'Why the shovel1 and tongs2
To each other belongs,
And the kettle sings songs
Full of family glee,
While alone with your cup,
Like a hermit3 you sup,
Och hone, Widow Machree.'
Samuel Lover.
Francesca and I were gloomy enough, as we drove along facing each other in Ballyfuchsia's one 'inside-car'--a strange and fearsome vehicle, partaking of the nature of a broken-down omnibus, a hearse, and an overgrown black beetle4. It holds four, or at a squeeze six, the seats being placed from stem to stern lengthwise, and the balance being so delicate that the passengers, when going uphill, are shaken into a heap at the door, which is represented by a ragged5 leather flap. I have often seen it strew6 the hard highroad with passengers, as it jolts7 up the steep incline that leads to Ardnagreena, and the 'fares' who succeed in staying in always sit in one another's laps a good part of the way--a method pleasing only to relatives or intimate friends. Francesca and I agreed to tell the real reason of Salemina's absence. "It is Ireland's fault, and I will not have America blamed for it," she insisted; "but it is so embarrassing to be going to the dinner ourselves, and leaving behind the most important personage. Think of Dr. La Touche's disappointment, think of Salemina's; and they'll never understand why she couldn't have come in a dressing8 jacket. I shall advise her to discharge Benella after this episode, for no one can tell the effect it may have upon all our future lives, even those of the doctor's two poor motherless children."
It is a four-mile drive to Balkilly Castle, and when we arrived there we were so shaken that we had to retire to a dressing-room for repairs. Then came the dreaded9 moment when we entered the great hall and advanced to meet Lady Killbally, who looked over our heads to greet the missing Salemina. Francesca's beauty, my supposed genius, both fell flat; it was Salemina whose presence was especially desired. The company was assembled, save for one guest still more tardy10 than ourselves, and we had a moment or two to tell our story as sympathetically as possible. It had an uncommonly11 good reception, and, coupled with the Irish letter I read at dessert, carried the dinner along on a basis of such laughter and good-fellowship that finally there was no place for regret save in the hearts of those who knew and loved Salemina--poor Salemina, spending her dull, lonely evening in our rooms, and later on in her own uneventful bed, if indeed she had been lucky enough to gain access to that bed. I had hoped Lady Killbally would put one of us beside Dr. La Touche, so that we might at least keep Salemina's memory green by tactful conversation; but it was too large a company to rearrange, and he had to sit by an empty chair, which perhaps was just as salutary, after all. The dinner was very smart, and the company interesting and clever, but my thoughts were elsewhere. As there were fewer squires12 than dames13 at the feast, Lady Killbally kindly14 took me on her left, with a view to better acquaintance, and I was heartily15 glad of a possible chance to hear something of Dr. La Touche's earlier life. In our previous interviews, Salemina's presence had always precluded16 the possibility of leading the conversation in the wished-for direction.
When I first saw Gerald La Touche I felt that he required explanation. Usually speaking, a human being ought to be able, in an evening's conversation, to explain himself, without any adventitious17 aid. If he is a man, alive, vigorous, well poised18, conscious of his own individuality, he shows you, without any effort, as much of his past as you need to form your impression, and as much of his future as you have intuition to read. As opposed to the vigorous personality, there is the colourless, flavourless, insubstantial sort, forgotten as soon as learned, and for ever confused with that of the previous or the next comer. When I was a beginner in portrait-painting, I remember that, after I had succeeded in making my background stay back where it belonged, my figure sometimes had a way of clinging to it in a kind of smudgy weakness, as if it were afraid to come out like a man and stand the inspection19 of my eye. How often have I squandered20 paint upon the ungrateful object without adding a cubit to its stature21! It refused to look like flesh and blood, but resembled rather some half-made creature flung on the passive canvas in a liquid state, with its edges running over into the background. There are a good many of these people in literature, too,--heroes who, like home-made paper dolls, do not stand up well; or if they manage to perform that feat22, one unexpectedly discovers, when they are placed in a strong light, that they have no vital organs whatever, and can be seen through without the slightest difficulty. Dr. La Touche does not belong to either of these two classes: he is not warm, magnetic, powerful, impressive: neither is he by any means destitute23 of vital organs; but his personality is blurred24 in some way. He seems a bit remote, absentminded, and a trifle, just a trifle, over-resigned. Privately25, I think a man can afford to be resigned only to one thing, and that is the will of God; against all other odds26 I prefer to see him fight till the last armed foe27 expires. Dr. La Touche is devotedly28 attached to his children, but quite helpless in their hands; so that he never looks at them with pleasure or comfort or pride, but always with an anxiety as to what they may do next. I understand him better now that I know the circumstances of which he has been the product. (Of course one is always a product of circumstances, unless one can manage to be superior to them.) His wife, the daughter of an American consul30 in Ireland, was a charming but somewhat feather-brained person, rather given to whims31 and caprices; very pretty, very young, very much spoiled, very attractive, very undisciplined. All went well enough with them until her father was recalled to America, because of some change in political administration. The young Mrs. La Touche seemed to have no resources apart from her family, and even her baby 'Jackeen' failed to absorb her as might have been expected.
