Tom had been some weeks now at Waterheel in the Midlands, a private in the Sussex Regiment8, with an elaborate and mystifying address, which his family found the greatest difficulty in cramming9 into the envelope. They did not write to him as often as he wrote to them, in spite of the fact that they were six to one. But then they were not far from home, dreaming of the old fields, longing10 for the old faces.
[75]
On the whole though, Tom was happy enough. He found his new life strange, but not totally uncongenial. A comfortable want of imagination made it possible for him to put Worge out of mind, now that it was also out of sight, and he was among lads of his own age, old acquaintances some of them—Kadwell of Stilliands Tower, and two Viners from Satanstown, Bill Putland, Jerry Sumption. There was Mus’ Archie, too, with a nod and a kind word now and then to intensify11 that “feeling of Sussex chaps” which was not quite such an uncommon12 one now; and there was Mus’ Dixon, Mus’ Archie’s elder brother, who had lived in London and written for the papers before the War, and now used his sword to cut the leaves of books—so his orderly said—yet was a brave man none the less, and a good officer, though he hated the life as much as his brother loved it.
The family at Worge were surprised to find that Tom’s best pal13 was Bill Putland. In Sunday Street he had had very little to do with the Squire’s cheeky chauffeur14, and there had always been a gnawing15 rivalry16 between Egypt and Worge. But now that they had joined up together, and been drafted into the same company, sharing the same awkwardness and fumblings, a friendship sprang up between them, and thrived in the atmosphere of their common life. Putland was a much smarter recruit than Beatup, but this did not cause ill-feeling, for Bill did much to help Tom, passing on to him the tips he picked up so much more quickly than his friend, with the result that Tom got through the mangold-wurzel stage sooner than Mus’ Archie had expected. Tom on his side was humbly17 conscious of Bill’s superiority. “He’s been bred up different from us,” he wrote home to Worge. [76] “You can see that by the way he talks and everything, and he’s a sharper chap than me by a long chalk. But he’s unaccountable good-hearted, and he helps me with my leathers after he’s done his own, for he’s a sight quicker than me.”
Tom more often asked for news than he gave it. After all, life at Waterheel Camp did not consist of much besides drills and route-marchings, with relaxations18 at the Y.M.C.A. hut, and occasional visits to the town. No one at Worge would care to hear the daily doings of such a life, and still less were they likely to understand it. He was uneasily conscious of what his father would say about these things at the Rifle Volunteer. “Took my boy away from his honest work, and all they do is to keep him forming fours and traipsing about the country and playing dominoes at the Y.M.C.A. That’s wot the Governmunt spends our money on,” etc., etc. And Tom was now soldier enough to resent any criticism of the Army from outside it.
In other quarters though, it appeared he was not so reticent19. After a while his family discovered that Thyrza Honey was hearing from him pretty regularly. Moreover, one day Mrs. Beatup, buying candles, found Thyrza wearing a regimental button mounted as a brooch, and was told it was a gift from Tom.
“He’s sweet on her,” said Ivy20, when the news was told.
“Him—he’s just a bit of a boy,” said his mother.
“The Army maakes men unaccountable sudden.”
“Well, anyway, she’s four years older than he is, and wot he can see in her is more’n I can say.”
“She’s got a bit o’ money though,” said Mus’ Beatup. “I shan’t put a spoke21 in his wheel if he wants to marry her.”
[77]
“Him marry! Wot are you thinking of, Ned? He’s only a bit of a boy, as I’ve told you. Besides, she aun’t got no looks; she’s just a plain dump of a woman, and a boy liks a pretty faace.”
“Mrs. Honey’s middling pretty,” said Ivy, “with colour and teeth and all.”
“You’ve got queer notions of pretty. Why, only yesterday Mrs. Sinden wur saying to me as she can’t think wot Sam Honey ever saw in Thyrza Shearne. And you can’t git naun out of her, she’s slow as a cow, and she looks at you lik a cow chewing the cud....”
Nell broke in—
“You’re all taking it for granted that Mrs. Honey would have Tom if she was given the chance. Maybe he’d be quite safe even if he asked her.”
“Nonsense, my girl,” cried Mus’ Beatup. “A woman ud taake any man as wur fool enough to ask her; if a woman’s unwed you may reckon she’s never been asked.”
Ivy laughed loudly at this, and Nell turned crimson22.
“Women aren’t going quite so cheap as you think.”
“Oh, aun’t they!—when it’s bin23 proved as there’s twice as many of ’em as there’s men. I tell you, when there’s a glut24 of turnips25, the price goes down.”
“There aren’t twice as many women as men. Miss Goldsack was saying only the other day that——”
“And I tell you it’s bin proved as there are, and when the War’s over there’ll be more still, and they’ll be going about weeping and hollering and praying to the men to taake them.”
“They won’t. They’ll have something better to do. This War’s teaching women to work, and——”
“Work! I wudn’t give a mouldy onion fur women’s work....”
And so on, and so on.
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1
muddled
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| adj.混乱的；糊涂的；头脑昏昏然的v.弄乱，弄糟( muddle的过去式)；使糊涂；对付，混日子 | |
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2
shearing
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| n.剪羊毛，剪取的羊毛v.剪羊毛( shear的现在分词 )；切断；剪切 | |
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3
harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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4
industrious
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| adj.勤劳的，刻苦的，奋发的 | |
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5
parching
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| adj.烘烤似的，焦干似的v.（使）焦干， （使）干透( parch的现在分词 )；使（某人）极口渴 | |
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6
rippled
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| 使泛起涟漪（ripple的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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7
enquired
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| 打听( enquire的过去式和过去分词 )； 询问； 问问题； 查问 | |
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8
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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9
cramming
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| n.塞满，填鸭式的用功v.塞入( cram的现在分词 )；填塞；塞满；（为考试而）死记硬背功课 | |
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10
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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11
intensify
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| vt.加强；变强；加剧 | |
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12
uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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13
pal
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| n.朋友，伙伴，同志；vi.结为友 | |
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14
chauffeur
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| n.(受雇于私人或公司的)司机；v.为…开车 | |
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15
gnawing
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| a.痛苦的，折磨人的 | |
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16
rivalry
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| n.竞争，竞赛，对抗 | |
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17
humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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18
relaxations
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| n.消遣( relaxation的名词复数 )；松懈；松弛；放松 | |
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19
reticent
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| adj.沉默寡言的；言不如意的 | |
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20
ivy
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| n.常青藤，常春藤 | |
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21
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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22
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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23
bin
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| n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
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24
glut
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| n.存货过多，供过于求；v.狼吞虎咽 | |
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25
turnips
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| 芜青( turnip的名词复数 )； 芜菁块根； 芜菁甘蓝块根； 怀表 | |
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