Samuel continued to ponder, and was greatly worried lest the commonplace should ingulf him. So little he dreamed how near was a change!
Bertie Lockman had been away for a few days, visiting some friends, and he came back unexpectedly one afternoon. Samuel knew that he had not been expected, for always there were great bunches of flowers to be placed in his room. The gardener happened to be away at the time the motor arrived, and so Samuel upon his own responsibility cut the flowers and took them into the house. He left them in the housekeeper's workroom and then set out to find that functionary5, and tell her what he had done. So, in the entrance to the dining room, he stumbled upon his young master, giving some orders to Peters, the butler.
As an humble7 gardener's boy, Samuel should have stepped back and vanished. Instead he came forward, and Bertie smiled pleasantly and said, “Hello, Samuel.”
“Good afternoon, Master Albert,” said Samuel.
“And how do you like your work?” the other asked.
“I like it very well, sir,” he replied; and then added apologetically, “I was bringing some flowers.”
The master turned to speak to Peters again; and Samuel turned to retire. But at that instant there came the sound of a motor in front of the house.
“Hello,” said Bertie. “Who's that?” and turned to look through the entrance hall. Peters went forward to the door; and so Samuel was left standing8 and watching.
A big red touring car had drawn9 up in front of the piazza10. It was filled with young people, waving their hands and shouting, “Bertie! Oh, Bertie!”
The other appeared to be startled. “Well, I'll be damned!” he muttered as he went to meet them.
Of course Samuel had no business whatever to stand there. He should have fled in trepidation11. But he, as a privileged person, had not yet been drilled into a realization12 of his “place.” And they were such marvelous creatures—these people of the upper world—and he was so devoured13 with the desire to know about them.
There were two young men in the motor, of about his master's age, and nearly as goodly to look at. And there were four young women, of a quite extraordinary sort. They were beautiful, all of them—nearly as beautiful as Miss Gladys; and perhaps it was only the automobile14 costumes, but they struck one as even more alarmingly complex.
They were airy, ethereal creatures, with delicate peach blow complexions15, and very small hands and feet. They seemed to favor all kinds of fluffy16 and flimsy things; they were explosions of all the colors of the springtime. There were leaves and flowers and fruits and birds in their hats; and there were elaborate filmy veils to hold the hats on. They descended17 from the motor, and Samuel had glimpses of ribbons and ruffles18, of shapely ankles and daintily slippered19 feet. They came in the midst of a breeze of merriment, with laughter and bantering20 and little cries of all sorts.
“You don't seem very glad to see us, Bertie!” one said.
“Cheer up, old chap—nobody'll tell on us!” cried one of the young men.
“And we'll be good and go home early!” added another of the girls.
One of the party Samuel noticed particularly, because she looked more serious, and hung back a little. She was smaller than the others, a study in pink and white; her dress and hat were trimmed with pink ribbons, and she had the most marvelously pink cheeks and lips, and the most exquisite21 features Samuel had ever seen in his life.
Now suddenly she ran to young Lockman and flung her arms about his neck.
“Bertie,” she exclaimed, “it's my fault. I made them come! I wanted to see you so badly! You aren't mad with us, are you?”
“No,” said Bertie, “I'm not mad.”
“Well, then, be glad!” cried the girl, and kissed him again. “Be a good boy—do!”
“All right,” said Bertie feebly. “I'll be good, Belle22.”
“We wanted to surprise you,” added one of the young fellows.
“You surprised me all right,” said Bertie—a reply which all of them seemed to find highly amusing, for they laughed uproariously.
“He doesn't ask us in,” said one of the girls. “Come on, Dolly—let's see this house of his.”
And so the party poured in. Samuel waited just long enough to catch the rustle24 of innumerable garments, and a medley25 of perfumes which might have been blown from all the gardens of the East. Then he turned and fled to the regions below.
One of the young men, he learned from the talk in the servants' hall, was Jack26 Holliday, the youngest son of the railroad magnate; it was his sister who was engaged to marry the English duke. The other boy was the heir of a great lumber27 king from the West, and though he was only twenty he had got himself involved in a divorce scandal with some actor people. Who the young ladies were no one seemed to know, but there were half-whispered remarks about them, the significance of which was quite lost upon Samuel.
Presently the word came that the party was to stay to dinner. And then instantly the whole household sprang into activity. Above stairs everything would move with the smoothness of clockwork; but downstairs in the servants' quarters it was a serious matter that an elaborate banquet for seven people had to be got ready in a couple of hours. Even Samuel was pressed into service at odd jobs—something for which he was very glad, as it gave him a chance to remain in the midst of events.
So it happened that he saw Peters emerging from the wine cellar, followed by a man with a huge basket full of bottles. And this set Samuel to pondering hard, the while he scraped away at a bowl of potatoes. It was the one thing which had disconcerted him in the life of this upper world—the obvious part that drinking played in it. There were always decanters of liquor upon the buffet28 in the dining room; and liquor was served to guests upon any—and every pretext29. And the women drank as freely as the men—even Miss Gladys drank, a thing which was simply appalling30 to Samuel.
Of course, these were privileged people, and they knew what they wanted to do. But could it be right for anyone to drink? As in the case of suicide, Samuel found his moral convictions beginning to waver. Perhaps it was that drink did not affect these higher beings as it did ordinary people! Or perhaps what they drank was something that cheered without inebriating31! Certain it was that the servants got drunk; and Samuel had seen that they took the stuff from the decanters used by the guests.
It was something over which he labored32 with great pain of soul. But, of course, all his hesitations33 and sophistries34 were for the benefit of his master—that it could be right for Samuel himself to touch liquor was something that could not by any chance enter his mind.
The dinner had begun; and Samuel went on several errands to the room below the butler's pantry, and so from the dumb-waiter shafts35 he could hear the sounds of laughter and conversation. And more wine went up—it was evidently a very merry party. The meal was protracted36 for two or three hours, and the noise grew louder and louder. They were shouting so that one could hear them all over the house. They were singing songs—wild rollicking choruses which were very wonderful to listen to, and yet terribly disturbing to Samuel. These fortunate successful ones—he would grant them the right to any happiness—it was to be expected that they should dwell in perpetual merriment and delight. But he could hear the champagne37 corks38 popping every few minutes. And COULD it be right for them to drink!
It grew late, and still the revelry went on. A thunderstorm had come up and was raging outside. The servants who were not at work, had gone to bed, but there was no sleep for Samuel; he continued to prowl about, restless and tormented39. The whole house was now deserted40, save for the party in the dining room; and so he crept up, by one of the rear stairways, and crouched41 in a doorway42, where he could listen to the wild uproar23.
He had been there perhaps ten minutes. He could hear the singing and yelling, though he could not make out the words because of the noise of the elements. But then suddenly, above all the confusion, he heard a woman's shrieks43 piercing and shrill44; and he started up and sprang into the hall. Whether they were cries of anger, or of fear, or of pain, Samuel could not be certain; but he knew that they were not cries of enjoyment45.
He stood trembling. There rose a babel of shouts, and then again came the woman's voice—“No, no—you shan't, I say!”
“Sit down, you fool!” Samuel heard Bertie Lockman shout.
And then came another woman's voice—“Shut up and mind your business!”
“I'll tear your eyes out, you devil!” shrilled46 the first voice, and there followed a string of furious curses. The other woman replied in kind and Samuel made out that there was some kind of a quarrel, and that some of the party wanted to interfere47, and that others wanted it to go on. All were whooping48 and shrieking49 uproariously, and the two women yelled like hyenas50.
It was like the nightmare sounds he had heard from his cell in the police station, and Samuel listened appalled51. There came a crash of breaking glass; and then suddenly, in the midst of the confusion, he heard his young master cry, “Get out of here!”—and the dining room door was flung open, and the uproar burst full upon him.
A terrible sight met his eyes. It was the beautiful and radiant creature who had kissed Bertie Lockman; her face was now flushed with drink and distorted with rage—her hair disheveled and her aspect wild; and she was screaming in the voice which had first startled Samuel. Bertie had grappled with her and was trying to push her out of the room, while she fought frantically52, and screamed: “Let me go! Let me go!”
“Get out of here, I say!” cried Bertie, “I mean it now.”
“I won't! Let me be!” exclaimed the girl.
“Hurrah!” shouted the others, crowding behind them. Young Holliday was dancing about, waving a bottle and yelling like a maniac53, “Go it, Bertie! Give it to him, Belle!”
“This is the end of it!” cried Bertie. “I'm through with you. And you get out of here!”
“I won't! I won't!” screamed the girl again and again. “Help!” And she flung one arm about his neck and caught at the doorway.
But he tore her loose and dragged her bodily across the entrance hall. “Out with you!” he exclaimed. “And don't ever let me see your face again!”
“Bertie! Bertie!” she protested.
“I mean it!” he said. “Here Jack! Open the door for me.”
“Bertie! No!” shrieked54 the girl; but then with a sudden effort he half threw her out into the darkness. There was a brief altercation55 outside, and then he sprang back, and flung to the heavy door, and bolted it fast.
“Now, by God!” he said, “you'll stay out.”
The girl beat and kicked frantically upon the door. But Bertie turned his back and staggered away, reeling slightly. “That'll settle it, I guess,” he said, with a wild laugh.
And amidst a din6 of laughter and cheers from the others, he went back to the dining room. One of the other women flung her arms about him hilariously56, and Jack Holliday raised a bottle of wine on high, and shouted: “Off with the old love—on with the new!”
And so Bertie shut the door again, and the scene was hid from Samuel's eyes.
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收听单词发音
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1
extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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chauffeur
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| n.(受雇于私人或公司的)司机；v.为…开车 | |
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4
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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functionary
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| n.官员；公职人员 | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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7
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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8
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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9
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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10
piazza
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| n.广场；走廊 | |
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trepidation
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| n.惊恐，惶恐 | |
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12
realization
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| n.实现；认识到，深刻了解 | |
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13
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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14
automobile
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| n.汽车，机动车 | |
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15
complexions
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| 肤色( complexion的名词复数 )； 面色； 局面； 性质 | |
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16
fluffy
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| adj.有绒毛的，空洞的 | |
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17
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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18
ruffles
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| 褶裥花边( ruffle的名词复数 ) | |
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19
slippered
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| 穿拖鞋的 | |
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20
bantering
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| adj.嘲弄的v.开玩笑，说笑，逗乐( banter的现在分词 )；（善意地）取笑，逗弄 | |
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21
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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22
belle
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| n.靓女 | |
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23
uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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24
rustle
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| v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声 | |
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25
medley
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| n.混合 | |
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26
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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27
lumber
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| n.木材，木料；v.以破旧东西堆满；伐木；笨重移动 | |
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28
buffet
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| n.自助餐；饮食柜台；餐台 | |
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29
pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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30
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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31
inebriating
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| vt.使酒醉，灌醉（inebriate的现在分词形式） | |
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32
labored
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| adj.吃力的，谨慎的v.努力争取(for)( labor的过去式和过去分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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33
hesitations
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| n.犹豫( hesitation的名词复数 )；踌躇；犹豫（之事或行为）；口吃 | |
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34
sophistries
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| n.诡辩术( sophistry的名词复数 )；（一次）诡辩 | |
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35
shafts
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| n.轴( shaft的名词复数 )；（箭、高尔夫球棒等的）杆；通风井；一阵（疼痛、害怕等） | |
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36
protracted
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| adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词 | |
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37
champagne
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| n.香槟酒；微黄色 | |
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38
corks
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| n.脐梅衣；软木( cork的名词复数 )；软木塞 | |
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39
tormented
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| 饱受折磨的 | |
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40
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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41
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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42
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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43
shrieks
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| n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
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44
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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45
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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46
shrilled
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| （声音）尖锐的，刺耳的，高频率的( shrill的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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47
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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48
whooping
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| 发嗬嗬声的，发咳声的 | |
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49
shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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50
hyenas
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| n.鬣狗( hyena的名词复数 ) | |
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51
appalled
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| v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的 | |
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52
frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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53
maniac
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| n.精神癫狂的人；疯子 | |
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54
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55
altercation
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| n.争吵，争论 | |
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56
hilariously
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