Many hundreds of years ago there lived in the isolated¹ village of Hignaroy a poor couple who had many children to care for. Barbara, the wife, was an industrious² but shrewish woman. She worked all day in a factory to support her many children. The husband, Alejo, on the other hand, idled away his time. He either ate, or drank, or slept all the time his wife was away at work. In the course of time Barbara naturally became disgusted with her husband’s indolence; and every time she came home, she would rail at him and assail³ him with hot, insolent⁴ words, taxing him with not doing anything, and with caring nothing about what was going on in the house: for, on her return home in the evening, she would always find him asleep; while the floor would always be strewn with chairs, benches, and pictures, which the children had left in a disorderly way after playing.

 

Alejo seemed to take no heed⁵ of what she said; he became more sluggish⁶, and had no mind for anything but sleeping all day. What was worse, was that he would eat such big meals, that he left but little food for his wife and children. Barbara’s anger and impatience⁷ grew so strong, that she no longer used words as a means to reform her husband. She would kick him as he lay lazily on his bed, and would even whip him like a [232]child. Finally the thought of leaving home came into his head; he determined⁸ to travel to some distant land, partly with the purpose of getting away from his wife, who was always interfering⁹ with his ease, and partly with the purpose of seeking his fortune.

分享到：