CHAPTER IX. “LIZZIE, I’VE SEEN HER!”

And young Legare heaved a great sigh when he confronted his sister with this declaration on his lips.

 

“Who—Frank—who?” asked Miss Legare, looking up from a book of fashion plates which were engrossing¹ her attention as he entered her special sitting-room², or boudoir, as she termed it.

 

For she had been educated at Vassar, and could not descend³ to ordinary terms.

 

“Who? Just as if you did not remember my errand down town. I have been to W——’s bindery.”

 

“Oh! that bindery girl!”

 

“Yes—the bindery girl!”

 

“Well! Why don’t you report? What do you want to keep me in suspense⁴ for?” cried the spoiled pet of fortune.

 

“She is very beautiful. The prettiest girl, in face and form, that I have ever seen in all my life.”

 

And Frank gulped⁵ down a sigh.

 

“A bindery girl, smelling of sour paste and leather—beautiful! Oh, Frank, I thought you had some taste, some knowledge of refinement⁶.”

 

“I hope I have, sister mine. If you had hands as small and white, and fingers that tapered⁷ down to the rosy⁸ nails as do hers, you would throw off your half-dozen diamond rings and let your hand speak for itself. And such a form—not made up, but fresh from nature’s choicest mold.”

 

“You, Frank! You traitor⁹!”

 

“What do you mean, Lizzie?”

 

[43]

 

“You went down there to see that your father was not snared¹⁰ by that siren—to have her discharged, sent away. Have you done it?”

 

“No, Lizzie, there is no cause for her discharge, and Mr. W—— laughed at the idea. Father did not exchange twenty words with her, and they were purely¹² on business, and in Mr. W——’s presence.”

 

“How many words have you exchanged with this ne plus ultra of loveliness?”

 

“Not one. I got but one look in her face, one glance from her bewildering eye, yet the memory of both will dwell in my heart while I live.”

 

“In short, Frank, you went there to save papa from a snare¹¹, and are yourself a victim. I see through it all. I have got to take this matter in hand. You men with susceptible¹³ hearts are just good for nothing.”

 

“You had better not meddle¹⁴ in the matter, sister dear. I do not think our father is in danger, at present, at any rate.”

 

“Well, if papa isn’t, Brother Frank is. So I’m going to get that dangerously beautiful girl out of the way. I’ll do it if I have to make love to Mr. W—— himself, to get him to discharge her.”

 

“I don’t think he’d look at you, after seeing her.”

 

“Frank, this is a downright insult. Comparing a Legare to a poor bindery girl.”

 

“Sister, I did not mean it as such. But in sober earnest I do believe that Mr. W—— is in love with this paragon¹⁵ himself.”

 

“Poh! Because you are a fool, do not think every one is like you.”

 

“You are strangely complimentary¹⁶, Miss Legare.”

 

“Not more so than the object of my compliments[44] deserves, Mr. Legare,” said the sister, snappishly.

 

“Good-morning. I will go to my club. There, at least, I will be treated as a gentleman!” cried the brother, rising.

 

“Frank, you’re a brute¹⁷!”

 

And Lizzie burst out in a flood of tears.

 

Frank turned back, though he had reached the door.

 

“Darling, do not weep or quarrel with a brother who loves you better than he loves his life!” he whispered, as he bent¹⁸ tenderly over her.

 

“Then don’t—don’t talk so to a sister who loves you with all her heart and soul!” sobbed¹⁹ Lizzie, looking forgiveness through her tears—sunlight breaking through the clouds—“dear brother!”

 

And clinging to his neck, she kissed him with almost childish fervor²⁰ and tenderness.

 

The storm was over. Would that all such domestic storms could pass as fleetly, and as brightly.

 

Frank did not go to his club. He sat down by the side of his sister, and long, earnestly and quietly they talked about this strangely beautiful, this mysterious girl, and tried to plan out some way to find out, without her knowing it, who she was, where she came from, and all about her.

 

1 engrossing   

adj.使人全神贯注的，引人入胜的v.使全神贯注( engross的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He told us an engrossing story. 他给我们讲了一个引人入胜的故事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It might soon have ripened into that engrossing feeling. 很快便会发展成那种压倒一切的感情的。 来自辞典例句

2 sitting-room   

n.（BrE）客厅，起居室

参考例句：

• The sitting-room is clean.起居室很清洁。
• Each villa has a separate sitting-room.每栋别墅都有一间独立的起居室。

3 descend   

vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降

参考例句：

• I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
• We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。

4 suspense   

n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑

参考例句：

• The suspense was unbearable.这样提心吊胆的状况实在叫人受不了。
• The director used ingenious devices to keep the audience in suspense.导演用巧妙手法引起观众的悬念。

5 gulped   

v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的过去式和过去分词 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住

参考例句：

• He gulped down the rest of his tea and went out. 他把剩下的茶一饮而尽便出去了。
• She gulped nervously, as if the question bothered her. 她紧张地咽了一下，似乎那问题把她难住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 refinement   

n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼

参考例句：

• Sally is a woman of great refinement and beauty. 莎莉是个温文尔雅又很漂亮的女士。
• Good manners and correct speech are marks of refinement.彬彬有礼和谈吐得体是文雅的标志。

7 tapered   

adj. 锥形的，尖削的，楔形的，渐缩的，斜的 动词taper的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The tail tapered to a rounded tip. 尾部越来越细，最后成了个圆尖。
• The organization tapered off in about half a year. 那个组织大约半年内就逐渐消失了。

8 rosy   

adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的

参考例句：

• She got a new job and her life looks rosy.她找到一份新工作，生活看上去很美好。
• She always takes a rosy view of life.她总是对生活持乐观态度。

9 traitor   

n.叛徒，卖国贼

参考例句：

• The traitor was finally found out and put in prison.那个卖国贼终于被人发现并被监禁了起来。
• He was sold out by a traitor and arrested.他被叛徒出卖而被捕了。

10 snared   

v.用罗网捕捉，诱陷，陷害( snare的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He snared a job with IBM. 他以巧妙的手段在 IBM 公司谋得一职。 来自辞典例句
• The hunter snared a skunk. 猎人捕得一只臭鼬。 来自辞典例句

11 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。

12 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。

13 susceptible   

adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的

参考例句：

• Children are more susceptible than adults.孩子比成人易受感动。
• We are all susceptible to advertising.我们都易受广告的影响。

14 meddle   

v.干预，干涉，插手

参考例句：

• I hope he doesn't try to meddle in my affairs.我希望他不来干预我的事情。
• Do not meddle in things that do not concern you.别参与和自己无关的事。

15 paragon   

n.模范，典型

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• Man is the paragon of animals.人是万物之灵。

16 complimentary   

adj.赠送的，免费的，赞美的，恭维的

参考例句：

• She made some highly complimentary remarks about their school.她对他们的学校给予高度的评价。
• The supermarket operates a complimentary shuttle service.这家超市提供免费购物班车。

17 brute   

n.野兽，兽性

参考例句：

• The aggressor troops are not many degrees removed from the brute.侵略军简直象一群野兽。
• That dog is a dangerous brute.It bites people.那条狗是危险的畜牲，它咬人。

18 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

19 sobbed   

哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说

参考例句：

• She sobbed out the story of her son's death. 她哭诉着她儿子的死。
• She sobbed out the sad story of her son's death. 她哽咽着诉说她儿子死去的悲惨经过。

20 fervor   

n.热诚；热心；炽热

参考例句：

• They were concerned only with their own religious fervor.他们只关心自己的宗教热诚。
• The speech aroused nationalist fervor.这个演讲喚起了民族主义热情。