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Another murmur, somewhat more articulate than the first,
passed round the circle, and this time it was intended to imply
a blessing on Mr Harding. It had, however, but little cordiality
in it. Poor old men! how could they be cordial with their
sore consciences and shamed faces? how could they bid God
bless him with hearty voices and a true benison, knowing, as
they did, that their vile cabal had driven him from his happy
home, and sent him in his old age to seek shelter under a
strange roof-tree? They did their best, however; they drank
their wine, and withdrew.
As they left the hall-door, Mr Harding shook hands with
each of the men, and spoke a kind word to them about their
individual cases and ailments; and so they departed, answering
his questions in the fewest words, and retreated to their
dens, a sorrowful repentant crew.
All but Bunce, who still remained to make his own farewell.
'There's poor old Bell,' said Mr Harding; 'I mustn't go
without saying a word to him; come through with me, Bunce,
and bring the wine with you'; and so they went through to
the men's cottages, and found the old man propped up as usual
in his bed.
'I've come to say good-bye to you, Bell,' said Mr Harding,
speaking loud, for the old man was deaf.
'And are you going away, then, really?' asked Bell.
'Indeed I am, and I've brought you a glass of wine; so that
we may part friends, as we lived, you know.'
The old man took the proffered glass in his shaking hands,
and drank it eagerly. 'God bless you, Bell!' said Mr
Harding; 'good-bye, my old friend.'
'And so you're really going?' the man again asked.
'Indeed I am, Bell.'
The poor old bed-ridden creature still kept Mr Harding's
hand in his own, and the warden thought that he had met
with something like warmth of feeling in the one of all his
subjects from whom it was the least likely to be expected; for
poor old Bell had nearly outlived all human feelings. 'And
your reverence,' said he, and then he paused, while his old
palsied head shook horribly, and his shrivelled cheeks sank
lower within his jaws, and his glazy eye gleamed with a
momentary light; 'and your reverence, shall we get the
hundred a year, then?'
How gently did Mr Harding try to extinguish the false hope
of money which had been so wretchedly raised to disturb the
quiet of the dying man! One other week and his mortal coil
would be shuffled off; in one short week would God resume
his soul, and set it apart for its irrevocable doom; seven more
tedious days and nights of senseless inactivity, and all would
be over for poor Bell in this world; and yet, with his last
audible words, he was demanding his moneyed rights, and
asserting himself to be the proper heir of John Hiram's bounty!
Not on him, poor sinner as he was, be the load of such sin!
Mr Harding returned to his parlour, meditating with a sick
heart on what he had seen, and Bunce with him. We will not
describe the parting of these two good men, for good men they
were. It was in vain that the late warden endeavoured to
comfort the heart of the old bedesman; poor old Bunce felt
that his days of comfort were gone. The hospital had to him
been a happy home, but it could be so no longer. He had
had honour there, and friendship; he had recognised his
master, and been recognised; all his wants, both of soul and
body, had been supplied, and he had been a happy man. He
wept grievously as he parted from his friend, and the tears of
an old man are bitter. 'It is all over for me in this world,'
said he, as he gave the last squeeze to Mr Harding's hand;
'I have now to forgive those who have injured me--and to die.'
And so the old man went out, and then Mr Harding gave
way to his grief and he too wept aloud.
CHAPTER XXI
Conclusion
Our tale is now done, and it only remains to us to collect
the scattered threads of our little story, and to tie them
into a seemly knot. This will not be a work of labour, either
to the author or to his readers; we have not to deal with many
personages, or with stirring events, and were it not for the custom
of the thing, we might leave it to the imagination of all concerned
to conceive how affairs at Barchester arranged themselves.
On the morning after the day last alluded to, Mr Harding,
passed round the circle, and this time it was intended to imply
a blessing on Mr Harding. It had, however, but little cordiality
in it. Poor old men! how could they be cordial with their
sore consciences and shamed faces? how could they bid God
bless him with hearty voices and a true benison, knowing, as
they did, that their vile cabal had driven him from his happy
home, and sent him in his old age to seek shelter under a
strange roof-tree? They did their best, however; they drank
their wine, and withdrew.
As they left the hall-door, Mr Harding shook hands with
each of the men, and spoke a kind word to them about their
individual cases and ailments; and so they departed, answering
his questions in the fewest words, and retreated to their
dens, a sorrowful repentant crew.
All but Bunce, who still remained to make his own farewell.
'There's poor old Bell,' said Mr Harding; 'I mustn't go
without saying a word to him; come through with me, Bunce,
and bring the wine with you'; and so they went through to
the men's cottages, and found the old man propped up as usual
in his bed.
'I've come to say good-bye to you, Bell,' said Mr Harding,
speaking loud, for the old man was deaf.
'And are you going away, then, really?' asked Bell.
'Indeed I am, and I've brought you a glass of wine; so that
we may part friends, as we lived, you know.'
The old man took the proffered glass in his shaking hands,
and drank it eagerly. 'God bless you, Bell!' said Mr
Harding; 'good-bye, my old friend.'
'And so you're really going?' the man again asked.
'Indeed I am, Bell.'
The poor old bed-ridden creature still kept Mr Harding's
hand in his own, and the warden thought that he had met
with something like warmth of feeling in the one of all his
subjects from whom it was the least likely to be expected; for
poor old Bell had nearly outlived all human feelings. 'And
your reverence,' said he, and then he paused, while his old
palsied head shook horribly, and his shrivelled cheeks sank
lower within his jaws, and his glazy eye gleamed with a
momentary light; 'and your reverence, shall we get the
hundred a year, then?'
How gently did Mr Harding try to extinguish the false hope
of money which had been so wretchedly raised to disturb the
quiet of the dying man! One other week and his mortal coil
would be shuffled off; in one short week would God resume
his soul, and set it apart for its irrevocable doom; seven more
tedious days and nights of senseless inactivity, and all would
be over for poor Bell in this world; and yet, with his last
audible words, he was demanding his moneyed rights, and
asserting himself to be the proper heir of John Hiram's bounty!
Not on him, poor sinner as he was, be the load of such sin!
Mr Harding returned to his parlour, meditating with a sick
heart on what he had seen, and Bunce with him. We will not
describe the parting of these two good men, for good men they
were. It was in vain that the late warden endeavoured to
comfort the heart of the old bedesman; poor old Bunce felt
that his days of comfort were gone. The hospital had to him
been a happy home, but it could be so no longer. He had
had honour there, and friendship; he had recognised his
master, and been recognised; all his wants, both of soul and
body, had been supplied, and he had been a happy man. He
wept grievously as he parted from his friend, and the tears of
an old man are bitter. 'It is all over for me in this world,'
said he, as he gave the last squeeze to Mr Harding's hand;
'I have now to forgive those who have injured me--and to die.'
And so the old man went out, and then Mr Harding gave
way to his grief and he too wept aloud.
CHAPTER XXI
Conclusion
Our tale is now done, and it only remains to us to collect
the scattered threads of our little story, and to tie them
into a seemly knot. This will not be a work of labour, either
to the author or to his readers; we have not to deal with many
personages, or with stirring events, and were it not for the custom
of the thing, we might leave it to the imagination of all concerned
to conceive how affairs at Barchester arranged themselves.
On the morning after the day last alluded to, Mr Harding,
- departure [di´pɑ:tʃə]
n.离开，出发 (初中英语单词) - farewell [feə´wel] int.再见 n.&a.告别 (初中英语单词)
- actually [´æktʃuəli] ad.事实上；实际上 (初中英语单词)
- reality [ri´æliti] n.现实(性)；真实；逼真 (初中英语单词)
- income [´inkʌm] n.收入，所得 (初中英语单词)
- peculiar [pi´kju:liə] a.特有的；奇异的 (初中英语单词)
- unfortunate [ʌn´fɔ:tʃunit] a.不幸的，运气差的 (初中英语单词)
- surprising [sə´praiziŋ] a.惊人的；意外的 (初中英语单词)
- lately [´leitli] ad.近来，不久前 (初中英语单词)
- properly [´prɔpəli] ad.适当地；严格地 (初中英语单词)
- disposition [,dispə´ziʃən] n.安排；性情；倾向 (初中英语单词)
- therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)
- counsel [´kaunsəl] n.商议；劝告；律师 (初中英语单词)
- connection [kə´nekʃən] n.联系；关系；联运 (初中英语单词)
- venture [´ventʃə] n.投机 v.冒险；敢于 (初中英语单词)
- henceforth [´hens´fɔ:θ] ad.今后；从今以后 (初中英语单词)
- strongly [´strɔŋli] ad.强烈地；强有力地 (初中英语单词)
- advise [əd´vaiz] vt.忠告；建议；通知 (初中英语单词)
- amount [ə´maunt] n.总数；数量 v.合计 (初中英语单词)
- allowance [ə´lauəns] n.津贴；配给量；考虑 (初中英语单词)
- opening [´əupəniŋ] n.开放；开端 a.开始的 (初中英语单词)
- driven [´driv(ə)n] drive 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
- christ [kraist] n.基督 int.天啊! (初中英语单词)
- circle [´sə:kəl] n.圆圈 v.环绕；盘旋 (初中英语单词)
- blessing [´blesiŋ] n.祝福 (初中英语单词)
- knowing [´nəuiŋ] a.会意的，心照不宣的 (初中英语单词)
- eagerly [´i:gəli] ad.渴望地，急切地 (初中英语单词)
- warmth [wɔ:mθ] n.温暖；热情；激动 (初中英语单词)
- gently [´dʒentli] ad.温和地；静静地 (初中英语单词)
- disturb [di´stə:b] vt.扰乱；使不安；打乱 (初中英语单词)
- forgive [fə´giv] vt.原谅，谅解，宽恕 (初中英语单词)
- imagination [i,mædʒi´neiʃən] n.想象(力) (初中英语单词)
- conceive [kən´si:v] v.设想；表达；怀孕 (初中英语单词)
- gravel [´grævəl] n.砾石 vt.铺砾石 (高中英语单词)
- tidings [´taidiŋz] n.消息，音信 (高中英语单词)
- mighty [´maiti] a.强有力的 ad.很 (高中英语单词)
- petition [pi´tiʃən] n.请愿 vt.向…请愿 (高中英语单词)
- finding [´faindiŋ] n.发现物；判断；结果 (高中英语单词)
- reverence [´revərəns] n.尊敬；敬畏；尊严 (高中英语单词)
- repeated [ri´pi:tid] a.反复的；重复的 (高中英语单词)
- surplus [´sə:pləs] n.&a.剩余(的) (高中英语单词)
- contented [kən´tentid] a.满足的；心满意足的 (高中英语单词)
- thankful [´θæŋkfəl] a.感激的；欣慰的 (高中英语单词)
- cordial [´kɔ:diəl] a.热忱的；亲切的 (高中英语单词)
- hearty [´hɑ:ti] a.热忱的；强健的 (高中英语单词)
- saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
- mortal [´mɔ:tl] a.致命的 n.凡人 (高中英语单词)
- squeeze [skwi:z] v.&n.压榨，榨取 (高中英语单词)
- separately [´sepəritli] ad.分离地；孤独地 (英语四级单词)
- warden [´wɔ:dn] n.看守人；监护人 (英语四级单词)
- fellowship [´feləuʃip] n.团体；伙伴关系；友谊 (英语四级单词)
- sorrowful [´sɔrəuful] a.悲伤的，使人伤心的 (英语四级单词)
- almighty [ɔ:l´maiti] a.万能的；全能的 (英语四级单词)
- extinguish [ik´stiŋgwiʃ] vt.熄灭；压制(抑) (英语四级单词)
- senseless [´sensləs] a.无知觉的；愚蠢的 (英语四级单词)
- sinner [´sinə] n.罪人 (英语四级单词)
- parting [´pɑ:tiŋ] a.&n.分离(的) (英语四级单词)
- stirring [´stə:riŋ] a.活跃的；热闹的 (英语四级单词)
- abandoned [ə´bændənd] a.被抛弃的；无约束的 (英语六级单词)
- misunderstanding [,misʌndə´stændiŋ] n.误解；隔阂 (英语六级单词)
- emphatically [im´fætikəli] ad.强调地；断然地 (英语六级单词)
- adequately [´ædikwitli] ad.足够地；适当地 (英语六级单词)
- trusting [´trʌstiŋ] a.信任的；相信的 (英语六级单词)
- articulate [ɑ:´tikjulit] a.口齿清楚的 v.连接 (英语六级单词)
- departed [di´pɑ:tid] a.已往的；已故的 (英语六级单词)
- horribly [´hɔrəbli] ad.恐怖地 (英语六级单词)
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文章标签:名著
章节正文
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