"Two o' the sons, Jamie an' Timothy uz married an' be goun' tull

sea. Thot bug house close tull the post office uz Jamie's. The



daughters thot ha' no married be luvun' wuth them as dud marry.

An' the rest be dead."



"The Samuels," Clara interpolated, with what I suspected was a

giggle.



She was Mrs. Ross's daughter, a strapping young woman with handsome

features and remarkably handsome black eyes.



"'Tuz naught to be smuckerun' ot," her mother reproved her.

"The Samuels?" I intervened. "I don't understand."



"Her four sons thot died."

"And were they all named Samuel?"



"Aye."

"Strange," I commented in the lagging silence.



"Very strange," Mrs. Ross affirmed, proceeding stolidly with the

knitting of the woollen singlet on her knees - one of the countless



under-garments that she interminably knitted for her skipper sons.

"And it was only the Samuels that died?" I queried, in further



attempt.

"The others luved," was the answer. "A fine fomuly - no finer on



the island. No better lods ever sailed out of Island McGill. The

munuster held them up oz models tull pottern after. Nor was ever a



whusper breathed again' the girls."

"But why is she left alone now in her old age?" I persisted. "Why



don't her own flesh and blood look after her? Why does she live

alone? Don't they ever go to see her or care for her?"



"Never a one un twenty years an' more now. She fetched ut on tull

herself. She drove them from the house just oz she drove old Tom



Henan, thot was her husband, tull hus death."

"Drink?" I ventured.



Mrs. Ross shook her head scornfully, as if drink was a weakness

beneath the weakest of Island McGill.



A long pause followed, during which Mrs. Ross knitted stolidly on,

only nodding permission when Clara's young man, mate on one of the



Shire Line sailing ships, came to walk out with her. I studied the

half-dozen ostrich eggs, hanging in the corner against the wall



like a cluster of some monstrous fruit. On each shell were painted

precipitous and impossible seas through which full-rigged ships



foamed with a lack of perspective only equalled by their sharp

technicalperfection. On the mantelpiece stood two large pearl



shells, obviously a pair, intricately carved by the patient hands

of New Caledonian convicts. In the centre of the mantel was a



stuffed bird-of-paradise, while about the room were scattered

gorgeous shells from the southern seas, delicate sprays of coral



sprouting from barnacled PI-PI shells and cased in glass, assegais

from South Africa, stone axes from New Guinea, huge Alaskan



tobacco-pouches beaded with heraldic totem designs, a boomerang

from Australia, divers ships in glass bottles, a cannibal KAI-KAI



bowl from the Marquesas, and fragile cabinets from China and the

Indies and inlaid with mother-of-pearl and precious woods.



I gazed at this varied trove brought home by sailor sons, and

pondered the mystery of Margaret Henan, who had driven her husband



to his death and been forsaken by all her kin. It was not the

drink. Then what was it? - some shockingcruelty? some amazing



infidelity? or some fearful, old-world peasant-crime?

I broached my theories, but to all Mrs. Ross shook her head.



"Ut was no thot," she said. "Margaret was a guid wife an' a guid

mother, an' I doubt she would harm a fly. She brought up her



fomuly God-fearin' an' decent-minded. Her trouble was thot she

took lunatic - turned eediot."



Mrs. Ross tapped significantly on her forehead to indicate a state

of addlement.



"But I talked with her this afternoon," I objected, "and I found

her a sensible woman - remarkably bright for one of her years."



"Aye, an' I'm grantun' all thot you say," she went on calmly. "But

I am no referrun' tull thot. I am referrun' tull her wucked-headed



an' vucious stubbornness. No more stubborn woman ever luv'd than

Margaret Henan. Ut was all on account o' Samuel, which was the

• working [´wə:kiŋ] a.工人的；劳动的 (初中英语单词)


• enormous [i´nɔ:məs] a.巨大地，很，极 (初中英语单词)


• possibility [,pɔsə´biliti] n.可能(性)；希望；前途 (初中英语单词)


• mysteriously [mis´tiəriəsli] ad.神秘地；故弄玄虚地 (初中英语单词)


• remote [ri´məut] a.遥远的；偏僻的 (初中英语单词)


• atmosphere [´ætməsfiə] n.大气；空气；气氛 (初中英语单词)


• strangely [´streindʒli] ad.奇怪地；陌生地 (初中英语单词)


• affect [ə´fekt] vt.影响；感动；假装 (初中英语单词)


• beginning [bi´giniŋ] n.开始，开端；起源 (初中英语单词)


• harvest [´hɑ:vist] n.&v.收获；收割 (初中英语单词)


• tremendous [tri´mendəs] a.可怕的；巨大的 (初中英语单词)


• immense [i´mens] a.广大的，无限的 (初中英语单词)


• properly [´prɔpəli] ad.适当地；严格地 (初中英语单词)


• contact [´kɔntækt] n.接触；联系 v.联络 (初中英语单词)


• abroad [ə´brɔ:d] ad.海外；到处；广泛 (初中英语单词)


• undoubtedly [ʌn´dautidli] ad.无疑地，确实地 (初中英语单词)


• impression [im´preʃən] n.印刷；印象；效果 (初中英语单词)


• commence [kə´mens] vt.&vi.开始 (初中英语单词)


• wisdom [´wizdəm] n.智慧，聪明，才智 (初中英语单词)


• exception [ik´sepʃən] n.例外；反对，异议 (初中英语单词)


• guilty [´gilti] a.有罪的；心虚的 (初中英语单词)


• purely [´pjuəli] ad.仅仅；简单地 (初中英语单词)


• lawyer [´lɔ:jə] n.律师；法学家 (初中英语单词)


• whatever [wɔt´evə] pron.&a.无论什么 (初中英语单词)


• existence [ig´zistəns] n.存在；生存；生活 (初中英语单词)


• instant [´instənt] a.立即的 n.紧迫；瞬间 (初中英语单词)


• equally [´i:kwəli] ad.相等地；平等地 (初中英语单词)


• unlike [,ʌn´laik] a.不同的 prep.不象… (初中英语单词)


• permission [pə´miʃən] n.允许；同意；许可 (初中英语单词)


• cluster [´klʌstə] n.一串 v.群集；丛生 (初中英语单词)


• obviously [´ɔbviəsli] ad.明显地；显而易见地 (初中英语单词)


• delicate [´delikət] a.精美的；微妙的 (初中英语单词)


• mystery [´mistəri] n.神秘；秘密；故弄玄虚 (初中英语单词)


• driven [´driv(ə)n] drive 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• fearful [´fiəfəl] a.可怕的；担心的 (初中英语单词)


• forehead [´fɔrid] n.额，前部 (初中英语单词)


• sensible [´sensəbəl] a.感觉得到的 (初中英语单词)


• calmly [´kɑ:mli] ad.平静地；无风浪地 (初中英语单词)


• account [ə´kaunt] vi.说明 vt.认为 n.帐目 (初中英语单词)


• eternity [i´tə:niti] n.永恒，来世，无穷 (高中英语单词)


• learned [´lə:nid] a.有学问的，博学的 (高中英语单词)


• naught [nɔ:t] n.无；零 (高中英语单词)


• shrewd [ʃru:d] a.精明的；狡猾的 (高中英语单词)


• homely [´həumli] a.朴素的；不漂亮的 (高中英语单词)


• industrious [in´dʌstriəs] a.勤勉的，刻苦的 (高中英语单词)


• ireland [´aiələnd] n.爱尔兰 (高中英语单词)


• scotch [skɔtʃ] vt.&n.刻痕(于)；划伤 (高中英语单词)


• therein [ðeə´rin] ad.在那里，在其中 (高中英语单词)


• community [kə´mju:niti] n.团体；社区；公众 (高中英语单词)


• theirs [ðeəz] pron.他们的 (高中英语单词)


• solitary [´sɔlitəri] a.独居的；孤独的 (高中英语单词)


• remainder [ri´meində] n.剩余物；残余部分 (高中英语单词)


• technical [´teknikəl] a.技术的；专门性的 (高中英语单词)


• proceeding [prə´si:diŋ] n.程序；进程；行动 (高中英语单词)


• studied [´stʌdid] a.故意的；有计划的 (高中英语单词)


• hanging [´hæŋiŋ] n.绞刑 a.悬挂着的 (高中英语单词)


• monstrous [´mɔnstrəs] a.怪异的；庞大的 (高中英语单词)


• perfection [pə´fekʃən] n.完美；极致；熟练 (高中英语单词)


• cruelty [´kru:əlti] n.残忍；残酷行为 (高中英语单词)


• stubborn [´stʌbən] a.顽固的；坚持的 (高中英语单词)


• countryside [´kʌntrisaid] n.乡下，农村 (英语四级单词)


• contemplation [,kɔntem´pleiʃən] n.注视；冥想；打算 (英语四级单词)


• scottish [´skɔtiʃ, ´skɑtiʃ] a.&n.苏格兰人(的) (英语四级单词)


• utterance [´ʌtərəns] n.发音；言辞；所说的话 (英语四级单词)


• mainland [´meinlənd] n.大陆；本土 (英语四级单词)


• wedded [´wedid] a.(已)结婚的；献身的 (英语四级单词)


• morality [mə´ræliti] n.道德；教训；伦理学 (英语四级单词)


• schoolmaster [´sku:l,mɑ:stə] n.教练；(男)教师 (英语四级单词)


• forgiven [fə´givn] forgive的过去分词 (英语四级单词)


• composed [kəm´pəuzd] a.镇静自若的 (英语四级单词)


• skipper [´skipə] n.&vi.(当)船长 (英语四级单词)


• glasgow [´glɑ:sgəu] n.格拉斯哥 (英语四级单词)


• remarkably [ri´mɑ:kəbli] ad.非凡地；显著地 (英语四级单词)


• fragile [´frædʒail] a.易碎的；虚弱的 (英语四级单词)


• varied [´veərid] a.各种各样的 (英语四级单词)


• equilibrium [,i:kwi´libriəm] n.平衡；均势 (英语六级单词)


• uncanny [ʌn´kæni] a.神秘的；离奇的 (英语六级单词)


• thrifty [´θrifti] a.节俭的；兴旺的 (英语六级单词)


• hybrid [´haibrid] n.杂种；混合物 (英语六级单词)


• speaking [´spi:kiŋ] n.说话 a.发言的 (英语六级单词)


• intensive [in´tensiv] a.加强的；精耕细作的 (英语六级单词)


• averse [ə´və:s] a.反对的，不乐意的 (英语六级单词)


• ostrich [´ɔstritʃ] n.鸵鸟 (英语六级单词)


• perspective [pə´spektiv] n.望远镜 a.透视的 (英语六级单词)


• mantel [´mæntl] n.壁炉面饰；壁炉架 (英语六级单词)


• guinea [´gini] n.几尼(英国旧金币) (英语六级单词)


• divers [´daivə(:)z] a.&pron.若干个 (英语六级单词)


• cannibal [´kænibəl] n.吃同类动物的 (英语六级单词)


• forsaken [fə´seik] forsake的过去分词 (英语六级单词)


• shocking [´ʃɔkiŋ] a.令人震惊的；可怕的 (英语六级单词)


• lunatic [´lu:nətik] a.精神错乱的 n.疯子 (英语六级单词)