第 41 节
作者:吹嘻      更新:2021-11-05 20:37      字数:9321
  bridal chamber; where the young pair had retired。
  They hurried to the door; but the father was first。  They burst it
  open; and found the bride a corse in the arms of her husband。
  。        。        。        。        。
  He never recovered his reason; the family deserted the mansion
  rendered terrible by so many misfortunes。  One apartment is still
  tenanted by the unhappy maniac; his were the cries you heard as you
  traversed the deserted rooms。  He is for the most part silent
  during the day; but at midnight he always exclaims; in a voice
  frightfully piercing; and hardly human; 〃They are coming! they are
  coming!〃 and relapses into profound silence。
  The funeral of Father Olavida was attended by an extraordinary
  circumstance。  He was interred in a neighboring convent; and the
  reputation of his sanctity; joined to the interest caused by his
  extraordinary death; collected vast numbers at the ceremony。  His
  funeral sermon was preached by a monk of distinguished eloquence;
  appointed for the purpose。  To render the effect of his discourse
  more powerful; the corse; extended on a bier; with its face
  uncovered; was placed in the aisle。  The monk took his text from
  one of the prophets;〃Death is gone up into our palaces。〃  He
  expatiated on mortality; whose approach; whether abrupt or
  lingering; is alike awful to man。He spoke of the vicisstudes of
  empires with much eloquence and learning; but his audience were not
  observed to be much affected。He cited various passages from the
  lives of the saints; descriptive of the glories of martyrdom; and
  the heroism of those who had bled and blazed for Christ and his
  blessed mother; but they appeared still waiting for something to
  touch them more deeply。  When he inveighed against the tyrants
  under whose bloody persecution those holy men suffered; his hearers
  were roused for a moment; for it is always easier to excite a
  passion than a moral feeling。  But when he spoke of the dead; and
  pointed with emphatic gesture to the corse; as it lay before them
  cold and motionless; every eye was fixed; and every ear became
  attentive。  Even the lovers; who; under pretense of dipping their
  fingers into the holy water; were contriving to exchange amorous
  billets; forbore for one moment this interesting intercourse; to
  listen to the preacher。  He dwelt with much energy on the virtues
  of the deceased; whom he declared to be a particular favorite of
  the Virgin; and enumerating the various losses that would be caused
  by his departure to the community to which he belonged; to society;
  and to religion at large; he at last worked up himself to a
  vehement expostulation with the Deity on the occasion。  〃Why hast
  thou;〃 he exclaimed; 〃why hast thou; Oh God! thus dealt with us?
  Why hast thou snatched from our sight this glorious saint; whose
  merits; if properly applied; doubtless would have been sufficient
  to atone for the apostasy of St。 Peter; the opposition of St。 Paul
  (previous to his conversion); and even the treachery of Judas
  himself?  Why hast thou; Oh God! snatched him from us?〃and a deep
  and hollow voice from among the congregation answered;〃Because he
  deserved his fate。〃  The murmurs of approbation with which the
  congregation honored this apostrophe half drowned this
  extraordinary interruption; and though there was some little
  commotion in the immediate vicinity of the speaker; the rest of the
  audience continued to listen intently。  〃What;〃 proceeded the
  preacher; pointing to the corse; 〃what hath laid thee there;
  servant of God?〃〃Pride; ignorance; and fear;〃 answered the same
  voice; in accents still more thrilling。  The disturbance now became
  universal。  The preacher paused; and a circle opening; disclosed
  the figure of a monk belonging to the convent; who stood among
  them。
  。        。        。        。        。
  After all the usual modes of admonition; exhortation; and
  discipline had been employed; and the bishop of the diocese; who;
  under the report of these extraordinary circumstances; had visited
  the convent in person to obtain some explanation from the
  contumacious monk in vain; it was agreed; in a chapter
  extraordinary; to surrender him to the power of the Inquisition。
  He testified great horror when this determination was made known to
  him;and offered to tell over and over again all that he COULD
  relate of the cause of Father Olavida's death。  His humiliation;
  and repeated offers of confession; came too late。  He was conveyed
  to the Inquisition。  The proceedings of that tribunal are rarely
  disclosed; but there is a secret report (I cannot answer for its
  truth) of what he said and suffered there。  On his first
  examination; he said he would relate all he COULD。  He was told
  that was not enough; he must relate all he knew。
  。        。        。        。        。
  〃Why did you testify such horror at the funeral of Father
  Olavida?〃〃Everyone testified horror and grief at the death of
  that venerable ecclesiastic; who died in the odor of sanctity。  Had
  I done otherwise; it might have been reckoned a proof of my guilt。〃
  〃Why did you interrupt the preacher with such extraordinary
  exclamations?〃To this no answer。  〃Why do you refuse to explain
  the meaning of those exclamations?〃No answer。  〃Why do you
  persist in this obstinate and dangerous silence?  Look; I beseech
  you; brother; at the cross that is suspended against this wall;〃
  and the Inquisitor pointed to the large black crucifix at the back
  of the chair where he sat; 〃one drop of the blood shed there can
  purify you from all the sin you have ever committed; but all that
  blood; combined with the intercession of the Queen of Heaven; and
  the merits of all its martyrs; nay; even the absolution of the
  Pope; cannot deliver you from the curse of dying in unrepented
  sin。〃〃What sin; then; have I committed?〃〃The greatest of all
  possible sins; you refuse answering the questions put to you at the
  tribunal of the most holy and merciful Inquisition;you will not
  tell us what you know concerning the death of Father Olavida。〃〃I
  have told you that I believe he perished in consequence of his
  ignorance and presumption。〃  〃What proof can you produce of that?〃
  〃He sought the knowledge of a secret withheld from man。〃  〃What
  was that?〃〃The secret of discovering the presence or agency of
  the evil power。〃  〃Do you possess that secret?〃After much
  agitation on the part of the prisoner; he said distinctly; but very
  faintly; 〃My master forbids me to disclose it。〃  〃If your master
  were Jesus Christ; he would not forbid you to obey the commands; or
  answer the questions of the Inquisition。〃〃I am not sure of that。〃
  There was a general outcry of horror at these words。  The
  examination then went on。  〃If you believed Olavida to be guilty of
  any pursuits or studies condemned by our mother the church; why did
  you not denounce him to the Inquisition?〃〃Because I believed him
  not likely to be injured by such pursuits; his mind was too weak;
  he died in the struggle;〃 said the prisoner with great emphasis。
  〃You believe; then; it requires strength of mind to keep those
  abominable secrets; when examined as to their nature and
  tendency?〃〃No; I rather imagine strength of body。〃  〃We shall try
  that presently;〃 said an Inquisitor; giving a signal for the
  torture。
  。        。        。        。        。
  The prisoner underwent the first and second applications with
  unshrinking courage; but on the infliction of the water…torture;
  which is indeed insupportable to humanity; either to suffer or
  relate; he exclaimed in the gasping interval; he would disclose
  everything。  He was released; refreshed; restored; and the
  following day uttered the following remarkable confession。 。 。 。
  。        。        。        。        。
  The old Spanish woman further confessed to Stanton; that。 。 。 。
  。        。        。        。        。
  and that the Englishman certainly had been seen in the neighborhood
  since;seen; as she had heard; that very night。  〃Great Gd!〃
  exclaimed Stanton; as he recollected the stranger whose demoniac
  laugh had so appalled him; while gazing on the lifeless bodies of
  the lovers; whom the lightning had struck and blasted。
  As the manuscript; after a few blotted and illegible pages; became
  more distinct; Melmoth read on; perplexed and unsatisfied; not
  knowing what connection this Spanish story could have with his
  ancestor; whom; however; he recognized under the title of the
  Englishman; and wondering how Stanton could have thought it worth
  his while to follow him to Ireland; write a long manuscript about
  an event that occurred in Spain; and leave it in the hands of his
  family; to 〃verify untrue things;〃 in the language of Dogberry;
  his wonder was diminished; though his curiosity was still more
  inflamed; by the perusal of the next lines; which he made out with
  some difficulty。  It seems Stanton was now in England。