CHAPTER IX.

 GENTRY BORN.—LEARNING LOST.—JAN’S BEDFELLOW.—AMABEL.

 

After the nurse and baby had left the mill, Mrs. Lake showered extra caresses¹ upon the little Jan.  It had given her a strange pleasure to see him in contact with the Squire’s child.  She knew enough of the manners and customs, the looks and the intelligence of the children of educated parents, to be aware that there were “makings” in those who were born heirs to developed intellects, and the grace that comes of discipline, very different from the “makings” to be found in the “voolish” descendants of ill-nurtured and uneducated generations.  She had no philosophical—hardly any reasonable or commendable—thoughts about it.  But she felt that Jan’s countenance² and his “ways” justified³ her first belief that he was “gentry born.”

 

She was proud of his pretty manners.  Indeed, curiously⁴ enough, she had recalled her old memories of nursery etiquette⁵ under a first-rate upper nurse in “her young days,” to apply them to the little Jan’s training.

 

Why she had not done this with her own children is a question that cannot perhaps be solved till we know why so many soldiers, used for, it may be, a quarter of a century to personal cleanliness as scrupulous⁶ as a gentleman’s, and to enforced neatness of clothes, rooms, and general habits, take back to dirt and slovenliness⁷ with greediness when they leave the service; and why many a nurse, whose voice and manners were beyond reproach in her mistress’s nursery, brings up her own children in after life on the village system of bawling⁸, banging, threatening, cuddling, stuffing, smacking⁹, and coarse language, just as if she had never experienced the better discipline attainable¹⁰ by gentle firmness and regular habits.

 

Mrs. Lake had a small satisfaction in Jan’s brief and limited intercourse¹¹ with so genteel a baby, and after it was all over she amused herself with making him repeat the baby’s very genteel (and as she justly said “uncommon”) name.

 

When Abel came back from school, he resumed his charge, and Mrs. Lake went about other work.  She was busy, and the nurse-boy put Jan to bed himself.  The sandy kitten waited till Jan was fairly established, so as to receive her comfortably, and then she dropped from the roof of the press-bed, and he cuddled her into his arms, where she purred like a kettle just beginning to sing.

 

Outside, the wind was rising, and, passing more or less through the outer door, it roared in the round-house; but they were well sheltered in the dwelling-room, and could listen complacently¹² to the gusts¹³ that whirled the sails, and made the heavy stones fly round till they shook the roof.  Just above the press-bed a candle was stuck in the wall, and the dim light falling through the gloom upon the children made a scene worthy¹⁴ of the pencil of Rembrandt, that great son of a windmiller.

 

When Mrs. Lake found time to come to the corner where the old press-bed stood, the kitten was asleep, and Jan very nearly so; and by them sat Abel, watching every breath that his foster-brother drew.  And, as he watched, his trustworthy eyes and most sweet smile lighting¹⁵ up a face to which his forefathers¹⁶ had bequeathed little beauty or intellect, he might have been the guardian¹⁷ angel of the nameless Jan, scarcely veiled under the likeness¹⁸ of a child.

 

His mother smiled tenderly back upon him.  He was very dear to her, and not the less so for his tenderness to Jan.

 

Then she stooped to kiss her foster-child, who opened his black eyes very wide, and caught the sleeping kitten round the head, in the fear that it might be taken from him.

 

“Tell Abel the name of pretty young lady you see to-day, love,” said Mrs. Lake.

 

But Jan was well aware of his power over the miller’s wife, and was apt to indulge in caprice.  So he only shook his head, and cuddled the kitten more tightly than before.

 

“Tell un, Janny dear.  Tell un, there’s a lovey!” said Mrs. Lake.  “Who did daddy put in the hopper?”  But still Jan gazed at nothing in particular with a sly twinkle in his black eyes, and continued to squeeze poor Sandy to a degree that can have been little less agonizing¹⁹ than the millstone torture; and obdurate²⁰ he would probably have remained, but that Abel, bending over him, said, “Do ’ee tell poor Abel, Jan.”

 

The child fixed²¹ his bright eyes steadily²² on Abel’s well-loved face for a few seconds, and then said quite clearly, in soft, evenly accented syllables,—

 

“Amabel.”

 

And the sandy kitten, having escaped with its life, crept back into Jan’s bosom²³ and purred itself to rest.

1 caresses   

爱抚，抚摸( caress的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A breeze caresses the cheeks. 微风拂面。
• Hetty was not sufficiently familiar with caresses or outward demonstrations of fondness. 海蒂不习惯于拥抱之类过于外露地表现自己的感情。

2 countenance   

n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同

参考例句：

• At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。
• I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地，仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。

3 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

4 curiously   

adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地

参考例句：

• He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
• He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。

5 etiquette   

n.礼仪，礼节；规矩

参考例句：

• The rules of etiquette are not so strict nowadays.如今的礼仪规则已不那么严格了。
• According to etiquette,you should stand up to meet a guest.按照礼节你应该站起来接待客人。

6 scrupulous   

adj.审慎的，小心翼翼的，完全的，纯粹的

参考例句：

• She is scrupulous to a degree.她非常谨慎。
• Poets are not so scrupulous as you are.诗人并不像你那样顾虑多。

7 slovenliness   

参考例句：

• Slovenliness is no part of religion. 邋遢并非宗教的一部分。 来自辞典例句
• Slovenliness no part of religion. “邋遢”并非宗教的一部分。 来自互联网

8 bawling   

v.大叫，大喊( bawl的现在分词 )；放声大哭；大声叫出；叫卖（货物）

参考例句：

• We heard the dulcet tones of the sergeant, bawling at us to get on parade. 我们听到中士用“悦耳”的声音向我们大喊，让我们跟上队伍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• "Why are you bawling at me? “你向我们吼啥子？ 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

9 smacking   

活泼的，发出响声的，精力充沛的

参考例句：

• He gave both of the children a good smacking. 他把两个孩子都狠揍了一顿。
• She inclined her cheek,and John gave it a smacking kiss. 她把头低下，约翰在她的脸上响亮的一吻。

10 attainable   

a.可达到的，可获得的

参考例句：

• They set the limits of performance attainable. 它们确定着可达到的运行限度。
• If objectives are to be meaningful to people, they must be clear, attainable, actionable, and verifiable. 如果目标对人们是具有意义的，则目标必须是清晰的，能达到的，可以行动的，以及可供检验的。

11 intercourse   

n.性交；交流，交往，交际

参考例句：

• The magazine becomes a cultural medium of intercourse between the two peoples.该杂志成为两民族间文化交流的媒介。
• There was close intercourse between them.他们过往很密。

12 complacently   

adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地

参考例句：

• He complacently lived out his life as a village school teacher. 他满足于一个乡村教师的生活。
• "That was just something for evening wear," returned his wife complacently. “那套衣服是晚装，"他妻子心安理得地说道。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

13 gusts   

一阵强风( gust的名词复数 )； （怒、笑等的）爆发； （感情的）迸发； 发作

参考例句：

• Her profuse skirt bosomed out with the gusts. 她的宽大的裙子被风吹得鼓鼓的。
• Turbulence is defined as a series of irregular gusts. 紊流定义为一组无规则的突风。

14 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

15 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

16 forefathers   

n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left. 它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All of us bristled at the lawyer's speech insulting our forefathers. 听到那个律师在讲演中污蔑我们的祖先，大家都气得怒发冲冠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

18 likeness   

n.相像，相似（之处）

参考例句：

• I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
• She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。

19 agonizing   

adj.痛苦难忍的；使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦；折磨(agonize的ing形式)

参考例句：

• I spent days agonizing over whether to take the job or not. 我用了好些天苦苦思考是否接受这个工作。
• his father's agonizing death 他父亲极度痛苦的死

20 obdurate   

adj.固执的，顽固的

参考例句：

• He is obdurate in his convictions.他执着于自己所坚信的事。
• He remained obdurate,refusing to alter his decision.他依然固执己见，拒不改变决定。

21 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

22 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

23 bosom   

n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的

参考例句：

• She drew a little book from her bosom.她从怀里取出一本小册子。
• A dark jealousy stirred in his bosom.他内心生出一阵恶毒的嫉妒。