“Lie quiet, little one. Hold her hands, Kate. Drink it all down, Gwen.”
“I can’t! Daddy, my head, oh, my head!”
Dr. John Tugler, standing1 before the nursery window, bit one corner of his mustache, and stared hard at the chimney of the steam-mill trailing a plume3 of smoke across the dull gray of the sky. The monotonous4 cooing of a dove came from a wooden cage hung in the back yard of the next-door house. A hundred yards away an iron railway bridge crossed the canal, and the thunder of each passing train made peace impossible in the little villa5.
Dr. Tugler pulled down the blind.
“Beast of a back room,” he thought; “they must wring6 the neck of that confounded bird.”
He turned, and stood looking in silence at the two figures bending over the little bed. Catherine had one arm under the child’s head, and was smoothing back the hair from Gwen’s forehead. The child’s eyes were closed, her face flushed. Tugler saw her turn restlessly from her mother’s arm, as though the least touch was feverishly7 resented.
“Don’t, don’t—”
“There, dear, there!”
The look in the mother’s eyes betrayed how sharply such an innocent repulse8 could wound.
“Come, Gwen, darling.”
“I should let her rest, dear.”
Murchison’s voice was peculiarly quiet. He was standing at the foot of the bed, bending forward a little over the bar, his eyes fixed9 on the face of the child.
Dr. Tugler moved softly from the window. His habitual10 bluster11 had disappeared completely. His full blue eyes looked dull and puzzled.
“Not much of a room—this,” he said, apologetically, touching12 Murchison’s elbow.
The father turned and looked at him with the slow and almost stupid stare of a man suffering from shock.
“I suppose it isn’t.”
“We can move her to the front room.”
Catherine had caught John Tugler’s meaning. She was kneeling beside the bed, her eyes fixed on the little man’s plebeian13 but good-natured face.
“Move her, Mrs. Murchison.”
“At once?”
“Yes. She must be kept absolutely quiet; no light, no noise.”
Catherine looked at him almost helplessly. A train was clanging over the iron bridge, and the caged dove cooed irrepressibly, a living symbol of vexatious sentimentalism.
“There will be less noise in the front room.”
Her husband nodded.
“We can have straw put down.”
“And tell the next-door people to strangle that confounded pigeon.”
“I will ask them.”
“And remember, no light.”
A shrill14 cry came from the sick child’s lips, as though driven from her by some sudden flaring15 up of pain.
“My head, my head! Muvver—”
Catherine’s hands flashed out to Gwen, hovering16, as though fearing to touch the fragile thing she loved. She tried to soothe17 the child, a woman whose wounded tenderness overflowed18 in a flood of broken and disjointed words. Her husband watched her, his firm mouth loosened into a mute and poignant19 tremor20 of distress21.
Tugler touched him on the shoulder.
“Let’s go down.”
Murchison straightened, and followed the doctor to the door. He looked back for a moment, and saw Catherine’s head, a dull gleam of gold above the child’s flushed face. A strange shock of awe22 ran through him, like the deep in-drawing of a breath before some picture that tells of tears. His vision blurred23 as he closed the door, and followed John Tugler slowly down the stairs.
Both men were silent for a moment in the little front room of Clovelly. Tugler had taken his stand between the sofa and the table, and was watching Murchison out of the angles of his eyes. He was accustomed to dealing24 with ignorant people, but here he had to satisfy a man whose professional education had been far better than his own.
“Why didn’t you tell me of this before, Murchison?”
“Tell you what?”
“About the child.”
Murchison glanced at him blankly.
“Well, it was my own affair.”
“Didn’t like to bother any one, eh? You never ought to have kept the youngster in this beast of a town. I could have told you a lot about Wilton if you had asked.”
John Tugler, like many amiable25 but rather coarse-fibred people, was often most brusque when meaning to be kind. Moreover, he had a certain measure of authority to maintain, and for the maintenance of authority it was customary for him to wax aggressive.
“I tried to get the child away.”
Murchison spoke26 monotonously27, yet with effort.
“We wrote to her grandmother, but the old lady was ill, and put us off with excuses. The child was only ailing2 then. It was a matter of money. The only money I could lay my hands on was a small sum deposited with the post-office in the child’s own name. And when I got the money—I saw that it would be no good.”
The florid little man looked sincerely vexed28.
“You ought to have mentioned it,” he said—“you ought to have mentioned it. I’m not so damned stingy as not to give a brother practitioner’s child a chance.”
Murchison lifted his head.
“Thanks,” he said. “I suppose it is too late now?”
His eyes met Dr. Tugler’s. The grim question in that look demanded the sheer truth. John Tugler understood it, and met it like a man.
“We can’t move her now,” he said.
“No.”
It is incredible what meaning a single word can carry. With Murchison that “no” meant the surrender of a life.
Dr. Tugler stared out of the window, and rattled29 his keys.
“Did you notice the squint30?” he asked, softly.
“Yes.”
“And the retraction31 of the head? She’s been sick, too: cerebral32 vomiting33. Damn the disease, I’ve seen too much of it!”
Murchison’s face might have been sculptured by Michael Angelo.
“Then you think it is that?” he asked, dully.
“Tubercular meningitis?”
“Yes.”
John Tugler nodded.
There was a short and distraught silence before the little man picked up his hat. He smoothed it gently with the sleeve of his coat. Murchison stood motionless, staring at the floor.
“Look here, Murchison.”
He glanced up and met the other man’s dull eyes.
“You can’t work to-day. It doesn’t signify. And about the cash—”
“Thanks, but—”
“Now, now, we’re not going to quarrel, are we? The work’s been pretty thick this winter. I’m rather thinking you’ve done rather more than your share. It would make things more comfortable, now—wouldn’t it?”
Murchison gave a kind of groan34.
“It’s good of you, Tugler.”
“Oh, bosh, man! Am I a bit of flint? Call it another pound a week. It isn’t much at that. I’ll send you a fiver on account.”
He gave his hat a last rub, crammed35 it on his head, and walked hurriedly towards the door.
“It’s good of you, Tugler. I—”
“All right. I don’t want it talked about.”
The little man was already in the hall, and fumbling36 for the handle of the front door. He opened it, slipped out like a guilty debtor37, and crunched38 down the gravel39, swearing to himself after the manner of the egregious40 male.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
ailing
|
|
| v.生病 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
plume
|
|
| n.羽毛；v.整理羽毛，骚首弄姿，用羽毛装饰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
monotonous
|
|
| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
villa
|
|
| n.别墅，城郊小屋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
wring
|
|
| n.扭绞；v.拧，绞出，扭 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
feverishly
|
|
| adv. 兴奋地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
repulse
|
|
| n.击退，拒绝；vt.逐退，击退，拒绝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
fixed
|
|
| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
habitual
|
|
| adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
bluster
|
|
| v.猛刮；怒冲冲的说；n.吓唬，怒号；狂风声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
touching
|
|
| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
plebeian
|
|
| adj.粗俗的；平民的；n.平民；庶民 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
shrill
|
|
| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
flaring
|
|
| a.火焰摇曳的，过份艳丽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
hovering
|
|
| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
soothe
|
|
| v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
overflowed
|
|
| 溢出的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
poignant
|
|
| adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
tremor
|
|
| n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
distress
|
|
| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
awe
|
|
| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
blurred
|
|
| v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
dealing
|
|
| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
amiable
|
|
| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
spoke
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
monotonously
|
|
| adv.单调地，无变化地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
vexed
|
|
| adj.争论不休的；（指问题等）棘手的；争论不休的问题；烦恼的v.使烦恼( vex的过去式和过去分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
rattled
|
|
| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
squint
|
|
| v. 使变斜视眼, 斜视, 眯眼看, 偏移, 窥视; n. 斜视, 斜孔小窗; adj. 斜视的, 斜的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
retraction
|
|
| n.撤消；收回 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
cerebral
|
|
| adj.脑的，大脑的；有智力的，理智型的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
vomiting
|
|
| 吐 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
groan
|
|
| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
crammed
|
|
| adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
fumbling
|
|
| n. 摸索,漏接 v. 摸索,摸弄,笨拙的处理 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
debtor
|
|
| n.借方，债务人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
crunched
|
|
| v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的过去式和过去分词 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
gravel
|
|
| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
egregious
|
|
| adj.非常的，过分的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |