In a fifth-story sitting room of a New York boarding house four youths were holding a discussion. The sitting room was large and square, and in the wildest disorder1, which was, however, sublimated2 into a certain system by an illuminated3 device to the effect that one should "Have a Place for Everything, and then there'll be one Place you won't have to look." Easels and artists' materials thrust back to the wall sufficiently4 advertised the art student, and perhaps explained the untidiness.
Two of the occupants of the room, curled up on elevated window ledges5, were emitting clouds of tobacco smoke and nursing their knees; the other two, naked to the waist, sat on a couple of ordinary bedroom mattresses8 deposited carefully in the vacant centre of the apartment. They were eager, alert-looking young men, well-muscled, curly of hair, and possessing in common an unabashed carriage of the head which, more plainly than any mere9 facial resemblance, proved them brothers. They, too, were nursing their knees.
"He must be an unadorned ass10," remarked one of the occupants of the window seats, in answer to some previous statement.
"He is not," categorically denied a youth of the mattresses. "My dear Hench, you make no distinctions. I've been talking about the boy's people and his bringing up and the way he acts, whereupon you fly off on a tangent and coolly conclude things about the boy himself. It is not only unkind, but stupid."
Hench laughed. "You amuse me, Jeems," said he; "elucidate12."
Jeems let go his knees. The upper part of his body, thus deprived of support, fell backward on the mattress7. He then clasped his hands behind his head, and stared at the ceiling.
"Listen, ye multitude," he began; "I'm an artist. So are you. I'm also a philosopher. You are not. Therefore, I'll deign13 to instruct you. Ben de Laney has a father and a mother. The father is pompous14, conceited15, and a bore. The mother is pompous, conceited, and a bore. The father uses language of whose absolutely vapid16 correctness Addison would have been proud. So does the mother, unless she forgets, in which case the old man calls her down hard. They, are rich and of a good social position. The latter worries them, because they have to keep up its dignity."
"They succeed," interrupted the other brother fervently17, "they succeed. I dined there once. After that I went around to the waxworks18 to get cheered up a bit."
"Quite so, Bertie," replied the philosopher; "but you interrupted me just before I got to my point. The poor old creatures had been married many years before Bennie came to cheer _them_ up. Naturally, Bennie has been the whole thing ever since. He is allowed a few privileges, but always under the best auspices19. The rest of the time he stays at home, is told what or what not a gentleman should do, and is instructed in the genealogy20 of the de Laneys."
"The mother is always impressing him with the fact that he is a de Laney on both sides," interpolated Bert.
"Important, if true, as the newspapers say," remarked the other young man on the window ledge6. "What constitutes a de Laney?"
"Hereditary21 lack of humour, Beck, my boy. Well, the result is that poor Bennie is a sort of----" the speaker hesitated for his word.
"'Willy boy,'" suggested Beck, mildly.
"Something of the sort, but not exactly. A 'willy boy' never has ideas. Bennie has."
"Such as?"
"Well, for one thing, he wants to get away. He doesn't seem quite content with his job of idle aristocrat22. I believe he's been pestering23 the old man to send him West. Old man doesn't approve."
"'That the fine bloom of culture will become rubbed off in the contact with rude, rough men, seems to me inevitable,'" mimicked24 Bert in pedantic25 tones, "'unless a firm sense of personal dignity and an equally firm sense of our obligations to more refined though absent friends hedges us about with adequate safeguards.'"
The four laughed. "That's his style, sure enough," Jim agreed.
"What does he want to do West?" asked Hench.
"_He_ doesn't know. Write a book, I believe, or something of that sort. But he _isn't_ an ass. He has a lot of good stuff in him, only it will never get a chance, fixed26 the way he is now."
A silence fell, which was broken at last by Bert.
"Come, Jeems," he suggested; "here we've taken up Hench's valuable idea, but are no farther with it."
"True," said Jeems.
He rolled over on his hands and knees. Bert took up a similar position by his side.
"Go!" shouted Hench from the window ledge.
At the word, the two on the mattress turned and grappled each other fiercely, half rising to their feet in the strenuousness27 of endeavour. Jeems tried frantically28 for a half-Nelson. While preventing it the wily Bert awaited his chance for a hammer-lock. In the moment of indecision as to which would succeed in his charitable design, a knock on the door put an end to hostilities29. The gladiators sat upright and panted.
A young man stepped bashfully into the room and closed the door behind him.
The newcomer was a clean-cut young fellow, of perhaps twenty-two years of age, with regular features, brown eyes, straight hair, and sensitive lips. He was exceedingly well-dressed. A moment's pause followed his appearance. Then:
"Why, it's our old friend, the kid!" cried Jeems.
"Don't let me interrupt," begged the youth diffidently.
"No interruption. End of round one," panted Jeems. "Glad you came. Bertie, here, was twisting my delicate clavicle most cruelly. Know Hench and Beck there?"
De Laney bowed to the young men in the window, who removed their pipes from their mouths and grinned amiably30.
"This, gentlemen," explained Jeems, without changing his position, "is Mr. Bennie de Laney on both sides. It is extremely fortunate for Mr. de Laney that he is a de Laney on both sides, for otherwise he would be lop-sided."
"You will find a seat, Mr. de Laney, in the adjoining bedroom," said the first, with great politeness; "and if you don't care to go in there, you will stand yourself in the corner by that easel until the conclusion of this little discussion between Jeems and myself.--Jeems, will you kindly31 state the merits of the discussion to the gentleman? I'm out of breath."
Jeems kindly would.
"Bert and I have, for the last few weeks, been obeying the parting commands of our dear mother. 'Boys,' said she, with tears in her eyes, 'Boys, always take care of one another.' So each evening I have tried to tuck Bertie in his little bed, and Bertie, with equal enthusiasm, has attempted to tuck _me_ in. It has been hard on pyjamas32, bed springs, and the temper of the Lady with the Piano who resides in the apartments immediately beneath; so, at the wise suggestion of our friends in the windows"--he waved a graceful33 hand toward them, and they gravely bowed acknowledgment--"we are now engaged in deciding the matter Graeco-Roman. The winner 'tucks.' Come on, Bertie."
The two again took position side by side, on their hands and knees, while Mr. Hench explained to de Laney that this method of beginning the bout11 was necessary, because the limited area of the mat precluded34 flying falls. At a signal from Mr. Beck, they turned and grappled, Jeems, by the grace of Providence35, on top. In the course of the combat it often happened that the two mattresses would slide apart. The contestants36, suspending their struggles, would then try to kick them together again without releasing the advantage of their holds. The noise was beautiful. To de Laney, strong in maternal37 admonitions as to proper deportment, it was all new and stirring, and quite without precedent38. He applauded excitedly, and made as much racket as the rest.
A sudden and vigorous knock for the second time put an end to hostilities. The wrestlers again sat bolt upright on the mattresses, and listened.
"Gentlemen," cried an irritated German voice, "there is a lady schleeping on the next floor!"
"Karl, Karl!" called one of the irrepressibles, "can I never teach you to be accurate! No lady could possibly be sleeping anywhere in the building."
He arose from the mattress and shook himself.
"Jeems," he continued sadly, "the world is against true virtue39. Our dear mother's wishes can not be respected."
De Laney came out of his corner.
"Fellows," he cried with enthusiasm, "I want you to come up and stay all night with me some time, so mother can see that gentlemen can make a noise!"
Bertie sat down suddenly and shrieked40. Jeems rolled over and over, clutching small feathers from the mattress in the agony of his delight, while the clothed youths contented41 themselves with amused but gurgling chuckles42.
"Bennie, my boy," gasped43 Jeems, at last, "you'll be the death of me! O Lord! O Lord! You unfortunate infant! You shall come here and have a drum to pound; yes, you shall." He tottered44 weakly to his feet. "Come, Bertie, let us go get dressed."
The two disappeared into the bedroom, leaving de Laney uncomfortably alone with the occupants of the window ledge.
The young fellow walked awkwardly across the room and sat down on a partly empty chair, not because he preferred sitting to standing45, but in order to give himself time to recover from his embarrassment46.
The sort of chaffing to which he had just been subjected was direct and brutal47; it touched all his tender spots--the very spots wherein he realized the intensest soreness of his deficiencies, and about which, therefore, he was the most sensitive--yet, somehow, he liked it. This was because the Leslie boys meant to him everything free and young that he had missed in the precise atmosphere of his own home, and so he admired them and stood in delightful48 inferiority to them in spite of his wealth and position. He would have given anything he owned to have felt himself one of their sort; but, failing that, the next best thing was to possess their intimacy49. Of this intimacy chaffing was a gauge50. Bennington Clarence de Laney always glowed at heart when they rubbed his fur the wrong way, for it showed that they felt they knew him well enough to do so. And in this there was something just a little pathetic.
Bennington held to the society standpoint with men, so he thought he must keep up a conversation. He did so. It was laboured. Bennington thought of things to say about Art, the Theatre, and Books. Hench and Beck looked at each other from time to time.
Finally the door opened, and, to the relief of all, two sweatered and white-ducked individuals appeared.
"And now, Jeems, we'll smoke the pipe of peace," suggested Bert, diving for the mantel and the pipe rack.
"Correct, my boy," responded Jeems, doing likewise. They lit up, and turned with simultaneous interest to their latest caller.
"And how is the proud plutocrat?" inquired Bert; "and how did he contrive51 to get leave to visit us rude and vulgar persons?"
The Leslies had called at the de Laneys', and, as Bert said, had dined there once. They recognised their status, and rejoiced therein.
"He is calling on the minister," explained Jeems for him. "Bennington, my son, you'll get caught at that some day, as sure as shooting. If your mamma ever found out that, instead of talking society-religion to old Garnett, you were revelling52 in this awful dissipation, you'd have to go abroad again."
"What did you call him?" inquired Bert.
"Call who?"
"Him--Bennie--what was that full name?"
"Bennington."
"Great Scott! and here I've been thinking all the time he was plain Benjamin! Tell us about it, my boy. What is it? It sounds like a battle of the Revolution. _Is_ it a battle of the Revolution? Just to think that all this time we have been entertaining unawares a real live battle!"
De Laney grinned, half-embarrassed as usual.
"It's a family name," said he. "It's the name of an ancestor."
He never knew whether or not these vivacious53 youths really desired the varied54 information they demanded.
The Leslies looked upon him with awe55.
"You don't mean to tell me," said Bertie, "that you are a Bennington! Well, well! This is a small world! We will celebrate the discovery." He walked to the door and touched a bell five times. "Beautiful system," he explained. "In a moment Karl will appear with five beers. This arrangement is possible because never, in any circumstances, do we ring for anything but beer."
The beer came. Two steins, two glasses, and a carefully scrubbed shaving mug were pressed into service. After the excitement of finding all these things had died, and the five men were grouped about the place in ungraceful but comfortable attitudes, Bennington bid for the sympathy he had sought in this visit.
"Fellows," said he, "I've something to tell you."
"Let her flicker," said Jim.
"I'm going away next week. It's all settled."
"Bar Harbour, Trouville, Paris, or Berlin?"
"None of them. I'm going West."
"Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, San Diego, or Monterey?"
"None of them. I'm going to the real West. I'm going to a mining camp."
The Leslies straightened their backbones56.
"Don't spring things on us that way," reproved Bertie severely57; "you'll give us heart disease. Now repeat softly."
"I am going to a mining camp," obeyed Bennington, a little shamefacedly.
"With whom?"
"Alone."
This time the Leslies sprang quite to their feet.
"By the Great Horn Spoon, man!" cried Jim. "Alone! No chaperon! Good Lord!"
"Yes," said Bennington, "I've always wanted to go West. I want to write, and I'm sure, in that great, free country, I'll get a chance for development. I had to work hard to induce father and mother to consent, but it's done now, and I leave next week. Father procured58 me a position out there in one of the camps. I'm to be local treasurer59, or something like that; I'm not quite sure, you see, for I haven't talked with Bishop60 yet. I go to his office for directions to-morrow."
At the mention of Bishop the Leslies glanced at each other behind the young man's back.
"Bishop?" repeated Jim. "Where's your job located?"
"In the Black Hills of South Dakota, somewhere near a little place called Spanish Gulch61."
This time the Leslies winked62 at each other.
"It's a nice country," commented Bert vaguely63; "I've been there."
"Oh, have you?" cried the young man. "What's it like?"
"Hills, pines, log houses, good hunting--oh, it's Western enough."
A clock struck in a church tower outside. In spite of himself, Bennington started.
"Better run along home," laughed Jim; "your mamma will be angry."
To prove that this consideration carried no weight, Bennington stayed ten minutes longer. Then he descended64 the five flights of stairs deliberately65 enough, but once out of earshot of his friends, he ran several blocks. Before going into the house he took off his shoes. In spite of the precaution, his mother called to him as he passed her room. It was half past ten.
Beck and Hench kicked de Laney's chair aside, and drew up more comfortably before the fire; but James would have none of it. He seemed to be excited.
"No," he vetoed decidedly. "You fellows have got to get out! I've got something to do, and I can't be bothered."
The visitors grumbled66. "There's true hospitality for you," objected they; "turn your best friends out into the cold world! I like that!"
"Sorry, boys," insisted James, unmoved. "Got an inspiration. Get out! Vamoose!"
They went, grumbling67 loudly down the length of the stairs, to the disgust of the Lady with the Piano on the floor below.
"What're you up to, anyway, Jimmie?" inquired the brother with some curiosity.
James had swept a space clear on the table, and was arranging some stationery68.
"Don't you care," he replied; "you just sit down and read your little Omar for a while."
He plunged69 into the labours of composition, and Bert sat smoking meditatively70. After some moments the writer passed a letter over to the smoker71.
"Think it'll do?" he inquired.
Bert read the letter through carefully.
"Jeems," said he, after due deliberation, "Jeems, you're a blooming genius."
James stamped the envelope.
"I'll mail it for you when I go out in the morning," Bert suggested.
"Not on your daily bread, sonny. It is posted now by my own hand. We won't take any chances on _this_ layout, and that I can tell you."
He tramped down four flights and to the corner, although it was midnight and bitter cold. Then, with a seraphic grin on his countenance72, he went to bed and slept the sleep of the just.
The envelope was addressed to a Mr. James Fay, Spanish Gulch, South Dakota.
收听单词发音 |
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disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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sublimated
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| v.（使某物质）升华( sublimate的过去式和过去分词 )；使净化；纯化 | |
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illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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ledges
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| n.（墙壁，悬崖等）突出的狭长部分( ledge的名词复数 )；（平窄的）壁架；横档；（尤指）窗台 | |
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ledge
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| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
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mattress
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| n.床垫，床褥 | |
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mattresses
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| 褥垫，床垫( mattress的名词复数 ) | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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bout
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| n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛 | |
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elucidate
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| v.阐明，说明 | |
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deign
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| v. 屈尊, 惠允 ( 做某事) | |
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pompous
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的；夸大的；豪华的 | |
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conceited
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| adj.自负的，骄傲自满的 | |
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vapid
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| adj.无味的；无生气的 | |
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fervently
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| adv.热烈地，热情地，强烈地 | |
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waxworks
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| n.公共供水系统；蜡制品，蜡像( waxwork的名词复数 ) | |
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auspices
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| n.资助，赞助 | |
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genealogy
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| n.家系，宗谱 | |
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hereditary
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| adj.遗传的，遗传性的，可继承的，世袭的 | |
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aristocrat
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| n.贵族，有贵族气派的人，上层人物 | |
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pestering
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| 使烦恼，纠缠( pester的现在分词 ) | |
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mimicked
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| v.（尤指为了逗乐而）模仿( mimic的过去式和过去分词 )；酷似 | |
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pedantic
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| adj.卖弄学问的；迂腐的 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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strenuousness
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frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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hostilities
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| n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事 | |
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amiably
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| adv.和蔼可亲地，亲切地 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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pyjamas
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| n.（宽大的）睡衣裤 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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precluded
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| v.阻止( preclude的过去式和过去分词 )；排除；妨碍；使…行不通 | |
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providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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contestants
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| n.竞争者，参赛者( contestant的名词复数 ) | |
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maternal
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| adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的 | |
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precedent
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| n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的 | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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chuckles
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的名词复数 ) | |
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gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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tottered
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| v.走得或动得不稳( totter的过去式和过去分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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gauge
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| v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器 | |
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51
contrive
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| vt.谋划，策划；设法做到；设计，想出 | |
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52
revelling
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| v.作乐( revel的现在分词 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉 | |
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53
vivacious
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| adj.活泼的，快活的 | |
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54
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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56
backbones
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| n.骨干( backbone的名词复数 )；脊骨；骨气；脊骨状物 | |
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57
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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58
procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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59
treasurer
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| n.司库，财务主管 | |
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60
bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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gulch
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| n.深谷，峡谷 | |
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62
winked
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| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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65
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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66
grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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67
grumbling
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| adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的 | |
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68
stationery
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| n.文具；(配套的)信笺信封 | |
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69
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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70
meditatively
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| adv.冥想地 | |
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71
smoker
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| n.吸烟者，吸烟车厢，吸烟室 | |
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72
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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