CHAPTER V. PERCY.

 By this time Percy had returned to London. His mother remained; but the terms understood between her niece and herself were those of icy politeness and reserve. I learned afterwards that something of an understanding had also been arrived at between Percy and Harry¹; ever since learning the particulars of which, I have liked the young rascal² a great deal better. So I will trouble my reader to take an interest in my report of the affair.

 

Percy met Harry at the gate, after one of his professional visits, and accosted³ him thus:

 

"Mr. Armstrong, my mother says you have been rude to her."

 

"I am not in the least aware of it, Mr. Percy."

 

"Oh! I don't care much. She is provoking. Besides, she can take care of herself. That's not it."

 

"What is it, then?"

 

"What do you mean about Adela?"

 

"I have said nothing more than that she has had a sharp attack of intermittent⁴ fever, which is going off."

 

"Come, come—you know what I mean."

 

"I may suspect, but I don't choose to answer hints, the meaning of which I only suspect. I might make a fool of myself."

 

"Well, I'll be plain. Are you in love with her?"

 

"Suppose I were, you are not the first to whom I should think it necessary to confess."

 

"Well, are you paying your addresses to her?"

 

"I am sorry I cannot consent to make my answers as frank as your questions. You have the advantage of me in straightforwardness⁵, I confess. Only you have got sun and wind of me both."

 

"Come, come—I hate dodging⁶."

 

"I daresay you do. But just let me shift round a bit, and see what you will do then.—Are you in love with Miss Cathcart?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Upon my word, I shouldn't have thought it. Here have we been all positively⁷ conspiring⁸ to do her good, and you have been paying ten times the attention to the dogs and horses that you have paid to her."

 

"By Jove! it's quite true. But I couldn't somehow."

 

"Then she hasn't encouraged you?"

 

"By Jupiter! you are frank enough now.—No, damn it—not a bit.—But she used to like me, and she would again, if you would let her alone."

 

"Now, Mr. Percy, I'll tell you what.—I don't believe you are a bit in love with her."

 

"She's devilish pretty."

 

"Well?"

 

"And I declare I think she got prettier and prettier every day till this cursed ague took her.—Your fault too, my mother says."

 

"We'll leave your mother out of the question now, if you please. Do you know what made her look prettier and prettier—for you are quite right about that?"

 

"No. I suppose you were giving her arsenic⁹."

 

"No. I was giving her the true elixir¹⁰ vitae, unknown even to the

Rosicrucians."

Percy stared.

 

"I will explain myself. Her friend, Mr. Smith—"

 

"Old fogie!"

 

"Old bachelor—yes.—Mr. Smith and I agreed that she was dying of ennui¹¹; and so we got up this story-club, and got my brother and the rest to bear a hand in it. It did her all the good the most sanguine¹² of us could have hoped for."

 

"I thought it horrid¹³ slow."

 

"I am surprised at that, for you were generally asleep."

 

"I was forced, in self-defence. I couldn't smoke."

 

"It gave her something to think about."

 

"So it seems."

 

"Now, Mr. Percy, how could you think you had the smallest chance with her, when here was the first one and then another turning each the flash of his own mental prism upon her weary eyes, and healing them with light; while you would not take the smallest trouble to gratify her, or even to show yourself to anything like advantage?—My dear fellow, what a fool you are!"

 

"Mr. Armstrong!"

 

"Come, come—you began with frankness, and I've only gone on with it.

You are a good-hearted fellow, and ought to be made something of."

"At all events, you make something of yourself, to talk of your own productions as the elixir vitae."

 

"You forget that I am in disgrace as well as yourself on that score; for I have not read a word of my own since the club began."

 

"Then how the devil should I be worse off than you?"

 

"I didn't say you were. I only said you did your best to place yourself at a disadvantage. I at least took a part in the affair, although a very humble¹⁴ one. But depend upon it, a girl like Miss Cathcart thinks more of mental gifts, than of any outward advantages which a man may possess; and in the company of those who think, a fellow's good looks don't go for much. She could not help measuring you by those other men—and women too. But you may console yourself with the reflection that there are plenty of girls, and pretty ones too, of a very different way of judging; and for my part you are welcome to the pick of them."

 

"You mean to say that I sha'n't have Addie?"

 

"Not in the least. But, come now—do you think yourself worthy¹⁵ of a girl like that?"

 

"No. Do you?"

 

"No. But I should not feel such a hypocrite if she thought me worthy, as to give her up on that ground."

 

"Then what do you mean?"

 

"To win her, if I can."

 

"Whew!"

 

"But if you are a gentleman, you will let me say so myself, and not betray my secret."

 

"Damned if I do! Good luck to you! There's my hand. I believe you're a good fellow after all. I wish I had seen you ride to hounds. They tell me it's a sight."

 

"Thank you heartily¹⁶. But what are you going to do?"

 

"Go back to the sweet-flowing Thames, and the dreams of the desk."

 

"Well—be a man as well as a gentleman. Don't be a fool."

 

"Hang it all! I believe it was her money, after all, I was in love with. Good-bye!"

 

But the poor fellow looked grave enough as he went away. And I trust that, before long, he, too, began to reap some of the good corn that grows on the wintry fields of disappointment.—I have my eye upon him; but it is little an old fogie like me can do with a fellow like Percy.

1 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

2 rascal   

n.流氓；不诚实的人

参考例句：

• If he had done otherwise,I should have thought him a rascal.如果他不这样做，我就认为他是个恶棍。
• The rascal was frightened into holding his tongue.这坏蛋吓得不敢往下说了。

3 accosted   

v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭

参考例句：

• She was accosted in the street by a complete stranger. 在街上，一个完全陌生的人贸然走到她跟前搭讪。
• His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him. 他乐善好施的本性使他不会拒绝走上前向他行乞的任何一个乞丐。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 intermittent   

adj.间歇的，断断续续的

参考例句：

• Did you hear the intermittent sound outside?你听见外面时断时续的声音了吗？
• In the daytime intermittent rains freshened all the earth.白天里，时断时续地下着雨，使整个大地都生气勃勃了。

5 straightforwardness   

n.坦白，率直

参考例句：

• They were impressed by his sincerity and straightforwardness. 他的诚恳直率给他们留下了很深的印象。
• What some people take for rudeness is really straightforwardness. 一些人所认为的无礼实际上却是直率的表现。

6 dodging   

n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避

参考例句：

• He ran across the road, dodging the traffic. 他躲开来往的车辆跑过马路。
• I crossed the highway, dodging the traffic. 我避开车流穿过了公路。 来自辞典例句

7 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

8 conspiring   

密谋( conspire的现在分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致

参考例句：

• They were accused of conspiring against the king. 他们被指控阴谋反对国王。
• John Brown and his associates were tried for conspiring to overthrow the slave states. 约翰·布朗和他的合伙者们由于密谋推翻实行奴隶制度的美国各州而被审讯。

9 arsenic   

n.砒霜，砷；adj.砷的

参考例句：

• His wife poisoned him with arsenic.他的妻子用砒霜把他毒死了。
• Arsenic is a poison.砒霜是毒药。

10 elixir   

n.长生不老药，万能药

参考例句：

• There is no elixir of life in the world.世界上没有长生不老药。
• Keep your mind awake and active;that's the only youth elixir.保持头脑清醒和灵活便是保持年轻的唯一灵丹妙药。

11 ennui   

n.怠倦，无聊

参考例句：

• Since losing his job,he has often experienced a profound sense of ennui.他自从失业以来，常觉百无聊赖。
• Took up a hobby to relieve the ennui of retirement.养成一种嗜好以消除退休后的无聊。

12 sanguine   

adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的

参考例句：

• He has a sanguine attitude to life.他对于人生有乐观的看法。
• He is not very sanguine about our chances of success.他对我们成功的机会不太乐观。

13 horrid   

adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的

参考例句：

• I'm not going to the horrid dinner party.我不打算去参加这次讨厌的宴会。
• The medicine is horrid and she couldn't get it down.这种药很难吃，她咽不下去。

14 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

15 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

16 heartily   

adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很

参考例句：

• He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse.他痛快地吃了一顿，就出去找他的马。
• The host seized my hand and shook it heartily.主人抓住我的手，热情地和我握手。