The advent1 of Bobby Chislehurst to Old Town made a considerable difference to Bessie Trupp. She was not at all in love with him and he only pleasantly so with her; but as she told her friend the Colonel,
"He's the first curate we've ever had in Old Town you can be like that with."
"Like that is good," said the Colonel. "Give me my tables. Meet it is I write it down.—It says nothing and expresses everything."
Now if the clergy2 in Old Town with the exception of Bess's pet antipathy3, the Reverend Spink, were honest men worthy4 of respect, as everybody admitted, they were also old-fashioned; and Bobby Chislehurst was a new and disturbing element in their midst. Shy and unassuming though he was, the views of the Cherub5, as the Colonel called his cousin, when they became known, created something of a mild sensation in the citadel6 which had been held for Conservatism against all comers by the Archdeacon and his lady for nearly forty years.
Even Mr. Pigott was shocked.
"He's a Socialist7!" he confided8 to Mr. Trupp at the Bowling9 Green Committee.
The old Nonconformist had passed the happiest hours of a militant11 life in battle with the Church as represented by his neighbour, the Archdeacon, but of late it had been borne in upon him with increasing urgency that the time might come when Church and Chapel12 would have to join forces and present a common front against the hosts of Socialism which he feared more than ever he had done the Tory legions.
But if the Church was going Socialist! ...
And Mr. Chislehurst said it was...
The new curate and Bess Trupp had much in common, especially Boy Scouts13, their youth and the outstanding characteristic of their generation—a passionate15 interest and sympathy for their poorer neighbours. Both spent laborious16 and happy hours in the Moot17, listening a great deal, learning much, even helping18 a little. Bess, who had known most of the dwellers19 in the hollow under the Kneb all her life, had of course her favourites whom she commended to the special care of Bobby on his arrival; and first of these were the young Caspars.
She told him of Edward Caspar, her mother's old friend, scholar, dreamer, gentleman, with the blood of the Beauregards in his veins20, who had married the daughter of an Ealing tobacconist, and lived in Rectory Walk; of Anne Caspar, the harsh and devoted21 tyrant22; of the two sons of this inharmonious couple, and the antagonism23 between them from childhood; of Alf's victory and Ernie's enlistment24 in the Army; his sojourn25 in India and return to Old Town some years since; and she gave him a brief outline of Ruth's history, not mentioning Royal's name but referring once or twice through set teeth to "that little beast."
"Who's that?" asked the Cherub.
"Ernie's brother," she answered. "Alfred, who drives for dad."
"Not the sidesman?"
"Yes."
Bobby looked surprised.
"Mr. Spink," Bess explained darkly. "He got him there."
Apart from Bess's recommendation, Mr. Chislehurst's contact with Ruth was soon established through little Alice, who attended Sunday School. Ruth, moreover, called herself a church-woman, and was sedately26 proud of it, though the Church had no apparent influence upon her life, and though she never attended services.
On the latter point, the Cherub, when he had rooted himself firmly in her regard, remonstrated27.
"See, I ca-a-n't, sir," said Ruth simply.
"Why not?" asked Bobby.
"He's always there," Ruth answered enigmatically.
Bobby was puzzled and she saw it.
"Alf," she explained. "See, he wanted me same as Ernie. Only not to marry me. Just for his fun like and then throw you over. That's Alf, that is. There's the difference atween the two brothers." She regarded the young man before her with the lovely solicitude28 of the mother initiating29 a sensitive son into the cruelties of a world of which she has already had tragic30 experience. "Men are like that, sir—some men." She added with tender delicacy31, "Only you wouldn't know it, not yet."
The Cherub might be innocent, but no man has lived and worked in the back-streets of Bermondsey without learning some strange and ugly truths about life and human nature.
"He's not worrying you now?" he asked anxiously.
"Nothing to talk on," answered Ruth. "He wants me still, I allow. Only he won't get me—not yet a bit anyways." She seemed quite casual about the danger that threatened her, Bobby noticed; even, he thought, quietly enjoying it.
That evening, when the Cherub touched on the point to his colleague, Mr. Spink turned in his india-rubber lips.
"It's an honour to be abused by a woman like that," he said. "She's a bad character—bad."
"She's not that, I swear!" cried Bobby warmly. "She may have exaggerated, or made a mistake, but bad she's not."
"I believe I've been in the parish longer than you have, Chislehurst," retorted the other crisply. "And presumably I know something about the people in it."
"You've not been in as long as Miss Trupp," retorted Bobby. "She's been here all her life."
Mr. Spink puffed32 at his cigar with uplifted chin and smiled.
"How's it getting on?" he asked.
"Pah!" muttered Bobby—"Cad!" and went out, rather white.
That was not the end of the matter, however.
A few days later Joe Burt and Bobby had paused for a word at the Star corner when Mr. Spink and Alf Caspar came down Church Street together.
"Birds of a feather," said Alf loudly, nudging his companion, just as they passed the standing14 couple.
"That's not very courteous33, Caspar," called Bobby quietly after him.
Mr. Spink walked on with a smirk34; but Alf came back with hardly dissimulated35 truculence36.
"Sorry you've been spreading this about me, Mr. Chislehurst," he said, his sour eyes blinking.
"What?" asked the Cherub, astonished.
"Dirt," Alf retorted. "And I know where you got it from too."
"I haven't," cried Bobby with boyish indignation. "What d'you mean?"
"I know you have though," retorted Alf. "So it's no good denying it." He was about to move on with a sneer37 when Joe Burt struck in.
"That's a foonny way to talk," he said.
"Foonny it may be," mocked Alf. "One thing I'll lay: it's not so foonny as your lingo38."
The engineer shouldered a pace nearer.
"Throw a sneer, do you?"
"Ah," said Alf, secure in the presence of the clergyman. "I know all about you."
"Coom to that," retorted the Northerner, "I know a little about you. One o Stan's pups, aren't you?"
Bobby moved on and Alf at once followed suit.
"You keep down in the East-end, my lad!" he called over his shoulder. "We don't want none of it in Old Town. Nor we won't have it, neether."
Joe stood four-square at the cross-roads, bristling39 like a dog.
"Called yourself a Socialist when yo were down, didn't you?" he shouted. "And then turned Church and State when yo began to make. I know your sort!"
He dropped down Borough40 Lane, hackles still up, on the way to meet Ernie by appointment in the Moot.
At the corner he waited, one eye on Ern's cottage, which he did not approach. Then Ruth's face peeped round her door, amused and malicious41, to catch his dark head bobbing back into covert42 as he saw her. The two played I spy thus most evenings to the amusement of one of them at least.
"He's there," she told Ernie in the kitchen—"Waitin at the corner.—Keeps a safe distance, don't he?—What's he feared on?"
"You," answered Ernie, and rose.
Ruth snorted. The reluctance43 to meet her of this man with the growing reputation as a fighter amused and provoked her. Sometimes she chaffed with Ernie about it; but a ripple44 of resentment45 ran always across her laughter.
Ern now excused his friend.
"He's all for his politics," he said. "No time for women."
"Hap10, he'll learn yet," answered Ruth with a fierce little nod of her head.
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1
advent
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| n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临 | |
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2
clergy
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| n.[总称]牧师，神职人员 | |
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antipathy
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| n.憎恶；反感，引起反感的人或事物 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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cherub
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| n.小天使，胖娃娃 | |
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citadel
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| n.城堡；堡垒；避难所 | |
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7
socialist
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| n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的 | |
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8
confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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9
bowling
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| n.保龄球运动 | |
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hap
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| n.运气；v.偶然发生 | |
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militant
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| adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士 | |
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chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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13
scouts
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| 侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员 | |
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14
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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passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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laborious
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| adj.吃力的，努力的，不流畅 | |
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moot
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| v.提出；adj.未决议的；n.大会；辩论会 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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dwellers
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| n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 ) | |
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veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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tyrant
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| n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人 | |
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antagonism
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| n.对抗，敌对，对立 | |
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enlistment
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| n.应征入伍，获得，取得 | |
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sojourn
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| v./n.旅居，寄居；逗留 | |
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sedately
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| adv.镇静地，安详地 | |
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remonstrated
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| v.抗议( remonstrate的过去式和过去分词 )；告诫 | |
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solicitude
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| n.焦虑 | |
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initiating
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| v.开始( initiate的现在分词 )；传授；发起；接纳新成员 | |
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tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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32
puffed
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| adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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smirk
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| n.得意地笑；v.傻笑；假笑着说 | |
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dissimulated
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| v.掩饰（感情），假装（镇静）( dissimulate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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truculence
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| n.凶猛，粗暴 | |
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sneer
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| v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语 | |
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38
lingo
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| n.语言不知所云，外国话，隐语 | |
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bristling
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| a.竖立的 | |
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40
borough
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| n.享有自治权的市镇；(英)自治市镇 | |
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41
malicious
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| adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的 | |
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42
covert
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| adj.隐藏的；暗地里的 | |
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43
reluctance
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| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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44
ripple
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| n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进 | |
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45
resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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