It was now nearly six o’clock, and the sun was sinking amid a blaze of splendour. The whole of the western sky was a sea of shimmering6 gold, and this, intensified7 near the horizon to almost blinding brightness, faded off towards the zenith of the sky into a delicate green, and thence melted imperceptibly into a cold blue.
Villiers, however, being of the earth, earthy, could not be troubled looking very long at such a common-place sight as a sunset; the same thing occurred every evening, and he had more important things to do than to waste his time gratifying his artistic8 eye. Arriving on the plateau of earth just in front of the gully, he was soon entering the narrow gorge9, and tramped steadily10 along in deep thought, with bent head and wrinkled brows. The way being narrow, and Villiers being preoccupied11, it was not surprising that as a man was coming down in the opposite direction, also preoccupied, they should run against one another. When this took place it gave Mr Villiers rather a start, as it suggested a possible witness to the deed he contemplated12, a thing for which he was by no means anxious.
‘Really, sir,’ said the stranger, in a rich, rolling voice, and in a dignified13 tone, ‘I think you might look where you are going. From what I saw of you, your eyes were not fixed14 on the stars, and thus to cause your unwatched feet to stumble; in fact,’ said the speaker, looking up to the sky, ‘I see no stars whereon you could fix your gaze.’
This somewhat strange mode of remonstrance15 was delivered in a solemn manner, with appropriate gestures, and tickled16 Mr Villiers so much that he leaned up against a great rock abutting17 on the path, and laughed long and loudly.
‘That is right, sir,’ said the stranger, approvingly; ‘laughter is to the soul what food is to the body. I think, sir,’ in a Johnsonian manner, ‘the thought is a happy one.’
Villiers assented18 with a nod, and examined the speaker attentively19. He was a man of medium height, rather portly than otherwise, with a clean-shaved face, clearly-cut features, and two merry grey eyes, which twinkled like stars as they rested on Villiers. His hair was greyish, and inclined to curl, but could not follow its natural inclination21 owing to the unsparing use of the barber’s shears22. He wore a coat and trousers of white flannel23, but no waistcoat; canvas shoes were on his feet, and a juvenile24 straw hat was perched on his iron-grey hair, the rim25 of which encircled his head like a halo of glory. He had small, well-shaped hands, one of which grasped a light cane26, and the other a white silk pocket handkerchief, with which he frequently wiped his brow. He seemed very hot, and, leaning on the opposite side of the path against a rock, fanned himself first with his handkerchief and then with his hat, all the time looking at Mr Villiers with a beaming smile. At last he took a silver-mounted flask27 from his pocket and offered it to Villiers, with a pleasant bow.
‘It’s very hot, you know,’ he said, in his rich voice, as Villiers accepted the flask.
‘What, this?’ asked Villiers, indicating the flask, as he slowly unscrewed the top.
‘No; the day, my boy, the day. Ha! ha! ha!’ said the lively stranger, going off into fits of laughter, which vibrated like small thunder amid the high rocks surrounding them. ‘Good line for a comedy, I think. Ha! ha! — gad28, I’ll make a note of it,’ and diving into one of the pockets of his coat, he produced therefrom an old letter, on the back of which he inscribed29 the witticism30 with the stump31 of a pencil.
Meanwhile Villiers, thinking the flask contained brandy, or at least whisky, took a long drink of it, but found to his horror it was merely a weak solution of sherry and water.
‘Oh, my poor stomach,’ he gasped33, taking the flask from his lips.
‘Colic?’ inquired the stranger with a pleasant smile, as he put back the letter and pencil, ‘hot water fomentations are what you need. Wonderful cure. Will bring you to life again though you were at your last gasp32. Ha!’ struck with a sudden idea, ‘“His Last Gasp”, good title for a melodrama34 — mustn’t forget that,’ and out came the letter and the pencil again.
Mr Villiers explained in a somewhat gruff tone that it was not colic, but that his medical attendant allowed him to drink nothing but whisky.
‘To be taken twenty times a day, I presume,’ observed the stranger, with a wink20; ‘no offence meant, sir,’ as Villiers showed a disposition35 to resent this, ‘merely a repartee36. Good for a comedy, I fancy; what do you think?’
