“Is there any good in bidding him good-bye?” hesitated the Captain.
He was thinking of descending5 the terrace steps at the further end, and as he mounted his horse, leaving his valedictory7 message with the man who held it. But the spell of childhood is not easily broken when it has been respected for so many after-years. The Captain had never got rid of the childish awe8 which began before he could remember. The virtues9 are respected; but such vices10 as pride, violence, and hard-heartedness in a father, are more respected still.
Charles could approach a quarrel with that old despot; he could stand at the very brink11, and with a resentful and defiant12 eye scan the abyss; but he could not quite make up his mind to the plunge13. The old beast was so utterly14 violent and incalculable in his anger that no one could say to what weapons and extremities15 he might be driven in a combat with him, and where was the good in avowed16 hostilities17? Must not a very few years, now, bring humiliation18 and oppression to an end?
Charles Fairfield was saved the trouble of deciding for himself, however, by the appearance of old Squire19 Harry20, who walked forth21 from the handsome stone door-case upon the terrace, where his son stood ready for departure.
The old man was walking with a measured tread, holding his head very high, with an odd flush on his face, and a sardonic22 smile, and he was talking inaudibly to himself. Charles saw in all this the signs of storm. In the old man’s hand was a letter firmly clutched. If he saw his son, who expected to be accosted23 by him, he passed him by with as little notice as he bestowed24 on the tall rose-tree that grew in the stone pot by his side.
The Squire walked down the terrace, southward, towards the steps, the wild sunset sky to his right, the flaming windows of the house to his left. When he had gone on a few steps, his tall son followed him. Perhaps he thought it better that Squire Harry should be informed of his intended departure from his lips than that he should learn it from the groom25 who held the bridle26 of his horse.
The Squire did not descend6 the steps, however; he stopped short of them, and sat down in one of the seats that are placed at intervals27 under the windows. He leaned with both hands on his cane28, the point of which he ground angrily into the gravel29; in his fingers was still crumpled30 the letter. He was looking down with a very angry face, illuminated31 by the wild western sky, shaking his head and muttering.
The tall, brown Captain stalked towards him, and touched his hat, according to his father’s reverential rule.
“May I say a word, sir?” he asked.
The old man stared in his face and nodded fiercely, and with this ominous32 invitation he complied.
“You were pleased, sir,” said he, “yesterday to express an opinion that, with the income I have, I ought to support myself, and no longer to trouble Wyvern. It was stupid of me not to think of that myself—very stupid—and all I can do is to lose no time about it; and so I have sent my traps away, and am going to follow now, sir; and I couldn’t go, of course, sir, without saying farewell to you and “He was on the point of adding—“thanking you for all your kindness;” but he recollected33 himself. Thank him, indeed! No, he could not bring himself to that. “And I am leaving now, sir, and good-bye.”
“Ho, turning your back on Wyvern, like all the rest I Well, sir, the world’s wide, you can choose your road. I don’t ask none o’ ye to stay and see me off—not I. I’ll not be without some one when I die to shut down my eyes, I dare say. Get ye gone.”
“I thought, sir—in fact I was quite convinced,” said Charles Fairfield, a little disconcerted, “that you had quite made up your mind, as I have mine, sir.”
“So I had, sir—so I had. Don’t suppose I care a rush, sir, who goes—not a damned rush—not I. Better an empty house than a bad tenant34.”
Up rose the old man as he spoke35, “Away with them, say I; bundle ’em out—off wi’ them, bag and baggage; there’s more like ye—read that,” and he thrust the letter at him like a pistol, and leaving it in his hand, turned and stalked slowly up the terrace, while the Captain read the following note:—
“Sir,—I hardly venture to hope that you will ever again think of me with that kindness which circumstances compel me so ungratefully to requite36. I owe you more than I can ever tell. I began to experience your kindness in my infancy37, and it has never failed me since. Oh, sir, do not, I entreat38, deny me one last proof of your generosity—your forgiveness. I leave Wyvern, and before these lines are in your hand, I shall have found another home. Soon, I trust, I shall be able to tell my benefactor39 where. In the meantime may God recompense you, as I never can, for all your goodness to me. I leave the place where all my life has passed amid continual and unmerited kindness with the keenest anguish40. Aggravated41 by my utter inability at present to repay your goodness by the poor acknowledgment of my confidence. Pray, sir, pardon me; pray restore me to your good opinion, or, at least if you cannot forgive and receive me again into your favour, spare me the dreadful affliction of your detestation, and in mercy try to forget
“Your unhappy, but ever grateful
“Alice Maybell.”
When Charles Fairfield, having read this through, raised his eyes, they lighted on the old man, returning, and now within a few steps of him.
“Well, there’s a lass for ye I I reared her like a child o’ my own—better, kinder than ever child was reared, and she’s hardly come to her full growth when she serves me like that. damn ye, are ye tongue-tied? what do you think of her?”
“It would not be easy, sir, on that letter, to pronounce,” said Charles Fairfield, disconcerted. “There’s nothing there to show what her reasons are.”
“Ye’r no Fairfield—ye’r not, ye’r none. If ye were, ye’d know when ye’r house was insulted; but ye’r none; ye’r a cold-blooded sneak42, and no Fairfield.”
“I don’t see that anything I could say, sir, would mend the matter,” said the Captain.
“Like enough; but I’ll tell ye what I think of her,” thundered the old man, half beside himself. And his language became so opprobrious43 and frantic44, that his son said, with a proud glare and a swarthy flush on his face,
“I take my leave, sir; for language like that I’ll not stay to hear.”
“But ye’ll not take ye’r leave, sir, till I choose, and ye shall stay,” yelled the old Squire, placing himself between the Captain and the steps. “And I’d like to know why ye shouldn’t hear her called what she is—a —— and a ——.”
“Because she’s my wife, sir!” retorted Charles Fairfield, whitening with fury.
“She is, is she?” said the old man, after a long gaping45 pause. “Then ye’re a worse scoundrel, ye black-hearted swindler, than I took you for—and ye’ll take that—”
And trembling with fury, he whirled his heavy cane in the air. But before it could descend, Charles Fairfield caught the hand that held it.
“None o’ that—none o’ that, sir,” he said with grim menace, as the old man with both hands and furious purpose sought to wrest46 the cane free.
“Do you want me to do it?”
The gripe of old Squire Harry was still powerful, and it required an exertion47 of the younger man’s entire strength to wring48 the walking-stick from his grasp.
Over the terrace balustrade it flew whirling, and old Squire Harry in the struggle lost his feet, and fell heavily on the flags.
There was blood already on his temple and white furrowed49 cheek, and he looked stunned50. The young man’s blood was up—the wicked blood of the Fairfields—but he hesitated, stopped, and turned.
The old Squire had got to his feet again, and was holding giddily by the balustrade. His hat still lay on the ground, his cane was gone. The proud old Squire was a tower dismantled51. To be met and foiled so easily in a feat52 of strength—to have gone down at the first tussle53 with the “youngster,” whom he despised as a “milksop “and a “Miss Molly,” was to the old Hercules, who still bragged54 of his early prowess, and was once the lord of the wrestling ring for five and twenty miles round, perhaps for the moment the maddest drop in the cup of his humiliation.
Squire Harry with his trembling hand clutched on the stone balustrade, his tall figure swaying a little, had drawn55 himself up and held his head high and defiantly56. There was a little quiver in his white old features, a wild smile in his eyes, and on his thin, hard lips, showing the teeth that time had left him; and the blood that patched his white hair trickled57 down over his temple.
Charles Fairfield was agitated58, and felt that he could have burst into tears—that it would have been a relief to fall on his knees before him for pardon. But the iron pride of the Fairfields repulsed59 this better emotion. He did, however, approach hurriedly, with an excited and troubled countenance60, and he said hastily—
“I’m awfully61 sorry, but it wasn’t my fault; you know it wasn’t. No Fairfield ever stood to be struck yet; I only took the stick, sir. Damn it, if it had been my mother I could not have done it more gently. I could not help your tripping. I couldn’t; and I’m awfully sorry, by ———, and you won’t remember it against me? Say you won’t. It’s the last time you’ll ever see me in life, and there’s no use in parting at worse odds62 than we need; and—and—won’t you shake hands, sir?”
“I say, son Charlie, ye’ve spilled my blood,” said the old man. “May God damn ye for it; and if ever ye come into Wyvern after this, while there’s breath in my body I’ll shoot ye like a poacher.”
And with this paternal63 speech, Squire Harry turned his back and tottered64 stately and grimly into the house.
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1
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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2
vocal
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| adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目 | |
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3
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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6
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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7
valedictory
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| adj.告别的；n.告别演说 | |
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8
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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9
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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10
vices
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| 缺陷( vice的名词复数 )； 恶习； 不道德行为； 台钳 | |
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11
brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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12
defiant
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| adj.无礼的，挑战的 | |
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13
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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14
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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15
extremities
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| n.端点( extremity的名词复数 )；尽头；手和足；极窘迫的境地 | |
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16
avowed
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| adj.公开声明的，承认的v.公开声明，承认( avow的过去式和过去分词) | |
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17
hostilities
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| n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事 | |
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18
humiliation
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| n.羞辱 | |
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19
squire
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| n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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20
harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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21
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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22
sardonic
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| adj.嘲笑的，冷笑的，讥讽的 | |
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23
accosted
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| v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭 | |
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24
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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25
groom
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| vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁 | |
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26
bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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27
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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28
cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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29
gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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30
crumpled
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| adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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31
illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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32
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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33
recollected
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| adj.冷静的；镇定的；被回忆起的；沉思默想的v.记起，想起( recollect的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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34
tenant
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| n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用 | |
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35
spoke
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| 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 | |
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36
requite
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| v.报酬，报答 | |
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37
infancy
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| n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期 | |
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38
entreat
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| v.恳求，恳请 | |
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39
benefactor
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| n. 恩人，行善的人，捐助人 | |
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40
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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41
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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42
sneak
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| vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行 | |
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43
opprobrious
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| adj.可耻的，辱骂的 | |
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44
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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45
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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46
wrest
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| n.扭，拧，猛夺；v.夺取，猛扭，歪曲 | |
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47
exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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48
wring
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| n.扭绞；v.拧，绞出，扭 | |
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49
furrowed
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| v.犁田，开沟( furrow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50
stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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51
dismantled
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| 拆开( dismantle的过去式和过去分词 )； 拆卸； 废除； 取消 | |
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52
feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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53
tussle
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| n.&v.扭打，搏斗，争辩 | |
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54
bragged
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| v.自夸，吹嘘( brag的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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56
defiantly
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| adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地 | |
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57
trickled
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| v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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58
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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59
repulsed
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| v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 )；驳斥；拒绝 | |
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60
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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61
awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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62
odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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63
paternal
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| adj.父亲的，像父亲的，父系的，父方的 | |
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64
tottered
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| v.走得或动得不稳( totter的过去式和过去分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠 | |
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