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chapter 15
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 The Courier travelled so very swiftly with the left-handed man, that they[Pg 63] halted nowhere to rest between Petrograd and London, but merely drew their belts tighter at every posting-station, so that their bowels2 and their lungs might not get mixed up together; but, as an allowance of liquor at will had been appointed to the left-handed man after his interview with the Emperor, at Platoffs instance, he sustained himself on that alone, without eating, and sang Russian songs all through Europe, making only a refrain in foreign fashion, "A?, people, c'est très juli."[26]
 
As soon as the Courier brought him to London, he presented himself to the proper persons and delivered the casket, but placed the left-handed man in a chamber4 at a hotel; but there the latter speedily grew bored, and felt a desire to eat. He knocked on the door, and[Pg 64] pointed3 out his mouth to the servant who waited on him, and the man immediately conducted him to the food-reception room.
 
There the left-handed man seated himself at the table, and sat, and sat; but how to ask for anything in English he did not know. But after a while he found out. Again he simply tapped upon the table with his finger, and pointed at his mouth; the Englishmen guessed, and served him, only they did not always bring what he wanted, but he did not take what did not suit him. They brought him a hot studing in fire[27] of their preparation. Says he, "I know not whether that can be eaten," and he would not taste it; so they changed it, and brought him another dish. And thus, also, he would not drink their brandy, because it was green, as though mixed with copperas, but[Pg 65] chose the most natural things of all, and waited for the Courier in the coolness behind the bottle-room.
 
And those persons to whom the Courier had delivered the nymfozoria examined it that very moment with the most powerful melkoscopes, and immediately put a description in the public news, so that an announcement[28] of it might come to general notice on the following day.
 
"And we wish to see that master-workman himself at once," said they.
 
The Courier led them to the chamber, and thence to the food-reception room, where our left-handed man had already grown fairly red in the face, and said: "Here he is!"
 
The Englishmen immediately began to clap the left-handed man on the shoulder, slap-slap, and on the hands, as with an equal.
 
[Pg 66]
 
"Comrade," said they, "comrade,—good master,—we will talk with thee hereafter, in due time, but now we will drink to thy success."
 
They called for a great deal of liquor, and gave the first glass to the left-handed man, but he would not drink first: "Perhaps they wish to poison me out of vexation," he thought.
 
"No," says he, "that is not proper etiquette5. Even in Poland no one is greater than the host—drink first yourselves."
 
The Englishmen tested all the liquors in his presence, and then began to pour out for him. He rose, crossed himself with his left hand, and drank to the health of them all.
 
They noticed that he crossed himself with his left hand, and asked the Courier: "What is he—a Lutheran or a Protestant?"
 
The Courier replied: "No, he is[Pg 67] neither a Lutheran nor a Protestant, but of the Russian faith."
 
"But why does he cross himself with his left hand?"
 
The Courier said: "He's left-handed, and does everything with his left hand."
 
The Englishmen began to be more amazed than ever, and set to pouring liquor into the left-handed man and the Courier, and thus they went on for three days, and then they said: "Now, that's enough."
 
But they took a symphony of water with airfixe, and having completely freshened themselves up, they began to interrogate6 the left-handed man; Where and what he had studied, and to what point he was acquainted with arithmetic?
 
The left-handed man replied: "Our learning is single: we can read the Psalter and the Polusonnik, but we know no arithmetic whatever."
 
[Pg 68]
 
The Englishmen exchanged glances and said: "This is astounding7!"
 
But the left-handed man replied: "That's the way with us everywhere."
 
"But," they inquire, "what sort of a book in Russia is that 'Polusonnik'?"[29]
 
"That," says he, "is a book concerned with this—that if there is anything touching8 on fortune-telling which King David has not clearly set forth9 in the Psalter, then people are able to divine the completion in the Polusonnik."
 
They say: "That's a pity; 't would be better if you knew at least the four ordinary rules of arithmetic,—they would be far more useful to you than the entire Polusonnik. Then you would be able to grasp the fact that in every machine there is a calculation of powers, and although you are very clever with your hands, you have not taken into[Pg 69] consideration that such a tiny machine as the nymfozoria is calculated with the most exact accuracy, and that it cannot carry its shoes."
 
To that the left-handed man agreed. "As to that," says he, "there is no dispute—that we have not gone in for science, but only we are faithfully loyal to our Fatherland."
 
But the Englishmen say to him; "Stay with us, we will transmit to you great instruction, and you will turn out a wonderful master-expert."
 
But to that the left-handed man did not agree: "I have parents at home," says he.
 
The Englishmen offered to send his parents money, but the left-handed man would not accept it.
 
