“Look at this!”
Dinny read:
“SIR —
“You will pardon me, I trust, this intrusion on your space. It has come to my knowledge that certain passages in my book, ‘Bolivia and Its Secrets,’ published last July, have grievously annoyed my second-incommand, Captain Hubert Charwell, D.S.O., who had charge of the transport of the expedition. On re-reading these passages I certainly believe that in the vexation caused me by the partial failure of the expedition, and owing to the over-strained state in which I returned from the adventure, I have passed undue17 criticism on Captain Charwell’s conduct; and I wish, pending18 the issue of the second and amended19 edition which I trust will not be long delayed, to take this opportunity of publicly withdrawing in your great journal the gravamen of my written words. It is my duty and pleasure to express to Captain Charwell and the British Army of which he is a member, my sincere apology, and my regret for any pain I may have caused him.
“Sir, Your obedient servant,
“EDWARD HALLORSEN (Professor).
“Piedmont Hotel,
“London.”
“Very handsome!” said Dinny, trembling a little. “Hallorsen in London! What the devil does he mean by this all of a sudden?”
She began pulling yellowed leaves out of an Agapanthus. The danger of doing things for other people was being disclosed to her.
“It almost looks like repentance21, dear.”
“That fellow repent20! Not he! There’s something behind it.”
“Yes, I am.”
“You!”
Dinny quailed22 behind her smile.
“I met Hallorsen at Diana’s in London; he was at Lippinghall, too. So I— er — got at him.”
Hubert’s sallowed face went red.
“You asked — you begged —?”
“Oh! no!”
“What then?”
“He seemed to take rather a fancy to me. It’s odd, but I couldn’t help it, Hubert.”
“He’s done this to curry23 favour with you?”
“You put it like a man and a brother.”
“Dinny!”
Dinny flushed too, angry now behind her smile.
“I didn’t lead him on. He took this highly unreasonable24 fancy, in spite of plenty of cold water. But, if you ask me, Hubert, he has quite a decent side to him.”
“You would naturally think so,” said Hubert, coldly. His face had resumed its sallow hue25 and was even a little ashened.
Dinny caught impulsively26 at his sleeve.
“Don’t be silly, dear! If he chooses to make a public apology for any reason, even such a bad one, isn’t it all to the good?”
“Not when my own sister comes into it. In this thing I’m like — I’m like a —” he put his hands to his head: “I’m in Chancery. Anyone can punch my head, and I can’t move.”
Dinny’s coolness had come back to her.
“You needn’t be afraid that I shall compromise you. This letter is very good news; it takes the wind out of the whole thing. In face of this apology, who can say anything?”
But Hubert, leaving the paper in her hand, went back into the house.
Dinny had practically no ‘small’ pride. Her sense of humour prevented her from attaching value to her own performances. She felt that she ought to have provided against this contingency27, though she did not see how.
Hubert’s resentment28 was natural enough. If Hallorsen’s apology had been dictated29 by conviction, it would have soothed30 him; arising from a desire to please his sister, it was only the more galling31; and he clearly abhorred32 the Professor’s fancy for her. Still, there was the letter — an open and direct admission of false criticism, which changed the whole position! At once she began to consider what use could be made of it. Should she send it to Lord Saxenden? Having meddled33 so far, she decided34 that she would, and went in to write the covering letter.
‘Condaford Grange. Sept. 21.
‘Dear Lord Saxenden —
‘I am venturing to send you the enclosed cutting from today’s “Times,” for I feel it excuses me to some extent for my effrontery35 the other evening. I really ought not to have bored you at the end of a long day with those passages of my brother’s diary. It was unpardonable, and I don’t wonder that you sought refuge. But the enclosed will show you the injustice36 from which my brother has suffered; and I hope you will forgive me.
‘Sincerely yours,
‘Elizabeth Charwell.’
Enclosing the cutting, she looked up Lord Saxenden in ‘Who’s Who,’ and addressed the envelope to his London abode37, marking it ‘Personal.’
A little later, trying to find Hubert, she was told that he had taken the car and gone up to London . . . .
Hubert drove fast. Dinny’s explanation of the letter had disturbed him greatly. He covered the fifty odd miles in a little under two hours and reached the Piedmont Hotel at one o’clock. Since he had parted from Hallorsen nearly six months ago, no word had passed between them. He sent his card in and waited in the hall with no precise knowledge of what he wanted to say. When the American’s tall figure approached behind the buttoned boy, a cold stillness possessed38 his every limb.
“Captain Cherrell,” said Hallorsen, and held out his hand.
With a horror of ‘scenes’ deeper than his more natural self, Hubert took it, but without pressure in his fingers.
“I saw you were here, from ‘The Times.’ Is there anywhere we could go and talk for a few minutes?”
Hallorsen led towards an alcove39. “Bring some cocktails,” he said to a waiter.
“Not for me, thank you. But may I smoke?”
“I trust this is the pipe of peace, Captain.”
“I don’t know. An apology that does not come from conviction means less than nothing to me.”
“Who says it doesn’t come from conviction?”
“My sister.”
“Your sister, Captain Cherrell, is a very rare and charming young lady, and I would not wish to contradict her.”
“Do you mind my speaking plainly?”
“Why, surely no!”
“Then I would much rather have had no apology from you than know I owed it to any feeling of yours for one of my family.”
“Well,” said Hallorsen, after a pause, “I can’t write to the ‘Times’ and say I was in error when I made that apology. I judge they wouldn’t stand for that. I had a sore head when I wrote that book. I told your sister so, and I tell you so now. I lost all sense of charity, and I have come to regret it.”
“I don’t want charity. I want justice. Did I or did I not let you down?”
“Why, there’s no question but that your failure to hold that pack together did in fact finish my chance.”
“I admit that. Did I fail you from my fault, or from yours in giving me an impossible job?”
For a full minute the two men stood with their eyes on each other, and without a word. Then Hallorsen again held out his hand.
“Put it there,” he said; “my fault.”
Hubert’s hand went out impulsively, but stopped half way.
“One moment. Do you say that because it would please my sister?”
“No, Sir; I mean it.”
Hubert took his hand.
“That’s great,” said Hallorsen. “We didn’t get on, Captain; but since I’ve stayed in one of your old homes here, I think I’ve grasped the reason why. I expected from you what you class Englishmen seemingly will never give — that’s the frank expression of your feelings. I judge one has to translate you, and I just couldn’t do it, so we went on in the dark about each other. And that’s the way to get raw.”
“I don’t know why, but we got raw all right.”
“Well, I wish it could come all over again.”
Hubert shivered. “I don’t.”
“Now, Captain, will you lunch with me, and tell me how I can serve you? I will do anything you say to wipe out my mistake.”
For a moment Hubert did not speak, his face was unmoved, but his hands shook a little.
“That’s all right,” he said. “It’s nothing.”
And they moved towards the grill-room.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
vocal
|
|
| adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
apprehended
|
|
| 逮捕，拘押( apprehend的过去式和过去分词 )； 理解 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
vociferous
|
|
| adj.喧哗的，大叫大嚷的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
advertising
|
|
| n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
iridescence
|
|
| n.彩虹色；放光彩；晕色；晕彩 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
shimmering
|
|
| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
bog
|
|
| n.沼泽；室...陷入泥淖 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
stolid
|
|
| adj.无动于衷的，感情麻木的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
judgment
|
|
| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
expressive
|
|
| adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
scintillate
|
|
| v.闪烁火光；放出火花 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
drawn
|
|
| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
embittered
|
|
| v.使怨恨，激怒( embitter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
temperament
|
|
| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
adventitious
|
|
| adj.偶然的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
wilted
|
|
| （使）凋谢，枯萎( wilt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
undue
|
|
| adj.过分的；不适当的；未到期的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
pending
|
|
| prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
Amended
|
|
| adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
repent
|
|
| v.悔悟，悔改，忏悔，后悔 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
repentance
|
|
| n.懊悔 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
quailed
|
|
| 害怕，发抖，畏缩( quail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
curry
|
|
| n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
unreasonable
|
|
| adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
hue
|
|
| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
impulsively
|
|
| adv.冲动地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
contingency
|
|
| n.意外事件，可能性 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
resentment
|
|
| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
dictated
|
|
| v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
soothed
|
|
| v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
galling
|
|
| adj.难堪的,使烦恼的,使焦躁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
abhorred
|
|
| v.憎恶( abhor的过去式和过去分词 )；（厌恶地）回避；拒绝；淘汰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
meddled
|
|
| v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
decided
|
|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
effrontery
|
|
| n.厚颜无耻 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
injustice
|
|
| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
abode
|
|
| n.住处，住所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
possessed
|
|
| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
alcove
|
|
| n.凹室 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |