H庄园的午餐13

时间：2024-11-06 07:05:49

（单词翻译:单击）

III
Dr. Lord was leaning over the bed. Nurse O’Brien hovered1 behind him. He was trying, hisforehead puckered2, to understand the slurred3 sounds coming from his patient’s mouth.
He said:
“Yes, yes. Now, don’t get excited. Take plenty of time. Just raise this right hand a little whenyou mean yes. There’s something you’re worried about?”
He received the affirmatory sign.
“Something urgent? Yes. Something you want done? Someone sent for? Miss Carlisle? AndMr. Welman? They’re on their way.”
Again Mrs. Welman tried incoherently to speak. Dr. Lord listened attentively4.
“You wanted them to come, but it’s not that? Someone else? A relation? No? Some businessmatter? I see. Something to do with money? Lawyer? That’s right, isn’t it? You want to see yourlawyer? Want to give him instructions about something?
“Now, now—that’s all right. Keep calm. Plenty of time. What’s that you’re saying—Elinor?”
He caught the garbled5 name. “She knows what lawyer? And she will arrange with him? Good.
She’ll be here in about half an hour. I’ll tell her what you want and I’ll come up with her and we’llget it all straight. Now, don’t worry any more. Leave it all to me. I’ll see that things are arrangedthe way you want them to be.”
He stood a moment watching her relax, then he moved quietly away and went out on thelanding. Nurse O’Brien followed him. Nurse Hopkins was just coming up the stairs. He nodded toher. She said breathlessly:
“Good evening, Doctor.”
“Good evening, Nurse.”
He went with the two of them into Nurse O’Brien’s room next door and gave them theirinstructions. Nurse Hopkins would remain on overnight and take charge with Nurse O’Brien.
“Tomorrow I’ll have to get hold of a second resident nurse. Awkward, this diphtheria epidemicover at Stamford. The nursing homes there are working shorthanded as it is.”
Then, having given his orders, which were listened to with reverent6 attention (which sometimestickled him), Dr. Lord went downstairs, ready to receive the niece and nephew who, his watch toldhim, were due to arrive at any minute now.
In the hall he encountered Mary Gerrard. Her face was pale and anxious. She asked:
“Is she better?”
Dr. Lord said:
“I can ensure her a peaceful night—that’s about all that can be done.”
Mary said brokenly:
“It seems so cruel—so unfair—”
He nodded sympathetically enough.
“Yes, it does seem like that sometimes. I believe—”
He broke off.
“That’s the car.”
He went out into the hall. Mary ran upstairs.
Elinor exclaimed as she came into the drawing room:
“Is she very bad?”
Roddy was looking pale and apprehensive7.
The doctor said gravely:
“I’m afraid it will be rather a shock to you. She’s badly paralysed. Her speech is almostunrecognizable. By the way, she’s definitely worried about something. It’s to do with sending forher lawyer. You know who he is, Miss Carlisle?”
Elinor said quickly:
“Mr. Seddon—of Bloomsbury Square. But he wouldn’t be there at this time of the evening, andI don’t know his home address.”
Dr. Lord said reassuringly9:
“Tomorrow will be in plenty of time. But I’m anxious to set Mrs. Welman’s mind at rest assoon as possible. If you will come up with me now, Miss Carlisle, I think together we shall be ableto reassure10 her.”
“Of course. I will come up at once.”
Roddy said hopefully:
“You don’t want me?”
He felt faintly ashamed of himself, but he had a nervous dread11 of going up to the sickroom, ofseeing Aunt Laura lying there in-articulate and helpless.
Dr. Lord reassured12 him promptly13.
“Not the least need, Mr. Welman. Better not to have too many people in the room.”
Roddy’s relief showed plainly.
Dr. Lord and Elinor went upstairs. Nurse O’Brien was with the patient.
Laura Welman, breathing deeply and stertorously14, lay as though in a stupor15. Elinor stoodlooking down on her, shocked by the drawn16, twisted face.
Suddenly Mrs. Welman’s right eyelid17 quivered and opened. A faint change came over her faceas she recognized Elinor.
She tried to speak.
“Elinor…” The word would have been meaningless to anyone who had not guessed at what shewanted to say.
Elinor said quickly:
“I’m here, Aunt Laura. You’re worried about something? You want me to send for Mr.
Seddon?”
Another of those hoarse18 raucous19 sounds. Elinor guessed at the meaning. She said:
“Mary Gerrard?”
Slowly the right hand moved shakily in assent20.
A long burble of sound came from the sick woman’s lips. Dr. Lord and Elinor frownedhelplessly. Again and again it came. Then Elinor got a word.
“Provision? You want to make provision for her in your will? You want her to have somemoney? I see, dear Aunt Laura. That will be quite simple. Mr. Seddon will come down tomorrowand everything shall be arranged exactly as you wish.”
The sufferer seemed relieved. The look of distress21 faded from that appealing eye. Elinor tookher hand in hers and felt a feeble pressure from the fingers.
Mrs. Welman said with a great effort:
“You—all—you…”
Elinor said: “Yes, yes, leave it all to me. I will see that everything you want is done!”
She felt the pressure of the fingers again. Then it relaxed. The eyelids22 drooped23 and closed.
Dr. Lord laid a hand on Elinor’s arm and drew her gently away out of the room. Nurse O’Brienresumed her seat near the bed.
Outside on the landing Mary Gerrard was talking to Nurse Hopkins. She started forward.
“Oh, Dr. Lord, can I go in to her, please?”
He nodded.
“Keep quite quiet, though, and don’t disturb her.”
Mary went into the sickroom.
Dr. Lord said:
“Your train was late. You—” He stopped.
Elinor had turned her head to look after Mary. Suddenly she became aware of his abruptsilence. She turned her head and looked at him inquiringly. He was staring at her, a startled look inhis face. The colour rose in Elinor’s cheeks.
She said hurriedly:
“I beg your pardon. What did you say?”
Peter Lord said slowly:
“What was I saying? I don’t remember. Miss Carlisle, you were splendid in there!” He spokewarmly. “Quick to understand, reassuring8, everything you should have been.”
The very faintest of sniffs24 came from Nurse Hopkins.
Elinor said:
“Poor darling. It upset me terribly seeing her like that.”
“Of course. But you didn’t show it. You must have great self-control.”
Elinor said, her lips set very straight:
“I’ve learnt not—to show my feelings.”
The doctor said slowly:
“All the same the mask’s bound to slip once in a while.”
Nurse Hopkins had bustled25 into the bathroom. Elinor said, raising her delicate eyebrows26 andlooking full at him:
“The mask?”
Dr. Lord said:
“The human face is, after all, nothing more nor less than a mask.”
“And underneath27?”
“Underneath is the primitive28 human man or woman.”
She turned away quickly and led the way downstairs.
Peter Lord followed, puzzled and unwontedly serious.
Roddy came out into the hall to meet them.
“Well?” he asked anxiously.
Elinor said:
“Poor darling. It’s very sad to see her… I shouldn’t go, Roddy—till—till—she asks for you.”
Roddy asked:
“Did she want anything—special?”
Peter Lord said to Elinor:
“I must be off now. There’s nothing more I can do for the moment. I’ll look in early tomorrow.
Good-bye, Miss Carlisle. Don’t—don’t worry too much.”
He held her hand in his for a moment or two. He had a strangely reassuring and comfortingclasp. He looked at her, Elinor thought, rather oddly as though—as though he was sorry for her.
As the door shut behind the doctor, Roddy repeated his question.
Elinor said:
“Aunt Laura is worried about—about certain business matters. I managed to pacify29 her and toldher Mr. Seddon would certainly come down tomorrow. We must telephone him first thing.”
Roddy asked:
“Does she want to make a new will?”
Elinor answered:
“She didn’t say so.”
“What did she—?”
He stopped in the middle of the question.
Mary Gerrard was running down the stairs. She crossed the hall and disappeared through thedoor to the kitchen quarters.
Elinor said in a harsh voice:
“Yes? What is it you wanted to ask?”
Roddy said vaguely30:
“I—what? I’ve forgotten what it was.”
He was staring at the door through which Mary Gerrard had gone.
Elinor’s hands closed. She could feel her long, pointed31 nails biting into the flesh of her palms.
She thought:
“I can’t bear it—I can’t bear it…it’s not imagination…it’s true… Roddy—Roddy I can’t loseyou….”
And she thought:
“What did that man—the doctor—what did he see in my face upstairs? He saw something…Oh, God, how awful life is—to feel as I feel now. Say something, fool. Pull yourself together!”
Aloud she said, in her calm voice:
“About meals, Roddy. I’m not very hungry. I’ll sit with Aunt Laura and the nurses can bothcome down.”
Roddy said in alarm:
“And have dinner with me?”
Elinor said coldly:
“They won’t bite you!”
“But what about you? You must have something. Why don’t we dine first, and let them comedown afterwards?”
Elinor said:
“No, the other way’s better.” She added wildly, “They’re so touchy32, you know.”
She thought:
“I can’t sit through a meal with him—alone—talking—behaving as usual….”
She said impatiently:
“Oh, do let me arrange things my own way!”
 

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1 hovered d194b7e43467f867f4b4380809ba6b19     
鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫
参考例句：
  • A hawk hovered over the hill. 一只鹰在小山的上空翱翔。
  • A hawk hovered in the blue sky. 一只老鹰在蓝色的天空中翱翔。
2 puckered 919dc557997e8559eff50805cb11f46e     
v.（使某物）起褶子或皱纹( pucker的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • His face puckered , and he was ready to cry. 他的脸一皱，像要哭了。
  • His face puckered, the tears leapt from his eyes. 他皱着脸，眼泪夺眶而出。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 slurred 01a941e4c7d84b2a714a07ccb7ad1430     
含糊地说出( slur的过去式和过去分词 )； 含糊地发…的声； 侮辱； 连唱
参考例句：
  • She had drunk too much and her speech was slurred. 她喝得太多了，话都说不利索了。
  • You could tell from his slurred speech that he was drunk. 从他那含糊不清的话语中你就知道他喝醉了。
4 attentively AyQzjz     
adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神
参考例句：
  • She listened attentively while I poured out my problems. 我倾吐心中的烦恼时，她一直在注意听。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • She listened attentively and set down every word he said. 她专心听着，把他说的话一字不漏地记下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 garbled ssvzFv     
adj.（指信息）混乱的，引起误解的v.对（事实）歪曲，对（文章等）断章取义，窜改( garble的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • He gave a garbled account of what had happened. 他对所发生事情的叙述含混不清。
  • The Coastguard needs to decipher garbled messages in a few minutes. 海岸警卫队需要在几分钟内解读这些含混不清的信息。 来自辞典例句
6 reverent IWNxP     
adj.恭敬的，虔诚的
参考例句：
  • He gave reverent attention to the teacher.他恭敬地听老师讲课。
  • She said the word artist with a gentle,understanding,reverent smile.她说作家一词时面带高雅，理解和虔诚的微笑。
7 apprehensive WNkyw     
adj.担心的，恐惧的，善于领会的
参考例句：
  • She was deeply apprehensive about her future.她对未来感到非常担心。
  • He was rather apprehensive of failure.他相当害怕失败。
8 reassuring vkbzHi     
a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的
参考例句：
  • He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 他轻拍了一下她的肩膀让她放心。
  • With a reassuring pat on her arm, he left. 他鼓励地拍了拍她的手臂就离开了。
9 reassuringly YTqxW     
ad.安心，可靠
参考例句：
  • He patted her knee reassuringly. 他轻拍她的膝盖让她放心。
  • The doctor smiled reassuringly. 医生笑了笑，让人心里很踏实。
10 reassure 9TgxW     
v.使放心，使消除疑虑
参考例句：
  • This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
  • The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。
11 dread Ekpz8     
vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧
参考例句：
  • We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
  • Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。
12 reassured ff7466d942d18e727fb4d5473e62a235     
adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句：
  • The captain's confidence during the storm reassured the passengers. 在风暴中船长的信念使旅客们恢复了信心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • The doctor reassured the old lady. 医生叫那位老妇人放心。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 promptly LRMxm     
adv.及时地，敏捷地
参考例句：
  • He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
  • She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。
14 stertorously 4ceb1b9f4dc1b069d369261a36b3b2e1     
参考例句：
  • He was breathing stertorously. 他呼哧呼哧地喘着气。 来自互联网
15 stupor Kqqyx     
v.昏迷；不省人事
参考例句：
  • As the whisky took effect, he gradually fell into a drunken stupor.随着威士忌酒力发作，他逐渐醉得不省人事。
  • The noise of someone banging at the door roused her from her stupor.梆梆的敲门声把她从昏迷中唤醒了。
16 drawn MuXzIi     
v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的
参考例句：
  • All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
  • Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
17 eyelid zlcxj     
n.眼睑，眼皮
参考例句：
  • She lifted one eyelid to see what he was doing.她抬起一只眼皮看看他在做什么。
  • My eyelid has been tumid since yesterday.从昨天起，我的眼皮就肿了。
18 hoarse 5dqzA     
adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的
参考例句：
  • He asked me a question in a hoarse voice.他用嘶哑的声音问了我一个问题。
  • He was too excited and roared himself hoarse.他过于激动，嗓子都喊哑了。
19 raucous TADzb     
adj.(声音)沙哑的，粗糙的
参考例句：
  • I heard sounds of raucous laughter upstairs.我听见楼上传来沙哑的笑声。
  • They heard a bottle being smashed,then more raucous laughter.他们听见酒瓶摔碎的声音，然后是一阵更喧闹的笑声。
20 assent Hv6zL     
v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可
参考例句：
  • I cannot assent to what you ask.我不能应允你的要求。
  • The new bill passed by Parliament has received Royal Assent.议会所通过的新方案已获国王批准。
21 distress 3llzX     
n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛
参考例句：
  • Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
  • Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。
22 eyelids 86ece0ca18a95664f58bda5de252f4e7     
n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色
参考例句：
  • She was so tired, her eyelids were beginning to droop. 她太疲倦了，眼睑开始往下垂。
  • Her eyelids drooped as if she were on the verge of sleep. 她眼睑低垂好像快要睡着的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
23 drooped ebf637c3f860adcaaf9c11089a322fa5     
弯曲或下垂，发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • Her eyelids drooped as if she were on the verge of sleep. 她眼睑低垂好像快要睡着的样子。
  • The flowers drooped in the heat of the sun. 花儿晒蔫了。
24 sniffs 1dc17368bdc7c210dcdfcacf069b2513     
v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的第三人称单数 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说
参考例句：
  • When a dog smells food, he usually sniffs. 狗闻到食物时常吸鼻子。 来自辞典例句
  • I-It's a difficult time [ Sniffs ] with my husband. 最近[哭泣]和我丈夫出了点问题。 来自电影对白
25 bustled 9467abd9ace0cff070d56f0196327c70     
闹哄哄地忙乱，奔忙( bustle的过去式和过去分词 )； 催促
参考例句：
  • She bustled around in the kitchen. 她在厨房里忙得团团转。
  • The hostress bustled about with an assumption of authority. 女主人摆出一副权威的样子忙来忙去。
26 eyebrows a0e6fb1330e9cfecfd1c7a4d00030ed5     
眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
  • His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。
27 underneath VKRz2     
adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面
参考例句：
  • Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
  • She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。
28 primitive vSwz0     
adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物
参考例句：
  • It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
  • His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。
29 pacify xKFxa     
vt.使(某人)平静(或息怒)；抚慰
参考例句：
  • He tried to pacify the protesters with promises of reform.他试图以改革的承诺安抚抗议者。
  • He tried to pacify his creditors by repaying part of the money.他为安抚债权人偿还了部分借款。
30 vaguely BfuzOy     
adv.含糊地，暖昧地
参考例句：
  • He had talked vaguely of going to work abroad.他含糊其词地说了到国外工作的事。
  • He looked vaguely before him with unseeing eyes.他迷迷糊糊的望着前面，对一切都视而不见。
31 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的，直截了当的
参考例句：
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
32 touchy PJfz6     
adj.易怒的；棘手的
参考例句：
  • Be careful what you say because he's touchy.你说话小心，因为他容易生气。
  • He's a little touchy about his weight.他对自己的体重感到有点儿苦恼。

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