Rumor, for a wonder, exaggerated little. There were, in fact, in this case as in thousands, the well-worn incidents, old as the hills, which, with individual variations, made a mourner of Ariadne, a by-word of Vashti, and a corpse9 of the Countess Amy. There were rencounters accidental and contrived10, stealthy correspondence, sudden misgivings11 on one side, sudden self-reproaches on the other. The inner state of the twain was one as of confused noise that would not allow the accents of calmer reason to be heard. Determinations to go in this direction, and headlong plunges12 in that; dignified13 safeguards, undignified collapses14; not a single rash step by deliberate intention, and all against judgment15.
It was all that Melbury had expected and feared. It was more, for he had overlooked the publicity16 that would be likely to result, as it now had done. What should he do — appeal to Mrs. Charmond himself, since Grace would not? He bethought himself of Winterborne, and resolved to consult him, feeling the strong need of some friend of his own sex to whom he might unburden his mind.
He had entirely17 lost faith in his own judgment. That judgment on which he had relied for so many years seemed recently, like a false companion unmasked, to have disclosed unexpected depths of hypocrisy18 and speciousness19 where all had seemed solidity. He felt almost afraid to form a conjecture on the weather, or the time, or the fruit-promise, so great was his self-abasement.
It was a rimy evening when he set out to look for Giles. The woods seemed to be in a cold sweat; beads20 of perspiration21 hung from every bare twig22; the sky had no color, and the trees rose before him as haggard, gray phantoms23, whose days of substantiality were passed. Melbury seldom saw Winterborne now, but he believed him to be occupying a lonely hut just beyond the boundary of Mrs. Charmond’s estate, though still within the circuit of the woodland. The timber-merchant’s thin legs stalked on through the pale, damp scenery, his eyes on the dead leaves of last year; while every now and then a hasty “Ay?” escaped his lips in reply to some bitter proposition.
His notice was attracted by a thin blue haze25 of smoke, behind which arose sounds of voices and chopping: bending his steps that way, he saw Winterborne just in front of him. It just now happened that Giles, after being for a long time apathetic26 and unemployed27, had become one of the busiest men in the neighborhood. It is often thus; fallen friends, lost sight of, we expect to find starving; we discover them going on fairly well. Without any solicitation28, or desire for profit on his part, he had been asked to execute during that winter a very large order for hurdles29 and other copse-ware, for which purpose he had been obliged to buy several acres of brushwood standing31. He was now engaged in the cutting and manufacture of the same, proceeding32 with the work daily like an automaton33.
The hazel-tree did not belie24 its name today. The whole of the copse-wood where the mist had cleared returned purest tints34 of that hue35, amid which Winterborne himself was in the act of making a hurdle30, the stakes being driven firmly into the ground in a row, over which he bent36 and wove the twigs37. Beside him was a square, compact pile like the altar of Cain, formed of hurdles already finished, which bristled38 on all sides with the sharp points of their stakes. At a little distance the men in his employ were assisting him to carry out his contract. Rows of copse-wood lay on the ground as it had fallen under the axe39; and a shelter had been constructed near at hand, in front of which burned the fire whose smoke had attracted him. The air was so dank that the smoke hung heavy, and crept away amid the bushes without rising from the ground.
After wistfully regarding Winterborne a while, Melbury drew nearer, and briefly40 inquired of Giles how he came to be so busily engaged, with an undertone of slight surprise that Winterborne could seem so thriving after being deprived of Grace. Melbury was not without emotion at the meeting; for Grace’s affairs had divided them, and ended their intimacy41 of old times.
Winterborne explained just as briefly, without raising his eyes from his occupation of chopping a bough42 that he held in front of him.
“’Twill be up in April before you get it all cleared,” said Melbury.
“Yes, there or thereabouts,” said Winterborne, a chop of the billhook jerking the last word into two pieces.
There was another interval43; Melbury still looked on, a chip from Winterborne’s hook occasionally flying against the waistcoat and legs of his visitor, who took no heed44.
“Ah, Giles — you should have been my partner. You should have been my son-inlaw,” the old man said at last. “It would have been far better for her and for me.”
Winterborne saw that something had gone wrong with his former friend, and throwing down the switch he was about to interweave, he responded only too readily to the mood of the timber-dealer. “Is she ill?” he said, hurriedly.
“No, no.” Melbury stood without speaking for some minutes, and then, as though he could not bring himself to proceed, turned to go away.
Winterborne told one of his men to pack up the tools for the night and walked after Melbury.
“Heaven forbid that I should seem too inquisitive45, sir,” he said, “especially since we don’t stand as we used to stand to one another; but I hope it is well with them all over your way?”
“No,” said Melbury —“no.” He stopped, and struck the smooth trunk of a young ash-tree with the flat of his hand. “I would that his ear had been where that rind is!” he exclaimed; “I should have treated him to little compared wi what he deserves.”
“Now,” said Winterborne, “don’t be in a hurry to go home. I’ve put some cider down to warm in my shelter here, and we’ll sit and drink it and talk this over.”
Melbury turned unresistingly as Giles took his arm, and they went back to where the fire was, and sat down under the screen, the other woodmen having gone. He drew out the cider-mug from the ashes and they drank together.
“Giles, you ought to have had her, as I said just now,” repeated Melbury. “I’ll tell you why for the first time.”
He thereupon told Winterborne, as with great relief, the story of how he won away Giles’s father’s chosen one — by nothing worse than a lover’s cajoleries, it is true, but by means which, except in love, would certainly have been pronounced cruel and unfair. He explained how he had always intended to make reparation to Winterborne the father by giving Grace to Winterborne the son, till the devil tempted46 him in the person of Fitzpiers, and he broke his virtuous47 vow48.
“How highly I thought of that man, to be sure! Who’d have supposed he’d have been so weak and wrong-headed as this! You ought to have had her, Giles, and there’s an end on’t.”
Winterborne knew how to preserve his calm under this unconsciously cruel tearing of a healing wound to which Melbury’s concentration on the more vital subject had blinded him. The young man endeavored to make the best of the case for Grace’s sake.
“She would hardly have been happy with me,” he said, in the dry, unimpassioned voice under which he hid his feelings. “I was not well enough educated: too rough, in short. I couldn’t have surrounded her with the refinements49 she looked for, anyhow, at all.”
“Nonsense — you are quite wrong there,” said the unwise old man, doggedly50. “She told me only this day that she hates refinements and such like. All that my trouble and money bought for her in that way is thrown away upon her quite. She’d fain be like Marty South — think o’ that! That’s the top of her ambition! Perhaps she’s right. Giles, she loved you — under the rind; and, what’s more, she loves ye still — worse luck for the poor maid!”
If Melbury only had known what fires he was recklessly stirring up he might have held his peace. Winterborne was silent a long time. The darkness had closed in round them, and the monotonous51 drip of the fog from the branches quickened as it turned to fine rain.
“Oh, she never cared much for me,” Giles managed to say, as he stirred the embers with a brand.
“She did, and does, I tell ye,” said the other, obstinately52. “However, all that’s vain talking now. What I come to ask you about is a more practical matter — how to make the best of things as they are. I am thinking of a desperate step — of calling on the woman Charmond. I am going to appeal to her, since Grace will not. ’Tis she who holds the balance in her hands — not he. While she’s got the will to lead him astray he will follow — poor, unpractical, lofty-notioned dreamer — and how long she’ll do it depends upon her whim53. Did ye ever hear anything about her character before she came to Hintock?”
“She’s been a bit of a charmer in her time, I believe,” replied Giles, with the same level quietude, as he regarded the red coals. “One who has smiled where she has not loved and loved where she has not married. Before Mr. Charmond made her his wife she was a play-actress.”
“Hey?” But how close you have kept all this, Giles! What besides?”
“Mr. Charmond was a rich man, engaged in the iron trade in the north, twenty or thirty years older than she. He married her and retired54, and came down here and bought this property, as they do nowadays.”
“Yes, yes — I know all about that; but the other I did not know. I fear it bodes55 no good. For how can I go and appeal to the forbearance of a woman in this matter who has made cross-loves and crooked56 entanglements57 her trade for years? I thank ye, Giles, for finding it out; but it makes my plan the harder that she should have belonged to that unstable58 tribe.”
Another pause ensued, and they looked gloomily at the smoke that beat about the hurdles which sheltered them, through whose weavings a large drop of rain fell at intervals59 and spat60 smartly into the fire. Mrs. Charmond had been no friend to Winterborne, but he was manly61, and it was not in his heart to let her be condemned62 without a trial.
“She is said to be generous,” he answered. “You might not appeal to her in vain.”
“It shall be done,” said Melbury, rising. “For good or for evil, to Mrs. Charmond I’ll go.”
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1
merged
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| （使）混合( merge的过去式和过去分词 )； 相融； 融入； 渐渐消失在某物中 | |
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2
lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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3
rumor
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| n.谣言，谣传，传说 | |
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conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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5
tantalizing
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| adj.逗人的；惹弄人的；撩人的；煽情的v.逗弄，引诱，折磨( tantalize的现在分词 ) | |
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6
phenomena
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| n.现象 | |
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concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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8
diffusion
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| n.流布；普及；散漫 | |
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9
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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10
contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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11
misgivings
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧 | |
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12
plunges
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| n.跳进，投入vt.使投入，使插入，使陷入vi.投入，跳进，陷入v.颠簸( plunge的第三人称单数 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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13
dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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14
collapses
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| 折叠( collapse的第三人称单数 )； 倒塌； 崩溃； （尤指工作劳累后）坐下 | |
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15
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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16
publicity
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| n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告 | |
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17
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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18
hypocrisy
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| n.伪善，虚伪 | |
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19
speciousness
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| n.似是而非 | |
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20
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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21
perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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22
twig
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| n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解 | |
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23
phantoms
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| n.鬼怪，幽灵( phantom的名词复数 ) | |
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24
belie
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| v.掩饰，证明为假 | |
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25
haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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26
apathetic
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| adj.冷漠的，无动于衷的 | |
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27
unemployed
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| adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的 | |
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28
solicitation
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| n.诱惑；揽货；恳切地要求；游说 | |
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29
hurdles
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| n.障碍( hurdle的名词复数 )；跳栏；（供人或马跳跃的）栏架；跨栏赛 | |
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30
hurdle
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| n.跳栏，栏架；障碍，困难；vi.进行跨栏赛 | |
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31
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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32
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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33
automaton
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| n.自动机器，机器人 | |
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34
tints
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| 色彩( tint的名词复数 )； 带白的颜色； （淡色）染发剂； 痕迹 | |
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35
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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36
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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37
twigs
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| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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38
bristled
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| adj. 直立的，多刺毛的 动词bristle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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39
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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40
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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41
intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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42
bough
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| n.大树枝，主枝 | |
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43
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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44
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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45
inquisitive
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| adj.求知欲强的，好奇的，好寻根究底的 | |
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46
tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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47
virtuous
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| adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的 | |
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48
vow
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| n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓 | |
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49
refinements
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| n.（生活）风雅；精炼( refinement的名词复数 )；改良品；细微的改良；优雅或高贵的动作 | |
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50
doggedly
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| adv.顽强地，固执地 | |
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51
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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52
obstinately
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| ad.固执地，顽固地 | |
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53
whim
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| n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想 | |
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54
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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55
bodes
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| v.预示，预告，预言( bode的第三人称单数 )；等待，停留( bide的过去分词 )；居住；（过去式用bided）等待 | |
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56
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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57
entanglements
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| n.瓜葛( entanglement的名词复数 )；牵连；纠缠；缠住 | |
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58
unstable
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| adj.不稳定的，易变的 | |
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59
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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60
spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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61
manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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62
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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