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;