CHAPTER XVII

Samuel walked away, still pondering at the problem. Something must be done about Master Albert, that was certain. Before he went in to his dinner he had thought of yet another plan. He would appeal to Miss Gladys about it! He would get her to labor² with the prodigal³!
At eight o'clock the next morning, he and Sophie called at Miss Wygant's home. They went to the servants' entrance, and the maid who opened the door sent them away, saying that Miss Gladys never rose until ten o'clock and would not see anyone until eleven.
So they went home again and came at eleven; and they were taken to a sitting room upon the second floor and there Miss Gladys met them, clad in a morning gown of crimson⁴ silk.
“And so this is Sophie!” she exclaimed. “Why you poor, poor child!” And she gazed at the little mill girl with her stunted⁵ figure and pinched cheeks, and her patched and threadbare dress; and Sophie, in her turn, gazed at the wonderful princess, tall and stately, glowing with health and voluptuous⁶ beauty.
“And you work in our cotton mill!” she cried.
“How perfectly⁷ terrible! And do you mean to tell me that this child is thirteen years old, Samuel?”
“Yes, Miss Gladys,” said he.
She turned quickly and pressed a button on the wall. “Send Mrs. Harris here,” she said to the man who answered.
“Mrs. Harris is our housekeeper⁸,” she added to Samuel. “I will consult her about it.”
The “consulting” was very brief. “Mrs. Harris, this is Sophie Stedman, a little girl I want to help. I don't know what she can do, but you will find out. I want her to have some sort of a place in the house—and it mustn't be hard work.”
“But, Miss Gladys,” said the other in perplexity, “I don't know of anything at all!”
“You can find something,” was the young lady's reply. “I want her to have a chance to learn. Take her downstairs and have a talk with her about it.”
“Yes, Miss Gladys,” said Mrs. Harris; and so Samuel was left alone with his goddess.
He sat with his eyes upon the floor. He was just about to open the great subject he had in his mind, when suddenly Miss Gladys herself brought it up. “Samuel,” she asked, “why did you leave my cousin's?”
Samuel hesitated. “I—I don't like to say, Miss Gladys.”
“Please tell me,” she insisted.
“I left it,” he replied in a low voice, “because I found that he got drunk.”
“Oh!” said the girl, “when was this?”
“It was last Wednesday night, Miss Gladys.”
“Tell me all about it, Samuel.”
“I—I don't like to,” he stammered⁹. “It's not a story to tell to a lady.”
“I already know something about it from my maid,” said she. “Jack Holliday was there, wasn't he?”
“Yes, ma'am.”
“And some women?”
“Yes, ma'am.”
“How many, Samuel?”
“Four, Miss Gladys.”
“Tell me about them, Samuel. What sort of women were they?”
It was very hard for Samuel to answer these questions. He blushed as he talked; but Miss Gladys appeared not at all disconcerted—in fact she was greedy for the details.
“You say her name was Belle¹⁰. I wonder if it was that girl from 'The Maids of Mandelay.' Was she a dancer, Samuel?”
“I don't know, Miss Gladys.”
“And what became of her?”
“I took her to a hotel, Miss Gladys.”
“And what then?”
Samuel stopped short. “I really couldn't tell you,” he said.
“But why not?”
“Because I promised.”
“Whom did you promise?”
“I promised the sergeant¹¹, Miss Gladys.”
“The sergeant! A policeman, you mean?”
“Yes, ma'am.”
“But what—what did the police have to do with it?”
“They took me to jail, Miss Gladys. They thought that I did it.”
“Did what?”
And again the boy shut his lips.
“Listen, Samuel,” pleaded the other. “You know that I am Bertie's cousin. And he's all alone. And I'm responsible for him—”
“Oh, Miss Gladys!” cried the boy. “If you only would try to help him! I meant to ask you—”
“But how can I help him if you keep me in ignorance?”
And so Samuel blurted¹² out the whole story. And Miss Gladys sat dumb with horror. “She killed herself! She killed herself!” she gasped¹³ again and again.
“Yes, Miss Gladys,” said Samuel. “And it was awful! You can't imagine it!”
“I read of the suicide in the paper. But I never dreamed of Bertie!”
There was a moment's pause. “It must be a dreadful thing for him to have on his conscience”—began the boy.
“He must have been frightened to death!” said she. And then she added quickly, “Samuel, you haven't told anyone about this!”
“Not a soul, Miss Gladys.”
“You are sure?”
“I'm sure, ma'am.”
“You didn't tell Dr. Vince?”
“I just told him that I had left because Master Albert got drunk, Miss Gladys. That was the truth.”
“Yes,” said she; and then, “You always tell the truth, don't you, Samuel?”
“I try to,” he replied.
“You are very good, aren't you?” she added.
Samuel blushed. “No,” he said gravely. “I'm not good at all.”
The other looked at him for a moment, and then a smile crossed her face. “I've heard a saying,” she remarked—“'Be good and you'll be happy, but you'll miss a lot of fun.'”
Samuel pondered. “I think that is a very terrible saying,” he declared earnestly.
Miss Gladys laughed. And she went on to cross-question him as to the suicide—satisfying her curiosity as to the last hideous¹⁴ detail.
Then she looked at Samuel and asked suddenly, “Why do you wear that hideous thing?”
Samuel started. “What thing?” he asked.
“That tie!”
“Why!” he said—“I got that specially—”
He stopped, embarrassed; and the other's peal¹ of laughter rang through the room. “Take it off!” she said.
She got up and came to him, saying, “I couldn't stand it.”
With trembling fingers he removed the tie. And she took off the beautiful red ribbon that was tied about her waist, and cut it to the right length. “Put that on,” she said, “and I'll show you how to tie it.”
And Samuel stood there, rapt in a sudden nightmare ecstasy¹⁵. She was close to him, her quick fingers were playing about his throat. Her breath was upon his face, and the intoxicating¹⁶ perfume of her filled his nostrils¹⁷. The blood mounted into his face, and the veins¹⁸ stood out upon his forehead, and strange and monstrous¹⁹ things stirred in the depths of him.
“There,” she said, “that's better”—and stepped back to admire the result. She smiled upon him radiantly. “You have no taste, Samuel,” she said. “I shall have to educate you.”
“Yes, Miss Gladys,” he responded in a low voice.
“And listen,” she went on, “you will come to see Sophie now and then, won't you?”
“Yes, yes,” he said quickly.
“And come some time when I am here.”
He caught his breath and gripped his hands and answered yet again, “Yes!”
“Don't be afraid of me,” added the girl gently. “You don't appreciate yourself half enough, Samuel.”
Then there came voices in the hall, and Miss Gladys turned, and the housekeeper and Sophie came in. “Well?” she asked.
“She doesn't know anything at all,” said Mrs. Harris. “But if you want her taught—I suppose she could run errands and do sewing—”
“Very good,” said the other. “And pay her well. Will you like that, Sophie?”
“Yes, Miss,” whispered the child in a faint voice. She was gazing in awe²⁰ and rapture²¹ at this peerless being, and she could hardly find utterance²² for two words.
“All right, then,” said Miss Gladys, “that will do very well. You come to-morrow, Sophie. And good-by, Samuel. I must go for my ride now.”
“Good-by, Miss Gladys,” said Samuel. “And please don't forget what you were going to say to Master Albert!”

1 peal   

n.钟声；v.鸣响

参考例句：

• The bells of the cathedral rang out their loud peal.大教堂响起了响亮的钟声。
• A sudden peal of thunder leaves no time to cover the ears.迅雷不及掩耳。

2 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

3 prodigal   

adj.浪费的，挥霍的，放荡的

参考例句：

• He has been prodigal of the money left by his parents.他已挥霍掉他父母留下的钱。
• The country has been prodigal of its forests.这个国家的森林正受过度的采伐。

4 crimson   

n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色

参考例句：

• She went crimson with embarrassment.她羞得满脸通红。
• Maple leaves have turned crimson.枫叶已经红了。

5 stunted   

adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的

参考例句：

• the stunted lives of children deprived of education 未受教育的孩子所过的局限生活
• But the landed oligarchy had stunted the country's democratic development for generations. 但是好几代以来土地寡头的统治阻碍了这个国家民主的发展。

6 voluptuous   

adj.肉欲的，骄奢淫逸的

参考例句：

• The nobility led voluptuous lives.贵族阶层过着骄奢淫逸的生活。
• The dancer's movements were slow and voluptuous.舞女的动作缓慢而富挑逗性。

7 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

8 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。

9 stammered   

v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠，结结巴巴地说，“你是什么意思？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

10 belle   

n.靓女

参考例句：

• She was the belle of her Sunday School class.在主日学校她是她们班的班花。
• She was the belle of the ball.她是那个舞会中的美女。

11 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

12 blurted   

v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She blurted it out before I could stop her. 我还没来得及制止，她已脱口而出。
• He blurted out the truth, that he committed the crime. 他不慎说出了真相，说是他犯了那个罪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 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》

14 hideous   

adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的

参考例句：

• The whole experience had been like some hideous nightmare.整个经历就像一场可怕的噩梦。
• They're not like dogs,they're hideous brutes.它们不像狗，是丑陋的畜牲。

15 ecstasy   

n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷

参考例句：

• He listened to the music with ecstasy.他听音乐听得入了神。
• Speechless with ecstasy,the little boys gazed at the toys.小孩注视着那些玩具，高兴得说不出话来。

16 intoxicating   

a. 醉人的,使人兴奋的

参考例句：

• Power can be intoxicating. 权力能让人得意忘形。
• On summer evenings the flowers gave forth an almost intoxicating scent. 夏日的傍晚，鲜花散发出醉人的芳香。

17 nostrils   

鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Her nostrils flared with anger. 她气得两个鼻孔都鼓了起来。
• The horse dilated its nostrils. 马张大鼻孔。

18 veins   

n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理

参考例句：

• The blood flows from the capillaries back into the veins. 血从毛细血管流回静脉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I felt a pleasant glow in all my veins from the wine. 喝过酒后我浑身的血都热烘烘的，感到很舒服。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 monstrous   

adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的

参考例句：

• The smoke began to whirl and grew into a monstrous column.浓烟开始盘旋上升，形成了一个巨大的烟柱。
• Your behaviour in class is monstrous!你在课堂上的行为真是丢人！

20 awe   

n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧

参考例句：

• The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

21 rapture   

n.狂喜；全神贯注；着迷；v.使狂喜

参考例句：

• His speech was received with rapture by his supporters.他的演说受到支持者们的热烈欢迎。
• In the midst of his rapture,he was interrupted by his father.他正欢天喜地，被他父亲打断了。

22 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。