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CHAPTER IV
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“HITTING THE NALE ON THE HEDD.”

The nex morning, down came me and master to Lady Griffinses — I amusing myself with the gals1 in the antyroom, he paying his devours2 to the ladies in the salong. Miss was thrumming on her gitter; my lady was before a great box of papers, busy with accounts, bankers’ books, lawyers’ letters, and what not. Law bless us! it’s a kind of bisniss I should like well enuff; especially when my hannual account was seven or eight thousand on the right side, like my lady’s. My lady in this house kep all these matters to herself. Miss was a vast deal too sentrimentle to mind business.

Miss Matilda’s eyes sparkled as master came in; she pinted gracefully3 to a place on the sofy beside her, which Deuceace took. My lady only looked up for a moment, smiled very kindly4, and down went her head among the papers agen, as busy as a B.

“Lady Griffin has had letters from London,” says Miss, “from nasty lawyers and people. Come here and sit by me, you naughty man you!”

And down sat master. “Willingly,” says he, “my dear Miss Griffin; why, I declare, it is quits a tete-a-tete.”

“Well,” says Miss (after the prillimnary flumries, in coarse), “we met a friend of yours at the embassy, Mr. Deuceace.”

“My father, doubtless; he is a great friend of the ambassador, and surprised me myself by a visit the night before last.”

“What a dear delightful5 old man! how he loves you, Mr. Deuceace!”

“Oh, amazingly!” says master, throwing his i’s to heaven.

“He spoke6 of nothing but you, and such praises of you!”

Master breathed more freely. “He is very good, my dear father; but blind, as all fathers are, he is so partial and attached to me.”

“He spoke of you being his favorite child, and regretted that you were not his eldest7 son. ‘I can but leave him the small portion of a younger brother,’ he said; ‘but never mind, he has talents, a noble name, and an independence of his own.’”

“An independence? yes, oh yes; I am quite independent of my father.”

“Two thousand pounds a year left you by your godmother; the very same you told us you know.”

“Neither more nor less,” says master, bobbing his head; a sufficiency, my dear Miss Griffin — to a man of my moderate habits an ample provision.”

“By-the-by,” cries out Lady Griffin, interrupting the conversation, “you who are talking about money matters there, I wish you would come to the aid of poor ME! Come, naughty boy, and help me out with this long long sum.”

DIDN’T HE GO— that’s all! My i, how his i’s shone, as he skipt across the room, and seated himself by my lady!

“Look!” said she, “my agents write me over that they have received a remittance8 of 7,200 rupees, at 2s. 9d. a rupee. Do tell me what the sum is, in pounds and shillings;” which master did with great gravity.

“Nine hundred and ninety pounds. Good; I daresay you are right. I’m sure I can’t go through the fatigue9 to see. And now comes another question. Whose money is this, mine or Matilda’s? You see it is the interest of a sum in India, which we have not had occasion to touch; and, according to the terms of poor Sir George’s will, I really don’t know how to dispose of the money except to spend it. Matilda, what shall we do with it?”

“La, ma’am, I wish you would arrange the business yourself.”

“Well, then, Algernon, YOU tell me;” and she laid her hand on his and looked him most pathetickly in the face.

“Why,” says he, “I don’t know how Sir George left his money; you must let me see his will, first.”

“Oh, willingly.”

Master’s chair seemed suddenly to have got springs in the cushns; he was obliged to HOLD HIMSELF DOWN.

“Look here, I have only a copy, taken by my hand from Sir George’s own manuscript. Soldiers, you know, do not employ lawyers much, and this was written on the night before going into action.” And she read, “‘I, George Griffin,’ &c. &c. — you know how these things begin —‘being now of sane10 mind’— um, um, um — ‘leave to my friends, Thomas Abraham Hicks, a colonel in the H. E. I. Company’s Service, and to John Monro Mackirkincroft (of the house of Huffle, Mackirkincroft, and Dobbs, at Calcutta), the whole of my property, to be realized as speedily as they may (consistently with the interests of the property), in trust for my wife, Leonora Emilia Griffin (born L. E. Kicksey), and my only legitimate11 child, Matilda Griffin. The interest resulting from such property to be paid to them, share and share alike; the principal to remain untouched, in the names of the said T. A. Hicks and J. M. Mackirkincroft, until the death of my wife, Leonora Emilia Griffin, when it shall be paid to my daughter, Matilda Griffin, her heirs, executors, or assigns.’”

“There,” said my lady, “we won’t read any more; all the rest is stuff. But now you know the whole business, tell us what is to be done with the money?”

“Why, the money, unquestionably, should be divided between you.”

