“Cap’n,” he said, “she’s all ready.”
“I know it.”
“Will we get under way? There’s the tug4 coming in fifteen minutes.”
Hunch sat still, his fingers locked, looking out across the harbor.
“Mike,” he said, abruptly5, “skip up to the office and telephone over for the tug to come to-morrow morning at seven o’clock.”
“Not till to-morrow——?”
“That’s what I said.”
The mate walked away, shaking his head.
Hunch was in a bad temper all the afternoon. After supper he sat in the cabin alone until after seven o’clock. Finally he got up and walked swiftly across town to Mamie’s house. Mr. Banks opened the door, his coat on and his hat in his hand.
“Hello, my boy. This is a big surprise. Step right in. We thought you was up to Manistee by now.”
“I thought I was going myself.”
“Take off your coat—here, let me have it. How’d you manage it?”
“I—I found I couldn’t get away.”
“Ain’t that fine, though. Mother, here’s Mr. Badeau.” Mrs. Banks was in the front room straightening her bonnet6.
“How d’ye do?” she said, coming into the hall and shaking hands. “Glad to see you. Father and I was just starting for prayer-meeting.”
“Go right along, Mis’ Banks. Don’t stay on my account.”
“All right, if you’ll excuse us. We won’t be gone long, and I guess Mamie ‘ll take care of you all right. We can have our visit when we get back. Mamie-! Where is that child?”
“Here I am, mother,” said Mamie, coming in from the kitchen. She greeted Hunch cordially.
“Good-by,” said Mrs. Banks, “we’ll be back ‘fore long.”
Mamie pulled up two chairs to the stove, Hunch helping7 her.
“How’d you happen to stay over?” she asked. “We weren’t expecting you.”
“No, I just made up my mind this morning.”
“Well, I’m sure we’re glad you did. It seems just like old times to have you back here.”
“Don’t it, though? I ain’t had much chance to see my friends in the last year. I have to keep a-going all the time, you know.”
“But I should think you’d kind of like it. Father told me how well you’re doing. Isn’t it fine.”
“I dunno,” said Hunch. “I ain’t always sure I care much one way or the other.”
“You mean about getting on? Oh, you mustn’t talk like that. Of course you care, and all your friends care, too. We like to see you get ahead. Jess’s brother told me when you got to be captain, and I was kind of proud of you.”
The mention of Jess bothered Hunch, though he replied, “Was you really?” and tried to smile.
Mamie was looking at him with a friendly expression in her eyes that he did not quite understand. He thought at first that she was laughing at him. But then she smiled, and said with a little hesitation8:
“I didn’t know but what you mightn’t like what—the little surprise we had last night, you know.”
“Oh, yes; I did all right.”
“Well, but I thought afterward9 that maybe we oughtn’t to have done it. It was father’s idea. He feels real bad about—about you and Jess. And she’s an awfully10 nice girl.”
“Yes,” said Hunch, “there ain’t no doubt about that.”
Mamie hesitated again, and then, when Hunch did not speak, they both became embarrassed.
“I’ve wondered sometimes, if you knew,” she said at length, “if you really thought Jess was the only one to blame. It was just as much her folks—her brother, you know—he was worried about it, and he tried to keep her from going on with you.”
“Yes, I know. He told me that.”
“And I—don’t you see how it is? You’ve both of you been two of the best friends I ever had, and I didn’t like to see it—well, you know, don’t you?”
She was looking into the fire as she spoke11, and Hunch was watching her. She was very much in earnest.
“Don’t you see?” she went on. “I couldn’t help feeling kind of bad about it. Why can’t you make it all right?” She waited for him to answer, and at last looked up at him with a half smile. “Why?” She asked again.
Hunch looked at her, almost fiercely, until she lowered her eyes to the stove.
He got up, and walked to the window and back.
“Did you think it was her?” he asked, in a strange voice.
“Why—yes.”
“Well, it wasn’t. It was you.”
Mamie lost a shade of her color and leaned back in her chair. Hunch stood looking down at her and he said again, “It was you, Mamie.”
Mamie spoke without looking up.
“Oh, John,” she said, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Then Hunch sat down and talked wildly, eagerly. And Mamie leaned back without a word, and looked at the brass12 ball on top of the stove and at the patterns on the wallpaper. Hunch was talking when a key rattled13 in the lock, and he sat stiff and constrained14 when Mamie’s father and mother came into the room. He tried to stay and talk, but could not; and a few minutes later he said “Good-night,” and went out into the hall. Mamie followed him, and without a word took down his ulster and helped him to get it on.
“Good-by,” he said.
“Good-by, John. Don’t be mad, will you? You know how much I care for you; and we’ll be good friends, won’t we, John?”
He bent15 down and whispered close to her ear, “I’m in for it now, Mamie. I ain’t going to lose you now. Next time I come down I ain’t going back without you.”
Mamie smiled sadly, and shook her head. But she stood in the doorway16 watching him until he had passed into the darkness beyond the lamp-post on the corner.
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收听单词发音
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1
hunch
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| n.预感，直觉 | |
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2
moody
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| adj.心情不稳的，易怒的，喜怒无常的 | |
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3
bracing
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| adj.令人振奋的 | |
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4
tug
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| v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船 | |
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5
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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6
bonnet
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| n.无边女帽；童帽 | |
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7
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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8
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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9
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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10
awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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11
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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12
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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13
rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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14
constrained
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| adj.束缚的,节制的 | |
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15
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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16
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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