《能言馬與男孩》第46期:在蒂斯羅克的密室裏(6)

"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."
"To hear is to obey," cried Rabadash, and after kneeling for a moment to kiss his father's 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?"
"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 come."
"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 Prince's 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."
"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."
"O impeccable Tisroc," said the Vizier. "In comparison with you I love neither the Prince nor my own life nor bread nor water nor the light of the sun."
"Your sentiments," said the Tisroc, "are elevated and correct. I also love none of these things in comparison 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 Rabadash, 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. Command 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."
"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.

“去吧，我的兒子，”他說道，”按照你所說的計劃去幹吧。然而，別指望我給你支援和鼓勵。如果你被殺害了，我不會替你報仇雪恨，如果外邦人把你關進監獄，我也不會營救你。而且，不論成敗，如果你超過必要性而多流了一滴納尼亞人的血，因此引起兩國公開的戰爭，我的寵愛將永遠不再落到你的身上，你的大弟弟將取代你在卡樂門的地位。現在你去吧。要幹得迅速、祕密、順利。願堅定不屈、不可抗拒的塔什神的力量，附在你的刀劍和長矛上。”
“聽到命令，就遵命照辦。”拉巴達什大聲說道，他跪下來吻一會兒他父親的雙手，之後便衝出房間去了。阿拉維斯現在是被可怕地束縛住了，使她大爲失望的是，蒂斯羅克和大臣竟留下不走。
“大臣啊，”蒂斯羅克問道，”今夜我們三個人在這裏舉行的會議，你可以肯定沒有一個活人知道嗎?”
“我的聖上啊，”阿霍什塔答道，”不可能有什麼人會知道的。出於這個理由，我建議，並且由一貫正確的聖上批准，我們應在老王宮這個房間裏開會，以前這兒從未開過會，家庭裏也沒有任何人有什麼機會來過這兒。”"
“這就妥了，”蒂斯羅克說，”如果有什麼人知道了，務必叫他在一個鐘頭之內死去。謹慎的大臣啊，你也得把它忘掉。我從我的心裏，也從你的心裏，把我們所知道的王子的計劃，統統消滅乾淨了。他去了，可我不知道，也沒有得到我的同意，我也不知道他到哪兒去了，這都是由於他年少氣盛，狂暴，魯莽，不聽話。至於聽說安瓦德落到了他手裏，沒有人將比你和我更感到驚訝。”
“聽到命令，就遵命照辦。”阿霍什塔說道。
“那就是爲什麼你(即使在你最祕密的內心)也永遠不會想到我是父親中心腸最硬的，竟派我的長子去完成一個幾乎等於叫他去送死的使命，我這麼做必定使你感到高興，你可並不愛王子啊。因爲我看到了你的內心深處。”
“毫無瑕疵的蒂斯羅克啊，”大臣說道，”同聖上相比，我既不愛王子，也不愛我自己的生命，也不愛麪包、水和陽光。”
“你的情操，”蒂斯羅克說道，”是高尚而正確的。同王位的光榮和威力相比，這些個東西我也一點兒不愛。如果王子成功了，我們就佔領了阿欽蘭，也許以後還要佔領納尼亞。如果他失敗了，我還有十八個兒子；而拉巴達什呢，爲人處世依照國王長子的老作風，正在開始變得危險起來了。塔什班城裏有五個以上的蒂斯羅克，都已早死，未能享受他們的天年，因爲他們的長子，開明的王子，都變得對王位迫不及待了。他在國外使自己的血液冷靜下來，較之在國內無所事事而弄得血液沸騰要好得多。啊，傑出的首相，作爲父親，過分的焦慮使我累得想睡覺了。請囑咐樂師們到我的寢宮裏來吧。但躺下之前，要把我們寫給第三個廚子的赦罪書追回來。我感覺到我肚子裏有明顯的消化不良症候。”
“聽到命令，就遵命照辦。”首相說道。他雙手雙足着地，倒退着爬行到房門口，這才站起身來，鞠躬如也，退出去了。即使在這個時候，蒂斯羅克也仍舊默默地坐在長沙發上，一直坐到阿拉維斯開始擔心他說不定已經沉沉入睡。但最後，隨着一陣吱吱嘎嘎的聲音和一聲嘆息，他擡起他龐大的軀體，做手勢叫奴隸掌着燭火走在他前面。然後他就走出去了。房門在他背後砰地關上，房間裏再一次漆黑一團，兩個姑娘倒能夠重新自由呼吸了。