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zanoni-第114部分

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justice shall no longer be blind to thy services; good Nicot。

Thou knowest this Glyndon?〃



〃Yes; well;intimately。  He WAS my friend; but I would give up

my brother if he were one of the 'indulgents。'  I am not ashamed

to say that I have received favours from this man。〃



〃Aha!and thou dost honestly hold the doctrine that where a man

threatens my life all personal favours are to be forgotten?〃



〃All!〃



〃Good citizen!kind Nicot!oblige me by writing the address of

this Glyndon。〃



Nicot stooped to the table; and suddenly when the pen was in his

hand; a thought flashed across him; and he paused; embarrassed

and confused。



〃Write on; KIND Nicot!〃



The painter slowly obeyed。



〃Who are the other familiars of Glyndon?〃



〃It was on that point I was about to speak to thee;

Representant;〃 said Nicot。  〃He visits daily a woman; a

foreigner; who knows all his secrets; she affects to be poor; and

to support her child by industry。  But she is the wife of an

Italian of immense wealth; and there is no doubt that she has

moneys which are spent in corrupting the citizens。  She should be

seized and arrested。〃



〃Write down her name also。〃



〃But no time is to be lost; for I know that both have a design to

escape from Paris this very night。〃



〃Our government is prompt; good Nicot;never fear。  Humph!

humph!〃 and Robespierre took the paper on which Nicot had

written; and stooping over itfor he was near…sightedadded;

smilingly; 〃Dost thou always write the same hand; citizen?  This

seems almost like a disguised character。〃



〃I should not like them to know who denounced them;

Representant。〃



〃Good! good!  Thy virtue shall be rewarded; trust me。  Salut et

fraternite!〃



Robespierre half rose as he spoke; and Nicot withdrew。



〃Ho; there!without!〃 cried the Dictator; ringing his bell; and

as the ready Jacobin attended the summons; 〃Follow that man; Jean

Nicot。  The instant he has cleared the house seize him。  At once

to the Conciergerie with him。  Stay!nothing against the law;

there is thy warrant。  The public accuser shall have my

instruction。  Away!quick!〃



The Jacobin vanished。  All trace of illness; of infirmity; had

gone from the valetudinarian; he stood erect on the floor; his

face twitching convulsively; and his arms folded。  〃Ho! Guerin!〃

the spy reappeared〃take these addresses!  Within an hour this

Englishman and his woman must be in prison; their revelations

will aid me against worthier foes。  They shall die:  they shall

perish with the rest on the 10th;the third day from this。

There!〃 and he wrote hastily;〃there; also; is thy warrant!

Off!



〃And now; Couthon; Payan; we will dally no longer with Tallien

and his crew。  I have information that the Convention will NOT

attend the Fete on the 10th。  We must trust only to the sword of

the law。  I must compose my thoughts;prepare my harangue。  To…

morrow; I will reappear at the Convention; to…morrow; bold St。

Just joins us; fresh from our victorious armies; to…morrow; from

the tribune; I will dart the thunderbolt on the masked enemies of

France; to…morrow; I will demand; in the face of the country; the

heads of the conspirators。〃





CHAPTER 7。VIII。



Le glaive est contre toi tourne de toutes parties。

La Harpe; 〃Jeanne de Naples;〃 Act iv。 sc。 4。



(The sword is raised against you on all sides。)



In the mean time Glyndon; after an audience of some length with

C; in which the final preparations were arranged; sanguine of

safety; and foreseeing no obstacle to escape; bent his way back

to Fillide。  Suddenly; in the midst of his cheerful thoughts; he

fancied he heard a voice too well and too terribly recognised;

hissing in his ear; 〃What! thou wouldst defy and escape me! thou

wouldst go back to virtue and content。  It is in vain;it is too

late。  No; _I_ will not haunt thee; HUMAN footsteps; no less

inexorable; dog thee now。  Me thou shalt not see again till in

the dungeon; at midnight; before thy doom!  Behold〃



And Glyndon; mechanically turning his head; saw; close behind

him; the stealthy figure of a man whom he had observed before;

but with little heed; pass and repass him; as he quitted the

house of Citizen C。  Instantly and instinctively he knew that

he was watched;that he was pursued。  The street he was in was

obscure and deserted; for the day was oppressively sultry; and it

was the hour when few were abroad; either on business or

pleasure。  Bold as he was; an icy chill shot through his heart;

he knew too well the tremendous system that then reigned in Paris

not to be aware of his danger。  As the sight of the first plague…

boil to the victim of the pestilence; was the first sight of the

shadowy spy to that of the Revolution:  the watch; the arrest;

the trial; the guillotine;these made the regular and rapid

steps of the monster that the anarchists called Law!  He breathed

hard; he heard distinctly the loud beating of his heart。  And so

he paused; still and motionless; gazing upon the shadow that

halted also behind him。



Presently; the absence of all allies to the spy; the solitude of

the streets; reanimated his courage; he made a step towards his

pursuer; who retreated as he advanced。  〃Citizen; thou followest

me;〃 he said。  〃Thy business?〃



〃Surely;〃 answered the man; with a deprecating smile; 〃the

streets are broad enough for both?  Thou art not so bad a

republican as to arrogate all Paris to thyself!〃



〃Go on first; then。  I make way for thee。〃



The man bowed; doffed his hat politely; and passed forward。  The

next moment Glyndon plunged into a winding lane; and fled fast

through a labyrinth of streets; passages; and alleys。  By degrees

he composed himself; and; looking behind; imagined that he had

baffled the pursuer; he then; by a circuitous route; bent his way

once more to his home。  As he emerged into one of the broader

streets; a passenger; wrapped in a mantle; brushing so quickly by

him that he did not observe his countenance; whispered; 〃Clarence

Glyndon; you are dogged;follow me!〃 and the stranger walked

quickly before him。  Clarence turned; and sickened once more to

see at his heels; with the same servile smile on his face; the

pursuer he fancied he had escaped。  He forgot the injunction of

the stranger to follow him; and perceiving a crowd gathered close

at hand; round a caricature…shop; dived amidst them; and; gaining

another street; altered the direction he had before taken; and;

after a long and breathless course; gained without once more

seeing the spy; a distant quartier of the city。



Here; indeed; all seemed so serene and fair that his artist eye;

even in that imminent hour; rested with pleasure on the scene。

It was a comparatively broad space; formed by one of the noble

quays。  The Seine flowed majestically along; with boats and craft

resting on its surface。  The sun gilt a thousand spires and

domes; and gleamed on the white palaces of a fallen chivalry
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