VIII. THAT OF THE TUCK-SHOP WOMAN.

 Of all the schools throughout the land

St. Vedast's is the oldest, and

All men are proud

(And justly proud)

Who claim St. Vedast's as their Al-

Ma mater. There I went a cal-

Low youth. Don't think I'm going to paint

The glories of this school—I ain't.

The Rev¹. Cecil Rowe, M.A.,

Was classics Master in my day,

A learned man

(A worthy² man)

In fact you'd very rarely see

A much more clever man than he.

But if you think you'll hear a lot

About this person,—you will not.

The porter was a man named Clarke;

We boys considered it a lark³

To play him tricks

(The usual tricks

Boys play at public schools like this),

And Clarke would sometimes take amiss

These tricks. But don't think I would go

And only sing of him. Oh, no!

This ditty, I would beg to state,

Professes⁴ likewise to relate

The latter words

(The solemn words)

Of her who kept the tuck-shop at

St. Vedast's. I'd inform you that

The porter was her only son

(The reason was—she had but one).

For many years the worthy soul

Had kept the shop—the well-loved goal

Of little boys

(And larger boys)

Who bought the tarts⁵, and ginger⁶ pop

And other things sold at her shop—

But, feebler growing year by year,

She felt her end was drawing near.

 

She therefore bade her son attend,

That she might whisper, ere her end,

A startling tale

(A secret tale)

That on her happiness had preyed⁷,

And heavy on her conscience weighed

For many a year. "Alas⁸! my son,"

She sighed, "injustice⁹ has been done.

"Let not your bitter anger rise,

Nor gaze with sad reproachful eyes

On one who's been

(You know I've been)

For many years your mother, dear;

And though you think my story queer,

Believe—or I shall feel distressed—

I thought I acted for the best.

"When you were but a tiny boy

(Your mother's and your father's joy),

Good Mr. Rowe

(The Revd. Rowe)

Was but a little baby too,

Who very much resembled you,

And, being poorly off in purse,

I took this baby out to nurse.

 

"Alike in features and in size—

So like, indeed, the keenest eyes

Would find it hard

(Extremely hard)

To tell the t'other from the one——"

"Hold! though your tale is but begun,"

The porter cried, "a man may guess

The secret of your keen distress¹⁰.

"You changed the babes at nurse, and I

(No wonder that you weep and sigh),

Tho' callèd Clarke

(School Porter Clarke),

Am really Mr. Rowe. I see.

And he, of course, poor man, is me,

While all the fortune he has known

Through these long years should be my own.

"Oh falsely, falsely, have you done

To call me all this time your son;

I've always felt

(Distinctly felt)

That I was born to better things

Than portering, and such-like, brings,

I'll hurry now, and tell poor Rowe

What, doubtless, he will feel a blow."

"Stay! stay!" the woman cried, "'tis true,

My poor ill-treated boy, that you

Have every right

(Undoubted right)

To feel aggrieved¹². I had the chance

Your future welfare to advance

By changing babes. I knew I'd rue¹¹ it,

My poor boy—but—I didn't do it."

1 rev   

v.发动机旋转，加快速度

参考例句：

• It's his job to rev up the audience before the show starts.他要负责在表演开始前鼓动观众的热情。
• Don't rev the engine so hard.别让发动机转得太快。

2 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。

3 lark   

n.云雀，百灵鸟；n.嬉戏，玩笑；vi.嬉戏

参考例句：

• He thinks it cruel to confine a lark in a cage.他认为把云雀关在笼子里太残忍了。
• She lived in the village with her grandparents as cheerful as a lark.她同祖父母一起住在乡间非常快活。

4 professes   

声称( profess的第三人称单数 )； 宣称； 公开表明； 信奉

参考例句：

• She still professes her innocence. 她仍然声称自己无辜。
• He professes himself to be sad but doesn't look it. 他自称感到悲伤，但外表却看不出来。

5 tarts   

n.果馅饼( tart的名词复数 )；轻佻的女人；妓女；小妞

参考例句：

• I decided to make some tarts for tea. 我决定做些吃茶点时吃的果馅饼。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They ate raspberry tarts and ice cream. 大家吃着木莓馅饼和冰淇淋。 来自辞典例句

6 ginger   

n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气

参考例句：

• There is no ginger in the young man.这个年轻人没有精神。
• Ginger shall be hot in the mouth.生姜吃到嘴里总是辣的。

7 preyed   

v.掠食( prey的过去式和过去分词 )；掠食；折磨；（人）靠欺诈为生

参考例句：

• Remorse preyed upon his mind. 悔恨使他内心痛苦。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He had been unwise and it preyed on his conscience. 他做得不太明智，这一直让他良心不安。 来自辞典例句

8 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

9 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

10 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

11 rue   

n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔

参考例句：

• You'll rue having failed in the examination.你会悔恨考试失败。
• You're going to rue this the longest day that you live.你要终身悔恨不尽呢。

12 aggrieved   

adj.愤愤不平的，受委屈的；悲痛的；（在合法权利方面）受侵害的v.令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式)；令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• He felt aggrieved at not being chosen for the team. 他因没被选到队里感到愤愤不平。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She is the aggrieved person whose fiance&1& did not show up for their wedding. 她很委屈，她的未婚夫未出现在他们的婚礼上。 来自《简明英汉词典》