登陆注册
19471600000116

第116章

On the middle of the down stood a wayside inn; a desolate and villainous-looking lump of lichen-spotted granite, with windows paper-patched, and rotting thatch kept down by stones and straw-banks; and at the back a rambling court-ledge of barns and walls, around which pigs and barefoot children grunted in loving communion of dirt.At the door, rapt apparently in the contemplation of the mountain peaks which glowed rich orange in the last lingering sun-rays, but really watching which way the sheep on the moor were taking, stood the innkeeper, a brawny, sodden-visaged, blear-eyed six feet of brutishness, holding up his hose with one hand, for want of points, and clawing with the other his elf-locks, on which a fair sprinkling of feathers might denote: first, that he was just out of bed, having been out sheep-stealing all the night before;and secondly, that by natural genius he had anticipated the opinion of that great apostle of sluttishness, Fridericus Dedekind, and his faithful disciple Dekker, which last speaks thus to all gulls and grobians: "Consider that as those trees of cobweb lawn, woven by spinners in the fresh May mornings, do dress the curled heads of the mountains, and adorn the swelling bosoms of the valleys; or as those snowy fleeces, which the naked briar steals from the innocent sheep to make himself a warm winter livery, are, to either of them both, an excellent ornament; so make thou account, that to have feathers sticking here and there on thy head will embellish thee, and set thy crown out rarely.None dare upbraid thee, that like a beggar thou hast lain on straw, or like a travelling pedlar upon musty flocks; for those feathers will rise up as witnesses to choke him that says so, and to prove thy bed to have been of the softest down." Even so did those feathers bear witness that the possessor of Rogues' Harbor Inn, on Brent-Tor Down, whatever else he lacked, lacked not geese enough to keep him in soft lying.

Presently he spies Amyas and his party coming slowly over the hill, pricks up his ears, and counts them; sees Amyas's armor; shakes his head and grunts; and then, being a man of few words, utters a sleepy howl--"Mirooi!--Fushing pooale!"

A strapping lass--whose only covering (for country women at work in those days dispensed with the ornament of a gown) is a green bodice and red petticoat, neither of them over ample--brings out his fishing-rod and basket, and the man, having tied up his hose with some ends of string, examines the footlink.

"Don vlies' gone!"

"May be," says Mary; "shouldn't hay' left mun out to coort.May be old hen's ate mun off.I see her chocking about a while agone."The host receives this intelligence with an oath, and replies by a violent blow at Mary's head, which she, accustomed to such slight matters, dodges, and then returns the blow with good effect on the shock head.

Whereon mine host, equally accustomed to such slight matters, quietly shambles off, howling as he departs--"Tell Patrico!"

Mary runs in, combs her hair, slips a pair of stockings and her best gown over her dirt, and awaits the coming guests, who make a few long faces at the "mucksy sort of a place," but prefer to spend the night there than to bivouac close to the enemy's camp.

So the old hen who has swallowed the dun fly is killed, plucked, and roasted, and certain "black Dartmoor mutton" is put on the gridiron, and being compelled to confess the truth by that fiery torment, proclaims itself to all noses as red-deer venison.In the meanwhile Amyas has put his horse and the ponies into a shed, to which he can find neither lock nor key, and therefore returns grumbling, not without fear for his steed's safety.The baggage is heaped in a corner of the room, and Amyas stretches his legs before a turf fire; while Yeo, who has his notions about the place, posts himself at the door, and the men are seized with a desire to superintend the cooking, probably to be attributed to the fact that Mary is cook.

Presently Yeo comes in again.

"There's a gentleman just coming up, sir, all alone.""Ask him to make one of our party, then, with my compliments." Yeo goes out, and returns in five minutes.

"Please, sir, he's gone in back ways, by the court.""Well, he has an odd taste, if he makes himself at home here."Out goes Yeo again, and comes back once more after five minutes, in high excitement.

"Come out, sir; for goodness' sake come out.I've got him.Safe as a rat in a trap, I have!""Who?"

"A Jesuit, sir."

"Nonsense, man!"

