"How do you find Grace bear herself towards you now?" began the farmer abruptly3, when he found himself alone with his future son-in-law.
"Alas5! 'A fellow that lives in a windmill has not a more whimsical dwelling6 than the heart of a man lodged7 in a woman.' But I must be patient."
Malherb frowned.
"She's a fool—yet a fool may make the heart of the wise ache. Who shall escape a fool's folly8 if that fool be his daughter?"
"Tut, tut! Don't call her a fool. She is young—still in her halcyon9 hours. As Horace——"
"Listen to me, Peter. You are a reasonable man, and thank your God that it is so, for they grow rare. Now you will readily understand my feelings when my son died."
"I died myself when I pictured your sufferings, Mr. Malherb.
"'World-wasting Time, thou worker of our woes10,
Thou keen-edged razor of our famous name.'"
"Even so. To be frank and avoid sentiment, I've put my life and soul into this place. I've made it a strong fortress11 for those to come. I have built and planted with my thoughts upon my son. And then, while the mortar12 was a-drying and the young larches13 getting their first root-hold, he fell. Think of what that meant to me."
"My imagination can picture it. Death is so final. As Herrick says:—
"'Man is a watch, wound up at first, but never
Wound up again: once down he's down for ever.'
I have sympathised with all my soul."
"Then you must be practical and prove your sympathy. I had meant to write to you, but speech is more direct, and so I waited until we met. Now thus it stands. My son has passed away; my daughter remains15."
"I have appreciated that. There was a verse writ14 on the Duchess of St. Albans by the Earl of Halifax for the toasting-glasses of the Kit-Cat Club. A word or two makes it exquisitely16 applicable:—
"'The line Malherb, so long renown'd in arms,
Concludes with lustre17 in fair Grace's charms.
Her conquering eyes have made their race complete:
They rose in valour, and in beauty set.'"
"They mustn't set; that's the whole matter," answered Maurice Malherb. "I have sworn to my heart that set they shall not. My son is dead; my grandson remains a possibility—nay, a certainty, so far as anything human can be certain."
"Your grandson! You amaze me. Tut, tut! Was Noel married?"
"No! My grandson will be your firstborn. Where's the amazement18 in that? Two years hence you will be the father of a boy; and that boy I ask of you. Some might almost say I had right of possession, circumstances being what they are; but I am reasonable in my dealings, and just to all men. That boy I ask—nay, I beg. My heart yearns19 to the unborn lad. I live in the future always, for 'tis both true wisdom and true happiness to look ahead. The present generally proves cursedly disappointing to a sanguine20 soul. I gave you my daughter and you give me your son—your firstborn son. He will come hither; his name shall be Malherb; he succeeds me and founds the family which my own son would have founded. You catch my sense? 'Tis but a link missed in the chain. I cannot believe that I am asking too great a thing. What say you?"
As a man of humour, Mr. Norcot always appreciated his present host. Now he kept a judicial21 face and laughed out of sight. His eyes were grave and his forehead wrinkled. He thought, of course, of Grace, but he did not mention her.
"You are the most original and gifted man it has been my fortune to meet. Even the crushing changes and chances of life leave you quite unperplexed. You evade22 them in a masterly manner by sheer quickness of perception. It is genius. Positively23 you do more than deserve success: you command it."
"Sleep upon the proposition, Peter, if you find it too great thing to decide instantly."
"I see no need. I seldom find myself in a difference of opinion with Maurice Malherb. The phlegm with which I view the advent24 of this unborn man-child quite surprises me. Your idea is worthy25 of a big heart. I seem to feel it both just and honourable26. These walls must not fall into alien hands when your work is done. That a son of mine should face the world as a Malherb and follow his grandfather's footsteps—what a privilege! To be honest, I have never much desired children, though doubtless the bachelor's heart expands when he is married, and the usual result follows. But now the case is altered. Tut, tut!
"'Delightful27 task! to rear the tender thought,
To teach the young idea how to shoot';
and also how to ride, and to fish, and to be a gentleman. By 'young idea' I mean my son—your son. Yes, your son—to grow as you would have him grow, in the traditions of the Malherbs."
"Upon my soul, you might have been my son yourself!" said Malherb with stern exultation28; "for you're the most level-headed man that ever I met."
"I have learned from you," said Peter modestly, "life is really not half so difficult as people make it. Wise sacrifice is the secret of success—nay, more, of happiness. Man cannot have his way all round. He doesn't grow in a flower-pot alone, but in a jungle of other living men and women—some stronger and some weaker than himself. Then let him sacrifice where he can't succeed, that where he can succeed he may succeed superlatively. Lop off this limb, for that stout29 tree will bruise30 it; cut out these fine twigs31, they will never get to the sun. But keep such and such a branch, for its way promises clear, and it can kill the weaker things if you only make it strong enough. Limit your aspirations32, like a gardener limits his melons; but once determine where lies your strength, then throw heart and nerve and every pulse of life that way. Spare no pains, no brain-sweat, no toil33 there. Pour your life's blood out for that purpose. So you have taught me."
Mr. Malherb nodded with a satisfaction hardly concealed34. It was a system remote from his own, as the unwavering light of the moon from fitful marsh35 fires; but Norcot knew well that he would not perceive the fact.
"Tenacity36 of purpose is vital to success," the elder man declared.
"Yes, it is so; our parts must limit our plans. I cannot do much. I have neither your intellect, nor education, nor power of driving many horses together; yet, what I can do—is done. My subjects are few, but I have mastered them and pursued them to the present limits of human knowledge. My ambitions are all gratified save the greatest."
"And you still short of forty! You were easily satisfied, Peter."
"Forgive me, but you would speak with more authority on that point did you know what my ambitions were. Accident gratified my penultimate desire two months ago. To achieve the supreme37 place at the Wool Manufactory was impossible by my own act, because a human life stood between; but my uncle perished; and now the thing I thought would be so sweet proves otherwise. 'Tis a sermon on the futility38 of human ambition."
"He was unfortunate in his wife. You must keep that sad story for the drawing-room. Annabel is most anxious to hear it. And your last ambition is Grace?"
"She is, indeed. She will, at least, exceed my highest hope."
"Her mother presses for a season in town."
"'Tis but natural that Mrs. Malherb should do so. Then 'farewell, a long farewell' to Peter Norcot.
"'And too, too well the fair vermilion knew
And silver tincture of her cheeks, that drew
The love of every swain.'
You don't read Marlowe?"
"You have my word. She might marry a Duke for that matter; but would a Duke make me a present of his firstborn son?"
"One may answer with absolute certainty that he would not, Mr. Malherb. In fact, the constitution of the realm—She is, however, of the stuff that Duchesses are made; I know that perfectly39; while I can never hope to be more than a plain man—perhaps a knight40 and a member of Parliament, if all goes well—yet——"
"She is yours and she'll have an uncommonly41 good husband," said Mr. Malherb shortly. "Now talk of the farm. Did you note my sheep upon the Moor42?"
"I did. They look most prosperous."
"There's a rascally43 law here that denies me the right to pasture more cattle on the Forest than I can winter upon the farm. For the overplus I am called to pay as though a stranger to Venville rights. A monstrous44 injustice45, as I've told 'em. But to meet it I must build new great byres. Did you note the work?"
"I saw no new byres," answered Peter.
"Nay—I forgot. They are not yet begun. But so clearly do I view them in my mind, that for the moment I thought they existed already."
"You incur46 tremendous expenses."
"Why, naturally so. One does not come to Dartmoor empty-handed. To tame a desert and turn it into an important agricultural centre calls for capital among other things. Now let us join the ladies."
"Gladly," returned Mr. Norcot. "Those are the pleasantest words I can hear spoken under this roof. 'Tis not always so—but here. 'And beauty draws us with a single hair.' I wrote that to Grace when I heard that she had caught her first trout48. She never answers my letters, by the way."
Presently the visitor told of his uncle's death. The story proved dramatic, and Mr. Norcot's method of delivering it was very deliberate and effective. Her kinsman's unhappy end specially49 interested Annabel, who had known him intimately in earlier days.
"You are to understand that the cloud fell upon my poor Uncle Norman when his wife left him. Some might have held her departure a happy circumstance, seeing the light nature of the minx; he took his fortune differently. To us it may seem strange that any circumstances would make life unendurable—apart from the question of morals. Massenger has a word on that—a sort of answer to Hamlet.
"'This life's a fort committed to my trust,
Which I must not yield up till it be forced.'
Poor verse, but good sense. Well, there came a day when I made yet another attempt to lift my uncle from his deep despondency; and I thought that I had succeeded, for he consented to come upon the Moor and take his gun. I was to fish; he proposed to shoot duck—his favourite amusement in the old times. I rejoiced, little guessing his dark purpose. Indeed, who could have done so with a mind so lofty? What does Blair say in 'The Grave'?
"'Self-murder! Name it not; our island's shame;
That makes her the reproach of neighb'ring states.'
It should be looked into, for the crime grows appallingly50 common. But a female is too often at the bottom of it. My uncle exhibited the utmost bitterness when his wife ran away from him. 'Women are all alike,' he said to me; and when a man says that, you know his luck has been to meet the exception. Never did Norman Norcot touch upon the deed in his mind, however, though Parson Haymes has since told me that upon one occasion he found it his duty severely51 to reprove my uncle for ideas favourable52 and lenient53 to suicide.
"To resume, he threw off dull care, as I fondly supposed, and went to the Moor for a day's holiday along with me. I took my man, Reginald Mason; while a lad accompanied my uncle. Our plan was that I should fish the River Teign where it runs into the central vastness of the Moor beneath Sittaford Tor; while he proposed to shoot up the valley of the little Wallabrook, a stream that rises in the marshes54 beneath Wattern and joins the Teign near Scorhill. We were to meet at a lone4 dwelling by Teign Head, where lives a shepherd. There we designed to take luncheon55; and my sister Gertrude had packed a goodly basket with such delicacies56 as we knew that our uncle most esteemed57. There was a bottle of French burgundy at my order. ''Tis bad for him,' said Gertrude. 'I know it,' I replied, 'but 'twill do him no hurt for once after hard exercise.'
"Mason left me at the junction58 of Teign and Wallabrook, and proceeded up the river to the place where we were to lunch three hours later. The boy, with uncle's great red dog and little black spaniel, went up to the head of the lesser59 stream, for he told this lad to work down towards him, and drive any birds that might rise into the lower reaches of the river. This plan Uncle Norman proposed, and I wondered at the time that he should make arrangements so unusual. For myself, I set up my rod and was a little impatient to get at the trout, for there chanced to be a good morning rise. But my uncle desired me to stop with him for a while, and of course I did so.
"At last we parted, and he made no ado about leave-taking, but compared his timepiece with mine and promised to be punctual at the luncheon tryst60. I wetted my fly and had moved a hundred yards when he called me back and asked me for some string. 'My bootlace has broken,' he said. I had no such thing upon me, but cut off a yard of my line; then restored the cast of flies and left him apparently61 putting his boot in order. I never saw him again alive. When I had reached what I call 'the pool,' where Teign lies in long, still reaches between two waterfalls, I thought that I heard the faint report of a gun; and I smiled with satisfaction, little dreaming what had occurred.
"Punctual to the appointed time, I met Mason at Teign Head cot. But my uncle did not appear. An hour we waited; then came the boy and the dogs. The lad had also heard one report of a distant fowling-piece, but he had worked all the way down to our starting-place without seeing his master.
"Still I found myself not anxious. I partook of food, then went down the valley expecting to meet him at every turn. At last I reached the place where we had parted, and then Mason and the dogs together made that terrible discovery. You know the rest. My unhappy relative was reduced to the primal62, 'porcelain63 clay of human kind.' He had slain64 himself by putting his weapon to his throat and pulling the trigger with his foot. My fishing-line had been used for that terrible purpose.
"'Ill news is wing'd with fate, and flies apace,' says Dryden. Before set of sun, as though carried on magic pinions65, the whole little world of Chagford knew what had happened. It was a very trying time for me. My spirit sank. But for thoughts of Fox Tor Farm I could have relinquished66 my new responsibilities and envied the eternal rest of the dead. I felt most dreadfully unsettled. Nothing mattered. The dubiety of mundane67 affairs was much borne in upon me. Reflections concerning the shortness and darkness of man's days crowded down like a fog upon my spirit. I felt as I never yet had felt, that
"'The world's an inn, and death the journey's end.'
Dryden again.
"There he lay in his life's blood—extinct and cold as ice. He had chosen to destroy himself within a hollow worked by the old-time miners. Great deliberation and forethought clearly marked his actions. Yet I am thankful that they brought it in as insanity68; and, for my part, I am positive that the dear gentleman's mind had given way under his misfortunes. But there is no marrying nor giving in marriage where he is now."
Mrs. Malherb wept silently as Peter finished his story. Then her husband spoke47.
"He was a coward, and a coward is better out of the way. No human tribulations69 can justify70 the evasion71 of suicide. The man's duty had been to follow them, find his false lady, and, with proper formality, blow her lover's brains out, not his own. Go to the piano, Grace."
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1
narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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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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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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lone
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| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
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alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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halcyon
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| n.平静的，愉快的 | |
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woes
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| 困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉 | |
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fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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mortar
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| n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
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larches
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| n.落叶松（木材）( larch的名词复数 ) | |
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writ
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| n.命令状，书面命令 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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exquisitely
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| adv.精致地；强烈地；剧烈地；异常地 | |
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lustre
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| n.光亮，光泽；荣誉 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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yearns
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| 渴望，切盼，向往( yearn的第三人称单数 ) | |
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sanguine
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| adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的 | |
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judicial
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| adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的 | |
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evade
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| vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避 | |
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positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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advent
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| n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临 | |
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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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honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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exultation
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| n.狂喜，得意 | |
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bruise
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| n.青肿，挫伤；伤痕；vt.打青；挫伤 | |
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twigs
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| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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aspirations
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| 强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音 | |
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toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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marsh
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| n.沼泽，湿地 | |
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tenacity
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| n.坚韧 | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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futility
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| n.无用 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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uncommonly
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| adv. 稀罕(极，非常) | |
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moor
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| n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊 | |
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rascally
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| adj. 无赖的，恶棍的 adv. 无赖地，卑鄙地 | |
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monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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incur
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| vt.招致，蒙受，遭遇 | |
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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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trout
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| n.鳟鱼；鲑鱼(属) | |
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specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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appallingly
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| 毛骨悚然地 | |
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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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favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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lenient
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| adj.宽大的，仁慈的 | |
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marshes
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| n.沼泽，湿地( marsh的名词复数 ) | |
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luncheon
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| n.午宴，午餐，便宴 | |
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delicacies
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| n.棘手( delicacy的名词复数 )；精致；精美的食物；周到 | |
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esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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junction
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| n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站 | |
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lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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tryst
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| n.约会；v.与…幽会 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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primal
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| adj.原始的；最重要的 | |
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porcelain
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| n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的 | |
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slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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pinions
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| v.抓住[捆住]（双臂）( pinion的第三人称单数 ) | |
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relinquished
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| 交出，让给( relinquish的过去式和过去分词 )； 放弃 | |
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mundane
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| adj.平凡的；尘世的；宇宙的 | |
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insanity
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| n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐 | |
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tribulations
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| n.苦难( tribulation的名词复数 )；艰难；苦难的缘由；痛苦 | |
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justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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71
evasion
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| n.逃避，偷漏(税) | |
参考例句： |
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