Something Concerning Fireblood which Will Surprize; and Somewhat Touching1 One of the Miss Snaps, which Will Greatly Concern the Reader.
However, notwithstanding all these censures2 abroad, and in despight of all his misfortunes at home, Heartfree in Newgate enjoyed a quiet, undisturbed repose3; while our hero, nobly disdaining4 rest, lay sleepless5 all night, partly from the apprehensions6 of Mrs. Heartfree’s return before he had executed his scheme, and partly from a suspicion lest Fireblood should betray him; of whose infidelity he had, nevertheless, no other cause to maintain any fear, but from his knowing him to be an accomplished7 rascal8, as the vulgar term it, a complete GREAT MAN in our language. And indeed, to confess the truth, these doubts were not without some foundation; for the very same thought unluckily entered the head of that noble youth, who considered whether he might not possibly sell himself for some advantage to the other side, as he had yet no promise from Wild; but this was, by the sagacity of the latter, prevented in the morning with a profusion9 of promises, which shewed him to be of the most generous temper in the world, with which Fireblood was extremely well satisfied, and made use of so many protestations of his faithfulness that he convinced Wild of the justice of his suspicions.
At this time an accident happened, which, though it did not immediately affect our hero, we cannot avoid relating, as it occasioned great confusion in his family, as well as in the family of Snap. It is indeed a calamity10 highly to be lamented11, when it stains untainted blood, and happens to an honourable12 house — an injury never to be repaired — a blot13 never to be wiped out — a sore never to be healed. To detain my reader no longer, Miss Theodosia Snap was now safely delivered of a male infant, the product of an amour which that beautiful (O that I could say virtuous14!) creature had with the count.
Mr. Wild and his lady were at breakfast when Mr. Snap, with all the agonies of despair both in his voice and countenance15, brought them this melancholy16 news. Our hero, who had (as we have said) wonderful good-nature when his greatness or interest was not concerned, instead of reviling17 his sister-inlaw, asked with a smile, “Who was the father?” But the chaste18 Laetitia, we repeat the chaste, for well did she now deserve that epithet19, received it in another manner. She fell into the utmost fury at the relation, reviled20 her sister in the bitterest terms, and vowed21 she would never see nor speak to her more; then burst into tears and lamented over her father that such dishonour22 should ever happen to him and herself. At length she fell severely23 on her husband for the light treatment which he gave this fatal accident. She told him he was unworthy of the honour he enjoyed of marrying into a chaste family. That she looked on it as an affront24 to her virtue25. That if he had married one of the naughty hussies of the town he could have behaved to her in no other manner. She concluded with desiring her father to make an example of the slut, and to turn her out of doors; for that she would not otherwise enter his house, being resolved never to set her foot within the same threshold with the trollop, whom she detested26 so much the more because (which was perhaps true) she was her own sister.
So violent, and indeed so outrageous27, was this chaste lady’s love of virtue, that she could not forgive a single slip (indeed the only one Theodosia had ever made) in her own sister, in a sister who loved her, and to whom she owed a thousand obligations.
Perhaps the severity of Mr. Snap, who greatly felt the injury done to the honour of his family, would have relented, had not the parish-officers been extremely pressing on this occasion, and for want of security, conveyed the unhappy young lady to a place, the name of which, for the honour of the Snaps, to whom our hero was so nearly allied28, we bury in eternal oblivion; where she suffered so much correction for her crime, that the good-natured reader of the male kind may be inclined to compassionate29 her, at least to imagine she was sufficiently30 punished for a fault which, with submission31 to the chaste Laetitia and all other strictly32 virtuous ladies, it should be either less criminal in a woman to commit, or more so in a man to solicit33 her to it.
But to return to our hero, who was a living and strong instance that human greatness and happiness are not always inseparable. He was under a continual alarm of frights, and fears, and jealousies34. He thought every man he beheld35 wore a knife for his throat, and a pair of scissars for his purse. As for his own gang particularly, he was thoroughly36 convinced there was not a single man amongst them who would not, for the value of five shillings, bring him to the gallows37. These apprehensions so constantly broke his rest, and kept him so assiduously on his guard to frustrate38 and circumvent39 any designs which might be formed against him, that his condition, to any other than the glorious eye of ambition, might seem rather deplorable than the object of envy or desire.
1 touching | |
adj.动人的,使人感伤的 | |
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2 censures | |
v.指责,非难,谴责( censure的第三人称单数 ) | |
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3 repose | |
v.(使)休息;n.安息 | |
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4 disdaining | |
鄙视( disdain的现在分词 ); 不屑于做,不愿意做 | |
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5 sleepless | |
adj.不睡眠的,睡不著的,不休息的 | |
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6 apprehensions | |
疑惧 | |
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7 accomplished | |
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的 | |
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8 rascal | |
n.流氓;不诚实的人 | |
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9 profusion | |
n.挥霍;丰富 | |
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10 calamity | |
n.灾害,祸患,不幸事件 | |
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11 lamented | |
adj.被哀悼的,令人遗憾的v.(为…)哀悼,痛哭,悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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12 honourable | |
adj.可敬的;荣誉的,光荣的 | |
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13 blot | |
vt.弄脏(用吸墨纸)吸干;n.污点,污渍 | |
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14 virtuous | |
adj.有品德的,善良的,贞洁的,有效力的 | |
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15 countenance | |
n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同 | |
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16 melancholy | |
n.忧郁,愁思;adj.令人感伤(沮丧)的,忧郁的 | |
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17 reviling | |
v.辱骂,痛斥( revile的现在分词 ) | |
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18 chaste | |
adj.贞洁的;有道德的;善良的;简朴的 | |
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19 epithet | |
n.(用于褒贬人物等的)表述形容词,修饰语 | |
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20 reviled | |
v.辱骂,痛斥( revile的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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21 vowed | |
起誓,发誓(vow的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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22 dishonour | |
n./vt.拒付(支票、汇票、票据等);vt.凌辱,使丢脸;n.不名誉,耻辱,不光彩 | |
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23 severely | |
adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地 | |
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24 affront | |
n./v.侮辱,触怒 | |
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25 virtue | |
n.德行,美德;贞操;优点;功效,效力 | |
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26 detested | |
v.憎恶,嫌恶,痛恨( detest的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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27 outrageous | |
adj.无理的,令人不能容忍的 | |
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28 allied | |
adj.协约国的;同盟国的 | |
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29 compassionate | |
adj.有同情心的,表示同情的 | |
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30 sufficiently | |
adv.足够地,充分地 | |
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31 submission | |
n.服从,投降;温顺,谦虚;提出 | |
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32 strictly | |
adv.严厉地,严格地;严密地 | |
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33 solicit | |
vi.勾引;乞求;vt.请求,乞求;招揽(生意) | |
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34 jealousies | |
n.妒忌( jealousy的名词复数 );妒羡 | |
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35 beheld | |
v.看,注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 );瞧;看呀;(叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现)哎哟 | |
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36 thoroughly | |
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 | |
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37 gallows | |
n.绞刑架,绞台 | |
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38 frustrate | |
v.使失望;使沮丧;使厌烦 | |
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39 circumvent | |
vt.环绕,包围;对…用计取胜,智胜 | |
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