XVIII. THAT OF "8" AND "22."

 'Twas on the "Royal Sovereign,"

Which sails from Old Swan Pier¹,

That Henry Phipps met Emily Green,

And—this is somewhat queer—

Aboard the ship was Obadiah,

Likewise a lady called Maria

The surnames of these people I

Cannot just now recall,

But 'tis quite immaterial,

It matters not at all.

The point is this—Phipps met Miss Green;

The sequel quickly will be seen.

He noticed her the first time when

To luncheon² they went down

(The luncheon on the "Sovereign"

Is only half a-crown),

Where Obadiah gravely at

The table, with Maria, sat.

And Obadiah coughed because

Phipps looked at Emily—she at him.

Maria likewise noticed it,

And thereupon grew stern and grim,

Though neither one of all the four

Had met the other one before.

Now Emily Green was pretty, but

Maria—she was the reverse;

While Obadiah's looks were tra-

Gic—something like Macbeth's, but worse.—

And these two somehow seemed to be

Quite down on Phipps, and Miss E. G.

For when she smiled, and kindly³ passed

The salt—which Phipps had asked her for—

Maria tossed her head and sniffed⁴,

And Obadiah muttered "Pshaw!"

While later on Miss E. G. thinks

She heard Maria call her "minx."

Twice on the upper deck when Phipps

Just ventured, in a casual way,

To pass appropriate remarks,

Or comment on the "perfect" day,

He caught Maria listening, and,

Close by, saw Obadiah stand.

At last, at Margate by the Sea,

The "Royal Sovereign" came to port.

Phipps hurried off and soon secured

A lodging⁵ very near The Fort

(He'd understood Miss Green to say

That she should lodge⁶ somewhere that way).

He really was annoyed to find

That Obadiah came there too,

While Miss Maria, opposite,

The parlour blinds was peering through.

Still he felt very happy, for

He saw Miss Green arrive next door.

That night he met her on the pier,

And Phipps, of course, he raised his hat.

Miss Emily Green blushed, smiled, and stopped—

It was not to be wondered at.

But Obadiah, passing by,

Transfixed them with his eagle eye.

 

And, later in the evening, when

The two were list'ning to the band,

Phipps—tho' perhaps he oughtn't to—

Was gently squeezing Emily's hand.

He dropped it suddenly, for there

Maria stood, with stony⁸ stare.

'Twas so on each succeeding day.

Whate'er they did, where'er they went,

There Obadiah followed them;

Maria, too. No accident

Could possibly account for this

Sad interference with their bliss⁹.

At last Phipps, goaded¹⁰ to despair,

Cried: "Pray, sir—what, sir, do you wish?"

But Obadiah turned away,

Merely ejaculating "Pish!"

Then Phipps addressed Maria too,

And all he got from her was "Pooh!"

So Mr. Phipps and Emily Green

Determined¹¹ something must be done.

And all one day they talked it o'er,

From early morn till setting sun.

Then, privately¹², the morrow fixed⁷

For joining in the bathing,—mixed.

They knew that Obadiah would

Be present, and Maria too.

They were; and his machine was "8,"

Maria's Number "22."

They each stood glaring from their door,

Some little distance from the shore.

The tide came in, the bathers all—

Including Phipps and Emily Green—

Each sought his own—his very own—

Particular bathing-machine;

But Nos. "22" and "8"

Were left, unheeded, to their fate.

When, one by one, the horses drew

The other machines to the shore,

Phipps bribed¹³ the men to leave those two

Exactly where they were before.

(In "8," you know, was Obadiah,

And "22" contained Maria.)

 

The tide rose higher, carrying

The two machines quite out to sea.

The love affairs of Emily Green

And Phipps proceeded happily.

* * *

I'm not quite certain of the fate

Of either "22" or "8."

1 pier   

n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱

参考例句：

• The pier of the bridge has been so badly damaged that experts worry it is unable to bear weight.这座桥的桥桩破损厉害，专家担心它已不能负重。
• The ship was making towards the pier.船正驶向码头。

2 luncheon   

n.午宴，午餐，便宴

参考例句：

• We have luncheon at twelve o'clock.我们十二点钟用午餐。
• I have a luncheon engagement.我午饭有约。

3 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

4 sniffed   

v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣，吸了吸鼻子，擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 lodging   

n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍

参考例句：

• The bill is inclusive of the food and lodging. 账单包括吃、住费用。
• Where can you find lodging for the night? 你今晚在哪里借宿?

6 lodge   

v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆

参考例句：

• Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
• I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

7 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

8 stony   

adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的

参考例句：

• The ground is too dry and stony.这块地太干，而且布满了石头。
• He listened to her story with a stony expression.他带着冷漠的表情听她讲经历。

9 bliss   

n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福

参考例句：

• It's sheer bliss to be able to spend the day in bed.整天都可以躺在床上真是幸福。
• He's in bliss that he's won the Nobel Prize.他非常高兴，因为获得了诺贝尔奖金。

10 goaded   

v.刺激( goad的过去式和过去分词 )；激励；（用尖棒）驱赶；驱使（或怂恿、刺激）某人

参考例句：

• Goaded beyond endurance, she turned on him and hit out. 她被气得忍无可忍，于是转身向他猛击。
• The boxers were goaded on by the shrieking crowd. 拳击运动员听见观众的喊叫就来劲儿了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

12 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

13 bribed   

v.贿赂( bribe的过去式和过去分词 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• They bribed him with costly presents. 他们用贵重的礼物贿赂他。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He bribed himself onto the committee. 他暗通关节，钻营投机挤进了委员会。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》