CHAPTER 11. PETER AND PAUL.

 “As I was saying,” the other Professor resumed, “if you'll just think over any Poem, that contains the words—such as,

 

   'Peter is poor,' said noble Paul,

   'And I have always been his friend:

    And, though my means to give are small,

    At least I can afford to lend.

    How few, in this cold age of greed,

    Do good, except on selfish grounds!

    But I can feel for Peter's need,

    And I WILL LEND HIM FIFTY POUNDS!'

 

    How great was Peter's joy to find

    His friend in such a genial¹ vein²!

    How cheerfully the bond he signed,

    To pay the money back again!

    'We ca'n't,' said Paul, 'be too precise:

    'Tis best to fix the very day:

    So, by a learned friend's advice,

    I've made it Noon, the Fourth of May.

{Image...'How cheefully the bond he signed!'}

 

    But this is April!  Peter said.

    'The First of April, as I think.

    Five little weeks will soon be fled:

    One scarcely will have time to wink³!

    Give me a year to speculate—

    To buy and sell—to drive a trade—'

    Said Paul 'I cannot change the date.

    On May the Fourth it must be paid.'

 

    'Well, well!' said Peter, with a sigh.

    'Hand me the cash, and I will go.

    I'll form a Joint-Stock Company,

    And turn an honest pound or so.'

    'I'm grieved,' said Paul, 'to seem unkind:

    The money shalt of course be lent:

    But, for a week or two, I find

    It will not be convenient.'

 

    So, week by week, poor Peter came

    And turned in heaviness away;

    For still the answer was the same,

    'I cannot manage it to-day.'

    And now the April showers were dry—

    The five short weeks were nearly spent—

    Yet still he got the old reply,

    'It is not quite convenient!'

 

    The Fourth arrived, and punctual Paul

    Came, with his legal friend, at noon.

    'I thought it best,' said he, 'to call:

    One cannot settle things too soon.'

    Poor Peter shuddered⁴ in despair:

    His flowing locks he wildly tore:

    And very soon his yellow hair

    Was lying all about the floor.

 

    The legal friend was standing⁵ by,

    With sudden pity half unmanned:

    The tear-drop trembled in his eye,

    The signed agreement in his hand:

    But when at length the legal soul

    Resumed its customary force,

    'The Law,' he said, 'we ca'n't control:

    Pay, or the Law must take its course!'

 

    Said Paul 'How bitterly I rue⁶

    That fatal morning when I called!

    Consider, Peter, what you do!

    You won't be richer when you're bald!

    Think you, by rending⁷ curls away,

    To make your difficulties less?

    Forbear this violence, I pray:

    You do but add to my distress⁸!'

{Image...'Poor peter shuddered in despair'}

 

    'Not willingly would I inflict,'

    Said Peter, 'on that noble heart

    One needless pang⁹.  Yet why so strict?

    Is this to act a friendly part?

    However legal it may be

    To pay what never has been lent,

    This style of business seems to me

    Extremely inconvenient¹⁰!

 

    'No Nobleness of soul have I,

    Like some that in this Age are found!'

    (Paul blushed in sheer humility¹¹,

    And cast his eyes upon the ground)

    'This debt will simply swallow all,

    And make my life a life of woe¹²!'

    'Nay¹³, nay, nay Peter!' answered Paul.

    'You must not rail on Fortune so!

 

    'You have enough to eat and drink:

    You are respected in the world:

    And at the barber's, as I think,

    You often get your whiskers curled.

    Though Nobleness you ca'n't attain¹⁴

    To any very great extent—

    The path of Honesty is plain,

    However inconvenient!'

 

    “Tis true, 'said Peter,' I'm alive:

    I keep my station in the world:

    Once in the week I just contrive¹⁵

    To get my whiskers oiled and curled.

    But my assets are very low:

    My little income's overspent:

    To trench¹⁶ on capital, you know,

    Is always inconvenient!'

 

    'But pay your debts!' cried honest Paul.

    'My gentle Peter, pay your debts!

    What matter if it swallows all

    That you describe as your “assets”?

    Already you're an hour behind:

    Yet Generosity¹⁷ is best.

    It pinches me—but never mind!

    I WILL NOT CHARGE YOU INTEREST!'

 

    'How good!  How great!' poor Peter cried.

    'Yet I must sell my Sunday wig—

    The scarf-pin that has been my pride—

    My grand piano—and my pig!'

    Full soon his property took wings:

    And daily, as each treasure went,

    He sighed to find the state of things

    Grow less and less convenient.

 

    Weeks grew to months, and months to years:

    Peter was worn to skin and bone:

    And once he even said, with tears,

    'Remember, Paul, that promised Loan!'

    Said Paul' I'll lend you, when I can,

    All the spare money I have got—

    Ah, Peter, you're a happy man!

    Yours is an enviable lot!

{Image...Such boots as these you seldom see}

 

    'I'm getting stout¹⁸, as you may see:

    It is but seldom I am well:

    I cannot feel my ancient glee

    In listening to the dinner-bell:

    But you, you gambol¹⁹ like a boy,

    Your figure is so spare and light:

    The dinner-bell's a note of joy

    To such a healthy appetite!'

 

    Said Peter 'I am well aware

    Mine is a state of happiness:

    And yet how gladly could I spare

    Some of the comforts I possess!

    What you call healthy appetite

    I feel as Hunger's savage²⁰ tooth:

    And, when no dinner is in sight,

    The dinner-bell's a sound of ruth!

 

    'No scare-crow would accept this coat:

    Such boots as these you seldom see.

    Ah, Paul, a single five-pound-note

    Would make another man of me!'

    Said Paul 'It fills me with surprise

    To hear you talk in such a tone:

    I fear you scarcely realise

    The blessings²¹ that are all your own!

 

    'You're safe from being overfed:

    You're sweetly picturesque²² in rags:

    You never know the aching head

    That comes along with money-bags:

    And you have time to cultivate

    That best of qualities, Content—

    For which you'll find your present state

    Remarkably²³ convenient!'

 

    Said Peter 'Though I cannot sound

    The depths of such a man as you,

    Yet in your character I've found

    An inconsistency or two.

    You seem to have long years to spare

    When there's a promise to fulfil:

    And yet how punctual you were

    In calling with that little bill!'

 

    'One can't be too deliberate,'

    Said Paul, 'in parting with one's pelf²⁴.

    With bills, as you correctly state,

    I'm punctuality itself:

    A man may surely claim his dues:

    But, when there's money to be lent,

    A man must be allowed to choose

    Such times as are convenient!'

 

    It chanced one day, as Peter sat

    Gnawing²⁵ a crust—his usual meal—

    Paul bustled²⁶ in to have a chat,

    And grasped his hand with friendly zeal²⁷.

    'I knew,' said he, 'your frugal²⁸ ways:

    So, that I might not wound your pride

    By bringing strangers in to gaze,

    I've left my legal friend outside!

 

    'You well remember, I am sure,

    When first your wealth began to go,

    And people sneered²⁹ at one so poor,

    I never used my Peter so!

    And when you'd lost your little all,

    And found yourself a thing despised,

    I need not ask you to recall

    How tenderly I sympathised!

 

    'Then the advice I've poured on you,

    So full of wisdom and of wit:

    All given gratis³⁰, though 'tis true

    I might have fairly charged for it!

    But I refrain from mentioning

    Full many a deed I might relate

    For boasting is a kind of thing

    That I particularly hate.

{Image...'I will lend you fifty more!'}

 

    'How vast the total sum appears

    Of all the kindnesses I've done,

    From Childhood's half-forgotten years

    Down to that Loan of April One!

    That Fifty Pounds!  You little guessed

    How deep it drained my slender store:

    But there's a heart within this breast,

    And I WILL LEND YOU FIFTY MORE!'

 

    'Not so,' was Peter's mild reply,

    His cheeks all wet with grateful tears;

    No man recalls, so well as I,

    Your services in bygone years:

    And this new offer, I admit,

    Is very very kindly³¹ meant—

    Still, to avail myself of it

    Would not be quite convenient!'

You'll see in a moment what the difference is between 'convenient' and 'inconvenient.' You quite understand it now, don't you?” he added, looking kindly at Bruno, who was sitting, at Sylvie's side, on the floor.

 

“Yes,” said Bruno, very quietly. Such a short speech was very unusual, for him: but just then he seemed, I fancied, a little exhausted³². In fact, he climbed up into Sylvie's lap as he spoke³³, and rested his head against her shoulder. “What a many verses it was!” he whispered.

1 genial   

adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的

参考例句：

• Orlando is a genial man.奥兰多是一位和蔼可亲的人。
• He was a warm-hearted friend and genial host.他是个热心的朋友，也是友善待客的主人。

2 vein   

n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络

参考例句：

• The girl is not in the vein for singing today.那女孩今天没有心情唱歌。
• The doctor injects glucose into the patient's vein.医生把葡萄糖注射入病人的静脉。

3 wink   

n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁

参考例句：

• He tipped me the wink not to buy at that price.他眨眼暗示我按那个价格就不要买。
• The satellite disappeared in a wink.瞬息之间，那颗卫星就消失了。

4 shuddered   

v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动

参考例句：

• He slammed on the brakes and the car shuddered to a halt. 他猛踩刹车，车颤抖着停住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I shuddered at the sight of the dead body. 我一看见那尸体就战栗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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。

6 rue   

n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔

参考例句：

• You'll rue having failed in the examination.你会悔恨考试失败。
• You're going to rue this the longest day that you live.你要终身悔恨不尽呢。

7 rending   

v.撕碎( rend的现在分词 )；分裂；（因愤怒、痛苦等而）揪扯（衣服或头发等）；（声音等）刺破

参考例句：

• The cries of those imprisoned in the fallen buildings were heart-rending. 被困于倒塌大楼里的人们的哭喊声令人心碎。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She was rending her hair out in anger. 她气愤得直扯自己的头发。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

9 pang   

n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷

参考例句：

• She experienced a sharp pang of disappointment.她经历了失望的巨大痛苦。
• She was beginning to know the pang of disappointed love.她开始尝到了失恋的痛苦。

10 inconvenient   

adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的

参考例句：

• You have come at a very inconvenient time.你来得最不适时。
• Will it be inconvenient for him to attend that meeting?他参加那次会议会不方便吗？

11 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。

12 woe   

n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌

参考例句：

• Our two peoples are brothers sharing weal and woe.我们两国人民是患难与共的兄弟。
• A man is well or woe as he thinks himself so.自认祸是祸，自认福是福。

13 nay   

adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者

参考例句：

• He was grateful for and proud of his son's remarkable,nay,unique performance.他为儿子出色的，不，应该是独一无二的表演心怀感激和骄傲。
• Long essays,nay,whole books have been written on this.许多长篇大论的文章，不，应该说是整部整部的书都是关于这件事的。

14 attain   

vt.达到，获得，完成

参考例句：

• I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。
• His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。

15 contrive   

vt.谋划，策划；设法做到；设计，想出

参考例句：

• Can you contrive to be here a little earlier?你能不能早一点来？
• How could you contrive to make such a mess of things?你怎么把事情弄得一团糟呢？

16 trench   

n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕

参考例句：

• The soldiers recaptured their trench.兵士夺回了战壕。
• The troops received orders to trench the outpost.部队接到命令在前哨周围筑壕加强防卫。

17 generosity   

n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为

参考例句：

• We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。
• We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。

18   

参考例句：

19 gambol   

v.欢呼，雀跃

参考例句：

• He determined to revisit the scene of the last evening's gambol.他决计再到昨晚嬉戏的地方去一趟。
• He didn't play sports or a musical instrument,gamble at whist or gambol on a horse.他不做运动，不玩乐器，不赌博，不骑马。

20 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

21 blessings   

n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福

参考例句：

• Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马，焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

22 picturesque   

adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的

参考例句：

• You can see the picturesque shores beside the river.在河边你可以看到景色如画的两岸。
• That was a picturesque phrase.那是一个形象化的说法。

23 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

24 pelf   

n.金钱；财物（轻蔑语）

参考例句：

• Let him disenslave himself from the pelf of the world.让他从金钱束缚下解放自己。
• Pelf makes friends,adversity tries them.富贵交友易, 患难显真情。

25 gnawing   

a.痛苦的，折磨人的

参考例句：

• The dog was gnawing a bone. 那狗在啃骨头。
• These doubts had been gnawing at him for some time. 这些疑虑已经折磨他一段时间了。

26 bustled   

闹哄哄地忙乱，奔忙( bustle的过去式和过去分词 )； 催促

参考例句：

• She bustled around in the kitchen. 她在厨房里忙得团团转。
• The hostress bustled about with an assumption of authority. 女主人摆出一副权威的样子忙来忙去。

27 zeal   

n.热心，热情，热忱

参考例句：

• Revolutionary zeal caught them up,and they joined the army.革命热情激励他们，于是他们从军了。
• They worked with great zeal to finish the project.他们热情高涨地工作，以期完成这个项目。

28 frugal   

adj.节俭的，节约的，少量的，微量的

参考例句：

• He was a VIP,but he had a frugal life.他是位要人，但生活俭朴。
• The old woman is frugal to the extreme.那老妇人节约到了极点。

29 sneered   

讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sneered at people who liked pop music. 他嘲笑喜欢流行音乐的人。
• It's very discouraging to be sneered at all the time. 成天受嘲讽是很令人泄气的。

30 gratis   

adj.免费的

参考例句：

• David gives the first consultation gratis.戴维免费提供初次咨询。
• The service was gratis to graduates.这项服务对毕业生是免费的。

31 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。

32 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

33 spoke   

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

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。