Mr. Alpha had succeeded in life, and the lunch at which I assisted took place in a remarkably4 spacious5 and comfortable house surrounded by gardens, greenhouses, garages, stables, and all the minions6 necessary to the upkeep thereof. Mr. Alpha was a jolly, a kind-hearted, an immensely clever, and a prolific7 man. I call him prolific because he had five children. There he was, with his wife and the five children; and they were all enjoying the lunch and themselves to an extraordinary degree. It was a delight to be with them.
It is necessarily a delight to be with people who are intelligent, sympathetic and lively, and who have ample money to satisfy their desires. Somehow you can hear the gold chinking, and the sound is good to the human ear. Even the youngest girl had money in her nice new purse, to do with it as she liked. For Mr. Alpha never stinted8. He was generous by instinct, and he wanted everybody to be happy. In fact, he had turned out quite an unusual father. At the same time he fell short of being an absolute angel of acquiescence9 and compliance10. For instance, his youngest child, a girl, broached11 the subject of music at that very lunch. She was fourteen, and had shown some of her father’s cleverness at a school musical examination. She was rather uplifted about her music.
“Can’t I take it up seriously, dad?” she said, with the extreme gravity of her years.
“Of course,” said he. “The better you play, the more we shall all be pleased. Don’t you think we deserve some reward for all we’ve suffered under your piano-practising?”
She blushed.
“But I mean seriously,” she insisted.
“Well, my pet,” said he, “you don’t reckon you could be a star pianist, do you? Fifteen hundred dollars a concert, and so on?” And, as she was sitting next to him, he affectionately pinched her delicious ear.
“No,” she admitted. “But I could teach. I should like to teach.”
“Teach!” He repeated the word in a changed tone. “Teach! What in Heaven’s name should you want to teach for? I don’t quite see a daughter of mine teaching.”
No more was said on the subject.
The young woman and I are on rather confidential12 terms.
“It is a shame, isn’t it?” she said to me afterwards, with feeling.
“Nothing to be done?” I inquired.
“Nothing,” said she. “I knew there wasn’t before I started. The dad would never hear of me earning my own living.”
The two elder girls—twins—had no leaning towards music, and no leaning towards anything save family affection and social engagements. They had a grand time, and the grander the time they had the keener was the delight of Mr. Alpha in their paradisaical existence. Truly he was a pearl among fathers. The children themselves admitted it, and children can judge. The second son wished to be a painter. Many a father would have said, “I shall stand none of this nonsense about painting. The business is there, and into the business you’ll go.” But not Mr. Alpha. What Mr. Alpha said to his second son amounted to this: “I shall be charmed for a son of mine to be a painter. Go ahead. Don’t worry. Don’t hurry. I will give you an ample allowance to keep you afloat through the years of struggle. You shall not be like other beginners. You shall have nothing to think of but your profession. You shall be in a position to wait. Instead of you running after the dealers13, you shall comfortably bide14 your time until the dealers run after you.”
“I say, mater,” he said, over the cheese, “can you lend me fifty dollars?”
Mr. Alpha broke in sharply:
“What are you worrying your mother about money for? You know I won’t have it. And I won’t have you getting into debt either.”
“Well, dad, will you buy a picture from me?”
“Cash in advance?”
“Yes—on your promise. But understand, no debts.”
The eldest18 son, fitly enough, was in the business. Not, however, too much in the business. He put in time at the office regularly. He was going to be a partner, and the business would ultimately descend19 to him. But the business wrinkled not his brow. Mr. Alpha was quite ready to assume every responsibility and care. He had brains and energy enough, and something considerable over. Enough over, indeed, to run the house and grounds. Mrs. Alpha could always sleep soundly at night secure in the thought that her husband would smooth away every difficulty for her. He could do all things so much more efficiently20 than she could, were it tackling a cook or a tradesman, or deciding about the pattern of flowers in a garden-bed.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he announced, with solemnity, “I beg to move that father be and hereby is a brick.”
“Loud cheers!” said the more pert of the twins.
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1
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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3
con
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| n.反对的观点，反对者，反对票，肺病；vt.精读，学习，默记；adv.反对地，从反面；adj.欺诈的 | |
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4
remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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6
minions
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| n.奴颜婢膝的仆从( minion的名词复数 )；走狗；宠儿；受人崇拜者 | |
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7
prolific
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| adj.丰富的，大量的；多产的，富有创造力的 | |
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8
stinted
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| v.限制，节省（stint的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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9
acquiescence
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| n.默许；顺从 | |
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10
compliance
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| n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从 | |
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11
broached
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| v.谈起( broach的过去式和过去分词 )；打开并开始用；用凿子扩大（或修光）；（在桶上）钻孔取液体 | |
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12
confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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13
dealers
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| n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者 | |
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14
bide
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| v.忍耐；等候；住 | |
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15
precocious
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| adj.早熟的；较早显出的 | |
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16
extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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17
sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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18
eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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19
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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efficiently
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| adv.高效率地，有能力地 | |
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21
luncheon
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| n.午宴，午餐，便宴 | |
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22
meditative
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| adj.沉思的，冥想的 | |
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23
enchanted
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| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
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