"I'd be obliged to you," he said, "if you could arrange, without putting yourself out any, to change places with young Dod, there, as far as St. Moritz. I have my reasons—but not necessarily for publication. See?"
Mr. Mafferton's eye glistened8 with appreciation9 of the confidence reposed10 in him. "I shall be most happy," he said, "if Dod doesn't mind." But Dicky, with indecent haste, was already in the coupé. "Don't mention it, Mafferton," he said out of the window. "I'm delighted—at least—whatever the Senator says has got to be done, of course," and he made an attempt to look hurt that would not have imposed upon anybody but a self-constituted Doge with a guilty conscience. I took my bereavement11 in stony12 calm, with possibly just a suggestion about my eyebrows13 and under-lip that some day, on the far free shores of Lake Michigan, a downtrodden daughter would re-assert herself; poppa re-entered an intérieur darkened by a thunder-cloud on the brow of his Aunt Caroline; and we started.
It was some time before Mr. Mafferton interfered14 in the least with the Engadine. He seemed wrapped in a cloud of vain imaginings, sprung, obviously, from poppa's ill-considered request. I understood his emotions and carefully respected his silence. I was unwilling15 to be instructed about the Engadine either botanically or geologically—it was more agreeable not to know the names of the lovely little foreign flowers, and quite pleasant enough that every turn in the road showed us a white mountain or a purple one without having to understand what it was made of. Besides, I particularly did not wish to precipitate16 anything, and there are moments when a mere17 remark about the weather will do it. I had been suffering a good deal from my conscience since Mrs. Portheris had told me that poppa had written to Arthur—I didn't mind him enduring unnumbered pangs18 of hope deferred19, but it was quite another thing that he should undergo the unnecessary martyrdom of imagining that he had been superseded20 by Dicky Dod. On reflection, I thought it would be safer to start Mr. Mafferton on the usual lines, and I nerved myself to ask him whether he could tell me anything about the prehistoric21 appearance of these lovely mountains.
"I am glad," he responded absently, "that you admire my favourite Alps." Nothing more. I tried to prick22 him to the consideration of the scenery by asking him which were his favourite Alps, but this also came to nothing. Having acknowledged his approval of the Alps, he seemed willing to let them go unadorned by either fact or fancy. I offered him sandwiches, but he seemed to prefer his moustache. Presently he roused himself.
"I'm afraid you must think me very uninteresting, Miss Wick," he said.
"Dear me, no," I replied. "On the contrary, I think you are a lovely type."
"Type of an Englishman?" Mr. Mafferton was not displeased23.
"Type of some Englishmen. You would not care to represent the—ah, commercial classes?"
"If I had been born in that station," replied Mr. Mafferton modestly, "I should be very glad to represent them. But I should not care to be a Labour candidate."
"It wouldn't be very appropriate, would it?" I suggested. "But do you ever mean to run for anything, really?"
"Certainly not," Mr. Mafferton replied, with slight resentment24. "In our family we never run. But, of course, I will succeed my uncle in the Upper House."
"Dear me!" I exclaimed. "So you will! I should think it would be simply lovely to be born a legislator. In our country it is attained25 by such painful degrees." It flashed upon me in a moment why Mr. Mafferton was so industrious26 in collecting general information. He was storing it up against the day when he would be able to make speeches, which nobody could interrupt, in the House of Lords.
The conversation flagged again, and I was driven to comment upon the appearance of the little German down in the intérieur. It was quite remarkable27, apart from the bloom on his nose, his pale-blue eyes wandered so irresponsibly in their sockets28, and his scanty29, flaxen beard made such an unsuccessful effort to disguise the amiability30 of his chin. He wore a braided cotton coat to keep cool, and a woollen comforter to keep warm, and from time to time he smilingly invited the attention of the other three to vast green maps of the country, which I could see him apologising for spreading over Mrs. Portheris's capacious lap. It was interesting to watch his joyous31 sense of being in foreign society, and his determination to be agreeable even if he had to talk all the time. Now and then a sentence bubbled up over the noise of the wheels, as when he had the happiness to discover the nationalities of his fellow-travellers.
