This was by no means welcome, for she wished to express herself in court, refuse to pay her fine, and go to gaol2, that being the program of the suffragettes. But she was told to depart, and no explanation was given her. Wondering if the duke had been telegraphed to, and brought swift influence to bear, she left the prison with some uneasiness; her old-fashioned relative was her one source of apprehension4. If disapproval5 overcame his sense of justice and he cut down her income, she should have that much less to devote to the Suffrage3 cause.
At the inn she found that Mrs. Lime, who had escaped arrest, was out, and ordered the maid to bring her bath. When she had finished, the maid returned with her tea, and stood by sympathetically.
“So you’ve been to prison?” she asked.
“I have,” said Julia.
“That’s no place for you, mum. Wot’s the perlice thinking of, giving you wot for like that?”
“Do you belong to this town?”
“I do, mum.”
“Then, let me tell you, it is a disgrace to a civilized6 country.”
“Oh, I say!”
Julia, who wanted to talk to somebody, gave an account of her adventure with the mob, and while omitting their language, let it be understood in her descriptions of their appearance and performance.
The woman nodded emphatically. “Right you are. It’s them factory girls. They’re no good. Trollops, all of ’em. W’y, d’you know, I worked in one of them factories for seven years, and I was the only girl in the lot that kep’ me virtue7.” (She looked like a black-and-tan terrier and was not much larger.) “That I did, though!” And she nodded her head as if keeping time to a hymn8.
Julia, who had finished her tea, stood up and began to unpin her hair as a hint that she would like to be alone. But the woman set down the tray and exclaimed in a voice of rapture:?—
“Oh, my eye, wot hair! Oh, but I’ve always admired golden ’air, me own’s that black.”
“It’s very disreputable hair at present,” said Julia, amiably9. “It hasn’t been down since yesterday morning. Naturally I couldn’t use the prison comb—if there was one!”
“Oh—would you—would you let me brush it, now?” cried the woman, eagerly. “I’ve never ’ad me ’ands in ’air like that. I’d enjoy it, that I would.”
“Why—if you like.” Julia, who was tired, felt that it would not be unpleasant to have the services of a maid once more.
She sat down and the woman began to unbraid the long plaits.
“Are you sure you have the time?” asked Julia, perfunctorily.
“Oh, yes. Me ’usband’s ’ead waiter, and the master would give up the ’otel before ’im; and he—Jim—-don’t dare say nothing to me, for fear I’d caterwaul. I can do that awful. Oh, my eye, but this is ’air!”
She shook out the long strands10 and held one up to the light. “Oh, Gawd!” she cried, with mounting fervor11. “No wonder them trollops wanted to mar12 you. They were jealous, that’s wot. They’d ’ave cut it off if the perlice ’adn’t come along, and pinned it on their own ’eads. And beauties they’d ’ave been!”
“Do you suppose they were drunk?”
“?’Alf and ’alf. It wasn’t time to be full up, but you oughter see them in the market-place at ten o’clock!”
“What makes them so brutal13, then? I’ve never seen anything like them in England.”
“Oh, I fawncy they’re about the worst England’s got. Maybe it’s the cigarette factories does it, I cawn’t say. But they’re a rotten lot, and all me sisters was the same. I ’ad a blond sister, but her hair was more whitish, not gold like yours. She was pretty and more gentle-like, but she went to the bad fast enough. I swore I’d keep me virtue an’ I did. I never spoke14 to a man I wasn’t introduced to proper until the night I met Jim in the merry-go-round—in the same seat, he was, and he made up to me—fell that in love he couldn’t see straight, and when he tried ’is nonsense, he got wot for and then he respected me from that day forth—I’ve read me penny dreadfuls, you see. Well, we got married proper, and now we ’ave two good positions, and may own a public some day. It pays to be virtuous15, it do. He isn’t the only sweetheart I ever ’ad, either,” she rambled16 on; and Julia, seeing that nothing would quench17 her, resigned herself, for the woman’s touch was deft18 and light. “I ’ad a fine ’andsome sweetheart once—Jim ain’t nothing to look at, and would drink if I didn’t caterwaul so—’andsome and upstanding he was, and all the girls was after him; and he was steady, too, had one job and kep’ it. He was in a big Manchester draper’s shop. He used to come ’ere, and I used to visit me aunt—he was me cousin and ’is name was Harry19 Muggs. He was in love with me that desperate he’d swear he’d kill himself if I didn’t ’ave ’im. He knew I’d kep’ me virtue, and he thought me grand. Once he was down ’ere after me ’ard, and we took a walk and come to a pond, and when I told ’im once more I wouldn’t ’ave ’im, and started to go ’ome, I was that tired saying no, he caught me round me waist and ’eld me over the pond and swore he’d drop me in if I didn’t ’ave ’im. I was that frightened I thought I’d die, and I screamed like I was stuck. But I wouldn’t give in, and then he threw me on the bank and run off and I’ve never seen ’im since.”
“Why didn’t you marry him, if he was such a paragon20?” asked Julia, languidly.
“Oh, I couldn’t, mum. He was a chance child. Me aunt ’ad ’im by a butler where she lived. I ’adn’t kep’ me virtue for that—wot’s the matter?—”
Julia was doubled up.
“Oh—nothing—really—I think I must be a bit hysterical21 after my experience. Would you mind telling me what the weather looks like? It was rather threatening when I came in.”
The woman went to the window and lifted the sash curtain. “It damps, mizzles like,” she said dubiously22. “But I don’t fawncy it’ll rain ’ard. ’Ere comes your friend. She was ready to drop last night. My, but she’s that stringy to look at.”
“Would you mind telling her that I am here? She must be anxious.”
The woman departed unwillingly23, her eyes fixed24 to the last on the hair Julia was braiding. A moment later Mrs. Lime came in. She looked thinner and gaunter than ever, but her eyes burned with sombre enthusiasm.
“Oh, you poor dear!” she exclaimed. “But you mustn’t mind, for the more unfair treatment we receive, the sooner will the right-thinking people of the country be roused, and the more recruits we shall get. That’s where the law shows its stupidity.”
“I didn’t mind in the least,” said Julia, dryly. But she made no confidences. That violent upheaval25 and readjustment were sacred to herself.
“There’s another thing,” said Mrs. Lime. “A reporter was with the Liberal candidate and the policemen at the time of your arrest. He’s also the correspondent of a London paper. He hunted me up at once to get some particulars about your family, etc.?—”
“Oh!” exclaimed Julia. “Did you tell him?”
“Why, of course. We cannot have too much publicity26, and you will be a great help to us. The story will be in the London newspaper to-morrow morning as well as here. No doubt there will be a London reporter down to interview you?—”
“Ah!” Julia’s color had been steadily27 rising. “I can’t have that.”
“There’s only one thing to think of,” said Mrs. Lime, severely28, “and that is the cause. People complain that we’re sensational29, trying to attract public attention. Why, of course we are. Rather. How otherwise can we make ourselves known, much less felt, become a political issue, if we don’t take the obvious method? No newspaper would notice our existence if we didn’t make ourselves ‘news’ and force their hand. Peaceful demonstrations31, like shrinking personalities32, belong to the dark ages of Suffrage, when nothing was accomplished33. Now, if that reporter comes down from London, you must talk. Jump at every chance to further the cause that’s given you. It isn’t so often we’re interviewed.”
“Very well,” said Julia, and half wished she had changed her name and dyed her skin and hair.
As Mrs Lime had anticipated, a reporter of one of the less conservative London newspapers arrived on the following morning. He was accompanied by the correspondent of a chain of American newspapers, commonly referred to as “Yellow.” Mrs. Lime saw them first and gave a full account of the campaign. Then Julia descended34, and having made up her mind to talk, she talked to some purpose. When she finished, there was no confusion in either of the young men’s minds as to her opinion of the Government, the police, and the prison system of England. Her description of the mob was so graphic35 that the American correspondent nodded with approval.
“Say!” he exclaimed. “You ought to have six months of this experience, and then go over to the U. S. and lecture. You’d make money for your cause all right, all right. Better think it over.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” said Mrs. Lime, with enthusiasm. “We will think it over.”
During the afternoon the girls once more started off on the heels of the candidate. But their work was almost done. The polling took place on the following Thursday. Almost as much to their own amazement36 as to that of every one else, the Liberal candidate was defeated by a small majority. But if it was the first demonstration30 of the power of the Militants37 in by-elections, it was by no means the last.
There was no question in the London press of ignoring this issue and its cause. With one accord it expressed astonishment38, indignation, and righteous wrath, at the unpatriotic selfishness of a set of women that were a disgrace to their country and their sex.
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1
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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gaol
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| n.(jail)监狱；(不加冠词)监禁；vt.使…坐牢 | |
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3
suffrage
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| n.投票，选举权，参政权 | |
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apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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disapproval
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| n.反对，不赞成 | |
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civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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7
virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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hymn
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌 | |
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9
amiably
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| adv.和蔼可亲地，亲切地 | |
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10
strands
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| n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 ) | |
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fervor
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| n.热诚；热心；炽热 | |
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12
mar
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| vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟 | |
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brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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14
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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15
virtuous
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| adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的 | |
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rambled
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| （无目的地）漫游( ramble的过去式和过去分词 )； （喻）漫谈； 扯淡； 长篇大论 | |
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quench
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| vt.熄灭，扑灭；压制 | |
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deft
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| adj.灵巧的，熟练的（a deft hand 能手） | |
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harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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paragon
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| n.模范，典型 | |
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hysterical
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| adj.情绪异常激动的，歇斯底里般的 | |
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dubiously
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| adv.可疑地，怀疑地 | |
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unwillingly
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| adv.不情愿地 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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upheaval
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| n.胀起，(地壳)的隆起；剧变，动乱 | |
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publicity
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| n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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sensational
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| adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的 | |
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demonstration
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| n.表明，示范，论证，示威 | |
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demonstrations
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| 证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威 | |
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32
personalities
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| n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 ) | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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graphic
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| adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的 | |
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36
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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militants
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| 激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 ) | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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