血字的研究-Chapter 24

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在摩门教的笼罩之下，很多反对宗教的人离奇消失。首领Young的拜访让Ferrier有了不祥的预感，他们讨论起Lucy。

Chapter 24

"There are stories of her which I would fain（愿意） disbelieve—stories that she is sealed to some Gentile.

This must be the gossip of idle tongues.


What is the thirteenth rule in the code of the sainted Joseph Smith?

'Let every maiden of the true faith marry one of the elect; for if she wed a Gentile（异教徒）, she commits a grievous sin.'

This being so, it is impossible that you, who profess the holy creed, should suffer your daughter to violate it."

John Ferrier made no answer, but he played nervously with his riding-whip（马鞭）.

"Upon this one point your whole faith shall be tested—so it has been decided in the Sacred Council of Four.


The girl is young, and we would not have her wed grey hairs, neither would we deprive her of all choice.

We Elders have many heifers（妻子）, but our children must also be provided.

Stangerson has a son, and Drebber has a son, and either of them would gladly welcome your daughter to his house.

Let her choose between them.

They are young and rich, and of the true faith. What say you to that?"

Ferrier remained silent for some little time with his brows knitted.

"You will give us time," he said at last. "My daughter is very young—she is scarce of（未达到） an age to marry."

"She shall have a month to choose," said Young, rising from his seat. "At the end of that time she shall give her answer."

He was passing through the door, when he turned, with flushed face and flashing eyes.

"It were better for you, John Ferrier," he thundered, "that you and she were now lying blanched skeletons（白骨） upon the Sierra Blanco, than that you should put your weak wills against the orders of the Holy Four!"

With a threatening gesture of his hand, he turned from the door, and Ferrier heard his heavy step scrunching along the shingly path.

He was still sitting with his elbows upon his knees, considering how he should broach the matter to his daughter when a soft hand was laid upon his, and looking up, he saw her standing beside him

One glance at her pale, frightened face showed him that she had heard what had passed.

"I could not help it," she said, in answer to his look. "His voice rang through the house. Oh, father, father, what shall we do?"

"Don't you scare yourself," he answered, drawing her to him, and passing his broad, rough hand caressingly（亲切的） over her chestnut hair.

"We'll fix it up somehow or another. You don't find your fancy kind o' lessening for this chap, do you?"

A sob and a squeeze of his hand was her only answer.

"No; of course not. I shouldn't care to hear you say you did.

He's a likely lad（小伙子）, and he's a Christian, which is more than these folk here, in spite o' all their praying and preaching（说教）.

There's a party starting for Nevada to-morrow, and I'll manage to send him a message letting him know the hole we are in.


If I know anything o' that young man, he'll be back here with a speed that would whip electro-telegraphs."

Lucy laughed through her tears at her father's description.

"When he comes, he will advise us for the best. But it is for you that I am frightened, dear.

One hears—one hears such dreadful stories about those who oppose the Prophet: something terrible always happens to them."

"But we haven't opposed him yet," her father answered. "It will be time to look out for squalls（风暴） when we do.

We have a clear month before us; at the end of that, I guess we had best shin out of Utah."


"Leave Utah!""That's about the size of it." "But the farm?"

"We will raise as much as we can in money, and let the rest go.

To tell the truth, Lucy, it isn't the first time I have thought of doing it.

I don't care about knuckling under to any man, as these folk do to their darned prophet.

I'm a free-born American, and it's all new to me. Guess I'm too old to learn.

If he comes browsing（放牧） about this farm, he might chance to run up against a charge of buckshot travelling in the opposite direction."

"But they won't let us leave," his daughter objected.

"Wait till Jefferson comes, and we'll soon manage that.

In the meantime, don't you fret yourself, my dearie, and don't get your eyes swelled up（肿眼睛）, else he'll be walking into me when he sees you.

There's nothing to be afeared about, and there's no danger at all."

John Ferrier uttered these consoling remarks in a very confident tone, but she could not help observing that he paid unusual care to the fastening of the doors that night, and that he carefully cleaned and loaded the rusty old shotgun which hung upon the wall of his bedroom.（823 words）

-今日短语-

1. be scarce of 缺失…
2. be afeared about 担心


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