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burlesques-第6部分

小说: burlesques 字数: 每页4000字

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necklaces on; each of which would have dowered a Princessher

fingers glistened with rings to their rosy tips; and priceless

bracelets; bangles; and armlets wound round an arm that was whiter

than the ivory grand piano on which it leaned。



As Miriam de Mendoza greeted the stranger; turning upon him the

solemn welcome of her eyes; Codlingsby swooned almost in the

brightness of her beauty。  It was well she spoke; the sweet kind

voice restored him to consciousness。  Muttering a few words of

incoherent recognition; he sank upon a sandalwood settee; as

Goliath; the little slave; brought aromatic coffee in cups of opal;

and alabaster spittoons; and pipes of the fragrant Gibelly。



〃My lord's pipe is out;〃 said Miriam with a smile; remarking the

bewilderment of her guestwho in truth forgot to smokeand taking

up a thousand pound note from a bundle on the piano; she lighted it

at the taper and proceeded to re…illumine the extinguished chibouk

of Lord Codlingsby。





IV。





When Miriam; returning to the mother…of…pearl music…stool; at a

signal from her brother; touched the silver and enamelled keys of

the ivory piano; and began to sing; Lord Codlingsby felt as if he

were listening at the gates of Paradise; or were hearing Jenny

Lind。



〃Lind is the name of the Hebrew race; so is Mendelssohn; the son of

Almonds; so is Rosenthal; the Valley of the Roses: so is Lowe or

Lewis or Lyons or Lion。  The beautiful and the brave alike give

cognizances to the ancient people: you Saxons call yourselves

Brown; or Smith; or Rodgers;〃 Rafael observed to his friend; and;

drawing the instrument from his pocket; he accompanied his sister;

in the most ravishing manner; on a little gold and jewelled harp;

of the kind peculiar to his nation。



All the airs which the Hebrew maid selected were written by

composers of her race; it was either a hymn by Rossini; a polacca

by Braham; a delicious romance by Sloman; or a melody by Weber;

that; thrilling on the strings of the instrument; wakened a harmony

on the fibres of the heart; but she sang no other than the songs of

her nation。



〃Beautiful one! sing ever; sing always;〃 Codlingsby thought。  〃I

could sit at thy feet as under a green palm…tree; and fancy that

Paradise…birds were singing in the boughs。〃



Rafael read his thoughts。  〃We have Saxon blood too in our veins;〃

he said。  〃You smile! but it is even so。  An ancestress of ours

made a mesalliance in the reign of your King John。  Her name was

Rebecca; daughter of Isaac of York; and she married in Spain;

whither she had fled to the Court of King Boabdil; Sir Wilfred of

Ivanhoe; then a widower by the demise of his first lady; Rowena。

The match was deemed a cruel insult amongst our people but Wilfred

conformed; and was a Rabbi of some note at the synagogue of

Cordova。  We are descended from him lineally。  It is the only blot

upon the escutcheon of the Mendozas。〃



As they sat talking together; the music finished; and Miriam having

retired (though her song and her beauty were still present to the

soul of the stranger) at a signal from Mendoza; various messengers

from the outer apartments came in to transact business with him。



First it was Mr。 Aminadab; who kissed his foot; and brought papers

to sign。  〃How is the house in Grosvenor Square; Aminadab; and is

your son tired of his yacht yet?〃 Mendoza asked。  〃That is my

twenty…fourth cashier;〃 said Rafael to Codlingsby; when the

obsequious clerk went away。  〃He is fond of display; and all my

people may have what money they like。〃



Entered presently the Lord Bareacres; on the affair of his

mortgage。  The Lord Bareacres; strutting into the apartment with a

haughty air; shrank back; nevertheless; with surprise on beholding

the magnificence around him。  〃Little Mordecai;〃 said Rafael to a

little orange…boy; who came in at the heels of the noble; 〃take

this gentleman out and let him have ten thousand pounds。  I can't

do more for you; my lord; than thisI'm busy。  Good…by!〃  And

Rafael waved his hand to the peer; and fell to smoking his

narghilly。



A man with a square face; cat…like eyes; and a yellow moustache;

