Chapter 31

Long Hicks’s holiday had lasted three days, and Mr. Butson’s minor¹ bruises² were turning green.  It was at the stroke of five in the afternoon, and Bessy was minding shop.  From the ship-yard opposite a score or so of men came, in dirty dungaree (for it was Friday), vanguard of the tramping hundreds that issued each day, regular as the clock before the timekeeper’s box.  Bessy rose on her crutch³, and peeped between a cheese and a packet of candles, out of window.  Friday was not a day when many men came in on their way home, because by that time the week’s money was run low, and luxuries were barred.  Bessy scarce expected a customer, and it would seem that none was coming.

Peeping so, she grew aware of a stout⁴ red-faced woman approaching at a rapid scuttle⁵; and then, almost as the woman reached the door, she saw Hicks at her heels, his face a long figure of dismay.

The woman burst into the shop with a rasping shriek⁶.  “I want my ’usband!” she screamed.  “Where’s my ’usband?”

“Come away!” called Hicks, deadly pale, and p. 253nervously snatching at her shoulder.  “Come away!  You know what you promised!”

“Take yer ’and auf me, ye long fool!  Where’s my ’usband?  Is it you what’s got ’im?”  She turned on Bessy and bawled⁷ the words in her face.

“No—no it ain’t!” cried Hicks, near beside himself.  “Come away, an’—an’ we’ll talk about it outside!”

“Talk!  O yus, I’ll give ’im talk!”  The woman’s every syllable⁸ was a harsh yell, racking to the brain, and already it had drawn⁹ a group about the door.  “I’ll give ’im talk, an’ ’er too!  Would anyone believe,” she went on, turning toward the door and haranguing¹⁰ the crowd, that grew at every word, “as ’ow a woman calling ’erself respectable, an’ keepin’ a shop like any lady, ’ud take away a respectable woman’s ’usband—a lazy good-for-nothin’ scoundril as run away an’ left me thirteen year ago last Whitsun!”

Boys sprang from everywhere, and pelted¹¹ in to swell¹² the crowd, drawn by the increasing screams.  Many of the men, who knew the shop so well, stopped to learn what the trouble was; and soon every window in Harbour Lane displayed a woman’s head, or two.

“My ’usband!  Where’s my ’usband?  Show me the woman as took my ’usband!”

Nan came and stood in the back parlour doorway¹³, frightened but uncomprehending.  The woman turned.  “You!  You is it?” she shrieked¹⁴, oversetting a pile p. 254of tins and boxes, and clawing the air above her.  “Gimme back my ’usband, you shameless creechor!  Where ’a’ ye got ’im?  Where’s my ’usband?”

Hicks put his arm about the woman’s waist and swung her back.  He was angry now.  “Get out!” he said, “I didn’t bring you to make a row like that!  You swore you wouldn’t!”

Finding his arm too strong for her, the woman turned on Hicks and set to clawing at his face, never ceasing to scream for her husband.  And then Johnny came pushing in at the door, having run from the far street-corner at sight of the crowd.

Hicks, as well as he could for dodging¹⁵ and catching¹⁶ at the woman’s wrists, made violent facial signals to Johnny, who stared, understanding none of them.  But he heard the woman’s howls for her husband, and he caught at her arm.  “Who is your husband?” he said.  “What’s his name?”

“What’s ’is name?  Why Butson—’enery Butson’s ’is name!  Gimme my ’usband!  My ’usband!  Let me go, you villain¹⁷!”

It was like an unexpected blow on the head to Johnny, but, save for a moment, it stunned¹⁸ not at all—rather roused him.  “I’ll fetch him!” he cried, and sprang into the house.

Here was release—the man had another wife!  He would drag the wretch¹⁹ down to her, and then give him p. 255to the police.  No wonder he feared the police!  The load was lifted at last—Butson’s punishment was come indeed!  Fiercely glad, and thinking of nothing but this, Johnny swung into each room in turn.

But there was no Butson.  His pipe lay broken on the front bedroom fender, and his coat hung behind the door; but there was no other sign.

Johnny dashed into the back yard.  That, too, was empty.  But in the yard behind, the old lighterman²⁰, paint-pot in one hand and brush in the other, just as he had broken off in the touching²¹ up of his mast, stood, and blinked, and stared, with his mouth open.  His house-doors, back and front, stood wide, because of wet paint, and one could see through to the next street.  It was by those doorways²² that Mr. Butson had vanished a minute ago, after scrambling²³ over the wall, hatless, and in his shirt sleeves.  And the old lighterman thought it a great liberty, and told Johnny so, with some dignity.

Johnny rushed back to the shop.  “Gone!” he cried.  “Bolted out at the back!”

He might have offered chase, but his mother lay in a swoon, and Bessy hung over her, hysterical²⁴.  “Shove that woman out,” he said, and he and Hicks, between them, thrust the bawling²⁵ termagant into the street and closed the door.

Without, she raged still, and grew hoarser²⁶, till a p. 256policeman came to quiet her; and in the end she marched off with him, talking at a loud scream all the way.  And Harbour Lane flamed with the news of Nan’s shameless bigamy.

1 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

2 bruises   

n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was covered with bruises after falling off his bicycle. 他从自行车上摔了下来，摔得浑身伤痕。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The pear had bruises of dark spots. 这个梨子有碰伤的黑斑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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。

5 scuttle   

v.急赶，疾走，逃避；n.天窗；舷窗

参考例句：

• There was a general scuttle for shelter when the rain began to fall heavily.下大雨了，人们都飞跑着寻找躲雨的地方。
• The scuttle was open,and the good daylight shone in.明朗的亮光从敞开的小窗中照了进来。

6 shriek   

v./n.尖叫，叫喊

参考例句：

• Suddenly he began to shriek loudly.突然他开始大声尖叫起来。
• People sometimes shriek because of terror,anger,or pain.人们有时会因为恐惧，气愤或疼痛而尖叫。

7 bawled   

v.大叫，大喊( bawl的过去式和过去分词 )；放声大哭；大声叫出；叫卖（货物）

参考例句：

• She bawled at him in front of everyone. 她当着大家的面冲他大喊大叫。
• My boss bawled me out for being late. 我迟到，给老板训斥了一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 syllable   

n.音节；vt.分音节

参考例句：

• You put too much emphasis on the last syllable.你把最后一个音节读得太重。
• The stress on the last syllable is light.最后一个音节是轻音节。

9 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。

10 haranguing   

v.高谈阔论( harangue的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He continued in his customary, haranguing style. 他继续以他一贯的夸夸其谈的手法讲下去。 来自辞典例句
• That lady was still haranguing the girl. 那位女士仍然对那女孩喋喋不休地训斥。 来自互联网

11 pelted   

（连续地）投掷( pelt的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续抨击； 攻击； 剥去…的皮

参考例句：

• The children pelted him with snowballs. 孩子们向他投掷雪球。
• The rain pelted down. 天下着大雨。

12 swell   

vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强

参考例句：

• The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。
• His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。

13 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

14 shrieked   

v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She shrieked in fright. 她吓得尖叫起来。
• Li Mei-t'ing gave a shout, and Lu Tzu-hsiao shrieked, "Tell what? 李梅亭大声叫，陆子潇尖声叫：“告诉什么？ 来自汉英文学 - 围城

15 dodging   

n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避

参考例句：

• He ran across the road, dodging the traffic. 他躲开来往的车辆跑过马路。
• I crossed the highway, dodging the traffic. 我避开车流穿过了公路。 来自辞典例句

16 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

17 villain   

n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因

参考例句：

• He was cast as the villain in the play.他在戏里扮演反面角色。
• The man who played the villain acted very well.扮演恶棍的那个男演员演得很好。

18 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

19 wretch   

n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人

参考例句：

• You are really an ungrateful wretch to complain instead of thanking him.你不但不谢他，还埋怨他，真不知好歹。
• The dead husband is not the dishonoured wretch they fancied him.死去的丈夫不是他们所想象的不光彩的坏蛋。

20 lighterman   

n.驳船夫

参考例句：

21 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

22 doorways   

n.门口，门道( doorway的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The houses belched people; the doorways spewed out children. 从各家茅屋里涌出一堆一堆的人群，从门口蹦出一群一群小孩。 来自辞典例句
• He rambled under the walls and doorways. 他就顺着墙根和门楼遛跶。 来自辞典例句

23 scrambling   

v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发，冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 hysterical   

adj.情绪异常激动的，歇斯底里般的

参考例句：

• He is hysterical at the sight of the photo.他一看到那张照片就异常激动。
• His hysterical laughter made everybody stunned.他那歇斯底里的笑声使所有的人不知所措。

25 bawling   

v.大叫，大喊( bawl的现在分词 )；放声大哭；大声叫出；叫卖（货物）

参考例句：

• We heard the dulcet tones of the sergeant, bawling at us to get on parade. 我们听到中士用“悦耳”的声音向我们大喊，让我们跟上队伍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• "Why are you bawling at me? “你向我们吼啥子？ 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

26 hoarser   

（指声音）粗哑的，嘶哑的( hoarse的比较级 )

参考例句：