Part 2 In The Breton Land Chapter 8

She stayed three days with him, three happy days, though over themhung a dark and ominous¹ forecast; one might as well call them threedays of respite².

　　At last she was forced to return to Ploubazlanec, for she had come tothe end of her little savings³, and Sylvestre was to embark⁴ the dayafterward. The sailors are always inexorably kept in barracks the daybefore foreign cruises (a custom that seems rather barbarous at first,but which is a necessary precaution against the "flings" they wouldhave before leaving definitely).

　　Oh that last day! She had done her very best to hatch up some morefunny stories in her head, to tell her boy just at the parting; butshe had remembered nothing--no; only tears had welled up, and at everymoment sobs⁵ choked her. Hanging on his arm, she reminded him of athousand things he was not to forget to do, and he also tried hard torepress his tears. They had ended by going into a church to say theirprayers together.

　　It was by the night train that she went. To save a few pence, they hadgone on foot to the station; he carrying her box, and holding her onhis strong arm, upon which she weighed heavily.

　　She was so very, very tired--poor old lady! She had scarcely anystrength left after the exertion⁶ of the last three or four days. Hershoulders were bent⁷ under her brown shawl, and she had no force tobear herself up; her youngish look was gone, and she felt the weightof her seventy-six years.

　　Oh! how her heart ached at the thought that it was all over, and thatin a few moments she must leave him! Was he really to go out so far,to China, perhaps to slaughter⁸. She still had him there with her,quite close, her poor hands could yet grasp him--and yet he must go;all the strength of her will, all her tears, and all her greatheartrending despair--all! would nothing be of avail to keep him back?

　　With her ticket, and her lunch-basket, and her mittens⁹ in her grasp,agitated, she gave him her last blessing¹⁰ and advice, and he answeredher with an obedient "Ay, ay," bending his head tenderly towards herand gazing lovingly at her, in his soft childish way.

　　"Now then, old lady, you must make up your mind plaguey quick if youwant to go by this train!"The engine whistled. Suddenly terrified at the idea of losing thetrain, she bore her box from Sylvestre's grasp, and flinging it down,threw her arms round his neck in a last and supreme¹¹ embrace.

　　Many people on the platform stared at them, but not one smiled.

　　Hustled about by the porters, worn out and full of pain, she pressedinto the first carriage near; the door was banged quickly upon her,while Sylvestre, with all the speed of a young sailor, rushed out ofthe station to the rails beside the line to see the train pass.

　　A shrill¹² screeching¹³ whistle, a noisy grinding of the wheels, and hisgrandmother passed away, leaving him leaning against the gate andswinging up his cap with its flying ribbons, while she, hanging out ofthe window of her third-class carriage, made an answering signal withher handkerchief; and for as long as she could see the dark blue-cladfigure, that was her child, followed him with her eyes, throwing herwhole soul into that "good-bye!" kept back to the last, and alwaysuncertain of realization¹⁴ when sailors are concerned.

　　Look long at your little Sylvestre, poor old woman; until the verylatest moment, do not lose sight of his fleeting¹⁵ shadow, which isfading away for ever.

　　When she could see him no longer, she fell back, completely crushingher still clean unrumpled cap, weeping and sobbing¹⁶ in the agony ofdeath itself.

　　He had turned away slowly, with his head bent, and big tears fallingdown his cheeks. The autumn night had closed in; everywhere the gaswas flaring¹⁷, and the sailors' riotous¹⁸ feasts had begun anew. Paying noheed to anything about him, he passed through Brest and over theRecouvrance Bridge, to the barracks.

　　"Whist! here, you darling boy!" called out some nocturnal prowlers tohim; but he passed on, and entering the barracks, flung himself downin his hammock, weeping, all alone, and hardly sleeping until dawn.

1 ominous   

adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的

参考例句：

• Those black clouds look ominous for our picnic.那些乌云对我们的野餐来说是个不祥之兆。
• There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone.电话那头出现了不祥的沉默。

2 respite   

n.休息，中止，暂缓

参考例句：

• She was interrogated without respite for twenty-four hours.她被不间断地审问了二十四小时。
• Devaluation would only give the economy a brief respite.贬值只能让经济得到暂时的缓解。

3 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

4 embark   

vi.乘船，着手，从事，上飞机

参考例句：

• He is about to embark on a new business venture.他就要开始新的商业冒险活动。
• Many people embark for Europe at New York harbor.许多人在纽约港乘船去欧洲。

5 sobs   

啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She was struggling to suppress her sobs. 她拼命不让自己哭出来。
• She burst into a convulsive sobs. 她突然抽泣起来。

6 exertion   

n.尽力，努力

参考例句：

• We were sweating profusely from the exertion of moving the furniture.我们搬动家具大费气力，累得大汗淋漓。
• She was hot and breathless from the exertion of cycling uphill.由于用力骑车爬坡，她浑身发热。

7 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

8 slaughter   

n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀

参考例句：

• I couldn't stand to watch them slaughter the cattle.我不忍看他们宰牛。
• Wholesale slaughter was carried out in the name of progress.大规模的屠杀在维护进步的名义下进行。

9 mittens   

不分指手套

参考例句：

• Cotton mittens will prevent the baby from scratching his own face. 棉的连指手套使婴儿不会抓伤自己的脸。
• I'd fisted my hands inside their mittens to keep the fingers warm. 我在手套中握拳头来保暖手指。

10 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

11 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

12 shrill   

adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫

参考例句：

• Whistles began to shrill outside the barn.哨声开始在谷仓外面尖叫。
• The shrill ringing of a bell broke up the card game on the cutter.刺耳的铃声打散了小汽艇的牌局。

13 screeching   

v.发出尖叫声( screech的现在分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫

参考例句：

• Monkeys were screeching in the trees. 猴子在树上吱吱地叫着。
• the unedifying sight of the two party leaders screeching at each other 两党党魁狺狺对吠的讨厌情景

14 realization   

n.实现；认识到，深刻了解

参考例句：

• We shall gladly lend every effort in our power toward its realization.我们将乐意为它的实现而竭尽全力。
• He came to the realization that he would never make a good teacher.他逐渐认识到自己永远不会成为好老师。

15 fleeting   

adj.短暂的，飞逝的

参考例句：

• The girls caught only a fleeting glimpse of the driver.女孩们只匆匆瞥了一眼司机。
• Knowing the life fleeting,she set herself to enjoy if as best as she could.她知道这种日子转瞬即逝，于是让自已尽情地享受。

16 sobbing   

<主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的

参考例句：

• I heard a child sobbing loudly. 我听见有个孩子在呜呜地哭。
• Her eyes were red with recent sobbing. 她的眼睛因刚哭过而发红。

17 flaring   

a.火焰摇曳的，过份艳丽的

参考例句：

• A vulgar flaring paper adorned the walls. 墙壁上装饰着廉价的花纸。
• Goebbels was flaring up at me. 戈塔尔当时已对我面呈愠色。

18 riotous   

adj.骚乱的；狂欢的

参考例句：

• Summer is in riotous profusion.盛夏的大地热闹纷繁。
• We spent a riotous night at Christmas.我们度过了一个狂欢之夜。