The de’il had business on his hand.”
I ENDED my last chapter with mention of a metaphoric1 storm; but a literal storm broke over the city of London on that night, such as its denizens2 remembered for many a day after. The lightning seemed, for more than an hour, the continuous pulsations of light from a sulphurous furnace, and the thunder pealed4 with the cracks and rattlings of one long roar of artillery5. The children, waked by the din6, cried in their beds in terror, and Sarah Rumble7 got her dress about her, and said her prayers in panic.
After a while the intervals8 between the awful explosions were a little more marked, and Miss Rumble’s voice could be heard by the children, comforting and reassuring9 in the brief lulls10; although had they known what a fright their comforter was herself in, their confidence in her would have been impaired11.
Perhaps there was a misgiving12 in Sarah Rumble’s mind that the lightnings and thunders of irate13 heaven were invoked14 by the presence of her mysterious lodger15. Was even she herself guiltless, in hiding under her roof-tree that impious old sinner, whom Rosemary Court disgorged at dead of night, as the churchyard does a ghost — about whose past history — whose doings and whose plans, except that they were wicked — she knew no more than about those of an evil spirit, had she chanced, in one of her spectre-seeing moods, to spy one moving across the lobby.
His talk was so cold and wicked; his temper so fiendish; his nocturnal disguises and outgoings so obviously pointed17 to secret guilt16; and his relations with the meek18 Mr. Larkin, and with those potent19 Jews, who, grumbling20 and sullen21, yet submitted to his caprices, as genii to those of the magician who has the secret of command — that Mr. Dingwell had in her eyes something of a supernatural horror surrounding him. In the thunderstorm, Sarah Rumble vowed22 secretly to reconsider the religious propriety23 of harbouring this old man; and amid these qualms24, it was with something of fear and anger that, in a silence between the peals25 of the now subsiding26 storm, she heard the creak of his shoe upon the stair.
That even on such a night, with the voice of divine anger in the air, about his ears, he could not forego his sinister27 excursion, and for once at these hours remain decorously in his rooms! Her wrath28 overcame her fear of him. She would not have her house burnt and demolished29 over her head, with thunderbolts, for his doings.
She went forth30, with her candle in her hand, and stood at the turn of the banister, confronting Mr. Dingwell, who, also furnished with a candle, was now about midway down the last flight of stairs.
“Egeria, in the thunder!” exclaimed the hard, scoffing31 tones of Mr. Dingwell; whom, notwithstanding her former encounter with him, she would hardly have recognised in his ugly disguise.
“A hoffle night for anyone to go out, sir,” she said, rather sternly, with a courtesy at the same time.
“Hoffle, is it?” said Mr. Dingwell, amused, with mock gravity.
“The hofflest, sir, I think I hever ‘ave remembered.”
“Why, ma’am, it isn’t raining; I put my hand out of the window. There’s none of that hoffle rain, ma’am, that gives a fellow rheumatism32. I hope there’s no unusual fog — is there?”
“There, sir;” exclaimed she, as another loud peal3 rattled33 over Rosemary Court, with a blue glare through the lobby window and the fanlight in the hall. She paused, and lifted her hand to her eyes till it subsided34, and then murmured an ejaculation.
“I like thunder, my dear. It reminds me of your name, dear Miss Rumble;” and he prolonged the name with a rolling pronunciation. “Shakespeare, you know, who says everything better than anyone else in the world, makes that remarkable35 old gentleman, King Lear, say, ‘Thunder, rumble thy bellyfull!’ Of course, I would not say that in a drawing-room, or to you; but kings are so refined they may say things we can’t, and a genius like Shakespeare hits it off.”
“I would not go out, sir, on such a night, without I was very sure it was about something good I was a-going,” said Miss Rumble, very pale.
“You labour under electro-phobia, my dear ma’am, and mistake it for piety36. I’m not a bit afraid of that sort of artillery, ma’am. Here we are, two or three millions of people in this town; and two or three million of shots, and we’ll see by the papers, I venture to say, not three shots tell. Don’t you think if Jupiter really meant mischief37 he could manage something better?”
“I know, sir, it ought to teach us”— here she winced38 and paused; for another glare, followed by another bellow39 of the thunder, “long, loud, and deep,” interposed. “It should teach us some godly fear, if we has none by nature.”
Mr. Dingwell looked at his watch.
“Oh! Mr. Dingwell, it is hoffle. I wish you would only see it, sir.”
“See the thunder— eh?”
“My poor mother. She always made us go down on our knees, and say our prayers — she would — while the thunder was.”
“You’d have had rather long prayers to-night. How your knees must have ached — egad! I don’t wonder you dread40 it, Miss Sarah.”
“And so I do, Mr. Dingwell, and so I should. Which I think all other sinners should dread it also.”
“Meaning me.”
“And take warning of the wrath to come.”
Here was another awful clap.
“Hoffle it is, Mr. Dingwell, and a warnin’ to you, sent special, mayhap.”
“Hardly fair to disturb all the town for me, don’t you think?”
“You’re an old man, Mr. Dingwell.”
“And you’re an old woman, Miss Sarah,” said he — not caring to be reminded of his years by other people, though he playfully called himself on occasions an old “boy”—“as old as Abraham’s wife, whose namesake you are, though you have not lighted on an Abraham yet, nor become the mother of a great nation.”
“Old enough to be good enough, as my poor mother used to say, sir; I am truly; and sorry I am, Mr. Dingwell, to see you, on this hoffle night, bent41 on no good. I’m afraid, sir — oh, sir, sir, oughtn’t you think, with them sounds in your ears, Mr. Dingwell?”
“The most formidable thunder, my dear Sarah, proceeds from the silvery tongue of woman. I can stand any other. It frightens me. So, egad, if you please, I’ll take refuge in the open air, and go out, and patter a prayer.”
And with a nod and a smirk42, having had fooling enough, he glided43 by Miss Rumble, who made him an appalled44 courtesy, and, setting down his candle on the hall-table, he said, touching45 his false whiskers with his finger tips, “Mind, not a word about these — upon my soul —— you’d better not.”
She made another courtesy. He stopped and looked at her for an answer.
“Can’t you speak?” he said.
“No, sir — sure — not a word,” she faltered46.
“Good girl!” he said, and opened the door, with his latch-key in his pocket, on pitchy darkness, which was instantaneously illuminated47 by the lightning, and another awful roar of thunder broke over their heads.
“The voice of heaven in warning!” she murmured to herself, as she stood by the banisters, dazzled by the gleam, and listening to the reverberation48 ringing in her ears. “I pray God he may turn back yet.”
He looked over his shoulder.
“Another shot, Miss Rumble — missed again, you see.” He nodded, stepped out upon the flags, and shut the door. She heard his steps in the silence that followed, traversing the court.
“Oh dear! but I wish he was gone, right out — a hoffle old man he is. There’s a weight on my conscience like, and a fright in my heart, there is, ever since he camed into the ’ouse. He is so presumptious. To see that hold man made hup with them rings and whiskers, like a robber or a play-actor! And defyin’ the blessed thunder of heaven — a walking hout, a mockin’ and darin’ it, at these hours — Oh law!”
The interjection was due to another flash and peal.
“I wouldn’t wonder — no more I would — if that flash was the death o’ ’im!”
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1
metaphoric
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| adj. 使用隐喻的；比喻的；比喻意义的 | |
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denizens
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| n.居民，住户( denizen的名词复数 ) | |
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3
peal
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| n.钟声；v.鸣响 | |
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pealed
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| v.（使）（钟等）鸣响，（雷等）发出隆隆声( peal的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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7
rumble
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| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
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8
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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9
reassuring
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| a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的 | |
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lulls
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| n.间歇期（lull的复数形式）vt.使镇静，使安静（lull的第三人称单数形式） | |
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11
impaired
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| adj.受损的；出毛病的；有（身体或智力）缺陷的v.损害，削弱( impair的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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12
misgiving
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕 | |
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13
irate
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| adj.发怒的，生气 | |
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14
invoked
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| v.援引( invoke的过去式和过去分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求 | |
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15
lodger
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| n.寄宿人，房客 | |
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guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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meek
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| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
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potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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grumbling
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| adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的 | |
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sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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22
vowed
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| 起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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23
propriety
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| n.正当行为；正当；适当 | |
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24
qualms
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| n.不安；内疚 | |
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peals
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| n.（声音大而持续或重复的）洪亮的响声( peal的名词复数 )；隆隆声；洪亮的钟声；钟乐v.（使）（钟等）鸣响，（雷等）发出隆隆声( peal的第三人称单数 ) | |
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26
subsiding
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的现在分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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27
sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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28
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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29
demolished
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| v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光 | |
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30
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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31
scoffing
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| n. 嘲笑, 笑柄, 愚弄 v. 嘲笑, 嘲弄, 愚弄, 狼吞虎咽 | |
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32
rheumatism
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| n.风湿病 | |
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33
rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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34
subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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35
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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36
piety
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| n.虔诚，虔敬 | |
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37
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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38
winced
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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39
bellow
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| v.吼叫，怒吼；大声发出，大声喝道 | |
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40
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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41
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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42
smirk
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| n.得意地笑；v.傻笑；假笑着说 | |
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43
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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44
appalled
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| v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的 | |
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45
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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46
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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47
illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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48
reverberation
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| 反响； 回响； 反射； 反射物 | |
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