Chapter 10 A Heavy Trouble

 "Thank you, ma'am, that's a tip-top book, 'specially¹ thepictures. But I can't bear to see these poor fellows;"and Ben brooded over the fine etching of the dead and dyinghorses on a battle-field, one past all further pain, the otherhelpless, but lifting his head from his dead master toneigh a farewell to the comrades who go galloping² away in acloud of dust.

 

　　"They ought to stop for him, some of 'em," muttered Ben,hastily turning back to the cheerful picture of the threehappy horses in the field, standing³ knee-deep among thegrass as they prepare to drink at the wide stream.

 

　　"Ain't that black one a beauty? Seems as if I couldsee his mane blow in the wind, and hear him whinnyto that small feller trotting⁴ down to see if he can'tget over and be sociable⁵. How I'd like to take arousin' run round that meadow on the whole lot of'em!" and Ben swayed about in his chair as if he wasalready doing it in imagination.

 

　　"You may take a turn round my field on Lita anyday. She would like it, and Thorny⁶'s saddle will behere next week," said Miss Celia, pleased to see thatthe boy appreciated the fine pictures, and felt suchhearty sympathy with the noble animals whom shedearly loved herself.

 

　　"Needn't wait for that. I'd rather ride bareback.

 

　　Oh, I say, is this the book you told about, wherethe horses talked?" asked Ben, suddenly recollectingthe speech he had puzzled over ever since he heard it.

 

　　"No; I brought the book, but in the hurry of mytea-party forgot to unpack⁷ it. I'll hunt it up to-night. Remind me, Thorny.""There, now, I've forgotten something, too! Squiresent you a letter; and I'm having such a jolly time, Inever thought of it."Ben rummaged⁹ out the note with remorseful¹⁰ haste,protesting that he was in no hurry for Mr. Gulliver,and very glad to save him for another day.

 

　　Leaving the young folks busy with their games,Miss Celia sat in the porch to read her letters, forthere were two; and as she read her face grew sosober, then so sad, that if any one had been lookinghe would have wondered what bad news had chasedaway the sunshine so suddenly. No one did look;no one saw how pitifully her eyes rested on Ben'shappy face when the letters were put away, and noone minded the new gentleness in her manner as shecame back, to the table. But Ben thought there neverwas so sweet a lady as the one who leaned over himto show him how the dissected¹¹ map went togetherand never smiled at his mistakes.

 

　　So kind, so very kind was she to them all, thatwhen, after an hour of merry play, she took herbrother in to bed, the three who remained fell topraising her enthusiastically as they put things torights before taking leave.

 

　　"She's like the good fairies in the books, and hasall sorts of nice, pretty things in her house," saidBetty, enjoying a last hug of the fascinating dollwhose lids would shut so that it was a pleasure toSing, "Bye, sweet baby, bye," with no staring eyes toSpoil the illusion.

 

　　"What heaps she knows! More than Teacher, I dobelieve; and she doesn't mind how many questionswe ask. I like folks that will tell me things," addedBab, whose inquisitive¹² mind was always hungry.

 

　　"I like that boy first-rate, and I guess he likes me,though I didn't know where Nantucket ought to go.

 

　　He wants me to teach him to ride when he's on hispins again, and Miss Celia says I may. She knowshow to make folks feel good, don't she?" and Bengratefully surveyed the Arab chief, now his own,though the best of all the collection.

 

　　"Won't we have splendid times? She Says wemay come over every night and play with her andThorny.""And she's goin', to have the seats in the porchlift up, so we can put our things in there all day andhave 'em handy.""And I'm going to be her boy, and stay here allthe time. I guess the letter I brought was arecommend from the Squire⁸.""Yes, Ben; and if I had not already made up mymind to keep you before, I certainly would now, myboy."Something in Miss Celia's voice, as she said the lasttwo words with her hand on Ben's shoulder, made himlook up quickly and turn red with pleasure, wonderingwhat the Squire had written about him.

