Nine（1）

Nine
Mark Easterbrook’s Narrative¹
I
“What exciting things happen in the country!” said Hermia lightly.
We had just finished dinner. A pot of black coffee was in front of us—I looked at her. The words were not quite what I had expected. I hadspent the last quarter of an hour telling her my story. She had listened in-telligently and with interest. But her response was not at all what I had ex-pected. The tone of her voice was indulgent—she seemed neither shockednor stirred.
“People who say that the country is dull and the towns full of excitementdon’t know what they are talking about,” she went on. “The last of thewitches have gone to cover in the tumbledown cottage, black masses arecelebrated in remote manor² houses by decadent³ young men. Superstitionruns rife⁴ in isolated⁵ hamlets. Middle- aged⁶ spinsters clank their falsescarabs and hold séances and planchettes run luridly⁷ over sheets of blankpaper. One could really write a very amusing series of articles on it all.
Why don’t you try your hand?”
“I don’t think you really understand what I’ve been telling you, Hermia.”
“But I do, Mark! I think it’s all tremendously interesting. It’s a page out ofhistory, all the lingering forgotten lore⁸ of the Middle Ages.”
“I’m not interested historically,” I said irritably⁹. “I’m interested in thefacts. In a list of names on a sheet of paper. I know what has happened tosome of those people. What’s going to happen or has happened to therest?”
“Aren’t you letting yourself get rather carried away?”
“No,” I said obstinately¹⁰. “I don’t think so. I think the menace is real. AndI’m not alone in thinking so. The vicar’s wife agrees with me.”
“Oh, the vicar’s wife!” Hermia’s voice was scornful.
“No, not ‘the vicar’s wife’ like that! She’s a very unusual woman. Thiswhole thing is real, Hermia.”
Hermia shrugged¹¹ her shoulders.
“Perhaps.”
“But you don’t think so?”
“I think your imagination is running away with you a little, Mark. Idaresay your middle- aged pussies¹² are quite genuine in believing it allthemselves. I’m sure they’re very nasty old pussies!”
“But not really sinister¹³?”
“Really, Mark, how can they be?”
I was silent for a moment. My mind wavered—turning from light todarkness and back again. The darkness of the Pale Horse, the light thatHermia represented. Good everyday sensible light—the electric light bulbfirmly fixed¹⁴ in its socket¹⁵, illuminating¹⁶ all the dark corners. Nothing there—nothing at all—just the everyday objects you always find in a room. Butyet—but yet—Hermia’s light, clear as it might make things seem, was afterall an artificial light….
My mind swung back, resolutely¹⁷, obstinately….
“I want to look into it all, Hermia. Get to the bottom of what’s going on.”
“I agree. I think you should. It might be quite interesting. In fact, reallyrather fun.”
“Not fun!” I said sharply.
I went on:
“I wanted to ask if you’d help me, Hermia.”
“Help you? How?”
“Help me to investigate. Get right down to what this is all about.”
“But Mark dear, just at present I’m most terribly busy. There’s my articlefor the Journal. And the Byzantium thing. And I’ve promised two of mystudents—”
Her voice went on reasonably—sensibly— I hardly listened.
“I see,” I said. “You’ve too much on your plate already.”
“That’s it.” Hermia was clearly relieved at my acquiescence¹⁸. She smiledat me. Once again I was struck by her expression of indulgence. Such in-dulgence as a mother might show over her little son’s absorption in hisnew toy.
Damn it all, I wasn’t a little boy. I wasn’t looking for a mother—certainlynot that kind of a mother. My own mother had been charming and feck-less; and everyone in sight, including her son, had adored looking afterher.
I considered Hermia dispassionately across the table.
So handsome, so mature, so intellectual, so well read! And so — howcould one put it? So— yes, so damnably dull!

1 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

2 manor   

n.庄园，领地

参考例句：

• The builder of the manor house is a direct ancestor of the present owner.建造这幢庄园的人就是它现在主人的一个直系祖先。
• I am not lord of the manor,but its lady.我并非此地的领主，而是这儿的女主人。

3 decadent   

adj.颓废的，衰落的，堕落的

参考例句：

• Don't let decadent ideas eat into yourselves.别让颓废的思想侵蚀你们。
• This song was once banned, because it was regarded as decadent.这首歌曾经被认定为是靡靡之音而被禁止播放。

4 rife   

adj.(指坏事情)充斥的，流行的，普遍的

参考例句：

• Disease is rife in the area.疾病在这一区很流行。
• Corruption was rife before the election.选举之前腐败盛行。

5 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

6 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

7 luridly   

adv. 青灰色的(苍白的, 深浓色的, 火焰等火红的)

参考例句：

• It was night, and the white faces and the scarlet banners were luridly floodlit. 时间是在夜里，人们的苍白的脸和鲜红的旗帜都沐浴在强烈的泛光灯灯光里。 来自英汉文学
• Nationalist netizens in China's hyperactive blogosphere are more luridly anti-western than China's current rulers. 中国互联网上活跃的民族主义网民中反西方的比反现行统治者的多。

8 lore   

n.传说；学问，经验，知识

参考例句：

• I will seek and question him of his lore.我倒要找上他，向他讨教他的渊博的学问。
• Early peoples passed on plant and animal lore through legend.早期人类通过传说传递有关植物和动物的知识。

9 irritably   

ad.易生气地

参考例句：

• He lost his temper and snapped irritably at the children. 他发火了，暴躁地斥责孩子们。
• On this account the silence was irritably broken by a reproof. 为了这件事，他妻子大声斥责，令人恼火地打破了宁静。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

10 obstinately   

ad.固执地，顽固地

参考例句：

• He obstinately asserted that he had done the right thing. 他硬说他做得对。
• Unemployment figures are remaining obstinately high. 失业数字仍然顽固地居高不下。

11 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 pussies   

n.（粗俚） 女阴( pussy的名词复数 )；（总称）（作为性对象的）女人；（主要北美使用，非正式）软弱的；小猫咪

参考例句：

• Not one of these pussies has been washed in weeks. 这帮娘儿们几个星期都没洗过澡了。 来自电影对白
• See there's three kinds of people: dicks pussies and assholes. 哥们，世上有三种人：小弟弟、小妹妹，还有屁股眼。 来自互联网

13 sinister   

adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的

参考例句：

• There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。
• Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。

14 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

15 socket   

n.窝，穴，孔，插座，插口

参考例句：

• He put the electric plug into the socket.他把电插头插入插座。
• The battery charger plugs into any mains socket.这个电池充电器可以插入任何类型的电源插座。

16 illuminating   

a.富于启发性的，有助阐明的

参考例句：

• We didn't find the examples he used particularly illuminating. 我们觉得他采用的那些例证启发性不是特别大。
• I found his talk most illuminating. 我觉得他的话很有启发性。

17 resolutely   

adj.坚决地，果断地

参考例句：

• He resolutely adhered to what he had said at the meeting. 他坚持他在会上所说的话。
• He grumbles at his lot instead of resolutely facing his difficulties. 他不是果敢地去面对困难，而是抱怨自己运气不佳。

18 acquiescence   

n.默许；顺从

参考例句：

• The chief inclined his head in sign of acquiescence.首领点点头表示允许。
• This is due to his acquiescence.这是因为他的默许。