CHAPTER IX. GENERALSHIP.

 The next day Harry¹ called again.

 

"Master 'aint countermanded² the order, Doctor. He 'aint at home—not a bit of it. He 'aint been out of the house since that night."

 

"Well, is Miss Cathcart at home?"

 

"She's said nothing to the contrairy, sir. I believe she is at home.

I know she's out in the garding—on the terridge."

And old Beeves held the door wide open, as if to say—"Don't stop to ask any questions, but step into the garden." Which Harry did.

 

There was a high gravel³ terrace along one end of it, always dry and sunny when there was any sun going; and there she was, over-looked by the windows of her papa's room.

 

Now I do not know anything that passed upon that terrace. How should I know? Neither of them was likely to tell old Smith. And I wonder at the clumsiness of novelists in pretending to reveal all that he said, and all that she answered. But if I were such a clumsy novelist, I should like to invent it all, and see if I couldn't make you believe every word of it.

 

This is what I would invent.

 

The moment Adela caught sight of Harry, she cast one frightened glance up to her father's windows, and stood waiting. He lifted his hat; and held out his hand. She took it. Neither spoke⁴. They turned together and walked along the terrace.

 

"I am very sorry," said Harry at last.

 

"Are you? What for?"

 

"Because I got you into a scrape."

 

"Oh! I don't care."

 

"Don't you?"

 

"No; not a bit."

 

"I didn't mean it."

 

"What didn't you mean?"

 

"It did look like it, I know."

 

"Look like what?"

 

"Adela, you'll drive me crazy. It was all your fault."

 

"So I told papa, and he was angrier than ever."

 

"You angel! It wasn't your fault. It was your eyes. I couldn't help it.

Adela, I love you dreadfully."

"I'm so glad."

 

She gave a sigh as of relief.

 

"Why?"

 

"Because I wished you would. But I don't deserve it. A great clever man like you love a useless girl like me! I am so glad!"

 

"But your papa?"

 

"I'm so happy, I can't think about him steadily⁶ just yet."

 

"Adela, I love you—so dearly! Only I am too old for you."

 

"Old! how old are you?"

 

"Nearly thirty."

 

"And I'm only one-and-twenty. You're worth one and a half of me—yes twenty of me."

 

And so their lips played with the ripples⁷ of love, while their hearts were heaving with the ground swell⁸ of its tempest.

 

Now what I do know about is this:

 

The colonel came down-stairs in his dressing-gown and slippers⁹, and found Beeves flattening¹⁰ his nose against the glass of the garden-door.

 

"Beeves!" said the colonel.

 

"Sir!" said Beeves, darting¹¹ around and confronting his master with a face purple and pale from the sense of utter unpreparedness.

 

"Beeves, where is your mistress?"

 

"My mistress, sir? I beg your pardon, sir, I'm sure, sir! How should I know, sir? I 'aint let her out. Shall I run up-stairs and see if she is in her room?"

 

"Open the door."

 

Beeves laid violent hold upon the handle of the door, and pulled and twisted, but always took care to pull before he twisted.

 

"I declare if that stupid Ann 'aint been and locked it. It aint nice in the garden to-day, sir—leastways without goloshes," added he, looking down at his master's slippers.

 

Now the colonel understood Beeves, and Beeves knew that he understood him. But Beeves knew likewise that the colonel would not give in to the possibility of his servant's taking such liberties with him.

 

"Never mind," said the colonel; "I will go the other way."

 

The moment he was out of sight, Beeves opened the garden-door, and began gesticulating like a madman, fully⁵ persuaded that the doctor would make his escape. But so far from being prepared to run away, Harry had come there with the express intention of forcing a conference. So that when the colonel made his appearance on the terrace, the culprits walked slowly towards him. He went to meet them with long military strides, and was the first to speak.

 

"Mr. Armstrong, to what am I to attribute this intrusion?"

 

"Chiefly to the desire of seeing you, Colonel Cathcart."

 

"And I find you with my daughter!—Adela, go in-doors,"

 

Adela withdrew at once.

 

"You denied yourself, and I inquired for Miss Cathcart."

 

"You will oblige me by not calling again."

 

"Surely I have committed no fault beyond forgiveness."

 

"You have taken advantage of your admission into my family to entrap¹² the affections of my daughter."

 

"Colonel Cathcart, as far as my conscience tells me, I have not behaved unworthily."

 

"Sir, is it not unworthy of a gentleman to use such professional advantages to gain the favour of one who—you will excuse me for reminding you of what you will not allow me to forget—is as much above him in social position, as inferior to him in years and experience."

 

"Is it always unworthy in a gentleman to aspire¹³ to a lady above him in social position, Colonel Cathcart?"

 

The honesty of the colonel checked all reply to this home-thrust.

 

Harry resumed:

 

"At least I am able to maintain my wife in what may be considered comfort."

 

"Your wife!" exclaimed the colonel, his anger blazing out at the word.

"If you use that expression with any prospective¹⁴ reference to Miss

Cathcart, I am master enough in my own family to insure you full

possession of the presumption¹⁵. I wish you good morning."

The angry man of war turned on his slippered¹⁶ heel, and was striding away.

 

"One word, I beg," said Harry.

 

The colonel had too much courtesy in his nature not to stop and turn half towards the speaker.

 

"I beg to assure you," said Harry, "that I shall continue to cherish the hope that after-thoughts will present my conduct, as well as myself, in a more favourable¹⁷ light to Colonel Cathcart."

 

And he lifted his hat, and walked away by the gate.

 

"By Jove!" said the colonel, to himself, notwithstanding the rage he was in, "the fellow can express himself like a gentleman, anyhow."

 

And so he went back to his room, where I heard him pacing about for hours. I believe he found that his better self was not to be so easily put down as he had supposed; and that that better self sided with Adela and Harry.

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 countermanded   

v.取消（命令），撤回( countermand的过去分词 )

参考例句：

3 gravel   

n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石

参考例句：

• We bought six bags of gravel for the garden path.我们购买了六袋碎石用来铺花园的小路。
• More gravel is needed to fill the hollow in the drive.需要更多的砾石来填平车道上的坑洼。

4 spoke   

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

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

6 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

7 ripples   

逐渐扩散的感觉( ripple的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The moon danced on the ripples. 月亮在涟漪上舞动。
• The sea leaves ripples on the sand. 海水在沙滩上留下了波痕。

8 swell   

vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强

参考例句：

• The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。
• His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。

9 slippers   

n. 拖鞋

参考例句：

• a pair of slippers 一双拖鞋
• He kicked his slippers off and dropped on to the bed. 他踢掉了拖鞋，倒在床上。

10 flattening   

n. 修平 动词flatten的现在分词

参考例句：

• Flattening of the right atrial border is also seen in constrictive pericarditis. 右心房缘变平亦见于缩窄性心包炎。
• He busied his fingers with flattening the leaves of the book. 他手指忙着抚平书页。

11 darting   

v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔

参考例句：

• Swallows were darting through the clouds. 燕子穿云急飞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Swallows were darting through the air. 燕子在空中掠过。 来自辞典例句

12 entrap   

v.以网或陷阱捕捉，使陷入圈套

参考例句：

• The police have been given extra powers to entrap drug traffickers.警方已经被进一步授权诱捕毒贩。
• He overturned the conviction,saying the defendant was entrapped.他声称被告是被诱骗的，从而推翻了有罪的判决。

13 aspire   

vi.(to，after)渴望，追求，有志于

参考例句：

• Living together with you is what I aspire toward in my life.和你一起生活是我一生最大的愿望。
• I aspire to be an innovator not a follower.我迫切希望能变成个开创者而不是跟随者。

14 prospective   

adj.预期的，未来的，前瞻性的

参考例句：

• The story should act as a warning to other prospective buyers.这篇报道应该对其他潜在的购买者起到警示作用。
• They have all these great activities for prospective freshmen.这会举办各种各样的活动来招待未来的新人。

15 presumption   

n.推测，可能性，冒昧，放肆，[法律]推定

参考例句：

• Please pardon my presumption in writing to you.请原谅我很冒昧地写信给你。
• I don't think that's a false presumption.我认为那并不是错误的推测。

16 slippered   

穿拖鞋的

参考例句：

• She slippered across the room from her bed. 她下床穿着拖鞋走过房间 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She saw pairs of slippered feet -- but no one was moving. 她看见一双双穿着拖鞋的脚--可是谁也没有挪动一步。 来自互联网

17 favourable   

adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的

参考例句：

• The company will lend you money on very favourable terms.这家公司将以非常优惠的条件借钱给你。
• We found that most people are favourable to the idea.我们发现大多数人同意这个意见。