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LESSON 7
1. About twenty years ago there lived a singular gentleman in the Old Hall among the elm trees. He was about three-score years of age, very rich, and somewhat odd in many of his habits, but for generosity and benevolence he had no equal.
2. No poor cottager stood in need of comforts, which he was not ready to supply; no sick man or woman languished
for want of his assistance; and not even a beggar, unless a known impostor
, went empty-handed from the Hall. Like the village pastor described in Goldsmith’s poem of “The Deserted Village,”
“His house was known to all the vagrant train;
He chid their wand’rings, but relieved their pain;
The long-remembered beggar was his guest,
Whose beard descending swept his aged breast.”
3. Now it happened that the old gentleman wanted a boy to wait upon him at table, and to attend him in different ways, for he was very fond of young people. But much as he liked the society of the young, he had a great aversion
to that curiosity in which many young people are apt to indulge
. He used to say, “The boy who will peep into a drawer will be tempted to take something out of it; and he who will steal a penny in his youth will steal a pound
in his manhood.”
4. No sooner was it known that the old gentleman was in want of a boy than twenty applications
were made for the situation; but he determined not to engage anyone until he had in some way ascertained that he did not possess a curious, prying disposition.
5. On Monday morning seven lads, dressed in their Sunday clothes, with bright and happy faces, made their appearance at the Hall, each of them desiring to obtain the situation. Now the old gentleman, being of a singular disposition,had prepared a room in such a way that he might easily know if any of the young people who applied were given to meddle unnecessarily with things around them, or to peep into cupboards and drawers. He took care that the lads who were then at Elm Tree Hall should be shown into this room one after another.
6. And first, Charles Brown was sent into the room, and told that he would have to wait a little. So Charles sat down on a chair near the door. For some time he was very quiet, and looked about him; but there seemed to be so many curious things in the room that at last he got up to peep at them.
7. On the table was placed a dish cover, and Charles wanted sadly to know what was under it, but he felt afraid of lifting it up. Bad habits are strong things; and, as Charles was of a curious disposition, he could not withstand the temptation of taking one peep. So he lifted up the cover.
8. This turned out to be a sad affair; for under the dish cover was a heap of very light feathers; part of the feathers, drawn up by a current of air, flew about the room, and Charles, in his fright, putting the cover down hastily, puffed the rest of them off the table.
9. What was to be done? Charles began to pick up the feathers one by one; but the ,dgeeadjoiningoldgentleman,whoinhearingscuffle an guessin th causwasanroom,a of i room, to th Brown, soon consternation
enteredtheCharleswhooft,everywasdismissed as a boy who had not principle
enough to resist even a slight tempt ation.
10. When the room was once more arranged, Henry Wilkins was placed there until such time as he should be sent for. No sooner was he left to himself than his attention was attracted by a plate of fine, ripe cherries. Now Henry was uncommonly fond of cherries, and he thought it would be impossible to miss one cherry among so many. He looked and longed, and longed and looked, for some time, and just as he had got off his seat to take one, he heard, as he thought, a foot coming to the door; but no, it was a false alarm.
11. Taking fresh courage, he went cautiously and took a ver fine chery, for he wasyr determinedtakebutanditintohismouth.excellent;andthenheIttoputone,waspersuaded himself that he ran no r taking another; this he did, and hastily popped it iskin intohismouth.
12. Now, the old gentleman had placed a few artificial
cherries at the top of the others, filled with Cayenne pepper; one of these Henry had unfortunately taken, and it made his month smart and burn most intolerably
. The old gentleman heard him coughing, and knew very well what was the matter. The boy that would take what did not belong to him, if no more than a cherry, was not the boy for him. Henry Wilkins was sent about his business without delay, with his mouth almost as hot as if he had put a burning coal in to it.
13. Rufus Wilson was next introduced into the room and left to himself; but he had not been there ten minutes before he began to move from one place to another. He was of a bold, resolute temper, but not overburdened with principle; for if he could have opened every cupboard, closet, and drawer in the house, without being found out, he would have done it directly.
14. Having looked around the room, he noticed a drawer to the table, and made up his mind to peep therein. But no sooner did he lay hold of the drawer knob than he set a large bell ringing, which was concealed under the table. The old gentleman immediately answered the summons
, and entered the room.
15. Rufus was so startled by the sudden ringing of the bell, that all his impudence could not support him. He looked as though anyone might knock him down with a feather. The old gentleman asked him if he had rung the bell because he wanted anything. Rufus was much confused,and stammered, and tried to excuse himself, but all to no purpose, for it did not prevent him from being ordered off the premises.
16. George Jones was then shown into the room by an old steward; and being of a cautious disposition, he touched nothing, but only looked at the things about him. At last he saw that a closet door was a little open, and, thinking it would be impossible for anyone to know that he had opened it a little more, he very cautiously opened it an inch farther, looking down at the bottom of the door, that it might not catch against anything and make a noise.
barrel of shot. being pulled out of the barbottom him; clatter that George was f17. Now had he looked at the top, instead of the bottom, it mi fo r o f to the the closeHe top ventured t o was f the rplacedightened doo r to open the door anel, r the was a tin pan, and halfleaden fastened out shot of a his thebegan other plug, sense shot to pour out at a stranginch, and the which s.falling fille uponght have been better for d n u thisanother, p th pan e hol made such a e till, the plug rate. e of A a smal t the l
18. The old gentleman soon came into the room to inquire what was the matter, and there he found George nearly as pale as a sheet. George was soon dismissed.
19. It now came the turn of Albert Jenkins to be put into the room. The other boys had been sent to their homes by different ways, and no one knew what the experience
of the other had been in the room of trial.
20. On the table stood a small round box, with a screw top to it, and Albert, thinking it contained something curious, could not be easy without unscrewing the top; but no sooner did he do this than out bounced an artificial snake, full a yard long, and fell upon his arm. He started back, and uttered a scream which brought the old gentleman to his elbow. There stood Albert, with the bottom of the box in one hand, the top in the other, and the snake on the floor.
21. “Come, come,” said the old gentleman, “one snake is quite enough to have in the house at a time; therefore, the sooner you are gone the better.” With that he dismissed him, without waiting a moment for his reply.
22. William Smith next entered the room, and being left alone soon began to amuse himself in looking at the curiosities around him. William was not only curious and prying, but dishonest, too, and observing that the key was left in the drawer of a bookcase, he stepped on tiptoe in that direction. The key had a wire fastened to it, which communicated with an electrical machine, and William received such a shock as he was not likely to forget. No sooner did he sufficiently recover himself to walk, than he was told to leave the house, and let other people lock and unlock their own drawers.
23. The other boy was Harry Gordon, and though he was left in the room full twenty minutes, he never during that time stirred from his chair. Harry had eyes in his head as well as the others, but he had more integrity
in his heart; neither the dish cover, the cherries, the drawer knob, the closet door, the round box, nor the key tempted him to rise from his feet; and the consequence was that, in half an hour after, he was engaged in the service of the old gentleman at Elm Tree Hall. He followed his good old master to his grave, and received a large legacy
for his upright conduct in his service.
【中文阅读】
1 ．大约 20 年前，一处榆树簇拥的古老庄园里，住着一位超凡脱俗的乡间绅士。他约莫 60 来岁，非常富有，行为举止有点乖张，但他为人慷慨，处事宽宏大方，而且宅心仁厚，无人堪比。
2 ．无论遇见贫苦潦倒的佃农雇工，或者憔悴羸弱的乡邻妇孺，甚至衣衫褴褛的乞丐，他总是不吝钱财，鼎力相助。只有那些恶名昭彰的诈骗之徒，才会两手空空地离开。正如戈德史密斯诗歌《被抛弃的村庄》中曾经描述的那样，“他的门口，流浪汉排成了长队，他呵斥那些人的原罪，却倾心减除他们痛苦，甚至有位记忆苍老的乞丐，简直成为他的座上客，那老人髯须灰白，垂到皱纹如縠的胸间。”
3 ．当时，那位年迈绅士正需要一名伺童照料他的生活起居，他很喜爱年轻人。然而，他愈喜欢年轻人的社会，就愈憎恶不少年轻人深陷五花八门的走火入魔。他总是说，“喜欢窥探他人抽屉的孩子，不由自主总想拿走点东西。俗语说得好：‘少时偷针，大时偷金’。”
4 ．那位乡绅要找伺童的消息一经传开，二十来位想要为自己孩子谋就职位的乡邻纷纷挤上门来。老人执意不愿雇用，他心里明白，唯有通过某种程序以验证雇佣孩子是否具有良好的品格，那些孩子应该既不好奇心太盛，亦不爱多管闲事，他才能彻底放心。
5 ．一个周一的早晨，七名少年穿上礼拜的衣服，脸上洋溢着开心幸福的笑容，聚集到那座庄园门口。人人都急切获得那个职位。那性格怪异的老人早已备好一处房间，以待更好察看应聘少年的品行，检测他们是否安分守己，是否不窥探自己不该知道的东西。他下令将那些站在榆树庄园里的少年逐一领进那处房间。
6 ．查尔斯 · 布朗第一个被带进房间，有人告诉他，让他在房间里稍等片刻。于是查尔斯在门边椅子上坐下，刚开始，他一声不吭，环顾四周，房间里好玩东西实在诱惑太多，最后，他忍不住站起来到处查看。
7 ．一个盘子倒扣桌上，查尔斯急切想弄清盘子下究竟藏有什么东西，可又害怕将盘子掀开。查尔斯的坏习惯看来根深蒂固，与好奇心不相上下，他实在抵挡不住窥探一眼的诱惑，于是将盘子倒翻过来，这下够糟了，原来盘子下堆着一簇细小羽毛。在气流的裹挟下，有的羽毛被吹开，忽悠悠到处乱飘。恐惧中的查尔斯匆忙将盘子盖上，还没忘记顺嘴吹走桌上剩下的细绒。
下步该做什么？查尔斯迅速逐一拣拾羽绒。此刻，那位老人走进房间，原来他就在隔壁，听到了这边的手忙脚乱，猜到了事情的原委经过。没有足够定力的少年，竟然无法抵制如此微小的诱惑。使查尔斯 · 布朗大为惊愕的是，他很快就被打发回家。
10 ．当房间再度安排妥当，亨利 · 威尔金斯被带了进来。他亦得单独待上一段时间。片刻工夫，看到一盘鲜艳熟透的莓果，他的眼球就错不开了。亨利喜爱莓果，称得上情有独钟。他暗中思忖，这么大一盘莓果，不品咂上一颗似乎绝无可能。他左盯右看，心里七上八下。就在他站起来，准备抓起一颗，他听见，不，他以为有脚步声走来，原来却是闹钟滴嗒声，弄得他虚惊一场。
11 ．亨利重新鼓起勇气，小心翼翼走上前，抓了只艳红的果子。原本他只拿一颗，但品尝后发现，那莓果味道实在太好，他不停地说服自己，绝不能冒险再拿一颗，然而还是伸出了手。仓促中，果实“砰”的一声落进他的嘴里。
12 ．原来，老人在莓果上放了几颗人造果实，里面夹杂辣椒或胡椒面，亨利不巧拿到那颗假果，刚进口，那辛辣味道让他实在无法忍受。老人听见隔壁咳嗽声，便已洞悉这边发生的事情。那可怜的少年，拿取不属于自己的东西，尽管不过一颗莓子，对老人来说，也就完全失去了聘用意义。威尔金斯毫不迟延地被带了出去，当时他的口腔冒火，嘴里像塞了块燃煤。
13 ．随后，鲁弗斯 · 威尔森被吩咐走进房间。不到十分钟，他就开始在房间里转悠开了。他胆子很大，性格果敢，对诚信的原则问题似乎不太介意，如果不被发现的话，或许房间内每扇橱柜、壁柜甚至抽屉皆能被他逐一打开，无须任何踌躇或犹豫。
14 ．四周看看，鲁弗斯看到了桌子抽屉，他一心想知道里面装有什么。不料他刚刚捏住抽屉把手，旋即铃声大作，原来那响铃竟隐蔽地装在桌下。听到铃声，老人迅速走进房间。
15 ．鲁弗斯被突如其来的铃声完全弄懵了，他的所有鲁莽无法自圆其说。他看起来那么不堪一击，似乎一根羽毛也能将其击倒。老人问他是否需要什么才揿动响铃，尴尬的鲁弗斯结结巴巴，不知所措，张口还想辩解什么，却又莫衷一是，理由愈发站不住脚，最终还是没能逃脱被要求离开的结局。
16 ．乔治 · 琼斯由一位老管家领进房间，他生性谨慎小心，不敢触动屋内任何物品，只用眼光横扫室内一圈。最后，他发现一扇壁橱的门露出些许缝隙，他想，如果自己将那门稍微开大些，亦断然不会为人察觉。于是他看了看门底，确信不会挂住什么，发出声音，然后小心翼翼地将门打开一点缝隙。
17 ．如果他当时查看门顶而不是门底，情况或许要好些。因为壁橱门顶被一处木栓固定，栓后有处孔洞，洞里塞满许多细小铅沙粒。乔治试着将门轻轻打开点，再开一些，木栓终于从孔洞脱落，细小铅粒以难以想象的速度四下飞迸。壁橱下置一个锡盘，泻出的铅粒哗啦啦掉落到锡盘上，发出噼里啪啦的声响，乔治吓得血液似乎都凝固了。
18 ．老人很快走进屋，询问究竟出了什么事。乔治脸色苍白，很快便被打道回府。
19 ．下面轮到艾尔伯特 · 詹金斯登台亮相。已被淘汰的少年通过不同路径送出庄园，他们在那间屋子的不同经历当然无人知晓。
20 ．桌上放着一只很小的圆箱，箱盖上嵌有螺帽，艾尔伯特仔细端详，那箱里肯定装有好奇的东西。他思忖如果不拧松螺帽，便不可能打开箱子。可他刚刚拧动螺帽，忽然箱里弹出一条蛇，一码来长的假蛇，啪地落到了他的胳膊上。他吓得连忙后退，大声尖叫起来。老人赶来抓住艾尔伯特的手肘，艾尔伯特僵直地站着，一只手抓着箱底，另只手抓着箱盖，那条假蛇掉在地上，一动不动。
21 ．“得了，得了，”老人说道，“有时，家里有条蛇还是不错的，这样的话，还是快走为好！”说话间，老人即刻令人将艾尔伯特送走，容不得他半点解释。
22. 接下来，威廉姆 · 史密斯走进房间，周围一旦没人，他马上开始东张西望，到处巡睃周围好玩的物件。威廉姆好奇心忒重，喜欢包打听，人还不够诚实。他留意到书柜抽屉上留下的钥匙，于是踮起脚尖走过去。钥匙上拴有一根金属线，线那头连接一台电机，那种电击可能让他终生难忘。威廉姆从电击中缓过神，刚能挪步，就被告知即刻回家，至于那些抽屉是否打开还是关闭，已与他全然无关。
23 ．接下来的哈利 · 戈登也被单独留在屋里长达二十分钟，他没有离开座椅到处走动。哈利眼力不错，他与其他少年一样，但他更具有别人没有的诚实。盘盖也好，莓果也罢，或是抽屉把手，或是壁橱柜门，或是圆盒，或是钥匙，没有东西可以诱惑哈利。半小时后，哈利最终被留在榆树山庄。哈利忠心耿耿地为老人服务，为他养老送终。由于哈利为人正派，举止端庄，最终继承了老人大笔遗产。