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Chapter 43
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THROUGH the Cayley family, I became very intimate with theirnear relatives the Worsleys of Hovingham, near York.

  Hovingham has now become known to the musical world throughits festivals, annually1 held at the Hall under the patronageof its late owner, Sir William Worsley. It was in hisfather's time that this fine place, with its delightfulfamily, was for many years a home to me. Here I met theAlisons, and at the kind invitation of Sir Archibald, paidthe great historian a visit at Possil, his seat in Scotland.

  As men who had achieved scientific or literary distinctioninspired me with far greater awe2 than those of the highestrank - of whom from my childhood I had seen abundance -Alison's celebrity3, his courteous4 manner, his oracularspeech, his voluminous works, and his voluminous dimensions,filled me with too much diffidence and respect to admit ofany freedom of approach. One listened to him, as he heldforth of an evening when surrounded by his family, withreverential silence. He had a strong Scotch5 accent; and, ifa wee bit prosy at times, it was sententious and polishedprose that he talked; he talked invariably like a book. Hisfamily were devoted6 to him; and I felt that no one who knewhim could help liking7 him.

  When Thackeray was giving readings from 'The Four Georges,' Idined with Lady Grey and Landseer, and we three went to hearhim. I had heard Dickens read 'The Trial of Bardell againstPickwick,' and it was curious to compare the style of the twogreat novelists. With Thackeray, there was an entire absenceof either tone or colour. Of course the historical nature ofhis subject precluded8 the dramatic suggestion to be lookedfor in the Pickwick trial, thus rendering9 comparisoninapposite. Nevertheless one was bound to contrast them.

  Thackeray's features were impassive, and his voice knew noinflection. But his elocution in other respects was perfect,admirably distinct and impressive from its completeobliteration of the reader.

  The selection was from the reign10 of George the Third; and nopart of it was more attentively11 listened to than his passingallusion to himself. 'I came,' he says, 'from India as achild, and our ship touched at an island on the way home,where my black servant took me a long walk over rocks andhills until we reached a garden, where we saw a man walking.

  "That is he," said the black man, "that is Bonaparte! Heeats three sheep every day, and all the little children hecan lay hands on!"' One went to hear Thackeray, to seeThackeray; and the child and the black man and the ogre werethere on the stage before one. But so well did the lecturerperform his part, that ten minutes later one had forgottenhim, and saw only George Selwyn and his friend HoraceWalpole, and Horace's friend, Miss Berry - whom by the way Itoo knew and remember. One saw the 'poor society ghastly inits pleasures, its loves, its revelries,' and the redeemingvision of 'her father's darling, the Princess Amelia,pathetic for her beauty, her sweetness, her early death, andfor the extreme passionate12 tenderness with which her fatherloved her.' The story told, as Thackeray told it, was asdelightful to listen to as to read.

  Not so with Dickens. He disappointed me. He made no attemptto represent the different characters by varied13 utterance;but whenever something unusually comic was said, or about tobe said, he had a habit of turning his eyes up to theceiling; so that, knowing what was coming, one nervouslyanticipated the upcast look, and for the moment lost theillusion. In both entertainments, the reader was naturallythe central point of interest. But in the case of Dickens,when curiosity was satisfied, he alone possessed14 one;Pickwick and Mrs. Bardell were put out of court.

  Was it not Charles Lamb, or was it Hazlitt, that could notbear to see Shakespeare upon the stage? I agree with him. Ihave never seen a Falstaff that did not make me miserable15.

  He is even more impossible to impersonate than Hamlet. Aplayer will spoil you the character of Hamlet, but he cannotspoil his thoughts. Depend upon it, we are fortunate not tohave seen Shakespeare in his ghost of Royal Denmark.

  In 1861 I married Lady Katharine Egerton, second daughter ofLord Wilton, and we took up our abode16 in Warwick Square,which, by the way, I had seen a few years before as a turnipfield. My wife was an accomplished17 pianiste, so we had agreat deal of music, and saw much of the artist world. I maymention one artistic18 dinner amongst our early efforts athousekeeping, which nearly ended with a catastrophe19.

  Millais and Dicky Doyle were of the party; music wasrepresented by Joachim, Piatti, and Halle. The late Lord andLady de Ros were also of the number. Lady de Ros, who was adaughter of the Duke of Richmond, had danced at the ballgiven by her father at Brussels the night before Waterloo.

  As Lord de Ros was then Governor of the Tower, it will beunderstood that he was a veteran of some standing20. The greatmusical trio were enchanting21 all ears with their faultlessperformance, when the sweet and soul-stirring notes of theAdagio were suddenly interrupted by a loud crash and ashriek. Old Lord de Ros was listening to the music on a sofaat the further end of the room. Over his head was a largepicture in a heavy frame. What vibrations22, what carelesshanging, what mischievous23 Ate or Discord24 was at the bottom ofit, who knows? Down came the picture on the top of the poorold General's head, and knocked him senseless on the floor.

  He had to be carried upstairs and laid upon a bed. Happilyhe recovered without serious injury. There were manyexclamations of regret, but the only one I remember wasMillais'. All he said was: 'And it is a good picture too.'

  Sir Arthur Sullivan was one of our musical favourites. Mywife had known him as a chorister boy in the Chapel25 Royal;and to the end of his days we were on terms of the closestintimacy and friendship. Through him we made theacquaintance of the Scott Russells. Mr. Scott Russell wasthe builder of the Crystal Palace. He had a delightfulresidence at Sydenham, the grounds of which adjoined those ofthe Crystal Palace, and were beautifully laid out by hisfriend Sir Joseph Paxton. One of the daughters, Miss RachelRussell, was a pupil of Arthur Sullivan's. She had greatmusical talent, she was remarkably26 handsome, exceedinglyclever and well-informed, and altogether exceptionallyfascinating. Quite apart from Sullivan's genius, he was inevery way a charming fellow. The teacher fell in love withthe pupil; and, as naturally, his love was returned.

  Sullivan was but a youth, a poor and struggling music-master.

  And, very naturally again, Mrs. Scott Russell, who could notbe expected to know what magic baton27 the young maestrocarried in his knapsack, thought her brilliant daughter mightdo better. The music lessons were put a stop to, andcorrespondence between the lovers was prohibited.

  Once a week or so, either the young lady or the younggentleman would, quite unexpectedly, pay us a visit about teaor luncheon28 time. And, by the strangest coincidence, theother would be sure to drop in while the one was there. Thiswent on for a year or two. But destiny forbade the banns.

  In spite of the large fortune acquired by Mr. Scott Russell -he was the builder of the 'Great Eastern' as well as theCrystal Palace - ill-advised or unsuccessful ventures robbedhim of his well-earned wealth. His beautiful place atSydenham had to be sold; and the marriage of Miss Rachel withyoung Arthur Sullivan was abandoned. She ultimately marriedan Indian official.

  Her story may here be told to the end. Some years later shereturned to England to bring her two children home for theireducation, going back to India without them, as Indianmothers have to do. The day before she sailed, she called totake leave of us in London. She was terribly depressed29, butfought bravely with her trial. She never broke down, butshunted the subject, talking and laughing with flashes of herold vivacity30, about music, books, friends, and 'dear olddirty London,' as she called it. When she left, I opened thestreet-door for her, and with both her hands in mine, badeher 'Farewell.' Then the tears fell, and her parting wordswere: 'I am leaving England never to see it again.' She wasseized with cholera31 the night she reached Bombay, and diedthe following day.

  To return to her father, the eminent32 engineer. He wasdistinctly a man of genius, and what is called 'a character.'

  He was always in the clouds - not in the vapour of hisengine-rooms, nor busy inventing machines for extractingsunbeams from cucumbers, but musing33 on metaphysical problemsand abstract speculations34 about the universe generally. Inother respects a perfectly35 simple-minded man.

  It was in his palmy days that he invited me to run down toSheerness with him, and go over the 'Great Eastern' beforeshe left with the Atlantic cable. This was in 1865. Thelargest ship in the world, and the first Atlantic cable, wereboth objects of the greatest interest. The builder did notknow the captain - Anderson - nor did the captain know thebuilder. But clearly, each would be glad to meet the other.

  As the leviathan was to leave in a couple of days, everythingon board her was in the wildest confusion. Russell could notfind anyone who could find the Captain; so he began pokingabout with me, till we accidentally stumbled on theCommander. He merely said that he was come to take a partingglance at his 'child,' which did not seem of much concern tothe over-busy captain. He never mentioned his own name, butintroduced me as 'my friend Captain Cole.' Now, in thosedays, Captain Cole was well known as a distinguished36 navalofficer. To Russell's absent and engineering mind, 'Coke'

  had suggested 'Cole,' and 'Captain' was inseparable from thelatter. It was a name to conjure37 with. Captain Andersontook off his cap, shook me warmly by the hand, expressed hispleasure at making my acquaintance, and hoped I, and myfriend Mr. - ahem - would come into his cabin and haveluncheon, and then allow him to show me over his ship. ScottRussell was far too deeply absorbed in his surroundings tonote any peculiarity38 in this neglect of himself and markedrespect for 'Captain Cole.' We made the round of the decks,then explored the engine room. Here the designer foundhimself in an earthly paradise. He button-holed the engineerand inquired into every crank, and piston39, and valve, andevery bolt, as it seemed to me, till the officer in chargeunconsciously began to ask opinions instead of offeringexplanations. By degrees the captain was equally astonishedat the visitor's knowledge, and when at last my friend askedwhat had become of some fixture40 or other which he missed,Captain Anderson turned to him and exclaimed, 'Why, you seemto know more about the ship than I do.'

  'Well, so I ought,' says my friend, never for a momentsupposing that Anderson was in ignorance of his identity.

  'Indeed! Who then are you, pray?'

  'Who? Why, Scott Russell of course, the builder!'

  There was a hearty41 laugh over it all. I managed to spare thecaptain's feelings by preserving my incognito42, and so ended apleasant day.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 annually VzYzNO     
adv.一年一次,每年
参考例句:
  • Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
  • They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。
2 awe WNqzC     
n.敬畏,惊惧;vt.使敬畏,使惊惧
参考例句:
  • The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
  • The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。
3 celebrity xcRyQ     
n.名人,名流;著名,名声,名望
参考例句:
  • Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
  • He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。
4 courteous tooz2     
adj.彬彬有礼的,客气的
参考例句:
  • Although she often disagreed with me,she was always courteous.尽管她常常和我意见不一,但她总是很谦恭有礼。
  • He was a kind and courteous man.他为人友善,而且彬彬有礼。
5 scotch ZZ3x8     
n.伤口,刻痕;苏格兰威士忌酒;v.粉碎,消灭,阻止;adj.苏格兰(人)的
参考例句:
  • Facts will eventually scotch these rumours.这种谣言在事实面前将不攻自破。
  • Italy was full of fine views and virtually empty of Scotch whiskey.意大利多的是美景,真正缺的是苏格兰威士忌。
6 devoted xu9zka     
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的
参考例句:
  • He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
  • We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
7 liking mpXzQ5     
n.爱好;嗜好;喜欢
参考例句:
  • The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
  • I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。
8 precluded 84f6ba3bf290d49387f7cf6189bc2f80     
v.阻止( preclude的过去式和过去分词 );排除;妨碍;使…行不通
参考例句:
  • Abdication is precluded by the lack of a possible successor. 因为没有可能的继承人,让位无法实现。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The bad weather precluded me from attending the meeting. 恶劣的天气使我不能出席会议。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
9 rendering oV5xD     
n.表现,描写
参考例句:
  • She gave a splendid rendering of Beethoven's piano sonata.她精彩地演奏了贝多芬的钢琴奏鸣曲。
  • His narrative is a super rendering of dialect speech and idiom.他的叙述是方言和土语最成功的运用。
10 reign pBbzx     
n.统治时期,统治,支配,盛行;v.占优势
参考例句:
  • The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
  • The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。
11 attentively AyQzjz     
adv.聚精会神地;周到地;谛;凝神
参考例句:
  • She listened attentively while I poured out my problems. 我倾吐心中的烦恼时,她一直在注意听。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • She listened attentively and set down every word he said. 她专心听着,把他说的话一字不漏地记下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
12 passionate rLDxd     
adj.热情的,热烈的,激昂的,易动情的,易怒的,性情暴躁的
参考例句:
  • He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
  • He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。
13 varied giIw9     
adj.多样的,多变化的
参考例句:
  • The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。
  • The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。
14 possessed xuyyQ     
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。
15 miserable g18yk     
adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的
参考例句:
  • It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他,这是可耻的。
  • Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。
16 abode hIby0     
n.住处,住所
参考例句:
  • It was ten months before my father discovered his abode.父亲花了十个月的功夫,才好不容易打听到他的住处。
  • Welcome to our humble abode!欢迎光临寒舍!
17 accomplished UzwztZ     
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的
参考例句:
  • Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
  • Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。
18 artistic IeWyG     
adj.艺术(家)的,美术(家)的;善于艺术创作的
参考例句:
  • The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
  • These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。
19 catastrophe WXHzr     
n.大灾难,大祸
参考例句:
  • I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
  • This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。
20 standing 2hCzgo     
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。
21 enchanting MmCyP     
a.讨人喜欢的
参考例句:
  • His smile, at once enchanting and melancholy, is just his father's. 他那种既迷人又有些忧郁的微笑,活脱儿象他父亲。
  • Its interior was an enchanting place that both lured and frightened me. 它的里头是个吸引人的地方,我又向往又害怕。
22 vibrations d94a4ca3e6fa6302ae79121ffdf03b40     
n.摆动( vibration的名词复数 );震动;感受;(偏离平衡位置的)一次性往复振动
参考例句:
  • We could feel the vibrations from the trucks passing outside. 我们可以感到外面卡车经过时的颤动。
  • I am drawn to that girl; I get good vibrations from her. 我被那女孩吸引住了,她使我产生良好的感觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
23 mischievous mischievous     
adj.调皮的,恶作剧的,有害的,伤人的
参考例句:
  • He is a mischievous but lovable boy.他是一个淘气但可爱的小孩。
  • A mischievous cur must be tied short.恶狗必须拴得短。
24 discord iPmzl     
n.不和,意见不合,争论,(音乐)不和谐
参考例句:
  • These two answers are in discord.这两个答案不一样。
  • The discord of his music was hard on the ear.他演奏的不和谐音很刺耳。
25 chapel UXNzg     
n.小教堂,殡仪馆
参考例句:
  • The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
  • She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午,她在小教堂的演出,可以说是登峰造极。
26 remarkably EkPzTW     
ad.不同寻常地,相当地
参考例句:
  • I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
  • He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。
27 baton 5Quyw     
n.乐队用指挥杖
参考例句:
  • With the baton the conductor was beating time.乐队指挥用指挥棒打拍子。
  • The conductor waved his baton,and the band started up.指挥挥动指挥棒,乐队开始演奏起来。
28 luncheon V8az4     
n.午宴,午餐,便宴
参考例句:
  • We have luncheon at twelve o'clock.我们十二点钟用午餐。
  • I have a luncheon engagement.我午饭有约。
29 depressed xu8zp9     
adj.沮丧的,抑郁的,不景气的,萧条的
参考例句:
  • When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
  • His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。
30 vivacity ZhBw3     
n.快活,活泼,精神充沛
参考例句:
  • Her charm resides in her vivacity.她的魅力存在于她的活泼。
  • He was charmed by her vivacity and high spirits.她的活泼与兴高采烈的情绪把他迷住了。
31 cholera rbXyf     
n.霍乱
参考例句:
  • The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
  • Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。
32 eminent dpRxn     
adj.显赫的,杰出的,有名的,优良的
参考例句:
  • We are expecting the arrival of an eminent scientist.我们正期待一位著名科学家的来访。
  • He is an eminent citizen of China.他是一个杰出的中国公民。
33 musing musing     
n. 沉思,冥想 adj. 沉思的, 冥想的 动词muse的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • "At Tellson's banking-house at nine," he said, with a musing face. “九点在台尔森银行大厦见面,”他想道。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
  • She put the jacket away, and stood by musing a minute. 她把那件上衣放到一边,站着沉思了一会儿。
34 speculations da17a00acfa088f5ac0adab7a30990eb     
n.投机买卖( speculation的名词复数 );思考;投机活动;推断
参考例句:
  • Your speculations were all quite close to the truth. 你的揣测都很接近于事实。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • This possibility gives rise to interesting speculations. 这种可能性引起了有趣的推测。 来自《用法词典》
35 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
36 distinguished wu9z3v     
adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的
参考例句:
  • Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
  • A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。
37 conjure tnRyN     
v.恳求,祈求;变魔术,变戏法
参考例句:
  • I conjure you not to betray me.我恳求你不要背弃我。
  • I can't simply conjure up the money out of thin air.我是不能像变魔术似的把钱变来。
38 peculiarity GiWyp     
n.独特性,特色;特殊的东西;怪癖
参考例句:
  • Each country has its own peculiarity.每个国家都有自己的独特之处。
  • The peculiarity of this shop is its day and nigth service.这家商店的特点是昼夜服务。
39 piston w2Rz7     
n.活塞
参考例句:
  • They use a piston engine instead.他们改用活塞发动机。
  • The piston moves by steam pressure.活塞在蒸汽压力下运动。
40 fixture hjKxo     
n.固定设备;预定日期;比赛时间;定期存款
参考例句:
  • Lighting fixture must be installed at once.必须立即安装照明设备。
  • The cordless kettle may now be a fixture in most kitchens.无绳电热水壶现在可能是多数厨房的固定设备。
41 hearty Od1zn     
adj.热情友好的;衷心的;尽情的,纵情的
参考例句:
  • After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了,他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。
  • We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。
42 incognito ucfzW     
adv.匿名地;n.隐姓埋名;adj.化装的,用假名的,隐匿姓名身份的
参考例句:
  • He preferred to remain incognito.他更喜欢继续隐姓埋名下去。
  • He didn't want to be recognized,so he travelled incognito.他不想被人认出,所以出行时隐瞒身分。


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