CHAPTER XVIII.

 It was evident at breakfast that Hawker's sisters had achieved information. "What's the matter with you this morning?" asked one. "You look as if you hadn't slep' well."

 

"There is nothing the matter with me," he rejoined, looking glumly¹ at his plate.

 

"Well, you look kind of broke up."

 

"How I look is of no consequence. I tell you there is nothing the matter with me."

 

"Oh!" said his sister. She exchanged meaning glances with the other feminine members of the family. Presently the other sister observed, "I heard she was going home to-day."

 

"Who?" said Hawker, with a challenge in his tone.

 

"Why, that New York girl—Miss What's-her-name," replied the sister, with an undaunted smile.

 

"Did you, indeed? Well, perhaps she is."

 

"Oh, you don't know for sure, I s'pose."

 

Hawker arose from the table, and, taking his hat, went away.

 

"Mary!" said the mother, in the sepulchral² tone of belated but conscientious³ reproof⁴.

 

"Well, I don't care. He needn't be so grand. I didn't go to tease him. I don't care."

 

"Well, you ought to care," said the old man suddenly. "There's no sense in you wimen folks pestering⁵ the boy all the time. Let him alone with his own business, can't you?"

 

"Well, ain't we leaving him alone?"

 

"No, you ain't—'cept when he ain't here. I don't wonder the boy grabs his hat and skips out when you git to going."

 

"Well, what did we say to him now? Tell us what we said to him that was so dreadful."

 

"Aw, thunder an' lightnin'!" cried the old man with a sudden great snarl⁶. They seemed to know by this ejaculation that he had emerged in an instant from that place where man endures, and they ended the discussion. The old man continued his breakfast.

 

During his walk that morning Hawker visited a certain cascade⁷, a certain lake, and some roads, paths, groves⁸, nooks. Later in the day he made a sketch⁹, choosing an hour when the atmosphere was of a dark blue, like powder smoke in the shade of trees, and the western sky was burning in strips of red. He painted with a wild face, like a man who is killing¹⁰.

 

After supper he and his father strolled under the apple boughs¹¹ in the orchard¹² and smoked. Once he gestured wearily. "Oh, I guess I'll go back to New York in a few days."

 

"Um," replied his father calmly. "All right, William."

 

Several days later Hawker accosted¹³ his father in the barnyard. "I suppose you think sometimes I don't care so much about you and the folks and the old place any more; but I do."

 

"Um," said the old man. "When you goin'?"

 

"Where?" asked Hawker, flushing.

 

"Back to New York."

 

"Why—I hadn't thought much about—— Oh, next week, I guess."

 

"Well, do as you like, William. You know how glad me an' mother and the girls are to have you come home with us whenever you can come. You know that. But you must do as you think best, and if you ought to go back to New York now, William, why—do as you think best."

 

"Well, my work——" said Hawker.

 

From time to time the mother made wondering speech to the sisters. "How much nicer William is now! He's just as good as he can be. There for a while he was so cross and out of sorts. I don't see what could have come over him. But now he's just as good as he can be."

 

Hollanden told him, "Come up to the inn more, you fool."

 

"I was up there yesterday."

 

"Yesterday! What of that? I've seen the time when the farm couldn't hold you for two hours during the day."

 

"Go to blazes!"

 

"Millicent got a letter from Grace Fanhall the other day."

 

"That so?"

 

"Yes, she did. Grace wrote—— Say, does that shadow look pure purple to you?"

 

"Certainly it does, or I wouldn't paint it so, duffer. What did she write?"

 

"Well, if that shadow is pure purple my eyes are liars¹⁴. It looks a kind of slate¹⁵ colour to me. Lord! if what you fellows say in your pictures is true, the whole earth must be blazing and burning and glowing and——"

 

Hawker went into a rage. "Oh, you don't know anything about colour, Hollie. For heaven's sake, shut up, or I'll smash you with the easel."

 

"Well, I was going to tell you what Grace wrote in her letter. She said——"

 

"Go on."

 

"Gimme time, can't you? She said that town was stupid, and that she wished she was back at Hemlock¹⁶ Inn."

 

"Oh! Is that all?"

 

"Is that all? I wonder what you expected? Well, and she asked to be recalled to you."

 

"Yes? Thanks."

 

"And that's all. 'Gad¹⁷, for such a devoted¹⁸ man as you were, your enthusiasm and interest is stupendous."

 

The father said to the mother, "Well, William's going back to New York next week."

 

"Is he? Why, he ain't said nothing to me about it."

 

"Well, he is, anyhow."

 

"I declare! What do you s'pose he's going back before September for, John?"

 

"How do I know?"

 

"Well, it's funny, John. I bet—I bet he's going back so's he can see that girl."

 

"He says it's his work."

 

1 glumly   

adv.忧郁地，闷闷不乐地；阴郁地

参考例句：

• He stared at it glumly, and soon became lost in thought. 他惘然沉入了瞑想。 来自子夜部分
• The President sat glumly rubbing his upper molar, saying nothing. 总统愁眉苦脸地坐在那里，磨着他的上牙，一句话也没有说。 来自辞典例句

2 sepulchral   

adj.坟墓的，阴深的

参考例句：

• He made his way along the sepulchral corridors.他沿着阴森森的走廊走着。
• There was a rather sepulchral atmosphere in the room.房间里有一种颇为阴沉的气氛。

3 conscientious   

adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的

参考例句：

• He is a conscientious man and knows his job.他很认真负责，也很懂行。
• He is very conscientious in the performance of his duties.他非常认真地履行职责。

4 reproof   

n.斥责，责备

参考例句：

• A smart reproof is better than smooth deceit.严厉的责难胜过温和的欺骗。
• He is impatient of reproof.他不能忍受指责。

5 pestering   

使烦恼，纠缠( pester的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He's always pestering me to help him with his homework. 他总是泡蘑菇要我帮他做作业。
• I'm telling you once and for all, if you don't stop pestering me you'll be sorry. 我这是最后一次警告你。如果你不停止纠缠我，你将来会后悔的。

6 snarl   

v.吼叫，怒骂，纠缠，混乱；n.混乱，缠结，咆哮

参考例句：

• At the seaside we could hear the snarl of the waves.在海边我们可以听见波涛的咆哮。
• The traffic was all in a snarl near the accident.事故发生处附近交通一片混乱。

7 cascade   

n.小瀑布，喷流；层叠；vi.成瀑布落下

参考例句：

• She watched the magnificent waterfall cascade down the mountainside.她看着壮观的瀑布从山坡上倾泻而下。
• Her hair fell over her shoulders in a cascade of curls.她的卷发像瀑布一样垂在肩上。

8 groves   

树丛，小树林( grove的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The early sun shone serenely on embrowned groves and still green fields. 朝阳宁静地照耀着已经发黄的树丛和还是一片绿色的田地。
• The trees grew more and more in groves and dotted with old yews. 那里的树木越来越多地长成了一簇簇的小丛林，还点缀着几棵老紫杉树。

9 sketch   

n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述

参考例句：

• My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
• I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。

10 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

11 boughs   

大树枝( bough的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The green boughs glittered with all their pearls of dew. 绿枝上闪烁着露珠的光彩。
• A breeze sighed in the higher boughs. 微风在高高的树枝上叹息着。

12 orchard   

n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场

参考例句：

• My orchard is bearing well this year.今年我的果园果实累累。
• Each bamboo house was surrounded by a thriving orchard.每座竹楼周围都是茂密的果园。

13 accosted   

v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭

参考例句：

• She was accosted in the street by a complete stranger. 在街上，一个完全陌生的人贸然走到她跟前搭讪。
• His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him. 他乐善好施的本性使他不会拒绝走上前向他行乞的任何一个乞丐。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 liars   

说谎者( liar的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The greatest liars talk most of themselves. 最爱自吹自擂的人是最大的说谎者。
• Honest boys despise lies and liars. 诚实的孩子鄙视谎言和说谎者。

15 slate   

n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订

参考例句：

• The nominating committee laid its slate before the board.提名委员会把候选人名单提交全体委员会讨论。
• What kind of job uses stained wood and slate? 什么工作会接触木头污浊和石板呢？

16 hemlock   

n.毒胡萝卜，铁杉

参考例句：

• He was condemned to drink a cup of hemlock.判处他喝一杯毒汁。
• Here is a beech by the side of a hemlock,with three pines at hand.这儿有株山毛榉和一株铁杉长在一起，旁边还有三株松树。

17 gad   

n.闲逛；v.闲逛

参考例句：

• He is always on the gad.他老是闲荡作乐。
• Let it go back into the gloaming and gad with a lot of longing.就让它回到暮色中，满怀憧憬地游荡吧。

18 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。