He had embarked1 upon a lively career — that gambling2 trade known as dealing3 in stock.
When he was not away in Riverina inspecting a flock of sheep, he was attending the Homebush Fat Stock Sales, rushing away out to Bourke, or tearing off down the Shoalhaven to buy some dairy heifers.
He was a familiar figure at the Goulburn sale-yards every Wednesday, always going into town the day before and not returning till a day, and often two days, afterwards.
He was in great demand among drovers and auctioneers; and in the stock news his name was always mentioned in connection with all the principal sales in the colony.
It takes an astute4, clear-headed man to keep himself off shore in stock dealing. I never yet heard of a dealer5 who occasionally did not temporarily, if not totally, go to the wall.
He need not necessarily be downright unscrupulous, but if he wishes to profit he must not be overburdened with niceties in the point of honour. That is where Richard Melvyn fell through. He was crippled with too many Utopian ideas of honesty, and was too soft ever to come off anything but second-best in a deal. He might as well have attempted to make his fortune by scraping a fiddle6 up and down Auburn Street, Goulburn. His dealing career was short and merry. His vanity to be considered a socialistic fellow, who was as ready to take a glass with a swaggie as a swell7, and the lavish8 shouting which this principle incurred9, made great inroads on his means. Losing money every time he sold a beast, wasting stamps galore on letters to endless auctioneers, frequently remaining in town half a week at a stretch, and being hail-fellow to all the spongers to be found on the trail of such as he, quickly left him on the verge10 of bankruptcy11. Some of his contemporaries say it was grog that did it all.
Had he kept clear-headed he was a smart fellow, and gave promise of doing well, but his head would not stand alcohol, and by it he was undermined in no time. In considerably12 less than a twelvemonth all the spare capital in his coffers from the disposal of Bruggabrong and the Bin13 Bins14 had been squandered15. He had become so hard up that to pay the drovers in his last venture he was forced to sell the calves16 of the few milch-cows retained for household uses.
At this time it came to my father’s knowledge that one of our bishops17 had money held in trust for the Church. On good security he was giving this out for usury18, the same as condemned19 in the big Bible, out of which he took the text of the dry-hash sermons with which he bored his fashionable congregations in his cathedral on Sundays.
Father took advantage of this Reverend’s inconsistency and mortgaged Possum Gully. With the money thus obtained he started once more and managed to make a scant20 livelihood21 and pay the interest on the bishop’s loan. In four or five years he had again reached loggerheads. The price of stock had fallen so that there was nothing to be made out of dealing in them.
Richard Melvyn resolved to live as those around him — start a dairy; run it with his family, who would also rear poultry22 for sale.
As instruments of the dairying trade he procured23 fifty milch-cows, the calves of which had to be “poddied”, and a hand cream-separator.
I was in my fifteenth year when we began dairying; the twins Horace and Gertie were, as you already know, eleven months younger. Horace, had there been any one to train him, contained the makings of a splendid man; but having no one to bring him up in the way he should go, he was a churlish and trying bully24, and the issue of his character doubtful.
Gertie milked thirteen cows, and I eighteen, morning and evening. Horace and mother, between them, milked the remaining seventeen.
Among the dairying fraternity little toddlers, ere they are big enough to hold a bucket, learn to milk. Thus their hands become inured25 to the motion, and it does not affect them. With us it was different. Being almost full grown when we started to milk, and then plunging26 heavily into the exercise, it had a painful effect upon us. Our hands and arms, as far as the elbows, swelled27, so that our sleep at night was often disturbed by pain.
Mother made the butter. She had to rise at two and three o’clock in the morning, in order that it would be cool and firm enough to print for market.
Jane Haizelip had left us a year previously28, and we could afford no one to take her place. The heavy work told upon my gentle, refined mother. She grew thin and careworn29, and often cross. My father’s share of the work was to break in the wild cows, separate the milk, and take the butter into town to the grocer’s establishment where we obtained our supplies.
Dick Melvyn of Bruggabrong was not recognizable in Dick Melvyn, dairy farmer and cocky of Possum Gully. The former had been a man worthy30 of the name. The latter was a slave of drink, careless, even dirty and bedraggled in his personal appearance. He disregarded all manners, and had become far more plebeian31 and common than the most miserable32 specimen33 of humanity around him. The support of his family, yet not, its support. The head of his family, yet failing to fulfil the obligations demanded of one in that capacity. He seemed to lose all love and interest in his family, and grew cross and silent, utterly34 without pride and pluck. Formerly35 so kind and gentle with animals, now he was the reverse.
His cruelty to the young cows and want of patience with them I can never forget. It has often brought upon me the threat of immediate36 extermination37 for volunteering scathing38 and undesired opinions on his conduct.
The part of the dairying that he positively39 gloried in was going to town with the butter. He frequently remained in for two or three days, as often as not spending all the money he got for the butter in a drunken spree. Then he would return to curse his luck because his dairy did not pay as well as those of some of our neighbours.
The curse of Eve being upon my poor mother in those days, she was unable to follow her husband. Pride forbade her appealing to her neighbours, so on me devolved the duty of tracking my father from one pub to another and bringing him home.
Had I done justice to my mother’s training I would have honoured my paternal40 parent in spite of all this, but I am an individual ever doing things I oughtn’t at the time I shouldn’t.
Coming home, often after midnight, with my drunken father talking maudlin41 conceited42 nonsense beside me, I developed curious ideas on the fifth commandment. Those journeys in the spring-cart through the soft faint starlight were conducive43 to thought. My father, like most men when under the influence of liquor, would allow no one but himself to handle the reins44, and he was often so incapable45 that he would keep turning the horse round and round in the one place. It is a marvel46 we never met with an accident. I was not nervous, but quite content to take whatever came, and our trusty old horse fulfilled his duty, ever faithfully taking us home along the gum-tree-lined road.
My mother had taught me from the Bible that I should honour my parents, whether they were deserving of honour or not.
Dick Melvyn being my father did not blind me to the fact that he was a despicable, selfish, weak creature, and as such I despised him with the relentlessness47 of fifteen, which makes no allowance for human frailty48 and weakness. Disgust, not honour, was the feeling which possessed49 me when I studied the matter.
Towards mother I felt differently. A woman is but the helpless tool of man — a creature of circumstances.
Seeing my father beside me, and thinking of his infant with its mother, eating her heart out with anxiety at home, this was the reasoning which took possession of me. Among other such inexpressible thoughts I got lost, grew dizzy, and drew back appalled50 at the spirit which was maturing within me. It was a grim lonely one, which I vainly tried to hide in a bosom51 which was not big or strong enough for its comfortable habitation. It was as a climbing plant without a pole — it groped about the ground, bruised52 itself, and became hungry searching for something strong to which to cling. Needing a master-hand to train and prune53, it was becoming rank and sour.
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1
embarked
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| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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2
gambling
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| n.赌博；投机 | |
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dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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astute
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| adj.机敏的，精明的 | |
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dealer
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| n.商人，贩子 | |
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6
fiddle
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| n.小提琴；vi.拉提琴；不停拨弄，乱动 | |
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7
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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lavish
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| adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍 | |
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9
incurred
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| [医]招致的，遭受的； incur的过去式 | |
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verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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bankruptcy
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| n.破产；无偿付能力 | |
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12
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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bin
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| n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
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14
bins
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| n.大储藏箱( bin的名词复数 )；宽口箱（如面包箱，垃圾箱等）v.扔掉，丢弃( bin的第三人称单数 ) | |
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15
squandered
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| v.（指钱，财产等）浪费，乱花( squander的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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16
calves
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| n.(calf的复数)笨拙的男子，腓；腿肚子( calf的名词复数 )；牛犊；腓；小腿肚v.生小牛( calve的第三人称单数 )；（冰川）崩解；生（小牛等），产（犊）；使（冰川）崩解 | |
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17
bishops
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| （基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象 | |
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18
usury
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| n.高利贷 | |
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condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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20
scant
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| adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略 | |
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21
livelihood
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| n.生计，谋生之道 | |
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22
poultry
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| n.家禽，禽肉 | |
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23
procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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24
bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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inured
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| adj.坚强的，习惯的 | |
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26
plunging
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| adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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27
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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28
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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careworn
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| adj.疲倦的，饱经忧患的 | |
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30
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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31
plebeian
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| adj.粗俗的；平民的；n.平民；庶民 | |
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32
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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35
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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36
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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extermination
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| n.消灭，根绝 | |
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38
scathing
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| adj.（言词、文章）严厉的，尖刻的；不留情的adv.严厉地，尖刻地v.伤害，损害（尤指使之枯萎）( scathe的现在分词) | |
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39
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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40
paternal
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| adj.父亲的，像父亲的，父系的，父方的 | |
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41
maudlin
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| adj.感情脆弱的，爱哭的 | |
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42
conceited
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| adj.自负的，骄傲自满的 | |
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43
conducive
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| adj.有益的，有助的 | |
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44
reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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45
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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46
marvel
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| vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事 | |
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47
relentlessness
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48
frailty
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| n.脆弱；意志薄弱 | |
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49
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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50
appalled
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| v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的 | |
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51
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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52
bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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53
prune
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| n.酶干；vt.修剪，砍掉，削减；vi.删除 | |
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