He was soon confirmed in his idea that the birth had brought him luck. Before little David was a week old, the welcome news came that Lardner had died. For[Pg 273] some time he had been able to swallow only milk food, and his speech had been reduced to a confused roaring, but his death at this juncture4 seemed to Reuben a happy coincidence, an omen5 of good fortune for himself and his son.
He was so pleased that he forgot to veil his pleasure before Rose, whose grief reminded him of the fact that Lardner was a near and dear relation, whose death must be looked upon as a chastisement6 from heaven. In a fit of compunction for his behaviour, he ordered a complete suit of mourning, in which he attended the funeral. He was soft and benign7 to all men now, and soothed8 Rose's ruffled9 spirit by showing himself to her in all the glory of a top-hat with crape weepers before setting out for Starvecrow.
He himself had helped plan the obsequies, which were carried out with all possible pomp by a Rye undertaker. After the ceremony there was a funeral meal at Starvecrow, where sedate10 joints11 and solemn whiskies were partaken of in the right spirit by the dozen or so men and women who were privileged to hear old Lardner's will. This was read by the deceased's lawyer, and one or two pleased malicious12 glances were darted13 at Reuben from under decorously lowered lids. He sat with his fists doubled upon his knees, hearing as if in a nightmare:
"I bequeath the farm of Starvecrow, with all lands, stock, and tools pertaining14 thereto, also the house and fixtures15, together with seven thousand pounds to Henry Robert Crick of Lone16 Mills, Ontario, Canada, my dear son by Marion Crick.... My household furniture and fifty pounds free of legacy17 duty I bequeath to my niece, Rose Backfield, wife of Reuben Backfield of Odiam."
Reuben felt dazed and sick, the solemn faces of the[Pg 274] mourners seemed to leer at him, he was seized by a contemptuous hatred18 of his kind. There was some confused buzzing talk, but he did not join in it. He shook hands deliriously19 with the lawyer, muttered something about having to get back, and elbowed his way out of the room. Pete had driven over to fetch him in his gig, as befitted the dignity of a yeoman farmer and nephew-by-marriage of the deceased, but Reuben angrily bade him go home alone. He could not sit still, he must walk, stride off his fury, the frenzy20 of rage and disgust and disappointment that consumed him.
What business had old Lardner to have a natural son? Never had the laws of morality seemed to Reuben so august and necessary as then, or their infringement21 more contemptible22. He was filled with a righteous loathing23 of this crapulous libertine24 who perpetuated25 the vileness26 of some low intrigue27 by bequeathing his worldly goods to his bastard28. Meantime his virtuously29 married niece was put off with fifty pounds and some trashy furniture. Reuben fairly grovelled30 before the seventh commandment that afternoon.
He staggered blindly along the road. His head swam with rage, and also, it must be confessed, with something else—for he was not used to drinking whisky, which some obscure local tradition considered the only decent beverage31 at funerals. His face was flushed, and every now and then something would be whirled round by the wind and whip his cheeks and blind him momentarily in a black cloud. At first he was too confused to grapple with it, but when two long black arms suddenly wound themselves about his neck, nearly choking him, he remembered his hat with the crape weepers, and his rage from red-hot became white-hot and cinerating. He tore off the hat with its long black tails, and flung it into the ditch with a volley of those emasculate oaths which are all the swearing of a Sussex man.
Afterwards he felt better, but he was still fuming[Pg 275] when he came to Odiam, and dashed up straight to Rose's bedroom, where she lay with the ten-days-old David and a female friend from Rye, who had come in to hear details about her confinement32. Both, not to say all three, were startled by Reuben's sudden entrance, crimson33 and hatless, his collar flying, the dust all over him.
"Here! Wot d'you think?" he shouted; "if that old man ?un't left all his money to a bastard."
"Don't be so excited, Ben," said Rose; "you've no business to come bursting in here like this."
"Remember your wife's delicate," said the lady friend.
"Well, wot I want to know is why you dudn't tell me all this afore."
"How could I? I didn't know how uncle was going to leave his money."
"You might have found out, and not let me in fur all this. Here I've bin34 and gone and spent all your settlements on a milk-round, which I'd never have done if I hadn't thought summat more 'ud be coming in later."
"Well, I can't help it. I expect that as uncle knew I was well provided for, married and settled and all that, he thought he'd rather leave his stuff to someone who wasn't."
"I like that—and you the most expensive woman to keep as ever was.
"Hold your tongue, Ben. I'm surprised at you."
"I justabout will speak. A purty mess you've got me into. You ought to have told me before we married as he had a son out in Canada."
"I didn't know. This is the first I've heard of it. Anyhow, you surely don't mean to say you married me for my money."
"Well, I wouldn't have married you if you hadn't got none."
"For Shame!" said the lady friend.
Rose burst into tears, and young David, interrupted[Pg 276] in the midst of an excellent meal, sent up a piercing wail35.
"You'd better go downstairs till you know how to speak to your wife properly," said the female from Rye.
"My wife's deceived me!" shouted Reuben. "I made sure as she'd come in fur thousands of pounds when old Lardner died, and all she's got out of him is fifty pounds and his lousy furniture."
"Furniture?" said Rose, brisking up; "why from what you said I thought there was nothing. I could do with some furniture. I want a bedstead with brass36 knobs."
"Well, you shan't have it. I'll justabout sell the whole lot. You can't prevent me."
Rose's sobs37 burst forth38 afresh. Her friend ran up to her and took her in her arms, badly squeezing poor David, who became purple and entirely39 animal in his remonstrances40.
Then the two women fairly stormed at Reuben. They told him he was a money-grubber, an unnatural41 father, that he had been drinking, that he ought to be ashamed of himself, that he had only got what he deserved. Reuben tried to stand up to them, but Rose had an amazing power of invective42, and her friend, who was a spinster, but sometimes forgot it, filled in the few available pauses so effectively that in the end the wretched husband was driven from the room, feeling that the world held even worse things than wealthy and perfidious43 libertines44.
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1
thump
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| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
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2
crumble
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| vi.碎裂，崩溃；vt.弄碎，摧毁 | |
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3
rekindling
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| v.使再燃( rekindle的现在分词 ) | |
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juncture
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| n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头 | |
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5
omen
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| n.征兆，预兆；vt.预示 | |
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6
chastisement
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| n.惩罚 | |
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7
benign
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| adj.善良的，慈祥的；良性的，无危险的 | |
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8
soothed
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| v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦 | |
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9
ruffled
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| adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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10
sedate
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| adj.沉着的，镇静的，安静的 | |
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11
joints
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| 接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语） | |
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12
malicious
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| adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的 | |
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13
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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14
pertaining
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| 与…有关系的，附属…的，为…固有的(to) | |
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15
fixtures
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| （房屋等的）固定装置( fixture的名词复数 )； 如（浴盆、抽水马桶）； 固定在某位置的人或物； （定期定点举行的）体育活动 | |
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16
lone
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| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
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17
legacy
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| n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西 | |
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18
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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deliriously
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| adv.谵妄（性）；发狂；极度兴奋/亢奋；说胡话 | |
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20
frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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21
infringement
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| n.违反；侵权 | |
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22
contemptible
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| adj.可鄙的，可轻视的，卑劣的 | |
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23
loathing
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| n.厌恶，憎恨v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的现在分词)；极不喜欢 | |
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24
libertine
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| n.淫荡者；adj.放荡的，自由思想的 | |
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25
perpetuated
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| vt.使永存（perpetuate的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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26
vileness
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| n.讨厌，卑劣 | |
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27
intrigue
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| vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋 | |
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28
bastard
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| n.坏蛋，混蛋；私生子 | |
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29
virtuously
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| 合乎道德地，善良地 | |
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30
grovelled
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| v.卑躬屈节，奴颜婢膝( grovel的过去式和过去分词 )；趴 | |
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31
beverage
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| n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料 | |
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32
confinement
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| n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限 | |
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crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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34
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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35
wail
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| vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸 | |
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36
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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37
sobs
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| 啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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38
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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39
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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40
remonstrances
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| n.抱怨，抗议( remonstrance的名词复数 ) | |
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41
unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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42
invective
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| n.痛骂，恶意抨击 | |
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43
perfidious
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| adj.不忠的，背信弃义的 | |
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44
libertines
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| n.放荡不羁的人，淫荡的人( libertine的名词复数 ) | |
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