burlesques-第6部分
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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