文档介绍：EL VERDUGO
EL VERDUGO
HONORE DE BALZAC
Translated By Katharine Prescott Wormeley
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EL VERDUGO
DEDICATION
To Martinez de la Rosa.
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EL VERDUGO
EL VERDUGO
The clock of the little town of Menda had just struck midnight. At that
moment a young French officer, leaning on the parapet of a long terrace
which bordered the gardens of the chateau de Menda, seemed buried in
thoughts that were deeper ported with the light- hearted
carelessness of military life; though it must be said that never were hour,
scene, or night more propitious for meditation. The beautiful sky of Spain
spread its dome of azure above his head. The scintillation of the stars and
the soft light of the moon illumined the delightful valley that lay at his feet.
Resting partly against an orange-tree in bloom, the young major could see,
three hundred feet below him, the town of Menda, at the base of the rock
on which the castle is built. Turning his head, he looked down upon the
sea, the sparkling waters of which encircled the landscape with a sheet of
silver.
The chateau was illuminated. The joyous uproar of a ball, the sounds
of an orchestra, the laughter of the dancers came to him, mingling with the
distant murmur of the waves. The coolness of the night gave fresh energy
to his body, that was tired with the heat of the day. Besides which, the
gardens were planted with trees so balmy and flowers so sweet, that the
young man felt as if plunged in a perfumed bath.
The chateau de Menda belonged to a grandee of Spain, who was at this
time living there with his family. During the whole evening, the eldest
daughter had looked at the young officer with an interest expressing
extreme sadness, and such passion on the part of a Spaniard
might well have caused the reverie of the Frenchman. Clara was beautiful;
and though she had three brothers and one sister, the wealth of the
Marquis de Leganes seemed sufficient to justify Victor Marchand in
believing that the young lady