understand why she should have told you that Camerino had killed her husband. It could only damage her.""She was afraid it would damage her more that I should think he was her lover. She wished to say the thing that would most effectually persuade me that he was not her lover--that he could never be. And then she wished to get the credit of being very frank.""Good heavens, how you must have analysed her!" cried my companion, staring.

同类推荐
  • 元始天尊说北方真武妙经

    元始天尊说北方真武妙经

    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。
  • Sunday Under Three Heads

    Sunday Under Three Heads

    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。
  • 蒙训

    蒙训

    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。
  • 十朝诗乘

    十朝诗乘

    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。
  • Memoirs of Carwin the Biloquist

    Memoirs of Carwin the Biloquist

    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
  • 落花一瞬:日本人的精神底色

    落花一瞬:日本人的精神底色

    全书通篇以日本社会生活中的花道、茶道、俳道、武士道等为切入点,讨论了日本人对美的体会,对生死之道的领悟,作者有意识地从文化的角度解读历史,通过对日本人精神底色的探究,为理解日本民族的历史进程提供了新颖的视角,让读者感受了日本文化那种“具体入微”的美丽,尝试了那种“花是樱花,人是武士”的“忍恋终极”的落花之美。日本人的内心是紧张的,但情感却是极其认真的,无论是生活还是做事都讲究“道”,在各自传统的文化道场里,固守日本其本身的社会文明,其修身养性就是通过认真的仪式讲述人生的真谛,又将日常茶饭事升华为“道”,将人生的体验全在“道”上。
  • 福王登极实录

    福王登极实录

    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。
  • 家有余粮

    家有余粮

    钟灵重生在大夏国一个山疙瘩沟里普通农户家中。上有善装糊涂的爷爷奶奶,下有好赌的叔伯。亲爹肺痨不能劳作,小家碧玉出身的亲妈奈何错嫁小山村,弟弟年幼乖巧却不能支撑门户。且看女主如何利用现代农艺经商种田家有余粮,吃喝不慌!
  • 快穿,带着萌喵救太子

    快穿,带着萌喵救太子

    很久很久以后,软萌喵才知道,原来它的亲亲宿主一直嫌弃它,因为宿主喜欢小白猫,而它是一只肥的,黄的,不丑的,一只软萌猫。咳咳,对于自己的蠢猫,千婳的看法是这只肥猫蠢着蠢着就宠萌了。千婳漂浮千年的心被一只蠢的要命,胖的要死的猫给治愈了,从此一人一猫打怪,升级,虐渣,走向人生巅峰?才怪。从此一人一猫穿位面,帮太子,争皇位,收龙气,走向人生巅峰。最后的最后,一人一猫终于揣着龙气,开开心心,手拉着手,回家了。
  • 躲猫猫

    躲猫猫

    晚上十点半,办公室的所有职员已经在五点就全部下班,只剩下我还打开两管日光灯在电脑前面奋斗,键盘不再发出嗒嗒嗒的声音,因为我无法再挤出任何灵光处理眼前的报告。这份报告非常棘手,并且牵涉到我的升迁之路,唯有在下个星期之前交出漂亮的成绩单,才能在经理面前证明我的实力,为我的考评成绩添上一笔嘉奖。
  • 豪门巨宠:娇妻不可欺

    豪门巨宠:娇妻不可欺

    一场别有用心的婚姻,一段被时光掩埋的记忆。拨开层层迷雾,发现最终还是你。在原地等我,从未离开过。--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 高门弃女:江山复我谋

    高门弃女:江山复我谋

    前世的真情付出换来的却是满门屠戮,孟昕然好恨,恨那个男人无情,也恨自己无用,今生复仇无门,她必化为厉鬼索命。好在老天有眼,她孟昕然重活这一遭,这一世定要向那负心汉复仇。只是这一世一切都好似与前世不同,怜爱自己的祖母,敬畏自己的庶妹背后似乎都有所图谋,甚至那紫禁之巅的帝王,都与孟家有了联系。不过无妨,兵来将挡水来土掩,她孟昕然必要护得孟家一世周全。--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 我是天山童姥

    我是天山童姥

    喜剧简介:★★男人组★★乔峰:你就说传说中的天山童姥?果然名不虚传!在下看到刚刚姥姥的暗器,凌厉中不失灵活,瞬息就将我的降龙十八掌化去,请问,这是何暗器?某姥:那是我最新研发出的‘生死符’!乔大侠是契丹人吧?乔峰:……是!某姥(兴奋中):偶也是哎,我们是老乡!乔峰(无比震惊):你也是契丹人?某姥点头(二十一世纪的内蒙不就是古代的契丹嘛)!**虚竹:姥姥,你就是无涯子老前辈让小僧找的高人!某姥:贤侄,你搞错了,无涯子让你找的是李沧海,不是我。(干咳两声,作衰老状)虚竹:可是姥姥,小僧觉得你比画中人要漂亮好多,以无涯子前辈的风姿,他看上的人绝对是你了!所以找你准没错!某姥:……无涯子那衰老头,他看上我?也要看我能不能看上他才行。**段誉:天山童姥和神仙姐姐,是选择姥姥呢,还是选择姐姐?愁,真的很愁!某姥:不用愁了,你小子那么花心,想我看上你,下辈子吧!段誉:我这个人,没啥优点,就是脸皮厚,姥姥你越是对我没意思,我就越会死缠烂打。包不同(客串):非也,非也,就算姥姥对你有意思,你也会死缠烂打!某姥:……**慕容复:以彼之道,还施彼身,为什么这‘式神版生死符’无法还给姥姥?某姥:……弱智,懒得跟你一般见识。慕容复:……姥姥贵为西夏公主,我若能娶你为妻,必然有利我兴复大燕。王语嫣(客串):表哥……某姥:……西夏公主是我侄女,你认错人了,白痴!慕容复:……★★女人组★★王语嫣:姥姥,你说我是继续等着表哥回心转意,还是接受段公子的追求?某姥:段公子?他最近不是在追求我吗?王语嫣:……**阿朱:姥姥,从今以后,乔大哥就拜托你了。某姥:停,别找我,你妹妹在你身后排着队呢。**阿紫:喂,快还我的神木王鼎!某姥:喂什么喂,这是对老人家该有的态度?阿紫:快点还我,不然我让我姐夫教训你。某姥:哈,哈,哈,哈,乔峰?他已经被我的式神困住了,想出来?难啊!阿紫:姐夫……**李秋水:师姐,为什么你的身材容貌可以一直保持在十八岁的样子?为什么?某姥:哎,师妹,谁叫你当初不跟我一起练“八荒六合惟我独尊功”?李秋水:难道,难道……某姥(点头,深沉状):不错,正是练此功的结果!数月后某姥:小丫头片子,别跟着我,让你妈妈带你去幼儿园去!小女孩:师姐,是我!某姥(瞪大眼):李秋水?
  • 阴阳古玩店

    阴阳古玩店

    她天生孤命,生来就能看到别人看不到的东西,闲来无事开了一家阴阳古玩店,习了除鬼去煞之术,想当个普通的驱魔人。但当她意外救了一只美男子僵尸后,便被他死死缠上,夜夜笙歌,恐怖惊悚,浪漫温情,可谓任君选购!只是,哎——僵尸帝王大爷,你能不能松口,人家吃不消。
  • 就怕起错名

    就怕起错名

    本书通过理论与实践结合的方式引导读者,让更多的父母学会给孩子、更多的企业界人士学会给企业和产品起独特、有内涵、有品味的名字,从而起好名、改好运。