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hair, but did not stir from the spot. From sheer embarrassment
he clutched the lieutenant's arm, and almost pinched it.
"Oh, I beg your pardon," the officer exclaimed, addressing the
auctioneer, as if he had suddenly been aroused from a fit of
abstraction; "I made the bid of one hundred dollars, or--or--at
any rate, I make it now."
The same performance, intended to force up the price, was
repeated once more, but with no avail, and at the end of two
minutes Lady Clare was knocked down to Lieutenant Thicker.
"Now I have gone and done it like the blooming idiot that I am,"
observed the lieutenant, when Lady Clare was led into his stable
by a liveried groom. "What an overhauling the captain will give
me when he gets home."
"You need have no fear," Erik replied. "I'll sound father as
soon as he gets home; and if he makes any trouble I'll pay you
that one hundred dollars, with interest, the day I come of age."
Well, the captain came home, and having long had the intention to
present his son with a saddle-horse, he allowed himself to be
cajoled into approving of the bargain. The mare was an exquisite
creature, if ever there was one, and he could well understand how
Erik had been carried away; Lieutenant Thicker, instead of being
hauled over the coals, as he had expected, received thanks for
his kind and generous conduct toward the son of his superior
officer. As for Erik himself, he had never had any idea that a
boy's life could be so glorious as his was now. Mounted on that
splendid, coal-black mare, he rode through the city and far out
into the country at his father's side; and never did it seem to
him that he had loved his father so well as he did during these
afternoon rides. The captain was far from suspecting that in
that episode of the purchase of Lady Clare his own relation to
his son had been at stake. Not that Erik would not have obeyed
his father, even if he had turned out his rough side and taken
the lieutenant to task for his kindness; but their relation would
in that case have lacked the warm intimacy (which in nowise
excludes obedience and respect) and that last touch of devoted
admiration which now bound them together.
That fine touch of sympathy in the captain's disposition which
had enabled him to smile indulgently at his son's enthusiasm for
the horse made the son doublyanxious not to abuse such kindness,
and to do everything in his power to deserve the confidence which
made his life so rich and happy. Though, as I have said, Captain
Carstens lacked the acuteness to discover how much he owed to
Lady Clare, he acknowledged himself in quite a different way her
debtor. He had never really been aware what a splendid specimen
of a boy his son was until he saw him on the back of that
spirited mare, which cut up with him like the Old Harry, and yet
never succeeded in flurrying, far less in unseating him. The
captain felt a glow of affectionwarming his breast at the sight
of this, and his pride in Erik's horsemanship proved a
consolation to him when the boy's less distinguishedperformances
at school caused him fret and worry.
"A boy so full of pluck must amount to something, even if he does
not take kindly to Latin," he reflected many a time. "I am
afraid I have made a mistake in having him prepared for college.
In the army now, and particularly in the cavalry, he would make a
reputation in twenty minutes."
And a cavalryman Erik might, perhaps, have become if his father
had not been transferred to another post, and compelled to take
up his residence in the country. It was nominally a promotion,
but Captain Carstens was ill pleased with it, and even had some
thought of resigning rather than give up his delightful city
life, and move far northward into the region of cod and herring.
However, he was too young a man to retire on a pension, as yet,
and so he gradually reconciled himself to the thought, and sailed
northward in the month of April with his son and his entire
household. It had long been a question whether Lady Clare should
make the journey with them; for Captain Carstens maintained that
so high-bred an animal would be very sensitive to climatic
changes and might even die on the way. Again, he argued that it
was an absurdity to bring so fine a horse into a rough country,
where the roads are poor and where nature, in mercy, provides all
beasts with rough, shaggy coats to protect them from the cold.
How would Lady Clare, with her glossy satin coat, her slender
legs that pirouetted so daintily over the ground, and her
he clutched the lieutenant's arm, and almost pinched it.
"Oh, I beg your pardon," the officer exclaimed, addressing the
auctioneer, as if he had suddenly been aroused from a fit of
abstraction; "I made the bid of one hundred dollars, or--or--at
any rate, I make it now."
The same performance, intended to force up the price, was
repeated once more, but with no avail, and at the end of two
minutes Lady Clare was knocked down to Lieutenant Thicker.
"Now I have gone and done it like the blooming idiot that I am,"
observed the lieutenant, when Lady Clare was led into his stable
by a liveried groom. "What an overhauling the captain will give
me when he gets home."
"You need have no fear," Erik replied. "I'll sound father as
soon as he gets home; and if he makes any trouble I'll pay you
that one hundred dollars, with interest, the day I come of age."
