Chapter XVII. Creed of Mr. Charles

 He stepped forward—a handsome, smiling gentleman of middle age, his face ivory-white, his white hair held by a black ribbon, his dress as precise as Mr. Bradbury’s, but set off by his shapely body.  He wore no jewel; he had no touch of colour on him, save the red line of his lips and the cold blue of his eyes.  He bowed with a courtly grace to Mr. Bradbury; he vouchsafed¹ me the merest lift of his brows.

 

Mr. Bradbury met him with an equal composure.  “It’s as well that you came here, Mr. Charles,” he said.  “You formed the subject of our conversation.”

 

“Indeed,” he answered, indifferently, and, pulling forward a chair, he seated himself beside his father.  “I am happy to believe, sir, that you’re prepared to speak of me as freely in my presence as in my absence.”

 

“I am to take this as your permission, Charles?” asked Mr. Bradbury, smoothly².

 

“Why not?” my uncle asked, smiling.

 

“Well, then, I have introduced this young p. 140gentleman to your father as your brother’s son, John Craike.  I have already informed your father of the steps you took to prevent his arrival at Craike House.”

 

“My sole concern,” said the gentleman, carelessly, “is that I failed.”

 

“You admit your culpability³?” asked Mr. Bradbury, meeting him with an equal composure.

 

“Culpability!  Pray, your snuff-box, Bradbury—I haven’t mine by me.  Thank you!” leaning forward and taking a pinch.  “I admit no culpability, my dear Bradbury.”

 

“It is, to be sure, merely a question of phrase,” Mr. Bradbury conceded, drily.  “It is enough for me that you failed.  Admitting this, then, do you admit equally your responsibility for your brother’s disappearance⁴ from England?”

 

I saw my grandfather lean forward in his chair, his hands now gripping the ebony stick; the movement was not lost upon my uncle.

 

He answered swiftly, “That, Bradbury, I deny wholly.  You are well aware of my affection for my brother, and my natural grief at his disappearance.”

 

“Well aware,” said Mr. Bradbury, with some show of anger.  “And well aware, Charles, that if you were responsible, you would not dare to p. 141admit this before your father, knowing his actual affection for your brother as for no other being.  Yet you admit before him your culpability—your guilt⁵—in regard to this young gentleman—your brother’s son.  Understanding that Mr. Edward Craike here takes a—shall I say tolerant?—view of many things that others,—I,—that the law of England regard as crimes, Charles Craike—as crimes punishable with the utmost rigour.”

 

“Really, Bradbury, you grow prosy,” Mr. Charles protested.

 

“You impose upon our friendship, Bradbury,” the old man muttered.

 

“Mr. Craike,” said Mr. Bradbury, “would you have me make-believe to you of all men?  Your son attempts to put away his brother’s son.  He admits his guilt coolly—with effrontery⁶, and you say nothing!  I expected you to say nothing.  But by his denial of his responsibility for the disappearance of Richard Craike from England, Charles here proves this to me—his realisation of your love for his brother, and the certainty of your righteous anger and his punishment, if it could be proved against him.”

 

“Bradbury!  Bradbury!” Charles Craike murmured, smiling; but for the first time I saw a show of colour in his face, and a tightening⁷ of his lips.

 

p. 142“The lad,” persisted Mr. Bradbury, “is Richard’s son.  Legitimate!  Be silent, Charles”—as the gentleman, with a bitter exclamation⁸, started from his chair.  “Don’t think that I, of all men, would come here, present this lad to Mr. Craike as his grandson, unless I were in possession of irrefutable proofs—that Richard Craike was married to Mary Howe, and that the boy is the child of that marriage.  Nor would I have brought him to this house, but that I realise, as fully⁹ as I understand aught of Mr. Craike—that the best of Mr. Craike—his natural affection—was given wholly to his elder son.”

 

Mr. Bradbury leaned forward, eyeing the pair keenly.  Charles Craike, impassive now, sat back in his chair; the old man had lowered his eyes, and now it seemed at last was moved and trembling; the ebony stick in his grasp clattered¹⁰ upon the hearth¹².

 

“I hoped,” said Mr. Bradbury, “to offer my client a little happiness in his last days.  If I could not give him back his son, at least I could give him his grandson—look for look, colour for colour—the image of his son.”

 

Now my grandfather’s eyes burned suddenly upon me; now he leaned forward in his chair; colouring and confused, I sat staring at him in turn.  He muttered then, “Bradbury—these proofs!”

 

p. 143“The proofs are in our possession, sir.  Necessarily, I could not bring them to this house.”

 

“Ay, but proofs, proofs—your bare word.”

 

“Mr. Craike,” said Mr. Bradbury, disdainfully, “when have you ever had occasion before to question my probity¹³?”

 

My grandfather was silent; again his eyes were cast down; the ebony stick in his grasp did not cease to clatter¹¹ on the hearth.  Charles Craike sat silent.  Mr. Bradbury, snapping his snuff-box, rose from his chair.

