CHAPTER XV The Parting of the Way

 Power kept his promise. The afternoon sun was still high in the sky when he let loose his horse in the stable yard at Surprise and walked across the stones to the house. He approached in view of the shadiest¹ verandah where the household had come together after lunch. In the amplest² chair lay Selwyn lost to all the ill humours of the heat; but Mrs. Selwyn interrupted her reading to give him a searching glance, and Neville shot up shaggy eyebrows³ and cried "Hello!" Maud came down the steps. She wore a big hat as protection from the sun; but she looked up to speak and showed Power the lines of care that twenty-four hours had drawn⁴ upon her face.

 

"Come this way, Jim. It's shady⁵ up the creek⁶, and there are too many inside."

 

They passed together a little way up the bed of the creek, clambering once and again over sharp faces of rock where fair pools of water rest after the rains. They reached a spot where a[Pg 238] sapling throws a broken shade upon a shelf of stone. They sat down. The prospect⁷ is gentle here as prospects⁸ are judged at Surprise. Below, stands the house peering⁹ round the bank of the rise—above, the creek climbs up into the hills.

 

"Well, Jim?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Come, don't look so cut up. It isn't fair to me. I've spent all day looking things in the face and you must help."

 

"I've come here as you asked. What is there to say?"

 

"Do you still feel the same about her?"

 

"Yes. It will always be the same."

 

"We have come to the end of things. Is that it?"

 

"It needn't be that. There is friendship left."

 

"Fall from first to second place? How dare you ask me that.... What makes you like this? She has nothing more than her looks. She has no education. She can have only a child's experience of life."

 

"It makes no difference."

 

"And where will you be when the glamour¹⁰ has gone?"

 

"It will be time to see when that happens."

 

"But they say she isn't even a good girl. A girl must be so weak to let men do as they like with her."

 

 

"We have said enough."

 

"And what am I to do? Make the best of things I can? Take off my love like an old coat and throw it away because it is out at the elbows? Jim, you don't know what love is. That's why this thing has happened."

 

"Talking won't mend things."

 

"There's no more to say; is that what you mean? We have come to the parting of the ways. I'm to understand that, am I? The house I built has tumbled¹¹ on top of me, and I am to get clear of the ruins as best I can. In a little while this affair of yours will be over, and where shall we both be? Can't you see what a priceless thing we are ready to waste?"

 

"Of course I see it; but it makes no difference. I was a man a month ago, able to take or let alone. Now ... I love the child. There's the beginning and end of it."

 

"We had a hundred things to help us over the difficult bits of life and now because you are tired I am asked to feel the same. That's where the laugh comes in. I find I can't do it."

 

"What a cad you make me!"

 

"She doesn't love you. You told me that yesterday. How are you going to get over that?"

 

"She may change."

 

"Have you thought what I have to face? 'There goes Maud Neville who was found wanting and now takes second place to a girl whose lips are plastered¹² with the kisses of a dozen men.' Some day the words may not seem much; just now, my friend, they have a harsh¹³ sound. How dare you bring me to this?"

 

"Would you have us marry as things are?"

 

"No, I wouldn't. I must eat my humble¹⁴ pie. But as yet I cannot make myself believe that we are at the end of things. It's not easy to speak out the truth even to you. I ought to cut you for good. But I just can't do it. Love takes a lot of killing¹⁵. The world will think me a girl of poor spirit; but better that than that this thing should come to grief¹⁶ in haste. I must have time to think things out. I owe this to you and to myself.... What are you looking at the sun for? Do you want to get away?"

 

"I have to meet O'Neill at three o'clock."

 

"Meet him at three so as to be in time somewhere else later on—I suppose that's it. Well, so be it."

 

"Are you coming to the stable?"

 

"No. I'm going to stay here a little while. Jim, this mustn't be our good-bye. Before you go, promise me you won't quite forget us here. Come when you can."

 

"Good-bye."

 

"Good-bye."

1 shadiest   

adj.背阴的( shady的最高级 )；阴凉的；靠不住的；可疑的

参考例句：

2 amplest   

足够的( ample的最高级 )； 大量的，丰富的

参考例句：

3 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

4 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

5 shady   

adj.成荫的，多荫的，可疑的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• This is a shady avenue.这是条林阴大道。
• He's a rather shady person.他是个相当靠不住的人。

6 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

7 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

8 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

9 peering   

v.凝视( peer的现在分词 )；盯着看；同等；比得上

参考例句：

• He was peering down the well. 他细看下面的井。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The sun was peering through the clouds. 太阳从云中隐约出现。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

10 glamour   

n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住

参考例句：

• Foreign travel has lost its glamour for her.到国外旅行对她已失去吸引力了。
• The moonlight cast a glamour over the scene.月光给景色增添了魅力。

11 tumbled   

v.倒塌( tumble的过去式和过去分词 )；翻滚；突然摔倒；恍然大悟

参考例句：

• He slipped and tumbled down the stairs. 他脚一滑滚下了楼梯。
• A hundred and fifty empty bottles tumbled onto the floor. 150个空瓶子滚落到地板上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 plastered   

v.使平；涂以灰泥；粘贴；掩饰(plaster的过去分词形式)adj.涂得厚厚的；醉醺醺的；〈美俚〉“plaster”的派生

参考例句：

• The torrential rain had plastered her hair to her head. 暴雨使她的头发紧贴头顶。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These rough places on the wall could be plastered over. 可以在墙上这些毛糙的地方涂上灰泥。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

13 harsh   

adj.严厉（酷）的，刺耳的，刺目的，毛糙的

参考例句：

• The sunlight is very harsh.太阳光很刺眼。
• Although his words are harsh,there is positiveness in them.虽然他的话很苛刻，但有建设性。

14 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

15 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

16 grief   

n.悲伤，悲痛，悲伤的事，悲痛的缘由

参考例句：

• Don't allow yourself to sink into grief,it can do no good.不要使自己陷入悲哀之中，这样一点好处也没有。
• After her mother died,she abandoned herself to grief.母亲死后，她沉浸于悲痛之中。