小说搜索     点击排行榜   最新入库
首页 » 英文短篇小说 » Mam' Lyddy's Recognition » Chapter 3
选择底色: 选择字号:【大】【中】【小】
Chapter 3
关注小说网官方公众号(noveltingroom),原版名著免费领。
The weeks that followed, and Mam' Lyddy's immersion1 in “Siciety” began apparently2 to justify3 Mr. Graeme's prophecy. A marked change had taken place in the old woman's dress, and no less a change had taken place in herself. She began to go out a good deal, and her manner was quite new. She was what a few weeks before she would have derided4 as “citified and airified.” At length Mrs. Graeme could not conceal5 it from herself any longer.

One evening as her husband on his return from his office threw himself on his chair with the evening paper, she brought up the subject.

“Cabell, it is true; you have noticed the change!”

“What? I have no doubt I have.” He glanced at his wife to see if she had on a new dress or had changed the mode of wearing her hair, then gazed about him rather uneasily to see if the furniture had been shifted about, or if the pictures had been changed; points on which his wife was inclined to be particular.

“The change in Mammy! Why, I should never know her for the same person.”

“Of course, I have. I have noticed nothing else. Why, she is dressed as fine as a fiddle7. She is 'taking notice.' She 'll be giving Old Caesar a successor. Then what will you do? I thought that fat darky I have seen going in at the back gate with a silk hat and a long-tailed coat looked like a preacher. You 'd better look out for him. You know she was always stuck on preachers. He is a preacher, sure.”

“He is,” observed the small boy on the floor. “That 's the Reverend Mr. Johnson. And, oh! He certainly can blow beautiful smoke-rings. He can blow a whole dozen and make 'em go through each other. You just ought to see him, papa.”

His father glanced casually9 at the cigar box on the table.

“I think I will some day,” said he, half grimly.

“I never would know her for the same person. Why, she is so changed!” pursued Mrs. Graeme. “She goes out half the time, and this morning she was so cross! She says she is as good as I am if she is black. She is getting like these others up here.”

Mr. Graeme flung down the paper he was reading.

“It is these Northern negroes who have upset her, and the fools like the editor of that paper who have upset them.”

Mrs. Graeme looked reflective.

“That preacher has been coming here a good deal lately. I wonder if that could have anything to do with it!” she said, slowly.

Her husband sniffed10.

“I will find out.”

At that moment the door opened and in walked Mam' Lyddy and a small boy in all the glory of five years, and all the pride of his first pair of breeches. The old woman's face wore an expression of glumness12 wholly new to her, and Mr. Graeme's mouth tightened13. His wife had only time to whisper: “Now, don't you say a word to her.” But she was too late. Mam' Lyddy's expression drove him to disobedience. He gave her a keen glance, and then said, half jocularly: “Old woman, what is the matter with you lately!”

Mam' Lyddy did not answer immediately. She looked away, then said: “Wid me? Ain't nuttin' de matter wid me.”

“Oh, yes, there is. What is it? Do you want to go home?”

She appeared half startled for an instant, then answered more sharply: “Nor, I don't wan14' go home. I ain' got no home to go to.”

“Oh, yes, you have. Well, what is the matter? Out with it. Have you lost any money!”

“Nor, I ain' lost no money 's I knows on.”

“Been playing lottery15?”

“I don' know what dat is.”

“You don't, ah! Well, you would if you had been in Wall Street lately. Well, what is the matter? You are going around here as glum11 as a meat-axe. Something 's up. What is it?”

“Ain' nothin' de matter wid me.” She glanced away under her master's half amused, half disdainful glance, then added half surlily: “I wants rec'nition.”

“Want recognition? What do you mean?”

“Dat 's what we wants,” declared the old woman, acquiring courage.

Graeme laughed.

“What is recognition?”

“I don't know what 't is edzac'ly, but dat's what we wants. You all 's got it and you got to gi' it to us.”

“You mean you want to sit at table with us!” exclaimed Mrs. Graeme.

Mammy Lyddy turned toward her. “You know I don't mean nuttin' like dat! I leetle more 'n smacked16 that yaller gal17' what you call you' maid over 'bout6 talkin' dat way t'other day.”

“Then what do you want!”

“I wants rec'nition—dat's all I wants.”

“Who told you to say that!” asked Mr. Graeme.

“Who tol' me to say dat?” She was puzzled.

“Yes.”

“Ain' nobody tol' me to say it.”

“Yes, some one has. Who was it?—-the Reverend Johnson? Did n't he tell you that!”

She hesitated; but Mr. Graeme's eye was searching.

“Well, he no mo' 'n others—no much mo'. Of co'se, he tol' me dat—he preaches 'bout it; but did n't nobody have to tell me—I knows 'bout it myself.”

“Of course you did, and you must have it. So shall the Reverend Mr. Johnson,” said Mr. Graeme. His tone expressed such sudden amiability18 that the old woman glanced at him suspiciously, but he was smiling softly and thoughtfully to himself.

“What did you do with the four hundred and fifty-five dollars you drew out of bank last week? Did you invest it or lend it to Mr. Johnson?” It was a bow drawn19 at venture, but the arrow hit the mark, as Mr. Graeme saw.

“I 'vested it.”

“You mean Mr. Johnson invested it for you? By the way, what is his first name!”

“Yes, sir. His name 's de Rev8. Amos Johnson.”

“By George! I thought so,” said Graeme, half aloud. “I saw him at the races last week. I knew I had seen him before.” His countenance20 grew suddenly cheerful.

“What did he give you to show for it?”

“He did n't gi' me nothin'. He 's gwine to draw the intrust for me.”

“Oh! I thought so. Well, I want to see the Rev. Mr. Johnson when he comes next time. When do you expect him?”

“I ain't 'pectin' him 't all. He comes sometimes. He was a friend o' C?sar's.”

“Ah! he was! So I thought. Comes to smoke a cigar, I suppose!”

She looked so uneasy that he went on casually: “Well, it 's very well; always keep in with the cloth. He is a fine preacher, I hear! Keeps quite up with the times—interested in the races in more senses than one.”

“Yes, sir; he preaches very well.”

“That is all. Well, your friend must have 'rec'nition.'”

The old woman withdrew.

The following day Graeme went down to a detective agency and left a memorandum21. A few days later he received a message from the agency: “Yes, he is the same man. He frequents the pool-rooms a good deal. Came from Kentucky. He used to be known as 'Amos Brown.'”

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 immersion baIxf     
n.沉浸;专心
参考例句:
  • The dirt on the bottom of the bath didn't encourage total immersion.浴缸底有污垢,不宜全身浸泡于其中。
  • The wood had become swollen from prolonged immersion.因长时间浸泡,木头发胀了。
2 apparently tMmyQ     
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎
参考例句:
  • An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽,豁然开朗。
  • He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
3 justify j3DxR     
vt.证明…正当(或有理),为…辩护
参考例句:
  • He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
  • Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗?
4 derided 1f15d33e96bce4cf40473b17affb79b6     
v.取笑,嘲笑( deride的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • His views were derided as old-fashioned. 他的观点被当作旧思想受到嘲弄。
  • Gazing up to the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity. 我抬头疑视着黑暗,感到自己是一个被虚荣心驱使和拨弄的可怜虫。 来自辞典例句
5 conceal DpYzt     
v.隐藏,隐瞒,隐蔽
参考例句:
  • He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方,他只好隐瞒身份。
  • He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。
6 bout Asbzz     
n.侵袭,发作;一次(阵,回);拳击等比赛
参考例句:
  • I was suffering with a bout of nerves.我感到一阵紧张。
  • That bout of pneumonia enfeebled her.那次肺炎的发作使她虚弱了。
7 fiddle GgYzm     
n.小提琴;vi.拉提琴;不停拨弄,乱动
参考例句:
  • She plays the fiddle well.她小提琴拉得好。
  • Don't fiddle with the typewriter.不要摆弄那架打字机了。
8 rev njvzwS     
v.发动机旋转,加快速度
参考例句:
  • It's his job to rev up the audience before the show starts.他要负责在表演开始前鼓动观众的热情。
  • Don't rev the engine so hard.别让发动机转得太快。
9 casually UwBzvw     
adv.漠不关心地,无动于衷地,不负责任地
参考例句:
  • She remarked casually that she was changing her job.她当时漫不经心地说要换工作。
  • I casually mentioned that I might be interested in working abroad.我不经意地提到我可能会对出国工作感兴趣。
10 sniffed ccb6bd83c4e9592715e6230a90f76b72     
v.以鼻吸气,嗅,闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 );抽鼻子(尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气);抱怨,不以为然地说
参考例句:
  • When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣,吸了吸鼻子,擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
11 glum klXyF     
adj.闷闷不乐的,阴郁的
参考例句:
  • He was a charming mixture of glum and glee.他是一个很有魅力的人,时而忧伤时而欢笑。
  • She laughed at his glum face.她嘲笑他闷闷不乐的脸。
12 glumness 79ebc1d596d2db7fa58ca398cbf54751     
n.忧郁
参考例句:
13 tightened bd3d8363419d9ff838bae0ba51722ee9     
收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 ); (使)变紧; (使)绷紧; 加紧
参考例句:
  • The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
  • His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机,然后又松开了。
14 wan np5yT     
(wide area network)广域网
参考例句:
  • The shared connection can be an Ethernet,wireless LAN,or wireless WAN connection.提供共享的网络连接可以是以太网、无线局域网或无线广域网。
15 lottery 43MyV     
n.抽彩;碰运气的事,难于算计的事
参考例句:
  • He won no less than £5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
  • They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。
16 smacked bb7869468e11f63a1506d730c1d2219e     
拍,打,掴( smack的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He smacked his lips but did not utter a word. 他吧嗒两下嘴,一声也不言语。
  • She smacked a child's bottom. 她打孩子的屁股。
17 gal 56Zy9     
n.姑娘,少女
参考例句:
  • We decided to go with the gal from Merrill.我们决定和那个从梅里尔来的女孩合作。
  • What's the name of the gal? 这个妞叫什么?
18 amiability e665b35f160dba0dedc4c13e04c87c32     
n.和蔼可亲的,亲切的,友善的
参考例句:
  • His amiability condemns him to being a constant advisor to other people's troubles. 他那和蔼可亲的性格使他成为经常为他人排忧解难的开导者。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • I watched my master's face pass from amiability to sternness. 我瞧着老师的脸上从和蔼变成严峻。 来自辞典例句
19 drawn MuXzIi     
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的
参考例句:
  • All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
  • Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
20 countenance iztxc     
n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同
参考例句:
  • At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。
  • I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地,仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。
21 memorandum aCvx4     
n.备忘录,便笺
参考例句:
  • The memorandum was dated 23 August,2008.备忘录上注明的日期是2008年8月23日。
  • The Secretary notes down the date of the meeting in her memorandum book.秘书把会议日期都写在记事本上。


欢迎访问英文小说网

©英文小说网 2005-2010

有任何问题,请给我们留言,管理员邮箱:[email protected]  站长QQ :点击发送消息和我们联系56065533