"What's the matter with you tikes, anyhow?" inquired the Lieutenant14. He had always filled them with a speechless awe15, and at his unexpected appearance they began the slow and painful process of swallowing their grief. He was a nice man, they had both agreed long ago, and very splendid to the eye, but he was nothing like Poleon, who was one of them, only somewhat bigger.
"Come, now! Tell me all about it," the soldier insisted. "Has something happened to the three-legged puppy?"
Molly denied the occurrence of any such catastrophe17.
"Then you've lost the little shiny rifle that shoots with air?" But Johnny dispelled18 this horrible suspicion by drawing the formidable weapon out of the grass behind him.
"Well, there isn't anything else bad enough to cause all this outlay19 of anguish20. Can't I help you out?"
"Exactly! What about him?"
"He's goin' away!" said Johnny.
"He's goin' away!" echoed Molly.
"Now, that's too bad, of course," the young man assented23; "but think what nice things he'll bring you when he comes back."
"He ain't comin' back!" announced the heir, with the tone that conveys a sorrow unspeakable.
"He ain't comin' back!" wailed the little girl, and, being a woman, yielded again to her weakness, unashamed.
Burrell tried to extract a more detailed24 explanation, but this was as far as their knowledge ran. So he sought out the Canadian, and found him with Gale in the store, a scanty25 pile of food and ammunition26 on the counter between them.
"Poleon," said he, "you're not going away?"
"Yes," said Doret. "I'm takin' li'l' trip."
"But when are you coming back?"
"Dat's hard t'ing for tellin'. I'm res'less in my heart, so I'm goin' travel some. I ain' never pass on de back trail yet, so I 'spect I keep goin'."
"Oh, but you can't!" cried Burrell. "I—I—" He paused awkwardly, while down the breeze came the lament4 of the two little Gales29. "Well, I feel just as they do." He motioned in the direction of the sound. "I wanted you for a friend, Doret; I hate to lose you."
"I ain' never got my satisfy yet, so I'm pass on—all de tam' pass on. Mebbe dis trip I fin30' de place."
"I'm sorry—because—well, I'm a selfish sort of cuss—and—" Burrell pulled up blushingly, with a strong man's display of shame at his own emotion. "I owe all my happiness to you, old man. I can't thank you—neither of us can—we shall never live long enough for that, but you mustn't go without knowing that I feel more than I'll ever have words to say."
He was making it very hard for the Frenchman, whose heart was aching already with a dull, unending pain. Poleon had hoped to get away quietly; his heart was too heavy to let him face Necia or this man, and run the risk of their reading his secret, so a plaintive31 wrinkle gathered between his eyes that grew into a smile. And then, as if he were not tried sufficiently32, the girl herself came flying in.
"What's this I hear?" she cried. "Alluna tells me—" She saw the telltale pile on the counter, and her face grew white. "Then it's true! Oh, Poleon!"
"When are you coming back?"
"Wal, if I fin' dat new place w'at I'm lookin' for I don' never come back. You people was good frien' to me, but I'm kin27' of shif'less feller, you know. Mebbe I forget all 'bout Flambeau, an' stop on my 'New Countree'—you never can tol' w'at dose Franchemans goin' do."
"It's the wander-lust," murmured Burrell to himself; "he'll never rest."
"What a child you are!" cried Necia, half angrily. "Can't you conquer that roving spirit and settle down like a man?" She laid her hand on his arm appealingly. "Haven't I told you there isn't any 'far country'? Haven't I told you that this path leads only to hardship and suffering and danger? The land you are looking for is there"—she touched his breast—"so why don't you stay in Flambeau and let us help you to find it?"
He was deeply grateful for her blindness, and yet it hurt him so that his great heart was nigh to bursting. Why couldn't she see the endless, hopeless yearning34 that consumed him, and know that if he stayed in sight and touch of her it would be like a living death? Perhaps, then, she would have given over urging him to do what he longed to do, and let him go on that search he knew was hopeless, and in which he had no joy. But she did not see; she would never see. He laughed aloud, for all the world as if the sun were bright and the fret35 for adventure were still keen in him, then, picking up his bundle, said:
"Dere's no use argue wit' Canayen man. Mebbe some day I come paddle back roun' de ben' down yonder, an' you hear me singin' dose chanson; but now de day she's too fine, de river she's laugh too loud, an' de birds she's sing too purty for Francheman to stop on shore. Ba gosh, I'm glad!" He began to hum, and they heard him singing all the way down to the river-bank, as if the spirit of Youth and Hope and Gladness were not dead within him.
"Chanté, rossignol, chanté!
Toi qui à le coeur gai;
Tu as le coeur à rire
Mai j' l' ai-tà pleurer,
Il y a longtemps que j' t'aime
Jamais je ne t'oublierai."
[Footnote: "Sing, little bird, oh, sing away!
You with the voice so light and gay!
Yours is a heart that laughter cheers,
Mine is a heart that's full of tears.
Long have I loved, I love her yet;
Leave her I can, but not forget."]
A moment later they heard him expostulating with some one at the water's edge, and then a child's treble rose on high.
"No, no! I'm goin', too! I'm goin', too-o-o-o—"
"Hey! John Gale!" called Poleon. "Come 'ere! Ba gosh! You better horry, too! I can't hol' dis feller long."
When they appeared on the bank above him, he continued, "Look 'ere w'at I fin' on my batteau," and held up the wriggling36 form of Johnny Gale. "He's stow hisse'f away onder dem blanket. Sacré! He's bad feller, dis man—don' pay for hees ticket at all; he's reg'lar toff mug."
"I want to go 'long!" yelled the incorrigible37 stow-away. He had brought his gun with him, and this weapon, peeping forth38 from under Poleon's blanket, had betrayed him. "I want to go 'long!" shrieked39 the little man "I like you best of all!" At which Doret took him in his arms and hugged him fiercely.
"Wal, I guess you don' t'ink 'bout dem beeg black bear at night, eh?" But this only awoke a keener distress40 in the junior Gale.
"Oh, maybe de bear will get you, Poleon! Let me go long, and I'll keep dem off. Two men is better dan one—please, Poleon!"
It took the efforts of Necia and the trader combined to tear the lad from the Frenchman, and even then the foul41 deed was accomplished42 only at the cost of such wild acclaim43 and evidence of undying sorrow that little Molly came hurrying from the house, her round face stained and tearful, her mouth an inverted44 crescent. She had gone to the lame2 puppy for comfort, and now strangled him absent-mindedly in her arms, clutching him to her breast so tightly that his tongue lolled out and his three legs protruded45 stiffly, pawing an aimless pantomime. When Johnny found that no hope remained, he quelled46 his demonstrations47 of emotion and, as befitted a stout-hearted gentleman of the woods, bore a final present to his friend. He took the little air-gun and gave it into Poleon's hands against that black night when the bears would come, and no man ever made a greater sacrifice. Doret picked him up by the elbows and kissed him again and again, then set him down gently, at which Molly scrambled48 forward, and without word or presentation speech gave him her heart's first treasure. She held out the three-legged puppy, for a gun and a dog should ever go together; then, being of the womankind aforesaid, she began to cry as she kissed her pet good-bye on its cold, wet nose.
"Wat's dis?" said Poleon, and his voice quavered, for these childish fingers tore at his heart-strings terribly.
"He's a very brave doggie," said the little girl. "He will scare de bears away!" And then she became dissolved in tears at the anguish her offering cost her.
Doret caressed49 her as he had her brother, then placed the puppy carefully upon the blankets in the canoe, where it wagged a grateful and amiable50 stump51 at him and regained52 its breath. It was the highest proof of Molly's affection for her Poleon that she kept her tear-dimmed eyes fixed53 upon the dog as long as it was visible.
The time had come for the last good-bye—that awkward moment when human hearts are full and spoken words are empty. Burrell gripped the Frenchman's hand. He was grateful, but he did not know.
"Good-luck and better hunting!" he said. "A heavy purse and a light heart for you always, Poleon. I have learned to love you."
"I want you to be good husban', M'sieu'. Dat's de bes' t'ing I can wish for you."
"May you not forget, my son."
They did not look into each other's eyes; there was no need. The old man stooped, and, taking both his children by the hand, walked slowly towards the house.
"Dis tam' I'll fin' it for sure," smiled Poleon to Necia.
"I hope so, brother. God love you—always."
It was grief at losing a playmate, a dear and well-beloved companion. He knew it well, and he was glad now that he had never said a word of love to her. It added to his pain, but it lightened hers, and that had ever been his wish. He gazed on her for a long moment, taking in that blessed image which would ever live with him—in his eyes was the light of a love as pure and clean as ever any maid had seen, and in his heart a sorrow that would never cease.
"Good-bye, li'l' gal," he said, then dropped her hand and entered his canoe. With one great stroke he drove it out and into the flood, then headed away towards the mists and colors of the distant hills, where the Oreads were calling to him. He turned for one last look, and flung his paddle high; then, fearing lest they might see the tears that came at last unhindered, he began to sing:
"Chante, rossignol, chante!
Toi qui a le coeur gai;
Tu as le coeur a rire
Mai j' l' ai-t-a pleurer."
He sang long and lustily, keeping time to the dip of his flashing paddle and defying his bursting heart. After all, was he not a voyageur, and life but a song and a tear, and then a dream or two?
"I wish I might have known him better," sighed Meade Burrell, as he watched the receding56 form of the boatman.
"You would have loved him as we do," said Necia, "and you would have missed him as we will."
"I hope some time he will be happy."
"As happy as you, my soldier?"
"Yes; but that he can never be," said her husband; "for no man could love as I love you."
"Yours is a heart that laughter cheers,
Mine is a heart that's full of tears.
Long have I loved, I love her yet;
Leave her I can, but not forget—"
came the voice of the singer far down the stream. And thus Poleon of the Great Heart went away.
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收听单词发音
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1
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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lamentation
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| n.悲叹，哀悼 | |
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lament
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| n.悲叹，悔恨，恸哭；v.哀悼，悔恨，悲叹 | |
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gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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7
puckered
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| v.（使某物）起褶子或皱纹( pucker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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8
distended
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| v.（使）膨胀，肿胀( distend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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askew
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| adv.斜地；adj.歪斜的 | |
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10
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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11
trudged
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| vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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12
ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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13
crescendo
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| n.(音乐)渐强，高潮 | |
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14
lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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15
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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16
bout
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| n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛 | |
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17
catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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18
dispelled
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| v.驱散，赶跑( dispel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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19
outlay
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| n.费用，经费，支出；v.花费 | |
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20
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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21
wailed
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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22
unison
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| n.步调一致，行动一致 | |
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23
assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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24
detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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25
scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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26
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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27
kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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28
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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29
gales
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| 龙猫 | |
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30
fin
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| n.鳍；(飞机的)安定翼 | |
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31
plaintive
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| adj.可怜的，伤心的 | |
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32
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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33
spoke
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| 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 | |
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34
yearning
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| a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的 | |
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35
fret
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| v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损 | |
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36
wriggling
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| v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的现在分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等）；蠕蠕 | |
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37
incorrigible
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| adj.难以纠正的，屡教不改的 | |
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38
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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39
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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40
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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41
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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42
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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43
acclaim
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| v.向…欢呼，公认；n.欢呼，喝彩，称赞 | |
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44
inverted
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| adj.反向的，倒转的v.使倒置，使反转( invert的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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45
protruded
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
quelled
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| v.（用武力）制止，结束，镇压( quell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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47
demonstrations
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| 证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威 | |
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48
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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49
caressed
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| 爱抚或抚摸…( caress的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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51
stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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52
regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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53
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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54
patois
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| n.方言；混合语 | |
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55
fervently
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| adv.热烈地，热情地，强烈地 | |
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56
receding
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的现在分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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