20 лучших повестей на английском / 20 Best Short Novels

Three days after the sack and plunder of the place, Don Beltran was seated in the hall-court lately occupied by the proud Alfaqui, lying in his divan, dressed in his rich robes, the fountains playing in the centre, the slaves of the Moor ministering to his scarred and rugged Christian conqueror. Some fanned him with peacocks’ pinions, some danced before him, some sang Moor’s melodies to the plaintive notes of a guzla, one – it was the only daughter of the Moor’s old age, the young Zutulbe, a rosebud of beauty – sat weeping in a corner of the gilded hall: weeping for her slain brethren, the pride of Moslem chivalry, whose heads were blackening in the blazing sunshine on the portals without, and for her father, whose home had been thus made desolate.

He and his guest, the English knight Sir Wilfrid, were playing at chess, a favorite arrangement with the chivalry of the period, when a messenger was announced from Valencia, to treat, if possible, for the ransom of the remaining part of the Alfaqui’s family. A grim smile lighted up Don Beltran’s features as he bade the black slave admit the messenger. He entered. By his costume it was at once seen that the bearer of the flag of truce was a Jew – the people were employed continually then as ambassadors between the two races at war in Spain.

‘I come,’ said the old Jew (in a voice which made Sir Wilfrid start), ‘from my lord the Alfaqui to my noble señor, for the ransom the invincible Don Beltran de Cuchilla, to treat of the Moor’s only daughter, the child of his old age and the pearl of his affection.’

‘A pearl is a valuable jewel, Hebrew. What does the Moorish dog bid for her?’ asked Don Beltran, still smiling grimly.

‘The Alfaqui offers 100,000 dinars, twenty-four horses with their caparisons, twenty-four suits of plate-armor, and diamonds and rubies to the amount of 1,000,000 dinars.’

‘Ho, slaves!’ roared Don Beltran, ‘show the Jew my treasury of gold. How many hundred thousand pieces are there?’ And ten enormous chests were produced in which the accountant counted 1,000 bags of 1,000 dirhems each, and displayed several caskets of jewels containing such a treasure of rubies, smaragds, diamonds, and jacinths, as made the eyes of the aged ambassador twinkle with avarice.

‘How many horses are there in my stable?’ continued Don Beltran; and Muley, the master of the horse, numbered three hundred fully caparisoned; and there was, likewise, armor of the richest sort for as many cavaliers, who followed the banner of this doughty captain.

‘I want neither money nor armor,’ said the ferocious knight; ‘tell this to the Alfaqui, Jew. And I will keep the child, his daughter, to serve the messes for my dogs, and clean the platters for my scullions.’

‘Deprive not the old man of his child,’ here interposed the Knight of Ivanhoe: ‘bethink thee, brave Don Beltran, she is but an infant in years.’

‘She is my captive, Sir Knight,’ replied the surly Don Beltran; ‘I will do with my own as becomes me.’

‘Take 200,000 dirhems,’ cried the Jew; ‘more! – anything! The Alfaqui will give his life for his child!’

‘Come hither, Zutulbe! – come hither, thou Moorish pearl!’ yelled the ferocious warrior; ‘come closer, my pretty black-eyed hour of heathenesse! Hast heard the name of Beltran de Espada y Trabuco?’

‘There were three brothers of that name at Alarcos, and my brothers slew the Christian dogs!’ said the proud young girl, looking boldly at Don Beltran, who foamed with rage.

‘The Moors butchered my mother and her little ones, at midnight, in our castle of Murcia,’ Beltran said.

‘Thy father fled like a craven, as thou didst, Don Beltran!’ cried the high-spirited girl.

‘By Saint Jago, this is too much!’ screamed the infuriated nobleman; and the next moment there was a shriek, and the maiden fell to the ground with Don Beltran’s dagger in her side.

‘Death is better than dishonor!’ cried the child, rolling on the blood-stained marble pavement. ‘I – I spit upon thee, dog of a Christian!’ and with this, and with a savage laugh, she fell back and died.

‘Bear back this news, Jew, to the Alfaqui,’ howled the Don, spurning the beauteous corpse with his foot. ‘I would not have ransomed her for all the gold in Barbary!’ And shuddering, the old Jew left the apartment, which Ivanhoe quitted likewise.

When they were in the outer court, the knight said to the Jew, ‘Isaac of York, dost thou not know me?’ and threw back his hood, and looked at the old man.

The old Jew stared wildly, rushed forward as if to seize his hand, then started back, trembling convulsively, and clutching his withered hands over his face, said, with a burst of grief, ‘Sir Wilfrid of Ivanhoe! – no, no! – I do not know thee!’

‘Holy mother! what has chanced?’ said Ivanhoe, in his turn becoming ghastly pale; ‘where is thy daughter – where is Rebecca?’

‘Away from me!’ said the old Jew, tottering. ‘Away! Rebecca is – dead!’