They were grim years, those three during which Mary Turner servedher sentence in Burnsing. There was no time off for goodbehavior. The girl learned soon that the favor of those set inauthority over her could only be won at a cost against which herevery maidenly2 instinct revolted. So, she went through theinferno of days and nights in a dreariness3 of suffering that wasdeadly. Naturally, the life there was altogether an evil thing.
There was the material ill ever present in the round of wearisomephysical toil4, the coarse, distasteful food, the hard, narrowcouch, the constant, gnawing5 irksomeness of imprisonment6, awayfrom light and air, away from all that makes life worth while.
Yet, these afflictions were not the worst injuries to mar1 thegirl convict's life. That which bore upon her most weightily andincessantly was the degradation7 of this environment from whichthere was never any respite8, the viciousness of this spot whereinshe had been cast through no fault of her own. Vileness9 waseverywhere, visibly in the faces of many, and it was brimmingfrom the souls of more, subtly hideous10. The girl held herselfrigidly from any personal intimacy11 with her fellows. To someextent, at least, she could separate herself from theircorruption in the matter of personal association. But, everpresent, there was a secret energy of vice12 that could not beescaped so simply--nor, indeed, by any device; that breathed inthe spiritual atmosphere itself of the place. Always, thismysterious, invisible, yet horribly potent13, power of sin was likea miasma14 throughout the prison. Always, it was striving to reachher soul, to make her of its own. She fought the insidious,fetid force as best she might. She was not evil by nature. Shehad been well grounded in principles of righteousness.
Nevertheless, though she maintained the integrity of hercharacter, that character suffered from the taint15. Theredeveloped over the girl's original sensibility a shell ofhardness, which in time would surely come to make her lessscrupulous in her reckoning of right and wrong.
Yet, as a rule, character remains16 the same throughout life as toits prime essentials, and, in this case, Mary Turner at the endof her term was vitally almost as wholesome17 as on the day whenshe began the serving of the sentence. The change wrought18 in herwas chiefly of an external sort. The kindliness19 of her heart andher desire for the seemly joys of life were unweakened. But overthe better qualities of her nature was now spread a crust ofworldly hardness, a denial of appeal to her sensibilities. It wasthis that would eventually bring her perilously20 close tocontented companioning with crime.
The best evidence of the fact that Mary Turner's soul was notfatally soiled must be found in the fact that still, at theexpiration of her sentence, she was fully21 resolved to livestraight, as the saying is which she had quoted to Gilder22. This,too, in the face of sure knowledge as to the difficulties thatwould beset23 the effort, and in the face of the temptationsoffered to follow an easier path.
There was, for example, Aggie24 Lynch, a fellow convict, with whomshe had a slight degree of acquaintance, nothing more. Thisyoung woman, a criminal by training, offered allurements25 ofillegitimate employment in the outer world when they should befree. Mary endured the companionship with this prisoner becausea sixth sense proclaimed the fact that here was one unmoral,rather than immoral--and the difference is mighty26. For thatreason, Aggie Lynch was not actively27 offensive, as were most ofthe others. She was a dainty little blonde, with a baby face, inwhich were set two light-blue eyes, of a sort to widen often indemure wonder over most things in a surprising and naughty world.
She had been convicted of blackmail28, and she made no pretenseeven of innocence29. Instead, she was inclined to boast over herability to bamboozle30 men at her will. She was a natural actressof the ingenue role, and in that pose she could unfailinglybeguile the heart of the wisest of worldly men.
Perhaps, the very keen student of physiognomy might havediscovered grounds for suspecting her demureness31 by reason of thethick, level brows that cast a shadow on the bland32 innocence ofher face. For the rest, she possessed33 a knack34 of rather harmlessperversity, a fair smattering of grammar and spelling, and alively sense of humor within her own limitations, with aparticularly small intelligence in other directions. Her one artwas histrionics of the kind that made an individual appeal. Insuch, she was inimitable. She had been reared in a criminalfamily, which must excuse much. Long ago, she had lost track ofher father; her mother she had never known. Her one relation wasa brother of high standing35 as a pickpocket36. One principal reasonof her success in leading on men to make fools of themselves overher, to their everlasting37 regret afterward38, lay in the fact that,in spite of all the gross irregularities of her life, sheremained chaste39. She deserved no credit for such restraint,since it was a matter purely40 of temperament41, not of resolve.
The girl saw in Mary Turner the possibilities of a ladylikepersonality that might mean much financial profit in the deviousways of which she was a mistress. With the franknesscharacteristic of her, she proceeded to paint glowing pictures ofa future shared to the undoing42 of ardent43 and fatuous44 swains.
Mary Turner listened with curiosity, but she was in no wise movedto follow such a life, even though it did not necessitateanything worse than a fraudulent playing at love, withoutphysical degradation. So, she steadfastly45 continued herrefusals, to the great astonishment46 of Aggie, who actually couldnot understand in the least, even while she believed the other'sdeclaration of innocence of the crime for which she was serving asentence. But, for her own part, such innocence had nothing todo with the matter. Where, indeed, could be the harm in makingsome old sinner pay a round price for his folly47? And always, inresponse to every argument, Mary shook her head in negation48. Shewould live straight.
Then, the heavy brows of Aggie would draw down a little, and thebaby face would harden.
"You will find that you are up against a hell of a frost," shewould declare, brutally49.
Mary found the profane50 prophecy true. Back in New York, sheexperienced a poverty more ravaging51 than any she had known inthose five lean years of her working in the store. She had beenabsolutely penniless for two days, and without food through thegnawing hours, when she at last found employment of the humblestin a milliner's shop. Followed a blessed interval52 in which sheworked contentedly53, happy over the meager54 stipend55, since itserved to give her shelter and food honestly earned.
But the ways of the police are not always those of ordinarydecency. In due time, an officer informed Mary's employerconcerning the fact of her record as a convict, and thereupon shewas at once discharged. The unfortunate victim of the law cameperilously close to despair then. Yet, her spirit triumphed, andagain she persevered56 in that resolve to live straight. Finally,for the second time, she secured a cheap position in a cheapshop--only to be again persecuted57 by the police, so that shespeedily lost the place.
Nevertheless, indomitable in her purpose, she maintained thestruggle. A third time she obtained work, and there, after alittle, she told her employer, a candy manufacturer in a smallway, the truth as to her having been in prison. The man had akindly heart, and, in addition, he ran little risk in the matter,so he allowed her to remain. When, presently, the police calledhis attention to the girl's criminal record, he paid no heed58 totheir advice against retaining her services. But such action onhis part offended the greatness of the law's dignity. The policebrought pressure to bear on the man. They even called in theassistance of Edward Gilder himself, who obligingly wrote a verysevere letter to the girl's employer. In the end, such tacticsalarmed the man. For the sake of his own interests, thoughunwillingly enough, he dismissed Mary from his service.
It was then that despair did come upon the girl. She had triedwith all the strength of her to live straight. Yet, despite herinnocence, the world would not let her live according to her ownconscience. It demanded that she be the criminal it had brandedher--if she were to live at all. So, it was despair! For shewould not turn to evil, and without such turning she could notlive. She still walked the streets falteringly59, seeking someplace; but her heart was gone from the quest. Now, she wassunken in an apathy60 that saved her from the worst pangs61 ofmisery. She had suffered so much, so poignantly62, that at lasther emotions had grown sluggish63. She did not mind much even whenher tiny hoard64 of money was quite gone, and she roamed the city,starving.... Came an hour when she thought of the river, and wasglad!
Mary remembered, with a wan65 smile, how, long ago, she had thoughtwith amazed horror of suicide, unable to imagine any troublesufficient to drive one to death as the only relief. Now,however, the thing was simple to her. Since there was nothingelse, she must turn to that--to death. Indeed, it was so verysimple, so final, and so easy, after the agonies she had endured,that she marveled over her own folly in not having sought suchescape before.... Even with the first wild fancy, she hadunconsciously bent66 her steps westward67 toward the North River.
Now, she quickened her pace, anxious for the plunge68 that shouldset the term to sorrow. In her numbed69 brain was no flicker70 ofthought as to whatever might come to her afterward. Her soleguide was that compelling passion of desire to be done with thisunbearable present. Nothing else mattered--not in the least!
So, she came through the long stretch of ill-lighted streets,crossed some railroad tracks to a pier71, over which she hurried tothe far end, where it projected out to the fiercer currents ofthe Hudson. There, without giving herself a moment's pause forreflection or hesitation72, she leaped out as far as her strengthpermitted into the coil of waters.... But, in that final second,natural terror in the face of death overcame the lethargy ofdespair--a shriek73 burst from her lips.
But for that scream of fear, the story of Mary Turner had endedthere and then. Only one person was anywhere near to catch thesound. And that single person heard. On the south side of thepier a man had just tied up a motor-boat. He stood up in alarmat the cry, and was just in time to gain a glimpse of a whiteface under the dim moonlight as it swept down with the tide, tworods beyond him. On the instant, he threw off his coat andsprang far out after the drifting body. He came to it in a fewfurious strokes, caught it. Then began the savage74 struggle tosave her and himself. The currents tore at him wrathfully, but hefought against them with all the fierceness of his nature. Hehad strength a-plenty, but it needed all of it, and more, to winout of the river's hungry clutch. What saved the two of them wasthe violent temper of the man. Always, it had been the demon76 toset him aflame. To-night, there in the faint light, within thegrip of the waters, he was moved to insensate fury against theelement that menaced. His rage mounted, and gave him new powerin the battle. Maniacal77 strength grew out of supreme78 wrath75.
Under the urge of it, he conquered--at last brought himself andhis charge to the shore.
When, finally, the rescuer was able to do something more thangasp chokingly, he gave anxious attention to the woman whom hehad brought out from the river. Yet, at the outset, he could notbe sure that she still lived. She had shown no sign of life atany time since he had first seized her. That fact had been ofincalculable advantage to him in his efforts to reach the shorewith her. Now, however, it alarmed him mightily79, though ithardly seemed possible that she could have drowned. So far as hecould determine, she: had not even sunk once beneath the surface.
Nevertheless, she displayed no evidence of vitality80, though hechafed her hands for a long time. The shore here was verylonely; it would take precious time to summon aid. It seemed,notwithstanding, that this must be the only course. Then just asthe man was about to leave her, the girl sighed, very faintly,with an infinite weariness, and opened her eyes. The man echoedthe sigh, but his was of joy, since now he knew that his strifein the girl's behalf had not been in vain.
Afterward, the rescuer experienced no great difficulty incarrying out his work to a satisfactory conclusion. Mary revivedto clear consciousness, which was at first inclined towardhysteria, but this phase yielded soon under the sympatheticministrations of the man. His rather low voice was soothing81 toher tired soul, and his whole air was at once masterful andgently tender. Moreover, there was an inexpressible balm to herspirit in the very fact that some one was thus ministering toher. It was the first time for many dreadful years that any onehad taken thought for her welfare. The effect of it was like adraught of rarest wine to warm her heart. So, she restedobediently as he busied himself with her complete restoration,and, when finally she was able to stand, and to walk with thesupport of his arm, she went forward slowly at his side withoutso much even as a question of whither.
And, curiously82, the man himself shared the gladness that touchedthe mood of the girl, for he experienced a sudden pride in hisaccomplishment of the night, a pride that delighted a starvedpart of his nature. Somewhere in him were the seeds ofself-sacrifice, the seeds of a generous devotion to others. Butthose seeds had been left undeveloped in a life that had beenlived since early boyhood outside the pale of respectability.
To-night, Joe Garson had performed, perhaps, his first actionwith no thought of self at the back of it. He had risked hislife to save that of a stranger. The fact astonished him, whileit pleased him hugely. The sensation was at once novel andthrilling. Since it was so agreeable, he meant to prolong theglow of self-satisfaction by continuing to care for this waif ofthe river. He must make his rescue complete. It did not occur tohim to question his fitness for the work. His introspection didnot reach to a point of suspecting that he, an habitual83 criminal,was necessarily of a sort to be most objectionable as theprotector of a young girl. Indeed, had any one suggested thethought to him, he would have met it with a sneer84, to the effectthat a wretch85 thus tired of life could hardly object to any onewho constituted himself her savior.
In this manner, Joe Garson, the notorious forger86, led thedripping girl eastward87 through the squalid streets, until at lastthey came to an adequately lighted avenue, and there a taxicabwas found. It carried them farther north, and to the east still,until at last it came to a halt before an apartment house thatwas rather imposing88, set in a street of humbler dwellings89. Here,Garson paid the fare, and then helped the girl to alight, and oninto the hallway. Mary went with him quite unafraid, though nowwith a growing curiosity. Strange as it all was, she felt thatshe could trust this man who had plucked her from death, who hadworked over her with so much of tender kindliness. So, shewaited patiently; only, watched with intentness as he pressed thebutton of a flat number. She observed with interest the thick,wavy gray of his hair, which contradicted pleasantly theyouthfulness of his clean-shaven, resolute90 face, and the spare,yet well-muscled form.
The clicking of the door-latch sounded soon, and the two entered,and went slowly up three flights of stairs. On the landing beyondthe third flight, the door of a rear flat stood open, and in thedoorway appeared the figure of a woman.
"Well, Joe, who's the skirt?" this person demanded, as the manand his charge halted before her. Then, abruptly91, the round,baby-like face of the woman puckered92 in amazement93. Her voicerose shrill94. "My Gawd, if it ain't Mary Turner!"At that, the newcomer's eyes opened swiftly to their widest, andshe stared astounded95 in her turn.
"Aggie!" she cried.
收听单词发音 |
1
mar
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| vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟 | |
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maidenly
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| adj. 像处女的, 谨慎的, 稳静的 | |
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dreariness
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| 沉寂，可怕，凄凉 | |
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toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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gnawing
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| a.痛苦的，折磨人的 | |
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imprisonment
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| n.关押，监禁，坐牢 | |
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degradation
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| n.降级；低落；退化；陵削；降解；衰变 | |
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respite
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| n.休息，中止，暂缓 | |
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vileness
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| n.讨厌，卑劣 | |
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hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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miasma
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| n.毒气；不良气氛 | |
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taint
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| n.污点；感染；腐坏；v.使感染；污染 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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wholesome
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| adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的 | |
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wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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kindliness
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| n.厚道，亲切，友好的行为 | |
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perilously
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| adv.充满危险地，危机四伏地 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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gilder
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| 镀金工人 | |
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beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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aggie
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| n.农校，农科大学生 | |
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allurements
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| n.诱惑( allurement的名词复数 )；吸引；诱惑物；有诱惑力的事物 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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actively
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| adv.积极地，勤奋地 | |
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blackmail
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| n.讹诈，敲诈，勒索，胁迫，恫吓 | |
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innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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bamboozle
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| v.欺骗，隐瞒 | |
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demureness
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| n.demure（拘谨的，端庄的）的变形 | |
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bland
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| adj.淡而无味的，温和的，无刺激性的 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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knack
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| n.诀窍，做事情的灵巧的，便利的方法 | |
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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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pickpocket
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| n.扒手；v.扒窃 | |
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everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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chaste
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| adj.贞洁的；有道德的；善良的；简朴的 | |
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purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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undoing
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| n.毁灭的原因，祸根；破坏，毁灭 | |
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ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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fatuous
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| adj.愚昧的；昏庸的 | |
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steadfastly
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| adv.踏实地，不变地；岿然；坚定不渝 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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negation
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| n.否定；否认 | |
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brutally
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| adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地 | |
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profane
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| adj.亵神的，亵渎的；vt.亵渎，玷污 | |
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ravaging
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| 毁坏( ravage的现在分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫 | |
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interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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contentedly
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| adv.心满意足地 | |
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meager
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| adj.缺乏的，不足的，瘦的 | |
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stipend
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| n.薪贴；奖学金；养老金 | |
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persevered
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| v.坚忍，坚持( persevere的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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persecuted
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| （尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人 | |
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heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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falteringly
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| 口吃地，支吾地 | |
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apathy
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| n.漠不关心，无动于衷；冷淡 | |
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pangs
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| 突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛 | |
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poignantly
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sluggish
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| adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的 | |
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hoard
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| n./v.窖藏，贮存，囤积 | |
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wan
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| (wide area network)广域网 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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numbed
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| v.使麻木，使麻痹( numb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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flicker
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| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
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pier
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| n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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maniacal
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| adj.发疯的 | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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mightily
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| ad.强烈地；非常地 | |
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vitality
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| n.活力，生命力，效力 | |
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soothing
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| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
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curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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habitual
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| adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的 | |
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sneer
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| v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语 | |
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wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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forger
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| v.伪造；n.（钱、文件等的）伪造者 | |
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eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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puckered
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| v.（使某物）起褶子或皱纹( pucker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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astounded
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| v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶 | |
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