Uel, the son of Jahdai, was in the habit of carrying the letter received from the mysterious stranger about with him in a breast pocket. How many times a day he took it out for reexamination would be difficult to say. Observing the appearance of signs of usage, he at length wrapped it in an envelope of yellow silk. If he had thought less of it, he would have resorted to plain linen1.
There were certain points in the missive which seemed of greater interest to him than others. For example, the place whence it had been addressed was an ever recurring2 puzzle; he also dwelt long upon the sentence which referred so delicately to a paternal3 relationship. The most exigent passages, however, were those relative to the time he might look for the man's coming. As specially4 directed, he had taken note of the day of the delivery of the letter, and was greatly surprised to find the messenger had arrived the last day of the year permitted him. The punctuality of the servant might be in imitation of a like virtue5 of the master. If so, at the uttermost, the latter might be expected six months after receipt of the letter. Or he might appear within the six months. The journeys laid out were of vast distances, and through wild and dangerous countries, and by sea as well. Only a good traveller could survive them at all; to execute them in such brief space seemed something superhuman.
So it befell that the son of Jahdai was at first but little concerned. The months--three, four, five--rolled away, and the sixth was close at hand; then every day brought him an increase of interest. In fact, he found himself looking for the arrival each morning, and at noon promising6 it an event of the evening.
November was the sixth and last month of the time fixed7. The first of that month passed without the stranger. Uel became anxious. The fifteenth he turned the keeping of his shop over to a friend; and knowing the passage from Alexandria must be by sea, he betook himself, with Syama, to the port on the Golden Horn known as the Gate of St. Peter, at the time most frequented by Egyptian sailing masters. In waiting there, he saw the sun rise over the heights of Scutari, and it was the morning of the very last day. Syama, meantime, occupied himself in final preparation of the house for the reception. He was not excited, like Uel, because he had no doubt of the arrival within the period set. He was also positively8 certain of finding his master, when at length he did appear, exactly as when he separated from him in Cipango. He was used to seeing Time waste itself upon the changeless man; he had even caught from him a kind of contempt for what other men shrank from as dangers and difficulties.
The site of the house has been described; it remains9 to give the reader an idea of its interior. There were four rooms on the ground floor furnished comfortably for servants, of whom the arrangement indicated three besides Syama. The first floor was of three apartments communicable by doorways10 with portieres of camel's hair. The furniture was Roman, Greek, and Egyptian mixed. Of the three the middle chamber12 was largest, and as its fittings were in a style of luxury supposed to be peculiar13 to princes, the conclusion was fair that it was designed for the proprietor's occupancy during his waking hours. A dark blue rug clothed the floor. In the centre, upon a shield of clear copper14, arose a silver brazier. The arms and legs of the stools here and there on the rug were carven in grotesque15 imitation of reptiles16 and animals of the ultra dragonish mode. The divans18 against the walls were of striped silk. In each corner stood a tall post of silvered bronze, holding at the end of a graceful19 crook20 several lamps of Pompeiian model. A wide window in the east end, filled with plants in bloom, admitted ample light, which, glancing through the flowers, fell on a table dressed in elegant cloth, and bearing a lacquered waiter garnished21 with cups of metal and glass, and one hand-painted porcelain22 decanter for drinking water. An enormous tiger-skin, the head intact and finished with extraordinary realism, was spread on the floor in front of the table. The walls were brilliant with fresh Byzantine frescoing. The air of the room was faintly pervaded23 with a sweet incense24 of intoxicating25 effect upon one just admitted to it. Indeed the whole interior partook of this sweetness.
The care of the faithful servant had not been confined to the rooms; he had constructed a summer house upon the roof, knowing that when the weather permitted his master would pass the nights there in preference to the chambers26 below. This structure looked not unlike a modern belfry, except that the pillars and shallow dome27 of the top were of Moorish28 lightness. Thence, to a familiar, the heavens in the absence of the sun would be an unrolled map.
When the last touch of the preparation had been given, and Syama said to himself, "He may come now," one point was especially noticeable--nowhere in the house was there provision for a woman.
The morning of the last day Syama accompanied Uel to the port reluctantly. Feeling sure his master had not arrived in the night, he left his friend on the watch, and returned home early.
The noise and stir of business at the ancient landing were engaging. With a great outcry, a vessel29 would be drawn30 up, and made fast, and the unloading begun. A drove of donkeys, or a string of camels, or a mob of porters would issue from the gate, receive the cargo31 and disappear with it. Now and then a ship rounded the classic Point, its square sail bent32 and all the oars33 at work: sweeping34 past Galata on the north side of the Horn, then past the Fish Market Gate on the south, up it would come gracefully35 as a flying bird; if there was place for it at the quay36, well; if not, after hovering37 around awhile, it would push out to a berth38 in the open water. Such incidents were crises to Uel. To this one and to that he would run with the question:
"Where is she from?"
If from the upper sea, he subsided39; but if from the Marmora, he kept eager lookout40 upon her, hoping to recognize in every disembarkee the man he was expecting.
That he had never seen the person was of little consequence. He had thought of him so much awake, and seen him so repeatedly in dreams, he was confident of knowing him at sight. Imagining a stranger's appearance is for the most part a gentle tribute of respect; the mistakes we make are for the most part ludicrous.
No one answering the preconception came. Noon, and still no one; then, cast down and disappointed, Uel went home, ate something, held the usual childish dialogue with his little girl, and about mid11 afternoon crossed the street to the new residence. Great was his astonishment41 at finding a pyramid of coals glowing in the silver brazier, and the chill already driven from the sitting-room42. Here--there--upstairs, downstairs--the signs were of present occupancy. For a moment he thought the master had slipped by him or landed at some other port of the city.
"Is he here? Has he come?" he asked, excitedly, and Syama answered with a shake of the head.
"Then why the fire?"
Syama, briefly43 waving his hand as if following the great Marmorean lake, turned the finger ends into the other palm, saying plainly and emphatically:
"He is coming--he will be here directly."
Uel smiled--faith could not be better illustrated--and it was so in contrast with his own incredulity!
He lingered awhile. Restlessness getting the mastery, he returned home, reflecting on the folly44 of counting so implicitly45 upon the conclusion to a day of a tour so vast. More likely, he thought, the traveller's bones were somewhere whitening the desert, or the savages46 of Kash-Cush had eaten him. He had heard of their cannibalism47.
Want of faith, however, did not prevent the shopkeeper from going to his friend's house after supper. It was night, and dark, and the chilling moisture of a winter wind blowing steadily48 from the Black Sea charged the world outside with discomfort49. The brazier with its heap of living coals had astonished him before; now the house was all alight! He hastened upstairs. In the sitting-room the lamps were burning, and the illumination was brilliant. Syama was there, calm and smiling as usual.
"What--he is here?" Uel said, looking from door to door.
The servant shook his head, and waved his hand negatively, as to say:
"Not yet--be patient--observe me."
To indulge his wonder, Uel took seat. Later on he tried to get from Syama an explanation of his amazing confidence, but the latter's substitute for speech was too limited and uncertain to be satisfactory.
About ten o'clock Syama went below, and presently returned with food and drink on a large waiter.
"Ah, good Lord!" Uel thought. "He is making a meal ready. What a man! What a master!"
Then he gave attention to the fare, which was of wheaten wafers, cold fowl50, preserved fruits, and wine in a stoneware bottle. These Syama set on a circular table not higher than the divan17 in front of which it was drawn. A white napkin and a bowl for laving the fingers completed the preparation, as Uel supposed. But no. Syama went below again, and reappeared with a metal pot and a small wooden box. The pot he placed on the coals in the brazier, and soon a delicate volume of steam was pouring from the spout51; after handling the box daintily as if the contents were vastly precious, he deposited it unopened by the napkin and bowl. Then, with an expression of content upon his face, he too took seat, and surrendered himself to expectancy52. The lisping of the steam escaping from the pot on the fire was the only sound in the room.
The assurance of the servant was contagious53. Uel began to believe the master would come. He was congratulating himself upon the precaution he had taken in leaving a man at the port to conduct him rightly when he heard a shuffling54 of feet below stairs. He listened startled. There were several men in the company. Steps shook the floor. Uel and Syama arose.
The latter's countenance55 flushed with pleasure; giving one triumphal glance at his friend, much as to say, There--did I not tell you so? he walked forward quickly, and reached the head of the steps just as a stranger finished their ascent56. In a moment Syama was on his knees, kissing the hand held out to him. Uel needed no prompter--it was the master!
If only on account of the mutuality57 of affection shown between the two, the meeting was a pleasant sight. That feature, however, was lost to the shopkeeper, who had no thought except of the master's appearance. He had imagined him modelled after the popular conceptions of kings and warriors--tall, majestic58, awe-inspiring. He saw instead a figure rather undersized, slightly stoop-shouldered, thin; at least it seemed so then, hid as it was under a dark brown burnoose of the amplitude59 affected60 by Arab sheiks. The head was covered by a woollen handkerchief of reddish tint61, held by a scarlet62 cord. The edge of the handkerchief projected over the forehead enough to cast the entire face in shade, leaving to view only a mass of white beard overflowing63 the breast.
The master ended the reception at the head of the stairs by gently raising Syama to his feet. Then he subjected the room to a swift inspection64, and, in proof of satisfaction, he patted the happy retainer on the shoulder. Invited by the fire, and the assurance of comfort in its glow, he advanced to the brazier, and while extending his hands over it, observed Uel. Without surprise or hesitation65 he walked to him.
"Son of Jahdai!" he said, offering his hand.
The voice was of exceeding kindness. As an overture66 to peace and goodwill67, it was reenforced by very large eyes, the intense blackness of which was softened68 by a perceptible glow of pleasure. Uel was won on the instant. A recollection of the one supreme69 singularity of the new acquaintance--his immunity70 from death--recurred to him, and he could not have escaped its effect had he wished. He was conscious also that the eyes were impressing him. Without distinct thought, certainly without the slightest courtierly design, he obeyed the impulse of the moment, and stooped and touched the extended hand with his lips. And before rising he heard the beginning of further speech:
"I see the truth of my judgment71. The family of my ancient friends has trodden the ways of righteousness under the commandments of the Lord until it has become a kind unto itself. I see too my trust has been verified. O Son of Jahdai, you did assist my servant, as I requested, and to your kindness, doubtless, I am indebted for this home full of comforts after a long absence among strangers. I hold you my creditor72."
The tendency of the speech was to relieve Uel of embarrassment73.
"Do not thank me," he answered. "The business was ordinary, and strictly74 within Syama's capacity. Indeed, the good man could have finished it without my help."
The master, rich in experience, noticed the deferential75 manner of the reply, and was agreeably assured on his side.
"Very well. There will be no harm in reserving an opinion," he said. "The good man, as you call him, is making ready a drink with which he has preceded me from his country, and which you must stay and share, as it is something unknown in the West."
"Let me first welcome you here," Uel returned.
"Oh, I saw the welcome in your face. But let us get nearer the fire. The night is chilling. If I were owner of a garden under whatever hill along the Bosphorus, verily I should tremble for my roses."
Thus briefly, and in such simple manner, the wise Mystic put the shopkeeper perfectly76 at ease.
At the brazier they watched Syama in the operation since become of universal knowledge under title of "drawing tea." The fragrance77 of the decoction presently filled the room to the suppression of the incense, and they drank, ate, and were sociable78. The host outlined his travels. Uel, in return, gave him information of the city. When the latter departed, it was with a light heart, and an elastic79 step; the white beard and patriarchal manner of the man had laid his fears, and the future was to him like a cloudless sky.
Afterwhile the master signified a wish to retire; whereupon his household came, as was their wont80, to bid him good-night. Of these there were two white men. At sight of Syama, they rushed to embrace him as became brethren of old acquaintance long in the same service. A third one remained at the door. Syama looked at him, and then at the master; for the man was a stranger. Then the Jew, with quick intuition of the requirement of the time, went, and took him by the hand, and led him to the others. Addressing Syama, he said gravely:
"This is Nilo, son of the Nilo whom you knew. As you held the father in love, so you shall hold the son."
The man was young, very black, and gigantic in stature81. Syama embraced him as he had the others.
In the great city there was not a more united household under roof than that of the shopkeeper's friend.
收听单词发音 |
1
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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recurring
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| adj.往复的，再次发生的 | |
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paternal
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| adj.父亲的，像父亲的，父系的，父方的 | |
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specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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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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positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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10
doorways
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| n.门口，门道( doorway的名词复数 ) | |
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mid
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| adj.中央的，中间的 | |
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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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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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reptiles
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| n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 ) | |
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divan
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| n.长沙发；（波斯或其他东方诗人的）诗集 | |
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divans
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| n.（可作床用的）矮沙发( divan的名词复数 )；（波斯或其他东方诗人的）诗集 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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crook
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| v.使弯曲；n.小偷，骗子，贼；弯曲(处) | |
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garnished
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| v.给（上餐桌的食物）加装饰( garnish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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porcelain
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| n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的 | |
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pervaded
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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24
incense
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| v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气 | |
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intoxicating
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| a. 醉人的,使人兴奋的 | |
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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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dome
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| n.圆屋顶，拱顶 | |
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moorish
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| adj.沼地的，荒野的，生[住]在沼地的 | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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quay
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| n.码头，靠岸处 | |
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hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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40
lookout
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| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
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41
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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42
sitting-room
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| n.（BrE）客厅，起居室 | |
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briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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44
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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implicitly
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| adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地 | |
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savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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47
cannibalism
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| n.同类相食；吃人肉 | |
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48
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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49
discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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50
fowl
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| n.家禽，鸡，禽肉 | |
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51
spout
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| v.喷出，涌出；滔滔不绝地讲；n.喷管；水柱 | |
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52
expectancy
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| n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额 | |
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53
contagious
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| adj.传染性的，有感染力的 | |
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54
shuffling
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| adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式 | |
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55
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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56
ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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57
mutuality
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| n.相互关系，相互依存 | |
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58
majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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amplitude
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| n.广大；充足；振幅 | |
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60
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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61
tint
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| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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overflowing
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| n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
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64
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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65
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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overture
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| n.前奏曲、序曲，提议，提案，初步交涉 | |
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goodwill
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| n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉 | |
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68
softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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69
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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70
immunity
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| n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权 | |
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71
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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72
creditor
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| n.债仅人，债主，贷方 | |
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73
embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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74
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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75
deferential
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| adj. 敬意的，恭敬的 | |
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76
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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77
fragrance
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| n.芬芳，香味，香气 | |
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78
sociable
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| adj.好交际的，友好的，合群的 | |
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79
elastic
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| n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的 | |
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80
wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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81
stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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