It was about half-past ten, and, probably to soften2 Edward the hard, the stewpan was in use, and steaming mugs of hot spiced liquid were being from time to time applied3 to lips.
“Married long before this, I should think,” said the housemaid, tossing her head. “You don’t suppose she’s like some people I know, going on shilly-shallying year after year, as if they never meant to get married at all.”
“Never you mind about that,” said Edward gruffly; “perhaps we shall get married when it suits us, and perhaps we sha’n’t. I don’t see no fun in going away from a good home and a good missus, to hard lines and spending all your savings4, like some people as ain’t old enough to know better.”
“Does missus ever talk about her, Mr Eddard?” said Cook persuasively5.
“Not often,” said Edward; “but I know one thing,—she ain’t had a letter from her for ever so long, now.”
“How do you know?” said the housemaid.
“How do I know?” exclaimed Mr Eddard contemptuously. “Why, don’t I see all the envelopes, and can’t I tell that way? But there’s something wrong about her, I believe; for there came a letter about three weeks or a month ago, and it seemed to cut missus up a good deal, and I heard her say something out aloud.”
“What did she say?” said Cook and Mary in a breath, for the recounter had stopped.
“Well, I didn’t catch it all,” said Edward, speaking in his mug; “but it was something like: ‘Gone with Mr Bray6? Impossible!’”
“But what made her say that?” exclaimed Cook.
“Why, from what she read in a letter from London, to be sure, stupid. Why else should she say it?”
“There, didn’t I tell you so!” exclaimed Cook triumphantly7.
“What are you up to now?” said Edward in a tone of gruff contempt. “What do you mean?”
“Why, I always thought she’d have Mr Bray, as was so wonderful attentive8. Why, Mrs Pottles, down at the Seven Bells, has told me lots of times about how he used to come and put his horse up there, and then follow her about.”
“Humph!” ejaculated Edward. “When did you see Mother Pottles last?”
“Yesterday,” said Cook. “And she said she thought that Pottles would take the twenty pounds off the good-will, and—”
“Why didn’t you tell me so before?” said Edward gruffly.
“Because she said Mr Pottles would come over and see you, and you do snub me so for interfering9.”
“Humph!” ejaculated Edward again.
“What, you are going to have the Seven Bells, then?” said the housemaid. “O, I am glad; it will be nice! And you’re going to be married, after all.”
“Don’t you be in a hurry,” growled10 Edward. “We ain’t gone yet, and perhaps we shan’t go at all; so now then. There goes the bell; now, then, clear off. Missus is going to bed.”
“Did you fasten the side-door, Mr Ed-dard?” said the housemaid.
“Slipped the top bolt, that’s all,” said the footman, as he went to answer the bell.
“Let’s lay them bits of lace out on the lawn, Cook, and leave ’em all night; the frost ’ll bleach11 ’em beautiful,” said the housemaid.
“Ah, so we might,” said Cook; and taking some wet twisted-up scraps12 of lace from a basin, cook and housemaid tied their handkerchiefs round their necks, placed their aprons13 over their heads, and ran down a passage, unbolted the side-door, and went over the gravel14 drive to lay the lace upon the front lawn.
“I’ll pop out and take them in when I light the breakfast-room fire,” said the housemaid. “My, what a lovely night! it must be full moon.”
“Scr-r-r-r-r-r-r-eech—screech—screech!” went the cook.
“Scre-e-e-e-e-ch-h-h-h!” went the housemaid, giving vent15 to a shrill16 cry that would have made an emulative17 locomotive burst in despair; and, still screaming, the two women clung together, and backed slowly to the house, ran down the passage to the kitchen, shrieking18 still, where the cook sank into a chair, which gave way beneath her, and she fell heavily on the floor.
“Are you mad, Mary—Cook? What is the matter?” exclaimed Mrs Brandon, running into the kitchen, chamber-candlestick in hand, closely followed by Edward.
“They are mad—both on ’em!” growled the footman.
“A ghost, a ghost!” panted Mary, shuddering19, and pointing towards the passage.
“A ghost!” exclaimed Mrs Brandon contemptuously. “You foolish wicked woman! How dare you alarm the children with such ridiculous, such absurd old grandmothers’ notions? You’ve been out, I suppose?”
“Yes, yes!” sobbed20 Mary, covering her blanched21 face with her hands.
“And you saw something white, I suppose, in the moonlight?”
“N-n-n-o, ’m! It was a black one, all but the horrid22 face with the moon on it.”
“Edward,” said Mrs Brandon, “some one has been trying to frighten them, and they have left the passage door open. You are not afraid?”
“How should I know till I see what it’s like!” growled Edward. “Anyhow, I’ll go and try.”
“I’ll go with you,” said Mrs Brandon.
Edward led the way to where the moonlight was streaming in through the open door, when he started back against his mistress, forcing her into the kitchen.
“There is something, mum!” he said hoarsely23, “and I think I am a little afraid. No, no, ’m, you sha’n’t go. I’ll go first: I can’t stand that, if I am frighted.”
He again made a step in advance, for Mrs Brandon was about to take the pas; but the next moment mistress and man drew involuntarily back, as, slowly, as if feeling its way through some thick darkness, hands stretched out, palms downward, to their fullest extent, head thrown back, wild eyes staring straight before it, and face unnaturally24 pale, came towards them a figure draped in black.
On and on, in a strange unearthly way, rigid25 as if of marble, came the figure across the great kitchen, and in spite of herself Mrs Brandon felt a strange thrill pass through her as she slowly gave way; but followed still by the figure through the open door into the hall, where, reason reasserting itself, she set down the candlestick upon the marble slab26, and stood firm till the strange visitor came close up to her, and she took two cold stony27 hands in hers.
“Ella, my child!” she gasped28.
It was as though those three words had dissolved a spell; for the staring eyes slowly closed, a faint dawning as of a smile relaxed the rigid features, and, as the white lips parted, there came forth29 a low sigh as of relief, and then the form sank slowly down till it was supported only by the grasp Mrs Brandon maintained upon the hands.
“Here! Quick! Help, Edward!” exclaimed Mrs Brandon, blushing for her excusable dread30. “Good Heavens, what infamy31 has been practised, that this poor child should seek refuge here in such a plight32? Edward!”
“I’m here, ma’am,” cried the hard footman, smiting33 himself heavily upon the cheek. “That I should have been such a fool! But ’twas enough to startle—”
“Man—man, don’t talk!” cried his mistress. “Run to Mr Tiddson, he is the nearest; and don’t tell him to come, but bring him. Do you hear?—bring him!”
“That I just will,” cried the man, giving one glance at the figure at his mistress’s feet, and the next moment he was in the kitchen. “Here, rouse up!” he cried, “’tain’t nothing sooper—”
Edward said “natural” as he ran out, hatless, into the frosty night to fetch the doctor, tying his handkerchief round his head as he sped on.
Meanwhile, Mrs Brandon lifted the wasted form in her arms, and bore it to a couch, where she strove ineffectually to restore animation34. Everything she tried seemed useless; and at last, weeping bitterly, she sank upon her knees, and clasped the fragile figure to her heart, moaning as she did so:
“My poor stricken bird! my poor little dove! what does it mean—what does it mean?”
But the form she clasped might have been that from which the vital spark had just fled, save that the icy coldness began gradually to yield to the temperature of the room.
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1
genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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2
soften
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| v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和 | |
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3
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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savings
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| n.存款，储蓄 | |
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5
persuasively
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| adv.口才好地；令人信服地 | |
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6
bray
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| n.驴叫声, 喇叭声；v.驴叫 | |
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7
triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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8
attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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9
interfering
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| adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词 | |
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10
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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11
bleach
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| vt.使漂白；vi.变白；n.漂白剂 | |
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12
scraps
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| 油渣 | |
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13
aprons
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| 围裙( apron的名词复数 )； 停机坪，台口（舞台幕前的部份） | |
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14
gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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15
vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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16
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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17
emulative
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| adj.好胜 | |
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18
shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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19
shuddering
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| v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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20
sobbed
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| 哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说 | |
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21
blanched
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| v.使变白( blanch的过去式 )；使（植物）不见阳光而变白；酸洗（金属）使有光泽；用沸水烫（杏仁等）以便去皮 | |
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horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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23
hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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unnaturally
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| adv.违反习俗地；不自然地；勉强地；不近人情地 | |
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25
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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26
slab
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| n.平板，厚的切片；v.切成厚板，以平板盖上 | |
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27
stony
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| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
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28
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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29
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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30
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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31
infamy
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| n.声名狼藉，出丑，恶行 | |
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32
plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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33
smiting
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的现在分词 ) | |
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34
animation
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| n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作 | |
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