Chapter 21

Twice or thrice more Uncle Isaac came to supper, though he was dimly aware that his visits were in some way less successful than had been their wont¹; insomuch that he took nothing home with him for breakfast, nor even went so far as to hint his desire, in Butson’s presence.  For Butson welcomed him not at all, and his manner grew shorter at each meeting, and this with full intent.  Because Mr. Butson perceived that, as first step toward being master in his own house, he must get rid of Uncle Isaac.

Mere² curtness³ of manner—even gruffness—would never drive Uncle Isaac from his prey⁴.  It operated only to make him more voluble, more strenuously⁵ blandiloquent.  Till one evening after supper, as he lay back in his chair sucking noisily at lips and teeth, he resolved to venture a step in the matter of the lapsed⁶ grants in aid of breakfast.  Johnny and Bessy were out of the house (they went out more often now), Nan was serving in the shop, and Mr. Butson sat with his back partly turned, and smoked, in uncivil silence.

“Ah!” quoth Uncle Isaac, with a side-glance at his p. 184ungracious host, “that’s a uncommon⁷ nice tin o’ spiced beef we just ’ad a cut auf.  Uncommon.”

Mr. Butson made no answer.

“It’s a great credit to your business instinks, that tin o’ spiced beef.  I almost wish I ’ad took another slice or so, now.”  As a fact, Uncle Isaac had not been offered a further helping—perhaps because he had already taken three.  “I almost wish I ’ad. . . .  Never mind.  It’ll do another time. . . .  Come now, I’ve ’alf a mind to get Nan to wrop it up for my breakfast!”

The suggestion was made as of a novel and striking idea, but Mr. Butson showed no flash of enthusiasm.  He swung his chair slowly round on one leg till he faced Uncle Isaac.  Then he put his cigar carefully on the mantelpiece and said:—“Look ’ere, Mr. Mundy!”

The sudden severity of the voice drew Uncle Isaac’s eyes from the ceiling and his feet from under the table simultaneously⁸.

“Look ’ere, Mr. Mundy!  You’re bin⁹ so very kind as to celebrate this ’ere weddin’ o’ mine with four good ’eavy suppers an’ about a pint¹⁰ o’ whisky at my expense.  I’m very grateful for that, an’ I won’t trouble you no more.  See?  This is the end o’ the celebration.  I’m goin’ to eat my supper in future, me an’ my wife, p. 185without your assistance; an’ breakfast too.  Understand?”

Uncle Isaac’s feet retreated under his chair, and his eyes advanced to an alarming protrusion¹¹.

“See what I mean?” Butson went on, with growing offence in his voice.  “Jest you buy yer own suppers an’ eat ’em at ’ome, or else go without.”

Speech was denied Uncle Isaac.  He blinked and choked.  What did it mean?  Was it a dream?  Was he Uncle Isaac, respected and deferred¹² to, the man of judgment¹³ and influence, and was he told, thus outrageously¹⁴, to buy his own supper?

“Yus,” said Butson, as though in answer to his thoughts.  “I mean it!”

Whereat Uncle Isaac, with a gasp¹⁵ and a roll of the eyes, found his tongue.  “Mr. Butson!” he said, in a voice of dignified¹⁶ but grieved surprise.  “Mr. Butson!  I—I think I must ’a ’eard wrong.  Otherwise I might put it as you may be sorry for sich words.”

“P’raps,” remarked Butson, cynically¹⁷ laconic¹⁸.

“In which case,” replied Uncle Isaac the adroit¹⁹, “it is freely took as auffered, an’ nothin’ more need be said atween of friends after sich ’ansome apologies give an’ took, and reconciliation²⁰ resooms its ’armony accordin’.”

Butson glared.  “G-r-r-r!” he growled²¹.  “Apologies!  What I say I mean.  You’ve done very well at cheap p. 186suppers an’ what not ’ere, and to-night you’ve ’ad yer last.  I’m master ’ere now.  An’ you can git out as soon as ye like.”

“What?”

“Git out.  Y’ought to be ashamed o’ yourself,” cried the disinterested²² Butson indignantly, “comin cadgin’ suppers!”

“Git out?  Me?  Suppers?  Why, ’Enery Butson, I brought you ’ere out o’ the gutter²³!  Out o’ the gutter, an’ fed ye!”

“Ah—a lot you fed me, and mighty²⁴ anxious to do it, wasn’t ye?  You clear out o’ ’ere!”

“O I’ll go! an’ I’ll see about countermandin’ a paper or two ’fore I go to bed, too.  An’ my small property—”

“Yer small property!” put in Butson, with slow scorn.  “Yer small property!  Where is it?  What is it? . . .  Want to know my opinion o’ you?  You’re a old ’umbug.  That’s what you are.  A old ’umbug.”

Uncle Isaac grew furious and purple.  “’Umbug?” he said.  “’Umbug?  Them words to me, as saved ye from starvation?  ’Umbug yerself.  You an’ yer connexions, an’ mayors an’ what not!  Why, ye dunno yer own trade!  I wouldn’t trust ye to grind a cawfy-mill!”

With that the shop-door opened, and Nan stood between them.  She had heard high voices, and at the first cessation of custom she came to see.  “Uncle!  p. 187Henry!  What is it?” she asked, with alarm in her face.

“This is what it is,” said Butson, now near as purple as Uncle Isaac.  “This ’ere uncle o’ yours, Mrs. Butson, or whatever ’e is, ain’t comin’ ’ere cadgin’ ’is grub any more; not so long as I got a say in it ’e ain’t.  See?  So now you better say good-bye to ’im if ye want to, ’cos ’e’s goin’, quick.”

“O yus,” said Uncle Isaac, speaking to his niece, but glaring at Butson, “I’m goin’, Mrs. Butson.  An’ much better may you be for it.  After what I done for you an’ all.  Sort o’ gratitood I might ’a’ expected!”

“O uncle!” exclaimed the distracted Nan.  “Why, whatever’s the matter?  I know you’ve always been very good.  Henry!  What’s it all about?”

“About puttin’ a end to this ’ere bloodsuckin’, that’s all!”

“Bloodsuckin’!” exclaimed Uncle Isaac.  “Yus, you know somethin’ about that!  Pity ye don’t know yer trade ’alf as well!  Then p’raps you’d earn yer livin’, ’stead o’ spongin’ on people an’ deloodin’ a fool of a woman to keep ye lazy!”

“Go on! go on!” commanded Butson, with increasing wrath²⁵.

“No, uncle, stop a minute,” entreated²⁶ poor Nan.  “Don’t, Henry, don’t let’s quarrel!”

“Go on!”

p. 188“O yus, I’ll go.  P’raps you’d like to call the p’lice?”

Butson caught breath at the word, and something crossed his face like a chance reflection from a white screen.  But he repeated, “Go on!” with a gesture toward the door.

“Yus, yus!” said Uncle Isaac, with his hat on his head.  “I’m goin’!  An’ not sorry neither.  Ho!  You’re a bright sort for a local p’rentis, you are!”  (Uncle Isaac may have been at odds²⁷ with the phrase in loco parentis).  “A uncommon neat pattern!”  And he walked out into the dark street, a small model of offended dignity.
 

“O Henry,” cried Nan in tears, “what have you done?”

“I’ve done,” answered Butson, reaching for his cigar, “jist what I meant to do.  That’s all.  ’Cos it suited me.  See?”

Nan felt the coarse overbearance of his stare, and dropped her gaze beneath it.  And with that misgiving²⁸ fell upon her: the shadow her punishment flung before it.

1 wont   

adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯

参考例句：

• He was wont to say that children are lazy.他常常说小孩子们懒惰。
• It is his wont to get up early.早起是他的习惯。

2 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

3 curtness   

n.简短；草率；简略

参考例句：

• He answered with typical curtness. 他像往常一样，回答时唐突无礼。 来自辞典例句
• His cavelier curtness of manner was exasperating. 他粗鲁轻率的举止让人恼怒。 来自互联网

4 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

5 strenuously   

adv.奋发地，费力地

参考例句：

• The company has strenuously defended its decision to reduce the workforce. 公司竭力为其裁员的决定辩护。
• She denied the accusation with some warmth, ie strenuously, forcefully. 她有些激动，竭力否认这一指责。

6 lapsed   

adj.流失的，堕落的v.退步( lapse的过去式和过去分词 )；陷入；倒退；丧失

参考例句：

• He had lapsed into unconsciousness. 他陷入了昏迷状态。
• He soon lapsed into his previous bad habits. 他很快陷入以前的恶习中去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

8 simultaneously   

adv.同时发生地，同时进行地

参考例句：

• The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
• The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。

9 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

10 pint   

n.品脱

参考例句：

• I'll have a pint of beer and a packet of crisps, please.我要一品脱啤酒和一袋炸马铃薯片。
• In the old days you could get a pint of beer for a shilling.从前，花一先令就可以买到一品脱啤酒。

11 protrusion   

n.伸出，突出

参考例句：

• a protrusion on the rock face 岩石表面的突起部分
• Thumb-sucking can cause protrusion of the teeth. 经常吮吸拇指能使牙齿向外突出。 来自辞典例句

12 deferred   

adj.延期的，缓召的v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从

参考例句：

• The department deferred the decision for six months. 这个部门推迟了六个月才作决定。
• a tax-deferred savings plan 延税储蓄计划

13 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

14 outrageously   

凶残地； 肆无忌惮地； 令人不能容忍地； 不寻常地

参考例句：

• Leila kept smiling her outrageously cute smile. 莱拉脸上始终挂着非常可爱的笑容。
• He flirts outrageously. 他肆无忌惮地调情。

15 gasp   

n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说

参考例句：

• She gave a gasp of surprise.她吃惊得大口喘气。
• The enemy are at their last gasp.敌人在做垂死的挣扎。

16 dignified   

a.可敬的，高贵的

参考例句：

• Throughout his trial he maintained a dignified silence. 在整个审讯过程中，他始终沉默以保持尊严。
• He always strikes such a dignified pose before his girlfriend. 他总是在女友面前摆出这种庄严的姿态。

17 cynically   

adv.爱嘲笑地，冷笑地

参考例句：

• "Holding down the receiver,'said Daisy cynically. “挂上话筒在讲。”黛西冷嘲热讽地说。 来自英汉文学 - 盖茨比
• The Democrats sensibly (if cynically) set about closing the God gap. 民主党在明智（有些讽刺）的减少宗教引起的问题。 来自互联网

18 laconic   

adj.简洁的；精练的

参考例句：

• He sent me a laconic private message.他给我一封简要的私人函件。
• This response was typical of the writer's laconic wit.这个回答反映了这位作家精练简明的特点。

19 adroit   

adj.熟练的，灵巧的

参考例句：

• Jamie was adroit at flattering others.杰米很会拍马屁。
• His adroit replies to hecklers won him many followers.他对质问者的机敏应答使他赢得了很多追随者。

20 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

21 growled   

v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说

参考例句：

• \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道：“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 disinterested   

adj.不关心的，不感兴趣的

参考例句：

• He is impartial and disinterested.他公正无私。
• He's always on the make,I have never known him do a disinterested action.他这个人一贯都是唯利是图，我从来不知道他有什么无私的行动。

23 gutter   

n.沟，街沟，水槽，檐槽，贫民窟

参考例句：

• There's a cigarette packet thrown into the gutter.阴沟里有个香烟盒。
• He picked her out of the gutter and made her a great lady.他使她脱离贫苦生活，并成为贵妇。

24 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

25 wrath   

n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒

参考例句：

• His silence marked his wrath. 他的沉默表明了他的愤怒。
• The wrath of the people is now aroused. 人们被激怒了。

26 entreated   

恳求，乞求( entreat的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They entreated and threatened, but all this seemed of no avail. 他们时而恳求，时而威胁，但这一切看来都没有用。
• 'One word,' the Doctor entreated. 'Will you tell me who denounced him?' “还有一个问题，”医生请求道，“你可否告诉我是谁告发他的？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

27 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

28 misgiving   

n.疑虑，担忧，害怕

参考例句：

• She had some misgivings about what she was about to do.她对自己即将要做的事情存有一些顾虑。
• The first words of the text filled us with misgiving.正文开头的文字让我们颇为担心。