英語聽力 學英語,練聽力,上聽力課堂! 注冊 登錄
> 在線聽力 > 有聲讀物 > 世界名著 > 書蟲6級 巴徹斯特教堂尖塔 >  內(nèi)容

書蟲6級《巴徹斯特教堂尖塔》4. 巴徹斯特的新面孔

所屬教程:書蟲6級 巴徹斯特教堂尖塔

瀏覽:

2022年07月23日

手機版
掃描二維碼方便學習和分享
https://online2.tingclass.net/lesson/shi0529/10000/10492/4.mp3
https://image.tingclass.net/statics/js/2012

4. A newcomer to Barchester

Francis Arabin was the younger son of a country gentleman from the north of England. He was educated at an excellent school, and then studied at Oxford University. Here he developed his skill in debating, and became known as an intelligent, humorous, and successful speaker. He was almost always able to make the arguments of the opposing team sound unbelievable, and he aimed to win every debate by using both humour and reason.

But his main interest was in religion, and he gave himself completely to the Church. For it he wrote poems, speeches, and sermons, for it he ate and drank and dressed and breathed. Soon he was ordained as a clergyman, and remained in Oxford as a professor of poetry at one of the university colleges.

Now came the moment of his greatest danger. After much thought, Mr Newman, a well-known Oxford clergyman, left the Church of England to join the Church of Rome, and Mr Arabin was strongly tempted to follow him. In order to consider what he should do, Arabin left Oxford for a while and stayed in a quiet little village by the sea, far from the complications of civilized life.

Everything seemed to point to his choosing the Church of Rome. He loved and admired Mr Newman, and was eager to follow in his footsteps. He approved of Rome's strictness. 'How much simpler it would be,' he thought, 'to live under religious laws which are certain, how much easier to recognize sin and therefore avoid it!' And he wanted so much to show God that he believed in Him; what better proof could there be than making the great sacrifice of the religion in which he had been brought up, and which was supposed to provide his income?

At the time, Mr Arabin was a very young man, too confident in his own powers, and with too little respect for the common sense of ordinary people. But it was an ordinary country vicar, in that small village, who made him see that all true religious guidance comes from within the person, and not from laws made by priests. Arabin also realized that by looking for safety and comfort in the Church of Rome, he was running away from the difficult choice between good and evil. He returned to Oxford a humbler, but a better and a happier man.

When he became vicar of St Ewold's, the church near Plumstead, he was about forty and unmarried. He was above medium height, with slightly greying dark hair. He was not handsome, but his face was pleasant to look at, and there was a humorous look in his eyes. He was popular with women, but living in an Oxford college had meant that he could not marry, so he thought of women as pretty, amusing creatures, nothing more.

He came to stay for a month with the Grantlys, because the vicar's house at St Ewold's needed some repairs. After dinner with the archdeacon, his wife, and their daughters, Mr Arabin went up to his bedroom, and sat at the open window looking out at his church, which he could just see in the moonlight beyond the archdeacon's garden. It was a lovely evening, but Francis Arabin felt sad. It had struck him suddenly, when he saw Dr Grantly's charming wife and children and their comfortable house and garden, how alone in the world he was. He had given his whole life to the Church, and now he thought that had been a mistake. He knew he could have had a high position and great wealth, and probably a family to bring him joy, but now it was too late. He was the vicar of a small country church, and that was all.

The following morning Mr Harding and Eleanor arrived at Plumstead to stay there for a few days. Dr Grantly and Mr Arabin were at St Ewold's, and Mr Harding wanted to walk round the garden, so the two sisters naturally fell into conversation. They had never told each other all their secrets, as Mrs Grantly was ten years older than Eleanor, and they did not see each other often. Mrs Grantly did not, therefore, expect Eleanor to talk to her of love, but she was still very anxious to find out whether her sister had any liking for Mr Slope.

It was very easy to turn the conversation to Mr Slope, and Mrs Grantly was soon criticizing him, which she did with her whole heart, and Mrs Bold was defending him almost as eagerly. Eleanor actually disliked the man; she had almost a fear of him, and would have been delighted never to see him again, but somehow she constantly found herself protecting him against what she considered the injustice of his enemies' attacks.

