登陆注册
5243300000027

第27章 CHAPTER VI(4)

"Why, man, there's gold in those mountains! You had an inside track on prospecting, placed as you were. And there's cocoa--and some day they'll coin money in rubber, too.

All that country's waiting for is better communications.

And you were on the spot, and knew all the lay of the land--and yet here you are back in England, getting so much a month for messing about in the mud."He saw swiftly that his reflections had carried him beyond his earlier limit, and with rapidity decided upon frankness.

"No, I wasn't in the Governor's outfit at all. I was looking for gold then--with occasionally an eye on rubber.

I stopped at your place. Don't you remember me? My name's Thorpe. I had a beard then. Why, man, you and one of your niggers were with me three or four days once, up on the ridge beyond the Burnt Hills--why, you remember, the nigger was from San Domingo, and he was forever bragging about the San Domingo peppers, and saying those on the mainland hadn't enough strength to make a baby wrinkle his nose, and you found a pepper coming through the swamp, and you tipped me the wink, and you handed that pepper to the nigger, and it damned near killed him.

Hell! You must remember that!"

"That would have been the Chavica pertusum," said Gafferson, thoughtfully. He seemed to rouse himself to an interest in the story itself with some difficulty. "Yes--I remember it,"he admitted, finally. "I shouldn't have known you though.

I'm the worst in the world about remembering people.

It seems to be growing on me. I notice that when I go up to London to the shows, I don't remember the men that I had the longest talks with the time before.

Once you get wrapped up in your flowers, you've got no room in your head for anything else--that's the way of it."Thorpe considered him with a ruminating eye. "So this is the sort of thing you really like, eh? You'd rather be doing this, eh? than making your pile in logwood and mahogany out there, or floating a gold mine?" Gafferson answered quite simply: "I wasn't the kind to ever make a pile.

I got led into going out there when I was a youngster, and there didn't seem to be any good in trying to get back, but I wasn't making more than a bare living when you were there, and after that I didn't even do that much.

It took me a good many years to find out what my real fancy was. I hated my hotel and my store, but I was crazy about my garden. Finally an American gentleman came along one day, and he put up at my place, and he saw that I was as near ruined as they make 'em, and he says to me, 'You're no good to run a hotel, nor yet a store, and this aint your country for a cent.

What you're born for is to grow flowers. You can't afford to do it here, because nobody'll pay you for it, but you gather up your seeds and roots and so on, and come along with me to Atlanta, Georgia, and I'll put fat on your bones.'

"That's what he said to me, and I took him at his word, and I was with him two years, and then I thought I'd like to come to England, and since then I've worked my way up here, till now I take a Royal Horticultural medal regular, and there's a clematis with salmon-coloured bars that'll be in the market next spring that's named after my master.

And what could I ask more 'n that?"

"Quite right," said Thorpe. "What time do they have breakfast here?"The gardener's round, phlegmatic, florid countenance had taken on a mild glow of animation during his narrative.

It relapsed into lethargy at the advent of this new topic.

"It seems to me they eat at all hours," he said.

同类推荐
  • 狱中杂记

    狱中杂记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 蜀碧

    蜀碧

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 四友斋丛说

    四友斋丛说

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 辨非集

    辨非集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 国雅品

    国雅品

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 逆天无敌大魔帝

    逆天无敌大魔帝

    季天:就问你一声,面对一个万界巅峰十万级满级,魔帝中的魔帝,你怕不怕?没错,那就是我,万界至尊太古第一魔帝季北辰。不要给我提你是什么牛逼霸主,一界魔帝,我只说一句话。不是针对某一个,而是说在场的所有人,都是垃圾!别说单打独斗,便是你们一起上,说吊打你们都是在侮辱我的实力!因为哥是---真----无敌!
  • 九龙神座

    九龙神座

    上古神魔之战,诸强问道。神魔陨灭,万道消亡。九龙现,神座出。少年秦风,脚踏神域八荒,掌灭九天十地!神座之上,万古称王!
  • 弑天绝煞

    弑天绝煞

    “打,打死这个怪胎~”“是啊,打死他,这个怪胎,居然连他父母都杀~”“他就是个怪物,我们杀了他,为民除害~”
  • 南越第一妃

    南越第一妃

    这是一部根据史实改编的爱情传奇小说,它以汉武帝平定南越为背景,演义出一段樛太后和安国少季之间牺牲小我爱情,樛氏远嫁给南越国王子赵婴齐,后成为南越国太后。讴歌为国家统一大业做出丰功伟绩的历史人物,弘扬纯洁无私的爱国主义精神,对今天维护国家统一和实现中华民族伟大复兴具有积极的意义。
  • 重生末世之女王在上

    重生末世之女王在上

    公元4849年,地球文明达到人类无法想象的高度,即使在浩瀚宇宙已发现的智慧生物中也位于前列!就在人类高度防备外星系文明时,一场由地球内部突发的毁灭性灾难悄然来临!——————————沈江,世界顶级科学家和人王,因为活腻了,在末世把自己玩死了重生在了末世开始前的两天,一切,重新开始......沈翼,沈江的贴身保镖,妥妥的变态,虽不是杀人狂魔,然而手法,不说了......这是一只疯子和一只变态畅玩末世的故事,不要试图寻找他们的三观!——————————人说:“某人明明有能力,偏偏靠脸吃饭,做女人男宠,丢人!”某人:“老婆大人的男宠......”人说:“某人明明与人王实力相当,偏偏臣服一个女人,丢人!”某人:“女王在上!”——————————人说:“人王就是个疯子,她亲儿子才三岁就把他扔在了异类脚下!”某妈控包子怒了:“你们懂个球,那是我母上大人对我爱的表现!”——————————群众曰:一家三口,全部有病!惹不起惹不起!——————————内容可能引起不适,食用慎重!另,本文纯属虚构,作者幼儿园没毕业,无法完全避免漏洞,但接受意见,拒绝板砖,谢谢!
  • 童年(语文新课标课外读物)

    童年(语文新课标课外读物)

    现代中、小学生不能只局限于校园和课本,应该广开视野,广长见识,广泛了解博大的世界和社会,不断增加丰富的现代社会知识和世界信息,才有所精神准备,才能迅速地长大,将来才能够自由地翱翔于世界蓝天。否则,我们将永远是妈妈怀抱中的乖宝宝,将永远是温室里面的豆芽菜,那么,我们将怎样走向社会、走向世界呢?
  • 以你为题,写一个故事

    以你为题,写一个故事

    以你为开头写下故事,攒够足够的夜晚慢慢地讲给你听。
  • 狐家上仙请留步

    狐家上仙请留步

    我是一只天真无邪的狐,一场陷阱,坠入到了上仙的怀抱,确认过眼神,他居然是要杀我的人,仙妖不可恋的时代,安心的追随,也成为了一种奢望,上天不容,我即领妖伐天。
  • 政府应对境外媒体策略研究

    政府应对境外媒体策略研究

    政府与新闻传媒之间的关系,越来越成为政府“软实力”的重要组成部分。主动运用传媒提高政府部门执政形象、引导舆论的“新闻执政”理念不仅是西方现代政府的共识,同时也是我国各级政府努力的方向。本书介绍了境外主流媒体、驻华新闻机构及其涉华报道的主要特点,在分析典型案例的基础上,提出了当前我国各级政府应对境外媒体的各种策略。适读对象:各级政府对外宣传管理人员,国际关系、新闻传播等相关专业研究人员及广大师生。
  • 道路交通事故责任与处理

    道路交通事故责任与处理

    本书为《中华人民共和国重要法律知识宣讲》丛书之一。本书以《中华人民共和国道路交通安全法》《中华人民共和国侵权法》《中华人民共和国民法通则》为蓝本,结合相关司法解释进行了宣讲。