第10章
加入书架 A- A+
点击下载App,搜索"WIVES AND DAUGHTERS",免费读到尾

  ’Why,yousee,mylove,’saidhe,againtakingherhand,’thatyouareinaveryawkwardposition—agirlgrowingupinsuchafamilyasmine—youngmen—whichwasapieceofconfoundedstupidityonmypart。AndIamobligedtobeawaysomuch。’’ButthereisMissEyre,’saidshe,sickwiththestrengtheningindefinitepresageofwhatwastocome。’DearMissEyre,Iwantnothingbutherandyou。’’StilltherearetimeslikethepresentwhenMissEyrecannotbewithyou;

  herhomeisnotwithus;shehasotherduties。I’vebeeningreatperplexityforsometime;butatlastI’vetakenastepwhichwill,Ihope,makeusbothhappier。’’You’regoingtobemarriedagain,’saidshe,helpinghimout,withaquietdryvoice,andgentlydrawingherhandoutofhis。’Yes。ToMrsKirkpatrick—yourememberher?TheycallherClareattheTowers。Yourecollecthowkindshewastoyouthatdayyouwereleftthere?’Shedidnotanswer。Shecouldnottellwhatwordstouse。Shewasafraidofsayinganything,lestthepassionofanger,dislike,indignation—whateveritwasthatwasboilingupinherbreast—shouldfindventincriesandscreams,orworse,inragingwordsthatcouldneverbeforgotten。Itwasasifthepieceofsolidgroundonwhichshestoodhadbrokenfromtheshore,andshewasdriftingouttotheinfiniteseaalone。MrGibsonsawthathersilencewasunnatural,andhalf—guessedatthecauseofit。Butheknewthatshemusthavetimetoreconcileherselftotheidea,andstillbelievedthatitwouldbeforhereventualhappiness。Hehad,besides,thereliefoffeelingthatthesecretwastold,theconfidencemade,whichhehadbeendreadingforthelasttwenty—fourhours。Hewentonrecapitulatingalltheadvantagesofthemarriage;heknewthemoffbyheartnow。’She’saverysuitableageforme。Idon’tknowhowoldsheisexactly,butshemustbenearlyforty。Ishouldn’thavewishedtomarryanyoneyounger。She’shighlyrespectedbyLordandLadyCumnorandtheirfamily,whichisofitselfacharacter。Shehasveryagreeableandpolishedmanners—ofcourse,fromthecirclesshehasbeenthrowninto—andyouandI

  ,goosey,areapttobealittlebrusque,orso;wemustbrushupourmannersnow。’Noremarkfromheronthislittlebitofplayfulness。Hewenton,—’Shehasbeenaccustomedtohousekeeping—economicalhousekeeping,too—foroflateyearsshehashadaschoolatAshcombe,andhashad,ofcourse,toarrangeallthingsforalargefamily。Andlast,butnotleast,shehasadaughter—aboutyourage,Molly—who,ofcourse,willcomeandlivewithus,andbeanicecompanion—asister—foryou。’Stillshewassilent。Atlengthshesaid,—’SoIwassentoutofthehousethatallthismightbequietlyarrangedinmyabsence?’Outofthebitternessofherheartshespoke,butshewasrousedoutofherassumedimpassivenessbytheeffectproduced。Herfatherstartedup,andquicklylefttheroom,sayingsomethingtohimself—what,shecouldnothear,thoughsheranafterhim,followedhimthroughdarkstonepassages,intotheglareofthestable—yard,intothestables—’Oh,papa,papa—I’mnotmyself—Idon’tknowwhattosayaboutthishateful—detestable——’Heledhishorseout。Shedidnotknowifhebeardherwords。Justashemounted,heturnedrounduponherwithagreygrimface,—’Ithinkit’sbetterforbothofus,formetogoawaynow。Wemaysaythingsdifficulttoforget。Wearebothmuchagitated。Byto—morrowweshallbemorecomposed;youwillhavethoughtitover,andhaveseenthattheprincipal—onegreatmotive,Imean—wasyourgood。YoumaytellMrsHamley—Imeanttohavetoldhermyself。Iwillcomeagainto—morrow。

  Good—by,Molly。’Formanyminutesafterhehadriddenaway—longafterthesoundofhishorse’shoofsontheroundstonesofthepavedlane,beyondthehome—meadows,haddiedaway—Mollystoodthere,shadinghereyes,andlookingattheemptyspaceofairinwhichhisformhadlastappeared。Herverybreathseemedsuspended;only,twoorthreetimes,afterlongintervalsshedrewamiserablesigh,whichwascaughtupintoasob。Sheturnedwayatlast,butcouldnotgointothehouse,couldnottellMrsHamley,couldnotforgethowherfatherhadlookedandspoken—andlefther。Shewentoutbyaside—door—itwasthewaybywhichthegardenerspassedwhentheytookthemanureintothegarden—andthewalktowhichitledwasconcealedfromsightasmuchaspossiblebyshrubsandevergreensandover—archingtrees。Noonewouldknowwhatbecameofher,and,withtheingratitudeofmisery,sheaddedtoherself,noonewouldcare。MrsHamleyhadherownhusband,herownchildren,herclosehomeinterests—shewasverygoodandkind,buttherewasabittergriefinMolly’sheart,withwhichthestrangercouldnotintermeddle。Shewentquicklyontothebournewhichshehadfixedforherself—aseatalmostsurroundedbythedroopingleavesofaweeping—ash—aseatonthelongbroadterracewalkontheothersideofthewood,thatoverlookedthepleasantslopeofthemeadowsbeyond;thewalkhadprobablybeenmadetocommandthissunny,peacefullandscape,withtrees,andachurchspire,twoorthreered—tiledroofsofoldcottages,andapurplebitofrisinggroundinthedistance;andatsomepreviousdate,whentheremighthavebeenalargefamilyofHamleysresidingatthehall,ladiesinhoops,andgentlemeninbag—wigswithswordsbytheirsides,mighthavefilledupthebreadthoftheterrace,astheysauntered,smiling,along。Butnooneevercaredtosauntertherenow。

  Itwasadesertedwalk。Thesquireorhissonsmightcrossitinpassingtoalittlegatethatledtothemeadowbeyond;butnooneloiteredthere。

  Mollyalmostthoughtthatnooneknewofthehiddenseatundertheash—treebutherself;fortherewerenotmoregardenersemployeduponthegroundsthanwerenecessarytokeepthekitchen—gardensandsuchoftheornamentalpartaswasfrequentedbythefamily,orinsightofthehouse,ingoodorder。Whenshehadoncegottotheseatshebrokeoutwithasuppressedpassionofgrief;shedidnotcardtoanalyzethesourcesofhertearsandsobs—herfatherwasgoingtobemarriedagain—herfatherwasangrywithher;shehaddoneverywrong—hehadgoneawaydispleased;shehadlosthislove,hewasgoingtobemarried—awayfromher—awayfromhischild—hislittledaughter—forgettingherowndear,dearmother。Soshethoughtinatumultuouskindofway,sobbingtillshewasweariedout,andhadtogainstrengthbybeingquietforatime,tobreakforthintoherpassionoftearsafresh。Shehadcastherselfontheground—thatnaturalthroneforviolentsorrow—andleantupagainsttheoldmoss—grownseat;sometimesburyingherfaceinherhands;sometimesclaspingthemtogether,asifbythetightpainfulgraspofherfingersshecoulddeadenmentalsuffering。ShedidnotseeRogerHamleyreturningfromthemeadows,norheartheclickofthelittlewhitegate。Hehadbeenoutdredginginpondsandditches,andhadhiswetsling—net,withitsimprisonedtreasuresofnastiness,overhisshoulder。Hewascominghometolunch,havingalwaysafinemiddayappetite,thoughhepretendedtodespisethemealintheory。Butheknewthathismotherlikedhiscompanionshipthen;shedependedmuchuponherluncheon,andwasseldomdownstairsandvisibletoherfamilymuchbeforethetime。Soheovercamehistheory,forthesakeofhismother,andhadhisrewardintheheartyrelishwithwhichhekepthercompanyineating。HedidnotseeMollyashecrossedtheterrace—walkonhiswayhomewards。

  Hehadgoneabouttwentyyardsonthesmallwood—pathatrightanglestotheterrace,when,lookingamongthegrassandwildplantsunderthetrees,hespiedoutonewhichwasrare,onewhichhehadbeenlongwishingtofindinflower,andsawitatlast,withthosebrightkeeneyesofhis。

  Downwenthisnet,skilfullytwistedsoastoretainitscontents,whileitlayamidtheherbage,andhehimselfwentwithlightandwell—plantedfootstepsinsearchofthetreasure。Hewassogreataloverofnaturethat,withoutanythought,buthabitually,healwaysavoidedtreadingunnecessarilyonanyplant;whoknewwhatlong—soughtgrowthorinsectmightdevelopitselfinwhatnowappearedbutinsignificant?Hisstepsledhiminthedirectionoftheash—treeseat,muchlessscreenedfromobservationonthissidethanontheterrace。Hestopped;hesawalight—coloureddressontheground—somebodyhalf—lyingontheseat,sostilljustthen,hewonderediftheperson,whoeveritwas,hadfallenillorfainted。Hepausedtowatch。Inaminuteortwothesobsbrokeoutagain—thewords。ItwasMissGibsoncryingoutinabrokenvoice,—’Oh,papa,papa!ifyouwouldbutcomeback!’Foraminuteortwohethoughtitwouldbekindertoleaveherbelievingherselfunobserved;hehadevenmadearetrogradesteportwo,ontip—toe;

  butthenheheardthemiserablesobbingagain。Itwasfartherthanhismothercouldwalk,orelse,bethesorrowwhatitwould,shewasthenaturalcomforterofthisgirl,hervisitor。However,whetheritwasrightorwrong,delicateorobtrusive,whenheheardthesadvoicetalkingagain,insuchtonesofuncomforted,lonelymisery,heturnedback,andwenttothegreententundertheash—tree。Shestartedupwhenhecamethusclosetoher;

  shetriedtocheckhersobs,andinstinctivelysmoothedherwettangledhairbackwithherhands。Helookeddownuponherwithgrave,kindsympathy,buthedidnotknowexactlywhattosay。’Isitlunch—time?’saidshe,tryingtobelievethathedidnotseethetracesofhertearsandthedisturbanceofherfeatures—thathehadnotseenherlying,sobbingherheartoutthere。’Idon’tknow。Iwasgoinghometolunch。But—youmustletmesayit—Icouldn’tgoonwhenIsawyourdistress。Hasanythinghappened?—anythinginwhichIcanhelpyou,Imean;for,ofcourse,I’venorighttomaketheinquiry,ifitisanyprivatesorrow,inwhichIcanbeofnouse。’Shehadexhaustedherselfsomuchwithcrying,thatshefeltasifshecouldneitherstandnorwalkjustyet。Shesatedownontheseat,andsighed,andturnedsopale,hethoughtshewasgoingtofaint。’Waitamoment,’saidhe,quiteunnecessarily,forshecouldnothavestirred;

  andhewasofflikeashottosomespringofwaterthatheknewofinthewood,andinaminuteortwohereturnedwithcarefulsteps,bringingalittleinabroadgreenleaf,turnedintoanimpromptucup。Littleasitwas,itdidhergood。’Thankyou!’shesaid:’Icanwalkbacknow,inashorttime。Don’tstop。’’Youmustletme,’saidhe:’mymotherwouldn’tlikemetoleaveyoutocomehomealone,whileyouaresofaint。’Sotheyremainedinsilenceforalittlewhile;he,breakingoffandexaminingoneortwoabnormalleavesoftheash—tree,partlyfromthecustomofhisnature,partlytogivehertimetorecover。’Papaisgoingtobemarriedagain,’saidshe,atlength。Shecouldnothavesaidwhyshetoldhimthis;aninstantbeforeshespoke,shehadnointentionofdoingso。Hedroppedtheleafheheldinhishand,turnedround,andlookedather。Herpoorwistfuleyeswerefillingwithtearsastheymethis,withadumbappealforsympathy。Herlookwasmuchmoreeloquentthanherwords。Therewasamomentarypausebeforehereplied,andthenitwasmorebecausehefeltthathemustsaysomethingthanthathewasinanydoubtastotheanswertothequestionheasked。’Youaresorryforit?’Shedidnottakehereyesawayfromhis,asherquiveringlipsformedtheword’Yes,’thoughhervoicemadenosound。Hewassilentagainnow;lookingontheground,kickingsoftlyataloosepebblewithhisfoot。Histhoughtsdidnotcomereadilytothesurfaceintheshapeofwords;norwasheaptatgivingcomforttillhesawhiswaycleartotherealsourcefromwhichconsolationmustcome。Atlasthespoke,—almostasifhewasreasoningoutthematterwithhimself。’Itseemsasiftheremightbecaseswhere—settingthequestionofloveentirelyononeside—itmustbealmostadutytofindsomeonetobeasubstituteforthemother……Icanbelieve,’saidhe,inadifferenttoneofvoice,andlookingatMollyafresh,’thatthisstepmaybegreatlyforyourfather’shappiness—itmayrelievehimfrommanycares,andmaygivehimapleasantcompanion。’’Hehadme。Youdon’tknowwhatweweretoeachother—atleast,whathewastome,’sheadded,humbly。’Stillhemusthavethoughtitforthebest,orhewouldn’thavedoneit。

  Hemayhavethoughtitthebestforyoursakeevenmorethanforhisown。’’Thatiswhathetriedtoconvincemeof。’Rogerbegankickingthepebbleagain。Hehadnotgotholdoftherightendoftheclue。Suddenlyhelookedup。’IwanttotellyouofagirlIknow。Hermotherdiedwhenshewasaboutsixteen—theeldestofalargefamily。Fromthattime—allthoughthebloomofheryouth—shegaveherselfuptoherfatherfirstashiscomforter,afterwardsashiscompanion,friend,secretary—anythingyoulike。Hewasamanwithagreatdealofbusinessonhand,andoftencamehomeonlytosettoafreshtopreparationsforthenextday’swork。Harrietwasalwaysthere,readytohelp,totalk,ortobesilent。Itwentonforeightortenyearsinthisway;andthenherfathermarriedagain,—awomannotmanyyearsolderthanHarrietherself。Well—theyarejustthehappiestsetofpeopleIknow—youwouldn’thavethoughtitlikely,wouldyou?’Shewaslistening,butshehadnohearttosayanything。YetshewasinterestedinthislittlestoryofHarriet—agirlwhohadbeensomuchtoherfather,morethanMollyinthisearlyyouthofherscouldhavebeentoMrGibson。

  ’Howwasit?’shesighedoutatlast。’Harrietthoughtofherfather’shappinessbeforeshethoughtofherown,’

  Rogeranswered,withsomethingofseverebrevity。Mollyneededthebracing。

  Shebegantocryagainalittle。’Ifitwereforpapa’shappiness——’’Hemustbelievethatitis。Whateveryoufancy,givehimachance。Hecannothavemuchcomfort,Ishouldthink,ifheseesyoufrettingorpining,—youwhohavebeensomuchtohim,asyousay。Theladyherself,too—

  ifHarriet’sstepmotherhadbeenaselfishwoman,andbeenalwaysclutchingafterthegratificationofherownwishes;butshewasnot:shewasasanxiousforHarriettobehappyasHarrietwasforherfather—andyourfather’sfuturewifemaybeanotherofthesamekind,thoughsuchpeoplearerare。’’Idon’tthinksheis,though,’murmuredMolly,awaftofrecollectionbringingtohermindthedetailsofherdayattheTowerslongago。RogerdidnotwanttohearMolly’sreasonsforthisdoubtingspeech。HefeltasifhehadnorighttohearmoreofMrGibson’sfamilylife,past,present,ortocome,thanwasabsolutelynecessaryforhim,inorderthathemightcomfortandhelpthecryinggirl,whomhehadcomeuponsounexpectedly。

  Andbesides,hewantedtogohome,andbewithhismotheratlunch—time。

  Yethecouldnotleaveheralone。’Itisrighttohopeforthebestabouteverybody,andnottoexpecttheworst。Thissoundslikeatruism,butithascomfortedmebeforenow,andsomedayyou’llfindituseful。Onehasalwaystotrytothinkmoreofothersthanofoneself,anditisbestnottoprejudgepeopleonthebadside。Mysermonsaren’tlong,arethey?Havetheygivenyouanappetiteforlunch?Sermonsalwaysmakemehungry,Iknow。’Heappearedtobewaitingforhertogetupandcomealongwithhim,asindeedhewas。Buthemeanthertoperceivethatheshouldnotleaveher;

  sosheroseuplanguidly,toolanguidtosayhowmuchsheshouldpreferbeingleftalone,ifhewouldonlygoawaywithouther。Shewasveryweak,andstumbledoverthestragglingrootofatreethatprojectedacrossthepath。He,watchfulthoughsilent,sawthisstumble,andputtingouthishandheldherupfromfalling。Hestillheldherhandwhentheoccasionwaspast;thislittlephysicalfailureimpressedonhishearthowyoungandhelplessshewas,andheyearnedtoher,rememberingthepassionofsorrowinwhichhehadfoundher,andlongingtobeofsomelittletenderbitofcomforttoher,beforetheyparted—beforetheirtete—a—tetewalkwasmergedinthegeneralfamiliarityofthehouseholdlife。Yethedidnotknowwhattosay。’Youwillhavethoughtmehard,’heburstoutatlength,astheywerenearingthedrawing—roomwindowsandthegarden—door。’InevercanmanagetoexpresswhatIfeel,somehowIalwaysfalltophilosophizing,butIamsorryforyou。Yes,Iam;it’sbeyondmypowertohelpyou,asfarasalteringfactsgoes,butIcanfeelforyou,inawaywhichit’sbestnottotalkabout,foritcandonogood。RememberhowsorryIamforyou!Ishalloftenbethinkingofyou,thoughIdaresayit’sbestnottotalkaboutitagain。’Shesaid,’Iknowyouaresorry,’underherbreath,andthenshebrokeaway,andranindoors,andupstairstothesolitudeofherownroom。Hewentstraighttohismother,whowassittingbeforetheuntastedluncheon,asmuchannoyedbythemysteriousunpunctualityofhervisitorasshewascapableofbeingwithanything;forshehadheardthatMrGibsonhadbeen,andwasgone,andshecouldnotdiscoverifhehadleftanymessageforher;andheranxietyaboutherownhealth,whichsomepeopleesteemedhypochondriacal,alwaysmadeherparticularlycravingforthewisdomwhichmightfallfromherdoctor’slips。’Wherehaveyoubeen,Roger?WhereisMolly?—MissGibson,Imean,’forshewascarefultokeepupabarrierofformsbetweentheyoungmanandyoungwomanwhowerethrowntogetherinthesamehousehold。’I’vebeenoutdredging。(Bytheway,Ileftmynetontheterracewalk。)

  IfoundMissGibsonsittingthere,cryingasifherheartwouldbreak。

  Herfatherisgoingtobemarriedagain。’’Marriedagain!Youdon’tsayso。’’Yes,heis;andshetakesitveryhardly,poorgirl。Mother,Ithinkifyoucouldsendsomeonetoherwithaglassofwine,acupoftea,orsomethingofthatsort—shewasverynearlyfainting——’’I’llgotohermyself,poorchild,’saidMrsHamley,rising。’Indeedyoumustnot,’saidhe,layinghishanduponherarm。’Wehavekeptyouwaitingalreadytoolong;youarelookingquitepale。Hammondcantakeit,’hecontinued,ringingthebell。Shesatedownagain,almoststunnedwithsurprise。’Whomishegoingtomarry?’’Idon’tknow。Ididn’task,andshedidn’ttellme。’’That’ssolikeaman。Why,halfthecharacteroftheaffairliesinthequestionofwhomitisthatheisgoingtomarry。’’IdaresayIoughttohaveasked。ButsomehowI’mnotagoodoneonsuchoccasions。Iwasassorryascouldbeforher,andyetIcouldn’ttellwhattosay。’’Whatdidyousay?’’Igaveherthebestadviceinmypower。’’Advice!yououghttohavecomfortedher。PoorlittleMolly!’’Ithinkthatifadviceisgoodit’sthebestcomfort。’’Thatdependsonwhatyoumeanbyadvice。Hush!heresheis。’Totheirsurprise,Mollycamein,tryinghardtolookasusual。Shehadbathedhereyes,andarrangedherhair;andwasmakingagreatstruggletokeepfromcrying,andtobringhervoiceintoorder。ShewasunwillingtodistressMrsHamleybythesightofpainandsuffering。ShedidnotknowthatshewasfollowingRoger’sinjunctionstothinkmoreofothersthanofherself—butsoshewas。MrsHamleywasnotsureifitwaswiseinhertobeginonthepieceofnewsshehadjustheardfromherson;butshewastoofullofitherselftotalkofanythingelse。’SoIhearyourfatherisgoingtobemarried,mydear?MayIaskwhomitisto?’’MrsKirkpatrick。IthinkshewasgovernessalongtimeagoattheCountessofCumnor’s。Shestayswiththemagreatdeal,andtheycallherClare,andIbelievetheyareveryfondofher。’Mollytriedtospeakofherfuturestepmotherinthemostfavourablemannersheknewhow。’IthinkI’veheardofher。Thensheisnotveryyoung?That’sasitshouldbe。Awidowtoo。Hassheanyfamily?’’Onegirl,Ibelieve。ButIknowsolittleabouther!’Mollywasverynearcryingagain。’Nevermind,mydear。Thatwillallcomeingoodtime。Roger,you’vehardlyeatenanything;whereareyougoing?’’Tofetchmydredging—net。It’sfullofthingsIdon’twanttolose。Besides,Inevereatmuch,asageneralthing。’Thetruthwaspartlytold,notall。

  Hethoughthehadbetterleavetheothertwoalone。Hismotherhadsuchsweetpowerofsympathy,thatshewoulddrawthestingoutofthegirl’sheartinatete—a—tete。Assoonashewasgone,Mollyliftedupherpoorswelledeyes,and,lookingatMrsHamley,shesaid,—’Hewassogoodtome。Imeantotryandrememberallhesaid,’’I’mgladtohearit,love;veryglad。Fromwhathetoldme,Iwasafraidhehadbeengivingyoualittlelecture。Hehasagoodheart,butheisn’tsotenderinhismannerasOsborne。Rogerisalittleroughsometimes。’’ThenIlikeroughness。Itdidmegood。Itmademefeelhowbadly—oh,MrsHamley,Ididbehavesobadlytopapathismorning。’SheroseupandthrewherselfintoMrsHamley’sarms,andsobbeduponherbreast。Hersorrowwasnotnowforthefactthatherfatherwasgoingtobemarriedagain,butforherownill—behaviour。IfRogerwasnottenderinwords,hewasindeeds。UnreasonableandpossiblyexaggeratedasMolly’sgriefhadappearedtohim,itwasrealsufferingtoher;andhetooksomepainstolightenit,inhisownway,whichwascharacteristicenough。Thateveningheadjustedhismicroscope,andputthetreasureshehadcollectedinhismorning’srambleonalittletable;

  andthenheaskedhismothertocomeandadmire。OfcourseMollycametoo,andthiswaswhathehadintended。Hetriedtointerestherinhispursuit,cherishedherfirstlittlemorselofcuriosity,andnurseditintoaveryproperdesireforfurtherinformation。Thenhebroughtoutbooksonthesubject,andtranslatedtheslightlypompousandtechnicallanguageintohomelyevery—dayspeech。Mollyhadcomedowntodinner,wonderinghowthelonghourstillbedtimewouldeverpassaway:hoursduringwhichshemustnotspeakontheonethingthatwouldbeoccupyinghermindtotheexclusionofallothers;forshewasafraidthatalreadyshehadweariedMrsHamleywithitduringtheirafternoontete—a—tete。Butprayersandbedtimecamelongbeforeshehadexpected;shehadbeenrefreshedbyanewcurrentofthought,andshewasverythankfultoRoger。Andnowtherewasto—morrowtocome,andaconfessionofpenitencetobemadetoherfather。ButMrGibsondidnotwantspeechorwords。Hewasnotfondofexpressionsoffeelingatanytime,andperhaps,too,hefeltthatthelesssaidthebetteronasubjectaboutwhichitwasevidentthathisdaughterandhewerenotthoroughlyandimpulsivelyinharmony。Hereadherrepentanceinhereyes;hesawhowmuchshehadsuffered;andhehadasharppangathisheartinconsequence。Buthestoppedherfromspeakingoutherregretatherbehaviourthedaybefore,bya’There,there,thatwilldo。Iknowallyouwanttosay。Iknowmylittle,Molly—mysillylittlegoosey—

  betterthansheknowsherself。I’vebroughtyouaninvitation。LadyCumnorwantsyoutogoandspendnextThursdayattheTowers!’’Doyouwishmetogo?’saidshe,herheartsinking。’IwishyouandHyacinthtobecomebetteracquainted—tolearntoloveeachother。’’Hyacinth!’saidMolly,entirelybewildered。’Yes;Hyacinth!It’sthesilliestnameIeverheardof;butit’shers,andImustcallherbyit。Ican’tbearClare,whichiswhatmyladyandallthefamilyattheTowerscallher;and\"MrsKirkpatrick\"isformalandnonsensicaltoo,asshe’llchangehernamesosoon。’’When,papa?’askedMolly,feelingasifshewerelivinginastrange,unknownworld。’NottillafterMichaelmas。’Andthen,continuingonhisownthoughts,headded,’Andtheworstis,she’sgoneandperpetuatedherownaffectednamebyhavingherdaughtercalledafterher。Cynthia!Onethinksofthemoon,andthemaninthemoonwithhisbundleoffaggots。I’mthankfulyou’replainMolly,child。’’Howoldisshe—Cynthia,Imean?’’Ay,getaccustomedtothename。IshouldthinkCynthiaKirkpatrickwasaboutasoldasyouare。She’satschoolinFrance,pickingupairsandgraces。She’stocomehomeforthewedding,soyou’llbeabletogetacquaintedwithherthen;though,Ithink,she’stogobackagainforanotherhalf—yearorso。EndofPartOnechapter11ELIZABETHGASKELLWIVESANDDAUGHTERSPARTII(ChaptersXI—XX)CHAPTERXIMAKINGFRIENDSHIPMrGibsonbelievedthatCynthiaKirkpatrickwastoreturntoEnglandtobepresentathermother’swedding;butMrsKirkpatrickhadnosuchintention。

  Shewasnotwhatiscommonlycalledawomanofdetermination;butsomehowwhatshedislikedsheavoided,andwhatshelikedshetriedtodo,ortohave。Soalthoughintheconversation,whichshehadalreadyledto,astothewhenandthehowshewastobemarried,shehadlistenedquietlytoMrGibson’sproposalthatMollyandCynthiashouldbethetwobridesmaids,shehadfelthowdisagreeableitwouldbetohertohaveheryoungdaughterflashingoutherbeautybythesideofthefadedbride,hermother;andasthefurtherarrangementsfortheweddingbecamemoredefinite,shesawfurtherreasonsinherownmindforCynthia’sremainingquietlyatherschoolatBoulogne。MrsKirkpatrickhadgonetobedthatfirstnightofherengagementtoMrGibson,fullyanticipatingaspeedymarriage。Shelookedtoitasareleasefromthethraldomofkeepingschool;keepinganunprofitableschool,withbarelyenoughofpupilstopayforhouse—rentandtaxes,food,washing,andtherequisitemasters。ShesawnoreasonforevergoingbacktoAshcombe,excepttowindupheraffairs,andtopackupherclothes。ShehopedthatMrGibson’sardourwouldbesuchthathewouldpressonthemarriage,andurgehernevertoresumeherschooldrudgery,buttorelinquishitnowandforever。Sheevenmadeupaverypretty,verypassionatespeechforhiminherownmind;quitesufficientlystrongtoprevailuponher,andtooverthrowthescrupleswhichshefeltthatsheoughttohave,attellingtheparentsofherpupilsthatshedidnotintendtoresumeschool,andthattheymustfindanotherplaceofeducationfortheirdaughters,inthelastweekbutoneofthemidsummerholidays。ItwasratherlikeadoucheofcoldwateronMrsKirkpatrick’splans,whenthenextmorningatbreakfastLadyCumnorbegantodecideuponthearrangementsanddutiesofthetwomiddle—agedlovers。’Ofcourseyoucan’tgiveupyourschoolallatonce,Clare。Theweddingcan’tbebeforeChristmas,butthatwilldoverywell。WeshallallbedownattheTowers;anditwillbeaniceamusementforthechildrentogoovertoAshcombe,andseeyoumarried。’’Ithink—Iamafraid—Idon’tbelieveMrGibsonwilllikewaitingsolong;menaresoimpatientunderthesecircumstances。’’Oh,nonsense!LordCumnorhasrecommendedyoutohistenants,andI’msurehewouldn’tlikethemtobeputtoanyinconvenience。MrGibsonwillseethatinamoment。He’samanofsense,orelsehewouldn’tbeourfamilydoctor。Now,whatareyougoingtodoaboutyourlittlegirl?Haveyoufixedyet?’’No。Yesterdaythereseemedsolittletime,andwhenoneisagitateditissodifficulttothinkofeverything。Cynthiaisnearlyeighteen,oldenoughtogooutasagoverness,ifhewishesit,butIdon’tthinkhewill。Heissogenerousandkind。’’Well!Imustgiveyoutimetosettlesomeofyouraffairsto—day。Don’twasteitinsentiment,you’retoooldforthat。Cometoaclearunderstandingwitheachother;itwillbeforyourhappinessinthelongrun。’Sotheydidcometoaclearunderstandingaboutoneortwothings。ToMrsKirkpatrick’sdismay,shefoundthatMrGibsonhadnomoreideathanLadyCumnorofherbreakingfaithwiththeparentsofherpupils。ThoughhereallywasataseriouslossastowhatwastobecomeofMollyuntilshecouldbeundertheprotectionofhisnewwifeatherownhome,andthoughhisdomesticworriesteasedhimmoreandmoreeveryday,hewastoohonourabletothinkofpersuadingMrsKirkpatricktogiveupschoolaweeksoonerthanwasrightforhissake。Hedidnotevenperceivehoweasythetaskofpersuasionwouldbe;withallherwinningwilesshecouldscarcelyleadhimtofeelimpatiencefortheweddingtotakeplaceatMichaelmas。’Icanhardlytellyouwhatacomfortandreliefitwillbetome,Hyacinth,whenyouareoncemywife—themistressofmyhome—poorlittleMolly’smotherandprotector;butIwouldn’tinterferewithyourpreviousengagementsfortheworld。Itwouldn’tberight。’’Thankyou,myownlove。Howgoodyouare!Somanymenwouldthinkonlyoftheirownwishesandinterests!I’msuretheparentsofmydearpupilswilladmireyou—willbequitesurprisedatyourconsiderationfortheirinterests。’’Don’ttellthem,then。Ihatebeingadmired。Whyshouldn’tyousayitisyourwishtokeeponyourschooltillthey’vehadtimetolookoutforanother?’’Becauseitisn’t,’saidshe,daringall。’Ilongtobemakingyouhappy;

点击下载App,搜索"WIVES AND DAUGHTERS",免费读到尾