Without being very deeply versed1 in ethnography, one may be strongly inclined to believe, in common with many _savants_, that a close relationship exists between the leading families of the English aristocracy and the oldest families of Scandinavia. Numerous proofs of this fact, indeed, are to be found in the ancestral names which are identical in both countries. There is no aristocracy in Norway, however; still, though the democracy everywhere rules, that does not prevent it from being aristocratic to the highest degree. All are equals upon an exalted2 plane instead of a low one. Even in the humblest hut may be found a genealogical tree which has not degenerated4 in the least because it has sprung up anew in humble3 soil; and the walls are adorned5 with the proud blazons6 of the feudal7 lords from whom these plain peasants are descended8.
So it was with the Hansens of Dal, who were unquestionably related, though rather remotely, to the English peers created after Rollo's invasion of Normandy, and though rank and wealth had both departed they had at least preserved the old pride, or rather dignity, which becomes all social ranks.
It was a matter of very little consequence, however. Whether he had ancestors of lofty lineage or not, Harald Hansen was simply a village inn-keeper. The house had come down to him from his father and from his grandfather, who were widely known and respected, and after his death his widow continued the business in a way that elicited9 universal commendation.
Whether or not Harald had made a fortune in the business, no one was able to say; but he had been able to rear his son Joel and his daughter Hulda in comfort; and Ole Kamp, a son of his wife's sister, had also been brought up like one of his own children. But for his uncle Harald, this orphan10 child would doubtless have been one of those poor creatures who come into the world only to leave it; and Ole Kamp evinced a truly filial devotion toward his parents by adoption11. Nothing would ever sever12 the tie that bound him to the Hansen family, to which his marriage with Hulda was about to bind14 him still more closely.
Harald Hansen had died about eighteen months before, leaving his wife, in addition to the inn, a small farm on the mountain, a piece of property which yielded very meager15 returns, if any. This was especially true of late, for the seasons had been remarkably16 unpropitious, and agriculture of every kind had suffered greatly, even the pastures. There had been many of those "iron nights," as the Norwegian peasants call them--nights of north-easterly gales17 and ice that kill the corn down to the very root--and that meant ruin to the farmers of the Telemark and the Hardanger.
Still, whatever Dame18 Hansen might think of the situation of affairs, she had never said a word to any living soul, not even to her children. Naturally cold and reserved, she was very uncommunicative--a fact that pained Hulda and Joel not a little. But with that respect for the head of the family innate19 in Northern lands, they made no attempt to break down a reserve which was eminently20 distasteful to them. Besides, Dame Hansen never asked aid or counsel, being firmly convinced of the infallibility of her own judgment21, for she was a true Norwegian in that respect.
Dame Hansen was now about fifty years old. Advancing age had not bowed her tall form, though it had whitened her hair; nor had it dimmed the brightness of her dark-blue eyes, whose azure22 was reflected in the clear orbs23 of her daughter; but her complexion24 had taken on the yellow hue25 of old parchment, and a few wrinkles were beginning to furrow26 her forehead.
The madame, as they say in Scandinavia, was invariably attired27 in a full black skirt, for she had never laid aside her mourning since her husband's death. Below the shoulder-straps of a brown bodice appeared the long full sleeves of an unbleached cotton chemise. On her shoulders she wore a small dark-colored fichu that crossed upon her breast, which was also covered by the large bib of her apron28. She always wore as a head-dress a close-fitting black-silk cap that covered almost her entire head, and tied behind, a kind of head-dress that is rarely seen nowadays.
Seated stiffly erect29 in her wooden arm-chair, the grave hostess neglected her spinning-wheel only to enjoy a small birchwood pipe, whose smoke enveloped30 her in a faint cloud.
Really, the house would have seemed very gloomy had it not been for the presence of the two children.
A worthy31 lad was Joel Hansen. Twenty-five years of age, well built, tall, like all Norwegian mountaineers, proud in bearing, though not in the least boastful or conceited32. He had fine hair, verging33 upon chestnut34, with blue eyes so dark as to seem almost black. His garb35 displayed to admirable advantage his powerful shoulders, his broad chest, in which his lungs had full play, and stalwart limbs which never failed him even in the most difficult mountain ascents36. His dark-blue jacket, fitting tightly at the waist, was adorned on the shoulders with epaulets, and in the back with designs in colored embroidery37 similar to those that embellish38 the vests of the Breton peasantry. His yellow breeches were fastened at the knee by large buckles39. Upon his head he wore a broad-brimmed brown hat with a red-and-black band, and his legs were usually incased either in coarse cloth gaiters or in long stout40 boots without heels.
His vocation41 was that of a mountain guide in the district of the Telemark, and even in the Hardanger. Always ready to start, and untiring in his exertions42, he was a worthy descendant of the Norwegian hero Rollo, the walker, celebrated43 in the legends of that country. Between times he accompanied English sportsmen who repair to that region to shoot the riper, a species of ptarmigan, larger than that found in the Hebrides, and the jerpir, a partridge much more delicate in its flavor than the grouse44 of Scotland. When winter came, the hunting of wolves engrossed45 his attention, for at that season of the year these fierce animals, emboldened46 by hunger, not unfrequently venture out upon the surface of the frozen lake. Then there was bear hunting in summer, when that animal, accompanied by her young, comes to secure its feast of fresh grass, and when one must pursue it over plateaus at an altitude of from ten to twelve thousand feet. More than once Joel had owed his life solely47 to the great strength that enabled him to endure the embraces of these formidable animals, and to the imperturbable48 coolness which enabled him to eventually dispatch them.
But when there was neither tourist nor hunter to be guided through the valley of the Vesfjorddal, Joel devoted49 his attention to the _soetur_, the little mountain farm where a young shepherd kept guard over half a dozen cows and about thirty sheep--a _soetur_ consisting exclusively of pasture land.
Joel, being naturally very pleasant and obliging, was known and loved in every village in the Telemark; but two persons for whom he felt a boundless50 affection were his cousin Ole and his sister Hulda.
When Ole Kamp left Dal to embark51 for the last time, how deeply Joel regretted his inability to dower Hulda and thus avert52 the necessity for her lover's departure! In fact, if he had been accustomed to the sea, he would certainly have gone in his cousin's place. But money was needed to start them in housekeeping, and as Dame Hansen had offered no assistance, Joel understood only too well that she did not feel inclined to devote any portion of the estate to that purpose, so there was nothing for Ole to do but cross the broad Atlantic.
Joel had accompanied him to the extreme end of the valley on his way to Bergen, and there, after a long embrace, he wished him a pleasant journey and a speedy return, and then returned to console his sister, whom he loved with an affection which was at the same time fraternal and paternal53 in its character.
Hulda at that time was exactly eighteen years of age. She was not the _piga_, as the servant in a Norwegian inn is called, but rather the _froken_, the young lady of the house, as her mother was the madame. What a charming face was hers, framed in a wealth of pale golden hair, under a thin linen54 cap projecting in the back to give room for the long plaits of hair! What a lovely form incased in this tightly fitting bodice of red stuff, ornamented55 with green shoulder-straps and surmounted56 by a snowy chemisette, the sleeves of which were fastened at the wrist by a ribbon bracelet57! What grace and perfect symmetry in the waist, encircled by a red belt with clasps of silver filigree58 which held in place the dark-green skirt, below which appeared the white stocking protected by the dainty pointed59 toed shoe of the Telemark!
Yes, Ole's betrothed60 was certainly charming, with the slightly melancholy61 expression of the daughters of the North softening62 her smiling face; and on seeing her one instantly thought of Hulda the Fair, whose name she bore, and who figures as the household fairy in Scandinavian mythology63.
Nor did the reserve of a chaste64 and modest maiden65 mar13 the grace with which she welcomed the guests who came to the inn. She was well known to the world of tourists; and it was not one of the smallest attractions of the inn to be greeted by that cordial shake of the hand that Hulda bestowed66 on one and all. And after having said to her, "_Tack for mad_" (Thanks for the meal), what could be more delightful67 than to hear her reply in her fresh sonorous68 voice: "_Wed bekomme_!" (May it do you good!)
1 versed | |
adj. 精通,熟练 | |
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2 exalted | |
adj.(地位等)高的,崇高的;尊贵的,高尚的 | |
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3 humble | |
adj.谦卑的,恭顺的;地位低下的;v.降低,贬低 | |
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4 degenerated | |
衰退,堕落,退化( degenerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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5 adorned | |
[计]被修饰的 | |
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6 blazons | |
v.广布( blazon的第三人称单数 );宣布;夸示;装饰 | |
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7 feudal | |
adj.封建的,封地的,领地的 | |
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8 descended | |
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的 | |
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9 elicited | |
引出,探出( elicit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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10 orphan | |
n.孤儿;adj.无父母的 | |
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11 adoption | |
n.采用,采纳,通过;收养 | |
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12 sever | |
v.切开,割开;断绝,中断 | |
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13 mar | |
vt.破坏,毁坏,弄糟 | |
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14 bind | |
vt.捆,包扎;装订;约束;使凝固;vi.变硬 | |
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15 meager | |
adj.缺乏的,不足的,瘦的 | |
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16 remarkably | |
ad.不同寻常地,相当地 | |
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17 gales | |
龙猫 | |
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18 dame | |
n.女士 | |
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19 innate | |
adj.天生的,固有的,天赋的 | |
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20 eminently | |
adv.突出地;显著地;不寻常地 | |
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21 judgment | |
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见 | |
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22 azure | |
adj.天蓝色的,蔚蓝色的 | |
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23 orbs | |
abbr.off-reservation boarding school 在校寄宿学校n.球,天体,圆形物( orb的名词复数 ) | |
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24 complexion | |
n.肤色;情况,局面;气质,性格 | |
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25 hue | |
n.色度;色调;样子 | |
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26 furrow | |
n.沟;垄沟;轨迹;车辙;皱纹 | |
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27 attired | |
adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服,使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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28 apron | |
n.围裙;工作裙 | |
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29 erect | |
n./v.树立,建立,使竖立;adj.直立的,垂直的 | |
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30 enveloped | |
v.包围,笼罩,包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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31 worthy | |
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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32 conceited | |
adj.自负的,骄傲自满的 | |
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33 verging | |
接近,逼近(verge的现在分词形式) | |
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34 chestnut | |
n.栗树,栗子 | |
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35 garb | |
n.服装,装束 | |
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36 ascents | |
n.上升( ascent的名词复数 );(身份、地位等的)提高;上坡路;攀登 | |
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37 embroidery | |
n.绣花,刺绣;绣制品 | |
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38 embellish | |
v.装饰,布置;给…添加细节,润饰 | |
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39 buckles | |
搭扣,扣环( buckle的名词复数 ) | |
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41 vocation | |
n.职业,行业 | |
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42 exertions | |
n.努力( exertion的名词复数 );费力;(能力、权力等的)运用;行使 | |
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43 celebrated | |
adj.有名的,声誉卓著的 | |
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44 grouse | |
n.松鸡;v.牢骚,诉苦 | |
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45 engrossed | |
adj.全神贯注的 | |
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46 emboldened | |
v.鼓励,使有胆量( embolden的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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47 solely | |
adv.仅仅,唯一地 | |
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48 imperturbable | |
adj.镇静的 | |
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49 devoted | |
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的 | |
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50 boundless | |
adj.无限的;无边无际的;巨大的 | |
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51 embark | |
vi.乘船,着手,从事,上飞机 | |
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52 avert | |
v.防止,避免;转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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53 paternal | |
adj.父亲的,像父亲的,父系的,父方的 | |
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54 linen | |
n.亚麻布,亚麻线,亚麻制品;adj.亚麻布制的,亚麻的 | |
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55 ornamented | |
adj.花式字体的v.装饰,点缀,美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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56 surmounted | |
战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 ); 克服(困难); 居于…之上; 在…顶上 | |
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57 bracelet | |
n.手镯,臂镯 | |
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58 filigree | |
n.金银丝做的工艺品;v.用金银细丝饰品装饰;用华而不实的饰品装饰;adj.金银细丝工艺的 | |
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59 pointed | |
adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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60 betrothed | |
n. 已订婚者 动词betroth的过去式和过去分词 | |
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61 melancholy | |
n.忧郁,愁思;adj.令人感伤(沮丧)的,忧郁的 | |
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62 softening | |
变软,软化 | |
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63 mythology | |
n.神话,神话学,神话集 | |
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64 chaste | |
adj.贞洁的;有道德的;善良的;简朴的 | |
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65 maiden | |
n.少女,处女;adj.未婚的,纯洁的,无经验的 | |
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66 bestowed | |
赠给,授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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67 delightful | |
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的 | |
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68 sonorous | |
adj.响亮的,回响的;adv.圆润低沉地;感人地;n.感人,堂皇 | |
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