1-16

 

16.

In the early autumn of 1998, having completed my education at Ludgrove the previous spring, Ientered Eton.

A profound shock.

The finest school in the world for boys, Eton was meant to be a shock, I think. Shock must’vebeen part of its original charter, even perhaps a part of the instructions given to its first architectsby the school’s founder¹, my ancestor Henry VI. He deemed Eton some sort of holy shrine², asacred temple, and to that end he wanted it to overwhelm the senses, so visitors would feel likemeek, abased³ pilgrims.

In my case, mission accomplished⁴.

(Henry even vested the school with priceless religious artifacts, including part of Jesus’sCrown of Thorns. One great poet called the place “Henry’s holy shade.”)Over the centuries Eton’s mission had become somewhat less pious⁵, but the curriculum hadbecome more shockingly rigorous. There was a reason Eton now referred to itself not as a schoolbut simply as…School. For those in the know, there simply was no other choice. Eighteen primeministers had been molded in Eton’s classrooms, plus thirty-seven winners of the Victoria Cross.

Heaven for brilliant boys, it could thus only be purgatory⁶ for one very unbrilliant boy.

The situation became undeniably obvious during my very first French lesson. I was astoundedto hear the teacher conducting the entire class in rapid, nonstop French. He assumed, for somereason, that we were all fluent.

Maybe everyone else was. But me? Fluent? Because I did passably well on the entrance exam?

Au contraire, mon ami!

Afterwards I went up to him, explained that there’d been a dreadful mistake and I was in thewrong class. He told me to relax, assured me I’d be up to speed in no time. He didn’t get it; he hadfaith in me. So I went to my housemaster, begged him to put me with the slower talkers, the moreglacial learners, boys exactement comme moi.

He did as I asked. But it was a mere⁷ stopgap.

Once or twice I’d confess to a teacher or fellow student that I wasn’t merely in the wrong classbut in the wrong location. I was in way, way over my head. They’d always say the same thing:

Don’t worry, you’ll be all right. And don’t forget you always have your brother here!

But I wasn’t the one forgetting. Willy told me to pretend I didn’t know him.

What?

You don’t know me, Harold. And I don’t know you.

For the last two years, he explained, Eton had been his sanctuary⁸. No kid brother taggingalong, pestering⁹ him with questions, pushing up on his social circle. He was forging his own life,and he wasn’t willing to give that up.

None of which was all that new. Willy always hated it when anyone made the mistake ofthinking us a package deal. He loathed¹⁰ it when Mummy dressed us in the same outfits¹¹. (It didn’thelp that her taste in children’s clothes ran to the extreme; we often looked like the twins fromAlice in Wonderland.) I barely took notice. I didn’t care about clothes, mine or anyone else’s. Solong as we weren’t wearing kilts, with that worrisome knife in your sock and that breeze up yourarse, I was good. But for Willy it was pure agony to wear the same blazer, the same tight shorts, asme. And now, to attend the same school, was pure murder.

I told him not to worry. I’ll forget I ever knew you.

But Eton wasn’t going to make that easy. Thinking to be helpful, they put us under the samebloody roof. Manor¹² House.

At least I was on the ground floor.

Willy was way upstairs, with the older boys.

 

1 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

2 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

3 abased   

使谦卑( abase的过去式和过去分词 )； 使感到羞耻； 使降低（地位、身份等）； 降下

参考例句：

• His moral force was abased into more than childish weakness. 他的精神力量已经衰颓，低得不如孩子。 来自英汉文学 - 红字
• He is self-abased because of unluck he meets with. 他因遭不幸而自卑。

4 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

5 pious   

adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的

参考例句：

• Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。
• Her mother was a pious Christian.她母亲是一个虔诚的基督教徒。

6 purgatory   

n.炼狱；苦难；adj.净化的，清洗的

参考例句：

• Every step of the last three miles was purgatory.最后3英里时每一步都像是受罪。
• Marriage,with peace,is this world's paradise;with strife,this world's purgatory.和谐的婚姻是尘世的乐园，不和谐的婚姻则是人生的炼狱。

7 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

8 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

9 pestering   

使烦恼，纠缠( pester的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He's always pestering me to help him with his homework. 他总是泡蘑菇要我帮他做作业。
• I'm telling you once and for all, if you don't stop pestering me you'll be sorry. 我这是最后一次警告你。如果你不停止纠缠我，你将来会后悔的。

10 loathed   

v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的过去式和过去分词 )；极不喜欢

参考例句：

• Baker loathed going to this red-haired young pup for supplies. 面包师傅不喜欢去这个红头发的自负的傻小子那里拿原料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Therefore, above all things else, he loathed his miserable self! 因此，他厌恶不幸的自我尤胜其它！ 来自英汉文学 - 红字

11 outfits   

n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 )；一套服装；集体；组织v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He jobbed out the contract to a number of small outfits. 他把承包工程分包给许多小单位。 来自辞典例句
• Some cyclists carry repair outfits because they may have a puncture. 有些骑自行车的人带修理工具，因为他们车胎可能小孔。 来自辞典例句

12 manor   

n.庄园，领地

参考例句：

• The builder of the manor house is a direct ancestor of the present owner.建造这幢庄园的人就是它现在主人的一个直系祖先。
• I am not lord of the manor,but its lady.我并非此地的领主，而是这儿的女主人。