He paced rapidly up and down his big study; clenching7 his hands at times, at times making use of a strong exclamation8.
The butler knocked at the door. "Dinner will be
[37]
served in half an hour, sir," he said. "Am I to lay for two?"
"Yes, Johnson. Mrs. Dolman, my sister, has arrived, and will dine with me. Have places laid for two."
The man withdrew, and Mr. Delaney, stepping out through the open window, looked across the lawns which his sister had so strongly disapproved9 of.
"Jane was always the one to poke2 her finger into every pie," he said half aloud. "Certainly this place is distasteful to me now, and there is—upon my word, there is something in her suggestion. But to deliver over those four children to her, and to take them away from the garden, and the house, and the memory of their mother—oh! it cannot be thought of for a moment; and yet, to shift the responsibility while my heart is so sore would be an untold10 relief."
A little voice in the distance was heard shouting eagerly, and a small child, very dirty about the hands and face, came trotting12 up to Mr. Delaney. It was Diana. She was sobbing13 as well as shouting, and was holding something tenderly wrapped up in her pocket handkerchief.
"What is the matter with you, Di?" said her father. He lifted her into his arms. "Why, little woman, what can be the matter? and what have you got in your handkerchief?"
"It's Rub-a-Dub, and he is deaded," answered Diana. She unfolded the handkerchief carefully and slowly, and showed her father a small piebald mouse, quite dead, and with a shriveled appearance. "He is as dead as he can be," repeated Diana. "Look at him. His little claws are blue, and oh! his little nose, and he cannot see; he is stone dead, father."
[38]
"Well, you shall go into Beaminster to-morrow and buy another mouse," said Mr. Delaney.
Diana gazed at him with grave, wondering black eyes.
"That would not be Rub-a-Dub," she said; then she buried her little, fat face on his shoulder and sobs15 shook her frame.
"Evangeline would have known exactly what to say to the child," muttered the father, in a fit of despair. "Come along, little one," he said. "What can't be cured must be endured, you know. Now, take my hand and I'll race you into the house."
The child gave a wan6 little smile; but the thought of the mouse lay heavy against her heart.
"May I go back to the garden first?" she said. "I want to put Rub-a-Dub into the dead-house."
"The dead-house, Diana? What do you mean?"
"It is the house where we keep the poor innocents, and all the other creatures what get deaded," said Diana. "We keep them there until Iris16 has settled whether they are to have a pwivate or a public funeral. Iris does not know yet about Rub-a-Dub. He was quite well this morning. I don't know what he could have died of. Perhaps, father, if you look at him you will be able to tell me."
"Well, let me have a peep," said the man, his mustache twitching17 as he spoke.
Diana once again unfolded her small handkerchief, in the center of which lay the much shriveled-up mouse.
"The darling!" said the little girl tenderly. "I loved Rub-a-Dub so much; I love him still. I do hope Iris will think him 'portant enough for a public funeral."
"Look here," said Mr. Delaney, interested in spite
[39]
of himself, and forgetting all about the dinner which would be ready in a few minutes; "I'll come right along with you to the dead-house; but I did not know, Di, that you kept an awful place of that sort in the garden."
"Tisn't awful," said Diana. "We has to keep a dead-house when we find dead things. We keep all the dead 'uns we find there. There aren't as many as usual to-day—only a couple of butterflies and two or three beetles18, and a poor crushed spider. And oh! I forgot the toad19 that we found this morning. It was awful hurt and Apollo had to kill it; he had to stamp on it and kill it; and he did not like it a bit. Iris can't kill things, nor can I, nor can Orion, so we always get Apollo to kill the things that are half dead—to put them out of their misery20, you know, father."
"You seem to be a very wise little girl; but I am sure this cannot be at all wholesome21 work," said the father, looking more bewildered and puzzled than ever.
Diana gazed gravely up at him. She did not know anything about the work being wholesome or the reverse. The dead creatures had to be properly treated, and had to be buried either privately22 or publicly—that was essential—nothing else mattered at all to her.
"As Rub-a-Dub is such a dear darlin', I should not be s'prised if Iris did have a public funeral," she commented.
"But what is the difference, Di? Tell me," said her father.
"Oh, father! you are ig'rant. At a pwivate funeral the poor dead 'un is just sewn up in dock leaves and stuck into a hole in the cemetery23."
[40]
"The cemetery! Good Heavens, child! do you keep a cemetery in the garden?"
"Indeed we does, father. We have a very large one now, and heaps and heaps of gravestones. Apollo writes the insipcron. He is quite bothered sometimes. He says the horrid24 work is give to him,—carving the names on the stones and killing25 the half-dead 'uns,—but course he has to do it 'cos Iris says so. Course we all obey Iris. When it is a pwivate funeral, the dead 'un is put into the ground and covered up, and it don't have a gravestone; then of course, by and by, it is forgot. You underland; don't you, father?"