 

“That is all I have to say to you, Mr. Craike,” he said, quietly.  “I beg you to give this matter your earnest consideration, realising that at least the boy is the heir of Craike House, and realising that it is in your power to enrich him from your private fortunes as surely, sir, you would have enriched your son.”

 

I wondered at the composure of my Uncle Charles.  He had risen with Mr. Bradbury, and now stood leaning against the chimney-piece, his face revealing nothing of the rage which surely racked him.

 

“I beg to take my leave of you, Mr. Craike,” said Mr. Bradbury, bowing to my grandfather.  “Come, lad!”

 

But as I started up, glad enough to be away, p. 144the old man’s cane¹⁴ smote¹⁵ heavily upon the hearth.  “The lad,” he growled¹⁶, “stays here, Bradbury!”

 

“Mr. Craike, were you alone in this house,” said Mr. Bradbury, swiftly, “nothing could give me keener pleasure than that your grandson should remain with you.  But Craike House is Craike House, and the lad goes with me.”

 

“He stays here!” cried the old man, with sudden stormy anger. “Damn you, Bradbury, he stays here!”

 

“Mr. Craike, I am answerable for the lad’s safety.”

 

“Really, Bradbury, really!” Charles deprecated.

 

“The lad will come to no hurt in this house,” the old man said, and his eyes blazed suddenly at Charles.  “You hear me, Charles?  No hurt shall come to him!  If hurt come to him,—if, in defiance¹⁷ of me you seek to injure him, and separate my son’s son from me, as they took my son from me,—look to it, Bradbury, that no concern for me, and no desire further to keep the secrets of this house, shall stand between my grandson’s enemies and justice!  Justice, Bradbury!  The boy stays here.  You remain to dine with me, Bradbury.  There are affairs.”

 

Smiling triumphantly¹⁸, Mr. Bradbury bowed.

 

“I am honoured, Mr. Craike,” he said; and with a flourish, offered his snuff-box to my Uncle Charles, who accepted a pinch, maintaining an ineffable¹⁹ composure.

1 vouchsafed   

v.给予，赐予( vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词 )；允诺

参考例句：

• He vouchsafed to me certain family secrets. 他让我知道了某些家庭秘密。
• The significance of the event does, indeed, seem vouchsafed. 这个事件看起来确实具有重大意义。 来自辞典例句

2 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

3 culpability   

n.苛责，有罪

参考例句：

• As if the estrangement between them had come of any culpability of hers. 姐弟俩疏远的责任竟仿佛落到了她的身上！ 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
• The offence, as now defined in English law, covers a wide spectrum of culpability. 英国法律规定，违法包括很多种过失行为。 来自互联网

4 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。

5 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

6 effrontery   

n.厚颜无耻

参考例句：

• This is a despicable fraud . Just imagine that he has the effrontery to say it.这是一个可耻的骗局. 他竟然有脸说这样的话。
• One could only gasp at the sheer effrontery of the man.那人十足的厚颜无耻让人们吃惊得无话可说。

7 tightening   

上紧，固定，紧密

参考例句：

• Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
• It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。

8 exclamation   

n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词

参考例句：

• He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。
• The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号，以引起读者的注意。

9 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。

10 clattered   

发出咔哒声（clatter的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He dropped the knife and it clattered on the stone floor. 他一失手，刀子当啷一声掉到石头地面上。
• His hand went limp and the knife clattered to the ground. 他的手一软，刀子当啷一声掉到地上。

11 clatter   

v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声

参考例句：

• The dishes and bowls slid together with a clatter.碟子碗碰得丁丁当当的。
• Don't clatter your knives and forks.别把刀叉碰得咔哒响。

12 hearth   

n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面

参考例句：

• She came and sat in a chair before the hearth.她走过来，在炉子前面的椅子上坐下。
• She comes to the hearth,and switches on the electric light there.她走到壁炉那里，打开电灯。

13 probity   

n.刚直；廉洁，正直

参考例句：

• Probity and purity will command respect everywhere.为人正派到处受人尊敬。
• Her probity and integrity are beyond question.她的诚实和正直是无可争辩的。

14 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

15 smote   

v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 )

参考例句：

• Figuratively, he could not kiss the hand that smote him. 打个比方说，他是不能认敌为友。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• \"Whom Pearl smote down and uprooted, most unmercifully.\" 珠儿会毫不留情地将这些\"儿童\"踩倒，再连根拔起。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学

16 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》

17 defiance   

n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗

参考例句：

• He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
• He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。

18 triumphantly   

ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地

参考例句：

• The lion was roaring triumphantly. 狮子正在发出胜利的吼叫。
• Robert was looking at me triumphantly. 罗伯特正得意扬扬地看着我。

19 ineffable   

adj.无法表达的，不可言喻的

参考例句：

• The beauty of a sunset is ineffable.日落的美是难以形容的。
• She sighed a sigh of ineffable satisfaction,as if her cup of happiness were now full.她发出了一声说不出多么满意的叹息，仿佛她的幸福之杯已经斟满了。