Lord De Guest, in the various conversations which he had had with Eames as to Lily Dale and her present position, had always spoken of Crosbie with the most vehement3 abhorrence4. "He is a damned blackguard," said the earl, and the fire had come out of his round eyes as he spoke2. Now the earl was by no means given to cursing and swearing, in the sense which is ordinarily applied5 to these words. When he made use of such a phrase as that quoted above, it was to be presumed that he in some sort meant what he said; and so he did, and had intended to signify that Crosbie by his conduct had merited all such condemnation6 as was the fitting punishment for blackguardism of the worst description.
"He ought to have his neck broken," said Johnny.
"I don't know about that," said the earl. "The present times have become so pretty behaved that corporal punishment seems to have gone out of fashion. I shouldn't care so much about that, if any other punishment had taken its place. But it seems to me that a blackguard such as Crosbie can escape now altogether unscathed."
"He hasn't escaped yet," said Johnny.
"Don't you go and put your finger in the pie and make a fool of yourself," said the earl. If it had behoved any one to resent in any violent fashion the evil done by Crosbie, Bernard Dale, the earl's nephew, should have been the avenger7. This the earl felt, but under these circumstances he was disposed to think that there should be no such violent vengeance8. "Things were different when I was young," he said to himself. But Eames gathered from the earl's tone that the earl's words were not strictly9 in accordance with his thoughts, and he declared to himself over and over again that Crosbie had not yet escaped.
He got into the train at Guestwick, taking a first-class ticket, because the earl's groom10 in livery was in attendance upon him. Had he been alone he would have gone in a cheaper carriage. Very weak in him, was it not? little also, and mean? My friend, can you say that you would not have done the same at his age? Are you quite sure that you would not do the same now that you are double his age? Be that as it may, Johnny Eames did that foolish thing, and gave the groom in livery half-a-crown into the bargain.
"We shall have you down again soon, Mr. John," said the groom, who seemed to understand that Mr. Eames was to be made quite at home at the manor11.
He went fast to sleep in the carriage, and did not awake till the train was stopped at the Barchester Junction12.
"Waiting for the up-train from Barchester, sir," said the guard. "They're always late." Then he went to sleep again, and was aroused in a few minutes by some one entering the carriage in a great hurry. The branch train had come in, just as the guardians13 of the line then present had made up their minds that the passengers on the main line should not be kept waiting any longer. The transfer of men, women, and luggage was therefore made in great haste, and they who were now taking their new seats had hardly time to look about them. An old gentleman, very red about the gills, first came into Johnny's carriage, which up to that moment he had shared with an old lady. The old gentleman was abusing everybody, because he was hurried, and would not take himself well into the compartment14, but stuck in the doorway15, standing16 on the step.
"Now, sir, when you're quite at leisure," said a voice behind the old man, which instantly made Eames start up in his seat.
"I'm not at all at leisure," said the old man; "and I'm not going to break my legs if I know it."
"Take your time, sir," said the guard.
"So I mean," said the old man, seating himself in the corner nearest to the open door, opposite to the old lady. Then Eames saw plainly that it was Crosbie who had first spoken, and that he was getting into the carriage.
Crosbie at the first glance saw no one but the old gentleman and the old lady, and he immediately made for the unoccupied corner seat. He was busy with his umbrella and his dressing-bag, and a little flustered19 by the pushing and hurrying. The carriage was actually in motion before he perceived that John Eames was opposite to him: Eames had, instinctively20, drawn21 up his legs so as not to touch him. He felt that he had become very red in the face, and to tell the truth, the perspiration22 had broken out upon his brow. It was a great occasion,—great in its imminent23 trouble, and great in its opportunity for action. How was he to carry himself at the first moment of his recognition by his enemy, and what was he to do afterwards?
It need hardly be explained that Crosbie had also been spending his Christmas with a certain earl of his acquaintance, and that he too was returning to his office. In one respect he had been much more fortunate than poor Eames, for he had been made happy with the smiles of his lady love. Alexandrina and the countess had fluttered about him softly, treating him as a tame chattel24, now belonging to the noble house of De Courcy, and in this way he had been initiated25 into the inner domesticities of that illustrious family. The two extra men-servants, hired to wait upon Lady Dumbello, had vanished. The champagne26 had ceased to flow in a perennial27 stream. Lady Rosina had come out from her solitude28, and had preached at him constantly. Lady Margaretta had given him some lessons in economy. The Honourable29 John, in spite of a late quarrel, had borrowed five pounds from him. The Honourable George had engaged to come and stay with his sister during the next May. The earl had used a father-in-law's privilege, and had called him a fool. Lady Alexandrina had told him more than once, in rather a tart17 voice, that this must be done, and that that must be done; and the countess had given him her orders as though it was his duty, in the course of nature, to obey every word that fell from her. Such had been his Christmas delights; and now, as he returned back from the enjoyment30 of them, he found himself confronted in the railway carriage with Johnny Eames!
The eyes of the two met, and Crosbie made a slight inclination31 of his head. To this Eames gave no acknowledgment whatever, but looked straight into the other's face. Crosbie immediately saw that they were not to know each other, and was well contented32 that it should be so. Among all his many troubles, the enmity of John Eames did not go for much. He showed no appearance of being disconcerted, though our friend had shown much. He opened his bag, and taking out a book was soon deeply engaged in it, pursuing his studies as though the man opposite was quite unknown to him. I will not say that his mind did not run away from his book, for indeed there were many things of which he found it impossible not to think; but it did not revert33 to John Eames. Indeed, when the carriages reached Paddington, he had in truth all but forgotten him; and as he stepped out of the carriage, with his bag in his hand, was quite free from any remotest trouble on his account.
But it had not been so with Eames himself. Every moment of the journey had for him been crowded with thought as to what he would do now that chance had brought his enemy within his reach. He had been made quite wretched by the intensity34 of his thinking; and yet, when the carriages stopped, he had not made up his mind. His face had been covered with perspiration ever since Crosbie had come across him, and his limbs had hardly been under his own command. Here had come to him a great opportunity, and he felt so little confidence in himself that he almost knew that he would not use it properly. Twice and thrice he had almost flown at Crosbie's throat in the carriage, but he was restrained by an idea that the world and the police would be against him if he did such a thing in the presence of that old lady.
But when Crosbie turned his back upon him, and walked out, it was absolutely necessary that he should do something. He was not going to let the man escape, after all that he had said as to the expediency35 of thrashing him. Any other disgrace would be preferable to that. Fearing, therefore, lest his enemy should be too quick for him, he hurried out after him, and only just gave Crosbie time to turn round and face the carriages before he was upon him. "You confounded scoundrel!" he screamed out. "You confounded scoundrel!" and seized him by the throat, throwing himself upon him, and almost devouring36 him by the fury of his eyes.
The crowd upon the platform was not very dense37, but there were quite enough of people to make a very respectable audience for this little play. Crosbie, in his dismay, retreated a step or two, and his retreat was much accelerated by the weight of Eames's attack. He endeavoured to free his throat from his foe38's grasp; but in that he failed entirely39. For the minute, however, he did manage to escape any positive blow, owing his safety in that respect rather to Eames's awkwardness than to his own efforts. Something about the police he was just able to utter, and there was, as a matter of course, an immediate18 call for a supply of those functionaries40. In about three minutes three policemen, assisted by six porters, had captured our poor friend Johnny; but this had not been done quick enough for Crosbie's purposes. The bystanders, taken by surprise, had allowed the combatants to fall back upon Mr. Smith's book-stall, and there Eames laid his foe prostrate41 among the newspapers, falling himself into the yellow shilling-novel depot42 by the over fury of his own energy; but as he fell, he contrived43 to lodge44 one blow with his fist in Crosbie's right eye,—one telling blow; and Crosbie had, to all intents and purposes, been thrashed.
"Con—founded scoundrel, rascal45, blackguard!" shouted Johnny, with what remnants of voice were left to him, as the police dragged him off. "If you only knew—what he's—done." But in the meantime the policemen held him fast.
As a matter of course the first burst of public sympathy went with Crosbie. He had been assaulted, and the assault had come from Eames. In the British bosom46 there is so firm a love of well-constituted order, that these facts alone were sufficient to bring twenty knights47 to the assistance of the three policemen and the six porters; so that for Eames, even had he desired it, there was no possible chance of escape. But he did not desire it. One only sorrow consumed him at present. He had, as he felt, attacked Crosbie, but had attacked him in vain. He had had his opportunity, and had misused48 it. He was perfectly49 unconscious of that happy blow, and was in absolute ignorance of the great fact that his enemy's eye was already swollen50 and closed, and that in another hour it would be as black as his hat.
"He is a con—founded rascal!" ejaculated Eames, as the policemen and porters hauled him about. "You don't know what he's done."
"No, we don't," said the senior constable51; "but we know what you have done. I say, Bushers, where's that gentleman? He'd better come along with us."
Crosbie had been picked up from among the newspapers by another policeman and two or three other porters, and was attended also by the guard of the train, who knew him, and knew that he had come up from Courcy Castle. Three or four hangers-on were standing also around him, together with a benevolent52 medical man who was proposing to him an immediate application of leeches53. If he could have done as he wished, he would have gone his way quietly, allowing Eames to do the same. A great evil had befallen him, but he could in no way mitigate54 that evil by taking the law of the man who had attacked him. To have the thing as little talked about as possible should be his endeavour. What though he should have Eames locked up and fined, and scolded by a police magistrate55? That would not in any degree lessen56 his calamity57. If he could have parried the attack, and got the better of his foe; if he could have administered the black eye instead of receiving it, then indeed he could have laughed the matter off at his club, and his original crime would have been somewhat glozed over by his success in arms. But such good fortune had not been his. He was forced, however, on the moment to decide as to what he would do.
"We've got him here in custody58, sir," said Bushers, touching59 his hat. It had become known from the guard that Crosbie was somewhat of a big man, a frequent guest at Courcy Castle, and of repute and station in the higher regions of the Metropolitan60 world. "The magistrates61 will be sitting at Paddington, now, sir—or will be by the time we get there."
By this time some mighty62 railway authority had come upon the scene and made himself cognizant of the facts of the row,—a stern official who seemed to carry the weight of many engines on his brow; one at the very sight of whom smokers63 would drop their cigars, and porters close their fists against sixpences; a great man with an erect64 chin, a quick step, and a well-brushed hat powerful with an elaborately upturned brim. This was the platform-superintendent65, dominant66 even over the policemen.
"Step into my room, Mr. Crosbie," he said. "Stubbs, bring that man in with you." And then, before Crosbie had been able to make up his mind as to any other line of conduct, he found himself in the superintendent's room, accompanied by the guard, and by the two policemen who conducted Johnny Eames between them.
"What's all this?" said the superintendent, still keeping on his hat, for he was aware how much of the excellence67 of his personal dignity was owing to the arrangement of that article; and as he spoke he frowned upon the culprit with his utmost severity. "Mr. Crosbie, I am very sorry that you should have been exposed to such brutality68 on our platform."
"You don't know what he has done," said Johnny. "He is the most confounded scoundrel living. He has broken—" But then he stopped himself. He was going to tell the superintendent that the confounded scoundrel had broken a beautiful young lady's heart; but he bethought himself that he would not allude69 more specially70 to Lily Dale in that hearing.
"Do you know who he is, Mr. Crosbie?" said the superintendent.
"Oh, yes," said Crosbie, whose eye was already becoming blue. "He is a clerk in the Income-tax Office, and his name is Eames. I believe you had better leave him to me."
But the superintendent at once wrote down the words "Income-tax Office—Eames," on his tablet. "We can't allow a row like that to take place on our platform and not notice it. I shall bring it before the directors. It's a most disgraceful affair, Mr. Eames—most disgraceful."
But Johnny by this time had perceived that Crosbie's eye was in a state which proved satisfactorily that his morning's work had not been thrown away, and his spirits were rising accordingly. He did not care two straws for the superintendent or even for the policemen, if only the story could be made to tell well for himself hereafter. It was his object to have thrashed Crosbie, and now, as he looked at his enemy's face, he acknowledged that Providence71 had been good to him.
"That's your opinion," said Johnny.
"Yes, sir, it is," said the superintendent; "and I shall know how to represent the matter to your superiors, young man."
"You don't know all about it," said Eames; "and I don't suppose you ever will. I had made up my mind what I'd do the first time I saw that scoundrel there; and now I've done it. He'd have got much worse in the railway carriage, only there was a lady there."
"Mr. Crosbie, I really think we had better take him before the magistrates."
To this, however, Crosbie objected. He assured the superintendent that he would himself know how to deal with the matter—which, however, was exactly what he did not know. Would the superintendent allow one of the railway servants to get a cab for him, and to find his luggage? He was very anxious to get home without being subjected to any more of Mr. Eames's insolence72.
"You haven't done with Mr. Eames's insolence yet, I can tell you. All London shall hear of it, and shall know why. If you have any shame in you, you shall be ashamed to show your face."
Unfortunate man! Who can say that punishment—adequate punishment—had not overtaken him? For the present, he had to sneak73 home with a black eye, with the knowledge inside him that he had been whipped by a clerk in the Income-tax Office; and for the future—he was bound over to marry Lady Alexandrina De Courcy!
He got himself smuggled74 off in a cab, without being forced to go again upon the platform—his luggage being brought to him by two assiduous porters. But in all this there was very little balm for his hurt pride. As he ordered the cabman to drive to Mount Street, he felt that he had ruined himself by that step in life which he had taken at Courcy Castle. Whichever way he looked he had no comfort. "D—— the fellow!" he said, almost out loud in the cab; but though he did with his outward voice allude to Eames, the curse in his inner thoughts was uttered against himself.
Johnny was allowed to make his way down to the platform, and there find his own carpet-bag. One young porter, however, came up and fraternized with him.
"You guve it him tidy just at that last moment, sir. But, laws, sir, you should have let out at him at fust. What's the use of clawing a man's neck-collar?"
It was then a quarter past eleven, but, nevertheless, Eames appeared at his office precisely75 at twelve.
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1
essentially
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| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
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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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vehement
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| adj.感情强烈的；热烈的；(人)有强烈感情的 | |
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abhorrence
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| n.憎恶；可憎恶的事 | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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condemnation
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| n.谴责; 定罪 | |
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avenger
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| n. 复仇者 | |
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vengeance
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strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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groom
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| vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁 | |
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manor
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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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guardians
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| 监护人( guardian的名词复数 )； 保护者，维护者 | |
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compartment
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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standing
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tart
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immediate
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flustered
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instinctively
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drawn
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perspiration
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imminent
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chattel
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initiated
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champagne
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| n.香槟酒；微黄色 | |
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perennial
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| adj.终年的；长久的 | |
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solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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honourable
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enjoyment
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inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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revert
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intensity
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expediency
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| n.适宜；方便；合算；利己 | |
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devouring
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| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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entirely
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functionaries
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prostrate
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depot
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contrived
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lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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rascal
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| n.流氓；不诚实的人 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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knights
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| 骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马 | |
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misused
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| v.使用…不当( misuse的过去式和过去分词 )；把…派作不正当的用途；虐待；滥用 | |
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perfectly
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swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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51
constable
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| n.(英国)警察，警官 | |
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52
benevolent
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| adj.仁慈的，乐善好施的 | |
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53
leeches
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| n.水蛭( leech的名词复数 )；蚂蟥；榨取他人脂膏者；医生 | |
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mitigate
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| vt.（使）减轻，（使）缓和 | |
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magistrate
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| n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官 | |
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56
lessen
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| vt.减少，减轻；缩小 | |
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57
calamity
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| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
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custody
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| n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留 | |
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touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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metropolitan
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| adj.大城市的，大都会的 | |
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magistrates
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| 地方法官，治安官( magistrate的名词复数 ) | |
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62
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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63
smokers
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| 吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 ) | |
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64
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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65
superintendent
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| n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长 | |
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66
dominant
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| adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因 | |
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67
excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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68
brutality
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| n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮 | |
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69
allude
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| v.提及，暗指 | |
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70
specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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71
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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72
insolence
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| n.傲慢；无礼；厚颜；傲慢的态度 | |
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73
sneak
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| vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行 | |
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74
smuggled
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| 水货 | |
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75
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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