Just high enough to be under the lee of a sand-hill, with its front windows and veranda15 staring at the African coast, some thousand miles away, stood the tiniest, most fragile and most absurd of the habitations. Its name was “Quien Sabe,” suggestive of an imaginative abandonment of search after nomenclature by the original proprietor16.
“A house called ‘Quien Sabe’——” said Alexis.
They took it at once, without question. It wasn’t as if it were an uncertain sort of place, like “Normanhurst,” or “Sea View.” The name proclaimed frankly18 the certainty of venturesomeness. And Alexis Triona, sitting on the scrubby grass and sand, his back against the little veranda, the infinite sea and all the universe enveloped19 in still moonlight, laughed the laugh of deep happiness at their childish inspiration. He rolled, licked and lit the final cigarette. Tobacco was good. Better was this August night of velvet20 and diamonds. Below, the little stone groin shone like onyx. The lazy surf of ebb-tide far away on the sand of a tiny bay glimmered21 like the foam22 in fairyland.
Only half the man’s consciousness allowed itself to be drenched23 with the beauty of the night. The other half remained alert to a voice, to a summons, to something more rare and exquisite24 than the silver air and murmuring sea and the shine of all the stars. A few minutes before, languorous25 by his side, she had been part and parcel of it all. The retreating ripple26 of wave had melted into the softness of her voice. Her laughing eyes had gleamed importance in the stellar system. The sweet throb27 of her body, as she had reclined, his arm about her, was rhythmic28 with the pulsation29 of the night. And now she had gone; gone just for a few moments; gone just for a few moments until she would divinely break the silence by the little staccato cry of his name; but, nevertheless, her transitory severance30 had robbed this outer world of half its beauty. He had consciously to incorporate her in order to give meaning to this wonder of amethyst31 and aquamarine and onyx and diamond and pearl and velvet and the infinite message of the immensities coming through the friendly silence of the moon.
They had been married all of a sudden, both caught up on the wings of adventure. They were young, free as air. Why should they wait? They kept it secret, a pair of romantics. Only Blaise Olifant, summoned from Medlow, and Janet Philimore were admitted into the conspiracy33, and attended the wedding. At first Olivia had twinges of conscience. As a well-conducted young woman she ought to ask her old friend, Mr. Trivett, to stand in loco parentis and give her away. But then there would be Mrs. Trivett and the girls to reckon with. Mr. Fenmarch, left out, might take offence. The news, too, would run through every Medlow parlour. Old John Freke, in his weekly letter to Lydia, would be sure to allude34 to the matter; and it was Lydia and the galley35 that she most desired to keep in ignorance. So they were married, by special licence, at the church in Ashley Place, one quiet, sunny morning, in the presence of Myra and the two witnesses they had convened36.
As they emerged into the sunshine after the ceremony, Olifant said to her:
“I’ve never been so reluctant to give anything away in my life.”
She asked a laughing “Why?”
“Dog in the manger, I suppose.” He smiled whimsically. “I shall feel more of a bachelor than ever when I get back.”
“You needn’t, unless you like.” She motioned slightly with her head towards Janet, talking to Alexis, a few feet away. “I’ve not been too busy to think of matchmaking. She’s the dearest of girls.”
“He wants a law forbidding the marriage of landladies41. But think of the advantage. Now you can have your landlady to stay with you—in strict propriety—if you will ask us.”
“We settled that with Alexis last night,” said he.
Three taxis were waiting. One for the bride and bridegroom. One, already piled with luggage, for Myra who after being fervently42 kissed in the vestry by Olivia, had said by way of congratulation:
“Well, dearie, it’s better than being married in a Registry Office,” and had gone forth unemotionally to see that the trunks were still there. And one for Olifant and Janet. They drove to the station, to the train which was to take them on their way to the home which in their romanticism they had never troubled to see.
“I’m sure it’s all right,” said Janet, who had been responsible for their taking “Quien Sabe.” “Father and I’ll be at The Point in a fortnight. If you don’t want to see us, tie a white satin bow on the gate and we won’t mind a bit.”
For General Philimore was the happy owner of one of the little hermitages on The Point, and like a foolish old soldier lived there in holiday times, instead of letting it for the few summer weeks at the yearly rental43 of his London flat; so that Janet assumed the airs of an authority on The Point, and wrote stern uncompromising business letters to agents threatening them with the displeasure of the daughter of a Major-General, if a “Quien Sabe” swept, garnished44, and perfectly45 appointed, with a charwoman, ditto, in attendance, did not receive the bridal pair.
“It’s not a palace, Mr. Triona,” she said.
“What has it to do with me?” he answered. “A dream nest in a cliff for this bird wife of mine is all I ask for.”
Olivia’s eyes smiled on him. Why was he so different from the rest of men—even from so fine a type as Blaise Olifant? She appraised47 them swiftly. The soldier had not yet been sunk into the scholar. He stood erect48, clean built, wearing his perfectly fitting grey suit like uniform, his armless sleeve pinned across his chest, his lip still bearing the smart little military moustache, his soft grey hat at ever so slightly a swaggering angle on his neatly49 cropped head. A distinguished50 figure, to which his long straight nose added a curious note of distinction and individuality. But all that he was you saw in a glance: the gentleman, the soldier, the man of intellect. On the other hand, there stood the marvellous man that was her husband, hiding behind the drawn51 boyish face God knew what memories of pain heroically conquered and God knew what visions of genius. Although he had gone to a good tailor for his blue serge suit—she had accompanied him—he had the air of wearing clothes as a concession52 of convention. The lithe53 frame beneath seemed to be impatient of their restraint. They fitted in an easy sort of way, but were dominated by his nervous eager personality. One flash of a smile illuminating54 eyes and thin face, one flashing gesture of hand or arm, and for ought any one knew or cared, he might be dressed in chain armour55 or dungaree.
The little speech pleased her. She slipped her hand through the crook56 of his arm in the pride of possession.
“Did you ever hear such an undomesticated pronouncement?” she laughed. “We’re going to change all that.”
And the train carried them off to the great wonder and change of their lives.
The train out of sight, Blaise Olifant stuck in his pocket the handkerchief he had been waving, and turned with a sigh.
“I hope she’ll be happy.”
“Why shouldn’t she?” asked Janet Philimore.
She was a bright-cheeked, brown-eyed, brown-haired girl, with a matter-of-fact manner.
“I know of no reason,” he replied. “I was expressing a hope.”
He saw her to her homeward-bound omnibus and walked, somewhat moodily57, on his road. After a day or two, the pleasures of London proving savourless, he returned to Medlow. But “The Towers” no longer seemed quite the same. He could not tell why. The house had lost fragrance58.
Meanwhile the pair had gone to the little toy home whose questioning name pointed46 to mystery. There were just three rooms in it, all opening on to a veranda full in sight (save for the configuration59 of the globe) of the African coast. On this veranda, sitting back, they lost sight of the whin-grown slope and the miniature sandy cove14 beneath; and their world was but a welter of sea, and its inhabitants but a few gulls60, sweeping61 and swirling62 past them with a shy friendliness63 in their yellow eyes. In a dip of the sand-hill, just behind this elementary dwelling64 and communicating with it by a short covered way, stretched an old railway carriage divided into kitchen, pantry, bathroom, and bunks66.
“It’s the craziest place I’ve ever seen,” said Myra. “People will be living in old aeroplanes next.”
But the very craziness of the habitation made for their selfish joy. The universe, just for these twain, had gone joyously67 mad. A cocky little villa68 made to the model of a million others would have defeated the universe’s benign69 intention. Nothing could be nearer to Triona’s dream nest in a cliff. Their first half-hour’s exploring, hand in hand, was that of children let loose in a fairy tale castle.
“How many more do we want?” cried Olivia. “We can only eat one egg at a time.”
They passed out and stood on the edge of their small domain72, surveying the sandy beach and the seaweed and shell-encrusted groin and the limitless sea, and breathed in the soft salt wind of all the heavens sweeping through their hair and garments, and he put his arm around her and kissed her—and he laughed and said, looking into her eyes:
“Sweetheart, Heaven is empty and all the angels are here.”
On sunny days they lived in the sea, drying themselves on their undisturbed half-moon of beach.
“Where did you learn to swim?” she asked.
He hesitated for a second, casting at her one of his swift, half furtive73 glances. Then he replied:
“In the Volga.”
She laughed. “You’re always romantic. I learned at commonplace Llandudno.”
“Where’s your sense of relativity, beloved?” said he. “In Central Russia one regards the coast of Wales as fantastic fairyland.”
“Still, you can go to Llandudno to-morrow, if you like—taking me with you, of course; but I shall never swim in the Volga, or the Caspian Sea, or Lake Baikal, or any of those places with names that have haunted me since I was a little girl.”
“One of these days we’ll go—it may be some years, but eventually Russia must have a settled Government—and we’ll still be young.”
The sun and the hot sand on which she lay, adorable in deep red bathing kit65 and cap, warmed her through and through, flooding her with the sense of physical well-being74. It was impossible that she should ever grow old.
“It’s something to look forward to,” she said.
Sometimes they hired a boat and sailed and fished. She admired his handiness and knowledge and prescience of the weather. Once, as the result of their fishing, they brought in a basket of bass75 and gar-fish, the latter a strange, dainty silver beast with the body of an eel37 and the tail of a trout76 and the beak77 of a woodcock, and in high spirits they usurped78 Myra’s railway-compartment kitchen, while he fried the catch for lunch. Olivia marvelled79 at his mastery. In spite of her sage32 and deliberate putting aside of the rose-coloured glasses of infatuation, in whatever aspect she viewed him, he stood supreme80. From the weaving of high romance to the cooking of fish—the whole gamut81 of human activities—there was nothing in which he did not excel. Her trust in him was infinite. She lost herself in happiness.
It took some days to arouse her to a sense of the outer world. A letter from Lydia reminded her of her friend’s pleasant ignorance. With the malice82 of the unregenerate feminine, she wrote: “I’m so sorry I can’t be bridesmaid as you had arranged. How can I, seeing that I am married myself? It happened all in a hurry, as the beautiful things in life do. The fuss of publicity83 would have spoilt it. That’s why we told nobody. This is much better than Dinard”—Sydney Rooke’s selection for the honeymoon84. “I haven’t worn a hat since I’ve been here, and my way of dressing85 for dinner is to put on a pair of stockings; sometimes a mackintosh, for we love to dine on the veranda when it rains. It rained so hard last night that we had to fix up an umbrella to the ceiling like a chandelier to catch the water coming through the roof. So you will see that Alexis and I are perfectly happy. By the way, I’ve not told you what my name is. It is Mrs. Triona. . . .” And so on and so on at the dictate86 of her dancing gladness, freakishly picturing Lydia’s looks of surprise, distaste, and reprobation87 as she read the letter. Yet she finished graciously, acknowledging Lydia’s thousand kindnesses, for according to her lights Lydia had done her best to put her on the only path that could be trod by comely88 and well-dressed woman.
She sealed up her letter and, coming out on to the veranda where Alexis was correcting the proofs of an article, told him all about it.
“Don’t you think we ought to please Lydia and go to Dinard and wear wonderful clothes, and mix with fashionable folk, and have expensive meals and gamble in the Casino, and dance and do our duty as self-respecting people?”
“You have but to change yourself into whatever fairy thing you like, my princess,” said he, “and I will follow you. Where you are, the world is. Where you are not, there is the blankness of before creation.”
Sitting that night, with his back against the veranda, he thought of this speech of the afternoon. Formulated89 a bit self-consciously, it was nevertheless true. The landscape, no matter what it was, existed merely as a setting for her. Even in this jewelled wonder of moonlit sea and sky there was the gap of the central gem90.
He rolled and lit another cigarette—this time, surely, the very last. Why she took so long to disrobe, he never strove to conjecture91. Her exquisite feminine distance from him was a conception too tremulous to be gripped with a rough hand and brutally92 examined. That was the lure93 and the delight of her, mystical, paradoxical—he could define it only vaguely94 as the nearness of her set in a far-off mystery. At once she was concrete and strong as the sea, and as elusive95 as the Will-o’-the-Wisp of his dreams.
Thus the imaginative lover; the man who, by imagining fantasies to be real, had made them real; who, grasping realities, had woven round them the poet’s fantasy.
And meanwhile Olivia, secure in her happiness, kept him waiting and dreaming because she had made a romantic vow96 to record, before going to sleep, each day’s precious happenings in a diary which she kept under lock and key in her dressing-case. She wrote sitting up in bed, and now and then she sniffed97 and smiled as the soft air came through the open window laden98 with the perfume of the cigarette.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
promontory
|
|
| n.海角；岬 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
rib
|
|
| n.肋骨，肋状物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
wilderness
|
|
| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
taverns
|
|
| n.小旅馆，客栈，酒馆( tavern的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
lodgings
|
|
| n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
consort
|
|
| v.相伴；结交 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
quay
|
|
| n.码头，靠岸处 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
moored
|
|
| adj. 系泊的 动词moor的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
temperament
|
|
| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
thereby
|
|
| adv.因此，从而 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
spacious
|
|
| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
profane
|
|
| adj.亵神的，亵渎的；vt.亵渎，玷污 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
cove
|
|
| n.小海湾，小峡谷 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
veranda
|
|
| n.走廊；阳台 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
proprietor
|
|
| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
aglow
|
|
| adj.发亮的；发红的；adv.发亮地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
frankly
|
|
| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
enveloped
|
|
| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
velvet
|
|
| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
glimmered
|
|
| v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
foam
|
|
| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
drenched
|
|
| adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
exquisite
|
|
| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
languorous
|
|
| adj.怠惰的，没精打采的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
ripple
|
|
| n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
throb
|
|
| v.震颤，颤动；(急速强烈地)跳动，搏动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
rhythmic
|
|
| adj.有节奏的，有韵律的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
pulsation
|
|
| n.脉搏，悸动，脉动；搏动性 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
severance
|
|
| n.离职金；切断 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
amethyst
|
|
| n.紫水晶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
sage
|
|
| n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
conspiracy
|
|
| n.阴谋，密谋，共谋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
allude
|
|
| v.提及，暗指 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
galley
|
|
| n.（飞机或船上的）厨房单层甲板大帆船；军舰舰长用的大划艇； | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
convened
|
|
| 召开( convene的过去式 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
eel
|
|
| n.鳗鲡 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
landlady
|
|
| n.女房东，女地主 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
rippled
|
|
| 使泛起涟漪（ripple的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
forth
|
|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
landladies
|
|
| n.女房东，女店主，女地主( landlady的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
fervently
|
|
| adv.热烈地，热情地，强烈地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
rental
|
|
| n.租赁，出租，出租业 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
garnished
|
|
| v.给（上餐桌的食物）加装饰( garnish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
perfectly
|
|
| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
appraised
|
|
| v.估价( appraise的过去式和过去分词 )；估计；估量；评价 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
erect
|
|
| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
neatly
|
|
| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
distinguished
|
|
| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
drawn
|
|
| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
concession
|
|
| n.让步，妥协；特许(权) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
lithe
|
|
| adj.(指人、身体)柔软的，易弯的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
illuminating
|
|
| a.富于启发性的，有助阐明的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
armour
|
|
| （=armor）n.盔甲；装甲部队 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
crook
|
|
| v.使弯曲；n.小偷，骗子，贼；弯曲(处) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
moodily
|
|
| adv.喜怒无常地；情绪多变地；心情不稳地；易生气地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
fragrance
|
|
| n.芬芳，香味，香气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
configuration
|
|
| n.结构，布局，形态，(计算机)配置 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
gulls
|
|
| n.鸥( gull的名词复数 )v.欺骗某人( gull的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
sweeping
|
|
| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
swirling
|
|
| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
friendliness
|
|
| n.友谊，亲切，亲密 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
dwelling
|
|
| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
kit
|
|
| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
bunks
|
|
| n.（车、船等倚壁而设的）铺位( bunk的名词复数 )；空话，废话v.（车、船等倚壁而设的）铺位( bunk的第三人称单数 )；空话，废话 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
joyously
|
|
| ad.快乐地, 高兴地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
villa
|
|
| n.别墅，城郊小屋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
benign
|
|
| adj.善良的，慈祥的；良性的，无危险的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
croaked
|
|
| v.呱呱地叫( croak的过去式和过去分词 )；用粗的声音说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
exiguous
|
|
| adj.不足的，太少的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
domain
|
|
| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
furtive
|
|
| adj.鬼鬼崇崇的，偷偷摸摸的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
well-being
|
|
| n.安康，安乐，幸福 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
bass
|
|
| n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
trout
|
|
| n.鳟鱼；鲑鱼(属) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
beak
|
|
| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
usurped
|
|
| 篡夺，霸占( usurp的过去式和过去分词 )； 盗用； 篡夺，篡权 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
marvelled
|
|
| v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
supreme
|
|
| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
gamut
|
|
| n.全音阶，(一领域的)全部知识 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
malice
|
|
| n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
publicity
|
|
| n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
honeymoon
|
|
| n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
85
dressing
|
|
| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
86
dictate
|
|
| v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
87
reprobation
|
|
| n.斥责 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
88
comely
|
|
| adj.漂亮的，合宜的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
89
formulated
|
|
| v.构想出( formulate的过去式和过去分词 )；规划；确切地阐述；用公式表示 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
90
gem
|
|
| n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
91
conjecture
|
|
| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
92
brutally
|
|
| adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
93
lure
|
|
| n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
94
vaguely
|
|
| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
95
elusive
|
|
| adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
96
vow
|
|
| n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
97
sniffed
|
|
| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
98
laden
|
|
| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |