CHAPTER XIV. MR. HUXTER AT HOME.

 When John awoke the next morning he found it difficult at first to understand where he was; but recollection soon came to his aid, and he remembered that he was Mr. Huxter's guest. He rose from the cot-bed, and, going to the window, looked out. The prospect¹ was not a very pleasant one. Just across the street was a pasture, with here and there a gnarled and stunted² tree. The immediate³ neighborhood of Mr. Huxter's house has already been described.

"I don't wonder they call it Hardscrabble," thought John. "I shouldn't like to live here."

At this moment Mr. Huxter's head was thrust in through the open door.

"Come, Oakley," said he, "it's time to get up. We don't want any lazy folks here."

"I was tired with my ride yesterday, and overslept myself," said John.

"Well, dress as quick as you can," said Mr. Huxter, turning to descend⁴ the stairs.

[152]

"I don't see any washbowl," said John, hesitating.

"You can come downstairs and wash, like the rest of us," said Mr. Huxter. "You needn't expect us to lug⁵ up water for you."

John did not reply to this rude speech; but he could not avoid being struck by the change in the manner of his host. Mr. Huxter had, when first introduced, treated him with elaborate politeness. Now he treated him with downright rudeness, and as if he possessed⁶ some authority over him. John did not understand this, nor did he like it; but as it was only for a few days at the farthest, he resolved not to repay rudeness with rudeness, but to behave with as much respect as circumstances would allow. In the mean time he would ascertain⁷ as soon as possible the object of his visit, and so hasten matters as to allow of his return home with as little delay as possible.

Dressing⁸ hastily, he went downstairs, and found the breakfast-table spread in the kitchen. Mr. Huxter was seated at the table in his shirt-sleeves.

"Down at last, Oakley," he said. "Sit right up."

"I should like to wash first," said John.

"Well, there's the sink, and there's a tin basin," said Mr. Huxter.

"Wait a minute, Mr. Oakley," said Mrs. Huxter, "I'll wash out the basin for you."

[153]

"It's clean enough," said her husband.

"No, there's been some greasy⁹ water in it," said Mrs. Huxter.

"You're mighty¹⁰ anxious to wait on him," sneered¹² Mr. Huxter. "You don't seem to think me of any consequence."

His wife did not reply. Poor woman! she had a hard time of it. She had always had to contend with poverty; but poverty is not the worst of evils. If her husband had been reasonably kind, she could have borne that without repining, though it subjected her to many privations which she well knew might have been avoided had not her husband been so shiftless and intemperate¹³. But his temper was far from sweet. He was that detestable character, a domestic tyrant¹⁴, and did all in his power to make his wife uncomfortable and unhappy. She had learned that her best course was to permit his taunts¹⁵ and harsh words to pass unheeded, for at such times reason had no weight with him.

It did not take John long to understand the position of affairs. He saw that Mrs. Huxter was disposed to be polite and kind to him, and he felt grateful. He could not help pitying her for having such a husband.

[154]

"Thank you, Mrs. Huxter," he said, when she had prepared the basin for him.

"I suppose you are accustomed to washing in your own room," she said.

"Yes," said John; "but it's of no consequence. I can wash down here just as well."

"Of course you can," said Mr. Huxter. "Come, be spry there, Oakley."

John washed himself deliberately¹⁶, not thinking that it was necessary to hurry himself on Mr. Huxter's account, and sat down to the table.

"You're an enterprising young man," said Mr. Huxter. "I'm half through my breakfast, and you're just ready to begin."

"He had a long and tiresome¹⁷ journey yesterday," said Mrs. Huxter. "No wonder he was tired."

"So had I," said her husband. "You don't seem to think I can ever get tired, even when I've been working like a dog."

"What time is it?" asked John.

"Most seven."

"Seven is our breakfast-hour at home," said John, quietly. "As you did not tell me you breakfasted earlier here, you could not expect me to get up sooner than I did."

"That's true, Mr. Oakley," said Mrs. Huxter.

[155]

"So you're siding with him,—are you?" said Mr. Huxter, angrily.

John was far from being a coward. He was disposed to treat every one with courtesy and respect, but expected to be treated in the same way. Mr. Huxter's manner was so very offensive, and his words so dictatorial¹⁸, that his anger was excited. He felt that he could not with proper self-respect remain silent longer.

"Mr. Huxter," he said, fixing his eyes calmly on the face of his host, "you seem to forget that I am your guest, and entitled to be treated with common politeness."

"Mr. Oakley is quite right," said Mrs. Huxter. "You have been very rude to him."

"Do you mean to say I'm not polite?" demanded Huxter, raising his voice.

It was not certain to whom this question was addressed,—to John or his wife. But John, who did not wish to get Mrs. Huxter into trouble on his account, hastened to reply:—

"You can judge for yourself, Mr. Huxter, whether you have treated me as I had a right to expect. I came here with you to oblige your sister, Mrs. Oakley. When the business is over, I shall go back. I suppose it will only occupy a short time. I shall try[156] to make you as little trouble as possible, and if you will let me know the rules of your house I will try to conform to them. To-morrow morning I shall be downstairs in time for breakfast."

Mr. Huxter would have been angry at these words, but the secret thought that John was in his power moderated his resentment¹⁹. He laughed in his sleeve at the thought of John's dismay, when he learned that he was not here on a visit, but to remain for an indefinite period. This fact he had not mentioned even to his wife, who, therefore, could not help wondering what could be John's business.

"You've made quite a speech, Oakley," said he, sarcastically²⁰. "You may think it all right to charge a man with impoliteness in his own house, but for my part I think it cursed impudent²¹."

"I do not intend to be impudent," said John.

"I don't know what you intend, but you are so," said Huxter.

"I hope you won't mind what he says," said Mrs. Huxter, distressed²².

"Shut up, Mrs. Huxter! I'd rather you wouldn't interfere²³. I'll have it out with this young man without any help from you."

"I don't understand you, Mr. Huxter," said John,[157] with dignity. "I have tried to treat you with proper respect."

"Yes, you've tried very hard."

"And I don't know why you have taken offence. I should like to know how long I am likely to be detained here on the business which has brought me here."

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because I think it would be better for both of us that I should go to the hotel, if there is one in the village. I am afraid we are not likely to agree very well, and then I shall not interfere with any of your arrangements."

"Who do you expect is going to pay your hotel bills?" demanded Mr. Huxter, with a sneer¹¹.

"I think there will be no difficulty about that," said John.

"If you think my sister will pay any such bills you are mistaken."

"As I came here on business of hers she will probably pay it. If she is unwilling²⁴, I will pay it myself."

"Indeed!" said Mr. Huxter, pricking²⁵ up his ears. "Where will you get the money?"

"I hope you will not take offence, Mr. Huxter, if I decline to answer that question."

[158]

"Have you got any money with you?"

"I decline answering."

Mr. Huxter was about to make an angry reply; but a moment's thought led him to change his purpose. He was anxious to find out how much money John had.

"Have you got money enough to keep you at the hotel a week?"

"Shall I need to remain here a week?" asked John, a little disturbed at the thought of having his studies interrupted for so long a time, especially as there seemed so little prospect of deriving²⁶ any enjoyment²⁷ from his visit.

"Perhaps longer."

"If I don't have money enough, I will write to Mrs. Oakley for more," he said.

"I can tell you beforehand that you won't get any."

"We won't dispute about that," said John. "I shall be glad to go about this business at once, as I do not wish to be kept away from my studies any longer than is absolutely necessary."

"I'm thinking, young man," said Mr. Huxter, "that it will be a good while before you go back to your Latin and Greek."

 

"Why so?" said John.

"Read that, and you'll know," said Mr. Huxter; and he drew a note from his pocket, and handed it to John.

 

1 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

2 stunted   

adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的

参考例句：

• the stunted lives of children deprived of education 未受教育的孩子所过的局限生活
• But the landed oligarchy had stunted the country's democratic development for generations. 但是好几代以来土地寡头的统治阻碍了这个国家民主的发展。

3 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

4 descend   

vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降

参考例句：

• I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
• We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。

5 lug   

n.柄，突出部，螺帽；(英）耳朵；（俚）笨蛋；vt.拖，拉，用力拖动

参考例句：

• Nobody wants to lug around huge suitcases full of clothes.谁都不想拖着个装满衣服的大箱子到处走。
• Do I have to lug those suitcases all the way to the station?难道非要我把那些手提箱一直拉到车站去吗？

6 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

7 ascertain   

vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清

参考例句：

• It's difficult to ascertain the coal deposits.煤储量很难探明。
• We must ascertain the responsibility in light of different situtations.我们必须根据不同情况判定责任。

8 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

9 greasy   

adj. 多脂的，油脂的

参考例句：

• He bought a heavy-duty cleanser to clean his greasy oven.昨天他买了强力清洁剂来清洗油污的炉子。
• You loathe the smell of greasy food when you are seasick.当你晕船时，你会厌恶油腻的气味。

10 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

11 sneer   

v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语

参考例句：

• He said with a sneer.他的话中带有嘲笑之意。
• You may sneer,but a lot of people like this kind of music.你可以嗤之以鼻，但很多人喜欢这种音乐。

12 sneered   

讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sneered at people who liked pop music. 他嘲笑喜欢流行音乐的人。
• It's very discouraging to be sneered at all the time. 成天受嘲讽是很令人泄气的。

13 intemperate   

adj.无节制的，放纵的

参考例句：

• Many people felt threatened by Arther's forceful,sometimes intemperate style.很多人都觉得阿瑟的强硬的、有时过激的作风咄咄逼人。
• The style was hurried,the tone intemperate.匆促的笔调，放纵的语气。

14 tyrant   

n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人

参考例句：

• The country was ruled by a despotic tyrant.该国处在一个专制暴君的统治之下。
• The tyrant was deaf to the entreaties of the slaves.暴君听不到奴隶们的哀鸣。

15 taunts   

嘲弄的言语，嘲笑，奚落( taunt的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He had to endure the racist taunts of the crowd. 他不得不忍受那群人种族歧视的奚落。
• He had to endure the taunts of his successful rival. 他不得不忍受成功了的对手的讥笑。

16 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

17 tiresome   

adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的

参考例句：

• His doubts and hesitations were tiresome.他的疑惑和犹豫令人厌烦。
• He was tiresome in contending for the value of his own labors.他老为他自己劳动的价值而争强斗胜，令人生厌。

18 dictatorial   

adj. 独裁的，专断的

参考例句：

• Her father is very dictatorial.她父亲很专横。
• For years the nation had been under the heel of a dictatorial regime.多年来这个国家一直在独裁政权的铁蹄下。

19 resentment   

n.怨愤，忿恨

参考例句：

• All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

20 sarcastically   

adv.挖苦地，讽刺地

参考例句：

• 'What a surprise!' Caroline murmured sarcastically.“太神奇了!”卡罗琳轻声挖苦道。
• Pierce mocked her and bowed sarcastically. 皮尔斯嘲笑她，讽刺地鞠了一躬。

21 impudent   

adj.鲁莽的，卑鄙的，厚颜无耻的

参考例句：

• She's tolerant toward those impudent colleagues.她对那些无礼的同事采取容忍的态度。
• The teacher threatened to kick the impudent pupil out of the room.老师威胁着要把这无礼的小学生撵出教室。

22 distressed   

痛苦的

参考例句：

• He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题。
• The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。

23 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

24 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

25 pricking   

刺，刺痕，刺痛感

参考例句：

• She felt a pricking on her scalp. 她感到头皮上被扎了一下。
• Intercostal neuralgia causes paroxysmal burning pain or pricking pain. 肋间神经痛呈阵发性的灼痛或刺痛。

26 deriving   

v.得到( derive的现在分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• I anticipate deriving much instruction from the lecture. 我期望从这演讲中获得很多教益。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He anticipated his deriving much instruction from the lecture. 他期望从这次演讲中得到很多教益。 来自辞典例句

27 enjoyment   

n.乐趣；享有；享用

参考例句：

• Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
• After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。