The Atlantic is not visited by many gales6, and I have every reason to believe that the rolling and pitching of the vessel no longer incommode any of the passengers, who are all more or less accustomed to the sea. A vacant seat at our table is now very rare; we are beginning to know something about each other, and our daily life, in consequence, is becoming somewhat less monotonous7.
M. Letourneur, our French fellow-passenger, often has a chat with me. He is a fine tall man, about fifty years of age, with white hair and a grizzly8 beard. To say the truth, he looks older than he really is: his drooping9 head, his dejected manner, and his eye, ever and again suffused10 with tears, indicate that he is haunted by some deep and abiding11 sorrow. He never laughs; he rarely even smiles, and then only on his son; his countenance12 ordinarily bearing a look of bitterness tempered by affection, while his general expression is one of caressing13 tenderness. It excites an involuntary commiseration14 to learn that M. Letourneur is consuming himself by exaggerated reproaches on account of the infirmity of an afflicted15 son.
Andre Letourneur is about twenty years of age, with a gentle, interesting countenance, but, to the irrepressible grief of his father, is a hopeless cripple. His left leg is miserably16 deformed17, and he is quite unable to walk without the assistance of a stick. It is obvious that the father's life is bound up with that of his son; his devotion is unceasing; every thought, every glance is for Andre; he seems to anticipate his most trifling18 wish, watches his slightest movement, and his arm is ever ready to support or otherwise assist the child whose sufferings he more than shares.
M. Letourneur seems to have taken a peculiar19 fancy to myself, and constantly talks about Andre. This morning, in the course of conversation, I said:
"You have a good son, M. Letourneur. I have just been talking to him.
He is a most intelligent young man."
"Yes, Mr. Kazallon," replied M. Letourneur, brightening up into a smile, "his afflicted frame contains a noble mind. He is like his mother, who died at his birth."
"Dear boy!" muttered the father half to himself. "Ah, Mr. Kazallon," he continued, "you do not know what it is to a father to have a son a cripple, beyond hope of cure."
"M. Letourneur," I answered, "you take more than your share of the affliction which has fallen upon you and your son. That M. Andre is entitled to the very greatest commiseration no one can deny; but you should remember, that after all a physical infirmity is not so hard to bear as mental grief. Now, I have watched your son pretty closely, and unless I am much mistaken there is nothing that troubles him so much as the sight of your own sorrow."
"But I never let him see it," he broke in hastily. "My sole thought is how to divert him. I have discovered that, in spite of his physical weakness, he delights in traveling; so for the last few years we have been constantly on the move. We first went all over Europe, and are now returning from visiting the principal places in the United States. I never allowed my son to go to college, but instructed him entirely21 myself, and these travels, I hope, will serve to complete his education. He is very intelligent, and has a lively imagination, and I am sometimes tempted22 to hope that in contemplating23 the wonders of nature he forgets his own infirmity."
"But," continued M. Letourneur, taking my hand, "although, perhaps, HE may forget, I can never forget. Ah, sir, do you suppose that Andre can ever forgive his parents for bringing him into the world a cripple?"
The remorse25 of the unhappy father was very distressing26, and I was about to say a few kind words of sympathy when Andre himself made his appearance. M. Letourneur hastened toward him and assisted him up the few steep steps that led to the poop.
As soon as Andre was comfortably seated on one of the benches, and his father had taken his place by his side, I joined them, and we fell into conversation upon ordinary topics, discussing the various points of the Chancellor, the probable length of the passage, and the different details of our life on board. I find that M. Letourneur's estimate of Captain Huntly's character very much coincides with my own, and that, like me, he is impressed with the man's undecided manner and sluggish27 appearance. Like me, too, he has formed a very favorable opinion of Robert Curtis, the mate, a man of about thirty years of age, of great muscular power, with a frame and a will that seem ever ready for action.
While we were still talking of him, Curtis himself came on deck, and as I watched his movements I could not help being struck with his physical development; his erect28 and easy carriage, his fearless glance and slightly contracted brow all betoken29 a man of energy, thoroughly30 endowed with the calmness and courage that are indispensable to the true sailor. He seems a kind-hearted fellow, too, and is always ready to assist and amuse young Letourneur, who evidently enjoys his company. After he had scanned the weather and examined the trim of the sails, he joined our party and proceeded to give us some information about those of our fellow-passengers with whom at present we have made but slight acquaintance.
Mr. Kear, the American, who is accompanied by his wife, has made a large fortune in the petroleum31 springs in the United States. He is a man of about fifty, a most uninteresting companion, being overwhelmed with a sense of his own wealth and importance, and consequently supremely32 indifferent to all around him. His hands are always in his pockets, and the chink of money seems to follow him wherever he goes. Vain and conceited33, a fool as well as an egotist, he struts34 about like a peacock showing its plumage, and to borrow the words of the physiognomist Gratiolet, "il se flaire, il se savoure, il se goute." Why he should have taken his passage on board a mere35 merchant vessel instead of enjoying the luxuries of a transatlantic steamer, I am altogether at a loss to explain.
The wife is an insignificant36, insipid37 woman, of about forty years of age. She never reads, never talks, and I believe I am not wrong in saying, never thinks. She seems to look without seeing, and listen without hearing, and her sole occupation consists in giving her orders to her companion, Miss Herbey, a young English girl of about twenty.
Miss Herbey is extremely pretty. Her complexion38 is fair and her eyes deep blue, while her pleasing countenance is altogether free from that insignificance39 of feature which is not unfrequently alleged40 to be characteristic of English beauty. Her mouth would be charming if she ever smiled, but, exposed as she is to the ridiculous whims41 and fancies of a capricious mistress, her lips rarely relax from their ordinary grave expression. Yet, humiliating as her position must be, she never utters a word of open complaint, but quietly and gracefully42 performs her duties, accepting without a murmur43 the paltry44 salary which the bumptious45 petroleum-merchant condescends46 to allow her.
The Manchester engineer, William Falsten, looks like a thorough Englishman. He has the management of some extensive hydraulic47 works in South Carolina, and is now on his way to Europe to obtain some improved apparatus48, and more especially to visit the mines worked by centrifugal force, belonging to the firm of Messrs. Cail. He is forty-five years of age, with all his interests so entirely absorbed by his machinery49 that he seems to have neither a thought nor a care beyond his mechanical calculations. Once let him engage you in conversation, and there is no chance of escape; you have no help for it but to listen as patiently as you can until he has completed the explanation of his designs.
The last of our fellow-passengers, Mr. Ruby50, is the type of a vulgar tradesman. Without any originality51 or magnanimity in his composition, he has spent twenty years of his life in mere buying and selling, and as he has generally contrived52 to do business at a profit, he has realized a considerable fortune. What he is going to do with the money, he does not seem able to say: his ideas do not go beyond retail53 trade, his mind having been so long closed to all other impressions that it appears incapable54 of thought or reflection on any subject besides. Pascal says, "L'homme est visiblement fait pour penser. C'est toute sa dignite et tout55 son merite;" but to Mr. Ruby the phrase seems altogether inapplicable.
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1
chancellor
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| n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长 | |
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2
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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scuds
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| v.（尤指船、舰或云彩）笔直、高速而平稳地移动( scud的第三人称单数 ) | |
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foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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azure
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| adj.天蓝色的，蔚蓝色的 | |
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gales
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| 龙猫 | |
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7
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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grizzly
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| adj.略为灰色的，呈灰色的；n.灰色大熊 | |
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drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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10
suffused
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| v.（指颜色、水气等）弥漫于，布满( suffuse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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11
abiding
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| adj.永久的，持久的，不变的 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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caressing
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| 爱抚的，表现爱情的，亲切的 | |
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14
commiseration
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| n.怜悯，同情 | |
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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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16
miserably
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| adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地 | |
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deformed
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| adj.畸形的；变形的；丑的，破相了的 | |
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trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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20
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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21
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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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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23
contemplating
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| 深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想 | |
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24
assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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distressing
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| a.使人痛苦的 | |
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sluggish
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| adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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betoken
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| v.预示 | |
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30
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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31
petroleum
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| n.原油，石油 | |
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32
supremely
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| adv.无上地，崇高地 | |
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33
conceited
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| adj.自负的，骄傲自满的 | |
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34
struts
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| （框架的）支杆( strut的名词复数 )； 支柱； 趾高气扬的步态； （尤指跳舞或表演时）卖弄 | |
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35
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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insipid
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| adj.无味的，枯燥乏味的，单调的 | |
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complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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39
insignificance
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| n.不重要；无价值；无意义 | |
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40
alleged
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| a.被指控的，嫌疑的 | |
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41
WHIMS
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| 虚妄，禅病 | |
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42
gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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43
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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44
paltry
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| adj.无价值的，微不足道的 | |
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45
bumptious
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| adj.傲慢的 | |
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46
condescends
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| 屈尊，俯就( condescend的第三人称单数 )； 故意表示和蔼可亲 | |
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47
hydraulic
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| adj.水力的；水压的，液压的；水力学的 | |
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48
apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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49
machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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50
ruby
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| n.红宝石，红宝石色 | |
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51
originality
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| n.创造力，独创性；新颖 | |
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52
contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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53
retail
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| v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格 | |
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54
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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55
tout
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| v.推销，招徕；兜售；吹捧，劝诱 | |
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