Fifteen minutes had passed, and the old house-keeper's face still glowed—no longer from anger, but because, full of zeal2, she now moulded cakes before the bright flames on the hearth3, now basted4 the roast on the spit with its own juices.
Beside her stood old Jason, who could not give up his young master's cause for lost, and exposed himself once more to the arrows of Semestre's angry words, because he bitterly repented5 having irritated instead of winning her.
Unfortunately, his soothing6 speeches fell on hard ground, for Semestre scarcely vouchsafed7 a reply, and at last distinctly intimated that he interrupted her.
"Attention," she said, "is the mother of every true success. It is even more needful in cooking than in weaving; and if Leonax, for whom my hands are busy, resembles his father, he knows how to distinguish bad from good."
"Alciphron," replied Jason, "liked the figs8 on our arbor9 by the house better than yours."
"And while he was enjoying them," cried the old woman, "you beat him with a hazel rod. I can hear him cry now, poor little dear."
"Too many figs are bad for the stomach," replied the old man, very slowly and distinctly, but not too loud, that he might not remind her of her deafness. Then seeing Semestre smile, he drew nearer, and with winning cheerfulness continued: "Be sensible, and don't try to part the children, who belong to each other. Xanthe, too, is fond of figs, and, if Leonax shares his father's taste, how will the sweet fruit of your favorite trees fare, if Hymen unites them in marriage? Phaon doesn't care for sweet things. But seriously: though his father may seek twenty brides for him, he himself wants no one but Xanthe. And can you deny that he is a handsome, powerful fellow?"
"So is the other," cried Semestre, wholly unmoved by these words. "Have you seen your favorite this morning? No! Do you know where he slept last night and the night before?"
"On his couch, I suppose."
"In your house?"
"I don't run after the youth, now he is grown up."
"Neither shall we! You are giving yourself useless trouble, Jason, and I earnestly beg you not to disturb me any longer now, for a dark spot is already appearing on the roast. Quick, Chloris—lift the spit from the fire!"
"I should like to bid Lysander good-morning."
"He is tired, and wants to see no one. The servants have vexed10 him."
"Then I'll stay awhile in the garden."
"To try your luck with Xanthe? I tell you, it's trouble wasted, for she's dressing11 her hair to receive our guest from Messina; and, if she were standing12 where those cabbage-leaves be, she wouldn't contradict me if I were to repeat what you heard from my lips this morning at sunrise. Our girl will never become Phaon's wife until I myself offer a sacrifice to Aphrodite, that she may fill Xanthe's heart with love for him."
Jason shrugged13 his shoulders, and was preparing to turn his back on the old woman, when Dorippe entered and approached the hearth. Her eyes were red with weeping, and in her arms she carried a round, yellowish-white creature that, struggling and stretching it's little legs in the air, squealed14 in a clear, shrill15 voice, even more loudly and piteously than a hungry babe.
It was a pretty, well-fattened sucking pig.
Jason looked at it significantly, but Semestre snatched it out of the girl's arms, pressed it to her own bosom16, turned her back upon the old man with resolute17 meaning, and said, just loud enough for him alone to hear:
"A roast for the banquet."
As soon as Jason had left the room, she put the nicely-washed pig on a little wooden bench, ordered Chloris to see that it did not soil itself; drew from a small box, standing beside the loom18, one blue ribbon and two red ones; tied the former carefully around the little creature's curly tail, and the latter about its cars; lifted the pig again, looked at it as a mother gazes at her prettily-dressed darling, patted its fattest parts with her right-hand, and ordered Dorippe to carry it to Aphrodite's temple immediately.
"It's a beautiful creature, absolutely faultless, and the priest must slay19 it at once in Honor of the gracious goddess. I will come myself, as soon as everything is ready here; and, after such a gift, foam-born Cypris will surely grant my petition. Hide the little treasure carefully under your robe, that no one may see it."
"It struggles and squeals20 when I carry it," replied the girl.
"Yes, it does squeal," said the old woman. "Wait, I'll look for a suitable basket."
The house-keeper went out, and, when she returned, cried:
"Mopsus is standing outside with our donkey, to carry bag and baggage to his mother's house, but he's still in Lysander's service to-day. Let him put the creature in a basket on the donkey's back, and then he can quickly carry it to the temple—at once and without delay, for, if I don't find it on the goddess's altar in an hour, you shall answer for it! Tell him this, and then get some rosemary and myrtle to garland our hearth."
Mopsus did not hasten to perform the errand. He had first to help Dorippe cut the green branches, and, while thus engaged, sought pleasant gifts not only on the ground, but from his sweetheart's red lips, then moved up the mountain with his donkey, very slowly, without urging the animal. The latter carried one basket on the right and one on the left of its saddle, wore bright cock's feathers on its head, and had a fiery-red bridle21. It looked gay enough in its finery, yet hung its head, though far less sorrowfully than its young driver, whom Semestre had exiled from his master's house and the girl he loved.
He spent half an hour in reaching the sanctuary22.
Old Jason, at the same time, was standing before the little grove23 beside the steps leading to the cella.
The worthy24 man cradled in his arms, as Dorippe had just done in Lysander's house, a little squealing25 creature, and this, too, was a pig; but it wore no ribbon around its little tail and ears, was not particularly fat, and had numerous black spots under its scanty26 bristles27 and on its sharp snout.
The old man was gazing at the innocent creature by no means tenderly, but with the utmost indignation. He had good reason to be angry, for the priest had not thought it fit for a sacrifice to the goddess, it was so poor in fat and full of bad marks.
Alas28, and Jason had no second pig, and was so eager to win the goddess to Phaon's cause.
As soon as he saw Semestre's offering, he had hurried home to anticipate her with his own, and first win the goddess's heart for his young master.
Now he stood considering whether he should strangle the unlucky creature, or carry it back to its mother.
Like a frugal29 steward30, he decided31 upon the latter course, and, just as he was comparing the image of the lean, spotted32 animal with its future well-rounded condition, he heard the hoofs33 of the donkey driven by Mopsus, the heavy thud of a stick on the elastic34 flesh, and after every blow, the shout, "Semestre!"
Directly after Mopsus and his donkey reached the old man, and as the youth, without looking to the right or left, dealt the animal another thwack, again uttering the house-keeper's name, and in connection with it a succession of harsh, abusive words, Jason looked at the young man with approval, nay35, almost tenderly.
The latter usually shouted a loud "Joy be with you!" whenever he met the old man, but to-day answered his greeting only with a sorrowful nod and low murmur36.
The steward had stepped in front of him, laid his hard hand on the donkey's head, and asked:
"Do you call your ass1 Semestre?" Mopsus blushed, and answered:
"In future I shall call all she-asses that, but the old Megaera named this one Jason."
"Why, see," cried the steward, "how kindly37 the worthy woman remembers me! But she, too, was not forgotten, for, whenever you lifted your stick, you thought, I should suppose, of her."
"Indeed I did!" cried Mopsus; then, while stroking the stripes on the donkey's flanks, added kindly:
"Poor Jason, you too have nothing for which to thank the old woman. If you only knew how abominable39 this woman is—"
"I do know," the steward interrupted, "but she is an old woman, and it does not beseem you to abuse her; she represents the house under its invalid40 ruler."
"I'd willingly lay both these hands under his feet," cried the youth, "but Semestre has driven me out of his service for nothing, away from here and Dorippe, and where can I find a place in the neighborhood?"
The almost whining41 tone of the complaint contrasted oddly with the appearance of the tall, broad-shouldered Mopsus, yet tears filled his eyes, as he now told the steward about the juggler42, the dance, Semestre's anger, his banishment43 from Lysander's house, and the house-keeper's commission to carry a sucking-pig to Aphrodite's temple for her.
Jason listened with only partial attention, for the low grunting44 of a pig, that reached his ears from one of the baskets on the donkey, seemed to him far more interesting than the poor fellow's story. He knew the ways of every domestic animal, and such sounds were only uttered by a little pig that felt comfortably fat, and lived under favorable circumstances.
A great thought awoke in his mind, and must have pleased him hugely, for his eyes began to sparkle, his mouth puckered45 in a smile, and he looked exactly like a satyr thrusting his thick lips toward the largest and ripest bunches of grapes in the vineyard.
When Mopsus paused, he angrily noticed what an enlivening influence his sorrowful story had had upon the old man, but soon laughed too; for, ere he could give expression to his dissatisfaction, Jason had opened the basket on the left of the donkey, taken out Semestre's gayly-decked pig, put his own lanky46 animal in its place, and said, giggling47 with pleasure:
"After what Semestre has done to a poor fellow like you, she doesn't deserve the favor of our goddess. Let me offer Aphrodite this most charming of pigs, and you offer my little beast in the house-keeper's name; then her petition will certainly find no hearing."
At these words Mopsus's broad face brightened, and, after laughing loudly, he struck his fist in the palm of his left hand, turned on the heel of his right foot, and exclaimed:
"Yes, that will be just right."
True, directly after, he looked as doubtful as if an invisible myrtle-staff had been swung over his back, and asked:
"But if she notices it?"
"I know how we'll manage it," replied the old man, and, putting Semestre's pig in Mopsus's arms, took the ribbons from its ears and curly tail.
Meantime, the little animal grunted48 as piteously as if it noticed that its finery was being stolen and its beauty impaired49.
And when Jason, with Mopsus's assistance, put the same ribbons on his own lank38 pig, it looked neither better nor prouder than before, for it was no lucky animal and did not appreciate beautiful gifts.
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1
ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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basted
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| v.打( baste的过去式和过去分词 )；粗缝；痛斥；（烤肉等时）往上抹[浇]油 | |
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repented
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| 对（自己的所为）感到懊悔或忏悔( repent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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6
soothing
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| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
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7
vouchsafed
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| v.给予，赐予( vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词 )；允诺 | |
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8
figs
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| figures 数字，图形，外形 | |
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arbor
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| n.凉亭；树木 | |
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vexed
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| adj.争论不休的；（指问题等）棘手的；争论不休的问题；烦恼的v.使烦恼( vex的过去式和过去分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论 | |
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11
dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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12
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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13
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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14
squealed
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| v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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loom
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| n.织布机，织机；v.隐现，(危险、忧虑等)迫近 | |
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19
slay
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| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
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20
squeals
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| n.长而尖锐的叫声( squeal的名词复数 )v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的第三人称单数 ) | |
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21
bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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sanctuary
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| n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区 | |
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23
grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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24
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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25
squealing
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| v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的现在分词 ) | |
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26
scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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bristles
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| 短而硬的毛发，刷子毛( bristle的名词复数 ) | |
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28
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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frugal
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| adj.节俭的，节约的，少量的，微量的 | |
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steward
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| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
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31
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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32
spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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33
hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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34
elastic
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| n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的 | |
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35
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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37
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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38
lank
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| adj.瘦削的；稀疏的 | |
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39
abominable
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| adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的 | |
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40
invalid
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| n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的 | |
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41
whining
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| n. 抱怨，牢骚 v. 哭诉，发牢骚 | |
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42
juggler
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| n. 变戏法者, 行骗者 | |
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43
banishment
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| n.放逐，驱逐 | |
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44
grunting
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| 咕哝的，呼噜的 | |
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45
puckered
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| v.（使某物）起褶子或皱纹( pucker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
lanky
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| adj.瘦长的 | |
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47
giggling
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| v.咯咯地笑( giggle的现在分词 ) | |
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48
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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49
impaired
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| adj.受损的；出毛病的；有（身体或智力）缺陷的v.损害，削弱( impair的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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