Dr. Musgrave jumped out, and then extended his hand to Vivian Bell.
“Give me your hand!” he said gruffly.
The poor boy tremblingly held out his hand, which was grasped roughly by the tyrant3. He was jerked out with no gentle motion.
“Now, Simon, give me the whip!”
Dr. Musgrave grasped it, and seizing Vivian by the collar, began to push him before him up the path.
Guy and August Locke looked on in disgust and anger.{123}
“Speak to him, Mr. Locke,” whispered Guy.
“Dr. Musgrave!” said August, in a clear, cold voice.
Then for the first time the head master turned his attention to the newcomers.
“I will be at your service in a few moments,” he said, waving his hand.
He thought that August Locke wished to enter Guy at his school.
“That will not do, Dr. Musgrave. I wish your attention now!”
“You will have to wait!” he said, sharply. “I have to mete5 out justice to this young rascal6, who had the audacity7 to run away from me. I have just recovered him, and I intend to flog him in the presence of the school. You can be present, if you like.”
“Dr. Musgrave,” said Locke, sternly, “this flogging shall not take place!”
“What!” exclaimed the head master, with blazing eyes. “Do you come here to interfere8 with my discipline?”
“I do; or rather we do.”
“I never heard of such audacity!” exclaimed Dr. Musgrave, fairly aghast.{124}
“Is not this boy Vivian Bell?”
“Yes.”
“Then you shall not flog him!”
Dr. Musgrave was exasperated9 beyond endurance. He had been accustomed to move among his pupils like an Eastern despot, with no one bold enough to oppose him.
“This is my answer,” he said, grasping the whip, and lashing11 Vivian across the legs, eliciting12 a cry of pain.
“And this is mine!” said August Locke.
He snatched the whip from the head master, grasped him by the collar, and with all the strength he possessed13 rained down blows across the teacher’s legs.
Guy instantly drew the trembling boy to his side.
“You cannot be trusted with it,” said Locke, coolly.
Dr. Musgrave, fairly boiling with passion, made a spring for Vivian, but August Locke anticipated the movement, and brought down the whip over the head master’s shoulders.{125}
“Boys, come to the help of your teacher!” shrieked Musgrave.
Not a boy stirred except Simon.
He ran forward, and tried to attack Vivian Bell.
Guy let go of Vivian, and with a well-directed blow stretched Simon on the ground.
“I, sir, am August Locke, once your pupil,” replied Locke. “I am paying you off for some of your former brutality18.”
“I will have you arrested—yes, and you, too!” shaking his head at Guy.
“Let me introduce my young companion, Dr. Musgrave,” went on Locke. “He is Master Guy Fenwick. He comes here as the agent of Mr. John Saunders, of Bombay, the guardian19 of Vivian Bell.”
“Is this true?” asked the head master, bewildered and incredulous.
“Yes, sir,” answered Guy. “I came here to find out how the boy was treated, but I have seen for myself. I withdraw him from your school. He is no longer a pupil of yours!”
Vivian Bell’s expression changed at once. He looked overjoyed.{126}
“Oh!” he said, “is this true?”
“Yes,” answered Guy, putting his hand caressingly20 on the boy’s shoulder. “I shall take you away with me.”
“Gentlemen,” he said, “before anything is decided23 upon, I wish to explain that this boy has committed a daring act of rebellion, an act which merits summary punishment.”
“Yes, sir; he ran away,” said August Locke, “and any boy would be justified26 in running away under the circumstances.”
“Sir,” said Dr. Musgrave, striving to recover some of his lost dignity, “in a school like this there must be discipline.”
“Yes, but not brutality.”
“You have evidently been misinformed as to the character of my discipline. It is firm, but parental27.”
“Dr. Musgrave,” retorted August Locke, with a disgust which he could not conceal28, “you forget that I was a former pupil of yours. Of all the abominable29 tyrants30 to be found in English schools, I think you carry off the palm.”{127}
“I had hoped, Mr. Locke—I remember you now—that your maturer judgment31 would have enabled you to understand the reason of my occasional severity. My own conscience justifies32 me in what I have done.”
“If this boy—as I can hardly believe—represents Bell’s guardian, I will describe to him the flagrant acts of disobedience of which his ward16 has been guilty. Surely he will not justify34 a pupil in running away from his school!”
“Under the circumstances I do, sir.”
“I trust you will leave Bell here till the end of the term, four weeks hence.”
Vivian Bell looked alarmed.
“I must decline to do so, Dr. Musgrave.”
“I shall, under the rules of the school, charge to the end of the term.”
“You can do so, sir, but I shall withdraw Vivian to-day.”
“I claim the right, before he leaves, to inflict punishment for the act of rebellion of which he has been guilty.”
“So it would afford you satisfaction to flog him, Dr. Musgrave?” said August Locke, with a sarcastic35 smile.{128}
“No, sir. I am always pained when I have to chastise36 a pupil, but it is necessary to the maintenance of my authority over the other boys that Bell’s offense37 should not go unpunished.”
“Your authority will have to take care of itself, Dr. Musgrave. You are fortunate that I do not punish you for your past brutality!”
“Mr. Locke, a higher-handed outrage was never perpetrated than your interference with my authority, and your assault upon myself.
“You are quite welcome to take any view of it you choose. Guy, I think you ought to take immediate38 steps toward the withdrawal39 of your young ward.”
“Dr. Musgrave, will you direct that my ward’s trunk be packed, and all made ready for his departure? When this is done I will settle your bill.”
“I protest once more against your remarkable40 proceedings41. I shall write to Mr. Saunders and complain of them.”
“You are at liberty to do so. In the meanwhile, please have the boy’s clothes packed.”
The humiliation42 of Dr. Musgrave was the greater because nearly all his pupils had been witnesses of it. Though they had not manifested their feelings in any way, there was not one, except Simon,{129} his son, who was not rejoiced when they saw the tables turned upon their tyrannical teacher.
Dr. Musgrave hesitated, but Guy’s bold, resolute43 bearing convinced him that opposition44 would be useless.
If he could have retained Vivian Bell to the end of the term he would have had an opportunity to make him suffer, and thus obtained some satisfaction; but Guy saw through his scheme, and resolutely45 vetoed it. He would not allow Vivian to remain an hour longer, but declared his intention of taking him away with him at once.
When the doctor went inside to give orders about packing Vivian’s trunk, Jim Rawdon went up to Guy and shook hands with him.
“You are a brave boy,” he said. “I never enjoyed myself more than I have in the last half hour. It was fun to see the doctor under the lash10.”
“I wish you could leave the school, too,” said Guy.
“I shall soon. I am in no danger of a flogging, though. The doctor doesn’t dare to flog me.”
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收听单词发音
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1
inflict
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| vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担 | |
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2
wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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3
tyrant
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| n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人 | |
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4
umbrage
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| n.不快；树荫 | |
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mete
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| v.分配；给予 | |
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6
rascal
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| n.流氓；不诚实的人 | |
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7
audacity
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| n.大胆，卤莽，无礼 | |
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8
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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9
exasperated
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| adj.恼怒的 | |
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10
lash
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| v.系牢；鞭打；猛烈抨击；n.鞭打；眼睫毛 | |
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11
lashing
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| n.鞭打；痛斥；大量；许多v.鞭打( lash的现在分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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12
eliciting
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| n. 诱发, 引出 动词elicit的现在分词形式 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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14
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15
outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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16
ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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17
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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18
brutality
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| n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮 | |
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19
guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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20
caressingly
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| 爱抚地，亲切地 | |
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21
destitute
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| adj.缺乏的；穷困的 | |
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22
prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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23
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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24
nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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reassured
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| adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词) | |
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26
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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27
parental
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| adj.父母的；父的；母的 | |
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28
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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29
abominable
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| adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的 | |
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30
tyrants
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| 专制统治者( tyrant的名词复数 )； 暴君似的人； （古希腊的）僭主； 严酷的事物 | |
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31
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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32
justifies
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| 证明…有理( justify的第三人称单数 )； 为…辩护； 对…作出解释； 为…辩解（或辩护） | |
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33
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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34
justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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35
sarcastic
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| adj.讥讽的，讽刺的，嘲弄的 | |
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36
chastise
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| vt.责骂，严惩 | |
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37
offense
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| n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪 | |
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38
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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39
withdrawal
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| n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销 | |
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40
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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41
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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42
humiliation
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| n.羞辱 | |
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43
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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44
opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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45
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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