Clarence learned in the course of that day a good deal of his companions. It was a divided camp. Pete was the official leader, but his authority was weak. He was a dried-up man with furtive2 eyes and hang-dog aspect. He had a genius for breaking the law and getting into trouble. If there were twenty ways of doing a thing, Pete invariably chose the least honest. His range as a thief went from chickens to horses. In this, as in all other things, he was ably abetted3 by his shrewish wife. That remarkable4 woman had a gift for fortune-telling which was uncanny. It was not without reason that Dora suspected Pete’s wife of having dealings with the devil. The woman had an intense hatred5 for anything that savored6 of the Catholic faith. Her eyes, whenever they fell upon Dora, shot forth7 a baneful8 light. It was Ben who stood between the child and her malignity9.
Ben was of different mould. He was brave, open and kind. A certain gentleness and refinement10 were observable in him and his wife. Dora noticed these things and pointed11 them out to Clarence. But she did not tell him, for she did not know it, that it was her presence, her example, her sweetness and modesty12, which had, to a great extent, developed in the gypsy couple these lovely qualities.
And, in truth, it was Dora who was, in a sense, the real leader. She was the uncrowned queen. Neat, spotless in attire13, graceful14 of form and of dazzling complexion15, she was always fresh and bright and candid16 and sweet. Upon the perfect features there was a certain indefinable radiance—the radiance one finds so rarely on the faces of those who appear to have been thinking long and lovely thoughts of God and whose “conversation is in heaven.” Dora knew well the companionship of saints and angels. A keen sense of humor, made known now in rippling17 laughter, now in the twinkling of an eye, showed that the child was wholesomely18 human. Ben seemed to worship the ground she trod upon; his wife was a no less ardent19 devotee, and the little children vied with each other in winning her word or smile. Even Pete’s two graceless sons put aside their coarseness and what they could of their evil manners in her winning and dainty presence. Wherever she moved, she seemed to evoke20 from those she met undreamed-of acts of gentleness and sweetness and love. And indeed before the day was spent, the child unwittingly won a new devotee—Master Clarence himself. Clarence, be it known, was in most respects a normal boy. He was also unusually clean in thought and in word and in life. He had never used a really coarse expression, and he recoiled21 from any sort of foulness22. If one were to ask why this was so, there would be no adequate answer, save that there is no accounting23 for the uncovenanted graces and mercies of God. A sort of instinct had guided the boy, during his three years at Clermont Academy, in the choice of his companions. He was always seeking the society of those he considered his betters. It took the lad little time to discover that Dora was pure, innocent, gentle, gracious, and high-minded above all whom he had ever met. Before nightfall, he too was her slave.
Let there be no misunderstanding. The reader who considers this a case of puppy love has missed the point. Clarence was at an age and development when the normal boy is little interested in the girl. But to him Dora was something apart. She was set high on a pedestal. She was an ideal. She stood to him for all that was good and beautiful and inspiring in human nature.
As for Dora herself, she had never before encountered a youth so blithe24, so debonair25, so clever of speech and quick of wit as the young adventurer. She perceived something in the boy of which he himself was scarcely aware—a knightliness26, a gallantry that went with high ideals, a serene27 and lovely purity of heart. She, in turn, placed Clarence upon a pinnacle28, and was in intent his devoted29 slave. Within twenty-four hours, she was unconsciously depending upon him.
On the very afternoon of their first day’s travel, she organized a “Catechism class,” consisting of Clarence, Ben, and his wife. It was held in the wagon30 and lasted for an hour. Before it was ended, each member knew how to make the sign of the cross, and Master Clarence himself, who had asked many questions and put many objections, was beginning to see that the Catholic Church was not so encrusted with superstitions31, as he had supposed, nor in any wise, as he had once held, out of date.
Pete and his wife, upon understanding what was going on, were furious; the woman particularly so. The leader, afraid to wreak32 vengeance33 on Dora, singled out Clarence as the victim to his rage. Many a secret blow did the boy receive during the day’s journey.
At nightfall there came a heavy rain. All took shelter in the big tent. Clarence happened to remark how two nights previously34 he had been engrossed35 in a wonderful story called Treasure Island.
“What was it about?” asked Ben.
“Do you want me to tell it?”
“Oh, do,” cried Dora. “I haven’t read a story or heard one for ever and ever so long.”
“I like a nice story,” said Dorcas, Ben’s wife, beaming on the lad.
“Tell us Treasure Island,” begged one of the children.
And Clarence, thus adjured36, set about recounting that wondrous37 tale of ships and pirates and buried treasures. At the first words, Pete and his wife left the tent. But the others remained, and listened to a lad who coupled an extraordinary memory with a flow of vivid language. The story was in its first quarter when Pete returned and, to the disappointment of all, announced bedtime. The guitar was brought, Gounod’s Ave Maria sung, and when sleep visited the eyes of Clarence, who kept himself awake to hear Dora’s good-night hymn38 to the Blessed Mother, it visited a youngster who in twenty-four hours had achieved a partnership39 with a singularly lovely child in the leadership of a gypsy band.
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1
disciple
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| n.信徒，门徒，追随者 | |
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furtive
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| adj.鬼鬼崇崇的，偷偷摸摸的 | |
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3
abetted
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| v.教唆（犯罪）( abet的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；怂恿；支持 | |
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4
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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6
savored
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| v.意味，带有…的性质( savor的过去式和过去分词 )；给…加调味品；使有风味；品尝 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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8
baneful
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| adj.有害的 | |
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9
malignity
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| n.极度的恶意，恶毒；（病的）恶性 | |
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10
refinement
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| n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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modesty
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| n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素 | |
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attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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candid
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| adj.公正的，正直的；坦率的 | |
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17
rippling
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| 起涟漪的，潺潺流水般声音的 | |
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wholesomely
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| 卫生地，有益健康地 | |
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19
ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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evoke
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| vt.唤起，引起，使人想起 | |
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recoiled
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| v.畏缩( recoil的过去式和过去分词 )；退缩；报应；返回 | |
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foulness
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| n. 纠缠, 卑鄙 | |
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accounting
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| n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表 | |
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blithe
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| adj.快乐的，无忧无虑的 | |
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debonair
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| adj.殷勤的，快乐的 | |
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26
knightliness
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| 骑士的，勋爵士的，骑士似的 | |
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serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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28
pinnacle
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| n.尖塔，尖顶，山峰；(喻)顶峰 | |
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29
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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31
superstitions
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| 迷信，迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 ) | |
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32
wreak
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| v.发泄；报复 | |
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33
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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34
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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engrossed
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| adj.全神贯注的 | |
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36
adjured
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| v.（以起誓或诅咒等形式）命令要求( adjure的过去式和过去分词 )；祈求；恳求 | |
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37
wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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38
hymn
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌 | |
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39
partnership
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| n.合作关系，伙伴关系 | |
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