CHAPTER XXVIII NEXT DAY

I was doing up the bed in Mr. Wolley’s room whin Miss Claire walked in. She wint into her father’s closet and cam out wid her arms fool of his cotes. These she set on the bed and camly wint to wark sarching throo his pockits. After a bit she cam upon what shes looking for—the fat litter which arrived yisterday. She held it in her hand a sicond her eyes closing oop. Thin suddintly she wint over to the fire place. She toar the litter acrosst, invillip and all, then neeling throo it into the grate and set it on fire. Joost thin her father cam in, and she looked oop at him and smiles.
“Why Claire” ses he, “what are you doing?”
“Papa” ses she, “sumthing told me that he had ritten. I soospected you yisterday. I’ve just been burning the litter. Hereafter papa” ses she, “whin anny more such litters cum, trate thim in the same way—burn thim—burn them—burn them” ses she.
Thin she stared up at him wid her cheeks all red and feverish¹, and she cryed out suddintly, “Oh papa! papa!” ses she, crowched doon on the harth and sobbed² wid her face all ooncuvvered and the teers joost poring down.
“My puir Claire!” ses the auld³ man brokenly; then he seen me and spoke⁴ in a feerce voyce:
“Lave the room Delia!” ses he.
This arfternoon Mrs. Wolley cum down to the kitchen. She’s very figitty and nerviss and she skurce looked me in the face at all.
“Delia” ses she, “yure moonth is oop on the 12th. We’ve decided⁵ to let you go.”
I cudn’t spake at all fur the loomp in me mouth. I wint to the sink and foosed aboot wid the dishes.
Mrs. Wolley continued unasily.
“You understand Delia” ses she, “we’ve no complaint to make aboot you. You’re a good cook and excellent in ivery way—but Claire—Claire isn’t very well and we must humour the child. The fack is Delia, the very site of you seems to recall a sartin unplissant person to her mimmry.”
“Oh ma’am,” ses I, “indade I wud cut me hed orf for Miss Claire, but indade,” ses I, “it’s sad I’d be to lave the child as such a time. Let me stay ma’am, if oanly till ye go to town in October.”
“No” ses she, shaking her hed, “it’s better not.”
I set down and thort the matter over. Why shud I be turned out in this fashun ses I to mesilf. It’s a shame, a crool shame it is. It was thin Mr. Mulvaney cum sontring in and befure I know wat I’m about I’m telling him the story of me sorrers.
“Bad cess to thim all!” ses he, “they desarve to lose a fine girl like you, Delia, and if ye’d lissen to my airging it’s laving thim ye’d be to-day and stipping wid me over to Father Dugan’s. These Wolleys do be a trubblesum famly. Shure they’ve toorned the hole poynt oopside doon wid thrubble. I heer that the Robbins are arfter being beside thimsilves wid feer of Mr. James. Now Delia” ses he, “ef ye’ll not be heering to the praste, thin it’s anuther bit of advice I’m arfter giving you. Stip across to the Widdy Bangs’ house,” ses he, “and tell her your thrubbles,” ses he. “I’ll bet me job aginst the Frinchman’s that she’ll fix you all rite⁶ wid the family.”
So I wint over to the widdys house. A spoonky little culloured maid opened the frunt dure. She guv a luk at me face—ignoring me best clothes on me body and ses she:
“Go to the back dure,” ses she. “I recave me collars there.”
“It’s Mrs. Bangs” ses I “I want to see.”
“Mrs. Bangs,” ses she, “is ingaged wid Mr. Wolley.”
I heerd the widdy’s voyce inside and prisintly she cum oot and ses:
“Hoo is it Lilly,” ses she, (My God! The Nigger’s name was Lilly and she black as hell).
“Why, it’s Delia!” sez the widdy.
“Can I spake to you a minnit, mam!” ses I.
“Why certinly Delia. Whot is it,” ses she.
I wint to throw me aprun over me hed but fownd I’d left it at home, so I set up a paneful cry widout it. “Oh wirrah! wirrah!” ses I, “it wuz an avil day whin I crossed the oshun. Oh mam” sez I, “it’s a cruel warld and peeple do be hard on a poor hardwarking crachure wid niver a frind in the world.”
The widdy looked as if she were aboot to larf, but she’s that sorry fer me she controlled hersilf. She poot her hand on me shoulder and ses she kindly⁷:
“Cum! What is it, Delia? my deer?”
“Mrs. Wolley do be arfter firing me, Mrs. Bangs,” ses I, “and all because I’m odyiss in the site of Miss Claire and all because I hilped her meet Mr. Harry⁸ Doodly—the crool faithless good-for-nothing villyun” ses I.
“You poor crachure,” ses she, “and you want me to spake fur you. Why, of coorse I will. I’ll go rite over and appeel to Claire’s sinse of justiss.”
Whin I was gitting ondrissed to-nite I herd⁹ me dure opening, and I guv a lowd yill, fer I’m in me chimmy aloan. As Miss Clair cum in, I rooshed into me closet, and I spoak to the child frum behind the harf closed dure.
“What is it darlint?” ses I “Its ashamed I am fur you to see me in dishabeel and me wid twinty bunyuns on me feet and moles¹⁰ on me ligs and arms. What is it swatehart?”
“Delia” ses she in the gintlest voyce, “Plase forgive me for my croolty and ingratichude. I’ve been thortless and oongrateful too” ses she, spaking into the closet, “for aven oonder the sircumstunses I don’t regret—Harry. So you’ll stay—won’t you Delia?” ses she.
“Stay miss?” ses I, “Why darlint you cuddent roon me out wid a steem roller.”

1 feverish   

adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的

参考例句：

• He is too feverish to rest.他兴奋得安静不下来。
• They worked with feverish haste to finish the job.为了完成此事他们以狂热的速度工作着。

2 sobbed   

哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说

参考例句：

• She sobbed out the story of her son's death. 她哭诉着她儿子的死。
• She sobbed out the sad story of her son's death. 她哽咽着诉说她儿子死去的悲惨经过。

3 auld   

adj.老的，旧的

参考例句：

• Should auld acquaintance be forgot,and never brought to mind?怎能忘记旧日朋友，心中能不怀念？
• The party ended up with the singing of Auld Lang Sync.宴会以《友谊地久天长》的歌声而告终。

4 spoke   

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

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 rite   

n.典礼，惯例，习俗

参考例句：

• This festival descends from a religious rite.这个节日起源于宗教仪式。
• Most traditional societies have transition rites at puberty.大多数传统社会都为青春期的孩子举行成人礼。

7 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。

8 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

9 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

10 moles   

防波堤( mole的名词复数 )； 鼹鼠； 痣； 间谍

参考例句：

• Unsightly moles can be removed surgically. 不雅观的痣可以手术去除。
• Two moles of epoxy react with one mole of A-1100. 两个克分子环氧与一个克分子A－1100反应。