Chapter 2

To Mr. Mason, Assistant to the Astronomer¹ Royal, At Greenwich Esteem'd Sir,—
As I have the honor of being nam'd your Second, upon the propos'd Expedition to Sumatra, to observe the Transit² of Venus, I hope I do not err³, in introducing myself thus. Despite what Re-assurances you may have had from Mr. Bird and Mr. Emerson, and I hope others, as to my suitability,— yet, yourself being Adjunct to the Prime Astronomer of the Kingdom, 'twould be strange,— not odd of course, but unexpected, rather,— if you did not entertain a profes?sional Doubt, or even two, as to my Qualifications.
Tho' 'tis true, that in my own Work I have recourse much more often to the Needle, than to the Stars,— yet, what I lack in Celes?tial experience, I pray I may counterpend with Diligence and a swift Grasp,— as, clearly, I cannot pretend to your level of Art, Sir, gladly would I adopt, as promptly⁵ as benefit from, any suggestions you might direct toward improving the level of my own.
In this, as in all else,—
Y'r obd't s'v't.
Jeremiah Dixon.—
A few months later, when it is no longer necessary to pretend as much as they expected they'd have to, Dixon reveals that, whilst composing this, he had delib'rately refrain'd from Drink. "Went thro' twenty Revi?sions, dreaming all the while of the Pint⁶ awaiting me down at The Jolly Pitman. Then the Pint after that, of course, and so forth— Growing more desirable with each stricken Phrase, if tha follow me,—
Mason in turn confesses to having nearly thrown the Letter away, hav?ing noted⁷ its origin in County Durham, and assumed it to be but more of the free provincial⁸ advice that it was one of his Tasks to read thro' in the Astronomer Royal's behalf, and respond to. "Yet, 'twas so sincere,— I instantly felt sham'd,— unworthy,— that this honest Country soul believ'd me wise.—  Ahhrr! bitter Deception⁹...."
To,— Mr. Jeremiah Dixon Bishop¹⁰ Auckland, Co. Durham. Sir,—
I have yours of the 26th Ult. and am much oblig'd for your kind opinion.—  Yet I fear, the Doubts may with justice fall more upon your side, for I have never taught anyone, upon any Subject, nor may I prove much skill'd at it. Howbeit,— pray you hesitate not, in asking what you like, as I shall ever try to answer honestly,— if probably not in toto.
Each of us is to have his own twin Telescope, by Mr. Dollond, fit?ted⁴ with the latest of his marvellous Achromatics,— our Clock by Mr. Shelton,— and of course the Sector¹¹ by your Mr. Bird,— none but the best for this Party, I should say!
Wishing you a journey south as safe as His Ways how strange, may allow, I wait your arrival in a Spirit happily rescu'd by your universally good Name, from all Imps¹² of the Apprehensive,— an Exception most welcome, in the generally uneasy Life of
y'r obdt. Svt.,
Charles Mason
was not there when they met,— or, not in the usual Way. I later heard from them how they remember'd meeting. I tried to record, in what I then projected as a sort of Spiritual Day-Book, what I could remember of what they said,— tho' 'twas too often abridg'd by the Day's Fatigue¹³.
("Writing in your sleep, too!" cry the Twins.)
0 children, I even dream'd in those Days,— but only long after the waking Traverse was done.
Howsobeit,— scarcely have they met, in the Saloon of Mason's Inn at Portsmouth, than Mason finds himself coming the Old London Hand, before Dixon's clear Stupefaction with the Town.
"Eeh! Fellow was spitting at my Shoes...? Another pushing folk one by one into the Gutters¹⁴, some of them quite dangerous to look ah'...? How can Yese dwell than' closely together, Day upon Day, without all growing Murderous?"
"Oh, one may, if one wishes, find insult at ev'ry step,— from insolent¹⁵ Stares to mortal Assault, an Orgy of Insult uninterrupted,— yet how does one proceed to call out each offender¹⁶ in turn, or choose among 'em, and in obedience¹⁷ to what code? So, one soon understands it, as yet another Term in the Contract between the City and oneself,— a function of sim?ple Density¹⁸, ensuring that there never be time enough to acknowledge, let alone to resent, such a mad Variety of offer'd Offense¹⁹.”

1 astronomer   

n.天文学家

参考例句：

• A new star attracted the notice of the astronomer.新发现的一颗星引起了那位天文学家的注意。
• He is reputed to have been a good astronomer.他以一个优秀的天文学者闻名于世。

2 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

3 err   

vi.犯错误，出差错

参考例句：

• He did not err by a hair's breadth in his calculation.他的计算结果一丝不差。
• The arrows err not from their aim.箭无虚发。

4 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

5 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

6 pint   

n.品脱

参考例句：

• I'll have a pint of beer and a packet of crisps, please.我要一品脱啤酒和一袋炸马铃薯片。
• In the old days you could get a pint of beer for a shilling.从前，花一先令就可以买到一品脱啤酒。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

9 deception   

n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计

参考例句：

• He admitted conspiring to obtain property by deception.他承认曾与人合谋骗取财产。
• He was jailed for two years for fraud and deception.他因为诈骗和欺诈入狱服刑两年。

10 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

11 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

12 imps   

n.（故事中的）小恶魔( imp的名词复数 )；小魔鬼；小淘气；顽童

参考例句：

• Those imps are brewing mischief. 那些小淘气们正在打坏主意。 来自辞典例句
• No marvel if the imps follow when the devil goes before. 魔鬼带头，难怪小鬼纷纷跟随。 来自互联网

13 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

14 gutters   

（路边）排水沟( gutter的名词复数 )； 阴沟； （屋顶的）天沟； 贫贱的境地

参考例句：

• Gutters lead the water into the ditch. 排水沟把水排到这条水沟里。
• They were born, they grew up in the gutters. 他们生了下来，以后就在街头长大。

15 insolent   

adj.傲慢的，无理的

参考例句：

• His insolent manner really got my blood up.他那傲慢的态度把我的肺都气炸了。
• It was insolent of them to demand special treatment.他们要求给予特殊待遇，脸皮真厚。

16 offender   

n.冒犯者，违反者，犯罪者

参考例句：

• They all sued out a pardon for an offender.他们请求法院赦免一名罪犯。
• The authorities often know that sex offenders will attack again when they are released.当局一般都知道性犯罪者在获释后往往会再次犯案。

17 obedience   

n.服从，顺从

参考例句：

• Society has a right to expect obedience of the law.社会有权要求人人遵守法律。
• Soldiers act in obedience to the orders of their superior officers.士兵们遵照上级军官的命令行动。

18 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。

19 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。