Two（1）

Two
I
Mrs. Gerahty opened the door of the presbytery in her usual sharp poun-cing style. It was less like answering a bell, than a triumphant¹ manoeuvreexpressing the sentiment “I’ve caught you this time!”
“Well now, and what would you be wanting?” she demanded belliger-ently.
There was a boy on the doorstep, a very negligible looking boy—a boynot easily noticeable nor easily remembered—a boy like a lot of otherboys. He sniffed² because he had a cold in his head.
“Is this the priest’s place?”
“Is it Father Gorman you’re wanting?”
“He’s wanted,” said the boy.
“Who wants him and where and what for?”
“Benthall Street. Twenty-three. Woman as says she’s dying. Mrs. Cop-pins sent me. This is a Carthlick place all right, isn’t it? Woman says thevicar won’t do.”
Mrs. Gerahty reassured³ him on this essential point, told him to stopwhere he was and retired⁴ into the presbytery. Some three minutes later atall elderly priest came out carrying a small leather case in his hand.
“I’m Father Gorman,” he said. “Benthall Street? That’s round by the rail-way yards, isn’t it?”
“’Sright. Not more than a step, it isn’t.”
They set out together, the priest walking with a free striding step.
“Mrs.— Coppins, did you say? Is that the name?”
“She’s the one what owns the house. Lets rooms, she does. It’s one of thelodgers wants you. Name of Davis, I think.”
“Davis. I wonder now. I don’t remember—”
“She’s one of you all right. Carthlick, I mean. Said as no vicar would do.”
The priest nodded. They came to Benthall Street in a very short time.
The boy indicated a tall dingy⁵ house in a row of other tall dingy houses.
“That’s it.”
“Aren’t you coming in?”
“I don’t belong. Mrs. C. gave me a bob to take the message.”
“I see. What’s your name?”
“Mike Potter.”
“Thank you, Mike.”
“You’re welcome,” said Mike, and went off whistling. The imminence⁶ ofdeath for someone else did not affect him.
The door of No. 23 opened and Mrs. Coppins, a large redfaced woman,stood on the threshold and welcomed the visitor with enthusiasm.
“Come in, come in. She’s bad, I’d say. Ought to be in hospital, not here.
I’ve rung up, but goodness knows when anybody will come nowadays. Sixhours my sister’s husband had to wait when he broke his leg. Disgraceful,I call it. Health Service, indeed! Take your money and when you wantthem where are they?”
She was preceding the priest up the narrow stairs as she talked.
“What’s the matter with her?”
“’Flu’s what she’s had. Seemed better. Went out too soon I’d say. Any-way she comes in last night looking like death. Took to her bed. Wouldn’teat anything. Didn’t want a doctor. This morning I could see she was in araging fever. Gone to her lungs.”
“Pneumonia?”
Mrs. Coppins, out of breath by now, made a noise like a steam engine,which seemed to signify assent⁷. She flung open a door, stood aside to letFather Gorman go in, said over his shoulder: “Here’s the Reverend foryou. Now you’ll be all right!” in a spuriously cheerful way, and retired.
Father Gorman advanced. The room, furnished with old-fashioned Vic-torian furniture, was clean and neat. In the bed near the window a wo-man turned her head feebly. That she was very ill, the priest saw at once.
“You’ve come… There isn’t much time—” she spoke⁸ between pantingbreaths. “…Wickedness…such wickedness… I must… I must… I can’t dielike this… Confess — confess — my sin — grievous — grievous…” the eyeswandered…half closed….
A rambling⁹ monotone of words came from her lips.
Father Gorman came to the bed. He spoke as he had spoken so often—sovery often. Words of authority—of reassurance…the words of his callingand of his belief. Peace came into the room… The agony went out of thetortured eyes….
Then, as the priest ended his ministry¹⁰, the dying woman spoke again.
“Stopped… It must be stopped… You will….”
The priest spoke with reassuring¹¹ authority.
“I will do what is necessary. You can trust me….”
A doctor and an ambulance arrived simultaneously¹² a little later. Mrs.
Coppins received them with gloomy triumph.
“Too late as usual!” she said. “She’s gone….”

1 triumphant   

adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的

参考例句：

• The army made a triumphant entry into the enemy's capital.部队胜利地进入了敌方首都。
• There was a positively triumphant note in her voice.她的声音里带有一种极为得意的语气。

2 sniffed   

v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣，吸了吸鼻子，擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 reassured   

adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The captain's confidence during the storm reassured the passengers. 在风暴中船长的信念使旅客们恢复了信心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The doctor reassured the old lady. 医生叫那位老妇人放心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

5 dingy   

adj.昏暗的，肮脏的

参考例句：

• It was a street of dingy houses huddled together. 这是一条挤满了破旧房子的街巷。
• The dingy cottage was converted into a neat tasteful residence.那间脏黑的小屋已变成一个整洁雅致的住宅。

6 imminence   

n.急迫，危急

参考例句：

• The imminence of their exams made them work harder.考试即将来临，迫使他们更用功了。
• He had doubt about the imminence of war.他不相信战争已迫在眉睫。

7 assent   

v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可

参考例句：

• I cannot assent to what you ask.我不能应允你的要求。
• The new bill passed by Parliament has received Royal Assent.议会所通过的新方案已获国王批准。

8 spoke   

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

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 rambling   

adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的

参考例句：

• We spent the summer rambling in Ireland. 我们花了一个夏天漫游爱尔兰。
• It was easy to get lost in the rambling house. 在布局凌乱的大房子里容易迷路。

10 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

11 reassuring   

a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的

参考例句：

• He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 他轻拍了一下她的肩膀让她放心。
• With a reassuring pat on her arm, he left. 他鼓励地拍了拍她的手臂就离开了。

12 simultaneously   

adv.同时发生地，同时进行地

参考例句：

• The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
• The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。