Mrs Trevor was a devoted1 mother to every one of her flock, but the person in the house whom she mothered most of all was her hard-working husband, whose life was so devoted to others that he had little time to consider himself. From the children’s earliest years they had been taught that to “worry father” was one of the most serious offences which they could commit.
“Father spends his life going about from one sickroom to another; all day long he is meeting people who are ill, and anxious, in fear, and in pain, and when he comes home he must have a cheery welcome. If you want to grumble3 about anything, grumble to yourselves or to me; if you have anything disagreeable to tell, let it wait until we are alone. Meal-times with father must be devoted to pleasant subjects alone.” Such were Mrs Trevor’s instructions, instilled4 into her children’s minds with such persistent5 firmness that they were never disobeyed, with the result that the tired doctor came home with the happy certainty of enjoying a cheery, harmonious6 hour, and the young people themselves learnt a lesson in self-restraint which was of infinite value in after life.
Betty might grumble and tirade7 outside the schoolroom door, but as she approached the dining-room she mechanically smoothed her brow and adopted a cheerful expression. To-night Dr Trevor was already seated in his place at the end of the long table, for his wife took the head, to save him the fatigue8 of carving9 for so large a party. He was a tall, thin man, with a lined face lit by the keen, thoughtful eyes of the true physician. He looked up as his eldest10 daughter entered the room, and held out his hand to her in a mute caress11. She bent12 to kiss his forehead, and stood holding his hand to chat for a few minutes until the other members of the family made their appearance. He noticed the Puritan-like coiffure—there were few things that those shrewd eyes did not notice—but made no comment thereon, for, as he frequently observed to his wife when she confided13 to him her troubles over Betty’s eccentricities14, boys and girls who are in the transition stage between childhood and maturity15 are apt to become a trifle restless and eccentric, and it was wisdom to be for the most part judiciously16 blind, interfering17 only in cases of right and wrong. Let the little maid run with a loose rein18 for a time. She would soon settle down, and be the first to laugh at her own foibles.
Mrs Trevor took her place, looking round on her assembled children with the pretty, half-appealing little smile which was her greatest charm. She was slight and graceful19, not stout20 and elderly, like other people’s mothers. In the morning light she often looked wan2 and tired, but in the kindly21 lamplight she seemed more like Betty’s sister than the mother of a rapidly growing up family.
Miles sat at her right hand, a tall, somewhat heavy-looking youth, with enormous hands and feet, a square, determined22 jaw23, and deep-set brown eyes. Even a casual glance at him was sufficient to show that he was going to make a man of power and determination, but, like Betty, he was passing through his awkward stage, and was often neither easy nor agreeable to live with.
Jack24 was just a mischievous25 schoolboy, with protruding26 ears and twinkling eyes. One can see a score like him any day, marching, marching along the street with satchels27 of books; but his twin sister had a more striking personality. Jill was a mystery to her relations and friends. She had ordinary brown hair, and not too much of that, light blue eyes with indifferent lashes28, a nose a shade more impertinent than Betty’s own, a big mouth, and a powdering of freckles29 under her eyes; yet with those very ordinary equipments she managed to rank as a beauty among her schoolmates, and to attract more admiration30 than is vouchsafed31 to many people whose features might have been turned out of a classic mould. Betty used to ponder wistfully over the secret of Jill’s charm, and think it hard lines that it had not been given to herself, who would have cared for it so much more. Jill didn’t care a pin how she looked. She wanted to “have fun,” to invite Nora Bruce to tea as often as possible, to buy a constant supply of a special sort of almond toffee which was offered for sale at a shop which she passed on the way to school, to be a first-form girl and have one of the new desks, and, incidentally, to pass the Cambridge examination if it could be done without too much “fag.” She put on her clothes any way, did her hair in the twinkling of an eye, and the effect was uniformly charming.
“If she’s untidy, she’s picturesque32; if I’m untidy, I’m a fright. It’s mean!” soliloquised Betty discontentedly. Every day she lived she was the more convinced that the world was topsy-turvy, and that she herself was the only person who was competent to set it to rights.
Pam was just Pam; like herself, and no one else in the world. A dear little, wide-eyed, pointed-chinned kitten, everybody’s tease, and pet, and conscience all in one, for those clear child eyes seemed to see through all pretences33, and what she thought she put into words without a shadow of fear or hesitation34.
It was a very plain, almost a frugal35, repast, but the table looked cheerful and pretty with the pink-shaded lamp in the centre, surrounded by the four little bowls of flowers which it was one of Betty’s duties to keep fresh, and there was no lack of lively conversation.
Mrs Trevor had had a trying day, and several of her worries must of necessity be discussed with her husband later on, but she would allow no hint of them to escape until he had been fed and rested, and in the same manner all the children searched their memories for the pleasantest event which they had experienced to retail37 for his benefit.
“I was top to-day, father,” Jack announced proudly; “answered every single question in Latin, and read off my translation like a book. If I liked to stew38, I believe I could lick Johnston all the time. He was pretty sick at having to go down; looked as glum39 as an old owl36 for the rest of the morning.”
“He takes his work more seriously than you do, my boy. You say you could be top if you liked: I am glad to hear it; but why don’t you like? You can’t surely prefer a lower place?”
“Oh, well, there’s reason in all things!” returned Jack, with a vagueness which his brothers and sisters had apparently40 little difficulty in understanding, for they laughed, and sniggered meaningly to each other.
“Such a waste of time, when there is football to be played!”
“A full back has to keep his energy for his work, and not fritter it away over stupid books. That’s about it, isn’t it, Jack?” they teased, while Dr Trevor said between a sigh and a smile—
“Ah, well, my boy, you are old enough to judge for yourself how your time should be spent! If you win a scholarship, I’ll manage to help you through a ’Varsity course, but I can’t afford to keep you there unassisted. Remember it is your whole career which is at stake.”
“All right, father, I will work,” said Jack easily.
He was an affectionate boy, who disliked disappointing his parents, but unfortunately he disliked work even more. He was rather sorry now that he had mentioned his easy victory over the redoubtable41 Johnston. The pater would expect him to be top every day, whereas he had only just put on a spurt42 to show what he could do if he chose. Suppose he did lose the scholarship, it wouldn’t be so bad after all, he could still play footer on Saturday afternoons!
The doctor’s glance had wandered, as if for consolation43, to his elder son—Miles the strenuous44, the indefatigable45, who had a passion for work for work’s sake. He was going through the practical stage of an engineer’s training, and left the house at six o’clock each morning, to return in the afternoon clad in workman’s clothes, incredibly greasy46 and dirty. Betty suffered agonies in case “they”—that wonderful impersonal47 “they” who overclouded her life—should think he was really and truly an ordinary workman! On one occasion Miles had joined her on the doorstep as she was returning from an afternoon walk, and she had distinctly seen the curtains of the Pampered49 Pet’s drawing-room move, as if someone were peeping out from behind, when, as she confided to Jill later on, “her cheeks turned k–r–rimson with mortification50!”
“Well, Miles, my boy, did you take your little invention with you to-day, and were you able to show it to the manager?”
“Yes, I took it all right.”
“And what did he say?”
“He said it was all right.”
“Does that mean that he acknowledged that it was an improvement on the present method? Did he feel inclined to give it a trial?”
“Oh yes, it went all right. He said it would do.”
“But that’s capital! Capital! I congratulate you heartily51! Didn’t Mr Davidson seem pleased that you should have hit on such a bright idea?”
“Oh, he said it was all right.”
Miles made a determined attack on his plate, as if pleading to be left alone to enjoy his dinner in peace. Since the days of his babyhood he had shown a strong inventive genius, and now it was his delight to spend his spare moments working in his little cupboard sanctum at home, striving to improve on any bit of machinery52 which struck him as falling short of perfection. It was a very simple thing which he had attempted, but in machinery, as in many other things, trifles are all-important, and it was a triumph indeed that a lad of nineteen should have hit on an improvement which was considered worth a trial.
Dr Trevor and his wife exchanged smiles of happy satisfaction. They yearned53 to ask a dozen more questions, but refrained out of sympathy with that natural masculine reserve which they understood so well. Betty, however, was less considerate.
“I do think you might tell us a little more about it, Miles!” she cried resentfully. “You know we are all dying of curiosity. I can’t think why it is that boys can never give a decent account of anything that has happened! Now, if it had been me, I should have begun at the very beginning, from the moment I entered the works, and told you how I felt as I went upstairs, and how I began to speak to the manager, and what he said, and how he looked, and—”
“What colour of necktie he wore—”
“And what he did with the screw, or whatever you call it, when you showed it to him, and what the other men said, and— Oh, dozens of interesting things; but you can say nothing but ‘all right’ to every single question. It is dull!”
“You must allow for diversities of talent, Betty,” said Mrs Trevor, laughing. “We do not all possess your powers of description. Miles is very modest over his success, and I, like you, want to hear more details. You must be sure to tell us how the trial works, Son; and if your improvement is permanently55 adopted, I shall be proud!”
“Nothing to be proud of!” muttered Miles into his plate.
If there was one thing he loathed56 more than another, it was to be praised and petted, and made the centre of attention. His roughened fingers clenched57 themselves tightly round the knife and fork, and he cut his beef into pieces with savage58 energy.
Why couldn’t they leave a fellow alone? All this fuss about a bit of a cog!
Betty divined his discomfiture59, as she divined all that concerned her beloved brother, but she had not the tact60 to come to the rescue, and it was Jill who turned the conversation by a casual question which yet was of interest to all the family.
“Father, is there a father at the big house at the corner? We can’t decide what’s the matter with him. There must have been one, of course, because of the Pet. Jack says he’s dead, but she is not in mourning, and the mother doesn’t wear widow’s things. I say he’s gone a tour round the world, and is buying presents at every port so as to pamper48 her more than ever when he comes back.”
Dr Trevor looked a trifle mystified, but he was accustomed to his children’s mental flights, and, after a moment’s consideration, he replied smilingly—
“If you mean Number 14, the tenant61 is a certain Major Alliot, who is at present, I believe, with his regiment62 in India. I don’t know anything about his household, or the identity of the ‘Pet,’ as you are pleased to call her.”
“I wish she’d fall downstairs, or have an accident of some sort suddenly, so that they’d have to fly across for you in a hurry,” sighed Jill with frank brutality63. “I wish all the people in that row would have accidents, so that you could tell us all about them. We are dying with curiosity!”
“Wouldn’t influenza65 do as well? There is no need to be quite so brutal64, Jill,” her father reminded her. “Besides, it is hardly my usual custom to tell you ‘all about’ my cases, is it? I should be very glad to find new patients nearer here for my own sake; which reminds me, dear, that I have to go a long drive after dinner, and shan’t be home for the evening, as I hoped. It is unfortunate having so many late nights this week.”
Mrs Trevor’s brow shadowed for a moment, but she recovered herself, and smiled bravely at her husband, while Betty cried emphatically—
“I shall never marry a doctor!”
“Lucky beggar! He’s had an escape anyway!” growled66 Miles beneath his breath, quite unable to resist paying Betty back for her attack on him a few moments before, and Betty laughed as merrily as the rest at the joke against herself.
“Well, I shall have an escape too! I don’t like ill people or having anything to do with them; it’s not my vocation67!” she announced grandiloquently68, and her face fell with dismay when her father said cheerily—
“Oh, come, you don’t do yourself justice, dear. I always find you a very acceptable little nurse. Mrs Ewen was asking for you only to-day. I should be glad if you would make a point of going to see her some afternoon this week, and trying to amuse her for an hour or two. She has had a very sharp attack, poor soul.”
Mrs Ewen was an old patient, a tiresome71 patient from Betty’s point of view, who never grew better, but was frequently worse, who spent all her life in her bedroom and an upstairs sitting-room72, her chief subject of conversation being the misdemeanours of her hardly-worked nurses. She had taken a fancy to the doctor’s young daughter, and liked to be visited by her as often as possible in convalescent periods; but Betty did not return the liking73.
“She doesn’t understand girls,” she grumbled74 to herself. “I don’t believe she ever was a girl herself. She must have been born about forty, with spectacles and a cap. I can’t think why she wants to see me. I do nothing but say ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ while she abuses other people, and yawn my head off in that stifling75 room. And I did so want to get on with my blouse. Seems as if I could never do as I like, somehow!”
She sat looking such an image of meekness76 and resignation, with her smoothly-braided locks and downcast lids, that her father’s lips twitched77 with amusement as he glanced at her, and quickly averted78 his eyes. He knew just as well as she did how distasteful his request had been, but he was none the less anxious to enforce it. Betty’s horizon was blocked with self at the present moment, and anything and everything was of gain which forced her to think of something besides that all-important personage Miss Elizabeth Trevor.
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1
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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wan
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| (wide area network)广域网 | |
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grumble
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| vi.抱怨；咕哝；n.抱怨，牢骚；咕哝，隆隆声 | |
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instilled
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| v.逐渐使某人获得（某种可取的品质），逐步灌输( instill的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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persistent
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| adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的 | |
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harmonious
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| adj.和睦的，调和的，和谐的，协调的 | |
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7
tirade
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| n.冗长的攻击性演说 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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carving
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| n.雕刻品，雕花 | |
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eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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caress
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| vt./n.爱抚，抚摸 | |
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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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confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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14
eccentricities
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| n.古怪行为( eccentricity的名词复数 )；反常；怪癖 | |
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15
maturity
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| n.成熟；完成；(支票、债券等)到期 | |
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judiciously
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| adv.明断地，明智而审慎地 | |
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interfering
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| adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词 | |
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rein
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| n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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24
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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mischievous
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| adj.调皮的，恶作剧的，有害的，伤人的 | |
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protruding
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的现在分词 )；凸 | |
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satchels
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| n.书包( satchel的名词复数 ) | |
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lashes
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| n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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freckles
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| n.雀斑，斑点( freckle的名词复数 ) | |
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30
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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vouchsafed
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| v.给予，赐予( vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词 )；允诺 | |
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picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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pretences
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| n.假装( pretence的名词复数 )；作假；自命；自称 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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frugal
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| adj.节俭的，节约的，少量的，微量的 | |
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owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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retail
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| v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格 | |
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38
stew
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| n.炖汤，焖，烦恼；v.炖汤，焖，忧虑 | |
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glum
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| adj.闷闷不乐的，阴郁的 | |
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40
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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41
redoubtable
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| adj.可敬的；可怕的 | |
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spurt
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| v.喷出；突然进发；突然兴隆 | |
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43
consolation
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| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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44
strenuous
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| adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的 | |
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45
indefatigable
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| adj.不知疲倦的，不屈不挠的 | |
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46
greasy
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| adj. 多脂的，油脂的 | |
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47
impersonal
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| adj.无个人感情的，与个人无关的，非人称的 | |
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48
pamper
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| v.纵容，过分关怀 | |
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49
pampered
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| adj.饮食过量的，饮食奢侈的v.纵容，宠，娇养( pamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50
mortification
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| n.耻辱，屈辱 | |
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51
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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52
machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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53
yearned
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| 渴望，切盼，向往( yearn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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54
evoked
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| [医]诱发的 | |
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55
permanently
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| adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地 | |
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56
loathed
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| v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的过去式和过去分词 )；极不喜欢 | |
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57
clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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58
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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59
discomfiture
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| n.崩溃；大败；挫败；困惑 | |
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60
tact
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| n.机敏，圆滑，得体 | |
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61
tenant
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| n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用 | |
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62
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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63
brutality
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| n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮 | |
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brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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65
influenza
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| n.流行性感冒，流感 | |
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66
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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67
vocation
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| n.职业，行业 | |
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68
grandiloquently
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69
assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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70
meekly
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| adv.温顺地，逆来顺受地 | |
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71
tiresome
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| adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的 | |
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72
sitting-room
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| n.（BrE）客厅，起居室 | |
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73
liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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74
grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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75
stifling
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| a.令人窒息的 | |
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76
meekness
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| n.温顺，柔和 | |
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77
twitched
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| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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78
averted
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| 防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移 | |
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