The little bell buzzed and ting’d. The shop was empty and rather dark, for a grey starless dusk was on the fields after a rainy day. The wind rattled1 the door he had shut behind him, and moaned round the little leaded window banked up with penny toys and tins of fruit. [46] It had a long sighing sweep over the fields from Bird-in-Eye,
and just across the road was a willow2 pond, from
which it seemed to drink sadness. Over the banks of papered tins and paint-slopped toys he could see the grey bending backs of the willows3, and the steely ruffle4 of the pond under the wind. His throat grew tight with a word that was stuck in it—“Good-bye.”
The door of the back room opened, and there was a leap of firelight and the song of a kettle before it shut.
“Evenun, Mus’ Tom,” said Mrs. Honey.
“Evenun,” said Tom. “A packet of Player’s, please.”
Thyrza put it on the counter. “Any sweeties?”
“Yes. I’ll taake a quarter of bull’s-eyes and four-penn’orth of telephones. I woan’t leave them behind me this time”—and Tom grinned sheepishly.
“Your brothers and sisters ull miss you,” said Thyrza, poking5 with a knife at the sticky wedge of the bull’s-eyes.
“Not more’n I’ll miss them and the whole plaace.”
“I reckon it’s sad to say good-bye.”
“Unaccountable sad.”
Her eyes were fixed6 on him very tenderly. She was sorry for Tom Beatup—had always been a little sorry for him—she could not quite tell why.
“It’ll be a long time before I see you again, Thyrza.”
“Maybe not—you may git leave and come to see us.”
He shook his head——“Not yet awhile.”
His parcels lay before him, but she did not expect him to go. He was leaning across the counter, staring at her with big, solemn eyes, and she knew that she liked his face, broad and ruddy as a September moon, that she liked the whole sturdy set of him.
“Stay and have a bit of supper wud me, Tom.” It was quite unconsciously that they had become Tom and Thyrza to each other.
The colour burned into his cheeks, but he shook his head.
[47]
“No, thank you kindly7. I’ve got to git back hoame. I’ve a dunnamany things to do this last evenun.”
“Then come on your fust leave.”
“Reckon I will——Oh, Thryza!”
His hunger had outrun his shyness. He was trembling. She had lifted her hand to smooth back the soft fuzz of her hair, which in the dusk had become the colour of hay in starlight, and as she dropped her hand, he caught it, and held it, then kissed it. It was warm and wide and soft and rather sticky.
“Oh, Tommy——”
“D’you mind, Thyrza?”
“I?—Lord, no, dear.”
He was still holding her hand across the counter, and now he slowly pulled her towards him. Her darling face was coming closer to him out of the shadows; he could smell her hair....
Buzz—Ting.
Their hands dropped and they started upright, both looking utterly8 foolish. The Reverend Henry Poullett-Smith sniffed9 an air of constraint10 as he entered.
“Good evening, Mrs. Honey. I came to leave this—er—notice about the Empire Day performance at the schools. Perhaps you’ll be so kind as to show it in the window, and—er—come yourself.”
“Thank you, sir. I’ll put it here by the tinned salmon11. That’s what gets looked at most.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Honey. Hullo, Beatup—I didn’t see you in this dim light.”
“I’ll be gitting the lamp,” said Thyrza.
Tom swept his parcels off the counter into his pockets, and muttered something about “hoame.”
“This is your last day, isn’t it?” asked the curate.
[48]
“Yessir. Off to-morrow.”
“Sorry?”
“Middling sorry, for some reasons.”
“But it will be a big experience for you.”
The curate was young, and sometimes vaguely12 hankered after that adventure in which no priests but those of godless France might share. It was hard to see it being wasted on a pudding-headed chap like Beatup.
Tom only grunted13 his reply to this challenge. He was angry with the parson for having come into the shop, discreet14 as had been his entry. He did not think of waiting till he had gone, for somehow no one, especially a man, ever left Thyrza’s shop in a hurry, as if the tranquil15 dawdle16 of the shopkeeper communicated itself to her customers, making them lounge and linger long after their purchases were made.
“Good-bye, Mrs. Honey.”
“Good-bye, Tom.”
“Good-bye, and good luck,” said the curate, shaking hands.
The bell buzzed again, and Tom was out in the throb17 and shudder18 of the wind, while Thyrza lit the lamp in the house behind him.
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收听单词发音
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1
rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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2
willow
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| n.柳树 | |
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3
willows
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| n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木 | |
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4
ruffle
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| v.弄皱，弄乱；激怒，扰乱；n.褶裥饰边 | |
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5
poking
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| n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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6
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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7
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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8
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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9
sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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10
constraint
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| n.(on)约束，限制；限制(或约束)性的事物 | |
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11
salmon
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| n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的 | |
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12
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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13
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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14
discreet
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| adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的 | |
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15
tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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16
dawdle
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| vi.浪费时间；闲荡 | |
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17
throb
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| v.震颤，颤动；(急速强烈地)跳动，搏动 | |
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18
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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