Jeffray lay back in the chaise with the landscape moving unmeaningly before his eyes. He felt numb1 and cold, utterly2 humiliated3 for Bess’s sake. Painter Dick, who had scarcely so much as heard of this Belphœbe of the woods, was the last person to suspect that the fierce-faced girl who had smitten4 her husband on the mouth had any tragic5 hold over Jeffray’s destiny. The eager joy in the loveliness of the May morning had overtaxed Richard’s strength. Wilson knew something of the exhaustion6 that may follow even an innocent intoxication7 of the senses.
As for Richard, he was as a man who had held some rich and precious vase between his hands, gazing at it wonderingly, only to find it slip and shatter itself in fragments at his feet. What had happened in the forest that Bess should have become Dan Grimshaw’s wife? Had she despaired of escaping the man, and in a fit of dumb indifference8 pledged her troth in token of surrender? Richard’s hope in her rebelled at such a paltry9 reading of the riddle10. No, Bess had more heart, more pride than that. They had tricked her, Dan and old Isaac between them—Isaac, that white-haired and soft-voiced old devil whom he had once taken for a saint. They had tricked her, and this marriage had been the only end.
Question and counter-question played through Jeffray’s brain. Why had not Bess come to him for help? Perhaps the news of his illness had reached her; perhaps she had heard of his betrothal11 to Miss Hardacre? He had read that jealousy12 was a strong and subtle passion in a woman, but yet why should she be jealous, unless she loved him? His egotism might be confusing the inspiration. But—had Bess come to Rodenham while he was ill? The thought flashed through Jeffray like the news of a good friend’s death. Why had he never asked so simple a question—and yet surely Peter Gladden would have told him if such a thing had happened! And yet the news of Jilian’s illness had been kept from him till three days ago!
It was nearly noon when the spire13 of Rodenham church rose up against the blue. Dame14 Meg was going lazily, the reins15 slack upon her loins. Wilson, who was whistling an old Jacobite song, glanced curiously16 at Jeffray from time to time, wondering what made the lad look so fierce.
“You seem more yourself again, Richard,” he said.
Jeffray changed his posture17 restlessly and unbuttoned his cloak. It is not easy to confide18 at times even in the best of friends, and sensitive mortals shrink from the first explanatory plunge19. Jeffray had not the heart to unburden himself of his misery20 at that moment.
“I am well enough now, Dick,” he said, quietly.
“Faintness—nothing more.”
Wilson’s words seemed to send Jeffray’s thoughts winging back to the chapel in the valley. He remembered the whole scene as though it had been burned into his brain with fire. That look, so shamed and piteous, that Bess had given him, as though she yearned22 to him from amid the ruins of her pride! There would be the brutal23 bride—ale, the lewd24 jesting, the drinking, the rough, clownish games. Then would come scrambling25 for the bride’s ribbons and for the rosemary she had worn. Her clean shift would be laid out on the bed all decked with bays and flowers. Cake and wine would be taken betwixt the bellowing26 of coarse and indecent songs.
Peter Gladden’s placid27 and imperturbable28 face seemed to offer an unconscious admonition towards calmness as he came forward to help his master out of the chaise. Jeffray appeared to have become oblivious29 of the fact that he was a convalescent; he brushed Gladden’s arm aside, threw off his cloak, and tossed it aside in the porch.
“Gladden,” he said, with a peculiar30 tightness about the mouth, “I want to speak with you alone in the library.”
“At once, sir?”
There was just the faintest shade of curiosity upon the butler’s face.
“Yes, Gladden, at once. Dick, you will excuse me, I have some private business on hand.”
Wilson, who was rubbing Dame Meg’s black muzzle31 and wondering what spiritual quicksilver had diffused32 itself in Jeffray’s blood, looked hard at Richard, and warned him not to try his strength too greatly.
“You must keep an eye on your master, Gladden,” he said, with a twinkle. “I thought we should have had him in a dead faint on the road this morning.”
The butler was still standing33 in the porch, leaning forward slightly from the hips34, with an expression of deferential35 concern on his colorless face.
“Dr. Sugg is in the garden, sir,” he interposed. “Shall I tell him that you are tired or request him to wait till I have received your orders in the library.”
Jeffray frowned and hesitated a moment.
“I will see the rector, Gladden,” he said. “Attend me in the library in half an hour.”
Wilson, who was pulling Dame Meg’s ears, watched Jeffray go lightly along the terrace as though he had forgotten such trifles as fever, physics, and small-pox scars. The flushed alertness of Richard’s face, his restless yet decisive manner, puzzled the painter not a little. It was as though he had drunk of some wonderful elixir36 since they had turned back from Thorney Chapel after the rustic37 wedding.
Jeffray, passing the warm walls and high gables of the house as the clock in the turret38 chimed twelve, went down from the terrace towards the green lawns and the flowering shrubberies, and saw Dr. Sugg, in the distance, holding a critical and appreciative39 nose over his tulip beds and banks of gilliflower. The borders were gay under the glare of the sun, yet to Richard the red tulips recalled the blood-red flower that Bess had plucked at Holy Cross in her dream.
Sugg’s jovial40 and ruddy face, with its apple cheeks and merry, black eyes, was turned towards Jeffray as he came down the box-edged path. His broad and humanistical mouth wreathed itself into a hearty41 smile as he held out both his hands to the squire42.
“Thank Heaven, sir,” he said, “that I find you looking so alive and well. I had heard less flattering accounts of you. I am rejoiced to see you so speedily recovered.”
Jeffray’s sympathies leaped out to this jovial old fellow with his twinkling eyes, and shrewd, smiling mouth.
“I am mending fast,” he said, as he blushed and gripped the rector’s hands; “and I am glad to see you, sir, at last. Stott has forbidden me visitors hitherto, as you know, but I can turn the tables on him now. How is Mary?—well, and untouched, eh?”
“Indeed, sir, Mary is Martha-like as ever. She sent you all her good wishes in my pocket. It is good to know that you are with us once more, Richard.”
They turned by mutual44 and tacit consent towards the arbor45 of clipped yews47 that stood at the upper end of the gravel48 walk. The beds cut in the glistening49, dew-drenched turf of the lawns were full of pansies and auriculas, whose gold-and-purple faces shone like rich enamels50 in the sun. The fountain below the terrace, a slim wood-nymph in the nude51, was throwing spray from a cypress52 bough53 held above her head. Peacocks were sunning themselves upon the balustrades, and the white pigeons coquetted and basked54 on the red-tiled roof of the columbary.
The rector took out his snuffbox as they seated themselves in the arbor, and, after a proper and dignified55 amount of snuffing and dabbing56, returned the tortoise-shell case reflectively to his waistcoat-pocket. The courtly expressions of sympathy with regard to Miss Hardacre’s illness were duly forthcoming, and were met by Jeffray with all the sensibility and grace that he could muster57. The rector laid his hat on the seat beside him, smoothed his wig58, and approached Jeffray on the very subject that was filling the romanticist’s heart.
“Will it tire you, sir,” he said, “if I mention a matter to you that has much exercised my mind of late?”
Jeffray imagined that Sugg was for discussing the outbreak of small-pox in Rodenham and the necessity for keeping the pest-house in proper repair for the future. The rector nodded consentingly, but confessed to a more delicate and picturesque59 inspiration.
“Perhaps you may remember, sir,” he said, “the girl, Bess Grimshaw, who caused you to come by a broken head in Pevensel?”
Jeffray shot a rapid glance at Dr. Sugg’s face, and felt the blood rushing tumultuously to his cheeks.
“Yes, I remember her,” he said, steadying himself. “The girl was not treated well in the hamlet, and, to be frank with you, I was sorry for her, and promised her help.”
Jeffray had moved to the end of the seat where he could lean against the hedge of yew46. He felt himself trembling in most unmanly fashion, and was wondering whether his emotion was evident to the parson. Dr. Sugg’s eyes appeared fixed61 reflectively on a distant tulip bed, and he sat with his hands together, his elbows resting on his knees.
“May I ask whether it is true, sir,” he continued, “that you offered to give the girl a home at Rodenham?”
Jeffray’s face was still afire. He had to steady himself before he could reply.
“That is the truth,” he said, slowly, “and I have even been wondering whether Bess Grimshaw could have come to the priory while I was ill.”
“She did come, sir,” quoth Dr. Sugg, rubbing his hands together solemnly.
“Ah!”
“And when they frightened her away I took her in at the parsonage, for the poor lass had run away from home rather than marry a man whom she piously62 hated.”
The rector turned suddenly and looked with perfect innocence63 into Jeffray’s face. Its strained and restless expression startled the good man considerably64, as did the dull gleam in the sunken eyes.
Jeffray, shaking himself free from his thoughts, met Sugg’s stare with quiet composure.
“Rector,” he said, “tell me all you know about this girl.”
Sugg, pocketing his Christian66 curiosity for the moment, told Jeffray, very simply, how Bess had stopped to speak to him at the parsonage gate, how he had felt pity for her, and by Mary’s advice taken her as a servant. He confessed his liking67 for poor Bess, and spoke68 with some heat of the way she had been ambuscaded and snatched away out of his house.
“Well, sir,” said the rector, at the end of the recital69, “I was not a little vexed70 by the rough handling the girl received. She was a handsome, well-spoken lass, and gracious and kind as could be to Mary. My daughter saw the whole thing, sir, and blubbered over it all night. But what could I do, sir? I had no authority over the young woman’s person. I suppose by now they have forced her to marry that oaf of a cousin.”
“I saw Bess married this morning,” Jeffray said, quietly.
“Indeed, sir—indeed!”
“Wilson and I were out driving and happened to turn down to Thorney Chapel. The wedding-party was coming out, and I suppose Mr. Mossop had been conducting the service. I can assure you, sir, that it was something of a shock to me.”
The rector drummed on his knees with his right fist, and looked at Jeffray with a certain amount of puzzled sympathy. He was at loss to know why the master of Rodenham should feel himself so deeply concerned in the matter, nor was it usual for a young gentleman of birth to take a brotherly interest in a girl of Bess’s station. The suspicion glimmered73 across the rector’s mind that there might have been some unlawful passage of romance between the two, but he dismissed it as an insult to his belief in Jeffray’s honor.
Richard himself had been touched by the reflection that Dr. Sugg might be concerned about his motives74. Flushing at the thought, he marched out his forces boldly to the sound of the drum, like a general who is not ashamed either of his cause or of his men.
“Rector,” he said, “I suppose there is nothing in the world so convincing as the truth. I tell you, as man to man, that I have felt very tenderly towards this girl, for she saved my life, sir, and has had much to bear. I hold that reverence75 for the purity of womanhood is a virtue76 more honorable than the giving of gold. Therefore, I was shocked at the thought that this young girl should be sacrificed to the unclean appetite of a coarse and loose-mouthed savage77. The fellow filled her with dread78 and with disgust. That is why I strove to save her from this shame.”
Sugg’s round face beamed sympathetically.
“And by the ever-living prophets, sir, I shake your hand on it.”
“Moreover,” he said, earnestly, “I believe that there is a secret connected with the girl’s birth. She is no Grimshaw, or I am no gentleman. I know that she has recollections of another and distant past. I wanted to save her from this savage, but they have tricked her, and I am sorry.”
“I agree with you, I agree with you, sir,” he said, “she’s a fine lass; the more’s the pity, the more’s the pity. God knows what will become of her in the future!”
“Sugg,” said Jeffray, “I hope to save her yet.”
When the rector had gone with a hearty grip of his muscular fist, Richard made his way to the library and found Peter Gladden waiting for him, suave81 and subservient82. The tenor83 of the interview astonished the butler not a little. What had come to the young master that he looked so stern and masterful and spoke in a way that made poor Gladden’s ears tingle84?
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1
numb
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| adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木 | |
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2
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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humiliated
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| 感到羞愧的 | |
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smitten
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| 猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去分词 ) | |
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tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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6
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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7
intoxication
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| n.wild excitement;drunkenness；poisoning | |
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indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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paltry
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| adj.无价值的，微不足道的 | |
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10
riddle
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| n.谜，谜语，粗筛；vt.解谜，给…出谜，筛，检查，鉴定，非难，充满于；vi.出谜 | |
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betrothal
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| n. 婚约, 订婚 | |
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jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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spire
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| n.(教堂)尖顶，尖塔，高点 | |
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dame
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| n.女士 | |
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reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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posture
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| n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势 | |
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18
confide
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| v.向某人吐露秘密 | |
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plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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yearned
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| 渴望，切盼，向往( yearn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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lewd
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| adj.淫荡的 | |
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scrambling
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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26
bellowing
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的现在分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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placid
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| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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imperturbable
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| adj.镇静的 | |
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oblivious
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| adj.易忘的，遗忘的，忘却的，健忘的 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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diffused
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| 散布的，普及的，扩散的 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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34
hips
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| abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的 | |
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deferential
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| adj. 敬意的，恭敬的 | |
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elixir
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| n.长生不老药，万能药 | |
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rustic
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| adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬 | |
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turret
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| n.塔楼，角塔 | |
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appreciative
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| adj.有鉴赏力的，有眼力的；感激的 | |
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jovial
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| adj.快乐的，好交际的 | |
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41
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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squire
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| n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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arbor
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| n.凉亭；树木 | |
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yew
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| n.紫杉属树木 | |
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yews
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| n.紫杉( yew的名词复数 ) | |
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48
gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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50
enamels
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| 搪瓷( enamel的名词复数 )； 珐琅； 釉药； 瓷漆 | |
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51
nude
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| adj.裸体的；n.裸体者，裸体艺术品 | |
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52
cypress
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| n.柏树 | |
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53
bough
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| n.大树枝，主枝 | |
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54
basked
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| v.晒太阳，取暖( bask的过去式和过去分词 )；对…感到乐趣；因他人的功绩而出名；仰仗…的余泽 | |
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dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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56
dabbing
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| 石面凿毛，灰泥抛毛 | |
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57
muster
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| v.集合，收集，鼓起，激起；n.集合，检阅，集合人员，点名册 | |
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58
wig
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| n.假发 | |
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picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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tersely
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| adv. 简捷地, 简要地 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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piously
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| adv.虔诚地 | |
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innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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vexing
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| adj.使人烦恼的，使人恼火的v.使烦恼( vex的现在分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论 | |
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66
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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spoke
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| 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 | |
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recital
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| n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会 | |
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vexed
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| adj.争论不休的；（指问题等）棘手的；争论不休的问题；烦恼的v.使烦恼( vex的过去式和过去分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论 | |
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71
twitched
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| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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72
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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73
glimmered
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| v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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74
motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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75
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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76
virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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77
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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78
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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79
kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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vented
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| 表达，发泄（感情，尤指愤怒）( vent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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81
suave
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| adj.温和的；柔和的；文雅的 | |
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82
subservient
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| adj.卑屈的，阿谀的 | |
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83
tenor
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| n.男高音（歌手），次中音（乐器），要旨，大意 | |
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84
tingle
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| vi.感到刺痛，感到激动；n.刺痛，激动 | |
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