‘I think,’ said Mr Villiers, handing him back the flask, ‘that you’re very eccentric.’
‘Eccentric?’ replied the other, in an airy tone, ‘not at all, sir. I’m merely a civilized37 being with the veneer38 off. I am not hidden under an artificial coat of manner. No, I laugh — ha! ha! I skip, ha! ha!’ with a light trip on one foot. ‘I cry,’ in a dismal39 tone. ‘In fact, I am a man in his natural state — civilized sufficiently40, but not over civilized.’
‘What’s your name?’ asked Mr Villiers, wondering whether the portly gentleman was mad.
For reply the stranger dived into another pocket, and, bringing to light a long bill-poster, held it up before Mr Villiers.
‘Read! mark! and inwardly digest!’ he said in a muffled41 tone behind the bill.
This document set forth42 in red, black, and blue letters, that the celebrated43 Wopples Family, consisting of twelve star artistes, were now in Ballarat, and would that night appear at the Academy of Music in their new and original farcical comedy, called ‘The Cruet-Stand’. Act I: Pepper! Act II: Mustard! Act III: Vinegar.
‘You, then,’ said Villiers, after he had perused44 this document, ‘are Mr Wopples?’
‘Theodore Wopples, at your service,’ said that gentleman, rolling up the bill, then putting it into his pocket, he produced therefrom a batch45 of tickets. ‘One of these,’ handing a ticket to Villiers, ‘will admit you to the stalls tonight, where you will see myself and the children in “The Cruet-Stand”.’
‘Rather a peculiar46 title, isn’t it?’ said Villiers, taking the ticket.
‘The play is still more peculiar, sir,’ replied Mr Wopples, restoring the bulky packet of tickets to his pocket, ‘dealing as it does with the adventures of a youth who hides his father’s will in a cruet stand, which is afterwards annexed47 by a comic bailiff.’
‘But isn’t it rather a curious thing to hide a will in a cruet stand?’ asked Villiers, smiling at the oddity of the idea.
‘Therein, sir, lies the peculiarity48 of the play,’ said Mr Wopples, grandly. ‘Of course the characters find out in Act I that the will is in the cruet stand; in Act II, while pursuing it, they get mixed up with the bailiff’s mother-in-law; and in Act III,’ finished Mr Wopples, exultingly49, ‘they run it to earth in a pawnshop. Oh, I assure you it is a most original play.’
‘Very,’ assented the other, dryly; ‘the author must be a man of genius — who wrote it?’
‘Its a translation from the German, sir,’ said Mr Wopples, taking a drink of sherry and water, ‘and was originally produced in London as “The Pickle50 Bottle”, the will being hidden with the family onions. In Melbourne it was the success of the year under the same title. I,’ with an air of genius, ‘called it “The Cruet Stand”.’
‘Then how did you get a hold of it,’ asked Villiers.
‘My wife, sir,’ said the actor, rolling out the words in his deep voice. ‘A wonderful woman, sir; paid a visit to Melbourne, and there, sir, seated at the back of the pit between a coal-heaver and an apple-woman, she copied the whole thing down.’
‘But isn’t that rather mean?’
‘Certainly not,’ retorted Wopples, haughtily51; ‘the opulent Melbourne managers refuse to let me have their new pieces, so I have to take the law into my own hands. I’ll get all the latest London successes in the same way. We play “Ours” under the title of “The Hero’s Return, or the Soldier’s Bride”: we have done the “Silver King” as “The Living Dead”, which was an immense success.’
Villiers thought that under such a contradictory52 title it would rather pique53 the curiosity of the public.
‘To-morrow night,’ pursued Mr Wopples, ‘we act “Called Back”, but it is billed as “The Blind Detective”; thus,’ said the actor, with virtuous54 scorn, ‘do we evade55 the grasping avarice56 of the Melbourne managers, who would make us pay fees for them.’
‘By the way,’ said Mr Wopples, breaking off suddenly in a light and airy manner, ‘as I came down here I saw a lovely girl — a veritable fairy, sir — with golden hair, and a bright smile that haunts me still. I exchanged a few remarks with her regarding the beauty of the day, and thus allegorically referred to the beauty of herself — a charming flight of fancy, I think, sir.’
‘It must have been Kitty Marchurst,’ said Villiers, not attending to the latter portion of Mr Wopples’ remarks.
‘Ah, indeed,’ said Mr Wopples, lightly, ‘how beautiful is the name of Kitty; it suggests poetry immediately — for instance:
Kitty, ah Kitty, You are so pretty, Charming and witty57, That ’twere a pity I sung not this ditty In praise of my Kitty.
On the spur of the moment, sir, I assure you; does it not remind you of Herrick?’
Mr Villiers bluntly said it did not.
‘Ah! perhaps it’s more like Shakespeare?’ observed the actor, quite unabashed. ‘You think so?’
Mr Villiers was doubtful, and displayed such anxiety to get away that Mr Wopples held out his hand to say goodbye.
‘You’ll excuse me, I know,’ said Mr Wopples, in an apologetic tone, ‘but the show commences at eight, and it is now half-past six. I trust I shall see you tonight.’
‘It’s very kind of you to give me this ticket,’ said Villiers, in whom the gentlemanly instinct still survived.
‘Not at all; not at all,’ retorted Mr Wopples, with a wink. ‘Business, my boy, business. Always have a good house first night, so must go into the highways and byways for an audience. Ha! Biblical illustration, you see;’ and with a gracious wave of his hand he skipped lightly down the path and disappeared from sight.
It was now getting dark; so Mr Villiers went on his own way, and having selected a mining shaft58 where he could hide the nugget, he climbed up to the top of the hill, and lying down under the shadow of a rock where he could get a good view of Marchurst’s house, he waited patiently till such time as his wife would start for home.
‘I’ll pay you out for all you’ve done,’ he muttered to himself, as he lay curled up in the black shadow like a noisome59 reptile60. ‘Tit for tat, my lady!-tit for tat!’
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收听单词发音
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1
leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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chasm
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| n.深坑，断层，裂口，大分岐，利害冲突 | |
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trudged
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| vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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tortuous
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| adj.弯弯曲曲的，蜿蜒的 | |
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shimmering
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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7
intensified
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| v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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gorge
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| n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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preoccupied
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| adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式) | |
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12
contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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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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remonstrance
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| n抗议，抱怨 | |
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tickled
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| （使）发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）愉快，逗乐 | |
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17
abutting
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| adj.邻接的v.（与…）邻接( abut的现在分词 )；（与…）毗连；接触；倚靠 | |
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assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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wink
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| n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁 | |
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inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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shears
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| n.大剪刀 | |
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flannel
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| n.法兰绒；法兰绒衣服 | |
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juvenile
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| n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的 | |
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rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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flask
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| n.瓶，火药筒，砂箱 | |
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gad
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| n.闲逛；v.闲逛 | |
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inscribed
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| v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接 | |
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witticism
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| n.谐语，妙语 | |
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stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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32
gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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34
melodrama
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| n.音乐剧；情节剧 | |
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disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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repartee
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| n.机敏的应答 | |
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civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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veneer
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| n.(墙上的)饰面，虚饰 | |
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dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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40
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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41
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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42
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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44
perused
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| v.读（某篇文字）( peruse的过去式和过去分词 )；（尤指）细阅；审阅；匆匆读或心不在焉地浏览（某篇文字） | |
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45
batch
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| n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量 | |
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46
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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annexed
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| [法] 附加的，附属的 | |
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48
peculiarity
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| n.独特性，特色；特殊的东西；怪癖 | |
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49
exultingly
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| 兴高采烈地，得意地 | |
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50
pickle
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| n.腌汁，泡菜；v.腌，泡 | |
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51
haughtily
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| adv. 傲慢地, 高傲地 | |
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52
contradictory
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| adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立 | |
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53
pique
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| v.伤害…的自尊心，使生气 n.不满，生气 | |
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54
virtuous
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| adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的 | |
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55
evade
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| vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避 | |
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56
avarice
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| n.贪婪；贪心 | |
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57
witty
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| adj.机智的，风趣的 | |
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58
shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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noisome
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| adj.有害的，可厌的 | |
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reptile
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| n.爬行动物；两栖动物 | |
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