On the evening of the raid at the Wilton place, Madam Talbot and her son were having a very important conversation. Madam Talbot was a widow who had remained unwedded again from choice. Rumor3 had it that many gentlemen cavaliers of the neighborhood had been anxious to take to their own hearthstones the person of the fair young widow, so early bereft4, and incidentally were willing to assume the responsibility of the management of the magnificent estate which had been left to her by her most considerate husband. Among the many suitors gossip held that Colonel Wilton was the chief, and it was thought at one time that his chances of success were of the best; but so far, at least, nothing had come of all the agitation5, and Madam Talbot lived her life alone, managing her plantation, the object of the friendly admiration6 of all the old bachelors and widowers7 of the neighborhood. She had devoted8 herself to the successful development of her property with all the energy and capacity of a nature eminently9 calculated for success, and was now one of the richest women in the colony. One son only had blessed her union with Henry Talbot, and Hilary Talbot was a young man just turned twenty-five years of age, and the idol10 of her soul. Too self-contained and too proud to display the depth of her feelings, except in rare instances, and too sensible to allow them to interfere11 in the training of the child, she had spared neither her heart nor her purse in his education, with such happy results that he was regarded by all who knew him as one of the finest specimens12 of young Virginia that it were possible to meet. Of medium height, active, handsome, dark-eyed, dark-haired, fiery13 and impetuous in temperament14, generous and frank in disposition15, he was a model among men; trained from his boyhood in every manly16 sport and art, and educated in the best institutions of learning in the colonies, his natural grace perfected by a tour of two years in England and abroad, from which he had only a year or so since returned, he perfectly17 represented all that was best in the young manhood of Virginia. For many years there had been hopes in the minds of Colonel Wilton and Madam Talbot, that the affection between the two young people, who had played together from childhood with all the frankness and simplicity18 permitted by country life, would develop into something nearer and dearer, and that by their marriage at the proper time the two great estates might be united.
The two children, early informed of this desire, had grown up under the influence of the idea; as they reached years of discretion19, they had taken it for granted, considering the arrangement as a fact accomplished20 by tacit understanding and habit rather than by formal promise. Personally attached to each other, nay21, even fondly affectionate, the indefinite tie seemed sufficiently22 substantial to bring about the desired result. Katharine had, especially during Talbot's absence in Europe, resisted all the importunities and rejected all the proposals made to her, and on his account refused all the hearts laid at her feet. Since Talbot's return, however, and especially since he refused, or hesitated rather, to cast his lot in with her own people, his neighbors and friends, in the Revolution, the affair had, on her part at least, assumed a new phase. Still, there had been nothing said or done to prevent this consummation so devoutly23 to be wished until the advent24 of Seymour. Then, too, Talbot, calm and confident in the situation, had not noticed Seymour's infatuation, and was entirely25 ignorant that the coveted26 prize had slipped from his grasp. The insight of the confident lover was not so keen as that of the watchful27 father.
It was believed by the principal men of Virginia that Talbot's sympathies were with the revolted colonies; but the influence of his mother, to whom he had been accustomed to defer29, had hitherto proved sufficient to prevent him from openly declaring himself. His visit to England, and the delightful30 reception he had met with there, had weakened somewhat the ties which bound him to his native country, and he found himself in a state of indecision as humiliating as it was painful. Lord Dunmore and Colonel Wilton had each made great efforts to enlist31 his support, on account of his wealth and position and high personal qualities. It was hinted by one that the ancient barony of the Talbots would be revived by the king; and the gratitude32 of a free and grateful country, with the consciousness of having materially aided in acquiring that independence which should be the birthright of every Englishman, was eloquently33 portrayed34 by the other. When to the last plea was added the personal preference of Katharine Wilton, the balance was overcome, and the hopes of the mother were doomed35 to disappointment.
For his own hopes, however, the decision had come too late, and it may be safely presumed that his hesitation36 was one of the main causes through which the woman he loved escaped him; for Katharine's heart was given to young Seymour, after a ten days' courtship, almost before his eyes. In any event, a wiser man would have seen in Seymour a possible, nay, a certain rival by no means to be disregarded. An officer who had devoted himself to the cause of his country in response to the first demand of the Congress, who had been conspicuously37 mentioned for gallantry in general orders and reports, who had been severely38 wounded while protecting Katharine's father at the risk of his life; as well bred and as well born as Talbot, of ample fortune, and with a wide knowledge of men and things acquired in his merchant voyagings as captain of one of his own ships in many seas,—Seymour's single-hearted devotion eminently fitted him to woo and win Miss Katharine Wilton, as he had done.
Nevertheless, a friendship had sprung up between Seymour and the unsuspecting Talbot which bade fair to ripen39 into intimacy40; and it may be supposed that the stories of battles in which the older man had participated, his attractive personality, the consideration in which the young sailor was held by men of weight and position in the colonies, as a man from whom much was to be expected, had large influence in determining Talbot in the course he proposed taking, and which he had not yet communicated to his mother.
The evening repast had just been finished, and the mother and son were walking slowly up and down the long porch overlooking the river in front of the house. There was a curious and interesting likeness41 between the two,—a facial resemblance only, for Madam Talbot was a slender, rather frail42 little woman, and looked smaller by contrast as she walked by the side of her son, who had his arm affectionately thrown over her shoulder. She was as straight, however, as he was himself, in spite of her years and cares, and bore herself as proudly erect43 as in the days of her youth. Her black eyes looked out with undiminished lustre44 from beneath her snowy-white hair, which needed no powder and was covered by the mob cap she wore. She looked every inch the lady of the manor45, nor did her actions and words belie28 her appearance. The subject of the conversation was evidently a serious one. There was a troubled expression upon her face, in spite of her self-control, which was in marked contrast to the hesitating and somewhat irresolute46 look upon the handsome countenance47 of her son.
"My son, my son," she said at last, "why will you persist in approaching me upon this subject? You know my opinions. I have not hesitated to speak frankly48, and it is not my habit to change them; in this instance they are as fixed49 and as immutable50 as the polar star. The traditions and customs of four hundred years are behind me. Our family—you know your father and I were cousins, and are descended51 from the same stock—have been called the 'loyal Talbots.' I cannot contemplate52 with equanimity53 the possibility even of one of us in rebellion against the king."
"Mother—I am sorry—grieved—but I must tell you that that is a possibility I fear you must learn to face. I have—"
"Oh, Hilary, do not tell me you have finally decided54 to join this unrighteous rebellion. Pause before you answer, my boy—I entreat55 you, and it is not my habit to entreat, as you very well know. See, you have been the joy of my heart all my life, the idol of my soul,—I will confess it now,—and for you and your future I have lived and toiled56 and served and loved. I have dreamed you great, high in rank and place, serving your king, winning back the ancient position of our family. I have shrunk from no sacrifice, nor would I shrink from any. 'Tis not that I do not wish you to risk your life in war,—I am a daughter of my race, and for centuries they have been soldiers, and what God sends soldiers upon the field, that I can abide,—but that you should go now, with all your prospects57, your ability, the opportunity presented you, and engage yourself in this fatal cause, in this unholy attack upon the king's majesty58, connect yourself with this beggarly rabble59 who have been whipped and beaten every time they have come in contact with the royal troops,—I cannot bear it. You are a man now. You have grown away from your mother, Hilary, and I can no longer command, I must entreat." But she spoke60 very proudly, for, as she said, entreaty61 was not so usual to her as command.
"Oh, mother, mother, you make it very hard for me. You know the colonists62 have been badly treated, and hardly used by king and Parliament. Our liberties have been threatened, nay, have been abrogated63, our privileges destroyed, none of our rights respected, and unless we are to sink to the level of mere64 slaves and dependants65 upon the mother country, we have no other course but an appeal to arms."
"I know, I know all that," she interrupted impatiently, with a wave of her hand. "I have heard it all a thousand times from ill-balanced agitators66 and popular orators67. There may be some truth in it, of course, I grant you; but in my creed68 nothing, Hilary, nothing, will justify69 a subject in turning against his king. The king can do no wrong. All that we have is his; let him take what he will, so he leaves us our honor, and that, indeed, no one can take from us. It is the principle that our ancestors have attested70 on a hundred fields and in every other way, and will you now be false to it, my boy?"
"I must be true to myself, mother, first of all, in spite of all the kings of earth; and I feel that duty and honor call me to the side of my friends and the people of this commonwealth71. I have hesitated long, mother, in deference72 to you, but now I have decided."
"And you turn against two mothers, Hilary, when you take this course,—old England, the mother country, and this one, this old mother, who stands before you, who has given you her heart, who has lived for you, who lives in you now, whose devotion to you has never faltered73; she now humbly74 asks with outstretched arms, the arms that carried you when you were a baby boy, that you remain true to your king."
"Nay, but, mamma," he said, calling her by the sweet name of his boyhood, taking her hand and looking down at her tenderly with tear-dimmed eyes full of affection, "one must be true to his idea of right and duty first of all, even at the price of his allegiance to a king; and, after all, what is any king beside you in my heart? But I feel in honor bound to go with my people."
The irresolution75 was gone from his expression now, and the two determined76 faces—one full of pity, the other of apprehension—confronted each other.
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1
plantation
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| n.种植园，大农场 | |
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2
bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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3
rumor
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| n.谣言，谣传，传说 | |
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4
bereft
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| adj.被剥夺的 | |
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agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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7
widowers
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| n.鳏夫( widower的名词复数 ) | |
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8
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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eminently
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| adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地 | |
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idol
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| n.偶像，红人，宠儿 | |
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interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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12
specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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13
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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14
temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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15
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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16
manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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17
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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18
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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19
discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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20
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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21
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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devoutly
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| adv.虔诚地，虔敬地，衷心地 | |
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24
advent
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| n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临 | |
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25
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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26
coveted
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| adj.令人垂涎的；垂涎的，梦寐以求的v.贪求，觊觎(covet的过去分词)；垂涎；贪图 | |
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watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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28
belie
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| v.掩饰，证明为假 | |
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29
defer
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| vt.推迟，拖延；vi.(to)遵从，听从，服从 | |
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30
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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31
enlist
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| vt.谋取(支持等)，赢得；征募；vi.入伍 | |
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gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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eloquently
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| adv. 雄辩地(有口才地, 富于表情地) | |
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portrayed
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| v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画 | |
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35
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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conspicuously
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| ad.明显地，惹人注目地 | |
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severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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39
ripen
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| vt.使成熟；vi.成熟 | |
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40
intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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41
likeness
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| n.相像，相似（之处） | |
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42
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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43
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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44
lustre
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| n.光亮，光泽；荣誉 | |
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45
manor
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| n.庄园，领地 | |
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46
irresolute
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| adj.无决断的，优柔寡断的，踌躇不定的 | |
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47
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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48
frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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49
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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50
immutable
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| adj.不可改变的，永恒的 | |
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51
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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52
contemplate
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| vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视 | |
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53
equanimity
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| n.沉着，镇定 | |
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54
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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55
entreat
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| v.恳求，恳请 | |
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56
toiled
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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57
prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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58
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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59
rabble
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| n.乌合之众，暴民；下等人 | |
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60
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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61
entreaty
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| n.恳求，哀求 | |
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62
colonists
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| n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 ) | |
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63
abrogated
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| 废除（法律等）( abrogate的过去式和过去分词 )； 取消； 去掉； 抛开 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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dependants
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| 受赡养者，受扶养的家属( dependant的名词复数 ) | |
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agitators
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| n.（尤指政治变革的）鼓动者( agitator的名词复数 )；煽动者；搅拌器；搅拌机 | |
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67
orators
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| n.演说者，演讲家( orator的名词复数 ) | |
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creed
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| n.信条；信念，纲领 | |
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69
justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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attested
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| adj.经检验证明无病的，经检验证明无菌的v.证明( attest的过去式和过去分词 )；证实；声称…属实；使宣誓 | |
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commonwealth
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| n.共和国，联邦，共同体 | |
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72
deference
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| n.尊重，顺从；敬意 | |
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73
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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74
humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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75
irresolution
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| n.不决断，优柔寡断，犹豫不定 | |
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76
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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