The conversation moved on to the Stanhopes, and Mrs Grantly heard about Eleanor's recent evening with them. Suddenly she realized Mr Slope had also been there.

What!' she cried in horror. 'Why, Eleanor, he must be very fond of you. He seems to follow you everywhere!'

Even this did not open Eleanor's eyes. She just laughed, and said she thought he found someone else to attract him at the Stanhopes'. And so the sisters parted. Mrs Grantly felt quite convinced that the hated marriage would take place, and Mrs Bold was just as convinced that the unfortunate chaplain was yet again being unjustly criticized.

The archdeacon was furious when his wife told him, in private, how she feared Eleanor's relationship with Mr Slope was developing. 'I am sorry, my dear,' he said, 'but if she marries that man, I shall not allow either of them within my doors.'

Susan Grantly sighed. 'Well, perhaps it will never happen. I hope, now that Eleanor is here, she will forget her fatal passion.'

Poor Eleanor, who felt no fatal passion for any man, spent a rather dull evening. Mr Arabin did not seem to notice her much, and he and the Grantlys spent all the time after dinner discussing the various local clergymen. Eleanor began to think, on reaching her bedroom that night, that she was getting tired of clergymen and their respectable, boring way of life, and that she would have had a much pleasanter evening with the Stanhopes.

Mr Arabin, on the other hand, had enjoyed his evening; he appreciated not only the well-informed conversation of the Grantlys, but also the sight of Eleanor's very pretty face under her widow's cap. He began to look forward to the rest of his stay at Plumstead, because she would be there for some of the time.

The next day the whole party drove in the archdeacon's carriage to visit the vicar's house at St Ewold's. In the carriage Eleanor found herself opposite Mr Arabin, and was surprised to discover how easy he was to talk to.

Mr Harding told them an old story he had heard from local people that, a long time ago, a priestess had lived at St Ewold's; she was famous for curing the villagers of all kinds of diseases. Mr Arabin declared he would not want the villagers to rely on a priestess these days, but Mrs Grantly disagreed. 'Every church should have its priestess as well as its priest,' she said, smiling.

I suppose,' suggested Eleanor, 'that in the past the priestess had all the power. Perhaps Mr Arabin thinks that might happen again if St Ewold's had a modern priestess.'

I think it is safer not to run the risk of it,' laughed Mr Arabin.

Such accidents do happen,' said Mrs Grantly. 'They say there is a priestess in Barchester who gives the orders in spiritual matters. Perhaps the fear of that is before your eyes, Mr Arabin.'

This amusing conversation came to an end when they arrived at St Ewold's. Soon the archdeacon and his wife were walking all round the house, telling Mr Arabin what repairs and improvements he needed to make, in order to live comfortably. But while the Grantlys were in the dining room, making plans for a larger fireplace, Eleanor and Mr Arabin found themselves in a small upstairs sitting room.

There is a beautiful view from here,' said Eleanor, looking out at the cathedral, the bishop's palace, and the trees surrounding Hiram's Hospital. 'This will be your study, I imagine?'

There is a beautiful view from here,' said Eleanor.

Yes,' he said, joining her at the window, 'I shall have a perfect view of my enemies. I can fire at them very conveniently from here.'

You clergymen are always thinking of fighting each other!' said Eleanor, half laughing.

But are we not here to fight? If we have differences of opinion, should we not go into battle? There is no easy path in religion – I have looked for one and did not find it.' He was silent for a moment, thinking of the time when he had so nearly sacrificed his freedom and his intelligence for that easy path.

Eleanor was impressed by his quiet seriousness. She was used to religious discussion, but she realized, with a certain pleasurable excitement, that this newcomer among them was different from the other churchmen she knew. Instead of arguing bitterly about details, he was only interested in the truth, and was searching humbly for it.

They were interrupted by the archdeacon's shouts of 'Arabin! Arabin!' and went to join the Grantlys in the dining room. Dr Grantly suggested the whole room should be enlarged, which Mr Arabin considered would be far too expensive.

But,' said Mrs Grantly with a smile, 'what if the priestess, who will surely arrive here one day, insists on it?'

Then she must do it herself,' replied Mr Arabin lightly.

And, having done their work, the party returned home to Plumstead, well satisfied with their visit.

The following Sunday Mr Arabin was to give his first sermon at St Ewold's. He, the archdeacon, and Eleanor were to go there for the morning service, have lunch with the local squire, and return to Plumstead after attending the afternoon service.

The squire of Ullathorne, the area of farmland, villages and churches which included St Ewold's, was a gentleman called William Thorne. He was about fifty, single, and more than a little proud of his appearance. But he was prouder still of his family name. He had a great respect for long, unbroken bloodlines, and his own family line stretched back to the eighth or ninth century. He believed firmly that all traditions and customs should be kept exactly as they always had been.

Mr Thorne did not live alone at Ullathorne House. He had a sister, who was ten years older than him, and an even greater believer in tradition. Once when her brother suggested making a small alteration to the front door of their house, she took to her bed and was ill for a week; she would not come downstairs until she received his promise that it would not be changed in her lifetime. She would not have a modern magazine in her sitting room, and she refused to read poems or novels by living writers. She had thought her brother dangerously liberal-minded when he was younger, and was pleased that the passing of the years had shown him the importance of traditional values. Looking back over five or six centuries of English history, as Miss Thorne liked to do, she often found reason to sigh deeply. She imagined that an innocence and a goodness had existed in the past, which were not to be found in her own time. However wrong she was, no one would deny her the sweetness of her soft regrets!

Mr Arabin, Dr Grantly, and Eleanor met Mr and Miss Thorne at the gates of Ullathorne House, and walked to church together. Large numbers of villagers had gathered there, to see their new vicar. In spite of his long experience of public speaking, Mr Arabin felt a little nervous, knowing that he was being compared with the previous vicar. But fortunately most people in the church considered that Arabin did his work well enough, especially as his sermon was only twenty minutes long.

Then came the lunch at Ullathorne House. Miss Thorne took special care of Eleanor, piling cold meat on her plate and filling her glass with wine. 'It's your duty, you know, to support yourself,' she whispered in the young mother's ear. 'There's more than yourself depending on it.'

And then Miss Thorne was very knowledgeable about teeth. Little Johnny Bold had been troubled for the last few days with his first tooth, and Miss Thorne was shocked to find that Eleanor was giving him some dreadfully modern medicine, recommended by one of the local doctors.

Take care, my dear,' she said, looking very serious, 'that that man doesn't harm your little boy. But then,' speaking more in pity than in anger, 'I don't know which doctor you can trust now. Poor dear old Dr Bumpwell, of course –'

Why, Miss Thorne, he died when I was a little girl.'

Indeed, my dear, and a sad day it was for Barchester.'

The archdeacon was enjoying his lunch. He talked to his host Mr Thorne about farming; while Mr Thorne, thinking it only polite to pay attention to a stranger, tried to talk to Mr Arabin about religious matters. The two conversations ran on together.

What are you putting on your fields now, Thorne? Is it guano?' asked Dr Grantly.

Yes, archdeacon, I get it from Bristol. You'll find a lot of Barchester people, Mr Arabin, who come to services at St Ewold's in the summer, if it isn't too hot for them to walk.'

I'm glad they stayed away today,' said Mr Arabin, smiling, 'as it was my first sermon.'

Who do you buy it from in Bristol, Thorne?'

I drove there myself this year, and bought it straight off the ship. I'm afraid, Mr Arabin, that as the evenings get darker, you'll find it difficult to read in the church. I shall send a man to cut off some branches of the trees outside the south window.'

The morning light is perfect, at least,' said Mr Arabin. And then he and Eleanor took a walk round the garden, while Miss Thorne cut some flowers, and the archdeacon and the squire finished their discussion about the Bristol guano.

At three o'clock they all went to church again. This time the archdeacon gave the sermon, and half an hour later he, Mr Arabin, and Eleanor shook hands with their Ullathorne friends and drove back to Plumstead.

* * *

ordain v. to officially make someone a priest or religious leader 授任(某人)神職

humble adj. not considering yourself or your ideas to be as important as other people's 謙虛的,謙卑的

fall into to start doing something by chance 碰巧開始做某事

injustice n. a situation in which people are treated very unfairly and not given their rights 不公正,非正義

open someone's eyes to to make someone realize something that they have not realized before 使某人認清

unjustly adv. not fairly or reasonably 不公正地;不合理地

fireplace n. a special place in the wall of a room, where you can make a fire 壁爐

bitterly adv. in a way that produces or shows feelings of great sadness or anger 痛苦地;憤恨地

squire n. the man who in the past owned most of the land around a country village in England (從前英格蘭鄉(xiāng)村的)大地主,鄉(xiāng)紳

take to one's bed to get into bed and stay there because you are ill 因病臥床

previous adj. coming immediately before the one you are talking about now 先前的

guano n. solid waste from sea birds, put on soil to help plants grow 海鳥糞

4. 巴徹斯特的新面孔

弗朗西斯·阿拉賓是英格蘭北部一位鄉(xiāng)間紳士的次子,上過一所非常不錯的學校,然后又去了牛津大學念書。他在牛津培養(yǎng)了辯論口才,成為一名小有名氣的機智幽默的成功演說家。他幾乎總是能讓對手的論據(jù)顯得荒誕無稽,力爭用幽默和道理來贏得每一場辯論。

不過,他最感興趣的還是宗教,并且全身心地投入了教會工作。他為教會撰寫詩歌、演說詞和布道詞,甚至吃喝打扮和呼吸都是為了教會。他很快就獲得了圣職,留在牛津一個學院擔任詩歌教授。

接下來他遇上了人生中最大的危機。經(jīng)過一番深思熟慮,鼎鼎大名的牛津神職人員紐曼先生離開了英格蘭教會,加入了羅馬教廷。阿拉賓先生受到了很大的誘惑,要追隨他去。為了想清楚該怎么做,阿拉賓暫別牛津,遠離文明社會的紛擾,在一個寧靜的海濱小村生活了一段時間。

一切跡象似乎都表明他應(yīng)該選擇羅馬教廷。他對紐曼先生充滿愛戴和崇敬之情,很想追隨他的足跡,同時十分贊賞羅馬的嚴謹作風?!坝辛嗣靼谉o誤的宗教戒條,一切就簡單多了?!彼?,“認清罪孽和避免犯錯又會變得何等容易!”此外,他很想向上帝表明自己對他的信仰。要證明這一點,有什么能比得上犧牲自己偉大的宗教呢?而這宗教是自己從小耳濡目染的,如今又是他的衣食來源。

那時候,阿拉賓先生還很年輕,對自身的能力過于自信,對普通人的常識也缺乏尊重。多虧了那個小村莊里一個普普通通的鄉(xiāng)下代牧,他才認識到真正的宗教指引全都來自內(nèi)心,而不是牧師制定的戒律。他還意識到,在羅馬教廷尋求安逸,就等于遠離善惡之間的艱難抉擇。于是他回到牛津,人變得更加謙遜,卻也比以前更加高尚、更加快樂。

到普拉姆斯特德附近的圣埃沃茲教堂當代牧的時候,他已經(jīng)年近四十,尚未婚娶。他高于中等身材,黑頭發(fā)略微有些花白。相貌算不上英俊,但臉長得還討人喜歡,眼里有幽默的神情。他很受女士們歡迎,然而,他既然在牛津?qū)W院里生活,就意味著不得婚娶。因此,他只把女人當作美麗而有趣的生物,僅此而已。

圣埃沃茲教堂的代牧住所需要稍加修繕,他便搬到格蘭特利家暫住一個月。一天,跟執(zhí)事長夫婦和他們的幾個女兒吃完晚飯之后,阿拉賓先生回到了樓上的臥室里,坐在敞開的窗邊眺望自己的教堂。借著月光,他也只能勉強看見執(zhí)事長花園那頭的圣埃沃茲教堂。這是一個美好的夜晚,弗朗西斯·阿拉賓卻覺得有些難過??吹礁裉m特利博士可愛的妻兒,看到他們舒適的住所和花園,他突然意識到,自己在這個世上是多么孤單。他把一生獻給了教會,如今卻覺得這是個錯誤。他心里明白,自己原本可以身居高位,家財萬貫,可能還會有一個帶給他歡樂的家庭,只可惜事到如今,一切都為時已晚。他只是一座鄉(xiāng)村小教堂的代牧,僅此而已。

第二天早上,哈丁先生和埃莉諾來到了普拉姆斯特德,打算在這里住上幾天。格蘭特利博士和阿拉賓先生都去了圣埃沃茲,哈丁先生則想在花園里到處走走,埃莉諾和蘇珊這姐妹倆便自然而然地聊了起來。格蘭特利太太比埃莉諾大十歲,兩人從來不曾對彼此掏心掏肺,也并不經(jīng)常見面。因此,格蘭特利太太并不指望埃莉諾會跟她談?wù)搻矍椋贿^,她還是很想知道自己的妹妹究竟喜不喜歡斯洛普先生。

要把話題轉(zhuǎn)到斯洛普先生身上很容易。格蘭特利太太很快就開始不遺余力地指責他,博爾德太太則幾乎同樣熱切地替他辯護。她其實并不喜歡這個人。她甚至有點兒怕他,巴不得再也不跟他見面,但不知怎的,她發(fā)現(xiàn)自己總是在幫他抵擋來自他敵人的、她認為不公正的攻擊。

話鋒轉(zhuǎn)移到了斯坦諾普一家,格蘭特利太太聽說埃莉諾最近跟他們共度了一晚。突然,她意識到當時在場的還有斯洛普先生。

“什么!”她驚恐地大叫一聲,“哎呀,埃莉諾,他肯定很喜歡你。你去哪兒他好像都跟著你呢!”

就連這種話埃莉諾也聽不進去。她只是哈哈大笑了一通,說她覺得斯洛普先生在斯坦諾普家看上了別人。說到這兒,姐妹倆就此分別。格蘭特利太太確信這樁讓人憎恨的婚姻將會成為現(xiàn)實,博爾德太太也同樣確信,不幸的特遣牧師再次遭受了不公正的抨擊。

當妻子私下告訴執(zhí)事長,她擔心埃莉諾跟斯洛普先生的關(guān)系正在發(fā)展,執(zhí)事長勃然大怒。“很抱歉,親愛的,”他說,“不過,她要是嫁給了那個男人,他倆誰也不許再踏入我的家門?!?/p>

蘇珊·格蘭特利嘆了口氣?!鞍?,或許也發(fā)展不到那種地步。我希望,既然埃莉諾在這兒,她能夠忘掉她那要命的激情。”

可憐的埃莉諾并沒有對任何男人產(chǎn)生要命的激情。這一晚,她過得十分無聊。阿拉賓先生似乎并沒有怎么留意她。晚飯之后,他一直在跟格蘭特利夫婦談?wù)摦數(shù)氐母黝惿衤毴藛T。當晚進臥房的時候,埃莉諾開始覺得,自己漸漸厭倦了神職人員,厭倦了他們那種令人尊敬卻寡然無味的生活方式。要是跟斯坦諾普一家在一起,這個夜晚肯定會愉快得多。

另一邊,阿拉賓先生倒是度過了一個開心的夜晚。他不僅喜歡與格蘭特利夫婦那些增廣見聞的談話,還喜歡看埃莉諾寡婦帽下那張美麗的臉龐。他開始對自己在普拉姆斯特德余下的日子充滿期待,因為她也會在那兒待上一陣。

第二天,大家一起坐執(zhí)事長的馬車去參觀圣埃沃茲的代牧住所。上了馬車之后,埃莉諾發(fā)現(xiàn)自己剛好坐在了阿拉賓先生的對面,并且驚訝地發(fā)現(xiàn),跟他聊天十分輕松。

哈丁先生給他們講了一個從本地人那兒聽來的古老的故事:很久以前,圣埃沃茲住著一位女牧師;女牧師非常出名,因為她能治愈村民們的各種病癥。阿拉賓先生說,他不希望如今的村民依賴一位女牧師,格蘭特利太太卻不贊同他的看法。“每一座教堂都應(yīng)該既有男牧師,又有女牧師。”她笑盈盈地說。

“要我說,”埃莉諾發(fā)言了,“在過去,所有的權(quán)力都集中在女牧師的手里。阿拉賓先生興許是覺得,要是圣埃沃茲有了一位新式女牧師,這樣的事還會再發(fā)生?!?/p>

“我覺得,還是別冒這種險為好?!卑⒗e先生哈哈大笑。

“確實會發(fā)生這樣的意外?!备裉m特利太太說,“聽人說,巴徹斯特就有一位女牧師在對宗教事務(wù)指手畫腳。這樣的憂慮沒準兒就在眼前呢,阿拉賓先生?!?/p>

他們到了圣埃沃茲,這段有趣的交談即告結(jié)束。執(zhí)事長夫婦馬上開始在房子里四下走動,告訴阿拉賓先生哪兒該修、哪兒該補,好住起來舒服。不過,等格蘭特利夫婦在餐廳里盤算該怎么擴建壁爐的時候,埃莉諾和阿拉賓先生卻不知不覺走到了樓上的小會客廳里。

“從這兒看出去,景色還不錯?!卑@蛑Z一邊說,一邊眺望窗外的大教堂、主教宅邸和海勒姆養(yǎng)老院周邊的樹林,“我估計您會把這兒用作書房,對吧?”

“沒錯,”他一邊說,一邊走到窗前,和她站在一起,“在這兒,我可以把敵人看個一清二楚,朝他們開火也很方便?!?/p>

“你們這些神職人員,總想著你爭我奪!”埃莉諾似笑非笑地說。

“可是,我們到世上來,不就是為了斗爭嗎?如果大家觀點不同,難道不該爭個高下嗎?宗教里沒有捷徑——我一直都在追尋,但一無所獲?!彼聊?,想起那次自己差點兒就為那樣的捷徑犧牲了自由和智慧。

他沉靜嚴肅的態(tài)度給埃莉諾留下了深刻的印象。她對宗教討論已經(jīng)習以為常,此時卻有點愉悅又有點興奮地發(fā)現(xiàn),這位初來乍到的牧師跟她認識的其他神職人員并不一樣。他不會為了細枝末節(jié)苦苦爭辯,只是執(zhí)著于真理而謙遜地追求著。

這時,執(zhí)事長的高聲大喊打斷了他們的談話:“阿拉賓!阿拉賓!”于是他們來到餐廳,跟格蘭特利夫婦會合。格蘭特利博士建議對整個房間進行擴建,阿拉賓先生卻覺得那樣未免花費太大。

“可是,”格蘭特利太太微笑著說,“女牧師總有一天會大駕光臨的,萬一她堅持要擴建呢?”

“那她只能親自動手了。”阿拉賓先生輕描淡寫地回答。

參觀完畢,一行人打道回府,趕往普拉姆斯特德,大家都對此行非常滿意。

接下來的那個星期天,阿拉賓先生要在圣埃沃茲首次布道。他、執(zhí)事長和埃莉諾打算一起去參加早上的儀式,與當?shù)氐泥l(xiāng)紳共進午餐,等參加完下午的儀式再返回普拉姆斯特德。

烏拉索恩地區(qū)涵蓋了農(nóng)田、村落和大小教堂,其中包括圣埃沃茲。當?shù)氐泥l(xiāng)紳名叫威廉·索恩,年約五十,尚未婚娶,對自己的外貌頗感自豪。不過,更讓他引以為豪的是他的家族姓氏。他對承襲已久、綿延不絕的血脈充滿敬意,他自己的家族就可以追溯到公元八九世紀。他堅信,所有的風俗習慣都應(yīng)該原汁原味地保留下來。

索恩先生并不是獨自一人住在索恩宅邸。他有個姐姐,比他大十歲,篤信傳統(tǒng)的程度比他更甚。有一次,她弟弟提議對宅子的大門稍加改動,她因此而臥病在床,躺了足足一個星期。直到弟弟保證不在她有生之年改動大門,她才答應(yīng)下樓。她絕不在自己的會客廳里放現(xiàn)代雜志,也拒絕閱讀在世作家的詩歌和小說。弟弟年輕的時候,她覺得他的思想開放得過了頭。等到歲月的流逝讓弟弟明白了傳統(tǒng)價值的重要性,她才稱心滿意。索恩小姐喜歡追溯五六百年前的英格蘭歷史,這么做的時候,她總是找得到唉聲嘆氣的理由。她覺得純真和美好在以前是有的,如今卻已經(jīng)難尋蹤影。無論她錯得有多離譜,誰也不能否認,她溫柔的惋惜如此動人!

阿拉賓先生、格蘭特利博士和埃莉諾在烏拉索恩宅邸的大門口跟索恩先生和索恩小姐碰面,一起步行去教堂。很多村民都已經(jīng)聚在那里,來看他們的新任代牧。盡管擁有多年的公共演講經(jīng)驗,阿拉賓先生還是覺得有點緊張,因為他知道大家在拿他跟之前的代牧作對比。還好,教堂里的大多數(shù)人都覺得阿拉賓的表現(xiàn)令人滿意,尤其是他的布道只持續(xù)了二十分鐘。

接下來的活動是在烏拉索恩宅邸吃午餐。索恩小姐對埃莉諾特別照顧,在她的盤子里堆了不少冷餐肉,還幫她倒酒?!澳阒赖?,養(yǎng)活自己是你的責任?!彼谶@位年輕的母親耳邊輕聲說,“不光是你自己指著你養(yǎng)活自己?!?/p>

索恩小姐在牙齒方面的知識也十分廣博。這幾天小約翰尼在長乳牙,很難受。索恩小姐驚訝地發(fā)現(xiàn),埃莉諾竟然聽了當?shù)匾晃会t(yī)生的推薦,給他吃了些摩登得駭人的藥。

“當心啊,親愛的,”她一臉嚴肅地說,“別讓那個人傷害你的小寶貝。不過,”她的口氣與其說是憤怒,不如說是惋惜,“到現(xiàn)在,我也不知道你還能信任哪位醫(yī)生??捎H又可憐的老邦普威爾醫(yī)生,當然——”

“唉,索恩小姐,我還是小姑娘的時候,他就已經(jīng)過世了?!?/p>

“是啊,親愛的,對于巴徹斯特來說,那一天可真是讓人難過。”

執(zhí)事長在享用午餐,還跟主人索恩先生聊起稼穡之事。而索恩先生覺得要多照顧生客才算禮貌,于是盡量跟阿拉賓先生談?wù)撟诮淌聞?wù)。兩場談話同時進行。

“你現(xiàn)在往地里撒的是什么呢,索恩?是海鳥糞嗎?”格蘭特利博士問。

“沒錯,執(zhí)事長,我從布里斯托買來的。夏天的時候,阿拉賓先生,您會發(fā)現(xiàn)巴徹斯特有很多人來圣埃沃茲做禮拜,只要天氣沒熱到讓他們無法步行?!?/p>

“我倒是慶幸他們今天沒來,”阿拉賓先生微笑著說,“因為這是我第一次布道?!?/p>

“你是從布里斯托哪個人手里買的呢,索恩?”

“今年我自己駕車去了一趟,直接從船上買的。阿拉賓先生,等到晚上越來越黑,您恐怕會發(fā)現(xiàn),在教堂里很難看清書上的字。我會派人去把南窗外面的樹枝砍掉一些的?!?/p>

“至少,早晨的光線還是很好的?!卑⒗e先生說。之后,他和埃莉諾在花園里轉(zhuǎn)了一圈兒,索恩小姐去剪了幾枝花,執(zhí)事長和鄉(xiāng)紳則接著聊完了布里斯托海鳥糞這個話題。

三點鐘,他們又一起去了教堂。這一次布道的是執(zhí)事長。半個鐘頭之后,他、阿拉賓先生和埃莉諾跟烏拉索恩的朋友們握手告別,坐車回到了普拉姆斯特德。

用戶搜索

瘋狂英語 英語語法 新概念英語 走遍美國 四級聽力 英語音標 英語入門 發(fā)音 美語 四級 新東方 七年級 賴世雄 zero是什么意思德陽市世紀聯(lián)華英語學習交流群

  • 頻道推薦
  • |
  • 全站推薦
  • 推薦下載
  • 網(wǎng)站推薦