I have hinted that our Mother England had equipped Mr. Polly for the management of his internal concerns no whit1 better than she had for the direction of his external affairs. With a careless generosity2 she affords her children a variety of foods unparalleled in the world’s history, and including many condiments3 and preserved preparations novel to the human economy. And Miriam did the cooking. Mr. Polly’s system, like a confused and ill-governed democracy, had been brought to a state of perpetual clamour and disorder4, demanding now evil and unsuitable internal satisfactions, such as pickles5 and vinegar and the crackling on pork, and now vindictive6 external expression, war and bloodshed throughout the world. So that Mr. Polly had been led into hatred7 and a series of disagreeable quarrels with his landlord, his wholesalers, and most of his neighbours.
Rumbold, the china dealer8 next door, seemed hostile from the first for no apparent reason, and always unpacked9 his crates11 with a full back to his new neighbour, and from the first Mr. Polly resented and hated that uncivil breadth of expressionless humanity, wanted to prod13 it, kick it, satirise it. But you cannot satirise a hack14, if you have no friend to nudge while you do it.
At last Mr. Polly could stand it no longer. He approached and prodded15 Rumbold.
“Ello!” said Rumbold, suddenly erect16 and turned about.
“Can’t we have some other point of view?” said Mr. Polly. “I’m tired of the end elevation17.”
“Eh?” said Mr. Rumbold, frankly18 puzzled.
“Of all the vertebracious animals man alone raises his face to the sky, O’ Man. Well,— why invert19 it?”
Rumbold shook his head with a helpless expression.
“Don’t like so much Arreary Pensy.”
Rumbold distressed20 in utter obscurity.
“In fact, I’m sick of your turning your back on me, see?”
A great light shone on Rumbold. “That’s what you’re talking about!” he said.
“That’s it,” said Polly.
Rumbold scratched his ear with the three strawy jampots he held in his hand. “Way the wind blows, I expect,” he said. “But what’s the fuss?”
“No fuss!” said Mr. Polly. “Passing Remark. I don’t like it, O’ Man, that’s all.”
“Can’t help it, if the wind blows my stror,” said Mr. Rumbold, still far from clear about it. . . .
“It isn’t ordinary civility,” said Mr. Polly.
“Got to unpack10 ‘ow it suits me. Can’t unpack with the stror blowing into one’s eyes.”
“Needn’t unpack like a pig rooting for truffles, need you?”
“Truffles?”
“Needn’t unpack like a pig.”
Mr. Rumbold apprehended21 something.
“Pig!” he said, impressed. “You calling me a pig?”
“It’s the side I seem to get of you.”
“‘Ere,” said Mr. Rumbold, suddenly fierce and shouting and marking his point with gesticulated jampots, “you go indoors. I don’t want no row with you, and I don’t want you to row with me. I don’t know what you’re after, but I’m a peaceable man — teetotaller, too, and a good thing if you was. See? You go indoors!”
“You mean to say — I’m asking you civilly to stop unpacking22 — with your back to me.”
“Pig ain’t civil, and you ain’t sober. You go indoors and lemme go on unpacking. You — you’re excited.”
“D’you mean —!” Mr. Polly was foiled.
He perceived an immense solidity about Rumbold.
“Get back to your shop and lemme get on with my business,” said Mr. Rumbold. “Stop calling me pigs. See? Sweep your pavemint.”
“I came here to make a civil request.”
“You came ’ere to make a row. I don’t want no truck with you. See? I don’t like the looks of you. See? And I can’t stand ’ere all day arguing. See?”
Pause of mutual23 inspection24.
It occurred to Mr. Polly that probably he was to some extent in the wrong.
Mr. Rumbold, blowing heavily, walked past him, deposited the jampots in his shop with an immense affectation that there was no Mr. Polly in the world, returned, turned a scornful back on Mr. Polly and dived to the interior of the crate12. Mr. Polly stood baffled. Should he kick this solid mass before him? Should he administer a resounding25 kick?
No!
He plunged26 his hands deeply into his trowser pockets, began to whistle and returned to his own doorstep with an air of profound unconcern. There for a time, to the tune27 of “Men of Harlech,” he contemplated28 the receding29 possibility of kicking Mr. Rumbold hard. It would be splendid — and for the moment satisfying. But he decided30 not to do it. For indefinable reasons he could not do it. He went indoors and straightened up his dress ties very slowly and thoughtfully. Presently he went to the window and regarded Mr. Rumbold obliquely31. Mr. Rumbold was still unpacking. . . .
Mr. Polly had no human intercourse32 thereafter with Rumbold for fifteen years. He kept up a Hate.
There was a time when it seemed as if Rumbold might go, but he had a meeting of his creditors33 and then went on unpacking as obtusely34 as ever.
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whit
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| n.一点，丝毫 | |
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generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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condiments
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| n.调味品 | |
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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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pickles
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| n.腌菜( pickle的名词复数 )；处于困境；遇到麻烦；菜酱 | |
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vindictive
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| adj.有报仇心的，怀恨的，惩罚的 | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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dealer
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| n.商人，贩子 | |
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unpacked
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| v.从（包裹等）中取出（所装的东西），打开行李取出( unpack的过去式和过去分词 )；拆包；解除…的负担；吐露（心事等） | |
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unpack
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| vt.打开包裹（或行李），卸货 | |
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crates
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| n. 板条箱, 篓子, 旧汽车 vt. 装进纸条箱 | |
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crate
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| vt.(up)把…装入箱中；n.板条箱，装货箱 | |
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prod
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| vt.戳，刺；刺激，激励 | |
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hack
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| n.劈，砍，出租马车；v.劈，砍，干咳 | |
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prodded
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| v.刺，戳( prod的过去式和过去分词 )；刺激；促使；（用手指或尖物）戳 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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invert
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| vt.使反转，使颠倒，使转化 | |
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distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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apprehended
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| 逮捕，拘押( apprehend的过去式和过去分词 )； 理解 | |
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unpacking
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| n.取出货物，拆包[箱]v.从（包裹等）中取出（所装的东西），打开行李取出( unpack的现在分词 )；拆包；解除…的负担；吐露（心事等） | |
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mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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resounding
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| adj. 响亮的 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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27
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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receding
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的现在分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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obliquely
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| adv.斜； 倾斜； 间接； 不光明正大 | |
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intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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creditors
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| n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 ) | |
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obtusely
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| adv.钝地，圆头地 | |
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