The next morning his preposterous30 displeasure lay like a curse on the house; Anna was silent, and Agnes moved on timid feet. In the afternoon Willie Price called in answer to the note. The miser21 was in the garden, and Agnes at school. Willie's craven and fawning31 humility32 was inexpressibly touching33 and shameful34 to Anna. She longed to say to him, as he stood hesitant and confused in the parlour: 'Go in peace. Forget this despicable rent. It sickens me to see you so.' She foresaw, as the effect of her father's vindictive35 pursuit of her tenants36, an interminable succession of these mortifying37 interviews.
'You're rather hard on us,' Willie Price began, using the old phrases, but in a tone of forced and propitiatory38 cheerfulness, as though he feared to bring down a storm of anger which should ruin all. 'You'll not deny that we've been doing our best.'
'The rent is due, you know, Mr. William,' she replied, blushing.
'Oh, yes,' he said quickly. 'I don't deny that. I admit that. I—did you happen to see Mr. Tellwright's postscript39 to your letter?'
'No,' she answered, without thinking.
He drew the letter, soiled and creased40, from his pocket, and displayed it to her. At the foot of the page she read, in Ephraim's thick and clumsy characters: 'P.S. This is final.'
'My father,' said Willie, 'was a little put about. He said he'd never received such a letter before in the whole of his business career. It isn't as if——'
'I needn't tell you,' she interrupted, with a sudden determination to get to the worst without more suspense41, 'that of course I am in father's hands.'
'Oh! Of course, Miss Tellwright; we quite understand that—quite. It's just a matter of business. We owe a debt and we must pay it. All we want is time.' He smiled piteously at her, his blue eyes full of appeal. She was obliged to gaze at the floor.
'Yes,' she said, tapping her foot on the rug. 'But father means what he says.' She looked up at him again, trying to soften42 her words by means of something more subtle than a smile.
'He means what he says,' Willie agreed; 'and I admire him for it.'
'Perhaps I could see him,' he ventured.
'I wish you would,' Anna said, sincerely. 'Father, you're wanted,' she called curtly45 through the window.
'I've got a proposal to make to him,' Price continued, while they awaited the presence of the miser, 'and I can't hardly think he'll refuse it.'
'Well, young sir,' Tellwright said blandly46, with an air almost insinuating47, as he entered. Willie Price, the simpleton, was deceived by it, and, taking courage, adopted another line of defence. He thought the miser was a little ashamed of his postscript.
'About your note, Mr. Tellwright; I was just telling Miss Tellwright that my father said he had never received such a letter in the whole of his business career.' The youth assumed a discreet48 indignation.
'Thy feyther's had dozens o' such letters, lad,' the miser said with cold emphasis, 'or my name's not Tellwright. Dunna tell me as Titus Price's never heard of a bumbailiff afore.'
Willie was crushed at a blow, and obliged to retreat. He smiled painfully. 'Come, Mr. Tellwright. Don't talk like that. All we want is time.'
'Time is money,' said Tellwright, 'and if us give you time us give you money. 'Stead o' that, it's you as mun give us money. That's right reason.'
Willie laughed with difficulty. 'See here, Mr. Tellwright. To cut a long story short, it's like this. You ask for twenty-five pounds. I've got in my pocket a bill of exchange drawn49 by us on Mr. Sutton and endorsed50 by him, for thirty pounds, payable51 in three months. Will you take that? Remember it's for thirty, and you only ask for twenty-five.'
'So Mr. Sutton has dealings with ye, eh?' Tellwright remarked.
'Oh, yes,' Willie answered proudly. 'He buys off us regularly. We've done business for years.'
'And pays i' bills at three months, eh?' The miser grinned.
'Sometimes,' said Willie.
'Let's see it,' said the miser.
'What—the bill?'
'Ay!'
'Oh! The bill's all right.' Willie took it from his pocket, and opening out the blue paper, gave it to old Tellwright. Anna perceived the anxiety on the youth's face. He flushed and his hand trembled. She dared not speak, but she wished to tell him to be at ease. She knew from infallible signs that her father would take the bill. Ephraim gazed at the stamped paper as at something strange and unprecedented52 in his experience.
'Father would want you not to negotiate that bill,' said Willie. 'The fact is, we promised Mr. Sutton that that particular bill should not leave our hands—unless it was absolutely necessary. So father would like you not to discount it, and he will redeem53 it before it matures. You quite understand—we don't care to offend an old customer like Mr. Sutton.'
'Then this bit o' paper's worth nowt for welly[1] three months?' the old man said, with an affectation of bewildered simplicity54.
Happily inspired for once, Willie made no answer, but put the question: 'Will you take it?'
'Ay! Us'll tak' it,' said Tellwright, 'though it is but a promise.' He was well pleased.
Young Price's face showed his relief. It was now evident that he had been passing through an ordeal55. Anna guessed that perhaps everything had depended on the acceptance by Tellwright of that bill. Had he refused it, Prices, she thought, might have come to sudden disaster. She felt glad and disburdened for the moment; but immediately it occurred to her that her father would not rest satisfied for long; a few weeks, and he would give another turn to the screw.
The Tellwrights were destined57 to have other visitors that afternoon. Agnes, coming from school, was accompanied by a lady. Anna, who was setting the tea-table, saw a double shadow pass the window, and heard voices. She ran into the kitchen, and found Mrs. Sutton seated on a chair, breathing quickly.
'You'll excuse me coming in so unceremoniously, Anna,' she said, after having kissed her heartily58. 'But Agnes said that she always came in by the back way, so I came that way too. Now I'm resting a minute. I've had to walk to-day. Our horse has gone lame59.'
This kind heart radiated a heavenly goodwill60, even in the most ordinary phrases. Anna began to expand at once.
'Now do come into the parlour,' she said, 'and let me make you comfortable.'
'Just a minute, my dear,' Mrs. Sutton begged, fanning herself with her handkerchief, 'Agnes's legs are so long.'
'Oh, Mrs. Sutton,' Agnes protested, laughing, 'how can you? I could scarcely keep up with you!'
'Well, my dear, I never could walk slowly. I'm one of them that go till they drop. It's very silly.' She smiled, and the two girls smiled happily in return.
'Agnes,' said the housewife, 'set another cup and saucer and plate.' Agnes threw down her hat and satchel61 of books, eager to show hospitality.
'It still keeps very warm,' Anna remarked, as Mrs. Sutton was silent.
'It's beautifully cool here,' said Mrs. Sutton. 'I see you've got your kitchen like a new pin, Anna, if you'll excuse me saying so. Henry was very enthusiastic about this kitchen the other night, at our house.'
'What! Mr. Mynors?' Anna reddened to the eyes.
'Yes, my dear; and he's a very particular young man, you know.'
The kettle conveniently boiled at that moment, and Anna went to the range to make the tea.
'Tea is all ready, Mrs. Sutton,' she said at length. 'I'm sure you could do with a cup.'
'That I could,' said Mrs. Sutton. 'It's what I've come for.'
'We have tea at four. Father will be glad to see you.' The clock struck, and they went into the parlour, Anna carrying the tea-pot and the hot-water jug62. Agnes had preceded them. The old man was sitting expectant in his chair.
'Well, Mr. Tellwright,' said the visitor, 'you see I've called to see you, and to beg a cup of tea. I overtook Agnes coming home from school—overtook her, mind—me, at my age!' Ephraim rose slowly and shook hands.
'You're welcome,' he said curtly, but with a kindliness63 that amazed Anna. She was unaware64 that in past days he had known Mrs. Sutton as a young and charming girl, a vision that had stirred poetic65 ideas in hundreds of prosaic66 breasts, Tellwright's included. There was scarcely a middle-aged67 male Wesleyan in Bursley and Hanbridge who had not a peculiar68 regard for Mrs. Sutton, and who did not think that he alone truly appreciated her.
'What an' you bin69 tiring yourself with this afternoon?' he asked, when they had begun tea, and Mrs. Sutton had refused a second piece of bread-and-butter.
'What have I been doing? I've been seeing to some inside repairs to the superintendent70's house. Be thankful you aren't a circuit-steward's wife, Anna.'
'Why, does she have to see to the repairs of the minister's house?' Anna asked, surprised.
'I should just think she does. She has to stand between the minister's wife and the funds of the society. And Mrs. Reginald Banks has been used to the very best of everything. She's just a bit exacting71, though I must say she's willing enough to spend her own money too. She wants a new boiler72 in the scullery now, and I'm sure her boiler is a great deal better than ours. But we must try to please her. She isn't used to us rough folks and our ways. Mr. Banks said to me this afternoon that he tried always to shield her from the worries of this world.' She smiled almost imperceptibly.
