It would seem to be a well-understood and undeniable fact that woman invariably gains the victory over man in the long-run; and even when she does not prove to be the winner, she is certain to come off the conqueror1. It is well that it should be so. The reins2 of the world could not be in better hands!
But, strangely enough, woman triumphs, not only in matters over which she and man have, more or less, united control, but even in matters with which the human race cannot interfere3. For instance, in regard to weather—despite the three weeks of unfailing sunshine, Mrs Sudberry maintained her original opinion, that, notwithstanding appearances being against her, the weather in the Highlands of Scotland was, as a rule, execrable. As if to justify4 this opinion, the weather suddenly changed, and the three weeks of sunshine were followed by six weeks of rain.
Whether there was something unusual in the season or not, we cannot positively5 say; but certain it is that, for the period we have named, it rained incessantly6, with the exception of four days. During a great part of the time it rained from morning till night. Sometimes it was intermittent7, and came down in devastating8 floods. At other times it came in the form of Scotch9 mist, which is simply small rain, so plentiful11 that it usually obliterates12 the whole landscape, and so penetrating13 that it percolates14 through everything except water-proof. It was a question which was the more wetting species of rain—the thorough down-pour or the heavy mist. But whether it poured or permeated15, there was never any change in the leaden sky during these six weeks, and the mountains were never clearly seen except during the four accidental days already referred to.
At first Mrs Sudberry triumphed; but long before that season was over she had reached such a condition of humility16 that she would have actually rejoiced in a fine day.
As for the rest of the family, they bore up against it bravely for a time. On the first day of this wet season, they were rather pleased than otherwise to be obliged to stay in the house. Jacky, in particular, was delighted, as it afforded him a glorious opportunity of doing mischief17, and making himself so disagreeable, that all, except his mother, felt as if they hated him. On the second day, indoor games of various kinds were proposed and entered into with much spirit. On the third day the games were tried again, with less spirit. On the fourth day they were played without any spirit at all, and on the fifth they were given up in disgust. The sixth day was devoted18 to reading and sulking, and thus they ended that week.
The seventh day, which chanced to be Sunday, was one of the four fine days before mentioned. The sky was blue, the sun intensely bright, and the inundated19 earth was steaming. The elastic20 spirits of the family recovered.
“Come, we’ll walk to church!” cried Mr Sudberry, as they rose from breakfast.
“What, my dear!” exclaimed his wife, “and the roads knee-deep in mud and water!”
“I care not if they were waist-deep!” cried the reckless man: “I’ve been glued to my seat for a week; so I’ll walk to church, if I should have to swim for it.”
“So will I! so will I!” from George and Fred; “So will we all!” from Lucy; “And me, too!” timidly, from Tilly; with “Hurrah!” furiously from the imp10,—this decided21 the business.
“Very well!” said the resigned mother of the flock; “then I will go too!”
So away they went to church, through mud and mire22 and water, with the nine collie dogs at their heels, and Mr McAllister bearing them company.
Fred and McAllister walked together in rear of the rest, conversing23 earnestly, for the latter was learned in theology, and the former dearly loved a philosophical24 discussion. Mr Sudberry and Lucy walked in advance. As he approached the well-known bush, the force of habit induced him almost unconsciously to pick up a stone and walk on tip-toe. Lucy, who did not know the cause of this strange action, looked at her father in surprise.
Whirr! went a black-cock; bang! went the stone, and a yell instantly followed, accompanied by a hat—it was his best beaver25!
“Why, dear papa, it is Sunday!”
“Dear me, so it is!” The good man was evidently much discomfited26. “Ah! Lucy dear, that shows the effect and force of bad habit; that is to say, of habit, (for the simple act cannot be called bad), on the wrong day.”
“You cannot call throwing your best hat in the mud a good habit on any day,” said Mrs Sudberry, with the air of a woman who regarded her husband’s chance of mending as being quite hopeless.
“It was only forgetfulness, my dear!” said the worthy27 man, putting his hat quite meekly28 on the back of his head, and pushing forward in order to avoid further remarks. Coming to a hollow of the road, they found that it was submerged a foot deep by the river, which had been swollen29 into a small lake at that spot. There was much trouble here. McAllister, with native gallantry, offered to carry the ladies over in his arms; but the ladies would not listen to the proposal, with the exception of Tilly, who at once accepted it gladly. The rest succeeded in scrambling30 along by the projecting stones at the base of the wall that ran alongside of the road, and gained the other side, after many slips, much alarm, and sundry31 screams.
“Oh, you darling!” cried Tilly, suddenly. She pointed32 to a hole in the wall, out of which peeped the most wide-awake weasel that ever lived. Its brown little head and sharp nose moved quickly about with little jerks, and its round lustrous33 black eyes seemed positively to glitter with surprise, (perhaps it was delight), at the Sudberry Family. Of course Jacky rushed at it with a yell—there was a good deal of the terrier in Jacky—and of course the weasel turned tail, and vanished like a flash of light.
When they came to the narrowest part of the pass which opened out of their own particular valley—Rasselas Vale, as Lucy had named it—Tilly was fortunate enough to set eyes on another “darling,” which, in the shape of a roe34 deer, stood, startled and trembling, in the centre of the pass. They came on it so suddenly that it seemed to have been paralysed for a moment. A shout from the imp, however, quickly dissolved the spell; with one graceful35 bound it cleared the wall, and was far away among the brackens on the mountain-side before the party had recovered from their delight and surprise at having met a real live wild deer, face to face, and not twenty yards distant, in this unexpected manner.
Nothing further occurred to arrest their progress to church, which was upwards36 of four miles from their home among the hills.
The sermon that day was peculiar37. The minister of the parish was a young man; one of those quiet, modest, humble38 young men, who are, as their friends think, born to be neglected in this world. He was a shrewd, sensible young fellow, however, who, if put to it, could have astonished his “friends” not a little. He was brimful of “Scotch” theology; but, strange to say, he refrained from bringing that fact prominently before his flock, insomuch that some of the wiser among them held the opinion, that, although he was an excellent, worthy young man, he was, if any thing, a little commonplace—in fact, “he never seemed to have any diffeeculties in his discoorses: an’ if he had, he aye got ower them by sayin’ plump oot that they were mysteries he did na pretend to unravel39!”
Any one with half an eye might have seen that the young clergyman was immeasurably above his flock intellectually. A few of them, among whom was our friend McAllister, perceived this, and appreciated their minister. The most of them, good souls, thought him worthy, but weak.
Feeling that he had been appointed to preach the gospel, this youth resolved to “make himself all things to all men, in order that he might gain some.” He therefore aimed at preaching Christ crucified, and kept much of his own light in the background, bringing it out only in occasional flashes, which were calculated to illuminate40, but not dazzle, the minds of his people. He remembered the remark of that old woman, who, when asked what she thought of a new minister, said, “Hoot! I think naethin’ o’ him ava’; I understand every word he says,” and he resolved rather to be thought nothing of at all than pander41 to the contemptible42 craving43 of those who fancy that they are drinking deep draughts44 of wisdom when they read or hear words that are incomprehensible, but which sound profoundly philosophical.
But we might have spared our readers all this, for the young minister did not preach that day. He was unwell, and a friend had agreed to preach for him. The friend was an old man, with bent45 form and silvery hair, who, having spent a long life in preaching the gospel, had been compelled, by increasing age, to retire from active service. Yet, like a true warrior46, he could, when occasion required, buckle47 on his Christian48 armour49, and fight stoutly50, as of old, for his beloved Master and for the salvation51 of human souls.
His eye was dim and his voice was weak, and it brought tears to the eyes of the sympathetic among the people to see the old man lose his place and unconsciously repeat his sentences. But not a shadow of disrespect mingled52 with their feelings. There was no mistaking the glow of love and the kindly53 fire which flushed the pale face when salvation was the theme. When he mentioned the name of Jesus, and urged sinners to flee from the wrath54 to come, the people felt the truth of that word, “God’s strength is perfected in man’s weakness.”
The Sudberrys felt very happy that day on returning home. They overtook old Moggy, stumping55 along through mud and water, with tears bedewing her cheeks.
“Why, Moggy, you are all wet!” said Fred, hastening towards her.
“Ay, I fell into a dub56 as I cam out o’ the kirk. But, ech! sirs, I’ve heard blessed words this day.”
The Sudberrys spent that evening in their usual way. They went to a particular spot, which Lucy had named the Sunny Knoll57, and there learned hymns58 off by heart, which were repeated at night, and commented on by Mr Sudberry. After supper they all got into what is called “a talk.” It were presumptuous59 to attempt to explain what that means. Everyone knows what it is. Many people know, also, that “a talk” can be got up when people are in the right spirit, on any subject, and that the subject of all others most difficult to get up this “talk” upon, is religion. Mr Sudberry knew this; he felt much inclined at one time that night to talk about fishing, but he laid strong constraint60 on himself; and gave the conversation a turn in the right direction. The result was “a talk”—a hearty61, free, enthusiastic communing on the Saviour62, the soul, and eternal things, which kept them up late and sent them happy to bed—happier than they had yet been all that season.
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1
conqueror
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| n.征服者，胜利者 | |
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2
reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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intermittent
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| adj.间歇的，断断续续的 | |
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8
devastating
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| adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的 | |
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9
scotch
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| n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的 | |
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imp
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| n.顽童 | |
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plentiful
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| adj.富裕的，丰富的 | |
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12
obliterates
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| v.除去( obliterate的第三人称单数 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭 | |
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13
penetrating
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| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
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percolates
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| v.滤( percolate的第三人称单数 )；渗透；（思想等）渗透；渗入 | |
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15
permeated
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| 弥漫( permeate的过去式和过去分词 )； 遍布； 渗入； 渗透 | |
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humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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18
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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inundated
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| v.淹没( inundate的过去式和过去分词 )；（洪水般地）涌来；充满；给予或交予（太多事物）使难以应付 | |
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20
elastic
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| n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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mire
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| n.泥沼，泥泞；v.使...陷于泥泞，使...陷入困境 | |
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23
conversing
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的现在分词 ) | |
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philosophical
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| adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的 | |
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beaver
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| n.海狸，河狸 | |
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26
discomfited
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| v.使为难( discomfit的过去式和过去分词)；使狼狈；使挫折；挫败 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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meekly
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| adv.温顺地，逆来顺受地 | |
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swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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30
scrambling
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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lustrous
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| adj.有光泽的；光辉的 | |
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roe
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| n.鱼卵；獐鹿 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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39
unravel
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| v.弄清楚（秘密）；拆开，解开，松开 | |
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40
illuminate
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| vt.照亮，照明；用灯光装饰；说明，阐释 | |
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41
pander
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| v.迎合；n.拉皮条者，勾引者；帮人做坏事的人 | |
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42
contemptible
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| adj.可鄙的，可轻视的，卑劣的 | |
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43
craving
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| n.渴望,热望 | |
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44
draughts
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| n. <英>国际跳棋 | |
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45
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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46
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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47
buckle
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| n.扣子，带扣；v.把...扣住，由于压力而弯曲 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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49
armour
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| （=armor）n.盔甲；装甲部队 | |
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50
stoutly
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| adv.牢固地，粗壮的 | |
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51
salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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52
mingled
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| 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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53
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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54
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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55
stumping
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| 僵直地行走，跺步行走( stump的现在分词 )； 把（某人）难住； 使为难； （选举前）在某一地区作政治性巡回演说 | |
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56
dub
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| vt.（以某种称号）授予，给...起绰号，复制 | |
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knoll
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| n.小山，小丘 | |
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hymns
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌( hymn的名词复数 ) | |
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59
presumptuous
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| adj.胆大妄为的，放肆的，冒昧的，冒失的 | |
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constraint
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| n.(on)约束，限制；限制(或约束)性的事物 | |
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61
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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saviour
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| n.拯救者，救星 | |
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