WIVES AND DAUGHTERS

第14章

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第14章

WIVES AND DAUGHTERS Elizabeth Gaskell

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WIVES AND DAUGHTERS
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  Ifyouhad,you’dhaverecollectedthattherewassuchaword,evenifyoudidn’trememberwhatitwas。Ifyou’veneverreadthosestories,theywouldbejustthethingtobeguileyoursolitude—vastlyimprovingandmoral,andyetquitesufficientlyinteresting。I’lllendthemtoyouwhileyou’reallalone。’’I’mnotalone。I’mnotathome,butonavisittotheMissBrownings。’’ThenI’llbringthemtoyou。IknowtheMissBrownings;theyusedtocomeregularlyontheschool—daytotheTowers。PecksyandFlapsyIusedtocallthem。IliketheMissBrownings;onegetsenoughofrespectfromthematanyrate;andI’vealwayswantedtoseethekindofménageofsuchpeople。I’llbringyouawholepileofMissEdgeworth’sstories,mydear。’Mollysatequitesilentforaminuteortwo;thenshemusteredupcouragetospeakoutwhatwasinhermind。’Yourladyship’(thetitlewasthefirstfruitsofthelesson,asMollytookit,onpayingduerespect)—’yourladyshipkeepsspeakingofthesortof—theclassofpeopletowhichIbelongasifitwasakindofstrangeanimalyouweretalkingabout;yetyoutalksoopenlytomethat——’’Well,goon—Iliketohearyou。’Stillsilence。’Youthinkmeinyourheartalittleimpertinent—now,don’tyou?’saidLadyHarriet,almostkindly。Mollyheldherpeacefortwoorthreemoments;

  thensheliftedherbeautiful,honesteyestoLadyHarriet’sface,andsaid,—’Yes!—alittle。ButIthinkyouagreatmanyotherthings。’’We’llleavethe\"otherthings\"forthepresent。Don’tyousee,littleone,Italkedaftermykind,justasyoutalkafteryourkind。It’sonlyonthesurfacewithbothofus。Why,IdaresaysomeofyourgoodHollingfordladiestalkofthepoorpeopleinamannerwhichtheywouldconsiderasimpertinentintheirturn,iftheycouldhearit。ButIoughttobemoreconsideratewhenIrememberhowoftenmybloodhasboiledatthemodesofspeechandbehaviourofoneofmyaunts,mamma’ssister,Lady——No!

  Iwon’tnamenames。Anyonewhoearnshislivelihoodbyanexerciseofheadorhands,fromprofessionalpeopleandrichmerchantsdowntolabourers,shecalls\"persons。\"Shewouldneverinhermostslip—sloptalkaccordthemeventheconventionaltitleof\"gentlemen;\"andthewayinwhichshetakespossessionofhumanbeings,\"mywoman,\"\"mypeople,\"—but,afterall,itisonlyawayofspeaking。Ioughtnottohaveusedittoyou;

  butsomehowIseparateyoufromalltheseHollingfordpeople。’’Butwhy?’perseveredMolly。’I’moneofthem。’’Yes,youIare。But—nowdon’treprovemeagainforimpertinence—mostofthemaresounnaturalintheirexaggeratedrespectandadmirationwhentheycomeuptotheTowers,andputonsomuchpretencebywayoffinemanners,thattheyonlymakethemselvesobjectsofridicule。Youatleastaresimpleandtruthful,andthat’swhyIseparateyouinmyownmindfromthem,andhavetalkedunconsciouslytoyouasIwould——Well!nowhere’sanotherpieceofimpertinence—asIwouldtomyequal—inrank,Imean;

  forIdon’tsetmyselfupinsolidthingsasanybetterthanmyneighbours。

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