It was early next morning when they left the town of Lewes behind upon its hill, and took the road winding1 across the flats towards the sea. The clouds were heavy over the downs that day, checkering the slopes with sunlight and with shadow. The Ouse burnished2 the broad pastures where the cattle browsed3; and the green corn, dusted with scarlet4 poppies, waved and rippled5 in the freshening wind.
What zest6 had there been in the day for Bess since she had first wakened in the great bed to hear the clocks of Lewes striking, and the chatterings of the starlings on the tiles! The strange stir of the town, the piled-up roofs and white-faced gables, the breadth and beauty of the room she woke in charmed all her senses. She had put on those gay clothes thrice dear to her woman’s heart by reason of their love-given sanctity. The picture the mirror had made of her had made her smile and blush at her own image. And Jeffray’s eyes had proved more eloquent7 than any mirror. Then had come much running to and fro of servants, stir and bustle8 as the coach rattled9 out into the streets. The joyous10 reality of it all had included even the valedictory11 radiance of the landlord’s face, the barking of the dogs, the shouting of the urchins12 who had capered13 and turned somersaults for pence. It had been life at last for her, life, generous, bubbling to the brim.
So thickly had new impressions been thrust upon Bess that she lay back in the corner of the coach, and let her heart realize its dreams. Jeffray, who was watching her, saw that her silence betrayed no sadness. He was half sunk in a reverie himself, with the jingling14 of the harness and the thunder of the wheels. He watched Bess, and let the past drift before his eyes, and set its seal upon the glamour16 of the present.
They left Kingston village in a whirl of dust. Soon Iford was past, and the stunted17 spire18 of Rodmell showed white amid the trees. They went through the village at a brisk trot19, under dusty elms and glittering poplars, with the sun-tanned Sussex women staring at them from doorways20. A number of children were playing before the inn where roses climbed over the trellises. The youngsters ran beside the coach, cheering and waving their hands. Bess leaned forward and waved to them in turn, her eyes full of laughing light as she threw the children pence and watched them scramble21. Everything was instinct with life for her that day, and her heart went out in blitheness22 to the world.
They were about a mile from Rodmell, with the road running through lonely marsh-lands and diked meadows, when the Pevensel folk made a last snatch at the thread of Bess’s fate. A rough shed stood at the edge of the field with a brick bridge before it closed by a gate. There was no one in sight upon the road, and nothing moved athwart the green background of the landscape, save the cattle browsing23 in the meadows.
The coach was within ten lengths of the cow-shed when two men came running out with a glinting of pistol-barrels in the sunlight. The younger of the two set himself in the middle of the road, and waved his arm to signal the coach to stop. It was then that Peter Gladden did one of the few bold things of his life, more from sudden impulse perhaps than from any superabundance of courage. Picking up the blunderbuss, he leaned forward over the baggage on the roof, and, chancing the singeing24 of his companion’s wigs25, let fly straight at the man in the road.
The roar of the bell-mouthed old musket26 set the horses plunging27 into a gallop28. Gladden had winged his man, for the fellow had been badly hit in the thighs29 and body by the leaden slugs with which the blunderbuss had been loaded. He fell heavily, and tried to crawl across the road to escape the coach that was thundering down upon him.
Gladden’s shot from the top of the coach was the first hint that Jeffray had of the adventure. He felt the coach sway and creak as the horses broke into a gallop, and heard the shouting of the servants. Instinctively30 he caught at Bess, and drew her down as a face flashed up at the window, a white, withered31 face, with snarling32 teeth and silvery hair blown by the wind. There was the crack of a pistol, and the splintering of a bullet through the off panel of the coach.
Jeffray, with eyes ablaze33, snatched up one of his own “flintlocks,” leaned out of the window, and fired at Isaac, who was running along behind the coach and pulling a second pistol from his belt. At the moment that Jeffray fired, the fore15 wheel smashed the man’s legs who was lying wounded in the road. The fellow’s yell of anguish34 spoiled Jeffray’s aim. The bullet tore a shred35 of cloth from the shoulder of Isaac’s coat, but did not stop the old wolf’s rush.
Gladden was crouching36 on the roof, shouting to the coachman to give the horses the whip. He hurled37 the empty blunderbuss at Isaac as the old man made a clutch at one of the springs and missed. The musket fell at Grimshaw’s feet and tripped him up as cleanly as a Bow Street runner’s foot. His pistol flashed in the fall, the bullet sighing sadly over the fields. By the time Isaac had picked himself up, and stood clashing his teeth like a balked38 beast, the coach was fifty yards away, and going at a gallop towards the sea.
Jeffray had turned from the window, and seized Bess’s arm.
“Are you hurt?”
She pointed39 to her breast, and he saw how near the shot had passed to her. Her gown was rent just over the heart, and the pistol wad still smoked on the lace she wore.
“Was it Isaac?” she asked.
“Yes, curse him.”
“I thought I had my death, Richard—”
“He would have hit you if I had not pulled you down to me. Look, the shot has singed40 the shoulder of my coat.”
He laughed, as a man laughs at times when he has been near death, snatched the smoking wad from the lace at Bess’s bosom41, and tossed it through the window.
“Isaac shall have no second chance,” he said; “thank God, dear, he did not spoil it all.”
By the hovel, Isaac was bending over the young man Enoch, who was groaning43 and writhing44 in the road. The slugs from the blunderbuss had fleshed him cruelly, but his broken legs hurt him more than Gladden’s lead. Isaac Grimshaw’s eyes showed no pity for the lad; his helpless whimperings made the old man savage45.
“drop that snivelling! Curse your bones and the mother that made ’em. What did I say to ye, ‘Get to the horses’ heads,’ wasn’t it? Not, ‘Stand off and shove your arm up like a scarecrow in the middle of a field.’ Pretty mess you’ve made. Stop that row, or I’ll give ye the pistol butt46.”
Enoch was half fainting and too distraught with pain to give much heed47 to Isaac’s curses. The old man took him by the collar of the coat, and dragged him into the hovel, despite his cries as the broken bones jarred and rubbed together. The lower end of one splintered shin-bone had pierced the skin and showed through the lad’s stocking when Isaac let him rest at last on the foul48 straw of the shed.
“Lie there and snivel, damn you,” he said. “The louder you shout, the sooner you’ll be hanged.”
And after reloading his pistols he crammed49 his hat down over his eyes, took his holly50 staff, and, ignoring Enoch’s whimperings, limped away doggedly51 along the road to the sea.
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1
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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2
burnished
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| adj.抛光的，光亮的v.擦亮（金属等），磨光( burnish的过去式和过去分词 )；被擦亮，磨光 | |
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3
browsed
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| v.吃草( browse的过去式和过去分词 )；随意翻阅；（在商店里）随便看看；（在计算机上）浏览信息 | |
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4
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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5
rippled
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| 使泛起涟漪（ripple的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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6
zest
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| n.乐趣；滋味，风味；兴趣 | |
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7
eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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8
bustle
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| v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹 | |
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9
rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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10
joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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11
valedictory
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| adj.告别的；n.告别演说 | |
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12
urchins
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| n.顽童( urchin的名词复数 )；淘气鬼；猬；海胆 | |
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13
capered
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| v.跳跃，雀跃( caper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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14
jingling
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| 叮当声 | |
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15
fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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16
glamour
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| n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住 | |
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17
stunted
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| adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的 | |
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18
spire
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| n.(教堂)尖顶，尖塔，高点 | |
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19
trot
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| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
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20
doorways
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| n.门口，门道( doorway的名词复数 ) | |
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21
scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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22
blitheness
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| n.blithe（快乐的）的变形 | |
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23
browsing
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| v.吃草( browse的现在分词 )；随意翻阅；（在商店里）随便看看；（在计算机上）浏览信息 | |
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24
singeing
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| v.浅表烧焦( singe的现在分词 )；（毛发）燎，烧焦尖端[边儿]；烧毛 | |
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25
wigs
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| n.假发，法官帽( wig的名词复数 ) | |
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26
musket
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| n.滑膛枪 | |
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27
plunging
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| adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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28
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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29
thighs
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| n.股，大腿( thigh的名词复数 )；食用的鸡（等的）腿 | |
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instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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31
withered
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| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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32
snarling
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的现在分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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33
ablaze
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| adj.着火的，燃烧的；闪耀的，灯火辉煌的 | |
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anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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shred
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| v.撕成碎片，变成碎片；n.碎布条，细片，些少 | |
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36
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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37
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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38
balked
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| v.畏缩不前，犹豫( balk的过去式和过去分词 )；（指马）不肯跑 | |
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39
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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40
singed
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| v.浅表烧焦( singe的过去式和过去分词 )；（毛发）燎，烧焦尖端[边儿] | |
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41
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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42
awed
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| adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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43
groaning
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| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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44
writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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45
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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46
butt
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| n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶 | |
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47
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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48
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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49
crammed
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| adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式) | |
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50
holly
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| n.[植]冬青属灌木 | |
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51
doggedly
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| adv.顽强地，固执地 | |
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