第4章

类别:其他 作者:Edgar Rice Burroughs字数:9662更新时间:18/12/18 14:20:43
RokoffspieduponTarzanalmostconstantly,waitingforthetimethatheshouldcallattheDeCoudepalaceatnight,butinthishewasdoomedtodisappointment。OnseveraloccasionsTarzanaccompaniedthecountesstoherhomeaftertheopera,butheinvariablyleftherattheentrance——muchtothedisgustofthelady’sdevotedbrother。 FindingthatitseemedimpossibletotrapTarzanthroughanyvoluntaryactofhisown,RokoffandPaulvitchputtheirheadstogethertohatchaplanthatwouldtraptheape—maninallthecircumstantialevidenceofacompromisingposition。 FordaystheywatchedthepapersaswellasthemovementsofDeCoudeandTarzan。Atlengththeywererewarded。 AmorningpapermadebriefmentionofasmokerthatwastobegivenonthefollowingeveningbytheGermanminister。 DeCoude’snamewasamongthoseoftheinvitedguests。 Ifheattendedthismeantthathewouldbeabsentfromhishomeuntilaftermidnight。 OnthenightofthebanquetPaulvitchwaitedatthecurbbeforetheresidenceoftheGermanminister,wherehecouldscanthefaceofeachguestthatarrived。HehadnotlongtowaitbeforeDeCoudedescendedfromhiscarandpassedhim。 Thatwasenough。Paulvitchhastenedbacktohisquarters,whereRokoffawaitedhim。Theretheywaiteduntilaftereleven,thenPaulvitchtookdownthereceiveroftheirtelephone。 Hecalledanumber。 \"TheapartmentsofLieutenantD’Arnot?\"heasked,whenhehadobtainedhisconnection。 \"AmessageforMonsieurTarzan,ifhewillbesokindastosteptothetelephone。\" Foraminutetherewassilence。 \"MonsieurTarzan?\" \"Ah,yes,monsieur,thisisFrancois——intheserviceoftheCountessdeCoude。PossiblymonsieurdoespoorFrancoisthehonortorecallhim——yes? \"Yes,monsieur。Ihaveamessage,anurgentmessagefromthecountess。Sheasksthatyouhastentoheratonce——sheisintrouble,monsieur。 \"No,monsieur,poorFrancoisdoesnotknow。ShallI tellmadamethatmonsieurwillbehereshortly? \"Thankyou,monsieur。ThegoodGodwillblessyou。\" PaulvitchhungupthereceiverandturnedtogrinatRokoff。 \"Itwilltakehimthirtyminutestogetthere。IfyoureachtheGermanminister’sinfifteen,DeCoudeshouldarriveathishomeinaboutforty—fiveminutes。Italldependsuponwhetherthefoolwillremainfifteenminutesafterhefindsthatatrickhasbeenplayeduponhim;butunlessIammistakenOlgawillbeloathtolethimgoinsoshortatimeasthat。HereisthenoteforDeCoude。Hasten!\" PaulvitchlostnotimeinreachingtheGermanminister’s。 Atthedoorhehandedthenotetoafootman。\"ThisisfortheCountdeCoude。Itisveryurgent。Youmustseethatitisplacedinhishandsatonce,\"andhedroppedapieceofsilverintothewillinghandoftheservant。Thenhereturnedtohisquarters。 AmomentlaterDeCoudewasapologizingtohishostashetoreopentheenvelope。Whathereadlefthisfacewhiteandhishandtrembling。 MONSIEURLECOUNTDECOUDE: Onewhowishestosavethehonorofyournametakesthismeanstowarnyouthatthesanctityofyourhomeisthisminuteinjeopardy。 Acertainmanwhoformonthshasbeenaconstantvisitorthereduringyourabsenceisnowwithyourwife。Ifyougoatoncetoyourcountess’boudoiryouwillfindthemtogether。 AFRIEND。 TwentyminutesafterPaulvitchhadcalledTarzan,RokoffobtainedaconnectionwithOlga’sprivateline。Hermaidansweredthetelephonewhichwasinthecountess’boudoir。 \"Butmadamehasretired,\"saidthemaid,inanswertoRokoff’srequesttospeakwithher。 \"Thisisaveryurgentmessageforthecountess’earsalone,\"repliedRokoff。\"Tellherthatshemustariseandslipsomethingaboutherandcometothetelephone。Ishallcallupagaininfiveminutes。\"Thenhehunguphisreceiver。 