"We thought her a most trying woman at this time," said Lady Killbally. "She seemed to have no thought of her husband's interests, and none of the responsibilities that she had assumed in marrying him; her only idea of life appeared to be amusement and variety and gaiety. Gerald was a student, and always very grave and serious; the kind of man who invariably marries a butterfly, if he can find one to make him miserable32. He was exceedingly patient; but after the birth of little Broona, Adeline became so homesick and depressed33 and discontented that, although the journey was almost an impossibility at the time, Gerald took her back to her people, and left her with them, while he returned to his duties at Trinity College. Their life, I suppose, had been very unhappy for a year or two before this, and when he came home to Dublin without his children, he looked a sad and broken man. He was absolutely faithful to his ideals, I am glad to say, and never wavered in his allegiance to his wife, however disappointed he may have been in her; going over regularly to spend his long vacations in America, although she never seemed to wish to see him. At last she fell into a state of hopeless melancholia; and it was rather a relief to us all to feel that we had judged her too severely34, and that her unreasonableness35 and her extraordinary caprices had been born of mental disorder36 more than of moral obliquity37. Gerald gave up everything to nurse her and rouse her from her apathy38; but she faded away without ever once coming back to a more normal self, and that was the end of it all. Gerald's father had died meanwhile, and he had fallen heir to the property and the estates. They were very much encumbered39, but he is gradually getting affairs into a less chaotic40 state; and while his fortune would seem a small one to you extravagant41 Americans, he is what we Irish paupers42 would call well to do."
Lady Killbally was suspiciously willing to give me all this information,--so much so that I ventured to ask about the children.
"They are captivating, neglected little things," she said. "Madame La Touche, an aged43 aunt, has the ostensible44 charge of them, and she is a most easy-going person. The servants are of the 'old family' sort, the reckless, improvident45, untidy, devoted29, quarrelsome creatures that always stand by the ruined Irish gentry46 in all their misfortunes, and generally make their life a burden to them at the same time. Gerald is a saint, and therefore never complains."
"It never seems to me that saints are altogether adapted to positions like these," I sighed; "sinners would do ever so much better. I should like to see Dr. La Touche take off his halo, lay it carefully on the bureau, and wield47 a battle-axe. The world will never acknowledge his merit; it will even forget him presently, and his life will have been given up to the evolution of the passive virtues48. Do you suppose he will recognise the tender passion if it ever does bud in his breast, or will he think it a weed, instead of a flower, and let it wither49 for want of attention?"
"I think his friends will have to enhance his self-respect, or he will for ever be too modest to declare himself," said Lady Killbally. "Perhaps you can help us: he is probably going to America this winter to lecture at some of your universities, and he may stay there for a year or two, so he says. At any rate, if the right woman ever appears on the scene, I hope she will have the instinct to admire and love and reverence50 him as we do," and here she smiled directly into my eyes, and slipping her pretty hand under the tablecloth51 squeezed mine in a manner that spoke52 volumes.
It is not easy to explain one's desire to marry off all the unmarried persons in one's vicinity. When I look steadfastly53 at any group of people, large or small, they usually segregate54 themselves into twos under my prophetic eye. It they are nice and attractive, I am pleased to see them mated; if they are horrid55 and disagreeable, I like to think of them as improving under the discipline of matrimony. It is joy to see beauty meet a kindling56 eye, but I am more delighted still to watch a man fall under the glamour57 of a plain, dull girl, and it is ecstasy58 for me to see a perfectly59 unattractive, stupid woman snapped up at last, when I have given up hopes of settling her in life. Sometimes there are men so uninspiring that I cannot converse60 with them a single moment without yawning; but though failures in all other relations, one can conceive of their being tolerably useful as husbands and fathers; not for one's self, you understand, but for one's neighbours.
Dr. La Touche's life now, to any understanding eye, is as incomplete as the unfinished window in Aladdin's tower. He is too wrinkled, too studious, too quiet, too patient for his years. His children need a mother, his old family servants need discipline, his baronial halls need sweeping61 and cleaning (I haven't seen them, but I know they do!), and his aged aunt needs advice and guidance. On the other hand, there are those (I speak guardedly) who have walked in shady, sequestered62 paths all their lives, looking at hundreds of happy lovers on the sunny highroad, but never joining them; those who adore erudition, who love children, who have a genius for unselfish devotion, who are sweet and refined and clever, and who look perfectly lovely when they put on grey satin and leave off eyeglasses. They say they are over forty, and although this probably is exaggeration, they may be thirty-nine and three-quarters; and if so, the time is limited in which to find for them a worthy63 mate, since half of the masculine population is looking for itself, and always in the wrong quarter, needing no assistance to discover rose-cheeked idiots of nineteen, whose obvious charms draw thousands to a dull and uneventful fate.
These thoughts were running idly through my mind while the Honourable64 Michael McGillicuddy was discoursing65 to me of Mr. Gladstone's misunderstanding of Irish questions,--a misunderstanding, he said, so colossal66, so temperamental, and so all-embracing, that it amounted to genius. I was so anxious to return to Salemina that I wished I had ordered the car at ten thirty instead of eleven; but I made up my mind, as we ladies went to the drawing-room for coffee, that I would seize the first favourable67 opportunity to explore the secret chambers68 of Dr. La Touche's being. I love to rummage70 in out-of-the-way corners of people's brains and hearts if they will let me. I like to follow a courteous71 host through the public corridors of his house and come upon a little chamber69 closed to the casual visitor. If I have known him long enough I put my hand on the latch72 and smile inquiringly. He looks confused and conscious, but unlocks the door. Then I peep in, and often I see something that pleases and charms and touches me so much that it shows in my eyes when I lift them to his to say "Thank you." Sometimes, after that, my host gives me the key and says gravely "Pray come in whenever you like."
When Dr. La Touche offers me this hospitality I shall find out whether he knows anything of that lavender-scented guest-room in Salemina's heart. First, has he ever seen it? Second, has he ever stopped in it for any length of time? Third, was he sufficiently73 enamoured of it to occupy it on a long lease?
收听单词发音 |
1
shovel
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| n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出 | |
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tongs
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| n.钳；夹子 | |
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hermit
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| n.隐士，修道者；隐居 | |
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beetle
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| n.甲虫，近视眼的人 | |
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ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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strew
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| vt.撒；使散落；撒在…上，散布于 | |
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jolts
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| （使）摇动， （使）震惊( jolt的名词复数 ) | |
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dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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9
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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tardy
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| adj.缓慢的，迟缓的 | |
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uncommonly
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| adv. 稀罕(极，非常) | |
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squires
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| n.地主，乡绅( squire的名词复数 ) | |
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dames
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| n.（在英国）夫人（一种封号），夫人（爵士妻子的称号）( dame的名词复数 )；女人 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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precluded
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| v.阻止( preclude的过去式和过去分词 )；排除；妨碍；使…行不通 | |
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adventitious
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| adj.偶然的 | |
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poised
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| a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
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inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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squandered
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| v.（指钱，财产等）浪费，乱花( squander的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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destitute
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| adj.缺乏的；穷困的 | |
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blurred
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| 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 | |
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privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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devotedly
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| 专心地； 恩爱地； 忠实地； 一心一意地 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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consul
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| n.领事；执政官 | |
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WHIMS
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| 虚妄，禅病 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
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severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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unreasonableness
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| 无理性； 横逆 | |
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disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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obliquity
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| n.倾斜度 | |
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apathy
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| n.漠不关心，无动于衷；冷淡 | |
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encumbered
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| v.妨碍，阻碍，拖累( encumber的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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chaotic
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| adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的 | |
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extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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paupers
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| n.穷人( pauper的名词复数 )；贫民；贫穷 | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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ostensible
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| adj.(指理由)表面的，假装的 | |
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improvident
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| adj.不顾将来的，不节俭的，无远见的 | |
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gentry
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| n.绅士阶级，上层阶级 | |
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wield
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| vt.行使，运用，支配；挥，使用(武器等) | |
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virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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49
wither
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| vt.使凋谢，使衰退，(用眼神气势等)使畏缩；vi.枯萎，衰退，消亡 | |
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50
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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51
tablecloth
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| n.桌布，台布 | |
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52
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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53
steadfastly
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| adv.踏实地，不变地；岿然；坚定不渝 | |
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54
segregate
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| adj.分离的，被隔离的；vt.使分离，使隔离 | |
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horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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56
kindling
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| n. 点火, 可燃物 动词kindle的现在分词形式 | |
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57
glamour
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| n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住 | |
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ecstasy
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| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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converse
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| vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反 | |
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sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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sequestered
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| adj.扣押的；隐退的；幽静的；偏僻的v.使隔绝，使隔离( sequester的过去式和过去分词 )；扣押 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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discoursing
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| 演说（discourse的现在分词形式） | |
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colossal
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| adj.异常的，庞大的 | |
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favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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70
rummage
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| v./n.翻寻，仔细检查 | |
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71
courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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72
latch
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| n.门闩，窗闩；弹簧锁 | |
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73
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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