That same evening Uncle Jenico arrived. I was just put to bed at the time, but he came and stood by me a little before I went to sleep and dreamt of him. He was not the least grown from his place in my memory—only, to my wonder, a little more shabby-looking than I seemed to recollect1. The round gold spectacles were there, and the big beaver2 hat, and the blue frock coat, and the nankeen trousers, and the limp—all but the first and last a trifle the worse for wear. His smile, however, was as cherubic, his despatch-box as glossy3, his walking-stick as stout4 as ever; and he nodded at me like a benevolent5 Mandarin6.
“Only we two left, my boy,” he said. “Poor papa, dear papa! He’s learnt by now the secret of perpetual motion.”
It was an odd introduction. I cried a little, and, moved by his kindness, clung to him.
“There!” he said, soothing7 me. “That’s all right. We are going to be famous friends, we are. We’ll invent things; we’ll set the Thames on fire, we will.”
Whether from exhaustion8 or from the dreamy contemplation of this amazing feat9 to be performed by us, I fell asleep in his arms, lulled10 for the first time out of my grief, and did not awake till bright morning. The fog was gone; the birds were singing to us to carry my father to his rest under the blue sky.
By-and-by we set out, Uncle Jenico very grave, in black, with a long weeper round his hat. Mr. Quayle, and one or two more, who had lingered a day behind the Assizes to do honour to the dead, came with us; and others, including the judge, sent flowers. It was a simple, pathetic service, in a green corner of the churchyard. I felt more than understood its beauty, and when once I caught a glimpse of Uncle Jenico busily and stealthily writing something with a pencil on the inside lining11 of his hat, I accepted the fact naturally as a detail of the ceremony.
But it was on the way home in the carriage that he disillusioned12 me by removing his hat, and showing me a little drawing of a gravestone he had made therein.
“Just an idea that occurred to me,” he said, “to perpetuate13 the memory of poor papa. We want to do something better than keep it green, you see. The weather and the lichen14 pay us all that compliment. So I suggest having the inscription15 very small, on a stone something the shape of a dining-room clock, and over it a magnifying glass boss, like one of those paperweights, you know, that have a little view at the back. The tooth of Time could never touch that. What do you think now?”
I thought it a very pleasant and kind idea, and told him so, at which he was obviously pleased. But it was never carried out, no more than many another he developed; and in the end—but that was long afterwards—a simple headstone, of my own design, commemorated16 my beloved father’s virtues17.
The few mourners returned with us to the hotel, where, in a private room, we had cake and sherry wine. Afterwards Mr. Quayle, when all but he were gone, asked the favour of a final word with Uncle Jenico.
He appeared to find it a word difficult of utterance18, walking up and down, and puffing19, and getting a little red in the face, while Uncle Jenico sat beaming in a chair, his legs crossed and finger-tips bridged.
At length Mr. Quayle stopped before him.
Uncle Jenico nodded.
“Surely,” said he. “I ask nothing less.”
“Then,” said Mr. Quayle, stuttering a little, “you are prepared to accept our friend’s trust, for all it’s worth?”
Uncle Jenico nodded again, though I thought his countenance21 fell a trifle over the emphatic22 qualification. However, he recovered in an instant, and rubbed his hands together gleefully.
“Capital, sir,” he said; “a little capital. That’s all Richard and I need to make our fortunes.”
“Ah!” said Mr. Quayle, decisively; “but that’s just the point.”
“Just the point,” echoed Uncle Jenico, still nodding, but weakly, and with a dew of perspiration26 on his forehead.
“Just the point,” repeated Mr. Quayle. “I stood close to our friend. I know something of his affairs—and habits. He was—d’ye understand French, Mr. Paxton?”
“Yes, certainly,” answered my uncle, proudly.
“Well, listen to this, then: ‘Il a été un joueur invétéré celui là; c’est possible qu’il a mangé son blé en herbe.’”
He drew back, to let his words take effect.
“God bless me!” said Uncle Jenico, weakly. “You have reason to know?”
“My dear sir,” replied Mr. Quayle, “I know how some of us occupy our time on circuit when we’d be better abed. I know a punter when I see one. I may be right; I may be wrong; and for your sake I hope I’m wrong. But the point is this: A good deal of our friend’s paper has come my way; and I want to know if, supposing I take it to market with bad results to the estate, you are going to swear off your trust?”
Then Uncle Jenico did an heroic thing; how heroic I could not realise at the time, though even then I think a shadow of the truth was penetrating27 my bewilderment. He got to his feet, looking like an angel.
“Mr. Quayle,” he said, “you’ve spoken plainly, and I don’t conceal28 your words are a disappointment. But if they are also a prophecy, rest assured, sir, that Richard and I stand or fall together. We are the surviving partners of an honourable29 firm, and there is that in there, sir” (he pointed30 to his inseparable despatch-box), “to uphold our credit with the world.”
Mr. Quayle seized his hand, with an immense expression of relief on his face.
“You’re a good soul,” he said. “Without that assurance I should have felt like robbing the orphan31. I hope it may turn out better than we suppose.”
“I hope so, too,” said Uncle Jenico, rather disconsolately32.
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1
recollect
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| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
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beaver
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| n.海狸，河狸 | |
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glossy
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| adj.平滑的；有光泽的 | |
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benevolent
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| adj.仁慈的，乐善好施的 | |
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Mandarin
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| n.中国官话，国语，满清官吏；adj.华丽辞藻的 | |
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7
soothing
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| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
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exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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9
feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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lulled
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| vt.使镇静，使安静（lull的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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lining
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| n.衬里，衬料 | |
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disillusioned
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| a.不再抱幻想的，大失所望的，幻想破灭的 | |
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13
perpetuate
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| v.使永存，使永记不忘 | |
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lichen
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| n.地衣, 青苔 | |
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inscription
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| n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文 | |
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16
commemorated
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| v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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17
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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puffing
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| v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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20
eschewed
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| v.（尤指为道德或实际理由而）习惯性避开，回避( eschew的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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emphatic
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| adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的 | |
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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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hampered
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| 妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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insufficient
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| adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的 | |
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perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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penetrating
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| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
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conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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orphan
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| n.孤儿；adj.无父母的 | |
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disconsolately
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| adv.悲伤地，愁闷地；哭丧着脸 | |
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