school. The straitened circumstances in the house filled with

small brothers and sisters, sufficiently clothed and fed but



otherwise running wild, while the disconsolate widower tramped

about all day in a shabbyovercoat and imperfect boots on the



muddy quays, and in the evening piloted wearily the

half-intoxicated foreign skippers amongst the places of cheap



delights, returning home late, sick with too much smoking and

drinking--for company's sake--with these men, who expected such



attentions in the way of business. Then the offer of the

good-natured captain of Kosmopoliet IV., who was pleased to do



something for the patient and obliging fellow; young Willems'

great joy, his still greater disappointment with the sea that



looked so charming from afar, but proved so hard and exacting on

closer acquaintance--and then this running away by a sudden



impulse. The boy was hopelessly at variance with the spirit of

the sea. He had an instinctivecontempt for the honest



simplicity of that work which led to nothing he cared for.

Lingard soon found this out. He offered to send him home in an



English ship, but the boy begged hard to be permitted to remain.

He wrote a beautiful hand, became soon perfect in English, was



quick at figures; and Lingard made him useful in that way. As he

grew older his trading instincts developed themselves



astonishingly, and Lingard left him often to trade in one island

or another while he, himself, made an intermediate trip to some



out-of-the-way place. On Willems expressing a wish to that

effect, Lingard let him enter Hudig's service. He felt a little



sore at that abandonment because he had attached himself, in a

way, to his protege. Still he was proud of him, and spoke up for



him loyally. At first it was, "Smart boy that--never make a

seaman though." Then when Willems was helping in the trading he



referred to him as "that clever young fellow." Later when

Willems became the confidential agent of Hudig, employed in many



a delicate affair, the simple-hearted old seaman would point an

admiring finger at his back and whisper to whoever stood near at



the moment, "Long-headed chap that; deuced long-headed chap.

Look at him. Confidential man of old Hudig. I picked him up in



a ditch, you may say, like a starved cat. Skin and bone. 'Pon my

word I did. And now he knows more than I do about island



trading. Fact. I am not joking. More than I do," he would

repeat, seriously, with innocent pride in his honest eyes.



From the safe elevation of his commercial successes Willems

patronized Lingard. He had a liking for his benefactor, not



unmixed with some disdain for the crude directness of the old

fellow's methods of conduct. There were, however, certain sides



of Lingard's character for which Willems felt a qualified

respect. The talkative seaman knew how to be silent on certain



matters that to Willems were very interesting. Besides, Lingard

was rich, and that in itself was enough to compel Willems'



unwilling admiration. In his confidential chats with Hudig,

Willems generally alluded to the benevolent Englishman as the



"lucky old fool" in a very distinct tone of vexation; Hudig would

grunt an unqualified assent, and then the two would look at each



other in a sudden immobility of pupils fixed by a stare of

unexpressed thought.



"You can't find out where he gets all that india-rubber, hey

Willems?" Hudig would ask at last, turning away and bending over



the papers on his desk.

"No, Mr. Hudig. Not yet. But I am trying," was Willems'



invariable reply, delivered with a ring of regretful deprecation.

"Try! Always try! You may try! You think yourself clever



perhaps," rumbled on Hudig, without looking up. "I have been

trading with him twenty--thirty years now. The old fox. And I



have tried. Bah!"

He stretched out a short, podgy leg and contemplated the bare



instep and the grass slipperhanging by the toes. "You can't

make him drunk?" he would add, after a pause of stertorous



breathing.

"No, Mr. Hudig, I can't really," protested Willems, earnestly.

• gently [´dʒentli] ad.温和地；静静地 (初中英语单词)


• supreme [su:´pri:m, sju:-] a.最高的，无上的 (初中英语单词)


• egyptian [i´dʒipʃən] n.埃及人a.埃及的 (初中英语单词)


• muscle [´mʌsəl] n.肌肉；体力；力量 (初中英语单词)


• restless [´restləs] a.没有休息的 (初中英语单词)


• greedy [´gri:di] a.贪婪的；馋的 (初中英语单词)


• mystery [´mistəri] n.神秘；秘密；故弄玄虚 (初中英语单词)


• mistress [´mistris] n.女主人；情妇；女能手 (初中英语单词)


• absurd [əb´sə:d] a.荒谬的，可笑的 (初中英语单词)


• creation [kri´eiʃən] n.创作；作品；创造 (初中英语单词)


• motive [´məutiv] n.动机；主题 a.运动的 (初中英语单词)


• sunshine [´sʌnʃain] n.日光，阳光 (初中英语单词)


• affection [ə´fekʃən] n.友爱；慈爱 (初中英语单词)


• grateful [´greitful] a.感谢的；令人愉快的 (初中英语单词)


• gratitude [´grætitju:d] n.感激，感谢 (初中英语单词)


• conviction [kən´vikʃən] n.定罪；确信，信服 (初中英语单词)


• instrument [´instrumənt] n.仪器；手段；乐器 (初中英语单词)


• account [ə´kaunt] vi.说明 vt.认为 n.帐目 (初中英语单词)


• violent [´vaiələnt] a.强暴的；猛烈的 (初中英语单词)


• temper [´tempə] n.韧度 v.锻炼；调和 (初中英语单词)


• terror [´terə] n.恐怖；惊骇 (初中英语单词)


• flatter [´flætə] vt.阿谀，奉承；胜过 (初中英语单词)


• seriously [´siəriəsli] ad.严肃；严重，重大 (初中英语单词)


• innocent [´inəsənt] a.无罪的；单纯的 (初中英语单词)


• running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)


• sleeping [´sli:piŋ] n.&a.睡着(的) (初中英语单词)


• waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)


• pointed [´pɔintid] a.尖(锐)的；中肯的 (初中英语单词)


• sprang [spræŋ] spring 的过去式 (初中英语单词)


• beginning [bi´giniŋ] n.开始，开端；起源 (初中英语单词)


• learning [´lə:niŋ] n.学习；学问；知识 (初中英语单词)


• sufficiently [sə´fiʃəntli] ad.充分地，足够地 (初中英语单词)


• disappointment [,disə´pɔintmənt] n.失望；挫折 (初中英语单词)


• charming [´tʃɑ:miŋ] a.可爱的；极好的 (初中英语单词)


• delicate [´delikət] a.精美的；微妙的 (初中英语单词)


• whisper [´wispə] v.耳语 n.低语；沙沙声 (初中英语单词)


• commercial [kə´mə:ʃəl] a.商业的 n.广告节目 (初中英语单词)


• character [´kæriktə] n.特性；性质；人物；字 (初中英语单词)


• admiration [,ædmə´reiʃən] n.赞赏，钦佩 (初中英语单词)


• distinct [di´stiŋkt] a.清楚的；独特的 (初中英语单词)


• slipper [´slipə] n.拖鞋 (初中英语单词)


• cruelty [´kru:əlti] n.残忍；残酷行为 (高中英语单词)


• motion [´məuʃən] n.手势 vt.打手势 (高中英语单词)


• dismal [´dizməl] a.灰暗的；阴郁的 (高中英语单词)


• loving [´lʌviŋ] a.爱的，有爱情的 (高中英语单词)


• fearless [´fiələs] a.不怕的，无畏的 (高中英语单词)


• simplicity [sim´plisiti] n.简单；朴素 (高中英语单词)


• honesty [´ɔnisti] n.诚实，老实 (高中英语单词)


• assurance [ə´ʃuərəns] n.保证；自信；信任 (高中英语单词)


• profound [prə´faund] a.深奥的；渊博的 (高中英语单词)


• reckless [´rekləs] a.不注意的；鲁莽的 (高中英语单词)


• generosity [,dʒenə´rɔsiti] n.慷慨；慷慨的行为 (高中英语单词)


• finding [´faindiŋ] n.发现物；判断；结果 (高中英语单词)


• bravely [´breivli] ad.勇敢地；毅然 (高中英语单词)


• heroic [hi´rəuik] a.英雄的，英勇的 (高中英语单词)


• confound [kən´faund] v.混淆；使惊惶 (高中英语单词)


• learned [´lə:nid] a.有学问的，博学的 (高中英语单词)


• shabby [´ʃæbi] a.(衣服)破旧的 (高中英语单词)


• overcoat [´əuvəkəut] n.大衣 (高中英语单词)


• amongst [ə´mʌŋst] prep.其中之一 =among (高中英语单词)


• contempt [kən´tempt] n.轻蔑；受辱；不顾 (高中英语单词)


• whoever [hu:´evə] pron.任何人，无论谁 (高中英语单词)


• elevation [,eli´veiʃən] n.高度；晋升；高尚 (高中英语单词)


• disdain [dis´dein] vt.&n.藐视，轻视 (高中英语单词)


• assent [ə´sent] vi.&n.同意，赞成 (高中英语单词)


• hanging [´hæŋiŋ] n.绞刑 a.悬挂着的 (高中英语单词)


• earnestly [´ə:nistli] ad.认真地；急切地 (高中英语单词)


• devoted [di´vəutid] a.献身…的，忠实的 (英语四级单词)


• irresistible [,iri´zistəbəl] a.不可抵抗的 (英语四级单词)


• brutal [´bru:tl] a.兽性的；残暴的 (英语四级单词)


• generously [´dʒenərəsli] ad.慷慨地 (英语四级单词)


• indulgence [in´dʌldʒəns] n.沉迷；宽容；恩惠 (英语四级单词)


• ardent [´ɑ:dənt] a.热心的；热情洋溢的 (英语四级单词)


• starry [´stɑ:ri] a.星光照耀的，闪亮的 (英语四级单词)


• imperfect [im´pə:fikt] a.不完全的；未完成的 (英语四级单词)


• wearily [´wiərili] ad.疲倦地；厌烦地 (英语四级单词)


• hopelessly [´həuplisli] ad.无希望地，绝望地 (英语四级单词)


• confidential [,kɔnfi´denʃəl] a.极受信任的；心腹的 (英语四级单词)


• kernel [´kə:nl] n.(果实)核；去壳谷粒 (英语六级单词)


• faithless [´feiθləs] a.不忠的；虚假的 (英语六级单词)


• mastery [´mɑ:stəri] n.精通；控制；优势 (英语六级单词)


• paternal [pə´tə:nl] a.(象)父亲的；父方的 (英语六级单词)


• landing [´lændiŋ] n.登陆；降落；楼梯平台 (英语六级单词)


• exacting [ig´zæktiŋ] a.苛求的；严格的 (英语六级单词)


• instinctive [in´stiŋktiv] a.本能的，天性的 (英语六级单词)


• intermediate [,intə´mi:diət] a.中间的 (英语六级单词)


• abandonment [ə´bændənmənt] n.抛弃；放纵 (英语六级单词)


• seaman [´si:mən] n.海员，水手 (英语六级单词)


• liking [´laikiŋ] n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 (英语六级单词)


• benefactor [´beni,fæktə] n.捐助人；恩人 (英语六级单词)


• benevolent [bi´nevələnt] a.仁慈的；乐善好施的 (英语六级单词)


• vexation [vek´seiʃən] n.烦恼(的原因) (英语六级单词)