“Now, Eric, I want to know what all this is about. What scrape have you got into? You write me a letter, entreating3 me in the name of friendship to come to you at once. Accordingly I come post haste. You seem to be in excellent health yourself. Explain why you have inveigled4 me hither.”
“I want you to do me a service which only you can do, David,” said Eric quietly. “I didn’t care to go into the details by letter. I have met in Lindsay a young girl whom I have learned to love. I have asked her to marry me, but, although she cares for me, she refuses to do so because she is dumb. I wish you to examine her and find out the cause of her defect, and if it can be cured. She can hear perfectly5 and all her other faculties6 are entirely7 normal. In order that you may better understand the case I must tell you the main facts of her history.”
This Eric proceeded to do. David Baker listened with grave attention, his eyes fastened on his friend’s face. He did not betray the surprise and dismay he felt at learning that Eric had fallen in love with a dumb girl of doubtful antecedents; and the strange case enlisted8 his professional interest. When he had heard the whole story he thrust his hands into his pockets and strode up and down the room several times in silence. Finally he halted before Eric.
“So you have done what I foreboded all along you would do—left your common sense behind you when you went courting.”
“If I did,” said Eric quietly, “I took with me something better and nobler than common sense.”
“You’ll have hard work to convince me of that, Eric.”
“No, it will not be difficult at all. I have one argument that will convince you speedily—and that is Kilmeny Gordon herself. But we will not discuss the matter of my wisdom or lack of it just now. What I want to know is this—what do you think of the case as I have stated it to you?”
David frowned thoughtfully.
“I hardly know what to think. It is very curious and unusual, but it is not totally unprecedented11. There have been cases on record where pre-natal influences have produced a like result. I cannot just now remember whether any were ever cured. Well, I’ll see if anything can be done for this girl. I cannot express any further opinion until I have examined her.”
The next morning Eric took David up to the Gordon homestead. As they approached the old orchard12 a strain of music came floating through the resinous13 morning arcades14 of the spruce wood—a wild, sorrowful, appealing cry, full of indescribable pathos15, yet marvelously sweet.
“What is that?” exclaimed David, starting.
“That is Kilmeny playing on her violin,” answered Eric. “She has great talent in that respect and improvises16 wonderful melodies.”
When they reached the orchard Kilmeny rose from the old bench to meet them, her lovely luminous17 eyes distended18, her face flushed with the excitement of mingled19 hope and fear.
“Oh, ye gods!” muttered David helplessly.
He could not hide his amazement20 and Eric smiled to see it. The latter had not failed to perceive that his friend had until now considered him as little better than a lunatic.
“Kilmeny, this is my friend, Dr. Baker,” he said.
Kilmeny held out her hand with a smile. Her beauty, as she stood there in the fresh morning sunshine beside a clump21 of her sister lilies, was something to take away a man’s breath. David, who was by no means lacking in confidence and generally had a ready tongue where women were concerned, found himself as mute and awkward as a school boy, as he bowed over her hand.
But Kilmeny was charmingly at ease. There was not a trace of embarrassment22 in her manner, though there was a pretty shyness. Eric smiled as he recalled HIS first meeting with her. He suddenly realized how far Kilmeny had come since then and how much she had developed.
With a little gesture of invitation Kilmeny led the way through the orchard to the wild cherry lane, and the two men followed.
“Eric, she is simply unutterable!” said David in an undertone. “Last night, to tell you the truth, I had a rather poor opinion of your sanity23. But now I am consumed with a fierce envy. She is the loveliest creature I ever saw.”
Eric introduced David to the Gordons and then hurried away to his school. On his way down the Gordon lane he met Neil and was half startled by the glare of hatred24 in the Italian boy’s eyes. Pity succeeded the momentary25 alarm. Neil’s face had grown thin and haggard; his eyes were sunken and feverishly26 bright; he looked years older than on the day when Eric had first seen him in the brook27 hollow.
Prompted by sudden compassionate28 impulse Eric stopped and held out his hand.
“Neil, can’t we be friends?” he said. “I am sorry if I have been the cause of inflicting30 pain on you.”
“Friends! Never!” said Neil passionately31. “You have taken Kilmeny from me. I shall hate you always. And I’ll be even with you yet.”
He strode fiercely up the lane, and Eric, with a shrug10 of his shoulders, went on his way, dismissing the meeting from his mind.
The day seemed interminably long to him. David had not returned when he went home to dinner; but when he went to his room in the evening he found his friend there, staring out of the window.
“Well,” he said, impatiently, as David wheeled around but still kept silence, “What have you to say to me? Don’t keep me in suspense32 any longer, David. I have endured all I can. To-day has seemed like a thousand years. Have you discovered what is the matter with Kilmeny?”
“There is nothing the matter with her,” answered David slowly, flinging himself into a chair by the window.
“What do you mean?”
“Just exactly what I say. Her vocal33 organs are all perfect. As far as they are concerned, there is absolutely no reason why she should not speak.”
“Then why can’t she speak? Do you think—do you think—”
“I think that I cannot express my conclusion in any better words than Janet Gordon used when she said that Kilmeny cannot speak because her mother wouldn’t. That is all there is to it. The trouble is psychological, not physical. Medical skill is helpless before it. There are greater men than I in my profession; but it is my honest belief, Eric, that if you were to consult them they would tell you just what I have told you, neither more nor less.”
“Then there is no hope,” said Eric in a tone of despair. “You can do nothing for her?”
David took from the back of his chair a crochet34 antimacassar with a lion rampant35 in the center and spread it over his knee.
“I can do nothing for her,” he said, scowling36 at that work of art. “I do not believe any living man can do anything for her. But I do not say—exactly—that there is no hope.”
David frowned dubiously39 and poked40 his finger through the hole which represented the eye of the king of beasts.
“I don’t know that I can make it plain to you. It isn’t very plain to myself. And it is only a vague theory of mine, of course. I cannot substantiate41 it by any facts. In short, Eric, I think it is possible that Kilmeny may speak sometime—if she ever wants it badly enough.”
“Wants to! Why, man, she wants to as badly as it is possible for any one to want anything. She loves me with all her heart and she won’t marry me because she can’t speak. Don’t you suppose that a girl under such circumstances would ‘want’ to speak as much as any one could?”
“Yes, but I do not mean that sort of wanting, no matter how strong the wish may be. What I do mean is—a sudden, vehement42, passionate29 inrush of desire, physical, psychical43, mental, all in one, mighty44 enough to rend45 asunder46 the invisible fetters47 that hold her speech in bondage48. If any occasion should arise to evoke49 such a desire I believe that Kilmeny would speak—and having once spoken would thenceforth be normal in that respect—ay, if she spoke50 but the one word.”
“All this sounds like great nonsense to me,” said Eric restlessly. “I suppose you have an idea what you are talking about, but I haven’t. And, in any case, it practically means that there is no hope for her—or me. Even if your theory is correct it is not likely such an occasion as you speak of will ever arise. And Kilmeny will never marry me.”
“Don’t give up so easily, old fellow. There HAVE been cases on record where women have changed their minds.”
“Not women like Kilmeny,” said Eric miserably51. “I tell you she has all her mother’s unfaltering will and tenacity52 of purpose, although she is free from any taint53 of pride or selfishness. I thank you for your sympathy and interest, David. You have done all you could—but, heavens, what it would have meant to me if you could have helped her!”
With a groan54 Eric flung himself on a chair and buried his face in his hands. It was a moment which held for him all the bitterness of death. He had thought that he was prepared for disappointment; he had not known how strong his hope had really been until that hope was utterly55 taken from him.
David, with a sigh, returned the crochet antimacassar carefully to its place on the chair back.
“Eric, last night, to be honest, I thought that, if I found I could not help this girl, it would be the best thing that could happen, as far as you were concerned. But since I have seen her—well, I would give my right hand if I could do anything for her. She is the wife for you, if we could make her speak; yes, and by the memory of your mother”—David brought his fist down on the window sill with a force that shook the casement,—“she is the wife for you, speech or no speech, if we could only convince her of it.”
“She cannot be convinced of that. No, David, I have lost her. Did you tell her what you have told me?”
“I told her I could not help her. I did not say anything to her of my theory—that would have done no good.”
“How did she take it?”
“Very bravely and quietly—‘like a winsome56 lady’. But the look in her eyes—Eric, I felt as if I had murdered something. She bade me good-bye with a pitiful smile and went upstairs. I did not see her again, although I stayed to dinner as her uncle’s request. Those old Gordons are a queer pair. I liked them, though. They are strong and staunch—good friends, bitter enemies. They were sorry that I could not help Kilmeny, but I saw plainly that old Thomas Gordon thought that I had been meddling57 with predestination in attempting it.”
Eric smiled mechanically.
“I must go up and see Kilmeny. You’ll excuse me, won’t you, David? My books are there—help yourself.”
But when Eric reached the Gordon house he saw only old Janet, who told him that Kilmeny was in her room and refused to see him.
“She thought you would come up, and she left this with me to give you, Master.”
“Do not come any more, Eric,” it ran. “I must not see you, because it would only make it harder for us both. You must go away and forget me. You will be thankful for this some day. I shall always love and pray for you.”
“KILMENY.”
“I MUST see her,” said Eric desperately60. “Aunt Janet, be my friend. Tell her she must see me for a little while at least.”
Janet shook her head but went upstairs. She soon returned.
“She says she cannot come down. You know she means it, Master, and it is of no use to coax61 her. And I must say I think she is right. Since she will not marry you it is better for her not to see you.”
Eric was compelled to go home with no better comfort than this. In the morning, as it was Sunday, he drove David Baker to the station. He had not slept and he looked so miserable62 and reckless that David felt anxious about him. David would have stayed in Lindsay for a few days, but a certain critical case in Queenslea demanded his speedy return. He shook hands with Eric on the station platform.
“Eric, give up that school and come home at once. You can do no good in Lindsay now, and you’ll only eat your heart out here.”
“I must see Kilmeny once more before I leave,” was all Eric’s answer.
That afternoon he went again to the Gordon homestead. But the result was the same; Kilmeny refused to see him, and Thomas Gordon said gravely,
“Master, you know I like you and I am sorry Kilmeny thinks as she does, though maybe she is right. I would be glad to see you often for your own sake and I’ll miss you much; but as things are I tell you plainly you’d better not come here any more. It will do no good, and the sooner you and she get over thinking about each other the better for you both. Go now, lad, and God bless you.”
“I know I am asking a hard thing for your own good, Master. It is not as if Kilmeny would ever change her mind. We have had some experience with a woman’s will ere this. Tush, Janet, woman, don’t be weeping. You women are foolish creatures. Do you think tears can wash such things away? No, they cannot blot59 out sin, or the consequences of sin. It’s awful how one sin can spread out and broaden, till it eats into innocent lives, sometimes long after the sinner has gone to his own accounting64. Master, if you take my advice, you’ll give up the Lindsay school and go back to your own world as soon as may be.”
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
baker
|
|
| n.面包师 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
curiously
|
|
| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
entreating
|
|
| 恳求，乞求( entreat的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
inveigled
|
|
| v.诱骗，引诱( inveigle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
perfectly
|
|
| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
faculties
|
|
| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
entirely
|
|
| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
enlisted
|
|
| adj.应募入伍的v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 )；获得（帮助或支持） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
shrugged
|
|
| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
shrug
|
|
| v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
unprecedented
|
|
| adj.无前例的，新奇的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
orchard
|
|
| n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
resinous
|
|
| adj.树脂的，树脂质的，树脂制的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
arcades
|
|
| n.商场( arcade的名词复数 )；拱形走道（两旁有商店或娱乐设施）；连拱廊；拱形建筑物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
pathos
|
|
| n.哀婉，悲怆 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
improvises
|
|
| 临时制作，临时凑成( improvise的名词复数 )； 即兴创作（音乐、台词、演讲词等） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
luminous
|
|
| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
distended
|
|
| v.（使）膨胀，肿胀( distend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
mingled
|
|
| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
amazement
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
clump
|
|
| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
embarrassment
|
|
| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
sanity
|
|
| n.心智健全，神智正常，判断正确 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
hatred
|
|
| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
momentary
|
|
| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
feverishly
|
|
| adv. 兴奋地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
brook
|
|
| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
compassionate
|
|
| adj.有同情心的，表示同情的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
passionate
|
|
| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
inflicting
|
|
| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
passionately
|
|
| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
suspense
|
|
| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
vocal
|
|
| adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
crochet
|
|
| n.钩针织物；v.用钩针编制 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
rampant
|
|
| adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
scowling
|
|
| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
riddles
|
|
| n.谜（语）( riddle的名词复数 )；猜不透的难题，难解之谜 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
torment
|
|
| n.折磨；令人痛苦的东西(人)；vt.折磨；纠缠 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
dubiously
|
|
| adv.可疑地，怀疑地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
poked
|
|
| v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
substantiate
|
|
| v.证实；证明...有根据 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
vehement
|
|
| adj.感情强烈的；热烈的；(人)有强烈感情的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
psychical
|
|
| adj.有关特异功能现象的；有关特异功能官能的；灵魂的；心灵的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
mighty
|
|
| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
rend
|
|
| vt.把…撕开，割裂；把…揪下来，强行夺取 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
asunder
|
|
| adj.分离的，化为碎片 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
fetters
|
|
| n.脚镣( fetter的名词复数 )；束缚v.给…上脚镣，束缚( fetter的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
bondage
|
|
| n.奴役，束缚 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
evoke
|
|
| vt.唤起，引起，使人想起 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
spoke
|
|
| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
miserably
|
|
| adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
tenacity
|
|
| n.坚韧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
taint
|
|
| n.污点；感染；腐坏；v.使感染；污染 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
groan
|
|
| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
utterly
|
|
| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
winsome
|
|
| n.迷人的，漂亮的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
meddling
|
|
| v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
blotted
|
|
| 涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 )； （用吸墨纸）吸干 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
blot
|
|
| vt.弄脏（用吸墨纸）吸干；n.污点，污渍 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
desperately
|
|
| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
coax
|
|
| v.哄诱，劝诱，用诱哄得到，诱取 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
miserable
|
|
| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
hoarsely
|
|
| adv.嘶哑地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
accounting
|
|
| n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |