“Hello,” called Gerald. “I thought you’d missed your way! Why didn’t you come earlier?”
“Well, you said to come for dinner,” replied Kendall, stooping to pat the setter who was wagging him a welcome. “I thought half-past twelve was early enough. What’s his name, Gerald?”
“The setter’s? His name is Jack9. I’ve had him for years. The other little duffer, who wants to sample your trousers, but doesn’t quite dare to, is Three Foot, so called because when he is very anxious to get anywhere he picks up one foot and travels on the other three. Come on up and sit down. Warm, isn’t it? Dad had to go down to New York last night and hasn’t got back yet. I sent the car over to meet the eleven-thirty train, but he wasn’t on it. He will be sorry not to be here to meet you. You’ve never met the Dad, have you?”
“Once for a minute or two last Spring, over at Broadwood. But I guess he wouldn’t remember me.”
“Don’t you believe it! Dad never forgets anything.[48] Sit down and get cool. Have some water or a glass of ginger21 ale or something?”
Kendall declined as he sank into a long rattan22 chair and fanned himself with his hat. “Is that your yacht?” he asked.
“Yes—that is, it’s Dad’s. Mine is a bit smaller.” Gerald smiled. “About a hundred and twenty-five feet shorter. We’ll try her after dinner. I asked Harry23 Merrow to go along. Don’t mind, do you?”
“Not a bit. I like Merrow, although I don’t know him very well. He spoke24 to me the other day after mathematics and we had a talk.”
“He’s a very decent kid. I suppose,” Gerald added with a laugh, “he’s only a year younger than I am, but he’s always seemed a lot younger to me.”
“I guess he’s about sixteen. You’re seventeen, aren’t you?”
“Yes. I’ll be eighteen next Fall when I get to Yale. I suppose that’s early enough, but I’d have made it this year if Dad hadn’t kept me on a diet of tutors for so long. It was funny the way I happened to go to Yardley. Jack was mixed up in it, weren’t you, old doggums?”
“How did it happen?” asked Kendall.
[49]
“Well, over there near where you came through the gate I used to have a playhouse when I was a kid. Once somebody gave me a fireman’s uniform as a present; you know, red blouse and helmet and a brass26 trumpet27 and so on. So one day I thought it would be a bright idea to have a real fire and do a rescue stunt28. So I put on my fireman’s outfit29, got an ax from the stable, shut Jack in the playhouse and set fire to it.”
“Thunder!” exclaimed Kendall.
“Also lightning,” agreed Gerald. “It was a fool thing to do and Jack might have been burned to a crisp because I locked the door and threw the key away for some unknown reason. And the first thing I knew the place was burning like a bonfire. Not that I was troubling much, however. I’d brought along a couple of those chemical extinguishers from the house and my plan was to break open the door, rescue Jack heroically, just like a sure-enough fire-fighter, and then put out the flames with the extinguishers. Poor old Jack was howling like a good one, and I was telling him to keep his courage up or something like that when a fellow sang out from the other side of the fence and wanted to know what I was doing. I told him and invited him over to help. I think he called me a silly little fool, which was impolite but dreadfully true. Then he jumped[50] over, grabbed the ax away from me and beat in the door. The place was just a mass of flames inside and Jack was stretched out like dead. I guess the poor old fellow was scared stiff. So then there was nothing to do but go in and get him. The trouble was that after I reached Jack I was too choked up with smoke and too frightened to get out again, and if the other chap hadn’t lugged30 us both out—well, you wouldn’t be sitting here; and neither would I, nor Jack. We all got scorched31 a little and we boys were put to bed and had to be dosed and fixed32 up by the doctor, and there was a big old fuss.”
“What an awful thing to do!” said Kendall. “Why, you might have been burned horribly. Who was the other boy?”
“Dan Vinton. And that’s how I happened to go to Yardley to school. I’d had about half a dozen tutors and none of them would stay very long because I was a mean little brat33 and made their lives a burden to them, I guess. Dad sort of fell in love with Dan, just as I did, and after a while, when I insisted that I wouldn’t be happy if I couldn’t go to Yardley, Dad let me go on the understanding that Dan was to take charge of me. You see, Dad was away a good deal more then than he is now. So I went to room with Dan, and he made me toe the mark, too.[51] I was like a kid with three nurses, for when Dan wasn’t looking after me then Alf Loring or Tom Dyer was! Well, I had my troubles for a while, but I got through with them. It did me a lot of good, I tell you, Kendall, for I was in a fair way to become a conceited34, puny35 little idiot. Why, I didn’t know what it was to be hungry until I went to Yardley and played football and lived out of doors! I tell you, the fellow that doesn’t go to a school where he can mix with other fellows and be thrown on his own resources and fight his own battles is mighty36 unfortunate.”
“I suppose so,” agreed Kendall, “but it must be pretty hard on some fellows. Take chaps who are shy and have been made a lot of at home, Gerald; I guess they get pretty unhappy sometimes at boarding school.”
“Rather! I was so homesick and—and miserable37 that I ran away once and went home to New York. And Dan came after me and lugged me back. Oh, I know what it is about as well as any fellow. And that’s why I always try to be friendly with the youngsters that come to school looking as though they were walking into a den13 of lions. You come across them every day at this time of year, trailing around by themselves and looking sort of red about the eyes and doleful all over. I know about how they feel; homesick and[52] scared of the other fellows and scared of faculty38 and scared of their lessons. It’s bad while it lasts, but it doesn’t last long. Some morning you wake up with an appetite for breakfast that almost makes you ache; and some fellow says, ‘Hello, kid,’ to you as you go downstairs, and smiles at you or maybe claps you on the back, and you eat a big breakfast and sort of look around and think how jolly everything looks and how friendly the fellows seem all of a sudden. And you wake up to the fact that you belong, that you’re one of the crowd, that you’re a Yardley Hall fellow. And you walk out of commons with a bit of a swagger and begin to try and decide whether to be captain of the football team or a First Honors man!”
Kendall smiled appreciatively. He had been through it himself and it was just as Gerald had described it. And he believed he knew a little better now why Gerald had picked him for a roommate!
“Another thing,” continued Gerald, rubbing Jack’s ribs39 with one foot, “that sort of thing has to come some time, anyway. I mean that—that stage-fright or whatever you want to call it. If you don’t go through with it at prep school you’ll have to face it later; perhaps when you go to college or perhaps when you go into business.[53] Every fellow has to face it some time. It’s a good deal like being tossed into the water and told to swim. You swim after a fashion—because you have to to keep afloat, but you’re scared to death at first. After a bit you like it and they can’t keep you out of the water unless they tie you up!”
“That’s something I can’t do,” said Kendall, “swim.”
“You can’t?” asked Gerald incredulously. “It’s high time you learned then. Where have you been all your life?”
“On a farm,” laughed Kendall. “I’m a hayseed.”
“Aren’t afraid of the water, are you?”
“N-no, I think not. I rather like it, only I’ve never tried to swim in it.”
“That’s good. Just as long as you aren’t scared at the outset you’ll get on all right. You want to keep in your mind the fact that the Lord gave you air to breathe in, ground to walk on and water to swim in, and that you’re just about as safe one place as another. I’ll have to take you in hand some day soon and teach you to swim.”
“I wish you would. I’ve always wanted to know how.”
A minute later they went in to dinner, followed[54] by the two dogs, and sat at opposite sides of a round table and were attended by a serious-faced butler. Kendall held the butler in a good deal of awe40 and marveled at the casual, almost disrespectful way in which his host addressed that functionary41. Once or twice he almost held his breath for fear that the butler, whose name appeared to be Murdock at times and at other times Scout42, would take umbrage43 at the way in which Gerald bossed him around. And when, finally, Gerald said carelessly, “That’s all, Murdock, for a while. Just beat it, will you?” Kendall was quite sure that Murdock would immediately pack his trunk and leave. But he didn’t, for when it was time for the dessert Gerald pressed a button and Murdock noiselessly reappeared, just as though nothing had happened. That dinner was one to remember and dream about, and both boys, though more especially Kendall, enjoyed it heartily44 from the funny little disks of toast covered with some sort of paste that tasted like fish, and which, following Gerald’s lead, Kendall anointed with lemon-juice, to the black coffee served in cups so frail45 that Kendall almost feared to lift one.
