Samuel was frightened at her violence. “Listen, Sophie,” he said, putting his arm around her. “We must not forget our duty.”
“I could never go back there again!” exclaimed the child wildly. “I should die if I had to see her again!”
“I don't mean that,” said the other quickly—seeking to divert her thoughts. “But you must remember what I have to do; and you must help me.”
He went on to tell her of his plan to fight for the possession of St. Matthew's Church. “And we must not give way to bitterness,” he said; “it would be a very wicked thing if we did it from anger.”
“But how can you help it?” she cried.
“It is hard,” said Samuel; “but I have been wrestling with myself. We must not hate these people. They have done evil to us, but they do not realize it—they are poor human beings like the rest of us.”
“But they are bad, selfish people!” exclaimed the child.
“I have thought it all out,” said he. “I have been walking the streets all day, thinking about it. And I will not let myself feel anything but pity for them. They have done me wrong, but it is nothing to the wrong they have done themselves.”
“Oh, Samuel, you are so good!” exclaimed Sophie; and he winced—because that was what Miss Gladys had said to him.
“I had to settle it with myself,” he explained. “I have got to carry on a fight against them, and I have to be sure that I'm not just venting2 my spite.”
“What are you going to do?” asked Sophie.
“I am going to put the facts before the congregation of the church. If they will do nothing, I am going to the people.”
“But how, Samuel?”
“I am going to call a meeting. See, I have written this.”
And he took from his pocket a piece of paper, on which he had printed, in capital letters, as follows:
TO THE MEMBERS OF ST. MATTHEWS!
“There is corruption3 in the church. Members of its vestry have bribed4 the government of the town. They are robbing the people. The vestry has refused me a hearing and turned me out of the church. I appeal to the congregation. Next Wednesday evening, at eight o'clock, I will address a meeting on the vacant lot opposite the church, and will tell what I know. SAMUEL PRESCOTT.”
“And what are you going to do with that?” asked Sophie in wonder.
“I am going to have it printed on little slips, and give them out to the people when they are coming out of the church to-morrow morning.”
“Oh, Samuel!” gasped5 the child.
“I have to do it,” he said.
“But, Samuel, everyone will come—people from all over town.”
“I can't help that,” he answered. “I can't afford to hire a hall; and they wouldn't let me speak in the church.”
“But can you get this printed so quickly?”
“I don't know,” said he. “I must find some one.”
Sophie clapped her hands suddenly. “Oh, I know just the very thing!” she cried. “Friedrich Bremer has a printing press!”
“What!”
“Yes. His father used to print things. They will tell us.” And so, without stopping to eat, the two hurried off to the Bremer family; and mother and father and all the children sat and listened in astonishment6 while Samuel told his tale. Friedrich was thrilling with excitement; and old Johann's red face grew fiery7.
“Herr Gott!” he cried. “I vas that vay myself once!”
“And then will you help me to get them printed?” asked Samuel.
“Sure!” replied the other. “I will do it myself. Vy did I go through the Commune?” And so the whole family adjourned8 to the attic9, and the little printing outfit10 was dragged out from under the piles of rubbish.
“I used it myself,” said the old carpet designer. “But vhen I come here they give me a varning, and I haf not dared. For two years I haf not even been to the meetings of the local.”
“Of the what?” asked Samuel.
“I am a Socialist,” explained Mr. Bremer. And Samuel gave a start. Ought he to accept any help from Socialists11? But meantime Friedrich was sorting out the type, and his father was inspecting Samuel's copy.
“You must make it vith a plenty of paragraphs,” he said; “and exclamation12 points, too. Then they vill read it.”
“They'll read it!” said Friedrich grimly.
“How shall we print it?” asked the father; and the children rushed downstairs and came back with some sheets of writing paper, and a lot of brown wrapping paper. They sat on the floor and folded and cut it, while Friedrich set the type. And this was the way of the printing of Samuel's first manifesto13.
“Can you make a speech?” Mrs. Bremer asked. “Won't you be frightened?”
To which Samuel answered gravely: “I don't think so. I shall be thinking about what I have to say.”
It was late at night when the two children went home, with three hundred copies of the revolutionary document carefully wrapped up from view; and they were so much excited by the whole affair that they had actually forgotten about Miss Gladys! It was not until he tried to go to sleep that her image came back to him, and all his blasted hopes arose to mock at him. What a fool he had been! How utterly14 insane all his fantasies seemed to him now! So he passed another sleepless15 night, and it was not till daylight that he fell into a troubled slumber16.
He had to control his impatience17 until after eleven o'clock, the hour of the service at the church. Sophie wished to go with him and share his peril18, but he would not consent to this. He would not be able to give the manifesto to everyone, but he could reach enough—the others would hear about it! So, a full hour before the end of the service, he took up his post across the street, his heart beating furiously. He was feeling, it must be confessed, a good deal like a dynamiter19 or an assassin. The weather was warm, and the door of the church was open, so that he could hear the booming voice of Dr. Vince. The sound of the organ brought tears into his eyes—he loved the organ, and he was not to be allowed to listen to it! At last came the end; the sounds of the choir20 receded21, and the assassin moved over to a strategic position. And then came the first of the congregation—of all persons, the Olympian Mr. Curtis!
“Will you take one of these, sir?” said Samuel, with his heart in his throat. And Mr. Curtis who was mopping his forehead with his handkerchief, started as if he had seen a ghost. “Boy, what are you doing?” he cried; but Samuel had darted22 away, trying to give out the slips of paper to the people as they came out at both doors. He was quite right in saying that everybody would know about it. The people took the slips and read them, and then they stopped to stare and exclaim to one another, so that there was a regular blockade at the doors of the church. By the time that a score of the slips had been given out the members had had time to get their wits back, and then there was an attempt to interfere23.
“This is an outrage24!” cried Mr. Curtis, and tried to grab Samuel by the arm; but the boy wrenched25 himself loose and darted around the corner, to where a stream of people had come out of the side door.
“Take one!” he exclaimed. “Pass it along! Let everyone know!” And so he got rid of a score or two more of his slips. And then, keeping a wary26 lookout27 for Mr. Curtis or any other of the vestrymen, he ran around in front again, and circled on the edge of the rapidly gathering28 throng29, giving away several of the dodgers30 wherever a hand was held out. “Give them to everyone!” he kept repeating in his shrill31 voice.
“The evil-doers must be turned out of the church!”
Then suddenly out of the crowd pushed Mr. Hamerton, breathless and red in the face. “Samuel!” he cried, pouncing32 upon him, “this cannot go on!”
“But it must go on!” replied the boy. “Let me go! Take your hands off me!” And he raised his voice in a wild shriek33. “There are thieves in the church of Christ!”
In the scuffle the dodgers were scattered34 on the ground; and Mr. Hamerton stooped to pick them up. Samuel seized what he could and darted to the side door again, where there were more people eager to take them. And so he got rid of the last he had. And for the benefit of those whom he still saw emerging, he raised his hands and shouted: “There are men in the vestry of this church who have bribed the city council of Lockmanville! I mean to expose them in a meeting across the street on Wednesday night!” And then he turned, and dodging35 an outraged36 church member who sought to lay hold of him, he sped like a deer down the street.
He had made his appeal to the congregation!
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收听单词发音
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1
tremor
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| n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震 | |
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2
venting
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| 消除； 泄去； 排去； 通风 | |
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3
corruption
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| n.腐败，堕落，贪污 | |
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4
bribed
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| v.贿赂( bribe的过去式和过去分词 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂 | |
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5
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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6
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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8
adjourned
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| （使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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9
attic
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| n.顶楼，屋顶室 | |
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outfit
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| n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装 | |
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11
socialists
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| 社会主义者( socialist的名词复数 ) | |
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12
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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manifesto
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| n.宣言，声明 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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sleepless
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| adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的 | |
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slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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18
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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19
dynamiter
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| n.炸药使用者（尤指革命者） | |
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20
choir
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| n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱 | |
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21
receded
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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22
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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23
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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27
lookout
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| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
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28
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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30
dodgers
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| n.躲闪者，欺瞒者( dodger的名词复数 ) | |
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31
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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32
pouncing
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| v.突然袭击( pounce的现在分词 )；猛扑；一眼看出；抓住机会（进行抨击） | |
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33
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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34
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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35
dodging
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| n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避 | |
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outraged
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| a.震惊的，义愤填膺的 | |
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