37 THE BIG BED

 Achilles sprang forward. “She’s all right, Mr. Harris—all right!” His hand dropped to the trembling shoulder and rested there, as his quiet voice repeated the words. He bent¹ forward and lifted the child in his arms and moved away with her. But before he had traversed the long hall, the little head had fallen forward on his shoulder and the child slept. Behind the velvet² curtain, the voice of Conner wrestled³ faintly with the telephone and all about them great lights glowed on the walls; they lighted the great staircase that swept mistily⁴ up, and the figure of Achilles mounting slowly in the stately, lonely house, the child in his arms. His hand steadied the sleeping head with careful touch, against his shoulder.... They were not jolting⁵ now, in heavy cars, through the traffic streets—or wandering on the plain.... Little Betty Harris had come home.

 

Above them at the top of the long stairs, a grey figure appeared, and paused a moment and looked down. Then Miss Stone descended⁶ swiftly, her hands outstretched—they did not touch the sleeping child, but hovered⁷ above her with a look—half pain—half joy.

 

Achilles smiled to her—“She come home,” he whispered.

 

She turned with quick breath and they mounted the stairs—the child still asleep... through the long corridor—to the princess’s room beyond—with its soft lights—and great, silken hangings and canopied⁸ bed, open for the night—waiting for Betty Harris.

 

Achilles bent and laid her down, with lightest touch, and straightened himself. “We let her sleep,” he said gently. “She—very tired.”

 

They stood looking down—at the brown face and the little, tired lip and sleeping lids.... Their eyes met, and they smiled.... They knew—these two, out of all the world—they knew what it meant—that the child was safe.

 

And out in the glowing dawn, the great car thundered home, and Betty Harris’s mother looked out with swift eyes.

 

“See, Phil—the sun is up!” She reached out her hand.

 

“Sit still, Louie—don’t tremble so—” he said gently. “She is safe now—They have brought her home. She’s there, you know, asleep.” He spoke⁹ slowly—as if to a child.... He was gathering¹⁰ up the morning in his heart—this big, harsh, master of men—his little girl was safe—and a common Greek—a man out of the streets—peddling bananas and calling up and down—had made his life worth living. His big, tense mind gripped the fact—and held it. Something seemed speaking to him—out of the east, over there, past the rushing car.... A common Greek.... He had flung his wealth and hammered hard—but somehow this man had loved her—his little girl!

 

“Phil—?” she said softly.

 

“Yes, dear?”

 

“Are we almost home?”

 

He looked out. “Half an hour yet—sit still, Louie—!” He held her hand close. “Sit still!” he said—and the miles slipped past.

 

“She is there—Phil! Yes? They wouldn’t lie to me. All these weeks!” she said softly. “I don’t think I could bear it much longer, Phil!” The tears were on her cheeks, raining down and he put his rough face against her, adrift in a new world.

 

And over the great lake the sun burst out, on a flashing car—and the door flung wide to Betty Harris’s mother, flying with swift, sure foot up the great, stone steps.... “This way, ma’am—she’s in here—her own room—this way, ma’am.”

 

She was kneeling by the great canopied bed, her head bent very low. The brown face trembled a breath... the child put up a hand in her dream, “Mother-dear!” she said—and dreamed on....

1 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

2 velvet   

n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的

参考例句：

• This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
• The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。

3 wrestled   

v.（与某人）搏斗( wrestle的过去式和过去分词 )；扭成一团；扭打；（与…）摔跤

参考例句：

• As a boy he had boxed and wrestled. 他小的时候又是打拳又是摔跤。
• Armed guards wrestled with the intruder. 武装警卫和闯入者扭打起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 mistily   

adv.有雾地，朦胧地，不清楚地

参考例句：

• My wife is patting Run'er inside the house, murmuring lullaby mistily. 妻在屋里拍着闰儿，迷迷糊糊地哼着眠歌。 来自互联网
• Bits of tulle and fuzzy yarn hang mistily from the rafters. 房间的椽条上缠着薄纱和毛茸茸的纱线。 来自互联网

5 jolting   

adj.令人震惊的

参考例句：

• 'she should be all right from the plane's jolting by now. “飞机震荡应该过了。
• This is perhaps the most jolting comment of all. 这恐怕是最令人震惊的评论。

6 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

7 hovered   

鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• A hawk hovered over the hill. 一只鹰在小山的上空翱翔。
• A hawk hovered in the blue sky. 一只老鹰在蓝色的天空中翱翔。

8 canopied   

adj. 遮有天篷的

参考例句：

• Mist canopied the city. 薄雾笼罩着城市。
• The centrepiece was a magnificent canopied bed belonged to Talleyrand, the great 19th-century French diplomat. 展位中心是一架华丽的四柱床，它的故主是19世纪法国著名外交家塔列郎。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。