AmomentlaterPaulvitchentered。 \"Thecounthasthemessage?\"askedRokoff。 \"Heshouldbeonhiswaytohishomebynow,\"repliedPaulvitch。 \"Good!Myladywillbesittinginherboudoir,verymuchinnegligee,aboutnow。InaminutethefaithfulJacqueswillescortMonsieurTarzanintoherpresencewithoutannouncinghim。 Itwilltakeafewminutesforexplanations。Olgawilllookveryalluringinthefilmycreationthatishernight— dress,andtheclingingrobewhichbuthalfconcealsthecharmsthattheformerdoesnotconcealatall。Olgawillbesurprised,butnotdispleased。 \"Ifthereisadropofredbloodinthemanthecountwillbreakinuponaveryprettylovesceneinaboutfifteenminutesfromnow。Ithinkwehaveplannedmarvelously,mydearAlexis。LetusgooutanddrinktotheverygoodhealthofMonsieurTarzaninsomeofoldPlancon’sunparalleledabsinth;notforgettingthattheCountdeCoudeisoneofthebestswordsmeninParis,andbyfarthebestshotinallFrance。\" WhenTarzanreachedOlga’s,Jacqueswasawaitinghimattheentrance。 \"Thisway,Monsieur,\"hesaid,andledthewayupthebroad,marblestaircase。Inanothermomenthehadopenedadoor,and,drawingasideaheavycurtain,obsequiouslybowedTarzanintoadimlylightedapartment。ThenJacquesvanished。 AcrosstheroomfromhimTarzansawOlgaseatedbeforealittledeskonwhichstoodhertelephone。Shewastappingimpatientlyuponthepolishedsurfaceofthedesk。Shehadnotheardhimenter。 \"Olga,\"hesaid,\"whatiswrong?\" Sheturnedtowardhimwithalittlecryofalarm。 \"Jean!\"shecried。\"Whatareyoudoinghere? Whoadmittedyou?Whatdoesitmean?\" Tarzanwasthunderstruck,butinaninstantherealizedapartofthetruth。 \"Thenyoudidnotsendforme,Olga?\" \"Sendforyouatthistimeofnight?MONDIEU!Jean,doyouthinkthatIamquitemad?\" \"Francoistelephonedmetocomeatonce;thatyouwereintroubleandwantedme。\" \"Francois?WhointheworldisFrancois?\" \"Hesaidthathewasinyourservice。HespokeasthoughIshouldrecallthefact。\" \"Thereisnoonebythatnameinmyemploy。Someonehasplayedajokeuponyou,Jean,\"andOlgalaughed。 \"Ifearthatitmaybeamostsinister`joke,’Olga,\"hereplied。 \"Thereismorebackofitthanhumor。\" \"Whatdoyoumean?Youdonotthinkthat——\" \"Whereisthecount?\"heinterrupted。 \"AttheGermanambassador’s。\" \"Thisisanothermovebyyourestimablebrother。 Tomorrowthecountwillhearofit。Hewillquestiontheservants。Everythingwillpointto——towhatRokoffwishesthecounttothink。\" \"Thescoundrel!\"criedOlga。Shehadarisen,andcomeclosetoTarzan,whereshestoodlookingupintohisface。 Shewasveryfrightened。Inhereyeswasanexpressionthatthehunterseesinthoseofapoor,terrifieddoe——puzzled——questioning。 Shetrembled,andtosteadyherselfraisedherhandstohisbroadshoulders。\"Whatshallwedo,Jean?\"shewhispered。 \"Itisterrible。TomorrowallPariswillreadofit——hewillseetothat。\" Herlook,herattitude,herwordswereeloquentoftheage— oldappealofdefenselesswomantohernaturalprotector——man。 Tarzantookoneofthewarmlittlehandsthatlayonhisbreastinhisownstrongone。Theactwasquiteinvoluntary,andalmostequallysowastheinstinctofprotectionthatthrewashelteringarmaroundthegirl’sshoulders。 Theresultwaselectrical。Neverbeforehadhebeensoclosetoher。Instartledguilttheylookedsuddenlyintoeachother’seyes,andwhereOlgadeCoudeshouldhavebeenstrongshewasweak,forshecreptcloserintotheman’sarms,andclaspedherownabouthisneck。AndTarzanoftheApes? Hetookthepantingfigureintohismightyarms,andcoveredthehotlipswithkisses。 RaouldeCoudemadehurriedexcusestohishostafterhehadreadthenotehandedhimbytheambassador’sbutler。 Neverafterwardcouldherecallthenatureoftheexcuseshemade。Everythingwasquiteablurtohimuptothetimethathestoodonthethresholdofhisownhome。 Thenhebecameverycool,movingquietlyandwithcaution。 ForsomeinexplicablereasonJacqueshadthedooropenbeforehewashalfwaytothesteps。Itdidnotstrikehimatthetimeasbeingunusual,thoughafterwardheremarkedit。 Verysoftlyhetiptoedupthestairsandalongthegallerytothedoorofhiswife’sboudoir。Inhishandwasaheavywalkingstick——inhisheart,murder。 Olgawasthefirsttoseehim。WithahorrifiedshriekshetoreherselffromTarzan’sarms,andtheape—manturnedjustintimetowardwithhisarmaterrificblowthatDeCoudehadaimedathishead。Once,twice,threetimestheheavystickfellwithlightningrapidity,andeachblowaidedinthetransitionoftheape—manbacktotheprimordial。 Withthelow,gutturalsnarlofthebullapehesprangfortheFrenchman。Thegreatstickwastornfromhisgraspandbrokenintwoasthoughithadbeenmatchwood,tobeflungasideasthenowinfuriatedbeastchargedforhisadversary’sthroat。 OlgadeCoudestoodahorrifiedspectatoroftheterriblescenewhichensuedduringthenextbriefmoment,thenshesprangtowhereTarzanwasmurderingherhusband—— chokingthelifefromhim——shakinghimasaterriermightshakearat。 Franticallyshetoreathisgreathands。\"MotherofGod!\"shecried。\"Youarekillinghim,youarekillinghim! Oh,Jean,youarekillingmyhusband!\" Tarzanwasdeafwithrage。Suddenlyhehurledthebodytothefloor,and,placinghisfootupontheupturnedbreast,raisedhishead。ThenthroughthepalaceoftheCountdeCouderangtheawesomechallengeofthebullapethathasmadeakill。Fromcellartoatticthehorridsoundsearchedouttheservants,andleftthemblanchedandtrembling。 Thewomanintheroomsanktoherkneesbesidethebodyofherhusband,andprayed。 SlowlytheredmistfadedfrombeforeTarzan’seyes。 Thingsbegantotakeform——hewasregainingtheperspectiveofcivilizedman。Hiseyesfelluponthefigureofthekneelingwoman。 \"Olga,\"hewhispered。Shelookedup,expectingtoseethemaniacallightofmurderintheeyesaboveher。 Insteadshesawsorrowandcontrition。 \"Oh,Jean!\"shecried。\"Seewhatyouhavedone。Hewasmyhusband。Ilovedhim,andyouhavekilledhim。\" VerygentlyTarzanraisedthelimpformoftheCountdeCoudeandboreittoacouch。Thenheputhiseartotheman’sbreast。 \"Somebrandy,Olga,\"hesaid。 Shebroughtit,andtogethertheyforceditbetweenhislips。 Presentlyafaintgaspcamefromthewhitelips。 Theheadturned,andDeCoudegroaned。 \"Hewillnotdie,\"saidTarzan。\"ThankGod!\" \"Whydidyoudoit,Jean?\"sheasked。 \"Idonotknow。Hestruckme,andIwentmad。Ihaveseentheapesofmytribedothesamething。Ihavenevertoldyoumystory,Olga。Itwouldhavebeenbetterhadyouknownit——thismightnothavehappened。Ineversawmyfather。 TheonlymotherIknewwasaferociousshe—ape。UntilIwasfifteenIhadneverseenahumanbeing。IwastwentybeforeIsawawhiteman。AlittlemorethanayearagoIwasanakedbeastofpreyinanAfricanjungle。 \"Donotjudgemetooharshly。Twoyearsistooshortatimeinwhichtoattempttoworkthechangeinanindividualthatithastakencountlessagestoaccomplishinthewhiterace。\" \"Idonotjudgeatall,Jean。Thefaultismine。 Youmustgonow——hemustnotfindyouherewhenheregainsconsciousness。Good—by。\" ItwasasorrowfulTarzanwhowalkedwithbowedheadfromthepalaceoftheCountdeCoude。 Onceoutsidehisthoughtstookdefiniteshape,totheendthattwentyminuteslaterheenteredapolicestationnotfarfromtheRueMaule。Herehesoonfoundoneoftheofficerswithwhomhehadhadtheencounterseveralweeksprevious。