His companion shifted his easel a little, squinting4 across the harbor at the changing light. There was a mysterious green in the water that he failed to find in his color-box.
The artist admitted that it was.
“I reckon I wouldn’t ever ’a’ done for a painter,” said the old man, readjusting his legs. “It’s settin’-work, and that’s good; but you have to keep at it steady-like—keep a-daubin’ and a-scrapin’ and a-daubin’ and a-scrapin’, day in and day out. I shouldn’t like it. Sailin’ ’s more in my line,” he added, scanning the horizon. “You have to step lively when you do step, but there’s plenty of off times when you can set and look and the boat just goes skimmin’ along all o’ herself, with the water and the sky all round you. I’ve been thankful a good many times the Lord saw fit to make a sailor of me.”
The artist glanced a little quizzically at the tumble-down house on the cliff above them and then at the old boat, with its tattered6 maroon7 sail, anchored below. “There’s not much money in it?” he suggested.
“Money? Dunno’s there is,” returned the other. “You don’t reely need money if you’re a sailor.”
“No, I suppose not—no more than an artist.”
“Don’t you need money, either?” The old man spoke with cordial interest.
“Well, occasionally—not much. I have to buy canvas now and then, and colors—”
The old man nodded. “Same as me. Canvas costs a little, and color. I dye mine in magenta8. You get it cheap in the bulk—”
The artist laughed out. “All right, Uncle William, all right,” he said. “You teach me to trust in the Lord and I’ll teach you art. You see that color out there,—deep green like shadowed grass—”
The old man nodded. “I’ve seen that a good many times,” he said. “Cur’us, ain’t it?—just the color of lobsters9 when you haul ’em.”
The young man started. He glanced again at the harbor. “Hum-m!” he said under his breath. He searched in his color-box and mixed a fresh color rapidly on the palette, transferring it swiftly to the canvas. “Ah-h!” he said, again under his breath. It held a note of satisfaction.
Uncle William hitched up his suspender and came leisurely10 across the sand. He squinted11 at the canvas and then at the sliding water, rising and falling across the bay. “Putty good,” he said approvingly. “You’ve got it just about the way it looks—”
Uncle William nodded. “Cur’us, ain’t it? there’s a lot in the way you see a thing.”
“There certainly is,” said the painter. His brush moved in swift strokes across the canvas. “There certainly is. I’ve been studying that water for two hours. I never thought of lobsters.” He laughed happily.
Uncle William joined him, chuckling13 gently. “That’s nateral enough,” he said kindly14. “You hain’t been seein’ it every day for sixty year, the way I hev.” He looked at it again, lovingly, from his height.
“What’s the good of being an artist if I can’t see things that you can’t?” demanded the young man, swinging about on his stool.
“Well, what is the use? I dunno; do you?” said Uncle William, genially15. “I’ve thought about that a good many times, too, when I’ve been sailin’,” he went on—“how them artists come up here summer after summer makin’ picters,—putty poor, most on ’em,—and what’s the use? I can see better ones settin’ out there in my boat, any day.—Not but that’s better’n some,” he added politely, indicating the half-finished canvas.
The young man laughed. “Thanks to you,” he said. “Come on in and make a chowder. It’s too late to do any more to-day—and that’s enough.” He glanced with satisfaction at the glowing canvas with its touch of green. He set it carefully to one side and gathered up his tubes and brushes.
Uncle William bent16 from his height and lifted the easel, knocking it apart and folding it with quick skill.
The artist looked up with a nod of thanks. “All right,” he said, “go ahead.”
Uncle William reached out a friendly hand for the canvas, but the artist drew it back quickly. “No, no,” he said. “You’d rub it off.”
“Like enough,” returned the old man, placidly17. “I gen’ally do get in a muss when there’s fresh paint around. But I don’t mind my clothes. They’re ust to it—same as yourn.”
The young man laughed anxiously. “I wouldn’t risk it,” he said. “Come on.”
They turned to the path that zigzagged18 its way up the cliff, and with bent backs and hinged knees they mounted to the little house perched on its edge.
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1
spoke
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| 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 | |
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2
hitched
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| （免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的过去式和过去分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上 | |
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3
skilfully
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| adv. (美skillfully)熟练地 | |
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4
squinting
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| 斜视( squint的现在分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看 | |
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5
ticklish
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| adj.怕痒的；问题棘手的；adv.怕痒地；n.怕痒，小心处理 | |
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6
tattered
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| adj.破旧的，衣衫破的 | |
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7
maroon
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| v.困住，使（人）处于孤独无助之境；n.逃亡黑奴；孤立的人；酱紫色，褐红色；adj.酱紫色的，褐红色的 | |
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8
magenta
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| n..紫红色（的染料）；adj.紫红色的 | |
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9
lobsters
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| 龙虾( lobster的名词复数 )； 龙虾肉 | |
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10
leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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11
squinted
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| 斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看 | |
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12
assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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13
chuckling
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 ) | |
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14
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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15
genially
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| adv.亲切地，和蔼地；快活地 | |
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16
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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placidly
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| adv.平稳地，平静地 | |
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18
zigzagged
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| adj.呈之字形移动的v.弯弯曲曲地走路，曲折地前进( zigzag的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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