came next。  He had an hour…glass of a waist; and walked uneasily

upon his high…heeled boots。  〃Tell your master that he shall have

two millions more; but not another shilling;〃 Rafael said。  That

story about the five…and…twenty millions of ready money at

Cronstadt is all bosh。  They won't believe it in Europe。  You

understand me; Count Grogomoffski?〃



〃But his Imperial Majesty said four millions; and I shall get the

knout unless〃



〃Go and speak to Mr。 Shadrach; in room Z 94; the fourth court;〃

said Mendoza good…naturedly。  〃Leave me at peace; Count: don't you

see it is Friday; and almost sunset?〃  The Calmuck envoy retired

cringing; and left an odor of musk and candle…grease behind him。



An orange…man; an emissary from Lola Montes; a dealer in piping

bullfinches; and a Cardinal in disguise; with a proposal for a new

loan for the Pope; were heard by turns; and each; after a rapid

colloquy in his own language; was dismissed by Rafael。



〃The queen must come back from Aranjuez; or that king must be

disposed of;〃 Rafael exclaimed; as a yellow…faced amabassador from

Spain; General the Duke of Olla Podrida; left him。  〃Which shall it

be; my Codlingsby?〃  Codlingsby was about laughingly to answerfor

indeed he was amazed to find all the affairs of the world

represented here; and Holywell Street the centre of Europewhen

three knocks of a peculiar nature were heard; and Mendoza starting

up; said; 〃Ha! there are only four men in the world who know that

signal。〃  At once; and with a reverence quite distinct from his

former nonchalant manner; he advanced towards the new…comer。



He was an old manan old man evidently; too; of the Hebrew race

the light of his eyes was unfathomableabout his mouth there

played an inscrutable smile。  He had a cotton umbrella; and old

trousers; and old boots; and an old wig; curling at the top like a

rotten old pear。



He sat down; as if tired; in the first seat at hand; as Rafael made

him the lowest reverence。



〃I am tired;〃 says he; 〃I have come in fifteen hours。  I am ill at

Neuilly;〃 he added with a grin。  〃Get me some eau sucree; and tell

me the news; Prince de Mendoza。  These bread rows; this unpopularity

of Guizot; this odious Spanish conspiracy against my darling

Montpensier and daughter; this ferocity of Palmerston against

Coletti; makes me quite ill。  Give me your opinion; my dear duke。

But ha! whom have we here?〃



The august individual who had spoken; had used the Hebrew language

to address Mendoza; and the Lord Codlingsby might easily have

pleaded ignorance of that tongue。  But he had been at Cambridge;

where all the youth acquire it perfectly。



〃SIRE;〃 said he; 〃I will not disguise from you that I know the

ancient tongue in which you speak。  There are probably secrets

between Mendoza and your Maj〃



〃Hush!〃 said Rafael; leading him from the room。  〃Au revoir; dear

Codlingsby。  His Majesty is one of US;〃 he whispered at the door;

〃so is the Pope of Rome; so is 。 。 。〃a whisper concealed the

rest。



〃Gracious powers! is it so?〃 said Codlingsby; musing。  He entered

into Holywell Street。  The sun was sinking。



〃It is time;〃 said he; 〃to go and fetch Armida to the Olympic。〃







PHIL FOGARTY。



A TALE OF THE FIGHTING ONETY…ONETH。



BY HARRY ROLLICKER。





I。





The gabion was ours。  After two hours' fighting we were in

possession of the first embrasure; and made ourselves as comfortable

as circumstances would admit。  Jack Delamere; Tom Delancy; Jerry

Blake; the Doctor; and myself; sat down under a pontoon; and our

servants laid out a hasty supper on a tumbrel。 Though Cambaceres had

escaped me so provokingly after I cut him down; his spoils were

mine; a cold fowl and a Bologna sausage were found in the Marshal's

holsters; and in the haversack of a French private who lay a corpse

on the glacis; we found a loaf of bread; his three days' ration。

Instead of salt; we had gunpowder; and you may be sure; wherever

the Doctor was; a flask of good brandy was behind him in his

instrument…case。  We sat down and made a soldier's supper。  The

Doctor pulled a few of the delicious fruit from the lemon…trees

growing near (and round which the Carabineers and the 24th Leger had

made a desperate rally); and punch was brewed in Jack Delamere's

helmet。



〃'Faith; it never had so much wit in it before;〃 said the Doctor;

as he ladled out the drink。  We all roared with laughing; except

the guardsman; who was as savage as a Turk at a christening。



〃Buvez…en;〃 said old Sawbones to our French prisoner; 〃ca vous fera

du bien; mon vieux coq!〃 and the Colonel; whose wound had been just

dressed; eagerly grasped at the proffered cup; and drained it with

a health to the donors。



How strange are the chances of war!  But half an hour before he and

I were engaged in mortal combat; and our prisoner was all but my

conqueror。  Grappling with Cambaceres; whom I knocked from his

horse; and was about to despatch; I felt a lunge behind; which

luckily was parried by my sabretache; a herculean grasp was at the

next instant at my throatI was on the groundmy prisoner had

escaped; and a gigantic warrior in the uniform of a colonel of the

regiment of Artois glaring over me with pointed sword。



〃Rends…toi; coquin!〃 said he。



〃Allez an Diable!〃 said I: 〃a Fogarty never surrenders。〃



I thought of my poor mother and my sisters; at the old house in

KillalooI felt the tip of his blade between my teethI breathed

a prayer; and shut my eyeswhen the tables were turnedthe butt…

end of Lanty Clancy's musket knocked the sword up and broke the arm

that held it。



〃Thonamoundiaoul nabochlish;〃 said the French officer; with a curse

in the purest Irish。  It was lucky I stopped laughin

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