第 13 节
作者:温暖寒冬      更新:2024-04-09 19:50      字数:9162
  broadly marked eyebrows are still black; her teeth are sound; and
  as   she   stands   knitting   rapidly   and   unconsciously   with   her   work…
  George Eliot                                                        ElecBook Classics
  … Page 53…
  Adam Bede                                       53
  hardened hands; she has as firmly upright an attitude as when she
  is carrying a pail of  water  on   her  head   from   the  spring。   There  is
  the same type of frame and the same keen activity of temperament
  in mother and son; but it was not from her that Adam got his well…
  filled brow and his expression of large…hearted intelligence。
  Family   likeness   has   often   a   deep   sadness   in     it。  Nature;   that
  great tragic dramatist; knits us together by bone and muscle; and
  divides us by the subtler web of our brains; blends   yearning  and
  repulsion; and ties us by our heart…strings to the beings that jar us
  at every movement。 We hear a voice with the very cadence of our
  own uttering the thoughts we despise; we see eyes—ah; so like our
  mother’s!—averted from us in cold alienation; and our last darling
  child startles us with the air and gestures of the sister we parted
  from in bitterness long years ago。 The father to whom we owe our
  best    heritage—the       mechanical      instinct;   the   keen    sensibility   to
  harmony;   the   unconscious   skill   of   the   modelling   hand—galls   us
  and   puts   us   to   shame   by   his   daily   errors;   the   long…lost   mother;
  whose face we begin to see in the glass as our own wrinkles come;
  once     fretted   our   young     souls   with   her   anxious     humours      and
  irrational persistence。
  It  is  such   a  fond    anxious    mother’s     voice   that   you   hear;   as
  Lisbeth   says;   “Well;   my   lad;   it’s   gone  seven   by   th’   clock。   Thee   ’t
  allays   stay   till   the   last   child’s   born。   Thee   wants   thy   supper;   I’ll
  warrand。 Where’s Seth? Gone arter some o’s chapellin’; I reckon?”
  “Aye; aye; Seth’s at no harm; mother; thee mayst be sure。
  But    where’s    father?”    said   Adam     quickly;    as  he  entered     the
  house and glanced into the room on the left hand; which was used
  as a workshop。 “Hasn’t he done the coffin for Tholer? There’s the
  stuff standing just as I left it this morning。”
  George Eliot                                                         ElecBook Classics
  … Page 54…
  Adam Bede                                        54
  “Done   the   coffin?”   said   Lisbeth;   following   him;        and   knitting
  uninterruptedly; though she looked at her son very anxiously。 “Eh;
  my lad; he went aff to Treddles’on this forenoon; an’s niver come
  back。 I doubt he’s got to th’ ‘Waggin Overthrow’ again。”
  A deep flush of anger passed rapidly over Adam’s face。 He said
  nothing;   but   threw   off   his   jacket   and   began   to   roll   up   his   shirt…
  sleeves again。
  “What art goin’ to do; Adam?” said the mother; with a tone and
  look of alarm。 “Thee wouldstna go to work again; wi’out ha’in thy
  bit o’ supper?”
  Adam;   too  angry   to   speak;   walked   into   the   workshop。   But   his
  mother   threw   down   her   knitting;   and;   hurrying   after   him;   took
  hold   of   his   arm;   and   said;   in   a   tone   of   plaintive   remonstrance;
  “Nay; my lad; my lad; thee munna go wi’out thy supper; there’s the
  taters   wi’   the   gravy  in   ’em;   just as   thee   lik’st   ’em。   I   saved   ’em   o’
  purpose for thee。 Come an’ ha’ thy supper; come。”
  “Let  be!”   said Adam impetuously;   shaking  her  off   and   seizing
  one   of   the   planks   that   stood   against   the   wall。   “It’s   fine   talking
  about having supper when here’s a coffin promised to be ready at
  Brox’on   by   seven   o’clock   to…morrow   morning;   and   ought   to   ha’
  been there now; and not a nail   struck   yet。   My  throat’s   too  full   to
  swallow victuals。”
  “Why; thee canstna get the coffin ready;” said Lisbeth。 “Thee ’t
  work thyself to death。 It ’ud take thee all night to do ’t。”
  “What signifies how long it takes me? Isn’t the coffin promised?
  Can they bury the man without a coffin? I’d work my right hand
  off sooner than deceive people with  lies   i’   that  way。   It  makes me
  mad  to  think   on   ’t。   I   shall   overrun   these   doings   before   long。   I’ve
  stood enough of ’em。”
  George Eliot                                                          ElecBook Classics
  … Page 55…
  Adam Bede                                       55
  Poor  Lisbeth  did not  hear  this   threat  for   the   first   time;   and   if
  she   had   been   wise   she   would   have   gone   away   quietly   and   said
  nothing  for  the   next  hour。   But  one   of  the   lessons   a  woman   most
  rarely    learns    is  never   to  talk  to  an   angry    or  a  drunken      man。
  Lisbeth sat down on the chopping bench and began to cry; and by
  the time she had cried enough to make her voice very piteous; she
  burst out into words。
  “Nay;   my   lad;   my   lad;   thee   wouldstna   go   away   an’   break   thy
  mother’s heart; an’ leave thy feyther  to  ruin。   Thee   wouldstna   ha’
  ’em carry me to th’ churchyard; an’ thee not to follow me。 I shanna
  rest i’ my grave if I donna see thee at th’ last; an’ how’s they to let
  thee know as I’m a…dyin’; if thee ’t gone a…workin’ i’ distant parts;
  an’ Seth belike gone arter thee; and thy feyther not able to hold a
  pen for’s hand shakin’; besides not knowin’ where thee art? Thee
  mun   forgie   thy   feyther—thee   munna   be   so  bitter   again’   him。   He
  war a good feyther to thee afore he took to th’ drink。 He’s a clever
  workman; an’ taught thee thy trade; remember; an’s niver gen me
  a blow nor so much as an ill word—no; not even in ’s drink。 Thee
  wouldstna ha’ ’m go to the workhus—thy own feyther—an’ him as
  was a fine…growed man an’ handy at everythin’ amost as thee art
  thysen;   five…an’…twenty   ’ear   ago;      when    thee   wast   a  baby   at   the
  breast。”
  Lisbeth’s voice became louder; and choked with sobs—a sort of
  wail; the most irritating of all sounds where real sorrows are to be
  borne and real work to be done。 Adam broke in impatiently。
  “Now;   Mother;   don’t   cry   and   talk   so。   Haven’t   I   got   enough   to
  vex me without that? What’s th’ use o’ telling me things as I only
  think too much on every day? If I didna think on ’em; why should I
  do as I do; for the sake o’ keeping things together here? But I hate
  George Eliot                                                         ElecBook Classics
  … Page 56…
  Adam Bede                                        56
  to be talking where it’s no use: I like to keep my breath for doing
  i’stead o’ talking。”
  “I know thee dost things as nobody else ’ud do; my lad。 But thee
  ’t allays so hard upo’ thy feyther; Adam。 Thee think’st nothing too
  much to do for Seth: thee snapp’st me up if iver I find faut wi’ th’
  lad。 But thee ’t so angered wi’ thy feyther; more nor wi’ anybody
  else。”
  “That’s     better   than    speaking     soft   and   letting   things    go   the
  wrong way; I reckon; isn’t it? If I wasn’t sharp with him he’d sell
  every bit o’ stuff i’ th’ yard and spend it on drink。 I know there’s a
  duty   to   be   done   by   my   father;   but   it   isn’t   my   duty   to   encourage
  him in running headlong to ruin。 And what has Seth got to do with
  it?   The    lad  does    no   harm    as   I  know    of。  But   leave    me   alone;
  Mother; and let me get on with the work。”
  Lisbeth dared not say any more; but she got up and called Gyp;
  thinking   to   console   herself   somewhat   for   Adam’s   refusal   of   the
  supper she had spread out in the loving expectation of looking at
  him   while   he   ate   it;   by   feeding  Adam’s   dog   with   extra   liberality。
  But   Gyp   was   watching   his   master   with   wrinkled   brow   and   ears
  erect;   puzzled   at   this   unusual   course      of  things;   and    though   he
  glanced at Lisbeth when she called him; and moved his fore…paws
  uneasily; well knowing that she was inviting him to supper; he was
  in a divided state of mind; and remained seated on his haunches;
  again fixing his eyes anxiously on his master。 Adam noticed Gyp’s
  mental   conflict;   and   though  his   anger   had   made   him   less   tender
  than   usual   to   his   mother;   it   did   not   prevent   him   from   caring   as
  much as usual for