It had cost Mr. McEachern some pains to learn this lesson, but he had done it; and he proceeded on the present occasion to conduct himself high and disposedly, according to instructions from headquarters.
The surprise of finding an old acquaintance in this company rendered him dumb for a brief space, during which Jimmy looked after the conversation.
"How do you do, Mr. McEachern?" inquired Jimmy genially9. "Quite a surprise meeting you in England. A pleasant surprise. By the way, one generally shakes hands in the smartest circles. Yours seem to be down there somewhere. Might I trouble you? Right. Got it? Thanks!"
He bent10 forward, possessed11 himself of Mr. McEachern's right hand, which was hanging limply at its proprietor's side, shook it warmly, and replaced it.
"'Wahye?" asked Mr. McEachern gruffly, giving a pleasing air of novelty to the hackneyed salutation by pronouncing it as one word. He took some little time getting into his stride when carrying on polite conversation.
"Very well, thank you. You're looking as strong as ever, Mr.
McEachern."
Molly had regained14 her composure by this time. Her father was taking the thing better than she had expected.
"It's Jimmy, father, dear," she said. "Jimmy Pitt."
"Dear old James," murmured the visitor.
"I know, me dear, I know. Wahye?"
"Still well," replied Jimmy cheerfully. "Sitting up, you will notice," he added, waving a hand in the direction of his teacup, "and taking nourishment15. No further bulletins will be issued."
"Jimmy is staying here, father. He is the friend Spennie was bringing."
"This is the friend that Spennie brought," said Jimmy in a rapid undertone. "This is the maiden16 all forlorn who crossed the seas, and lived in the house that sheltered the friend that Spennie brought."
"I see, me dear," said Mr. McEachern slowly. "'Wah——"
"No, I've guessed that one already," said Jimmy. "Ask me another."
Molly looked reproachfully at him. His deplorable habit of chaffing her father had caused her trouble in the old days. It may be admitted that this recreation of Jimmy's was not in the best taste; but it must also be remembered that the relations between the two had always been out of the ordinary. Great as was his affection for Molly, Jimmy could not recollect17 a time when war had not been raging in a greater or lesser18 degree between the ex-policeman and himself.
"It is very kind of you to invite me down here," said he. "We shall be able to have some cozy19 chats over old times when I was a wanderer on the face of the earth, and you——"
"Yis, yis," interrupted Mr. McEachern hastily, "somewhere ilse, aftherward."
"You shall choose time and place, of course. I was only going to ask you how you liked leaving the——"
"United States?" put in Mr. McEachern, with an eagerness which broadened his questioner's friendly smile, as the Honorable Louis Wesson came toward them.
"Well, I'm not after saying it was not a wrinch at firrst, but I considered it best to lave Wall Street—Wall Street, ye understand, before——"
"I see. Before you fell a victim to the feverish20 desire for reckless speculation21 which is so marked a characteristic of the American business man, what?"
"That's it," said the other, relieved.
"I, too, have been speculating," said Mr. Wesson, "as to whether you would care to show me the rose garden, Miss McEachern, as you promised yesterday. Of all flowers, I love roses best. You remember Bryant's lines, Miss McEachern? 'The rose that lives its little hour is prized beyond the sculptured flower.'"
Jimmy interposed firmly. "I'm very sorry," he said, "but the fact is Miss McEachern has just promised to take me with her to feed the fowls23.
"I gamble on fowls," he thought. "There must be some in a high-class establishment of this kind."
"I'd quite forgotten," said Molly.
"I thought you had. We'd better start at once. Nothing upsets a fowl22 more than having to wait for dinner."
"Nonsense, me dear Molly," said Mr. McEachern bluffly24. "Run along and show Mr. Wesson the roses. Nobody wants to waste time over a bunch of hens."
"Perhaps not," said Jimmy thoughtfully, "perhaps not. I might be better employed here, amusing the people by telling them all about our old New York days and——"
Mr. McEachern might have been observed, and was so observed by Jimmy, to swallow somewhat convulsively.
"But as Molly promised ye——" said he.
"That fellah," said Mr. Wesson solemnly to his immortal26 soul, "is a damn bounder. And cad," he added after a moment's reflection.
The fowls lived in a little world of noise and smells at the back of the stables. The first half of the journey thither27 was performed in silence. Molly's cheerful little face was set in what she probably imagined to be a forbidding scowl28. The tilt29 of her chin spoke30 of displeasure.
"If a penny would be any use to you," said Jimmy, breaking the tension.
What's the trouble? What have I done?"
"My dear girl, he loved it. Brainy badinage35 of that sort is exchanged every day in the best society. You should hear dukes and earls! The wit! the esprit! The flow of soul! Mine is nothing to it. What's this in the iron pot? Is this what you feed them? Queer birds, hens—I wouldn't touch the stuff for a fortune. It looks perfectly poisonous. Flock around, you pullets. Come in your thousands. All bad nuts returned, and a souvenir goes with every corpse36. A little more of this putrescent mixture for you, sir. Certainly, pick up your dead, pick up your dead."
"All the same," she said, "you ought to be ashamed of yourself,
Jimmy."
"I haven't time when I find myself stopping in the same house with a girl I've been looking for for three years."
Molly looked away. There was silence for a moment.
"Used you ever to think of me?" she said quietly.
That curious constraint38 which had fallen upon Jimmy in the road came to him again, now, as sobering as a blow. Something which he could not define had changed the atmosphere. Suddenly in an instant, like a shallow stream that runs babbling39 over the stones into some broad, still pool, the note of their talk had deepened.
"Yes," he said simply. He could find no words for what he wished to say.
"I've thought of you—often," said Molly.
He took a step toward her. But the moment had passed. Her mood had changed in a flash, or seemed to have changed. The stream babbled40 on over the stones again.
"Be careful, Jimmy! You nearly touched me with the spoon. I don't want to be covered with that horrible stuff. Look at that poor, little chicken out there in the cold. It hasn't had a morsel41."
Jimmy responded to her lead. There was nothing else for him to do.
"It's in luck," he said.
"Give it a spoonful."
"It can have one if it likes. But it's taking big risks. Here you are,
Hercules. Pitch in."
He scraped the last spoonful out of the iron pot, and they began to walk back to the house.
"You're very quiet, Jimmy," said Molly.
"I was thinking."
"What about?"
"Lots of things."
"New York?"
"That among others."
"Dear old New York," said Molly, with a little sigh. "I'm not sure it wasn't—I mean, I sometimes wish—oh, you know. I mean it's lovely here, but it was nice in the old days, wasn't it, Jimmy? It's a pity that things change, isn't it?"
"It depends."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't mind things changing, if people don't."
"Do you think I've changed? You said I hadn't when we met in the road."
"You haven't, as far as looks go."
"Have I changed in other ways?"
Jimmy looked at her.
"I don't know," he said slowly.
They were in the hall, now. Keggs had just left after beating the dressing42 gong. The echoes of it still lingered. Molly paused on the bottom step.
"I haven't, Jimmy," she said; and ran on up the stairs.
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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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repartee
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| n.机敏的应答 | |
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etiquette
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| n.礼仪，礼节；规矩 | |
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mandate
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| n.托管地；命令，指示 | |
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honeymoon
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| n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月 | |
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resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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abhorred
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| v.憎恶( abhor的过去式和过去分词 )；（厌恶地）回避；拒绝；淘汰 | |
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8
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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genially
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| adv.亲切地，和蔼地；快活地 | |
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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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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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conversational
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| adj.对话的，会话的 | |
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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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15
nourishment
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| n.食物，营养品；营养情况 | |
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maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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17
recollect
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| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
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18
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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cozy
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| adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的 | |
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feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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fowl
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| n.家禽，鸡，禽肉 | |
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fowls
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| 鸟( fowl的名词复数 )； 禽肉； 既不是这； 非驴非马 | |
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bluffly
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| 率直地，粗率地 | |
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neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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scowl
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| vi.(at)生气地皱眉，沉下脸，怒视；n.怒容 | |
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tilt
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| v.(使)倾侧；(使)倾斜；n.倾侧；倾斜 | |
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30
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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severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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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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33
orphan
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| n.孤儿；adj.无父母的 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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badinage
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| n.开玩笑，打趣 | |
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corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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constraint
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| n.(on)约束，限制；限制(或约束)性的事物 | |
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39
babbling
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| n.胡说，婴儿发出的咿哑声adj.胡说的v.喋喋不休( babble的现在分词 )；作潺潺声（如流水）；含糊不清地说话；泄漏秘密 | |
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40
babbled
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| v.喋喋不休( babble的过去式和过去分词 )；作潺潺声（如流水）；含糊不清地说话；泄漏秘密 | |
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41
morsel
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| n.一口，一点点 | |
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42
dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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