CHAPTER XXV. FRANK’S TALK WITH HIS SISTER.

“Sister Lizzie, I want to talk to you. It is not your regular bed time by an hour or more yet. Can you be real steady, and thoughtful, and loving, for just a little while?”

 

“I can try, dear Brother Frank. If I fail, why, scold me,” said sweet Lizzie Legare, as she went arm-in-arm with her brother back into the house, after having seen Hattie and Mr. W—— off in the carriage.

 

“Well, we will go to your boudoir, Lizzie. I want to see you alone and to ask your advice.”

 

So they went to the little gem¹ of a room, carpeted in velvet², with flowers in every corner, curtains of lace, chairs, ottomans, and a tete-a-tete all covered with damask silk, and there they sat down, and Frank commenced with a sigh—a long and heavy sigh, and such a woe-begone look that Lizzie demurely³ asked:

 

“Are you sick, dear brother?”

 

“No, but I’m worse off, Lizzie. I’m in love!”

 

“So am I.”

 

“I’m in love with Hattie Butler! There now!”

 

“So am I. There now!” and Lizzie laughed till tears ran from her eyes, for she had imitated his desperate “there now” like an echo.

 

“It isn’t anything to laugh at. I never was more serious in my life,” he said, rather tartly⁴, for he thought she was making fun of him.

 

“Well, brother, you know I must either laugh or cry all the time. But, seriously, if I was you I could[123] not help loving that sweet, beautiful girl, and I believe that, like you, I would forget that she was a poor working girl. But, brother, what would the fellows in your club, the fast, nobby fellows you are always talking to me about, say if you married a shop-girl?”

 

Frank answered with a shiver—not a word did he speak. But he kept up a terrible thinking, and Lizzie sat still and watched him.

 

At last he sprang to his feet.

 

“The fellows in the club can go to Halifax or anywhere else they want to. If she’ll have me, and father will consent, I’ll marry her inside of a week.”

 

“Inside of a church would be better, brother dear. But those two provisos were well put in—the first especially. When a gentleman wants to marry one of our sex, the first and most necessary thing to find out is will she have him. And I don’t believe you have given her the first hint on the subject.”

 

“No,” said Frank.

 

“Nor even taken the trouble to find out whether she either admires or cares in the least for you?” continued Lizzie.

 

“That’s a fact.”

 

And Frank sighed while he made the admission.

 

“Don’t you think a little courting, as they call it, in this case would be advisable before you talk of marrying a girl whom you have seen but twice in your life?”

 

“Sis, you are a philosopher in petticoats.”

 

“Oh, Frank, aren’t you ashamed to say so.”

 

“No, sister, for it is the truth. You are learning me to be reasonable in this matter, and I thank you for it. It proves the truth of the old adage⁵ that two heads are better than one.”

 

[124]

 

“If one is a sheep’s head. Why didn’t you quote the entire saying, Frank?”

 

“Because my little sister has a wise head, and though I often tease her in my carelessness, I always go to her for advice when I can’t see my own way clear. I shall go to bed, darling, with a cooler brain and a lighter⁶ heart, and if Miss Butler comes often to our house to see Aunt Louisa, I’ll do just the prettiest little bit of courting that you ever saw done.”

 

“Good! It will be like a play to me.”

 

“Good-night, dear Lizzie.”

 

“Good-night, my darling brother.”

 

And thus for the night they parted.

 

Frank went into the library to ask the doctor, who was there with his father, how his Aunt Louisa was doing.

 

He learned that she was better, and sleeping under the influence of an opiate. The doctor asked of him, as he just had inquired of his father, whether anything had occurred to particularly excite or agitate⁷ Mrs. Emory when her attack came on.

 

But, as we know, neither father nor son had taken notice of what she was doing or saying at the time, the scream from Lizzie’s lips, and the exclamation⁸ from Miss Butler, being the first warning that they had when the lady fainted.

 

“I will be here early in the morning,” said the doctor, as he arose to take his leave.

1 gem   

n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel

参考例句：

• The gem is beyond my pocket.这颗宝石我可买不起。
• The little gem is worth two thousand dollars.这块小宝石价值两千美元。

2 velvet   

n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的

参考例句：

• This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
• The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。

3 demurely   

adv.装成端庄地，认真地

参考例句：

• "On the forehead, like a good brother,'she answered demurely. "吻前额，像个好哥哥那样，"她故作正经地回答说。 来自飘（部分）
• Punctuation is the way one bats one's eyes, lowers one's voice or blushes demurely. 标点就像人眨眨眼睛，低声细语，或伍犯作态。 来自名作英译部分

4 tartly   

adv.辛辣地，刻薄地

参考例句：

• She finished by tartly pointing out that he owed her some money. 她最后刻薄地指出他欠她一些钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Kay said tartly, "And you're more Yankee than Italian. 恺酸溜溜他说：“可你哪，与其说是意大利人，还不如说是新英格兰人。 来自教父部分

5 adage   

n.格言，古训

参考例句：

• But the old adage that men grow into office has not proved true in my experience.但是，根据我的经验，人们所谓的工作岗位造就人材这句古话并不正确。
• Her experience lends credence to the adage " We live and learn!"她的经验印证了一句格言: 活到老，学到老！

6 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

7 agitate   

vi.(for,against)煽动，鼓动；vt.搅动

参考例句：

• They sent agents to agitate the local people.他们派遣情报人员煽动当地的民众。
• All you need to do is gently agitate the water with a finger or paintbrush.你只需要用手指或刷子轻轻地搅动水。

8 exclamation   

n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词

参考例句：

• He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。
• The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号，以引起读者的注意。