He went up to Albert's room. He had furiously given Ditch the lie in the Courthouse, but he had never trusted his son, and the accusation3 had poured over him a flood of shame which could be quelled4 only by its proof or its refutation. If Albert's guilt5 were proved—which Reuben, now bathing in this luminous6 shame, saw was quite probable—then he knew what to do to clean the smirch off Odiam; if, on the other hand, his innocence7 were established, then he would punish those swine who threw mud at him and his farm.
Albert slept in one of the attics8 with Jemmy and Pete. Reuben had no intention of meeting him till he had something to confront him with, for he was pretty sure that the boy would lie to him. He began turning the room topsy-turvy, and had soon found in a drawer a[Pg 186] heap of papers scrawled9 over with writing. It was unlucky that he could not read, for he could not even tell whether the handwriting were Albert's—these might be some letters he had received. Suddenly, however, a word caught his eye which he had seen a hundred times on hoardings, letters, bills, and other documents—MacKinnon. He could trace it out quite clearly. What had Albert to do with MacKinnon? Reuben clenched10 the papers together in his fist, and went downstairs to the kitchen.
Albert was not there. All the better! Reuben strode up to Tilly, unaware11 of how terrible he looked with the traces of his battle not yet washed from his face, and banged the papers down in front of her.
"Wot's all this?"
Tilly was frightened.
"It's—it's only poetry, f?ather."
"Read me some of it."
"It's only Albert's."
"That's why I want to hear wot it's about. You read it."
Tilly began to read in a faltering12 voice:
"If you'd know what the Colonel is, pray travel over
The Sluice13 at Scott's Float—and then drive on to Dover—
You'll find yourself quickly brought up by a Gate...."
Reuben struck his fist on the table, and she dropped the paper with a little cry.
"It's true, then! Oh Lard! it's true!"
"Wot, f?ather?"
"Them's Albert's verses right enough?"
"Yes, f?ather, but——"
"Fetch him here."
Tilly was more frightened than ever. She had never heard anything about the great Gate controversy14, and could not understand why Reuben was so angry with Albert. The verses seemed to her quite harmless, they[Pg 187] were not even about love. However, she could not disobey her father, so she ran and fetched Albert out of the corn-chamber, begging him to be careful what he said, "fur f?ather's unaccountable vrothered to-night about something."
"How did the Election go?"
"I never asked."
"Oh, you gals15! Well, I expect that's wot's the matter. The Liberal's got in."
"But why should that m?ake f?ather angry wud you?"
Albert stuck out his chest and looked important, as he invariably did before an encounter with Reuben, in spite of the fact that these always ended most ingloriously as far as he was concerned.
"He's bin16 reading some poetry of yours, Bertie," continued his sister, "and he's justabout dreadful, all his cl?athes tore about, and a nasty mess of blood and yaller stuff on his face."
Albert suddenly began to look uneasy.
"Oh Lard! perhaps I'd better bolt fur it.—No, I'll square him out. You'll stand by me, Tilly?"
"Yes, but d?an't m?ake him angry—he might beat you."
Bertie's pride was wounded by this suggestion, which was, however, soundly based on precedent17, and he entered the kitchen with something very like a swagger.
Reuben was standing18 by the table, erect19, and somehow dignified20 in spite of the mess he was in.
"Well," he said slowly, "well—MacKinnon's hound!"
Albert saw the heap of scribbled21 paper on the table, and blenched22.
Reuben walked up to him, took him by the shoulders, and shook him as a dog might shake a rabbit.
"You hemmed23, scummy, lousy Radical24!"
Albert could not speak, for he felt as if his brains and teeth were rattling25 about inside his head. The rest of[Pg 188] the family hunched26 together by the door, the boys gaping27 idiotically, the girls in tears.
"Well, wot've you got to say fur yourself before I kick you round the table?"
"I'll write wot I please, surelye," growled28 Albert, trying rather unsuccessfully to resume his swagger.
"Oh, will you! Well, there'll be naun to prevent you when you're out of this house—and out you go to-night; I'll have no Radical hogs29 on my farm. I'm shut of you!"
"F?ather!" cried Tilly.
"Hold your tongue! Does anyone here think I'm going to have a Radical fur my son?—and a tedious lying traitor30, too, wot helps his f?ather's enemies, and busts31 up the purtiest election that wur ever fought at Rye. Do you say you didn't write those lousy verses wot have lost us everything?"
"No—I d?an't say it. I did write 'em. But it's all your fault that I did—so you've no right to miscall me."
"My fault!"—Reuben's jaw32 dropped as he faced the upstart.
"Yes. You've allus treated me lik a dog, and laughed at my writing and all I wanted to do. Then chaps came along as didn't laugh, and promised me all sorts o' things if I'd write fur them."
"Wot sort o' things?"
"Mr. Hedges, the Liberal agent, promised that if I'd write fur him, he'd git me work on a London paper, and I could m?ake my fortune and be free of all this."
"All wot?"
"Odiam!" shrieked33 Albert.
Reuben faced him with straight lips and dilated34 nostrils35; the boy was now quivering with passion, hatred36 seemed to have purged37 him of terror.
"Yes—Odiam!" he continued, clenching38 his fists—"that blasted farm of yourn wot's the curse of us all. Here we're made to work, and never given a penny fur[Pg 189] our labour—we're treated worse than the lowest farm-hands, like dogs, we are. Robert stole money to git away, and can you wonder that when I see my chance I should t?ake it. I'm no Radical—I d?an't care one way or t'other—but when the Radicals39 offered me money to write verses fur 'em, I wurn't going to say 'no.' They promised to m?ake my fortun, and save me from you and your old farm, which I wish was in hell."
"Stop your ranting40 and tell me how the hogs got you."
"I met Mr. Hedges at the pub——"
"Wur it you or him wot thought of the Scott's Float G?ate?"
"I heard of it from old Pitcher41 down at Loose, and I t?ald Hedges. I justabout——"
A terrific blow from Reuben cut him short.
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收听单词发音
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1
dabbled
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| v.涉猎( dabble的过去式和过去分词 )；涉足；浅尝；少量投资 | |
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yolk
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| n.蛋黄，卵黄 | |
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accusation
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| n.控告，指责，谴责 | |
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quelled
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| v.（用武力）制止，结束，镇压( quell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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5
guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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luminous
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| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
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7
innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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8
attics
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| n. 阁楼 | |
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scrawled
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| 乱涂，潦草地写( scrawl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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10
clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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11
unaware
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| a.不知道的，未意识到的 | |
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12
faltering
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| 犹豫的，支吾的，蹒跚的 | |
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13
sluice
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| n.水闸 | |
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controversy
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| n.争论，辩论，争吵 | |
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gals
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| abbr.gallons （复数）加仑（液量单位）n.女孩，少女( gal的名词复数 ) | |
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16
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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17
precedent
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| n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的 | |
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18
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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19
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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20
dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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21
scribbled
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| v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下 | |
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22
blenched
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| v.（因惊吓而）退缩，惊悸( blench的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）变白，（使）变苍白 | |
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23
hemmed
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| 缝…的褶边( hem的过去式和过去分词 )； 包围 | |
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24
radical
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| n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的 | |
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25
rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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26
hunched
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| （常指因寒冷、生病或愁苦）耸肩弓身的，伏首前倾的 | |
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27
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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28
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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29
hogs
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| n.（尤指喂肥供食用的）猪( hog的名词复数 )；（供食用的）阉公猪；彻底地做某事；自私的或贪婪的人 | |
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30
traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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31
busts
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| 半身雕塑像( bust的名词复数 )； 妇女的胸部； 胸围； 突击搜捕 | |
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32
jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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33
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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34
dilated
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| adj.加宽的，扩大的v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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35
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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36
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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37
purged
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| 清除（政敌等）( purge的过去式和过去分词 )； 涤除（罪恶等）； 净化（心灵、风气等）； 消除（错事等）的不良影响 | |
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38
clenching
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的现在分词 ) | |
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39
radicals
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| n.激进分子( radical的名词复数 )；根基；基本原理；[数学]根数 | |
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40
ranting
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| v.夸夸其谈( rant的现在分词 )；大叫大嚷地以…说教；气愤地)大叫大嚷；不停地大声抱怨 | |
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41
pitcher
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| n.(有嘴和柄的)大水罐；(棒球)投手 | |
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