 

　　"Mother must have some of the party; so youshall take her these, Bab, and Betty may carry Babyhome for the night. She is so nicely asleep, it is apity to wake her. Good by till to-morrow, littleneighbors," continued Miss Celia, and dismissed thegirls with a kiss.

 

　　"Is Ben coming, too?" asked Bab, as Bettytrotted off in a silent rapture¹³ with the big darlingbobbing over her shoulder.

 

　　"Not yet; I've several things to settle with mynew man. Tell mother he will come by-and-by."Off rushed Bab with the plateful of goodies; and,drawing Ben down beside her on the wide step, MissCelia took out the letters, with a shadow creepingover her face as softly as the twilight¹⁴ was stealingover the world, while the dew fell, and every thinggrew still and dim.

 

　　"Ben, dear, I've something to tell you," she began,slowly; and the boy waited with a happy face, for noone had called him so since 'Melia died.

 

　　"The Squire has heard about your father, and thisis the letter Mr. Smithers sends.""Hooray! where is he, please?" cried Ben, wishingshe would hurry up; for Miss Celia did not even offerhim the letter, but sat looking down at Sancho on thelower step, as if she wanted him to come and help her.

 

　　"He went after the mustangs, and sent some home,but could not come himself.""Went further on, I s'pose. Yes, he said he mightgo as far as California, and if he did he'd send for me.

 

　　I'd like to go there; it's a real splendid place, theysay.""He has gone further away than that, to a loveliercountry than California, I hope." And Miss Celia'seyes turned to the deep sky, where early stars wereshining.

 

　　"Didn't he send for me? Where's he gone?

 

　　When 's he coming back?" asked Ben, quickly; forthere was a quiver in her voice, the meaning of whichhe felt before he understood.

 

　　Miss Celia put her arms about him, and answeredvery tenderly, --"Ben, dear, if I were to tell you that he was nevercoming back, could you bear it?""I guess I could, -- but you don't mean it? Oh,ma'am, he isn't dead?" cried Ben, with a cry thatmade her heart ache, and Sancho leap up with abark.

 

　　"My poor little boy, I wish I could say no."There was no need of any more words, no needof tears or kind arms around him. He knew he wasan orphan¹⁵ now, and turned instinctively¹⁶ to the oldfriend who loved him best. Throwing himself downbeside his dog, Ben clung about the curly neck,sobbing¹⁷ bitterly, --"Oh, Sanch, he's never coming back again; never,never any more!"Poor Sancho could only whine¹⁸ and lick away thetears that wet the half-hidden face, questioning thenew friend meantime with eyes so full of dumb loveand sympathy and sorrow that they seemed almosthuman. Wiping away her own tears, Miss Celiastooped to pat the white head, and to stroke theblack one lying so near it that the dog's breast wasthe boy's pillow. Presently the sobbing ceased, andBen whispered, without looking up,--"Tell me all about it; I'll be good."Then, as kindly¹⁹ as she could, Miss Celia read thebrief letter which told the hard news bluntly; forMr. Smithers was obliged to confess that he hadknown the truth months before, and never told theboy, lest he should be unfitted for the work theygave him. Of Ben Brown the elder's death therewas little to tell, except that he was killed in somewild place at the West, and a stranger wrote the factto the only person whose name was found in Ben'spocket-book. Mr. Smithers offered to take the boyback and "do well by him," averring²⁰ that the fatherwished his son to remain where he left him, andfollow the profession to which he was trained.

 

　　"Will you go, Ben?" asked Miss Celia, hoping todistract his mind from his grief by speaking of otherthings.

 

　　"No, no; I'd rather tramp and starve. He'sawful hard to me and Sanch; and he'd be worse,now father's gone. Don't send me back! Let mestay here; folks are good to me; there's nowhereelse to go." And the head Ben had lifted up with adesperate sort of look, went down again on Sancho'sbreast as if there were no other refuge left.

 

　　"You shall stay here, and no one shall take youaway against your will. I called you 'my boy' inplay, now you shall be my boy in earnest; this shallbe your home, and Thorny your brother. We areorphans, too; and we will stand by one another till astronger friend comes to help us," said Miss Celia,with such a mixture of resolution and tenderness inher voice, that Ben felt comforted at once, andthanked her by laying his cheek against the prettyslipper that rested on the step beside him, as if hehad no words in which to swear loyalty²¹ to the gentlemistress whom be meant henceforth to serve withgrateful fidelity²².

 

　　Sancho felt that he must follow suit; and gravelyput his paw upon her knee, with a low whine, as ifhe said, "Count me in, and let me help to pay mymaster's debt if I can."Miss Celia shook the offered paw cordially, andthe good creature crouched²³ at her feet like a smalllion, bound to guard her and her house for evermore.

 

　　"Don't lie on that cold stone, Ben; come hereand let me try to comfort you," she said, stoopingto wipe away the great drops that kept rolling downthe brown cheek half hidden in her dress.

 

　　But Ben put his arm over his face, and sobbed²⁴ outwith a fresh burst of grief, --"You can't, you didn't know him! Oh, daddy!

 

　　daddy! if I'd only seen you jest once more!"No one could grant that wish; but Miss Celia didcomfort him, for presently the sound of music floatedout from the parlor²⁵, -- music so soft, so sweet, thatinvoluntarily the boy stopped his crying to listen;then quieter tears dropped slowly, seeming to soothehis pain as they fell, while the sense of lonelinesspassed away, and it grew possible to wait till it wastime to go to father in that far-off country lovelierthan golden California.

 

　　How long she played Miss Celia never minded;but, when she stole out to see if Ben had gone, shefound that other friends, even kinder than herself,had taken the boy into their gentle keeping. Thewind had sung a lullaby among the rustling²⁶ lilacs,the moon's mild face looked through the leafy archto kiss the heavy eyelids²⁷, and faithful Sancho stillkept guard beside his little master, who, with hishead pillowed on his arm, lay fast asleep, dreaming,happily, that Daddy had come home again.

1 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

2 galloping   

adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The horse started galloping the moment I gave it a good dig. 我猛戳了马一下，它就奔驰起来了。
• Japan is galloping ahead in the race to develop new technology. 日本在发展新技术的竞争中进展迅速，日新月异。

3 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。

4 trotting   

小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走

参考例句：

• The riders came trotting down the lane. 这骑手骑着马在小路上慢跑。
• Alan took the reins and the small horse started trotting. 艾伦抓住缰绳，小马开始慢跑起来。

5 sociable   

adj.好交际的，友好的，合群的

参考例句：

• Roger is a very sociable person.罗杰是个非常好交际的人。
• Some children have more sociable personalities than others.有些孩子比其他孩子更善于交际。

6 thorny   

adj.多刺的，棘手的

参考例句：

• The young captain is pondering over a thorny problem.年轻的上尉正在思考一个棘手的问题。
• The boys argued over the thorny points in the lesson.孩子们辩论功课中的难点。

7 unpack   

vt.打开包裹（或行李），卸货

参考例句：

• I must unpack before dinner.我得在饭前把行李打开。
• She said she would unpack the items later.她说以后再把箱子里的东西拿出来。

8 squire   

n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅

参考例句：

• I told him the squire was the most liberal of men.我告诉他乡绅是世界上最宽宏大量的人。
• The squire was hard at work at Bristol.乡绅在布里斯托尔热衷于他的工作。

9 rummaged   

翻找，搜寻( rummage的过去式和过去分词 )； 已经海关检查

参考例句：

• I rummaged through all the boxes but still could not find it. 几个箱子都翻腾遍了也没有找到。
• The customs officers rummaged the ship suspected to have contraband goods. 海关人员仔细搜查了一艘有走私嫌疑的海轮。

10 remorseful   

adj.悔恨的

参考例句：

• He represented to the court that the accused was very remorseful.他代被告向法庭陈情说被告十分懊悔。
• The minister well knew--subtle,but remorseful hypocrite that he was!牧师深知这一切——他是一个多么难以捉摸又懊悔不迭的伪君子啊！

11 dissected   

adj.切开的，分割的，（叶子）多裂的v.解剖（动物等）( dissect的过去式和过去分词 )；仔细分析或研究

参考例句：

• Her latest novel was dissected by the critics. 评论家对她最近出版的一部小说作了详细剖析。
• He dissected the plan afterward to learn why it had failed. 他事后仔细剖析那项计划以便搞清它失败的原因。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 inquisitive   

adj.求知欲强的，好奇的，好寻根究底的

参考例句：

• Children are usually inquisitive.小孩通常很好问。
• A pat answer is not going to satisfy an inquisitive audience.陈腔烂调的答案不能满足好奇的听众。

13 rapture   

n.狂喜；全神贯注；着迷；v.使狂喜

参考例句：

• His speech was received with rapture by his supporters.他的演说受到支持者们的热烈欢迎。
• In the midst of his rapture,he was interrupted by his father.他正欢天喜地，被他父亲打断了。

14 twilight   

n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期

参考例句：

• Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。
• Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。

15 orphan   

n.孤儿；adj.无父母的

参考例句：

• He brought up the orphan and passed onto him his knowledge of medicine.他把一个孤儿养大，并且把自己的医术传给了他。
• The orphan had been reared in a convent by some good sisters.这个孤儿在一所修道院里被几个好心的修女带大。

16 instinctively   

adv.本能地

参考例句：

• As he leaned towards her she instinctively recoiled. 他向她靠近，她本能地往后缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He knew instinctively where he would find her. 他本能地知道在哪儿能找到她。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 sobbing   

<主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的

参考例句：

• I heard a child sobbing loudly. 我听见有个孩子在呜呜地哭。
• Her eyes were red with recent sobbing. 她的眼睛因刚哭过而发红。

18 whine   

v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣

参考例句：

• You are getting paid to think,not to whine.支付给你工资是让你思考而不是哀怨的。
• The bullet hit a rock and rocketed with a sharp whine.子弹打在一块岩石上，一声尖厉的呼啸，跳飞开去。

19 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

20 averring   

v.断言( aver的现在分词 )；证实；证明…属实；作为事实提出

参考例句：

21 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

22 fidelity   

n.忠诚，忠实；精确

参考例句：

• There is nothing like a dog's fidelity.没有什么能比得上狗的忠诚。
• His fidelity and industry brought him speedy promotion.他的尽职及勤奋使他很快地得到晋升。

23 crouched   

v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He crouched down beside her. 他在她的旁边蹲了下来。
• The lion crouched ready to pounce. 狮子蹲下身，准备猛扑。

24 sobbed   

哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说

参考例句：

• She sobbed out the story of her son's death. 她哭诉着她儿子的死。
• She sobbed out the sad story of her son's death. 她哽咽着诉说她儿子死去的悲惨经过。

25 parlor   

n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅

参考例句：

• She was lying on a small settee in the parlor.她躺在客厅的一张小长椅上。
• Is there a pizza parlor in the neighborhood?附近有没有比萨店？

26 rustling   

n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的

参考例句：

• the sound of the trees rustling in the breeze 树木在微风中发出的沙沙声
• the soft rustling of leaves 树叶柔和的沙沙声

27 eyelids   

n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色

参考例句：

• She was so tired, her eyelids were beginning to droop. 她太疲倦了，眼睑开始往下垂。
• Her eyelids drooped as if she were on the verge of sleep. 她眼睑低垂好像快要睡着的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》