Thepolicemanwasgenuinelygladtoseeagainthemanwhohadsoroughlyhandledhim。AfteramomentofconversationTarzanaskedifhehadeverheardofNikolasRokofforAlexisPaulvitch。 \"Veryoften,indeed,monsieur。Eachhasapolicerecord,andwhilethereisnothingchargedagainstthemnow,wemakeitapointtoknowprettywellwheretheymaybefoundshouldtheoccasiondemand。Itisonlythesameprecautionthatwetakewitheveryknowncriminal。Whydoesmonsieurask?\" \"Theyareknowntome,\"repliedTarzan。\"IwishtoseeMonsieurRokoffonalittlematterofbusiness。IfyoucandirectmetohislodgingsIshallappreciateit。\" Afewminuteslaterhebadethepolicemanadieu,and,withaslipofpaperinhispocketbearingacertainaddressinasemirespectablequarter,hewalkedbrisklytowardthenearesttaxistand。 RokoffandPaulvitchhadreturnedtotheirrooms,andweresittingtalkingovertheprobableoutcomeoftheevening’sevents。TheyhadtelephonedtotheofficesoftwoofthemorningpapersfromwhichtheymomentarilyexpectedrepresentativestohearthefirstreportofthescandalthatwastostirsocialParisonthemorrow。 Aheavystepsoundedonthestairway。\"Ah,butthesenewspapermenareprompt,\"exclaimedRokoff,andasaknockfelluponthedooroftheirroom:\"Enter,monsieur。\" ThesmileofwelcomefrozeupontheRussian’sfaceashelookedintothehard,grayeyesofhisvisitor。 \"Nameofaname!\"heshouted,springingtohisfeet,\"Whatbringsyouhere!\" \"Sitdown!\"saidTarzan,solowthatthemencouldbarelycatchthewords,butinatonethatbroughtRokofftohischair,andkeptPaulvitchinhis。 \"Youknowwhathasbroughtmehere,\"hecontinued,inthesamelowtone。\"Itshouldbetokillyou,butbecauseyouareOlgadeCoude’sbrotherIshallnotdothat——now。 \"Ishallgiveyouachanceforyourlives。Paulvitchdoesnotcountmuch——heismerelyastupid,foolishlittletool,andsoIshallnotkillhimsolongasIpermityoutolive。 BeforeIleaveyoutwoaliveinthisroomyouwillhavedonetwothings。Thefirstwillbetowriteafullconfessionofyourconnectionwithtonight’splot——andsignit。 \"Thesecondwillbetopromisemeuponpainofdeaththatyouwillpermitnowordofthisaffairtogetintothenewspapers。 Ifyoudonotdoboth,neitherofyouwillbealivewhenI passnextthroughthatdoorway。Doyouunderstand?\" And,withoutwaitingforareply:\"Makehaste;thereisinkbeforeyou,andpaperandapen。\" Rokoffassumedatruculentair,attemptingbybravadotoshowhowlittlehefearedTarzan’sthreats。Aninstantlaterhefelttheape—man’ssteelfingersathisthroat,andPaulvitch,whoattemptedtododgethemandreachthedoor,wasliftedcompletelyoffthefloor,andhurledsenselessintoacorner。WhenRokoffcommencedtoblackenaboutthefaceTarzanreleasedhisholdandshovedthefellowbackintohischair。AfteramomentofcoughingRokoffsatsullenlyglaringatthemanstandingoppositehim。PresentlyPaulvitchcametohimself,andlimpedpainfullybacktohischairatTarzan’scommand。 \"Nowwrite,\"saidtheape—man。\"IfitisnecessarytohandleyouagainIshallnotbesolenient。\" Rokoffpickedupapenandcommencedtowrite。 \"Seethatyouomitnodetail,andthatyoumentioneveryname,\"cautionedTarzan。 Presentlytherewasaknockatthedoor。\"Enter,\"saidTarzan。 Adapperyoungmancamein。\"IamfromtheMATIN,\" heannounced。\"IunderstandthatMonsieurRokoffhasastoryforme。\" \"Thenyouaremistaken,monsieur,\"repliedTarzan。 \"Youhavenostoryforpublication,haveyou,mydearNikolas。\" Rokofflookedupfromhiswritingwithanuglyscowluponhisface。 \"No,\"hegrowled,\"Ihavenostoryforpublication——now。\" \"Norever,mydearNikolas,\"andthereporterdidnotseethenastylightintheape—man’seye;butNikolasRokoffdid。 \"Norever,\"herepeatedhastily。 \"Itistoobadthatmonsieurhasbeentroubled,\"saidTarzan,turningtothenewspaperman。\"Ibidmonsieurgoodevening,\"andhebowedthedapperyoungmanoutoftheroom,andclosedthedoorinhisface。 AnhourlaterTarzan,witharatherbulkymanuscriptinhiscoatpocket,turnedatthedoorleadingfromRokoff’sroom。 \"WereIyouIshouldleaveFrance,\"hesaid,\"forsoonerorlaterIshallfindanexcusetokillyouthatwillnotinanywaycompromiseyoursister。\" Chapter6 ADuelD’ArnotwasasleepwhenTarzanenteredtheirapartmentsafterleavingRokoff’s。Tarzandidnotdisturbhim,butthefollowingmorninghenarratedthehappeningsofthepreviousevening,omittingnotasingledetail。 \"WhatafoolIhavebeen,\"heconcluded。\"DeCoudeandhiswifewerebothmyfriends。HowhaveIreturnedtheirfriendship?BarelydidIescapemurderingthecount。Ihavecastastigmaonthenameofagoodwoman。ItisveryprobablethatIhavebrokenupahappyhome。\" \"DoyouloveOlgadeCoude?\"askedD’Arnot。 \"WereInotpositivethatshedoesnotlovemeIcouldnotansweryourquestion,Paul;butwithoutdisloyaltytoherI tellyouthatIdonotloveher,nordoessheloveme。Foraninstantwewerethevictimsofasuddenmadness——itwasnotlove——anditwouldhaveleftus,unharmed,assuddenlyasithadcomeuponuseventhoughDeCoudehadnotreturned。 Asyouknow,Ihavehadlittleexperienceofwomen。OlgadeCoudeisverybeautiful;that,andthedimlightandtheseductivesurroundings,andtheappealofthedefenselessforprotection,mighthavebeenresistedbyamorecivilizedman,butmycivilizationisnotevenskindeep——itdoesnotgodeeperthanmyclothes。 \"Parisisnoplaceforme。Iwillbutcontinuetostumbleintomoreandmoreseriouspitfalls。Theman—maderestrictionsareirksome。IfeelalwaysthatIamaprisoner。 Icannotendureit,myfriend,andsoIthinkthatIshallgobacktomyownjungle,andleadthelifethatGodintendedthatIshouldleadwhenHeputmethere。\" \"Donottakeitsotoheart,Jean,\"respondedD’Arnot。 \"Youhaveacquittedyourselfmuchbetterthanmost`civilized’menwouldhaveundersimilarcircumstances。 AstoleavingParisatthistime,IratherthinkthatRaouldeCoudemaybeexpectedtohavesomethingtosayonthatsubjectbeforelong。\" NorwasD’Arnotmistaken。AweeklateronMonsieurFlaubertwasannouncedabouteleveninthemorning,asD’ArnotandTarzanwerebreakfasting。MonsieurFlaubertwasanimpressivelypolitegentleman。WithmanylowbowshedeliveredMonsieurleCountdeCoude’schallengetoMonsieurTarzan。 WouldmonsieurbesoverykindastoarrangetohaveafriendmeetMonsieurFlaubertatasearlyanhourasconvenient,thatthedetailsmightbearrangedtothemutualsatisfactionofallconcerned? Certainly。MonsieurTarzanwouldbedelightedtoplacehisinterestsunreservedlyinthehandsofhisfriend,LieutenantD’Arnot。AndsoitwasarrangedthatD’ArnotwastocallonMonsieurFlaubertattwothatafternoon,andthepoliteMonsieurFlaubert,withmanybows,leftthem。 WhentheywereagainaloneD’ArnotlookedquizzicallyatTarzan。 \"Well?\"hesaid。 \"NowtomysinsImustaddmurder,orelsemyselfbekilled,\" saidTarzan。\"Iamprogressingrapidlyinthewaysofmycivilizedbrothers。\" \"Whatweaponsshallyouselect?\"askedD’Arnot。 \"DeCoudeisaccreditedwithbeingamasterwiththesword,andasplendidshot。\" \"Imightthenchoosepoisonedarrowsattwentypaces,orspearsatthesamedistance,\"laughedTarzan。 \"Makeitpistols,Paul。\" \"Hewillkillyou,Jean。\" \"Ihavenodoubtofit,\"repliedTarzan。\"Imustdiesomeday。\" \"Wehadbettermakeitswords,\"saidD’Arnot。\"Hewillbesatisfiedwithwoundingyou,andthereislessdangerofamortalwound。