In the morning, do what he would — go upstairs, downstairs, out of doors, speak of the wind and weather, or what not — he could not refrain from an unceasing renewal3, in imagination, of that interesting enactment4. Tilted5 on the edge of one foot he stood beside the fireplace, watching his mother grilling6 rashers; but there was nothing in grilling, he thought, unless the Vision grilled7. The limp rasher hung down between the bars of the gridiron like a cat in a child’s arms; but there was nothing in similes8, unless She uttered them. He looked at the daylight shadows of a yellow hue9, dancing with the firelight shadows in blue on the whitewashed10 chimney corner, but there was nothing in shadows. “Perhaps the new young wom — sch — Miss Fancy Day will sing in church with us this morning,” he said.
The tranter looked a long time before he replied, “I fancy she will; and yet I fancy she won’t.”
Dick implied that such a remark was rather to be tolerated than admired; though deliberateness in speech was known to have, as a rule, more to do with the machinery11 of the tranter’s throat than with the matter enunciated12.
They made preparations for going to church as usual; Dick with extreme alacrity13, though he would not definitely consider why he was so religious. His wonderful nicety in brushing and cleaning his best light boots had features which elevated it to the rank of an art. Every particle and speck14 of last week’s mud was scraped and brushed from toe and heel; new blacking from the packet was carefully mixed and made use of, regardless of expense. A coat was laid on and polished; then another coat for increased blackness; and lastly a third, to give the perfect and mirror-like jet which the hoped-for rencounter demanded.
It being Christmas-day, the tranter prepared himself with Sunday particularity. Loud sousing and snorting noises were heard to proceed from a tub in the back quarters of the dwelling15, proclaiming that he was there performing his great Sunday wash, lasting16 half-an-hour, to which his washings on working-day mornings were mere17 flashes in the pan. Vanishing into the outhouse with a large brown towel, and the above-named bubblings and snortings being carried on for about twenty minutes, the tranter would appear round the edge of the door, smelling like a summer fog, and looking as if he had just narrowly escaped a watery18 grave with the loss of much of his clothes, having since been weeping bitterly till his eyes were red; a crystal drop of water hanging ornamentally19 at the bottom of each ear, one at the tip of his nose, and others in the form of spangles about his hair.
After a great deal of crunching20 upon the sanded stone floor by the feet of father, son, and grandson as they moved to and fro in these preparations, the bass-viol and fiddles21 were taken from their nook, and the strings22 examined and screwed a little above concert-pitch, that they might keep their tone when the service began, to obviate23 the awkward contingency24 of having to retune them at the back of the gallery during a cough, sneeze, or amen — an inconvenience which had been known to arise in damp wintry weather.
The three left the door and paced down Mellstock-lane and across the ewe-lease, bearing under their arms the instruments in faded green-baize bags, and old brown music-books in their hands; Dick continually finding himself in advance of the other two, and the tranter moving on with toes turned outwards26 to an enormous angle.
At the foot of an incline the church became visible through the north gate, or ‘church hatch,’ as it was called here. Seven agile27 figures in a clump28 were observable beyond, which proved to be the choristers waiting; sitting on an altar-tomb to pass the time, and letting their heels dangle29 against it. The musicians being now in sight, the youthful party scampered30 off and rattled31 up the old wooden stairs of the gallery like a regiment32 of cavalry33; the other boys of the parish waiting outside and observing birds, cats, and other creatures till the vicar entered, when they suddenly subsided34 into sober church-goers, and passed down the aisle35 with echoing heels.
The gallery of Mellstock Church had a status and sentiment of its own. A stranger there was regarded with a feeling altogether differing from that of the congregation below towards him. Banished36 from the nave37 as an intruder whom no originality38 could make interesting, he was received above as a curiosity that no unfitness could render dull. The gallery, too, looked down upon and knew the habits of the nave to its remotest peculiarity39, and had an extensive stock of exclusive information about it; whilst the nave knew nothing of the gallery folk, as gallery folk, beyond their loud-sounding minims and chest notes. Such topics as that the clerk was always chewing tobacco except at the moment of crying amen; that he had a dust-hole in his pew; that during the sermon certain young daughters of the village had left off caring to read anything so mild as the marriage service for some years, and now regularly studied the one which chronologically40 follows it; that a pair of lovers touched fingers through a knot-hole between their pews in the manner ordained41 by their great exemplars, Pyramus and Thisbe; that Mrs. Ledlow, the farmer’s wife, counted her money and reckoned her week’s marketing42 expenses during the first lesson — all news to those below — were stale subjects here.
Old William sat in the centre of the front row, his violoncello between his knees and two singers on each hand. Behind him, on the left, came the treble singers and Dick; and on the right the tranter and the tenors43. Farther back was old Mail with the altos and supernumeraries.
But before they had taken their places, and whilst they were standing44 in a circle at the back of the gallery practising a psalm45 or two, Dick cast his eyes over his grandfather’s shoulder, and saw the vision of the past night enter the porch-door as methodically as if she had never been a vision at all. A new atmosphere seemed suddenly to be puffed46 into the ancient edifice47 by her movement, which made Dick’s body and soul tingle48 with novel sensations. Directed by Shiner, the churchwarden, she proceeded to the small aisle on the north side of the chancel, a spot now allotted49 to a throng50 of Sunday-school girls, and distinctly visible from the gallery-front by looking under the curve of the furthermost arch on that side.
Before this moment the church had seemed comparatively empty — now it was thronged51; and as Miss Fancy rose from her knees and looked around her for a permanent place in which to deposit herself — finally choosing the remotest corner — Dick began to breathe more freely the warm new air she had brought with her; to feel rushings of blood, and to have impressions that there was a tie between her and himself visible to all the congregation.
Ever afterwards the young man could recollect52 individually each part of the service of that bright Christmas morning, and the trifling53 occurrences which took place as its minutes slowly drew along; the duties of that day dividing themselves by a complete line from the services of other times. The tunes54 they that morning essayed remained with him for years, apart from all others; also the text; also the appearance of the layer of dust upon the capitals of the piers55; that the holly-bough in the chancel archway was hung a little out of the centre — all the ideas, in short, that creep into the mind when reason is only exercising its lowest activity through the eye.
By chance or by fate, another young man who attended Mellstock Church on that Christmas morning had towards the end of the service the same instinctive56 perception of an interesting presence, in the shape of the same bright maiden57, though his emotion reached a far less developed stage. And there was this difference, too, that the person in question was surprised at his condition, and sedulously58 endeavoured to reduce himself to his normal state of mind. He was the young vicar, Mr. Maybold.
The music on Christmas mornings was frequently below the standard of church-performances at other times. The boys were sleepy from the heavy exertions59 of the night; the men were slightly wearied; and now, in addition to these constant reasons, there was a dampness in the atmosphere that still further aggravated60 the evil. Their strings, from the recent long exposure to the night air, rose whole semitones, and snapped with a loud twang at the most silent moment; which necessitated61 more retiring than ever to the back of the gallery, and made the gallery throats quite husky with the quantity of coughing and hemming62 required for tuning63 in. The vicar looked cross.
When the singing was in progress there was suddenly discovered to be a strong and shrill64 reinforcement from some point, ultimately found to be the school-girls’ aisle. At every attempt it grew bolder and more distinct. At the third time of singing, these intrusive65 feminine voices were as mighty66 as those of the regular singers; in fact, the flood of sound from this quarter assumed such an individuality, that it had a time, a key, almost a tune25 of its own, surging upwards67 when the gallery plunged68 downwards69, and the reverse.
Now this had never happened before within the memory of man. The girls, like the rest of the congregation, had always been humble70 and respectful followers71 of the gallery; singing at sixes and sevens if without gallery leaders; never interfering72 with the ordinances73 of these practised artists — having no will, union, power, or proclivity74 except it was given them from the established choir enthroned above them.
A good deal of desperation became noticeable in the gallery throats and strings, which continued throughout the musical portion of the service. Directly the fiddles were laid down, Mr. Penny’s spectacles put in their sheath, and the text had been given out, an indignant whispering began.
“Did ye hear that, souls?” Mr. Penny said, in a groaning75 breath.
“Brazen-faced hussies!” said Bowman.
“True; why, they were every note as loud as we, fiddles and all, if not louder!”
“Fiddles and all!” echoed Bowman bitterly.
“Shall anything saucier76 be found than united ‘ooman?” Mr. Spinks murmured.
“What I want to know is,” said the tranter (as if he knew already, but that civilization required the form of words), “what business people have to tell maidens77 to sing like that when they don’t sit in a gallery, and never have entered one in their lives? That’s the question, my sonnies.”
“’Tis the gallery have got to sing, all the world knows,” said Mr. Penny. “Why, souls, what’s the use o’ the ancients spending scores of pounds to build galleries if people down in the lowest depths of the church sing like that at a moment’s notice?”
“Really, I think we useless ones had better march out of church, fiddles and all!” said Mr. Spinks, with a laugh which, to a stranger, would have sounded mild and real. Only the initiated79 body of men he addressed could understand the horrible bitterness of irony80 that lurked81 under the quiet words ‘useless ones,’ and the ghastliness of the laughter apparently82 so natural.
“Never mind! Let ’em sing too —’twill make it all the louder — hee, hee!” said Leaf.
“Thomas Leaf, Thomas Leaf! Where have you lived all your life?” said grandfather William sternly.
The quailing83 Leaf tried to look as if he had lived nowhere at all.
“When all’s said and done, my sonnies,” Reuben said, “there’d have been no real harm in their singing if they had let nobody hear ’em, and only jined in now and then.”
“None at all,” said Mr. Penny. “But though I don’t wish to accuse people wrongfully, I’d say before my lord judge that I could hear every note o’ that last psalm come from ’em as much as from us — every note as if ’twas their own.”
“Know it! ah, I should think I did know it!” Mr. Spinks was heard to observe at this moment, without reference to his fellow players — shaking his head at some idea he seemed to see floating before him, and smiling as if he were attending a funeral at the time. “Ah, do I or don’t I know it!”
