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put yourself in his place-第18部分

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The fact is; Miss Carden had been tormenting herself: and when beauty suffers; it is very apt to make others suffer as well。

〃I am glad you are come; Mr。 Little;〃 said she; 〃for I have been taking myself to task ever since; and I blame myself very much for some things I said。  In the first place; it was not for me〃 (here the fair speaker colored up to the temples) 〃to interfere in your affairs at all: and then; if I must take such a liberty; I ought to have advised you sensibly; and for your good。  I have been asking people; and they all tell me it is madness for one person to fight against these Unions。  Everybody gets crushed。  So now let me hope you will carry out your wise intention; and leave Hillsborough; and then my conscience will be at ease。〃

Every word fell like an icicle on her hearer's heart。  To please this cold; changeful creature; he had settled to defy the unchangeable Unions; and had been ready to resist his mother; and slight her immortal and unchanging love。

〃You don't answer me; sir!〃 said Miss Carden; with an air of lofty surprise。

〃I answered you yesterday;〃 said he sullenly。  〃A man can't chop and change like a weathercock。〃

〃But it is not changing; it's only going back to your own intention。 You know you were going to leave Hillsborough; before I talked all that nonsense。  Your story had set me on fire; and that's my only excuse。  Well; now; the same person takes the liberty to give you wise and considerate advice; instead of hot; and hasty; romantic nonsense。  Which ought you to respect mostfolly or reasonfrom the same lips?〃

Henry seemed to reflect。  〃That sounds reasonable;〃 said he: 〃but; when you advised me not to show the white feather; you spoke your heart; now; you are only talking from your head。  Then; your beautiful eyes flashed fire; and your soul was in your words: who could resist them?  And you spoke to me like a friend; now you speak to me like an enemy。〃

〃Oh; Mr。 Little; that is ridiculous。〃

〃You do; though。  And I'm sure I don't know why。〃

〃Nor I。  Perhaps because I am cross with myself; certainly not with you。〃

〃I am glad of that。  Well; then; the long and the short is; you showed me you thought it cowardly to fly from the Trades。  You wouldn't; said you; if you were a man。  Well; I'm a man; and I'll do as you would do in my place。  I'll not throw my life away; I'll meet craft with craft; and force with force; but fly I never will。  I'll fight while I've a leg to stand on。〃

With these words he began to work on the bust; in a quiet dogged way that was; nevertheless; sufficiently expressive。

Grace looked at him silently for half a minute; and then rose from her chair。

〃Then;〃 said she; 〃I must go for somebody of more authority than I am。〃  She sailed out of the room。

Henry asked Jael who she was gone for。

〃It will be her papa;〃 said Jael。

〃As if I care for what he says。〃

〃I wouldn't show HER that; if I was you;〃 said Jael; quietly; but with a good deal of weight。

〃You are right;〃 said Henry。  〃You are a good girl。  I don't know which is the best; you or Martha。  I say; I promised to go to Cairnhope some Sunday; and see them all。  Shall I drive you over?〃

〃And bring me back at night?〃

〃If you like。  I must come back。〃

〃I'll ask Miss Carden。〃

The words were quiet and composed; but the blushing face beamed with unreasonable happiness; and Grace; who entered at that moment with her father; was quite struck with its eloquence; she half started; but took no further notice just then。  〃There; papa;〃 said she; 〃this is Mr。 Little。〃


Mr。 Carden was a tall gentleman; with somewhat iron features; but a fine head of gray hair; rather an imposing personage; not the least pompous though; quite a man of the world; and took a business view of everything; matrimony; of course; included。

〃Oh; this is Mr。 Little; is it; whose work we all admire so much?〃

〃Yes; papa。〃

〃And whose adventure has made so much noise?〃

〃Yes; papa。〃

〃By…the…bye; there is an article to…day on you: have you seen it? No?  But you should see it; it is very smart。  My dear〃 (to Jael); 〃will you go to my study; and bring the Liberal here?〃

〃Yes; but meantime; I want you to advise him not to subject himself to more gunpowder and things; but to leave the town; that is all the wretches demand。〃

〃And that;〃 said Henry; with a sly; deferential tone; 〃is a good deal to demand in a free country; is it not; sir?〃

〃Indeed it is。  Ah; here comes the Liberal。  Somebody read the article to us; while he works。  I want to see how he does it。〃

Curiosity overpowered Grace's impatience; for a moment; and she read the notice out with undisguised interest。


       〃'THE LAST OUTRAGE。

〃'In our first remarks upon this matter; we merely laid down an alternative which admits of no dispute; and; abstaining from idle conjectures; undertook to collect evidence。  We have now had an interview with the victim of that abominable outrage。  Mr。 is one of those superior workmen who embellish that class for a few years; but invariably rise above it; and leave it' (thereMr。 Little!)'He has informed us that he is a stranger in Hillsborough; lives retired; never sits down in a public…house; and has not a single enemy in Hillsborough; great or small。  He says that his life was saved by his fellow…workmen; and that as he lay scorched'(Oh; dear!')

