章节正文
文章总共2页
Young Duckby, whom he mildly disliked, speedily
monopolised the general attention by an account of a
domestic bereavement.
"Had four young pigeons carried off last night by a
whacking big rat. Oh, a monster he must have been; you
could tell by the size of the hole he made breaking into
the loft."
No moderate-sized rat ever seemed to carry out any
predatory operations in these regions; they were all
enormous in their enormity.
"Pretty hard lines that," continued Duckby, seeing
that he had secured the attention and respect of the
company; "four squeakers carried off at one swoop. You'd
find it rather hard to match that in the way of unlooked-
for bad luck."
"I had six pullets out of a pen of seven killed by a
snake yesterday afternoon," said Blenkinthrope, in a
voice which he hardly recognised as his own.
"By a snake?" came in excited chorus.
"It fascinated them with its deadly, glittering
eyes, one after the other, and struck them down while
they stood helpless. A bedridden neighbour, who wasn't
able to call for assistance, witnessed it all from her
bedroom window."
"Well, I never!" broke in the chorus, with
variations.
"The interesting part of it is about the seventh
pullet, the one that didn't get killed," resumed
Blenkinthrope, slowly lighting a cigarette. His
diffidence had left him, and he was beginning to realise
how safe and easy depravity can seem once one has the
courage to begin. "The six dead birds were Minorcas; the
seventh was a Houdan with a mop of feathers all over its
eyes. It could hardly see the snake at all, so of course
it wasn't mesmerised like the others. It just could see
something wriggling on the ground, and went for it and
pecked it to death."
"Well, I'm blessed!" exclaimed the chorus.
In the course of the next few days Blenkinthrope
discovered how little the loss of one's self-respect
affects one when one has gained the esteem of the world.
His story found its way into one of the poultry papers,
and was copied thence into a daily news-sheet as a matter
of general interest. A lady wrote from the North of
Scotland recounting a similar episode which she had
witnessed as occurring between a stoat and a blind
grouse. Somehow a lie seems so much less reprehensible
when one can call it a lee.
For awhile the adapter of the Seventh Pullet story
enjoyed to the full his altered standing as a person of
consequence, one who had had some share in the strange
events of his times. Then he was thrust once again into
the cold grey background by the sudden blossoming into
importance of Smith-Paddon, a daily fellow-traveller,
whose little girl had been knocked down and nearly hurt
by a car belonging to a musical-comedy actress. The
actress was not in the car at the time, but she was in
numerous photographs which appeared in the illustrated
papers of Zoto Dobreen inquiring after the well-being of
Maisie, daughter of Edmund Smith-Paddon, Esq. With this
new human interest to absorb them the travelling
companions were almost rude when Blenkinthrope tried to
explain his contrivance for keeping vipers and peregrine
falcons out of his chicken-run.
Gorworth, to whom he unburdened himself in private,
gave him the same counsel as heretofore.
"Invent something."
"Yes, but what?"
The ready affirmative coupled with the question
betrayed a significant shifting of the ethical
standpoint.
It was a few days later that Blenkinthrope revealed
a chapter of family history to the customarygathering in
the railway carriage.
"Curious thing happened to my aunt, the one who
lives in Paris," he began. He had several aunts, but
monopolised the general attention by an account of a
domestic bereavement.
"Had four young pigeons carried off last night by a
whacking big rat. Oh, a monster he must have been; you
could tell by the size of the hole he made breaking into
the loft."
No moderate-sized rat ever seemed to carry out any
predatory operations in these regions; they were all
enormous in their enormity.
"Pretty hard lines that," continued Duckby, seeing
that he had secured the attention and respect of the
company; "four squeakers carried off at one swoop. You'd
find it rather hard to match that in the way of unlooked-
for bad luck."
"I had six pullets out of a pen of seven killed by a
snake yesterday afternoon," said Blenkinthrope, in a
voice which he hardly recognised as his own.
"By a snake?" came in excited chorus.
"It fascinated them with its deadly, glittering
eyes, one after the other, and struck them down while
they stood helpless. A bedridden neighbour, who wasn't
able to call for assistance, witnessed it all from her
bedroom window."
"Well, I never!" broke in the chorus, with
variations.
"The interesting part of it is about the seventh
pullet, the one that didn't get killed," resumed
Blenkinthrope, slowly lighting a cigarette. His
diffidence had left him, and he was beginning to realise
how safe and easy depravity can seem once one has the
courage to begin. "The six dead birds were Minorcas; the
seventh was a Houdan with a mop of feathers all over its
eyes. It could hardly see the snake at all, so of course
it wasn't mesmerised like the others. It just could see
something wriggling on the ground, and went for it and
pecked it to death."
"Well, I'm blessed!" exclaimed the chorus.
In the course of the next few days Blenkinthrope
discovered how little the loss of one's self-respect
affects one when one has gained the esteem of the world.
His story found its way into one of the poultry papers,
and was copied thence into a daily news-sheet as a matter
of general interest. A lady wrote from the North of
Scotland recounting a similar episode which she had
witnessed as occurring between a stoat and a blind
grouse. Somehow a lie seems so much less reprehensible
when one can call it a lee.
For awhile the adapter of the Seventh Pullet story
enjoyed to the full his altered standing as a person of
consequence, one who had had some share in the strange
events of his times. Then he was thrust once again into
the cold grey background by the sudden blossoming into
importance of Smith-Paddon, a daily fellow-traveller,
whose little girl had been knocked down and nearly hurt
by a car belonging to a musical-comedy actress. The
actress was not in the car at the time, but she was in
numerous photographs which appeared in the illustrated
papers of Zoto Dobreen inquiring after the well-being of
Maisie, daughter of Edmund Smith-Paddon, Esq. With this
new human interest to absorb them the travelling
companions were almost rude when Blenkinthrope tried to
explain his contrivance for keeping vipers and peregrine
falcons out of his chicken-run.
Gorworth, to whom he unburdened himself in private,
gave him the same counsel as heretofore.
"Invent something."
"Yes, but what?"
The ready affirmative coupled with the question
betrayed a significant shifting of the ethical
standpoint.
It was a few days later that Blenkinthrope revealed
a chapter of family history to the customarygathering in
the railway carriage.
"Curious thing happened to my aunt, the one who
lives in Paris," he began. He had several aunts, but
- privilege [´privilidʒ]
n.特权 vt.给….特权 (初中英语单词) - rescue [´reskju:] vt.&n.救援；挽救 (初中英语单词)
- acting [´æktiŋ] a.代理的 n.演戏 (初中英语单词)
- firmly [´fə:mli] ad.坚固地，稳定地 (初中英语单词)
- extraordinary [ik´strɔ:dinəri] a.非常的；额外的 (初中英语单词)
- obviously [´ɔbviəsli] ad.明显地；显而易见地 (初中英语单词)
- amount [ə´maunt] n.总数；数量 v.合计 (初中英语单词)
- relief [ri´li:f] n.救济；援救；减轻 (初中英语单词)
- complain [kəm´plein] vi.抱怨，叫屈；控诉 (初中英语单词)
- remarkable [ri´mɑ:kəbl] a.值得注意的；显著的 (初中英语单词)
- account [ə´kaunt] vi.说明 vt.认为 n.帐目 (初中英语单词)
- capture [´kæptʃə] vt.&n.捕获；俘获；夺取 (初中英语单词)
- circle [´sə:kəl] n.圆圈 v.环绕；盘旋 (初中英语单词)
- yesterday [´jestədi] n.&ad.昨天；前不久 (初中英语单词)
- invention [in´venʃən] n.创造；发明；虚构 (初中英语单词)
- carriage [´kæridʒ] n.马车；客车；货运 (初中英语单词)
- election [i´lekʃən] n.选举；选择 (初中英语单词)
- whatever [wɔt´evə] pron.&a.无论什么 (初中英语单词)
- monster [´mɔnstə] n.怪物 a.大得异常的 (初中英语单词)
- deadly [´dedli] a.致命的 ad.死一般地 (初中英语单词)
- helpless [´helpləs] a.无助的，无依靠的 (初中英语单词)
- assistance [ə´sistəns] n.协作；援助；帮助 (初中英语单词)
- chorus [´kɔ:rəs] n.合唱；齐声 v.合唱 (初中英语单词)
- beginning [bi´giniŋ] n.开始，开端；起源 (初中英语单词)
- thence [ðens] ad.从那里；因此 (初中英语单词)
- awhile [ə´wail] ad.少顷；片刻 (初中英语单词)
- standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)
- thrust [θrʌst] v.&n.猛推；冲；刺；挤进 (初中英语单词)
- background [´bækgraund] n.背景；经历；幕后 (初中英语单词)
- absorb [əb´sɔ:b] vt.吸收；吸引 (初中英语单词)
- counsel [´kaunsəl] n.商议；劝告；律师 (初中英语单词)
- hearing [´hiəriŋ] n.听力；听证会；审讯 (高中英语单词)
- interference [,intə´fiərəns] n.干涉，干扰，妨碍 (高中英语单词)
- luggage [´lʌgidʒ] n.行李；皮箱 (高中英语单词)
- strode [strəud] stride的过去式 (高中英语单词)
- genuine [´dʒenjuin] a.真正的；真诚的 (高中英语单词)
- enthusiastic [inθju:zi´æstik] a.热情的，热心的 (高中英语单词)
- tennis [´tenis] n.网球(运动) (高中英语单词)
- stiffly [´stifli] ad.硬；顽固地 (高中英语单词)
- mushroom [´mʌʃru:m] n.蘑菇 vi.采蘑菇 (高中英语单词)
- esteem [i´sti:m] n.尊重 vt.认为；感到 (高中英语单词)
- poultry [´pəultri] n.&v.家禽 (高中英语单词)
- actress [´æktris] n.女演员 (高中英语单词)
- significant [sig´nifikənt] a.重要的；意义重大的 (高中英语单词)
- customary [´kʌstəməri] a.通常的；惯例的 (高中英语单词)
- gifted [´giftid] a.有天赋的，有才华的 (英语四级单词)
- ultimately [´ʌltimitli] ad.最后，最终 (英语四级单词)
- leopard [´lepəd] n.豹 (英语四级单词)
- embarrassment [im´bærəsmənt] n.窘迫；困惑；为难 (英语四级单词)
- advent [´ædvent] n.来临；降临 (英语四级单词)
- tiresome [´taiəsəm] a.令人厌倦的；讨厌的 (英语四级单词)
- commonplace [´kɔmənpleis] a.平凡的；常见的 (英语四级单词)
- impatiently [im´peiʃəntli] ad.不耐烦地，急躁地 (英语四级单词)
- winning [´winiŋ] n.&a.胜利(的) (英语四级单词)
- excellence [´eksələns] n.优秀；杰出；优点 (英语四级单词)
- dominant [´dɔminənt] a.统治的；占优势的 (英语四级单词)
- mildly [´maildli] ad.温和地；适度地 (英语四级单词)
- lighting [´laitiŋ] n.照明，发光 (英语四级单词)
- episode [´episəud] n.插曲；一段情节 (英语四级单词)
- contrivance [kən´traivəns] n.发明，设计(的才能) (英语四级单词)
- gathering [´gæðəriŋ] n.集会，聚集 (英语四级单词)
- apprehensive [,æpri´hensiv] a.忧虑的；担心的 (英语六级单词)
- indignantly [in´dignəntli] ad.愤慨地，义愤地 (英语六级单词)
- turmoil [´tə:mɔil] n.骚动；混乱 (英语六级单词)
- unused [,ʌn´ju:zd] a.不用的；未消耗的 (英语六级单词)
- intimately [´intimitli] ad.密切地；熟悉地 (英语六级单词)
- biting [´baitiŋ] a.刺痛的；尖利的 (英语六级单词)
- wistfully [´wistfuli] ad.渴望地；不满足地 (英语六级单词)
- well-being [´wel´bi:iŋ] n.幸福；健康；福利 (英语六级单词)
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文章标签:名著
章节正文
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