Meantime Timothy Chave’s romance was prospering2 ill, despite his rival’s endeavour to make the way easy. Other obstacles now confronted him, and though Sarah was happy and well content to live in the delight of each hour with her lover, Tim found delay less easily borne and struggled to change Mr. Chave’s attitude toward his desires. But it proved useless, and the young man chafed3 in vain. He assured Sarah that his father was merely an obstinate4 elder and would surely be won to reason in good time; but the full significance of her engagement with Timothy, as his father viewed it, she did p. 74not know and never would have heard from Tim’s lips. There happened, however, an accidental meeting between Sarah and Farmer Chave himself, and this brushed all mystery or doubt from the girl’s mind, opened her eyes to the gravity of Tim’s actions and left her face to face with the truth.
One day Sarah, on foot, with her face set homeward, observed Farmer Chave riding back from Widecombe to Postbridge on a big bay horse. He saw her, too, eyed her narrowly and slackened speed, while she wished the road might open and swallow her from his sight. But there was no escape, so she curtseyed and wished Mr. Chave a very good evening. He returned the salute7 and seeing, as he believed, a possibility of setting all right on the spot by one great master-stroke, attempted the same.
“Ah, my girl, Belworthy’s darter, ban’t ’e? A peart maid an’ well thought on, I doubt not. Be you gwaine home-along?”
Sarah’s heart fluttered at this genial9 salutation. “Ess, maister,” she said.
“Then I’ll lighten your journey. I haven’t got the double saddle, but you’m awnly a featherweight an’ can ride pillion behind me an’ save your shoes.”
The mode of travel he suggested was common enough in those days, but such a proposal from Tim’s father frightened Sarah not a little. Her first thought was for herself, her second for her p. 75sweetheart, and she nerved herself to refuse the farmer’s offer.
“I’m sure you’m very kind, sir, but—”
“No ‘buts.’ Here’s a stone will make a splendid upping stock, an’ `Sharky’ can carry the pair of us without knowing his load be increased. Up you get! Theer’s plenty of room for my fardels in front o’ the pommel. Us won’t bate11 our pace for you, I promise. Now jump! Whoa, bwoy! Theer we are. Just put your arms around my flannel12 waistcoat an’ doan’t be shy. ’Tis well I met ’e, come to think on’t, for I wanted a matter o’ few words.”
Soon they jogged forward, the big horse taking little account of Sarah’s extra weight. At length they crossed Riddon Ridge6 and passed Dart8 at a ford13, where Sarah had to hold up her toes out of the reach of the river. Then, as they rode along the foothills of Bellever, the farmer spoke14 suddenly.
“My life’s been wisht of late days along wi’ taking thought for my son Tim. You’ve heard tell of un? You see, ’tis my wish to have un mated wi’ his cousin. But I’m led to onderstand as theer’s a maiden15 up-long he thinks he likes better; an’ her name’s same as yours, Sarah Belworthy.”
“Oh, Maister Chave, I do love un very dear, I do.”
“So you done to that yellow man, Jan Aggett.”
“’Tweern’t the same. When Maister Timothy comed, I seed differ’nt.”
p. 76“Doan’t shake an’ tremble. You’ll never have no reason to fear me. Tell me how ’twas. Jan gived ’e up—eh?”
“Ess, he did.”
“Why for?”
“For love of me.”
“Ah! Now that was a brave fashion deed. I allus thought a lot of the man, an’ I’m sorry you’ve sent un to the Devil, wheer they tell me he’s bound of late days.”
“He’m a gude man, an’ I wish to God as something could be done to bring him back in the right road.”
“Ess fay! An’ you’m the one as would have to look the shortest distance to find a way to do it, Sarah. A gude example that man, for all his foolishness since. Loved ’e well enough to leave ’e—for your own gude, he did—eh?”
“God bless him for doin’ it.”
“Why doan’t ’e go back to him?”
“I cannot, I cannot now.”
“Well, man’s love be greater than woman’s by the look of it. What girl would have done same as that man done? What girl would give up a man for love of him, an’ even leave un for his gude? Not one as ever I heard tell of.”
“Many an’ many would for that matter. What’s a sacrifice if your love be big enough?”
p. 77“Be yours? That’s the question I’d ax ’e.”
Sarah’s heart sank low; Mr. Chave felt her shiver and the hands clasped over his thick waistcoat tremble. Looking down, he saw her fingers peeping out of woollen mittens16; and upon one, sacred to the ring, a small gold hoop17 appeared with a coral bead18 set therein.
Sarah did not answer the last pointed19 question, and Farmer Chave continued:—
“I know you’ve promised to be wife to my son some day, an’ I know he’ve taken partickler gude care to hide from you my view of the question. But you must hear it, for your awn sake as well as his an’ mine. I’ve nothin’ against you, Sarah, nothin’, an’ less than nothin’, for I like you well an’ wish to see you so gude as you’m purty an’ so happy as you’m gude; but I know my son for a lad of light purposes an’ weak will an’ wrong ambitions. Ban’t enough iron in un; an’ the maid I’m set on for un have got a plenty backbone20 to make up for his lack. Her he’s to wed5 in fulness o’ time, if I’ve any voice left in affairs; an’ if he doan’t, ’tis gude-bye to Bellever for him, an’ gude-bye to more’n that. So theer he stands, Sarah, an’ you’d best to hear what it means. Maybe you thought you was makin’ choice between a labourin’ man an’ a gentleman, between a pauper21 an’ a young chap wi’ his pockets full o’ money. But ban’t so, I assure ’e. ’Tis the gentleman’ll be the p. 78pauper if he marries you; but John Aggett—why, I offered un my cottage in Longley Bottom free o’ rent from the day as your banns was axed in marriage wi’ un to Widecombe Church! That’s the man as gived ’e up for love of ’e. An’ ban’t you so strong as him?”
