We were presently joined by Ferratoni—spiritually pale, but triumphant7. I was not sorry, for I 71could not help caring for the man, and it seemed to me that after all his devotion to Edith Gale might be rather a tribute to an ideal than a genuine passion of the heart. We ascended8 to the bridge where we found the First Officer on watch. His name was Larkins—Terence Larkins—a sturdy Newfoundlander of forty, whose life ashore9 had been limited to childhood only—a period now lost in the cloudland of myth and fable10. He had no prejudices concerning our destination. He was ready at any moment to go anywhere that the sea touched, and to maintain a pleasant discourse11 at any stage of the journey. He was big and blond, with a touch of ancestry12 in his speech and a proper disregard of facts—a merry Munchausen of the sea. He saluted13 as we approached, and pointed14 shoreward.
“Farrmers’ day ashore,” he said, with a serious air. “All the farrmers come to the beach to-day for their annual shwim.”
“Is this the day?” I asked, looking where he pointed. “I’ve heard of it, but I had forgotten the date.”
“Sure it is, man; an’ can’t ye see thim over there, dhriving down to the beach with their teams? An’ thim fellies puttin’ up the limonade shtands, an’ merry-go-rounds fer the farrmer lads an’ their shweetheartses?”
72I reached for the glass and took a long look. The solid purple wall was as solid and purple as it had been before.
“No, really, Mr. Larkins,” I admitted, “I do not.”
“Let me look, Larkins,” said Gale.
He leveled the glass and began to testify.
“Why, of course! And there’s a new addition laid out just below, and a little sign stuck up with—let me see—M-A-R-S-H-S-I-D-E on it. Well, that’s a funny name for an addition, ‘Marshside!’”
Edith Gale seized the glass. After a hasty glance she declared:
“Of course Mr. Chase couldn’t see anything! And you and Mr. Larkins didn’t, either.”
Ferratoni who had been gazing through another glass also shook his head. Chauncey Gale and Mr. Larkins joined in a hearty15 laugh at our expense.
“Oh, now,” consoled the latter, “it’s because yer eyes are not thrained to lookin’ over the sea. By the time ye get back from the South Pole they’ll be opened to a great many things.”
There came the summons to breakfast and we went below—certainly with no reluctance16 on my part, this time.
And now passed beautiful days; glorious shipboard days to which the slight uncertainty17 of a rival’s relative position gave only added zest18. Ferratoni, 73it is true, may have had somewhat different views in this matter. He was obliged to spend the greater part of his time with Gale in the modeling of the new electrical propelling apparatus19, which the latter was perfecting for the balloon. In the matter of constructive20 detail my assistance was not highly regarded by Gale who had really a mechanical turn of mind, as the Billowcrest itself proved; for whatever may have been the vessel’s faults from the seaman’s standpoint it was certainly all that a landsman could desire. Below stairs there was a splendidly appointed workshop, and the engineers on the Billowcrest were also skilled workers in wood and metals. The boat-car for the Cloudcrest, as we had decided21 to name the balloon, was a matter of daily discussion among us all, but at the point of technical intricacy I was promptly22 relieved for the good of all concerned.
It was but natural, therefore, that I should be a good deal in Edith Gale’s company. Also that I should feel a gentle solicitude23 for Ferratoni—a sweet soul whom all presently grew to love; it seemed too bad that he should not come in for his full share of paradise. My own fancies had been called poetic24, but I realized daily that Ferratoni lived in a world which to me could be never more than borderland. And this I hoped consoled him somewhat for what he was missing by tinkering 74away his days with Gale on a dynamo for my balloon car, while I was revelling25 in the seventh delight of the daughter’s company, above stairs.
We cared for pretty much the same things. We liked to walk up and down the decks, discussing the books we had read, the pictures we had seen, and the purpose and possibilities of art.
“Beauty, the secret of the universe,
The thought that gives the soul eternal peace.”
was the quotation26 most frequently on her lips.
She had seen so much more of the world and its glories than I, and her understanding of nature was a marvel27 to me. She taught me to see colors that I had been blind to before. Sometimes she brought up her materials and sketched28, while I looked on and loved her. When she would let me I photographed her. One day I ventured to show her some verses that I had written, and the fact that she really seemed to care for them gave me a higher opinion of us both.
And the sea racing29 past made a fine accompaniment to these pleasant things. She liked to watch the surge along the side and listen to its music. So did I, and often together we leaned over the rail to watch and hear it rush by.
We discussed metaphysics, and talked of life, and love, and death. Remembering Chauncey Gale’s 75advice, I was careful to avoid the personal note at such times. Ferratoni had touched now and then upon his theories in these matters, and these suggested speculations30 of our own. I was not displeased31 to find that Edith Gale did not quite accord with, or perhaps altogether grasp, his filmy philosophies. I preferred that she should be less ethereal—what she was, in fact—a splendid reality of flesh and blood and soul, with a love of all the joys of earth and sky. The clouds scudding32 across the blue, the white joy of the sunlit sails, the smash of the spray over the bow, a merry game of shuffle-board, and even hop-scotch—these things gave her life and sustenance—and then, at the end of the day, came the good dinner, and the untroubled sleep of a healthy child.
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1
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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8
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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fable
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| n.寓言；童话；神话 | |
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discourse
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| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
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ancestry
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| n.祖先，家世 | |
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saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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14
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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reluctance
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| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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zest
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| n.乐趣；滋味，风味；兴趣 | |
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apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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constructive
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| adj.建设的，建设性的 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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solicitude
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| n.焦虑 | |
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poetic
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| adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的 | |
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revelling
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| v.作乐( revel的现在分词 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉 | |
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quotation
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| n.引文，引语，语录；报价，牌价，行情 | |
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27
marvel
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| vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事 | |
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28
sketched
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| v.草拟（sketch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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30
speculations
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| n.投机买卖( speculation的名词复数 )；思考；投机活动；推断 | |
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31
displeased
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| a.不快的 | |
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32
scudding
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| n.刮面v.（尤指船、舰或云彩）笔直、高速而平稳地移动( scud的现在分词 ) | |
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