CHAPTER II A RUMOUR

That evening John wrote a letter to his sister, Mrs. Darcy, who lived in Ireland. The letter contained the following paragraphs:

 

“I am going down to Malford on Tuesday, an out-of-the-way spot near Whortley. Corin Elmore—the painter fellow, you know who I mean—has bothered me into it. He has got a job there, uncovering and restoring the mural paintings in a pre-reformation church. All seems grist that comes to his mill. Apparently¹ the only attractions the place has to offer are gorgeous scenery, and later a superabundance of blackberries, if I choose to await their ripening². I don’t know for how long I shall find such attractions all-satisfying.

 

“Address after Tuesday next till further notice, The White Cottage, Malford, near Whortley.

 

“I hope Maurice and the kiddies are flourishing.

 

“Your loving brother, John.”

 

[Pg 18]

 

The morning before he left town John received a reply to his letter.

 

“A sojourn³, even for a short space, in such a remote region sounds extraordinarily⁴ unlike you. Perhaps it will have its compensations. You will deserve them, as I am sure you are doing this entirely⁵ on Mr. Elmore’s account. I wonder if you will chance to meet the Delanceys. From all I have heard Lady Mary must be a charming woman, and I once met her granddaughter, Rosamund Delancey. She is an exceedingly pretty girl. Maurice raved⁶ about her in a way that might have made a younger, and less experienced, woman than myself jealous.

 

“I heard an extraordinary rumour⁷ some weeks ago regarding the Delancey estate,—that an American claimant had turned up. Personally I gave little credence⁸ to the report. It savours too much of melodrama⁹ for this prosaic¹⁰ twentieth century. My informant had her facts pat enough, though. But it is too long a story to deal with in a letter, certainly too long when it is, as I believe, pure fiction. Anyhow there’s a missing document, a murder, and a wolf-hound connected with it. True Adelphi melodrama!

 

[Pg 19]

“I hope you may chance to meet the Delanceys....”

 

John glanced up at a small statue of Our Lady, which stood on his mantelpiece.

 

“Blessed Lady,” he said aloud in a tone at once respectful, fervent¹¹, and charmingly friendly, “join your prayers to her hopes.”

1 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

2 ripening   

v.成熟，使熟( ripen的现在分词 )；熟化；熟成

参考例句：

• The corn is blossoming [ripening]. 玉米正在开花[成熟]。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• When the summer crop is ripening, the autumn crop has to be sowed. 夏季作物成熟时，就得播种秋季作物。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 sojourn   

v./n.旅居，寄居；逗留

参考例句：

• It would be cruel to begrudge your sojourn among flowers and fields.如果嫉妒你逗留在鲜花与田野之间，那将是太不近人情的。
• I am already feeling better for my sojourn here.我在此逗留期间，觉得体力日渐恢复。

4 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。

5 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。

6 raved   

v.胡言乱语( rave的过去式和过去分词 )；愤怒地说；咆哮；痴心地说

参考例句：

• Andrew raved all night in his fever. 安德鲁发烧时整夜地说胡话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They raved about her beauty. 他们过分称赞她的美。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

7 rumour   

n.谣言，谣传，传闻

参考例句：

• I should like to know who put that rumour about.我想知道是谁散布了那谣言。
• There has been a rumour mill on him for years.几年来，一直有谣言产生，对他进行中伤。

8 credence   

n.信用，祭器台，供桌，凭证

参考例句：

• Don't give credence to all the gossip you hear.不要相信你听到的闲话。
• Police attach credence to the report of an unnamed bystander.警方认为一位不知姓名的目击者的报告很有用。

9 melodrama   

n.音乐剧；情节剧

参考例句：

• We really don't need all this ridiculous melodrama!别跟我们来这套荒唐的情节剧表演！
• White Haired Woman was a melodrama,but in certain spots it was deliberately funny.《白毛女》是一出悲剧性的歌剧，但也有不少插科打诨。

10 prosaic   

adj.单调的，无趣的

参考例句：

• The truth is more prosaic.真相更加乏味。
• It was a prosaic description of the scene.这是对场景没有想象力的一个描述。

11 fervent   

adj.热的，热烈的，热情的

参考例句：

• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。
• Austria was among the most fervent supporters of adolf hitler.奥地利是阿道夫希特勒最狂热的支持者之一。