"Ach, is it so? From England, from America also, and I from Markadorf am! Four peoples, to see zis so beautiful Switzerland from everyveres in one carriage we are come!" He smiled at them one after another in the innocent joy of this wonderful fact, and it made me quite unhappy to see how unresponsive they had grown.
"In America I haf one uncle got——"
"No, I don't know him," said the Senator, who was extremely tired of being expected to keep up with society in Castle Garden.
"But before I vas born going, mein uncle I myself haf never seen! To Chicago mit nossings he went, und now letters ve are always getting it is goot saying."
"Made money, has he?" poppa inquired, with indifference32.
"Mit some small flours of large manufacture selling. Dose small flours—ze name forgotten I haf—ze breads making, ze cakes making, ze m?dschen——"
"Baking powder!" divined momma.
"Bakings—powder! In America it is moch eat. So mine uncle Blittens——"
"Josef Blittens?" exclaimed poppa.
"Blittens und Josef also! The name of mine uncle to you is known! He is so rich, mit carriage, piano, large family—he is now famous also, hein? My goot uncle!"
"He's been my foreman for fifteen years," said poppa, "and I don't care where he came from; he's as good an American now as there is in the union. I am pleased to make the acquaintance of any member of his family. There's nothing in the way of refreshments33 to be got till we next change horses, but as soon as that happens, sir, I hope you will take something."
After that we began to rattle34 down the other side of the Julier and I lost the thread of the conversation, but I saw that Herr Blittens' determination to practise English was completely swamped in the Senator's desire to persuade him of the advantages of emigration.
"I never see a foreigner in his native land," said Mr. Mafferton, regarding this one with disapproval35, "without thinking what a pity it is that any portion of the earth, so desirable for instance as this is, should belong to him." Which led me to suggest that when he entered political life in his native land Mr. Mafferton should aim at the Cabinet, he was obviously so well qualified36 to sustain British traditions.
My companion's mind seemed to be so completely diverted by this prospect37 that I breathed again. He could be depended upon I knew, never to think seriously of me when there was an opportunity of thinking seriously of himself, and in that certainty I relaxed my efforts to make it quite impossible that anything should happen. I forgot the contingencies38 of the situation in finding whiter glaciers39 and deeper gorges40, and looking for the Bergamesque sheep and their shepherds which Baedeker assured us were to be seen pasturing on the slopes and heights of the Julier wearing long curling locks, mantles41 of brown wool, and peaked Calabrian hats. We grew quite frivolous42 over this phenomenon, which did not appear, and it was only after some time that we observed the Baedeker to be of 1877, and decided43 that the home of truth was not in old editions. It seemed to me afterwards that Mr. Mafferton had been waiting for his opportunity; he certainly took advantage of a very insufficient44 one.
"It's exactly," said I, talking of the compartments45 of the diligence, "as if Isabel and Dicky had the first floor front, momma and poppa the dining room, and you and I the second floor back."
It was one of those things that one lives to repent46 if one survives them five seconds; but my remorse47 was immediately swallowed up in consequences. I do not propose to go into the details of Mr. Mafferton's second attempt upon my insignificant48 hand—to be precise, I wear fives and a quarter—but he began by saying that he thought we could do better than that, meaning the second floor back, and he mentioned Park Lane. He also said that ever since Dicky, doubtless before his affections had become involved, had told him that there was a possibility of my changing my mind—I was nearly false to Dicky at this point—he had been giving the matter his best consideration, and he had finally decided that it was only fair that I should have an opportunity of doing so. These were not his exact words, but I can be quite sure of my impression. We were trotting49 past the lake at Maloja when this came upon me, and when I reflected that I owed it about equally to poppa and to Dicky Dod I felt that I could have personally chastised50 them—could have slapped them—both. What I longed to do with Mr. Mafferton was to hurl51 him, figuratively speaking, down an abyss, but that would have been to send him into Mrs. Portheris's beckoning52 arms next morning, and I had little faith in any floral hat and pink bun once its mamma's commands were laid upon it. I thought of my cradle companion—not tenderly, I confess—and told Mr. Mafferton that I didn't know what I had done to deserve such an honour a second time, and asked him if he had properly considered the effect on Isabel. I added that I fancied Dicky was generalising about American girls changing their minds, but I would try and see if I had changed mine and would let him know in six days, at Harwich. Any decision made on this side of the Channel might so easily be upset. And this I did knowing quite well that Dicky and Isabel and I were all to elope from Boulogne, Dicky and Isabel for frivolity53 and I for propriety54; for this had been arranged. In writing a description of our English tour I do not wish to exculpate55 myself in any particular.
We arrived late at St. Moritz, and the little German, on a very fraternal footing, was still talking as the party descended56 from the intérieur. He spoke57 of the butterflies the day before in Pontresina, and he laughed with delight as he recounted.
"Vorty maybe der vas, vifty der vas, mit der diligence vlying along; und der brittiest of all I catch; he vill come at my nose"
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1
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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adventurous
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| adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的 | |
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conspired
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| 密谋( conspire的过去式和过去分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致 | |
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interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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paternal
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| adj.父亲的，像父亲的，父系的，父方的 | |
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glistened
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| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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9
appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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reposed
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| v.将（手臂等）靠在某人（某物）上( repose的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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11
bereavement
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| n.亲人丧亡，丧失亲人，丧亲之痛 | |
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stony
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| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
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eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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interfered
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| v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉 | |
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15
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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precipitate
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| adj.突如其来的；vt.使突然发生；n.沉淀物 | |
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17
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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pangs
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| 突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛 | |
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19
deferred
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| adj.延期的，缓召的v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从 | |
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20
superseded
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| [医]被代替的，废弃的 | |
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21
prehistoric
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| adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的 | |
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prick
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| v.刺伤，刺痛，刺孔；n.刺伤，刺痛 | |
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23
displeased
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| a.不快的 | |
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resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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25
attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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26
industrious
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| adj.勤劳的，刻苦的，奋发的 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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28
sockets
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| n.套接字，使应用程序能够读写与收发通讯协定(protocol)与资料的程序( Socket的名词复数 )；孔( socket的名词复数 )；（电器上的）插口；托座；凹穴 | |
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29
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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30
amiability
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| n.和蔼可亲的，亲切的，友善的 | |
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31
joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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32
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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33
refreshments
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| n.点心,便餐;(会议后的)简单茶点招 待 | |
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34
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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35
disapproval
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| n.反对，不赞成 | |
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36
qualified
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| adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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38
contingencies
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| n.偶然发生的事故，意外事故( contingency的名词复数 )；以备万一 | |
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39
glaciers
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| 冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 ) | |
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40
gorges
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| n.山峡，峡谷( gorge的名词复数 )；咽喉v.（用食物把自己）塞饱，填饱( gorge的第三人称单数 )；作呕 | |
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41
mantles
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| vt.&vi.覆盖（mantle的第三人称单数形式） | |
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42
frivolous
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| adj.轻薄的；轻率的 | |
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43
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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44
insufficient
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| adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的 | |
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45
compartments
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| n.间隔( compartment的名词复数 )；（列车车厢的）隔间；（家具或设备等的）分隔间；隔层 | |
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46
repent
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| v.悔悟，悔改，忏悔，后悔 | |
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47
remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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48
insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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49
trotting
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| 小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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50
chastised
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| v.严惩（某人）（尤指责打）( chastise的过去式 ) | |
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51
hurl
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| vt.猛投，力掷，声叫骂 | |
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52
beckoning
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| adj.引诱人的，令人心动的v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的现在分词 ) | |
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53
frivolity
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| n.轻松的乐事，兴高采烈；轻浮的举止 | |
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54
propriety
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| n.正当行为；正当；适当 | |
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55
exculpate
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| v.开脱，使无罪 | |
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56
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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57
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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