Mr. Pixley he knew, by repute only, as the head of Pixley's, the great law-firm, in Lincoln's Inn. Mrs. Pixley he had never met.
Mr. Pixley was a bright and shining light—yea, a veritable light-house—of respectability and benevolence2, and bushel coverings were relegated3 to their proper place outside his scheme of life. His charities were large, wide-spread, religiously advertised in the donation columns of the daily papers, and doubtless palliated the effects of multitudes of other people's sins.
He was a church-warden, president and honorary treasurer4 of numerous philanthropical societies—in a word, at once a pillar and corner-stone of his profession, his church, and his country.
He was also a smug little man with a fresh, well-fed face, bordered by a touch of old-fashioned, gray side-whisker, rather outstanding blue eyes, and he carried, and sometimes used as it was intended to be used, a heavy gold pince-nez, which more frequently, however, acted as a kind of lightning-conductor for the expression of his feelings. A pince-nez of many parts:—now it was a scalping-knife, slaughtering6 the hopes of some harried7 victim of the law; and again, it was a baton8 beating time to a hymn9 or the National Anthem10; possibly it was, in moments of relaxation11, a jester's wand poking12 fun at ancient cronies, though indeed a somewhat full-blooded imagination is required for that. I have heard that once when, in the fervour of a speech, Mr. Pixley dropped his pince-nez among the reporters below, he was utterly13 unable to continue until the fetish was recovered and handed back to him. It is an undoubted fact that though you might forget the exact lines of Mr. Pixley's face and even his words, you never forgot the fascinating evolutions of his heavy gold pince-nez. Like a Frenchman's hands, it told even more than his face or his words.
He had a good voice, and a deportment which had, without doubt, been specially14 created for the chairmanship of public meetings. And he was Margaret Brandt's uncle by marriage, her guardian15 and trustee, and the father of Charles Svendt, on whose account Lady Elspeth had thought well to throw out warning hints of possible paternal16 intentions respecting Margaret and her fortune.
From every point of view Graeme detested17 Mr. Pixley, though he had never passed a word with him. He was too perfect, too immaculate. His "unco' guidness," as Lady Elspeth would have said, bordered on ostentation18. The sight and sound of him aroused in some people a wild inclination19 towards unaccustomed profanity and wallowing in the mire20. He was so undisguisedly and self-satisfiedly better than his fellows that one felt his long and flawless life almost in the nature of a rebuke21 if not an affront22. He was too obtrusively23 good for this world. One could not but feel that if he had been cut off in his youth, and buried under a very white marble slab24 and an appropriate inscription25, both he and the world would have been far more comfortably circumstanced. And John Graeme devoutly26 wished he had been so favoured, for, in that case, he could neither have been Margaret's uncle, trustee, nor guardian, and it is possible that there would also have been no Charles Svendt Pixley to trouble the course of his own true love.
But of Charles Svendt I have no harsh word to say. He could not help being his father's son, and one must not blame him for the unavoidable. And, in most respects, he was as unlike his worthy27 parent as circumstances permitted.
He was on the Stock Exchange and doing well there. He had very comfortable rooms near St. James's Square, and enjoyed life in his own way and at his own not inconsiderable expense. When Margaret Brandt was at home, however, he was much at his father's house in Melgrave Square.
He made no pretence28 to unco' guidness whatever. He subscribed29 to nothing outside the House, with two exceptions—the Dogs' Home at Battersea, and the Home of Rest for Aged30 Horses at Acton—signs of grace both these offerings, I take it!
To all other demands he invariably replied,—"Can't burn the candle at both ends, my dear sir. The governor charitables for the whole family. He'll give you something if you'll let him head the list and keep it standing5."
No, we have no fault to find with Charles Svendt. Time came when he was weighed and not found wanting.
Graeme and he had run across one another occasionally—at the Travellers' Club and elsewhere—but their acquaintance had never ripened31 to the point of introduction till that night at the Whitefriars' dinner. After that they were on nodding terms, but not much more, until—well, until later.
So, though there was hope in his heart, born of Lady Elspeth's approval and quiet suggestings, John Graeme was still somewhat doubtful as to Margaret Brandt's feelings towards him, and quite at a loss how to arrive at a more exact knowledge of them.
Too precipitate32 an advance might end in utter rout33. And opportunities of approach were all too infrequent for his wishes.
Their chance meetings were rare and exquisite34 pleasures,—to be looked forward to with an eagerness that held within it the strange possibility of pain through sheer excess of longing;—to be enjoyed like the glory of a fleeting35 dream;—to be looked back upon with touches of regret at opportunities missed;—to be dwelt upon for days and nights with alternate hope and misgiving36, with the rapturous recalling of every tone of the sweet voice, of every word it had uttered, of every gracious gesture, and every most minute and subtle change in the sweetest face and the frankest and most charming eyes in the world.
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1
mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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benevolence
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| n.慈悲，捐助 | |
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relegated
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| v.使降级( relegate的过去式和过去分词 )；使降职；转移；把…归类 | |
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treasurer
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| n.司库，财务主管 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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6
slaughtering
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| v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的现在分词 ) | |
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7
harried
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| v.使苦恼( harry的过去式和过去分词 )；不断烦扰；一再袭击；侵扰 | |
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8
baton
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| n.乐队用指挥杖 | |
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hymn
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌 | |
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anthem
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| n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌 | |
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11
relaxation
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| n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐 | |
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12
poking
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| n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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13
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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14
specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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15
guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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paternal
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| adj.父亲的，像父亲的，父系的，父方的 | |
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detested
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| v.憎恶，嫌恶，痛恨( detest的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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18
ostentation
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| n.夸耀，卖弄 | |
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inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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mire
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| n.泥沼，泥泞；v.使...陷于泥泞，使...陷入困境 | |
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rebuke
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| v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise | |
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affront
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| n./v.侮辱，触怒 | |
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obtrusively
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| adv.冒失地，莽撞地 | |
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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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inscription
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| n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文 | |
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devoutly
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| adv.虔诚地，虔敬地，衷心地 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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28
pretence
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| n.假装，作假；借口，口实；虚伪；虚饰 | |
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29
subscribed
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| v.捐助( subscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；签署，题词；订阅；同意 | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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31
ripened
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| v.成熟，使熟( ripen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32
precipitate
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| adj.突如其来的；vt.使突然发生；n.沉淀物 | |
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33
rout
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| n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮 | |
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34
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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fleeting
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| adj.短暂的，飞逝的 | |
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misgiving
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕 | |
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