第 6 节
作者:悟来悟去      更新:2021-02-20 15:46      字数:9322
  his eyelids。
  〃The beauty of the game;〃 continued Hop…Frog; 〃lies in the fright it
  occasions among the women。〃
  〃Capital!〃 roared in chorus the monarch and his ministry。
  〃I will equip you as ourang…outangs;〃 proceeded the dwarf; 〃leave all that
  to me。 The resemblance shall be so striking; that the company of
  masqueraders will take you for real beasts  and of course; they will be
  as much terrified as astonished。〃
  〃Oh; this is exquisite!〃 exclaimed the king。 〃Hop…Frog! I will make a man
  of you。〃
  〃The chains are for the purpose of increasing the confusion by their
  jangling。 You are supposed to have escaped; en masse; from your keepers。
  Your majesty cannot conceive the effect produced; at a masquerade; by
  eight chained ourang…outangs; imagined to be real ones by most of the
  company; and rushing in with savage cries; among the crowd of delicately
  and gorgeously habited men and women。 The contrast is inimitable!〃
  〃It must be;〃 said the king: and the council arose hurriedly (as it was
  growing late); to put in execution the scheme of Hop…Frog。
  His mode of equipping the party as ourang…outangs was very simple; but
  effective enough for his purposes。 The animals in question had; at the
  epoch of my story; very rarely been seen in any part of the civilized
  world; and as the imitations made by the dwarf were sufficiently
  beast…like and more than sufficiently hideous; their truthfulness to
  nature was thus thought to be secured。
  The king and his ministers were first encased in tight…fitting stockinet
  shirts and drawers。 They were then saturated with tar。 At this stage of
  the process; some one of the party suggested feathers; but the suggestion
  was at once overruled by the dwarf; who soon convinced the eight; by
  ocular demonstration; that the hair of such a brute as the ourang…outang
  was much more efficiently represented by flu。 A thick coating of the
  latter was accordingly plastered upon the coating of tar。 A long chain was
  now procured。 First; it was passed about the waist of the king; and tied;
  then about another of the party; and also tied; then about all
  successively; in the same manner。 When this chaining arrangement was
  complete; and the party stood as far apart from each other as possible;
  they formed a circle; and to make all things appear natural; Hop…Frog
  passed the residue of the chain in two diameters; at right angles; across
  the circle; after the fashion adopted; at the present day; by those who
  capture Chimpanzees; or other large apes; in Borneo。
  The grand saloon in which the masquerade was to take place; was a circular
  room; very lofty; and receiving the light of the sun only through a single
  window at top。 At night (the season for which the apartment was especially
  designed) it was illuminated principally by a large chandelier; depending
  by a chain from the centre of the sky…light; and lowered; or elevated; by
  means of a counter…balance as usual; but (in order not to look unsightly)
  this latter passed outside the cupola and over the roof。
  The arrangements of the room had been left to Trippetta's superintendence;
  but; in some particulars; it seems; she had been guided by the calmer
  judgment of her friend the dwarf。 At his suggestion it was that; on this
  occasion; the chandelier was removed。 Its waxen drippings (which; in
  weather so warm; it was quite impossible to prevent) would have been
  seriously detrimental to the rich dresses of the guests; who; on account
  of the crowded state of the saloon; could not all be expected to keep from
  out its centre; that is to say; from under the chandelier。 Additional
  sconces were set in various parts of the hall; out of the war; and a
  flambeau; emitting sweet odor; was placed in the right hand of each of the
  Caryaides 'Caryatides' that stood against the wall  some fifty or sixty
  altogether。
  The eight ourang…outangs; taking Hop…Frog's advice; waited patiently until
  midnight (when the room was thoroughly filled with masqueraders) before
  making their appearance。 No sooner had the clock ceased striking; however;
  than they rushed; or rather rolled in; all together  for the impediments
  of their chains caused most of the party to fall; and all to stumble as
  they entered。
  The excitement among the masqueraders was prodigious; and filled the heart
  of the king with glee。 As had been anticipated; there were not a few of
  the guests who supposed the ferocious…looking creatures to be beasts of
  some kind in reality; if not precisely ourang…outangs。 Many of the women
  swooned with affright; and had not the king taken the precaution to
  exclude all weapons from the saloon; his party might soon have expiated
  their frolic in their blood。 As it was; a general rush was made for the
  doors; but the king had ordered them to be locked immediately upon his
  entrance; and; at the dwarf's suggestion; the keys had been deposited with
  him。
  While the tumult was at its height; and each masquerader attentive only to
  his own safety (for; in fact; there was much real danger from the pressure
  of the excited crowd); the chain by which the chandelier ordinarily hung;
  and which had been drawn up on its removal; might have been seen very
  gradually to descend; until its hooked extremity came within three feet of
  the floor。
  Soon after this; the king and his seven friends having reeled about the
  hall in all directions; found themselves; at length; in its centre; and;
  of course; in immediate contact with the chain。 While they were thus
  situated; the dwarf; who had followed noiselessly at their heels; inciting
  them to keep up the commotion; took hold of their own chain at the
  intersection of the two portions which crossed the circle diametrically
  and at right angles。 Here; with the rapidity of thought; he inserted the
  hook from which the chandelier had been wont to depend; and; in an
  instant; by some unseen agency; the chandelier…chain was drawn so far
  upward as to take the hook out of reach; and; as an inevitable
  consequence; to drag the ourang…outangs together in close connection; and
  face to face。
  The masqueraders; by this time; had recovered; in some measure; from their
  alarm; and; beginning to regard the whole matter as a well…contrived
  pleasantry; set up a loud shout of laughter at the predicament of the
  apes。
  〃Leave them to me!〃 now screamed Hop…Frog; his shrill voice making itself
  easily heard through all the din。 〃Leave them to me。 I fancy I know them。
  If I can only get a good look at them; I can soon tell who they are。〃
  Here; scrambling over the heads of the crowd; he managed to get to the
  wall; when; seizing a flambeau from one of the Caryatides; he returned; as
  he went; to the centre of the room…leaping; with the agility of a monkey;
  upon the kings head; and thence clambered a few feet up the chain; holding
  down the torch to examine the group of ourang…outangs; and still
  screaming: 〃I shall soon find out who they are!〃
  And now; while the whole assembly (the apes included) were convulsed with
  laughter; the jester suddenly uttered a shrill whistle; when the chain
  flew violently up for about thirty feet  dragging with it the dismayed
  and struggling ourang…outangs; and leaving them suspended in mid…air
  between the sky…light and the floor。 Hop…Frog; clinging to the chain as it
  rose; still maintained his relative position in respect to the eight
  maskers; and still (as if nothing were the matter) continued to thrust his
  torch down toward them; as though endeavoring to discover who they were。
  So thoroughly astonished was the whole company at this ascent; that a dead
  silence; of about a minute's duration; ensued。 It was broken by just such
  a low; harsh; grating sound; as had before attracted the attention of the
  king and his councillors when the former threw the wine in the face of
  Trippetta。 But; on the present occasion; there could be no question as to
  whence the sound issued。 It came from the fang  like teeth of the dwarf;
  who ground them and gnashed them as he foamed at the mouth; and glared;
  with an expression of maniacal rage; into the upturned countenances of the
  king and his seven companions。
  〃Ah; ha!〃 said at length the infuriated jester。 〃Ah; ha! I begin to see
  who these people are now!〃 Here; pretending to scrutinize the king more
  closely; he held the flambeau to the flaxen coat which enveloped him; and
  which instantly burst into a sheet of vivid flame。 In less than half a
  minute the whole eight ourang…outangs were blazing fiercely; amid the
  shrieks of the multitude who gazed at them from below; horror…stricken;
  and without the power to render them the slightest assistance。
  At length the flames; suddenly increasing in virulence; forced the jester
  to climb higher up the chain; to be out of their reach; and; as he made
  this movement; the crowd again sank; for a brief instant; into silence。
  The dwarf seized his opportunity; and once more spoke:
  〃I now see distinctly。〃 he said; 〃what manner of people these maskers are。
  They are a great king and his seven privy…councillors;  a king who does
  not scruple to strike a defenceless girl and his seven councillors who
  abet him in the outrage。 As for myself; I am simply Hop…Frog; the jester
  and this is my last jest。〃
  Owing