One day when Sophy had been trusted to go out alone to carry a few veal2 cutlets from luncheon3 to Judith, she found the door on the latch4, but no one in the room downstairs, the chair empty, the fire out, and all more dreary5 than usual, only a voice from above called out, “Please come up.”
Sophy, pleased with the adventure, mounted the dark and rickety stairs, and found herself in the open space above, cut off from the stairs by a screen, and containing a press-bed, where Judith lay, covered by an elaborate patchwork6 quilt. There was a tiny dressing-table under the narrow lattice window, and one chair, also a big trunk-box, with a waggon-shaped lid, such as servants used to have in those days, covered with paper, where big purple spots of paint concealed7 the old print of some story or newspaper. On the wall hung a few black profiles, and all was very fairly neat, whatever the room might be shut off by a wooden partition, whence came a peculiar8 sour smell.
“Oh, it is Miss Sophia!” exclaimed Judith. “I beg your pardon, ma’am, I thought it was Dame9 Spurrell, who said she would come and look in on me, or I would not have troubled you to come up.”
“I am glad I did, Judith; I like to see where you live. Only, are you worse?”
“No, miss, only as my back is sometimes, and my sister and all the children are gone to the hiring fair, so it was not handy to get me up.”
“And this is your room!” said Sophy, looking about her. “Isn’t it very cold?”
“Johnnie heats me a brick to keep me warm at night; but my feet are always cold downstairs. It does not make much difference.”
“Oh dear! And you have a screen, I see. Oh! Why, that is our drawing-room paper.”
She sat transfixed at the recognition, while Judith observed, quite innocently, with a free conscience—
“Yes, miss, my brother-in-law brought it home, and told me it was just a scrap10 that was left over, and he was free to have, though I said I did wonder the lady did not want to keep it in case of an accident happening.”
“Yes,” said Sophy, “I don’t think he had any business to have it, for all one division of the paper is put on upside down. The laburnums point up instead of hanging down, and I am sure Mary would have altered it if she could. It was beautiful French paper that Edmund brought home from Paris and laid up for the furnishing their house.”
This, of course, Mrs Carbonel and Dora would never have told poor Judith, but Sophy was young and unguarded, and apt to talk when she had better have held her tongue.
“I am sorry to hear it, miss, indeed I am. I am afraid one could not take it off the screen to put it back again where it did ought to be.”
Sophy looked, but it was manifestly impossible. Spoiling the screen would not mend the wall of the drawing-room.
“Perhaps Molly might have another bit left,” she said, only thinking of the triumph of carrying home the means of repairing the deficiency by her own unassisted sagacity.
“I will ask her, miss. I am sure I never thought Dan would go for to do such a thing,” mourned Judith, though, even as she spoke11, there came back on her recollections of times when she had tried to be blind and deaf. “But if Mrs Carbonel would let me pay for it, miss, I should be easier in my mind. I have a shilling, though no doubt that is not the worth of it.” And she began feeling for a little box under her pillow, never mentioning that she had already paid Dan a shilling for it.
“No, no; nonsense, Judith! Of course my sister would not take it for the world; but if any one could find another bit, just to patch up the part above the book-case, it would be nice.”
“I will do what in me lays, Miss Sophy,” answered Judith.
So Sophy took her leave and trotted12 home, very proud of her discovery, which she communicated in an eager voice as the phaeton drew up at the front door.
“Oh, Edmund, I have found the rest of the drawing-room paper!”
“Hush! not so loud, my dear,” said Dora, getting out of the back seat, and Edmund, being busy in telling the groom13 to attend to something in the harness, did not heed14 at first.
“Did you know, Dora?” asked Sophy, in a lower voice, being struck by something in her repressive manner.
“Yes; but I did not tell, because Edmund was so much vexed15, and it was of no use now.”
Dora really hoped no one had heard, as Mary was busy with her parcels, and she was too fond of Judith not to wish to shield her family; but it was too late. The captain came in with, “What’s this about the drawing-room paper?”
Sophy was delighted to pour out the history of her discovery, and tell how it appeared on the screen that sheltered poor Judith Grey.
“Exactly as I supposed,” said Captain Carbonel. “I always believed that fellow was a thief.”
“But it is not poor Judith’s fault,” exclaimed the sisters, with one voice.
“She knew nothing about it. She wanted to pay the shilling for it,” said Sophia.
The captain laughed a little.
“And she is going to search for a bit to go up there!” continued the girl more vehemently17; and he laughed again.
