The pavilion on the links

Chapter VIII

The scene of the novel is laid in the first half of the XIX th century in Scotland. Frank Kassilis, the story-teller, Northmour, a heroic character, ,Mr.Huddlestone, a criminal banker, and Clara, his beautiful daughter, find themselves deadlocked in the pavilion on the links. They are threatened by the Italian carbonari who have come to Scotland to take their revenge on the banker who has appropriated their money. When Northmour and Kassilis refuse to give the banker away, the plotters set the house on fire. The captives decide to leave the place risking their lives

As. we went downstairs, the heat was excessive, and the roaring of fire filled our ears; and we had scarce reached the passage before the stairs window fell in, a branch of flame .hot brandishing through the aperture, and the interior of the pavilion became lit up with that dreadful and fluctuating glare. At the same moment we heard the fall something heavy and inelastic in the upper storey. The whole pavilion, it was plain, had gone alight like n box at matches, and now not only flamed sky-high to land and seal, but threatened with every moment to crumble and fall in about our ears.

Northmour and I cocked our revolvers. Mr. Huddleslone, who had already refused a firearm, put us behind him with a manner of command.

"Let Clara open the door," said he. "So, if they fire a volley, she will be protected. And in the meantime stand behind me. I am the scapegoat; my sins have found me out."

I heard him, as I stood breathless by his shoulder, with my pistol ready, pattering off prayers in a tremulous, rapid whisper; and I confess, horrid as the thought may seem, I despised him for thinking of supplications in a moment so critical and thrilling. In the meantime, Clara, who was dead white but still possessed her faculties, had displaced the barricade from the front door. Another moment, and she had pulled it open. Firelight and moon1ight illuminated the links with confused and changeful lustre, and far away against the sky we could see a long trail of glowing smoke.

Mr. Huddlestone, filled for the moment with a strength greater than his own, struck Northmour and myself a backhander in the chest; and while we were thus for the moment incapacitated from action, lifting his arms аbоvе his head like one about to dive, he ran straight forward out of the раvilion.

"Неrе am I!" hе cried - "Huddlestone! Kill me, and spare the others!"

His sudden арреаrаnсе daunted,'" 1 suppose, оur hidden enemies; for Northmour and I had time to гесоvег, to seize Clara between us, one by еасh arm, and to rush forth to his assistance, ere * anything further had taken place. But scarce had we passed the threshold when there came nеаг а dozen reports and flashes from еvегу direction among the hollows of the links. Мr. Huddlestone staggered, uttered а weird and freezing cry, threw up his arms over his head, and fell backward on the turf.

"Traditore!'" Traditore!" cried the invisible avengers.

And just then, а part of the roof of the раviliоn fell in, so rapid was the progress of the fire. А loud, vague, and horrible noise accompanied the collapse, and а vast volume of flame went soaring up to heaven. It must have been visible at that moment from twenty mi1es out at sea, from the shore at Grаdеn Wester, and far inland from the peak of Graystiel, the most eastern summit of the Caulder Нills. Bernard Huddlestone, although God knows what were his obsequies, had а fine pyre at the moment of his death.

a pavilion on the links – a house among the dunes

backhander – a blow

ere –arch. Before

traditore - traitor

Questions and tasks

1. Choose verbs from the first paragraph of the text( note their high density in the text). Analyze these verbs from the viewpoint of their general lexico-grammatic value. Are they dynamic or static? (dynamic are terminative verbs showing the limit of an action, or creating some change . Static are non-terminative verbs showing a state or an action of an indefinite duration, such as lie or shine ).

2.From the whole extract choose verbs, suggestive of conscious actions of persons. What picture is created through their successive distribution in the text?

3. Choose verbs denoting mental activity. Determine their approximate share in comparison with verbs of action.

4. How is the dialogue connected with the action?

5.) Read closely the extracts of the text describing the fire. What creates their vizualizing effect - the direct or figurative use of words? Which words in these descriptions seem to be the most important and expressive

ones ?

6. Imagine the extract under analysis as an episode of a silent film. Which captions do you think might be necessary to make it clear?

7. What sound effects do you think appropriate for the given episode - music or imitation of background noises ,fire crackling or shots? Motivate your answer with the help of the text.

8. Is everything in the extract equally successful? If not, specify some less successful, parts.

R. L. Stevenson