"I can guess his last name," I remarked.



"General's? How? Oh, you've heard it! I don't believe in you any more."

"That's not a bit handsome, after my confession" target="_blank" title="n.招供；认错；交待">confession. No, I'm getting to



understand South Carolina a little. You came from the 'up-country,' you

call your dog General; his name is General Hampton!"



Her laughter assented. "Tell me some more about South Carolina," she

added with her caressing insinuation.



"Well, to begin with--"

"Go sit down at your lunch-table first. Aunt Josephine would never



tolerate my encouraging gentlemen to talk to me over the counter."

I went back obediently, and then resumed: "Well, what sort of people are



those who own the handsome garden behind Mrs. Trevise's!"

"I don't know them."



"Thank you; that's all I wanted."

"What do you mean?"



"They're new people. I could tell it from the way you stuck your nose in

the air."



"Sir!"

"Oh, if you talk about my hair, I can talk about your nose, I think. I



suspected that they were: 'new people' because they cleaned up their

garden immediately after the storm this morning. Now, I'll tell you



something else: the whole South looks down on the whole North."

She made her voice kind. "Do you mind it very much?"



I joined in her latent mirth. "It makes life not worth living! But more

than this, South Carolina looks down on the whole South."



"Not Virginia."

"Not? An 'entire stranger,' you know, sometimes notices things which



escape the family eye--family likenesses in the children, for instance."

"Never Virginia," she persisted.



"Very well, very well! Somehow you've admitted the rest, however."

She began to smile.



"And next, Kings Port looks down on all the rest of South Carolina."

She now laughed outright. "An up-country girl will not deny that,



anyhow!"

"And finally, your aunts--"



"My aunts are Kings Port."

"The whole of it?"



"If you mean the thirty thousand negroes--"

"No, there are other white people here--there goes your nose again!"



"I will not have you so impudent, sir!"

"A thousand pardons, I'm on my knees. But your aunts--" There was such a



flash of war in her eye that I stopped.

"May I not even mention them?" I asked her.



And suddenly upon this she became serious and gentle. "I thought that you

understood them. Would you take them from their seclusion, too? It is all



they have left--since you burned the rest in 1865."

I had made her say what I wanted! That "you" was what I wanted. Now I



should presently have it out with her. But, for the moment, I did not

disclaim the "you." I said:--



"The burning in 1865 was horrible, but it was war."

"It was outrage."



"Yes, the same kind as England's, who burned Washington in 1812, and whom

you all so deeply admire."



She had, it seemed, no answer to this. But we trembled on the verge of a

real quarrel. It was in her voice when she said:--



"I think I interrupted you."

I pushed the risk one step nearer the verge, because of the words I



wished finally to reach. "In 1812, when England burned our White House

down, we did not sit in the ashes; we set about rebuilding."



And now she burst out. "That's not fair, that's perfectly inexcusable!

Did England then set loose on us a pack of black savages and politicians



to help us rebuild? Why, this very day I cannot walk on the other side of

the river, I dare not venture off the New Bridge; and you who first beat



us and then unleashed the blacks to riot in a new 'equality' that they

were no more fit for than so many apes, you sat back at ease in your



victory and your progress, having handed the vote to the negro as you

might have handed a kerosene lamp to a child of three, and let us



crushed, breathless people cope with the chaos and destruction that never

came near you. Why, how can you dare--" Once again, admirably she pulled



herself up as she had done when she spoke of the President. "I mustn't!"

she declared, half whispering, and then more clearly and calmly, "I



mustn't." And she shook her head as if shaking something off. "Nor must

• waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)


• nevertheless [,nevəðə´les] conj.&ad.然而；不过 (初中英语单词)


• instantly [´instəntli] ad.立即，立刻 (初中英语单词)


• unhappy [ʌn´hæpi] a.不幸的；不快乐的 (初中英语单词)


• warrior [´wɔriə] n.勇士，战士 (初中英语单词)


• keenly [´ki:nli] ad.敏锐地；强烈地 (初中英语单词)


• departure [di´pɑ:tʃə] n.离开，出发 (初中英语单词)


• advanced [əd´vɑ:nst] a.先进的；高级的 (初中英语单词)


• modest [´mɔdist] a.谦虚的；朴素的 (初中英语单词)


• doubtless [´dautlis] ad.无疑地；大概，多半 (初中英语单词)


• actually [´æktʃuəli] ad.事实上；实际上 (初中英语单词)


• countenance [´kauntinəns] n.面部表情；脸色；面容 (初中英语单词)


• divine [di´vain] a.神圣的 v.预言 (初中英语单词)


• whenever [wen´evə] conj.&ad.无论何时 (初中英语单词)


• mosquito [məs´ki:təu] n.蚊子 (初中英语单词)


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


• incident [´insidənt] n.小事件；事变 (初中英语单词)


• likewise [´laikwaiz] ad.同样地；也，又 (初中英语单词)


• properly [´prɔpəli] ad.适当地；严格地 (初中英语单词)


• lately [´leitli] ad.近来，不久前 (初中英语单词)


• beheld [bi´held] behold的过去式(分词) (初中英语单词)


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


• generation [,dʒenə´reiʃən] n.发生；世代；同龄人 (初中英语单词)


• plainly [´pleinli] ad.平坦地；简单地 (初中英语单词)


• impression [im´preʃən] n.印刷；印象；效果 (初中英语单词)


• interview [´intəvju:] n.&vt.接见；会见；交谈 (初中英语单词)


• surprising [sə´praiziŋ] a.惊人的；意外的 (初中英语单词)


• confess [kən´fes] vt.供认；坦白；承认 (初中英语单词)


• silently [´sailəntli] ad.寂静地；沉默地 (初中英语单词)


• pardon [´pɑ:dən] n.&vt.原谅；饶恕；赦免 (初中英语单词)


• instinct [´instiŋkt] n.本能；直觉；天资 (初中英语单词)


• perceive [pə´si:v] vt.察觉；看出；领悟 (初中英语单词)


• gracious [´greiʃəs] a.和蔼可亲的；任慈的 (初中英语单词)


• laughter [´lɑ:ftə] n.笑，笑声 (初中英语单词)


• presently [´prezəntli] ad.不久；目前 (初中英语单词)


• horrible [´hɔrəbəl] a.可怕的；恐怖的 (初中英语单词)


• venture [´ventʃə] n.投机 v.冒险；敢于 (初中英语单词)


• destruction [di´strʌkʃən] n.破坏，毁灭 (初中英语单词)


• calmly [´kɑ:mli] ad.平静地；无风浪地 (初中英语单词)


• prolong [prə´lɔŋ] vt.延长；拉长；拖延 (高中英语单词)


• strain [strein] vt.拉紧 vi.拖 n.张力 (高中英语单词)


• petition [pi´tiʃən] n.请愿 vt.向…请愿 (高中英语单词)


• appreciation [ə,pri:ʃi´eiʃən] n.评价；感激 (高中英语单词)


• inevitable [i´nevitəbəl] a.不可避免的 (高中英语单词)


• perfectly [´pə:fiktli] ad.理想地；完美地 (高中英语单词)


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


• tropical [´trɔpikəl] a.热带地区的 (高中英语单词)


• chamber [´tʃeimbə] n.房间；议院；会议室 (高中英语单词)


• bruise [bru:z] n.伤痕 v.打(碰)伤 (高中英语单词)


• rascal [´rɑ:skəl] n.流氓 (高中英语单词)


• painful [´peinfəl] a.痛(苦)的；费力的 (高中英语单词)


• decidedly [di´saididli] ad.坚决地，果断地 (高中英语单词)


• sweeping [´swi:piŋ] a.掠过的 n.扫除；清除 (高中英语单词)


• commission [kə´miʃən] n.委任(状) vt.委任 (高中英语单词)


• descent [di´sent] n.出身，家世 (高中英语单词)


• counter [´kauntə] n.计算者；柜台；计算机 (高中英语单词)


• confession [kən´feʃən] n.招供；认错；交待 (高中英语单词)


• breathless [´breθlis] a.屏息的 (高中英语单词)


• blessed [´blesid] a.享福的；神圣的 (英语四级单词)


• magnetic [mæg´netik] a.磁(性)的 (英语四级单词)


• respective [ri´spektiv] a.各自的，各个的 (英语四级单词)


• remarkably [ri´mɑ:kəbli] ad.非凡地；显著地 (英语四级单词)


• harmonious [hɑ:məuniəs] a.协调的，悦耳的 (英语四级单词)


• parting [´pɑ:tiŋ] a.&n.分离(的) (英语四级单词)


• episode [´episəud] n.插曲；一段情节 (英语四级单词)


• superb [su:´pə:b, sju:-] a.宏伟的；极好的 (英语四级单词)


• rebuild [,ri:´bild] vt.重建；改造 (英语四级单词)


• bridge [bridʒ] n.桥(梁)；鼻梁；桥牌 (英语四级单词)


• kerosene [´kerəsi:n] n.煤油，火油 (英语四级单词)


• calling [´kɔ:liŋ] n.点名；职业；欲望 (英语六级单词)


• advisable [əd´vaizəbl] a.合适的，得当的 (英语六级单词)


• indirectly [,indi´rektli] a.间接地；迂回地 (英语六级单词)


• ordeal [ɔ:´di:l] n.严峻考验；折磨 (英语六级单词)


• discouragement [dis´kʌrridʒmənt] n.挫折，气馁 (英语六级单词)


• deception [di´sepʃən] n.欺骗，诈骗；骗术 (英语六级单词)


• recital [ri´saitl] n.背诵；叙述；音乐会 (英语六级单词)


• rigidly [´ridʒidli] ad.坚硬地；不易弯地 (英语六级单词)


• habitual [hə´bitʃuəl] a.习惯的，通常的 (英语六级单词)


• prodigal [´prɔdigəl] a.浪费的 n.挥霍者 (英语六级单词)


• latent [´leitənt] a.潜在的，潜伏的 (英语六级单词)


• admirably [´ædmərəbli] ad.令人钦佩地；极妙地 (英语六级单词)