酷兔英语
    当前位置:
  1. 首页
  2. 文章
  3. 娱乐英语
  4. 原版小说
  5. 正文

The Scarlet Pimpernel-Part33_Baroness Emmuska Orczy(1865-1947)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

0 收藏 0 分享 0 赞

章节正文
文章总共2页


"Is this the man?" asked Chauvelin.

"No, citoyen," replied Desgas, "Reuben could not be found, so



presumably his cart has gone with the stranger; but this man here

seems to know something, which he is willing to sell for a



consideration."

"Ah!" said Chauvelin, turning away with disgust from the



loathsome specimen of humanity before him.

The Jew, with characteristicpatience, stood humbly on one



side, leaning on the knotted staff, his greasy, broad-brimmed hat

casting a deep shadow over his grimy face, waiting for the noble



Excellency to deign to put some questions to him.

"The citoyen tells me," said Chauvelin peremptorily to him,



"that you know something of my friend, the tall Englishman, whom I

desire to meet. . .MORBLEU! keep your distance, man," he added



hurriedly, as the Jew took a quick and eager step forward.

"Yes, your Excellency," replied the Jew, who spoke the



language with that peculiar lisp which denotes Eastern origin, "I and

Reuben Goldstein met a tall Englishman, on the road, close by here



this evening."

"Did you speak to him?"



"He spoke to us, your Excellency. He wanted to know if he

could hire a horse and cart to go down along the St. Martin road, to a



place he wanted to reach to-night."

"What did you say?"



"I did not say anything," said the Jew in an injured tone,

"Reuben Goldstein, that accursedtraitor, that son of Belial. . ."



"Cut that short, man," interrupted Chauvelin, roughly, "and go

on with your story."



"He took the words out of my mouth, your Excellency: when I

was about to offer the wealthy Englishman my horse and cart, to take



him wheresoever he chose, Reuben had already spoken, and offered his

half-starved nag, and his broken-down cart."



"And what did the Englishman do?"

"He listened to Reuben Goldstein, your Excellency, and put his



hand in his pocket then and there, and took out a handful of gold,

which he showed to that descendant of Beelzebub, telling him that all



that would be his, if the horse and cart were ready for him by eleven

o'clock."



"And, of course, the horse and cart were ready?"

"Well! they were ready for him in a manner, so to speak, your



Excellency. Reuben's nag was lame as usual; she refused to budge at

first. It was only after a time and with plenty of kicks, that she at



last could be made to move," said the Jew with a malicious chuckle.

"Then they started?"



"Yes, they started about five minutes ago. I was disgusted

with that stranger's folly. An Englishman too!--He ought to have



known Reuben's nag was not fit to drive."

"But if he had no choice?"



"No choice, your Excellency?" protested the Jew, in a rasping

voice, "did I not repeat to him a dozen times, that my horse and cart



would take him quicker, and more comfortably than Reuben's bag of

bones. He would not listen. Reuben is such a liar, and has such



insinuating ways. The stranger was deceived. If he was in a hurry,

he would have had better value for his money by taking my cart."



"You have a horse and cart too, then?" asked Chauvelin, peremptorily.

"Aye! that I have, your Excellency, and if your Excellency wants



to drive. . ."

"Do you happen to know which way my friend went in Reuben Goldstein's cart?"



Thoughtfully the Jew rubbed his dirty chin. Marguerite's heart was

beating well-nigh to bursting. She had heard the peremptory question;



she looked anxiously at the Jew, but could not read his face beneath

the shadow of his broad-brimmed hat. Vaguely she felt somehow as if



he held Percy's fate in his long dirty hands.

There was a long pause, whilst Chauvelin frowned impatiently



at the stooping figure before him: at last the Jew slowly put his hand

in his breast pocket, and drew out from its capacious depths a number



of silver coins. He gazed at them thoughtfully, then remarked, in a

quiet tone of voice,--



"This is what the tall stranger gave me, when he drove away

with Reuben, for holding my tongue about him, and his doings."



Chauvelin shrugged his shoulders impatiently.

"How much is there there?" he asked.






文章总共2页
文章标签:名著  

章节正文
Copyright © 2023 Qeto All rights reserved.
商务合作 | 联系我们 | 关于我们 | 版权声明 | 隐私条款 | 如果智培

京ICP备05059198号-1 京公网安备 11011202003401号