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the twins of table mountain-第23部分
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James Clinch; the coolest head at a late supper;he; the American;
who had repeatedly drunk Frenchmen and Englishmen under the
tablecould be transformed into a sentimental; stagey idiot by a
single glass of wine? He was conscious; too; of asking himself
these very questions in a stilted sort of rhetoric; and with a
rising brutality of anger that was new to him。 And then everything
swam before him; and he seemed to lose all consciousness。
But only for an instant。 With a strong effort of his will he again
recalled himself; his situation; his surroundings; and; above all;
his appointment。 He rose to his feet; hurriedly descended the
terrace…steps; and; before he well knew how; found himself again on
the road。 Once there; his faculties returned in full vigor; he was
again himself。 He strode briskly forward toward the ditch he had
crossed only a few moments before; but was suddenly stopped。 It
was filled with water。 He looked up and down。 It was clearly the
same ditch; but a flowing stream thirty feet wide now separated him
from the other bank。
The appearance of this unlooked…for obstacle made Mr。 Clinch doubt
the full restoration of his faculties。 He stepped to the brink of
the flood to bathe his head in the stream; and wash away the last
vestiges of his potations。 But as he approached the placid depths;
and knelt down he again started back; and this time with a full
conviction of his own madness; for reflected from its mirror…like
surface was a figure he could scarcely call his own; although here
and there some trace of his former self remained。
His close…cropped hair; trimmed a la mode; had given way to long;
curling locks that dropped upon his shoulders。 His neat mustache
was frightfully prolonged; and curled up at the ends stiffly。 His
Piccadilly collar had changed shape and texture; and reacheda
mass of laceto a point midway of his breast! His boots;why had
he not noticed his boots before?these triumphs of his Parisian
bootmaker; were lost in hideous leathern cases that reached half
way up his thighs。 In place of his former high silk hat; there lay
upon the ground beside him the awful thing he had just taken off;
a mass of thickened felt; flap; feather; and buckle that weighed at
least a stone。
A single terrible idea now took possession of him。 He had been
〃sold;〃 〃taken in;〃 〃done for。〃 He saw it all。 In a state of
intoxication he had lost his way; had been dragged into some vile
den; stripped of his clothes and valuables; and turned adrift upon
the quiet town in this shameless masquerade。 How should he keep
his appointment? how inform the police of this outrage upon a
stranger and an American citizen? how establish his identity? Had
they spared his papers? He felt feverishly in his breast。 Ah!
his watch? Yes; a watchheavy; jewelled; enamelledand; by all
that was ridiculous; FIVE OTHERS! He ran his hands into his
capacious trunk hose。 What was this? Brooches; chains; finger…
rings;one large episcopal one;ear…rings; and a handful of
battered gold and silver coins。 His papers; his memorandums; his
passportall proofs of his identitywere gone! In their place
was the unmistakable omnium gatherum of an accomplished knight of
the road。 Not only was his personality; but his character; gone
forever。
It was a part of Mr。 Clinch's singular experience that this last
stroke of ill fortune seemed to revive in him something of the
brutal instinct he had felt a moment before。 He turned eagerly
about with the intention of calling some onethe first person he
metto account。 But the house that he had just quitted was gone。
The wall! Ah; there it was; no longer purposeless; intrusive; and
ivy…clad; but part of the buttress of another massive wall that
rose into battlements above him。 Mr。 Clinch turned again
hopelessly toward Sammtstadt。 There was the fringe of poplars on
the Rhine; there were the outlying fields lit by the same meridian
sun; but the characteristic chimneys of Sammtstadt were gone。 Mr。
Clinch was hopelessly lost。
The sound of a horn breaking the stillness recalled his senses。 He
now for the first time perceived that a little distance below him;
partly hidden in the trees; was a queer; tower…shaped structure
with chains and pulleys; that in some strange way recalled his
boyish reading。 A drawbridge and portcullis! And on the
battlement a figure in a masquerading dress as absurd as his own;
flourishing a banner and trumpet; and trying to attract his
attention。
〃Was wollen Sie?〃
〃I want to see the proprietor;〃 said Mr。 Clinch; choking back his
rage。
There was a pause; and the figure turned apparently to consult with
some one behind the battlements。 After a moment he reappeared; and
in a perfunctory monotone; with an occasional breathing spell on
the trumpet; began;
〃You do give warranty as a good knight and true; as well as by the
bones of the blessed St。 Ursula; that you bear no ill will; secret
enmity; wicked misprise or conspiracy; against the body of our
noble lord and master Von Kolnsche? And you bring with you no
ambush; siege; or surprise of retainers; neither secret warrant nor
lettres de cachet; nor carry on your knightly person poisoned
dagger; magic ring; witch…powder; nor enchanted bullet; and that
you have entered into no unhallowed alliance with the Prince of
Darkness; gnomes; hexies; dragons; Undines; Loreleis; nor the
like?〃
〃Come down out of that; you dd old fool!〃 roared Mr。 Clinch;
now perfectly beside himself with rage;〃come down; and let me
in!〃
As Mr。 Clinch shouted out the last words; confused cries of
recognition and welcome; not unmixed with some consternation; rose
from the battlements: 〃Ach Gott!〃 〃Mutter Gottit is he! It is
Jann; Der Wanderer。 It is himself。〃 The chains rattled; the
ponderous drawbridge creaked and dropped; and across it a medley of
motley figures rushed pellmell。 But; foremost among them; the very
maiden whom he had left not ten minutes before flew into his arms;
and with a cry of joyful greeting sank upon his breast。 Mr。 Clinch
looked down upon the fair head and long braids。 It certainly was
the same maiden; his cruel enchantress; but where did she get those
absurd garments?
〃Willkommen;〃 said a stout figure; advancing with some authority;
and seizing his disengaged hand; 〃where hast thou been so long?〃
Mr。 Clinch; by no means placated; coldly dropped the extended hand。
It was NOT the proprietor he had known。 But there was a singular
resemblance in his face to some one of Mr。 Clinch's own kin; but
who; he could not remember。 〃May I take the liberty of asking your
name?〃 he asked coldly。
The figure grinned。 〃Surely; but; if thou standest upon punctilio;
it is for ME to ask thine; most noble Freiherr;〃 said he; winking
upon his retainers。 〃Whom have I the honor of entertaining?〃
〃My name is Clinch;James Clinch of Chicago; Ill。〃
A shout of laughter followed。 In the midst of his rage and
mortification Mr。 Clinch fancied he saw a shade of pain and
annoyance flit across the face of the maiden。 He was puzzled; but
pressed her hand; in spite of his late experiences; reassuringly。
She made a gesture of silence to him; and then slipped away in the
crowd。
〃Schames K'l'n'sche von Schekargo;〃 mimicked the figure; to the
unspeakable delight of his retainers。 〃So! THAT is the latest
French style。 Holy St。 Ursula! Hark ye; nephew! I am not a
travelled man。 Since the Crusades we simple Rhine gentlemen have
staid at home。 But I call myself Kolnsche of Koln; at your
service。〃
〃Very likely you are right;〃 said Mr。 Clinch hotly; disregarding
the caution of his fair companion; 〃but; whoever YOU are; I am a
stranger entitled to protection。 I have been robbed。〃
If Mr。 Clinch had uttered an exquisite joke instead of a very angry
statement; it could not have been more hilariously received。 He
paused; grew confused; and then went on hesitatingly;
〃In place of my papers and credentials I find only these。〃 And he
produced the jewelry from his pockets。
Another shout of laughter and clapping of hands followed this
second speech; and the baron; with a wink at his retainers;
prolonged the general mirth by saying; 〃By the way; nephew; there
is little doubt but there has been robberysomewhere。〃
〃It was done;〃 continued Mr。 Clinch; hurrying to make an end of his
explanation; 〃while I was inadvertently overcome with liquor;
drugged liquor。〃
The laughter here was so uproarious that the baron; albeit with
tears of laughter in his own eyes; made a peremptory gesture of
silence。 The gesture was peculiar to the baron; efficacious and
simple。 It consisted merely in knocking down the nearest laugher。
Having thus restored tranquillity; he strode forward; and took Mr。
Clinch by the hand。 〃By St。 Adolph; I did doubt thee a moment ago;
nephew; but this last frank confession of thine shows me I did thee
wrong。 Willkommen zu Hause; Jann; drunk or sober; willcommen zu
Cracowen。〃
More and more mystified; but convinced of the folly of any further
explanation; Mr。 Clinch took the extended hand of his alleged
uncle; and permitted himself to be led into the castle。 They
passed into a larg
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