“How would you like it cut, sir?” she asked, placing a hand upon each of his shoulders, and peering round at him with enamouring eyes.
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“Oh, with a pair of scissors, don’t you think?” he replied at a venture, for he was not often waggish21. But it was a very successful sally, the girl chuckled22 with rapture23, loose fringes of her hair tickled24 his cheek, and he caught puffs25 of her sweet-scented breath. She was gold-haired, not very tall, and had pleasant turns about her neck and face and wrists that almost fascinated him. When they had agreed upon the range and extent of his shearing26, the girl proceeded to the accomplishment27 of the task in complete silence, almost with gravity. Huxley began wondering how many hundreds and thousands of crops were squeezed annually28 by the delicious fingers, how many polls denuded29 by those competent shears30. Very sad. Once a year, he supposed, she would go holidaying for a week or ten days; she would go to Bournemouth for the bathing or for whatever purpose it is people go to Bournemouth, Barmouth, or Blackpool. He determined31 to come in again the day after to-morrow and be shaved by her.
At the conclusion of the rite32 she brushed his coat collar very meticulously33, tiptoeing a little, and remarked in a bright manner upon the weather, which was also bright. Then she went back to shave what Huxley described to himself as a “red-faced old cockalorum,” whom he at once disliked very thoroughly34. She had given him a check with a fee marked upon it; he took this down the stairs and paid his dues to “a bald-headed old god-like monster”—Huxley felt sure he was—who sat in the shop below, surrounded by fringe-nets, stuffings, moustache wax, creams, toothbrushes, and sponges.
239
Two days later Huxley Rustem repeated his visit, but not all the intrigue35 of the girl nor his own man?uvring could effect the happy arrangement again, although he sat for a long time feeling sure that there was no other establishment of its kind in which the elements of celerity were so unreservedly abandoned, and the flunkeyism so peculiarly viscous36. The many mirrors, of course, multiplied the objects of his factitious contempt; those male barbers were small vain beings of disagreeable outline to whom the doom37 of shaving tens of thousands of chins for ever and ever afforded a white-faced languid happiness. Huxley was exasperated—his personality always ran so easily to exasperation—by the care with which the wrinkled face of a sportive old gent of sixty was being massaged38 with steaming cloths. He wore pretty brown button boots and large check trousers; there was still a vain wisp or two of white hair left upon his tight round skull39 and his indescribably silly old face. In the outcome our hero had perforce to be shaved by a youth of the last revolting assiduity, who caressed40 his chin with strong, excoriating41 palms.
In the ensuing weeks Huxley Rustem became a regular visitor to the saloon, but he suffered repeated disappointments. He was disconsolate42; it was most baffling; not once did he secure the bliss43 of her attentions. He felt himself a fool; some men could do these things as easily as they grew whiskers, but Rustem was not one of them, for the traditions of virtue44 and sweet conduct were very firmly rooted in him; he was like a mouse living in a large white empty bath which, if it was unscaleable, was clean,240 and if it was rather blank was never terrifying. It is easy, so very easy, to be virtuous45 when you can’t be anything else. But still he very much desired to take the fair barber out to dinner, say, just for an hour or two in a quiet place where one eats and chats and listens to the pleasant shrilling46 of restaurant violins. He would be able to amuse her with tales and recitals47 of his experiences and she would constantly exclaim “Really!” as if entranced—as she probably would be. In his imagined hour her conversational48 exchanges never developed beyond that, yet it was enough to thrill him with a mild happiness. An egoist is a mystic without a god, but seldom ever without a goddess. It was bliss to adore her, but very heaven for her to be adoring him. To be just to Huxley Rustem that was all he meant, but try as he would he could never make up the happy occasion. It was a most discomfiting49 experience. It is true that he saw her in the street on three or four occasions, but each time he was accompanied by his wife, and each time he was guilty of a vain pretence50, his behaviour to his companion being extremely casual—as if she were just an acquaintance instead of being an important alliance. But no one could possibly have mistaken the lady for anything but Huxley’s very own wife, and the little barber was provocatively51 demure17 at these encounters. Once, however, he was alone, and she passed, ogling52 him in a very frank way. But she did not understand egoists like Rustem. He was impervious53 to any such direct challenge; he thought it a little silly, coarse even. Had she been shy and diffident, allowing him to be masterful241 instead of confusing him, he would have fluttered easily into her flame.
So the affair remained, and would have remained for ever but that, by the grace of fortune, he found himself one day at last actually sitting again in front of the charming girl, who was not less aware of the attraction than he himself. She was nervous and actually with her shears clipped a part of his ear. Huxley was rather glad of that, it eased the situation, but on his departure he committed the rash act for which he never afterwards forgave himself. Her fingers were touching54 his as she gave him the pay check, when he took suddenly from his pocket a silver coin and pressed it into her hand, smiling. It was as if he had struck her a blow. He was shocked at the surprised resentment55 in the fierce glance she flung him. She tossed the coin into a tray for catching56 tobacco ash and cigarette ends. He realized at once the enormity of the affront57; his vulgar act had smashed the delicate little coil between them. Vague and almost frivolous58 as it was, she had prized it. Poor as it was, it could yet deeply humiliate59 him. But it was a blunder that could never be retrieved60, and he turned quickly and sadly out of the saloon, feeling the awful sting of his own contempt. Crass61 fool that he was, didn’t he realize that even barbers had their altitudes? Did he think he could buy a jewel like that, as he bought a packet of tobacco, with a miserable62 shilling? Perhaps Huxley Rustem was unduly63 sensitive about it, but he could never again bring himself to enter the saloon and meet that wounded gaze. He only recovered his balance242 when, a fortnight later, he encountered her in the street wearing the weeds of a widow! Then he felt almost as indignant as if she had indeed deceived him!
点击收听单词发音
1 speculation | |
n.思索,沉思;猜测;投机 | |
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2 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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3 inclination | |
n.倾斜;点头;弯腰;斜坡;倾度;倾向;爱好 | |
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4 excision | |
n.删掉;除去 | |
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5 pimples | |
n.丘疹,粉刺,小脓疱( pimple的名词复数 ) | |
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6 discomfiture | |
n.崩溃;大败;挫败;困惑 | |
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7 inquiry | |
n.打听,询问,调查,查问 | |
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8 ironic | |
adj.讽刺的,有讽刺意味的,出乎意料的 | |
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9 lather | |
n.(肥皂水的)泡沫,激动 | |
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10 lark | |
n.云雀,百灵鸟;n.嬉戏,玩笑;vi.嬉戏 | |
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11 adamant | |
adj.坚硬的,固执的 | |
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12 decided | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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13 derived | |
vi.起源;由来;衍生;导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 );(从…中)得到获得;源于;(从…中)提取 | |
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14 imposture | |
n.冒名顶替,欺骗 | |
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15 ushered | |
v.引,领,陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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16 demurely | |
adv.装成端庄地,认真地 | |
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17 demure | |
adj.严肃的;端庄的 | |
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18 mischievously | |
adv.有害地;淘气地 | |
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19 noted | |
adj.著名的,知名的 | |
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20 vividly | |
adv.清楚地,鲜明地,生动地 | |
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21 waggish | |
adj.诙谐的,滑稽的 | |
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22 chuckled | |
轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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23 rapture | |
n.狂喜;全神贯注;着迷;v.使狂喜 | |
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24 tickled | |
(使)发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 ); (使)愉快,逗乐 | |
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25 puffs | |
n.吸( puff的名词复数 );(烟斗或香烟的)一吸;一缕(烟、蒸汽等);(呼吸或风的)呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 );喷着汽(或烟)移动;吹嘘;吹捧 | |
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26 shearing | |
n.剪羊毛,剪取的羊毛v.剪羊毛( shear的现在分词 );切断;剪切 | |
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27 accomplishment | |
n.完成,成就,(pl.)造诣,技能 | |
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28 annually | |
adv.一年一次,每年 | |
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29 denuded | |
adj.[医]变光的,裸露的v.使赤裸( denude的过去式和过去分词 );剥光覆盖物 | |
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30 shears | |
n.大剪刀 | |
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31 determined | |
adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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32 rite | |
n.典礼,惯例,习俗 | |
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33 meticulously | |
adv.过细地,异常细致地;无微不至;精心 | |
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34 thoroughly | |
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 | |
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35 intrigue | |
vt.激起兴趣,迷住;vi.耍阴谋;n.阴谋,密谋 | |
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36 viscous | |
adj.粘滞的,粘性的 | |
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37 doom | |
n.厄运,劫数;v.注定,命定 | |
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38 massaged | |
按摩,推拿( massage的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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39 skull | |
n.头骨;颅骨 | |
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40 caressed | |
爱抚或抚摸…( caress的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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41 excoriating | |
v.擦伤( excoriate的现在分词 );擦破(皮肤);剥(皮);严厉指责 | |
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42 disconsolate | |
adj.忧郁的,不快的 | |
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43 bliss | |
n.狂喜,福佑,天赐的福 | |
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44 virtue | |
n.德行,美德;贞操;优点;功效,效力 | |
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45 virtuous | |
adj.有品德的,善良的,贞洁的,有效力的 | |
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46 shrilling | |
(声音)尖锐的,刺耳的,高频率的( shrill的现在分词 ); 凄厉 | |
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47 recitals | |
n.独唱会( recital的名词复数 );独奏会;小型音乐会、舞蹈表演会等;一系列事件等的详述 | |
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48 conversational | |
adj.对话的,会话的 | |
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49 discomfiting | |
v.使为难( discomfit的现在分词 );使狼狈;使挫折;挫败 | |
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50 pretence | |
n.假装,作假;借口,口实;虚伪;虚饰 | |
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51 provocatively | |
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52 ogling | |
v.(向…)抛媚眼,送秋波( ogle的现在分词 ) | |
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53 impervious | |
adj.不能渗透的,不能穿过的,不易伤害的 | |
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54 touching | |
adj.动人的,使人感伤的 | |
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55 resentment | |
n.怨愤,忿恨 | |
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56 catching | |
adj.易传染的,有魅力的,迷人的,接住 | |
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57 affront | |
n./v.侮辱,触怒 | |
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58 frivolous | |
adj.轻薄的;轻率的 | |
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59 humiliate | |
v.使羞辱,使丢脸[同]disgrace | |
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60 retrieved | |
v.取回( retrieve的过去式和过去分词 );恢复;寻回;检索(储存的信息) | |
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61 crass | |
adj.愚钝的,粗糙的;彻底的 | |
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62 miserable | |
adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的 | |
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63 unduly | |
adv.过度地,不适当地 | |
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