Chapter V. The Journey Begun

 By break of day a week thence I waited by the highway for the coach and pair which should carry me with Mr. Bradbury up to London.  My mind was yet confused for the swiftness of events.  My mother, after her first outburst on the evening of Mr. Bradbury’s second visit, had become secretive; she whose life had seemed to me so open and simple, had grown inscrutable; she would satisfy me fully¹ on none of the matters of most concern to me.  This much I gathered—that I was John Craike, son of Richard Craike, who had passed by the name of Howe; that my grandfather was possessed² of considerable means, and that for greed of this Charles Craike, my uncle, had plotted against his brother, bringing about his disappearance³ from England, if not his death.  I believed that my mother at the time of her marriage had held some menial position in the service of Mrs. Charles Craike; that the match had excited bitter opposition⁴ from the Craike family, and that my father and she had been wedded⁵ secretly, and had lived under her p. 46name in London, fearing Charles Craike and his hostility⁶.  And that she had found from the first the hand of Charles Craike in the disappearance of her husband, and had fled away to live at Chelton through her concern for me and the enmity of Charles.

 

But of my grandfather’s fortune—“ill-gotten,” she named it,—and of “the doomed⁷ house,” she would say no more; her secrecy⁸ hung like a shadow over us for that last week of mine at Chelton.  She went quietly about her preparations for my journey, refusing to listen to my appeals that I should stay with her; insisting that, if I loved her, I should give myself wholly into Mr. Bradbury’s hands.  “For,” she said, “I believe in him—nay, I know him for a friend of yours and mine.  And he has great influence with your grandfather, and will insure your safe return to me.”  Only from all the week of wondering and doubts unanswered I realised the bitterness of her spirit toward Charles Craike, and the keenness of her desire that I, as only son of the elder son, should come between him and the inheritance for which he had planned; this hate of him and this desire for his punishment outweighed⁹ even her fears for me.  Though Mr. Bradbury had convinced her that he would insure for me a safe journey and a safe return.

 

p. 47But at the time of parting,—ere the dawn was come,—her hardness passed from her.  I saw, as I had never seen, since the day of my father’s disappearance, tears falling from her eyes.  She clasped me to her, as if she would never loose me from her arms.  Not my first separation from her—I believed then it would be brief, and that, when Mr. Bradbury had made me known to my grandfather, I would return to her; and all would be as before,—alone affected¹⁰ her.  I understood now, indeed, she feared for me, and that her terrors surging up almost induced her thus late to break her word to Mr. Bradbury.  Looking back, ere I passed out of sight from the cottage, I saw her standing¹¹ as a grey shadow in the doorway¹²; I waved my hat back to her; and so I left her.

 

And then the spirit of adventure and new experience took me, and I swung out on to the highway.  I had put on my best black clothes, and the fine frilled shirt my mother had stitched and starched¹³ for me.  I carried only a little knapsack containing such few articles as I should need on my journey up to London with Mr. Bradbury; there, my mother had told me, I would be fitted out with garments more suitable to my condition than she could fashion for me.  At the first milestone¹⁴ from the village I stood to wait by p. 48the highway for the coming of Mr. Bradbury in his coach; it was his wish and my mother’s that my departure with him should not become a matter of village gossip.  I had parted regretfully from my friend Tony; giving him only to understand that I journeyed up to London with Mr. Bradbury to be made known to my father’s folk, assuring him that I would soon return, and binding¹⁵ him to secrecy.

 

The morn came chill and grey.  A drear wind was abroad; the pale dust whirled down the highway.  I waited in the cold for a good half-hour—the sun was up, and the countryside leaping in its light from blackness and greyness into the rich green of spring—ere the coach and pair bearing Mr. Bradbury approached, driven rapidly from Chelton.  As the driver pulled up for me, Mr. Bradbury’s gloved hand let down the glass; nodding his head to me in welcome, he hastened to admit me into the coach.  It had been repaired from the damages of its overthrow¹⁶; it was cushioned luxuriously¹⁷; my body sank into its warm depth, and Mr. Bradbury, with all politeness, hastened to wrap a robe of furs about me for the chill of the morning.  He embarrassed me by his close scrutiny¹⁸; I assumed that he regarded superciliously¹⁹ my rustic²⁰ appearance in the best clothes I had; realising my confusion, p. 49he said, laughing, “Forgive me, Mr. Craike, I marvel²¹ only that a lady of your mother’s intelligence should ever have thought to keep your kinship to the Craikes a secret.”

 

“She has left me, sir, very much in the dark,” I told him.  “A week since I was John Howe.  To-day I am John Craike and ride with you.  I do not understand your interest in me.”

 

“Mr. Craike,” he said, leaning towards me, “if you have your father’s look, you have a little of your mother’s, too.  I esteem²² highly her prudence²³ and intelligence.  And, sir, your likeness²⁴ to your mother encourages me to be frank and open with you, realising that, whatever passes between us is said in confidence,—I, acting²⁵ in your interest, and in the interest of Mr. Edward Craike, whose adviser²⁶ I have the honour to be.”

 

“To be sure, sir, I ask for frankness, and pledge my word of honour to you.”

 

He said earnestly, “Mr. Craike, in serving your interest I believe that I shall best serve the interest of my client.  I purpose, to be sure, to take you to London and prepare you for presentation to your grandfather.  I purpose to accompany you to his house.  You are by no means assured of a welcome from him; you are assured only of the hostility of your Uncle p. 50Charles,—your mother’s enemy—and mine!  Ay,—and mine!  I have a purpose in promoting your interests.  I have the purpose of keeping from the inheritance of a great estate—Charles Craike!”

 

“A great estate!”

 

“No great acreage, but wealth such as few commoners in England own.  I would keep this from the hands of Charles Craike, knowing that if it pass to him, it becomes a force for evil, surely it becomes.”

 

“Why?”

 

He answered swiftly, “A week or more from now, Mr. Craike, you’ll know Charles Craike.  Judge for yourself.”

 

“But from where did my grandfather derive²⁷ his fortunes?” I asked, remembering my mother’s words after Mr. Bradbury had left her that night at the cottage.  “By trade, or as an inheritance?”

 

I believed that his eyes flickered²⁸ and that he hesitated.  He answered glibly²⁹, “The fruits, Mr. Craike, of his own industry.”

 

I stared at him and muttered, “What should my mother mean, Mr. Bradbury, by the words ‘that doomed house’ and ‘the wealth ill-gotten’?”

 

He said swiftly, “Doomed, if the inheritance p. 51go to Charles Craike!  Surely doomed!  Ill-gotten!  Gotten as honestly as most!”

 

“Mr. Bradbury, forgive me,—are you frank with me?”

 

He took snuff ere he replied.  “Mr. John Craike, at your grandfather’s house you’ll learn the answers to your questions.  Will you forgive me if now I do not answer you?”

 

“Well, then, concerning this house—its whereabouts?  I know nothing.”

 

He laughed a little.  “Craike House,” he said, “passes among the folk of the neighbourhood—it is far from here—by an odd name.  ‘Rogues’ Haven³⁰,’ sir.  ‘Rogues’ Haven.’”

 

“From the reputation of my kinsfolk?”

 

“Surely not,” he answered, “but from the retired³¹ nature of your grandfather’s life, and from the practice of the vulgar to ascribe mystery and evil where their curiosity is not satisfied.  And from the charity of your grandfather in keeping about him his old servants and dependants³².  An odd company, maybe, Mr. John—a very odd company.  But judge of the house and its inmates³³ yourself, sir.  I warn you only—I am bound to warn you—against Mr. Charles Craike.”

 

1 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

2 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

3 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 wedded   

adj.正式结婚的；渴望…的，执著于…的v.嫁，娶，（与…）结婚( wed的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She's wedded to her job. 她专心致志于工作。
• I was invited over by the newly wedded couple for a meal. 我被那对新婚夫妇请去吃饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 hostility   

n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争

参考例句：

• There is open hostility between the two leaders.两位领导人表现出公开的敌意。
• His hostility to your plan is well known.他对你的计划所持的敌意是众所周知的。

7 doomed   

命定的

参考例句：

• The court doomed the accused to a long term of imprisonment. 法庭判处被告长期监禁。
• A country ruled by an iron hand is doomed to suffer. 被铁腕人物统治的国家定会遭受不幸的。

8 secrecy   

n.秘密，保密，隐蔽

参考例句：

• All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.该项目的所有研究人员都按要求起誓保守秘密。
• Complete secrecy surrounded the meeting.会议在绝对机密的环境中进行。

9 outweighed   

v.在重量上超过( outweigh的过去式和过去分词 )；在重要性或价值方面超过

参考例句：

• This boxer outweighed by his opponent 20 pounds. 这个拳击选手体重比他的对手重20磅。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She outweighed me by ten pounds, and sometimes she knocked me down. 她的体重超过我十磅，有时竟把我撞倒。 来自百科语句

10 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

11 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

12 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。

13 starched   

adj.浆硬的，硬挺的，拘泥刻板的v.把（衣服、床单等）浆一浆( starch的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• My clothes are not starched enough. 我的衣服浆得不够硬。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The ruffles on his white shirt were starched and clean. 白衬衫的褶边浆过了，很干净。 来自辞典例句

14 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

15 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

16 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

17 luxuriously   

adv.奢侈地，豪华地

参考例句：

• She put her nose luxuriously buried in heliotrope and tea roses. 她把自己的鼻子惬意地埋在天芥菜和庚申蔷薇花簇中。 来自辞典例句
• To be well dressed doesn't mean to be luxuriously dressed. 穿得好不一定衣着豪华。 来自辞典例句

18 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

19 superciliously   

adv.高傲地；傲慢地

参考例句：

• Madame Defarge looked superciliously at the client, and nodded in confirmation. 德伐日太太轻蔑地望了望客人，点头同意。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

20 rustic   

adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬

参考例句：

• It was nearly seven months of leisurely rustic living before Michael felt real boredom.这种悠闲的乡村生活过了差不多七个月之后,迈克尔开始感到烦闷。
• We hoped the fresh air and rustic atmosphere would help him adjust.我们希望新鲜的空气和乡村的氛围能帮他调整自己。

21 marvel   

vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事

参考例句：

• The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
• The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。

22 esteem   

n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• The veteran worker ranks high in public love and esteem.那位老工人深受大伙的爱戴。

23 prudence   

n.谨慎，精明，节俭

参考例句：

• A lack of prudence may lead to financial problems.不够谨慎可能会导致财政上出现问题。
• The happy impute all their success to prudence or merit.幸运者都把他们的成功归因于谨慎或功德。

24 likeness   

n.相像，相似（之处）

参考例句：

• I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
• She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。

25 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

26 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

27 derive   

v.取得；导出；引申；来自；源自；出自

参考例句：

• We derive our sustenance from the land.我们从土地获取食物。
• We shall derive much benefit from reading good novels.我们将从优秀小说中获得很大好处。

28 flickered   

（通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The lights flickered and went out. 灯光闪了闪就熄了。
• These lights flickered continuously like traffic lights which have gone mad. 这些灯象发狂的交通灯一样不停地闪动着。

29 glibly   

adv.流利地，流畅地；满口

参考例句：

• He glibly professed his ignorance of the affair. 他口口声声表白不知道这件事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He put ashes on his head, apologized profusely, but then went glibly about his business. 他表示忏悔，满口道歉，但接着又故态复萌了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

30 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

31 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

32 dependants   

受赡养者，受扶养的家属( dependant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The government has agreed to take only 150 refugees plus their dependants. 政府承诺只收留150 名难民及家属。
• There are approximately 12 million migrants with their dependants living in the EU countries. 大约有1200万流动工人带着家属居住在欧盟诸国。

33 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》