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The Golden Age-Part11_Kenneth Grahame(1859-1932)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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through spectacles. "And pray who are these exceedingly dirty

little boys?"



"Friends of mine, aunt," said Medea, promptly, with forced

cheerfulness. "I--I've known them a long time. I asked them to



come."

The aunt sniffed suspiciously. "You must come indoors, dear,"



she said, "and lie down. The sun will give you a headache. And

you little boys had better run away home to your tea. Remember,



you should not come to pay visits without your nursemaid."

Harold had been tugging nervously at my jacket for some time, and



I only waited till Medea turned and kissed a white hand to us as

she was led away. Then I ran. We gained the boat in safety; and



"What an old dragon!" said Harold.

"Wasn't she a beast!" I replied. "Fancy the sun giving any one a



headache! But Medea was a real brick. Couldn't we carry her

off?"



"We could if Edward was here," said Harold, confidently.

The question was, What had become of that defaulting hero? We



were not left long in doubt. First, there came down the lane the

shrill and wrathful clamour of a female tongue, then Edward,



running his best, and then an excited woman hard on his heel.

Edward tumbled into the bottom of the boat, gasping, "Shove her



off!" And shove her off we did, mightily, while the dame abused

us from the bank in the self same accents in which Alfred hurled



defiance at the marauding Dane.

"That was just like a bit out of Westward Ho!" I remarked



approvingly, as we sculled down the stream. "But what had you

been doing to her?"



"Hadn't been doing anything," panted Edward, still breathless.

"I went up into the village and explored, and it was a very nice



one, and the people were very polite. And there was a

blacksmith's forge there, and they were shoeing horses, and



the hoofs fizzled and smoked, and smelt so jolly! I stayed there

quite a long time. Then I got thirsty, so I asked that old woman



for some water, and while she was getting it her cat came out of

the cottage, and looked at me in a nasty sort of way, and said



something I didn't like. So I went up to it just to--to teach it

manners, and somehow or other, next minute it was up an apple-



tree, spitting, and I was running down the lane with that old

thing after me."



Edward was so full of his personal injuries that there was no

interesting him in Medea at all. Moreover, the evening was



closing in, and it was evident that this cutting-out expedition

must be kept for another day. As we neared home, it gradually



occurred to us that perhaps the greatest danger was yet to come;

for the farmer must have missed his boat ere now, and would



probably be lying in wait for us near the landing-place. There

was no other spot admitting of debarcation on the home side; if



we got out on the other, and made for the bridge, we should

certainly be seen and cut off. Then it was that I blessed my



stars that our elder brother<149> was with us that day,--he might

be little good at pretending, but in grappling with the stern



facts of life he had no equal. Enjoining silence, he waited till

we were but a little way from the fated landing-place, and then



brought us in to the opposite bank. We scrambled out

noiselessly, and--the gathering darkness favouring us--crouched



behind a willow, while Edward pushed off the empty boat with his

foot. The old Argo, borne down by the gentle current, slid and



grazed along the rushy bank; and when she came opposite the

suspected ambush, a stream of imprecation told us that our



precaution had not been wasted. We wondered, as we listened,

where Farmer Larkin, who was bucolically bred and reared, had



acquired such range and wealth of vocabulary. Fully realising at

last that his boat was derelict, abandoned, at the mercy of wind



and wave,--as well as out of his reach,--he strode away to the

bridge, about a quarter of a mile further down; and as soon as we



heard his boots clumping on the planks, we nipped out, recovered

the craft, pulled across, and made the faithfulvessel fast to



her proper moorings. Edward was anxious to wait and exchange

cour<150>tesies and compliments with the disappointed farmer,



when he should confront us on the opposite bank; but wiser

counsels prevailed. It was possible that the piracy was not yet






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