Chapter 35

The Leave-Taking — Spirit of the Hearth¹ — What’s O’Clock

The next morning, having breakfasted with my old friend, I went into the stable to make the necessary preparations for my departure; there, with the assistance of a stable lad, I cleaned and caparisoned my horse, and then, returning into the house, I made the old female attendant such a present as I deemed would be some compensation for the trouble I had caused. Hearing that the old gentleman was in the study, I repaired to him. ‘I am come to take leave of you,’ said I, ‘and to thank you for all the hospitality which I have received at your hands.’ The eyes of the old man were fixed² steadfastly³ on the inscription⁴ which I had found him studying on a former occasion. ‘At length,’ he murmured to himself. ‘I have it — I think I have it;’ and then, looking at me, he said: ‘So you are about to depart?’

‘Yes,’ said I, ‘my horse will be at the front door in a few minutes. I am glad, however, before I go, to find that you have mastered the inscription.’

‘Yes,’ said the old man, ‘I believe I have mastered it. It seems to consist of some verses relating to the worship of the Spirit of the Hearth.’

‘What is the Spirit of the Hearth?’ said I.

‘One of the many demons⁵ which the Chinese worship,’ said the old man. ‘They do not worship one God, but many.’ And then the old man told me a great many highly-interesting particulars respecting the demon⁶ worship of the Chinese.

After the lapse⁷ of at least half an hour I said: ‘I must not linger here any longer, however willing. Horncastle is distant, and I wish to be there to-night. Pray can you inform me what’s o’clock?’

The old man, rising, looked towards the clock which hung on the side of the room at his left hand, on the farther side of the table at which he was seated.

‘I am rather short-sighted,’ said I, ‘and cannot distinguish the numbers at that distance.’

‘It is ten o’clock,’ said the old man; ‘I believe somewhat past.’

‘A quarter, perhaps?’

‘Yes,’ said the old man, ‘a quarter, or —’

‘Or?’

‘Seven minutes, or ten minutes past ten.’

‘I do not understand you.’

‘Why, to tell you the truth,’ said the old man, with a smile, ‘there is one thing to the knowledge of which I could never exactly attain⁸.’

‘Do you mean to say,’ said I, ‘that you do not know what’s o’clock?’

‘I can give a guess,’ said the old man, ‘to within a few minutes.’

‘But you cannot tell the exact moment?’

‘No,’ said the old man.

‘In the name of wonder,’ said I, ‘with that thing there on the wall continually ticking in your ear, how comes it that you do not know what’s o’clock?’

‘Why,’ said the old man, ‘I have contented⁹ myself with giving a tolerably good guess; to do more would have been too great trouble.’

‘But you have learnt Chinese,’ said I.

‘Yes,’ said the old man, ‘I have learnt Chinese.’

‘Well,’ said I, ‘I really would counsel you to learn to know what’s o’clock as soon as possible. Consider what a sad thing it would be to go out of the world not knowing what’s o’clock. A millionth part of the trouble required to learn Chinese would, if employed, infallibly teach you to know what’s o’clock.’

‘I had a motive¹⁰ for learning Chinese,’ said the old man, ‘the hope of appeasing¹¹ the misery¹² in my head. With respect to not knowing what’s o’clock, I cannot see anything particularly sad in the matter. A man may get through the world very creditably without knowing what’s o’clock. Yet, upon the whole, it is no bad thing to know what’s o’clock — you, of course, do? It would be too good a joke if two people were to be together, one knowing Armenian and the other Chinese, and neither knowing what’s o’clock. I’ll now see you off.’

1 hearth   

n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面

参考例句：

• She came and sat in a chair before the hearth.她走过来，在炉子前面的椅子上坐下。
• She comes to the hearth,and switches on the electric light there.她走到壁炉那里，打开电灯。

2 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

3 steadfastly   

adv.踏实地，不变地；岿然；坚定不渝

参考例句：

• So he sat, with a steadfastly vacant gaze, pausing in his work. 他就像这样坐着，停止了工作，直勾勾地瞪着眼。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
• Defarge and his wife looked steadfastly at one another. 德伐日和他的妻子彼此凝视了一会儿。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

4 inscription   

n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文

参考例句：

• The inscription has worn away and can no longer be read.铭文已磨损，无法辨认了。
• He chiselled an inscription on the marble.他在大理石上刻碑文。

5 demons   

n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念

参考例句：

• demons torturing the sinners in Hell 地狱里折磨罪人的魔鬼
• He is plagued by demons which go back to his traumatic childhood. 他为心魔所困扰，那可追溯至他饱受创伤的童年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 demon   

n.魔鬼，恶魔

参考例句：

• The demon of greed ruined the miser's happiness.贪得无厌的恶习毁掉了那个守财奴的幸福。
• He has been possessed by the demon of disease for years.他多年来病魔缠身。

7 lapse   

n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效

参考例句：

• The incident was being seen as a serious security lapse.这一事故被看作是一次严重的安全疏忽。
• I had a lapse of memory.我记错了。

8 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。

9 contented   

adj.满意的，安心的，知足的

参考例句：

• He won't be contented until he's upset everyone in the office.不把办公室里的每个人弄得心烦意乱他就不会满足。
• The people are making a good living and are contented,each in his station.人民安居乐业。

10 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

11 appeasing   

安抚，抚慰( appease的现在分词 )； 绥靖（满足另一国的要求以避免战争）

参考例句：

• Mr. Chamberlain had cherished the hope of appeasing and reforming him and leading him to grace. 张伯伦先生则满心想安抚他，感化他，教他温文知礼。
• A pleasing preacher is too often an appeasing preacher. 一昧讨好的传道人通常是姑息妥协的传道人。

12 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。