The Withered Arm Chapter 5

By the next afternoon Rhoda would have done anything to escape thisinquiry. But she had promised to go. Moreover, there was a horridfascination at times in becoming instrumental in throwing suchpossible light on her own character as would reveal her to besomething greater in the occult world than she had ever herselfsuspected.

　　She started just before the time of day mentioned between them, andhalf-an-hour's brisk walking brought her to the south-easternextension of the Egdon tract¹ of country, where the fir plantationwas. A slight figure, cloaked and veiled, was already there. Rhodarecognized, almost with a shudder², that Mrs. Lodge³ bore her left armin a sling⁴.

　　They hardly spoke⁵ to each other, and immediately set out on theirclimb into the interior of this solemn country, which stood highabove the rich alluvial⁶ soil they had left half-an-hour before. Itwas a long walk; thick clouds made the atmosphere dark, though itwas as yet only early afternoon; and the wind howled dismally⁷ overthe hills of the heath--not improbably the same heath which hadwitnessed the agony of the Wessex King Ina, presented to after-agesas Lear. Gertrude Lodge talked most, Rhoda replying withmonosyllabic preoccupation. She had a strange dislike to walking onthe side of her companion where hung the afflicted⁸ arm, moving roundto the other when inadvertently near it. Much heather had beenbrushed by their feet when they descended⁹ upon a cart-track, besidewhich stood the house of the man they sought.

　　He did not profess¹⁰ his remedial practices openly, or care anythingabout their continuance, his direct interests being those of adealer in furze, turf, 'sharp sand,' and other local products.

　　Indeed, he affected¹¹ not to believe largely in his own powers, andwhen warts¹² that had been shown him for cure miraculouslydisappeared--which it must be owned they infallibly did--he wouldsay lightly, 'O, I only drink a glass of grog upon 'em--perhaps it'sall chance,' and immediately turn the subject.

　　He was at home when they arrived, having in fact seen themdescending into his valley. He was a gray-bearded man, with areddish face, and he looked singularly at Rhoda the first moment hebeheld her. Mrs. Lodge told him her errand; and then with words ofself-disparagement he examined her arm.

　　'Medicine can't cure it,' he said promptly¹³. ''Tis the work of anenemy.'

　　Rhoda shrank into herself, and drew back.

　　'An enemy? What enemy?' asked Mrs. Lodge.

　　He shook his head. 'That's best known to yourself,' he said. 'Ifyou like, I can show the person to you, though I shall not myselfknow who it is. I can do no more; and don't wish to do that.'

　　She pressed him; on which he told Rhoda to wait outside where shestood, and took Mrs. Lodge into the room. It opened immediatelyfrom the door; and, as the latter remained ajar, Rhoda Brook¹⁴ couldsee the proceedings¹⁵ without taking part in them. He brought atumbler from the dresser, nearly filled it with water, and fetchingan egg, prepared it in some private way; after which he broke it onthe edge of the glass, so that the white went in and the yolkremained. As it was getting gloomy, he took the glass and itscontents to the window, and told Gertrude to watch them closely.

　　They leant over the table together, and the milkwoman could see theopaline hue¹⁶ of the egg-fluid changing form as it sank in the water,but she was not near enough to define the shape that it assumed.

　　'Do you catch the likeness¹⁷ of any face or figure as you look?'

　　demanded the conjuror¹⁸ of the young woman.

　　She murmured a reply, in tones so low as to be inaudible to Rhoda,and continued to gaze intently into the glass. Rhoda turned, andwalked a few steps away.

　　When Mrs. Lodge came out, and her face was met by the light, itappeared exceedingly pale--as pale as Rhoda's--against the sad dunshades of the upland's garniture. Trendle shut the door behind her,and they at once started homeward together. But Rhoda perceivedthat her companion had quite changed.

　　'Did he charge much?' she asked tentatively.

　　'O no--nothing. He would not take a farthing,' said Gertrude.

　　'And what did you see?' inquired Rhoda.

　　'Nothing I--care to speak of.' The constraint¹⁹ in her manner wasremarkable; her face was so rigid²⁰ as to wear an oldened aspect,faintly suggestive of the face in Rhoda's bed-chamber.

　　'Was it you who first proposed coming here?' Mrs. Lodge suddenlyinquired, after a long pause. 'How very odd, if you did!'

　　'No. But I am not sorry we have come, all things considered,' shereplied. For the first time a sense of triumph possessed²¹ her, andshe did not altogether deplore²² that the young thing at her sideshould learn that their lives had been antagonized by otherinfluences than their own.

　　The subject was no more alluded²³ to during the long and dreary²⁴ walkhome. But in some way or other a story was whispered about themany-dairied lowland that winter that Mrs. Lodge's gradual loss ofthe use of her left arm was owing to her being 'overlooked' by RhodaBrook. The latter kept her own counsel about the incubus²⁵, but herface grew sadder and thinner; and in the spring she and her boydisappeared from the neighbourhood of Holmstoke.

1 tract   

n.传单，小册子，大片(土地或森林)

参考例句：

• He owns a large tract of forest.他拥有一大片森林。
• He wrote a tract on this subject.他曾对此写了一篇短文。

2 shudder   

v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动

参考例句：

• The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him.看到那副棺材，他浑身一阵战栗。
• We all shudder at the thought of the dreadful dirty place.我们一想到那可怕的肮脏地方就浑身战惊。

3 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。

4 sling   

vt.扔；悬挂；n.挂带；吊索，吊兜；弹弓

参考例句：

• The boy discharged a stone from a sling.这个男孩用弹弓射石头。
• By using a hoist the movers were able to sling the piano to the third floor.搬运工人用吊车才把钢琴吊到3楼。

5 spoke   

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

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 alluvial   

adj.冲积的；淤积的

参考例句：

• Alluvial soils usually grow the best crops.淤积土壤通常能长出最好的庄稼。
• A usually triangular alluvial deposit at the mouth of a river.三角洲河口常见的三角形沉淀淤积地带。

7 dismally   

adv.阴暗地，沉闷地

参考例句：

• Fei Little Beard assented dismally. 费小胡子哭丧着脸回答。 来自子夜部分
• He began to howl dismally. 它就凄凉地吠叫起来。 来自辞典例句

8 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。

9 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

10 profess   

v.声称，冒称，以...为业，正式接受入教，表明信仰

参考例句：

• I profess that I was surprised at the news.我承认这消息使我惊讶。
• What religion does he profess?他信仰哪种宗教？

11 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

12 warts   

n.疣( wart的名词复数 )；肉赘；树瘤；缺点

参考例句：

• You agreed to marry me, warts and all! 是你同意和我结婚的，我又没掩饰缺陷。 来自辞典例句
• Talk about trying to cure warts with spunk-water such a blame fool way as that! 用那样糊涂蛋的方法还谈什么仙水治疣子！ 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

13 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

14 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。

15 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

16 hue   

n.色度；色调；样子

参考例句：

• The diamond shone with every hue under the sun.金刚石在阳光下放出五颜六色的光芒。
• The same hue will look different in different light.同一颜色在不同的光线下看起来会有所不同。

17 likeness   

n.相像，相似（之处）

参考例句：

• I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
• She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。

18 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。

19 constraint   

n.(on)约束，限制；限制(或约束)性的事物

参考例句：

• The boy felt constraint in her presence.那男孩在她面前感到局促不安。
• The lack of capital is major constraint on activities in the informal sector.资本短缺也是影响非正规部门生产经营的一个重要制约因素。

20 rigid   

adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的

参考例句：

• She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。

21 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

22 deplore   

vt.哀叹，对...深感遗憾

参考例句：

• I deplore what has happened.我为所发生的事深感愤慨。
• There are many of us who deplore this lack of responsibility.我们中有许多人谴责这种不负责任的做法。

23 alluded   

提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• In your remarks you alluded to a certain sinister design. 在你的谈话中，你提到了某个阴谋。
• She also alluded to her rival's past marital troubles. 她还影射了对手过去的婚姻问题。

24 dreary   

adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的

参考例句：

• They live such dreary lives.他们的生活如此乏味。
• She was tired of hearing the same dreary tale of drunkenness and violence.她听够了那些关于酗酒和暴力的乏味故事。

25 incubus   

n.负担；恶梦

参考例句：

• Joyce regarded his US citizenship as a moral and political incubus.乔伊斯把他的美国公民身份当做是一个道德和政治上的负担。Like the sumerian wind demon and its later babylonian counterpart,Lilith was regarded as a succubus,or female version of the incubus.像风妖苏美尔和后来的巴比伦妖怪，莉莉丝被视为一个女妖，或女版梦魇。