A dream, a memory of a wire factory he had once been shown over—this to re-connect him with a world he had sunk fathom-deep from; a buzzing and whistling in his brain, from which the brassy filament1 was being whirled to spin round a great reel at which some shadowy horror toiled2; a snapping of the attenuated3 strand—and Mr. Tuke came to consciousness with a shock.
Even then, at first, he could not disassociate himself from the business of his quickening stupor4; but saw the criss-cross of wires on all his drowsy5 eyes looked at. Somewhere in his forehead was the hole the screaming thread had issued from. He put up his hand vaguely6 to feel the acrid7 wound he knew must be there; for his whole skull8 yet throbbed9 and ached from the jarring process. He groped for the fancied mark, curiously10, and then with a sense of grievance11. If it had closed already, the torture would go on in his brain and find no outlet12.
Suddenly the instinct of motion came to him, and he staggered to his feet. Yet his eyes were half-blind to the reality of his surroundings.
Bit by bit, however, these shook out into distinctness, vibrating like a spun13 coin before they settled down and became the commonplace objects of the room he had fallen asleep in. And then he saw that broad daylight was beating through a little high window, half-choked with creepers, that pierced the wall at the far end.
A few moments later the furious jangling of a bell seized every echo in the “Dog and Duck.” He who had awakened14 them, finding no response follow, flung out into the passage storming like a maniac15.
An old shuffling16 woman was coming towards him. She was so old and so bent17 that, it seemed, to stoop a little lower would complete her circuit of days. A great mobcap was perched on her wrinkled poll, and under it her eyes ran moist with the humours of long-decayed passions.
“Where is Breeds?” he roared.
“And left you in charge—you unconscionable old beldame?” he added under his breath.
“Aye, aye,” she answered. “In charge to wake the gen’leman as had fell asleep over his cups.”
“And where are the others—the three who are stopping in the house?”
“I know nowt about en. There be nubbody here but you. I come fro’ Gorepit yon to do the tending when Breeds goes a-jaunting. He said nowt about anybody but you; and that your nag24 were in the stable.”
Fuming25, driven beyond himself, his head one racked and aching bone, the baronet pushed past the withered26 hag and started on an exploration of the house. He flung up the stairs, and passed into more than one meagre little bed-chamber. Each was tenantless27; as was every room upon the floor below.
“I have been drugged, by God!” he thought to himself; and went out to the rear where the stables were.
Here he found his horse comfortably stalled, and with all his housings yet on him.
He climbed into the saddle. He might have had a full sack upon his shoulders, from the trouble it cost him. As he rode away, he could have thought his head rocking like a toy-tumbler. He had to hold on with a frantic28 grip, or he would have rolled off into the road and probably snapped his spine29 like a stick of celery. The flinty track seemed to slide under him as if it were a long ribbon reeling off a drum. And all the time the pain in his head was horrible.
Presently he was sicklily aware of a woman’s figure crossing from a field-path in front of him. Even in his anguish30, something that was familiar in its pose struck him.
“Betty!” he murmured thickly; and pulling up his horse with uncalculated abruptness31, actually toppled out of the saddle, and fell in a heap to the ground.
She ran to him, uttering a faint cry. The horse had swerved32 on the moment, and one of its rider’s feet was wedged in a stirrup. She caught the bridle33, backed the frightened animal, and so saved its master a deadly mangling34.
Then, looping the reins35 over her arm, she bent above the prostrate36 man, with shining eyes full of rebuke37 and pity.
“Oh!” she said—“how could your honour be so foolish?”
He smiled up at her with a lost look of pain.
“How, Betty?” he whispered.
“You should ’a slept it off,” she said, “before you took the road.”
“You think me tipsy?”
She answered with a little sigh.
“Betty, my dear”—the mere38 effort of speech wrung39 a moan from him—“I’m not tipsy, upon my honour. I was fool enough to trust Mr. Breeds, that’s all; and he repaid me by drugging my wine.”
“You come fro’ the ‘Dog and Duck’?”
“I’ve spent the night there in a chair.”
