登陆注册
26286500000161

第161章 CHAPTER XLVIII EVERY MAN MUST DEFEND HIMSELF(2)

I followed the bank of the flood to the beach, some two or three hundred yards below; and there had the luck to see Will Watcombe on the opposite side, caulking an old boat. Though I could not make him hear a word, from the deafening roar of the torrent, I got him to understand at last that I wanted to cross over. Upon this he fetched another man, and the two of them launched a boat; and paddling well out to sea, fetched round the mouth of the frantic river. The other man proved to be Stickles's chief mate; and so he went back and fetched his comrades, bringing their weapons, but leaving their horses behind. As it happened there were but four of them; however, to have even these was a help; and I started again at full speed for my home;for the men must follow afoot, and cross our river high up on the moorland.

This took them a long way round, and the track was rather bad to find, and the sky already darkening; so that I arrived at Plover's Barrows more than two hours before them. But they had done a sagacious thing, which was well worth the delay; for by hoisting their flag upon the hill, they fetched the two watchmen from the Foreland, and added them to their number.

It was lucky that I came home so soon; for I found the house in a great commotion, and all the women trembling. When I asked what the matter was, Lorna, who seemed the most self-possessed, answered that it was all her fault, for she alone had frightened them.

And this in the following manner. She had stolen out to the garden towards dusk, to watch some favourite hyacinths just pushing up, like a baby's teeth, and just attracting the fatal notice of a great house-snail at night-time. Lorna at last had discovered the glutton, and was bearing him off in triumph to the tribunal of the ducks, when she descried two glittering eyes glaring at her steadfastly, from the elder-bush beyond the stream. The elder was smoothing its wrinkled leaves, being at least two months behind time;and among them this calm cruel face appeared; and she knew it was the face of Carver Doone.

The maiden, although so used to terror (as she told me once before), lost all presence of mind hereat, and could neither shriek nor fly, but only gaze, as if bewitched. Then Carver Doone, with his deadly smile, gloating upon her horror, lifted his long gun, and pointed full at Lorna's heart. In vain she strove to turn away; fright had stricken her stiff as stone.

With the inborn love of life, she tried to cover the vital part wherein the winged death must lodge--for she knew Carver's certain aim--but her hands hung numbed, and heavy; in nothing but her eyes was life.

With no sign of pity in his face, no quiver of relenting, but a well-pleased grin at all the charming palsy of his victim, Carver Doone lowered, inch by inch, the muzzle of his gun. When it pointed to the ground, between her delicate arched insteps, he pulled the trigger, and the bullet flung the mould all over her. It was a refinement of bullying, for which Iswore to God that night, upon my knees, in secret, that I would smite down Carver Doone or else he should smite me down. Base beast! what largest humanity, or what dreams of divinity, could make a man put up with this?

My darling (the loveliest, and most harmless, in the world of maidens), fell away on a bank of grass, and wept at her own cowardice; and trembled, and wondered where I was; and what I would think of this. Good God!

What could I think of it? She over-rated my slow nature, to admit the question.

While she leaned there, quite unable yet to save herself, Carver came to the brink of the flood, which alone was between them; and then he stroked his jet-black beard, and waited for Lorna to begin. Very likely, be thought that she would thank him for his kindness to her. But she was now recovering the power of her nimble limbs; and ready to be off like hope, and wonder at her own cowardice.

'I have spared you this time,' he said, in his deep calm voice, 'only because it suits my plans; and Inever yield to temper. But unless you come back to-morrow, pure, and with all you took away, and teach me to destroy that fool, who has destroyed himself for you, your death is here, your death is here, where it has long been waiting.'

Although his gun was empty, he struck the breech of it with his finger; and then he turned away, not deigning even once to look back again; and Lorna saw his giant figure striding across the meadow-land, as if the Ridds were nobodies, and he the proper owner. Both mother and I were greatly hurt at hearing of this insolence: for we had owned that meadow, from the time of the great Alfred; and even when that good king lay in the Isle of Athelney, he had a Ridd along with him.

Now I spoke to Lorna gently, seeing how much she had been tried; and I praised her for her courage, in not having run away, when she was so unable; and my darling was pleased with this, and smiled upon me for saying it; though she knew right well that, in this matter, my judgment was not impartial. But you may take this as a general rule, that a woman likes praise from the man whom she loves, and cannot stop always to balance it.

Now expecting a sharp attack that night--when Jeremy Stickles the more expected, after the words of Carver, which seemed to be meant to mislead us--we prepared a great quantity of knuckles of pork, and a ham in full cut, and a fillet of hung mutton. For we would almost surrender rather than keep our garrison hungry. And all our men were exceedingly brave; and counted their rounds of the house in half-pints.

Before the maidens went to bed, Lorna made a remark which seemed to me a very clever one, and then Iwondered how on earth it had never occurred to me before. But first she had done a thing which I could not in the least approve of: for she had gone up to my mother, and thrown herself into her arms, and begged to be allowed to return to Glen Doone.

'My child, are you unhappy here?' mother asked her, very gently, for she had begun to regard her now as a daughter of her own.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 仲夏纪

    仲夏纪

    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。
  • 苍穹云动

    苍穹云动

    云从龙,风从虎。五行圣兽金木水火土。木青龙,金白虎,土麒麟,火有朱雀水玄武。五行圣兽能耐我何?照样臣服于我脚下。要问当今苍穹谁最强。九霄之内上官云。
  • 来世依旧爱着你

    来世依旧爱着你

    有着前世记忆的她,为了唯美的诺言,尽力得到转世他的肯定,他的芳心以及他的一切的一切,顺利与否?爱情的真与否,让她迷乱在情海中,渐渐迷失了方向,他真的是那个他吗?
  • 神圣凶器

    神圣凶器

    混迹在人类与龙族领地的边缘,生存在怪物与精灵统治的交错地带,在兽人和矮人之间求发展,在地精和魔兽唇边守领土,黑暗领主的工作真辛苦。伟大的黑暗领主菲妮玛利亚,如果没有遇到乔治的话,黑暗城堡的春天也许不会那么明媚。“我的爱永不逝去,你的力量永不消退!”铭文烙印在乔治的手臂上,而故事就从那年的春天开始......
  • 一路杀神

    一路杀神

    地球丹劲高手叶扬,因踩中长白山内残缺神阵,结果被传送到了一个神奇的世界。这个世界有人类飞天遁地;这个世界有凶兽驭火喷风;这个世界有十数丈高大的传说中远古巨人!这个世界地球诸神曾降临过!传说中神农氏,曾在九千里竹海点化骨竹成帝;伏羲氏收徒武祖,大周武祖开辟五千年不落大周神朝!老子骑青牛,一路西行不知去处;赤松道人迷踪棋局,困封大妖千年。叶扬来到这个世界后,一路追寻先人足迹的同时,又将演绎出怎样精彩绝伦故事……
  • 索马里狼孩

    索马里狼孩

    【索马里狼孩】讲述了一个名叫阿东的孩子生下来被父母遗弃,因一场意外被海盗带到了索马里,在生命奄奄一息的时候,丢失狼崽的狼群救活了它,并同狼群生活16年,后来在一次狼群斗争中被神界主宰九头龙王救下,揭开了身世之谜,在神界经历爱恨情仇,后来人间大乱,他奉旨返回人间,平息战乱。又在在人间经历了风风雨雨,爱恨交织,人性和兽性的对比,一步步扑朔迷离......
  • 中国历代君臣得失之道

    中国历代君臣得失之道

    本书不仅把正鉴、反鉴、侧鉴、明鉴、暗鉴等合而为一,而且使其成为一部可供人生大用的实用典籍。集各种经典案例并解其中深道,力图举一反三,化为已用。这一点非常重要,因为读史的根本目的在于一个“用”字。权掌握于人,人如何用权为政,自是一个重要问题。历史上之败臣,都有一个通理,即以权谋私,以权图利,结果把自己逼上一条绝路。这叫败于权。此等教训已经司空见惯,为何不能根除?领导学始终都刻有“正大光明”四字,做不到这一点,就会走入阴暗狭路。比较那些一生为国的真正忠臣、能臣,他们肝胆相照。
  • 撒旦总裁的契约新娘

    撒旦总裁的契约新娘

    傻白甜“巧遇”帅腹黑!莫名签下一生契约,与霸道总裁生活就像心电图!一个与蠢字合为一体的呆子。一个事事求精准的闺蜜。一个能力超强又腹黑的总裁。一沓约束呆子人生的契约。环环相扣.
  • EXO之女仆大人我爱你

    EXO之女仆大人我爱你

    你呀最不让我省心了。所以,还是永远待在我身边吧!这样我就省心了--by张艺兴喂!臭女人,每次我这样叫你我就好高兴啊!因为叫完了,我就在幻想你是我的女人,这种状况也不知道是从圣魔时候开始的,但我也你挺享受——黄子韬熙儿,我以后会变得温柔,但只对你好不好?所以请你不要再无视了,这让我很心痛——吴亦凡(好了,先说这几个剩自己看看下小说。我聪明吧!这样就引起你们注意了,哈哈哈哈哈哈哈)请敬请期待吧!留言·留言·留言!重要的事情说三遍。
  • 隐婚老公的专宠

    隐婚老公的专宠

    我叫苏小雨,是一名普普通通的大三学生,走在人群中,路人不会多看你一眼的那种。在过去的二十年里,我可以说每天都有一件倒霉的事情发生在我身上,轻一点的事情就是,早上迟到的时候,正好赶上班主任百年一遇的点名,然后被班主任在门口罚站一节课,严重一点的就是,喝口水都能噎着的那种……我以为我会一直就这样每天迷迷糊糊的混下去,可是突然有一天,上天突然送给了我一个完美的老公,让我的生活发生了不这里只能沾沾自喜的对自己说:"一定是我上辈子,做的好事太多了,所以上天才把这么完美的老公送到我的身边。可思议的变化。当然我在