顺水推舟11

时间：2025-01-30 17:16:21

（单词翻译:单击）

Six
“What was the Marchmont woman doing here?” demanded David as soon as he got in.
“Oh, David. She wanted money dreadfully badly. I’d never thought—”
“And you gave it her, I suppose.”
He looked at her in half-humorous despair.
“You’re not to be trusted alone, Rosaleen.”
“Oh, David, I couldn’t refuse. After all—”
“After all—what? How much?”
In a small voice Rosaleen murmured, “Five hundred pounds.”
To her relief David laughed.
“A mere1 fleabite!”
“Oh, David, it’s a lot of money.”
“Not to us nowadays, Rosaleen. You never really seem to grasp that you’re a very rich
woman. All the same if she asked five hundred she’d have gone away perfectly2 satisfied with
two-fifty. You must learn the language of borrowing!”
She murmured, “I’m sorry, David.”
“My dear girl! After all, it’s your money.”
“It isn’t. Not really.”
“Now don’t begin that all over again. Gordon Cloade died before he had time to make a will.
That’s what’s called the luck of the game. We win, you and I. The others—lose.”
“It doesn’t seem—right.”
“Come now, my lovely sister Rosaleen, aren’t you enjoying all this? A big house, servants—
jewellery? Isn’t it a dream come true? Isn’t it? Glory be to God, sometimes I think I’ll wake
up and find it is a dream.”
She laughed with him, and watching her narrowly, he was satisfied. He knew how to deal with
his Rosaleen. It was inconvenient3, he thought, that she should have a conscience, but there it was.
“It’s quite true, David, it is like a dream—or like something on the pictures. I do enjoy it all.
I do really.”
“But what we have we hold,” he warned her. “No more gifts to the Cloades, Rosaleen.
Every one of them has got far more money than either you or I ever had.”
“Yes, I suppose that’s true.”
“Where was Lynn this morning?” he asked.
“I think she’d gone to Long Willows4.”
To Long Willows—to see Rowley—the oaf—the clodhopper! His good humour vanished. Set
on marrying the fellow, was she?
Moodily5 he strolled out of the house, up through massed azaleas and out through the small gate
on the top of the hill. From there the footpath6 dipped down the hill and past Rowley’s farm.
As David stood there, he saw Lynn Marchmont coming up from the farm. He hesitated for a
minute, then set his jaw7 pugnaciously8 and strolled down the hill to meet her. They met by a stile
just halfway9 up the hill.
“Good morning,” said David. “When’s the wedding?”
“You’ve asked that before,” she retorted. “You know well enough. It’s in June.”
“You’re going through with it?”
“I don’t know what you mean, David.”
“Oh, yes, you do.” He gave a contemptuous laugh. “Rowley. What’s Rowley?”
“A better man than you—touch him if you dare,” she said lightly.
“I’ve no doubt he’s a better man than me—but I do dare. I’d dare anything for you,
Lynn.”
She was silent for a moment or two. She said at last:
“What you don’t understand is that I love Rowley.”
“I wonder.”
She said vehemently10:
“I do, I tell you. I do.”
David looked at her searchingly.
“We all see pictures of ourselves—of ourselves as we want to be. You see yourself in love
with Rowley, settling down with Rowley, living here contented11 with Rowley, never wanting to get
away. But that’s not the real you, is it, Lynn?”
“Oh, what is the real me? What’s the real you, if it comes to that? What do you want?”
“I’d have said I wanted safety, peace after storm, ease after troubled seas. But I don’t
know. Sometimes I suspect, Lynn, that both you and I want—trouble.” He added moodily, “I
wish you’d never turned up here. I was remarkably12 happy until you came.”
“Aren’t you happy now?”
He looked at her. She felt excitement rising in her. Her breath became faster. Never had she felt
so strongly David’s queer moody13 attraction. He shot out a hand, grasped her shoulder, swung her
round….
Then as suddenly she felt his grasp slacken. He was staring over her shoulder up the hill. She
twisted her head to see what it was that had caught his attention.
A woman was just going through the small gate above Furrowbank. David said sharply:
“Who’s that?”
Lynn said:
“It looks like Frances.”
“Frances?” He frowned. “What does Frances want? My dear Lynn! Only those who want
something drop in to see Rosaleen. Your mother has already dropped in this morning.”
“Mother?” Lynn drew back. She frowned. “What did she want?”
“Don’t you know? Money!”
“Money?” Lynn stiffened14.
“She got it all right,” said David. He was smiling now the cool cruel smile that fitted his face
so well.
They had been near a moment or two ago, now they were miles apart, divided by a sharp
antagonism15.
Lynn cried out, “Oh, no, no, no!”
He mimicked16 her.
“Yes, yes, yes!”
“I don’t believe it! How much?”
“Five hundred pounds.”
She drew her breath in sharply.
David said musingly17:
“I wonder how much Frances is going to ask for? Really it’s hardly safe to leave Rosaleen
alone for five minutes! The poor girl doesn’t know how to say No.”
“Have there been—who else?”
David smiled mockingly.
“Aunt Kathie had incurred18 certain debts—oh, nothing much, a mere two hundred and fifty
covered them — but she was afraid it might get to the doctor’s ears! Since they had been
occasioned by payments to mediums, he might not have been sympathetic. She didn’t know, of
course,” added David, “that the doctor himself had applied19 for a loan.”
Lynn said in a low voice, “What you must think of us—what you must think of us!” Then,
taking him by surprise, she turned and ran helter-skelter down the hill to the farm.
He frowned as he watched her go. She had gone to Rowley, flown there as a homing pigeon
flies, and the fact disturbed him more than he cared to acknowledge.
He looked up the hill again and frowned.
“No, Frances,” he said under his breath. “I think not. You’ve chosen a bad day,” and he
strode purposefully up the hill.
He went through the gate and down through the azaleas—crossed the lawn, and came quietly in
through the window of the drawing room just as Frances Cloade was saying:
“—I wish I could make it all clearer. But you see, Rosaleen, it really is frightfully difficult to
explain—”
A voice from behind her said:
“Is it?”
Frances Cloade turned sharply. Unlike Adela Marchmont she had not deliberately20 tried to find
Rosaleen alone. The sum needed was sufficiently21 large to make it unlikely that Rosaleen would
hand it over without consulting her brother. Actually, Frances would far rather have discussed the
matter with David and Rosaleen together, than have David feel that she had tried to get money out
of Rosaleen during his absence from the house.
She had not heard him come through the window, absorbed as she was in the presentation of a
plausible22 case. The interruption startled her, and she realized also that David Hunter was, for some
reason, in a particularly ugly mood.
“Oh, David,” she said easily, “I’m glad you’ve come. I’ve just been telling Rosaleen.
Gordon’s death has left Jeremy in no end of a hole, and I’m wondering if she could possibly
come to the rescue. It’s like this—”
Her tongue flowed on swiftly — the large sum involved — Gordon’s backing — promised
verbally—Government restrictions—mortgages—
A certain admiration23 stirred in the darkness of David’s mind. What a damned good liar24 the
woman was! Plausible, the whole story. But not the truth. No, he’d take his oath on that. Not the
truth! What, he wondered, was the truth? Jeremy been getting himself into Queer Street? It must
be something pretty desperate, if he was allowing Frances to come and try this stunt25. She was a
proud woman, too—
He said, “Ten thousand?”
Rosaleen murmured in an awed26 voice:
“That’s a lot of money.”
Frances said swiftly:
“Oh, I know it is. I wouldn’t come to you if it wasn’t such a difficult sum to raise. But
Jeremy would never have gone into the deal if it hadn’t been for Gordon’s backing. It’s so
dreadfully unfortunate that Gordon should have died so suddenly—”
“Leaving you all out in the cold?” David’s voice was unpleasant. “After a sheltered life
under his wing.”
There was a faint flash in Frances’ eyes as she said:
“You put things so picturesquely27!”
“Rosaleen can’t touch the capital, you know. Only the income. And she pays about nineteen
and six in the pound income tax.”
“Oh, I know. Taxation’s dreadful these days. But it could be managed, couldn’t it? We’d
repay—”
He interrupted:
“It could be managed. But it won’t be!”
Frances turned swiftly to Rosaleen.
“Rosaleen, you’re such a generous—”
David’s voice cut across her speech.
“What do you Cloades think Rosaleen is—a milch cow? All of you at her—hinting, asking,
begging. And behind her back? Sneering28 at her, patronizing her, hating her, wishing her dead—”
“That’s not true,” Frances cried.
“Isn’t it? I tell you I’m sick of you all! She’s sick of you all. You’ll get no money out of
us, so you can stop coming and whining29 for it? Understand?”
His face was black with fury.
Frances stood up. Her face was wooden and expressionless. She drew on a washleather glove
absently, yet with attention, as though it was a significant action.
“You make your meaning quite plain, David,” she said.
Rosaleen murmured:
“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry….”
Frances paid no attention to her. Rosaleen might not have been in the room. She took a step
towards the window and paused, facing David.
“You have said that I resent Rosaleen. That is not true. I have not resented Rosaleen—but I do
resent—you!”
“What do you mean?”
He scowled30 at her.
“Women must live. Rosaleen married a very rich man, years older than herself. Why not? But
you! You must live on your sister, live on the fat of the land, live softly—on her.”
“I stand between her and harpies.”
They stood looking at each other. He was aware of her anger and the thought flashed across him
that Frances Cloade was a dangerous enemy, one who could be both unscrupulous and reckless.
When she opened her mouth to speak, he even felt a moment’s apprehension31. But what she
said was singularly noncommittal.
“I shall remember what you have said, David.”
Passing him, she went out of the window.
He wondered why he felt so strongly that the words had been a threat.
Rosaleen was crying.
“Oh, David, David—you oughtn’t to have been saying those things to her. She’s the one of
them that’s been the nicest to me.”
He said furiously: “Shut up, you little fool. Do you want them to trample32 all over you and
bleed you of every penny?”
“But the money—if—if it isn’t rightfully mine—”
She quailed33 before his glance.
“I—I didn’t mean that, David.”
“I should hope not.”
Conscience, he thought, was the devil!
He hadn’t reckoned with the item of Rosaleen’s conscience. It was going to make things
awkward in the future.
The future? He frowned as he looked at her and let his thoughts race ahead. Rosaleen’s
future…His own…He’d always known what he wanted…he knew now…But Rosaleen? What
future was there for Rosaleen?
As his face darkened—she cried out—suddenly shivering:
“Oh! Someone’s walking over my grave.”
He said, looking at her curiously34:
“So you realize it may come to that?”
“What do you mean, David?”
“I mean that five—six—seven people have every intention to hurry you into your grave before
you’re due there!”
“You don’t mean—murder—” Her voice was horrified35. “You think these people would do
murder—not nice people like the Cloades.”
“I’m not sure that it isn’t just nice people like the Cloades who do do murder. But they
won’t succeed in murdering you while I’m here to look after you. They’d have to get me out
of the way first. But if they did get me out of the way—well—look out for yourself!”
“David—don’t say such awful things.”
“Listen,” he gripped her arm. “If ever I’m not here, look after yourself, Rosaleen. Life
isn’t safe, remember—it’s dangerous, damned dangerous. And I’ve an idea it’s specially36
dangerous for you.”

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1 mere rC1xE     
adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过
参考例句：
  • That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
  • It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
2 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地
参考例句：
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
3 inconvenient m4hy5     
adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的
参考例句：
  • You have come at a very inconvenient time.你来得最不适时。
  • Will it be inconvenient for him to attend that meeting?他参加那次会议会不方便吗？
4 willows 79355ee67d20ddbc021d3e9cb3acd236     
n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木
参考例句：
  • The willows along the river bank look very beautiful. 河岸边的柳树很美。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Willows are planted on both sides of the streets. 街道两侧种着柳树。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
5 moodily 830ff6e3db19016ccfc088bb2ad40745     
adv.喜怒无常地；情绪多变地；心情不稳地；易生气地
参考例句：
  • Pork slipped from the room as she remained staring moodily into the distance. 阿宝从房间里溜了出来，留她独个人站在那里瞪着眼睛忧郁地望着远处。 来自辞典例句
  • He climbed moodily into the cab, relieved and distressed. 他忧郁地上了马车，既松了一口气，又忧心忡忡。 来自互联网
6 footpath 9gzzO     
n.小路，人行道
参考例句：
  • Owners who allow their dogs to foul the footpath will be fined.主人若放任狗弄脏人行道将受处罚。
  • They rambled on the footpath in the woods.他俩漫步在林间蹊径上。
7 jaw 5xgy9     
n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训
参考例句：
  • He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
  • A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。
8 pugnaciously 32e00e0b40732bc150b0f136b73dc4e8     
参考例句：
9 halfway Xrvzdq     
adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途
参考例句：
  • We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
  • In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。
10 vehemently vehemently     
adv. 热烈地
参考例句：
  • He argued with his wife so vehemently that he talked himself hoarse. 他和妻子争论得很激烈，以致讲话的声音都嘶哑了。
  • Both women vehemently deny the charges against them. 两名妇女都激烈地否认了对她们的指控。
11 contented Gvxzof     
adj.满意的，安心的，知足的
参考例句：
  • He won't be contented until he's upset everyone in the office.不把办公室里的每个人弄得心烦意乱他就不会满足。
  • The people are making a good living and are contented,each in his station.人民安居乐业。
12 remarkably EkPzTW     
ad.不同寻常地，相当地
参考例句：
  • I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
  • He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。
13 moody XEXxG     
adj.心情不稳的，易怒的，喜怒无常的
参考例句：
  • He relapsed into a moody silence.他又重新陷于忧郁的沉默中。
  • I'd never marry that girl.She's so moody.我决不会和那女孩结婚的。她太易怒了。
14 stiffened de9de455736b69d3f33bb134bba74f63     
加强的
参考例句：
  • He leaned towards her and she stiffened at this invasion of her personal space. 他向她俯过身去，这种侵犯她个人空间的举动让她绷紧了身子。
  • She stiffened with fear. 她吓呆了。
15 antagonism bwHzL     
n.对抗，敌对，对立
参考例句：
  • People did not feel a strong antagonism for established policy.人们没有对既定方针产生强烈反应。
  • There is still much antagonism between trades unions and the oil companies.工会和石油公司之间仍然存在着相当大的敌意。
16 mimicked mimicked     
v.（尤指为了逗乐而）模仿( mimic的过去式和过去分词 )；酷似
参考例句：
  • He mimicked her upper-class accent. 他模仿她那上流社会的腔调。 来自辞典例句
  • The boy mimicked his father's voice and set everyone off laughing. 男孩模仿他父亲的嗓音，使大家都大笑起来。 来自辞典例句
17 musingly ddec53b7ea68b079ee6cb62ac6c95bf9     
adv.沉思地，冥想地
参考例句：
18 incurred a782097e79bccb0f289640bab05f0f6c     
[医]招致的，遭受的； incur的过去式
参考例句：
  • She had incurred the wrath of her father by marrying without his consent 她未经父亲同意就结婚，使父亲震怒。
  • We will reimburse any expenses incurred. 我们将付还所有相关费用。
19 applied Tz2zXA     
adj.应用的；v.应用，适用
参考例句：
  • She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
  • This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。
20 deliberately Gulzvq     
adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地
参考例句：
  • The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
  • They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。
21 sufficiently 0htzMB     
adv.足够地，充分地
参考例句：
  • It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
  • The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。
22 plausible hBCyy     
adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的
参考例句：
  • His story sounded plausible.他说的那番话似乎是真实的。
  • Her story sounded perfectly plausible.她的说辞听起来言之有理。
23 admiration afpyA     
n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕
参考例句：
  • He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
  • We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。
24 liar V1ixD     
n.说谎的人
参考例句：
  • I know you for a thief and a liar!我算认识你了，一个又偷又骗的家伙！
  • She was wrongly labelled a liar.她被错误地扣上说谎者的帽子。
25 stunt otxwC     
n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长
参考例句：
  • Lack of the right food may stunt growth.缺乏适当的食物会阻碍发育。
  • Right up there is where the big stunt is taking place.那边将会有惊人的表演。
26 awed a0ab9008d911a954b6ce264ddc63f5c8     
adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • The audience was awed into silence by her stunning performance. 观众席上鸦雀无声，人们对他出色的表演感到惊叹。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I was awed by the huge gorilla. 那只大猩猩使我惊惧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
27 picturesquely 88c17247ed90cf97194689c93780136e     
参考例句：
  • In the building trade such a trader is picturesquely described as a "brass plate" merchant. 在建筑行业里，这样一个生意人可以被生动地描述为著名商人。
28 sneering 929a634cff0de62dfd69331a8e4dcf37     
嘲笑的，轻蔑的
参考例句：
  • "What are you sneering at?" “你冷笑什么？” 来自子夜部分
  • The old sorceress slunk in with a sneering smile. 老女巫鬼鬼崇崇地走进来，冷冷一笑。
29 whining whining     
n. 抱怨，牢骚 v. 哭诉，发牢骚
参考例句：
  • That's the way with you whining, puny, pitiful players. 你们这种又爱哭、又软弱、又可怜的赌棍就是这样。
  • The dog sat outside the door whining (to be let in). 那条狗坐在门外狺狺叫着（要进来）。
30 scowled b83aa6db95e414d3ef876bc7fd16d80d     
怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • He scowled his displeasure. 他满脸嗔色。
  • The teacher scowled at his noisy class. 老师对他那喧闹的课堂板着脸。
31 apprehension bNayw     
n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑
参考例句：
  • There were still areas of doubt and her apprehension grew.有些地方仍然存疑，于是她越来越担心。
  • She is a girl of weak apprehension.她是一个理解力很差的女孩。
32 trample 9Jmz0     
vt.踩，践踏；无视，伤害，侵犯
参考例句：
  • Don't trample on the grass. 勿踏草地。
  • Don't trample on the flowers when you play in the garden. 在花园里玩耍时,不要踩坏花。
33 quailed 6b883b0b92140de4bde03901043d6acd     
害怕，发抖，畏缩( quail的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • I quailed at the danger. 我一遇到危险，心里就发毛。
  • His heart quailed before the enormous pyramidal shape. 面对这金字塔般的庞然大物，他的心不由得一阵畏缩。 来自英汉文学
34 curiously 3v0zIc     
adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地
参考例句：
  • He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
  • He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。
35 horrified 8rUzZU     
a.(表现出)恐惧的
参考例句：
  • The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。
  • We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。
36 specially Hviwq     
adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地
参考例句：
  • They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
  • The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

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