CHAPTER XIV TOPSY

 One morning, while Miss Ophelia was busy, as usual, she heard Mr. St. Clare calling her from the foot of the stairs.

 

'Come down here, cousin. I have something to show you.'

 

'What is it?' said Miss Ophelia, coming down with her sewing in her hand.

 

'I have bought something for you. See here,' he said, pulling forward a little negro girl of about eight or nine years old.

 

She was quite black. Her round, shining eyes glittered like glass beads¹. Her wooly² hair was plaited into little tails which stuck out in all directions. Her clothes were dirty and ragged³. Miss Ophelia thought she had never seen such a dreadful little girl in all her life.

 

'Cousin, what in the world have you brought that thing here for?' she asked, in dismay.

 

'For you to teach, to be sure, and train in the way she should go,' said Mr. St. Clare, laughing. 'Topsy,' he went on, 'this is your new mistress. See, now, that you behave yourself.'

 

'Yes, mas'r,' said Topsy gravely, but her eyes had a wicked twinkle in them.

 

'You're going to be good, Topsy, you understand?' said Mr. St. Clare.

 

'Oh yes, mas'r' said Topsy again, meekly⁵ folding her hands, but with another twinkle in her eyes.

 

'Now cousin, what is this for? Your house is full of these little plagues as it is. I get up in the morning and find one asleep behind the door; see one black head poking⁶ out from under the table; another lying on the mat. They tumble over the kitchen floor, so that a body can't put their foot down without treading on them. What on earth did you want to bring this one for?'

 

'For you to teach, didn't I tell you?'

 

'I don't want her, I'm sure. I have more to do with them now than I want.'

 

'Well the fact is, cousin,' said Mr. St. Clare, drawing her aside, 'she belonged to some people who were dreadfully cruel and beat her. I couldn't bear to hear her screaming every day, so I bought her. I will give her to you. Do try and make something of her.'

 

'Well, I'll do what I can,' said Miss Ophelia. 'She is fearfully dirty, and half naked.'

 

'Well, take her downstairs, and tell somebody to clean her up, and give her some decent clothes.'

 

Getting Topsy clean was a very long business. But at last it was done.

 

Then, sitting down before her, Miss Ophelia began to question her.

 

'How old are you, Topsy?'

 

'Dunno, missis,' said she, grinning like an ugly little black doll.

 

'Don't know how old you are! Did nobody ever tell you? Who was your mother?'

 

'Never had none,' said Topsy, with another grin.

 

'Never had any mother! What do you mean? Where were you born?'

 

'Never was born.'

 

'You mustn't answer me like that, child,' said Miss Ophelia sternly. 'I am not playing with you. Tell me where you were born, and who your father and mother were.'

 

'Never was born,' said Topsy again very decidedly. 'Never had no father, nor mother, nor nothin!'

 

Miss Ophelia hardly knew what to make of her. 'How long have you lived with your master and mistress, then?' she asked.

 

'Dunno, missis.'

 

'Is it a year, or more, or less?'

 

'Dunno, missis.'

 

'Have you ever heard anything about God, Topsy?' asked Miss Ophelia next.

 

Topsy looked puzzled, but kept on grinning.

 

'Do you know who made you?'

 

'Nobody as I knows on,' replied Topsy, with a laugh. 'Spect I grow'd. Don't think nobody ever made me.'

 

'Do you know how to sew?' asked Miss Ophelia, quite shocked.

 

'No, missis.'

 

'What can you do? What did you do for your master and mistress?'

 

'Fetch water, and wash dishes, and clean knives, and wait on folks.'

 

'Well, now, Topsy, I'm going to show you just how my bed is to be made. I am very particular about my bed. You must learn exactly how to do it.'

 

'Yes, missis,' said Topsy, with a deep sigh and a face of woeful earnestness.

 

'Now, Topsy, look here. This is the hem⁴ of the sheet. This is the right side of the sheet. This is the wrong. Will you remember?'

 

'Yes, missis,' said Topsy with another sigh.

 

'Well, now, the under-sheet you must bring over the bolster⁷—so, and tuck it right down under the mattress⁸ nice and smooth—so. Do you see?'

 

'Yes, missis.'

 

'But the upper sheet,' said Miss Ophelia, 'must be brought down in this way, and tucked under, firm and smooth, at the foot—so, the narrow hem at the foot.'

 

'Yes, missis,' said Topsy as before. But while Miss Ophelia was bending over the bed she had quickly seized a pair of gloves and a ribbon, which were lying on the dressing-table, and slipped them up her sleeves. When Miss Ophelia looked up again, the naughty little girl was standing⁹ with meekly-folded hand as before.

 

'Now, Topsy, let me see you do this,' said Miss Ophelia, pulling the clothes off again and seating herself.

 

Topsy, looking very earnest, did it all just as she had been shown. She did it so quickly and well that Miss Ophelia was very pleased. But, alas¹⁰! as she was finishing, an end of ribbon came dangling¹¹ out of her sleeve.

 

'What is this?' said Miss Ophelia, seizing it. 'You naughty, wicked child—you have been stealing this.'

 

The ribbon was pulled out of Topsy's own sleeve. Yet she did not seem a bit ashamed. She only looked at it with an air of surprise and innocence¹².

 

'Why, that's Miss Feely's ribbon, an't it? How could it a got into my sleeve?'

 

'Topsy, you naughty girl, don't tell me a lie. You stole that ribbon,'

 

'Missis, I declare I didn't. Never seed it till dis blessed minnit.'

 

'Topsy,' said Miss Ophelia, 'don't you know it is wicked to tell lies?'

 

'I never tells no lies, Miss Feely,' said Topsy. 'It's jist the truth I've been, tellin' now. It an't nothin' else.'

 

'Topsy, I shall have to whip you, if you tell lies so.'

 

'Laws, missis, if you whip's all day, couldn't say no other way,' said Topsy, beginning to cry. 'I never seed dat ribbon. It must a caught in my sleeve. Miss Feely must'a left it on the bed, and it got caught in the clothes, and so got in my sleeve.'

 

Miss Ophelia was so angry at such a barefaced¹³ lie that she caught Topsy and shook her. 'Don't tell me that again,' she said.

 

The shake brought the gloves on the floor from the other sleeve.

 

'There,' said Miss Ophelia, 'will you tell me now you didn't steal the ribbon?'

 

Topsy now confessed to stealing the gloves. But she, still said she had not taken the ribbon.

 

'Now, Topsy', said Miss Ophelia kindly¹⁴, 'if you will confess all about it I won't whip you this time.'

 

So Topsy confessed to having stolen both the ribbon and the gloves. She said she was very, very sorry, and would never do it again.

 

'Well, now, tell me,' said Miss Ophelia, 'have you taken anything else since you have been in the house? If you confess I won't whip you.'

 

'Laws, missis, I took Miss Eva's red thing she wears on her neck.'

 

'You did, you naughty child! Well, what else?'

 

'I took Rosa's ear-rings—them red ones.'

 

'Go and bring them to me this minute—both of them.'

 

'Laws, missis, I can't—they's burnt up.'

 

'Burnt up? What a story! Go and get them, or I shall whip you.'

 

Topsy began to cry and groan¹⁵, and declare that she could not. 'They's burnt up, they is.'

 

'What did you burn them up for?' asked Miss Ophelia.

 

'Cause I's wicked, I is. I's mighty¹⁶ wicked, anyhow. I can't help it.'

 

Just at this minute Eva came into the room wearing her coral necklace.

 

'Why, Eva, where did you get your necklace?' said Miss Ophelia.

 

'Get it? Why, I have had it on all day,' answered Eva, rather surprised. 'And what is funny, aunty, I had it on all night too. I forgot to take it off when I went to bed.'

 

Miss Ophelia looked perfectly¹⁷ astonished. She was more astonished still when, next minute, Rosa, who was one of the housemaids, came in with a basket of clean clothes, wearing her coral ear-rings as usual.

 

I'm sure I don't know what to do with such a child,' she said, in despair. 'What in the world made you tell me you took those things, Topsy?'

 

'Why, missis said I must 'fess. I couldn't think of nothing else to 'fess,' said Topsy, wiping her eyes.

 

'But of course, I didn't want you to confess things you didn't do,' said Miss Ophelia. 'That is telling a lie just as much as the other.'

 

'Laws, now, is it?' said Topsy, looking surprised and innocent.

 

'Poor Topsy,' said Eva, 'why need you steal? You are going to be taken good care of now. I am sure I would rather give you anything of mine than have you steal it.'

 

Topsy had never been spoken to so kindly and gently in all her life. For a minute she looked as if she were going to cry. The next she was grinning as usual in her ugly way.

 

What was to be done with Topsy? Miss Ophelia was quite puzzled. She shut her up in a dark room till she could think about it.

 

'I don't see,' she said to Mr. St. Clare, 'how I am going to manage that child without whipping her.'

 

'Well, whip her, then.'

 

'I never heard of bringing up children without it,' said Miss Ophelia.

 

'Oh, well, do as you think best. Only, I have seen this child beaten with a poker¹⁸, knocked down with the shovel¹⁹ or tongs²⁰, or anything that came handy. So I don't think your beatings will have much effect.'

 

'What is to be done with her, then?' said Miss Ophelia. 'I never saw such a child as this.'

 

But Mr. St. Clare could not answer her question. So Miss Ophelia had to go on, as best she could, trying to make Topsy a good girl.

 

She taught her to read and to sew. Topsy liked reading, and learned her letters like magic. But she could not bear sewing. So she broke her needles or threw them away. She tangled²¹, broke, and dirtied her cotton and hid her reels. Miss Ophelia felt sure all these things could not be accidents. Yet she could never catch Topsy doing them.

 

In a very few days Topsy had learned how to do Miss Ophelia's room perfectly, for she was very quick and clever. But if Miss Ophelia ever left her to do it by herself there was sure to be dreadful confusion.

 

Instead of making the bed, she would amuse herself with pulling off the pillow-cases. Then she would butt²² her woolly head among the pillows, until it was covered with feathers sticking out in all directions. She would climb the bedpost, and hang head downwards²³ from the top; wave the sheets and covers all over the room; dress the bolster up in Miss Ophelia's nightgown and act scenes with it, singing, whistling, and making faces at herself in the looking-glass all the time.

 

'Topsy,' Miss Ophelia would say, when her patience was at an end, 'what makes you behave so badly?'

 

'Dunno, missis—I'spects' cause I's so wicked.'

 

'I don't know what I shall do with you, Topsy.'

 

'Laws, missis, you must whip me. My old missis always did. I an't used to workin' unless I gets whipped.'

 

So Miss Ophelia tried it. Topsy would scream and groan and implore²⁴. But half an hour later she would be sitting among the other little niggers belonging to the house, laughing about it. 'Miss Feely whip!' she would say, 'she can't do it nohow.'

 

'Law, you niggers,' she would go on, 'does you know you's all sinners? Well, you is; everybody is. White folks is sinners too—Miss Feely says so. But I 'spects niggers is the biggest ones. But ye an't any of ye up to me. I's so awful wicked, there can't nobody do nothin' with me. I 'spects I's the wickedest crittur in the world.' Then she would turn a somersault, and come up bright and smiling, evidently quite pleased with herself.

1 beads   

n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链

参考例句：

• a necklace of wooden beads 一条木珠项链
• Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead. 他的前额上挂着汗珠。

2 wooly   

adj.毛茸茸的；糊涂的

参考例句：

• I like the feel of this cloth and it has a warm wooly feel.我喜欢这块布的手感,它摸上去毛茸茸的很暖和。
• He wore a brown t-shirt with jeans and a pair of shoes,with a wooly hat covering his hair.小贝身穿一件棕色t恤，搭配牛仔裤和皮鞋，头戴一顶盖住头发的羊毛帽子。

3 ragged   

adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的

参考例句：

• A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
• Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。

4 hem   

n.贴边，镶边；vt.缝贴边；(in)包围，限制

参考例句：

• The hem on her skirt needs sewing.她裙子上的褶边需要缝一缝。
• The hem of your dress needs to be let down an inch.你衣服的折边有必要放长1英寸。

5 meekly   

adv.温顺地，逆来顺受地

参考例句：

• He stood aside meekly when the new policy was proposed. 当有人提出新政策时，他唯唯诺诺地站 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He meekly accepted the rebuke. 他顺从地接受了批评。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 poking   

n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• He was poking at the rubbish with his stick. 他正用手杖拨动垃圾。
• He spent his weekends poking around dusty old bookshops. 他周末都泡在布满尘埃的旧书店里。

7 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

8 mattress   

n.床垫，床褥

参考例句：

• The straw mattress needs to be aired.草垫子该晾一晾了。
• The new mattress I bought sags in the middle.我买的新床垫中间陷了下去。

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

11 dangling   

悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口

参考例句：

• The tooth hung dangling by the bedpost, now. 结果，那颗牙就晃来晃去吊在床柱上了。
• The children sat on the high wall,their legs dangling. 孩子们坐在一堵高墙上，摇晃着他们的双腿。

12 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

13 barefaced   

adj.厚颜无耻的，公然的

参考例句：

• It's barefaced robbery asking such a high price for that old bicycle!那辆旧自行车要价如此之高真是无耻的敲诈。
• What barefaced cheek!真是厚颜无耻！

14 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

15 groan   

vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音

参考例句：

• The wounded man uttered a groan.那个受伤的人发出呻吟。
• The people groan under the burden of taxes.人民在重税下痛苦呻吟。

16 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

17 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

18 poker   

n.扑克；vt.烙制

参考例句：

• He was cleared out in the poker game.他打扑克牌，把钱都输光了。
• I'm old enough to play poker and do something with it.我打扑克是老手了，可以玩些花样。

19 shovel   

n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出

参考例句：

• He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。
• He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了。

20 tongs   

n.钳；夹子

参考例句：

• She used tongs to put some more coal on the fire.她用火钳再夹一些煤放进炉子里。
• He picked up the hot metal with a pair of tongs.他用一把钳子夹起这块热金属。

21 tangled   

adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Your hair's so tangled that I can't comb it. 你的头发太乱了，我梳不动。
• A movement caught his eye in the tangled undergrowth. 乱灌木丛里的晃动引起了他的注意。

22 butt   

n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶

参考例句：

• The water butt catches the overflow from this pipe.大水桶盛接管子里流出的东西。
• He was the butt of their jokes.他是他们的笑柄。

23 downwards   

adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地）

参考例句：

• He lay face downwards on his bed.他脸向下伏在床上。
• As the river flows downwards,it widens.这条河愈到下游愈宽。

24 implore   

vt.乞求，恳求，哀求

参考例句：

• I implore you to write. At least tell me you're alive.请给我音讯，让我知道你还活着。
• Please implore someone else's help in a crisis.危险时请向别人求助。