Summer advanced, and, at the end of August, with the first autumnalmists, the Icelanders came home.
For the last three months the two lone1 women had lived together atPloubazlanec in the Moan's cottage. Gaud filled a daughter's place inthe poor birthplace of so many dead sailors. She had sent hither allthat remained from the sale of her father's house; her grand bed inthe town fashion, and her fine, different coloured dresses. She hadmade herself a plainer black dress, and like old Yvonne, wore amourning cap, of thick white muslin, adorned2 merely with simpleplaits. Every day she went out sewing at the houses of the rich peoplein the town, and returned every evening without being detained on herway home by any sweetheart. She had remained as proud as ever, and wasstill respected as a fine lady; and as the lads bade her good-night,they always raised a hand to their caps.
Through the sweet evening twilight3, she walked home from Paimpol, allalong the cliff road inhaling4 the fresh, comforting sea air. Constantsitting at needlework had not deformed5 her like many others, who arealways bent6 in two over their work--and she drew up her beautifulsupple form perfectly7 erect8 in looking over the sea, fairly across towhere Yann was it seemed.
The same road led to his home. Had she walked on much farther, towardsa well-known rocky windswept nook, she would come to that hamlet ofPors-Even, where the trees, covered with gray moss9, grew crampedlybetween the stones, and are slanted10 over lowly by the western gales11.
Perhaps she might never more return there, although it was only aleague away; but once in her lifetime she had been there, and that wasenough to cast a charm over the whole road; and, besides, Yann wouldcertainly often pass that way, and she could fancy seeing him upon thebare moor12, stepping between the stumpy reeds.
She loved the whole region of Ploubazlanec, and was almost happy thatfate had driven her there; she never could have become resigned tolive in any other place.
Towards this end of August, a southern warmth, diffusing13 languor,rises and spreads towards the north, with luminous14 afterglows andstray rays from a distant sun, which float over the Breton seas. Oftenthe air is calm and pellucid15, without a single cloud on high.
At the hour of Gaud's return journey, all things had already begun tofade in the nightfall, and become fused into close, compact groups.
Here and there a clump16 of reeds strove to make way between stones,like a battle-torn flag; in a hollow, a cluster of gnarled treesformed a dark mass, or else some straw-thatched hamlet indented18 themoor. At the cross-roads the images of Christ on the cross, whichwatch over and protect the country, stretched out their black arms ontheir supports like real men in torture; in the distance the Channelappeared fair and calm, one vast golden mirror, under the alreadydarkened sky and shade-laden horizon.
In this country even the calm fine weather was a melancholy19 thing;notwithstanding, a vague uneasiness seemed to hover20 about; a palpabledread emanating21 from the sea to which so many lives are intrusted, andwhose everlasting22 threat only slumbered23.
Gaud sauntered along as in a dream, and never found the way longenough. The briny24 smell of the shore, and a sweet odour of floweretsgrowing along the cliffs amid thorny25 bushes, perfumed the air. Had itnot been for Granny Yvonne waiting for her at home, she would haveloitered along the reed-strewn paths, like the beautiful ladies instories, who dream away the summer evenings in their fine parks.
Many thoughts of her early childhood came back to her as she passedthrough the country; but they seemed so effaced26 and far away now,eclipsed by her love looming27 up between.
In spite of all, she went on thinking of Yann as engaged in a degree--a restless, scornful betrothed29, whom she never would really have, butto whom she persisted in being faithful in mind, without speakingabout it to any one. For the time, she was happy to know that he wasoff Iceland; for there, at least, the sea would keep him lonely in herdeep cloisters30, and he would belong to no other woman.
True, he would return one of these days, but she looked upon thatreturn more calmly than before. She instinctively31 understood that herpoverty would not be a reason for him to despise her; for he was notas other men. Moreover, the death of poor Sylvestre would draw themcloser together. Upon his return, he could not do otherwise than cometo see his friend's old granny; and Gaud had decided32 to be present atthat visit; for it did not seem to her that it would be undignified.
Appearing to remember nothing, she would talk to him as to a long-known friend; she would even speak with affection, as was due toSylvestre's brother, and try to seem easy and natural. And who knows?
Perhaps it would not be impossible to be as a sister to him, now thatshe was so lonely in the world; to rely upon his friendship, even toask it as a support, with enough preliminary explanation for him notto accuse her of any after-thought of marriage.
She judged him to be untamed and stubborn in his independent ideas,yet tender and loyal, and capable of understanding the goodness thatcomes straight from the heart.
How would he feel when he met her again, in her poor ruined home?
Very, very poor she was--for Granny Moan was not strong enough now togo out washing, and only had her small widow's pension left; granted,she ate but little, and the two could still manage to live, notdependent upon others.
Night was always fallen when she arrived home; before she could entershe had to go down a little over the worn rocks, for the cottage wasplaced on an incline towards the beach, below the level of thePloubazlanec roadside. It was almost hidden under its thick brownstraw thatch17, and looked like the back of some huge beast, shrunk downunder its bristling33 fur. Its walls were sombre and rough like therocks, but with tiny tufts of green moss and lichens34 over them. Therewere three uneven35 steps before the threshold, and the inside latch36 wasopened by a length of rope-yarn run through a hole. Upon entering, thefirst thing to be seen was the window, hollowed out through the wallas in the substance of a rampart, and giving view of the sea, whenceinflowed a dying yellow light. On the hearth37 burned brightly thesweet-scented branches of pine and beechwood that old Yvonne used topick up along the way, and she herself was sitting there, seeing totheir bit of supper; indoors she wore a kerchief over her head to saveher cap. Her still beautiful profile was outlined in the red flame ofher fire. She looked up at Gaud. Her eyes, which formerly38 were brown,had taken a faded look, and almost appeared blue; they seemed nolonger to see, and were troubled and uncertain with old age. Each dayshe greeted Gaud with the same words:
"Oh, dear me! my good lass, how late you are to-night!""No, Granny," answered Gaud, who was used to it. "This is the sametime as other days.""Eh? It seemed to me, dear, later than usual."They sat down to supper at their table, which had almost becomeshapeless from constant use, but was still as thick as the generousslice of a huge oak. The cricket began its silver-toned music again.
One of the sides of the cottage was filled up by roughly sculptured,worm-eaten woodwork, which had an opening wherein were set thesleeping bunks39, where generations of fishers had been born, and wheretheir aged28 mothers had died.
Quaint old kitchen utensils40 hung from the black beams, as well asbunches of sweet herbs, wooden spoons, and smoked bacon; fishing-nets,which had been left there since the shipwreck41 of the last Moans, theirmeshes nightly bitten by the rats.
Gaud's bed stood in an angle under its white muslin draperies; itseemed like a very fresh and elegant modern invention brought into thehut of a Celt.
On the granite42 wall hung a photograph of Sylvestre in his sailorclothes. His grandmother had fixed43 his military medal to it, with hisown pair of those red cloth anchors that French men-of-wars-men wearon their right sleeve; Gaud had also brought one of those funerealcrowns, of black and white beads44, placed round the portraits of thedead in Brittany. This represented Sylvestre's mausoleum, and was allthat remained to consecrate45 his memory in his own land.
On summer evenings they did not sit up late, to save the lights; whenthe weather was fine, they sat out a while on a stone bench before thedoor, and looked at passers-by in the road, a little over their heads.
Then old Yvonne would lie down on her cupboard shelf; and Gaud on herfine bed, would fall asleep pretty soon, being tired out with herday's work, and walking, and dreaming of the return of the Icelanders.
Like a wise, resolute46 girl, she was not too greatly apprehensive47.
收听单词发音 |
1
lone
|
|
| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
adorned
|
|
| [计]被修饰的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
twilight
|
|
| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
inhaling
|
|
| v.吸入( inhale的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
deformed
|
|
| adj.畸形的；变形的；丑的，破相了的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
bent
|
|
| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
perfectly
|
|
| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
erect
|
|
| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
moss
|
|
| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
slanted
|
|
| 有偏见的； 倾斜的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
gales
|
|
| 龙猫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
moor
|
|
| n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
diffusing
|
|
| （使光）模糊，漫射，漫散( diffuse的现在分词 )； （使）扩散； （使）弥漫； （使）传播 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
luminous
|
|
| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
pellucid
|
|
| adj.透明的，简单的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
clump
|
|
| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
thatch
|
|
| vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部；n.茅草(屋) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
indented
|
|
| adj.锯齿状的，高低不平的；缩进排版 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
melancholy
|
|
| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
hover
|
|
| vi.翱翔，盘旋；徘徊；彷徨，犹豫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
emanating
|
|
| v.从…处传出，传出( emanate的现在分词 )；产生，表现，显示 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
everlasting
|
|
| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
slumbered
|
|
| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
briny
|
|
| adj.盐水的；很咸的；n.海洋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
thorny
|
|
| adj.多刺的，棘手的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
effaced
|
|
| v.擦掉( efface的过去式和过去分词 )；抹去；超越；使黯然失色 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
looming
|
|
| n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
aged
|
|
| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
betrothed
|
|
| n. 已订婚者 动词betroth的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
cloisters
|
|
| n.（学院、修道院、教堂等建筑的）走廊( cloister的名词复数 )；回廊；修道院的生活；隐居v.隐退，使与世隔绝( cloister的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
instinctively
|
|
| adv.本能地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
decided
|
|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
bristling
|
|
| a.竖立的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
lichens
|
|
| n.地衣( lichen的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
uneven
|
|
| adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
latch
|
|
| n.门闩，窗闩；弹簧锁 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
hearth
|
|
| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
formerly
|
|
| adv.从前，以前 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
bunks
|
|
| n.（车、船等倚壁而设的）铺位( bunk的名词复数 )；空话，废话v.（车、船等倚壁而设的）铺位( bunk的第三人称单数 )；空话，废话 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
utensils
|
|
| 器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
shipwreck
|
|
| n.船舶失事，海难 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
granite
|
|
| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
fixed
|
|
| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
beads
|
|
| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
consecrate
|
|
| v.使圣化，奉…为神圣；尊崇；奉献 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
resolute
|
|
| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
apprehensive
|
|
| adj.担心的，恐惧的，善于领会的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |