From the verdant1 undulations and the spreading oaks of the Dedlockproperty, Mr. Tulkinghorn transfers himself to the stale heat anddust of London. His manner of coming and going between the twoplaces is one of his impenetrabilities. He walks into Chesney Woldas if it were next door to his chambers2 and returns to his chambersas if he had never been out of Lincoln's Inn Fields. He neitherchanges his dress before the journey nor talks of it afterwards.
He melted out of his turret-room this morning, just as now, in thelate twilight3, he melts into his own square.
Like a dingy4 London bird among the birds at roost in these pleasantfields, where the sheep are all made into parchment, the goats intowigs, and the pasture into chaff5, the lawyer, smoke-dried andfaded, dwelling6 among mankind but not consorting7 with them, agedwithout experience of genial8 youth, and so long used to make hiscramped nest in holes and corners of human nature that he hasforgotten its broader and better range, comes sauntering home. Inthe oven made by the hot pavements and hot buildings, he has bakedhimself dryer9 than usual; and he has in his thirsty mind hismellowed port-wine half a century old.
The lamplighter is skipping up and down his ladder on Mr.
Tulkinghorn's side of the Fields when that high-priest of noblemysteries arrives at his own dull court-yard. He ascends10 the door-steps and is gliding11 into the dusky hall when he encounters, on thetop step, a bowing and propitiatory12 little man.
"Is that Snagsby?""Yes, sir. I hope you are well, sir. I was just giving you up,sir, and going home.""Aye? What is it? What do you want with me?""Well, sir," says Mr. Snagsby, holding his hat at the side of hishead in his deference13 towards his best customer, "I was wishful tosay a word to you, sir.""Can you say it here?""Perfectly14, sir.""Say it then." The lawyer turns, leans his arms on the ironrailing at the top of the steps, and looks at the lamplighterlighting the court-yard.
"It is relating," says Mr. Snagsby in a mysterious low voice, "itis relating--not to put too fine a point upon it--to the foreigner,sir!"Mr. Tulkinghorn eyes him with some surprise. "What foreigner?""The foreign female, sir. French, if I don't mistake? I am notacquainted with that language myself, but I should judge from hermanners and appearance that she was French; anyways, certainlyforeign. Her that was upstairs, sir, when Mr. Bucket and me hadthe honour of waiting upon you with the sweeping-boy that night.""Oh! Yes, yes. Mademoiselle Hortense.""Indeed, sir?" Mr. Snagsby coughs his cough of submission15 behindhis hat. "I am not acquainted myself with the names of foreignersin general, but I have no doubt it WOULD be that." Mr. Snagsbyappears to have set out in this reply with some desperate design ofrepeating the name, but on reflection coughs again to excusehimself.
"And what can you have to say, Snagsby," demands Mr. Tulkinghorn,"about her?""Well, sir," returns the stationer, shading his communication withhis hat, "it falls a little hard upon me. My domestic happiness isvery great--at least, it's as great as can be expected, I'm sure--but my little woman is rather given to jealousy16. Not to put toofine a point upon it, she is very much given to jealousy. And yousee, a foreign female of that genteel appearance coming into theshop, and hovering17--I should be the last to make use of a strongexpression if I could avoid it, but hovering, sir--in the court--you know it is--now ain't it? I only put it to yourself, sir.
Mr. Snagsby, having said this in a very plaintive18 manner, throws ina cough of general application to fill up all the blanks.
"Why, what do you mean?" asks Mr. Tulkinghorn.
"Just so, sir," returns Mr. Snagsby; "I was sure you would feel ityourself and would excuse the reasonableness of MY feelings whencoupled with the known excitableness of my little woman. You see,the foreign female--which you mentioned her name just now, withquite a native sound I am sure--caught up the word Snagsby thatnight, being uncommon19 quick, and made inquiry20, and got thedirection and come at dinner-time. Now Guster, our young woman, istimid and has fits, and she, taking fright at the foreigner'slooks--which are fierce--and at a grinding manner that she has ofspeaking--which is calculated to alarm a weak mind--gave way to it,instead of bearing up against it, and tumbled down the kitchenstairs out of one into another, such fits as I do sometimes thinkare never gone into, or come out of, in any house but ours.
Consequently there was by good fortune ample occupation for mylittle woman, and only me to answer the shop. When she DID saythat Mr. Tulkinghorn, being always denied to her by his employer(which I had no doubt at the time was a foreign mode of viewing aclerk), she would do herself the pleasure of continually calling atmy place until she was let in here. Since then she has been, as Ibegan by saying, hovering, hovering, sir"--Mr. Snagsby repeats theword with pathetic emphasis--"in the court. The effects of whichmovement it is impossible to calculate. I shouldn't wonder if itmight have already given rise to the painfullest mistakes even inthe neighbours' minds, not mentioning (if such a thing waspossible) my little woman. Whereas, goodness knows," says Mr.
Snagsby, shaking his head, "I never had an idea of a foreignfemale, except as being formerly21 connected with a bunch of broomsand a baby, or at the present time with a tambourine22 and earrings23.
I never had, I do assure you, sir!"Mr. Tulkinghorn had listened gravely to this complaint and inquireswhen the stationer has finished, "And that's all, is it, Snagsby?""Why yes, sir, that's all," says Mr. Snagsby, ending with a coughthat plainly adds, "and it's enough too--for me.""I don't know what Mademoiselle Hortense may want or mean, unlessshe is mad," says the lawyer.
"Even if she was, you know, sir," Mr. Snagsby pleads, "it wouldn'tbe a consolation24 to have some weapon or another in the form of aforeign dagger25 planted in the family.""No," says the other. "Well, well! This shall be stopped. I amsorry you have been inconvenienced. If she comes again, send herhere."Mr. Snagsby, with much bowing and short apologetic coughing, takeshis leave, lightened in heart. Mr. Tulkinghorn goes upstairs,saying to himself, "These women were created to give trouble thewhole earth over. The mistress not being enough to deal with,here's the maid now! But I will be short with THIS jade26 at least!"So saying, he unlocks his door, gropes his way into his murkyrooms, lights his candles, and looks about him. It is too dark tosee much of the Allegory over-head there, but that importunateRoman, who is for ever toppling out of the clouds and pointing, isat his old work pretty distinctly. Not honouring him with muchattention, Mr. Tulkinghorn takes a small key from his pocket,unlocks a drawer in which there is another key, which unlocks achest in which there is another, and so comes to the cellar-key,with which he prepares to descend27 to the regions of old wine. Heis going towards the door with a candle in his hand when a knockcomes.
"Who's this? Aye, aye, mistress, it's you, is it? You appear at agood time. I have just been hearing of you. Now! What do youwant?"He stands the candle on the chimney-piece in the clerk's hall andtaps his dry cheek with the key as he addresses these words ofwelcome to Mademoiselle Hortense. That feline28 personage, with herlips tightly shut and her eyes looking out at him sideways, softlycloses the door before replying.
"I have had great deal of trouble to find you, sir.""HAVE you!""I have been here very often, sir. It has always been said to me,he is not at home, he is engage, he is this and that, he is not foryou.""Quite right, and quite true.""Not true. Lies!"At times there is a suddenness in the manner of MademoiselleHortense so like a bodily spring upon the subject of it that suchsubject involuntarily starts and fails back. It is Mr.
Tulkinghorn's case at present, though Mademoiselle Hortense, withher eyes almost shut up (but still looking out sideways), is onlysmiling contemptuously and shaking her head.
"Now, mistress," says the lawyer, tapping the key hastily upon thechimney-piece. "If you have anything to say, say it, say it.""Sir, you have not use me well. You have been mean and shabby.""Mean and shabby, eh?" returns the lawyer, rubbing his nose withthe key.
"Yes. What is it that I tell you? You know you have. You haveattrapped me--catched me--to give you information; you have askedme to show you the dress of mine my Lady must have wore that night,you have prayed me to come in it here to meet that boy. Say! Is itnot?" Mademoiselle Hortense makes another spring.
"You are a vixen, a vixen!" Mr. Tulkinghorn seems to meditate29 ashe looks distrustfully at her, then he replies, "Well, wench, well.
I paid you.""You paid me!" she repeats with fierce disdain30. "Two sovereign! Ihave not change them, I re-fuse them, I des-pise them, I throw themfrom me!" Which she literally31 does, taking them out of her bosomas she speaks and flinging them with such violence on the floorthat they jerk up again into the light before they roll away intocorners and slowly settle down there after spinning vehemently32.
"Now!" says Mademoiselle Hortense, darkening her large eyes again.
"You have paid me? Eh, my God, oh yes!"Mr. Tulkinghorn rubs his head with the key while she entertainsherself with a sarcastic33 laugh.
"You must be rich, my fair friend," he composedly observes, "tothrow money about in that way!""I AM rich," she returns. "I am very rich in hate. I hate myLady, of all my heart. You know that.""Know it? How should I know it?""Because you have known it perfectly before you prayed me to giveyou that information. Because you have known perfectly that I wasen-r-r-r-raged!" It appears impossible for mademoiselle to rollthe letter "r" sufficiently34 in this word, notwithstanding that sheassists her energetic delivery by clenching35 both her hands andsetting all her teeth.
"Oh! I knew that, did I?" says Mr. Tulkinghorn, examining the wardsof the key.
"Yes, without doubt. I am not blind. You have made sure of mebecause you knew that. You had reason! I det-est her."Mademoiselle folds her arms and throws this last remark at him overone of her shoulders.
"Having said this, have you anything else to say, mademoiselle?""I am not yet placed. Place me well. Find me a good condition!
If you cannot, or do not choose to do that, employ me to pursueher, to chase her, to disgrace and to dishonour36 her. I will helpyou well, and with a good will. It is what YOU do. Do I not knowthat?""You appear to know a good deal," Mr. Tulkinghorn retorts.
"Do I not? Is it that I am so weak as to believe, like a child,that I come here in that dress to rec-cive that boy only to decidea little bet, a wager37? Eh, my God, oh yes!" In this reply, downto the word "wager" inclusive, mademoiselle has been ironicallypolite and tender, then as suddenly dashed into the bitterest andmost defiant38 scorn, with her black eyes in one and the same momentvery nearly shut and staringly wide open.
"Now, let us see," says Mr. Tulkinghorn, tapping his chin with thekey and looking imperturbably39 at her, "how this matter stands.""Ah! Let us see," mademoiselle assents40, with many angry and tightnods of her head.
"You come here to make a remarkably41 modest demand, which you havejust stated, and it not being conceded, you will come again.""And again," says mademoiselle with more tight and angry nods.
"And yet again. And yet again. And many times again. In effect,for ever!""And not only here, but you will go to Mr, Snagsby's too, perhaps?
That visit not succeeding either, you will go again perhaps?""And again," repeats mademoiselle, cataleptic with determination.
"And yet again. And yet again. And many times again. In effect,for ever!""Very well. Now, Mademoiselle Hortense, let me recommend you totake the candle and pick up that money of yours. I think you willfind it behind the clerk's partition in the corner yonder."She merely throws a laugh over her shoulder and stands her groundwith folded arms.
"You will not, eh?""No, I will not!""So much the poorer you; so much the richer I! Look, mistress,this is the key of my wine-cellar. It is a large key, but the keysof prisons are larger. In this city there are houses of correction(where the treadmills42 are, for women), the gates of which are verystrong and heavy, and no doubt the keys too. I am afraid a lady ofyour spirit and activity would find it an inconvenience to have oneof those keys turned upon her for any length of time. What do youthink?""I think," mademoiselle replies without any action and in a clear,obliging voice, "that you are a miserable43 wretch44.""Probably," returns Mr. Tulkinghorn, quietly blowing his nose.
"But I don't ask what you think of myself; I ask what you think ofthe prison.""Nothing. What does it matter to me?""Why, it matters this much, mistress," says the lawyer,deliberately putting away his handkerchief and adjusting his frill;"the law is so despotic here that it interferes45 to prevent any ofour good English citizens from being troubled, even by a lady'svisits against his desire. And on his complaining that he is sotroubled, it takes hold of the troublesome lady and shuts her up inprison under hard discipline. Turns the key upon her, mistress."Illustrating46 with the cellar-key.
"Truly?" returns mademoiselle in the same pleasant voice. "That isdroll! But--my faith! --still what does it matter to me?""My fair friend," says Mr. Tulkinghorn, "make another visit here,or at Mr. Snagsby's, and you shall learn.""In that case you will send me to the prison, perhaps?""Perhaps."It would be contradictory47 for one in mademoiselle's state ofagreeable jocularity to foam48 at the mouth, otherwise a tigerishexpansion thereabouts might look as if a very little more wouldmake her do it.
"In a word, mistress," says Mr. Tulkinghorn, "I am sorry to beunpolite, but if you ever present yourself uninvited here--orthere--again, I will give you over to the police. Their gallantryis great, but they carry troublesome people through the streets inan ignominious49 manner, strapped50 down on a board, my good wench.""I will prove you," whispers mademoiselle, stretching out her hand,"I will try if you dare to do it!""And if," pursues the lawyer without minding her, "I place you inthat good condition of being locked up in jail, it will be sometime before you find yourself at liberty again.""I will prove you," repeats mademoiselle in her former whisper.
"And now," proceeds the lawyer, still without minding her, "you hadbetter go. Think twice before you come here again.""Think you," she answers, "twice two hundred times!""You were dismissed by your lady, you know," Mr. Tulkinghornobserves, following her out upon the staircase, "as the mostimplacable and unmanageable of women. Now turn over a new leaf andtake warning by what I say to you. For what I say, I mean; andwhat I threaten, I will do, mistress."She goes down without answering or looking behind her. When she isgone, he goes down too, and returning with his cobweb-coveredbottle, devotes himself to a leisurely51 enjoyment52 of its contents,now and then, as he throws his head back in his chair, catchingsight of the pertinacious53 Roman pointing from the ceiling.
收听单词发音 |
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verdant
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| adj.翠绿的，青翠的，生疏的，不老练的 | |
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chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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dingy
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| adj.昏暗的，肮脏的 | |
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chaff
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| v.取笑，嘲笑；n.谷壳 | |
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dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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consorting
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| v.结伴( consort的现在分词 )；交往；相称；调和 | |
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genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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dryer
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| n.干衣机，干燥剂 | |
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ascends
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的第三人称单数 ) | |
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gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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propitiatory
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| adj.劝解的；抚慰的；谋求好感的；哄人息怒的 | |
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deference
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| n.尊重，顺从；敬意 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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plaintive
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| adj.可怜的，伤心的 | |
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uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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tambourine
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| n.铃鼓，手鼓 | |
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earrings
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| n.耳环( earring的名词复数 )；耳坠子 | |
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consolation
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| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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dagger
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| n.匕首，短剑，剑号 | |
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jade
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| n.玉石；碧玉；翡翠 | |
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descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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feline
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| adj.猫科的 | |
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meditate
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| v.想，考虑，（尤指宗教上的）沉思，冥想 | |
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disdain
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| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
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literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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vehemently
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| adv. 热烈地 | |
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sarcastic
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| adj.讥讽的，讽刺的，嘲弄的 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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clenching
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的现在分词 ) | |
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dishonour
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| n./vt.拒付（支票、汇票、票据等）；vt.凌辱，使丢脸；n.不名誉，耻辱，不光彩 | |
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wager
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| n.赌注；vt.押注，打赌 | |
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defiant
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| adj.无礼的，挑战的 | |
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imperturbably
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| adv.泰然地，镇静地，平静地 | |
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assents
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| 同意，赞同( assent的名词复数 ) | |
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remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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treadmills
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| n.枯燥无味的工作[生活方式]( treadmill的名词复数 )；（尤指旧时由人或牲畜踩动踏板使之转动的）踏车；（锻炼身体的）跑步机，走步机 | |
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43
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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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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45
interferes
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| vi. 妨碍，冲突，干涉 | |
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46
illustrating
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| 给…加插图( illustrate的现在分词 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明 | |
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47
contradictory
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| adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立 | |
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48
foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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49
ignominious
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| adj.可鄙的，不光彩的，耻辱的 | |
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50
strapped
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| adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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51
leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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52
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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53
pertinacious
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| adj.顽固的 | |
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