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Beauty and The Beast-Part26_Bayard Taylor(1825-1878)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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mine.) After a midday meal,--I cannot call it dinner,--we sat upon



the stoop, listening while one of us read aloud, or strolled down

the shores on either side, or, when the sun was not too warm, got



into a boat, and rowed or floated lazily around the promontory.

"One afternoon, as I was sauntering off, past the garden, towards



the eastern inlet, I noticed Perkins slipping along behind the

cedar knobs, towards the little woodland at the end of our domain.



Curious to find out the cause of his mysterious disappearances, I

followed cautiously. From the edge of the wood I saw him enter a



little gap between the rocks, which led down to the water.

Presently a thread of blue smoke stole up. Quietly creeping along,



I got upon the nearer bluff and looked down. There was a sort of

hearth built up at the base of the rock, with a brisk little fire



burning upon it, but Perkins had disappeared. I stretched myself

out upon the moss, in the shade, and waited. In about half an hour



up came Perkins, with a large fish in one hand and a lump of clay

in the other. I now understood the mystery. He carefully imbedded



the fish in a thin layer of clay, placed it on the coals, and then

went down to the shore to wash his hands. On his return he found



me watching the fire.

"`Ho, ho, Mr. Enos!' said he, `you've found me out; But you won't



say nothin'. Gosh! you like it as well I do. Look 'ee there!'--

breaking open the clay, from which arose `a steam of rich distilled



perfumes,'--`and, I say, I've got the box-lid with that 'ere stuff

in it,--ho! ho!'--and the scamp roared again.



"Out of a hole in the rock he brought salt and the end of a loaf,

and between us we finished the fish. Before long, I got into the



habit of disappearing in the afternoon.

"Now and then we took walks, alone or collectively, to the nearest



village, or even to Bridgeport, for the papers or a late book. The

few purchases we required were made at such times, and sent down in



a cart, or, if not too heavy, carried by Perkins in a basket. I

noticed that Abel, whenever we had occasion to visit a grocery,



would go sniffing around, alternately attracted or repelled by the

various articles: now turning away with a shudder from a



ham,--now inhaling, with a fearful delight and uncertainty,

the odor of smoked herrings. `I think herrings must feed on sea-



weed,' said he, `there is such a vegetableattraction about them.'

After his violent vegetarian harangues, however, he hesitated about



adding them to his catalogue.

"But, one day, as we were passing through the village, he was



reminded by the sign of `WARTER CRACKERS' in the window of an

obscure grocery that he required a supply of these articles, and we



therefore entered. There was a splendid Rhode Island cheese on the

counter, from which the shop-mistress was just cutting a slice for



a customer. Abel leaned over it, inhaling the rich, pungent

fragrance.



"`Enos,' said he to me, between his sniffs, `this impresses me like

flowers--like marigolds. It must be--really--yes, the vegetable



element is predominant. My instinct towards it is so strong that

I cannot be mistaken. May I taste it, ma'am?'



"The woman sliced off a thin corner, and presented it to him on the

knife.



"`Delicious!' he exclaimed; `I am right,--this is the True Food.

Give me two pounds--and the crackers, ma'am.'



"I turned away, quite as much disgusted as amused with this

charlatanism. And yet I verily believe the fellow was sincere--



self-deluded only. I had by this time lost my faith in him, though

not in the great Arcadian principles. On reaching home, after an



hour's walk, I found our household in unusualcommotion. Abel

was writhing in intense pain: he had eaten the whole two pounds of



cheese, on his way home! His stomach, so weakened by years of

unhealthy abstinence from true nourishment, was now terribly



tortured by this sudden stimulus. Mrs. Shelldrake, fortunately,

had some mustard among her stores, and could therefore administer



a timely emetic. His life was saved, but he was very ill for two

or three days. Hollins did not fail to take advantage of this



circumstance to overthrow the authority which Abel had gradually

acquired on the subject of food. He was so arrogant in his nature



that he could not tolerate the same quality in another, even where




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