"Do you mean Foxwood proper, sir; or Foxwood, Sir Karl Andinnian's place?" returned the porter.
"Foxwood proper, I suppose. It is a village, is it not?"
"Yes, sir. Go down the road to the left, sir, then take the first turning on your right, and it will bring you into Foxwood."
"Thank you," said the gentleman, and slipped a small silver coin into the porter's hand. He knew, nobody better, the value of a silver key: and the chances were that he might shortly get gossiping with this station porter about the neighbourhood and its politics.
Bag in hand, and leaving his portmanteau at the station, he speedily found himself in the heart of Foxwood. Casting about his eyes on this side and that, they settled on Paradise Row, on which the sun was shining, and on a white embossed card hanging in the first-floor window of the middle house, which card had on it, in large letters, "Apartments furnished."
At the open entrance-door of the same house stood a widow woman in a clean cap and smart black silk apron3. Mrs. Jinks was en grande toilette that afternoon.
"It looks likely," said the stranger to himself. "Madame there will talk her tongue sore, I see, once prompted." And going up to the door, he politely took off his hat as he might to a duchess.
"You have apartments to let, I think, madam?"
"Good gracious!" cried the Widow Jinks, taken by surprise--for she was only looking out for the muffin-boy, and the slanting4 rays of the sun were dazzling her eyes, so that she had not observed the traveller. "I beg pardon, sir; apartments, did you say? Yes, sir, I've got my drawing-room just emptied."
It happened that an elderly lady from Basham and her grand-daughters had been lodging5 there for a month, the young ladies being ardent6 disciples7 of Mr. Cattacomb; but they had now left, and the drawing-room was ready to be let again. Mrs. Jinks went on to explain this, rather volubly.
"I will go up and look at it, if you please," said the stranger.
The widow ushered8 him along the passage towards the stairs, treading softly as she passed the parlour door.
"I've got a Reverend Gent lodging in there," she said, "minister of the new church, St. Jerome's. He has a meeting every Thursday evening, for Scripture9 reading, or something of that--exercises, I think they call it. This is Thursday, and they be all expected. But he wants his tea first, and that there dratted muffin-boy's not round yet. The Reverend Gent have dropped asleep on three chairs in his shirt sleeves, while he waits for it.----This is the drawing-room, sir."
The stranger liked the drawing-room very much; the sun made it cheerful, he said; and he liked the bedroom behind it. Mrs. Jinks rather hesitated at letting the two rooms alone. She generally let the bedrooms at the top of the house with them.
"How long shall you be likely to stay, sir?" questioned she.
"I do not know. It may be a week, it may be a month, it may be more. I am seeking country air and rest to re-establish my health, ma'am, and want a quiet place to read in. I shall not give you much trouble."
Mrs. Jinks agreed to let him have the rooms at last, demanding a few shillings over the usual terms for the two: a bird in the hand, she thought, was worth two in the bush. Next she asked for references.
"I cannot refer you to any one here," he said, "for I don't know a soul in the place, and not a soul in it knows me. I will pay you every week in advance; and that I presume will do as well as references."
He laid down the sum agreed upon and a sovereign beside it. "You will be so good as to get in for me a few things to eat and drink, Mrs. Jinks. I should like to have some tea first of all, if convenient, and one of those muffins you spoke10 of. Well buttered, if you please."
"Yes, sir; certainly, sir. We get muffins at Foxwood all the year round, sir, on account of there being company in the place at summer time: in other towns, Basham, for instance, they are only made in winter. Buttered muffins and cress, sir, is uncommonly11 good together."
"Are they? I'll have some cress too."
Telling her, as well as he could remember, what articles he should want besides butter and muffins, and bidding her to add anything else that she thought he might require, he picked up his black bag to take it into the bedroom. Mrs. Jinks in her politeness begged him to let her take it, but he said certainly not.
"Is it all the luggage you've got, sir, this?"
"My portmanteau is at the station. I could not order it on until I knew where I should be or, in fact, whether I should stay at Foxwood at all. Had I not found lodgings12 to my mind, ma'am, I might have gone on somewhere else."
"Foxwood's the loveliest, healthiest spot you can find, sir," cried the widow, eagerly. "Sweet walks about it, there is."
"So I was told by my medical man. One wants nice rural walks, Mrs. Jinks, after reading hard."
"So one does, sir. You are reading up for college, I suppose? I had a young gent here once from Oxford13. He got plucked, too, afterwards. There's the muffin-boy!" added Mrs. Jinks, in delight, as the fierce ring of a bell and the muffin-call was heard beneath. "Oh, I beg pardon, sir, what name?"
The gentleman, who had his head and hands just then in his bag, merely responded that he was a stranger. Mrs. Jinks, in the hurry to be gone, and confused with the ringing and the calling below, caught up the answer as "Strange."
"A Mr. Strange," she said to herself, going down with the money in her hand. "And one of the nicest gents I've ever come across. 'Put plenty o' butter,' says he. He ain't one as'll look sharp after every crumb14 and odd and end, as too many of 'em does, and say where's the rest of this, that it don't come up, and where's the remainder of that."
Mrs. Jinks had a young help-mate when she was what she considered in "full let;" a young damsel of fourteen, who wore her hair in a pink net. Sending the girl flying to the general shop for various things, she set on to toast the muffins; and tea was speedily served in both rooms. She took in the clergyman's first. Mr. Cattacomb was asleep on the three chairs, in his shirt sleeves. He was beginning to find his work somewhat hard. What with the duties in the church, the services, and sermons, and confessions15, and the duties out of church connected with little boys and girls, and with those anxious Christians16 who never left him alone, the young ladies, Mr. Cattacomb was often considerably17 fatigued18; and it was under consideration whether his former coadjutor, the Reverend Damon Puff20, should not be summoned to assist him.
"Here's your tea, sir," said Mrs. Jinks, "and a beautiful hot muffin. I couldn't get it up afore, for the muffin-boy was late."
"My tea, is it, Mrs. Jinks?" replied Mr. Cattacomb, slowly rising. "Thank you, I am dead tired."
And, perhaps in consequence of the fatigue19, or that Mrs. Jinks was not worth any display, it might have been observed that the affectation, so characteristic of the reverend gentleman when in society, had entirely21 disappeared now. Indeed, it seemed at this undress moment that Mr. Cattacomb was a simple-mannered, pleasant man.
"I've been in luck this afternoon, sir, and have let my drawing-room floor," continued the widow, as she settled the tea-tray before him. "It's a Mr. Strange, sir, that's took it; a gent reading for Oxford, and out of health. His doctor have ordered him into the country for change, and told him he'd find quiet air and nice walks at Foxwood. You may hear his boots walking about overhead, sir. He seems to be as nice and liberal a gent as ever I had to do with."
"Glad to hear it," said Mr. Cattacomb, beginning upon his muffin vigorously. "We shall want more chairs here presently, you know, Mrs. Jinks."
The tea-tray had scarcely disappeared, and Mr. Cattacomb put on his coat and his fascinating company manners, before the company began to arrive. On these Thursday evenings Mr. Cattacomb gave at his own home a private lecture, descriptive of some of the places mentioned in holy Scripture. The lectures were attended by all his flock at St. Jerome's and by several young ladies from Basham. Of course it necessitated22 a great many seats; and the new lodger23 above was yet at his tea, when Mrs. Jinks appeared, her face redder than usual with running about, and begged the loan of "Mr. Strange's" chairs, explaining what they were wanted for.
"Oh, certainly: take them all, Mrs. Jinks," replied he, in the most accommodating manner possible. "I can sit upon the table."
Mrs. Jinks considerately left him one, however, and went down with the rest. He found out she had taken up the notion that his name was "Strange," and laughed a little.
"Some misunderstanding, I suppose, on her part when I said I was a stranger," thought he. "All right; I'll not contradict it."
While the bumping and thumping24 went on, caused by the progress of chairs down from the chambers25 and up from the kitchen, and the knocker and the bell kept up a perpetual duet, Mr. Strange (we will call him so at present ourselves) put on his hat to go round and order his portmanteau to be sent from the station. As he passed the parlour door it stood open; no one was looking his way; he had a good view of the interior, and took in the scene and the details with his observant eyes. A comfortable room, containing a dozen or two charming and chattering26 ladies, surrounded by a perfect epitome27 of tasty and luxurious28 objects that had been worked by fair fingers. Cushions, anti-macassars, slippers29, scrolls30, drawings enshrined in leather frames, ornamental31 mats by the dozen, cosies32 for tea-pots, lamp tops and stands, flowers in wax under shades, sweet flowers from hothouses in water, and other things too numerous to mention.
"A man beset33, that clergyman," thought Mr. Strange, with a silent laugh, as he bent34 his steps towards the railway. "He should get married and stop it. Perhaps he likes it, though: some of them do who have more vanity than brains."
So he ordered his portmanteau to No. 5, Paradise Row, contriving35 to leave the same impression at the station that he had given Mrs. Jinks--a reading man in search of quiet and health.
Mrs. Jinks presided at the arrival of the portmanteau, and saw some books taken out of it in the drawing-room. While her lodger's back was turned, she took the liberty of peeping into one or two of them; and finding their language was what she could not read, supposed it to be Greek or Latin. Before the night was over, all Paradise Row, upwards36 and downwards37, had been regaled with the news of her new lodger, and the particulars concerning his affairs.
"A scholar-gent, by name of Strange, who had come down to read and get up his health, and had brought his Greek and Latin books with him."
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收听单词发音
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1
waning
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| adj.（月亮）渐亏的，逐渐减弱或变小的n.月亏v.衰落( wane的现在分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡 | |
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2
enquired
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| 打听( enquire的过去式和过去分词 )； 询问； 问问题； 查问 | |
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3
apron
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| n.围裙；工作裙 | |
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slanting
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| 倾斜的，歪斜的 | |
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5
lodging
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| n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
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ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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7
disciples
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| n.信徒( disciple的名词复数 )；门徒；耶稣的信徒；（尤指）耶稣十二门徒之一 | |
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8
ushered
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| v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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9
scripture
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| n.经文，圣书，手稿；Scripture:(常用复数)《圣经》，《圣经》中的一段 | |
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10
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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11
uncommonly
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| adv. 稀罕(极，非常) | |
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12
lodgings
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| n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍 | |
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13
Oxford
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| n.牛津（英国城市） | |
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14
crumb
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| n.饼屑，面包屑，小量 | |
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15
confessions
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| n.承认( confession的名词复数 )；自首；声明；（向神父的）忏悔 | |
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16
Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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17
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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18
fatigued
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| adj. 疲乏的 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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20
puff
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| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
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21
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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22
necessitated
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| 使…成为必要，需要( necessitate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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lodger
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| n.寄宿人，房客 | |
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24
thumping
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| adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持 | |
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25
chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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26
chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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27
epitome
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| n.典型，梗概 | |
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28
luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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29
slippers
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| n. 拖鞋 | |
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30
scrolls
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| n.（常用于录写正式文件的）纸卷( scroll的名词复数 )；卷轴；涡卷形（装饰）；卷形花纹v.（电脑屏幕上）从上到下移动（资料等），卷页( scroll的第三人称单数 )；（似卷轴般）卷起；（像展开卷轴般地）将文字显示于屏幕 | |
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31
ornamental
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| adj.装饰的；作装饰用的；n.装饰品；观赏植物 | |
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32
cosies
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| n.温暖舒适的( cosy的名词复数 )；亲切友好的 | |
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33
beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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34
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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35
contriving
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| （不顾困难地）促成某事( contrive的现在分词 )； 巧妙地策划，精巧地制造（如机器）； 设法做到 | |
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36
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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37
downwards
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| adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地） | |
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