第 25 节
作者:
尘小春 更新:2021-02-18 23:45 字数:9322
_Gatty。_ 〃A man of your character must often have been called to an
account by your victims; soso〃 (hesitating) 〃perhaps you will tell me
the proper course。〃
_Ipsden。 〃I_ shall send a note to the castle; and the colonel will send
me down somebody with a mustache; I shall pretend to remember mustache;
mustache will pretend he remembers me; he will then communicate with your
friend; and they will arrange it all for us。〃
_Gatty。_ 〃And; perhaps; through your licentiousness; one or both of us
will be killed。〃
_Ipsden。_ 〃Yes! but we need not trouble our heads about thatthe seconds
undertake everything。〃
_Gatty。_ 〃I have no pistols。〃
_Ipsden。_ 〃If you will do me the honor to use one of mine; it shall be at
your service。〃
_Gatty。_ 〃Thank you。〃
_Ipsden。_ 〃To…morrow morning?〃
_Gatty。_ 〃No。 I have four days' painting to do on my picture; I can't die
till it is finished; Friday morning。〃
_Ipsden。_ 〃(He is mad。) I wish to ask you a question; you will excuse my
curiosity。 Have you any idea what we are agreeing to differ about?〃
_Gatty。_ 〃The question does you little credit; my lord; that is to add
insult to wrong。〃
He went off hurriedly; leaving Lord Ipsden mystified。
He thought Christie Johnstone was somehow connected with it; but;
conscious of no wrong; he felt little disposed to put up with any insult;
especially from this boy; to whom he had been kind; he thought。
His lordship was; besides; one of those good; simple…minded creatures;
educated abroad; who; when invited to fight; simply bow; and load two
pistols; and get themselves called at six; instead of taking down tomes
of casuistry and puzzling their poor brains to find out whether they are
gamecocks or capons; and why。
As for Gatty; he hurried home in a fever of passion; begged his mother's
pardon; and reproached himself for ever having disobeyed her on account
of such a perfidious creature as Christie Johnstone。
He then told her what he had seen; as distance and imagination had
presented it to him; to his surprise the old lady cut him short。
〃Charles;〃 said she; 〃there is no need to take the girl's character away;
she has but one faultshe is not in the same class of life as you; and
such marriages always lead to misery; but in other respects she is a
worthy young womandon't speak against her character; or you will make
my flesh creep; you don't know what her character is to a woman; high or
low。〃
By this moderation; perhaps she held him still faster。
Friday morning arrived。 Gatty had; by hard work; finished his picture;
collected his sketches from nature; which were numerous; left by
memorandum everything to his mother; and was; or rather felt; as ready to
die as live。
He had hardly spoken a word or eaten a meal these four days; his mother
was in anxiety about him。 He rose early; and went down to Leith; an hour
later; his mother; finding him gone out; rose and went to seek him at
Newhaven。
Meantime Flucker had entirely recovered; but his sister's color had left
her cheeks。 The boy swore vengeance against the cause of her distress。
On Friday morning; then; there paced on Leith Sands two figures。
One was Lord Ipsden。
The other seemed a military gentleman; who having swallowed the mess…room
poker; and found it insufficient; had added the ramrods of his company。
The more his lordship reflected on Gatty; the less inclined he had felt
to invite a satirical young dog from barracks to criticise such a
_rencontre;_ he had therefore ordered Saunders to get up as a
field…marshal; or some such trifle; and what Saunders would have called
incomparable verticality was the result。
The painter was also in sight。
While he was coming up; Lord Ipsden was lecturing Marshal Saunders on a
point on which that worthy had always thought himself very superior to
his master〃Gentlemanly deportment。〃
〃Now; Saunders; mind and behave like a gentleman; or we shall be found
out。〃
〃I trust; my lord; my conduct〃
〃What I mean is; you must not be so overpoweringly gentleman…like as you
are apt to be; no gentleman is so gentleman as all that; it could not be
borne; _c'est suffoquant;_ and a white handkerchief is unsoldier…like;
and nobody ties a white handkerchief so well as that; of all the vices;
perfection is the most intolerable。〃 His lordship then touched with his
cane the generalissimo's tie; whose countenance straightway fell; as
though he had lost three successive battles。
Gatty came up。
They saluted。
〃Where is your second; sir?〃 said the mare'chal。
〃My second?〃 said Gatty。 〃Ah! I forgot to wake himdoes it matter?〃
〃It is merely a custom;〃 said Lord Ipsden; with a very slightly satirical
manner。 〃Savanadero;〃 said he; 〃do us the honor to measure the ground;
and be everybody's second。〃
Savanadero measured the ground; and handed a pistol to each combatant;
and struck an imposing attitude apart。
〃Are you ready; gentlemen?〃 said this Jack…o'…both…sides。
〃Yes!〃 said both。
Just as the signal was about to be given; an interruption occurred。 〃I
beg your pardon; sir;〃 said Lord Ipsden to his antagonist; 〃I am going to
take a _libertya great liberty_ with you; but I think you will find
your pistol is only at half cock。〃
〃Thank you; my lord; what am I to do with the thing?〃
〃Draw back the cock so; and be ready to fire?〃
〃So?〃 _Bang!_
He had touched the trigger as well as the cock; so off went the barker;
and after a considerable pause the field…marshal sprang yelling into the
air。
〃Hallo!〃 cried Mr。 Gatty。
〃Ah! oh! I'm a dead man;〃 whined the general。
〃Nonsense!〃 said Ipsden; after a moment of anxiety。 〃Give yourself no
concern; sir;〃 said he; soothingly; to his antagonist〃a mere accident。
Mare'chal; reload Mr。 Gatty's pistol。〃
〃Excuse me; my lord〃
〃Load his pistol directly;〃 said his lordship; sternly; 〃and behave like
a gentleman。〃
〃My lord! my lord! but where shall I stand to be safe?〃
〃Behind me!〃
The commander of division advanced reluctantly for Gatty's pistol。
〃No; my lord!〃 said Gatty; 〃it is plain I am not a fit antagonist; I
shall but expose myselfand my mother has separated us; I have lost
herif you do not win her some worse man may; but; oh! if you are a man;
use her tenderly。〃
〃Whom?〃
〃Christie Johnstone! Oh; sir; do not make her regret me too much! She was
my treasure; my consolationshe was to be my wife; she would have
cheered the road of lifeit is a desert now。 I loved herII〃
Here the poor fellow choked。
Lord Ipsden turned round; and threw his pistol to Saunders; saying;
〃Catch that; Saunders。〃
Saunders; on the contrary; by a single motion changed his person from a
vertical straight line to a horizontal line exactly parallel with the
earth's surface; and the weapon sang innoxious over him。
His lordship then; with a noble defiance of etiquette; walked up to his
antagonist and gave him his hand; with a motion no one could resist; for
he felt for the poor fellow。
〃It is all a mistake;〃 said he。 〃There is no sentiment between La
Johnstone and me but mutual esteem。 I will explain the whole thing。 _I_
admire _her_ for her virtue; her wit; her innocence; her goodness and all
that sort of thing; and _she;_ what _she_ sees in _me;_ I am sure I don't
know;〃 added he; slightly shrugging his aristocratic shoulders。 〃Do me
the honor to breakfast with me at Newhaven。〃
〃I have ordered twelve sorts of fish at the 'Peacock;' my lord;〃 said
Saunders。
〃Divine! (I hate fish) I told Saunders all would be hungry and none shot;
by the by; you are winged; I think you said; Saunders?〃
〃No; my lord! but look at my trousers。〃
The bullet had cut his pantaloons。
〃I seeonly barked; so go and see about our breakfast。〃
〃Yes; my lord〃 _(faintly)。_
〃And draw on me for fifty pounds' worth ofnew trousers。〃
Yes; my lord〃 _(sonorously)。_
The duelists separated; Gatty taking the short cut to Newhaven; he
proposed to take his favorite swim there; to refresh himself before
breakfast; and he went from his lordship a little cheered by remarks
which fell from him; and which; though vague; sounded friendlypoor
fellow; except when he had a brush in hand he was a dreamer。
This viscount; who did not seem to trouble his head about class dignity;
was to convert his mother from her aristocratic tendencies or something。
_Que sais…je?_ what will not a dreamer hope?
Lord Ipsden strolled along the sands; and judge his surprise; when;
attended by two footmen; he met at that time in the morning Lady Barbara
Sinclair
Lord Ipsden had been so disheartened and piqued by this lady's conduct
that for a whole week he had not been near her。 This line of behavior
sometimes answers。
She met him with a grand display of cordiality。
She inquired; 〃Whether he had heard of a most gallant action; that;
coupled with another circumstance〃 _(here she smiled);_ 〃had in part
reconciled her to the age we live in?〃
He asked for further particulars。
She then informed him 〃that a ship had been ashore on the rocks; that no
fisherman dared venture out; that a young gentleman had given them his
whole fortune; and so bribed them to accompany him; that he had saved the
ship and the men's lives;