Well, the captain came home, and having long had the intention to
present his son with a saddle-horse, he allowed himself to be
cajoled into approving of the bargain. The mare was an exquisite
creature, if ever there was one, and he could well understand how
Erik had been carried away; Lieutenant Thicker, instead of being
hauled over the coals, as he had expected, received thanks for
his kind and generous conduct toward the son of his superior
officer. As for Erik himself, he had never had any idea that a
boy's life could be so glorious as his was now. Mounted on that
splendid, coal-black mare, he rode through the city and far out
into the country at his father's side; and never did it seem to
him that he had loved his father so well as he did during these
afternoon rides. The captain was far from suspecting that in
that episode of the purchase of Lady Clare his own relation to
his son had been at stake. Not that Erik would not have obeyed
his father, even if he had turned out his rough side and taken
the lieutenant to task for his kindness; but their relation would
in that case have lacked the warm intimacy (which in nowise
excludes obedience and respect) and that last touch of devoted
admiration which now bound them together.
That fine touch of sympathy in the captain's disposition which
had enabled him to smile indulgently at his son's enthusiasm for
the horse made the son doublyanxious not to abuse such kindness,
and to do everything in his power to deserve the confidence which
made his life so rich and happy. Though, as I have said, Captain
Carstens lacked the acuteness to discover how much he owed to
Lady Clare, he acknowledged himself in quite a different way her
debtor. He had never really been aware what a splendid specimen
of a boy his son was until he saw him on the back of that
spirited mare, which cut up with him like the Old Harry, and yet
never succeeded in flurrying, far less in unseating him. The
captain felt a glow of affectionwarming his breast at the sight
of this, and his pride in Erik's horsemanship proved a
consolation to him when the boy's less distinguishedperformances
at school caused him fret and worry.
"A boy so full of pluck must amount to something, even if he does
not take kindly to Latin," he reflected many a time. "I am
afraid I have made a mistake in having him prepared for college.
In the army now, and particularly in the cavalry, he would make a
reputation in twenty minutes."
And a cavalryman Erik might, perhaps, have become if his father
had not been transferred to another post, and compelled to take
up his residence in the country. It was nominally a promotion,
but Captain Carstens was ill pleased with it, and even had some
thought of resigning rather than give up his delightful city
life, and move far northward into the region of cod and herring.
However, he was too young a man to retire on a pension, as yet,
and so he gradually reconciled himself to the thought, and sailed
northward in the month of April with his son and his entire
household. It had long been a question whether Lady Clare should
make the journey with them; for Captain Carstens maintained that
so high-bred an animal would be very sensitive to climatic
changes and might even die on the way. Again, he argued that it
was an absurdity to bring so fine a horse into a rough country,
where the roads are poor and where nature, in mercy, provides all
beasts with rough, shaggy coats to protect them from the cold.
How would Lady Clare, with her glossy satin coat, her slender
legs that pirouetted so daintily over the ground, and her
- persuade [pə´sweid]
v.(被)说服；使相信 (初中英语单词) - invent [in´vent] vt.发明；捏造 (初中英语单词)
- annual [´ænjuəl] a.每年的 n.年刊 (初中英语单词)
- saddle [´sædl] n.鞍子 v.装鞍(于) (初中英语单词)
- bullet [´bulit] n.子弹 (初中英语单词)
- gracious [´greiʃəs] a.和蔼可亲的；任慈的 (初中英语单词)
- princess [,prin´ses] n.公主；王妃；亲王夫人 (初中英语单词)
- obviously [´ɔbviəsli] ad.明显地；显而易见地 (初中英语单词)
- responsible [ri´spɔnsəbəl] a.尽责的；责任重大的 (初中英语单词)
- eternal [i´tə:nəl] a.永远的；永恒的 (初中英语单词)
- visible [´vizəbəl] a.可见的；明显的 (初中英语单词)
- dealer [´di:lə] n.商人 (初中英语单词)
- mental [´mentl] a.精神的；心理的 (初中英语单词)
- uncertain [ʌn´sə:tn] a.不定的；不可靠的 (初中英语单词)
- temper [´tempə] n.韧度 v.锻炼；调和 (初中英语单词)
- reckon [´rekən] v.计算；认为；估计 (初中英语单词)
- dramatic [drə´mætik] a.戏剧的；戏剧般的 (初中英语单词)
- lieutenant [lef´tenənt] n.陆军中尉；代理；副手 (初中英语单词)
- bother [´bɔðə] v.打扰 n.麻烦(事) (初中英语单词)
- eagerly [´i:gəli] ad.渴望地，急切地 (初中英语单词)
- earnest [´ə:nist] a.认真的 n.认真；诚恳 (初中英语单词)
- sympathy [´simpəθi] n.同情，怜悯 (初中英语单词)
- hammer [´hæmə] n.锤子 v.重击 (初中英语单词)
- standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)
- hidden [´hid(ə)n] hide 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
- excitement [ik´saitmənt] n.兴奋；骚动；煽动 (初中英语单词)
- performance [pə´fɔ:məns] n.履行；行为；工作 (初中英语单词)
- intention [in´tenʃən] n.意图；打算；意义 (初中英语单词)
- bargain [´bɑ:gin] n.买卖合同 v.议(价) (初中英语单词)
- generous [´dʒenərəs] a.慷慨的；丰盛的 (初中英语单词)
- glorious [´glɔ:riəs] a.光荣的；辉煌的 (初中英语单词)
- disposition [,dispə´ziʃən] n.安排；性情；倾向 (初中英语单词)
- enthusiasm [in´θju:ziæzəm] n.热心；狂热；爱好 (初中英语单词)
- anxious [´æŋkʃəs] a.担忧的；渴望的 (初中英语单词)
- deserve [di´zə:v] v.应受；值得 (初中英语单词)
- affection [ə´fekʃən] n.友爱；慈爱 (初中英语单词)
- amount [ə´maunt] n.总数；数量 v.合计 (初中英语单词)
- residence [´rezidəns] n.居住(期间)；住宅 (初中英语单词)
- delightful [di´laitful] a.讨人喜欢的 (初中英语单词)
- retire [ri´taiə] v.撤退；退职；退休 (初中英语单词)
- inheritance [in´heritəns] n.继承(物)；遗传；遗产 (高中英语单词)
- sanction [´sæŋkʃən] n.&vt.批准；认可 (高中英语单词)
- highness [´hainis] n.高，高贵，高尚 (高中英语单词)
- nonsense [´nɔnsəns] n.胡说 int.胡说!废话 (高中英语单词)
- apparently [ə´pærəntli] ad.显然，表面上地 (高中英语单词)
- behavior [bi´heiviə] n.举止，行为 (高中英语单词)
- catalogue [´kætəlɔg] n.一览表 v.编目，归类 (高中英语单词)
- distinguished [di´stiŋgwiʃt] a.卓越的，著名的 (高中英语单词)
- strain [strein] vt.拉紧 vi.拖 n.张力 (高中英语单词)
- repeated [ri´pi:tid] a.反复的；重复的 (高中英语单词)
- impressive [im´presiv] a.给人深刻印象的 (高中英语单词)
- obedience [ə´bi:djəns] n.服从；顺从 (高中英语单词)
- cavalry [´kævəlri] n.骑兵(部队) (高中英语单词)
- northward [´nɔ:θwəd] ad.&a.向北(的) n.北 (高中英语单词)
- pension [´penʃən] n.津贴 vt.给予…抚恤 (高中英语单词)
- sensitive [´sensitiv] a.敏感的；感光的 (高中英语单词)
- resolved [ri´zɔlvd] a.决心的；坚定的 (英语四级单词)
- ridden [´ridn] ride 的过去分词 (英语四级单词)
- instinctively [in´stiŋktivli] ad.本能地 (英语四级单词)
- reputation [repju´teiʃən] n.名誉；名声；信誉 (英语四级单词)
- trying [´traiiŋ] a.难堪的；费劲的 (英语四级单词)
- reluctantly [ri´lʌktəntli] a.不情愿地；勉强地 (英语四级单词)
- boyish [´bɔiiʃ] a.少年的；幼稚的 (英语四级单词)
- blooming [´blu:miŋ] a.正开花的；妙龄的 (英语四级单词)
- episode [´episəud] n.插曲；一段情节 (英语四级单词)
- intimacy [´intiməsi] n.亲密；熟悉；秘密 (英语四级单词)
- warming [´wɔ:miŋ] n.暖和；加温 (英语四级单词)
- absurdity [əb´sə:diti] n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论 (英语四级单词)
- shaggy [´ʃægi] a.蓬乱的；多粗毛的 (英语四级单词)
- dashing [´dæʃiŋ] a.勇猛的；生气勃勃的 (英语六级单词)
- glossy [´glɔsi] a.光滑的，有光泽的 (英语六级单词)
- effectually [i´fektjuəli] ad.有效地 (英语六级单词)
- paternal [pə´tə:nl] a.(象)父亲的；父方的 (英语六级单词)
- unmistakable [,ʌnmi´steikəbəl] a.明显的；错不了的 (英语六级单词)
- eternally [i:´tə:nli] ad.永久地；不朽地 (英语六级单词)
- doubly [´dʌbli] ad.加倍地，双重地 (英语六级单词)
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