Her parents had hoped—not without reason and justice—that marriage would bring the poise9, the desirable pose, so glaringly lacking in Athénaïse’s character. Marriage they knew to be a wonderful and powerful agent in the development and formation of a woman’s character; they had seen its effect too often to doubt it.
“And if this marriage does nothing else,” exclaimed Miché in an outburst of sudden exasperation10, “it will rid us of Athénaïse; for I am at the end of my patience with her! You have never had the firmness to manage her,”—he was speaking to his wife,—“I have not had 57the time, the leisure, to devote to her training; and what good we might have accomplished11, that maudit Montéclin—Well, Cazeau is the one! It takes just such a steady hand to guide a disposition12 like Athénaïse’s, a master hand, a strong will that compels obedience13.”
And now, when they had hoped for so much, here was Athénaïse, with gathered and fierce vehemence14, beside which her former outbursts appeared mild, declaring that she would not, and she would not, and she would not continue to enact15 the rôle of wife to Cazeau. If she had had a reason! as Madame Miché lamented16; but it could not be discovered that she had any sane17 one. He had never scolded, or called names, or deprived her of comforts, or been guilty of any of the many reprehensible18 acts commonly attributed to objectionable husbands. He did not slight nor neglect her. Indeed, Cazeau’s chief offense19 seemed to be that he loved her, and Athénaïse was not the woman to be loved against her will. She called marriage a trap set for the feet of unwary and unsuspecting girls, and in round, unmeasured terms reproached her mother with treachery and deceit.
58“I told you Cazeau was the man,” chuckled20 Miché, when his wife had related the scene that had accompanied and influenced Athénaïse’s departure.
Athénaïse again hoped, in the morning, that Cazeau would scold or make some sort of a scene, but he apparently21 did not dream of it. It was exasperating22 that he should take her acquiescence23 so for granted. It is true he had been up and over the fields and across the river and back long before she was out of bed, and he may have been thinking of something else, which was no excuse, which was even in some sense an aggravation24. But he did say to her at breakfast, “That brother of yo’s, that Montéclin, is unbearable25.”
Athénaïse, seated opposite to her husband, was attired26 in a white morning wrapper. She wore a somewhat abused, long face, it is true,—an expression of countenance27 familiar to some husbands,—but the expression was not sufficiently28 pronounced to mar8 the charm of her youthful freshness. She had little heart to eat, only playing with the food before her, and she 59felt a pang29 of resentment30 at her husband’s healthy appetite.
“Yes, Montéclin,” he reasserted. “He’s developed into a firs’-class nuisance; an’ you better tell him, Athénaïse,—unless you want me to tell him,—to confine his energies after this to matters that concern him. I have no use fo’ him or fo’ his interference in w’at regards you an’ me alone.”
This was said with unusual asperity31. It was the little breach32 that Athénaïse had been watching for, and she charged rapidly: “It’s strange, if you detes’ Montéclin so heartily33, that you would desire to marry his sister.” She knew it was a silly thing to say, and was not surprised when he told her so. It gave her a little foothold for further attack, however. “I don’t see, anyhow, w’at reason you had to marry me, w’en there were so many others,” she complained, as if accusing him of persecution34 and injury. “There was Marianne running after you fo’ the las’ five years till it was disgraceful; an’ any one of the Dortrand girls would have been glad to marry you. But no, nothing would do; you mus’ come out on the rigolet fo’ me.” Her complaint was pathetic, 60and at the same time so amusing that Cazeau was forced to smile.
“I can’t see w’at the Dortrand girls or Marianne have to do with it,” he rejoined; adding, with no trace of amusement, “I married you because I loved you; because you were the woman I wanted to marry, an’ the only one. I reckon I tole you that befo’. I thought—of co’se I was a fool fo’ taking things fo’ granted—but I did think that I might make you happy in making things easier an’ mo’ comfortable fo’ you. I expected—I was even that big a fool—I believed that yo’ coming yere to me would be like the sun shining out of the clouds, an’ that our days would be like w’at the story-books promise after the wedding. I was mistaken. But I can’t imagine w’at induced you to marry me. W’atever it was, I reckon you foun’ out you made a mistake, too. I don’ see anything to do but make the best of a bad bargain, an’ shake han’s over it.” He had arisen from the table, and, approaching, held out his hand to her. What he had said was commonplace enough, but it was significant, coming from Cazeau, who was not often so unreserved in expressing himself.
61Athénaïse ignored the hand held out to her. She was resting her chin in her palm, and kept her eyes fixed35 moodily36 upon the table. He rested his hand, that she would not touch, upon her head for an instant, and walked away out of the room.
She heard him giving orders to workmen who had been waiting for him out on the gallery, and she heard him mount his horse and ride away. A hundred things would distract him and engage his attention during the day. She felt that he had perhaps put her and her grievance37 from his thoughts when he crossed the threshold; whilst she—
Old Félicité was standing38 there holding a shining tin pail, asking for flour and lard and eggs from the storeroom, and meal for the chicks.
Athénaïse seized the bunch of keys which hung from her belt and flung them at Félicité’s feet.
“Tiens! tu vas les garder comme tu as jadis fait. Je ne veux plus de ce train là, moi!”
The old woman stooped and picked up the keys from the floor. It was really all one to 62her that her mistress returned them to her keeping, and refused to take further account of the ménage.
点击收听单词发音
1 inevitable | |
adj.不可避免的,必然发生的 | |
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2 philosophical | |
adj.哲学家的,哲学上的,达观的 | |
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3 appreciation | |
n.评价;欣赏;感谢;领会,理解;价格上涨 | |
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4 guile | |
n.诈术 | |
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5 rebellious | |
adj.造反的,反抗的,难控制的 | |
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6 motives | |
n.动机,目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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7 par | |
n.标准,票面价值,平均数量;adj.票面的,平常的,标准的 | |
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8 mar | |
vt.破坏,毁坏,弄糟 | |
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9 poise | |
vt./vi. 平衡,保持平衡;n.泰然自若,自信 | |
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10 exasperation | |
n.愤慨 | |
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11 accomplished | |
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的 | |
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12 disposition | |
n.性情,性格;意向,倾向;排列,部署 | |
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13 obedience | |
n.服从,顺从 | |
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14 vehemence | |
n.热切;激烈;愤怒 | |
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15 enact | |
vt.制定(法律);上演,扮演 | |
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16 lamented | |
adj.被哀悼的,令人遗憾的v.(为…)哀悼,痛哭,悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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17 sane | |
adj.心智健全的,神志清醒的,明智的,稳健的 | |
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18 reprehensible | |
adj.该受责备的 | |
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19 offense | |
n.犯规,违法行为;冒犯,得罪 | |
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20 chuckled | |
轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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21 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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22 exasperating | |
adj. 激怒的 动词exasperate的现在分词形式 | |
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23 acquiescence | |
n.默许;顺从 | |
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24 aggravation | |
n.烦恼,恼火 | |
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25 unbearable | |
adj.不能容忍的;忍受不住的 | |
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26 attired | |
adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服,使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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27 countenance | |
n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同 | |
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28 sufficiently | |
adv.足够地,充分地 | |
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29 pang | |
n.剧痛,悲痛,苦闷 | |
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30 resentment | |
n.怨愤,忿恨 | |
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31 asperity | |
n.粗鲁,艰苦 | |
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32 breach | |
n.违反,不履行;破裂;vt.冲破,攻破 | |
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33 heartily | |
adv.衷心地,诚恳地,十分,很 | |
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34 persecution | |
n. 迫害,烦扰 | |
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35 fixed | |
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 | |
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36 moodily | |
adv.喜怒无常地;情绪多变地;心情不稳地;易生气地 | |
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37 grievance | |
n.怨愤,气恼,委屈 | |
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38 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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