HIS household cares disposed of, Crane went off to the stables. It was a soft hazy1 autumn morning, and though he walked along whistling his heart was heavy. These changes in background always depressed2 him. His mother had been dead about two years, and at times like this he particularly missed her. She had always contrived3 to make domestic difficulties not only unimportant, but amusing. She had been pretty and young, both in years and spirit, and had had the determining influence on her son since his childhood.
His parents had married early and imprudently. The elder Crane, stung by some ill-considered words of his wife's family, had resolved from the first to make a successful career for himself. Shrewd, hard and determined5, he had not missed his mark. Burton's earliest recollections of him were fleeting6 glimpses of a white, tired, silent man seldom, it seemed to him, at home, and, by his gracious absences, giving him, Burton, a sort of prior claim on all the time and all the attention of his mother.
As he grew older and his father's fortune actually materialized, he began to see that it had never given pleasure to his mother, that it had first taken her husband's time and strength away, and had then changed the very stuff out of which the man was made. He had grown to love not only the game, but the rewards of the game. And Burton knew now that very early his mother had begun deliberately7 to teach him the supreme8 importance of human relationships, that she had somehow inculcated in him a contempt not, perhaps, for money, but for those who valued money. Under her tuition he had absorbed a point of view not very usual among either rich or poor, namely that money like good health was excellent to have, chiefly because when you had it you did not have to think about it.
Both her lessons were valuable to a young man left at twenty-five with a large fortune. But the second—the high delight in companionship—she had taught him through her own delightful9 personality, and her death left him desperately10 lonely. His loneliness made him, as one of his friends had said, extremely open to the dangers of matrimony, while on the other hand he had been rendered highly fastidious by his years of happy intimacy11 with his mother. Her wit and good temper he might have found in another woman—even possibly her concentrated interest in himself—but her fortunate sense of proportion, her knowledge in every-day life, as to what was trivial and what was essential, he found strangely lacking in all his other friends.
He thought now how amusing she would have been about the manicured maid servants, and how, if he and she had been breakfasting together, they would have amused themselves by inventing fantastic explanations, instead of quarreling and sulking at each other as he and Tucker had done.
Tucker had been his father's lawyer. It had been one of the many contradictions in Mrs. Crane's character that, though she had always insisted that as a matter of loyalty12 to her husband Tucker should be retained as family adviser13, she had never been able to conceal14 from Burton, even when he was still a boy, that she considered the lawyer an intensely comic character.
She used to contrive4 to throw a world of significance into her pronunciation of his name, "Solon." Crane could still hear her saying it, as if she were indeed addressing the original lawgiver; and it was largely because this recollection was too vivid that he himself had taken to calling his counselor15 by his last name.
He sighed as he thought of all this; but he was a young man, the day was fine and his horses an absorbing interest, and so he spent a very happy morning, passing his hand along doubtful fetlocks and withers16, and consulting with his head man on all the infinity17 of detail which constitutes the chief joy of so many sports.
At lunch, he appeared to be interested in nothing but the selection of the best mount for Miss Falkener—a state of mind which Tucker considered a great deal more suitable than his former frivolous18 interest in cats. And soon after lunch was over he went off for a ride, so as to get it in before he had to go and meet his new guests.
A back piazza19 ran past the dining-room windows. It was shady and contained a long wicker-chair. The November afternoon was warm, and here Tucker decided20 to rest, possibly to sleep, in order to recuperate21 from a disturbing night and morning.
He contrived to make himself very comfortable with a sofa pillow and extra overcoat. He slept indeed so long that when he woke the light was beginning to fade. He lay quiet a few moments, thinking that Mrs. Falkener would soon arrive and revolving22 the best and most encouraging terms in which he could describe the situation to her, when he became aware of voices. His piazza was immediately above the kitchen door, and it was clear that some one had just entered the kitchen from outdoors. And he heard a voice, unmistakably Jane-Ellen's, say:
"Stranger, see how glad Willoughby is to see you again. Just think, he hasn't laid eyes on you for all of three days."
Tucker could not catch the answer which was made in a deep masculine voice, but it was easy to guess its import from the reply of Jane-Ellen.
"Oh, I'm glad to see you, too."
"How do you expect me to show it?"
A murmur.
"Don't be absurd, Ranny." And she added quite audibly: "If you really want proof, I'll give it to you. I was just thinking I needed some one to help me freeze the ice-cream. Give it a turn or two, will you, like a dear?"
It was obvious that the visitor was of a docile24 nature, for presently the faint regular squeak25 of an ice-cream freezer was heard. His heart was not wholly in his work, however, for soon he began to complain. Tucker gathered that the freezer was set outside the kitchen door, and that the visitor now had to raise his voice slightly in order to be heard in the kitchen, for both speakers were audible.
"Yes," said the visitor, "that's the way you are. You expect every one to work for you."
"Don't you enjoy working for me, Ranny? You've always said it was the one thing in the world gave you pleasure."
"Humph," returned the other grimly, "I don't know that I am so eager to freeze Crane's ice-cream."
"And Mr. Tucker's, don't forget him."
"Who the deuce is Tucker?"
The listener above sat up and leaned forward eagerly.
"Tucker," said Jane-Ellen, "is our guest at present. He's my favorite and Willoughby's. He has what you might call a virile26, dominating personality. Please don't turn so fast, or you'll ruin the dessert."
"How did you ever come in contact with Tucker, I should like to know. Does he come into the kitchen?"
"Not yet."
"How did you see him at all?"
"Owing to his kicking Willoughby down the stairs."
"And you mean to say you stood for that? Why, my dear girl, if any one had told me—"
"Cruel, perhaps, Ranny, but the action of a strong man."
"I think it's a great mistake," said the masculine voice in a tone of profound displeasure, "for a girl situated27 as you are to have anything to do with her employer and his guests. What do you know about these fellows? How old is this Tucker?"
"Oh, about forty, I should think."
The listener's eyes brightened by ten years.
"What does he look like?"
"Oh, people are so difficult to describe, Ranny."
"You can describe them all right when you try."
"Well," ... Tucker's excitement became intense ... "well, he looks like the husband on the stage with a dash of powder above the ears, who wins the weak young wife back again in the last act."
With a long deep breath, Tucker rose to his feet. He felt like a different man, a strong, dangerous fellow.
"Dear girl," said the masculine voice below him, "you're not going to let this man make love to you."
"But if he did try, you would not let him?"
"You, if any one, ought to know that it isn't always easy to prevent."
"I don't know what you mean by that. You've always prevented me, as often as you wanted to."
"Often, but not as often as that. There, Ranny, do get on with the ice-cream. That terrible old woman is coming to stay this evening with her daughter, and you may be sure she'll have us all turned out if everything isn't just right."
"Crane is supposed to be engaged to the daughter," said the male voice.
"Well, I don't envy him his mother-in-law."
"What do you think of Crane?"
There was a pause. At first Tucker feared he might have missed the answer, but presently the question was repeated.
"I asked you what you thought of Crane."
"Oh, I've seen a good many young men of that type in my time," was the reply.
"How strange women are," remarked the ice-cream maker29, who had now once again settled down to work. "I should have thought Crane just the man to attract women, well built, good-looking, a splendid horseman—"
"Would you say good-looking?" asked the cook. Tucker had been putting exactly the same question to himself.
But the speaker did not intend to answer it, he went on with his own train of thought: "And here you go into raptures30 over an old fellow, old enough to be your father—"
"Should you say I went into raptures?"
A pleasant laugh greeted this statement. Tucker grew grave. He did not feel that he thoroughly32 understood the cause of that laugh, but he took refuge in that comfortable and all-embracing theory that women were fond, unaccountable creatures, particularly when deeply moved.
Another explanation was offered by the man below.
"I believe you are just trying to tease me, Jane-Ellen."
"Trying, Ranny?"
"You know very well you can always do whatever you like with me." The voice deepened with emotion.
"Oh, dear me, no, I can't."
"Why not?"
Tucker knew that she had come out of the kitchen. By leaning over the railing he could see the kitchen door.
He leant over.
The space before the entrance was paved in large square flagstones; here an ice-cream freezer was standing34, and over it bent35 a young man of a somewhat solid build, but with the unmistakable manner and bearing of a gentleman. He straightened himself as Jane-Ellen came out, and watched her closely as she grasped the handle of the freezer; but it seemed to the spectator above that he watched her with other emotions than the sincere wish to learn the correct manner of freezing.
Tucker looked straight down upon her, upon the part in her light brown hair, upon her round little arms, for her sleeves were rolled up above the elbow, as she said didactically:
"It ought to be a steady, even—"
But she got no further, for her pupil without a word, stooped forward and gathering36 her into his arms, kissed her.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
hazy
|
|
| adj.有薄雾的，朦胧的；不肯定的，模糊的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
depressed
|
|
| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
contrived
|
|
| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
contrive
|
|
| vt.谋划，策划；设法做到；设计，想出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
determined
|
|
| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
fleeting
|
|
| adj.短暂的，飞逝的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
deliberately
|
|
| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
supreme
|
|
| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
delightful
|
|
| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
desperately
|
|
| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
intimacy
|
|
| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
loyalty
|
|
| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
adviser
|
|
| n.劝告者，顾问 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
conceal
|
|
| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
counselor
|
|
| n.顾问，法律顾问 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
withers
|
|
| 马肩隆 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
infinity
|
|
| n.无限，无穷，大量 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
frivolous
|
|
| adj.轻薄的；轻率的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
piazza
|
|
| n.广场；走廊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
decided
|
|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
recuperate
|
|
| v.恢复 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
revolving
|
|
| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
murmur
|
|
| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
docile
|
|
| adj.驯服的，易控制的，容易教的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
squeak
|
|
| n.吱吱声，逃脱；v.（发出）吱吱叫，侥幸通过；（俚）告密 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
virile
|
|
| adj.男性的；有男性生殖力的；有男子气概的；强有力的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
situated
|
|
| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
dignified
|
|
| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
maker
|
|
| n.制造者，制造商 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
raptures
|
|
| 极度欢喜( rapture的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
idol
|
|
| n.偶像，红人，宠儿 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
thoroughly
|
|
| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
steadily
|
|
| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
bent
|
|
| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
gathering
|
|
| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |