A REMINISCENCE

 “I know exactly what your mother wants, Phyllis,” observed Mrs. Hilary.

“It’s just to teach them the ordinary things,” said little Miss Phyllis.

 

“What are the ordinary things?” I ventured to ask.

 

“What all girls are taught, of course, Mr. Carter,” said Mrs. Hilary. “I’ll write about it at once.” And she looked at me as if she thought that I might be about to go.

 

“It is a comprehensive curriculum,” I remarked, crossing my legs, “if one may judge from the results. How old are your younger sisters, Miss Phyllis?”

 

“Fourteen and sixteen,” she answered.

 

“It is a pity,” said I, “that this didn’t happen a little while back. I knew a governess who would have suited the place to a t.’”

 

Mrs. Hilary smiled scornfully.

 

“We used to meet—” I continued.

 

“Who used to meet?” asked Miss Phyllis.

 

“The governess and myself, to be sure,” said I, “under the old apple tree in the garden at the back of the house.”

 

“What house, Mr. Carter?”

 

“My father’s house, of course, Miss Phyllis. And—”

 

“Oh, but that must be ages ago!” cried she.

 

Mrs. Hilary rose, cast one glance at me, and turned to the writing table. Her pen began to scratch almost immediately.

 

“And under the apple tree,” I pursued, “we had many pleasant conversations.”

 

“What about?” asked Miss Phyllis.

 

“One thing and another,” I returned. “The schoolroom windows looked out that way—a circumstance which made matters more comfortable for everybody.”

 

“I should have thought—” began Miss Phyllis, smiling slightly, but keeping an apprehensive¹ eye on Mrs. Hilary’s back.

 

“Not at all,” I interrupted. “My sisters saw us, you see. Well, of course they entertained an increased respect for me, which was all right, and a decreased respect for the governess, which was also all right. We met in the hour allotted² to French lessons—by an undesigned but appropriate coincidence.”

 

“I shall say about thirty-five, Phyllis,” called Mrs. Hilary from the writing table.

 

“Yes, Cousin Mary,” called Miss Phyllis. “Did you meet often, Mr. Carter?”

 

“Every evening in the French hour,” said I.

 

“She’ll have got over any nonsense by then,” called Mrs. Hilary. “They are often full of it.”

 

“She had remarkably³ pretty hair,” I continued; “very soft it was. Dear me! I was just twenty.”

 

“How old was she?” asked Miss Phyllis.

 

“One’s first love,” said I, “is never any age. Everything went very well. Happiness was impossible. I was heartbroken, and the governess was far from happy. Ah, happy, happy times!”

 

“But you don’t seem to have been happy,” objected Miss Phyllis.

 

“Then came a terrible evening—”

 

“She ought to be a person of active habits,” called Mrs. Hilary.

 

“I think so, yes, Cousin Mary; oh, what happened, Mr. Carter?”

 

“And an early riser,” added Mrs. Hilary.

 

“Yes, Cousin Mary. What did happen, Mr. Carter?”

 

“My mother came in during the French hour. I don’t know whether you have observed, Miss Phyllis, how easy it is to slip into the habit of entering rooms when you had better remain outside. Now, even my friend Arch—However, that’s neither here nor there. My mother, as I say, came in.”

 

“Church of England, of course, Phyllis?” called Mrs. Hilary.

 

“Oh, of course, cousin Mary,” cried little Miss Phyllis.

 

“The sect⁴ makes no difference,” I observed. “Well, my sisters, like good girls, began to repeat the irregular verbs. But it was no use. We were discovered. That night, Miss Phyllis, I nearly drowned myself.”

 

“You must have been—Oh, how awful, Mr. Carter!”

 

“That is to say, I thought how effective it would be if I drowned myself. Ah, well, it couldn’t last!”

 

“And the governess?”

 

“She left next morning.”

 

There was a pause. Miss Phyllis looked sad and thoughtful; I smiled pensively⁵ and beat my cane⁶ against my leg.

 

“Have you ever seen her since?” asked Miss Phyllis.

 

“No.”

 

“Shouldn’t—shouldn’t you like to, Mr. Carter?”

 

“Heaven forbid!” said I.

 

Suddenly Mrs. Hilary pushed back her chair, and turned round to us.

 

“Well, I declare,” said she, “I must be growing stupid. Here have I been writing to the Agency, when I know of the very thing myself! The Polwheedles’ governess is just leaving them; she’s been there over fifteen years. Lady Polwheedle told me she was a treasure. I wonder if she’d go!”

 

“Is she what mamma wants?”

 

“My dear, you’ll be most lucky to get her. I’ll write at once and ask her to come to lunch tomorrow. I met her there. She’s an admirable person.”

 

Mrs. Hilary wheeled round again. I shook my head at Miss Phyllis.

 

“Poor children!” said I. “Manage a bit of fun for them sometimes.”

 

Miss Phyllis assumed a staid and virtuous⁷ air.

 

“They must be properly brought up, Mr. Carter,” said she.

 

“Is there a House Opposite?” I asked; and Miss Phyllis blushed.

 

Mrs. Hilary advanced, holding out a letter.

 

“You may as well post this for me,” said she. “Oh, and would you like to come to lunch tomorrow?”

 

“To meet the Paragon⁸?”

 

“No. She’ll be there, of course; but you see it’s Saturday, and Hilary will be here; and I thought you might take him off somewhere and leave Phyllis and me to have a quiet talk with her.”

 

“That won’t amuse her much,” I ventured to remark.

 

“She’s not coming to be amused,” said Mrs. Hilary severely⁹.

 

“All right; I’ll come,” said I, taking my hat.

 

“Here’s the note for Miss Bannerman,” said Mrs. Hilary.

 

That sort of thing never surprises me. I looked at the letter and read “Miss M. E. Bannerman.” “M. E.” stood for “Maud Elizabeth.” I put my hat back on the table.

 

“What sort of a looking person is this Miss Bannerman?” I asked.

 

“Oh, a spare, upright woman—hair a little gray, and—I don’t know how to describe it—her face looks a little weather-beaten. She wears glasses.”

 

“Thank you,” said I. “And what sort of a looking person am I?”

 

Mrs. Hilary looked scornful. Miss Phyllis opened her eyes.

 

“How old do I look, Miss Phyllis?” I asked.

 

“I don’t know,” she said uncomfortably.

 

“Guess,” said I sternly.

 

“F-forty-three—oh, or forty-two?” she asked, with a timid upward glance.

 

“When you’ve done your nonsense—” began Mrs. Hilary; but I laid a hand on her arm.

 

“Should you call me fat?” I asked.

 

“Oh, no; not fat,” said Mrs. Hilary, with a smile, which she strove to render reassuring¹⁰.

 

“I am undoubtedly¹¹ bald,” I observed.

 

“You’re certainly bald,” said Mrs. Hilary, with regretful candor¹².

 

I took my hat and remarked: “A man has a right to think of himself, but I am not thinking mainly of myself. I shall not come to lunch.”

 

“You said you would,” cried Mrs. Hilary indignantly.

 

I poised¹³ the letter in my hand, reading again “Miss M(aud) E(lizabeth) Bannerman.” Miss Phyllis looked at me curiously¹⁴, Mrs. Hilary impatiently.

 

“Who knows,” said I, “that I may not be a Romance—a Vanished Dream—a Green Memory—an Oasis¹⁵? A person who has the fortune to be an Oasis, Miss Phyllis, should be very careful. I will not come to lunch.”

 

“Do you mean that you used to know Miss Bannerman?” asked Mrs. Hilary in her pleasant prosaic¹⁶ way.

 

It was a sin seventeen years old; it would hardly count against the blameless Miss Bannerman now. “You may tell her when I’m gone,” said I to Miss Phyllis.

 

Miss Phyllis whispered in Mrs. Hilary’s ear.

 

“Another?” cried Mrs. Hilary, aghast.

 

“It was the very first,” said I, defending myself.

 

Mrs. Hilary began to laugh. I smoothed my hat.

 

“Tell her,” said I, “that I remembered her very well.”

 

“I shall do no such thing,” said Mrs. Hilary.

 

“And tell her,” I continued, “that I am still handsome.”

 

“I shan’t say a word about you,” said Mrs. Hilary.

 

“Ah, well, that will be better still,” said I.

 

“She’ll have forgotten your very name,” remarked Mrs. Hilary.

 

I opened the door, but a thought struck me. I turned round and observed:

 

“I dare say her hair’s just as soft as ever. Still—I’ll lunch some other day.”

 该作者的其它作品
《曾达的囚徒 The Prisoner of Zenda》
《The Heart of Princess Osra》

1 apprehensive   

adj.担心的，恐惧的，善于领会的

参考例句：

• She was deeply apprehensive about her future.她对未来感到非常担心。
• He was rather apprehensive of failure.他相当害怕失败。

2 allotted   

分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I completed the test within the time allotted . 我在限定的时间内完成了试验。
• Each passenger slept on the berth allotted to him. 每个旅客都睡在分配给他的铺位上。

3 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

4 sect   

n.派别，宗教，学派，派系

参考例句：

• When he was sixteen he joined a religious sect.他16岁的时候加入了一个宗教教派。
• Each religious sect in the town had its own church.该城每一个宗教教派都有自己的教堂。

5 pensively   

adv.沉思地，焦虑地

参考例句：

• Garton pensively stirred the hotchpotch of his hair. 加顿沉思着搅动自己的乱发。 来自辞典例句
• "Oh, me,'said Carrie, pensively. "I wish I could live in such a place." “唉，真的，"嘉莉幽幽地说，"我真想住在那种房子里。” 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

6 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

7 virtuous   

adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的

参考例句：

• She was such a virtuous woman that everybody respected her.她是个有道德的女性，人人都尊敬她。
• My uncle is always proud of having a virtuous wife.叔叔一直为娶到一位贤德的妻子而骄傲。

8 paragon   

n.模范，典型

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• Man is the paragon of animals.人是万物之灵。

9 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

10 reassuring   

a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的

参考例句：

• He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 他轻拍了一下她的肩膀让她放心。
• With a reassuring pat on her arm, he left. 他鼓励地拍了拍她的手臂就离开了。

11 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

12 candor   

n.坦白，率真

参考例句：

• He covered a wide range of topics with unusual candor.他极其坦率地谈了许多问题。
• He and his wife had avoided candor,and they had drained their marriage.他们夫妻间不坦率，已使婚姻奄奄一息。

13 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

14 curiously   

adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地

参考例句：

• He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
• He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。

15 oasis   

n.（沙漠中的）绿洲，宜人的地方

参考例句：

• They stopped for the night at an oasis.他们在沙漠中的绿洲停下来过夜。
• The town was an oasis of prosperity in a desert of poverty.该镇是贫穷荒漠中的一块繁荣的“绿洲”。

16 prosaic   

adj.单调的，无趣的

参考例句：

• The truth is more prosaic.真相更加乏味。
• It was a prosaic description of the scene.这是对场景没有想象力的一个描述。