Nelly would live, but her limbs would never more obey her active spirit, for she had been attacked by a relentless4 malady5. The little feet that had slid in courtly measure, and twinkled in blithe6 strathspeys, and wandered restlessly over moor7 and brae, were stretched out in leaden helplessness. When she was young, she "had girded herself and gone whither she would;" but now, ere she was old, while there was not one silver thread in those chestnut8 locks, "another would gird her and carry her whither she would not." And oh! to think how the young mother's heart, ready to bud and bloom anew, was doomed9 to drag out a protracted10 existence, linked to the corpse-like frame [Page 193]of threescore and ten, until the angel of death freed it from its tabernacle of clay.
Nelly never spoke11 of her affliction—never parted from her baby. Travelling with difficulty, she removed to Edinburgh, to the aspiring12 tenement13 in the busy Canongate, which she had quitted in her distraction14. Lady Carnegie, in her rustling15 silk and with her clicking ivory shuttle, received her into her little household, but did not care to conceal16 that she did so on account of the aliment Staneholme had secured to his forsaken17 wife and heir. She did not endure the occasional sight of her daughter's infirmities without beshrewing them, as a reflection on her own dignity. She even sneered18 and scoffed19 at them, until Nanny Swinton began to fear that the judgment20 of God might strike her lady—a venerable grandame still without one weakness of bodily decay or human affection.
And did Nelly fret21 and moan over the invalid22 condition for which there was neither palliation nor remedy? Nay23, a blessing24 upon her at last; she began to witness a good testimony25 to the original mettle26 and bravery of her nature. She accepted the tangible27 evil direct from God's hand, sighingly, submissively, and with a noble meekness28 of resignation. She rose above her hapless lot—the old Nelly Carnegie, though subdued29 and chastened, was in a degree restored.
"Nanny! Nanny Swinton!" called Nelly from her couch, as she managed to hold up, almost exultingly30, the big crowing baby, in its quaintest31 of mantles32 and caps, "Staneholme's son's a braw bairn, well worthy33 Lady Carnegie's coral and bells."
[Page 194]"'Deed is he," Nanny assented34. "He'll grow up a stately man like his grandsire;" and recurring35 naturally to forbidden memories, she went on: "He'll be the marrow36 of Master Hugh. Ye dinna mind Master Hugh, Lady Staneholme?—the picture o' auld37 Lady Carnegie. That I sud call her auld!"
Nelly's brow contracted with something of its old indignation. "There's never a look of the Carnegies in my son; he has his father's brow and lip and hair, and you're but a gowk, Nanny Swinton!" and Nelly lay back and closed her eyes, and after a season opened them again, to tell Nanny Swinton that "she had been dreaming of a strange foreign city, full of pictures and carved woodwork, and of a high-road traversing a rich plain, shaded by apple and chestnut trees, and of something winding38 and glittering through the branches," leaving Nanny, who could not stand the sight of two magpies39, or of a cuckoo, of a morning before she had broken her fast, sorely troubled to account for the vision.
The gloaming of a night in June was on the Canongate and the silent palace of the gallant40, gentle King James. Lady Carnegie was gracing some rout41 or drum; Nanny Swinton was in her kitchen, burnishing42 her superannuated43 treasures, and crooning to herself as she worked; Nelly, in her solitary44, shadowy room, lay plaiting and pinching the cambric and muslin gear whose manufacture was her daily occupation, with her child's clumsy cradle drawn45 within reach of her hand. Through the dim light, she distinguished46 a man's figure at the door. Nelly knew full well those lineaments, with their mingled47 fire and gloom. [Page 195]They did not exasperate48 her as they had once done; they appalled49 her with great shuddering50; and sinking back, Nelly gasped—
"Are you dead and gone, Staneholme? Do you walk to seek my love that ye prigget for, but which canna gladden you now? Gae back to the bottom of the sea, or the bloody51 battle-field, and in the Lord's name rest there."
The figure stepped nearer; and Nelly, even in her blinding terror, distinguished that it was no shadowy apparition52, but mortal like herself. The curdling53 blood rushed back to Nelly's face, flooding the colourless cheek, and firing her with a new impulse. She snatched her child from its slumber54, and clasped it to her breast with her thin transparent55 hands.
"Have you come back to claim your son, Adam Home? But you'll have to tear him from me with your man's strength, for he's mine as well as yours; and he's my last, my only jewel."
And Nelly sat bolt upright, her rosy56 burden contrasting with her young, faded face, and her large eyes beginning to flame like those of a wild beast about to be robbed of its young.
"Oh no, Nelly, no," groaned57 Staneholme, covering his face; "I heard of your distress58, and I came but to speer of your welfare." And he made a motion to withdraw.
But Nelly's heart smote59 her for the wrong her rash words had done him—a wayworn, conscience-smitten man—and she recalled him relentingly.
"Ye may have meant well. I bear you no ill-will; I [Page 196]am stricken myself. Take a look at your laddie, Adam Home, before ye gang."
He advanced when she bade him, and received the child from her arms; but with such pause and hesitation60 that it might have seemed he thought more of his hands again meeting poor Nelly Carnegie's, and of her breath fanning his cheek, than of the precious load she magnanimously intrusted to him. He did look at the infant in his awkward grasp, but it was with a stifled61 sigh of disappointment.
"He may be a braw bairn, Nelly—I know not—but he has no look of yours."
"Na, he's a Home every inch of him, my bonny boy!" Nelly assented, eagerly. After a moment she turned her head, and added peevishly62, "I'm a sick woman, and ye needna mind what I say; I'm no fit for company. Good day; but mind, I've forgotten and forgiven, and wish my bairn's father well."
