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Beauty and The Beast-Part25_Bayard Taylor(1825-1878)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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door. He had been sent on two or three days in advance, to take



charge of the house, and seemed to have had enough of hermit-life,

for he hailed us with a wild whoop, throwing his straw hat half-way



up one of the poplars. Perkins was a boy of fifteen, the child of

poor parents, who were satisfied to get him off their hands,



regardless as to what humanitarian theories might be tested upon

him. As the Arcadian Club recognized no such thing as caste, he



was always admitted to our meetings, and understood just enough of

our conversation to excite a silly ambition in his slow mind. His



animal nature was predominant, and this led him to be deceitful.

At that time, however, we all looked upon him as a proper



young Arcadian, and hoped that he would develop into a second Abel

Mallory.



"After our effects had been deposited on the stoop, and the

carriages had driven away, we proceeded to apportion the rooms, and



take possession. On the first floor there were three rooms, two of

which would serve us as dining and drawing rooms, leaving the third



for the Shelldrakes. As neither Eunice and Miss Ringtop, nor

Hollins and Abel showed any disposition to room together, I quietly



gave up to them the four rooms in the second story, and installed

myself in one of the attic chambers. Here I could hear the music



of the rain close above my head, and through the little gable

window, as I lay in bed, watch the colors of the morning gradually



steal over the distant shores. The end was, we were all satisfied.

"`Now for our first meal in Arcadia!' was the next cry. Mrs.



Shelldrake, like a prudenthousekeeper, marched off to the kitchen,

where Perkins had already kindled a fire. We looked in at the



door, but thought it best to allow her undisputed sway in such a

narrow realm. Eunice was unpacking some loaves of bread and paper



bags of crackers; and Miss Ringtop, smiling through her ropy curls,

as much as to say, `You see, _I_ also can perform the coarser tasks



of life!' occupied herself with plates and cups. We men,

therefore, walked out to the garden, which we found in a promising



condition. The usual vegetables had been planted and were

growing finely, for the season was yet scarcely warm enough



for the weeds to make much headway. Radishes, young onions, and

lettuce formed our contribution to the table. The Shelldrakes, I



should explain, had not yet advanced to the antediluvian point, in

diet: nor, indeed, had either Eunice or myself. We acknowledged



the fascination of tea, we saw a very mitigated evil in milk and

butter, and we were conscious of stifled longings after the



abomination of meat. Only Mallory, Hollins, and Miss Ringtop had

reached that loftiest round on the ladder of progress where the



material nature loosens the last fetter of the spiritual. They

looked down upon us, and we meekly admitted their right to do so.



"Our board, that evening, was really tempting. The absence of meat

was compensated to us by the crisp and racy onions, and I craved



only a little salt, which had been interdicted, as a most

pernicious substance. I sat at one corner of the table, beside



Perkins Brown, who took an opportunity, while the others were

engaged in conversation, to jog my elbow gently. As I turned



towards him, he said nothing, but dropped his eyes significantly.

The little rascal had the lid of a blacking-box, filled with salt,



upon his knee, and was privately seasoning his onions and radishes.

I blushed at the thought of my hypocrisy, but the onions were so



much better that I couldn't help dipping into the lid with him.

"`Oh,' said Eunice, `we must send for some oil and vinegar! This



lettuce is very nice.'

"`Oil and vinegar?' exclaimed Abel.



"`Why, yes,' said she, innocently: `they are both vegetable

substances.'



"Abel at first looked rather foolish, but quickly recovering

himself, said--



"`All vegetable substances are not proper for food: you would not

taste the poison-oak, or sit under the upas-tree of Java.'



"`Well, Abel,' Eunice rejoined, `how are we to distinguish what is

best for us? How are we to know WHAT vegetables to choose, or



what animal and mineral substances to avoid?'

"`I will tell you,' he answered, with a lofty air. `See here!'



pointing to his temple, where the second pimple--either from the

change of air, or because, in the excitement of the last few days,






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