〃Well; go on; Grace。〃

〃It is all very well to say go on; papa'scorched and bleeding on the ground and unable to distinguish faces' (poor; poor Mr。 Little!) 'he heard; on all sides of him; expressions of rugged sympathy and sobs; and tears; from rough; butmanly fellows; who'(oh! oh! oh!〃)

Grace could not go on for whimpering; and Jael cried; for company。 Henry left off carving; and turned away his head; touched to the heart by this sweet and sudden sympathy。

〃How badly you read;〃 said Mr。 Carden; and took the journal from her。  He read in a loud business…like monotone; that; like some blessed balm; dried every tear。  〃'Manly fellows who never shed a tear before: this disposed of one alternative; and narrowed the inquiry。  It was not a personal feud; therefore it was a Trade outrage; or it was nothing。  We now took evidence bearing on the inquiry thus narrowed; and we found the assault had been preceded by a great many letters; all of them breathing the spirit of Unionism; and none of them intimating a private wrong。  These letters; taken in connection; are a literary curiosity; and we find there is scarcely a manufacturer in the place who has not endured a similar correspondence; and violence at the end of it。  This curious chapter of the human mind really deserves a separate heading; and we introduce it to our readers as

       〃THE LITERATURE OF OUTRAGE。〃

〃'First of all comes a letter to the master intimating that he is doing something objectionable to some one of the many Unions that go to make a single implement of hardware。  This letter has three features。  It is signed with a real name。  It is polite。  It is grammatical。

〃'If disregarded; it is speedily followed by another。  No。 2 is grammatical; or thereabouts; but; under a feigned politeness; the insolence of a vulgar mind shows itself pretty plainly; and the master is reminded what he suffered on some former occasion when he rebelled against the trades。  This letter is sometimes anonymous; generally pseudonymous。

〃'If this reminder of the past and intimation of the future is disregarded; the refractory master gets a missive; which begins with an affectation of coarse familiarity; and then rises; with a ludicrous bound; into brutal and contemptuous insolence。  In this letter; grammar is flung to the winds; along with good manners; but spelling survives; by a miracle。  Next comes a short letter; full of sanguinary threats; and written in; what we beg leave to christen; the Dash dialect; because; though used by at least three million people in England; and three thousand in Hillsborough; it can only be printed with blanks; the reason being simply this; that every sentence is measled with oaths and indecencies。  These letters are also written phonetically; and; as the pronunciation; which directs the spelling; is all wrong; the double result is prodigious。 Nevertheless; many of these pronunciations are ancient; and were once universal。  An antiquarian friend assures us the orthography of these blackguards; the scum of the nineteenth century; is wonderfully like that of a mediaeval monk or baron。

〃'When the correspondence has once descended to the Dash dialect; written phonetically; it never remounts toward grammar; spelling or civilization; and the next in the business is rattening; or else beating; or shooting; or blowing…up the obnoxious individual by himself; or along with a houseful of people quite strange to the quarrel。  Now; it is manifest to common sense; that all this is one piece of mosaic; and that the criminal act it all ends in is no more to be disconnected from the last letter; than the last letter from its predecessor; or letter three from letter two。  Here is a crime first gently foreshadowed; then grimly intimated; then directly threatened; then threatened in words that smell of blood and gunpowder; and thendone。  The correspondence and the act reveal

     〃The various talents; but the single mind。〃

〃'In face of this evidence; furnished by themselves; the trades Unions; some member of which has committed this crime; will do well to drop the worn…out farce of offering a trumpery reward and to take a direct and manly course。  They ought to accept Mr。's preposterously liberal offer; and admit him to the two Unions; and thereby disown the criminal act in the form most consolatory to the sufferer: or else they should face the situation; and say; 〃This act was done under our banner; though not by our order; and we stand by it。〃  The Liberal will continue to watch the case。'〃


〃This will be a pill;〃 said Mr。 Carden; laying down the paper。 〃Why; they call the Liberal the workman's advocate。〃

〃Yes; papa;〃 said Grace; 〃but how plainly he shows  But Mr。 Little is a stranger; and even this terrible lesson has not  So do pray advise him。〃

〃I shall be very happy; but; when you are my age; you will know it is of little use intruding advice upon 
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