Twenty-five（1）

Twenty-five
Mark Easterbrook’s Narrative¹
I
At Much Deeping everything was refreshingly² normal.
Rhoda was busy doctoring dogs. This time, I think, it was deworming.
She looked up as I came in and asked me if I would like to assist. I refusedand asked where Ginger³ was.
“She’s gone over to the Pale Horse.”
“What?”
“She said she had something to do there.”
“But the house is empty.”
“I know.”
“She’ll overtire herself. She’s not fit yet—”
“How you fuss, Mark. Ginger’s all right. Have you seen Mrs. Oliver’s newbook? It’s called The White Cockatoo. It’s over on the table there.”
“God bless Mrs. Oliver. And Edith Binns, too.”
“Who on earth is Edith Binns?”
“A woman who has identified a photograph. Also faithful retainer to mylate godmother.”
“Nothing you say seems to make sense. What’s the matter with you?”
I did not reply, but set out for the Pale Horse.
Just before I got there, I met Mrs. Dane Calthrop.
She greeted me enthusiastically.
“All along I knew I was being stupid,” she said. “But I didn’t see how.
Taken in by trappings.”
She waved an arm towards the inn, empty and peaceful in the late au-tumn sunshine.
“The wickedness was never there—not in the sense it was supposed tobe. No fantastic trafficking with the Devil, no black and evil splendour.
Just parlour tricks done for money—and human life of no account. That’sreal wickedness. Nothing grand or big—just petty and contemptible⁴.”
“You and Inspector⁵ Lejeune would seem to agree about things.”
“I like that man,” said Mrs. Dane Calthrop. “Let’s go into the Pale Horseand find Ginger.”
“What’s she doing there?”
“Cleaning up something.”
We went in through the low doorway⁶. There was a strong smell of tur-pentine. Ginger was busy with rags and bottles. She looked up as weentered. She was still very pale and thin, a scarf wound round her headwhere the hair had not yet grown, a ghost of her former self.
“She’s all right,” said Mrs. Dane Calthrop, reading my thoughts as usual.
“Look!” said Ginger triumphantly⁷.
She indicated the old inn sign on which she was working.
The grime of years removed, the figure of the rider on the horse wasplainly discernible; a grinning skeleton with gleaming bones.
Mrs. Dane Calthrop’s voice, deep and sonorous⁸, spoke⁹ behind me:
“Revelation, Chapter Six, Verse Eight. And I looked and behold¹⁰ a palehorse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.
…”
We were silent for a moment or two, and then Mrs. Dane Calthrop, whowas not one to be afraid of anticlimax¹¹, said,“So that’s that,” in the tone of one who puts something in the wastepa-per basket.
“I must go now,” she added. “Mothers’ Meeting.”
She paused in the doorway, nodded at Ginger, and said unexpectedly:
“You’ll make a good mother.”
For some reason Ginger blushed crimson….
“Ginger,” I said, “will you?”
“Will I what? Make a good mother?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Perhaps… But I’d prefer a firm offer.”
I made her a firm offer….

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 refreshingly   

adv.清爽地，有精神地

参考例句：

• Hers is less workmanlike than the other books and refreshingly unideological. 她的书不像其它书那般精巧，并且不涉及意识形态也让人耳目一新。 来自互联网
• Skin is left refreshingly clean with no pore-clogging residue. 皮肤留下清爽干净，没有孔隙堵塞残留。 来自互联网

3 ginger   

n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气

参考例句：

• There is no ginger in the young man.这个年轻人没有精神。
• Ginger shall be hot in the mouth.生姜吃到嘴里总是辣的。

4 contemptible   

adj.可鄙的，可轻视的，卑劣的

参考例句：

• His personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.他气貌不扬，言语粗俗。
• That was a contemptible trick to play on a friend.那是对朋友玩弄的一出可鄙的把戏。

5 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

6 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

7 triumphantly   

ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地

参考例句：

• The lion was roaring triumphantly. 狮子正在发出胜利的吼叫。
• Robert was looking at me triumphantly. 罗伯特正得意扬扬地看着我。

8 sonorous   

adj.响亮的，回响的；adv.圆润低沉地；感人地；n.感人，堂皇

参考例句：

• The sonorous voice of the speaker echoed round the room.那位演讲人洪亮的声音在室内回荡。
• He has a deep sonorous voice.他的声音深沉而洪亮。

9 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。

10 behold   

v.看，注视，看到

参考例句：

• The industry of these little ants is wonderful to behold.这些小蚂蚁辛勤劳动的样子看上去真令人惊叹。
• The sunrise at the seaside was quite a sight to behold.海滨日出真是个奇景。

11 anticlimax   

n.令人扫兴的结局；突降法

参考例句：

• Travelling in Europe was something of an anticlimax after the years he'd spent in Africa.他在非洲生活了多年，到欧洲旅行真是有点太平淡了。
• It was an anticlimax when they abandoned the game.他们放弃比赛，真是扫兴。