영어로 읽는 고전 _ 빅터 브리지스의 비밀요원 사건
"비밀요원 사건"(원제: A Rogue by Compulsion: An Affair of the Secret Service)은 빅터 브리지스가 20세기 초에 쓴 소설입니다. 이 작품은 닐 린든이라는 다트무어 교도소의 죄수가 혼란스러운 상황 속에서 갑작스러운 탈출 기회를 잡는 스릴 넘치는 이야기를 다룹니다. 이 흥미진진한 이야기는 린든이 위험한 상황과 긴장감 넘치는 음모를 배경으로 자신의 곤경을 헤쳐나가면서 자유, 생존, 그리고 인간 본성의 어두운 측면을 탐구합니다.
이야기의 시작에서, 독자는 교도소로 돌아가는 과정에 있던 닐 린든을 만나게 됩니다. 이때 한 동료 죄수의 탈출이 혼란스러운 상황을 만들어냅니다. 린든은 이 순간적인 기회를 포착하여 숲으로 뛰어들어 자유를 향한 필사적인 도주를 시작하며, 자신의 재치와 체력에 의존합니다.
그가 위험한 지형을 가로지르는 동안, 린든은 자신의 과거를 되돌아보며 재판과 파트너 조지 마우드의 배신에 관한 기억과 씨름합니다. 일련의 아찔한 만남 끝에, 그는 외딴 집의 안식처에 도달하지만, 그곳의 주민들로부터 예상치 못한 도움과 의심을 동시에 받게 됩니다. 이는 린든이 그들의 의도와 자신을 해친 이들에 대한 복수 가능성을 고려하면서 더 깊은 음모로 이어집니다.
Classics Read in English _ A Rogue by Compulsion _ An Affair of the Secret Service by Victor Bridges
"A Rogue by Compulsion: An Affair of the Secret Service" by Victor Bridges is a novel written during the early 20th century. It follows the thrilling escape of Neil Lyndon, a convict from Dartmoor prison, who seizes a sudden opportunity to flee amidst chaos. This gripping tale delves into themes of freedom, survival, and the darker sides of human nature as Lyndon navigates his plight against a backdrop of dangerous circumstances and suspenseful intrigue.
At the start of the story, the reader is introduced to Neil Lyndon, who is in the process of being herded back to prison when a fellow inmate's escape triggers a chaotic distraction. Seizing this fleeting moment of opportunity, Lyndon leaps into the woods and begins a desperate run for freedom, relying on his wits and physical prowess.
As he traverses the treacherous terrain, he contemplates his past, grappling with memories of his trial and betrayal by his partner, George Marwood. Following a series of harrowing encounters, he reaches the sanctuary of a remote house, where he is unexpectedly met with both assistance and suspicion from its inhabitants, leading to further intrigue as he considers their intentions and the potential for revenge against those who wronged him.
Among the contents
Most of the really important things in life?such as love and death?happen unexpectedly. I know that my escape from Dartmoor did.
We had just left the quarries?eighteen of us, all dressed in that depressing costume which King George provides for his less elusive subjects?and we were shambling sullenly back along the gloomy road which leads through the plantation to the prison. The time was about four o'clock on a dull March afternoon.
In the roadway, on either side of us, tramped an armed warder, his carbine in his hand, his eyes travelling with dull suspicion up and down the gang. Fifteen yards away, parallel with our route, the sombre figure of one of the civil guards kept pace with us through the trees. We were a cheery party!
Suddenly, without any warning, one of the warders turned faint. He dropped his carbine, and putting his hand to his head, stumbled heavily against the low wall that separated us from the wood. The clatter of his weapon, falling in the road, naturally brought all eyes round in that direction, and seeing what had happened the whole eighteen of us instinctively halted.