"Nanny Swinton," called Nelly to her faithful nurse, as she lay awake on her bed, deep in the sober dimness of the summer night, "think you that Staneholme will be booted and spurred with the sun, riding through the Loudons to Lauderdale?"
"It's like, Lady Staneholme," answered Nanny, drowsily63. "The keep o' man and beast is heavy in the town, and he'll be tain to look on his ain house, and greet the folk at home after these mony months beyond the seas. Preserve him and ilka kindly64 Scot from fell Popish notions rife65 yonder!"
"A miserable66 comforter are you, Nanny Swinton," muttered her mistress, as she hushed her child, and pressed her fevered lips to each tiny feature.
点击收听单词发音
1 apprehension | |
n.理解,领悟;逮捕,拘捕;忧虑 | |
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2 shrouded | |
v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 );保密 | |
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3 twilight | |
n.暮光,黄昏;暮年,晚期,衰落时期 | |
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4 relentless | |
adj.残酷的,不留情的,无怜悯心的 | |
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5 malady | |
n.病,疾病(通常做比喻) | |
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6 blithe | |
adj.快乐的,无忧无虑的 | |
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7 moor | |
n.荒野,沼泽;vt.(使)停泊;vi.停泊 | |
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8 chestnut | |
n.栗树,栗子 | |
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9 doomed | |
命定的 | |
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10 protracted | |
adj.拖延的;延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词 | |
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11 spoke | |
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 | |
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12 aspiring | |
adj.有志气的;有抱负的;高耸的v.渴望;追求 | |
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13 tenement | |
n.公寓;房屋 | |
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14 distraction | |
n.精神涣散,精神不集中,消遣,娱乐 | |
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15 rustling | |
n. 瑟瑟声,沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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16 conceal | |
v.隐藏,隐瞒,隐蔽 | |
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17 Forsaken | |
adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词 | |
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18 sneered | |
讥笑,冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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19 scoffed | |
嘲笑,嘲弄( scoff的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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20 judgment | |
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见 | |
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21 fret | |
v.(使)烦恼;(使)焦急;(使)腐蚀,(使)磨损 | |
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22 invalid | |
n.病人,伤残人;adj.有病的,伤残的;无效的 | |
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23 nay | |
adv.不;n.反对票,投反对票者 | |
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24 blessing | |
n.祈神赐福;祷告;祝福,祝愿 | |
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25 testimony | |
n.证词;见证,证明 | |
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26 mettle | |
n.勇气,精神 | |
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27 tangible | |
adj.有形的,可触摸的,确凿的,实际的 | |
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28 meekness | |
n.温顺,柔和 | |
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29 subdued | |
adj. 屈服的,柔和的,减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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30 exultingly | |
兴高采烈地,得意地 | |
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31 quaintest | |
adj.古色古香的( quaint的最高级 );少见的,古怪的 | |
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32 mantles | |
vt.&vi.覆盖(mantle的第三人称单数形式) | |
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33 worthy | |
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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34 assented | |
同意,赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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35 recurring | |
adj.往复的,再次发生的 | |
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36 marrow | |
n.骨髓;精华;活力 | |
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37 auld | |
adj.老的,旧的 | |
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38 winding | |
n.绕,缠,绕组,线圈 | |
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39 magpies | |
喜鹊(magpie的复数形式) | |
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40 gallant | |
adj.英勇的,豪侠的;(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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41 rout | |
n.溃退,溃败;v.击溃,打垮 | |
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42 burnishing | |
n.磨光,抛光,擦亮v.擦亮(金属等),磨光( burnish的现在分词 );被擦亮,磨光 | |
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43 superannuated | |
adj.老朽的,退休的;v.因落后于时代而废除,勒令退学 | |
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44 solitary | |
adj.孤独的,独立的,荒凉的;n.隐士 | |
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45 drawn | |
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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46 distinguished | |
adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的 | |
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47 mingled | |
混合,混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 ); 混进,与…交往[联系] | |
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48 exasperate | |
v.激怒,使(疾病)加剧,使恶化 | |
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49 appalled | |
v.使惊骇,使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的;丧胆的 | |
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50 shuddering | |
v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 );发抖;(机器、车辆等)突然震动;颤动 | |
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51 bloody | |
adj.非常的的;流血的;残忍的;adv.很;vt.血染 | |
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52 apparition | |
n.幽灵,神奇的现象 | |
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53 curdling | |
n.凝化v.(使)凝结( curdle的现在分词 ) | |
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54 slumber | |
n.睡眠,沉睡状态 | |
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55 transparent | |
adj.明显的,无疑的;透明的 | |
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56 rosy | |
adj.美好的,乐观的,玫瑰色的 | |
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57 groaned | |
v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 );发牢骚;抱怨;受苦 | |
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58 distress | |
n.苦恼,痛苦,不舒适;不幸;vt.使悲痛 | |
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59 smote | |
v.猛打,重击,打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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60 hesitation | |
n.犹豫,踌躇 | |
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61 stifled | |
(使)窒息, (使)窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 ); 镇压,遏制; 堵 | |
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62 peevishly | |
adv.暴躁地 | |
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63 drowsily | |
adv.睡地,懒洋洋地,昏昏欲睡地 | |
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64 kindly | |
adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地 | |
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65 rife | |
adj.(指坏事情)充斥的,流行的,普遍的 | |
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66 miserable | |
adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的 | |
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