Chapter 32 Psmith

   "Jackson," said Mike.

　　"Are you the Bully¹, the Pride of the School, or the Boy who is LedAstray and takes to Drink in Chapter Sixteen?""The last, for choice," said Mike, "but I've only just arrived, so Idon't know.""The boy--what will he become? Are you new here, too, then?""Yes! Why, are you new?""Do I look as if I belonged here? I'm the latest import. Sit downon yonder settee, and I will tell you the painful story of my life.

　　By the way, before I start, there's just one thing. If you everhave occasion to write to me, would you mind sticking a P at thebeginning of my name? P-s-m-i-t-h. See? There are too many Smiths,and I don't care for Smythe. My father's content to worry along inthe old-fashioned way, but I've decided² to strike out a fresh line.

　　I shall found a new dynasty. The resolve came to me unexpectedly thismorning, as I was buying a simple penn'orth of butterscotch out ofthe automatic machine at Paddington. I jotted³ it down on the back ofan envelope. In conversation you may address me as Rupert (though Ihope you won't), or simply Smith, the P not being sounded. Cp. thename Zbysco, in which the Z is given a similar miss-in-baulk. See?"Mike said he saw. Psmith thanked him with a certain stately old-worldcourtesy.

　　"Let us start at the beginning," he resumed. "My infancy⁴. When I wasbut a babe, my eldest⁵ sister was bribed⁶ with a shilling an hour by mynurse to keep an rye on me, and see that I did not raise Cain. At theend of the first day she struck for one-and six, and got it. We nowpass to my boyhood. At an early age, I was sent to Eton, everybodypredicting a bright career for me. But," said Psmith solemnly, fixingan owl-like gaze on Mike through the eye-glass, "it was not to be.""No?" said Mike.

　　"No. I was superannuated⁷ last term.""Bad luck.""For Eton, yes. But what Eton loses, Sedleigh gains.""But why Sedleigh, of all places?""This is the most painful part of my narrative⁸. It seems that acertain scug in the next village to ours happened last year to collara Balliol----""Not Barlitt!" exclaimed Mike.

　　"That was the man. The son of the vicar. The vicar told the curate,who told our curate, who told our vicar, who told my father, who sentme off here to get a Balliol too. Do _you_ know Barlitt?""His pater's vicar of our village. It was because his son got aBalliol that I was sent here.""Do you come from Crofton?""Yes.""I've lived at Lower Benford all my life. We are practically long-lostbrothers. Cheer a little, will you?"Mike felt as Robinson Crusoe felt when he met Friday. Here was afellow human being in this desert place. He could almost have embracedPsmith. The very sound of the name Lower Benford was heartening. Hisdislike for his new school was not diminished, but now he felt thatlife there might at least be tolerable.

　　"Where were you before you came here?" asked Psmith. "You have heardmy painful story. Now tell me yours.""Wrykyn. My pater took me away because I got such a lot of badreports.""My reports from Eton were simply scurrilous⁹. There's a libel actionin every sentence. How do you like this place from what you've seen ofit?""Rotten.""I am with you, Comrade Jackson. You won't mind my calling youComrade, will you? I've just become a Socialist¹⁰. It's a great scheme.

　　You ought to be one. You work for the equal distribution of property,and start by collaring all you can and sitting on it. We must sticktogether. We are companions in misfortune. Lost lambs. Sheep that havegone astray. Divided, we fall, together we may worry through. Have youseen Professor Radium yet? I should say Mr. Outwood. What do you thinkof him?""He doesn't seem a bad sort of chap. Bit off his nut. Jawed¹¹ aboutapses and things.""And thereby," said Psmith, "hangs a tale. I've been making inquiriesof a stout¹² sportsman in a sort of Salvation¹³ Army uniform, whom I metin the grounds--he's the school sergeant¹⁴ or something, quite a solidman--and I hear that Comrade Outwood's an archaeological cove¹⁵. Goesabout the country beating up old ruins and fossils and things. There'san Archaeological Society in the school, run by him. It goes out onhalf-holidays, prowling about, and is allowed to break bounds andgenerally steep itself to the eyebrows¹⁶ in reckless devilry. And,mark you, laddie, if you belong to the Archaeological Society youget off cricket. To get off cricket," said Psmith, dusting his righttrouser-leg, "was the dream of my youth and the aspiration¹⁷ of my riperyears. A noble game, but a bit too thick for me. At Eton I used to haveto field out at the nets till the soles of my boots wore through. Isuppose you are a blood at the game? Play for the school againstLoamshire, and so on.""I'm not going to play here, at any rate," said Mike.

　　He had made up his mind on this point in the train. There is a certainfascination about making the very worst of a bad job. Achilles knewhis business when he sat in his tent. The determination not to playcricket for Sedleigh as he could not play for Wrykyn gave Mike a sortof pleasure. To stand by with folded arms and a sombre frown, as itwere, was one way of treating the situation, and one not without itsmeed of comfort.

　　Psmith approved the resolve.

　　"Stout fellow," he said. "'Tis well. You and I, hand in hand, willsearch the countryside for ruined abbeys. We will snare¹⁸ the elusivefossil together. Above all, we will go out of bounds. We shall thusimprove our minds, and have a jolly good time as well. I shouldn'twonder if one mightn't borrow a gun from some friendly native, and doa bit of rabbit-shooting here and there. From what I saw of ComradeOutwood during our brief interview, I shouldn't think he was one ofthe lynx-eyed contingent¹⁹. With tact²⁰ we ought to be able to slip awayfrom the merry throng²¹ of fossil-chasers, and do a bit on our ownaccount.""Good idea," said Mike. "We will. A chap at Wrykyn, called Wyatt, usedto break out at night and shoot at cats with an air-pistol.""It would take a lot to make me do that. I am all against anythingthat interferes²² with my sleep. But rabbits in the daytime is a scheme.

