CHAPTER XVII

 At that time, Finn made a friend whom he had not chosen or wanted for himself, but whom Cordt gave him in his anxiety, because he thought he could never get any one better.

 

His name was Hans and they had known each other since they were children. He was a year older than Finn, not quite so tall, but more powerfully developed, with bright hair and eyes and disposition².

 

His father was a little man who sat among the people in the counting-house, where his father had sat before him. He and his little wife had no luck in life save their son. But at times they trembled for his future, because his ideas were so pronounced and took so wide a range.

 

[217]For, even as he was taller than his father, so he would not be content with his measure in anything.

 

Above all, he did not want to sit in the office, but to go out in the world, big as it was. And, from the time when he was a little boy, he believed that it was bigger than they told him.

 

Now that he had grown up and become conscious of his need and his powers and could not get anywhere, he went fearlessly to the master of the house and told him how the matter stood.

 

Cordt liked him and wanted to keep him for his house, but soon saw that he had nothing that could tempt³ him. He asked him what he would like to be; and it appeared that Hans wanted to be an engineer.

 

Cordt looked at him and thought that his glance could blast rocks.

 

Then he promised his assistance and[218] remained sitting in deep thought, while Hans went down the stairs singing.

 

Time passed. He advanced along his road and both he and the others could see that he was fully¹ keeping pace with his dreams. Cordt did not lose sight of him and was pleased when he called. But Fru Adelheid did not like him, because he talked so loud and had such a heavy tread.

 

One evening, Cordt stood in Hans’ room and talked to him as he had never talked to any one:

 

“I am your father’s employer,” he said, “and my father was your grandfather’s. My son will never be yours. For you mean to make your own way and be your own master. You would have done that even if no one had lent you a helping⁴ hand. That is true. But then you would have become bitter, perhaps, and distrustful and narrow-minded in the[219] use of your strength. From this I delivered you. To-day, I come to ask for a return.”

 

Hans had taken the hand which he put out to him and stood ill at ease, without understanding. And Cordt sat down wearily and sat long without speaking further.

 

At last, he woke from his thoughts and looked at the young man, who could not interpret his glance, but was moved by it:

 

“I do not wish that you were my son,” he said. “I have a son and he is a good lad and I love him. He has not your strength of character, but then he does not need it. His path was smoothed and shaded from the day when he was born and grew up. But he can give you many things which you have not.”

 

He listened to his own words, to the way in which they kept on shaping themselves into an apology for Finn, a prayer[220] for forbearance towards him. He suffered at this; and Hans, who saw his distress⁶, felt, without understanding, that something important and tragic⁷ was taking place in this great house, where he and his had earned their living.

 

“Will you try if you can be his friend?”

 

Hans was quite willing.

 

Cordt looked at him and gauged⁸ his strength. He looked round in the little low-ceilinged room which contained nothing but what served Hans in his work. He looked out of the window, where the roofs intersected one another, dirty and grey against the sky: smoke rose from hundreds of chimneys, the noise of the courtyard and the street filled the room, the window was broken and pasted up with paper.

 

Then he again turned his eyes to the man who sat amidst these mean surroundings and grew up strong. And Cordt[221] knew that he was not standing⁵ here as his benefactor⁹ and his father’s employer, who was opening his rich house to him. He stood here as one who could beg and nothing more.

 

“You know you used to play together as children,” he said.

 

And, when he had said that, he was overcome with emotion, because he remembered that Finn had never played. Hans thought the same thing, but could not find the words that should be spoken on this occasion and the silence became heavy and painful to both of them.

 

To say something at all costs, Hans asked if Finn was ill.

 

Then Cordt understood that Hans must long since have pronounced his judgment¹⁰ on the pale, silent heir of the house and that the judgment could not be good.

 

He rose, tired of seeking for guarded phrases. He laid his hands on Hans’[222] shoulders and looked at him in such a way that Hans never forgot it:

 

“Do you be David,” he said. “Come to us with your harp¹¹. And come of your own accord and come when we send for you.”

1 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

2 disposition   

n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署

参考例句：

• He has made a good disposition of his property.他已对财产作了妥善处理。
• He has a cheerful disposition.他性情开朗。

3 tempt   

vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣

参考例句：

• Nothing could tempt him to such a course of action.什么都不能诱使他去那样做。
• The fact that she had become wealthy did not tempt her to alter her frugal way of life.她有钱了，可这丝毫没能让她改变节俭的生活习惯。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

6 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

7 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

8 gauged   

adj.校准的；标准的；量规的；量计的v.（用仪器）测量( gauge的过去式和过去分词 )；估计；计量；划分

参考例句：

• He picked up the calipers and gauged carefully. 他拿起卡钳仔细测量。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Distance is gauged by journey time rather than miles. 距离以行程时间而非英里数来计算。 来自辞典例句

9 benefactor   

n. 恩人，行善的人，捐助人

参考例句：

• The chieftain of that country is disguised as a benefactor this time. 那个国家的首领这一次伪装出一副施恩者的姿态。
• The first thing I did, was to recompense my original benefactor, my good old captain. 我所做的第一件事, 就是报答我那最初的恩人, 那位好心的老船长。

10 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

11 harp   

n.竖琴；天琴座

参考例句：

• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。
• He played an Irish melody on the harp.他用竖琴演奏了一首爱尔兰曲调。