Chapter XXIII. Dying Fires

 My grandfather, pulling the bell-rope, summoned Thrale, and ordered curtly¹, “Send Barwise and her man to me!”  As Thrale vanished, the old man said to me, “I’ve orders for ’em, John—orders.  She’s housekeeper²; he’s butler, and their son Nick’s groom³.  Rogues⁵ all!”

 

He chuckled⁶, and sought his snuff-box; so he made play with it that I observed it cut from ebony, with a silver skull⁷ and bones patterned upon it.  He ceased his senile chuckling⁸ at the rapping on the door; I saw him grip the arms of his chair and hold his head high, as if to make a show of strength and sanity⁹ before Barwise and his wife.

 

The woman held my attention rather than the man.  She had been a fine handsome woman in her day; she bore herself still stiffly erect¹⁰, though she was very old.  A black silken gown hung loosely about her shrunken body; keys in a little basket on her arm rattled¹¹ like fetters¹².  She had a high, white mob-cap on her thick, iron-grey hair; the skin was drawn¹³ and withered¹⁴ about the p. 186bones of her face; her mouth was firm yet, and her eyes clear and black,—of all the rogues who served my grandfather, I came to like none so ill as the Barwise woman.  Her husband was a fat, bald, old rogue⁴, clad in shabby black, his paunch protruding¹⁵; rolls of fat beneath his chin; his hands were fat and oily.  His sunburn was ripened¹⁶ to the rich glow of wine; his little eyes were bloodshot.  The woman made a curtsy; the clash of her keys startled me with a notion that all her bones were rattling¹⁷.  Barwise bowed.

 

My grandfather addressed the woman with the strong and measured utterance¹⁸ he had employed to Mr. Bradbury.  “I’ve sent for you, Barwise, and your man there,” he said, “as I’d have you know that this young gentleman, my grandson, is to be obeyed.”

 

She curtsied once more; for an instant her eyes rested balefully on me.

 

“I’d have you so instruct your folk,” my grandfather proceeded.  “While he’s in my house, you’ll all treat him as your master—d’ye understand me?”

 

She nodded, staring at him curiously¹⁹ as if remarking a strength become strange to her.

 

“He’s likely to be master after me, d’ye hear?” my grandfather added.  “You take your orders p. 187now from me; whatever orders he chooses to give, you take them as from me.”

 

The woman croaked²⁰, “It’s well for you, Mr. Craike, to have the young gentleman by you.  I mark a change in you already.”

 

Her bold eyes warred with his; as understanding her meaning that she knew him near to decay and that this assumed strength was no more than the flash of a dying fire, he roared out, “I want no words from you, mistress!  You’re old; you’re presuming on your service.  Mark me, I’ll be obeyed!” and started to his feet, and rapped his cane²¹ upon the floor with such bullying²² wrath²³ and strength that she quailed²⁴ before him and shrank back, her husband staring at him and quivering like a jelly.

 

She muttered, “I meant nothing!”

 

“Ay, meant nothing!  Time was—” but he broke off, hesitated, at last cried out, “Ay, and the time is yet.  I’ll be obeyed.  You’ve thought me old, Barwise—you and the lazy crew I support here of my bounty²⁵.  Take care I don’t make a sweep of ye all—of ye all—d’ye mark me?”  Mastering himself then and dropping heavily back in his chair, “That’s all, Barwise.  You’ll obey Mr. John Craike—all of ye!”

 

Propping²⁶ his chin upon his cane, he sat glaring at them, till, with a venomous look at me, p. 188the woman whisked from the room, her husband shuffling²⁷ after.  So he sat stiffly till the door was shut; then lay back in his chair and fell again to senile chuckling.  “Eh, John; but they think me near to dying,” he said.  “Eh, John, did ye mark how I took the wind from her sails?  Eh, but I’m stronger for having Richard’s son beside me.  I thought to die captain of my ship many a time.  And I think to die master of my own house,” and so, sat chuckling and shaking, his strength leaving him as suddenly as his will had summoned it.  He rambled²⁸ on, “She’s an ill fowl—eh, John?  She’s a skeleton held together by her skin—no more.  Barwise’s woman,—she’d looks once,—hair black as the storm and eyes as black.  She’d wear silks and gold rings.  She took a fat picking from my men, when I sailed my ship.  She’d a tavern²⁹ Shadwell way.”  He broke off, and looked dully at me.  He muttered, “Can you not see, lad, the manner of man I was?  Can you not see the wreck³⁰ I am?  How I ruled ’em once and how now that they think me broken—they’d mutiny, they’d rob me; they’d have what they’ll never set their fingers on?”

 

“Surely my uncle would discipline them at a word from you.  Clear the house of them.”

 

“Ay, ay, Charles!  Charles watches me, as they, and thinks to rob me!”  He gasped³¹, and p. 189huddled in his chair; ghastly now, and the sweat beading his brow.

 

I said swiftly, “Shall I ring for Thrale?  You’re ill, sir!”

 

He croaked, “And let ’em see me so!”—and clawed in his pocket and poked³² a slim key into my hands, and whispered, “Hey!  The press there—the bottle—pour me a dram!”

 

I unlocked the press beside him, and taking out a bloated green bottle—much as the bottle at Mother Mag’s—poured some spirit into a glass; and his hands now shaking, so that he must have spilt the drink, I held it to his lips, until he swallowed it down, choking and coughing.  Whatever the stuff, it lent him speedy strength and colour.  He sat blinking at me with those evil old eyes of his.  I could feel scant³³ pity for him, save for the thought that he had been so strong, and was now old and weak, and that the rogues who had formed his crew, and whom for some odd fancy, or fear, he had kept about him would now tear him down, as they would have torn him down, had he been less strong and ruthless, on his ship.

 

I said, “You’ve a pretty crew of rogues about you, sir.  Give me but the word, and I’ll drive off and have Mr. Bradbury back here, and we’ll make a sweep of the whole company.”

 

p. 190He answered, “No.  Rogues, but they serve me well.  And I ruled ’em once.  And I’ll rule ’em till I’m dead.  You’ll stay by me, John—ay, ay, and you’ll profit by it, and Charles shall pay for his sins.  Now you may leave me, lad.  They’ll obey you.  They’ll fear you, fearing me still.  There are many books in the old house.  There’s a horse in the stable.  There’s the wench, Milne; and there’s the whelp, Oliver, who’ll ride with you, and drink with you, and rook you.  Ay, and there’s guineas for the spending”—clawing suddenly into the pocket of his gown, and drawing out a purse and slinging³⁴ it to me.  It rang with gold, as I caught it in my hand.

1 curtly   

adv.简短地

参考例句：

• He nodded curtly and walked away. 他匆忙点了一下头就走了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The request was curtly refused. 这个请求被毫不客气地拒绝了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 housekeeper   

n.管理家务的主妇，女管家

参考例句：

• A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。
• She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家，一家人吃得很省。

3 groom   

vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁

参考例句：

• His father was a groom.他父亲曾是个马夫。
• George was already being groomed for the top job.为承担这份高级工作，乔治已在接受专门的培训。

4 rogue   

n.流氓；v.游手好闲

参考例句：

• The little rogue had his grandpa's glasses on.这淘气鬼带上了他祖父的眼镜。
• They defined him as a rogue.他们确定他为骗子。

5 rogues   

n.流氓( rogue的名词复数 )；无赖；调皮捣蛋的人；离群的野兽

参考例句：

• 'I'll show these rogues that I'm an honest woman,'said my mother. “我要让那些恶棍知道，我是个诚实的女人。” 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
• The rogues looked at each other, but swallowed the home-thrust in silence. 那些恶棍面面相觑，但只好默默咽下这正中要害的话。 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛

6 chuckled   

轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
• She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情，她就轻轻地暗自发笑。

7 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

8 chuckling   

轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I could hear him chuckling to himself as he read his book. 他看书时，我能听见他的轻声发笑。
• He couldn't help chuckling aloud. 他忍不住的笑了出来。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子

9 sanity   

n.心智健全，神智正常，判断正确

参考例句：

• I doubt the sanity of such a plan.我怀疑这个计划是否明智。
• She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。

10 erect   

n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的

参考例句：

• She held her head erect and her back straight.她昂着头，把背挺得笔直。
• Soldiers are trained to stand erect.士兵们训练站得笔直。

11 rattled   

慌乱的，恼火的

参考例句：

• The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
• Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里，窗户都格格作响。

12 fetters   

n.脚镣( fetter的名词复数 )；束缚v.给…上脚镣，束缚( fetter的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They were at last freed from the fetters of ignorance. 他们终于从愚昧无知的束缚中解脱出来。
• They will run wild freed from the fetters of control. 他们一旦摆脱了束缚，就会变得无法无天。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 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。

14 withered   

adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The grass had withered in the warm sun. 这些草在温暖的阳光下枯死了。
• The leaves of this tree have become dry and withered. 这棵树下的叶子干枯了。

15 protruding   

v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的现在分词 )；凸

参考例句：

• He hung his coat on a nail protruding from the wall. 他把上衣挂在凸出墙面的一根钉子上。
• There is a protruding shelf over a fireplace. 壁炉上方有个突出的架子。 来自辞典例句

16 ripened   

v.成熟，使熟( ripen的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They're collecting the ripened reddish berries. 他们正采集熟了的淡红草莓。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The branches bent low with ripened fruits. 成熟的果实压弯了树枝。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

17 rattling   

adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词

参考例句：

• This book is a rattling good read. 这是一本非常好的读物。
• At that same instant,a deafening explosion set the windows rattling. 正在这时，一声震耳欲聋的爆炸突然袭来，把窗玻璃震得当当地响。

18 utterance   

n.用言语表达，话语，言语

参考例句：

• This utterance of his was greeted with bursts of uproarious laughter.他的讲话引起阵阵哄然大笑。
• My voice cleaves to my throat,and sob chokes my utterance.我的噪子哽咽，泣不成声。

19 curiously   

adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地

参考例句：

• He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
• He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。

20 croaked   

v.呱呱地叫( croak的过去式和过去分词 )；用粗的声音说

参考例句：

• The crow croaked disaster. 乌鸦呱呱叫预报灾难。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• 'she has a fine head for it," croaked Jacques Three. “她有一个漂亮的脑袋跟着去呢，”雅克三号低沉地说。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

21 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。

22 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 wrath   

n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒

参考例句：

• His silence marked his wrath. 他的沉默表明了他的愤怒。
• The wrath of the people is now aroused. 人们被激怒了。

24 quailed   

害怕，发抖，畏缩( quail的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I quailed at the danger. 我一遇到危险，心里就发毛。
• His heart quailed before the enormous pyramidal shape. 面对这金字塔般的庞然大物，他的心不由得一阵畏缩。 来自英汉文学

25 bounty   

n.慷慨的赠予物，奖金；慷慨，大方；施与

参考例句：

• He is famous for his bounty to the poor.他因对穷人慷慨相助而出名。
• We received a bounty from the government.我们收到政府给予的一笔补助金。

26 propping   

支撑

参考例句：

• You can usually find Jack propping up the bar at his local. 你常常可以看见杰克频繁出没于他居住的那家酒店。
• The government was accused of propping up declining industries. 政府被指责支持日益衰败的产业。

27 shuffling   

adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• Don't go shuffling along as if you were dead. 别像个死人似地拖着脚走。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some one was shuffling by on the sidewalk. 外面的人行道上有人拖着脚走过。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

28 rambled   

（无目的地）漫游( ramble的过去式和过去分词 )； （喻）漫谈； 扯淡； 长篇大论

参考例句：

• We rambled through the woods. 我们漫步走过树林。
• She rambled on at great length but she didn't get to the heart of the matter. 她夹七夹八地说了许多话也没说到点子上。

29 tavern   

n.小旅馆，客栈；小酒店

参考例句：

• There is a tavern at the corner of the street.街道的拐角处有一家酒馆。
• Philip always went to the tavern,with a sense of pleasure.菲利浦总是心情愉快地来到这家酒菜馆。

30 wreck   

n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难

参考例句：

• Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
• No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

31 gasped   

v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要

参考例句：

• She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
• People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

32 poked   

v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交

参考例句：

• She poked him in the ribs with her elbow. 她用胳膊肘顶他的肋部。
• His elbow poked out through his torn shirt sleeve. 他的胳膊从衬衫的破袖子中露了出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

33 scant   

adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略

参考例句：

• Don't scant the butter when you make a cake.做糕饼时不要吝惜奶油。
• Many mothers pay scant attention to their own needs when their children are small.孩子们小的时候，许多母亲都忽视自己的需求。

34 slinging   

抛( sling的现在分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往

参考例句：

• You're slinging mud at me -- that's a pack of lies! 你血口喷人，不讲道理。
• The boys were slinging stones into the river. 孩子们当时正往河里投石子。