Since the meeting with the gipsies, which I have related in a former paper, I have observed several of them haunting the purlieus of the Hall, in spite of a positive interdiction3 of the squire4. They are part of a gang that has long kept about this neighbourhood, to the great annoyance6 of the farmers, whose poultry-yards often suffer from their nocturnal invasions. They are, however, in some measure, patronised by the squire, who considers the race as belonging to the good old times; which, to confess the private truth, seem to have abounded8 with good-for-nothing characters.
This roving crew is called "Starlight Tom's Gang," from the name of its chieftain, a notorious poacher. I have heard repeatedly of the misdeeds of this "minion9 of the moon;" for every midnight depredation10 that takes place in park, or fold, or farm-yard, is laid to his charge. Starlight Tom, in fact, answers to his name; he seems to walk in darkness, and, like a fox, to be traced in the morning by the mischief11 he has done. He reminds me of that fearful personage in the nursery rhyme:
"Who goes round the house at night?
Who steals all the sheep at night?
None but one by one!"
In short, Starlight Tom is the scapegoat13 of the neighbourhood; but so cunning and adroit14, that there is no detecting him. Old Christy and the gamekeeper have watched many a night in hopes of entrapping15 him; and Christy often patrols the park with his dogs, for the purpose, but all in vain. It is said that the squire winks16 hard at his misdeeds, having an indulgent feeling towards the vagabond, because of his being very expert at all kinds of games, a great shot with the cross-bow, and the best morris dancer in the country.
The squire also suffers the gang to lurk17 unmolested about the skirts of his estate, on condition that they do not come about the house. The approaching wedding, however, has made a kind of Saturnalia at the Hall, and has caused a suspension of all sober rule. It has produced a great sensation throughout the female part of the household; not a housemaid but dreams of wedding favours, and has a husband running in her head. Such a time is a harvest for the gipsies: there is a public footpath18 leading across one part of the park, by which they have free ingress, and they are continually hovering19 about the grounds, telling the servant girls' fortunes, or getting smuggled20 in to the young ladies.
I believe the Oxonian amuses himself very much by furnishing them with hints in private, and bewildering all the weak brains in the house with their wonderful revelations. The general certainly was very much astonished by the communications made to him the other evening by the gipsy girl: he kept a wary21 silence towards us on the subject, and affected22 to treat it lightly; but I have noticed that he has since redoubled his attentions to Lady Lillycraft and her dogs.
I have seen also Phoebe Wilkins, the housekeeper's pretty and love-sick niece, holding a long conference with one of these old sibyls behind a large tree in the avenue, and often looking round to see that she was not observed. I make no doubt that she was endeavouring to get some favourable23 augury24 about the result of her love quarrel with young Ready-Money, as oracles25 have always been more consulted on love affairs than upon anything else. I fear, however, that in this instance the response was not so favourable as usual, for I perceived poor Phoebe returning pensively26 towards the house; her head hanging down, her hat in her hand, and the riband trailing along the ground.
At another time, as I turned a corner of a terrace, at the bottom of the garden, just by a clump27 of trees, and a large stone urn7, I came upon a bevy28 of the young girls of the family, attended by this same Phoebe Wilkins. I was at a loss to comprehend the meaning of their blushing and giggling29, and their apparent agitation30, until I saw the red cloak of a gipsy vanishing among the shrubbery. A few moments after, I caught sight of Master Simon and the Oxonian stealing along one of the walks of the garden, chuckling31 and laughing at their successful waggery; having evidently put the gipsy up to the thing, and instructed her what to say.
A Gipsy Party
After all, there is something strangely pleasing in these tamperings with the future, even where we are convinced of the fallacy of the prediction. It is singular how willingly the mind will half deceive itself, and with what a degree of awe32 we will listen even to these babblers about futurity. For my part, I cannot feel angry with these poor vagabonds that seek to deceive us into bright hopes and expectations. I have always been something of a castle-builder, and have found my liveliest pleasures to arise from the illusions which fancy has cast over commonplace realities. As I get on in life, I find it more difficult to deceive myself in this delightful33 manner; and I should be thankful to any prophet, however false, that would conjure34 the clouds which hang over futurity into palaces, and all its doubtful regions into fairyland.
The squire, who, as I have observed, has a private goodwill35 towards gipsies, has suffered considerable annoyance on their account. Not that they requite36 his indulgence with ingratitude37, for they do not depredate very flagrantly on his estate; but because their pilferings and misdeeds occasion loud murmurs38 in the village. I can readily understand the old gentleman's humour on this point; I have a great toleration for all kinds of vagrant39, sunshiny existence, and must confess I take a pleasure in observing the ways of gipsies. The English, who are accustomed to them from childhood, and often suffer from their petty depredations40, consider them as mere41 nuisances; but I have been very much struck with their peculiarities42. I like to behold43 their clear olive complexions44, their romantic black eyes, their raven45 locks, their lithe46, slender figures, and to hear them, in low, silver tones, dealing47 forth48 magnificent promises, of honours and estates, of world's worth, and ladies' love.
Their mode of life, too, has something in it very fanciful and picturesque49. They are the free denizens50 of nature, and maintain a primitive51 independence, in spite of law and gospel; of county gaols52 and country magistrates53. It is curious to see the obstinate54 adherence55 to the wild, unsettled habits of savage56 life transmitted from generation to generation, and preserved in the midst of one of the most cultivated, populous57, and systematic58 countries in the world. They are totally distinct from the busy, thrifty59 people about them. They seem to be like the Indians of America, either above or below the ordinary cares and anxieties of mankind. Heedless of power, of honours, of wealth; and indifferent to the fluctuations60 of the times, the rise or fall of grain, or stock, or empires, they seem to laugh at the toiling61, fretting62 world around them, and to live according to the philosophy of the old song:
And loves to lie i' the sun,
Seeking the food he eats,
And pleased with what he gets,
Come hither, come hither, come hither;
Here shall he see
No enemy,
But winter and rough weather."
In this way they wander from county to county, keeping about the purlieus of villages, or in plenteous neighbourhoods, where there are fat farms and rich country seats. Their encampments are generally made in some beautiful spot; either a green shady nook of a road; or on the border of a common, under a sheltering hedge; or on the skirts of a fine spreading wood. They are always to be found lurking64 about fairs and races, and rustic65 gatherings66, wherever there is pleasure, and throng67, and idleness. They are the oracles of milkmaids and simple serving girls; and sometimes have even the honour of perusing68 the white hands of gentlemen's daughters, when rambling69 about their father's grounds. They are the bane of good housewives and thrifty farmers, and odious70 in the eyes of country justices; but, like all other vagabond beings, they have something to commend them to the fancy. They are among the last traces, in these matter-of-fact days, of the motley population of former times; and are whimsically associated in my mind with fairies and witches, Robin71 Goodfellow, Robin Hood5, and the other fantastical personages of poetry.
点击收听单词发音
1 revel | |
vi.狂欢作乐,陶醉;n.作乐,狂欢 | |
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2 jovial | |
adj.快乐的,好交际的 | |
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3 interdiction | |
n.禁止;封锁 | |
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4 squire | |
n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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5 hood | |
n.头巾,兜帽,覆盖;v.罩上,以头巾覆盖 | |
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6 annoyance | |
n.恼怒,生气,烦恼 | |
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7 urn | |
n.(有座脚的)瓮;坟墓;骨灰瓮 | |
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8 abounded | |
v.大量存在,充满,富于( abound的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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9 minion | |
n.宠仆;宠爱之人 | |
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10 depredation | |
n.掠夺,蹂躏 | |
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11 mischief | |
n.损害,伤害,危害;恶作剧,捣蛋,胡闹 | |
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12 bloody | |
adj.非常的的;流血的;残忍的;adv.很;vt.血染 | |
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13 scapegoat | |
n.替罪的羔羊,替人顶罪者;v.使…成为替罪羊 | |
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14 adroit | |
adj.熟练的,灵巧的 | |
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15 entrapping | |
v.使陷入圈套,使入陷阱( entrap的现在分词 ) | |
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16 winks | |
v.使眼色( wink的第三人称单数 );递眼色(表示友好或高兴等);(指光)闪烁;闪亮 | |
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17 lurk | |
n.潜伏,潜行;v.潜藏,潜伏,埋伏 | |
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18 footpath | |
n.小路,人行道 | |
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19 hovering | |
鸟( hover的现在分词 ); 靠近(某事物); (人)徘徊; 犹豫 | |
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20 smuggled | |
水货 | |
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21 wary | |
adj.谨慎的,机警的,小心的 | |
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22 affected | |
adj.不自然的,假装的 | |
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23 favourable | |
adj.赞成的,称赞的,有利的,良好的,顺利的 | |
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24 augury | |
n.预言,征兆,占卦 | |
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25 oracles | |
神示所( oracle的名词复数 ); 神谕; 圣贤; 哲人 | |
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26 pensively | |
adv.沉思地,焦虑地 | |
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27 clump | |
n.树丛,草丛;vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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28 bevy | |
n.一群 | |
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29 giggling | |
v.咯咯地笑( giggle的现在分词 ) | |
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30 agitation | |
n.搅动;搅拌;鼓动,煽动 | |
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31 chuckling | |
轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 ) | |
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32 awe | |
n.敬畏,惊惧;vt.使敬畏,使惊惧 | |
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33 delightful | |
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的 | |
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34 conjure | |
v.恳求,祈求;变魔术,变戏法 | |
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35 goodwill | |
n.善意,亲善,信誉,声誉 | |
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36 requite | |
v.报酬,报答 | |
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37 ingratitude | |
n.忘恩负义 | |
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38 murmurs | |
n.低沉、连续而不清的声音( murmur的名词复数 );低语声;怨言;嘀咕 | |
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39 vagrant | |
n.流浪者,游民;adj.流浪的,漂泊不定的 | |
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40 depredations | |
n.劫掠,毁坏( depredation的名词复数 ) | |
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41 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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42 peculiarities | |
n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪 | |
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43 behold | |
v.看,注视,看到 | |
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44 complexions | |
肤色( complexion的名词复数 ); 面色; 局面; 性质 | |
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45 raven | |
n.渡鸟,乌鸦;adj.乌亮的 | |
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46 lithe | |
adj.(指人、身体)柔软的,易弯的 | |
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47 dealing | |
n.经商方法,待人态度 | |
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48 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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49 picturesque | |
adj.美丽如画的,(语言)生动的,绘声绘色的 | |
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50 denizens | |
n.居民,住户( denizen的名词复数 ) | |
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51 primitive | |
adj.原始的;简单的;n.原(始)人,原始事物 | |
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52 gaols | |
监狱,拘留所( gaol的名词复数 ) | |
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53 magistrates | |
地方法官,治安官( magistrate的名词复数 ) | |
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54 obstinate | |
adj.顽固的,倔强的,不易屈服的,较难治愈的 | |
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55 adherence | |
n.信奉,依附,坚持,固着 | |
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56 savage | |
adj.野蛮的;凶恶的,残暴的;n.未开化的人 | |
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57 populous | |
adj.人口稠密的,人口众多的 | |
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58 systematic | |
adj.有系统的,有计划的,有方法的 | |
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59 thrifty | |
adj.节俭的;兴旺的;健壮的 | |
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60 fluctuations | |
波动,涨落,起伏( fluctuation的名词复数 ) | |
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61 toiling | |
长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 ); 艰难缓慢地移动,跋涉 | |
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62 fretting | |
n. 微振磨损 adj. 烦躁的, 焦虑的 | |
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63 shun | |
vt.避开,回避,避免 | |
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64 lurking | |
潜在 | |
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65 rustic | |
adj.乡村的,有乡村特色的;n.乡下人,乡巴佬 | |
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66 gatherings | |
聚集( gathering的名词复数 ); 收集; 采集; 搜集 | |
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67 throng | |
n.人群,群众;v.拥挤,群集 | |
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68 perusing | |
v.读(某篇文字)( peruse的现在分词 );(尤指)细阅;审阅;匆匆读或心不在焉地浏览(某篇文字) | |
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69 rambling | |
adj.[建]凌乱的,杂乱的 | |
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70 odious | |
adj.可憎的,讨厌的 | |
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71 robin | |
n.知更鸟,红襟鸟 | |
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