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odd people, and you are the most curious little boy in all the
world.'
Jean-Marie seemed to ponder for a while, and then he raised his
head again and looked over at the Doctor with an air of candid
inquiry. 'But are not you a very curious gentleman?' he asked.
The Doctor threw away his stick, bounded on the boy, clasped him to
his bosom, and kissed him on both cheeks. 'Admirable, admirable
imp!' he cried. 'What a morning, what an hour for a theorist of
forty-two! No,' he continued, apostrophising heaven, 'I did not
know such boys existed; I was ignorant they made them so; I had
doubted of my race; and now! It is like,' he added, picking up his
stick, 'like a lovers' meeting. I have bruised my favourite staff
in that moment of enthusiasm. The injury, however, is not grave.'
He caught the boy looking at him in obvious wonder, embarrassment,
and alarm. 'Hullo!' said he, 'why do you look at me like that?
Egad, I believe the boy despises me. Do you despise me, boy?'
'O, no,' replied Jean-Marie, seriously; 'only I do not understand.'
'You must excuse me, sir,' returned the Doctor, with gravity; 'I am
still so young. O, hang him!' he added to himself. And he took
his seat again and observed the boy sardonically. 'He has spoiled
the quiet of my morning,' thought he. 'I shall be nervous all day,
and have a febricule when I digest. Let me compose myself.' And
so he dismissed his pre-occupations by an effort of the will which
he had long practised, and let his soul roam abroad in the
contemplation of the morning. He inhaled the air, tasting it
critically as a connoisseur tastes a vintage, and prolonging the
expiration with hygienic gusto. He counted the little flecks of
cloud along the sky. He followed the movements of the birds round
the church tower - making long sweeps, hanging poised, or turning
airy somersaults in fancy, and beating the wind with imaginary
pinions. And in this way he regained peace of mind and animal
composure, conscious of his limbs, conscious of the sight of his
eyes, conscious that the air had a cool taste, like a fruit, at the
top of his throat; and at last, in complete abstraction, he began
to sing. The Doctor had but one air - , 'Malbrouck s'en va-t-en
guerre;' even with that he was on terms of mere politeness; and his
musical exploits were always reserved for moments when he was alone
and entirely happy.
He was recalled to earth rudely by a pained expression on the boy's
face. 'What do you think of my singing?' he inquired, stopping in
the middle of a note; and then, after he had waited some little
while and received no answer, 'What do you think of my singing?' he
repeated, imperiously.
'I do not like it,' faltered Jean-Marie.
'Oh, come!' cried the Doctor. 'Possibly you are a performer
yourself?'
'I sing better than that,' replied the boy.
The Doctor eyed him for some seconds in stupefaction. He was aware
that he was angry, and blushed for himself in consequence, which
made him angrier. 'If this is how you address your master!' he
said at last, with a shrug and a flourish of his arms.
'I do not speak to him at all,' returned the boy. 'I do not like
him.'
'Then you like me?' snapped Doctor Desprez, with unusual eagerness.
'I do not know,' answered Jean-Marie.
The Doctor rose. 'I shall wish you a good morning,' he said. 'You
are too much for me. Perhaps you have blood in your veins, perhaps
celestial ichor, or perhaps you circulate nothing more gross than
respirable air; but of one thing I am inexpugnably assured:- that
you are no human being. No, boy' - shaking his stick at him - 'you
are not a human being. Write, write it in your memory - "I am not
a human being - I have no pretension to be a human being - I am a
dive, a dream, an angel, an acrostic, an illusion - what you
please, but not a human being." And so accept my humble
salutations and farewell!'
And with that the Doctor made off along the street in some emotion,
and the boy stood, mentally gaping, where he left him.
CHAPTER III. THE ADOPTION.
MADAME DESPREZ, who answered to the Christian name of Anastasie,
presented an agreeable type of her sex; exceedinglywholesome to
look upon, a stout BRUNE, with cool smooth cheeks, steady, dark
eyes, and hands that neither art nor nature could improve. She was
the sort of person over whom adversity passes like a summer cloud;
she might, in the worst of conjunctions, knit her brows into one
vertical furrow for a moment, but the next it would be gone. She
had much of the placidity of a contented nun; with little of her
world.'
Jean-Marie seemed to ponder for a while, and then he raised his
head again and looked over at the Doctor with an air of candid
inquiry. 'But are not you a very curious gentleman?' he asked.
The Doctor threw away his stick, bounded on the boy, clasped him to
his bosom, and kissed him on both cheeks. 'Admirable, admirable
imp!' he cried. 'What a morning, what an hour for a theorist of
forty-two! No,' he continued, apostrophising heaven, 'I did not
know such boys existed; I was ignorant they made them so; I had
doubted of my race; and now! It is like,' he added, picking up his
stick, 'like a lovers' meeting. I have bruised my favourite staff
in that moment of enthusiasm. The injury, however, is not grave.'
He caught the boy looking at him in obvious wonder, embarrassment,
and alarm. 'Hullo!' said he, 'why do you look at me like that?
Egad, I believe the boy despises me. Do you despise me, boy?'
'O, no,' replied Jean-Marie, seriously; 'only I do not understand.'
'You must excuse me, sir,' returned the Doctor, with gravity; 'I am
still so young. O, hang him!' he added to himself. And he took
his seat again and observed the boy sardonically. 'He has spoiled
the quiet of my morning,' thought he. 'I shall be nervous all day,
and have a febricule when I digest. Let me compose myself.' And
so he dismissed his pre-occupations by an effort of the will which
he had long practised, and let his soul roam abroad in the
contemplation of the morning. He inhaled the air, tasting it
critically as a connoisseur tastes a vintage, and prolonging the
expiration with hygienic gusto. He counted the little flecks of
cloud along the sky. He followed the movements of the birds round
the church tower - making long sweeps, hanging poised, or turning
airy somersaults in fancy, and beating the wind with imaginary
pinions. And in this way he regained peace of mind and animal
composure, conscious of his limbs, conscious of the sight of his
eyes, conscious that the air had a cool taste, like a fruit, at the
top of his throat; and at last, in complete abstraction, he began
to sing. The Doctor had but one air - , 'Malbrouck s'en va-t-en
guerre;' even with that he was on terms of mere politeness; and his
musical exploits were always reserved for moments when he was alone
and entirely happy.
He was recalled to earth rudely by a pained expression on the boy's
face. 'What do you think of my singing?' he inquired, stopping in
the middle of a note; and then, after he had waited some little
while and received no answer, 'What do you think of my singing?' he
repeated, imperiously.
'I do not like it,' faltered Jean-Marie.
'Oh, come!' cried the Doctor. 'Possibly you are a performer
yourself?'
'I sing better than that,' replied the boy.
The Doctor eyed him for some seconds in stupefaction. He was aware
that he was angry, and blushed for himself in consequence, which
made him angrier. 'If this is how you address your master!' he
said at last, with a shrug and a flourish of his arms.
'I do not speak to him at all,' returned the boy. 'I do not like
him.'
'Then you like me?' snapped Doctor Desprez, with unusual eagerness.
'I do not know,' answered Jean-Marie.
The Doctor rose. 'I shall wish you a good morning,' he said. 'You
are too much for me. Perhaps you have blood in your veins, perhaps
celestial ichor, or perhaps you circulate nothing more gross than
respirable air; but of one thing I am inexpugnably assured:- that
you are no human being. No, boy' - shaking his stick at him - 'you
are not a human being. Write, write it in your memory - "I am not
a human being - I have no pretension to be a human being - I am a
dive, a dream, an angel, an acrostic, an illusion - what you
please, but not a human being." And so accept my humble
salutations and farewell!'
And with that the Doctor made off along the street in some emotion,
and the boy stood, mentally gaping, where he left him.
CHAPTER III. THE ADOPTION.
MADAME DESPREZ, who answered to the Christian name of Anastasie,
presented an agreeable type of her sex; exceedinglywholesome to
look upon, a stout BRUNE, with cool smooth cheeks, steady, dark
eyes, and hands that neither art nor nature could improve. She was
the sort of person over whom adversity passes like a summer cloud;
she might, in the worst of conjunctions, knit her brows into one
vertical furrow for a moment, but the next it would be gone. She
had much of the placidity of a contented nun; with little of her
- consequence [´kɔnsikwəns]
n.结果；后果；推断 (初中英语单词) - champion [´tʃæmpiən] n.冠军 vt.拥护 (初中英语单词)
- climate [´klaimit] n.气候；特殊气候地带 (初中英语单词)
- challenge [´tʃælindʒ] n.&vt.向….挑战；怀疑 (初中英语单词)
- horror [´hɔrə] n.恐怖；战栗 (初中英语单词)
- interruption [intə´rʌpʃ(ə)n] n.停止，中断 (初中英语单词)
- running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)
- goddess [´gɔdis] n.女神 (初中英语单词)
- plainly [´pleinli] ad.平坦地；简单地 (初中英语单词)
- diligence [´dilidʒəns] n.勤奋，努力 (初中英语单词)
- sufficiently [sə´fiʃəntli] ad.充分地，足够地 (初中英语单词)
- sunlight [´sʌnlait] n.日光 (初中英语单词)
- atmosphere [´ætməsfiə] n.大气；空气；气氛 (初中英语单词)
- carriage [´kæridʒ] n.马车；客车；货运 (初中英语单词)
- inquiry [in´kwaiəri] n.询问；质询；调查 (初中英语单词)
- beginning [bi´giniŋ] n.开始，开端；起源 (初中英语单词)
- puzzle [´pʌzl] n.迷(惑) v.(使)迷惑 (初中英语单词)
- extremely [ik´stri:mli] ad.极端地；非常地 (初中英语单词)
- priest [pri:st] n.教士；牧师；神父 (初中英语单词)
- beaten [´bi:tn] beat 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
- stolen [´stəulən] steal 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
- forgive [fə´giv] vt.原谅，谅解，宽恕 (初中英语单词)
- philosophy [fi´lɔsəfi] n.哲学；人生观 (初中英语单词)
- monster [´mɔnstə] n.怪物 a.大得异常的 (初中英语单词)
- ignorant [´ignərənt] a.无知的，愚昧的 (初中英语单词)
- enthusiasm [in´θju:ziæzəm] n.热心；狂热；爱好 (初中英语单词)
- injury [´indʒəri] n.伤害；毁坏；侮辱 (初中英语单词)
- obvious [´ɔbviəs] a.明显的；显而易见的 (初中英语单词)
- despise [di´spaiz] vt.轻视，藐视 (初中英语单词)
- seriously [´siəriəsli] ad.严肃；严重，重大 (初中英语单词)
- nervous [´nə:vəs] a.神经的；神经过敏的 (初中英语单词)
- digest [di´dʒest] v.消化 n.摘要；文摘 (初中英语单词)
- compose [kəm´pəuz] v.组成；创作；作曲 (初中英语单词)
- abroad [ə´brɔ:d] ad.海外；到处；广泛 (初中英语单词)
- conscious [´kɔnʃəs] a.意识的；自觉的 (初中英语单词)
- throat [θrəut] n.咽喉；嗓子；出入口 (初中英语单词)
- flourish [´flʌriʃ] v.茂盛；挥动 n.挥舞 (初中英语单词)
- unusual [ʌn´ju:ʒuəl] a.不平常的；异常的 (初中英语单词)
- agreeable [ə´gri:əbəl] a.适合的；符合的 (初中英语单词)
- predict [pri´dikt] v.预言；预告；预示 (高中英语单词)
- wholesome [´həulsəm] a.有益于健康的 (高中英语单词)
- hamlet [´hæmlit] n.村庄 (高中英语单词)
- shrine [ʃrain] n.神龛；神殿；圣地 (高中英语单词)
- fruitful [´fru:tfəl] a.成功的；丰富的 (高中英语单词)
- transparent [træns´peərənt] a.透明的；显而易见的 (高中英语单词)
- contented [kən´tentid] a.满足的；心满意足的 (高中英语单词)
- repeated [ri´pi:tid] a.反复的；重复的 (高中英语单词)
- consciousness [´kɔnʃəsnis] n.意识；觉悟；知觉 (高中英语单词)
- temperate [´tempərit] a.有节制的；温和的 (高中英语单词)
- roughly [´rʌfli] ad.粗糙地；毛糙地 (高中英语单词)
- ponder [´pɔndə] v.沉思；考虑；估量 (高中英语单词)
- gravity [´græviti] n.严肃；严重；重力 (高中英语单词)
- hanging [´hæŋiŋ] n.绞刑 a.悬挂着的 (高中英语单词)
- circulate [´sə:kjuleit] v.(血液等)循环；流通 (高中英语单词)
- illusion [i´lu:ʒən] n.幻觉；幻影；错觉 (高中英语单词)
- exceedingly [ik´si:diŋli] ad.非常地，极度地 (高中英语单词)
- healthful [´helθfəl] a.卫生的，有益健康的 (英语四级单词)
- comely [´kʌmli] a.秀丽的；文雅的 (英语四级单词)
- rheumatism [´ru:mətizəm] n.风湿病 (英语四级单词)
- cruelly [´kruəli] ad.残酷地；极，非常 (英语四级单词)
- blessed [´blesid] a.享福的；神圣的 (英语四级单词)
- adversity [əd´və:siti] n.灾难；逆境 (英语四级单词)
- furrow [´fʌrəu] n.沟 vt.犁；使起皱纹 (英语四级单词)
- arsenal [´ɑ:sənəl] n.兵工厂；军械库 (英语六级单词)
- preaching [´pri:tʃiŋ] n.说教 a.说教的 (英语六级单词)
- causeway [´kɔ:zwei] n.堤道；砌道 (英语六级单词)
- beating [´bi:tiŋ] n.敲；搅打；失败 (英语六级单词)
- politeness [pə´laitnis] n.礼貌；文雅；温和 (英语六级单词)
- rudely [´ru:dli] ad.粗鲁地；粗略地 (英语六级单词)
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