CHAPTER X.

 "Where's Mr. Hawker this morning?" asked the younger Miss Worcester. "I thought he was coming up to play tennis?"

 

"I don't know. Confound him! I don't see why he didn't come," said Hollanden, looking across the shining valley. He frowned questioningly at the landscape. "I wonder where in the mischief¹ he is?"

 

The Worcester girls began also to stare at the great gleaming stretch of green and gold. "Didn't he tell you he was coming?" they demanded.

 

"He didn't say a word about it," answered Hollanden. "I supposed, of course, he was coming. We will have to postpone² the mêlée."

 

Later he met Miss Fanhall. "You look as if you were going for a walk?"

 

"I am," she said, swinging her parasol. "To meet the stage. Have you seen Mr. Hawker to-day?"

 

"No," he said. "He is not coming up this morning. He is in a great fret³ about that field of stubble, and I suppose he is down there sketching⁴ the life out of it. These artists—they take such a fiendish interest in their work. I dare say we won't see much of him until he has finished it. Where did you say you were going to walk?"

 

"To meet the stage."

 

"Oh, well, I won't have to play tennis for an hour, and if you insist——"

 

"Of course."

 

As they strolled slowly in the shade of the trees Hollanden began, "Isn't that Hawker an ill-bred old thing?"

 

"No, he is not." Then after a time she said, "Why?"

 

"Oh, he gets so absorbed in a beastly smudge of paint that I really suppose he cares nothing for anything else in the world. Men who are really artists—I don't believe they are capable of deep human affections. So much of them is occupied by art. There's not much left over, you see."

 

"I don't believe it at all," she exclaimed.

 

"You don't, eh?" cried Hollanden scornfully. "Well, let me tell you, young woman, there is a great deal of truth in it. Now, there's Hawker—as good a fellow as ever lived, too, in a way, and yet he's an artist. Why, look how he treats—look how he treats that poor setter dog!"

 

"Why, he's as kind to him as he can be," she declared.

 

"And I tell you he is not!" cried Hollanden.

 

"He is, Hollie. You—you are unspeakable when you get in these moods."

 

"There—that's just you in an argument. I'm not in a mood at all. Now, look—the dog loves him with simple, unquestioning devotion that fairly brings tears to one's eyes——"

 

"Yes," she said.

 

"And he—why, he's as cold and stern——"

 

"He isn't. He isn't, Holly⁵. You are awf'ly unfair."

 

"No, I'm not. I am simply a liberal observer. And Hawker, with his people, too," he went on darkly; "you can't tell—you don't know anything about it—but I tell you that what I have seen proves my assertion that the artistic⁶ mind has no space left for the human affections. And as for the dog——"

 

"I thought you were his friend, Hollie?"

 

"Whose?"

 

"No, not the dog's. And yet you—really, Hollie, there is something unnatural⁷ in you. You are so stupidly keen in looking at people that you do not possess common loyalty⁸ to your friends. It is because you are a writer, I suppose. That has to explain so many things. Some of your traits are very disagreeable."

 

"There! there!" plaintively⁹ cried Hollanden. "This is only about the treatment of a dog, mind you. Goodness, what an oration¹⁰!"

 

"It wasn't about the treatment of a dog. It was about your treatment of your friends."

 

"Well," he said sagely¹¹, "it only goes to show that there is nothing impersonal¹² in the mind of a woman. I undertook to discuss broadly——

 

"Oh, Hollie!"

 

"At any rate, it was rather below you to do such scoffing¹³ at me."

 

"Well, I didn't mean—not all of it, Hollie."

 

"Well, I didn't mean what I said about the dog and all that, either."

 

"You didn't?" She turned toward him, large-eyed.

 

"No. Not a single word of it."

 

"Well, what did you say it for, then?" she demanded indignantly.

 

"I said it," answered Hollanden placidly¹⁴, "just to tease you." He looked abstractedly up to the trees.

 

Presently she said slowly, "Just to tease me?"

 

At this time Hollanden wore an unmistakable air of having a desire to turn up his coat collar. "Oh, come now——" he began nervously¹⁵.

 

"George Hollanden," said the voice at his shoulder, "you are not only disagreeable, but you are hopelessly ridiculous. I—I wish you would never speak to me again!"

 

"Oh, come now, Grace, don't—don't—— Look! There's the stage coming, isn't it?"

 

"No, the stage is not coming. I wish—I wish you were at the bottom of the sea, George Hollanden. And—and Mr. Hawker, too. There!"

 

"Oh, bless my soul! And all about an infernal dog," wailed¹⁶ Hollanden. "Look! Honest, now, there's the stage. See it? See it?"

 

"It isn't there at all," she said.

 

Gradually he seemed to recover his courage. "What made you so tremendously angry? I don't see why."

 

After consideration, she said decisively, "Well, because."

 

"That's why I teased you," he rejoined.

 

"Well, because—because——"

 

"Go on," he told her finally. "You are doing very well." He waited patiently.

 

"Well," she said, "it is dreadful to defend somebody so—so excitedly, and then have it turned out just a tease. I don't know what he would think."

 

"Who would think?"

 

"Why—he."

 

"What could he think? Now, what could he think? Why," said Hollanden, waxing eloquent¹⁷, "he couldn't under any circumstances think—think anything at all. Now, could he?"

 

She made no reply.

 

"Could he?"

 

She was apparently¹⁸ reflecting.

 

"Under any circumstances," persisted Hollanden, "he couldn't think anything at all. Now, could he?"

 

"No," she said.

 

"Well, why are you angry at me, then?"

1 mischief   

n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹

参考例句：

• Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。
• He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。

2 postpone   

v.延期，推迟

参考例句：

• I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。
• She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。

3 fret   

v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损

参考例句：

• Don't fret.We'll get there on time.别着急，我们能准时到那里。
• She'll fret herself to death one of these days.她总有一天会愁死的.

4 sketching   

n.草图

参考例句：

• They are sketching out proposals for a new road. 他们正在草拟修建新路的计划。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• "Imagination is busy sketching rose-tinted pictures of joy. “飞舞驰骋的想象描绘出一幅幅玫瑰色欢乐的场景。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

5 holly   

n.[植]冬青属灌木

参考例句：

• I recently acquired some wood from a holly tree.最近我从一棵冬青树上弄了些木料。
• People often decorate their houses with holly at Christmas.人们总是在圣诞节时用冬青来装饰房屋。

6 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

7 unnatural   

adj.不自然的；反常的

参考例句：

• Did her behaviour seem unnatural in any way?她有任何反常表现吗？
• She has an unnatural smile on her face.她脸上挂着做作的微笑。

8 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。

9 plaintively   

adv.悲哀地，哀怨地

参考例句：

• The last note of the song rang out plaintively. 歌曲最后道出了离别的哀怨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Birds cry plaintively before they die, men speak kindly in the presence of death. 鸟之将死，其鸣也哀；人之将死，其言也善。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 oration   

n.演说，致辞，叙述法

参考例句：

• He delivered an oration on the decline of family values.他发表了有关家庭价值观的衰退的演说。
• He was asked to deliver an oration at the meeting.他被邀请在会议上发表演说。

11 sagely   

adv. 贤能地，贤明地

参考例句：

• Even the ones who understand may nod sagely. 即使对方知道这一点，也会一本正经地点头同意。
• Well, that's about all of the sagely advice this old grey head can come up with. 好了，以上就是我这个满头银发的老头儿给你们的充满睿智的忠告。

12 impersonal   

adj.无个人感情的，与个人无关的，非人称的

参考例句：

• Even his children found him strangely distant and impersonal.他的孩子们也认为他跟其他人很疏远，没有人情味。
• His manner seemed rather stiff and impersonal.他的态度似乎很生硬冷淡。

13 scoffing   

n. 嘲笑, 笑柄, 愚弄 v. 嘲笑, 嘲弄, 愚弄, 狼吞虎咽

参考例句：

• They were sitting around the table scoffing. 他们围坐在桌子旁狼吞虎咽地吃着。
• He the lid and showed the wonderful the scoffing visitors. 他打开盖子给嘲笑他们的老人看这些丰富的收获。

14 placidly   

adv.平稳地，平静地

参考例句：

• Hurstwood stood placidly by, while the car rolled back into the yard. 当车子开回场地时，赫斯渥沉着地站在一边。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• The water chestnut floated placidly there, where it would grow. 那棵菱角就又安安稳稳浮在水面上生长去了。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

15 nervously   

adv.神情激动地，不安地

参考例句：

• He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇，努力忍着不哭出来。
• He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。

16 wailed   

v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She wailed over her father's remains. 她对着父亲的遗体嚎啕大哭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The women of the town wailed over the war victims. 城里的妇女为战争的死难者们痛哭。 来自辞典例句

17 eloquent   

adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的

参考例句：

• He was so eloquent that he cut down the finest orator.他能言善辩，胜过最好的演说家。
• These ruins are an eloquent reminder of the horrors of war.这些废墟形象地提醒人们不要忘记战争的恐怖。

18 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。