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A Poor Stick
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Mrs. Jennings (or Jinnins, as the neighbors would have it) ruled absolutely at home, when she took so much trouble as to do anything at all there — which was less often than might have been. As for Robert, her husband, he was a poor stick, said the neighbors. And yet he was a man with enough of hardihood to remain a non-unionist in the erectors’ shop at Maidment’s all the years of his service; no mean test of a man’s fortitude1 and resolution, as many suffered for independent opinion might testify. The truth was that Bob never grew out of his courtship-blindness. Mrs. Jennings governed as she pleased, stayed out or came home as she chose, and cooked a dinner or didn’t, as her inclination2 stood. Thus it was for ten years, during which time there were no children, and Bob bore all things uncomplaining; cooking his own dinner when he found none cooked, and sewing on his own buttons. Then of a sudden came children, till in three years there were three; and Bob Jennings had to nurse and to wash them as often as not.

Mrs. Jennings at this time was what is called rather a fine woman; a woman of large scale and full development, whose slatternly habit left her coarse black hair to tumble in snakelocks about her face and shoulders half the day; who, clad in half-hooked clothes, bore herself notoriously and unabashed in her fullness; and of whom ill things were said regarding the lodger3. The gossips had their excuse. The lodger was an irregular young cabinet-maker, who lost quarters and halves and whole days; who had been seen abroad with his landlady5, what time Bob Jennings was putting the children to bed at home; who on his frequent holidays brought in much beer, which he and the woman shared, while Bob was at work.

To carry the tale to Bob would have been a thankless errand, for he would have none of anybody’s sympathy, even in regard to miseries6 plain to his eye. But the thing got about in the workshop, and there his days were made bitter.

At home things grew worse. To return home at half past five, and find the children still undressed, screaming, hungry and dirty, was a matter of habit; to get them food, to wash them, to tend the cuts and bumps sustained through the day of neglect, before lighting7 a fire and getting tea for himself, were matters of daily duty. “Ah,” he said to his sister, who came at intervals8 to say plain things about Mrs. Jennings, “you shouldn’t go for to set a man agin ‘is wife, jin. Melier do’n’ like work, I know, but that’s nach’ral to ‘er. She ought to married a swell9 ‘stead o’ me; she might ‘a’ done easy if she liked, bein’ sich a fine gal10; but she’s good-‘arted, is Melier; an’ she can’t ‘elp bein’ a bit thoughtless.” Whereat his sister called him a fool (it was her customary good-by at such times), and took herself off.

Bob Jennings’s intelligence was sufficient for his common needs, but it was never a vast intelligence. Now, under a daily burden of dull misery11, it clouded and stooped. The base wit of the workshop he comprehended less, and realized more slowly, than before; and the gaffer cursed him a sleepy dolt12.

Mrs. Jennings ceased from any pretense13 of housewifery, and would sometimes sit — perchance not quite sober — while Bob washed the children in the evening, opening her mouth only to express her contempt for him and his establishment, and to make him understand that she was sick of both. Once, exasperated14 by his quietness, she struck at him, and for a moment he was another man. “Don’t do that, Melier,” he said, “else I might forget myself.” His manner surprised his wife; and it was such that she never did do that again.

So was Bob Jennings, without a friend in the world, except his sister, who chid15 him, and the children, who squalled at him, when his wife vanished with the lodger, the clock, a shade of wax flowers, Bob’s best boots (which fitted the lodger), and his silver watch. Bob had returned, as usual, to the dirt and the children, and it was only when he struck a light that he found the clock was gone.

“Mummy tooked ve t’ock,” said Milly, the eldest16 child, who had followed him in from the door, and now gravely observed his movements. “She tooked ve t’ock an’ went ta-ta. An’ she tooked ve fyowers.”

Bob lighted the paraffine lamp with the green glass reservoir, and carried it and its evil smell about the house. Some things had been turned over and others had gone, plainly. All Melier’s clothes were gone. The lodger was not in, and under his bedroom window, where his box had stood, there was naught17 but an oblong patch of conspicuously18 clean wallpaper. In a muddle19 of doubt and perplexity, Bob found himself at the front door, staring up and down the street. Divers20 women neighbors stood at their doors, and eyed him curiously21; for Mrs. Webster, moralist, opposite, had not watched the day’s proceedings22 (nor those of many other days) for nothing, nor had she kept her story to herself.

He turned back into the house, a vague notion of what had befallen percolating23 feebly through his bewilderment. “I dunno — I dunno,” he faltered24, rubbing his ear. His mouth was dry, and he moved his lips uneasily, as he gazed with aimless looks about the walls and ceiling. Presently his eyes rested on the child, and “Milly,” he said, decisively, “come an ‘ave yer face washed.”

He put the children to bed early, and went out. In the morning, when his sister came, because she had heard the news in common with everybody else, he had not returned. Bob Jennings had never lost more than two quarters in his life, but he was not seen at the workshop all this day. His sister stayed in the house, and in the evening, at his regular homing-time, he appeared, haggard and dusty, and began his preparations for washing the children. When he was made to understand that they had been already attended to, he looked doubtful and troubled for a moment. Presently he said: “I ain’t found ‘er yet, Jin; I was in ‘opes she might ‘a’ bin4 back by this. I— I don’t expect she’ll be very long. She was alwis a bit larky25, was Melier, but very good’arted.”

His sister had prepared a strenuous26 lecture on the theme of “I told you so”; but the man was so broken, so meek27, and so plainly unhinged in his faculties28, that she suppressed it. Instead, she gave him a comfortable talk, and made him promise in the end to sleep that night, and take up his customary work in the morning.

He did these things, and could have worked placidly29 enough had he but been alone; but the tale had reached the workshop, and there was no lack of brutish chaff30 to disorder31 him. This the decenter men would have no part in, and even protested against. But the ill-conditioned kept their way, till, at the cry of “Bell ohl” when all were starting for dinner, one of the worst shouted the cruelest gibe32 of all. Bob Jennings turned on him and knocked him over a scrap-heap.

A shout went up from the hurrying workmen, with a chorus of “Serve ye right,” and the fallen joker found himself awkwardly confronted by the shop bruiser. But Bob had turned to a corner, and buried his eyes in the bend of his arm, while his shoulders heaved and shook.

He slunk away home, and stayed there, walking restlessly to and fro, and often peeping down the street from the window. When, at twilight33, his sister came again, he had become almost cheerful, and said with some briskness34: “I’m agoin’ to meet ‘er, Jin, at seven. I know where she’ll be waitin’.”

He went upstairs, and after a little while came down again in his best black coat, carefully smoothing a tall hat of obsolete35 shape with his pocket-handkerchief. “I ain’t wore it for years,” he said. “I ought to ‘a’ wore it — it might ‘a’ pleased ‘er. She used to say she wouldn’t walk with me in no other — when I used to meet ‘er in the evenin’, at seven o’clock.” He brushed assiduously, and put the hat on. “I’d better ‘ave a shave round the corner as I go along,” he added, fingering his stubbly chin.

He received as one not comprehending his sister’s persuasion36 to remain at home; but when he went she followed at a little distance. After his penny shave he made for the main road, where company-keeping couples walked up and down all evening. He stopped at a church, and began pacing slowly to and fro before it, eagerly looking out each way as he went.

His sister watched him for nearly half an hour, and then went home. In two hours more she came back with her husband. Bob was still there, walking to and fro.

“‘Ullo, Bob,” said his brother-in-law; “come along home an’ get to bed, there’s a good chap. You’ll be awright in the mornin’.”

“She ain’t turned up,” Bob complained, “or else I’ve missed ‘er. This is the reg’lar place — where I alwis used to meet ‘er. But she’ll come to-morrer. She used to leave me in the lurch37 sometimes, bein’ nach’rally larky. But very good-‘arted, mindjer; very good-‘arted.”

She did not come the next evening, nor the next, nor the evening after, nor the one after that. But Bob Jennings, howbeit depressed38 and anxious, was always confident. “Somethink’s prevented ‘er tonight,” he would say; “but she’ll come tomorrer . . . I’ll buy a blue tie to-morrer — she used to like me in a blue tie. I won’t miss ‘er to-morrer. I’ll come a little earlier.”

So it went. The black coat grew ragged39 in the service, and hobbledehoys, finding him safe sport, smashed the tall hat, over his eyes time after time. He wept over the hat, and straightened it as best he might. Was she coming? Night after night, and night and night. But to-morrow . . .

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1 fortitude offzz     
n.坚忍不拔;刚毅
参考例句:
  • His dauntless fortitude makes him absolutely fearless.他不屈不挠的坚韧让他绝无恐惧。
  • He bore the pain with great fortitude.他以极大的毅力忍受了痛苦。
2 inclination Gkwyj     
n.倾斜;点头;弯腰;斜坡;倾度;倾向;爱好
参考例句:
  • She greeted us with a slight inclination of the head.她微微点头向我们致意。
  • I did not feel the slightest inclination to hurry.我没有丝毫着急的意思。
3 lodger r8rzi     
n.寄宿人,房客
参考例句:
  • My friend is a lodger in my uncle's house.我朋友是我叔叔家的房客。
  • Jill and Sue are at variance over their lodger.吉尔和休在对待房客的问题上意见不和。
4 bin yR2yz     
n.箱柜;vt.放入箱内;[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件
参考例句:
  • He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
  • He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。
5 landlady t2ZxE     
n.女房东,女地主
参考例句:
  • I heard my landlady creeping stealthily up to my door.我听到我的女房东偷偷地来到我的门前。
  • The landlady came over to serve me.女店主过来接待我。
6 miseries c95fd996533633d2e276d3dd66941888     
n.痛苦( misery的名词复数 );痛苦的事;穷困;常发牢骚的人
参考例句:
  • They forgot all their fears and all their miseries in an instant. 他们马上忘记了一切恐惧和痛苦。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • I'm suffering the miseries of unemployment. 我正为失业而痛苦。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 lighting CpszPL     
n.照明,光线的明暗,舞台灯光
参考例句:
  • The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
  • The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。
8 intervals f46c9d8b430e8c86dea610ec56b7cbef     
n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 );间隔时间;[数学]区间;(戏剧、电影或音乐会的)幕间休息
参考例句:
  • The forecast said there would be sunny intervals and showers. 预报间晴,有阵雨。
  • Meetings take place at fortnightly intervals. 每两周开一次会。
9 swell IHnzB     
vi.膨胀,肿胀;增长,增强
参考例句:
  • The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。
  • His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。
10 gal 56Zy9     
n.姑娘,少女
参考例句:
  • We decided to go with the gal from Merrill.我们决定和那个从梅里尔来的女孩合作。
  • What's the name of the gal? 这个妞叫什么?
11 misery G10yi     
n.痛苦,苦恼,苦难;悲惨的境遇,贫苦
参考例句:
  • Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
  • He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。
12 dolt lmKy1     
n.傻瓜
参考例句:
  • He's a first-class dolt who insists on doing things his way.他一意孤行,真是蠢透了。
  • What a donke,dolt and dunce!真是个笨驴,呆子,兼傻瓜!
13 pretense yQYxi     
n.矫饰,做作,借口
参考例句:
  • You can't keep up the pretense any longer.你无法继续伪装下去了。
  • Pretense invariably impresses only the pretender.弄虚作假欺骗不了真正的行家。
14 exasperated ltAz6H     
adj.恼怒的
参考例句:
  • We were exasperated at his ill behaviour. 我们对他的恶劣行为感到非常恼怒。
  • Constant interruption of his work exasperated him. 对他工作不断的干扰使他恼怒。
15 chid b04049d41d42995fdd5279008be90361     
v.责骂,责备( chide的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The nurse chid the little girl for soiling her dress. 保姆温和地责怪了那个小女孩,因为她把自己的衣裙弄脏了。 来自《用法词典》
  • My refusing to eat flesh occasioned an inconvenience, and I was frequently chid for my singularity. 我不吃肉,带来种种不便,于是常因这种怪癖受到责备。 来自辞典例句
16 eldest bqkx6     
adj.最年长的,最年老的
参考例句:
  • The King's eldest son is the heir to the throne.国王的长子是王位的继承人。
  • The castle and the land are entailed on the eldest son.城堡和土地限定由长子继承。
17 naught wGLxx     
n.无,零 [=nought]
参考例句:
  • He sets at naught every convention of society.他轻视所有的社会习俗。
  • I hope that all your efforts won't go for naught.我希望你的努力不会毫无结果。
18 conspicuously 3vczqb     
ad.明显地,惹人注目地
参考例句:
  • France remained a conspicuously uneasy country. 法国依然是个明显不太平的国家。
  • She figured conspicuously in the public debate on the issue. 她在该问题的公开辩论中很引人注目。
19 muddle d6ezF     
n.困惑,混浊状态;vt.使混乱,使糊涂,使惊呆;vi.胡乱应付,混乱
参考例句:
  • Everything in the room was in a muddle.房间里每一件东西都是乱七八糟的。
  • Don't work in a rush and get into a muddle.克服忙乱现象。
20 divers hu9z23     
adj.不同的;种种的
参考例句:
  • He chose divers of them,who were asked to accompany him.他选择他们当中的几个人,要他们和他作伴。
  • Two divers work together while a standby diver remains on the surface.两名潜水员协同工作,同时有一名候补潜水员留在水面上。
21 curiously 3v0zIc     
adv.有求知欲地;好问地;奇特地
参考例句:
  • He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
  • He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。
22 proceedings Wk2zvX     
n.进程,过程,议程;诉讼(程序);公报
参考例句:
  • He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
  • to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼
23 percolating d3bf26e35ec6bb368af3add559f633b2     
n.渗透v.滤( percolate的现在分词 );渗透;(思想等)渗透;渗入
参考例句:
  • Bubbles simply supply a short cut for the faster-moving percolating gas. 气泡不过是对快速运动的渗透气体提供了一条捷径。 来自辞典例句
  • I' ll percolate some coffee, ie make it by percolating. 我去用过滤法煮些咖啡。 来自辞典例句
24 faltered d034d50ce5a8004ff403ab402f79ec8d     
(嗓音)颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 ); 支吾其词; 蹒跚; 摇晃
参考例句:
  • He faltered out a few words. 他支吾地说出了几句。
  • "Er - but he has such a longhead!" the man faltered. 他不好意思似的嚅嗫着:“这孩子脑袋真长。”
25 larky cc906438f329f8faec88f715c68b43ab     
adj.爱闹玩的
参考例句:
  • The filmmakers replace characterization with larky pop-culture and associations(David Denby) . 制片人们用愚蠢的大众文化范畴来替代影片的人物创造(戴维·登比)。 来自互联网
  • The filmmakers replace characterization with larky pop-culture references and associations(David Denby) 制片人们用愚蠢的大众文化范畴来替代影片的人物创造(戴维登比) 来自互联网
26 strenuous 8GvzN     
adj.奋发的,使劲的;紧张的;热烈的,狂热的
参考例句:
  • He made strenuous efforts to improve his reading. 他奋发努力提高阅读能力。
  • You may run yourself down in this strenuous week.你可能会在这紧张的一周透支掉自己。
27 meek x7qz9     
adj.温顺的,逆来顺受的
参考例句:
  • He expects his wife to be meek and submissive.他期望妻子温顺而且听他摆布。
  • The little girl is as meek as a lamb.那个小姑娘像羔羊一般温顺。
28 faculties 066198190456ba4e2b0a2bda2034dfc5     
n.能力( faculty的名词复数 );全体教职员;技巧;院
参考例句:
  • Although he's ninety, his mental faculties remain unimpaired. 他虽年届九旬,但头脑仍然清晰。
  • All your faculties have come into play in your work. 在你的工作中,你的全部才能已起到了作用。 来自《简明英汉词典》
29 placidly c0c28951cb36e0d70b9b64b1d177906e     
adv.平稳地,平静地
参考例句:
  • Hurstwood stood placidly by, while the car rolled back into the yard. 当车子开回场地时,赫斯渥沉着地站在一边。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
  • The water chestnut floated placidly there, where it would grow. 那棵菱角就又安安稳稳浮在水面上生长去了。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说
30 chaff HUGy5     
v.取笑,嘲笑;n.谷壳
参考例句:
  • I didn't mind their chaff.我不在乎他们的玩笑。
  • Old birds are not caught with chaff.谷糠难诱老雀。
31 disorder Et1x4     
n.紊乱,混乱;骚动,骚乱;疾病,失调
参考例句:
  • When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后,他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
  • It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。
32 gibe 8fOzZ     
n.讥笑;嘲弄
参考例句:
  • I felt sure he was seeking for some gibe. 我敢说他正在寻找一句什么挖苦话。
  • It's impolite to gibe at a foreign student's English. 嘲笑外国学生的英语是不礼貌的。
33 twilight gKizf     
n.暮光,黄昏;暮年,晚期,衰落时期
参考例句:
  • Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。
  • Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。
34 briskness Ux2z6U     
n.敏捷,活泼
参考例句:
  • A child who was flying a kite sensed it in terms of briskness.一个孩子在放风筝时猛然感到的飞腾。
  • Father open the window to let in the briskness of the morning air.父亲打开窗户让早晨的清新空气进来。
35 obsolete T5YzH     
adj.已废弃的,过时的
参考例句:
  • These goods are obsolete and will not fetch much on the market.这些货品过时了,在市场上卖不了高价。
  • They tried to hammer obsolete ideas into the young people's heads.他们竭力把陈旧思想灌输给青年。
36 persuasion wMQxR     
n.劝说;说服;持有某种信仰的宗派
参考例句:
  • He decided to leave only after much persuasion.经过多方劝说,他才决定离开。
  • After a lot of persuasion,she agreed to go.经过多次劝说后,她同意去了。
37 lurch QR8z9     
n.突然向前或旁边倒;v.蹒跚而行
参考例句:
  • It has been suggested that the ground movements were a form of lurch movements.地震的地面运动曾被认为是一种突然倾斜的运动形式。
  • He walked with a lurch.他步履蹒跚。
38 depressed xu8zp9     
adj.沮丧的,抑郁的,不景气的,萧条的
参考例句:
  • When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
  • His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。
39 ragged KC0y8     
adj.衣衫褴褛的,粗糙的,刺耳的
参考例句:
  • A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
  • Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。


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