On the following day Bobby received a letter of quite a different nature:
It’s all fixed1, old boy, (wrote Badger2 in an illiteratescrawl which reflected no credit on the expensive pub-lic school which had educated him). Actually got fivecars yesterday for fifteen pounds the lot—an Austin, twoMorrises and a couple of Rovers. At the moment they won’tactually go, but we can tinker them up sufficiently3, Ithink. Dash it all, a car’s a car, after all. So long as it takesthe purchaser home without breaking down, that’s allthey can expect. I thought of opening up Monday week andam relying on you, so don’t let me down, will you, old boy?
I must say old Aunt Carrie was a sport. I once broke thewindow of an old boy next door to her who’d been rude toher about her cats and she never got over it. Sent me a fiverevery Christmas—and now this.
We’re bound to succeed. The thing’s a dead cert. I mean, acar’s a car after all. You can pick ’em up for nothing. Put alick of paint on and that’s all the ordinary fool notices. Thething will go with a Bang. Now don’t forget. Monday week.
I’m relying on you.
Yours ever,
Badger.
Bobby informed his father that he would be going up to town onMonday week to take up a job. The description of the job did not rouse theVicar to anything like enthusiasm. He had, it may be pointed4 out, comeacross Badger Beadon in the past. He merely treated Bobby to a long lec-ture on the advisability of not making himself liable for anything. Not anauthority on fianancial or business matters, his advice was technicallyvague, but its meaning unmistakable.
On the Wednesday of that week Bobby received another letter. It wasaddressed in a foreign slanting6 handwriting. Its contents were somewhatsurprising to the young man.
It was from the firm of Henriquez and Dallo in Buenos Aires and, to putit concisely7, it offered Bobby a job in the firm with a salary of a thousand ayear.
For the first minute or two the young man thought he must be dream-ing. A thousand a year. He reread the letter more carefully. There wasmention of an ex-Naval man being preferred. A suggestion that Bobby’sname had been put forward by someone (someone not named). That ac-ceptance must be immediate8, and that Bobby must be prepared to start forBuenos Aires within a week.
“Well, I’m damned!” said Bobby, giving vent9 to his feelings in a some-what unfortunate manner.
“Bobby!”
“Sorry, Dad. Forgot you were there.”
Mr. Jones cleared his throat.
“I should like to point out to you—”
Bobby felt that this process—usually a long one—must at all costs beavoided. He achieved this course by a simple statement:
“Someone’s offered me a thousand a year.”
The Vicar remained openmouthed, unable for the moment to make anycomment.
“That’s put him off his drive all right,” thought Bobby with satisfaction.
“My dear Bobby, did I understand you to say that someone had offeredyou a thousand a year? A thousand?”
“Holed it in one, Dad,” said Bobby.
“It’s impossible,” said the Vicar.
Bobby was not hurt by this frank incredulity. His estimate of his ownmonetary value differed little from that of his father.
“They must be complete mutts,” he agreed heartily10.
“Who—er—are these people?”
Bobby handed him the letter. The Vicar, fumbling11 for his pince- nez,peered at it suspiciously. Finally he perused12 it twice.
“Most remarkable13,” he said at last. “Most remarkable.”
“Lunatics,” said Bobby.
“Ah! my boy,” said the Vicar. “It is after all, a great thing to be an Eng-lishman. Honesty. That’s what we stand for. The Navy has carried thatideal all over the world. An Englishman’s world! This South Americanfirm realizes the value of a young man whose integrity will be unshakenand of whose fidelity14 his employers will be assured. You can always de-pend on an Englishman to play the game—”
“And keep a straight bat,” said Bobby.
The Vicar looked at his son doubtfully. The phrase, an excellent one, hadactually been on the tip of his tongue, but there was something in Bobby’stone that struck him as not quite sincere.
The young man, however, appeared to be perfectly15 serious.
“All the same, Dad,” he said, “why me?”
“What do you mean—why you?”
“There are a lot of Englishmen in England,” said Bobby. “Hearty fellows,full of cricketing qualities. Why pick on me?”
“Probably your late commanding officer may have recommended you.”
“Yes, I suppose that’s true,” said Bobby doubtfully. “It doesn’t matter,anyway, since I can’t take the job.”
“Can’t take it? My dear boy, what do you mean?”
“Well, I’m fixed up, you see. With Badger.”
“Badger? Badger Beadon. Nonsense, my dear Bobby. This is serious.”
“It’s a bit hard, I own,” said Bobby with a sigh.
“Any childish arrangement you have made with young Beadon cannotcount for a moment.”
“It counts with me.”
“Young Beadon is completely irresponsible. He has already, I under-stand, been a source of considerable trouble and expense to his parents.”
“He’s not had much luck. Badger’s so infernally trusting.”
“Luck—luck! I should say that young man had never done a hand’s turnin his life.”
“Nonsense, Dad. Why, he used to get up at five in the morning to feedthose beastly chickens. It wasn’t his fault they all got the roop or thecroup, or whatever it was.”
“I have never approved of this garage project. Mere5 folly16. You must giveit up.”
“Can’t sir. I’ve promised. I can’t let old Badger down. He’s counting onme.”
The discussion proceeded. The Vicar, biased17 by his views on the subjectof Badger, was quite unable to regard any promise made to that youngman as binding18. He looked on Bobby as obstinate19 and determined20 at allcosts to lead an idle life in company with one of the worse possible com-panions. Bobby, on the other hand, stolidly21 repeated without originalitythat he “couldn’t let old Badger down.”
The Vicar finally left the room in anger and Bobby then and there satdown to write to the firm of Henriquez and Dallo, refusing their offer.
He sighed as he did so. He was letting a chance go here which was neverlikely to occur again. But he saw no alternative.
Later, on the links, he put the problem to Frankie. She listened attent-ively.
“You’d have had to go to South America?”
“Yes.”
“Would you have liked that?”
“Yes, why not?”
Frankie sighed.
“Anyway,” she said with decision. “I think you did quite right.”
“About Badger, you mean?”
“Yes.”
“I couldn’t let the old bird down, could I?”
“No, but be careful the old bird, as you call him, doesn’t let you in.”
“Oh! I shall be careful. Anyway, I shall be all right. I haven’t got any as-sets.”
“That must be rather fun,” said Frankie.
“Why?”
“I don’t know why. It just sounded rather nice and free and irrespons-ible. I suppose, though, when I come to think of it, that I haven’t got anyassets much, either. I mean, Father gives me an allowance and I’ve got lotsof houses to live in and clothes and maids and some hideous22 family jewelsand a good deal of credits at shops; but that’s all the family really. It’s notme.”
“No, but all the same—” Bobby paused.
“Oh, it’s quite different, I know.”
“Yes,” said Bobby. “It’s quite different.”
He felt suddenly very depressed23.
They walked in silence to the next tee.
“I’m going to town tomorrow,” said Frankie, as Bobby teed up his ball.
“Tomorrow? Oh—and I was going to suggest you should come for a pic-nic.”
“I’d have liked to. However, it’s arranged. You see, Father’s got the goutagain.”
“You ought to stay and minister to him,” said Bobby.
“He doesn’t like being ministered to. It annoys him frightfully. He likesthe second footman best. He’s sympathetic and doesn’t mind having thingsthrown at him and being called a damned fool.”
Bobby topped his drive and it trickled24 into the bunker.
“Hard lines,” said Frankie and drove a nice straight ball that sailed overit.
“By the way,” she remarked. “We might do something together in Lon-don. You’ll be up soon?”
“On Monday. But—well—it’s no good, is it?”
“What do you mean—no good?”
“Well, I mean I shall be working as a mechanic most of the time. I mean—”
“Even then,” said Frankie, “I suppose you’re just as capable of coming toa cocktail25 party and getting tight as any other of my friends.”
Bobby merely shook his head.
“I’ll give a beer and sausage party if you prefer it,” said Frankie encour-agingly.
“Oh, look here, Frankie, what’s the good? I mean, you can’t mix yourcrowds. Your crowd’s a different crowd from mine.”
“I assure you,” said Frankie, “that my crowd is a very mixed one.”
“You’re pretending not to understand.”
“You can bring Badger if you like. There’s friendship for you.”
“You’ve got some sort of prejudice against Badger.”
“I daresay it’s his stammer26. People who stammer always make me stam-mer, too.”
“Look here, Frankie, it’s no good and you know it isn’t. It’s all rightdown here. There’s not much to do and I suppose I’m better than nothing.
I mean you’re always awfully27 decent to me and all that, and I’m grateful.
But I mean I know I’m just nobody—I mean—”
“When you’ve quite finished expressing your inferiority complex,” saidFrankie coldly, “perhaps you’ll try getting out of the bunker with a niblickinstead of a putter.”
“Have I—oh! damn!” He replaced the putter in his bag and took out theniblick. Frankie watched with malicious28 satisfaction as he hacked29 at theball five times in succession. Clouds of sand rose round them.
“Your hole,” said Bobby, picking up the ball.
“I think it is,” said Frankie. “And that gives me the match.”
“Shall we play the bye?”
“No, I don’t think so. I’ve got a lot to do.”
“Of course. I suppose you have.”
They walked together in silence to the clubhouse.
“Well,” said Frankie, holding out her hand. “Goodbye, my dear. It’s beentoo marvellous to have you to make use of while I’ve been down here. Seesomething of you again, perhaps, when I’ve nothing better to do.”
“Look here, Frankie—”
“Perhaps you’ll condescend30 to come to my coster party. I believe youcan get pearl buttons quite cheaply at Woolworth’s.”
“Frankie—”
His words were drowned in the noise of the Bentley’s engine whichFrankie had just started. She drove away with an airy wave of her hand.
“Damn!” said Bobby in a heartfelt tone.
Frankie, he considered, had behaved outrageously31. Perhaps he hadn’tput things very tactfully, but, dash it all, what he had said was trueenough.
Perhaps, though, he shouldn’t have put it into words.
The next three days seemed interminably long.
The Vicar had a sore throat which necessitated32 his speaking in a whis-per when he spoke33 at all. He spoke very little and was obviously bearinghis fourth son’s presence as a Christian34 should. Once or twice he quotedShakespeare to the effect that a serpent’s tooth, etc.
On Saturday Bobby felt that he could bear the strain of home life nolonger. He got Mrs. Roberts, who, with her husband, “ran” the Vicarage, togive him a packet of sandwiches, and, supplementing this with a bottle ofbeer which he bought in Marchbolt, he set off for a solitary35 picnic.
He had missed Frankie abominably36 these last few days. These olderpeople were the limit .?.?. They harped37 on things so.
Bobby stretched himself out on a brackeny bank and debated with him-self whether he should eat his lunch first and go to sleep afterwards, orsleep first and eat afterwards.
While he was cogitating38, the matter was settled for him by his fallingasleep without noticing it.
When he awoke it was half past three! Bobby grinned as he thought howhis father would disapprove39 of this way of spending a day. A good walkacross country—twelve miles or so—that was the kind of thing that ahealthy young man should do. It led inevitably40 to that famous remark:
“And now, I think, I’ve earned my lunch.”
“Idiotic,” thought Bobby. “Why earn lunch by doing a lot of walking youdon’t particularly want to do? What’s the merit in it? If you enjoy it, thenit’s pure self-indulgence, and if you don’t enjoy it you’re a fool to do it.”
Whereupon he fell upon his unearned lunch and ate it with gusto. Witha sigh of satisfaction he unscrewed the bottle of beer. Unusually bitterbeer, but decidedly refreshing41 .?.?.
He lay back again, having tossed the empty beer bottle into a clump42 ofheather.
He felt rather god- like lounging there. The world was at his feet. Aphrase, but a good phrase. He could do anything—anything if he tried!
Plans of great splendour and daring initiative flashed through his mind.
Then he grew sleepy again. Lethargy stole over him.
He slept. .?.?.
Heavy, numbing43 sleep .?.?.
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收听单词发音
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1
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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badger
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| v.一再烦扰，一再要求，纠缠 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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slanting
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| 倾斜的，歪斜的 | |
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7
concisely
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| adv.简明地 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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fumbling
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| n. 摸索,漏接 v. 摸索,摸弄,笨拙的处理 | |
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12
perused
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| v.读（某篇文字）( peruse的过去式和过去分词 )；（尤指）细阅；审阅；匆匆读或心不在焉地浏览（某篇文字） | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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fidelity
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| n.忠诚，忠实；精确 | |
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15
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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17
biased
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| a.有偏见的 | |
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binding
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| 有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的 | |
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obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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21
stolidly
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| adv.迟钝地，神经麻木地 | |
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hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
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24
trickled
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| v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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25
cocktail
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| n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物 | |
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stammer
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| n.结巴，口吃；v.结结巴巴地说 | |
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awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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malicious
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| adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的 | |
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29
hacked
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| 生气 | |
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condescend
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| v.俯就，屈尊；堕落，丢丑 | |
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outrageously
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| 凶残地； 肆无忌惮地； 令人不能容忍地； 不寻常地 | |
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necessitated
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| 使…成为必要，需要( necessitate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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33
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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35
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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abominably
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| adv. 可恶地，可恨地，恶劣地 | |
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harped
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| vi.弹竖琴（harp的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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38
cogitating
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| v.认真思考，深思熟虑( cogitate的现在分词 ) | |
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39
disapprove
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| v.不赞成，不同意，不批准 | |
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40
inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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41
refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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42
clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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43
numbing
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| adj.使麻木的，使失去感觉的v.使麻木，使麻痹( numb的现在分词 ) | |
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