The Gib Mansion might as well have been a mausoleum. Life was never entertained there. It did not expect to be. Jonet was nobody until Gib married her. After that she was the community’s commiseration2. She died when Agnes, their only child, was ten. The obsequies were private. At the grave, besides the sexton and the minister, and Gib holding Agnes by the hand, there was one other person. That was Gearhard, the father of Jonet, who stood with his feet crossed and his left forearm resting on the sexton’s shoulder as on the bellows-sweep, in a contemplative attitude. People spoke3 of it literally4. There, they said, was another thing Enoch had broken and cast away. No wonder he wished to bury it privately5.
Agnes was sent off to school. She had lately returned[127] and was now living at the Gib Mansion alone with her father. Nobody knew her. There was some mystery about her. A story of unknown origin, and unverified, was that she had been found out at school in an unchaperoned escapade, which so enraged6 old Enoch that he brought her home and deprived her of liberty. It would be like him to do that. Moreover, in the iron age such discipline was feasible. Youth had not yet delivered itself from parental7 tyranny. That was reserved to be one of the marvels8 of the steel age. In 1870 any girl of seventeen was dependent, and one in the situation of Agnes Gib was helpless.
John’s advent9 on this iron grey scene produced a magical change. He was rightful heir to all the social tradition there was in New Damascus. This would have meant nothing in itself. But he liked it. He was not then nor did he ever become the kind of man who must renounce10 life to reach success. That is a matter partly of temperament11 and partly of capacity. Knowledge necessary to his ends he acquired easily, seemingly without effort, even technical knowledge. His imagination worked with the ease of fancy and knew no fatigue12. Business was a game at which he played. Therefore it could not devour13 him. Without a moment’s notice he could turn from one kind of play to another and back again. He would dance all night and come with a crystal mind to the day’s work. Frivolity14 seemed to stimulate15 or recharge his mind.
The youth of New Damascus adored him. A group spontaneously formed around him. He kept large[128] rooms at the inn, where he entertained. More than half his time was spent away from New Damascus, but the new social order adjusted itself to his movements. When he was at home there were parties, dances, suppers, excursions, flirtings and episodes. All this took place on the plane of Quality Street. But his liking16 for people neither began nor ended there. It knew no petty distinctions. There were two kinds of people in the world,—his kind and others. And his kind were all the same to him no matter where he found them. He had friends among the mill workers—big, roystering fellows with whom he often went revelling17 to fill out a night. One of these was Alexander Thane, the splendid puddler18 who had spoken to him that first night in the mill. They became fast friends.
He scandalized people without offending them. Whatever he did, that was John. He did anything he liked and it was forgiven beforehand. His errancies were extravagant19 and alarming, such as had been almost certain to involve a superficial nature in disaster. They were never wicked or immoral20, never hurtful to others and seemed but to innocently enhance the romantic aspect of his personality. This may be true only of one whose character is superior to his follies21. As his character came more and more to be realized people began to say, “Well, that’s one young man Enoch Gib won’t break.”
Enoch regarded him with wonder and misgiving22. John’s impact on the business had been phenomenal.[129] Perhaps no one else could have done it; certainly no one else wasting so much of himself in ways for which Gib felt the utmost contempt could at the same time have attended to business at all. Yet his way with it grew steadily23 stronger and more remarkable24, no matter what else he did.
Gradually there grew up in Gib a vague baffled sense of recurrence25. As New Damascus had idolized Aaron in the old time so now it idolized John. Was that because he was Aaron’s son? For a while it had that aspect. Then it could no longer be so explained. Something that had been was taking place again. What was it? The old man came to this question again and again. It tormented26 him for a year of nights. Then suddenly he had the answer.
New Damascus idolized this person not because he was Aaron’s son but because he was Aaron!
Once this wild thought had occurred to Enoch it expanded rapidly, filling his whole mind, and became an obsession27. Aaron lived again! He had returned with youth and strength restored.
The physical resemblance was in fact very striking. Enoch began to study it surreptitiously. The sight tortured and fascinated him. He could not let it alone. He decided28 he had been mistaken about that look of Esther which at first he had seemed to see in the young man’s eyes. It was not there. Thank God for that. This youth was Aaron himself.
From the moment of perceiving this thing with hallucinated clarity Enoch hated John and arranged his[130] thoughts to dwell against him dangerously. How should he deal with the situation? It had no tangibility29. If he spoke of it people would think he was crazy. Yet there was the fact. Aaron by foul30 strategy had entered the business again. The circumstances of his entering it in the guise31 of a son were extraordinary. As the old man reviewed the incident it assumed a flagrant, preposterous32 aspect. Aaron had outwitted him.
Yes. Aaron had always been able to do that. But this was an outrageous33 act! Nothing like it had ever happened before in the world. And now it behooved34 him to act cautiously, think cunningly, and above all to conceal35 the fact that he knew. Merely again to put Aaron out of the business, as he could easily do, would be neither quittance nor justice.
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1
mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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commiseration
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| n.怜悯，同情 | |
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3
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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literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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6
enraged
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| 使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤 | |
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7
parental
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| adj.父母的；父的；母的 | |
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8
marvels
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| n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 )；令人惊奇的事物（或事例）；不平凡的成果；成就v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 ) | |
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advent
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| n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临 | |
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renounce
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| v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系 | |
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temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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13
devour
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| v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷 | |
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frivolity
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| n.轻松的乐事，兴高采烈；轻浮的举止 | |
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stimulate
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| vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋 | |
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liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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revelling
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| v.作乐( revel的现在分词 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉 | |
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puddler
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| n.捣泥者，搅拌器，混凝器 | |
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extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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immoral
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| adj.不道德的，淫荡的，荒淫的，有伤风化的 | |
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follies
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| 罪恶，时事讽刺剧； 愚蠢，蠢笨，愚蠢的行为、思想或做法( folly的名词复数 ) | |
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misgiving
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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recurrence
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| n.复发，反复，重现 | |
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tormented
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| 饱受折磨的 | |
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obsession
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| n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感) | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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tangibility
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| n.确切性 | |
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30
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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31
guise
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| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
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32
preposterous
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| adj.荒谬的，可笑的 | |
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33
outrageous
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| adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的 | |
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34
behooved
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| v.适宜( behoove的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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