Morning. XXII.

The Vicar going to call the Angel, found him dressed and leaning out of his window. It was a glorious morning, still dewy, and the rising sunlight slanting¹ round the corner of the house, struck warm and yellow upon the hillside. The birds were astir in the hedges and shrubbery. Up the hillside—for it was late in August—a plough drove slowly. The Angel's chin rested upon his hands and he did not turn as the Vicar came up to him.

 

"How's the wing?" said the Vicar.

 

"I'd forgotten it," said the Angel. "Is that yonder a man?"

 

The Vicar looked. "That's a ploughman."

 

"Why does he go to and fro like that? Does it amuse him?"

 

"He's ploughing. That's his work."

 

[Pg 98]

 

"Work! Why does he do it? It seems a monotonous² thing to do."

 

"It is," admitted the Vicar. "But he has to do it to get a living, you know. To get food to eat and all that kind of thing."

 

"How curious!" said the Angel. "Do all men have to do that? Do you?"

 

"Oh, no. He does it for me; does my share."

 

"Why?" asked the Angel.

 

"Oh! in return for things I do for him, you know. We go in for division of labour in this world. Exchange is no robbery."

 

"I see," said the Angel, with his eyes still on the ploughman's heavy movements.

 

"What do you do for him?"

 

"That seems an easy question to you," said the Vicar, "but really!—it's difficult. Our social arrangements are rather complicated. It's impossible to explain these things all at once, before breakfast. Don't you feel hungry?"

 

"I think I do," said the Angel slowly, still at the window; and then abruptly³, "Somehow I can't help thinking that ploughing must be far from enjoyable."

 

[Pg 99]

 

"Possibly," said the Vicar, "very possibly. But breakfast is ready. Won't you come down?"

 

The Angel left the window reluctantly.

 

"Our society," explained the Vicar on the staircase, "is a complicated organisation⁴."

 

"Yes?"

 

"And it is so arranged that some do one thing and some another."

 

"And that lean, bent⁵ old man trudges⁶ after that heavy blade of iron pulled by a couple of horses while we go down to eat?"

 

"Yes. You will find it is perfectly⁷ just. Ah! mushrooms and poached eggs! It's the Social System. Pray be seated. Possibly it strikes you as unfair?"

 

"I'm puzzled," said the Angel.

 

"The drink I'm sending you is called coffee," said the Vicar. "I daresay you are. When I was a young man I was puzzled in the same way. But afterwards comes a Broader View of Things. (These black things are called mushrooms; they look beautiful.) Other Considerations. All men are brothers, of course, but some are younger[Pg 100] brothers, so to speak. There is work that requires culture and refinement⁸, and work in which culture and refinement would be an impediment. And the rights of property must not be forgotten. One must render unto Cæsar.... Do you know, instead of explaining this matter now (this is yours), I think I will lend you a little book to read (chum, chum, chum—these mushrooms are well up to their appearance), which sets the whole thing out very clearly."

 

1 slanting   

倾斜的，歪斜的

参考例句：

• The rain is driving [slanting] in from the south. 南边潲雨。
• The line is slanting to the left. 这根线向左斜了。

2 monotonous   

adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的

参考例句：

• She thought life in the small town was monotonous.她觉得小镇上的生活单调而乏味。
• His articles are fixed in form and monotonous in content.他的文章千篇一律，一个调调儿。

3 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

4 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

5 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

6 trudges   

n.跋涉，长途疲劳的步行( trudge的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She trudges, schlepps, trains, drags, trascines her load. 她吃力地跋涉，schlepps、trains、drags、trascines重荷。 来自互联网
• Matvey, who has not tasted food or drink all day, trudges up the hill again. 玛特威从一大早起就什么也没吃过，什么也没喝过，这时候却又爬上坡去。 来自互联网

7 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

8 refinement   

n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼

参考例句：

• Sally is a woman of great refinement and beauty. 莎莉是个温文尔雅又很漂亮的女士。
• Good manners and correct speech are marks of refinement.彬彬有礼和谈吐得体是文雅的标志。