Miss Brewster- we had learned her name from the engineer- slept on and on. At supper I requested the hunters to lower their voices, so she was not disturbed; and it was not till next morning that she made her appearance. It had been my intention to have her meals served apart, but Wolf Larsen put down his foot. Who was she that she should be too good for cabin table and cabin society? had been his demand.
But her coming to the table had something amusing in it. The hunters fell as silent as clams7. Jock Horner and Smoke alone were unabashed, stealing stealthy glances at her now and again, and even taking part in the conversation. The other four men glued their eyes on their plates and chewed steadily9 and with thoughtful precision, their ears moving and wabbling, in time with their jaws10, like the ears of so many animals.
Wolf Larsen had little to say at first, doing no more than reply when he was addressed. Not that he was abashed8. Far from it. This woman was a new type to him, a different breed from any he had ever known, and he was curious. He studied her, his eyes rarely leaving her face, unless to follow the movements of her hands or shoulders. I studied her myself, and though it was I who maintained the conversation, I know that I was a bit shy, not quite self-possessed. His was the perfect poise11, the supreme12 confidence in self which nothing could shake; and he was no more timid of a woman than he was of storm and battle.
'And when shall we arrive at Yokohama?' she asked, turning to him and looking him square in the eyes.
There it was, the question flat. The jaws stopped working, the ears ceased wabbling, and though eyes remained on plates, each man listened greedily for the answer.
'In four months, possibly three, if the season closes early,' Wolf Larsen said. She caught her breath and stammered:
'I- I thought- I was given to understand that Yokohama was only a day's sail away. It- ' Here she paused and looked about the table at the circle of unsympathetic faces staring hard at the plates. 'It is not right,' she concluded.
'That is a question you must settle with Mr. Van Weyden there,' he replied, bowing to me with a mischievous13 twinkle. 'Mr. Van Weyden is what you may call an authority on such things as rights. Now I, who am only a sailor, would look upon the situation somewhat differently. It may possibly be your misfortune that you have to remain with us, but it is certainly our good fortune.'
He regarded her smilingly. Her eyes fell before his gaze, but she lifted them again, and defiantly14, to mine. I read the unspoken question there: Was it right? But I had decided15 that the part I was to play must be a neutral one, so I did not answer.
'What do you think?' she demanded.
'It is unfortunate,' I said, 'especially if you have any engagements falling due in the course of the next several months. But, since you say that you were voyaging to Japan for your health, I can assure you that it will improve no better anywhere than aboard the Ghost.'
I saw her eyes flash with indignation, and this time it was I who dropped mine, while I felt my face flushing under her gaze. It was cowardly, but what else could I do?
'Mr. Van Weyden speaks with the voice of authority.' Wolf Larsen laughed.
I nodded my head and she, having recovered herself, waited expectantly.
'Not that he is much to speak of now,' Wolf Larsen went on; 'but he has improved wonderfully. You should have seen him when he came on board. A more scrawny, pitiful specimen16 of humanity one could hardly conceive. Isn't that so, Kerfoot?'
Kerfoot, thus directly addressed, was startled into dropping his knife on the floor, though he managed to grunt17 affirmation.
'Developed himself by peeling potatoes and washing dishes. Eh, Kerfoot?'
Again that worthy18 grunted19.
'Look at him now. True, he is not what you would term muscular, but still he has muscles, which is more than he had when he came aboard. Also, he has legs to stand on. You would not think so to look at him, but he was quite unable to stand alone at first.'
The hunters were snickering, but she looked at me with a sympathy in her eyes which more than compensated20 for Wolf Larsen's nastiness. In truth, it had been so long since I had received sympathy that I was softened21, and I became then, and gladly, her willing slave. But I was angry with Wolf Larsen. He was challenging my manhood with his slurs22, challenging the very legs he claimed to be instrumental in getting for me.
'I may have learned to stand on my own legs,' I retorted. 'But I have yet to stamp upon others with them.'
He looked at me insolently23. 'Your education is only half completed, then,' he said dryly, and turned to her. 'We are very hospitable24 upon the Ghost. Mr. Van Weyden has discovered that. We do everything to make our guests feel at home, eh, Mr. Van Weyden?'
'Even to the peeling of potatoes and the washing of dishes,' I answered, 'to say nothing of wringing25 their necks, out of very fellowship.'
'I beg of you not to receive false impressions of us from Mr. Van Weyden,' he interposed with mock anxiety. 'You will observe, Miss Brewster, that he carries a dirk in his belt, a- ahem- a most unusual thing for a ship's officer to do. While really very estimable, Mr. Van Weyden is sometimes- how shall I say?- er- quarrelsome, and harsh measures are necessary. He is quite reasonable and fair in his calm moments, and as he is calm now, he will not deny that only yesterday he threatened my life.'
I was well-nigh choking, and my eyes were certainly fiery27. He drew attention to me.
'Look at him now. He can scarcely control himself in your presence. He is not accustomed to the presence of ladies, anyway. I shall have to arm myself before I dare go on deck with him.'
He shook his head sadly, murmuring, 'Too bad, too bad,' while the hunters burst into guffaws28 of laughter.
The deep sea-voices of these men, rumbling29 and bellowing30 in the confined space, produced a wild effect. The whole setting was wild, and for the first time, regarding this strange woman and realizing how incongruous she was in it, I was aware of how much a part of it I was myself. I knew these men and their mental processes, was one of them myself, living the seal-hunting life, eating the seal-hunting fare, thinking largely the seal-hunting thoughts. There was no strangeness to it, to the rough clothes, the coarse faces, the wild laughter, and the lurching cabin walls and swaying sea-lamps.
As I buttered a piece of bread and my eyes chanced to rest upon my hand. The knuckles31 were skinned and inflamed32 clear across, the fingers swollen33, the nails rimmed34 with black. I felt the mattress-like growth of beard on my neck, knew that the sleeve of my coat was ripped, that a button was missing from the throat of the blue shirt I wore. The dirk mentioned by Wolf Larsen rested in its sheath on my hip26. It was very natural that it should be there- how natural I had not imagined until now, when I looked upon it with her eyes and knew how strange it and all that went with it must appear to her.
But she divined the mockery in Wolf Larsen's words, and again favored me with a sympathetic glance. But there was a look of bewilderment also in her eyes. That it was mockery made the situation more puzzling to her.
'I may be taken off by some passing vessel, perhaps,' she suggested.
'There will be no passing vessels35, except other sealing-schooners,' Wolf Larsen made answer.
'I have no clothes, nothing,' she objected. 'You hardly realize, sir, that I am not a man, or that I am unaccustomed to the vagrant37, careless life which you and your men seem to lead.'
'The sooner you get accustomed to it the better,' he said. 'I'll furnish you with cloth, needles, and thread,' he added. 'I hope it will not be too dreadful a hardship for you to make yourself a dress or two.'
She made a wry38 pucker39 with her mouth, as though to advertise her ignorance of dressmaking. That she was frightened and bewildered, and that she was bravely striving to hide it, was quite plain to me.
'I suppose you're like Mr. Van Weyden there, accustomed to having things done for you. Well, I think doing a few things for yourself will hardly dislocate any joints40. By the way, what do you for a living?'
She regarded him with amazement41 unconcealed.
'I mean no offense42, believe me. People eat, therefore they must procure43 the wherewithal. These men here shoot seals in order to live; for the same reason I sail this schooner36; and Mr. Van Weyden, for the present at any rate, earns his salty grub by assisting me. Now what do you do?'
She shrugged44 her shoulders.
'Do you feed yourself, or does some one else feed you?'
'I'm afraid some one else has fed me most of my life,' she laughed, trying bravely to enter into the spirit of his quizzing, though I could see a terror dawning and growing in her eyes as she watched Wolf Larsen.
'And I suppose some one else makes your bed for you?'
'I have made beds,' she replied.
'Very often?'
She shook her head with mock ruefulness.
'Do you know what they do to poor men in the States who, like you, do not work for their living?'
'I am very ignorant,' she pleaded. 'What do they do to the poor men who are like me?'
'They send them to jail. The crime of not earning a living, in their case, is called vagrancy45. If I were Mr. Van Weyden, who harps46 eternally on questions of right and wrong, I'd ask, By what right do you live when you do nothing to deserve living?'
'But as you are not Mr. Van Weyden, I don't have to answer, do I?'
She beamed upon him through her terror-filled eyes, and the pathos47 of it cut me to the heart. I felt that I must in some way break in and lead the conversation into other channels.
'Have you ever earned a dollar by your own labor48?' he demanded, certain of her answer, a triumphant49 vindictiveness50 in his voice.
'Yes, I have,' she answered slowly, and I could have laughed aloud at his crestfallen51 visage. 'I remember my father giving me a dollar once, when I was a little girl, for remaining absolutely quiet for five minutes.'
He smiled indulgently.
'But that was long ago,' she continued. 'And you would scarcely demand a little girl of nine to earn her own living. At present, however,' she said, after another slight pause, 'I earn about eighteen hundred dollars a year.'
With one accord all eyes left the plates and settled on her. A woman who earned eighteen hundred dollars a year was worth looking at. Wolf Larsen was undisguised in his admiration52.
'Salary or piece-work?' he asked.
'Piece-work,' she answered promptly53.
'Eighteen hundred,' he calculated. 'That's a hundred and fifty dollars a month. Well, Miss Brewster, there is nothing small about the Ghost. Consider yourself on salary during the time you remain with us.'
She made no acknowledgment. She was too unused as yet to the whims54 of the man to accept them with equanimity55.
'I forgot to inquire,' he went on suavely56, 'as to the nature of your occupation. What commodities do you turn out? What tools and materials do you require?'
'Paper and ink,' she laughed. 'And, oh! also a typewriter.'
'You are Maud Brewster,' I said slowly and with certainty, almost as though I were charging her with a crime.
Her eyes lifted curiously57 to mine.
'How do you know?'
'Aren't you?' I demanded.
She acknowledged her identity with a nod. It was Wolf Larsen's turn to be puzzled. The name and its magic signified nothing to him. I was proud that it did mean something to me, and for the first time in a weary while I was convincingly conscious of a superiority over him.
'I remember writing a review of a thin little volume-' I had begun carelessly, when she interrupted me.
'You!' she cried. 'You are-'
She was now staring at me in wide-eyed wonder.
I nodded my identity, in turn.
'Humphrey Van Weyden,' she concluded; then added, with a sigh of relief and unaware58 that she had glanced that relief at Wolf Larsen, 'I am so glad.'
'I remember the review,' she went on hastily, becoming aware of the awkwardness of her remark, 'that too, too flattering review.'
'Not at all,' I denied valiantly59. 'You impeach60 my sober judgment61 and make my canons of little worth, Besides, all my brother critics were with me.'
'You are very kind, I am sure, she murmured; and the very conventionality of her tones and words, with the host of associations it aroused of the old life on the other side of the world, gave me a quick thrill- rich with rememberance but stinging sharp with homesickness.
'And you are Maud Brewster,' I said solemnly, gazing across at her.
'And you are Humphrey Van Weyden,' she said, gazing back at me with equal solemnity and awe4. 'How unusual! I don't understand. We surely are not to expect some wildly romantic sea-story from your sober pen.'
'No, I am not gathering62 material, I assure you,' was my answer. 'I have neither aptitude63 nor inclination64 for fiction.'
'Tell me, why have you always buried yourself in California?' she next asked. 'It has not been kind of you. We of the East have seen so very little of you- too little indeed of the Dean of American Letters the Second.'
I bowed to, and disclaimed65, the compliment.
'I nearly met you, once, in Philadelphia, some Browning affair or other- you were to lecture, you know. My train was four hours late.'
And then we quite forgot where we were, leaving Wolf Larsen stranded66 and silent in the midst of our flood of gossip. The hunters left the table and went on deck, and still we talked. Wolf Larsen alone remained. Suddenly I became aware of him, leaning back from the table and listening curiously to our alien speech of a world he did not know.
I broke short off in the middle of a sentence. The present, with all its perils67 and anxieties, rushed upon me with stunning68 force. It smote69 Miss Brewster likewise, a vague and nameless terror rushing into her eyes as she regarded Wolf Larsen.
He rose to his feet and laughed awkwardly. The sound of it was metallic70.
'Oh, don't mind me,' he said, with a self-depreciatory wave of his hand.
'I don't count. Go on, go on, I pray you.'
But the gates of speech were closed, and we, too, rose from the table and laughed awkwardly.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
gale
|
|
| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
outfits
|
|
| n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 )；一套服装；集体；组织v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
vessel
|
|
| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
awe
|
|
| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
awed
|
|
| adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
woe
|
|
| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
clams
|
|
| n.蛤；蚌，蛤( clam的名词复数 )v.（在沙滩上）挖蛤( clam的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
abashed
|
|
| adj.窘迫的，尴尬的v.使羞愧，使局促，使窘迫( abash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
steadily
|
|
| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
jaws
|
|
| n.口部；嘴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
poise
|
|
| vt./vi. 平衡，保持平衡；n.泰然自若，自信 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
supreme
|
|
| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
mischievous
|
|
| adj.调皮的，恶作剧的，有害的，伤人的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
defiantly
|
|
| adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
decided
|
|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
specimen
|
|
| n.样本，标本 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
grunt
|
|
| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
worthy
|
|
| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
grunted
|
|
| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
compensated
|
|
| 补偿，报酬( compensate的过去式和过去分词 )； 给（某人）赔偿（或赔款） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
softened
|
|
| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
slurs
|
|
| 含糊的发音( slur的名词复数 )； 玷污； 连奏线； 连唱线 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
insolently
|
|
| adv.自豪地，自傲地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
hospitable
|
|
| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
wringing
|
|
| 淋湿的，湿透的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
hip
|
|
| n.臀部，髋；屋脊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
fiery
|
|
| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
guffaws
|
|
| n.大笑，狂笑( guffaw的名词复数 )v.大笑，狂笑( guffaw的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
rumbling
|
|
| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
bellowing
|
|
| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的现在分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
knuckles
|
|
| n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
inflamed
|
|
| adj.发炎的，红肿的v.（使）变红，发怒，过热( inflame的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
swollen
|
|
| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
rimmed
|
|
| adj.有边缘的，有框的v.沿…边缘滚动；给…镶边 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
vessels
|
|
| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
schooner
|
|
| n.纵帆船 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
vagrant
|
|
| n.流浪者，游民；adj.流浪的，漂泊不定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
wry
|
|
| adj.讽刺的；扭曲的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
pucker
|
|
| v.撅起，使起皱；n.（衣服上的）皱纹，褶子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
joints
|
|
| 接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
amazement
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
offense
|
|
| n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
procure
|
|
| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
shrugged
|
|
| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
vagrancy
|
|
| （说话的，思想的）游移不定； 漂泊； 流浪； 离题 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
harps
|
|
| abbr.harpsichord 拨弦古钢琴n.竖琴( harp的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
pathos
|
|
| n.哀婉，悲怆 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
labor
|
|
| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
triumphant
|
|
| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
vindictiveness
|
|
| 恶毒；怀恨在心 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
crestfallen
|
|
| adj. 挫败的，失望的，沮丧的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
admiration
|
|
| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
promptly
|
|
| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
WHIMS
|
|
| 虚妄，禅病 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
equanimity
|
|
| n.沉着，镇定 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
suavely
|
|
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
curiously
|
|
| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
unaware
|
|
| a.不知道的，未意识到的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
valiantly
|
|
| adv.勇敢地，英勇地；雄赳赳 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
impeach
|
|
| v.弹劾；检举 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
judgment
|
|
| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
gathering
|
|
| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
aptitude
|
|
| n.(学习方面的)才能，资质，天资 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
inclination
|
|
| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
disclaimed
|
|
| v.否认( disclaim的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
stranded
|
|
| a.搁浅的，进退两难的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
perils
|
|
| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
stunning
|
|
| adj.极好的；使人晕倒的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
smote
|
|
| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
metallic
|
|
| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |