Part 3 In The Shadow Chapter 7

Thus did Gaud, coming in for news in the evening, find her; her hairdishevelled, her arms hanging down, and her head resting against thestone wall, with a falling jaw¹ grinning, and the plaintive² whimper ofa little child; she scarcely could weep any more; these grandmothers,grown too old, have no tears left in their dried-up eyes.

　　"My grandson is dead!" She threw the letters, papers, and medal intoher caller's lap.

　　Gaud quickly scanned the whole, saw the news was true, and fell on herknees to pray. The two women remained there together almost dumb,through the June gloaming, which in Brittany is long but in Iceland isnever-ending. On the hearth³ the cricket that brings joy was chirpinghis shrill⁴ music.

　　The dim dusk entered through the narrow window into the dwelling⁵ ofthose Moans, who had all been devoured⁶ by the sea, and whose familywas now extinguished.

　　At last Gaud said: "/I'll/ come to you, good granny, to live with you;I'll bring my bed that they've left me, and I'll take care of you andnurse you--you shan't be all alone."She wept, too, for her little friend Sylvestre, but in her sorrow shewas led involuntarily to think of another--he who had gone back to thedeep-sea fishery.

　　They would have to write to Yann and tell him Sylvestre was dead; itwas just now that the fishers were starting. Would he, too, weep forhim? Mayhap he would, for he had loved him dearly. In the midst of herown tears, Gaud thought a great deal of him; now and again waxingwroth against the hard-hearted fellow, and then pitying him at thethought of that pain which would strike him also, and which would beas a link between them both--one way and another, her heart was fullof him.

1 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

2 plaintive   

adj.可怜的，伤心的

参考例句：

• Her voice was small and plaintive.她的声音微弱而哀伤。
• Somewhere in the audience an old woman's voice began plaintive wail.观众席里，一位老太太伤心地哭起来。

3 hearth   

n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面

参考例句：

• She came and sat in a chair before the hearth.她走过来，在炉子前面的椅子上坐下。
• She comes to the hearth,and switches on the electric light there.她走到壁炉那里，打开电灯。

4 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。

5 dwelling   

n.住宅，住所，寓所

参考例句：

• Those two men are dwelling with us.那两个人跟我们住在一起。
• He occupies a three-story dwelling place on the Park Street.他在派克街上有一幢3层楼的寓所。

6 devoured   

吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光

参考例句：

• She devoured everything she could lay her hands on: books, magazines and newspapers. 无论是书、杂志，还是报纸，只要能弄得到，她都看得津津有味。
• The lions devoured a zebra in a short time. 狮子一会儿就吃掉了一匹斑马。