“Oh, Mr. Tuke! What made you go?”
“Why, I wanted to see for myself.”
She went quite pale; and suddenly there was a bright tear running down her cheek.
“Oh, me!” she whispered. “’Twas I drove you to it. You might ha’ been murdered, and ’twas I drove you to it.”
“Nonsense, Betty. ’Twas coming to a head before you spoke40. I should have had it out with Mr. Breeds in any case, sooner or later.”
“And he poisoned your wine? Oh, oh!”
“Now, my dear—that was only a move in the game. Forewarned is forearmed, you know. But my head seems like to burst. Will you put your cool hand on it, Betty?”
She acquiesced41 timidly, as he lay against the hedge-side. But soon, emboldened42 by the yearning43 pity that, in her sex, so passionlessly yields itself to any passionate44 appeal for help or comfort, she wrought45 with instinctive46 sympathy upon the throbbing47 temples and pressed the hard pain from them.
“It is like a little snow-wind from the mountains blowing over flowers,” murmured the patient drowsily48. “What are you doing at ‘Delsrop’ again, Betty?”
“At ‘Delsrop’! Sure your honour’s dreaming,” she cooed. “You lie a’most within hailing distance of the ‘First Inn.’”
“Eh!” he cried in a startled voice, and looked bewildered about him. True enough, the roofs of Stockbridge showed over the trees a quarter of a mile below him.
“Oh, Betty!” he groaned—“whither have my sodden51 wits led me?—And I made sure I was lying near the gates of the drive. I must mount and prick52 homewards.”
“You are in no state,” said the girl—“your honour is in no state to go alone. Come and rest awhile at the inn, and wend back in an hour or so.”
“I believe you are right,” he muttered stupidly. “Give me your arm, Betty, and lead me on. I’m blind and weak as a new-born kitten. But Mr. Breeds must be called to a reckoning by and by.”
“Yes, yes!” she cried—“but not now.”
She walked by his side, helping54 him so far as she could. It took them long, short distance as it was, to reach the inn. Once there, she led him up to a fresh-smelling guest-room, with a great four-poster in it, and wishing him sleep and a quick recovery, shut him in and went about to see to his horse.
All the morning and into the afternoon her heart sang in her breast like a robin55. She was busy in the bar by herself when her gentleman walked in, refreshed, in his right mind, and very fairly recovered of his unintended debauch56. He put out his hand and took one of hers into its grasp, firmly and caressingly57, while she looked down and was busy over something with the point of her sandal.
“Betty,” said Mr. Tuke, “it has come to me that you pulled my heel out of the stirrup this morning. I was too befuddled58 at the time to realize it.”
She gazed up at him, her breath coming quickly, a scared entreating59 look on her flushed face.
“No,” he answered gravely to the mute appeal. “I’m not going to offer you money. I’ve been a sinner, Betty, but I’m a gentleman. Only I shall remember, my dear—I shall remember.”
He bent and kissed the warm hand courteously60. It trembled against his lips before he released it. Then he turned and walked out of the bar without another word.
And as, a few moments later, the ring of his horse’s hoofs61 echoed away down the road, the girl ran hurriedly into the little back-parlour, threw herself into a chair, and broke into a passion of crying.
点击收听单词发音
1 filament | |
n.细丝;长丝;灯丝 | |
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2 toiled | |
长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 ); 艰难缓慢地移动,跋涉 | |
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3 attenuated | |
v.(使)变细( attenuate的过去式和过去分词 );(使)变薄;(使)变小;减弱 | |
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4 stupor | |
v.昏迷;不省人事 | |
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5 drowsy | |
adj.昏昏欲睡的,令人发困的 | |
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6 vaguely | |
adv.含糊地,暖昧地 | |
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7 acrid | |
adj.辛辣的,尖刻的,刻薄的 | |
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8 skull | |
n.头骨;颅骨 | |
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9 throbbed | |
抽痛( throb的过去式和过去分词 ); (心脏、脉搏等)跳动 | |
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10 curiously | |
adv.有求知欲地;好问地;奇特地 | |
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11 grievance | |
n.怨愤,气恼,委屈 | |
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12 outlet | |
n.出口/路;销路;批发商店;通风口;发泄 | |
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13 spun | |
v.纺,杜撰,急转身 | |
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14 awakened | |
v.(使)醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 );(使)觉醒;弄醒;(使)意识到 | |
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15 maniac | |
n.精神癫狂的人;疯子 | |
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16 shuffling | |
adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式 | |
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17 bent | |
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
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18 tavern | |
n.小旅馆,客栈;小酒店 | |
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19 trump | |
n.王牌,法宝;v.打出王牌,吹喇叭 | |
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20 tickle | |
v.搔痒,胳肢;使高兴;发痒;n.搔痒,发痒 | |
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21 chafing | |
n.皮肤发炎v.擦热(尤指皮肤)( chafe的现在分词 );擦痛;发怒;惹怒 | |
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22 miserable | |
adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的 | |
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23 whined | |
v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 );哀诉,诉怨 | |
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24 nag | |
v.(对…)不停地唠叨;n.爱唠叨的人 | |
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25 fuming | |
愤怒( fume的现在分词 ); 大怒; 发怒; 冒烟 | |
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26 withered | |
adj. 枯萎的,干瘪的,(人身体的部分器官)因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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27 tenantless | |
adj.无人租赁的,无人居住的 | |
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28 frantic | |
adj.狂乱的,错乱的,激昂的 | |
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29 spine | |
n.脊柱,脊椎;(动植物的)刺;书脊 | |
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30 anguish | |
n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦,烦恼 | |
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31 abruptness | |
n. 突然,唐突 | |
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32 swerved | |
v.(使)改变方向,改变目的( swerve的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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33 bridle | |
n.笼头,束缚;vt.抑制,约束;动怒 | |
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34 mangling | |
重整 | |
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35 reins | |
感情,激情; 缰( rein的名词复数 ); 控制手段; 掌管; (成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的)保护带 | |
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36 prostrate | |
v.拜倒,平卧,衰竭;adj.拜倒的,平卧的,衰竭的 | |
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37 rebuke | |
v.指责,非难,斥责 [反]praise | |
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38 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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39 wrung | |
绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 ); 握紧(尤指别人的手); 把(湿衣服)拧干; 绞掉(水) | |
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40 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 | |
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41 acquiesced | |
v.默认,默许( acquiesce的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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42 emboldened | |
v.鼓励,使有胆量( embolden的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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43 yearning | |
a.渴望的;向往的;怀念的 | |
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44 passionate | |
adj.热情的,热烈的,激昂的,易动情的,易怒的,性情暴躁的 | |
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45 wrought | |
v.引起;以…原料制作;运转;adj.制造的 | |
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46 instinctive | |
adj.(出于)本能的;直觉的;(出于)天性的 | |
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47 throbbing | |
a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
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48 drowsily | |
adv.睡地,懒洋洋地,昏昏欲睡地 | |
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49 exclamation | |
n.感叹号,惊呼,惊叹词 | |
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50 posture | |
n.姿势,姿态,心态,态度;v.作出某种姿势 | |
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51 sodden | |
adj.浑身湿透的;v.使浸透;使呆头呆脑 | |
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52 prick | |
v.刺伤,刺痛,刺孔;n.刺伤,刺痛 | |
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53 nausea | |
n.作呕,恶心;极端的憎恶(或厌恶) | |
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54 helping | |
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的 | |
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55 robin | |
n.知更鸟,红襟鸟 | |
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56 debauch | |
v.使堕落,放纵 | |
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57 caressingly | |
爱抚地,亲切地 | |
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58 befuddled | |
adj.迷糊的,糊涂的v.使烂醉( befuddle的过去式和过去分词 );使迷惑不解 | |
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59 entreating | |
恳求,乞求( entreat的现在分词 ) | |
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60 courteously | |
adv.有礼貌地,亲切地 | |
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61 hoofs | |
n.(兽的)蹄,马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.(兽的)蹄,马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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