It is, however, one thing to be a conspirator1 in intention, and quite another to put your conspiracy2 into action. The opportunity perversely3 refused to present itself, or, at any rate, to Elizabeth’s eyes it refused to present itself, and that, after all, came to the same thing. A dozen times at least she went over her prepared formula in her mind, intending at each meeting to put it into words.
And there were meetings enough. You might have imagined that David sought them; that he knew, by some uncanny instinct, the exact moments when Elizabeth would approach the Green Man. Of course, too, there were the meetings at breakfast, but to Elizabeth’s mind these barely counted. It was not a subject to be served up with coffee and eggs and bacon; the hour, also, [Pg 270]was unpropitious. She was never glib5 of speech in the early morning. But then every hour seemed unpropitious.
The whole difficulty of the matter lay in the fact that she was on the outlook for an opportunity, that her formula was prepared. I defy any one—at all events any one of Elizabeth’s truthful7 nature—to introduce a pre-arranged subject casually8 and naturally. If you have ever tried to do so yourself, you will hear the instant ring of falsity in your words.
“Oh, by the way——”
And if you don’t begin in this fashion, how on earth are you going to begin, I ask?
Every meeting which passed without the subject being broached9, lent further difficulty to its broaching10. And the moment the opportunity had gone by, Elizabeth would upbraid11 herself for cowardice12, would speak confidently to her heart of next time. And when next time came, the little dumb devil would sit maliciously13 on guard before her lips allowing every word to pass them but those she desired to speak.
The matter became almost farcical; it would have been farcical, but that the days were slipping by.
[Pg 271]
“It’s positively14 absurd,” Elizabeth told herself, half-laughing, half-angry.
But absurd or not, the little dumb devil was keeping close watch.
And here it was that Fate or Providence15 stepped in in a purely16 unexpected manner. Doubtless you, according to your views, will give the credit to whichever pleases you.
The intervention17 can hardly be termed direct. But then, that is frequently the case. It is the side issues, which in themselves appear of little or no importance, which have a momentous18 influence on the graver and deeper questions of life.
And here I am minded to quote the words reflected upon by the sunny-hearted Pippa.
“Say not ‘a small event!’ Why ‘small’?
Costs it more pain than this, ye call
A ‘great event,’ should come to pass,
Than that? Untwine me from the mass
Of deeds which make up life, one deed
Power shall fall short in or exceed!”
Yet, if you should reply boldly in refutation of these words, Here, in my life, is one deed, one action at least, which stands paramount19 above all others, I would answer, True; but what of the [Pg 272]so-called tiny influences, the so-called minute events which led to it? Can you eliminate any one of them, and then say with certainty that, without it, the result would have been the same? And if you can not, how can you declare that the apparently20 tiny event was of less importance than the one you call great?
However, let’s on to the matter in hand.
Corin found the joys of scraping plaster off walls beginning to pall21. Apparently he had come to an end of discovery.
It is one thing to delve23 for new treasures, it is another to scrape for hours on end to find a mere24 repetition of design. However delightful25 masonry26 and herb Robert may be when it dawns freshly on the sight, its continued contemplation waxes somewhat stale. To his judging, and no doubt he judged rightly, there were still yards and yards of it to be uncovered. Monotony, therefore, crept upon his soul. With a view, then, to relaxing the monotony, and taking into consideration that the sunshine without the church appeared infinitely27 preferable to the gloom within, he laid down his tools this particular afternoon a full [Pg 273]hour before his customary time, and came out into the open.
And here, for a moment, he paused.
Before him, eight miles distant, lay Whortley, to be reached by road or field, according to inclination28. He ruled out that notion promptly29. To the right lay the river, the silver ribbon bordered by pollard willows30; to the left lay wood and moorland; behind him and the church lay the sea. It was distant a mile or thereabouts, and the sun was distinctly hot. But what of that! Wouldn’t the music of its voice on the shore, the colour of its sparkling waters, the coolness of the little breeze that would sweep across its surface, be well worth the tramp?
“The sea for me!” cried Corin to his heart. “And that’s rhyme, and I’m not sure that it isn’t poetry if you take into consideration the vision it conjures31 up. In fact, taking that into consideration, I am sure that it is poetry.”
Whereupon he wheeled around.
First the route lay uphill towards Delancey Castle. It was a stiffish climb. The sun, beating upon the white roadway, flung waves of heat up from it. They shimmered32 before his spectacled, [Pg 274]short-sighted eyes in an irritating glaring dance. His round, cherubic face was glowing to a deep crimson33 before he was half-way up the ascent34. The vision he had conjured35 up of the seashore might truly be poetical37, but I question the poetry in the appearance of the little man trudging38 towards that vision. Yet this is unkind. Who are we to judge from appearances? Truly may poetic36 aspirations39 be hidden beneath the most unlikely exteriors40.
At the top of the hill, Corin paused, looking reflectively down the long avenue. Exhaustion41 rather than reflection prompted the pause, nevertheless he gave vent6 to a sage42 one.
“Omne ignotum pro4 magnifico,” he remarked, “by which token, I fancy, our young American friend down yonder had a very different conception of what he was going to find up here. He has found less magnificence than irksomeness, I take it. Now, I wonder why karma——”
But I refuse to follow Corin in his meditative43 flights in this direction. It is sufficient to note that we see him, from the remark I have given you, in like mind with three at least of our other characters herein mentioned.
[Pg 275]
His meditation44 on the mysteries of karma completed, and his exhaustion being in part, at least, lessened45, Corin pursued his way. His route was level now, leading presently to a footpath46 across an expanse of short grass. Here he came upon full view of the sea—blue, sparkling, radiant, dotted with white- and red-winged sailing boats.
Coming at length to a rough, descending47 track, he made his way down it. It brought him into a cove22, a place of white sand, smooth and gleaming.
Truly here was all that his vision had expected. The grass-crowned cliffs sloped down to the cove in rugged48 grey walls, samphire-covered. Nor did the grey rocks stop abruptly49 on reaching the white sand, but ran out into it, as if eager to gain to the sun-kissed water. Little pools lay among them, mirrors reflecting the blue of the sky. In the pools waved feathery fronds50 of sea-weed—pink, crimson, and brown; tiny silver fish darted51 hither and thither52; sea anemones53 stretched forth54 dainty flower-like tentacles55.
“This,” remarked Corin to his soul, “was worth the tramp.”
And he sat down on the warm white sand.
There wasn’t a soul in sight; nothing but those [Pg 276]white- and red-winged boats, making a lazy headway with the tide, to remind him of his fellow mortals, and they but added to the beauty of the picture. The water broke in baby waves on the shore, with the faintest musical ripple56. Sea-gulls57 dipped to the shining surface, or floated smoothly58 in the blueness above. Now and again a cormorant59 flew, black and long-necked across the water.
Some half-hour or so Corin sat there, basking60 and dreaming in the sun, thinking, you may be pretty certain, of nothing, or at all events with thoughts too diffused61 to be worthy62 of the name.
And then, all at once, the antics of two birds roused him to sudden interest. Gulls, he would have called them, yet assuredly their manners were perplexing. Winging rapidly for a moment or so, they dropped suddenly like stones to the water. Up again, they repeated the manœuvre, and again, and yet again.
“Now what,” remarked Corin aloud, addressing the apparent solitude63, “do those things call themselves?”
“They,” said a voice behind him, “are gannets.”
Corin turned.
点击收听单词发音
1 conspirator | |
n.阴谋者,谋叛者 | |
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2 conspiracy | |
n.阴谋,密谋,共谋 | |
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3 perversely | |
adv. 倔强地 | |
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4 pro | |
n.赞成,赞成的意见,赞成者 | |
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5 glib | |
adj.圆滑的,油嘴滑舌的 | |
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6 vent | |
n.通风口,排放口;开衩;vt.表达,发泄 | |
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7 truthful | |
adj.真实的,说实话的,诚实的 | |
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8 casually | |
adv.漠不关心地,无动于衷地,不负责任地 | |
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9 broached | |
v.谈起( broach的过去式和过去分词 );打开并开始用;用凿子扩大(或修光);(在桶上)钻孔取液体 | |
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10 broaching | |
n.拉削;推削;铰孔;扩孔v.谈起( broach的现在分词 );打开并开始用;用凿子扩大(或修光);(在桶上)钻孔取液体 | |
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11 upbraid | |
v.斥责,责骂,责备 | |
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12 cowardice | |
n.胆小,怯懦 | |
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13 maliciously | |
adv.有敌意地 | |
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14 positively | |
adv.明确地,断然,坚决地;实在,确实 | |
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15 providence | |
n.深谋远虑,天道,天意;远见;节约;上帝 | |
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16 purely | |
adv.纯粹地,完全地 | |
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17 intervention | |
n.介入,干涉,干预 | |
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18 momentous | |
adj.重要的,重大的 | |
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19 paramount | |
a.最重要的,最高权力的 | |
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20 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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21 pall | |
v.覆盖,使平淡无味;n.柩衣,棺罩;棺材;帷幕 | |
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22 cove | |
n.小海湾,小峡谷 | |
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23 delve | |
v.深入探究,钻研 | |
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24 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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25 delightful | |
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的 | |
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26 masonry | |
n.砖土建筑;砖石 | |
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27 infinitely | |
adv.无限地,无穷地 | |
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28 inclination | |
n.倾斜;点头;弯腰;斜坡;倾度;倾向;爱好 | |
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29 promptly | |
adv.及时地,敏捷地 | |
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30 willows | |
n.柳树( willow的名词复数 );柳木 | |
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31 conjures | |
用魔术变出( conjure的第三人称单数 ); 祈求,恳求; 变戏法; (变魔术般地) 使…出现 | |
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32 shimmered | |
v.闪闪发光,发微光( shimmer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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33 crimson | |
n./adj.深(绯)红色(的);vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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34 ascent | |
n.(声望或地位)提高;上升,升高;登高 | |
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35 conjured | |
用魔术变出( conjure的过去式和过去分词 ); 祈求,恳求; 变戏法; (变魔术般地) 使…出现 | |
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36 poetic | |
adj.富有诗意的,有诗人气质的,善于抒情的 | |
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37 poetical | |
adj.似诗人的;诗一般的;韵文的;富有诗意的 | |
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38 trudging | |
vt.& vi.跋涉,吃力地走(trudge的现在分词形式) | |
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39 aspirations | |
强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 ); 志向; 发送气音; 发 h 音 | |
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40 exteriors | |
n.外面( exterior的名词复数 );外貌;户外景色图 | |
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41 exhaustion | |
n.耗尽枯竭,疲惫,筋疲力尽,竭尽,详尽无遗的论述 | |
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42 sage | |
n.圣人,哲人;adj.贤明的,明智的 | |
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43 meditative | |
adj.沉思的,冥想的 | |
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44 meditation | |
n.熟虑,(尤指宗教的)默想,沉思,(pl.)冥想录 | |
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45 lessened | |
减少的,减弱的 | |
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46 footpath | |
n.小路,人行道 | |
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47 descending | |
n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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48 rugged | |
adj.高低不平的,粗糙的,粗壮的,强健的 | |
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49 abruptly | |
adv.突然地,出其不意地 | |
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50 fronds | |
n.蕨类或棕榈类植物的叶子( frond的名词复数 ) | |
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51 darted | |
v.投掷,投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 );向前冲,飞奔 | |
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52 thither | |
adv.向那里;adj.在那边的,对岸的 | |
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53 anemones | |
n.银莲花( anemone的名词复数 );海葵 | |
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54 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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55 tentacles | |
n.触手( tentacle的名词复数 );触角;触须;触毛 | |
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56 ripple | |
n.涟波,涟漪,波纹,粗钢梳;vt.使...起涟漪,使起波纹; vi.呈波浪状,起伏前进 | |
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57 gulls | |
n.鸥( gull的名词复数 )v.欺骗某人( gull的第三人称单数 ) | |
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58 smoothly | |
adv.平滑地,顺利地,流利地,流畅地 | |
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59 cormorant | |
n.鸬鹚,贪婪的人 | |
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60 basking | |
v.晒太阳,取暖( bask的现在分词 );对…感到乐趣;因他人的功绩而出名;仰仗…的余泽 | |
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61 diffused | |
散布的,普及的,扩散的 | |
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62 worthy | |
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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63 solitude | |
n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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