CHAPTER XXIV

 For two years Pocahontas had kept sweet the ingle-nook at Varina for her husband. Then she was crowned with the diadem¹ of motherhood. A baby boy came to weld into an indissoluble bond their loving hearts.

 

When night stole over the plantation² and the tallow candles were lit in the sconces Rolfe would sit by the fire puffing³ clouds of smoke from a curiously⁴ carved pipe presented by Nantaquas, and plan for the education of the little son lying asleep in the cradle which Pocahontas kept in motion with her foot while she sewed on tiny baby garments.

 

“Lily, we will take him to England and place him at Cambridge. There he will grow into a famous man, and by and by take a wife as his father did before him.”

 

With a jealous movement she bent⁵ over the sleeping babe, as if to protect him from unknown dangers.

 

“Nay, John, Pocahontas will not give her son to any maiden⁶. He is her own, and she will not let him go from her across the seas.”

 

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“Ah, Lily, you are like all mothers, jealous of every maiden as soon as a son is born to her,” he laughingly replied. “I would not separate you from our boy, he needs his mother too much. Whenever he goes, you shall accompany him. Your kindness to the colonists⁷, when they were in suffering, has long ago reached England. All London rings with your fame and they long to see you. Wealth has come to me through my tobacco plantation, and my darling shall have rich robes of gorgeous hues⁸ to enhance her loveliness and vie with the jewels glistening⁹ in her hair.”

 

Then a slender form, gowned in sober gray, with smooth bands of light hair under a plain cap, flitted before his vision. With a frown of impatience¹⁰ he quickly banished¹¹ the unwelcome vision.

 

The words spoken half in jest, half in earnest by Rolfe, came true. One day he came running into the cabin waving a letter in his hand.

 

“Lily, I have just received this letter commanding me to bring the Lady Rebecca”—bowing low to her as he spoke—“to England, along with her attendants. She is to be presented at court under the chaperonage of Lady De La Warre, and will be the guest of the London Company. 170 What has my lady to say to her humble¹² husband concerning her preparations for departure?”

 

“The will of John is the will of Pocahontas,” answered the obedient wife.

 

“Then, sweet one, we must make all haste possible, as we travel with Governor Dale a week hence. The plantation must be left in charge of my man Hunter, and we will get Mistress Laydon to come over now and then to look after your goods and chattels¹³ so that your housewifely heart may be at rest. I shall be glad to see old England again, and proud to show my darling to my relations over there.”

 

Busy was the week that followed, both for Rolfe and Pocahontas; he making arrangements for a long absence and she putting in order the dearly loved home.

 

All Jamestown was agog¹⁴ with the news of Pocahontas’s presentation at court. A halo of new interest surrounded her.

 

Riding home from the fields late one evening, Rolfe saw Adam Clotworthy leaning against the gate.

 

“Ha, Adam; I am right glad to see you. Have you come to take a look at the boy?”

 

“Yes, Master Rolfe, and I find that it is harder to part with him than I thought. You know he has been dear to me ever171 since his birth. I feel as if I owned some part of him, seeing that madam, his mother, was so gracious as to choose me for her god-father. I came to ask if you would not take me to England as your serving-man, and a sort of under-nurse to the boy.”

 

“Well, Adam, I will take you. Your devotion to the boy weighs heavily in your favor.”

 

“Thank you, Master Rolfe, you will never have cause to repent¹⁵ of your kindness as long as the boy is above ground.”

 

1 diadem   

n.王冠，冕

参考例句：

• The diadem is the symbol of royalty.王冠就是王权的象征。
• Nature like us is sometimes caught without diadem.自然犹如我等，时常没戴皇冠。

2 plantation   

n.种植园，大农场

参考例句：

• His father-in-law is a plantation manager.他岳父是个种植园经营者。
• The plantation owner has possessed himself of a vast piece of land.这个种植园主把大片土地占为己有。

3 puffing   

v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧

参考例句：

• He was puffing hard when he jumped on to the bus. 他跳上公共汽车时喘息不已。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My father sat puffing contentedly on his pipe. 父亲坐着心满意足地抽着烟斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 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。

5 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

6 maiden   

n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的

参考例句：

• The prince fell in love with a fair young maiden.王子爱上了一位年轻美丽的少女。
• The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow.这架飞机明天首航。

7 colonists   

n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Colonists from Europe populated many parts of the Americas. 欧洲的殖民者移居到了美洲的许多地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some of the early colonists were cruel to the native population. 有些早期移居殖民地的人对当地居民很残忍。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 hues   

色彩( hue的名词复数 )； 色调； 信仰； 观点

参考例句：

• When the sun rose a hundred prismatic hues were reflected from it. 太阳一出，更把它映得千变万化、异彩缤纷。
• Where maple trees grow, the leaves are often several brilliant hues of red. 在枫树生长的地方，枫叶常常呈现出数种光彩夺目的红色。

9 glistening   

adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼里闪着晶莹的泪花。
• Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼睛中的泪水闪着柔和的光。 来自《用法词典》

10 impatience   

n.不耐烦，急躁

参考例句：

• He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢，他显得不耐烦。
• He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。

11 banished   

v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was banished to Australia, where he died five years later. 他被流放到澳大利亚，五年后在那里去世。
• He was banished to an uninhabited island for a year. 他被放逐到一个无人居住的荒岛一年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

13 chattels   

n.动产，奴隶( chattel的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• An assignment is a total alienation of chattels personal. 动产转让是指属人动产的完全转让。 来自辞典例句
• Alan and I, getting our chattels together, struck into another road to reassume our flight. 艾伦和我收拾好我们的财物，急匆匆地走上了另一条路，继续过我们的亡命生活。 来自辞典例句

14 agog   

adj.兴奋的，有强烈兴趣的； adv.渴望地

参考例句：

• The children were all agog to hear the story.孩子们都渴望着要听这个故事。
• The city was agog with rumors last night that the two had been executed.那两人已被处决的传言昨晚搞得全城沸沸扬扬。

15 repent   

v.悔悟，悔改，忏悔，后悔

参考例句：

• He has nothing to repent of.他没有什么要懊悔的。
• Remission of sins is promised to those who repent.悔罪者可得到赦免。