“Coldstream planted every one of these with his own hand,” observed the doctor, as his companion stopped for a moment to admire a specially3 magnificent creeper. “His lady-love always delighted in flowers. She used, when a child, to stick one into each of my button-holes; and would have hung daisy-chains round my neck, but that I was impatient of fetters4, even when forged by pretty, plump, dimpled hands.” Dr. Pinfold’s face always wore a benevolent5 expression when he thought of the little godchild who had been dear to the old bachelor, and whose innocent affection had been his best tie to his fellow-creatures.
The visitors then entered a pleasant apartment, which looked shady and cool after the glare outside. The white walls were ornamented6 with the graceful7 arabesque8 designs in painting in which Oriental artists excel. There were on them also a few choice water-colour drawings, executed by Mr. Coldstream himself. He had considerable artistic9 talent, and had been stimulated10 to make finished pictures from rough sketches11 taken in England, that his bride might have pleasant reminders12 of home. The skins of a tiger, a bear, and two leopards13, brought down by Oscar’s gun, were spread as rugs on the matted floor.
Dr. Pinfold looked around for his friends, but the sole occupant of the apartment was a lad about sixteen or seventeen years of age, who, with a large book open before him, sat with his chin resting on the palms of his thick hands. The youth seemed to be so much absorbed in what he was studying, that he at first hardly noticed the entrance of visitors. Dr. Pinfold on seeing him uttered an exclamation14 of astonishment15 rather than of pleasure.
“Why, Thud, you here! is it possible?” cried the doctor, moving forward and holding out his hand.
The lad who was thus addressed rose slowly, lazily, advanced two steps, and then rather touched than shook the extended hand, almost with the air of one who grudges17 the trouble of exchanging common civilities.
“What on earth brought you here?” exclaimed Pinfold.
“Of course one must travel if one wishes to absorb new ideas; science demands—”
“Oh, never mind science just now,” cried the doctor. “Did you come with your brother and sister?”
“I came with my sister and her husband,” was the reply. Thud was glancing at his open book as he spoke18, as if he thought time lost in such commonplace conversation.
“How was it that I did not see you yesterday, Thud, when I went to the ship? I did not notice you when I was overhauling20 the luggage.”
“I was not going to overhaul19 luggage,” said Thud, with a touch of contempt in his tone. “I got out of the noise and racket as soon as I could, and took a stroll on the beach to look for conchological specimens22.”
“Just like you—just like you,” muttered the doctor; “always out of the way when anything useful is to be done.”
“I’m sometimes in the way,” said Thud.
“You never said a truer word in your life, my boy!” cried the doctor laughing. “You are very frequently in the way of others.”
Thud did not look angry; he was too perfectly23 satisfied with himself to be sensitive to satire24. To hit the lad was like thumping25 a bag of wool. In looking at Thud the chaplain was irresistibly26 reminded of an owl16. A somewhat beaked27 nose in the midst of a full round face, half-closed eyes under rounded brows, a low forehead surmounted28 by a mop of hay-coloured hair, with a trick peculiar29 to Thud of poising30 his head a little on one side when any idea of peculiar magnitude weighed on his brain, made him resemble the bird of Minerva. The large head was planted, almost without the intervention31 of neck, on a short, thick figure, the legs being particularly curtailed33 in length. Thud was not, however, a dwarf34; and he had a good opinion of his own appearance, as well as of everything else appertaining to himself.
“Where are Mr. Coldstream and Io?” asked the doctor.
“Don’t know,” was the curt32 reply; then the young sage35 condescended36 to add, “I s’pose they’ve gone out.”
“You’ll please to find them,” said the doctor a little tartly37. “Tell Coldstream that our chaplain, the Rev38. Mark Lawrence, has called to see him; and let Io know that her old friend is waiting.—Pray, Mr. Lawrence, take a seat.”
“I’ll send a servant—” began Thud.
“No, sir, you’ll please to go yourself,” said the doctor; “you are more likely to find the pair, and more able to explain who have come to see them, than any native could be. Besides, you could not give a message in any tongue but your own; though I daresay that Io has learned a good deal of the language during the voyage from England.”
Thud again gave a regretful glance at his book, then slowly and unwillingly39 quitted the room. The only notice which he took of the chaplain as he passed him was shown by an awkward nod of the head.
“That most unmitigated owl!” exclaimed the doctor, throwing himself into the most luxurious40 lounging-chair in the room. “What could have induced Oscar Coldstream to hamper41 himself with such an incubus42 as that? It has been one of his magnanimous acts of self-denial. Coldstream has wished to relieve his bride’s widowed mother of the burden of supporting, the worry of trying to manage a conceited43, lazy fellow, who is ready enough to eat, and then spout44 scientific nonsense, but who has never earned a penny in his life, and is never likely to earn one. I see now why poor Coldstream looks so grave and gloomy. I guess that Sindbad the sailor did not feel very lively with the old man of the sea on his back, and Thud would be an even more intolerable burden to any sensible man. Coldstream had, I’ll be bound, flared45 up at some piece of arrogant46 folly47, and—for he has pepper and mustard in him—given his precious brother-in-law a good set down, or maybe a well-earned box on the ear; then Oscar had seen Io look vexed48, and had reproached himself for being hard on the owl, and had ended by begging his pardon! Coldstream is absurdly conscientious49. I can tell you a curious anecdote50 which shows the nature of the man. Some time last year one of his assistants made a very provoking blunder in a shipping51 account. Coldstream thought it something worse than a blunder, and taxed the fellow, in the presence of some half a dozen of us, with cooking the accounts. It appeared afterwards, on examination, that the man had been only a fool, not a knave52. Would you believe it? Coldstream collected together every individual who had heard his hasty accusation53, and in the presence of all made a public apology to his own assistant! I call such conduct a little absurd.”
“Honourable—generous!” was the comment of the young chaplain. “I feel impatient to be introduced to your friend.”
“His real name is Thucydides Thorn,” replied Pinfold. “His father, my old school-fellow, was a somewhat eccentric fellow, like his boy. However, he resembled Thud only in this, that he wanted to do everything in a different way from every one else. Beaten paths were Tom Thorn’s aversion; he would rather flounder through a bog56 than walk along a highway. There is a little smack57 of vanity in this, I take it, Mr. Lawrence; but Tom Thorn was really a clever man. Happily he married a sensible sort of woman, who minded his house, and was not put out if her husband sat up all night star-gazing, or forgot his dinner when studying a Greek poem. Your genius should never marry a genius; one partner in the matrimonial firm should serve as ballast, if the other be all inflated58 sail.”
Pinfold paused, and the chaplain’s faint smile expressed assent59. Then the doctor went on with his story.
“The first child born was a girl. Tom Thorn did not think much of the little creature who came when he was translating Euripides and disturbed him by her squalling: she was called Jane, after her mother. The father was a bit disappointed that the little brat60 was not a boy. Then came a second girl—another disappointment; but she turned out to be a little beauty, so Thorn consoled himself by giving her the classic name of Io. I thought the name absurd, till some twenty months afterwards I heard it from the cherry lips of the little prattler61 who bore it. Io always made two distinct syllables62 of the two letters, leaning on the first; and I found that the word was charming. One day—she was just four years old, and wearing her pink birthday sash—Io came running to me with the grand news that some one, she thought perhaps an angel, had brought her a baby brother. The little pet’s eyes sparkled with joy; she danced about the room with delight: she could not know that poor Thud was hardly the gift that an angel would be likely to bring. This boy, whom Thorn expected to turn out a genius, was christened Thucydides, this being a name which ‘nobody can speak, and nobody can spell.’ It was soon shortened to Thud. So Thud, theoretical Thud, the boy will be to the end of his days.”
“I suppose, from what I have seen and heard of the lad, that it was rather the father than the mother who conducted his education,” observed Mr. Lawrence.
“Education!” repeated the doctor, with a very significant compression of his full lips and a turning down of the corners of his mouth. “Thud was fed on polysyllables instead of pap, caught the trick of his father’s dogmatic manner, and lisped nonsense with the air of a Solon. Of course the boy was too clever to be much troubled with a Primer; I think his found its way into the fire. When Thud could neither read nor write he was watching his father’s scientific experiments; for with Thorn, who was an erratic63 genius, classics had given way to science, and his whole mind was full of theories about electric currents. I remember his boy at dinner one day (we were never free from his presence and prating64 at meals), when the pudding had been somewhat burnt in the oven. Master Thud (he still wore a bib) pushed away his plate, and gave out his authoritative65 dictum, ‘Pudding ought to be cooked by electricity.’ Thorn looked with parental66 pride on his hopeful prodigy67. ‘Depend upon it, Pinfold,’ he said to me across the table, ‘that boy will make his mark.’ I could not help making the sarcastic68 observation, ‘Folk who make their mark are those who don’t know how to write.’ Then turning towards the little prig—‘What do you know about electricity?’ I asked. ‘I knows all about the electric—’ The boy stopped; the ‘currents’ would not come to the juvenile69 memory. But Thud never lost his self-assurance. ‘I knows all about the electric gooseberries’ came out, as if all the wisdom of a Newton were crammed70 into that heavy head. We all burst out laughing, Thud laughing the loudest of all. I believe that he thought that he had said a remarkably71 clever thing. Ha! ha! ha!”
“I daresay that electric gooseberries became proverbial in the family,” observed the chaplain smiling.
And when I speak—let no dog bark.’
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1
veranda
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| n.走廊；阳台 | |
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2
mosaic
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| n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的 | |
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3
specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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4
fetters
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| 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 ) | |
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5
benevolent
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| adj.仁慈的，乐善好施的 | |
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ornamented
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| adj.花式字体的v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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8
arabesque
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| n.阿拉伯式花饰；adj.阿拉伯式图案的 | |
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9
artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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stimulated
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| a.刺激的 | |
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sketches
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| n.草图( sketch的名词复数 )；素描；速写；梗概 | |
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12
reminders
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| n.令人回忆起…的东西( reminder的名词复数 )；提醒…的东西；（告知该做某事的）通知单；提示信 | |
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13
leopards
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| n.豹( leopard的名词复数 )；本性难移 | |
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14
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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15
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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grudges
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| 不满，怨恨，妒忌( grudge的名词复数 ) | |
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18
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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19
overhaul
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| v./n.大修，仔细检查 | |
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20
overhauling
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| n.大修；拆修；卸修；翻修v.彻底检查( overhaul的现在分词 )；大修；赶上；超越 | |
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21
specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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23
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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24
satire
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| n.讽刺，讽刺文学，讽刺作品 | |
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25
thumping
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| adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持 | |
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26
irresistibly
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| adv.无法抵抗地，不能自持地；极为诱惑人地 | |
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beaked
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| adj.有喙的，鸟嘴状的 | |
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surmounted
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| 战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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poising
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| 使平衡( poise的现在分词 )； 保持（某种姿势）； 抓紧； 使稳定 | |
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intervention
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| n.介入，干涉，干预 | |
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curt
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| adj.简短的，草率的 | |
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curtailed
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| v.截断，缩短( curtail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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dwarf
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| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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35
sage
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| n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的 | |
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condescended
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| 屈尊，俯就( condescend的过去式和过去分词 )； 故意表示和蔼可亲 | |
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37
tartly
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| adv.辛辣地，刻薄地 | |
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38
rev
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| v.发动机旋转，加快速度 | |
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unwillingly
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| adv.不情愿地 | |
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40
luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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41
hamper
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| vt.妨碍，束缚，限制；n.(有盖的)大篮子 | |
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42
incubus
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| n.负担；恶梦 | |
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43
conceited
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| adj.自负的，骄傲自满的 | |
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44
spout
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| v.喷出，涌出；滔滔不绝地讲；n.喷管；水柱 | |
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45
Flared
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| adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词 | |
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46
arrogant
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的 | |
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47
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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48
vexed
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| adj.争论不休的；（指问题等）棘手的；争论不休的问题；烦恼的v.使烦恼( vex的过去式和过去分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论 | |
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49
conscientious
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| adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的 | |
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50
anecdote
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| n.轶事，趣闻，短故事 | |
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51
shipping
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| n.船运（发货，运输，乘船） | |
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52
knave
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| n.流氓；（纸牌中的）杰克 | |
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53
accusation
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| n.控告，指责，谴责 | |
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54
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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55
uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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56
bog
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| n.沼泽；室...陷入泥淖 | |
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57
smack
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| vt.拍，打，掴；咂嘴；vi.含有…意味；n.拍 | |
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58
inflated
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| adj.（价格）飞涨的；（通货）膨胀的；言过其实的；充了气的v.使充气（于轮胎、气球等）( inflate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）膨胀；（使）通货膨胀；物价上涨 | |
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59
assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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60
brat
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| n.孩子；顽童 | |
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61
prattler
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| n.空谈者 | |
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62
syllables
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| n.音节( syllable的名词复数 ) | |
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63
erratic
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| adj.古怪的，反复无常的，不稳定的 | |
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64
prating
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| v.（古时用语）唠叨，啰唆( prate的现在分词 ) | |
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65
authoritative
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| adj.有权威的，可相信的；命令式的；官方的 | |
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66
parental
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| adj.父母的；父的；母的 | |
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67
prodigy
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| n.惊人的事物，奇迹，神童，天才，预兆 | |
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68
sarcastic
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| adj.讥讽的，讽刺的，嘲弄的 | |
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69
juvenile
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| n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的 | |
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70
crammed
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| adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式) | |
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71
remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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72
oracle
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| n.神谕，神谕处，预言 | |
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73
hoot
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| n.鸟叫声，汽车的喇叭声； v.使汽车鸣喇叭 | |
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