The Withered Arm Chapter 4

The summer drew on, and Rhoda Brook¹ almost dreaded³ to meet Mrs.

　　Lodge⁴ again, notwithstanding that her feeling for the young wifeamounted well-nigh to affection. Something in her own individualityseemed to convict Rhoda of crime. Yet a fatality⁵ sometimes woulddirect the steps of the latter to the outskirts⁶ of Holmstokewhenever she left her house for any other purpose than her dailywork; and hence it happened that their next encounter was out ofdoors. Rhoda could not avoid the subject which had so mystifiedher, and after the first few words she stammered⁷, 'I hope your--armis well again, ma'am?' She had perceived with consternation⁸ thatGertrude Lodge carried her left arm stiffly.

　　'No; it is not quite well. Indeed it is no better at all; it israther worse. It pains me dreadfully sometimes.'

　　'Perhaps you had better go to a doctor, ma'am.'

　　She replied that she had already seen a doctor. Her husband hadinsisted upon her going to one. But the surgeon had not seemed tounderstand the afflicted⁹ limb at all; he had told her to bathe it inhot water, and she had bathed it, but the treatment had done nogood.

　　'Will you let me see it?' said the milkwoman.

　　Mrs. Lodge pushed up her sleeve and disclosed the place, which was afew inches above the wrist. As soon as Rhoda Brook saw it, shecould hardly preserve her composure. There was nothing of thenature of a wound, but the arm at that point had a shrivelled look,and the outline of the four fingers appeared more distinct than atthe former time. Moreover, she fancied that they were imprinted¹⁰ inprecisely the relative position of her clutch upon the arm in thetrance; the first finger towards Gertrude's wrist, and the fourthtowards her elbow.

　　What the impress resembled seemed to have struck Gertrude herselfsince their last meeting. 'It looks almost like finger-marks,' shesaid; adding with a faint laugh, 'my husband says it is as if somewitch, or the devil himself, had taken hold of me there, and blastedthe flesh.'

　　Rhoda shivered. 'That's fancy,' she said hurriedly. 'I wouldn'tmind it, if I were you.'

　　'I shouldn't so much mind it,' said the younger, with hesitation,'if--if I hadn't a notion that it makes my husband--dislike me--no,love me less. Men think so much of personal appearance.'

　　'Some do--he for one.'

　　'Yes; and he was very proud of mine, at first.'

　　'Keep your arm covered from his sight.'

　　'Ah--he knows the disfigurement is there!' She tried to hide thetears that filled her eyes.

　　'Well, ma'am, I earnestly hope it will go away soon.'

　　And so the milkwoman's mind was chained anew to the subject by ahorrid sort of spell as she returned home. The sense of having beenguilty of an act of malignity¹¹ increased, affect as she might toridicule her superstition¹². In her secret heart Rhoda did notaltogether object to a slight diminution¹³ of her successor's beauty,by whatever means it had come about; but she did not wish to inflictupon her physical pain. For though this pretty young woman hadrendered impossible any reparation which Lodge might have made Rhodafor his past conduct, everything like resentment¹⁴ at the unconscioususurpation had quite passed away from the elder's mind.

　　If the sweet and kindly¹⁵ Gertrude Lodge only knew of the scene in thebed-chamber, what would she think? Not to inform her of it seemedtreachery in the presence of her friendliness¹⁶; but tell she couldnot of her own accord--neither could she devise a remedy.

　　She mused¹⁷ upon the matter the greater part of the night; and thenext day, after the morning milking, set out to obtain anotherglimpse of Gertrude Lodge if she could, being held to her by agruesome fascination¹⁸. By watching the house from a distance themilkmaid was presently able to discern the farmer's wife in a rideshe was taking alone--probably to join her husband in some distantfield. Mrs. Lodge perceived her, and cantered in her direction.

　　'Good morning, Rhoda!' Gertrude said, when she had come up. 'I wasgoing to call.'

　　Rhoda noticed that Mrs. Lodge held the reins¹⁹ with some difficulty.

　　'I hope--the bad arm,' said Rhoda.

　　'They tell me there is possibly one way by which I might be able tofind out the cause, and so perhaps the cure, of it,' replied theother anxiously. 'It is by going to some clever man over in EgdonHeath. They did not know if he was still alive--and I cannotremember his name at this moment; but they said that you knew moreof his movements than anybody else hereabout, and could tell me ifhe were still to be consulted. Dear me--what was his name? But youknow.'

