Fellow-Townsmen Chapter 1

The north road from Casterbridge is tedious and lonely, especiallyin winter-time. Along a part of its course it connects with Long-Ash Lane, a monotonous¹ track without a village or hamlet for manymiles, and with very seldom a turning. Unapprized wayfarers² who aretoo old, or too young, or in other respects too weak for thedistance to be traversed, but who, nevertheless, have to walk it,say, as they look wistfully ahead, 'Once at the top of that hill,and I must surely see the end of Long-Ash Lane!' But they reach thehilltop, and Long-Ash Lane stretches in front as mercilessly asbefore.

　　Some few years ago a certain farmer was riding through this lane inthe gloom of a winter evening. The farmer's friend, a dairyman, wasriding beside him. A few paces in the rear rode the farmer's man.

　　All three were well horsed on strong, round-barrelled cobs; and tobe well horsed was to be in better spirits about Long-Ash Lane thanpoor pedestrians³ could attain⁴ to during its passage.

　　But the farmer did not talk much to his friend as he rode along.

　　The enterprise which had brought him there filled his mind; for intruth it was important. Not altogether so important was it,perhaps, when estimated by its value to society at large; but if thetrue measure of a deed be proportionate to the space it occupies inthe heart of him who undertakes it, Farmer Charles Darton's businessto-night could hold its own with the business of kings.

　　He was a large farmer. His turnover⁵, as it is called, was probablythirty thousand pounds a year. He had a great many draught⁶ horses,a great many milch cows, and of sheep a multitude. This comfortableposition was, however, none of his own making. It had been createdby his father, a man of a very different stamp from the presentrepresentative of the line.

　　Darton, the father, had been a one-idea'd character, with abuttoned-up pocket and a chink-like eye brimming with commercialsubtlety. In Darton the son, this trade subtlety⁷ had becometransmuted into emotional, and the harshness had disappeared; hewould have been called a sad man but for his constant care not todivide himself from lively friends by piping notes out of harmonywith theirs. Contemplative, he allowed his mind to be a quietmeeting-place for memories and hopes. So that, naturally enough,since succeeding to the agricultural calling, and up to his presentage of thirty-two, he had neither advanced nor receded⁸ as acapitalist--a stationary⁹ result which did not agitate¹⁰ one of hisunambitious, unstrategic nature, since he had all that he desired.

　　The motive¹¹ of his expedition tonight showed the same absence ofanxious regard for Number One.

　　The party rode on in the slow, safe trot¹² proper to night-time andbad roads, Farmer Darton's head jigging¹³ rather unromantically up anddown against the sky, and his motions being repeated with bolderemphasis by his friend Japheth Johns; while those of the latter weretravestied in jerks still less softened¹⁴ by art in the person of thelad who attended them. A pair of whitish objects hung one on eachside of the latter, bumping against him at each step, and stillfurther spoiling the grace of his seat. On close inspection¹⁵ theymight have been perceived to be open rush baskets--one containing aturkey, and the other some bottles of wine.

　　'D'ye feel ye can meet your fate like a man, neighbour Darton?'

　　asked Johns, breaking a silence which had lasted while five-and-twenty hedgerow trees had glided¹⁶ by.

　　Mr. Darton with a half-laugh murmured, 'Ay--call it my fate!

　　Hanging and wiving go by destiny.' And then they were silent again.

　　The darkness thickened rapidly, at intervals¹⁷ shutting down on theland in a perceptible flap, like the wave of a wing. The customaryclose of day was accelerated by a simultaneous blurring¹⁸ of the air.

　　With the fall of night had come a mist just damp enough toincommode, but not sufficient to saturate¹⁹ them. Countrymen as theywere--born, as may be said, with only an open door between them andthe four seasons--they regarded the mist but as an addedobscuration, and ignored its humid quality.

　　They were travelling in a direction that was enlivened by no moderncurrent of traffic, the place of Darton's pilgrimage being an old-fashioned village--one of the Hintocks (several villages of thatname, with a distinctive²⁰ prefix²¹ or affix²², lying thereabout)--wherethe people make the best cider and cider-wine in all Wessex, andwhere the dunghills smell of pomace instead of stable refuse aselsewhere. The lane was sometimes so narrow that the brambles ofthe hedge, which hung forward like anglers' rods over a stream,scratched their hats and curry-combed their whiskers as they passed.

　　Yet this neglected lane had been a highway to Queen Elizabeth'ssubjects and the cavalcades²³ of the past. Its day was over now, andits history as a national artery²⁴ done for ever.

　　'Why I have decided²⁵ to marry her,' resumed Darton (in a measuredmusical voice of confidence which revealed a good deal of hiscomposition), as he glanced round to see that the lad was not toonear, 'is not only that I like her, but that I can do no better,even from a fairly practical point of view. That I might ha' lookedhigher is possibly true, though it is really all nonsense. I havehad experience enough in looking above me. "No more superior womenfor me," said I--you know when. Sally is a comely²⁶, independent,simple character, with no make-up about her, who'll think me as mucha superior to her as I used to think--you know who I mean--was tome.'

　　'Ay,' said Johns. 'However, I shouldn't call Sally Hall simple.

　　Primary, because no Sally is; secondary, because if some could be,this one wouldn't. 'Tis a wrong denomination²⁷ to apply to a woman,Charles, and affects me, as your best man, like cold water. 'Tislike recommending a stage play by saying there's neither murder,villainy, nor harm of any sort in it, when that's what you've paidyour half-crown to see.'

　　'Well; may your opinion do you good. Mine's a different one.' Andturning the conversation from the philosophical²⁸ to the practical,Darton expressed a hope that the said Sally had received what he'dsent on by the carrier that day.

　　Johns wanted to know what that was.

　　'It is a dress,' said Darton. 'Not exactly a wedding-dress; thoughshe may use it as one if she likes. It is rather serviceable thanshowy--suitable for the winter weather.'

　　'Good,' said Johns. 'Serviceable is a wise word in a bridegroom. Icommend ye, Charles.'

　　'For,' said Darton, 'why should a woman dress up like a rope-dancerbecause she's going to do the most solemn deed of her life exceptdying?'

　　'Faith, why? But she will, because she will, I suppose,' saidDairyman Johns.

　　'H'm,' said Darton.

　　The lane they followed had been nearly straight for several miles,but it now took a turn, and winding²⁹ uncertainly for some distanceforked into two. By night country roads are apt to reveal ungainlyqualities which pass without observation during day; and thoughDarton had travelled this way before, he had not done so frequently,Sally having been wooed at the house of a relative near his own. Henever remembered seeing at this spot a pair of alternative wayslooking so equally probable as these two did now. Johns rode on afew steps.

　　'Don't be out of heart, sonny,' he cried. 'Here's a handpost.

　　Enoch--come and climm this post, and tell us the way.'

　　The lad dismounted, and jumped into the hedge where the post stoodunder a tree.

　　'Unstrap the baskets, or you'll smash up that wine!' cried Darton,as the young man began spasmodically to climb the post, baskets andall.

　　'Was there ever less head in a brainless world?' said Johns. 'Here,simple Nocky, I'll do it.' He leapt off, and with much puffingclimbed the post, striking a match when he reached the top, andmoving the light along the arm, the lad standing³⁰ and gazing at thespectacle.

　　'I have faced tantalization³¹ these twenty years with a temper as mildas milk!' said Japheth; 'but such things as this don't come short ofdevilry!' And flinging the match away, he slipped down to theground.

　　'What's the matter?' asked Darton.

　　'Not a letter, sacred or heathen--not so much as would tell us theway to the great fireplace--ever I should sin to say it! Either themoss and mildew³² have eat away the words, or we have arrived in aland where the natyves have lost the art o' writing, and should ha'

　　brought our compass like Christopher Columbus.'

　　'Let us take the straightest road,' said Darton placidly³³; 'I shan'tbe sorry to get there--'tis a tiresome³⁴ ride. I would have driven ifI had known.'

　　'Nor I neither, sir,' said Enoch. 'These straps³⁵ plough my shoulderlike a zull. If 'tis much further to your lady's home, MaisterDarton, I shall ask to be let carry half of these good things in myinnerds--hee, hee!'

　　'Don't you be such a reforming radical³⁶, Enoch,' said Johns sternly.

　　'Here, I'll take the turkey.'

　　This being done, they went forward by the right-hand lane, whichascended a hill, the left winding away under a plantation³⁷. The pit-a-pat of their horses' hoofs³⁸ lessened³⁹ up the slope; and the ironicaldirecting-post stood in solitude⁴⁰ as before, holding out its blankarms to the raw breeze, which brought a snore from the wood as ifSkrymir the Giant were sleeping there.

1 monotonous   

adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的

参考例句：

• She thought life in the small town was monotonous.她觉得小镇上的生活单调而乏味。
• His articles are fixed in form and monotonous in content.他的文章千篇一律，一个调调儿。

2 wayfarers   

n.旅人，（尤指）徒步旅行者( wayfarer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Days have been when wayfarers came here to wash their weary feet. 从前曾有过路人到这里来洗疲乏的脚。 来自互联网
• You are the way and the wayfarers. 你们是道路，也是行路者。 来自互联网

3 pedestrians   

n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Several pedestrians had come to grief on the icy pavement. 几个行人在结冰的人行道上滑倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Pedestrians keep to the sidewalk [footpath]! 行人走便道。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 attain   

vt.达到，获得，完成

参考例句：

• I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。
• His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。

5 turnover   

n.人员流动率，人事变动率；营业额，成交量

参考例句：

• The store greatly reduced the prices to make a quick turnover.这家商店实行大减价以迅速周转资金。
• Our turnover actually increased last year.去年我们的营业额竟然增加了。

6 draught   

n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计

参考例句：

• He emptied his glass at one draught.他将杯中物一饮而尽。
• It's a pity the room has no north window and you don't get a draught.可惜这房间没北窗，没有过堂风。

7 subtlety   

n.微妙，敏锐，精巧；微妙之处，细微的区别

参考例句：

• He has shown enormous strength,great intelligence and great subtlety.他表现出充沛的精力、极大的智慧和高度的灵活性。
• The subtlety of his remarks was unnoticed by most of his audience.大多数听众都没有觉察到他讲话的微妙之处。

8 receded   

v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题

参考例句：

• The floodwaters have now receded. 洪水现已消退。
• The sound of the truck receded into the distance. 卡车的声音渐渐在远处消失了。

9 stationary   

adj.固定的，静止不动的

参考例句：

• A stationary object is easy to be aimed at.一个静止不动的物体是容易瞄准的。
• Wait until the bus is stationary before you get off.你要等公共汽车停稳了再下车。

10 agitate   

vi.(for,against)煽动，鼓动；vt.搅动

参考例句：

• They sent agents to agitate the local people.他们派遣情报人员煽动当地的民众。
• All you need to do is gently agitate the water with a finger or paintbrush.你只需要用手指或刷子轻轻地搅动水。

11 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

12 trot   

n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧

参考例句：

• They passed me at a trot.他们从我身边快步走过。
• The horse broke into a brisk trot.马突然快步小跑起来。

13 jigging   

n.跳汰选，簸选v.（使）上下急动( jig的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They were jigging up and down to the music. 他们随着音乐的节拍轻快地上下跳着。 来自互联网
• She hopped about on stage, jigging her feet. 她在舞台上用脚跳来跳去。 来自互联网

14 softened   

（使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰

参考例句：

• His smile softened slightly. 他的微笑稍柔和了些。
• The ice cream softened and began to melt. 冰淇淋开始变软并开始融化。

15 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

16 glided   

v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔

参考例句：

• The President's motorcade glided by. 总统的车队一溜烟开了过去。
• They glided along the wall until they were out of sight. 他们沿着墙壁溜得无影无踪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 intervals   

n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息

参考例句：

• The forecast said there would be sunny intervals and showers. 预报间晴，有阵雨。
• Meetings take place at fortnightly intervals. 每两周开一次会。

18 blurring   

n.模糊，斑点甚多，（图像的）混乱v.（使）变模糊( blur的现在分词 )；（使）难以区分

参考例句：

• Retinal hemorrhage, and blurring of the optic dise cause visual disturbances. 视网膜出血及神经盘模糊等可导致视力障碍。 来自辞典例句
• In other ways the Bible limited Puritan writing, blurring and deadening the pages. 另一方面，圣经又限制了清教时期的作品，使它们显得晦涩沉闷。 来自辞典例句

19 saturate   

vt.使湿透，浸透；使充满，使饱和

参考例句：

• We'll saturate California with the rise in its crime rate.我们将使加利福尼亚州的犯罪案件增长率达到饱和点。
• Saturate the meat in the mixture of oil and herbs.把肉浸泡在油和作料的卤汁里。

20 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

21 prefix   

n.前缀；vt.加…作为前缀；置于前面

参考例句：

• We prefix "Mr."to a man's name.我们在男士的姓名前加“先生”。
• In the word "unimportant ","un-" is a prefix.在单词“unimportant”中“un”是前缀。

22 affix   

n.附件，附录 vt.附贴，盖(章)，签署

参考例句：

• Please affix your signature to the document. 请你在这个文件上签字。
• Complete the form and affix four tokens to its back. 填完该表，在背面贴上4张凭券。

23 cavalcades   

n.骑马队伍，车队( cavalcade的名词复数 )

参考例句：

24 artery   

n.干线，要道；动脉

参考例句：

• We couldn't feel the changes in the blood pressure within the artery.我们无法感觉到动脉血管内血压的变化。
• The aorta is the largest artery in the body.主动脉是人体中的最大动脉。

25 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

26 comely   

adj.漂亮的，合宜的

参考例句：

• His wife is a comely young woman.他的妻子是一个美丽的少妇。
• A nervous,comely-dressed little girl stepped out.一个紧张不安、衣着漂亮的小姑娘站了出来。

27 denomination   

n.命名，取名，(度量衡、货币等的)单位

参考例句：

• The firm is still operating under another denomination.这家公司改用了名称仍在继续营业。
• Litre is a metric denomination.升是公制单位。

28 philosophical   

adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的

参考例句：

• The teacher couldn't answer the philosophical problem.老师不能解答这个哲学问题。
• She is very philosophical about her bad luck.她对自己的不幸看得很开。

29 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

30 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

31 tantalization   

n.逗弄，使干着急

参考例句：

32 mildew   

n.发霉；v.（使）发霉

参考例句：

• The interior was dark and smelled of mildew.里面光线很暗，霉味扑鼻。
• Mildew may form in this weather.这种天气有可能发霉。

33 placidly   

adv.平稳地，平静地

参考例句：

• Hurstwood stood placidly by, while the car rolled back into the yard. 当车子开回场地时，赫斯渥沉着地站在一边。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• The water chestnut floated placidly there, where it would grow. 那棵菱角就又安安稳稳浮在水面上生长去了。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

34 tiresome   

adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的

参考例句：

• His doubts and hesitations were tiresome.他的疑惑和犹豫令人厌烦。
• He was tiresome in contending for the value of his own labors.他老为他自己劳动的价值而争强斗胜，令人生厌。

35 straps   

n.带子( strap的名词复数 )；挎带；肩带；背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 )；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• the shoulder straps of her dress 她连衣裙上的肩带
• The straps can be adjusted to suit the wearer. 这些背带可进行调整以适合使用者。

36 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

37 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。

38 hoofs   

n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The stamp of the horse's hoofs on the wooden floor was loud. 马蹄踏在木头地板上的声音很响。 来自辞典例句
• The noise of hoofs called him back to the other window. 马蹄声把他又唤回那扇窗子口。 来自辞典例句

39 lessened   

减少的，减弱的

参考例句：

• Listening to the speech through an interpreter lessened its impact somewhat. 演讲辞通过翻译的嘴说出来，多少削弱了演讲的力量。
• The flight to suburbia lessened the number of middle-class families living within the city. 随着迁往郊外的风行，住在城内的中产家庭减少了。

40 solitude   

n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方

参考例句：

• People need a chance to reflect on spiritual matters in solitude. 人们需要独处的机会来反思精神上的事情。
• They searched for a place where they could live in solitude. 他们寻找一个可以过隐居生活的地方。