　　We'll nose about for a gun at the earliest opp. Meanwhile we'd bettergo up to Comrade Outwood, and get our names shoved down for theSociety.""I vote we get some tea first somewhere.""Then let's beat up a study. I suppose they have studies here. Let'sgo and look."They went upstairs. On the first floor there was a passage with doorson either side. Psmith opened the first of these.

　　"This'll do us well," he said.

　　It was a biggish room, looking out over the school grounds. There werea couple of deal tables, two empty bookcases, and a looking-glass,hung on a nail.

　　"Might have been made for us," said Psmith approvingly.

　　"I suppose it belongs to some rotter.""Not now.""You aren't going to collar it!""That," said Psmith, looking at himself earnestly in the mirror, andstraightening his tie, "is the exact programme. We must stake out ourclaims. This is practical Socialism.""But the real owner's bound to turn up some time or other.""His misfortune, not ours. You can't expect two master-minds like usto pig it in that room downstairs. There are moments when one wants tobe alone. It is imperative²³ that we have a place to retire to after afatiguing day. And now, if you want to be really useful, come and helpme fetch up my box from downstairs. It's got an Etna and variousthings in it."

1 bully   

n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮

参考例句：

• A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
• The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 jotted   

v.匆忙记下( jot的过去式和过去分词 )；草草记下，匆匆记下

参考例句：

• I jotted down her name. 我匆忙记下了她的名字。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The policeman jotted down my address. 警察匆匆地将我的地址记下。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 infancy   

n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期

参考例句：

• He came to England in his infancy.他幼年时期来到英国。
• Their research is only in its infancy.他们的研究处于初级阶段。

5 eldest   

adj.最年长的，最年老的

参考例句：

• The King's eldest son is the heir to the throne.国王的长子是王位的继承人。
• The castle and the land are entailed on the eldest son.城堡和土地限定由长子继承。

6 bribed   

v.贿赂( bribe的过去式和过去分词 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• They bribed him with costly presents. 他们用贵重的礼物贿赂他。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He bribed himself onto the committee. 他暗通关节，钻营投机挤进了委员会。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 superannuated   

adj.老朽的，退休的；v.因落后于时代而废除，勒令退学

参考例句：

• Are you still riding that superannuated old bike?你还骑那辆老掉牙的自行车吗？
• No one supports these superannuated policies.没人支持这些过时的政策。

8 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

9 scurrilous   

adj.下流的，恶意诽谤的

参考例句：

• Scurrilous and untrue stories were being invented.有人正在捏造虚假诽谤的故事。
• She was often quite scurrilous in her references to me.她一提起我,常常骂骂咧咧的。

10 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

11 jawed   

adj.有颌的有颚的

参考例句：

• The color of the big-jawed face was high. 那张下颚宽阔的脸上气色很好。 来自辞典例句
• She jawed him for making an exhibition of himself, scolding as though he were a ten-year-old. 她连声怪他这样大出洋相，拿他当十岁的孩子似的数落。 来自辞典例句

13 salvation   

n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困

参考例句：

• Salvation lay in political reform.解救办法在于政治改革。
• Christians hope and pray for salvation.基督教徒希望并祈祷灵魂得救。

14 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

15 cove   

n.小海湾，小峡谷

参考例句：

• The shore line is wooded,olive-green,a pristine cove.岸边一带林木蓊郁，嫩绿一片，好一个山外的小海湾。
• I saw two children were playing in a cove.我看到两个小孩正在一个小海湾里玩耍。

16 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

17 aspiration   

n.志向，志趣抱负；渴望；(语)送气音；吸出

参考例句：

• Man's aspiration should be as lofty as the stars.人的志气应当象天上的星星那么高。
• Young Addison had a strong aspiration to be an inventor.年幼的爱迪生渴望成为一名发明家。

18 snare   

n.陷阱，诱惑，圈套；（去除息肉或者肿瘤的）勒除器；响弦，小军鼓；vt.以陷阱捕获，诱惑

参考例句：

• I used to snare small birds such as sparrows.我曾常用罗网捕捉麻雀等小鸟。
• Most of the people realized that their scheme was simply a snare and a delusion.大多数人都认识到他们的诡计不过是一个骗人的圈套。

19 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

20 tact   

n.机敏，圆滑，得体

参考例句：

• She showed great tact in dealing with a tricky situation.她处理棘手的局面表现得十分老练。
• Tact is a valuable commodity.圆滑老练是很有用处的。

21 throng   

n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集

参考例句：

• A patient throng was waiting in silence.一大群耐心的人在静静地等着。
• The crowds thronged into the mall.人群涌进大厅。

22 interferes   

vi. 妨碍，冲突，干涉

参考例句：

• The noise interferes with my work. 这噪音妨碍我的工作。
• That interferes with my plan. 那干扰了我的计划。

23 imperative   

n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的

参考例句：

• He always speaks in an imperative tone of voice.他老是用命令的口吻讲话。
• The events of the past few days make it imperative for her to act.过去这几天发生的事迫使她不得不立即行动。