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the horse and his boy_c·s·刘易斯-第12部分

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ll  find cair paravel; most likely with open gates; and ride in。 i shall exercise  prudence and courtesy and spill as little narnian blood as i can。 and what then remains but to  sit there till the splendour hyaline puts in; with queen susan on board; catch my strayed bird  as she sets foot ashore; swing her into the saddle; and then; ride; ride; ride back to  anvard?鈥

〃but is it not probable; o my son;〃 said the tisroc; 〃that at the taking of  the woman either king edmund or you will lose his life?鈥

〃they will be a small pany;〃 said rsh; 〃and i will order ten of my  men to disarm and bind him: restraining my vehement desire for his blood so that  there shall be no deadly cause of war between you and the high king。鈥

〃and how if the splendour hyaline is at cair paravel before you?鈥

〃i do not look for that with these winds; o my father。鈥

〃and lastly; o my resourceful son;〃 said the tisroc; 〃you have made clear  how all this might give you the barbarian woman; but not how it helps me to the over… throwing of narnia。鈥

〃o my father; can it have escaped you that though i and my horsemen will  e and go through narnia like an arrow from a bow; yet we shall have anvard for ever?  and when you hold anvard you sit in the very gate of narnia; and your garrison in  anvard can be increased by little and little till it is a great host。鈥

〃it is spoken with understanding and foresight。 but how do i draw back my  arm if all this miscarries?鈥

〃you shall say that i; did it without your knowledge and against your will;  and without your blessing; being constrained by the violence of my love and the  impetuosity of youth。鈥

〃and how if the high king then demands that we send back the barbarian  woman; his sister?鈥

〃o my father; be assured that he will not。 for though the fancy of a woman  has rejected this marriage; the high king peter is a man of prudence and understanding  who will in no way wish to lose the high honour and advantage of being allied to our  house and seeing his nephew and grand nephew on the throne of calormen。鈥

〃he will not see that if i live for ever as is no doubt your wish;〃 said  the tisroc in an even drier voice than usual。

〃and also; o my father and o the delight of my eyes;〃 said the prince;  after a moment of awkward silence; 〃we shall write letters as if from the queen to say that  she loves me and has no desire to return to narnia。 for it is well known that women are as  changeable as weathercocks。 and even if they do not wholly believe the letters; they will  not dare to e to tashbaan in arms to fetch her。鈥

〃o enlightened vizier;〃 said the tisroc; 〃bestow your wisdom upon us  concerning this strange proposal。鈥

〃o eternal tisroc;〃 answered ahosta; 〃the strength of paternal affection is  not unknown to me and i have often heard that sons are in the eyes of their fathers  more precious than carbuncles。 how then shall i dare freely to unfold to you my mind in a  matter which may imperil the life of this exalted prince?鈥

〃undoubtedly you will dare;〃 replied the tisroc。

〃because you will find that the dangers of not doing so are at least  equally great。鈥

〃to hear is to obey;〃 moaned the wretched man。 〃know then; o most  reasonable tisroc; in the first place; that the danger of the prince is not altogether so  great as might appear。

for the gods have withheld from the barbarians the light of discretion; as  that their poetry is not; like ours; full of choice apophthegms and useful maxims; but is all  of love and war。 therefore nothing will appear to them more noble and admirable than  such a mad enterprise as this of ow!〃 for the prince; at the word 〃mad〃; had kicked  him again。

〃desist; o my son;〃 said the tisroc。 〃and you; estimable vizier; whether he  desists or not; by no means allow the flow of your eloquence to be interrupted。 for  nothing is more suitable to persons of gravity and decorum than to endure minor  inconveniences with constancy。鈥

〃to hear is to obey;〃 said the vizier; wriggling himself round a little so  as to get his hinder parts further away from rshs toe。 〃nothing; i say; will seem  as pardonable; if not estimable; in their eyes as this … er … hazardous attempt;  especially because it is undertaken for the love of a woman。 therefore; if the prince by misfortune  fell into their hands; they would assuredly not kill him。 nay; it may even be; that though  he failed to  

carry off the queen; yet the sight of his great valour and of the extremity  of his passion might incline her heart to him。鈥

〃that is a good point; old babbler;〃 said rsh。 〃very good; however it  came into your ugly head。鈥

〃the praise of my masters is the light of my eyes;〃 said ahoshta。 〃and  secondly; o tisroc; whose reign must and shall be interminable; i think that with the  aid of the gods it is very likely that anvard will fall into the princes hands。 and if so; we  have narnia by the throat。鈥

there was a long pause and the room became so silent that the two girls  hardly dared to breathe。 at last the tisroc spoke。

〃go; my son;〃 he said。 〃and do as you have said。 but expect no help nor  countenance from me。 i will not avenge you if you are killed and i will not deliver you  if the barbarians cast you into prison。 and if; either in success or failure; you  shed a drop more than you need of narnian noble blood and open war arises from it; my favour  shall never fall upon you again and your next brother shall have your place in  calormen。 now go。 be swift; secret; and fortunate。 may the strength of tash the inexorable; the  irresistible be in your sword and lance。鈥

〃to hear is to obey;〃 cried rsh; and after kneeling for a moment to  kiss his fathers hands he rushed from the room。 greatly to the disappointment of aravis; who  was now horribly cramped; the tisroc and vizier remained。

〃o vizier;〃 said the tisroc; 〃is it certain that no living soul knows of  this council we three have held here tonight?鈥

〃o my master;〃 said ahoshta; 〃it is not possible that any should know。 for  that very reason i proposed; and you in your wisdom agreed; that we should meet here  in the old palace where no council is ever held and none of the household has any  occasion to e。鈥