"Bless me if I do," said Mr. Delaney, in a puzzled tone.
"But if it is a public funeral," continued Diana, strutting26 boldly forward now, and throwing back her head in quite a martial27 attitude, "why, then it's grand. There is a box just like a coffin28, and cotton wool—we steal the cotton wool most times. We know where Fortune has got a lot of it put away. Iris does not think it quite right to steal, but the rest of us don't mind. And we have banners, and Orion plays the Jew's harp29, and I beat the drum, and Iris sings, and Apollo digs the grave, and the dead 'un is put into the ground, and we all cry, or pretend to cry. Sometimes I do squeeze out a tiny tear, but I'm so incited30 I can't always manage it, although I'm sure I'll cry when Rub-a-Dub is put into the ground. Then afterwards there is a tombstone, and Iris thinks of the insipcron. I spects we'll have a beautiful insipcron for poor Rub-a-Dub, 'cos we all loved him so much."
"Well, all this is very interesting, of course," said Mr. Delaney. "But now we must be quick, because your Aunt Jane has come."
[41]
"Who's her?" asked Diana.
"A very good lady indeed—your aunt."
"What's an aunt?"
"A lady whom you ought to love very much."
"Ought I? I never love people I ought to love," said Diana firmly. "Please, father, this is the dead-house. You can come right in if you like, father, and see the dead 'uns; they are all lying on this shelf. Most of them is to be buried pwivate, 'cos they are not our own pets, you know; but Rub-a-Dub is sure to have a public funeral, and an insipcron, and all the rest."
Mr. Delaney followed Diana into the small shed which the children called the dead-house. He gazed solemnly at the shelf which she indicated, and on which lay the several dead 'uns.
"Put your mouse down now," he said, "and come along back with me to the house at once. You ought to have been in bed long ago."
Diana laid the mouse sorrowfully down in the midst of its dead brethren, shut the door of the dead-house, and followed her father up the garden path.
"It's a most beautiful night," she said, after a pause. "It's going to be a starful night; isn't it, father?"
"Starful?" said Mr. Delaney.
"Yes; and when it is a starful night Orion can't sleep well, 'cos he is a star hisself; isn't he, father?"
"Good gracious, child, no! He is a little boy!"
"No, no, father! You are awfu' mistook. Mother called him a star. I'll show you him up in the sky if it really comes to be a starful night. May I, father?"
"Some time, my darling; but now you must hurry
[42]
in, for I have to get ready for dinner. Kiss me, Di. Good-night. God bless you, little one!"
"B'ess you too, father," said Diana. "I love 'oo awfu' well."
She raised her rosebud31 lips, fixed32 her black eyes on her parent's face, kissed him solemnly, and trotted33 away into the house. When she got close to it, a great sob14 came up from her little chest. She thought again of the dead Rub-a-Dub, but then the chance of his having a public funeral consoled her. She longed to find Iris.
Full of this thought, her little heart beating more quickly than usual, she rushed up the front stairs, and was turning down the passage which led to the nursery, when she was confronted by a short, stout34 woman dressed in black.
"Now, who is this little girl, I wonder?" said a high-pitched, cheery voice.
"It is not your little girl; and I am in a hurry, please," said Diana, who could be very rude when she liked. She did not wish to be interrupted now; she wanted to find Iris to tell her of the sad fate of Rub-a-Dub.
"Highty-tighty!" exclaimed the little lady, "that is no way to speak to grown-up people. I expect, too, you are one of my little nieces. Come here at once and say, 'How do you do?'"
"Are you the aunt?" asked Diana solemnly.
"The aunt!" replied Mrs. Dolman. "I am your aunt, my dear. What is your name?"
"Diana. Please, aunt, don't clutch hold of my hand; I want to find Iris."
"Of all the ridiculous names," muttered Mrs. Dolman under her breath. "Well, child, I am inclined
[43]
to keep you for a moment, as I want to talk to you. Do you know, you rude little girl, that I have come a long way to see you. Of course, my little girl, I know you are sad at present; but you must try to get over your great sorrow."
"Do you know, then, about Rub-a-Dub?" said Diana, her whole face changing, and a look of keen interest coming into it.
If Aunt—whatever her other name was—should turn out to be interested in Rub-a-Dub, and sorry for his untimely end, why, then, Diana felt there was a possibility of her squeezing a little corner for her in her hearts of hearts. But Mrs. Dolman's next words disturbed the pleasant illusion.
"You are a poor little orphan35, my child," she said. "Your poor, dear mother's death must be a terrible sorrow to you; but, believe me, you will get over it after a time."
"I has quite got over it awready," answered Diana, in a cheerful voice. "It would be awfu' selfish to be sorry 'bout11 mother, 'cos mother is not suffering any more pain, you know. I am very glad 'bout mother. I am going to her some day. Please don't squeeze my hand like that. Good-by, aunt; I weally can't stay another moment."
She trotted off, and Mrs. Dolman gazed after her with a petrified36 expression of horror on her round face.
"Well," she said to herself, "if ever! And the poor mother was devoted37 to them all, and she is scarcely a week in her grave, and yet that mite38 dares to say she has got over it. What nonsense she talked, and what a queer name she has. Now, our family names are sensible and suited for the rising generation. We
[44]
have had our Elizabeths and our Anns, and our Lucys and our Marys, and, of course, there is Jane, my name. All these are what I call good old respectable Delaney names; but Diana and Iris make me sick. And I believe, if report tells true, that there are some still more extraordinary names in the family. What a rude, dirty little child! I did not like her manners at all, and how neglected she looked. I shall follow her; it is my manifest duty to see to these children at once. Oh! I shall have difficulty in breaking them in, but broken in they must be!"
Accordingly Mrs. Dolman turned down the passage where Diana's fat legs disappeared. The eager but gentle flow of voices directed her steps, and presently she opened the door of a large room and looked in.
She found herself unexpectedly on the threshold of the day-nursery. It was a beautiful room, facing due west; the last rays of the evening sun were shining in at the open windows; some children were collected in a corner of the room. Diana had gone on her knees beside a girl a little older and slighter than herself. Her plump elbows were resting on the girl's knee, her round hands were pressed to her rounder cheeks, and her black eyes were fixed upon the girl's face.
The elder girl, very quiet and calm, had one hand on Diana's shoulder, her other arm was thrown round a handsome little boy, not unlike Diana in appearance, while an older boy sat on a hassock at her feet.
"I will listen to you presently, Diana," said Iris. "Now, I must finish my story."
"Yes, please go on, Iris," said Orion; "it's all about me, and I'm 'mensely inte'sted."
"Very well, Orion. The King of Chios did not want his daughter to marry you."
[45]
"Good gracious!" muttered Mrs. Dolman in the doorway39.
"So he let you fall sound asleep," continued Iris, in her calm voice. None of the children had yet seen the stout personage on the threshold of the room. "He let you fall very sound asleep, having given you some strong wine."
"What next?" thought Mrs. Dolman.
"And when you were very sound asleep indeed, he put out both your eyes. When you awoke you found yourself quite blind, and did not know what to do or where to go. Suddenly, in the midst of your misery, you heard the sound of a blacksmith's forge. Guided by the noise, you reached the place and begged the blacksmith to climb on your shoulders, and so lend you his eyes to guide you. The blacksmith was willing to do it, and seated himself on your shoulders. Then you said, 'Guide me to the place where I can see the first sunbeam that rises in the east over the sea,' and—"
"Yes," said Orion, whose breath was coming quickly, "yes; and what happened to me then?"
"Nonsense, little boy! Don't you listen to another word of that folly," said a very strong, determined40 voice.
All the children turned abruptly.
"Oh, she has come bothering!" said Diana.
But the other three had started to their feet, and a flush rose into Iris' pale face.
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1
spoke
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| 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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2
poke
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| n.刺，戳，袋；vt.拨开，刺，戳；vi.戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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3
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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4
blustering
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| adj.狂风大作的，狂暴的v.外强中干的威吓( bluster的现在分词 )；咆哮；（风）呼啸；狂吹 | |
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5
bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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6
wan
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| (wide area network)广域网 | |
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7
clenching
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的现在分词 ) | |
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8
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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9
disapproved
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| v.不赞成( disapprove的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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10
untold
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| adj.数不清的，无数的 | |
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11
bout
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| n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛 | |
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12
trotting
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| 小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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13
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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14
sob
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| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
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15
sobs
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| 啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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16
iris
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| n.虹膜，彩虹 | |
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17
twitching
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| n.颤搐 | |
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18
beetles
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| n.甲虫( beetle的名词复数 ) | |
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19
toad
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| n.蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆 | |
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20
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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21
wholesome
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| adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的 | |
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22
privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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23
cemetery
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| n.坟墓，墓地，坟场 | |
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24
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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25
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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26
strutting
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| 加固，支撑物 | |
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27
martial
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| adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的 | |
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28
coffin
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| n.棺材，灵柩 | |
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29
harp
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| n.竖琴；天琴座 | |
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30
incited
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| 刺激，激励，煽动( incite的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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31
rosebud
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| n.蔷薇花蕾，妙龄少女 | |
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32
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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33
trotted
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| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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35
orphan
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| n.孤儿；adj.无父母的 | |
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36
petrified
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| adj.惊呆的；目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆，使惊呆；变僵硬；使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词) | |
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37
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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38
mite
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| n.极小的东西；小铜币 | |
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39
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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40
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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