"We," says he, "are devoted10 to our country, and my daddy is already an old man, and my mother is an old woman, and they are used to going to church in[Pg 70] their own parish, and besides, I should be very lonely all by myself, for I am still in the vocation11 of a bachelor."
 
"You'll get used to it," say they,—"accept our law[30] and we will marry you off."
 
"That," replies the left-handed man, "can never be."
 
"Why so?"
 
"Because," he replies, "our Russian faith is the most correct, and as the ancestors have believed, so, also, should the descendants believe."
 
"You do not know our faith," say the Englishmen; "we hold to the same Christian12 law and the same Gospels."
 
"The Gospels," replies the left-handed man, "are, indeed, the same among all, but our books are thicker than yours, and our faith is more complete, also."
 
"How do you make that out?"
 
[Pg 71]
 
"Because," he replies, "we possess all the visible proofs."
 
"What proofs?"
 
"These," says he: "that we have God-sent holy images, and grave-oozing heads,[31] and relics13, but you have nothing, and even no extra holidays, nothing beyond Sunday; and for the second reason, even if I were married to an Englishwoman, it would confuse me to live with her."
 
"Why so?" they ask. "Do not scorn her—our women also dress very neatly14 and are good housewives."
 
But the left-handed man says: "I don't know them."
 
The Englishmen reply: "That's not a weighty matter—you can learn to know them: we will arrange a grendezvous for you."
 
The left-handed man was abashed15.[Pg 72] "Why," says he, "worry the girls vainly?" and he refused. "A grendezvous," says he, "is a matter for the gentry16, and not suitable for such as me, and if folks were to hear of that at home, in Tula, they would ridicule17 me greatly."
 
The Englishmen became curious: "But if you don't have grendezvous," say they, "how do you manage in such cases to make a pleasing choice?"
 
The left-handed man explained to them our position. "With us," says he, "when a man wishes to display a more particular intention with regard to a girl, he sends the confabulation-woman, and when she makes the proposal, then we go together, very politely, to the house, and we look the girl over, not in secrecy18, but in the presence of all her relatives."
 
They understood, but answered that they had no confabulation-women, and such a custom was not in practice, but[Pg 73] the left-handed man said: "That's all the more agreeable, because if you are going to occupy yourself with such a matter, it must be with a definite intention, and as I do not feel that towards a foreign nation, then why torment19 the girls?"
 
He pleased the Englishmen in these arguments, also, so that they again began to clap him on the shoulders and the knees, with pleasantness, and asked: "We would just like to know, out of mere1 curiosity: what defect have you observed in our girls, and why do you shun20 them?"
 
Thereupon the left-handed man answered them frankly21: "I accuse them of no defect, but what does not please me is that their dress sort of flutters about them, and one cannot make out what they have on, and for what purpose; first there is some sort of thing or other, and underneath22 there's another[Pg 74] pinned on, and on their arms are some sort of leglets or other. Their plush cloak is exactly like an ape—a sapajou."
 
The Englishmen burst out laughing and say: "Where's the objection in that?"
 
"There's no objection," replies the left-handed man, "only I'm afraid it would make me blush to watch and wait while she is getting herself out of all that."
 
"Is it possible," say they, "that your fashion is better?"
 
"Our fashion," he replies, "in Tula is simple: every woman wears a roundabout,[32] and even the greatest ladies wear our roundabouts."
 
They also showed him to their [Pg 75]ladies, and there they poured tea for him, and inquired: "Why do you frown?"
 
He replies: "Because," says he, "we are not used to taking it very sweet."
 
Then they gave him a lump of sugar to nibble23 at, in Russian fashion.
 
They argued with him that it could not be as nice that way, but he said: "To our taste it is more tasty thus."
 
In no way could the English disconcert him, or make him feel attracted by their manner of life, and merely succeeded in persuading him to remain their guest for a short time, by promising24 that during that time they would take him about to divers25 factories, and show him all their art.
 
"And then," said they, "we will take him to his ship, and deliver him alive in Petrograd."
 
To this he agreed.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 mere rC1xE     
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过
参考例句:
  • That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
  • It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
2 bowels qxMzez     
n.肠,内脏,内部;肠( bowel的名词复数 );内部,最深处
参考例句:
  • Salts is a medicine that causes movements of the bowels. 泻盐是一种促使肠子运动的药物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The cabins are in the bowels of the ship. 舱房设在船腹内。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
4 chamber wnky9     
n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所
参考例句:
  • For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说,牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
  • The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。
5 etiquette Xiyz0     
n.礼仪,礼节;规矩
参考例句:
  • The rules of etiquette are not so strict nowadays.如今的礼仪规则已不那么严格了。
  • According to etiquette,you should stand up to meet a guest.按照礼节你应该站起来接待客人。
6 interrogate Tb7zV     
vt.讯问,审问,盘问
参考例句:
  • The lawyer took a long time to interrogate the witness fully.律师花了很长时间仔细询问目击者。
  • We will interrogate the two suspects separately.我们要对这两个嫌疑人单独进行审讯。
7 astounding QyKzns     
adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊,使大吃一惊astound的现在分词)
参考例句:
  • There was an astounding 20% increase in sales. 销售量惊人地增加了20%。
  • The Chairman's remarks were so astounding that the audience listened to him with bated breath. 主席说的话令人吃惊,所以听众都屏息听他说。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 touching sg6zQ9     
adj.动人的,使人感伤的
参考例句:
  • It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
  • His letter was touching.他的信很感人。
9 forth Hzdz2     
adv.向前;向外,往外
参考例句:
  • The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
  • He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
10 devoted xu9zka     
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的
参考例句:
  • He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
  • We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
11 vocation 8h6wB     
n.职业,行业
参考例句:
  • She struggled for years to find her true vocation.她多年来苦苦寻找真正适合自己的职业。
  • She felt it was her vocation to minister to the sick.她觉得照料病人是她的天职。
12 Christian KVByl     
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒
参考例句:
  • They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
  • His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
13 relics UkMzSr     
[pl.]n.遗物,遗迹,遗产;遗体,尸骸
参考例句:
  • The area is a treasure house of archaeological relics. 这个地区是古文物遗迹的宝库。
  • Xi'an is an ancient city full of treasures and saintly relics. 西安是一个有很多宝藏和神圣的遗物的古老城市。
14 neatly ynZzBp     
adv.整洁地,干净地,灵巧地,熟练地
参考例句:
  • Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
  • The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。
15 abashed szJzyQ     
adj.窘迫的,尴尬的v.使羞愧,使局促,使窘迫( abash的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He glanced at Juliet accusingly and she looked suitably abashed. 他怪罪的一瞥,朱丽叶自然显得很窘。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The girl was abashed by the laughter of her classmates. 那小姑娘因同学的哄笑而局促不安。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 gentry Ygqxe     
n.绅士阶级,上层阶级
参考例句:
  • Landed income was the true measure of the gentry.来自土地的收入是衡量是否士绅阶层的真正标准。
  • Better be the head of the yeomanry than the tail of the gentry.宁做自由民之首,不居贵族之末。
17 ridicule fCwzv     
v.讥讽,挖苦;n.嘲弄
参考例句:
  • You mustn't ridicule unfortunate people.你不该嘲笑不幸的人。
  • Silly mistakes and queer clothes often arouse ridicule.荒谬的错误和古怪的服装常会引起人们的讪笑。
18 secrecy NZbxH     
n.秘密,保密,隐蔽
参考例句:
  • All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.该项目的所有研究人员都按要求起誓保守秘密。
  • Complete secrecy surrounded the meeting.会议在绝对机密的环境中进行。
19 torment gJXzd     
n.折磨;令人痛苦的东西(人);vt.折磨;纠缠
参考例句:
  • He has never suffered the torment of rejection.他从未经受过遭人拒绝的痛苦。
  • Now nothing aggravates me more than when people torment each other.没有什么东西比人们的互相折磨更使我愤怒。
20 shun 6EIzc     
vt.避开,回避,避免
参考例句:
  • Materialists face truth,whereas idealists shun it.唯物主义者面向真理,唯心主义者则逃避真理。
  • This extremist organization has shunned conventional politics.这个极端主义组织有意避开了传统政治。
21 frankly fsXzcf     
adv.坦白地,直率地;坦率地说
参考例句:
  • To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说,我一点也不赞成这个主意。
  • Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说,我不反对改革。
22 underneath VKRz2     
adj.在...下面,在...底下;adv.在下面
参考例句:
  • Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
  • She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣,里面套着一条连衣裙。
23 nibble DRZzG     
n.轻咬,啃;v.一点点地咬,慢慢啃,吹毛求疵
参考例句:
  • Inflation began to nibble away at their savings.通货膨胀开始蚕食他们的存款。
  • The birds cling to the wall and nibble at the brickwork.鸟儿们紧贴在墙上,啄着砖缝。
24 promising BkQzsk     
adj.有希望的,有前途的
参考例句:
  • The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
  • We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。
25 divers hu9z23     
adj.不同的;种种的
参考例句:
  • He chose divers of them,who were asked to accompany him.他选择他们当中的几个人,要他们和他作伴。
  • Two divers work together while a standby diver remains on the surface.两名潜水员协同工作,同时有一名候补潜水员留在水面上。


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