No one said “Know what?” because all were aware from experience that what he knew would declare itself in process of time.
“I could fancy last night that we should have some trouble wi’ that young man,” said the tranter, pending78 the continuance of Spinks’s speech, and looking towards the unconscious Mr. Maybold in the pulpit.
“I fancy,” said old William, rather severely84, “I fancy there’s too much whispering going on to be of any spiritual use to gentle or simple.” Then folding his lips and concentrating his glance on the vicar, he implied that none but the ignorant would speak again; and accordingly there was silence in the gallery, Mr. Spinks’s telling speech remaining for ever unspoken.
Dick had said nothing, and the tranter little, on this episode of the morning; for Mrs. Dewy at breakfast expressed it as her intention to invite the youthful leader of the culprits to the small party it was customary with them to have on Christmas night — a piece of knowledge which had given a particular brightness to Dick’s reflections since he had received it. And in the tranter’s slightly-cynical nature, party feeling was weaker than in the other members of the choir, though friendliness85 and faithful partnership86 still sustained in him a hearty87 earnestness on their account.
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收听单词发音
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1
choir
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| n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱 | |
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slumbers
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| 睡眠，安眠( slumber的名词复数 ) | |
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renewal
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| adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来 | |
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enactment
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| n.演出，担任…角色；制订，通过 | |
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tilted
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| v. 倾斜的 | |
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6
grilling
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| v.烧烤( grill的现在分词 )；拷问，盘问 | |
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grilled
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| adj. 烤的, 炙过的, 有格子的 动词grill的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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8
similes
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| （使用like或as等词语的）明喻( simile的名词复数 ) | |
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hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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whitewashed
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| 粉饰，美化，掩饰( whitewash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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enunciated
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| v.（清晰地）发音( enunciate的过去式和过去分词 )；确切地说明 | |
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alacrity
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| n.敏捷，轻快，乐意 | |
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speck
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| n.微粒，小污点，小斑点 | |
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15
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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16
lasting
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| adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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watery
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| adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的 | |
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ornamentally
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| 装饰地，用作装饰品地 | |
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crunching
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| v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的现在分词 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄 | |
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21
fiddles
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| n.小提琴( fiddle的名词复数 )；欺诈；（需要运用手指功夫的）细巧活动；当第二把手v.伪造( fiddle的第三人称单数 )；篡改；骗取；修理或稍作改动 | |
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22
strings
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| n.弦 | |
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obviate
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| v.除去，排除，避免，预防 | |
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contingency
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| n.意外事件，可能性 | |
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tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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outwards
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| adj.外面的，公开的，向外的；adv.向外；n.外形 | |
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agile
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| adj.敏捷的，灵活的 | |
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clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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dangle
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| v.(使)悬荡，(使)悬垂 | |
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30
scampered
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| v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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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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aisle
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| n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道 | |
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banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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nave
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| n.教堂的中部；本堂 | |
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originality
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| n.创造力，独创性；新颖 | |
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peculiarity
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| n.独特性，特色；特殊的东西；怪癖 | |
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chronologically
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| ad. 按年代的 | |
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41
ordained
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| v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定 | |
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42
marketing
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| n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西 | |
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43
tenors
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| n.男高音( tenor的名词复数 )；大意；男高音歌唱家；（文件的）抄本 | |
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44
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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45
psalm
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| n.赞美诗，圣诗 | |
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46
puffed
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| adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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47
edifice
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| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
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48
tingle
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| vi.感到刺痛，感到激动；n.刺痛，激动 | |
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49
allotted
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| 分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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51
thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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52
recollect
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| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
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53
trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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54
tunes
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| n.曲调，曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调 | |
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55
piers
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| n.水上平台( pier的名词复数 )；（常设有娱乐场所的）突堤；柱子；墙墩 | |
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56
instinctive
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| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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sedulously
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| ad.孜孜不倦地 | |
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exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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aggravated
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| 使恶化( aggravate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使更严重； 激怒； 使恼火 | |
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necessitated
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| 使…成为必要，需要( necessitate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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62
hemming
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| 卷边 | |
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63
tuning
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| n.调谐，调整，调音v.调音( tune的现在分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调 | |
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64
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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intrusive
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| adj.打搅的；侵扰的 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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68
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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69
downwards
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| adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地） | |
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humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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interfering
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| adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词 | |
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73
ordinances
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| n.条例，法令( ordinance的名词复数 ) | |
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74
proclivity
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| n.倾向，癖性 | |
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75
groaning
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| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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76
saucier
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| n.调味汁厨师adj.粗鲁的( saucy的比较级 )；粗俗的；不雅的；开色情玩笑的 | |
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77
maidens
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| 处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球 | |
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78
pending
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| prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的 | |
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79
initiated
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| n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入 | |
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80
irony
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| n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄 | |
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81
lurked
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| vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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82
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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83
quailing
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| 害怕，发抖，畏缩( quail的现在分词 ) | |
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84
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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85
friendliness
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| n.友谊，亲切，亲密 | |
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86
partnership
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| n.合作关系，伙伴关系 | |
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87
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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