Forget him, pretty pensiveness1; there will
Come others, every day, as good as he.
SIR J. SUCKLING.
The approach of a wedding in a family is always an event of great importance, but particularly so in a household like this, in a retired2 part of the country. Master Simon, who is a pervading3 spirit, and, through means of the butler and housekeeper4, knows everything that goes forward, tells me that the maid-servants are continually trying their fortunes, and that the servants' hall has of late been quite a scene of incantation.
It is amusing to notice how the oddities of the head of a family flow down through all the branches. The squire5, in the indulgence of his love of everything that smacks6 of old times, has held so many grave conversations with the parson at table, about popular superstitions7 and traditional rites8, that they have been carried from the parlour to the kitchen by the listening domestics, and, being apparently9 sanctioned by such high authorities, the whole house has become infected by them.
The servants are all versed10 in the common modes of trying luck, and the charms to ensure constancy. They read their fortunes by drawing strokes in the ashes, or by repeating a form of words, and looking in a pail of water. St. Mark's Eve, I am told, was a busy time with them; being an appointed night for certain mystic ceremonies. Several of them sowed hemp-seed, to be reaped by their true lovers; and they even ventured upon the solemn and fearful preparation of the dumb-cake. This must be done fasting and in silence. The ingredients are handed down in traditional form:—"An egg-shell full of salt, an egg-shell full of malt, and an egg-shell full of barley11 meal." When the cake is ready, it is put upon a pan over the fire, and the future husband will appear, turn the cake, and retire; but if a word is spoken, or a fast is broken, during this awful ceremony, there is no knowing what horrible consequence would ensue!
The experiments in the present instance came to no result; they that sowed the hemp-seed forgot the magic rhyme that they were to pronounce, so the true lover never appeared; and as to the dumb-cake, what between the awful stillness they had to keep, and the awfulness of the midnight hour, their hearts failed them when they had put the cake in the pan, so that, on the striking of the great house-clock in the servants' hall, they were seized with a sudden panic, and ran out of the room, to which they did not return until morning, when they found the mystic cake burnt to a cinder12.
The most persevering13 at these spells, however, is Phoebe Wilkins, the housekeeper's niece. As she is a kind of privileged personage, and rather idle, she has more time to occupy herself with these matters. She has always had her head full of love and matrimony, she knows the dreaming book by heart, and is quite an oracle14 among the little girls of the family, who always come to her to interpret their dreams in the mornings.
During the present gaiety of the house, however, the poor girl has worn a face full of trouble; and, to use the housekeeper's words, "has fallen into a sad hystericky way lately." It seems that she was born and brought up in the village, where her father was parish-clerk, and she was an early playmate and sweetheart of young Jack15 Tibbets. Since she has come to live at the Hall, however, her head has been a little turned. Being very pretty, and naturally genteel, she has been much noticed and indulged: and being the housekeeper's niece, she has held an equivocal station between a servant and a companion. She has learnt something of fashions and notions among the young ladies, which have effected quite a metamorphosis; insomuch that her finery at church on Sundays has given mortal offence to her former intimates in the village. This has occasioned the misrepresentations which have awakened16 the implacable family pride of Dame17 Tibbets. But what is worse, Phoebe, having a spice of coquetry in her disposition18, showed it on one or two occasions to her lover, which produced a downright quarrel; and Jack, being very proud and fiery19, has absolutely turned his back upon her for several successive Sundays.
Jack Jilts Phoebe
The poor girl is full of sorrow and repentance20, and would fain make up with her lover; but he feels his security, and stands aloof21. In this he is doubtless encouraged by his mother, who is continually reminding him of what he owes to his family; for this same family pride seems doomed22 to be the eternal bane of lovers.
As I hate to see a pretty face in trouble, I have felt quite concerned for the luckless Phoebe, ever since I heard her story. It is a sad thing to be thwarted23 in love at any time, but particularly so at this tender season of the year, when every living thing, even to the very butterfly, is sporting with its mate; and the green fields and the budding groves24, and the singing of the birds, and the sweet smell of the flowers, are enough to turn the head of a love-sick girl. I am told that the coolness of Young Ready-Money lies heavy at poor Phoebe's heart. Instead of singing about the house as formerly25, she goes about, pale and sighing, and is apt to break into tears when her companions are full of merriment.
Mrs. Hannah, the vestal gentlewoman of my Lady Lillycraft, has had long talks and walks with Phoebe, up and down the avenue, of an evening; and has endeavoured to squeeze some of her own verjuice into the other's milky26 nature. She speaks with contempt and abhorrence27 of the whole sex, and advises Phoebe to despise all the men as heartily28 as she does. But Phoebe's loving temper is not to be curdled29; she has no such thing as hatred30 or contempt for mankind in her whole composition. She has all the simple fondness of heart of poor, weak, loving woman; and her only thoughts at present are, how to conciliate and reclaim31 her wayward swain.
The spells and love-charms, which are matters of sport to the other domestics, are serious concerns with this love-stricken damsel. She is continually trying her fortune in a variety of ways. I am told that she has absolutely fasted for six Wednesdays and three Fridays successively, having understood that it was a sovereign charm to ensure being married to one's liking32 within the year. She carries about, also, a lock of her sweetheart's hair, and a riband he once gave her, being a mode of producing constancy in her lover. She even went so far as to try her fortune by the moon, which has always had much to do with lovers' dreams and fancies. For this purpose she went out in the night of the full moon, knelt on a stone in the meadow, and repeated the old traditional rhyme:
"All hail to thee, moon, all hail to thee:
I pray thee, good moon, now show to me
The youth who my future husband shall be."
The Love-Spell
When she came back to the house, she was faint and pale, and went immediately to bed. The next morning she told the porter's wife that she had seen some one close by the hedge in the meadow, which she was sure was young Tibbets; at any rate, she had dreamt of him all night; both of which, the old dame assured her, were most happy signs. It has since turned out that the person in the meadow was old Christy, the huntsman, who was walking his nightly rounds with the great staghound; so that Phoebe's faith in the charm is completely shaken.
点击收听单词发音
1 pensiveness | |
n.pensive(沉思的)的变形 | |
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2 retired | |
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的 | |
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3 pervading | |
v.遍及,弥漫( pervade的现在分词 ) | |
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4 housekeeper | |
n.管理家务的主妇,女管家 | |
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5 squire | |
n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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6 smacks | |
掌掴(声)( smack的名词复数 ); 海洛因; (打的)一拳; 打巴掌 | |
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7 superstitions | |
迷信,迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 ) | |
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8 rites | |
仪式,典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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9 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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10 versed | |
adj. 精通,熟练 | |
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11 barley | |
n.大麦,大麦粒 | |
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12 cinder | |
n.余烬,矿渣 | |
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13 persevering | |
a.坚忍不拔的 | |
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14 oracle | |
n.神谕,神谕处,预言 | |
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15 jack | |
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克 | |
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16 awakened | |
v.(使)醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 );(使)觉醒;弄醒;(使)意识到 | |
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17 dame | |
n.女士 | |
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18 disposition | |
n.性情,性格;意向,倾向;排列,部署 | |
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19 fiery | |
adj.燃烧着的,火红的;暴躁的;激烈的 | |
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20 repentance | |
n.懊悔 | |
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21 aloof | |
adj.远离的;冷淡的,漠不关心的 | |
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22 doomed | |
命定的 | |
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23 thwarted | |
阻挠( thwart的过去式和过去分词 ); 使受挫折; 挫败; 横过 | |
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24 groves | |
树丛,小树林( grove的名词复数 ) | |
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25 formerly | |
adv.从前,以前 | |
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26 milky | |
adj.牛奶的,多奶的;乳白色的 | |
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27 abhorrence | |
n.憎恶;可憎恶的事 | |
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28 heartily | |
adv.衷心地,诚恳地,十分,很 | |
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29 curdled | |
v.(使)凝结( curdle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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30 hatred | |
n.憎恶,憎恨,仇恨 | |
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31 reclaim | |
v.要求归还,收回;开垦 | |
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32 liking | |
n.爱好;嗜好;喜欢 | |
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