\" \"Pistols,\"saidTarzan,withfinality。 D’Arnottriedtoarguehimoutofit,butwithoutavail,sopistolsitwas。 D’ArnotreturnedfromhisconferencewithMonsieurFlaubertshortlyafterfour。 \"Itisallarranged,\"hesaid。\"Everythingissatisfactory。 Tomorrowmorningatdaylight——thereisasecludedspotontheroadnotfarfromEtamps。ForsomepersonalreasonMonsieurFlaubertpreferredit。Ididnotdemur。\" \"Good!\"wasTarzan’sonlycomment。Hedidnotrefertothematteragainevenindirectly。Thatnighthewroteseverallettersbeforeheretired。AftersealingandaddressingthemheplacedthemallinanenvelopeaddressedtoD’Arnot。 AsheundressedD’Arnotheardhimhummingamusic—hallditty。 TheFrenchmansworeunderhisbreath。Hewasveryunhappy,forhewaspositivethatwhenthesunrosethenextmorningitwouldlookdownuponadeadTarzan。ItgrateduponhimtoseeTarzansounconcerned。 \"Thisisamostuncivilizedhourforpeopletokilleachother,\"remarkedtheape—manwhenhehadbeenroutedoutofacomfortablebedintheblacknessoftheearlymorninghours。 Hehadsleptwell,andsoitseemedthathisheadscarcelytouchedthepillowerehismandeferentiallyarousedhim。 HisremarkwasaddressedtoD’Arnot,whostoodfullydressedinthedoorwayofTarzan’sbedroom。 D’Arnothadscarcelysleptatallduringthenight。Hewasnervous,andthereforeinclinedtobeirritable。 \"Ipresumeyousleptlikeababyallnight,\"hesaid。 Tarzanlaughed。\"Fromyourtone,Paul,Iinferthatyouratherharborthefactagainstme。Icouldnothelpit,really。\" \"No,Jean;itisnotthat,\"repliedD’Arnot,himselfsmiling。\"Butyoutaketheentirematterwithsuchinfernalindifference——itisexasperating。Onewouldthinkthatyouweregoingouttoshootatatarget,ratherthantofaceoneofthebestshotsinFrance。\" Tarzanshruggedhisshoulders。\"Iamgoingouttoexpiateagreatwrong,Paul。Averynecessaryfeatureoftheexpiationisthemarksmanshipofmyopponent。Wherefore,then,shouldIbedissatisfied?HaveyounotyourselftoldmethatCountdeCoudeisasplendidmarksman?\" \"Youmeanthatyouhopetobekilled?\"exclaimedD’Arnot,inhorror。 \"IcannotsaythatIhopetobe;butyoumustadmitthatthereislittlereasontobelievethatIshallnotbekilled。\" HadD’Arnotknownthethingthatwasintheape—man’smind——thathadbeeninhismindalmostfromthefirstintimationthatDeCoudewouldcallhimtoaccountonthefieldofhonor——hewouldhavebeenevenmorehorrifiedthanhewas。 InsilencetheyenteredD’Arnot’sgreatcar,andinsimilarsilencetheyspedoverthedimroadthatleadstoEtamps。Eachmanwasoccupiedwithhisownthoughts。 D’Arnot’swereverymournful,forhewasgenuinelyfondofTarzan。Thegreatfriendshipwhichhadsprungupbetweenthesetwomenwhoselivesandtraininghadbeensowidelydifferenthadbutbeenstrengthenedbyassociation,fortheywerebothmentowhomthesamehighidealsofmanhood,ofpersonalcourage,andofhonorappealedwithequalforce。 Theycouldunderstandoneanother,andeachcouldbeproudofthefriendshipoftheother。 TarzanoftheApeswaswrappedinthoughtsofthepast; pleasantmemoriesofthehappieroccasionsofhislostjunglelife。Herecalledthecountlessboyhoodhoursthathehadspentcross—leggeduponthetableinhisdeadfather’scabin,hislittlebrownbodybentoveroneofthefascinatingpicturebooksfromwhich,unaided,hehadgleanedthesecretoftheprintedlanguagelongbeforethesoundsofhumanspeechfelluponhisears。AsmileofcontentmentsoftenedhisstrongfaceashethoughtofthatdayofdaysthathehadhadalonewithJanePorterintheheartofhisprimevalforest。 Presentlyhisreminiscenceswerebrokeninuponbythestoppingofthecar——theywereattheirdestination。