CHAPTER 31 IN THE EARLY MORNING

If, as I remarked at the beginning of a preceding chapter, John thought it a funny world, it is very certain that David would have fully¹ endorsed² his opinion; and, further, he would have considered himself the queerest person in it.

 

Now, this was purely³ owing to the fact that he had suddenly found himself a stranger to himself. It was, in a manner, as if he had lived in blindness with a man for years, having, perhaps, without fully recognizing the fact, some mental conception of him. Then, on being miraculously⁴ restored to sight, he had discovered that the reality was totally at variance⁵ with that same mental conception.

 

The recovery of sight had come gradually. It had not been an instantaneous miracle. At the first he thought, doubtless, if he considered the fact at all, and he was probably only partially⁶ [Pg 227]aware of it, that the variance between the reality and what his partially restored sight beheld⁷, was due to his own faulty vision. Now, with clear sight restored, he beheld a complete stranger, and it left him bewildered. He didn’t know the man at all. He didn’t even recognize his speech. It is small wonder that he was bewildered; it is small wonder that he spent solitary⁸ hours in a futile⁹ attempt to reconstruct his preconceived notions of the man.

 

I believe that the moment when David got a first blurred¹⁰ glimpse of this stranger, was in Father Maloney’s odd little parlour. He had had another glimpse of him at the Castle; and since then, little by little, the glimpses had resolved themselves into full vision. And through it all, with it all, was a queer sense of vibratory forces at work.

 

It was in the parlour, also, that the first vibration¹¹ had struck upon him—a quite definite vibration, though inexplicable¹². It had rung clearly for a brief space, gradually growing fainter, till he wondered if it had indeed rung, or was merely imagination on his part. It had been repeated at the Castle, and had left no doubt in his mind. [Pg 228]Since then it had been renewed at intervals¹³, ringing each time longer and louder. I can best describe it as some kind of mental telephone call, though he was, at present, at a complete loss as to the message waiting to be delivered.

 

“The fact is, David P. Delancey,” he remarked more than once, “that somehow your moorings have been cut, and the Lord only knows where you are drifting.”

 

Very early in the morning, the sun not far above the horizon, and the trees casting long shadows on the grass, David set out for a walk.

 

It was by no means the first time that he had risen thus betimes. The clean, fresh spirit of the morning appealed to him, also its detachment. It seemed, at that hour, so extraordinarily¹⁴ aloof¹⁵ from the affairs of men, wrapped, in a sense, in its own quiet meditations¹⁷. Later the sun, the little breezes, the sweet earth scents¹⁹ seemed to give forth²⁰ warmth, freshness, and fragrant²¹ odours for the benefit of mankind. At this hour it was wrapped in meditation¹⁶, a meditation approaching ecstasy²².

 

He went softly, fearing almost to disturb the [Pg 229]stillness, yet he did not altogether feel himself an intruder. There was, in a strange sense, something of communion between his spirit and the spirit of the silent morning, in spite of its detachment.

 

The route he had chosen led first across the moorland,—wide stretches of purple heather. He walked without indulging in any special train of thought. His eyes were open to the details of nature around him, his brain alert to absorb them in pure pleasure.

 

Gorse bushes, scattered²³ among the heather, showed golden blossoms backgrounded by a blue sky. Their sweet scent¹⁸ came faintly to him. Later in the stronger warmth of the sun, the scent would gain in power and fulness. In the distance, scattered copses lay misty²⁴ blue patches on sun-gold hillsides. Both far and near was an all-absorbing peace.

 

He hadn’t a notion how far he walked, nor for how long. Unconsciously he circled, coming at length to a gate, leading into a larch²⁵ wood.

 

David turned through it. Here the sun filtered through the branches, flung spots of gold on the red-brown earth of the pathway, on the emerald of the moss²⁶ lying in great patches among bracken, [Pg 230]fern, and bramble. Twigs²⁸ and branches, at one time wind-torn from the trees, lay in the path, silver-grey, lichen-covered. It was all intensely silent, intensely still. David, stepping by chance on a dried twig²⁷, heard it snap with the report of a small pistol in the silence. The loneliness appealed to him; the enchantment²⁹ of the quiet wood led him on.

 

Gradually, imperceptibly, his thoughts left externals, turned inwards. Still aware of all that lay around him, they were no longer merely idly diffused³⁰ upon it; they drew together, focussed. Accustomed to think, though vaguely³¹, in terms of simile³² rather than in words, he saw in the quiet of the wood something of the quiet which at present held his own life and being. In a sense he suddenly felt himself sleeping, his eyes closed on all that lay behind him. Yet while sleeping, he knew, too, that presently must come awakening³³. It was in his power, he now felt, to awake at the moment to the old life, as he knew it, to reconstruct his mental conception of that stranger, as it was in his power to retrace³⁴ his steps. Yet it was almost as if something external to himself waited with him, to withdraw gently should he turn back, to remain [Pg 231]with him should he go forward. So for a space of time—a space not measured by the ticking of a clock—David waited. Then suddenly he moved onward³⁵ down the glade³⁶.

 

And now he knew that his heart was beating fast, pulsing with some curious excitement, though he had not realized it before. His breath, too, was coming rather quickly, like that of a man who has been running. Gradually breathing and heart-beating became normal; yet still the dream sense lingered with him, and he did not want to dispel³⁷ it.

 

The path led him into a cuplike hollow among the trees, a moss-grown place, full of deep shadows and a pleasant coolness. On the other side of the hollow the path ascended³⁸, through a beech-wood here, silver-green trunks in strong contrast to the deep red of the pathway. Though quiet, this wood was vivid, full of stronger colour than was that on the other side of the hollow.

 

Coming out at last from among the trees, David found himself on an expanse of grass, on one side skirted by the wood, on the other bordered by a hedge of yew³⁹, close and thick and dark. Turning to the left, he walked over the grass, till presently [Pg 232]the hedge gave place to a low wicket gate. Here he paused, looking over.

 

Beyond the hedge was a grey stone building, and beyond the building were grey towers. He knew now where he was. It was the chapel⁴⁰ of Delancey Castle facing him. He stood for a moment or so, his hand resting on the gate.

 

Suddenly the chapel bell broke the silence.

 

1 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

2 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

4 miraculously   

ad.奇迹般地

参考例句：

• He had been miraculously saved from almost certain death. 他奇迹般地从死亡线上获救。
• A schoolboy miraculously survived a 25 000-volt electric shock. 一名男学生在遭受2.5 万伏的电击后奇迹般地活了下来。

5 variance   

n.矛盾，不同

参考例句：

• The question of woman suffrage sets them at variance. 妇女参政的问题使他们发生争执。
• It is unnatural for brothers to be at variance. 兄弟之间不睦是不近人情的。

6 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

7 beheld   

v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟

参考例句：

• His eyes had never beheld such opulence. 他从未见过这样的财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soul beheld its features in the mirror of the passing moment. 灵魂在逝去的瞬间的镜子中看到了自己的模样。 来自英汉文学 - 红字

8 solitary   

adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士

参考例句：

• I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
• The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

9 futile   

adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的

参考例句：

• They were killed,to the last man,in a futile attack.因为进攻失败，他们全部被杀，无一幸免。
• Their efforts to revive him were futile.他们对他抢救无效。

10 blurred   

v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离

参考例句：

• She suffered from dizziness and blurred vision. 她饱受头晕目眩之苦。
• Their lazy, blurred voices fell pleasantly on his ears. 他们那种慢吞吞、含糊不清的声音在他听起来却很悦耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 vibration   

n.颤动，振动；摆动

参考例句：

• There is so much vibration on a ship that one cannot write.船上的震动大得使人无法书写。
• The vibration of the window woke me up.窗子的震动把我惊醒了。

12 inexplicable   

adj.无法解释的，难理解的

参考例句：

• It is now inexplicable how that development was misinterpreted.当时对这一事态发展的错误理解究竟是怎么产生的，现在已经无法说清楚了。
• There are many things which are inexplicable by science.有很多事科学还无法解释。

13 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。

14 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。

15 aloof   

adj.远离的；冷淡的，漠不关心的

参考例句：

• Never stand aloof from the masses.千万不可脱离群众。
• On the evening the girl kept herself timidly aloof from the crowd.这小女孩在晚会上一直胆怯地远离人群。

16 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

17 meditations   

默想( meditation的名词复数 )； 默念； 沉思； 冥想

参考例句：

• Each sentence seems a quarry of rich meditations. 每一句话似乎都给人以许多冥思默想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditations. 我很抱歉，打断你思考问题了。

18 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。

19 scents   

n.香水( scent的名词复数 )；气味；（动物的）臭迹；（尤指狗的）嗅觉

参考例句：

• The air was fragrant with scents from the sea and the hills. 空气中荡漾着山和海的芬芳气息。
• The winds came down with scents of the grass and wild flowers. 微风送来阵阵青草和野花的香气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

21 fragrant   

adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的

参考例句：

• The Fragrant Hills are exceptionally beautiful in late autumn.深秋的香山格外美丽。
• The air was fragrant with lavender.空气中弥漫薰衣草香。

22 ecstasy   

n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷

参考例句：

• He listened to the music with ecstasy.他听音乐听得入了神。
• Speechless with ecstasy,the little boys gazed at the toys.小孩注视着那些玩具，高兴得说不出话来。

23 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

24 misty   

adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的

参考例句：

• He crossed over to the window to see if it was still misty.他走到窗户那儿，看看是不是还有雾霭。
• The misty scene had a dreamy quality about it.雾景给人以梦幻般的感觉。

25 larch   

n.落叶松

参考例句：

• This pine is called the larch.这棵松树是落叶松。
• I shall be under those larch trees.我将在那些落叶松下面。

26 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

27 twig   

n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解

参考例句：

• He heard the sharp crack of a twig.他听到树枝清脆的断裂声。
• The sharp sound of a twig snapping scared the badger away.细枝突然折断的刺耳声把獾惊跑了。

28 twigs   

细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some birds build nests of twigs. 一些鸟用树枝筑巢。
• Willow twigs are pliable. 柳条很软。

29 enchantment   

n.迷惑，妖术，魅力

参考例句：

• The beauty of the scene filled us with enchantment.风景的秀丽令我们陶醉。
• The countryside lay as under some dread enchantment.乡村好像躺在某种可怖的魔法之下。

30 diffused   

散布的，普及的，扩散的

参考例句：

• A drop of milk diffused in the water. 一滴牛奶在水中扩散开来。
• Gases and liquids diffused. 气体和液体慢慢混合了。

31 vaguely   

adv.含糊地，暖昧地

参考例句：

• He had talked vaguely of going to work abroad.他含糊其词地说了到国外工作的事。
• He looked vaguely before him with unseeing eyes.他迷迷糊糊的望着前面，对一切都视而不见。

32 simile   

n.直喻，明喻

参考例句：

• I believe this simile largely speaks the truth.我相信这种比拟在很大程度上道出了真实。
• It is a trite simile to compare her teeth to pearls.把她的牙齿比做珍珠是陈腐的比喻。

33 awakening   

n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的

参考例句：

• the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
• People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。

34 retrace   

v.折回；追溯，探源

参考例句：

• He retraced his steps to the spot where he'd left the case.他折回到他丢下箱子的地方。
• You must retrace your steps.你必须折回原来走过的路。

35 onward   

adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先

参考例句：

• The Yellow River surges onward like ten thousand horses galloping.黄河以万马奔腾之势滚滚向前。
• He followed in the steps of forerunners and marched onward.他跟随着先辈的足迹前进。

36 glade   

n.林间空地，一片表面有草的沼泽低地

参考例句：

• In the midst of a glade were several huts.林中的空地中间有几间小木屋。
• The family had their lunch in the glade.全家在林中的空地上吃了午饭。

37 dispel   

vt.驱走，驱散，消除

参考例句：

• I tried in vain to dispel her misgivings.我试图消除她的疑虑，但没有成功。
• We hope the programme will dispel certain misconceptions about the disease.我们希望这个节目能消除对这种疾病的一些误解。

38 ascended   

v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He has ascended into heaven. 他已经升入了天堂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The climbers slowly ascended the mountain. 爬山运动员慢慢地登上了这座山。 来自《简明英汉词典》

39 yew   

n.紫杉属树木

参考例句：

• The leaves of yew trees are poisonous to cattle.紫杉树叶会令牛中毒。
• All parts of the yew tree are poisonous,including the berries.紫杉的各个部分都有毒，包括浆果。

40 chapel   

n.小教堂，殡仪馆

参考例句：

• The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
• She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。