"It's a fine morning, Mr. Maxwell," Mrs. Burke remarked at breakfast next day, "and I'm goin' to drive down to the village to do some shopping. Don't you want to go with me and pay your respects to the Senior Warden1? You'll find him in his office. Then I'll meet you later, and bring you home--dead or alive!"
Maxwell laughed. "That sounds cheerful, but I should be glad to go."
"I guess you better, and have it over with. He'll expect it. He's like royalty2: he never calls first; and when he's at home he always has a flag on a pole in the front yard. If he's out of town for the day, his man lowers the flag. I generally call when the flag's down. I wish everybody had a flag; it's mighty3 convenient."
The center of Durford's social, commercial and ecclesiastical life was the village green, a plot of ground on which the boys played ball, and in the middle of which was the liberty pole and the band-stand. On one side of the green was a long block of stores, and on the opposite side a row of churches, side by side, five in number. There was the Meeting House, in plain gray; "The First Church of Durford," with a Greek portico4 in front; "The Central Church," with a box-like tower and a slender steeple with a gilded5 rooster perched on top--an edifice6 which looked like a cross between a skating rink and a railroad station; and last of all, the Episcopal Church on the corner--a small, elongated7 structure, which might have been a carpenter-shop but for the little cross which surmounted8 the front gable, and the pointed9 tops of the narrow windows, which were supposed to be "gothic" and to proclaim the structure to be the House of God.
Just around the corner was a little tumble-down house known as "The Rectory." The tall grass and the lowered shades indicated that it had been unoccupied for some time. Mrs. Burke called Maxwell's attention to it.
"I suppose you'll be living there some day--if you stay here long enough; though of course you can't keep house there alone. The place needs a lot of over-haulin'. Nickey says there's six feet of plaster off the parlor10 ceilin', and the cellar gets full of water when it rains; but I guess we can fix it up when the time comes. That's your cathedral, on the corner. You see, we have five churches, when we really need only one; and so we have to scrap11 for each other's converts, to keep up the interest. We feed 'em on sandwiches, pickles12 and coffee every now and then, to make 'em come to church. Yes, preachin' and pickles, sandwiches and salvation13, seem to run in the same class, these days."
When they arrived in front of the block, Mrs. Burke hitched14 her horse, and left Maxwell to his own devices. He proceeded to hunt up the post office; and as the mail was not yet distributed, he had to wait some time, conscious of the fact that he was the center of interest to the crowd assembled in the room. Finally, when he gained access to the delivery window, he was greeted by a smile from the postmistress, a woman of uncertain age, who remarked as she handed him his letters:
"Good morning, Mr. Maxwell. Glad to meet you. I'm a Presbyterian myself; but I have always made it a point to be nice to everybody. You seem to have quite a good many correspondents, and I presume you'll be wantin' a lock box. It's so convenient. You must feel lonesome in a strange place. Drop in and see mother some day. She's got curvature of the spine15, but no religious prejudices. She'll be right glad to see you, I'm sure, even though she's not 'Piscopal."
Maxwell thanked her, and inquired the way to the Senior Warden's office, to which she directed him.
Three doors below the post office was a hallway and a flight of stairs leading up to Mr. Bascom's sanctum. As he ascended16, Maxwell bethought him of the Bishop17's hint that this was the main stronghold for the exercise of his strategy. The Senior Warden, for some reason or other, had persistently18 quarreled with the clergy19, or crossed them. What was the secret of his antagonism20? Would he be predisposed in Maxwell's favor, or prejudiced against him? He would soon discover--and he decided21 to let Bascom do most of the talking. Reaching the first landing, Donald knocked on a door the upper panel of which was filled with glass, painted white. On the glass in large black letters was the name: "SYLVESTER BASCOM."
The Senior Warden sat behind a table, covered with musty books and a litter of letters and papers. In his prime he had been a small man; and now, well past middle age, he looked as if he had shrunk until he was at least five sizes too small for his skin, which was sallow and loose. There was a suspicious look in his deep-set eyes, which made his hooked nose all the more aggressive. He was bald, except for a few stray locks of gray hair which were brushed up from his ears over the top of his head, and evidently fastened down by some gluey cosmetic22. He frowned severely23 as Maxwell entered, but extended a shriveled, bony hand, and pointed to a chair. Then placing the tips of his fingers together in front of his chest, he gazed at Donald as if he were the prisoner at the bar, and began without any preliminary welcome:
"So you are the young man who is to take charge of the church. It is always difficult for a city-bred man to adjust himself to the needs and manners of a country parish. Very difficult, Mr. Maxwell--very difficult."
Maxwell smiled as he replied:
"Yes, but that is a fault which time will remedy."
"Doubtless. Time has a way of remedying most things. But in the meantime--in the meantime, lack of tact24, self-assertiveness, indiscretion, on the part of a clergyman may do much harm--much harm!"
Mr. Maxwell colored slightly as he laughed and replied:
"I should imagine that you have had rather a 'mean time,' from the way you speak. Your impressions of the clergy seem to be painful."
"Well," the lawyer continued sententiously, "we have had all sorts and conditions of men, as the Prayer Book says; and the result has not always been satisfactory--not always satisfactory. But I was not consulted."
To this, Maxwell, who was somewhat nettled25, replied:
"I suppose that in any case the responsibility for the success of a parish must be somewhat divided between the parson and the people. I am sure I may count on your assistance."
"Oh yes; oh yes; of course. I shall be very glad to advise you in any way I can. Prevention is better than cure: don't hesitate to come to me for suggestions. You will doubtless be anxious to follow in the good old ways, and avoid extremes. I am a firm believer in expediency26. Though I was not consulted in the present appointment, I may say that what we need is a man of moderate views who can adjust himself to circumstances. Tact, that is the great thing in life. I am a firm believer in tact. Our resources are limited; and a clergyman should be a self-denying man of God, contented27 with plain living and high thinking. No man can succeed in a country parish who seeks the loaves and fishes of the worldling. Durford is not a metropolis28; we do not emulate29 city ways."
"No, I should imagine not," Maxwell answered.
The parson gathered that the Senior Warden felt slighted that he had not been asked by the Bishop to name his appointee; and that if he had bethought himself to sprinkle a little hay-seed on his clothing, his reception might have been more cordial.
At this point the door opened and a woman, hovering30 somewhere between twenty-five and forty, dressed in rather youthful and pronounced attire31, entered, and seeing Donald exclaimed:
"Oh, papa, I did not know that you were busy with a client. Do excuse me."
Then, observing the clerical attire of the "client," she came forward, and extending her hand to Donald, exclaimed with a coy, insinuating32 smile:
"I am sure that you must be Mr. Maxwell. I am so glad to see you. I hope I am not interrupting professional confidences."
"Not in the least," Donald replied, as he placed a chair for her. "I am very glad to have the pleasure of meeting you, Miss Bascom."
"I heard last night that you had arrived, Mr. Maxwell; and I am sure that it is very good of you to come and see papa so soon. I hope to see you at our house before long. You know that we are in the habit of seeing a good deal of the rector, because--you will excuse my frankness--because there are so few people of culture and refinement33 in this town to make it pleasant for him."
"I am sure that you are very kind," Donald replied. Miss Bascom had adjusted her tortoise-shell lorgnette, and was surveying Donald from head to foot.
"Is your wife with you?" she inquired, as one who would say: "Tell me no lies!"
"No, I am not married."
At once she was one radiant smile of welcome:
"Papa, we must do all we can to make Mr. Maxwell feel at home at Willow34 Bluff35--so that he will not get lonesome and desert us," she added genially36.
"You're very kind."
"You must come and dine with us very soon and see our place for yourself. You are staying with Mrs. Burke, I understand."
"Yes."
"How does she impress you?"
"I hardly know her well enough to form any definite opinion of her, though she has been kindness itself to me."
"Yes, she has a sharp tongue, but a kind heart; and she does a great deal of good in the village; but, poor soul! she has no sense of humor--none whatever. Then of course she is not in society, you know. You will find, Mr. Maxwell, that social lines are very carefully drawn37 in this town; there are so many grades, and one has to be careful, you know."
"Is it so! How many people are there in the town?"
"Possibly eight or nine hundred."
"And how many of them are 'in society'?"
"Oh, I should imagine not more than twenty or thirty."
"They must be very select."
"Oh, we are; quite so."
"Don't you ever get tired of seeing the same twenty or thirty all the time? I'm afraid I am sufficiently38 vulgar to like a change, once in a while--somebody real common, you know."
Miss Bascom raised her lorgnette in pained surprise and gazed at Donald curiously39; then she sighed and tapping her fingers with her glasses replied:
"But one has to consider the social responsibilities of one's position, you know. Many of the village people are well enough in their way, really quite amusing as individuals; but one cannot alter social distinctions."
"I see," replied Donald, non-committally.
Virginia was beginning to think that the new rector was rather dull in his perceptions, rather gauche40, but, deciding to take a charitable view, she held out her hand with a beaming smile as she said:
"Remember, you are to make Willow Bluff one of your homes. We shall always be charmed to see you."
When, after their respective shoppings were completed, Maxwell rejoined Mrs. Burke, and they had started on a brisk trot41 towards home, she remarked:
"So you have had a visit with the Senior Warden."
"Yes, and with Miss Bascom. She came into the office while I was there."
"Hm! Well! She's one of your flock!"
"Would you call Miss Bascom one of my lambs?" asked Donald mischievously42.
"Oh, that depends on where you draw the line. Don't you think she's handsome?"
"I can hardly say. What do you think about it?"
"Oh, I don't know. When she's well dressed she has a sort of style about her; but isn't it merciful that we none of us know how we really do look? If we did, we wouldn't risk bein' alone with ourselves five minutes without a gun."
"Is that one for Miss Bascom?"
"No, I ought not to say a word against Virginia Bascom. She's a good sort accordin' to her lights; and then too, she is a disconnection of mine by marriage--once removed."
"How do you calculate that relationship?"
"Oh, her mother's brother married my sister. She suspected that he was guilty of incompatibility--and she proved it, and got a divorce. If that don't make a disconnection of Ginty Bascom, then I don't know what does. Virginia was born in Boston, though she was brought up here. It must be terrible to be born in Boston, and have to live up to it, when you spend your whole life in a place like Durford. But Ginty does her very best, though occasionally she forgets."
"You can hardly blame her for that. Memory is tricky43, and Boston and Durford are about as unlike as two places well could be."
"Oh, no; I don't blame her. Once she formed a club for woman's suffrage44. She set out to 'form my mind'--as if my mind wasn't pretty thoroughly45 formed at this time of day--and get me to protest against the tyranny of the male sex. I didn't see that the male sex was troublin' her much; but I signed a petition she got up to send to the Governor or somebody, asking for the right to vote. There was an opposition46 society that didn't want the ballot47, and they got up another petition."
"And you signed that too, I expect," laughed Donald.
"Sure thing, I did. I'm not narrow-minded, and I like to be obliging. Then she tried what she called slummin', which, as near as I can see, means walkin' in where you 'aint wanted, because people are poorer than you are, and leavin' little tracts48 that nobody reads, and currant jelly that nobody eats, and clothes that nobody can wear. But an Irishman shied a cabbage at her head while she was tryin' to convince him that the bath-tub wasn't really a coal bin49, and that his mental attitude was hindside before.
"Then she got to be a Theosophist, and used to sit in her room upstairs projecting her astral body out of the window into the back yard, and pulling it in again like a ball on a rubber string--just for practice, you know. But that attack didn't last long."
"She seems to be a very versatile50 young woman; but she doesn't stick to one thing very long."
"A rolling stone gathers no moss51, you know," Mrs. Burke replied. "That's one of the advantages of bein' a rolling stone. It must be awful to get mossy; and there isn't any moss on Virginia Bascom, whatever faults she may have--not a moss."
For a moment Mrs. Burke was silent, and then she began:
"Once Virginia got to climbin' her family tree, to find out where her ancestors came from. She thought that possibly they might be noblemen. But I guess there wasn't very much doin' up the tree until she got down to New York, and paid a man to tell her. She brought back an illuminated52 coat of arms with a lion rampantin' on top; but she was the same old Virginia still. What do I care about my ancestors! It doesn't make no difference to me. I'm just myself anyway, no matter how you figure; and I'm a lot more worried about where I'm goin' to, than where I came from. Virginia's got a book called 'Who's Who,' that she's always studying. But the only thing that matters, it seems to me, is Who's What."
"I wonder she hasn't married," remarked Donald, innocently.
"Ah, that's the trouble. She's like a thousand others without no special occupation in life. She's wastin' a lot of bottled up interest and sympathy on foolish things. If she'd married and had seven babies, they would have seen to it that she didn't make a fool of herself. However, it isn't her fault. She's volunteered to act as Deaconess to every unmarried parson we've had; and it's a miracle of wonders one of 'em didn't succumb53; parsons are such--oh, do excuse me! I mean so injudicious on the subject of matrimony."
"But, Mrs. Burke, don't you think a clergyman ought to be a married man?"
"Well, to tell you the truth, t'aint me that's been doin' the thinkin' along those lines, for most of the parsons we've had. I've been more of a first aid to the injured, in the matrimonial troubles of our parish, and the Lord only knows when love-making has got as far as actual injury to the parties engaged,--well thinkin' 'aint much use. But there's Ginty for example. She's been worryin' herself thin for the last five years, doin' matrimonial equations for the clergy. She's a firm believer in the virtue54 of patience, and if the Lord only keeps on sendin' us unmarried rectors, Ginty is goin' to have her day. It's just naturally bound to come. I 'aint sure whether she's got a right to be still runnin' with the lambs or not, but that don't matter much,--old maids will rush in where angels fear to tread."
Maxwell smiled. "Old maids, and old bachelors, are pretty much alike. I know a few of the latter, that no woman on earth could make into regular human beings."
"Oh, yes; old bachelors aren't the nicest thing the Lord ever made. Most of 'em are mighty selfish critters, take 'em as they run; and a man that's never had a real great love in his life doesn't know what life is."
"That's quite true," Donald responded, with such warmth that Mrs. Burke glanced at him suspiciously, and changed her tune55, as she continued:
"Seems to me a parson, or any other man, is very foolish to marry before he can support a wife comfortably, and lay by somethin' for a rainy day, though. The last rector had five babies and seventeen cents to feed 'em with. Yes, there were little olive branches on all four sides of the table, and under the table too. The Whittimores seemed to have their quiver full of 'em, as the psalmist says. Mrs. Whittimore used to say to me, 'The Lord will provide,'--just to keep her courage up, poor thing! Well, I suppose the Lord did provide; but I had to do a lot of hustlin', just the same. No sir, if a parson marries, he better find a woman who has outgrown56 her short skirts. Young things dyin' to be martyrs57 with a good lookin' young parson, are a drug in the market. Better go slow." And Hepsey looked up at him significantly.
"Then you think it would be inadvisable to propose to Miss Virginia immediately, do you?" Donald asked, as if humbly59 seeking guidance.
"Well, there doesn't seem to be any immediate58 hurry about it. Now if you'll open the gate to Thunder Cliff, I'll be much obliged to you. If I don't get my mind on something less romantic than Virginia, we shall have to dine off airy fancies--and that won't suit Nickey, for one."
收听单词发音 |
1
warden
|
|
| n.监察员，监狱长，看守人，监护人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
royalty
|
|
| n.皇家，皇族 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
mighty
|
|
| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
portico
|
|
| n.柱廊，门廊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
gilded
|
|
| a.镀金的，富有的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
edifice
|
|
| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
elongated
|
|
| v.延长，加长( elongate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
surmounted
|
|
| 战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
parlor
|
|
| n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
scrap
|
|
| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
pickles
|
|
| n.腌菜( pickle的名词复数 )；处于困境；遇到麻烦；菜酱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
salvation
|
|
| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
hitched
|
|
| （免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的过去式和过去分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
spine
|
|
| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
ascended
|
|
| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
bishop
|
|
| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
persistently
|
|
| ad.坚持地；固执地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
clergy
|
|
| n.[总称]牧师，神职人员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
antagonism
|
|
| n.对抗，敌对，对立 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
decided
|
|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
cosmetic
|
|
| n.化妆品；adj.化妆用的；装门面的；装饰性的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
severely
|
|
| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
tact
|
|
| n.机敏，圆滑，得体 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
nettled
|
|
| v.拿荨麻打，拿荨麻刺（nettle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
expediency
|
|
| n.适宜；方便；合算；利己 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
contented
|
|
| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
metropolis
|
|
| n.首府；大城市 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
emulate
|
|
| v.努力赶上或超越，与…竞争；效仿 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
hovering
|
|
| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
attire
|
|
| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
insinuating
|
|
| adj.曲意巴结的，暗示的v.暗示( insinuate的现在分词 )；巧妙或迂回地潜入；（使）缓慢进入；慢慢伸入 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
refinement
|
|
| n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
willow
|
|
| n.柳树 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
bluff
|
|
| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
genially
|
|
| adv.亲切地，和蔼地；快活地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
drawn
|
|
| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
sufficiently
|
|
| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
curiously
|
|
| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
gauche
|
|
| adj.笨拙的，粗鲁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
trot
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
mischievously
|
|
| adv.有害地；淘气地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
tricky
|
|
| adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
suffrage
|
|
| n.投票，选举权，参政权 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
thoroughly
|
|
| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
opposition
|
|
| n.反对，敌对 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
ballot
|
|
| n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
tracts
|
|
| 大片土地( tract的名词复数 )； 地带； （体内的）道； （尤指宣扬宗教、伦理或政治的）短文 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
bin
|
|
| n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
versatile
|
|
| adj.通用的，万用的；多才多艺的，多方面的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
moss
|
|
| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
illuminated
|
|
| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
succumb
|
|
| v.屈服，屈从；死 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
virtue
|
|
| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
tune
|
|
| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
outgrown
|
|
| 长[发展] 得超过（某物）的范围( outgrow的过去分词 )； 长[发展]得不能再要（某物）； 长得比…快； 生长速度超过 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
martyrs
|
|
| n.martyr的复数形式；烈士( martyr的名词复数 )；殉道者；殉教者；乞怜者（向人诉苦以博取同情） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
immediate
|
|
| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
humbly
|
|
| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |