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AMERICAN STORIES - The Cask of AmontilladoBy Edgar Allan Poe

Broadcast: Saturday, March 25, 2006

Thank [email protected] for providing the script1 of dictation!

Our story today is called The Cask of Amontillado. It was written by Edgar Allan Poe. Here is Larry West with the story.

Fortunato and I both were members of very old and important Italian families. We used to play together when we were children. Fortunato was bigger, richer and more handsome than I was. And he enjoyed making me look like a fool. He hurt my feelings a thousand times during the years of my childhood. I never showed my anger, however, so he thought we were good friends. But I promised myself that one day I would punish Fortunato for his insults2 to me.

Many years passed, Fortunato married a rich and beautiful woman who gave him sons. Deep in my heart, I hated him. But I never said or did anything that showed him how I really felt. When I smiled at him, he thought it was because we were friends. He did not know it was the thoughts of his death that made me smile. Everyone of our town respected Fortunato. Some men were afraid of him because he was so rich and powerful3. He had a weak spot, however, he thought he was an excellent judge of wine.

I also was an expert on wine. I spent a lot of money buying rare4 and costly5 wines. I stored the wines in the dark rooms under my family鈥檚 palace. Our palace was one of the oldest buildings in the town. The Montresor's family had lived in it for hundreds of years. We have buried our dead in the rooms under the palace. These tombs6 were quiet dark places that no one but myself ever visited.

Later one evening during carnival7 season, I happened to meet Fortunato on the street. He was going home alone from a party. Fortunato was beautiful in his silk suit made of many colors, yellow, green, purple and red. On his head he wore an orange cap covered with little silver bells. I could see he had been drinking too much wine. He threw his arms around me. He said he was glad to see me. I said I was glad to see him too. Because I had a little problem.

What is it? he asked putting his large hand on my shoulder.

My dear Fortunato, I said, I am afraid I have been very stupid. The man who sells me wine said he had a rare barrel8 of amontillado wine. I believed him. I bought it from him. But now I am not so sure that the wine is really amontillado.

What? He said, A cask of amontillado at this time of year. An entire barrel? Impossible!

Yes, I was very stupid. I paid the wine-man the full price he wanted without asking you to taste the wine first. But I could not find you. And now I was free, he would sell the cask of amontillado to someone else. So I bought it.

A cask of amontillado? Fortunato repeated. Where is it?

I pretended9 I did not hear this question. Instead I told him I was going to visit our friend Neuqucy. He will be able to tell me if the wine is really amontillado. I said.

Fortunato laughed at my face. Neuqucy can not tell amontillado from Vinegar10.

I smiled to myself and said: But some people say that he is a good judge of wine as you are.

Fortunato grabbed11 my arm. Take me to it, he said, Oh, taste the amontillado for you.

But my friend, I protested12, 鈥淚t is late. The wine is in my wine cellar13 underneath14 the palace. Those rooms are very damp and cold and the walls dripped15 with water.

I do not care. He said, I am the only person who can tell you if your wine-man has cheated you. Neuqucy can not.

Fortunato turned and still hold me by the arm; hold me down the street to my home.

The building was empty. My servants were enjoying carnival. I knew they would be gone all night. I took two large candles, lit them and gave one to Fortunato. I started down the dark, twisting16 stairway with Fortunato close behind me. At the bottom of the stairs, the damp air racked17 its s around our bodies.

Where are we? Fortunato asked, I thought you said the cask of Amontillado, you say, in your wine cellar.

It is, I said, The wine cellar is just beyond these tombs where the dead of my family are kept. Surely18 you are not afraid of walking through the tombs.

He turned and looked into my eyes. Tombs, He said. He began to cough. The silver bells on his cap jingled19.

My poor friend, I said, How long if you had that cough.

That is nothing. He said, but he could not stop coughing.

Come, I said firmly, We will go back upstairs. Your health is important. You are rich respected, admired and loved. You have a wife and children. Many people would miss you if you die. We will go back before you get seriously ill. I can go to Loquicy for help with the wine.

No, He cried. This cough is nothing. It will not kill me? I will die from a cough?

Oh, that is true, I said, But you must be careful.

He took my arm and we began to walk through the cold dark rooms. We went deeper and deeper into the cellar. Finally we arrived in a small room.

Bones were pushed high against one wall. A doorway20 in another wall opened to an even smaller room. About one meter wide and two meters high. Its walls were solid21 rock.

Here we are. I said, I hid the cask of Amontillado in there. I pointed22 to the smaller room.

Fortunato lifted his candle and stepped into the tiny room. I immediately followed him. He stood stupidly staring at two iron23 handicaps24, chaining to a wall of the tiny room. I grabbed his arms and locked them into the metal handicaps. It took only a moment. He was too surprised to fight me. I stepped outside the small room.

Where is the Amontillado? He cried.

Ah, yes. I said, The cask of Amontillado.

I leaned25 over and began pushing aside the pile of bones against the wall. Under the bones was a basket of stone blocks, some cement26 and a small shovel27. I had hid the materials there earlier. I began to fill the doorway of the tiny room with stones and cement.

By the time I laid the first row of stones, Fortunato was no longer drunk28. I heard a mourning29 inside the tiny room for ten minutes. Then there was a long silence. I finished the second and the third rows of stone blocks. As I began the fourth row, I heard Fortunato began to shake the chains that held him to the wall. He was trying to pull them out of the ground of wall. I smiled to myself and stopped working so that I could better enjoy listening to the noise.

After few minutes he stopped. I finished the fifth the sixth and the seventh rows of stones. The wall I was building doorway was now almost up to my shoulders. Suddenly loud screams burst30 from the throat of the chained man. For a moment I worried what if someone heard him? Then I placed my hand on the solid rock of the walls and felt safe.

I looked into the tiny room where he was still screaming and I began to scream too. My screams grew louder than his. And he stopped. It was now almost midnight. I finished the eighth the ninth and the tenth rows. All that was left was a stone for the last hole in the wall. I was about to push it in, when I heard a loud laugh from behind the stones. The laugh made the hair on my head stand up. Then Fortunato spoke31 in a sad voice that the longer sounded like him.

He said: Well. You have played a good joke on me. We will laugh about it soon over a glass of that Amontillado. But is it getting late? My wife and my friends will be waiting for us. Let us go.

Yes, I replied, Let us go.

I waited for him to say something else. I heard only my own breathing.

Fortunato, I called. No answer.

I called again, Fortunato. Still no answer. I hurried to put the last stone into the wall and put the cement around it. Then I pushed the pile of bones in front of the new wall I had built.

That was fifty years ago, for half a century now. No one has touched those bones. May he rest in peace!


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 script 2Z4x4     
n.剧本,广播稿;文字体系;笔迹,手迹
参考例句:
  • It's easy to identify his script.他的笔迹容易辨认。
  • The script is massaged into final form.这篇稿子经过修改已定稿。
2 insults c7da1483bf9e80bf60d2e1eea599c464     
侮辱,辱骂,侮辱性的言论( insult的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • He shouted insults at the boy who had kicked him. 他大声辱骂那个踢了他的男孩。
  • I will by no manner of means put up with such insults. 我绝不会容忍这种侮辱。
3 powerful E1Zzi     
adj.有力的,有权力的,强大的
参考例句:
  • The UN began to get more and more powerful.联合国开始变得越来越强大了。
  • Such are the most powerful voices of our times!这些就是我们时代的最有力的声音!
4 rare lANze     
adj.稀罕的,罕有的,珍贵的,稀薄的,半熟的,非常的;adv.非常
参考例句:
  • It is rare to see a man over 160 years old.很少见到一个人能活到160岁。
  • The zoo has a lot of rare animals in it.这个动物园有许多珍奇的动物。
5 costly 7zXxh     
adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的
参考例句:
  • It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
  • This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用,左不过贵了些。
6 tombs 39013ac3d82c1ff2ef7132e95018ee3e     
墓穴( tomb的名词复数 ); 墓葬; 墓群
参考例句:
  • Many things left by the ancient Egyptians in tombs have been brought to light. 在古埃及的古陵墓中发掘出很多东西。
  • They began to walk between rows of uniquely constructed tombs. 他们开始在一排排构造特殊的坟墓中间行走。
7 carnival 4rezq     
n.嘉年华会,狂欢,狂欢节,巡回表演
参考例句:
  • I got some good shots of the carnival.我有几个狂欢节的精彩镜头。
  • Our street puts on a carnival every year.我们街的居民每年举行一次嘉年华会。
8 barrel FN8zF     
n.圆桶;一桶的量;枪管;vt.把...装桶
参考例句:
  • I drew off three pints of beer from the barrel.我从酒桶里抽出三品脱啤酒。
  • The man rolled the barrel into the yard.那个人把圆桶滚进院子。
9 pretended Hl8zZc     
adj.假装的;徒有外表的;传说的;号称的v.假装( pretend的过去式和过去分词 );伪装;(尤指儿童)(在游戏中)装扮;自诩
参考例句:
  • He pretended that resigning was part of his long-term career strategy. 他假装辞职是他长远事业规划的一部分。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He politely pretended not to have heard this remark. 他有礼貌地假装没有听到这句话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 vinegar mLdzH     
n.醋
参考例句:
  • Do we need some soy sauce and vinegar?我们需要酱油和醋吗?
  • Vinegar is used in preserving food.醋可用来保存食物。
11 grabbed grabbed     
v.抢先,抢占( grab的过去式和过去分词 );(尤指匆忙地)取;攫取;(尤指自私、贪婪地)捞取
参考例句:
  • He was grabbed by two men and frogmarched out of the hall. 他被两个男人紧抓双臂押出大厅。
  • She grabbed the child's hand and ran. 她抓住孩子的手就跑。
12 protested 024d7a2621b30761ab841fdd955c6836     
v.声明( protest的过去式和过去分词 );坚决地表示;申辩
参考例句:
  • He protested he was being cheated of his rightful share. 他提出抗议说他被人骗取了他依法应得的份额。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Amy protested she was being cheated of her rightful share. 艾米提出抗议,说有人骗取了她依法应得的份额。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 cellar JXkzo     
n.地窖,地下室,酒窖
参考例句:
  • He took a bottle of wine from the cellar.他从酒窖里拿出一瓶酒。
  • The little girl hid away in the cellar.小姑娘藏在地下室里。
14 underneath VKRz2     
adj.在...下面,在...底下;adv.在下面
参考例句:
  • Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
  • She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣,里面套着一条连衣裙。
15 dripped dc54a42e01afb8fe591507e502660836     
v.(使)滴下( drip的过去式和过去分词 );滴出;含有;充满
参考例句:
  • She was hot and sweat dripped into her eyes. 她很热,汗水滴入双眼。
  • The rain-water dripped through a crack on the ceiling. 雨水从天花板的裂缝中漏下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
16 twisting vfBzka     
n.翘曲,扭曲v.扭,搓,缠绕( twist的现在分词 )adj.缠绕的;曲折的;转动的
参考例句:
  • The old peasant is twisting pieces of straw into a rope. 这位老农民正把稻草搓成绳子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Those children have been twisting the wreath off again. 那些孩子又把花冠扭了下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
17 racked 6dfbc7918f8acb8fbf88429d138f93b6     
使痛苦,使焦虑,绞尽脑汁( rack的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Bush has racked up victories in another five states. 布什在另外五个州又获得了胜利。
  • He racked no rents to maintain the expenses of his establishment. 他不向租户索取过高的租金来维持公司的开支。
18 surely yrRwj     
adv.确实地,无疑地;必定地,一定地
参考例句:
  • It'should surely be possible for them to reach an agreement.想必他们可以达成协议。
  • Surely we'll profit from your work.我们肯定会从你的工作中得到益处。
19 jingled 1ab15437500a7437cb07e32cfc02d932     
喝醉的
参考例句:
  • The bells jingled all the way. 一路上铃儿叮当响。
  • Coins in his pocket jingled as he walked. 走路时,他衣袋里的钱币丁当作响。
20 doorway 2s0xK     
n.门口,(喻)入门;门路,途径
参考例句:
  • They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
  • Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。
21 solid QF2za     
adj.固体的,结实的,可靠的,实心的;n.固体,实心;adv. 一致地
参考例句:
  • Water may change from a liquid to a solid.水可以由液体变为固体。
  • I know that James is a solid type of person.我知道詹姆斯是个可信赖的人。
22 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
23 iron raHzm     
n.铁,熨斗,坚强,烙铁,镣铐;vt.烫平,熨,用铁包;vi. 烫衣服
参考例句:
  • The iron has lost its magnetic force.这块铁已失去了磁力。
  • We need an electrician to mend the iron.我们要请电工修理熨斗。
24 handicaps aaf023587444f3a32a829c2e27833f58     
妨碍,使不利( handicap的第三人称单数 ); 使(某人)行动和生活不正常
参考例句:
  • His lack of English handicaps him. 他的英语不好对他是一件不利的事。
  • In the first winter of the war these accumulated and glaring deficiencies were serious handicaps. 战争的第一个冬季,此种累积且显著的弱点,成了严重的障碍。
25 leaned 725f4ee64e460865d2a6749276d2ed06     
v.(使)倾斜,屈身( lean的过去式和过去分词 );倚;依赖;使斜靠
参考例句:
  • He leaned forward, his hands clasped tightly together. 他俯身向前,双手十字交错地紧握着。
  • He leaned back, exulting at the success of his plan. 他向后一靠,为自己计划成功而得意扬扬。
26 cement IXmzk     
n.水泥;胶结材料;vt.粘结;巩固
参考例句:
  • We need 100 tons of cement at most for this project.这项工程满打满算有一百吨水泥就足够了。
  • Let's cement the parts together.咱们来把这些部件粘接在一起吧。
27 shovel cELzg     
n.铁锨,铲子,一铲之量;v.铲,铲出
参考例句:
  • He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。
  • He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了。
28 drunk LuozL6     
adj.醉酒的;(喻)陶醉的;n.酗酒者,醉汉
参考例句:
  • People who drives when they are drunk should be heavily penalised.醉酒驾车的人应受重罚。
  • She found him drunk when she came home at night.她晚上回家时,经常发现他醉醺醺的。
29 mourning Kn0zhu     
n.悲痛,哀悼;戴孝;服丧期
参考例句:
  • He was still mourning his brother's death. 他仍然在为哥哥的去世而悲伤。
  • The government announced a day of national mourning for the victims. 政府宣布全国为受害者哀悼一日。
30 burst HSryI     
vi.(burst,burst)爆炸;爆破;爆裂;爆发;vt.使…破裂;使…炸破;n.突然破裂;爆发
参考例句:
  • We all held our breath till the bomb burst.我们屏住呼吸直到炸弹爆炸。
  • She suddenly burst into song.她突然唱起歌来。
31 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

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