〃it is well;〃 said the tisroc。 〃if any man knew; i would see to it that he  died before an hour had passed。 and do you also; o prudent vizier; forget it。 i sponge  away from my own heart and from yours all knowledge of the princes plans。 he is gone  without my knowledge or my consent; i know not whither; because of his violence and  the rash and disobedient disposition of youth。 no man will be more astonished than you  and i to hear that anvard is in his hands。鈥

〃to hear is to obey;〃 said ahoshta。

〃that is why you will never think even in your secret heart that i am the  hardest hearted of fathers who thus send my first…born son on an errand so likely to be his  death; pleasing as it must be to you who do not love the prince。 for 1 see into the bottom  of your mind。鈥

〃o impeccable tisroc;〃 said the vizier。 〃in parison with you i love  neither the prince nor my own life nor bread nor water nor the light of the sun。鈥

〃your sentiments;〃 said the tisroc; 〃are elevated and correct。 i also love  none of these things in parison with the glory and strength of my throne。 if the  prince succeeds; we have archenland; and perhaps hereafter narnia。 if he fails … i have  eighteen other sons and rsh; after the manner of the eldest sons of kings; was beginning  to be dangerous。 more than five tisrocs in tashbaan have died before their time  because their eldest sons; enlightened princes; grew tired of waiting for their throne。  he had better cool his blood abroad than boil it in inaction here。 and now; o excellent  vizier; the excess of my paternal anxiety inclines me to sleep。 mand the musicians to my  chamber。 but before you lie down; call back the pardon we wrote for the third cook。 i  feel within me the manifest prognostics of indigestion。鈥

〃to hear is to obey;〃 said the grand vizier。 he crawled backwards on all  fours to the door; rose; bowed; and went out。 even then the tisroc remained seated in  silence on the divan till aravis almost began to be afraid that he had dropped asleep。 but  at last with a great creaking and sighing he heaved up his enormous body; signed to the  slaves to precede him with the lights; and went out。 the door closed behind him; the  room was once more totally dark; and the two girls could breathe freely again。

w w w。x iaoshu otx t。c o m



CHAPTER NINE

灏弤璇磣t。xt‘澶﹡鍫
across the desert  〃hove dreadful! how perfectly dreadful!〃 whimpered lasaraleen。 〃oh darling;  i am so frightened。 im shaking all over。 feel me。鈥

〃e on;〃 said aravis; who was trembling herself。 〃theyve gone back to  the new palace。 once were out of this room were safe enough。 but its wasted a  terrible time。 get me down to that water…gate as quick as you can。鈥

〃darling; how can you?〃 squeaked lasaraleen。 〃i cant do anything … not  now。 my poor nerves! no: we must just lie still a bit and then go back。鈥

〃why back?〃 asked aravis。

〃oh; you dont understand。 youre so unsympathetic;〃 said lasaraleen;  beginning to cry。

aravis decided it was no occasion for mercy。

〃look here!〃 she said; catching lasaraleen and giving her a good shake。 〃if  you say another word about going back; and if you dont start taking me to that  water…gate at once  

… do you know what ill do? ill rush out into that passage and scream。  then well both be caught。鈥

〃but we shall both be k…k…killed!〃 said lasaraleen。 〃didnt you hear what  the tisroc (may he live for ever) said?鈥

〃yes; and id sooner be killed than married to ahoshta。 so e on。鈥

〃oh you are unkind;〃 said lasaraleen。 〃and i in such a state!鈥

but in the end she had to give in to aravis。 she led the way down the steps  they had already descended; and along another corridor and so finally out into the  open air。 they were now in the palace garden which sloped down in terraces to the city  wall。 the moon shone brightly。 one of the drawbacks about adventures is that when you e  to the most beautiful places you are often too anxious and hurried to appreciate them;  so that aravis (though she remembered them years later) had only a vague impression of  grey lawns; quietly bubbling fountains; and the long black shadows of cypress trees。

when they re〃ached the very bottom and the wall rose frowning above them;  lasaraleen was shaking so that she could not unbolt the gate。 aravis did it。 there; at  last; was the river; full of reflected moonlight; and a little landing stage and a few  pleasure boats。

〃good…bye;〃 said aravis; 〃and thank you。 im sorry if ive been a pig。 but  think what im flying from!鈥

〃oh aravis darling;〃 said lasaraleen。 〃wont you change your mind? now that  youve seen what a very great man ahoshta is!鈥

〃great man!〃 said aravis。 〃a hideous grovelling slave who flatters when  hes kicked but treasures it all up and hopes to get his own back by egging on that  horrible tisroc to plot his sons death。 faugh! id sooner marry my fathers scullion than a  creature like that。鈥

〃oh aravis; aravis! how can you say such dreadful things; and about the  tisroc (may he live for ever) too。 it must be right if hes going to do it!鈥

〃good…bye;〃 said aravis; 〃and i thought your dresses lovely。 and i think  your house is lovely too。 im sure youll have a lovely life … though it wouldnt suit  me。 close the door softly behind me。鈥

she tore herself away from her friends affectionate embraces; stepped into  a punt; cast off; and a moment later was out in midstream with a huge real moon overhead  and a huge reflected moon down; deep down; in the river。 the air was fresh and cool  and as she drew near the farther bank she heard the hooting of an owl。 〃ah! thats better!〃  thought aravis。 she had always lived in the country and had hated every minute of  her time in tashbaan。

when she stepped ashore she found herself in darkness for the rise of the  ground; and the trees; cut off the moonlight。 but she managed to find the same road that  shasta had found; and came just as he had done to the end of。 the grass and the  beginning of the sand; and looked (like him) to her left and saw t
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