“Tu gude he was—tu gude for the likes o’ me.”
“Well, as to t’other, though he’s my son, blamed if I think he’s gude enough. But that’s neither here nor theer. The question ban’t what sort of love he’s got for you; but what sort you’ve got for him. Do ’e follow my meanin’? I doan’t storm or rave10, you see—tu wise for that. I only bid you think serious whether your feeling for Timothy’s the sort to ruin him, or to save him from ruin. ’Tis a hard choice for ’e, but we’m all faaced wi’ ugly puzzles ’pon the crossways o’ life. Now you know my ’pinions, you’ll do what’s right, or you’m not the girl I think ’e.”
“I must give un up for all time?”
“Best not put it that way. Doan’t drag my rascal22 of a bwoy in the argeyment. Say to yourself, ‘I must mate him as I promised to mate—him that’s wastin’ his life an’ gwaine all wrong for love o’ me.’ ’Tis plain duty, woman, looked at right. Not that I’d rob ’e of the pleasure of knowin’ you’d done a gert deed if you gived Tim up; but t’other’s the man as you’ve got to think of; an’, if you do p. 79this gude thing, ’tis just similar as he done for you. Wi’ Jan Aggett be your happiness wrapped up, if you could see it. An’ Jan’s much more like to go well in marriage harness than my son be, or I doan’t know carater.”
“I’ll try, I’ll try. It’s more than I’ve heart or strength for, but I’ll try, Maister Chave. I’ll try to do right by both of them.”
“Who could say fairer? An’ here’s the lane to blacksmith’s, so I’ll drop ’e. An’ give your faither my respects an’ tell un I want un to-morrow to the farm.”
After Sarah had dismounted the farmer spoke again.
“Take to heart what I’ve said to ’e, an’ remember that to please me won’t be a bad action from a worldly side. Go back to Jan Aggett, Sarah Belworthy; that’s my advice to you, an’ angels from heaven couldn’t give ’e no better, ’cause theer ban’t room for two ’pinions. Now let me hear what metal you’m made of, an’ that afore the week be out. So gude night.”
The man trotted23 off with knees stiff and elbows at right angles to his body; the girl entered her home; and that night, tossing and turning wearily, thrice she decided24 to give up her lover and thrice determined25 to take no definite step until she had again seen and spoken with Timothy. But her heart told her that such a course was of all the p. 80weakest. Presently she assured herself that many plans might be pursued and that wide choice of action lay before her. Then John Aggett chiefly occupied her thoughts. To go back to him now appeared absolutely impossible. He had given her up, at a cost even she but dimly guessed, and to return into his troubled life again struck her as a deed beyond measure difficult and dangerous.
Long she reflected miserably26 on the sorrow of her lot; then, in the small hours of morning and upon the threshold of sleep, Sarah determined to let another judge of her right course of conduct and dictate27 it to her.
“’Twas the white witch, Gammer Gurney, as foretold28 Tim would marry me that terrible night,” she thought. “Then ’tis for she to say what I should do an’ what I shouldn’t do. If ’tis ordained29 by higher things than men-folk as I’m to have Tim, what’s the use o’ weeping ’cause Farmer Chave wishes differ’nt?”
There was a sort of comfort in this philosophy; but her grey eyes closed upon a wet pillow as she slept, to wake with sudden starts and twitches30 from visions in great aisles31 of gloom, from dim knowledge of horrors hidden behind storm-clouds, from the murmur32 of remote callings and threatenings and cries of woe33, from all-embracing dread34 begotten35 of a heavy heart, and an outlook wholly dreary36 and desolate37.
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1
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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2
prospering
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| 成功，兴旺( prosper的现在分词 ) | |
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3
chafed
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| v.擦热（尤指皮肤）( chafe的过去式 )；擦痛；发怒；惹怒 | |
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4
obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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5
wed
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| v.娶，嫁，与…结婚 | |
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6
ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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7
salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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8
dart
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| v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲 | |
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9
genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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10
rave
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| vi.胡言乱语；热衷谈论；n.热情赞扬 | |
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11
bate
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| v.压制；减弱；n.（制革用的）软化剂 | |
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12
flannel
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| n.法兰绒；法兰绒衣服 | |
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13
Ford
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| n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过 | |
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14
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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15
maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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16
mittens
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| 不分指手套 | |
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17
hoop
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| n.（篮球）篮圈，篮 | |
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18
bead
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| n.念珠；(pl.)珠子项链；水珠 | |
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19
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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20
backbone
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| n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气 | |
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21
pauper
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| n.贫民，被救济者，穷人 | |
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22
rascal
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| n.流氓；不诚实的人 | |
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23
trotted
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| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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24
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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25
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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26
miserably
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| adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地 | |
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27
dictate
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| v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令 | |
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28
foretold
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| v.预言，预示( foretell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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29
ordained
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| v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定 | |
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30
twitches
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| n.（使）抽动， （使）颤动， （使）抽搐( twitch的名词复数 ) | |
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31
aisles
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| n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊 | |
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32
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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33
woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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34
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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35
begotten
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| v.为…之生父( beget的过去分词 )；产生，引起 | |
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36
dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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37
desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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