"Polidori_The Vampyre" - читать интересную книгу автора (Polidori John William)

separation, and still more by the attention, anxiety, and care which he
showed, soon reconciled him to his presence. His lordship seemed quite
changed; he no longer appeared that apathetic being who had so astonished
Aubrey; but as soon as his convalescence began to be rapid, he again
gradually retired into the same state of mind, and Aubrey perceived no
difference from the former man, except that at times he was surprised to
meet his gaze fixed intently upon him, with a smile of malicious exultation
playing upon his lips: he knew not why, but this smile haunted him. During
the last stage of the invalid's recovery, Lord Ruthven was apparently
engaged in watching the tideless waves raised by the cooling breeze, or in
marking the progress of those orbs, circling, like our world, the moveless
sun; -- indeed, he appeared to wish to avoid the eyes of all.

Aubrey's mind, by this shock, was much weakened, and that elasticity of
spirit which had once so distinguished him now seemed to have fled for ever.
He was now as much a lover of solitude and silence as Lord Ruthven; but much
as he wished for solitude, his mind could not find it in the neighbourhood
of Athens; if he sought it amidst the ruins he had formerly frequented,
Ianthe's form stood by his side; -- if he sought it in the woods, her light
step would appear wandering amidst the underwood, in quest of the modest
violet; then suddenly turning round, would show, to his wild imagination,
her pale face and wounded throat, with a meek smile upon her lips. He
determined to fly scenes, every feature of which created such bitter
associations in his mind. He proposed to Lord Ruthven, to whom he held
himself bound by the tender care he had taken of him during his illness,
that they should visit those parts of Greece neither had yet seen. They
travelled in every direction, and sought every spot to which a recollection
could be attached: but though they thus hastened from place to place, yet
they seemed not to heed what they gazed upon. They heard much of robbers,
but they gradually began to slight these reports, which they imagined were
only the invention of individuals, whose interest it was to excite the
generosity of those whom they defended from pretended dangers. In
consequence of thus neglecting the advice of the inhabitants, on one
occasion they travelled with only a few guards, more to serve as guides than
as a defence. Upon entering, however, a narrow defile, at the bottom of
which was the bed of a torrent, with large masses of rock brought down from
the neighbouring precipices, they had reason to repent their negligence; for
scarcely were the whole of the party engaged in the narrow pass, when they
were startled by the whistling of bullets close to their heads, and by the
echoed report of several guns. In an instant their guards had left them,
and, placing themselves behind rocks, had begun to fire in the direction
whence the report came. Lord Ruthven and Aubrey, imitating their example,
retired for a moment behind the sheltering turn of the defile: but ashamed
of being thus detained by a foe, who with insulting shouts bade them
advance, and being exposed to unresisting slaughter, if any of the robbers
should climb above and take them in the rear, they determined at once to
rush forward in search of the enemy. Hardly had they lost the shelter of
rock, when Lord Ruthven received a shot in the shoulder, which brought him
to the ground. Aubrey hastened to his assistance; and, no longer heeding the
contest or his own peril, was soon surprised by seeing the robbers' faces