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tales of trail and town-第28部分

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wicked black eyes seemed to flash and kindle at his own;its lip

curled with Dick's own sardonic humor!



He was recalled to himself by a step in the gallery。  It was the

Cure who had entered hastily; evidently in search of one of the

servants。  Partly because it was a man and not a woman; partly from

a feeling of bravadoand partly from a strange sense; excited by

the picture; that he had some claim to be there; he turned and

faced the pale priest with a slight dash of impatient devilry that

would have done credit to the portrait。  But he was sorry for it

the next moment!



The priest; looking up suddenly; discovered what seemed to him to

be the portrait standing before its own frame and glaring at him。

Throwing up his hands with an averted head and an 〃EXORCIS!〃 he

wheeled and scuffled away。  Dick seized the opportunity; darted

through the narrow door on to the rear terrace; and ran; under

cover of the shadow of the house; to the steps into the garden。

Luckily for him; this new and unexpected diversion occupied the

inmates too much with what was going on in the house to give them

time to search outside。  Dick reached the lilac hedge; tore up the

hill; and in a few moments threw himself; panting; on his blanket。

In the single look he had cast behind; he had seen that the half…

dark salon was now brilliantly lightedwhere no doubt the whole

terrified household was now assembled。  He had no fear of being

followed; since his confrontation with his own likeness in the

mysterious portrait; he understood everything。  The apparently

supernatural character of his visitation was made plain; his

ruffled vanity was soothedhis vindication was complete。  He

laughed to himself and rolled about; until in his suppressed

merriment the rose fell from his bosom; andhe stopped!  Its

freshness and fragrance recalled the innocent young girl he had

frightened。  He remembered her gentle; pleading voice; and his

cheek flushed。  Well; he had done the best he could in bringing her

back to the houseat the risk of being taken for a burglarand

she was safe now!  If that stupid French parson didn't know the

difference between a living man and a dead and painted one; it

wasn't his fault。  But he fell asleep with the rose in his fingers。



He was awake at the first streak of dawn。  He again bathed his

horse's shoulder; saddled; but did not mount him; as the beast;

although better; was still stiff; and Dick wished to spare him for

the journey to still distant Havre; although he had determined to

lie over that night at the first wayside inn。  Luckily for him; the

disturbance at the chateau had not extended to the forest; for Dick

had to lead his horse slowly and could not have escaped; but no

suspicion of external intrusion seemed to have been awakened; and

the woodland was; evidently; seldom invaded。



By dint of laying his course by the sun and the exercise of a

little woodcraft; in the course of two hours he heard the creaking

of a hay…cart; and knew that he was near a traveled road。  But to

his discomfiture he presently came to a high wall; which had

evidently guarded this portion of the woods from the public。  Time;

however; had made frequent breaches in the stones; these had been

roughly filled in with a rude abatis of logs and treetops pointing

towards the road。  But as these were mainly designed to prevent

intrusion into the park rather than egress from it; Dick had no

difficulty in rolling them aside and emerging at last with his

limping steed upon the white high…road。  The creaking cart had

passed; it was yet early for traffic; and Dick presently came upon

a wine…shop; a bakery; a blacksmith's shop; laundry; and a somewhat

pretentious cafe and hotel in a broader space which marked the

junction of another road。



Directly before it; however; to his consternation; were the

massive; but timeworn; iron gates of a park; which Dick did not

doubt was the one in which he had spent the previous night。  But it

was impossible to go further in his present plight; and he boldly

approached the restaurant。  As he was preparing to make his usual

explanatory signs; to his great delight he was addressed in a

quaint; broken English; mixed with forgotten American slang; by the

white…trousered; black…alpaca coated proprietor。  More than that

he was a Social Democrat and an enthusiastic lover of Americahad

he not been to 〃Bos…town〃 and New York; and penetrated as far west

as 〃Booflo;〃 and had much pleasure in that beautiful and free

country?  Yes! it was a 〃go…a…'ed〃 countryyou 〃bet…your…lif'。〃

One had reason to say so: there was your electricityyour street

carsyour 〃steambots〃ah! such steambotsand your 〃r…rail…r…

roads。〃  Ah! observe! compare your r…rail…r…roads and the buffet of

the Pullman with the line from Paris; for exampleand where is

one?  Nowhere!  Actually; positively; without doubt; nowhere!



Later; at an appetizing breakfastat which; to Dick's great

satisfaction; the good man had permitted and congratulated himself

to sit at table with a free…born Americanhe was even more

loquacious。  For what then; he would ask; was this incompetence;

this imbecility; of France?  He would tell。  It was the vile

corruption of Paris; the grasping of capital and companies; the

fatal influence of the still clinging noblesse; and the insidious

Jesuitical power of the priests。  As for example; Monsieur 〃the

Booflo…bil〃 had doubtless noticed the great gates of the park

before the cafe?  It was the preserve;the hunting…park of one of

the old grand seigneurs; still kept up by his descendants; the

Comtes de Fontonelleshundreds of acres that had never been

tilled; and kept as wild waste wilderness;kept for a day's

pleasure in a year!  And; look you! the peasants starving around

its walls in their small garden patches and pinched farms!  And the

present Comte de Fontonelles cascading gold on his mistresses in

Paris; and the Comtesse; his mother; and her daughter living there

to feed and fatten and pension a brood of plotting; black…cowled

priests。  Ah; bah! where was your Republican France; then?  But a

time would come。  The 〃Booflo…bil〃 had; without doubt; noticed; as

he came along the road; the breaches in the wall of the park?



Dick; with a slight dry reserve; 〃reckoned that he had。〃



〃They were made by the scythes and pitchforks of the peasants in

the Revolution of '93; when the count was emigre; as one says with

reason 'skedadelle;' to England。  Let them look the next time that

they burn not the chateau;'bet your lif'!'〃



〃The chateau;〃 said Dick; with affected carelessness。  〃Wot's the

blamed thing like?〃



It was an old affair;with armor and a picture…gallery;and

bricabrac。  He had never seen it。  Not even as a boy;it was kept

very secluded then。  As a manyou understandhe could not ask the

favor。  The Comtes de Fontonelles and himself were not friends。

The family did not like a cafe near their sacred gates;where had

stood only the huts of their retainers。  The American would observe

that he had not called it 〃Cafe de Chateau;〃 nor 〃Cafe de

Fontonelles;〃the gold of California would not induce him。  Why

did he remain there?  Naturally; to goad them!  It was a principle;

one understood。  To GOAD them and hold them in check!  One kept a

cafe;why not?  One had one's principles;one's conviction;that

was another thing!  That was the kind of 〃'air…pin〃was it not?

that HE; Gustav Ribaud; was like!



Yet for all his truculent socialism; he was quick; obliging; and

charmingly attentive to Dick and his needs。  As to Dick's horse; he

should have the best veterinary surgeonthere was an incomparable

one in the person of the blacksmithsee to him; and if it were an

affair of days; and Dick must go; he himself would be glad to

purchase the beast; his saddle; and accoutrements。  It was an

affair of business;an advertisement for the cafe!  He would ride

the horse himself before the gates of the park。  It would please

his customers。  Ha! he had learned a trick or two in free America。



Dick's first act had been to shave off his characteristic beard and

mustache; and even to submit his long curls to the village barber's

shears; while a straw hat; which he bought to take the place of his

slouched sombrero; completed his transformation。  His host saw in

the change only the natural preparation of a voyager; but Dick had

really made the sacrifice; not from fear of detection; for he had

recovered his old swaggering audacity; but from a quick distaste he

had taken to his resemblance to the portrait。  He was too genuine a

Westerner; and too vain a man; to feel flattered at his resemblance

to an aristocratic bully; as he believed the ancestral De Fontonelles

to be。  Even his momentary sensation as he faced the Cure in the

picture…gallery was more from a vague sense that liberties had been

taken with his; Dick's; personality; than that he had borrowed

anything from the portrait。



But he was not so clear about the young girl。  Her tender;

appealing voice; although he knew it had been addressed only to a

vision; still thrilled his fancy。  The pluck that had made her

withstand her fear so longuntil he had uttered that dreadful

wordstill excited his admiration。  His curiosity to know what

mistake he had madefor he knew it must have been some frightful

blunderwas all the more keen; as he had no chance to rectify it。

What a brute she must have thought himor DID she really think him

a brute even then?for her look was one more of despair and pity!

Yet she would remember him only by that last word; and never know

that he had risked insult and ejection from her friends to carry

her to her place of safety。  He could not bear to go across the

seas carrying the pale; unsatisfied face of that gentle girl ever

before his eyes!  A sense of delicacynew to Dick; but always the

accompaniment of deep feelingkept him from even hinting his story

to his host; tho
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