Chapter 5

Mrs. May still stood at the cottage door, and the keeper, warned by the light, called from a little distance.  “Here we are, Mrs. May,” he said, as cheerfully as might be.  “He’s all right—just had a little accident, that’s all.  So I’m carryin’ him.  Don’t be frightened; get a little water—I think he’s got a bit of a cut on the head.  But it’s nothing to fluster¹ about.” . . . And so assuring and protesting, Bob brought the old man in.

The woman saw the staring grey face and the blood.  “O-o-o—my God!” she quavered, stricken sick and pale.  “He’s—he’s—”

“No, no.  No, no!  Keep steady and help.  Shift the table, an’ I’ll put him down on the rug.”

She mastered herself, and said no more.  The old man, whose babble² had sunk to an indistinct mutter, was no sooner laid on the floor than he made a vague effort to rise, as though to continue on his way.  But he was feebler than before, and Bob Smallpiece pressed him gently back upon the new-mended coat, doubled to make a pillow.

Nan May, tense and white, curbed³ her agitation⁴, p. 50ministering and suffering in silence.  Years before a man had been carried home to her thus, but then all was over, and after the first numbness⁵ grief could take its vent⁶.  Once she asked Bob Smallpiece, in a whisper, how it had happened.  He told how little he knew, and save for passing the words to Bessy, wakened by unwonted sounds, Mrs. May said nothing.  Bessy, in her nightgown, sat on the stairs, hugging her crutch⁷, and sobbing⁸ with what quietness she could compel of herself.

There was a little brandy in a quartern bottle, and the keeper thought it well to force the spirit between the old man’s teeth, while Mrs. May bathed the head and washed away the clotted⁹ blood.  As they did so the wheels of the doctor’s dog-cart were heard in the lane, and soon the doctor came in at the door, pulling off his gloves.

Johnny stood, pale, helpless, and still almost breathless, behind the group, while the doctor knelt at his grandfather’s side.  There was a contused wound at the top of the head, the doctor could see, a little back, not serious.  But blood still dripped from the ears, and the doctor shook his head.  “Fracture of the base,” he said, as to himself.

Reviving a little, because of the brandy and the bathing, the old man once more made a motion as if to p. 51rise, his eyes grew brighter, though fixed¹⁰ still, and his voice rose distinctly as ever.

“—took the bag in, yes.  London’s comin’ fast, London’s comin’ an’ a-frightenin’ out the butterflies.  London’s a-drivin’ the butterflies out o’ my round, out o’ my round, an’ butterflies can’t live near it.  London’s out o’ my round an’ I’ve done my round an’ now I’ll give in the empty bag.  Take the bag: an’ look for the pension.  That’s the ’vantage o’ the Pos’-Office, John.  Some gets pensions but some don’, but the butterflies’ll last my time I hope: an’ Haskins he kep’ bees, but I’m hopin’ to finish my roun’—” and so on and so on till the voice fell again and the muttering was fainter than before.

Bob Smallpiece stood awkwardly by, unwilling¹¹ to remain a useless intruder, but just as reluctant to desert friends in trouble.  Presently he bethought himself that work was still to do in inquiry¹² how the old man’s hurt had befallen, whether by accident or attack; perhaps, indeed, to inform the police, and that in good time.  So he asked, turning his hat about in his hands, if there was anything else he could do.

“Nothing more, Smallpiece, thanks,” the doctor said, with an unmistakable lift of the brows and a glance at the door.

“God bless you for helpin’ us, Mr. Smallpiece,” Mrs. May said as she let him out.  “I’ll let you know p. 52how he is in the mornin’ if you can’t call.”  And when the door was shut, “Go to bed, Johnny, my boy, and take a rest.”  But Johnny went no farther than the stairs, and sat there with his sister.

The old man’s muttering ceased wholly, and he breathed heavily, stertorously¹³.  The doctor rose to his feet and turned to Mrs. May.

“Won’t you tell me, sir,” she said.  “Is it—is it—”

“It is very serious,” the doctor said gravely; and added with impressive slowness, “very serious indeed.”

The woman took a grip of the table, and caught three quick breaths.

“You must keep yourself calm, and you must bear up.  You must prepare yourself—in case of something very bad indeed.”

Twice she tried to speak, but was mute; and then, “No hope?” she said, more to sight than to hearing.

He put his hand kindly¹⁴ on her shoulder.  “It would be wrong of me to encourage it,” he said.  “As for what I can do, it is all over. . . .  But you must bear up,” he went on firmly, as, guided to a chair, she bent¹⁵ forward and covered her face.  “Drink this—”  He took a small bottle from his bag, poured something into a cup and added water.  “Drink it—drink it up; all of it. . . .  I must go. . . .  You’ve your children to think of, remember.  Come to your mother, my boy. . . . ”

p. 53He was gone, and the children stood with their arms about their mother.  The old man’s breathing, which had grown heavier and louder still, presently eased again, and his eyes closed drowsily¹⁶.  At this the woman looked up with an impossible hope in her heart.  Truly, the breath was soft and natural, and the drawn¹⁷ lines had gone from the face: he must be sleeping.  Why had she not thought to ask Bob Smallpiece to carry him up to bed?  And why had the doctor not ordered it?  Softly she turned the wet cloth that lay over the wound.

The breath grew lighter¹⁸ and still lighter, and more peaceful the face, till one might almost trace a smile.  Quieter and quieter, and still more peaceful: till all was peace indeed.

1 fluster   

adj.慌乱，狼狈，混乱，激动

参考例句：

• She was put in a fluster by the unexpected guests.不速之客的到来弄得她很慌张。
• She was all in a fluster at the thought of meeting the boss.一想到要见老板，她就感到紧张。

2 babble   

v.含糊不清地说，胡言乱语地说，儿语

参考例句：

• No one could understand the little baby's babble. 没人能听懂这个小婴孩的话。
• The babble of voices in the next compartment annoyed all of us.隔壁的车厢隔间里不间歇的嘈杂谈话声让我们都很气恼。

3 curbed   

v.限制，克制，抑制( curb的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Advertising aimed at children should be curbed. 针对儿童的广告应受到限制。 来自辞典例句
• Inflation needs to be curbed in Russia. 俄罗斯需要抑制通货膨胀。 来自辞典例句

4 agitation   

n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动

参考例句：

• Small shopkeepers carried on a long agitation against the big department stores.小店主们长期以来一直在煽动人们反对大型百货商店。
• These materials require constant agitation to keep them in suspension.这些药剂要经常搅动以保持悬浮状态。

5 numbness   

n.无感觉，麻木，惊呆

参考例句：

• She was fighting off the numbness of frostbite. 她在竭力摆脱冻僵的感觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Sometimes they stay dead, causing' only numbness. 有时，它们没有任何反应，只会造成麻木。 来自时文部分

6 vent   

n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄

参考例句：

• He gave vent to his anger by swearing loudly.他高声咒骂以发泄他的愤怒。
• When the vent became plugged,the engine would stop.当通风口被堵塞时，发动机就会停转。

7 crutch   

n.T字形拐杖；支持，依靠，精神支柱

参考例句：

• Her religion was a crutch to her when John died.约翰死后，她在精神上依靠宗教信仰支撑住自己。
• He uses his wife as a kind of crutch because of his lack of confidence.他缺乏自信心，总把妻子当作主心骨。

8 sobbing   

<主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的

参考例句：

• I heard a child sobbing loudly. 我听见有个孩子在呜呜地哭。
• Her eyes were red with recent sobbing. 她的眼睛因刚哭过而发红。

9 clotted   

adj.凝结的v.凝固( clot的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• scones and jam with clotted cream 夹有凝脂奶油和果酱的烤饼
• Perspiration clotted his hair. 汗水使他的头发粘在一起。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

10 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

11 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

12 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

13 stertorously   

参考例句：

• He was breathing stertorously. 他呼哧呼哧地喘着气。 来自互联网

14 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

15 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

16 drowsily   

adv.睡地，懒洋洋地，昏昏欲睡地

参考例句：

• She turned drowsily on her side, a slow creeping blackness enveloping her mind. 她半睡半醒地翻了个身，一片缓缓蠕动的黑暗渐渐将她的心包围起来。 来自飘（部分）
• I felt asleep drowsily before I knew it. 不知过了多久，我曚扙地睡着了。 来自互联网

17 drawn   

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。

18 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。