Chapter 67 The Close of Esther's Narrative

Full seven happy years I have been the mistress of Bleak¹ House.

　　The few words that I have to add to what I have written are soonpenned; then I and the unknown friend to whom I write will part forever. Not without much dear remembrance on my side. Not withoutsome, I hope, on his or hers.

　　They gave my darling into my arms, and through many weeks I neverleft her. The little child who was to have done so much was bornbefore the turf was planted on its father's grave. It was a boy;and I, my husband, and my guardian² gave him his father's name.

　　The help that my dear counted on did come to her, though it came,in the eternal wisdom, for another purpose. Though to bless andrestore his mother, not his father, was the errand of this baby,its power was mighty³ to do it. When I saw the strength of the weaklittle hand and how its touch could heal my darling's heart andraised hope within her, I felt a new sense of the goodness and thetenderness of God.

　　They throve, and by degrees I saw my dear girl pass into my countrygarden and walk there with her infant in her arms. I was marriedthen. I was the happiest of the happy.

　　It was at this time that my guardian joined us and asked Ada whenshe would come home.

　　"Both houses are your home, my dear," said he, "but the older BleakHouse claims priority. When you and my boy are strong enough to doit, come and take possession of your home."Ada called him "her dearest cousin, John." But he said, no, itmust be guardian now. He was her guardian henceforth, and theboy's; and he had an old association with the name. So she calledhim guardian, and has called him guardian ever since. The childrenknow him by no other name. I say the children; I have two littledaughters.

　　It is difficult to believe that Charley (round-eyed still, and notat all grammatical) is married to a miller⁴ in our neighbourhood;yet so it is; and even now, looking up from my desk as I writeearly in the morning at my summer window, I see the very millbeginning to go round. I hope the miller will not spoil Charley;but he is very fond of her, and Charley is rather vain of such amatch, for he is well to do and was in great request. So far as mysmall maid is concerned, I might suppose time to have stood forseven years as still as the mill did half an hour ago, since littleEmma, Charley's sister, is exactly what Charley used to be. As toTom, Charley's brother, I am really afraid to say what he did atschool in ciphering, but I think it was decimals. He isapprenticed to the miller, whatever it was, and is a good bashfulfellow, always falling in love with somebody and being ashamed ofit.

　　Caddy Jellyby passed her very last holidays with us and was adearer creature than ever, perpetually dancing in and out of thehouse with the children as if she had never given a dancing-lessonin her life. Caddy keeps her own little carriage now instead ofhiring one, and lives full two miles further westward⁵ than NewmanStreet. She works very hard, her husband (an excellent one) beinglame and able to do very little. Still, she is more than contentedand does all she has to do with all her heart. Mr. Jellyby spendshis evenings at her new house with his head against the wall as heused to do in her old one. I have heard that Mrs. Jellyby wasunderstood to suffer great mortification⁶ from her daughter'signoble marriage and pursuits, but I hope she got over it in time.

　　She has been disappointed in Borrioboola-Gha, which turned out afailure in consequence of the king of Boorioboola wanting to selleverybody--who survived the climate--for rum, but she has taken upwith the rights of women to sit in Parliament, and Caddy tells meit is a mission involving more correspondence than the old one. Ihad almost forgotten Caddy's poor little girl. She is not such amite now, but she is deaf and dumb. I believe there never was abetter⁷ mother than Caddy, who learns, in her scanty⁸ intervals⁹ ofleisure, innumerable deaf and dumb arts to soften¹⁰ the affliction ofher child.

　　As if I were never to have done with Caddy, I am reminded here ofPeepy and old Mr. Turveydrop. Peepy is in the Custom House, anddoing extremely well. Old Mr. Turveydrop, very apoplectic¹¹, stillexhibits his deportment about town, still enjoys himself in the oldmanner, is still believed in in the old way. He is constant in hispatronage of Peepy and is understood to have bequeathed him afavourite French clock in his dressing-room--which is not hisproperty.

　　With the first money we saved at home, we added to our pretty houseby throwing out a little growlery expressly for my guardian, whichwe inaugurated with great splendour the next time he came down tosee us. I try to write all this lightly, because my heart is fullin drawing to an end, but when I write of him, my tears will havetheir way.

　　I never look at him but I hear our poor dear Richard calling him agood man. To Ada and her pretty boy, he is the fondest father; tome he is what he has ever been, and what name can I give to that?

　　He is my husband's best and dearest friend, he is our children'sdarling, he is the object of our deepest love and veneration¹². Yetwhile I feel towards him as if he were a superior being, I am sofamiliar with him and so easy with him that I almost wonder atmyself. I have never lost my old names, nor has he lost his; nordo I ever, when he is with us, sit in any other place than in myold chair at his side, Dame¹³ Trot¹⁴, Dame Durden, Little Woman--alljust the same as ever; and I answer, "Yes, dear guardian!" just thesame.

　　I have never known the wind to be in the east for a single momentsince the day when he took me to the porch to read the name. Iremarked to him once that the wind seemed never in the east now,and he said, no, truly; it had finally departed from that quarteron that very day.

　　I think my darling girl is more beautiful than ever. The sorrowthat has been in her face--for it is not there now--seems to havepurified even its innocent expression and to have given it adiviner quality. Sometimes when I raise my eyes and see her in theblack dress that she still wears, teaching my Richard, I feel--itis difficult to express--as if it were so good to know that sheremembers her dear Esther in her prayers.

　　I call him my Richard! But he says that he has two mamas, and I amone.

　　We are not rich in the bank, but we have always prospered¹⁵, and wehave quite enough. I never walk out with my husband but I hear thepeople bless him. I never go into a house of any degree but I hearhis praises or see them in grateful eyes. I never lie down atnight but I know that in the course of that day he has alleviatedpain and soothed¹⁶ some fellow-creature in the time of need. I knowthat from the beds of those who were past recovery, thanks haveoften, often gone up, in the last hour, for his patientministration. Is not this to be rich?

　　The people even praise me as the doctor's wife. The people evenlike me as I go about, and make so much of me that I am quiteabashed. I owe it all to him, my love, my pride! They like me forhis sake, as I do everything I do in life for his sake.

　　A night or two ago, after bustling¹⁷ about preparing for my darlingand my guardian and little Richard, who are coming to-morrow, I wassitting out in the porch of all places, that dearly memorableporch, when Allan came home. So he said, "My precious littlewoman, what are you doing here?" And I said, "The moon is shiningso brightly, Allan, and the night is so delicious, that I have beensitting here thinking.""What have you been thinking about, my dear?" said Allan then.

　　"How curious you are!" said I. "I am almost ashamed to tell you,but I will. I have been thinking about my old looks--such as theywere.""And what have you been thinking about THEM, my busy bee?" saidAllan.

　　"I have been thinking that I thought it was impossible that youCOULD have loved me any better, even if I had retained them.""'Such as they were'?" said Allan, laughing.

　　"Such as they were, of course.""My dear Dame Durden," said Allan, drawing my arm through his, "doyou ever look in the glass?""You know I do; you see me do it.""And don't you know that you are prettier than you ever were?""I did not know that; I am not certain that I know it now. But Iknow that my dearest little pets are very pretty, and that mydarling is very beautiful, and that my husband is very handsome,and that my guardian has the brightest and most benevolent¹⁸ facethat ever was seen, and that they can very well do without muchbeauty in me--even supposing--.

The　End

1 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。

2 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

3 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

4 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

5 westward   

n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西

参考例句：

• We live on the westward slope of the hill.我们住在这座山的西山坡。
• Explore westward or wherever.向西或到什么别的地方去勘探。

6 mortification   

n.耻辱，屈辱

参考例句：

• To my mortification, my manuscript was rejected. 使我感到失面子的是：我的稿件被退了回来。
• The chairman tried to disguise his mortification. 主席试图掩饰自己的窘迫。

7 abetter   

n.教唆者，怂恿者

参考例句：

• Make them SMAART goals andand you'll have abetter chance of attaining them. 制定SMAART目标，那么你实现这些目标的机会将更大。 来自互联网
• Betty beat abit of butter to make abetter butter. 贝蒂敲打一小块奶油要做一块更好的奶油面。 来自互联网

8 scanty   

adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的

参考例句：

• There is scanty evidence to support their accusations.他们的指控证据不足。
• The rainfall was rather scanty this month.这个月的雨量不足。

9 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。

10 soften   

v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和

参考例句：

• Plastics will soften when exposed to heat.塑料适当加热就可以软化。
• This special cream will help to soften up our skin.这种特殊的护肤霜有助于使皮肤变得柔软。

11 apoplectic   

adj.中风的；愤怒的；n.中风患者

参考例句：

• He died from a stroke of apoplexy.他死于中风。
• My father was apoplectic when he discovered the truth.我父亲在发现真相后勃然大怒。

12 veneration   

n.尊敬，崇拜

参考例句：

• I acquired lasting respect for tradition and veneration for the past.我开始对传统和历史产生了持久的敬慕。
• My father venerated General Eisenhower.我父亲十分敬仰艾森豪威尔将军。

13 dame   

n.女士

参考例句：

• The dame tell of her experience as a wife and mother.这位年长妇女讲了她作妻子和母亲的经验。
• If you stick around,you'll have to marry that dame.如果再逗留多一会，你就要跟那个夫人结婚。

14 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。

15 prospered   

成功，兴旺( prosper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The organization certainly prospered under his stewardship. 不可否认，这个组织在他的管理下兴旺了起来。
• Mr. Black prospered from his wise investments. 布莱克先生由于巧妙的投资赚了不少钱。

16 soothed   

v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦

参考例句：

• The music soothed her for a while. 音乐让她稍微安静了一会儿。
• The soft modulation of her voice soothed the infant. 她柔和的声调使婴儿安静了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

17 bustling   

adj.喧闹的

参考例句：

• The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
• This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。

18 benevolent   

adj.仁慈的，乐善好施的

参考例句：

• His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him.他乐善好施的本性使他不会拒绝走上前向他行乞的任何一个乞丐。
• He was a benevolent old man and he wouldn't hurt a fly.他是一个仁慈的老人，连只苍蝇都不愿伤害。