第 6 节
作者:尘小春      更新:2021-02-18 23:45      字数:9322
  So she began to thank him; rather coldly and stiffly。
  〃He says ye are a lord;〃 said she; 〃I dinna ken; an' I dinna care; but
  ye're a gentleman; I daur say; and a kind heart ye hae。〃
  Then she began to warm。
  〃And ye'll never be a grain the poorer for the siller ye hae gien me; for
  he that giveth to the poor lendeth to the Lord。〃
  Then she began to glow。
  〃But it's no your siller; dinna think itna; lad; na! Oh; fine! I ken
  there's mony a supper for the bairns and me in yon bits metal; but I
  canna feel your siller as I feel your winsome smilethe drop in your
  young eenan' the sweet words ye gied me; in the sweet music o' your
  Soothern tongue; Gude bless ye!〃 (Where was her ice by this time?) 〃Gude
  bless ye! and I bless ye!〃
  And she did bless him; and what a blessing it was; not a melodious
  generality; like a stage parent's; or papa's in a damsel's novel。 It was
  like the son of Barak on Zophim。
  She blessed him; as one who had the power and the right to bless or
  curse。
  She stood on the high ground of her low estate; and her afflictionsand
  demanded of their Creator to bless the fellow…creature that had come to
  her aid and consolation。
  This woman had suffered to the limits of endurance; yesterday she had
  said; 〃Surely the Almighty does na _see_ me a' these years!〃
  So now she blessed him; and her heart's blood seemed to gush into words。
  She blessed him by land and water。
  She knew most mortal griefs; for she had felt them。
  She warned them away from him one by one。
  She knew the joys of life; for she had felt their want。
  She summoned them one by one to his side。
  〃And a fair wind to your ship;〃 cried she; 〃and the storms aye ten miles
  to leeward o' her。〃
  Many happy days; 〃an' weel spent;〃 she wished him。
  〃His love should love him dearly; or a better take her place。〃
  〃Health to his side by day; sleep to his pillow by night。〃
  A thousand good wishes came; like a torrent of fire; from her lips; with
  a power that eclipsed his dreams of human eloquence; and then; changing
  in a moment from the thunder of a Pythoness to the tender music of some
  poetess mother; she ended:
  〃An' oh; my boenny; boenny lad; may ye be wi' the rich upon the airth a'
  your daysAND WI' THE PUIR IN THE WARLD TO COME!〃
  His lordship's tongue refused him the thin phrases of society。
  〃Farewell for the present;〃 said he; and he went quietly away。
  He paced thoughtfully home。
  He had drunk a fact with every sentence; and an idea with every fact。
  For the knowledge we have never realized is not knowledge to usonly
  knowledge's shadow。
  With the banished duke; he now began to feel; 〃we are not alone unhappy。〃
  This universal world contains other guess sorrows than yours;
  viscount_scilicet_ than unvarying health; unbroken leisure; and
  incalculable income。
  Then this woman's eloquence! bless me! he had seen folk murmur politely
  in the Upper House; and drone or hammer away at the Speaker down below;
  with more heat than warmth。
  He had seen nine hundred wild beasts fed with peppered tongue; in a
  menagerie called _L'Assemble' Nationale。_
  His ears had rung often enough; for that matter。 This time his heart
  beat。
  He had been in the principal courts of Europe; knew what a handful of
  gentlefolks call 〃the World〃; had experienced the honeyed words of
  courtiers; the misty nothings of diplomatists; and the innocent prattle
  of mighty kings。
  But hitherto he seemed to have undergone gibberish and jargon:
  Gibberish and jargonPolitical!
  Gibberish and jargonSocial!
  Gibberish and jargonTheological!
  Gibberish and jargonPositive!
  People had been pratingJess had spoken。
  But; it is to be observed; he was under the double effect of eloquence
  and novelty; and; so situated; we overrate things; you know。
  That night he made a provision for this poor woman; in case he should die
  before next week。
  〃Who knows?〃 said he; 〃she is such an unlucky woman。〃 Then he went to
  bed; and whether from the widow's blessing; or the air of the place; he
  slept like a plowboy。
  Leaving Richard; Lord Ipsden; to work out the Aberford problemto
  relieve poor people; one or two of whom; like the Rutherford; were
  grateful; the rest acted it to the lifeto receive now and then a visit
  from Christina Johnstone; who borrowed every mortal book in his house;
  who sold him fish; invariably cheated him by the indelible force of
  habit; and then remorsefully undid the bargain; with a peevish entreaty
  that 〃he would not be so green; for there was no doing business with
  him〃to be fastened upon by Flucker; who; with admirable smoothness and
  cunning; wormed himself into a cabin…boy on board the yacht; and
  man…at…arms ashore。
  To cruise in search of adventures; and meet nothing but disappointments;
  to acquire a browner tint; a lighter step; and a jacket; our story moves
  for a while toward humbler personages。
  CHAPTER IV。
  JESS RUTHERFORD; widow of Alexander Johnstonefor Newhaven wives; like
  great artists; change their conditions without changing their nameswas
  known in the town only as a dour wife; a sour old carline。 Whose fault?
  Do wooden faces and iron tongues tempt sorrow to put out its snails'
  horns?
  She hardly spoke to any one; or any one to her; but four days after the
  visit we have described people began to bend looks of sympathy on her; to
  step out of their way to give her a kindly good…morrow; after a bit; fish
  and meal used to be placed on her table by one neighbor or another; when
  she was out; and so on。 She was at first behindhand in responding to all
  this; but by degrees she thawed to those who were thawing to her。 Next;
  Saunders called on her; and showed her a settlement; made for her
  benefit; on certain lands in Lanarkshire。 She was at ease for life。
  The Almighty had seen her all these years。
  But how came her neighbors to melt?
  Because a nobleman had visited her。
  Not exactly; dear novel…reader。
  This was it。
  That same night; by a bright fire lighting up snowy walls; burnished
  copper; gleaming candlesticks; and a dinner…table floor; sat the mistress
  of the house; Christie Johnstone; and her brother; Flucker。
  She with a book; he with his reflections opposite her。
  〃Lassie; hae ye ony siller past ye?〃
  〃Ay; lad; an' I mean to keep it!〃 The baddish boy had registered a vow to
  the contrary; and proceeded to bleed his flint (for to do Christie
  justice the process was not very dissimilar)。 Flucker had a versatile
  genius for making money; he had made it in forty different ways; by land
  and sea; tenpence at a time。
  〃I hae gotten the life o' Jess Rutherford till ye;〃 said he。
  〃Giest then。〃
  〃I'm seeking half a crown for 't;〃 said he。
  Now; he knew he should never get half a crown; but he also knew that if
  he asked a shilling; he should be beaten down to fourpence。
  So half a crown was his first bode。
  The enemy; with anger at her heart; called up a humorous smile; and
  saying; 〃An' ye'll get saxpence;〃 went about some household matter; in
  reality; to let her proposal rankle in Flucker。
  Flucker lighted his pipe slowly; as one who would not do a sister the
  injustice to notice so trivial a proposition。
  He waited fresh overtures。
  They did not come。
  Christie resumed her book。
  Then the baddish boy fixed his eye on the fire; and said softly and
  thoughtfully to the fire; 〃Hech; what a heap o' troubles yon woman has
  come through。〃
  This stroke of art was not lost。 Christie looked up from her book;
  pretended he had spoken to her; gave a fictitious yawn; and renewed the
  negotiation with the air of one disposed to kill time。
  She was dying for the story。
  Commerce was twice broken off and renewed by each power in turn。
  At last the bargain was struck at fourteen…pence。
  Then Flucker came out; the honest merchant。
  He had listened intently; with mercantile views。
  He had the widow's sorrows all off pat。
  He was not a bit affected himself; but by pure memory he remembered where
  she had been most agitated or overcome。
  He gave it Christie; word for word; and even threw in what dramatists
  call 〃the business;〃 thus:
  〃Here ye suld greet〃
  〃Here ye'll play your hand like a geraffe。〃
  〃Geraffe? That's a beast; I'm thinking。〃
  〃Na; it's the thing on the hill that makes signals。〃
  〃Telegraph; ye fulish goloshen!〃
  〃Oo ay; telegraph! Geraffe 's sunest said for a'。〃
  Thus Jess Rutherford's life came into Christie Johnstone's hands。
  She told it to a knot of natives next day; it lost nothing; for she was a
  woman of feeling; and by intuition an artist of the tongue。 She was the
  best _raconteur_ in a place where there are a hundred; male and female;
  who attempt that art。
  The next day she told it again; and then inferior narrators got hold of
  it; and it soon circulated through the town。
  And this was the cause of the sudden sympathy with Jess Rutherford。
  As our prigs would say:
  〃Art had adopted her cause and adorned her tale。〃
  CHAPTER V。
  THE fishing village of Newhaven is an unique place; it is a colony that
  retains distinct features; the people seldom intermarry with their Scotch
  neighbors。
  Some say the colony is Dutch; some Danish; some Flemish。 The character
  and cleanline