第15章
加入书架 A- A+
点击下载App,搜索"WIVES AND DAUGHTERS",免费读到尾

  shedesiredtohavehermealupstairsinherownroom;andpoorMolly,notdaringtotelltheservantsofthiswhim,hadtocarryupfirstatable,which,howeversmall,wastooheavyforher;andafterwardsallthechoiceportionsofthemeal,whichshehadtakengreatpainstoarrangeonthetable,asshehadseensuchthingsdoneatHamley,intermixedwithfruitandflowersthathadthatmorningbeensentinfromvariousgreathouseswhereMrGibsonwasrespectedandvalued。HowprettyMollyhadthoughtherhandiworkanhourortwobefore!Howdrearyitseemedas,atlastreleasedfromMrsGibson’sconversation,shesatedowninsolitudetocoldteaandthedrumsticksofthechicken!Noonetolookatherpreparations,andadmireherleft—handednessandtaste!Shehadthoughtthatherfatherwouldbegratifiedbyit,andthenhehadneverseenit。Shehadmeanthercaresasanofferingofgood—willtoherstepmother,whoevennowwasringingherbelltohavethetraytakenaway,andMissGibsonsummonedtoherbedroom,Mollyhastilyfinishedhermeal,andwentupstairsagain。’Ifeelsolonely,darling,inthisstrangehouse;docomeandbewithme,andhelpmetounpack。IthinkyourdearpapamighthaveputoffhisvisittoMrCravenSmithforjustthisoneevening。’’MrCravenSmithcouldn’tputoffhisdying,’saidMolly,bluntly。’Youdrollgirl!’saidMrsGibson,withafaintlaugh。’ButifthisMrSmithisdying,asyousay,what’stheuseofyourfather’sgoingofftohiminsuchahurry?Doesheexpectanylegacy,oranythingofthatkind?’Mollybitherlipstopreventherselffromsayingsomethingdisagreeable。

  Sheonlyanswered,—’Idon’tquiteknowthatheisdying。Themansaidso;andpapacansometimesdosomethingtomakethelaststruggleeasier。Atanyrate,it’salwaysacomforttothefamilytohavehim。’’Whatdrearyknowledgeofdeathyouhavelearnedforagirlofyourage!

  Really,ifIhadheardallthesedetailsofyourfather’sprofession,I

  doubtifIcouldhavebroughtmyselftohavehim!’’Hedoesn’tmaketheillnessorthedeath;hedoeshisbestagainstthem。

  Icallitaveryfinethingtothinkofwhathedoesortriestodo。Andyouwillthinkso,too,whenyouseehowheiswatchedfor,andhowpeoplewelcomehim!’’Well,don’tletustalkanymoreofsuchgloomythingsto—night!IthinkIshallgotobedatonce,Iamsotired,ifyouwillonlysitbymetillIgetsleepy,darling。Ifyouwilltalktome,thesoundofyourvoicewillsoonsendmeoff。\"Mollygotabook,andreadherstepmothertosleep,preferringthattothehardertaskofkeepingupacontinualmurmurofspeech。Thenshestoledownandwentintothedining—room,wherethefirewasgoneout;purposelyneglectedbytheservants,tomarktheirdispleasureattheirnewmistress’shavinghadherteainherownroom。Mollymanagedtolightit,however,beforeherfathercamehome,andcollectedandrearrangedsomecomfortablefoodforhim。Thenshekneltdownagainonthehearth—rug,gazingintothefireinadreamyreverie,whichhadenoughofsadnessaboutittocausethetearstodropunnoticedfromhereyes。Butshejumpedup,andshookherselfintobrightnessatthesoundofherfather’sstep。’HowisMrCravenSmith?’saidshe。’Dead。Hejustrecognizedme。HewasoneofmyfirstpatientsoncomingtoHollingford。’MrGibsonsatedowninthearm—chairmadereadyforhim,andwarmedhishandsatthefire,seemingneithertoneedfoodnortalk,ashewentoveratrainofrecollections。Thenherousedhimselffromhissadness,andlookingroundtheroom,hesaidbrisklyenough,—’Andwhere’sthenewmamma?’’Shewastired,andwenttobedearly。Oh,papa!mustIcallher\"mamma\"?’’Ishouldlikeit,’repliedhe,withaslightcontractionofthebrows。Mollywassilent。Sheputacuporteanearhim;hestirredit,andsippedit,andthenherecurredtothesubject。’Whyshouldn’tyoucallher\"mamma\"?I’msureshemeanstodothedutyofamothertoyou。Weallmaymakemistakes,andherwaysmaynotbequiteallatonceourways;butatanyrateletusstartwithafamilybondbetweenus。’WhatwouldRogersaywasright?—thatwasthequestionthatrosetoMolly’smind。Shehadalwaysspokenofherfather’snewwifeasMrsGibson,andhadonceburstoutatMissBrownings’withaprotestationthatsheneverwouldcallher’mamma。’Shedidnotfeeldrawntohernewrelationbytheirintercoursethatevening。Shekeptsilence,thoughsheknewherfatherwasexpectingananswer。Atlasthegaveuphisexpectation,andturnedtoanothersubject;toldabouttheirjourney,questionedherastotheHamleys,theBrownings,LadyHarriet,andtheafternoontheyhadpassedtogetherattheManorHouse。Buttherewasacertainhardnessandconstraintinhismanner,andinhersaheavinessandabsenceofmind。Allatonceshesaid,—’Papa,Iwillcallher\"mamma\"!’Hetookherhand,andgraspedittight;butforaninstantortwohedidnotspeak。Thenhesaid,—’Youwon’tbesorryforit,Molly,whenyoucometolieaspoorCravenSmithdidto—night。’ForsometimethemurmursandgrumblingsofthetwoelderservantswereconfinedtoMolly’sears,thentheyspreadtoherfather’s,who,toMolly’sdismay,madesummaryworkwiththem。’Youdon’tlikeMrsGibson’sringingherbellsooften,don’tyou?You’vebeenspoilt,I’mafraid;butifyoudon’tconformtomywife’sdesires,youhavetheremedyinyourownhands,youknow。’Whatservanteverresistedthetemptationtogivewarningaftersuchaspeechasthat?BettytoldMollyshewasgoingtoleave,inasindifferentamannerasshecouldpossiblyassumetowardsthegirl,whomshehadtendedandbeenaboutforthelastsixteenyears。Mollyhadhithertoconsideredherformernurseasafixtureinthehouse;shewouldalmostassoonhavethoughtofherfather’sproposingtosevertherelationshipbetweenthem;

  andherewasBettycoollytalkingoverwhetherhernextplaceshouldbeintownorcountry。Butagreatdealofthiswasassumedhardness。InaweekortwoBettywasinfloodsoftearsattheprospectofleavinghernursling,andwouldfainhavestayedandansweredallthebellsinthehouseonceeveryquarterofanhour。EvenMrGibson’smasculineheartwastouchedbythesorrowoftheoldservant,whichmadeitselfobvioustohimeverytimehecameacrossherbyherbrokenvoiceandherswolleneyes。OnedayhesaidtoMolly,’Iwishyou’daskyourmammaifBettymightnotstay,ifshemadeaproperapology,andallthatsortofthing。’’Idon’tmuchthinkitwillbeofanyuse,’saidMolly,inamournfulvoice。

  ’Iknowsheiswriting,orhaswritten,aboutsomeunder—housemaidattheTowers。’’Well!—allIwantispeaceandadecentquantityofcheerfulnesswhenIcomehome。Iseeenoughoftearsinotherpeople’shouses。Afterall,Bettyhasbeenwithussixteenyears—asortofserviceoftheantiqueworld。Butthewomanmaybehappierelsewhere。Doasyoulikeaboutaskingmamma;onlyifsheagrees,Ishallbequitewilling。’SoMollytriedherhandatmakingarequesttothateffecttoMrsGibson。

  Herinstincttoldhersheshouldbeunsuccessful;butsurelyfavourwasneverrefusedinsosoftatone。’Mydeargirl,Ishouldneverhavethoughtofsendinganoldservantaway,—onewhohashadthechargeofyoufromyourbirth,ornearlyso。Icouldnothavehadthehearttodoit。Shemighthavestayedforeverforme,ifshehadonlyattendedtoallmywishes;andIamnotunreasonable,amI?But,yousee,shecomplained;andwhenyourdearpapaspoketoher,shegavewarning;anditisquiteagainstmyprinciplesevertotakeanapologyfromaservantwhohasgivenwarning。’’Sheissosorry,’pleadedMolly;’shesaysshewilldoanythingyouwish,andattendtoallyourorders,ifshemayonlystay。’’But,sweetone,youseemtoforgetthatIcannotgoagainstmyprinciples,howevermuchImaybesorryforBetty。Sheshouldnothavegivenwaytoill—temper。AsIsaidbefore,althoughIneverlikedher,andconsideredheramostinefficientservant,thoroughlyspoiltbyhavinghadnomistressforsolong,Ishouldhavebornewithher—atleast,IthinkIshould—aslongasIcould。NowIhaveallbutengagedMaria,whowasunder—housemaidattheTowers,sodon’tletmehearanymoreofBetty’ssorrow,oranybodyelse’ssorrow,forI’msure,whatwithyourdearpapa’ssadstoriesandotherthings,I’mgettingquitelow。’Mollywassilentforamomentortwo。’HaveyouquiteengagedMaria?’askedshe。’No—Isaid\"allbutengaged。\"Sometimesonewouldthinkyoudidnothearthings,dearMolly!’repliedMrsGibson,petulantly。’Mariaislivinginaplacewheretheydon’tgiveherasmuchwagesasshedeserves。Perhapstheycan’taffordit,poorthings!I’malwayssorryforpoverty,andwouldneverspeakhardlyofthosewhoarenotrich;butIhaveofferedhertwopoundsmorethanshegetsatpresent,soIthinkshe’llleave。Atanyrate,iftheyincreaseherwages,Ishallincreasemyofferinproportion;soIthinkI’msuretogether。Suchagenteelgirl!—alwaysbringsinaletteronasalver!’’PoorBetty!’saidMolly,softly。’Pooroldsoul!Ihopeshe’llprofitbythelesson,I’msure,’sighedoutMrsGibson;’butit’sapitywehadn’tMariabeforethecountyfamiliesbegantocall。’MrsGibsonhadbeenhighlygratifiedbythecircumstancesofsomanycalls’fromcountyfamilies。’Herhusbandwasmuchrespected;andmanyladiesfromvarioushalls,courts,andhouses,whohadprofitedbyhisservicestowardsthemselvesandtheirfamilies,thoughtitrighttopayhisnewwifetheattentionofacallwhentheydroveintoHollingfordtoshop。

  ThestateofexpectationintowhichthesecallsthrewMrsGibsonratherdiminishedMrGibson’sdomesticcomfort。Itwasawkwardtobecarryinghot,savoury—smellingdishesfromthekitchentothedining—roomattheverytimewhenhigh—bornladies,withnosesofaristocraticrefinement,mightbecalling。StillmoreawkwardwastheaccidentwhichhappenedinconsequenceofclumsyBetty’shastetoopenthefrontdoortoaloftyfootman’sran—tan,whichcausedhertosetdownthebasketcontainingthedirtyplatesrightinhismistress’sway,asshesteppedgingerlythroughthecomparativedarknessofthehall;andthentheyoungmen,leavingthedining—roomquietlyenough,butburstingwithlong—repressedgiggle,ornolongerrestrainingtheirtendencytopracticaljoking,nomatterwhomightbeinthepassagewhentheymadetheirexit。TheremedyproposedbyMrsGibsonforallthesedistressinggrievanceswasalatedinner。Theluncheonfortheyoungmen,assheobservedtoherhusband,mightbesentintothesurgery。AfewelegantcoldtriflesforherselfandMollywouldnotscentthehouse,andshewouldalwaystakecaretohavesomelittledaintyreadyforhim。Heacceded,butunwillingly,foritwasaninnovationonthehabitsofalifetime,andhefeltasifheshouldneverbeabletoarrangehisroundsarightwiththisnewfanglednotionofasixo’clockdinner。’Don’tgetanydaintiesforme,mydear;breadandcheeseisthechiefofmydiet,likeitwasthatoftheoldwoman’s。\"’Iknownothingofyouroldwoman,’repliedhiswife;’butreallyIcannotallowcheesetocomebeyondthekitchen。’’ThenI’lleatitthere,’saidhe。’It’sclosetothestable—yard,andifIcomeininahurryIcangetitinamoment。’’Really,MrGibson,itisastonishingtocompareyourappearanceandmannerswithyourtastes。Youlooksuchagentleman,asdearLadyCumnorusedtosay。’Thenthecookleft;alsoanoldservant,thoughnotsooldaoneasBetty。

  Thecookdidnotlikethetroubleoflatedinners;and,beingaMethodist,sheobjectedonreligiousgroundstotryinganyofMrsGibson’snewreceiptsforFrenchdishes。Itwasnotscriptural,shesaid。TherewasadealofmentionoffoodintheBible;butitwasofsheepreadydressed,whichmeantmutton,andofwine,andofbread,andmilk,andfigsandraisins,offattedcalves,agoodwell—brownedfilletofveal,andsuchlike;butithadalwaysgoneagainstherconsciencetocookswine—fleshandmakeraisedpork—pies,andnowifshewastobesettocookheathendishesafterthefashionofthePapists,she’dsoonergiveitalluptogether。SothecookfollowedinBetty’strack,andMrGibsonhadtosatisfyhishealthyEnglishappetiteonbadlymadeomelettes,rissoles,vol—au—vents,croquets,andtimbales;neverbeingexactlysurewhathewaseating。Hehadmadeuphismindbeforehismarriagetoyieldintrifles,andbefirmingreaterthings。Butthedifferencesofopinionabouttriflesaroseeveryday,andwereperhapsmoreannoyingthaniftheyhadrelatedtothingsofmoreconsequence。Mollyknewherfather’slooksaswellassheknewheralphabet;hiswifedidnot;andbeinganunperceptiveperson,exceptwhenherowninterestsweredependentuponanotherperson’shumour,neverfoundouthowhewasworriedbyallthesmalldailyconcessionswhichhemadetoherwillorherwhims。Heneverallowedhimselftoputanyregretintoshape,eveninhisownmind;herepeatedlyremindedhimselfofhiswife’sgoodqualities,andcomfortedhimselfbythinkingtheyshouldworktogetherbetterastimerolledon;buthewasveryangryatabachelorgreat—uncleofMrCoxe’s,who,aftertakingnonoticeofhisred—headednephewforyears,suddenlysentforhim,aftertheoldmanhadpartiallyrecoveredfromaseriousattackofillness,andappointedhimhisheir,onconditionthathisgreat—nephewremainedwithhimduringtheremainderofhislife。ThishadhappenedalmostdirectlyafterMrandMrsGibson’sreturnfromtheirweddingjourney,andonceortwicesincethattimeMrGibsonhadfoundhimselfwonderingwhythedeuceoldBensoncouldnothavemadeuphismindsooner,andsohaveridhishouseoftheunwelcomepresenceoftheyounglover。TodoMrCoxejustice,intheverylastconversationhehadasapupilwithMrGibsonhehadsaid,withhesitatingawkwardness,thatperhapsthenewcircumstancesinwhichheshouldbeplacedmightmakesomedifferencewithregardtoMrGibson’sopinionon—’Notatall,’saidMrGibson,quickly。’Youarebothofyoutooyoungtoknowyourownminds;andifmydaughterwassillyenoughtobeinlove,sheshouldneverhavetocalculateherhappinessonthechancesofanoldman’sdeath。Idaresayhe’lldisinherityouafterall。Hemaydo,andthenyou’dbeworseoffthanever。No!goaway,andforgetallthisnonsense;

  andwhenyou’vedone,comebackandseeus!’SoMrCoxewentaway,withanoathofunalterablefaithfulnessinhisheart;

  andMrGibsonhadunwillinglytofulfilanoldpromisemadetoagentlemanfarmerintheneighbourhoodayearortwobefore,andtotakethesecondsonofMrBrowneinyoungCoxe’splace。Hewastobethelastoftheraceofpupils,andashewasrathermorethanayearyoungerthanMolly,MrGibsontrustedthattherewouldbenorepetitionoftheCoxeromance。

  chapter16CHAPTERXVITHEBRIDEATHOMEAmongthe’countypeople’(asMrsGibsontermedthem)whocalleduponherasabride,werethetwoyoungMrHamleys。Thesquire,theirfather,haddonehiscongratulations,asfarasheeverintendedtodothem,toMrGibsonhimselfwhenhecametothehall;butMrsHamley,unabletogoandpayvisitsherself,anxioustoshowattentiontoherkinddoctor’snewwife,andwithperhapsalittlesympatheticcuriosityastohowMollyandherstepmothergotontogether,madehersonsrideovertoHollingfordwithhercardsandapologies。Theycameintothenewly—furnisheddrawing—room,lookingbrightandfreshfromtheirride:Osbornefirst,—asusual,perfectlydressedfortheoccasion,andwiththesortoffinemannerwhichsatesowelluponhim;Roger,lookinglikeastrong—built,cheerful,intelligentcountryfarmer,followedinhisbrother’strain。MrsGibsonwasdressedforreceivingcallers,andmadetheeffectshealwaysintendedtoproduce,ofaveryprettywoman,nolongerinfirstyouth,butwithsuchsoftmannersandsuchacaressingvoice,thatpeopleforgottowonderwhatherrealagemightbe。Mollywasbetterdressedthanformerly;herstepmothersawafterthat。Shedislikedanythingoldorshabby,oroutoftasteabouther;ithurthereye;andshehadalreadyfidgetedMollyintoanewamountofcareaboutthemannerinwhichsheputonherclothes,arrangedherhair,andwasglovedandshod。MrsGibsonhadtriedtoputherthroughacourseofrosemarywashesandcreamsinordertoimprovehertanned,complexion;

  butaboutthatMollywaseitherforgetfulorrebellious,andMrsGibsoncouldnotwellcomeuptothegirl’sbedroomeverynightandseethatshedaubedherfaceandneckoverwiththecosmeticssocarefullyprovidedforher。Still,herappearancewasextremelyimproved,eventoOsborne’scriticaleye。Rogersoughtrathertodiscoverinherlooksandexpressionwhethershewashappyornot;hismotherhadespeciallychargedhimtonoteallthesesigns。OsborneandMrsGibsonmadethemselvesagreeabletoeachotheraccordingtotheapprovedfashionwhenayoungmancallsonamiddle—agedbride。

  Theytalkedofthe’Shakespeareandmusicalglasses’oftheday,eachviewingwiththeotherintheirknowledgeofLondontopics。MollyheardfragmentsoftheirconversationinthepausesofsilencebetweenRogerandherself。

  Herherowascomingoutinquiteanewcharacter;nolongerliteraryorpoetical,orromantic,orcritical,hewasnowfullofthelastnewplay,thesingersattheopera。HehadtheadvantageoverMrsGibson,who,infact,onlyspokeofthesethingsfromhearsay,fromlisteningtothetalkattheTowers,whileOsbornehadrunupfromCambridgetwoorthreetimestohearthis,ortoseethat,wonderoftheseason。Butshehadtheadvantageoverhimingreaterboldnessofinventiontoekeoutherfacts;andbesidesshehadmoreskillinthechoiceandarrangementofherwords,soastomakeitappearasiftheopinionsthatwereinrealityquotations,wereformedbyherselffromactualexperienceorpersonalobservation;suchas,inspeakingofthemannerismsofafamousItaliansinger,shewouldask,—’Didyouobserveherconstanttrickofheavinghershouldersandclaspingherhandstogetherbeforeshetookahighnote?’—whichwassosaidastoimplythatMrsGibsonherselfhadnoticedthistrick。Molly,whohadaprettygoodideabythistimeofhowherstepmotherhadpassedthelastyearofherlife,listenedwithnosmallbewildermenttothisconversation;

  butatlengthdecidedthatshemustmisunderstandwhattheyweresaying,asshecouldnotgatherupthemissinglinksforthenecessityofreplyingtoRoger’squestionsandremarks。OsbornewasnotthesameOsbornehewaswhenwithhismotheratthehall。Rogersawherglancingathisbrother。’Youthinkmybrotherlookingill?’saidhe,loweringhisvoice。’No—notexactly。’’Heisnotwell。BothmyfatherandIareanxiousabouthim。ThatrunontheContinentdidhimharm,insteadofgood;andhisdisappointmentathisexaminationhastolduponhim,I’mafraid。’’Iwasnotthinkinghelookedill;onlychangedsomehow。’’HesayshemustgobacktoCambridgesoon。Possiblyitmaydohimgood;

  andIshallbeoffnextweek。Thisisafarewellvisittoyou,aswellasoneofcongratulationtoMrsGibson。’’Yourmotherwillfeelyourbothgoingaway,won’tshe?Butofcourseyoungmenwillalwayshavetoliveawayfromhome。’’Yes,’hereplied。’Stillshefeelsitagooddeal;andIamnotsatisfiedaboutherhealtheither。Youwillgooverandseehersometimes,willyou?

  sheisveryfondofyou。’’IfImay,’saidMolly,unconsciouslyglancingatherstepmother。Shehadanuncomfortableinstinctthat,inspiteofMrsGibson’sownperpetualflowofwords,shecould,anddid,heareverythingthatfellfromMolly’slips。’Doyouwantanymorebooks?’saidhe。’Ifyoudo,makealistout,andsendittomymotherbeforeIleave,nextTuesday。AfterIamgone,therewillbenoonetogointothelibraryandpickthemout。’Aftertheyweregone,MrsGibsonbeganherusualcommentsonthedepartedvisitors。’IdolikethatOsborneHamley!Whatanicefellowheis!Somehow,Ialwaysdolikeeldestsons。Hewillhavetheestate,won’the?Ishallaskyourdearpapatoencouragehimtocomeaboutthehouse。Hewillbeaverygood,verypleasantacquaintanceforyouandCynthia。Theotherisbutaloutishyoungfellow,tomymind;thereisnoaristocraticbearingabouthim。I

  supposehetakesafterhismother,whoisbutaparvenue,I’veheardthemsayattheTowers。’Mollywasspitefulenoughtohavegreatpleasureinsaying,—’IthinkI’veheardherfatherwasaRussiamerchant,andimportedtallowandhemp。MrOsborneHamleyisextremelylikeher。’’Indeed!Butthere’snocalculatingthesethings。Anyhow,heistheperfectgentlemaninappearanceandmanner。Theestateisentailed,isitnot?’’Iknownothingaboutit,’saidMolly。Ashortsilenceensued。ThenMrsGibsonsaid,—’Doyouknow,IalmostthinkImustgetdearpapatogivealittledinner—party,andaskMrOsborneHamley?Ishouldliketohavehimfeelathomeinthishouse。ItwouldbesomethingcheerfulforhimafterthedulnessandsolitudeofHamleyHall。Fortheoldpeopledon’tvisitmuch,Ibelieve?’’He’sgoingbacktoCambridgenextweek,’saidMolly。’Ishe?Well,then,we’llputoffourlittledinnertillCynthiacomeshome。Ishouldliketohavesomeyoungsocietyforher,poordarling,whenshereturns。’’Whenisshecoming?’saidMolly,whohadalwaysalongingcuriosityforthissameCynthia’sreturn。’Oh!I’mnotsure;perhapsatthenewyear—perhapsnottillEaster。I

  mustgetthisdrawing—roomallnewfurnishedfirst;andthenImeantofitupherroomandyoursjustalike。Theyarejustthesamesize,onlyonoppositesidesofthepassage。’’Areyougoingtonew—furnishthatroom?’saidMolly,inastonishmentatthenever—endingchanges。’Yes;andyours,too,darling;sodon’tbejealous。\"’Oh,please,mamma,notmine,’saidMolly,takingintheideaforthefirsttime。’Yes,dear!Youshallhaveyoursdoneaswell。AlittleFrenchbed,’andanewpaper,andaprettycarpet,andadressed—uptoilette—tableandglass,willmakeitlookquiteadifferentplace。’’ButIdon’twantittolookdifferent。Ilikeitasitis。Praydon’tdoanythingtoit。’’Whatnonsense,child!Ineverheardanythingmoreridiculous!Mostgirlswouldbegladtogetridoffurnitureonlyfitforthelumber—room。’’Itwasmyownmamma’sbeforeshewasmarried,’saidMolly,inaverylowvoice;bringingoutthislastpleaunwillingly,butwithacertaintythatitwouldnotberesisted。MrsGibsonpausedforamomentbeforeshereplied,—’It’sverymuchtoyourcreditthatyoushouldhavesuchfeelings,I’msure。Butdon’tyouthinksentimentmaybecarriedtoofar?Why,weshouldhavenonewfurnitureatall,andshouldhavetoputupwithworm—eatenhorrors。Besides,mydear,HollingfordwillseemverydulltoCynthia,afterpretty,gayFrance,andIwanttomakethefirstimpressionsattractive。

  I’veanotionIcansettleherdownnearhere;andIwanthertocomeinagoodtemper;for,betweenourselves,mydear,sheisalittle,leetlewilful。Youneednotmentionthistoyourpapa。’’Butcan’tyoudoCynthia’sroom,andnotmine?Pleaseletminealone。’’No,indeed!Icouldn’tagreetothat。Onlythinkwhatwouldbesaidofmebyeverybody;pettingmyownchild,andneglectingmyhusband’s!Icouldn’tbearit。’’Nooneneedknow。’’Insuchatittle—tattleplaceasHollingford!Really,Molly,youareeitherverystupidorveryobstinate,orelseyoudon’tcarewhathardthingsmaybesaidaboutme:andallforaselfishfancyofyourown!No!IowemyselfthejusticeofactinginthismatterasIplease。EveryoneshallknowI’mnotacommonstepmother。EverypennyIspendonCynthiaIshallspendonyoutoo;soit’snousetalkinganymoreaboutit。’SoMolly’slittlewhitedimitybed,herold—fashionedchestofdrawers,andherothercherishedrelicsofhermother’smaiden—days,wereconsignedtothelumber—room;andafterawhile,whenCynthiaandhergreatFrenchboxeshadcomehome,theoldfurniturethathadfilledupthespacerequiredforthefreshimportationoftrunks,disappearedintothelumber—room。AllthistimethefamilyattheTowershadbeenabsent;LadyCumnorhadbeenorderedtoBathfortheearlypartofthewinter,andherfamilywerewithherthere。Ondullrainydays,MrsGibsonusedtobethinkherofmissing’theCumnors,’forsoshehadtakentocallingthemsinceherpositionhadbecomemoreindependentoftheirs。Itmarkedadistinctionbetweenherintimacyinthefamily,andthereverentialmannerinwhichthetownspeoplewereaccustomedtospeakof’theearlandthecountess。’bothLadyCumnorandLadyHarrietwrotetotheirdearClarefromtimetotime。TheformerhadgenerallysomecommissionsthatshewishedtohaveexecutedattheTowers,orinthetown;andnoonecoulddothemsowellasClare,whowasacquaintedwithallthetastesandwaysofthecountess。Thesecommissionswerethecauseofvariousbillsforflysandcarsfromthe’George’Inn。

  MrGibsonpointedoutthisconsequencetohiswife;butshe,inreturn,badehimremarkthatapresentofgamewasprettysuretofollowuponthesatisfactoryexecutionofLadyCumnor’swishes。Somehow,MrGibsondidnotquitelikethisconsequenceeither;buthewassilentaboutit,atanyrate。LadyHarriet’sletterswereshortandamusing。Shehadthatsortofregardforheroldgovernesswhichpromptedhertowritefromtimetotime,andtofeelgladwhenthehalf—voluntarytaskwasaccomplished。Sotherewasnorealoutpouringofconfidence,butenoughnewsofthefamilyandgossipoftheplaceshewasin,asshethoughtwouldmakeClarefeelthatshewasnotforgottenbyherformerpupils,intermixedwithmoderatebutsincereexpressionsofregard。HowthoseletterswerequotedandreferredtobyMrsGibsoninherconversationswiththeHollingfordladies!ShehadfoundouttheireffectatAshcombe;anditwasnotlessatHollingford。

  ButshewasratherperplexedatkindlymessagestoMolly,andatinquiriesastohowtheMissBrowningslikedtheteashehadsent;andMollyhadfirsttoexplain,andthentonarrateatfulllength,alltheoccurrencesoftheafternoonatAshcombeManorHouse,andLadyHarriet’scalluponheratMissBrownings’。’Whatnonsense!’saidMrsGibson,withsomeannoyance。’LadyHarrietonlywenttoseeyououtofadesireofamusement。ShewouldonlymakefunoftheMissBrownings,andthentheywillbequotingherandtalkingabouther,justasifshewastheirintimatefriend。’’Idon’tthinkshedidmakefunofthem。Shereallysoundedasifshehadbeenverykind。’’AndyousupposeyouknowherwaysbetterthanIdo,whohaveknownherthesefifteenyears?Itellyousheturnseveryoneintoridiculewhodoesnotbelongtoherset。Why,sheusedalwaystospeakoftheMissBrowningsas\"PecksyandFlapsy。\"’’Shepromisedmeshewouldnot,’saidMollydriventobay。’Promisedyou!—LadyHarriet?Whatdoyoumean?’’Only—shespokeofthemasPecksyandFlapsy—andwhenshetalkedofcomingtocallonmeattheirhouse,Iaskedhernottocomeifshewasgoingto——tomakefunofthem。’’Uponmyword!withallmylongacquaintancewithLadyHarrietIshouldneverhaveventuredonsuchimpertinence。’’Ididn’tmeanitasimpertinence,’saidMolly,sturdily。’AndIdon’tthinkLadyHarriettookitassuch。’’Youcan’tknowanythingaboutit。Shecanputonanykindofmanner。’

点击下载App,搜索"WIVES AND DAUGHTERS",免费读到尾