Afterwards they went upstairs to Gerald’s room and saw his treasures of various kinds and sat in a broad window-seat that overlooked the[55] Sound. And at about three a maid announced the arrival of Harry Merrow, and they arose with sighs and returned to the terrace.
Harry Merrow didn’t look to be sixteen by a full year. He was small of build and slim of body, with a somewhat thin face that lacked color. He had nice eyes, which were the saving of an otherwise rather featureless face. He jumped out of a chair as the other boys emerged from the house and came to meet them.
“It’s all right,” he announced merrily. “I’ve insured my life for its full value, Gerald, and now where’s the boat?”
“I guess you didn’t have to pay a very heavy premium,” Gerald laughed. “Come inside and let’s get some sweaters. It may be cold on the water, even if it isn’t here.”
The dogs accompanied them down to the pier46, barking excitedly, but there Gerald sent them sternly back to the house. The launch, which rocked gently at the side of the float, won loud praise from Harry.
“Say, Gerald, she’s a beauty! When did you get her? This summer? How fast can she go? My wordy, look at all the brass on her! Glad I don’t have to keep her polished.”
The Dart47 was eighteen feet over all, with a six foot beam. She had a cruising cabin with two[56] bunks48 and a tiny galley50. Her hull51 was of white cedar52 painted light gray, with a gold line, while the inboard finish was mahogany. She was a handsome little craft, and even Kendall, whose knowledge of boats was limited, knew that she was a launch to be proud of. The boys sprang aboard and looked her all over from stem to stern. Harry had to stretch out on a bunk49 before he was satisfied, and insisted on having the small stove lighted so he could see just how it worked. Finally, returning to the cockpit, Gerald started the engine, Harry, under his directions, cast off the moorings, and The Dart headed out to sea.
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1
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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Oxford
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| n.牛津（英国城市） | |
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descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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rustic
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| adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬 | |
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surmounts
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| 战胜( surmount的第三人称单数 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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haven
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| n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所 | |
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7
eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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8
eradicate
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| v.根除，消灭，杜绝 | |
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9
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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10
obnoxious
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| adj.极恼人的，讨人厌的，可憎的 | |
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gusty
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| adj.起大风的 | |
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latch
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| n.门闩，窗闩；弹簧锁 | |
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13
den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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14
shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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17
wharf
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| n.码头，停泊处 | |
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vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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21
ginger
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| n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气 | |
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rattan
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| n.藤条，藤杖 | |
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harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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24
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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thumped
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| v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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trumpet
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| n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘 | |
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28
stunt
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| n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长 | |
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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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lugged
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| vt.用力拖拉（lug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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31
scorched
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| 烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦 | |
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32
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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brat
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| n.孩子；顽童 | |
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conceited
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| adj.自负的，骄傲自满的 | |
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puny
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| adj.微不足道的，弱小的 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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40
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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41
functionary
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| n.官员；公职人员 | |
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42
scout
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| n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索 | |
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43
umbrage
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| n.不快；树荫 | |
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44
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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45
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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46
pier
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| n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱 | |
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47
dart
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| v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲 | |
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48
bunks
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| n.（车、船等倚壁而设的）铺位( bunk的名词复数 )；空话，废话v.（车、船等倚壁而设的）铺位( bunk的第三人称单数 )；空话，废话 | |
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49
bunk
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| n.(车、船等倚壁而设的)铺位；废话 | |
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50
galley
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| n.（飞机或船上的）厨房单层甲板大帆船；军舰舰长用的大划艇； | |
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51
hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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52
cedar
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| n.雪松，香柏(木) | |
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