Chapter 4
There came to him, stirred by the warmth of the fire and the gentle aroma of tea, a thousand tangled recollections of old times[1]. Spring -- the Spring of 1896.[2]He was forty-eight -- an age at which a permanence of habits begins to be predictable[3]. He had just been appointed housemaster[4]; with this[5]and his classical forms[6], he had made for himself a warm and busy corner of life[7]. During the summer vacation he went up to the Lake District[8]with Rowden[9], a colleague[10]; they walked and climbed[11]for a week, until Rowden had to leave suddenly on some family business[12]. Chips stayed on[13]alone at Wasdale Head[14], where he boarded[15]in a small farmhouse[16].
One day, climbing on Great Gable[17], he noticed a girl waving[18]excitedly from a dangerous-looking ledge[19]. Thinking she was in difficulties[20], he hastened towards her, but in doing so[21]slipped himself and wrenched[22]his ankle. As it turned out[23], she was not in difficulties at all, but was merely signalling[24]to a friend farther down the mountain[25]; she was an expert climber[26], better even than Chips, who was pretty good[27]. Thus he found himself the rescued instead of the rescuer[28]; and neither role was one for which he had much relish[29]. For he did not, he would have said, care for women[30]; he never felt at home or at ease with them[31]; and that monstrous creature beginning to be talked about, the New Woman of the nineties, filled him with horror[32]. He was a quiet, conventional person, and the world, viewed from the haven of Brookfield, seemed to him full of distasteful innovations[33]; there was a fellow named Bernard Shaw[34]who had the strangest and most reprehensible[35]opinions; there was Ibsen[36], too, with his disturbing plays[37]; and there was this new craze for bicycling[38]which was being taken up[39]by women equally with men[40]. Chips did not hold with[41]all this modern newness and freedom. He had a vague notion[42], if he ever formulated it[43], that nice women were weak, timid, and delicate[44], and that nice men treated them with a polite but rather distant chivalry[45]. He had not, therefore, expected[46]to find a woman on Great Gable; but, having encountered one who seemed to need masculine help, it was even more terrifying that she should turn the tables by helping him[47]. For she did[48]. She and her friend had to[49]. He could scarcely walk[50], and it was a hard job getting him down the steep track to Wasdale[51].
[1] There came to him, stirred by the warmth of the fire and the gentle aroma [ə'rəʊmə] of tea, a thousand tangled recollections of old times. There是虚词；came的主语是recollections；stirred by ... aroma of tea是插入的分词短语形式的定语短语，修饰him。全句的意思是“炉火的温暖和茶的柔和的芳香勾起他无数纷繁的旧时回忆。”
[2] Spring -- the Spring of 1896名词句；the Spring of 1896是Spring的同位语。
[3] a permanence ['pɜ:mənəns] of habits begins to be predictable习惯的定型开始可以预言；开始可以看得出固定的习惯。
[4] He had just been appointed housemaster他刚被任命为舍监。housemaster是主语补足语，在appointed和housemaster之间可以加as或to be。
[5] this指舍监的职位
[6] forms班级（在英国的公学中，常用form代class或grade。一般分六个年级，一年级开始，相当于中学程度。）
[7] comer of life安身之处
[8] Lake District英国西北部的湖泊区。柯勒律治（Coleridge）、骚塞（Southey）和华兹华斯（Wordsworth）就因曾居住其间而被称为湖畔诗人（Lake Poets）。
[9] Rowden ['raʊdn]罗登，姓氏
[10] colleague ['kɒli:g]同事
[11] climbed [klaɪmd]爬山
[12] on some family business为了一些家事
[13] stayed on继续待下去
[14] Wasdale ['wɒzdeɪl] Head沃斯代尔岬角，地名。Head=Headland岬角。
[15] boarded寄膳宿
[16] farmhouse农场里的（主要）住房（别于cottage）
[17] Great Gable大山墙，山名
[18] waving挥手
[19]dangerous-looking ledge [ledʒ]看上去危险的山岩；险岩
[20] was in difficulties处于困难中；有困难
[21] in doing so在这样做（指hastened towards her）的时候
[22] wrenched [rentʃt]蹩痛，蹩伤
[23] As it turned out（待真相大白）原来是
[24] signalling打信号示意（指上文waving）
[25] farther down the mountain在那山（指Great Gable）的更远处的（修饰friend）。down这里是“过去些”，而不是“下去些”。
[26] expert ['ekspɜ:t] climber ['klaɪmə]爬山老手
[27] pretty ['prɪtɪ] good（爬山的本领）相当好。这里pretty是副词。
[28] he found himself the rescued instead of the rescuer ['reskjʊə]发觉自己是被救者而不是救人者。
[29] neither role was one for which he had much relish ['relɪʃ]他对这两个角色都没有什么爱好。
[30] For he did not, he would have said, care for women因为——他会说——他对女人不感兴趣。he would have said是插入语，虚拟语气，省去“如果有人问他”等含意的条件从句；“他会说”，实际上并没有说。care for对……感兴趣；喜欢。
[31] never felt at home or at ease with them同她们交往总觉得局促不安。at home和at ease意义相似；仔细辨别，at home是外表的行动自在，at ease是内心安宁。
[32] that monstrous creature beginning to be talked about, the New Woman of the nineties, filled him with horror ['hɒrə]（当时）开始被人谈论的那种可怕的东西——90年代的“新女性”——使他吃惊。creature指人，有爱慕或鄙夷的意味，这里有鄙意。beginning to be talked about分词短语，修饰creature。the New Woman 19世纪末要求独立、自由，反对习俗的女性，这里与creature同位。the nineties 90年代，这里指1890—1899年。
[33] the world, viewed from the haven of Brookfield, seemed to him full of distasteful innovations这个世界，在他从Brookfield这安宁的地方看来，似乎充满着令人厌恶的新花样。viewed from the haven of Brookfield是分词短语，修饰world；haven原义“港口”，这里是转义，是“安定的地方”的意思。
[34] Bernard ['bɜ:nəd] Shaw [ʃɔ:]萧伯纳（1856—1950），爱尔兰戏剧家、评论家。
[35] reprehensible [ˌreprɪ'hensəbl]应受谴责的（从思想保守的Chips看来，萧伯纳的新奇见解自然不可取。）
[36] Ibsen ['ɪbsn] Henrik ['henrɪk] Ibsen，易卜生（1828—1906），挪威戏剧家、诗人。
[37] disturbing plays使（社会）不安宁的剧本（易卜生的剧本中常提出一些社会问题，在保守的Chips看来是扰乱人心。）
[38] craze for bicycling ['baɪsɪklɪŋ]对于骑自行车的狂热
[39] being taken up被从事
[40] equally with men和男子相等地。注意现代英语中equally后用with，不用as。
[41] hold with赞成
[42] He had a vague notion他有一种模模糊糊的想法。说a notion，后面却接两个that-从句，其实两个that-从句所讲的是一个想法的两个方面，读原文自明。
[43] if he ever formulated it这是插入的条件从句，it代表notion；假使他曾经把这模糊的想法明确地表达出来（实际上未必明确过）。
[44] weak, timid ['tɪmɪd] , and delicate ['delɪkɪt]娇弱，羞怯，温柔的
[45] polite but rather distant chivalry ['ʃɪvəlrɪ]有礼而比较疏远的侠义；（对女人）有礼地保护照料，却不（同她们）亲密。
[46] had not, therefore, expected所以事先没有料到（不是“并不希望”）。
[47] having encountered one who seemed to need masculine help, it was even more terrifying that she should turn the tables by helping him（他）碰到了一个似乎需要男人帮助的女人，而结果她竟反过来帮助他，这才更使他惊骇，照一般语法书说，放在句首的分词短语的逻辑上的主语应该就是句中的主语，如：Having got his pay, he left.文中having encountered的逻辑上的主语是Chips，而句子的语法上的主语却是it，不相呼应，这种分词叫做“垂悬分词”（dangling participle）。但实际上在英美作品中常见这样的用法。turn the tables转变局面，反败为胜；是习语。
[48] did=turned the tables，也就是helped him。
[49] had to=had to turn the tables，也就是had to help him。
[50] could scarcely ['skeəslɪ] walk几乎无法走路
[51] it was a hard job getting him down the steep track to Wasdale沿陡峭的山径把他搀扶下来，到Wasdale Head。it是虚词，getting him down ...是it的同位语。