She put on her sweeping6 apron7, took up a broom and entered under the pretense8 of cleaning the room.
Andy was still chuckling9 with joy over the brilliant plan of escape suggested by Tom. He had just put the finishing touches on his necktie, and was trying on an old silk hat when Minerva's voice caused him to suddenly collapse10.
"Say, man, is dat a hat er a bee-gum?" she cried, with a laugh so jolly it would have been contagious11 but for Andy's terror.
He looked at her, dropped the hat, picked it up and stammered13:
"W-w-why—Miss Minerva, is dat you?"
Minerva beamed on him tenderly, placed her broom in the corner and advanced quickly to meet him:
"I knowed ye wuz 'spectin me frum de way yer wuz[Pg 279] gettin' ready." She laughed and chuckled14 with obvious coquetry, adding coyly:
"I knows how yer feel——"
Andy looked for a way of escape. But Minerva was too quick for him. She was a woman of enormous size, fat, jolly and extremely agile15 for her weight. She carried her two hundred and fifty pounds without apparent effort. She walked with a nervous, snappy energy and could waltz with the grace of a girl of sixteen.
She had reached Andy's side before his dull brain could think of an excuse for going. Her shining coal-black face was aglow17 with tenderness and the determination to make things easy for him in the declaration of love she had planned that he should make.
"I know how yer feels, Brer Andy," she repeated.
The victim mopped his perspiring18 brow and stammered:
"Yassam—yassam."
"Yer needn't be so 'barrassed, Mr. Andy," Minerva went on in the most insinuating19 tones. "Yer kin20 say what's on yer mind."
"Yassam."
"Come right here and set down er minute."
She seized his hand and drew him with a kittenish skip toward a settee, tripped on a bear rug and would have fallen had not Andy grabbed her.
"De Lord save us!" he gasped21. He was trying desperately22 in his new suit to play the gentleman under difficulties.
Minerva was in ecstasy23 over his gallantry:
"Yer sho wuz terrified less I git hurt, Mr. Andy," she laughed. "I thought dat bar had me sho."[Pg 280]
Andy mopped his brow again and glanced longingly24 at the door:
"Yassam, I sho wuz terrified—I'm sorry m'am, you'll hatter 'scuse me. Mister Tom's out dar waitin' fer me, an' I hatter go——"
Minerva smilingly but firmly pulled him down on the seat beside her:
"Set right down, Mr. Andy, an' make yoself at home. We got er whole half hour yet 'fore16 de odder folks come down stairs. Man, don't be so 'barrassed! I knows 'zactly how yer feels. I understand what's de matter wid yer"—she paused, glanced at him out of the corners of her eye, touched him slyly with her elbow, and whispered:
"Why don't yer say what's on yer mind?"
Andy cleared his throat and began to stammer12. He had the habit of stammering25 under excitement, and Tom's plan of escape had just popped into his benumbed brain. He saw the way out:
"Y-y-yas'm—cose, m'am. I got sumfin ter tell ye, Miss M-m-Minerva."
Minerva moved a little closer.
"Yas, honey, I knows what 'tis, but I'se jes' waitin' ter hear it."
He cleared his throat and tried to begin his speech in a friendly business-like way:
"Yassam, I gwine tell yer sho——"
He turned to face her and to his horror found her lips so close she had evidently placed them in position for the first kiss.
He stopped appalled26, fidgeted, looked the other way and stammered:
"H-hit sho is powful warm ter-day, m'am!"[Pg 281]
"Tain't so much de heat, Brer Andy," she responded tenderly, "as 'tis de humility27 dat's in de air!"
Andy turned, looked into her smiling face for a moment and they both broke into a loud laugh while he repeated:
"Yassam, de humility—dat's hit! De humility dat's in de air!"
The expression had caught his fancy enormously.
"Yassir, de humility—dat's hit!" Minerva murmured.
When the laughter had slowly died down she moved a little closer and said reassuringly28:
"And now, Brer Andy, ez dey's des you an' me here tergedder—ef hits suits yo' circumstantial convenience, hab no reprehenshun, sah, des say what's on yo' min'."
Andy glanced at her quickly, bowed grandiloquently29 and catching30 the spirit of her high-flown language decided to spring his confession31 and ask her help to win Cleo.
"Yassam, Miss Minerva, dat's so. An' ez I allays32 sez dat honesty is de bes' policy, I'se gwine ter ré-cede ter yo' invitation!"
Minerva laughed with joyous33 admiration34:
"Des listen at dat nigger now! You sho is er talkin' man when yer gits started——"
"Yassam, I bin35 er tryin' ter tell ye fer de longest kind er time an' ax ye ter help me——"
Minerva moved her massive figure close against him:
"Cose I help you."
Andy edged as far away as possible, but the arm of the settee had caught him and he couldn't get far. He smiled wanly36 and tried to assume a purely37 platonic38 tone:[Pg 282]
"Wuz yer ebber in love, Miss Minerva?"
Minerva nudged him slyly:
"Wuz I?"
Andy tried to ignore the hint, lifted his eyes to the ceiling and in far-away tones put the hypothetical case of the friend who needed help:
"Well, des 'spose m'am dat a po' man wuz ter fall in love wid er beautiful lady, fur above him, wid eyes dat shine lak de stars——"
"Oh, g'way frum here, man!" Minerva cried entranced as she broke into a peal39 of joyous laughter, nudging him again.
The insinuating touch of her elbow brought Andy to a sharp realization40 that his plan had not only failed to work, but was about to compromise him beyond hope. He hurried to correct her mistake.
"But listen, Miss Minerva—yer don't understand. Would yer be his friend an' help him to win her?"
With a cry of joy she threw her huge arms around his neck:
"Would I—Lordy—man!"
Andy tried to dodge42 her strangle hold, but was too slow and she had him.
He struggled and grasped her arms, but she laughed and held on.
"B-b-but—yer—yer," he stammered.
"Yer needn't say annudder word——"
"Yassam, but wait des er minute," he pleaded, struggling to lower her arms.
"Hush43, man," Minerva said good-naturedly. "Cose I knows yer bin er bad nigger—but ye needn't tell me 'bout41 it now——"
"For Gawd's sake!" Andy gasped, wrenching44 her[Pg 283] arms away at last, "will yer des lemme say one word?"
"Nasah!" she said generously. "I ain't gwine ter let ye say no harsh words ergin yoself. I sho do admire de indelicate way dat yer tells me of yo' love!"
"B-but yer don't understand——"
"Cose I does, chile!" Minerva exclaimed with a tender smile.
Andy made a gesture of despair:
"B-b-but I tries ter 'splain——"
"Yer don't hatter 'splain nuttin' ter me, man—I ain't no spring chicken—I knowed what ye means befo' ye opens yer mouf. Yer tells me dat ye lubs me an' I done say dat I lubs you—an' dat's all dey is to it."
Minerva enfolded him in her ample arms and he collapsed45 with feeble assent46:
"Yassam—yassam."
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1
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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dally
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| v.荒废(时日)，调情 | |
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5
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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6
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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7
apron
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| n.围裙；工作裙 | |
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8
pretense
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| n.矫饰，做作，借口 | |
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9
chuckling
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 ) | |
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10
collapse
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| vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷 | |
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11
contagious
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| adj.传染性的，有感染力的 | |
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12
stammer
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| n.结巴，口吃；v.结结巴巴地说 | |
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13
stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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14
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15
agile
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| adj.敏捷的，灵活的 | |
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16
fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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17
aglow
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| adj.发亮的；发红的；adv.发亮地 | |
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18
perspiring
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| v.出汗，流汗( perspire的现在分词 ) | |
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19
insinuating
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| adj.曲意巴结的，暗示的v.暗示( insinuate的现在分词 )；巧妙或迂回地潜入；（使）缓慢进入；慢慢伸入 | |
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20
kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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21
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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22
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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23
ecstasy
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| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
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24
longingly
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| adv. 渴望地 热望地 | |
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25
stammering
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的现在分词 ) | |
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26
appalled
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| v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的 | |
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27
humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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28
reassuringly
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| ad.安心，可靠 | |
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29
grandiloquently
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30
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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31
confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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32
allays
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| v.减轻，缓和( allay的第三人称单数 ) | |
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33
joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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34
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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35
bin
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| n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
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36
wanly
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| adv.虚弱地；苍白地，无血色地 | |
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37
purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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38
platonic
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| adj.精神的；柏拉图（哲学）的 | |
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39
peal
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| n.钟声；v.鸣响 | |
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40
realization
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| n.实现；认识到，深刻了解 | |
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41
bout
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| n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛 | |
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42
dodge
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| v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计 | |
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43
hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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44
wrenching
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| n.修截苗根，苗木铲根（铲根时苗木不起土或部分起土）v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的现在分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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45
collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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46
assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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