"I tell you truth, sir.I went round the house, for I didn't like the looks of him as he came up.I knew he was one of them villains the minute he came up, by the way he turned in his toes, and put down his feet so still and careful, like as if he was afraid of offending God at every step.So I just put my eye between the wall and the dern of the gate, and I saw him come up to the back door and knock, and call 'Mary!' quite still, like any Jesuit; and the wench flies out to him ready to eat him; and 'Go away,' I heard her say, 'there's a dear man;' and then something about a 'queer cuffin' (that's a justice in these canters' thieves' Latin); and with that he takes out a somewhat--I'll swear it was one of those Popish Agnuses--and gives it her; and she kisses it, and crosses herself, and asks him if that's the right way, and then puts it into her bosom, and he says, 'Bless you, my daughter;' and then Iwas sure of the dog: and he slips quite still to the stable, and peeps in, and when he sees no one there, in he goes, and out I go, and shut to the door, and back a cart that was there up against it, and call out one of the men to watch the stable, and the girl's crying like mad.""What a fool's trick, man! How do you know that he is not some honest gentleman, after all?""Fool or none, sir; honest gentlemen don't give maidens Agnuses.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 异能者游戏

    异能者游戏

    一个大学肄业生,稀里糊涂的被骗进了一场只属于异能者的厮杀游戏随机分配的古怪超能力弱肉强食的异能夺取法则还有那不足百分之五的存活几率。从一开始,你的生存就建立在他人的尸体之上。杨墨:“卧槽!有没有搞错,无敌偷窥术??你让我拿这个和别人拼命?!”
  • 残佞总裁的天真妻

    残佞总裁的天真妻

    林辰翼,认为世界上所有的女人都是一样的,都会对他着迷。只有尹夏,仿佛把他的吸引力当成了祸害。尹夏,本就被一团事情弄得炸毛,还被男友抛弃,哪有时间理他。林辰翼无奈,男人中也有好东西,至少他是!
  • 仙痕

    仙痕

    世有万法,道有三千。炼身如铸鼎,炼气如疏径,炼魂则能宁心身、通天地。
  • 幻境仙尘

    幻境仙尘

    颜九的执念来源于一座城池和一个女子。感谢《家和月圆》作者浣水月做的美美封面
  • 慕少,请你消停点

    慕少,请你消停点

    本想躲避催婚的她和陌生男人签订了形婚合同,然而那男人却渐渐对她开启狂撩模式。“等等,你不是gay么?”某女推开某男,诧异地问道。“秦书香,去看看医生,脑子不太好。”某男勾唇一笑,把某女所有的脏话都咽进了嘴里。--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 来年还种莜麦

    来年还种莜麦

    《来年还种莜麦》:要说牛四喜他诗人一个,本来是该找个温情脉脉柔情似水的女才子呀,就是找不着才女也应寻一知识女性为伴呀。问题是他这个“著名诗人”头衔是后来也就是他的二小子都七八岁的时候才争取到的。当初他不行,他1979年师范毕业后在县城中心小学教书,教书之余到文化馆创作组跟人家讨教诗歌创作技巧,人家说技巧就是从生活中来,多看多写。然后他就写呀写,写出来寄给报社发个小豆腐块儿,稿费伍毛一块的。那时土地承包在北边这些山区还没时兴开,老百姓还都挺穷的,可再穷年轻人也得搞对象结婚呀。
  • 中华营养百味:学生营养菜

    中华营养百味:学生营养菜

    《学生营养菜》全书以精美的实物照片和详细的文字说明向读者介绍了各式各样有关学生营养餐的制作方法。读者只需按图索骥就一定能制作出精美的菜肴。本书内容丰富,图文并茂,通俗易懂,不仅可供您在日常生活中使用,还可作为各类餐厅、饭店以及烹饪学校的参考教材。
  • 从颜色密码看人生命运

    从颜色密码看人生命运

    依色彩喜好度做性格测验,目前在世界各地可谓风行不衰,极为流行。颜色与人的命运有着非常密切的联系,有时甚至可以通过颜色了解一个人今后的命运会如何发展。阅读本书可以解开颜色密码的谜底,从颜色这个角度去发现世界,透过颜色去领悟人生。
  • 黑童话101

    黑童话101

    只是突然才有的想法,想把童话故事改编,带给你不一样的感受。
  • 星魂圣域

    星魂圣域

    东西方星座的碰撞,天狼为尊!双星本源,纵横三界!燃烧着火焰的骨翼在漫天冰雪中扇动,充斥着嗜血光芒的眸子无情的扫视着远处厮杀的战士,那沾满鲜血的手中浮现出了一颗红蓝相间的能量球,他舔舐了一下腥红的嘴唇,低低吼道,“噬血冰焱!”“啊……”撕心裂肺的喊叫声伴随着迸溅的残肢在这旷野上扩散开来,“恶魔,他是恶魔!”无数的铁血汉子在这一刻露出深深的惊骇!带着那一丝苦涩漠然的笑容,楚冰焱轻轻叹息,“我是恶魔,那就让这流过她鲜血的土地,变成地狱吧!”望着地狱血红的暗月,两行清泪悄然滑过她精雅的脸庞,听着那心底莫名传来的厮杀声,她喃喃自语,“你,可还好么?”岁月落尽了繁华,鲜血染透了戎甲,谁能为你君临天下?