Chapter 39 Achilles Leaves His Tent

They say misfortunes never come singly. As Mike sat brooding over hiswrongs in his study, after the Sammy incident, Jellicoe came into theroom, and, without preamble¹, asked for the loan of a sovereign.

　　When one has been in the habit of confining one's lendings andborrowings to sixpences and shillings, a request for a sovereign comesas something of a blow.

　　"What on earth for?" asked Mike.

　　"I say, do you mind if I don't tell you? I don't want to tell anybody.

　　The fact is, I'm in a beastly hole.""Oh, sorry," said Mike. "As a matter of fact, I do happen to have aquid. You can freeze on to it, if you like. But it's about all I havegot, so don't be shy about paying it back."Jellicoe was profuse² in his thanks, and disappeared in a cloud ofgratitude.

　　Mike felt that Fate was treating him badly. Being kept in on Saturdaymeant that he would be unable to turn out for Little Borlock againstClaythorpe, the return match. In the previous game he had scoredninety-eight, and there was a lob bowler³ in the Claythorpe ranks whomhe was particularly anxious to meet again. Having to yield a sovereignto Jellicoe--why on earth did the man want all that?--meant that,unless a carefully worded letter to his brother Bob at Oxford⁴ had thedesired effect, he would be practically penniless for weeks.

　　In a gloomy frame of mind he sat down to write to Bob, who was playingregularly for the 'Varsity this season, and only the previous week hadmade a century against Sussex, so might be expected to be in asufficiently softened⁵ mood to advance the needful. (Which, it may bestated at once, he did, by return of post.)Mike was struggling with the opening sentences of this letter--he wasnever a very ready writer--when Stone and Robinson burst into theroom.

　　Mike put down his pen, and got up. He was in warlike mood, andwelcomed the intrusion. If Stone and Robinson wanted battle, theyshould have it.

　　But the motives⁶ of the expedition were obviously friendly. Stonebeamed. Robinson was laughing.

　　"You're a sportsman," said Robinson.

　　"What did he give you?" asked Stone.

　　They sat down, Robinson on the table, Stone in Psmith' s deck-chair.

　　Mike's heart warmed to them. The little disturbance⁷ in the dormitorywas a thing of the past, done with, forgotten, contemporary withJulius Caesar. He felt that he, Stone and Robinson must learn to knowand appreciate one another.

　　There was, as a matter of fact, nothing much wrong with Stone andRobinson. They were just ordinary raggers of the type found at everypublic school, small and large. They were absolutely free from brain.

　　They had a certain amount of muscle, and a vast store of animalspirits. They looked on school life purely⁸ as a vehicle for ragging.

　　The Stones and Robinsons are the swashbucklers of the school world.

　　They go about, loud and boisterous⁹, with a whole-hearted and cheerfulindifference to other people's feelings, treading on the toes of theirneighbour and shoving him off the pavement, and always with an eyewide open for any adventure. As to the kind of adventure, they are notparticular so long as it promises excitement. Sometimes they gothrough their whole school career without accident. More often theyrun up against a snag in the shape of some serious-minded and muscularperson who objects to having his toes trodden on and being shoved offthe pavement, and then they usually sober down, to the mutualadvantage of themselves and the rest of the community.

　　One's opinion of this type of youth varies according to one's point ofview. Small boys whom they had occasion to kick, either from pure highspirits or as a punishment for some slip from the narrow path whichthe ideal small boy should tread, regarded Stone and Robinson asbullies of the genuine "Eric" and "St. Winifred's" brand. Masters wererather afraid of them. Adair had a smouldering dislike for them. Theywere useful at cricket, but apt not to take Sedleigh as seriously ashe could have wished.

　　As for Mike, he now found them pleasant company, and began to get outthe tea-things.

　　"Those Fire Brigade meetings," said Stone, "are a rag. You can do whatyou like, and you never get more than a hundred lines.""Don't you!" said Mike. "I got Saturday afternoon.""What!""Is Wilson in too?""No. He got a hundred lines."Stone and Robinson were quite concerned.

　　"What a beastly swindle!""That's because you don't play cricket. Old Downing lets you do whatyou like if you join the Fire Brigade and play cricket.""'We are, above all, a keen school,'" quoted Stone. "Don't you everplay?""I have played a bit," said Mike.

　　"Well, why don't you have a shot? We aren't such flyers here. If youknow one end of a bat from the other, you could get into some sort ofa team. Were you at school anywhere before you came here?""I was at Wrykyn.""Why on earth did you leave?" asked Stone. "Were you sacked?""No. My pater took me away.""Wrykyn?" said Robinson. "Are you any relation of the Jacksonsthere--J. W. and the others?""Brother.""What!""Well, didn't you play at all there?""Yes," said Mike, "I did. I was in the team three years, and I shouldhave been captain this year, if I'd stopped on."There was a profound and gratifying sensation. Stone gaped¹⁰, andRobinson nearly dropped his tea-cup.

　　Stone broke the silence.

　　"But I mean to say--look here! What I mean is, why aren't you playing?

　　Why don't you play now?""I do. I play for a village near here. Place called Little Borlock. Aman who played against Wrykyn for the Free Foresters captains them. Heasked me if I'd like some games for them.""But why not for the school?""Why should I? It's much better fun for the village. You don't getordered about by Adair, for a start.""Adair sticks on side," said Stone.

　　"Enough for six," agreed Robinson.

　　"By Jove," said Stone, "I've got an idea. My word, what a rag!""What's wrong now?" inquired Mike politely.

　　"Why, look here. To-morrow's Mid-term Service day. It's nowhere nearthe middle of the term, but they always have it in the fourth week.

　　There's chapel¹¹ at half-past nine till half-past ten. Then the rest ofthe day's a whole holiday. There are always house matches. We'replaying Downing's. Why don't you play and let's smash them?""By Jove, yes," said Robinson. "Why don't you? They're always stickingon side because they've won the house cup three years running. I say,do you bat or bowl?""Bat. Why?"Robinson rocked on the table.

　　"Why, old Downing fancies himself as a bowler. You _must_ play,and knock the cover off him.""Masters don't play in house matches, surely?""This isn't a real house match. Only a friendly. Downing always turnsout on Mid-term Service day. I say, do play.""Think of the rag.""But the team's full," said Mike.

　　"The list isn't up yet. We'll nip across to Barnes' study, and makehim alter it."They dashed out of the room. From down the passage Mike heard yells of"_Barnes_!" the closing of a door, and a murmur¹² of excitedconversation. Then footsteps returning down the passage.

　　Barnes appeared, on his face the look of one who has seen visions.

　　"I say," he said, "is it true? Or is Stone rotting? About Wrykyn, Imean.""Yes, I was in the team."Barnes was an enthusiastic cricketer. He studied his _Wisden_,and he had an immense respect for Wrykyn cricket.

　　"Are you the M. Jackson, then, who had an average of fifty-one pointnought three last year?"[Illustration: "ARE YOU THE M. JACKSON, THEN, WHO HAD AN AVERAGE OFFIFTY-ONE POINT NOUGHT¹³ THREE LAST YEAR?"]

　　"Yes."Barnes's manner became like that of a curate talking to a bishop¹⁴.

　　"I say," he said, "then--er--will you play against Downing's to-morrow?""Rather," said Mike. "Thanks awfully¹⁵. Have some tea?"

1 preamble   

n.前言；序文

参考例句：

• He spoke without preamble.他没有开场白地讲起来。
• The controversy has arisen over the text of the preamble to the unification treaty.针对统一条约的序文出现了争论。

2 profuse   

adj.很多的，大量的，极其丰富的

参考例句：

• The hostess is profuse in her hospitality.女主人招待得十分周到。
• There was a profuse crop of hair impending over the top of his face.一大绺头发垂在他额头上。

3 bowler   

n.打保龄球的人，（板球的）投（球）手

参考例句：

• The bowler judged it well,timing the ball to perfection.投球手判断准确，对球速的掌握恰到好处。
• The captain decided to take Snow off and try a slower bowler.队长决定把斯诺撤下，换一个动作慢一点的投球手试一试。

4 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

5 softened   

（使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰

参考例句：

• His smile softened slightly. 他的微笑稍柔和了些。
• The ice cream softened and began to melt. 冰淇淋开始变软并开始融化。

6 motives   

n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to impeach sb's motives 怀疑某人的动机
• His motives are unclear. 他的用意不明。

7 disturbance   

n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调

参考例句：

• He is suffering an emotional disturbance.他的情绪受到了困扰。
• You can work in here without any disturbance.在这儿你可不受任何干扰地工作。

8 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

9 boisterous   

adj.喧闹的，欢闹的

参考例句：

• I don't condescend to boisterous displays of it.我并不屈就于它热热闹闹的外表。
• The children tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play.孩子们经常是先静静地聚集在一起，不一会就开始吵吵嚷嚷戏耍开了。

10 gaped   

v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的过去式和过去分词 )；张开，张大

参考例句：

• A huge chasm gaped before them. 他们面前有个巨大的裂痕。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The front door was missing. A hole gaped in the roof. 前门不翼而飞，屋顶豁开了一个洞。 来自辞典例句

11 chapel   

n.小教堂，殡仪馆

参考例句：

• The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
• She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。

12 murmur   

n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言

参考例句：

• They paid the extra taxes without a murmur.他们毫无怨言地交了附加税。
• There was a low murmur of conversation in the hall.大厅里有窃窃私语声。

13 nought   

n.／adj.无，零

参考例句：

• We must bring their schemes to nought.我们必须使他们的阴谋彻底破产。
• One minus one leaves nought.一减一等于零。

14 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

15 awfully   

adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地

参考例句：

• Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
• I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。