There was a ring at the bell, and Agnes, much perturbed73 by the august arrival, let in Mr. Banks himself.
'Shall I enter, my little dear?' said Mr. Banks. 'Your father, your sister, in?'
'It ne'er rains but it pours,' said Tellwright, who had caught the minister's voice.
'Speak of angels——' said Mrs. Sutton, laughing quietly.
The minister came grandly into the parlour. 'Ah! How do you do, brother Tellwright, and you, Miss Tellwright? Mrs. Sutton, we two seem happily fated to meet this afternoon. Don't let me disturb you, I beg—I cannot stay. My time is very limited. I wish I could call oftener, brother Tellwright; but really the new régime leaves no time for pastoral visits. I was saying to my wife only this morning that I haven't had a free afternoon for a month.' He accepted a cup of tea.
'Us'n have a tea-party this afternoon,' said Tellwright quasi-privately to Mrs. Sutton.
'And now,' the minister resumed, 'I've come to beg. The special fund, you know, Mr. Tellwright, to clear off the debt on the new school-buildings. I referred to it from the pulpit last Sabbath. It's not in my province to go round begging, but someone must do it.'
'Well, for me, I'm beforehand with you, Mr. Banks,' said Mrs. Sutton, 'for it's on that very errand I've called to see Mr. Tellwright this afternoon. His name is on my list.'
'Ah! Then I leave our brother to your superior persuasions74.'
'Come, Mr. Tellwright,' said Mrs. Sutton, 'you're between two fires, and you'll get no mercy. What will you give?'
The miser foresaw a probable discomfiture75, and sought for some means of escape.
'What are others giving?' he asked.
'My husband is giving fifty pounds, and you could buy him up, lock, stock, and barrel.'
'Nay76, nay!' said Tellwright, aghast at this sum. He had underrated the importance of the Building Fund.
'And I,' said the parson solemnly, 'I have but fifty pounds in the world, but I am giving twenty to this fund.'
'Then you're giving too much,' said Tellwright with quick brusqueness. 'You canna' afford it.'
'The Lord will provide,' said the parson.
'Happen He will, happen not. It's as well you've gotten a rich wife, Mr. Banks.'
The parson's dignity was obviously wounded, and Anna wondered timidly what would occur next. Mrs. Sutton interposed. 'Come now, Mr. Tellwright,' she said again, 'to the point: what will you give?'
'I'll think it over and let you hear,' said Ephraim.
'Oh, no! That won't do at all, will it, Mr. Banks? I, at any rate, am not going away without a definite promise. As an old and good Wesleyan, of course you will feel it your duty to be generous with us.'
'You used to be a pillar of the Hanbridge circuit—was it not so?' said Mr. Banks to the miser, recovering himself.
'So they used to say,' Tellwright replied grimly. 'That was because I cleared 'em of debt in ten years. But they've slipped into th' ditch again sin' I left 'em.'
'But if I am right, you do not meet[2] with us,' the minister pursued imperturbably77.
'No.'
'My own class is at three on Saturdays,' said the minister. 'I should be glad to see you.'
'I tell you what I'll do,' said the miser to Mrs. Sutton. 'Titus Price is a big man at th' Sunday-school. I'll give as much as he gives to th' school buildings. That's fair.'
'Do you know what Mr. Price is giving?' Mrs. Sutton asked the minister.
'I saw Mr. Price yesterday. He is giving twenty-five pounds.'
'Very well, that's a bargain,' said Mrs. Sutton, who had succeeded beyond her expectations.
Ephraim was the dupe of his own scheming. He had made sure that Price's contribution would be a small one. This ostentatious munificence78 on the part of the beggared Titus filled him with secret anger. He determined79 to demand more rent at a very early date.
'I'll put you down for twenty-five pounds as a first subscription,' said the minister, taking out a pocket-book. Perhaps you will give Mrs. Sutton or myself the cheque to-day?'
'Not yet.'
'Then come to me when he has.' Ephraim perceived the way of escape.
When the minister was gone, as Mrs. Sutton seemed in no hurry to depart, Anna and Agnes cleared the table.
'I've just been telling your father, Anna,' said Mrs. Sutton, when Anna returned to the room, 'that Mr. Sutton and myself and Beatrice are going to the Isle81 of Man soon for a fortnight or so, and we should very much like you to come with us.'
Anna's heart began to beat violently, though she knew there was no hope for her. This, then, doubtless, was the main object of Mrs. Sutton's visit! 'Oh! But I couldn't, really!' said Anna, scarcely aware what she did say.
'Why not?' asked Mrs. Sutton.
'Well—the house.'
'The house? Agnes could see to what little housekeeping your father would want. The schools will break up next week.'
'What do these young folks want holidays for?' Tellwright inquired with philosophic82 gruffness. 'I never had one. And what's more, I wouldn't thank ye for one. I'll pig on at Bursley. When ye've gotten a roof of your own, where's the sense o' going elsewhere and pigging?'
'But we really want Anna to go,' Mrs. Sutton went on. 'Beatrice is very anxious about it. Beatrice is very short of suitable friends.'
'I should na' ha' thought it,' said Tellwright. 'Her seems to know everyone.'
'But she is,' Mrs. Sutton insisted.
'I think as you'd better leave Anna out this year,' said the miser stubbornly.
Anna wished profoundly that Mrs. Sutton would abandon the futile attempt. Then she perceived that the visitor was signalling to her to leave the room. Anna obeyed, going into the kitchen to give an eye to Agnes, who was washing up.
'It's all right,' said Mrs. Sutton contentedly83, when Anna returned to the parlour. 'Your father has consented to your going with us. It is very kind of him, for I'm sure he'll miss you.'
Anna sat down, limp, speechless. She could not believe the news.
'You are awfully84 good,' she said to Mrs. Sutton in the lobby, as the latter was leaving the house. 'I'm ever so grateful—you can't think.' And she threw her arms round Mrs. Sutton's neck.
Agnes ran up to say good-bye.
Mrs. Sutton kissed the child. 'Agnes will be the little housekeeper85, eh?' The little housekeeper was almost as pleased at the prospect86 of housekeeping as if she too had been going to the Isle of Man. 'You'll both be at the school-treat next Tuesday, I suppose,' Mrs. Sutton said, holding Agnes by the hand. Agnes glanced at her sister in inquiry87.
'I don't know,' Anna replied. 'We shall see.'
The truth was, that not caring to ask her father for the money for the tickets, she had given no thought to the school-treat.
'Did I tell you that Henry Mynors will most likely come with us to the Isle of Man?' said Mrs. Sutton from the gate.
Anna retired88 to her bedroom to savour an astounding89 happiness in quietude. At supper the miser was in a mood not unbenevolent. She expected a reaction the next morning, but Ephraim, strange to say, remained innocuous. She ventured to ask him for the money for the treat tickets, two shillings. He made no immediate56 reply. Half an hour afterwards, he ejaculated: 'What i' th' name o' fortune dost thee want wi' school-treats?'
'It's Agnes,' she answered; 'of course Agnes can't go alone.'
In the end he threw down a florin. He became perilous90 for the rest of the day, but the florin was an indisputable fact in Anna's pocket.
The school-treat was held in a twelve-acre field near Sneyd, the seat of a marquis, and a Saturday afternoon resort very popular in the Five Towns. The children were formed at noon on Duck Bank into a procession, which marched to the railway station to the singing of 'Shall we gather at the river?' Thence a special train carried them, in seething91 compartments92, excited and strident, to Sneyd, where there had been two sharp showers in the morning, the procession was reformed along a country road, and the vacillating sky threatened more rain; but because the sun had shone dazzlingly at eleven o'clock all the women and girls, too easily tempted93 by the glory of the moment, blossomed forth94 in pale blouses and parasols. The chattering95 crowd, bright and defenceless as flowers, made at Sneyd a picture at once gay and pathetic. It had rained there at half-past twelve; the roads were wet; and among the two hundred and fifty children and thirty teachers there were less than a score umbrellas. The excursion was theoretically in charge of Titus Price, the Senior Superintendent, but this dignitary had failed to arrive on Duck Bank, and Mynors had taken his place. In the train Anna heard that some one had seen Mr. Price, wearing a large grey wideawake, leap into the guard's van at the very instant of departure. He had not been at school on the previous Sunday, and Anna was somewhat perturbed at the prospect of meeting the man who had defined her letter to him as unique in the whole of his business career. She caught a glimpse of the grey wideawake on the platform at Sneyd, and steered96 her own scholars so as to avoid its vicinity. But on the march to the field Titus reviewed the procession, and she was obliged to meet his eyes and return his salutation. The look of the man was a shock to her. He seemed thinner, nervous, restless, preoccupied97, and terribly careworn98; except the new brilliant hat, all his summer clothes were soiled and shabby. It was as though he had forced himself, out of regard for appearances, to attend the fête, but had left his thoughts in Edward Street. His uneasy and hollow cheerfulness was painful to watch. Anna realised the intensity99 of the crisis through which Mr. Price was passing. She perceived in a single glance, more clearly than she could have done after a hundred interviews with the young and unresponsible William—however distressing100 these might be—that Titus must for weeks have been engaged in a truly frightful101 struggle. His face was a proof of the tragic102 sincerity103 of William's appeals to herself and to her father. That Price should have contrived104 to pay seventy pounds of rent in a little more than a month seemed to her, imperfectly acquainted alike with Ephraim's ruthless compulsions and with the financial jugglery106 often practised by hard-pressed debtors107, to be an almost miraculous108 effort after honesty. Her conscience smote109 her for conniving110 at which she now saw to be a persecution111. She felt as sorry for Titus as she had felt for his son. The obese112 man, with his reputation in rags about him, was acutely wistful in her eyes, as a child might have been.
A carriage rolled by, raising the dust in places where the strong sun had already dried the road. It was Mr. Sutton's landau, driven by Barrett. Beatrice, in white, sat solitary113 amid cushions, while two large hampers114 occupied most of the coachman's box. The carriage seemed to move with lordly ease and rapidity, and the teachers, already weary and fretted115 by the endless pranks116 of the children, bitterly envied the enthroned maid who nodded and smiled to them with such charming condescension117. It was a social triumph for Beatrice. She disappeared ahead like a goddess in a cloud, and scarcely a woman who saw her from the humble118 level of the roadway but would have married a satyr to be able to do as Beatrice did. Later, when the field was reached, and the children bursting through the gate had spread like a flood over the daisied grass, the landau was to be seen drawn up near the refreshment119 tent; Barrett was unpacking120 the hampers, which contained delicate creamy confectionery for the teachers' tea; Beatrice explained that these were her mother's gift, and that she had driven down in order to preserve the fragile pasties from the risks of a railway journey. Gratitude121 became vocal122, and Beatrice's success was perfected.
Then the more conscientious123 teachers set themselves seriously to the task of amusing the smaller children, and the smaller children consented to be amused according to the recipes appointed by long custom for school-treats. Many round-games, which invariably comprised singing or kissing, being thus annually124 resuscitated125 by elderly people from the deeps of memory, were preserved for a posterity126 which otherwise would never have known them. Among these was Bobby-Bingo. For twenty-five years Titus Price had played at Bobby-Bingo with the infant classes at the school-treat, and this year he was bound by the expectations of all to continue the practice. Another diversion which he always took care to organise127 was the three-legged race for boys. Also, he usually joined in the tut-ball, a quaint105 game which owes its surprising longevity128 to the fact that it is equally proper for both sexes. Within half an hour the treat was in full career; football, cricket, rounders, tick, leap-frog, prison-bars, and round-games, transformed the field into a vast arena129 of complicated struggles and emulations. All were occupied, except a few of the women and older girls, who strolled languidly about in the rôle of spectators. The sun shone generously on scores of vivid and frail130 toilettes, and parasols made slowly-moving hemispheres of glowing colour against the rich green of the grass. All around were yellow cornfields, and meadows where cows of a burnished131 brown indolently meditated132 upon the phenomena133 of a school-treat. Every hedge and ditch and gate and stile was in that ideal condition of plenary correctness which denotes that a great landowner is exhibiting the beauties of scientific farming for the behoof of his villagers. The sky, of an intense blue, was a sea in which large white clouds sailed gently but capriciously; on the northern horizon a low range of smoke marked the sinister134 region of the Five Towns.
'Will you come and help with the bags and cups?' Henry Mynors asked Anna. She was standing135 by herself, watching Agnes at play with some other girls. Mynors had evidently walked across to her from the refreshment tent, which was at the opposite extremity136 of the field. In her eyes he was once more the exemplar of style. His suit of grey flannel137, his white straw hat, became him to admiration138. He stood at ease with his hands in his coat-pockets, and smiled contentedly.
'After all,' he said, 'the tea is the principal thing, and, although it wants two hours to tea-time yet, it's as well to be beforehand.'
'I should like something to do,' Anna replied.
'How are you?' he said familiarly, after this abrupt139 opening, and then shook hands. They traversed the field together, with many deviations140 to avoid trespassing141 upon areas of play.
The flapping refreshment tent seemed to be full of piles of baskets and piles of bags and piles of cups, which the contractor142 had brought in a waggon143. Some teachers were already beginning to put the paper bags into the baskets; each bag contained bread-and-butter, currant cake, an Eccles-cake, and a Bath-bun. At the far end of the tent Beatrice Sutton was arranging her dainties on a small trestle-table.
'Come along quick, Anna,' she exclaimed, 'and taste my tarts144, and tell me what you think of them. I do hope the good people will enjoy them.' And then, turning to Mynors, 'Hello! Are you seeing after the bags and things? I thought that was always Willie Price's favourite job!'
'So it is,' said Mynors. 'But, unfortunately, he isn't here to-day.'
'How's that, pray? I never knew him miss a school-treat before.'
'Mr. Price told me they couldn't both be away from the works just now. Very busy, I suppose.'
'Well, William would have been more use than his father, anyhow.'
Beatrice was in one of her 'downright' moods, as she herself called them.
Mynors's arrangements for the prompt distribution of tea at the appointed hour were very minute, and involved a considerable amount of back bending and manual labour. But, though they were enlivened by frequent intervals147 of gossip, and by excursions into the field to observe this and that amusing sight, all was finished half an hour before time.
'I will go and warn Mr. Price,' said Mynors. 'He is quite capable of forgetting the clock.' Mynors left the tent, and proceeded to the scene of an athletic148 meeting, at which Titus Price, in shirt-sleeves, was distributing prizes of sixpences and pennies. The famous three-legged race had just been run. Anna followed at a saunter, and shortly afterwards Beatrice overtook her.
'The great Titus looks better than he did when he came on the field,' Beatrice remarked. And indeed the superintendent had put on quite a merry appearance—flushed, excited, and jocular in his elephantine way—it seemed as if he had not a care in the world. The boys crowded appreciatively round him. But this was his last hour of joy.
'Why! Willie Price is here,' Anna exclaimed, perceiving William in the fringe of the crowd. The lanky149 fellow stood hesitatingly, his left hand busy with his moustache.
'So he is,' said Beatrice. 'I wonder what that means.'
Titus had not observed the newcomer, but Henry Mynors saw William, and exchanged a few words with him. Then Mr. Mynors advanced into the crowd and spoke150 to Mr. Price, who glanced quickly round at his son. The girls, at a distance of forty yards, could discern the swift change in the man's demeanour. In a second he had reverted151 to the deplorable Titus of three hours ago. He elbowed his way roughly to William, getting into his coat as he went. The pair talked, William glanced at his watch, and in another moment they were leaving the field. Henry Mynors had to finish the prize distribution. So much Anna and Beatrice plainly saw. Others, too, had not been blind to this sudden and dramatic departure. It aroused universal comment among the teachers.
'Something must be wrong at Price's works,' Beatrice said, 'and Willie has had to fetch his papa.' This was the conclusion of all the gossips. Beatrice added: 'Dad has mentioned Price's several times lately, now I think of it.'
Anna grew extremely self-conscious and uncomfortable. She felt as though all were saying of her: 'There goes the oppressor of the poor!' She was fairly sure, however, that her father was not responsible for this particular incident. There must, then, be other implacable creditors152. She had been thoroughly153 enjoying the afternoon, but now her pleasure ceased.
The treat ended disastrously154. In the middle of the children's meal, while yet the enormous double-handled tea-cans were being carried up and down the thirsty rows, and the boys were causing their bags to explode with appalling155 detonations156, it began to rain sharply. The fickle157 sun withdrew his splendour from the toilettes, and was seen no more for a week afterwards. 'It's come at last,' ejaculated Mynors, who had watched the sky with anxiety for an hour previously158. He mobilised the children and ranked them under a row of elms. The teachers, running to the tent for their own tea, said to one another that the shower could only be a brief one. The wish was father to the thought, for they were a little ashamed to be under cover while their charges precariously159 sheltered beneath dripping trees—yet there was nothing else to be done; the men took turns in the rain to keep the children in their places. The sky was completely overcast160. 'It's set in for a wet evening, and so we may as well make the best of it,' Beatrice said grimly, and she sent the landau home empty. She was right. A forlorn and disgusted snake of a procession crawled through puddles161 to the station. The platform resounded162 with sneezes. None but a dressmaker could have discovered a silver lining163 to the black and all-pervading cloud which had ruined so many dozens of fair costumes. Anna, melancholy and taciturn, exerted herself to minimise the discomfort164 of her scholars. A word from Mynors would have been balm to her; but Mynors, the general of a routed army, was parleying by telephone with the traffic-manager of the railway for the expediting of the special train.
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instinctive
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| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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justification
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| n.正当的理由；辩解的理由 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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propriety
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| n.正当行为；正当；适当 | |
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impugned
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| v.非难，指谪( impugn的过去式和过去分词 )；对…有怀疑 | |
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logic
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| n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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redoubtable
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| adj.可敬的；可怕的 | |
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compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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14
brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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15
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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16
parsimony
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| n.过度节俭，吝啬 | |
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17
backbone
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| n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气 | |
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18
ministries
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| （政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期 | |
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19
indicted
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| 控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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20
inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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21
miser
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| n.守财奴，吝啬鬼 (adj.miserly) | |
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22
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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23
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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24
grievance
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| n.怨愤，气恼，委屈 | |
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25
manor
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| n.庄园，领地 | |
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26
afflicted
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| 使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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27
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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28
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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29
feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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30
preposterous
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| adj.荒谬的，可笑的 | |
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31
fawning
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|
| adj.乞怜的，奉承的v.（尤指狗等）跳过来往人身上蹭以示亲热( fawn的现在分词 )；巴结；讨好 | |
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32
humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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33
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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34
shameful
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| adj.可耻的，不道德的 | |
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35
vindictive
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| adj.有报仇心的，怀恨的，惩罚的 | |
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36
tenants
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| n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者 | |
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37
mortifying
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|
| adj.抑制的，苦修的v.使受辱( mortify的现在分词 )；伤害（人的感情）；克制；抑制（肉体、情感等） | |
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38
propitiatory
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| adj.劝解的；抚慰的；谋求好感的；哄人息怒的 | |
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39
postscript
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| n.附言，又及；(正文后的)补充说明 | |
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40
creased
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| （使…）起折痕，弄皱( crease的过去式和过去分词 )； （皮肤）皱起，使起皱纹； 皱皱巴巴 | |
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41
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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42
soften
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| v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和 | |
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43
obsequious
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|
| adj.谄媚的，奉承的，顺从的 | |
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44
odious
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| adj.可憎的，讨厌的 | |
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45
curtly
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| adv.简短地 | |
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46
blandly
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| adv.温和地，殷勤地 | |
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47
insinuating
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|
| adj.曲意巴结的，暗示的v.暗示( insinuate的现在分词 )；巧妙或迂回地潜入；（使）缓慢进入；慢慢伸入 | |
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48
discreet
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| adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的 | |
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49
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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50
endorsed
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| vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品 | |
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51
payable
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|
| adj.可付的，应付的，有利益的 | |
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52
unprecedented
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| adj.无前例的，新奇的 | |
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53
redeem
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| v.买回，赎回，挽回，恢复，履行（诺言等） | |
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54
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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55
ordeal
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| n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验 | |
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56
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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57
destined
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|
| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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58
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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59
lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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60
goodwill
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| n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉 | |
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61
satchel
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| n.(皮或帆布的)书包 | |
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62
jug
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| n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂 | |
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63
kindliness
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|
| n.厚道，亲切，友好的行为 | |
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64
unaware
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| a.不知道的，未意识到的 | |
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65
poetic
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| adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的 | |
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66
prosaic
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| adj.单调的，无趣的 | |
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67
middle-aged
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| adj.中年的 | |
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68
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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69
bin
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|
| n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
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70
superintendent
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|
| n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长 | |
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71
exacting
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| adj.苛求的，要求严格的 | |
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72
boiler
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|
| n.锅炉；煮器(壶，锅等) | |
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73
perturbed
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|
| adj.烦燥不安的v.使（某人）烦恼，不安( perturb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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74
persuasions
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| n.劝说，说服（力）( persuasion的名词复数 )；信仰 | |
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75
discomfiture
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|
| n.崩溃；大败；挫败；困惑 | |
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76
nay
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|
| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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77
imperturbably
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|
| adv.泰然地，镇静地，平静地 | |
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78
munificence
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| n.宽宏大量，慷慨给与 | |
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79
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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80
warily
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|
| adv.留心地 | |
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81
isle
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| n.小岛，岛 | |
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82
philosophic
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|
| adj.哲学的，贤明的 | |
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83
contentedly
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|
| adv.心满意足地 | |
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84
awfully
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|
| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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85
housekeeper
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| n.管理家务的主妇，女管家 | |
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86
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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87
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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88
retired
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|
| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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89
astounding
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| adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词) | |
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90
perilous
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|
| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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91
seething
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| 沸腾的，火热的 | |
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92
compartments
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|
| n.间隔( compartment的名词复数 )；（列车车厢的）隔间；（家具或设备等的）分隔间；隔层 | |
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93
tempted
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|
| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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94
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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95
chattering
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|
| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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96
steered
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| v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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97
preoccupied
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|
| adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式) | |
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98
careworn
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|
| adj.疲倦的，饱经忧患的 | |
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99
intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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100
distressing
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| a.使人痛苦的 | |
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101
frightful
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|
| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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102
tragic
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|
| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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103
sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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104
contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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105
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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106
jugglery
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| n.杂耍，把戏 | |
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107
debtors
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| n.债务人，借方( debtor的名词复数 ) | |
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108
miraculous
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| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
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109
smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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110
conniving
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| v.密谋 ( connive的现在分词 )；搞阴谋；默许；纵容 | |
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111
persecution
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| n. 迫害,烦扰 | |
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112
obese
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| adj.过度肥胖的，肥大的 | |
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113
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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114
hampers
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| 妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的第三人称单数 ) | |
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115
fretted
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| 焦躁的，附有弦马的，腐蚀的 | |
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116
pranks
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| n.玩笑，恶作剧( prank的名词复数 ) | |
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117
condescension
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| n.自以为高人一等，贬低(别人) | |
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118
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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119
refreshment
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| n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点 | |
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120
unpacking
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| n.取出货物，拆包[箱]v.从（包裹等）中取出（所装的东西），打开行李取出( unpack的现在分词 )；拆包；解除…的负担；吐露（心事等） | |
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121
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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122
vocal
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| adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目 | |
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123
conscientious
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| adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的 | |
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124
annually
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| adv.一年一次，每年 | |
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125
resuscitated
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|
| v.使（某人或某物）恢复知觉，苏醒( resuscitate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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126
posterity
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| n.后裔，子孙，后代 | |
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127
organise
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| vt.组织，安排，筹办 | |
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128
longevity
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| n.长命；长寿 | |
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129
arena
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| n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台 | |
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130
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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131
burnished
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|
| adj.抛光的，光亮的v.擦亮（金属等），磨光( burnish的过去式和过去分词 )；被擦亮，磨光 | |
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132
meditated
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| 深思，沉思，冥想( meditate的过去式和过去分词 )； 内心策划，考虑 | |
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133
phenomena
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| n.现象 | |
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134
sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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135
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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136
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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137
flannel
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| n.法兰绒；法兰绒衣服 | |
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138
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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139
abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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140
deviations
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| 背离，偏离( deviation的名词复数 )； 离经叛道的行为 | |
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141
trespassing
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| [法]非法入侵 | |
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142
contractor
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| n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌 | |
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143
waggon
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| n.运货马车，运货车；敞篷车箱 | |
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144
tarts
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| n.果馅饼( tart的名词复数 )；轻佻的女人；妓女；小妞 | |
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145
hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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146
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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147
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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148
athletic
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| adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的 | |
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149
lanky
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| adj.瘦长的 | |
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150
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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151
reverted
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| 恢复( revert的过去式和过去分词 )； 重提； 回到…上； 归还 | |
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152
creditors
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| n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 ) | |
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153
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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154
disastrously
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| ad.灾难性地 | |
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155
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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156
detonations
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| n.爆炸 （声）( detonation的名词复数 ) | |
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157
fickle
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| adj.(爱情或友谊上)易变的，不坚定的 | |
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158
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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159
precariously
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| adv.不安全地；危险地；碰机会地；不稳定地 | |
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160
overcast
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| adj.阴天的，阴暗的，愁闷的；v.遮盖，（使）变暗，包边缝；n.覆盖，阴天 | |
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161
puddles
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| n.水坑， （尤指道路上的）雨水坑( puddle的名词复数 ) | |
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162
resounded
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| v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音 | |
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163
lining
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| n.衬里，衬料 | |
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164
discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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