A MERE INTERLUDE CHAPTER I

 The traveller in school-books, who vouched¹ in dryest tones for the fidelity² to fact of the following narrative³, used to add a ring of truth to it by opening with a nicety of criticism on the heroine’s personality.  People were wrong, he declared, when they surmised⁴ that Baptista Trewthen was a young woman with scarcely emotions or character.  There was nothing in her to love, and nothing to hate—so ran the general opinion.  That she showed few positive qualities was true.  The colours and tones which changing events paint on the faces of active womankind were looked for in vain upon hers.  But still waters run deep; and no crisis had come in the years of her early maidenhood⁵ to demonstrate what lay hidden within her, like metal in a mine.

 

She was the daughter of a small farmer in St. Maria’s, one of the Isles⁶ of Lyonesse beyond Off-Wessex, who had spent a large sum, as there understood, on her education, by sending her to the mainland for two years.  At nineteen she was entered at the Training College for Teachers, and at twenty-one nominated to a school in the country, near Tor-upon-Sea, whither she proceeded after the Christmas examination and holidays.

 

The months passed by from winter to spring and summer, and Baptista applied⁸ herself to her new duties as best she could, till an uneventful year had elapsed.  Then an air of abstraction pervaded⁹ her bearing as she walked to and fro, twice a day, and she showed the traits of a person who had something on her mind.  A widow, by name Mrs. Wace, in whose house Baptista Trewthen had been provided with a sitting-room¹⁰ and bedroom till the school-house should be built, noticed this change in her youthful tenant’s manner, and at last ventured to press her with a few questions.

 

‘It has nothing to do with the place, nor with you,’ said Miss Trewthen.

 

‘Then it is the salary?’

 

‘No, nor the salary.’

 

‘Then it is something you have heard from home, my dear.’

 

Baptista was silent for a few moments.  ‘It is Mr. Heddegan,’ she murmured.  ‘Him they used to call David Heddegan before he got his money.’

 

‘And who is the Mr. Heddegan they used to call David?’

 

‘An old bachelor at Giant’s Town, St. Maria’s, with no relations whatever, who lives about a stone’s throw from father’s.  When I was a child he used to take me on his knee and say he’d marry me some day.  Now I am a woman the jest has turned earnest, and he is anxious to do it.  And father and mother says I can’t do better than have him.’

 

‘He’s well off?’

 

‘Yes—he’s the richest man we know—as a friend and neighbour.’

 

‘How much older did you say he was than yourself?’

 

‘I didn’t say.  Twenty years at least.’

 

‘And an unpleasant man in the bargain perhaps?’

 

‘No—he’s not unpleasant.’

 

‘Well, child, all I can say is that I’d resist any such engagement if it’s not palatable¹¹ to ’ee.  You are comfortable here, in my little house, I hope.  All the parish like ’ee: and I’ve never been so cheerful, since my poor husband left me to wear his wings, as I’ve been with ’ee as my lodger¹².’

 

The schoolmistress assured her landlady¹³ that she could return the sentiment.  ‘But here comes my perplexity,’ she said.  ‘I don’t like keeping school.  Ah, you are surprised—you didn’t suspect it.  That’s because I’ve concealed¹⁴ my feeling.  Well, I simply hate school.  I don’t care for children—they are unpleasant, troublesome little things, whom nothing would delight so much as to hear that you had fallen down dead.  Yet I would even put up with them if it was not for the inspector¹⁵.  For three months before his visit I didn’t sleep soundly.  And the Committee of Council are always changing the Code, so that you don’t know what to teach, and what to leave untaught.  I think father and mother are right.  They say I shall never excel as a schoolmistress if I dislike the work so, and that therefore I ought to get settled by marrying Mr. Heddegan.  Between us two, I like him better than school; but I don’t like him quite so much as to wish to marry him.’

 

These conversations, once begun, were continued from day to day; till at length the young girl’s elderly friend and landlady threw in her opinion on the side of Miss Trewthen’s parents.  All things considered, she declared, the uncertainty¹⁶ of the school, the labour, Baptista’s natural dislike for teaching, it would be as well to take what fate offered, and make the best of matters by wedding her father’s old neighbour and prosperous friend.

 

The Easter holidays came round, and Baptista went to spend them as usual in her native isle⁷, going by train into Off-Wessex and crossing by packet from Pen-zephyr.  When she returned in the middle of April her face wore a more settled aspect.

 

‘Well?’ said the expectant Mrs. Wace.

 

‘I have agreed to have him as my husband,’ said Baptista, in an off-hand way.  ‘Heaven knows if it will be for the best or not.  But I have agreed to do it, and so the matter is settled.’

 

Mrs. Wace commended her; but Baptista did not care to dwell on the subject; so that allusion¹⁷ to it was very infrequent between them.  Nevertheless, among other things, she repeated to the widow from time to time in monosyllabic remarks that the wedding was really impending¹⁸; that it was arranged for the summer, and that she had given notice of leaving the school at the August holidays.  Later on she announced more specifically that her marriage was to take place immediately after her return home at the beginning of the month aforesaid.

 

She now corresponded regularly with Mr. Heddegan.  Her letters from him were seen, at least on the outside, and in part within, by Mrs. Wace.  Had she read more of their interiors than the occasional sentences shown her by Baptista she would have perceived that the scratchy, rusty¹⁹ handwriting of Miss Trewthen’s betrothed²⁰ conveyed little more matter than details of their future housekeeping, and his preparations for the same, with innumerable ‘my dears’ sprinkled in disconnectedly, to show the depth of his affection without the inconveniences of syntax.

1 vouched   

v.保证( vouch的过去式和过去分词 )；担保；确定；确定地说

参考例句：

• He vouched his words by his deeds. 他用自己的行动证明了自己的言辞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Have all those present been vouched for? 那些到场的人都有担保吗？ 来自互联网

2 fidelity   

n.忠诚，忠实；精确

参考例句：

• There is nothing like a dog's fidelity.没有什么能比得上狗的忠诚。
• His fidelity and industry brought him speedy promotion.他的尽职及勤奋使他很快地得到晋升。

3 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

4 surmised   

v.臆测，推断( surmise的过去式和过去分词 )；揣测；猜想

参考例句：

• From the looks on their faces, I surmised that they had had an argument. 看他们的脸色，我猜想他们之间发生了争执。
• From his letter I surmised that he was unhappy. 我从他的信中推测他并不快乐。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 maidenhood   

n. 处女性, 处女时代

参考例句：

6 isles   

岛( isle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the geology of the British Isles 不列颠群岛的地质
• The boat left for the isles. 小船驶向那些小岛。

7 isle   

n.小岛，岛

参考例句：

• He is from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.他来自爱尔兰海的马恩岛。
• The boat left for the paradise isle of Bali.小船驶向天堂一般的巴厘岛。

8 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

9 pervaded   

v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A retrospective influence pervaded the whole performance. 怀旧的影响弥漫了整个演出。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The air is pervaded by a smell [smoking]. 空气中弥散着一种气味[烟味]。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

10 sitting-room   

n.（BrE）客厅，起居室

参考例句：

• The sitting-room is clean.起居室很清洁。
• Each villa has a separate sitting-room.每栋别墅都有一间独立的起居室。

11 palatable   

adj.可口的，美味的；惬意的

参考例句：

• The truth is not always very palatable.事实真相并非尽如人意。
• This wine is palatable and not very expensive.这种酒味道不错，价钱也不算贵。

12 lodger   

n.寄宿人，房客

参考例句：

• My friend is a lodger in my uncle's house.我朋友是我叔叔家的房客。
• Jill and Sue are at variance over their lodger.吉尔和休在对待房客的问题上意见不和。

13 landlady   

n.女房东，女地主

参考例句：

• I heard my landlady creeping stealthily up to my door.我听到我的女房东偷偷地来到我的门前。
• The landlady came over to serve me.女店主过来接待我。

14 concealed   

a.隐藏的，隐蔽的

参考例句：

• The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
• I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。

15 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

16 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

17 allusion   

n.暗示，间接提示

参考例句：

• He made an allusion to a secret plan in his speech.在讲话中他暗示有一项秘密计划。
• She made no allusion to the incident.她没有提及那个事件。

18 impending   

a.imminent, about to come or happen

参考例句：

• Against a background of impending famine, heavy fighting took place. 即将发生饥荒之时，严重的战乱爆发了。
• The king convoke parliament to cope with the impending danger. 国王召开国会以应付迫近眉睫的危险。

19 rusty   

adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的

参考例句：

• The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
• I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用，我的法语又荒疏了。

20 betrothed   

n. 已订婚者 动词betroth的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She is betrothed to John. 她同约翰订了婚。
• His daughter was betrothed to a teacher. 他的女儿同一个教师订了婚。