顺水推舟15

时间：2025-01-30 17:16:32

（单词翻译:单击）

II
At Long Willows1 Rowley Cloade had just finished making himself a cup of tea when a shadow
falling across the kitchen table made him look up.
If for just a moment he thought the girl standing2 just inside the door was Lynn, his
disappointment turned to surprise when he saw it was Rosaleen Cloade.
She was wearing a frock of some peasant material in bright broad stripes of orange and green—
the artificial simplicity3 of which had run into more money than Rowley could ever have imagined
possible.
Up to now he had always seen her dressed in expensive and somewhat towny clothes which she
wore with an artificial air—much, he had thought, as a mannequin might display dresses that did
not belong to her but to the firm who employed her.
This afternoon in the broad peasant stripes of gay colour, he seemed to see a new Rosaleen
Cloade. Her Irish origin was more noticeable, the dark curling hair and the lovely blue eyes put in
with the smutty finger. Her voice, too, had a softer Irish sound instead of the careful rather
mincing4 tones in which she usually spoke5.
“It’s such a lovely afternoon,” she said. “So I came for a walk.”
She added:
“David’s gone to London.”
She said it almost guiltily, then flushed and took a cigarette case out of her bag. She offered one
to Rowley, who shook his head, then looked round for a match to light Rosaleen’s cigarette. But
she was flicking6 unsuccessfully at an expensive-looking small gold lighter7. Rowley took it from
her and with one sharp movement it lit. As she bent8 her head towards him to light her cigarette he
noticed how long and dark the lashes9 were that lay on her cheek and he thought to himself:
“Old Gordon knew what he was doing….”
Rosaleen stepped back a pace and said admiringly:
“That’s a lovely little heifer you’ve got in the top field.”
Astonished by her interest, Rowley began to talk to her about the farm. Her interest surprised
him, but it was obviously genuine and not put on, and to his surprise he found that she was quite
knowledgeable10 on farm matters. Butter-making and dairy produce she spoke of with familiarity.
“Why, you might be a farmer’s wife, Rosaleen,” he said smiling.
The animation11 went out of her face.
She said:
“We had a farm—in Ireland—before I came over here—before—”
“Before you went on the stage?”
She said wistfully and a trifle, it seemed to him, guiltily:
“It’s not so very long ago…I remember it all very well.” She added with a flash of spirit,
“I could milk your cows for you, Rowley, now.”
This was quite a new Rosaleen. Would David Hunter have approved these casual references to a
farming past? Rowley thought not. Old Irish landed gentry12, that was the impression David tried to
put over. Rosaleen’s version, he thought, was nearer the truth. Primitive13 farm life, then the lure14
of the stage, the touring company to South Africa, marriage—isolation in Central Africa—escape
—hiatus—and finally marriage to a millionaire in New York….
Yes, Rosaleen Hunter had travelled a long way since milking a Kerry cow. Yet looking at her,
he found it hard to believe that she had ever started. Her face had that innocent, slightly half-
witted expression, the face of one who has no history. And she looked so young—much younger
than her twenty-six years.
There was something appealing about her, she had the same pathetic quality as the little calves15
he had driven to the butcher that morning. He looked at her as he had looked at them. Poor little
devils, he had thought, a pity that they had to be killed….
A look of alarm came into Rosaleen’s eyes. She asked uneasily: “What are you thinking of,
Rowley?”
“Would you like to see over the farm and the dairy?”
“Oh, indeed, I would.”
Amused by her interest he took her all over the farm. But when he finally suggested making her
a cup of tea, an alarmed expression came into her eyes.
“Oh, no—thank you, Rowley—I’d best be getting home.” She looked down at her watch.
“Oh! how late it is! David will be back by the 5:20 train. He’ll wonder where I am. I—I must
hurry.” She added shyly: “I have enjoyed myself, Rowley.”
And that, he thought, was true. She had enjoyed herself. She had been able to be natural—to be
her own raw unsophisticated self. She was afraid of her brother David, that was clear. David was
the brains of the family. Well, for once, she’d had an afternoon out — yes, that was it, an
afternoon out just like a servant! The rich Mrs. Gordon Cloade!
He smiled grimly as he stood by the gate watching her hurrying up the hill towards Furrowbank.
Just before she reached the stile a man came over it—Rowley wondered if it was David but it was
a bigger, heavier man. Rosaleen drew back to let him pass, then skipped lightly over the stile, her
pace accentuating16 almost to a run.
Yes, she’d had an afternoon off—and he, Rowley, had wasted over an hour of valuable time!
Well, perhaps it hadn’t been wasted. Rosaleen, he thought, had seemed to like him. That might
come in useful. A pretty thing—yes, and the calves this morning had been pretty…poor little
devils.
Standing there, lost in thought, he was startled by a voice, and raised his head sharply.
A big man in a broad felt hat with a pack slung17 across his shoulders was standing on the
footpath18 at the other side of the gate.
“Is this the way to Warmsley Vale?”
As Rowley stared he repeated his question. With an effort Rowley recalled his thoughts and
answered:
“Yes, keep right along the path—across that next field. Turn to the left when you get to the
road and about three minutes takes you right into the village.”
In the self-same words he had answered that particular question several hundred times. People
took the footpath on leaving the station, followed it up over the hill, and lost faith in it as they
came down the other side and saw no sign of their destination, for Blackwell Copse masked
Warmsley Vale from sight. It was tucked away in a hollow there with only the tip of its church
tower showing.
The next question was not quite so usual, but Rowley answered it without much thought.
“The Stag or the Bells and Motley. The Stag for choice. They’re both equally good—or bad.
I should think you’d get a room all right.”
The question made him look more attentively19 at his interlocutor. Nowadays people usually
booked a room beforehand at any place they were going to….
The man was tall, with a bronzed face, a beard, and very blue eyes. He was about forty and not
ill-looking in a tough and rather daredevil style. It was not, perhaps, a wholly pleasant face.
Come from overseas somewhere, thought Rowley. Was there or was there not a faint Colonial
twang in his accent? Curious, in some way, the face was not unfamiliar….
Where had he seen that face, or a face very like it, before?
Whilst he was puzzling unsuccessfully over that problem, the stranger startled him by asking:
“Can you tell me if there’s a house called Furrowbank near here?”
Rowley answered slowly:
“Why, yes. Up there on the hill. You must have passed close by it—that is, if you’ve come
along the footpath from the station.”
“Yes—that’s what I did.” He turned, staring up the hill. “So that was it—that big white
new-looking house.”
“Yes, that’s the one.”
“A big place to run,” said the man. “Must cost a lot to keep up?”
A devil of a lot, thought Rowley. And our money…A stirring of anger made him forget for the
moment where he was….
With a start he came back to himself to see the stranger staring up the hill with a curious
speculative20 look in his eyes.
“Who lives there?” he said. “Is it—a Mrs. Cloade?”
“That’s right,” said Rowley. “Mrs. Gordon Cloade.”
The stranger raised his eyebrows21. He seemed gently amused.
“Oh,” he said, “Mrs. Gordon Cloade. Very nice for her!”
Then he gave a short nod.
“Thanks, pal,” he said, and shifting the pack he carried he strode on towards Warmsley Vale.
Rowley turned slowly back into the farmyard. His mind was still puzzling over something.
Where the devil had he seen that fellow before?

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1 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》
2 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的
参考例句：
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
3 simplicity Vryyv     
n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯
参考例句：
  • She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
  • The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。
4 mincing joAzXz     
adj.矫饰的；v.切碎；切碎
参考例句：
  • She came to the park with mincing,and light footsteps.她轻移莲步来到了花园之中。
  • There is no use in mincing matters.掩饰事实是没有用的。
5 spoke XryyC     
n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说
参考例句：
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
6 flicking 856751237583a36a24c558b09c2a932a     
（尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的现在分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等）
参考例句：
  • He helped her up before flicking the reins. 他帮她上马，之后挥动了缰绳。
  • There's something flicking around my toes. 有什么东西老在叮我的脚指头。
7 lighter 5pPzPR     
n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级
参考例句：
  • The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
  • The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。
8 bent QQ8yD     
n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的
参考例句：
  • He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
  • We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
9 lashes e2e13f8d3a7c0021226bb2f94d6a15ec     
n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥
参考例句：
  • Mother always lashes out food for the children's party. 孩子们聚会时，母亲总是给他们许多吃的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Never walk behind a horse in case it lashes out. 绝对不要跟在马后面，以防它突然猛踢。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 knowledgeable m2Yxg     
adj.知识渊博的；有见识的
参考例句：
  • He's quite knowledgeable about the theatre.他对戏剧很有心得。
  • He made some knowledgeable remarks at the meeting.他在会上的发言颇有见地。
11 animation UMdyv     
n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作
参考例句：
  • They are full of animation as they talked about their childhood.当他们谈及童年的往事时都非常兴奋。
  • The animation of China made a great progress.中国的卡通片制作取得很大发展。
12 gentry Ygqxe     
n.绅士阶级，上层阶级
参考例句：
  • Landed income was the true measure of the gentry.来自土地的收入是衡量是否士绅阶层的真正标准。
  • Better be the head of the yeomanry than the tail of the gentry.宁做自由民之首，不居贵族之末。
13 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。
14 lure l8Gz2     
n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引
参考例句：
  • Life in big cities is a lure for many country boys.大城市的生活吸引着许多乡下小伙子。
  • He couldn't resist the lure of money.他不能抵制金钱的诱惑。
15 calves bb808da8ca944ebdbd9f1d2688237b0b     
n.(calf的复数)笨拙的男子，腓；腿肚子( calf的名词复数 )；牛犊；腓；小腿肚v.生小牛( calve的第三人称单数 )；（冰川）崩解；生（小牛等），产（犊）；使（冰川）崩解
参考例句：
  • a cow suckling her calves 给小牛吃奶的母牛
  • The calves are grazed intensively during their first season. 小牛在生长的第一季里集中喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 accentuating d077bd49a7a23cb9c55f18574736f158     
v.重读( accentuate的现在分词 )；使突出；使恶化；加重音符号于
参考例句：
  • Elegant interior design accentuating the unique feeling of space. 优雅的室内设计突显了独特的空间感。 来自互联网
  • Accentuating the positive is an article of faith here. 强调积极面在这里已变成一种信仰。 来自互联网
17 slung slung     
抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往
参考例句：
  • He slung the bag over his shoulder. 他把包一甩，挎在肩上。
  • He stood up and slung his gun over his shoulder. 他站起来把枪往肩上一背。
18 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。
19 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》
20 speculative uvjwd     
adj.思索性的，暝想性的，推理的
参考例句：
  • Much of our information is speculative.我们的许多信息是带推测性的。
  • The report is highly speculative and should be ignored.那个报道推测的成分很大，不应理会。
21 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。

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