And if the weather be cold and raw,
Then in a barn we tumble on straw.
If warm and fair, by yea-cock and nay-cock,
The fields will afford us a hedge or a hay-cock.
MERRY BEGGARS.
As I was walking one evening with the Oxonian, Master Simon, and the general, in a meadow not far from the village, we heard the sound of a fiddle2 rudely played, and looking in the direction from whence it came, we saw a thread of smoke curling up from among the trees. The sound of music is always attractive; for, wherever there is music, there is good humour, or goodwill3. We passed along a footpath4, and had a peep, through a break in the hedge, at the musician and his party, when the Oxonian gave us a wink5, and told us that if we would follow him we should have some sport.
It proved to be a gipsy encampment, consisting of three or four little cabins, or tents, made of blankets and sail-cloth, spread over hoops6 that were stuck in the ground. It was on one side of a green lane, close under a hawthorn7 hedge, with a broad beech-tree spreading above it. A small rill tinkled8 along close by, through the fresh sward, that looked like a carpet.
A tea-kettle was hanging by a crooked9 piece of iron, over a fire made from dry sticks and leaves, and two old gipsies, in red cloaks, sat crouched10 on the grass, gossiping over their evening cup of tea; for these creatures, though they live in the open air, have their ideas of fireside comforts. There were two or three children sleeping on the straw with which the tents were littered; a couple of donkeys were grazing in the lane, and a thievish-looking dog was lying before the fire. Some of the younger gipsies were dancing to the music of a fiddle, played by a tall, slender stripling, in an old frock coat, with a peacock's feather stuck in his hatband.
As we approached, a gipsy girl, with a pair of fine roguish eyes, came up, and, as usual, offered to tell our fortunes. I could not but admire a certain degree of slattern elegance11 about the baggage. Her long black silken hair was curiously12 plaited in numerous small braids, and negligently13 put up in a picturesque14 style that a painter might have been proud to have devised. Her dress was of a figured chintz, rather ragged15, and not over clean, but of a variety of most harmonious16 and agreeable colours; for these beings have a singularly fine eye for colours. Her straw hat was in her hand, and a red cloak thrown over one arm.
A Gipsy Girl
The Oxonian offered at once to have his fortune told, and the girl began with the usual volubility of her race; but he drew her on one side near the hedge, as he said he had no idea of having his secrets overheard. I saw he was talking to her instead of she to him, and by his glancing towards us now and then, that he was giving the baggage some private hints. When they returned to us, he assumed a very serious air. "Zounds!" said he, "it's very astonishing how these creatures come by their knowledge; this girl has told me some things that I thought no one knew but myself!"
The girl now assailed17 the general: "Come, your honour," said she, "I see by your face you're a lucky man; but you're not happy in your mind; you're not, indeed, sir; but have a good heart, and give me a good piece of silver, and I'll tell you a nice fortune."
The general had received all her approaches with a banter18, and had suffered her to get hold of his hand; but at the mention of the piece of silver, he hemmed19, looked grave, and turning to us, asked if we had not better continue our walk. "Come, my master," said the girl archly, "you'd not be in such a hurry, if you knew all that I could tell you about a fair lady that has a notion for you. Come, sir, old love burns strong; there's many a one comes to see weddings that go away brides themselves!" Here the girl whispered something in a low voice, at which the general coloured up, was a little fluttered, and suffered himself to be drawn20 aside under the hedge, where he appeared to listen to her with great earnestness, and at the end paid her half-a-crown with the air of a man that has got the worth of his money.
The General in the Toils
The girl next made her attack upon Master Simon, who, however, was too old a bird to be caught, knowing that it would end in an attack upon his purse, about which he is a little sensitive. As he has a great notion, however, of being considered a roister, he chucked her under the chin, played her off with rather broad jokes, and put on something of the rake-helly air, that we see now and then assumed on the stage by the sad-boy gentlemen of the old school. "Ah, your honour," said the girl, with a malicious21 leer, "you were not in such a tantrum last year when I told you about the widow you know who; but if you had taken a friend's advice, you'd never have come away from Doncaster races with a flea22 in your ear!"
There was a secret sting in this speech that seemed quite to disconcert Master Simon. He jerked away his hand in a pet, smacked23 his whip, whistled to his dogs, and intimated that it was high time to go home. The girl, however, was determined24 not to lose her harvest. She now turned upon me, and, as I have a weakness of spirit where there is a pretty face concerned, she soon wheedled25 me out of my money, and in return read me a fortune which, if it prove true, and I am determined to believe it, will make me one of the luckiest men in the chronicles of Cupid.
I saw that the Oxonian was at the bottom of all this oracular mystery, and was disposed to amuse himself with the general, whose tender approaches to the widow have attracted the notice of the wag. I was a little curious, however, to know the meaning of the dark hints which had so suddenly disconcerted Master Simon: and took occasion to fall in the rear with the Oxonian on our way home, when he laughed heartily26 at my questions, and gave me ample information on the subject.
The truth of the matter is, that Master Simon has met with a sad rebuff since my Christmas visit to the Hall. He used at that time to be joked about a widow, a fine dashing woman, as he privately27 informed me. I had supposed the pleasure he betrayed on these occasions resulted from the usual fondness of old bachelors for being teased about getting married, and about flirting28, and being fickle29 and false-hearted. I am assured, however, that Master Simon had really persuaded himself the widow had a kindness for him; in consequence of which he had been at some extraordinary expense in new clothes, and had actually got Frank Bracebridge to order him a coat from Stultz. He began to throw out hints about the importance of a man's settling himself in life before he grew old; he would look grave whenever the widow and matrimony were mentioned in the same sentence; and privately asked the opinion of the squire30 and parson about the prudence31 of marrying a widow with a rich jointure, but who had several children.
An important member of a great family connection cannot harp32 much upon the theme of matrimony without its taking wind; and it soon got buzzed about that Mr. Simon Bracebridge was actually gone to Doncaster races, with a new horse, but that he meant to return in a curricle with a lady by his side. Master Simon did, indeed, go to the races, and that with a new horse; and the dashing widow did make her appearance in her curricle; but it was unfortunately driven by a strapping33 young Irish dragoon, with whom even Master Simon's self-complacency would not allow him to enter into competition, and to whom she was married shortly after.
It was a matter of sore chagrin34 to Master Simon for several months, having never before been fully35 committed. The dullest head in the family, had a joke upon him; and there is no one that likes less to be bantered36 than an absolute joker. He took refuge for a time at Lady Lillycraft's, until the matter should blow over; and occupied himself by looking over her accounts, regulating the village choir37, and inculcating loyalty38 into a pet bullfinch by teaching him to whistle "God save the King."
"God save the King!"
He has now pretty nearly recovered from the mortification39; holds up his head, and laughs as much as any one; again affects to pity married men, and is particularly facetious40 about widows, when Lady Lillycraft is not by. His only time of trial is when the general gets hold of him, who is infinitely41 heavy and persevering42 in his waggery, and will interweave a dull joke through the various topics of a whole dinner-time. Master Simon often parries these attacks by a stanza43 from his old work of "Cupid's Solicitor44 for Love:"
"'Tis in vain to woo a widow over long,
In once or twice her mind you may perceive;
Widows are subtle, be they old or young,
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收听单词发音
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1
pillage
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| v.抢劫；掠夺；n.抢劫，掠夺；掠夺物 | |
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2
fiddle
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| n.小提琴；vi.拉提琴；不停拨弄，乱动 | |
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3
goodwill
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| n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉 | |
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footpath
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| n.小路，人行道 | |
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5
wink
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| n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁 | |
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6
hoops
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| n.箍( hoop的名词复数 )；（篮球）篮圈；（旧时儿童玩的）大环子；（两端埋在地里的）小铁弓 | |
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7
hawthorn
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| 山楂 | |
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8
tinkled
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| （使）发出丁当声，（使）发铃铃声( tinkle的过去式和过去分词 )； 叮当响着发出，铃铃响着报出 | |
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9
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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10
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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11
elegance
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| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
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12
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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13
negligently
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14
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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15
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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16
harmonious
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| adj.和睦的，调和的，和谐的，协调的 | |
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17
assailed
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| v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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18
banter
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| n.嘲弄，戏谑；v.取笑，逗弄，开玩笑 | |
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19
hemmed
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| 缝…的褶边( hem的过去式和过去分词 )； 包围 | |
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20
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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21
malicious
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| adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的 | |
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22
flea
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| n.跳蚤 | |
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23
smacked
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| 拍，打，掴( smack的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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24
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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25
wheedled
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| v.骗取（某物），哄骗（某人干某事）( wheedle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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26
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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27
privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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28
flirting
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| v.调情，打情骂俏( flirt的现在分词 ) | |
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29
fickle
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| adj.(爱情或友谊上)易变的，不坚定的 | |
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30
squire
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| n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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31
prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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32
harp
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| n.竖琴；天琴座 | |
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33
strapping
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| adj. 魁伟的, 身材高大健壮的 n. 皮绳或皮带的材料, 裹伤胶带, 皮鞭 动词strap的现在分词形式 | |
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34
chagrin
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| n.懊恼；气愤；委屈 | |
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35
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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36
bantered
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| v.开玩笑，说笑，逗乐( banter的过去式和过去分词 )；（善意地）取笑，逗弄 | |
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37
choir
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| n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱 | |
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38
loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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39
mortification
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| n.耻辱，屈辱 | |
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40
facetious
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| adj.轻浮的，好开玩笑的 | |
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41
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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42
persevering
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| a.坚忍不拔的 | |
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43
stanza
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| n.（诗）节，段 | |
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44
solicitor
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| n.初级律师，事务律师 | |
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45
wiles
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| n.（旨在欺骗或吸引人的）诡计，花招；欺骗，欺诈( wile的名词复数 ) | |
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