Of the gold that shines yellow,
And she shall be buried
By the banks of green willow2.
—Somerset folksong: “By the Banks of Green Willow”
The sad figure in all this is poor Aunt Tranter. She came back from her lunch expecting to meet Charles. Instead she met her house in universal catastrophe3. Mary first greeted her in the hall, white and distraught.
“Child, child, what has happened!”
Mary could only shake her head in agony. A door opened upstairs and the good lady raised her skirt and began to trot4 up them like a woman half her age. On the landing she met Dr. Grogan, who urgently raised his finger to his lips. It was not until they were in the fateful sitting room, and he had seen Mrs. Tranter seated, that he broke the reality to her.
“It cannot be. It cannot be.”
“Dear woman, a thousand times alas5 ... but it can—and is.”
“But Charles ... so affectionate, so loving . . . why, only yesterday a telegram ...” and she looked as if she no longer knew her room, or the doctor’s quiet, downlooking face.
“His conduct is atrocious. I cannot understand it.”
“But what reasons has he given?”
“She would not speak. Now don’t alarm yourself. She needs sleep. What I have given her will ensure that. Tomor-row all will be explained.”
“Not all the explanations in the world ...”
She began to cry. “There, there, my dear lady. Cry. Noth-ing relieves the feelings better.”
“Poor darling. She will die of a broken heart.”
“I think not. I have never yet had to give that as a cause of death.”
“You do not know her as I do ... and oh, what will Emily say? It will all be my fault.” Emily was her sister, Mrs. Freeman.
“I think she must be telegraphed at once. Allow me to see to that.”
“Oh heavens—and where shall she sleep?”
The doctor smiled, but very gently, at this non sequitur. He had had to deal with such cases before; and he knew the best prescription6 was an endless female fuss.
“Now, my dear Mrs. Tranter, I wish you to listen to me. For a few days you must see to it that your niece is watched day and night. If she wishes to be treated as an invalid7, then treat her so. If she wishes tomorrow to get up and leave Lyme, then let her do so. Humor her, you understand. She is young, in excellent health. I guarantee that in six months she will be as gay as a linnet.”
“How can you be so cruel! She will never get over it. That wicked ... but how ...” A thought struck her and she reached out and touched the doctor’s sleeve. “There is anoth-er woman!”
Dr. Grogan pinched his nose. “That, I cannot say.”
“He is a monster.”
“But not so much of a monster that he has not declared himself one. And lost a party a good many monsters would have greedily devoured8.”
“Yes. Yes. There is that to be thankful for.” But her mind was boxed by contradictions. “I shall never forgive him.” Another idea struck her. “He is still in the town? I shall go tell him my mind.”
He took her arm. “That I must forbid. He himself called me here. He waits now to hear that the poor girl is not in danger. I shall see him. Rest assured that I shall not mince9 matters. I’ll have his hide for this.”
“He should be whipped and put in the stocks. When we were young that would have been done. It ought to be done. The poor, poor angel.” She stood. “I must go to her.”
“And I must see him.”
“You will tell him from me that he has ruined the hap-piness of the sweetest, most trusting—“
“Yes yes yes ... now calm yourself. And do find out why that serving-lass of yours is taking on so. Anyone would think her heart had been broken.”
Mrs. Tranter saw the doctor out, then drying her tears, climbed the stairs to Ernestina’s room. The curtains were drawn10, but daylight filtered round the edges. Mary sat beside the victim. She rose as her mistress entered. Ernestina lay deep in sleep, on her back, but with her head turned to one side. The face was strangely calm and composed, the breath-ing quiet. There was even the faintest suggestion of a smile on those lips. The irony11 of that calm smote12 Mrs. Tranter again; the poor dear child, when she awoke . . . tears sprang again. She raised herself and dabbed13 her eyes, then looked at Mary for the first time. Now Mary really did look like a soul in the bottom-most pit of misery14, in fact everything that Tina ought to have looked, but didn’t; and Mrs. Tranter remembered the doctor’s somewhat querulous parting words. She beckoned15 to the maid to follow her and they went out on the landing. With the door ajar, they spoke16 there in whispers.
“Now tell me what happened, child.”
“Mr. Charles ‘e called down, m’m, and Miss Tina was a-lying in faints an’ ‘e run out fer the doctor ‘n Miss Tina ‘er opens ‘er eyes on’y ‘er doan’ say no thin’ so’s I ‘elps ‘er up yere, I didden know ‘ow to do, for soon’s ‘er’s on ‘er bed, m’m, ‘er’s tooken by the istricks ‘n oh m’m I was so frighted ‘twas like ‘er was laffin’ and screamin’ and ‘er woulden stop. An’ then Doctor Grogan ‘e come ‘n ‘e calm ‘er down. Oh m’m.”
“There, there, Mary, you were a good girl. And did she say nothing?”
“On’y when us was a-comin” up the stairs, m’m, an’ ‘er asked where Mr. Charles was to, m’m. I tol’er ‘e’d agone to the doctor. ‘Twas what started the istricks, m’m.”
“Sh. Sh.”
For Mary’s voice had begun to rise and there were strong symptoms in her as well of the hysterics. Mrs. Tranter had, in any case, a strong urge to console something, so she took Mary into her arms and patted her head. Although she thereby17 broke all decent laws on the matter of the mistress-servant relationship, I rather think that that heavenly butler did not close his doors in her face. The girl’s body was racked with pent-up sobs19, which she tried to control for the other sufferer’s sake. At last she quietened.
“Now what is it?”
“It’s Sam, m’m. ‘E’s downstairs. ‘E’s ‘ad bad words with Mr. Charles, m’m, an’ given in ‘is notice ‘n Mr. Charles woan’ giv’un no reffrums now.” She stifled20 a late sob18. “Us doan’ know what’s to become of us.”
“Bad words? When was this, child?”
“Jus” afore ‘ee come in, m’m. On account o’ Miss Tina, m’m.”
“But how was that?”
“Sam ‘e knew ‘twas goin’ to ‘appen. That Mr. Charles—Vs a wicked wicked man, m’m. Oh m’m, us wanted to tell ‘ee but us didden dare.”
There was a low sound from the room. Mrs. Tranter went swiftly and looked in; but the face remained calm and deeply asleep. She came out again to the girl with the sunken head.
“I shall watch now, Mary. Let us talk later.” The girl bent21 her head even lower. “This Sam, do you truly love him?”
“Yes, m’m.”
“And does he love you?”
“’Tis why ‘e woulden go with ‘is master, m’m.”
“Tell him to wait. I should like to speak to him. And we’ll find him a post.”
Mary’s tear-stained face rose then.
“I doan’ ever want to leav’ee, m’m.”
“And you never shall, child—till your wedding day.”
Then Mrs. Tranter bent forward and kissed her forehead. She went and sat by Ernestina, while Mary went downstairs. Once in the kitchen she ran, to the cook’s disgust, outside and into the lilac shadows and Sam’s anxious but eager arms.
收听单词发音 |
1
coffin
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| n.棺材，灵柩 | |
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willow
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| n.柳树 | |
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3
catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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trot
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| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
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alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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prescription
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| n.处方，开药；指示，规定 | |
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7
invalid
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| n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的 | |
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8
devoured
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| 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 | |
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mince
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| n.切碎物；v.切碎，矫揉做作地说 | |
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10
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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irony
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| n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄 | |
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smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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13
dabbed
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| （用某物）轻触( dab的过去式和过去分词 )； 轻而快地擦掉（或抹掉）； 快速擦拭； （用某物）轻而快地涂上（或点上）… | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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sob
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| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
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sobs
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| 啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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