“Tant mieux, say I; I really thought it had been all Matilda’s.”

. . . . . .

There was a paws for a minit or two after the will had been read. Master left the desk at which he had been seated with her ladyship, paced up and down the room for a while, and then came round to the place where Miss Matilda was seated. At last he said, in a low, trembling voice —

“I am almost sorry, my dear Lady Griffin, that you have read that will to me; for an attachment12 such as mine must seem, I fear, mercenary, when the object of it is so greatly favored by worldly fortune. Miss Griffin — Matilda! I know I may say the word; your dear eyes grant me the permission. I need not tell you, or you, dear mother-inlaw, how long, how fondly, I have adored you. My tender, my beautiful Matilda, I will not affect to say I have not read your heart ere this, and that I have not known the preference with which you have honored me. SPEAK IT, dear girl! from your own sweet lips: in the presence of an affectionate parent, utter the sentence which is to seal my happiness for life. Matilda, dearest Matilda! say, oh say, that you love me!”

Miss M. shivered, turned pail, rowled her eyes about, and fell on master’s neck, whispering hodibly, “I DO!”

My lady looked at the pair for a moment with her teeth grinding, her i’s glaring, her busm throbbing13, and her face chock white; for all the world like Madam Pasty, in the oppra of “Mydear” (when she’s goin to mudder her childring, you recklect); and out she flounced from the room, without a word, knocking down poar me, who happened to be very near the dor, and leaving my master along with his crook-back mistress.

I’ve repotted the speech he made to her pretty well. The fact is, I got it in a ruff copy; only on the copy it’s wrote, “Lady Griffin, Leonora!” instead of “Miss Griffin, Matilda,” as in the abuff, and so on.

Master had hit the right nail on the head this time, he thought: but his adventors an’t over yet.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 gals 21c57865731669089b5a91f4b7ca82ad     
abbr.gallons (复数)加仑(液量单位)n.女孩,少女( gal的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Jim came skipping out at the gate with a tin pail, and singing Buffalo Gals. 这时,吉姆手里提着一个锡皮桶,嘴中唱着“布法罗的女娃们”蹦蹦跳跳地从大门口跑出来。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
  • An' dey thinks dey wants mousy lil gals wid bird's tastes an' no sense at all. 他们想要的是耗子般的小姑娘,胃口小得像雀子,一点儿见识也没有。 来自飘(部分)
2 devours b540beb8d5eec2b2213f0a7074b7692f     
吞没( devour的第三人称单数 ); 耗尽; 津津有味地看; 狼吞虎咽地吃光
参考例句:
  • If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. 若有人想要害他们,就有火从他们口中出来,烧灭仇敌。
  • It eats away parts of his skin; death's firstborn devours his limbs. 他本身的肢体要被吞吃,死亡的长子要吞吃他的肢体。
3 gracefully KfYxd     
ad.大大方方地;优美地
参考例句:
  • She sank gracefully down onto a cushion at his feet. 她优雅地坐到他脚旁的垫子上。
  • The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line. 新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。
4 kindly tpUzhQ     
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。
5 delightful 6xzxT     
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的
参考例句:
  • We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
  • Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。
6 spoke XryyC     
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。
7 eldest bqkx6     
adj.最年长的,最年老的
参考例句:
  • The King's eldest son is the heir to the throne.国王的长子是王位的继承人。
  • The castle and the land are entailed on the eldest son.城堡和土地限定由长子继承。
8 remittance zVzx1     
n.汇款,寄款,汇兑
参考例句:
  • Your last month's salary will be paid by remittance.最后一个月的薪水将通过汇寄的方式付给你。
  • A prompt remittance would be appreciated.速寄汇款不胜感激。
9 fatigue PhVzV     
n.疲劳,劳累
参考例句:
  • The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
  • I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。
10 sane 9YZxB     
adj.心智健全的,神志清醒的,明智的,稳健的
参考例句:
  • He was sane at the time of the murder.在凶杀案发生时他的神志是清醒的。
  • He is a very sane person.他是一个很有头脑的人。
11 legitimate L9ZzJ     
adj.合法的,合理的,合乎逻辑的;v.使合法
参考例句:
  • Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
  • That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。
12 attachment POpy1     
n.附属物,附件;依恋;依附
参考例句:
  • She has a great attachment to her sister.她十分依恋她的姐姐。
  • She's on attachment to the Ministry of Defense.她现在隶属于国防部。
13 throbbing 8gMzA0     
a. 跳动的,悸动的
参考例句:
  • My heart is throbbing and I'm shaking. 我的心在猛烈跳动,身子在不住颤抖。
  • There was a throbbing in her temples. 她的太阳穴直跳。


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