CHAPTER VII

Herman Medfield sat in the spacious¹ sitting-room² of Suite³ A, his paper spread out before him and his breakfast on the invalid⁴ table that had been wheeled up to the window. He had found the table with its tray of coffee and eggs and toast, an easy chair drawn⁵ up beside it, and the morning paper by his plate, ready for him when he came from his comfortable bath.

 

He had opened the paper, but not the eggs.... He read a few lines in the paper and glanced down at the table with a little scowl⁶ and pushed it from him.

 

Dr. Carmon had insisted on his being at the hospital for three or four days before the operation. He wanted to watch him and control conditions, he had said. It would make his decision easier.

 

The millionaire sitting in the window frowned a little and drummed with his fingers on the arm of the chair.

 

[Pg 35]

 

He took up the paper and glanced at it again and threw it down.

 

One of the conditions had been that he should have no cigars. He had understood and agreed to it.

 

But this morning he was impatient with himself and annoyed with Dr. Carmon. These doctors had no end of theories—useless theories—that did more harm than good. He should be in no shape for an operation—if he could not keep his nerve better than this. He really needed a cigar.

 

He pressed the knob of the electric cord that reached to his chair and took up the paper again.

 

When the nurse came in, he glanced up and motioned courteously⁷ to the table.

 

"You may take it away, please."

 

She looked at the untouched food and lifted the tray without comment. At the door she paused, at a word from the window.

 

The man had turned over his paper, and he glanced down another column as he said carelessly:

 

"And—ah—would you be kind enough to[Pg 36] telephone to my house for a box of cigars. I seem to have forgotten to bring any."

 

The nurse waited the merest fraction of a second. "I will see if they are on your order," she said quietly, and went out.

 

He lifted his eyes a trifle and returned to his paper.

 

The nurse closed the two doors of Suite A noiselessly behind her. She went down the corridor, bearing the rejected tray.

 

Half-way down the corridor she encountered a plump figure.

 

Aunt Jane's mild glance rested on the tray. "Anything the matter with it?" she asked.

 

"He doesn't want it," said the nurse. "He said, 'take it away.'" Her lips smiled, ever so little, as she watched the round face in its cap.

 

The cap strings⁸ did not exactly bristle⁹; but there was a look of firmness in the plump chin.

 

"Take it back," said Aunt Jane. "Tell him it is what was ordered for him. He is to eat it—eat all of it."

 

She spoke¹⁰ back over her shoulder, half turned away. "I've got a good many things[Pg 37] on my hands this morning. I can't be bothered with fussy¹¹ folks and notions." She passed on and disappeared in the door of Room 18.

 

The nurse, with her tray, returned to Suite A. She opened the door softly and went in.

 

Two minutes later, she emerged, still with her tray—and a high, clear color in her face.

 

Aunt Jane coming out of Room 18, caught a glimpse of her and stopped.

 

The nurse shook her head, the color in her cheeks mounting. "He doesn't want it." Her eyes twinkled a little in spite of the color that flooded up.

 

Aunt Jane reached out her hands for the tray. She gave a half-impatient click. "More bother'n they worth!" she said. "Always are in that room!"

 

She bore the tray before like a charger, and entered Suite A without parley¹².

 

Herman Medfield looked up and saw her, and rose instinctively¹³.

 

Aunt Jane set the tray on the table and pushed the table gently toward him. "Sit down," she said.

 

He sat down in his chair by the window, looking up at her inquiringly.

 

[Pg 38]

 

"Everything's there," said Aunt Jane. She glanced over the tray. "You're to eat it all—all there is on the tray."

 

The man laid down his paper and smiled at her quizzically.

 

"But, madam, I have no appetite," he said courteously.

 

Aunt Jane regarded him mildly over her spectacles. "Folks that come here don't generally have appetites," she said. "They come here to get 'em."

 

Something crossed in the air between them and the millionaire's eyes dropped first. He drew his chair toward the table.

 

A half smile hovered¹⁴ on Aunt Jane's lips. She took up the coffee-pot and reached to the sugar. "How many lumps?" she asked pleasantly.

 

"Two, please," responded Herman Medfield.

 

She placed them in the cup and poured in cream and filled the cup with coffee. "Looks like good coffee, this morning," she said quietly. "You got everything you want?"

 

"I think so, yes." He looked at the tray with a little more interest and pecked at an egg.

 

[Pg 39]

 

Aunt Jane nodded shrewdly and kindly¹⁵ and went out.

 

It was only after she had gone that Herman Medfield remembered he had not spoken of the cigars. On the whole, he decided¹⁶ to wait until to-morrow for his cigar.

1 spacious   

adj.广阔的，宽敞的

参考例句：

• Our yard is spacious enough for a swimming pool.我们的院子很宽敞，足够建一座游泳池。
• The room is bright and spacious.这房间很豁亮。

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 suite   

n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员

参考例句：

• She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
• That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。

4 invalid   

n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的

参考例句：

• He will visit an invalid.他将要去看望一个病人。
• A passport that is out of date is invalid.护照过期是无效的。

5 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

6 scowl   

vi.(at)生气地皱眉，沉下脸，怒视；n.怒容

参考例句：

• I wonder why he is wearing an angry scowl.我不知道他为何面带怒容。
• The boss manifested his disgust with a scowl.老板面带怒色，清楚表示出他的厌恶之感。

7 courteously   

adv.有礼貌地，亲切地

参考例句：

• He courteously opened the door for me.他谦恭有礼地为我开门。
• Presently he rose courteously and released her.过了一会，他就很客气地站起来，让她走开。

8 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。

9 bristle   

v.（毛发）直立，气势汹汹，发怒；n.硬毛发

参考例句：

• It has a short stumpy tail covered with bristles.它粗短的尾巴上鬃毛浓密。
• He bristled with indignation at the suggestion that he was racist.有人暗示他是个种族主义者，他对此十分恼火。

10 spoke   

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

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

11 fussy   

adj.为琐事担忧的，过分装饰的，爱挑剔的

参考例句：

• He is fussy about the way his food's cooked.他过分计较食物的烹调。
• The little girl dislikes her fussy parents.小女孩讨厌她那过分操心的父母。

12 parley   

n.谈判

参考例句：

• The governor was forced to parley with the rebels.州长被迫与反叛者谈判。
• The general held a parley with the enemy about exchanging prisoners.将军与敌人谈判交换战俘事宜。

13 instinctively   

adv.本能地

参考例句：

• As he leaned towards her she instinctively recoiled. 他向她靠近，她本能地往后缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He knew instinctively where he would find her. 他本能地知道在哪儿能找到她。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 hovered   

鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• A hawk hovered over the hill. 一只鹰在小山的上空翱翔。
• A hawk hovered in the blue sky. 一只老鹰在蓝色的天空中翱翔。

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 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。