　　'Not Conjuror²⁰ Trendle?' said her thin companion, turning pale.

　　'Trendle--yes. Is he alive?'

　　'I believe so,' said Rhoda, with reluctance²¹.

　　'Why do you call him conjuror?'

　　'Well--they say--they used to say he was a--he had powers otherfolks have not.'

　　'O, how could my people be so superstitious²² as to recommend a man ofthat sort! I thought they meant some medical man. I shall think nomore of him.'

　　Rhoda looked relieved, and Mrs. Lodge rode on. The milkwoman hadinwardly seen, from the moment she heard of her having beenmentioned as a reference for this man, that there must exist asarcastic feeling among the work-folk that a sorceress would knowthe whereabouts of the exorcist. They suspected her, then. A shorttime ago this would have given no concern to a woman of her common-sense. But she had a haunting reason to be superstitious now; andshe had been seized with sudden dread² that this Conjuror Trendlemight name her as the malignant²³ influence which was blasting thefair person of Gertrude, and so lead her friend to hate her forever, and to treat her as some fiend in human shape.

　　But all was not over. Two days after, a shadow intruded²⁴ into thewindow-pattern thrown on Rhoda Brook's floor by the afternoon sun.

　　The woman opened the door at once, almost breathlessly.

　　'Are you alone?' said Gertrude. She seemed to be no less harassedand anxious than Brook herself.

　　'Yes,' said Rhoda.

　　'The place on my arm seems worse, and troubles me!' the youngfarmer's wife went on. 'It is so mysterious! I do hope it will notbe an incurable²⁵ wound. I have again been thinking of what they saidabout Conjuror Trendle. I don't really believe in such men, but Ishould not mind just visiting him, from curiosity--though on noaccount must my husband know. Is it far to where he lives?'

　　'Yes--five miles,' said Rhoda backwardly. 'In the heart of Egdon.'

　　'Well, I should have to walk. Could not you go with me to show methe way--say to-morrow afternoon?'

　　'O, not I--that is,' the milkwoman murmured, with a start of dismay.

　　Again the dread seized her that something to do with her fierce actin the dream might be revealed, and her character in the eyes of themost useful friend she had ever had be ruined irretrievably.

　　Mrs. Lodge urged, and Rhoda finally assented²⁶, though with muchmisgiving. Sad as the journey would be to her, she could notconscientiously stand in the way of a possible remedy for herpatron's strange affliction. It was agreed that, to escapesuspicion of their mystic intent, they should meet at the edge ofthe heath at the corner of a plantation²⁷ which was visible from thespot where they now stood.

1 brook   

n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让

参考例句：

• In our room we could hear the murmur of a distant brook.在我们房间能听到远处小溪汩汩的流水声。
• The brook trickled through the valley.小溪涓涓流过峡谷。

2 dread   

vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧

参考例句：

• We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
• Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

3 dreaded   

adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The dreaded moment had finally arrived. 可怕的时刻终于来到了。
• He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. 他害怕非得在医院过圣诞节不可。 来自《用法词典》

4 lodge   

v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆

参考例句：

• Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
• I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

5 fatality   

n.不幸，灾祸，天命

参考例句：

• She struggle against fatality in vain.她徒然奋斗反抗宿命。
• He began to have a growing sense of fatality.他开始有一种越来越强烈的宿命感。

6 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

7 stammered   

v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠，结结巴巴地说，“你是什么意思？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

8 consternation   

n.大为吃惊，惊骇

参考例句：

• He was filled with consternation to hear that his friend was so ill.他听说朋友病得那么厉害，感到非常震惊。
• Sam stared at him in consternation.萨姆惊恐不安地注视着他。

9 afflicted   

使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• About 40% of the country's population is afflicted with the disease. 全国40%左右的人口患有这种疾病。
• A terrible restlessness that was like to hunger afflicted Martin Eden. 一阵可怕的、跟饥饿差不多的不安情绪折磨着马丁·伊登。

10 imprinted   

v.盖印（imprint的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The terrible scenes were indelibly imprinted on his mind. 那些恐怖场面深深地铭刻在他的心中。
• The scene was imprinted on my mind. 那个场面铭刻在我的心中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 malignity   

n.极度的恶意，恶毒；（病的）恶性

参考例句：

• The little witch put a mock malignity into her beautiful eyes, and Joseph, trembling with sincere horror, hurried out praying and ejaculating "wicked" as he went. 这个小女巫那双美丽的眼睛里添上一种嘲弄的恶毒神气。约瑟夫真的吓得直抖，赶紧跑出去，一边跑一边祷告，还嚷着“恶毒！” 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Outside, the pitiless rain fell, fell steadily, with a fierce malignity that was all too human. 外面下着无情的雨，不断地下着，简直跟通人性那样凶狠而恶毒。 来自辞典例句

12 superstition   

n.迷信，迷信行为

参考例句：

• It's a common superstition that black cats are unlucky.认为黑猫不吉祥是一种很普遍的迷信。
• Superstition results from ignorance.迷信产生于无知。

13 diminution   

n.减少；变小

参考例句：

• They hope for a small diminution in taxes.他们希望捐税能稍有减少。
• He experienced no diminution of his physical strength.他并未感觉体力衰落。

14 resentment   

n.怨愤，忿恨

参考例句：

• All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

15 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

16 friendliness   

n.友谊，亲切，亲密

参考例句：

• Behind the mask of friendliness,I know he really dislikes me.在友善的面具后面，我知道他其实并不喜欢我。
• His manner was a blend of friendliness and respect.他的态度友善且毕恭毕敬。

17 mused   

v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事）

参考例句：

• \"I wonder if I shall ever see them again, \"he mused. “我不知道是否还可以再见到他们，”他沉思自问。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• \"Where are we going from here?\" mused one of Rutherford's guests. 卢瑟福的一位客人忍不住说道：‘我们这是在干什么？” 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

18 fascination   

n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋

参考例句：

• He had a deep fascination with all forms of transport.他对所有的运输工具都很着迷。
• His letters have been a source of fascination to a wide audience.广大观众一直迷恋于他的来信。

19 reins   

感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带

参考例句：

• She pulled gently on the reins. 她轻轻地拉着缰绳。
• The government has imposed strict reins on the import of luxury goods. 政府对奢侈品的进口有严格的控制手段。

20 conjuror   

n.魔术师，变戏法者

参考例句：

• The boys looked at the conjuror in silent wonder.孩子们目瞪口呆地看着那魔术师。
• The conjuror's magic delighted the children.魔术师的戏法逗乐了孩子们。

21 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

22 superstitious   

adj.迷信的

参考例句：

• They aim to deliver the people who are in bondage to superstitious belief.他们的目的在于解脱那些受迷信束缚的人。
• These superstitious practices should be abolished as soon as possible.这些迷信做法应尽早取消。

23 malignant   

adj.恶性的，致命的；恶意的，恶毒的

参考例句：

• Alexander got a malignant slander.亚历山大受到恶意的诽谤。
• He started to his feet with a malignant glance at Winston.他爬了起来，不高兴地看了温斯顿一眼。

24 intruded   

n.侵入的，推进的v.侵入，侵扰，打扰( intrude的过去式和过去分词 )；把…强加于

参考例句：

• One could believe that human creatures had never intruded there before. 你简直会以为那是从来没有人到过的地方。 来自辞典例句
• The speaker intruded a thin smile into his seriousness. 演说人严肃的脸上掠过一丝笑影。 来自辞典例句

25 incurable   

adj.不能医治的，不能矫正的，无救的；n.不治的病人，无救的人

参考例句：

• All three babies were born with an incurable heart condition.三个婴儿都有不可治瘉的先天性心脏病。
• He has an incurable and widespread nepotism.他们有不可救药的，到处蔓延的裙带主义。

26 assented   

同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The judge assented to allow the prisoner to speak. 法官同意允许犯人申辩。
• "No," assented Tom, "they don't kill the women -- they're too noble. “对，”汤姆表示赞同地说，“他们不杀女人——真伟大！

27 plantation   

n.种植园，大农场

参考例句：

• His father-in-law is a plantation manager.他岳父是个种植园经营者。
• The plantation owner has possessed himself of a vast piece of land.这个种植园主把大片土地占为己有。