“Yes,” said Mary, “if you only saw something of her, you would be convinced that her whole character is very different from that of the rest of the family.”
“Don’t you be taken in by plausibility,” said the captain. “I know that fellow Dan is a thief. I meant to tell his relation, George, that I won’t allow him to be employed on the new schoolroom. I shall do so now.”
“Would it not be better to forget what happened so long ago?” Mary ventured to say.
“And suppose Judith restores it,” added Sophia.
“Pshaw!” said the captain; but Mary followed him to the study, and what she did with him there her sisters did not know, but it resulted in his allowing that Dan might have another trial, with a sharp eye over him.
So unused was Uphill to the visits of ladies, that when the piece of French paper was sold to Judith, no one had thought of her being sought out in her bedroom. Molly came home with the children in the evening, tired out but excited—for all had had rather more beer than was good for them, and the children a great many more sweets. Jem and Judy were quarrelling over a wooden horse covered with white spots, but whose mane had already disappeared, Lizzie was sick, cross, and stupid, Polly had broken the string of her new yellow necklace, and was crying about it, and nobody had recollected18 the aunt except Johnnie, who presented her with a piece of thin gingerbread representing King George the Fourth, in white, pink, and gilt19! Molly herself was very tired, though she said it was all very fine, and she had seen a lot of people, and the big sleeves they wore were quite a wonder. Then she scolded Polly with all her might for crying and never setting the tea, nor boiling the kettle; and, after all, it was Johnnie who made up the fire, fetched water, and set the kettle boiling. They all wrangled20 together over their purchases, and the sights they had seen, or not seen, while Judith was glad to be out of the way of seeing, though not of hearing. Then the girls trailed themselves upstairs. Judy slept with her aunt, Polly and Lizzie had a kind of shake-down on a mattress21 of chaff22 or hulls23, as she called it, by her side. Judith always insisted on their prayers, but they said they were much too tired to-night, and could not say anything but “Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,” which was all they knew except the Lord’s Prayer. Judith had taught them this, but they thought the repeating it a very difficult ceremony, far too hard when they were tired.
Their mother went to bed soon afterwards, taking Jem with her, and so did Johnnie, all being anxious to get what sleep they could before the dreaded24 moment of father’s return. Public-houses were not obliged to close at any special time in those days, and the home-coming, especially on a fair day, was apt to be a terrible affair. It was not till past one o’clock that shouts, broken bursts of singing, and howls of quarrelling announced the break-up of the riotous26 party, and presently the door bounced open, and with oaths at the darkness, though there was bright moonlight, Dan stumbled in and staggered upstairs, overturning the unlucky screen upon Polly as he did so, cursing and swearing at them all, and ordering his wife to get up and open the door, which he was past finding. He did not attack Judith, though he almost fell over her bed, and the two girls lay trembling, not daring to lift off the screen till the door of the bedroom was shut on them; and then came the only too well-known sound of their mother scolding and crying, and his swearing and beating her.
They were only too much used to such disturbance27, and were asleep again before it was over; but Judith could only lie on, shaking with terror—not personal—but at the awful words she heard, and praying that they might not be visited on that unhappy household, but that God would forgive.
It was not till the next day when the house was tolerably quiet, and Molly, rather fretful and grumbling28, had helped Judith down to her place by the fire, that she ventured the question, “Molly, you have not a bit more of that pretty wall-paper you gave me for my screen?”
“Did it get broke last night in Dan’s drunken tantrums?”
“Not more than I can mend, but little Miss Sophia, she says that the paper in the Greenhow drawing-room is quite spoilt for want of a piece to cover up a bit that was put on wrong.”
“My patience! And how did Miss Sophia come to know anything about it?”
“She came up to see me, and bring those cutlets that you are warming up now.”
“Bless me! Well, Dan will be vexed,” said Molly. “Such mean folk as they are, a-peeping and a-prying after everything! They knows how to look after whatever they chooses to say is their own; and the captain, he made a row before about that there trumpery29 yard or two of paper that was the parkisit of them that hung it.”
“Miss Sophy says it spoilt the room.”
“Sp’ilt it! They’ve little to vex16 ’em that is terrified about that!”
“But have you got the bit, Molly?”
“I never had it! Dan kept it in the outhouse. He may have a scrap left, that he used to make caps for the Christmas boys when he used the rest to paper Mrs Hunter’s closet with down at Downhill. Your piece was left over of that, and may be there was half-a-yard more; but he locks that there workshop of his, so as one can’t get in to get a bit of shavings to light the fire. So you must ask him. I am sure I dare not do it. He’s that angry if one does but look into his shop.”
“I must try and get it!” said Judith.
“Not now, I wouldn’t,” entreated30 Molly. “What is it to the ladies? And father, he will be fit to tear the place down if he hears of it! Them Gobblealls is set again him already, and ’tis just taking away our bread to say a bit more about it to them folks. George Hewlett is particular enough already, without having a work about this.”
Poor Judith, she felt as if she could never be at peace with her conscience, while she had those yellow laburnums in sight in her room, and she did not see how restitution31 and confession32 could injure her brother-in-law; but her code of right and wrong was very different from that of either husband or wife.
Molly went on maundering about the hardship of having taken in a poor helpless thing, and having stood between her and the workhouse, only that she should turn a viper33 and a spy, and take her poor children’s bread out of their mouths, forgetting that Jem was at the very moment eating up the piece of apple-pie that had come with the cutlets.
Judith tried to get her thoughts together, and decided34 that, however much she might dread25 Dan’s anger, and care for his interest and family peace, it was her duty to do her best to recover whatever remnant was possible of his booty. So when he came home to dinner she ventured to ask him if he had a piece left of that paper of her screen.
“Why?” he asked, turning on her as if he hoped to make more of whatever he had.
She told him timidly, and it was as she had feared. He began abusing her violently for letting spies up into her room, and turning against him, that let her have her house-room, and “worriting” them all with her hypocritical ways. He could tell her there was nothing between her and the workhouse, and all was interspersed35 with oaths, terrible to hear.
Molly began taking her part, and declaring that Judith could not help it if little miss would come into her room; but Dan, who had qualified36 last night’s revel37 with another mug of ale, was quite past all reason, and declared that Judith called the girl up on purpose to bring him into trouble, and that nothing but harm had ever come of her canting, Methody ways, and he had a good mind to kick her out at once to the workhouse, and would do so, if she brought them Gobblealls down on him again. There had been nothing but plague ever since they came into the parish, and he wouldn’t have them come poll-prying about his house. No, he wouldn’t.
Judith knew this was a vain threat, for he was always out of the house when they came, and she also knew that he was the last man to give up the small payment that she was in the habit of making quarterly, or what was begged from her besides, so she was not afraid of any such measure; but she was much shaken, and felt quite ill afterwards, and Molly did not stint38 her blame and lamentations. Nothing happened in consequence, except that, from that time forward, Dan’s incipient39 dislike to “they Gobblealls” was increased, and they could do nothing which he did not find fault with; though his wife, grumbling at them all the time, was quite willing to get everything possible out of them.
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1
dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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2
veal
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| n.小牛肉 | |
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luncheon
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| n.午宴，午餐，便宴 | |
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latch
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| n.门闩，窗闩；弹簧锁 | |
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dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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patchwork
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| n.混杂物；拼缝物 | |
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7
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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8
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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9
dame
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| n.女士 | |
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scrap
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| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
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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
trotted
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| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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13
groom
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| vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁 | |
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14
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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15
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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16
vex
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| vt.使烦恼，使苦恼 | |
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17
vehemently
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| adv. 热烈地 | |
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18
recollected
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| adj.冷静的；镇定的；被回忆起的；沉思默想的v.记起，想起( recollect的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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19
gilt
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| adj.镀金的；n.金边证券 | |
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20
wrangled
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| v.争吵，争论，口角( wrangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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21
mattress
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| n.床垫，床褥 | |
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22
chaff
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| v.取笑，嘲笑；n.谷壳 | |
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23
hulls
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| 船体( hull的名词复数 )； 船身； 外壳； 豆荚 | |
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24
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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26
riotous
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| adj.骚乱的；狂欢的 | |
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27
disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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28
grumbling
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| adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的 | |
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29
trumpery
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| n.无价值的杂物；adj.（物品）中看不中用的 | |
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30
entreated
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| 恳求，乞求( entreat的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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31
restitution
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| n.赔偿；恢复原状 | |
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32
confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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33
viper
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| n.毒蛇；危险的人 | |
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34
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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interspersed
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| adj.[医]散开的；点缀的v.intersperse的过去式和过去分词 | |
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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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37
revel
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| vi.狂欢作乐，陶醉；n.作乐，狂欢 | |
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38
stint
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| v.节省，限制，停止；n.舍不得化，节约，限制；连续不断的一段时间从事某件事 | |
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39
incipient
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| adj.起初的，发端的，初期的 | |
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