'Well,' said the master of the house towards the end of the meal, 'have you boys come to your senses yet, hey? Has order been restored on the decks? I strongly advised Price to read the Riot Act; I hope he did so, hey?' The captain began dimly to be aware of the prevailing5 constraint, and then suddenly he recollected6 the tutor's complaining report, which had dropped out of his mind two minutes after it was spoken.
Nobody spoke7 in answer. The captain glared, over the top of his glasses, round the party; but Theo and Geoff would not for worlds have told tales. Each felt that silence was the best policy under the circumstances.
Queenie at last, observing, with some surprise, the unusual hush8, took it upon her small self to reply.
'Alick's been so good! He has mended all my doll-ladies' broken legs, and the canary's head, too; and he has made such a bewful new tail for the old horse—the grey horse, you remember, father, what lost his tail when he was quite young. And Alick's tidied all the toy-shelves. He has got such a long holiday, Alick has! Did you know, father?' she said importantly.
'Ah!' the captain observed gravely, looking his youngest calmly over, and losing her last words. 'The toy-shelves are your decks, I suppose, my little woman; the play-room your ship, hey? Well, well, history repeats itself. Oh, by the way, what a wretched memory I've got! Dear, dear! why, it has only just come into my mind! Theo, my dear, I had occasion to go across the bay the other day, last week I think it was, about some references I wanted from the Vicarage library, and I just looked in to have a chat with Mrs. Vesey in her morning-room. What a sweet woman that is! If ever there were a saint permitted to remain on earth, it is herself. But what I had to say was about a special message she gave me for you. To-morrow will be her birthday, and she wants all you young folk to go over early, to have tea and strawberries and cream. You will like that, my dear, and so will Queenie. As for you boys, there's to be a special treat for you, in honour of the occasion. I was to be sure and tell you so, I remember now. You are to have the key of the museum for yourselves, and spend the evening there. But mind, no tricks with the specimens9, which are a valuable collection. Remember you are on honour, and being gentlemen, I presume that will suffice to prevent any mischief10. Stupid of me to forget the message! However, it's not too late, fortunately; to-morrow has not yet come.'
There was an involuntary shout of delight from the boys when the captain finished. A treat indeed, and a rare one, it was to be permitted to pass an evening in the curiosity-room of the Vicarage. From their childhood this museum had been the most interesting spot to the young Carnegys. It was packed from floor to ceiling with a collection of foreign monsters, weapons, and rarities, gathered together, during a long life on foreign stations in different quarters of the globe, by the venerable vicar, who, in his heyday11, had been an army chaplain. A more entrancing treat for Alick and Geoff could not possibly have been devised. Suddenly, however, Alick's face gloomed over. He remembered that the morrow, the birthday, was Wednesday, and it was on that day he had bound himself to go to Brattlesby Woods with Jerry Blunt, the bird-trainer, defying his tutor in the teeth to do so. Even Alick felt a spasm12 of regret. If he had not been so perversely13 obstinate14 in refusing to yield to Mr. Price, here would have been his reward—a whole evening among the wonders of the Vicarage museum. It was maddening! But the misguided boy felt that he had gone too far to retrace15 his steps. It was too late, he ignorantly told himself; for Alick knew not that it is never, it can be never, too late to confess and make amends16 for a fault—so long as there is breath to bravely speak out the remorseful17 confession18.
'We know, father, about it,' Theo's quiet voice was saying. 'Mrs. Vesey guessed you might just possibly forget the message, so she sent me a note, next day. It's all arranged, and we are all going. Father, dear, wouldn't it be possible for you to come with us too?' The girl had left her seat at the head of the table, and came round to lean on the back of her father's chair. It seemed to Theo that if the captain could be induced to join his family's life-pleasures, he would come, in time, to be a refuge and a help in their life-troubles also; so she pleaded.
'Tut! tut! tut! Don't be absurd, my dear Theo. It's quite unlike you. I thought you, at least, understood what a life full of urgent importance mine is, until the magnum opus is achieved. After that—well, well, we'll see!'
'Yes, but, dear, just one little holiday! I know the book is a great labour, but you might take one afternoon from your work, and come with us—just for once!'
'No, no, child! When a man has put his hand to the plough he has no right to turn back. And you ought to know better than tempt19 me, I say. But with regard to you young people it is very different; you haven't a care, so you can't do better than be happy, that is, at the appointed time. There's a time for everything, the Book says, doesn't it? Now then, my dear, let me get away back to my work, if you please.'
The fiery20 old sailor held a firm conviction that he had an imperative21 duty to perform in this world, in the shape of his proposed literary work. Duty had been, hitherto, the sailor's god through thick and thin. To do him justice, the captain had not the faintest notion of the gusts22 of rebellious23 discontent that often enough swept over the little household he imagined to be so well ordered. Deeply attached to his boys and girls, one and all, though he was, he took no heed24 of the fact that the minds of the mere25 children, as he considered them to be, were fast awaking up—growing apace with their youthful bodies. The truth was, the young folk were utter strangers and foreigners to the man who had married late in life. So long as his gentle, tender wife—a woman eminently26 fitted for her niche27 in life by her sweet nature and her heart filled with Christian28 grace—lived, the captain's children were well cared for indeed. Their needs both of body and soul were alike looked after. But the mother who was so qualified29 by her rare sweetness to bring up the children God had given her 'in the nurture30 and admonition of the Lord,' was called away to a higher, fuller life 'beyond these voices'; and the sailor, taking the reins31 of the household in his unaccustomed fingers, held them over-slackly.
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1
constraint
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| n.(on)约束，限制；限制(或约束)性的事物 | |
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2
disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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3
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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4
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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5
prevailing
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| adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的 | |
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6
recollected
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| adj.冷静的；镇定的；被回忆起的；沉思默想的v.记起，想起( recollect的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7
spoke
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| 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 | |
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8
hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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9
specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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10
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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11
heyday
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| n.全盛时期，青春期 | |
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12
spasm
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| n.痉挛，抽搐；一阵发作 | |
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13
perversely
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| adv. 倔强地 | |
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14
obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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15
retrace
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| v.折回；追溯，探源 | |
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16
amends
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| n. 赔偿 | |
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17
remorseful
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| adj.悔恨的 | |
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18
confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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19
tempt
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| vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣 | |
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20
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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21
imperative
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| n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的 | |
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22
gusts
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| 一阵强风( gust的名词复数 )； （怒、笑等的）爆发； （感情的）迸发； 发作 | |
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23
rebellious
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| adj.造反的，反抗的，难控制的 | |
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24
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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25
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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26
eminently
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| adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地 | |
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27
niche
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| n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等) | |
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28
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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29
qualified
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| adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的 | |
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30
nurture
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| n.养育，照顾，教育；滋养，营养品；vt.养育，给与营养物，教养，扶持 | |
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31
reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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