Of Fingall; the kindly1 look of his eyes.
It is not now a shadow which deludes2
My sight.—These are his hands.—I feel their warm
Pressure.”
“Has the bright tear of joy no welcome told?”
Julia, supported and advised by Frances, made great exertions4 to seem to partake, with a natural share of interest, in the general joy, without betraying her own peculiar5 emotions.
In the evening, for the sake of appearances, she ventured to leave her room. She had just[49] taken her place at the tea-table, when a hasty step was heard without.
The door flew open, and Edmund entered! Mrs. Montgomery threw over her footstool and little table, and dropped her spectacles, in hastening to meet him. She clasped him to her heart and wept! Frances, without one thought of reserve, flew into his arms, and clung round his neck, as she was wont6 to do when a child, exclaiming, “Dear, dear Edmund, you are safe!” And Julia trembled and turned pale, as, emboldened7 by the reception her sister had given him, yet colouring excessively, he approached and folded her also for one moment to his breast; for by an effort she had risen, and stood upright before her chair, though literally8 unable to move from it. She sunk on her seat again, but kindly smiled as she looked up through tears[50] of joy, and Edmund still retaining her hand, she returned the pressure of his, more than once, as a sort of apology, each time, for her utter failure in an attempt to speak.
“And were you not even wounded, my dear boy?” said Mrs. Montgomery.
“Nothing more than slight contusions, ma’am,” he replied; “the ball struck one fluke of the anchor, and the shock which I experienced, as I stood on the other, was more like electricity than any thing else.”
“But tell me how you came to stand on the anchor?” asked Mrs. Montgomery, “I could not comprehend one half of what the papers said about it.”
“I thought the anchor was always in the bottom of the sea!” said Frances.
“Why,” replied Edmund, to Mrs. Montgomery, after answering Frances’ interruption[51] with an amused smile, “the enemy had ceased firing, so that I thought it probable they were about to strike; and, in that case, you know, it would not have been desirable to have fired into them again, as we might have sacrificed lives unnecessarily, so that I merely ran forward to the forecastle, and jumped from thence on the fluke of the anchor, which was made fast to the bows, and where I stood waiting for the dispersion of the smoke of our own guns, to ascertain9 the point, of whether the last of the enemy had hauled down her colours or not.”
“Why, my dear, you are as bad as the papers!” said Mrs. Montgomery, “I hardly know what you are talking about!” Edmund laughed, and declared he did not know how to explain himself more clearly. He tried, however, practical methods; cups, saucers, snuffer-stand, sugar-tongs, &c., were all put in requisition.[52] At length, by means of the latter implement10, the ladies were made to comprehend, that when the ball struck one fluke of the anchor, the shock was communicated to our hero as he stood on the other.
Here he made his meaning still more obvious, by causing the bit of biscuit, which, perched on one end of the sugar-tongs, had hitherto personated himself, to spring off with a sudden jerk. It flew—where?—in Julia’s face! and thence fell on her bosom11, where it concealed12 itself behind the neatly13 plaited cambrick tucker, of a certain snowy inner garment of fine linen14, and became the companion of a small gold heart containing otto of rose, and appended to a thread-like gold chain, which, any one who cared to notice such trifles might observe, Julia never went without.
This chain, if truth must be told, was, in fact, one of Edmund’s boyish keepsakes;[53] when, out of the first prize money he ever received, he brought one home to each of his little sisters. It would be a sad betraying of secrets, however, to mention how often, on subsequent returns, the course of that small shining line had been traced by the adventurous15 eyes of our hero, till its further wanderings were lost to view; or, how often, latterly, its trembling movement, had betrayed to his eye only, the sigh which was inaudible to all, and to all but Edmund imperceptible.
But to return, our hero made a thousand apologies for the first piece of impertinence committed by his representative. Whether its further intrusion had been observed by any one but Julia herself, we are not aware. But what will sensible people say, when we confess that our heroine actually preserved this strange likeness16 of a lover, and even took a sly opportunity[54] of slipping it into the interior of the said golden heart.
“And you may judge,” continued Edmund, when, after concluding reiterated17 apologies, he resumed his account of himself, “you may judge what force there must have been in the impetus18 given by the shock I received, when it flung me in on the forecastle, to all appearance lifeless.”
“And how long did you remain insensible?” asked Mrs. Montgomery, taking his hand kindly, and looking in his face, with the greatest anxiety.
“I was myself again in a few minutes,” he replied, “it was the people on the forecastle, who, when they saw me actually lifted from among them, and borne through the air over their heads, very naturally supposed I had been shot away, the same mistake it seems was made[55] by the crew of our Tender, which was at the time under orders to sail for the fleet, with intelligence of the capture of the enemy’s ships, as soon as the last should be seen to strike. But I really had not time to recollect19 the possibility of such an occurrence, there was so much promptitude and exertion3 necessary from the moment I was again on my feet, in getting the ship afloat during the flood tide.”
“You must have had a great superiority of numbers to contend with;” said Mrs. Montgomery, “the public prints describe your prizes as forming quite a little squadron in themselves, as you led them towards the fleet.”
“How much better those cakes are than our sea biscuits,” said Edmund, offering the plate to both the sisters. “It was rather a rash business!” he added, in a grave tone, turning again to Mrs. Montgomery. Then, with an[56] effort at gaiety, he continued, “such as it was, however, I owe to it my present happiness; for had not my ship suffered so severely20, as to render refitting indispensable, I should, at this moment, have been with the fleet off * * * *. Fitz-Ullin too was obliged to come into port to repair.” And Edmund here entered on the praises of his friend’s good and amiable21 qualities with great warmth.
He was soon, however, interrupted, by the entrance of Mr. Jackson, whom the joyful22 tidings of his arrival had summoned. Our hero had but one day to remain at Lodore.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
kindly
|
|
| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
deludes
|
|
| v.欺骗，哄骗( delude的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
exertion
|
|
| n.尽力，努力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
exertions
|
|
| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
peculiar
|
|
| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
wont
|
|
| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
emboldened
|
|
| v.鼓励，使有胆量( embolden的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
literally
|
|
| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
ascertain
|
|
| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
implement
|
|
| n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
bosom
|
|
| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
concealed
|
|
| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
neatly
|
|
| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
linen
|
|
| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
adventurous
|
|
| adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
likeness
|
|
| n.相像，相似（之处） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
reiterated
|
|
| 反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
impetus
|
|
| n.推动，促进，刺激；推动力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
recollect
|
|
| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
severely
|
|
| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
amiable
|
|
| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
joyful
|
|
| adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |