第 60 节
作者:这就是结局      更新:2021-02-20 15:58      字数:9321
  thought; then; of me; fair Fillide?〃
  〃Yes;〃 answered the girl; colouring; but with that frank; bold
  ingenuousness; which characterises the females of Italy;
  especially of the lower class; and in the southern provinces;
  〃oh; yes!  I have thought of little else。  Paolo said he knew you
  would visit me。〃
  〃And what relation is Paolo to you?〃
  〃None; but a good friend to us all。  My brother is one of his
  band。〃
  〃One of his band!a robber?〃
  〃We of the mountains do not call a mountaineer 'a robber;'
  signor。〃
  〃I ask pardon。  Do you not tremble sometimes for your brother's
  life?  The law〃
  〃Law never ventures into these defiles。  Tremble for him!  No。
  My father and grandsire were of the same calling。  I often wish I
  were a man!〃
  〃By these lips; I am enchanted that your wish cannot be
  realised。〃
  〃Fie; signor!  And do you really love me?〃
  〃With my whole heart!〃
  〃And I thee!〃 said the girl; with a candour that seemed innocent;
  as she suffered him to clasp her hand。
  〃But;〃 she added; 〃thou wilt soon leave us; and I〃  She stopped
  short; and the tears stood in her eyes。
  There was something dangerous in this; it must be confessed。
  Certainly Fillide had not the seraphic loveliness of Viola; but
  hers was a beauty that equally at least touched the senses。
  Perhaps Glyndon had never really loved Viola; perhaps the
  feelings with which she had inspired him were not of that ardent
  character which deserves the name of love。  However that be; he
  thought; as he gazed on those dark eyes; that he had never loved
  before。
  〃And couldst thou not leave thy mountains?〃 he whispered; as he
  drew yet nearer to her。
  〃Dost thou ask me?〃 she said; retreating; and looking him
  steadfastly in the face。  〃Dost thou know what we daughters of
  the mountains are?  You gay; smooth cavaliers of cities seldom
  mean what you speak。  With you; love is amusement; with us; it is
  life。  Leave these mountains!  Well!  I should not leave my
  nature。〃
  〃Keep thy nature ever;it is a sweet one。〃
  〃Yes; sweet while thou art true; stern; if thou art faithless。
  Shall I tell thee what Iwhat the girls of this country are?
  Daughters of men whom you call robbers; we aspire to be the
  companions of our lovers or our husbands。  We love ardently; we
  own it boldly。  We stand by your side in danger; we serve you as
  slaves in safety:  we never change; and we resent change。  You
  may reproach; strike us; trample us as a dog;we bear all
  without a murmur; betray us; and no tiger is more relentless。  Be
  true; and our hearts reward you; be false; and our hands revenge!
  Dost thou love me now?〃
  During this speech the Italian's countenance had most eloquently
  aided her words;by turns soft; frank; fierce;and at the last
  question she inclined her head humbly; and stood; as in fear of
  his reply; before him。  The stern; brave; wild spirit; in which
  what seemed unfeminine was yet; if I may so say; still womanly;
  did not recoil; it rather captivated Glyndon。  He answered
  readily; briefly; and freely; 〃Fillide;yes!〃
  Oh; 〃yes!〃 forsooth; Clarence Glyndon!  Every light nature
  answers 〃yes〃 lightly to such a question from lips so rosy!  Have
  a care;have a care!  Why the deuce; Mejnour; do you leave your
  pupil of four…and…twenty to the mercy of these wild cats…a…
  mountain!  Preach fast; and abstinence; and sublime renunciation
  of the cheats of the senses!  Very well in you; sir; Heaven knows
  how many ages old; but at four…and…twenty; your Hierophant would
  have kept you out of Fillide's way; or you would have had small
  taste for the Cabala。
  And so they stood; and talked; and vowed; and whispered; till the
  girl's mother made some noise within the house; and Fillide
  bounded back to the distaff; her finger once more on her lip。
  〃There is more magic in Fillide than in Mejnour;〃 said Glyndon to
  himself; walking gayly home; 〃yet on second thoughts; I know not
  if I quite so well like a character so ready for revenge。  But he
  who has the real secret can baffle even the vengeance of a woman;
  and disarm all danger!〃
  Sirrah! dost thou even already meditate the possibility of
  treason?  Oh; well said Zanoni; 〃to pour pure water into the
  muddy well does but disturb the mud。〃
  CHAPTER 4。VII。
  Cernis; custodia qualis
  Vestibulo sedeat? facies quae limina servet?
  〃Aeneid;〃 lib。 vi。 574。
  (See you what porter sits within the vestibule?what face
  watches at the threshold?)
  And it is profound night。  All is at rest within the old castle;
  all is breathless under the melancholy stars。  Now is the time。
  Mejnour with his austere wisdom;Mejnour the enemy to love;
  Mejnour; whose eye will read thy heart; and refuse thee the
  promised secrets because the sunny face of Fillide disturbs the
  lifeless shadow that he calls repose;Mejnour comes to…morrow!
  Seize the night!  Beware of fear!  Never; or this hour!  So;
  brave youth;brave despite all thy errors;so; with a steady
  pulse; thy hand unlocks once more the forbidden door。
  He placed his lamp on the table beside the book; which still lay
  there opened; he turned over the leaves; but could not decipher
  their meaning till he came to the following passage:
  〃When; then; the pupil is thus initiated and prepared; let him
  open the casement; light the lamps; and bathe his temples with
  the elixir。  He must beware how he presume yet to quaff the
  volatile and fiery spirit。  To taste till repeated inhalations
  have accustomed the frame gradually to the ecstatic liquid; is to
  know not life; but death。〃
  He could penetrate no farther into the instructions; the cipher
  again changed。  He now looked steadily and earnestly round the
  chamber。  The moonlight came quietly through the lattice as his
  hand opened it; and seemed; as it rested on the floor; and filled
  the walls; like the presence of some ghostly and mournful Power。
  He ranged the mystic lamps (nine in number) round the centre of
  the room; and lighted them one by one。  A flame of silvery and
  azure tints sprung up from each; and lighted the apartment with a
  calm and yet most dazzling splendour; but presently this light
  grew more soft and dim; as a thin; grey cloud; like a mist;
  gradually spread over the room; and an icy thrill shot through
  the heart of the Englishman; and quickly gathered over him like
  the coldness of death。  Instinctively aware of his danger; he
  tottered; though with difficulty; for his limbs seemed rigid and
  stone…like; to the shelf that contained the crystal vials;
  hastily he inhaled the spirit; and laved his temples with the
  sparkling liquid。  The same sensation of vigour and youth; and
  joy and airy lightness; that he had felt in the morning;
  instantaneously replaced the deadly numbness that just before had
  invaded the citadel of life。  He stood; with his arms folded on
  his bosom erect and dauntless; to watch what should ensue。
  The vapour had now assumed almost the thickness and seeming
  consistency of a snow…cloud; the lamps piercing it like stars。
  And now he distinctly saw shapes; somewhat resembling in outline
  those of the human form; gliding slowly and with regular
  evolutions through the cloud。  They appeared bloodless; their
  bodies were transparent; and contracted or expanded like the
  folds of a serpent。  As they moved in majestic order; he heard a
  low soundthe ghost; as it were; of voicewhich each caught and
  echoed from the other; a low sound; but musical; which seemed the
  chant of some unspeakably tranquil joy。  None of these
  apparitions heeded him。  His intense longing to accost them; to
  be of them; to make one of this movement of aerial happiness;
  for such it seemed to him;made him stretch forth his arms and
  seek to cry aloud; but only an inarticulate whisper passed his
  lips; and the movement and the music went on the same as if the
  mortal were not there。  Slowly they glided round and aloft; till;
  in the same majestic order; one after one; they floated through
  the casement and were lost in the moonlight; then; as his eyes
  followed them; the casement became darkened with some object
  undistinguishable at the first gaze; but which sufficed
  mysteriously to change into ineffable horror the delight he had
  before experienced。  By degrees this object shaped itself to his
  sight。  It was as that of a human head covered with a dark veil
  through which glared; with livid and demoniac fire; eyes that
  froze the marrow of his bones。  Nothing else of the face was
  distinguishable;nothing but those intolerable eyes; but his
  terror; that even at the first seemed beyond nature to endure;
  was increased a thousand…fold; when; after a pause; the phantom
  glided slowly into the chamber。
  The cloud retreated from it as it advanced; the bright lamps grew
  wan; and flickered restlessly as at the breath of its presence。
  Its form was veiled as the face; but the outline was that of a
  female; yet it moved not as