CHAPTER 32. “SHE IS DYING!”

Hattie was engaged that night, until a late hour, over her writing-desk. A letter which she had already written, enveloped¹, sealed, and stamped ready for mailing, was opened, a long postscript² added, and then it was sealed with wax, and from a tiny seal in ivory an impression was made—an anchor and a cross, signifying Hope and Faith.

 

Hattie wept over this letter, and, after she had sealed it, took up the mountain sketch³ we have alluded⁴ to, and looked at it long and tearfully. Then, with a swift, skillful hand, she copied this sketch on a smaller scale on the head of a large letter-sheet. Then, taking three letters from envelopes, which all bore the pierced hearts as a seal, of which we have spoken several times, she read them over and over, and taking one, copied a portion of it beneath the sketch which she had just completed.

 

“If he will undertake the mission, by this Mr. W—— can be surely guided to that ‘Mountain Home,’ and if all is found, as I hope to our Father it may be, his mission will bring joy to a lonely heart, perhaps sweep away the clouds that have so long darkened my path; and then, absolved⁵ from my vow⁶, I can throw off the veil that I abhor⁷, and once more among my equals in the world take the place which belongs to me. Surely I deserve it if patience and long suffering ever met a reward.”

 

It was after midnight, by the tokens of the city bells, when our heroine closed her writing-desk. A brief time over her Bible, a little while at silent[158] prayer, and then she lay down to rest on her coarse and humble⁸ bed, contented⁹ with her lot, and not for an instant regretting that she had refused a home of affluence¹⁰ and the fostering care of rich and loving friends.

 

At early dawn the loud, shrill¹¹ calls of steam whistles, blown to wake the workers in great establishments, woke our heroine, and she was up and washed, ready to breakfast with the rest at the usual early hour.

 

Miss Scrimp, with her lean neck bandaged where it had been scalded the night before, sat grim and silent at her post. But the steaks were good and well cooked, the bread soft and fresh, the coffee strong, and all still went on as it had done since Hattie held the finger of fear above the old maid’s head.

 

The meal soon over, the chattering¹² girls wended their way to their various shops, and Hattie, within almost a minute of her usual time, went to her table in the old book-bindery, which seemed almost like a home to her.

 

Mr. Jones met her with his usual pleasant good-morning as she went to her place, and other hands, whom she knew slightly, bowed; but these were the only recognitions. She had never made any intimacy¹³ in all the long months she had worked there.

 

Mr. W—— came in later, and went at once into his office. Though Mr. Jones kept the time of every hand, Mr. W—— always made out the pay-roll on the morning of each Saturday, and in the afternoon the hands went into the office as called, one by one, and received their pay.

 

And that had been the custom for the many years that the bindery, first under the father alone, and[159] now under the father and son, had been kept running. Never, in easy times or hard, had the practice varied—never had a Saturday’s sun set with a single one of their employees unpaid¹⁴. No wonder that good and steady hands remained there, and the best work in all the great city was the result.

 

Hattie waited until the noon-day hour of rest came before disturbing Mr. W——. She knew it was his busy day, and she also knew enough to respect it.

 

If others were always as thoughtful many an employee would be saved the sin of hard thoughts and harsh words.

 

While the people were at their dinners, Hattie took but a little while for her lunch, and with her letters ready, entered the office.

 

Mr. W—- sat there, looking weary and sad.

 

“Do I disturb you, sir?” she asked, gently.

 

“No, Miss Hattie, you come like an angel of relief. I have been working over Jones’ time-book, and making out the people’s accounts. Permit me to pay you now, so you will not have to come again.”

 

“Thank you, sir.”

 

And she took the money she had earned, and signed the receipt-book, as she had done for months and months, when her turn came, but under far different circumstances.

 

After this was done, and he had asked Hattie to sit down—for no one else would be called until the dinner-hour was past, and the work call sounded—Hattie took the letters from her pocket and opened her business.

 

“You kindly¹⁵ consented to undertake a mission for me, Mr. W——. It may be to you a thankless undertaking¹⁶. Yet, on the contrary, it may be a joyous¹⁷, gracious work. I have seen so much, suffered[160] so much that I have little faith in the reformation of man when he has once yielded himself a slave to appetite and forgotten his manhood. If you follow the directions laid down in a letter I have written to you, you will deliver another letter to a man whom I once believed to be the noblest of his race. He fell, thank Heaven, before I was placed where his fall could drag me down. I would not utterly¹⁸ condemn¹⁹ and bid him go down, down, till he sank forever in the gulf²⁰ of shame. I wept over him while I drove him from my side, and I prayed to him to go where no one would know him, and there to lead a new life. It was a terrible thing for me to do. I loved that man with my whole heart and soul. You may know some time who and what I was when I thus sent him forth—let it suffice that I was not a work-girl.

 

“He went. I have never seen him since. But at intervals²¹ I have heard from him. It was he who sketched²² the ‘Mountain Home,’ which you found in my portfolio²³. He professes²⁴ to have reformed entirely²⁵. He says he is rich. I care not for his gold. But if he is rich in temperance, in virtue²⁶, in honor, in manhood restored and truth redeemed²⁷, I will keep the troth once plighted²⁸.

 

“To you, dear, kind friend, I confide²⁹ the task of learning if this be so. I know you will do it without one selfish thought or wish to warp³⁰ your judgment³¹. And now you see my future is in your hands. Take these letters and the sketch of the spot where he writes he is to be found. There is a secret trail, but the key to find it is in my letter.”

 

“I accept the mission. Manfully to him and truthfully to you will I carry out your desires.”

 

“Thank you, Mr. W——. Look over my letter,[161] and see if it needs any explanation. I will look at the morning paper while you read.”

 

She took up the paper while he read the letter.

 

Suddenly he heard a gasping³² cry from her lips. He looked up—she stood, pale and breathless like a statue of despair, with her finger on one of the “Personal” notices in that paper. At a glance, wild and swift, he read these words:

 

“G. E. L.—If you yet live, come to your mother quickly—she is dying!”

1 enveloped   

v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was enveloped in a huge white towel. 她裹在一条白色大毛巾里。
• Smoke from the burning house enveloped the whole street. 燃烧着的房子冒出的浓烟笼罩了整条街。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 postscript   

n.附言，又及；(正文后的)补充说明

参考例句：

• There was the usual romantic postscript at the end of his letter.他的信末又是一贯的浪漫附言。
• She mentioned in a postscript to her letter that the parcel had arrived.她在信末附笔中说包裹已寄到。

3 sketch   

n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述

参考例句：

• My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
• I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。

4 alluded   

提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• In your remarks you alluded to a certain sinister design. 在你的谈话中，你提到了某个阴谋。
• She also alluded to her rival's past marital troubles. 她还影射了对手过去的婚姻问题。

5 absolved   

宣告…无罪，赦免…的罪行，宽恕…的罪行( absolve的过去式和过去分词 )； 不受责难，免除责任 [义务] ,开脱（罪责）

参考例句：

• The court absolved him of all responsibility for the accident. 法院宣告他对该事故不负任何责任。
• The court absolved him of guilt in her death. 法庭赦免了他在她的死亡中所犯的罪。

6 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

7 abhor   

v.憎恶；痛恨

参考例句：

• They abhor all forms of racial discrimination.他们憎恶任何形式的种族歧视。
• They abhor all the nations who have different ideology and regime.他们仇视所有意识形态和制度与他们不同的国家。

8 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

9 contented   

adj.满意的，安心的，知足的

参考例句：

• He won't be contented until he's upset everyone in the office.不把办公室里的每个人弄得心烦意乱他就不会满足。
• The people are making a good living and are contented,each in his station.人民安居乐业。

10 affluence   

n.充裕，富足

参考例句：

• Their affluence is more apparent than real.他们的富有是虚有其表。
• There is a lot of affluence in this part of the state because it has many businesses.这个州的这一部分相当富有，因为它有很多商行。

11 shrill   

adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫

参考例句：

• Whistles began to shrill outside the barn.哨声开始在谷仓外面尖叫。
• The shrill ringing of a bell broke up the card game on the cutter.刺耳的铃声打散了小汽艇的牌局。

12 chattering   

n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The teacher told the children to stop chattering in class. 老师叫孩子们在课堂上不要叽叽喳喳讲话。
• I was so cold that my teeth were chattering. 我冷得牙齿直打战。

13 intimacy   

n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行

参考例句：

• His claims to an intimacy with the President are somewhat exaggerated.他声称自己与总统关系密切，这有点言过其实。
• I wish there were a rule book for intimacy.我希望能有个关于亲密的规则。

14 unpaid   

adj.未付款的，无报酬的

参考例句：

• Doctors work excessive unpaid overtime.医生过度加班却无报酬。
• He's doing a month's unpaid work experience with an engineering firm.他正在一家工程公司无偿工作一个月以获得工作经验。

15 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

16 undertaking   

n.保证，许诺，事业

参考例句：

• He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。
• He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小，不敢从事任何事业。

17 joyous   

adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的

参考例句：

• The lively dance heightened the joyous atmosphere of the scene.轻快的舞蹈给这场戏渲染了欢乐气氛。
• They conveyed the joyous news to us soon.他们把这一佳音很快地传递给我们。

18 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

19 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

20 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

21 intervals   

n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息

参考例句：

• The forecast said there would be sunny intervals and showers. 预报间晴，有阵雨。
• Meetings take place at fortnightly intervals. 每两周开一次会。

22 sketched   

v.草拟（sketch的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The historical article sketched the major events of the decade. 这篇有关历史的文章概述了这十年中的重大事件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He sketched the situation in a few vivid words. 他用几句生动的语言简述了局势。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

23 portfolio   

n.公事包；文件夹；大臣及部长职位

参考例句：

• He remembered her because she was carrying a large portfolio.他因为她带着一个大公文包而记住了她。
• He resigned his portfolio.他辞去了大臣职务。

24 professes   

声称( profess的第三人称单数 )； 宣称； 公开表明； 信奉

参考例句：

• She still professes her innocence. 她仍然声称自己无辜。
• He professes himself to be sad but doesn't look it. 他自称感到悲伤，但外表却看不出来。

25 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

26 virtue   

n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力

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。
• You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。

27 redeemed   

adj. 可赎回的，可救赎的 动词redeem的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• She has redeemed her pawned jewellery. 她赎回了当掉的珠宝。
• He redeemed his watch from the pawnbroker's. 他从当铺赎回手表。

28 plighted   

vt.保证，约定（plight的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• They plighted their troth for the rest of their days. 他们俩盟誓结为终身伴侣。 来自辞典例句
• Here and there a raw young lady does think of the friends of her plighted man. 这是阅历不深的的年轻姑娘对她未婚夫的朋友往往会持有的看法。 来自辞典例句

29 confide   

v.向某人吐露秘密

参考例句：

• I would never readily confide in anybody.我从不轻易向人吐露秘密。
• He is going to confide the secrets of his heart to us.他将向我们吐露他心里的秘密。

30 warp   

vt.弄歪，使翘曲，使不正常，歪曲，使有偏见

参考例句：

• The damp wood began to warp.这块潮湿的木材有些翘曲了。
• A steel girder may warp in a fire.钢梁遇火会变弯。

31 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

32 gasping   

adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词

参考例句：

• He was gasping for breath. 他在喘气。
• "Did you need a drink?""Yes, I'm gasping!” “你要喝点什么吗？”“我巴不得能喝点！”