When the Lady Caroline retired16 to her own rooms after the dinner-party at which Walter Joyce had learned the news from Woolgreaves, she was no more inclined than usual to try the efficacy of a "beauty" sleep; but she was much less inclined to grumble17 at the dulness of Westhope, to wish the countess could contrive18 to have another woman or two whom she might talk to of an evening, and who would not want such a lot of sleep to be resorted to so absurdly early, and to scold her maid, than usual. The maid perceived the felicitous19 alteration20 in her ladyship's mood immediately. It made an important difference to her. Lady Caroline allowed her to remove all her ornaments21 and to brush her hair without finding fault with her, and surprised the patient Abigail, who must have had it "made very well worth her while" to endure the fatigues22 of her office, by telling her she should not require her any longer, and that she was sure she must be tired. Left to herself, the Lady Caroline did not feel so impatient of her solitude as usual, but fell into a reverie which occupied her mind completely. We have seen this nobly born, and in some respects (chiefly external) highly gifted, woman as she appeared among her brother's guests. While she sat by the fire in her dressing-room--with which she never dispensed23, at any season, in "the odious24 English climate," as she was wont25 to call it--l-et us look into her life and see her as she really was.
Lady Caroline Mansergh had married, or rather, her mother had married her to, a gentleman of considerable importance, wealth, and more than mature years, when she was just seventeen. Very fair and very sweet seventeen, whom it had been somewhat difficult to convince of the delights and advantages of being "an old man's darling." But Lady Hetherington had not accustomed her children to gentle or affectionate treatment, or to having their inclinations26 consulted in any way. She no more recognised Lady Caroline's right to choose her own husband than she would have consulted her taste in her babyhood about her own sashes; and the girl's feeble attempt at remonstrance27 in opposition28 to the solid advantages of the proposals made by Mr. Mansergh did not produce the least effect at the time. Her ladyship carried her point triumphantly29, and the girl found her fate more endurable, on the whole, than she had expected. But she never forgave her mother, and that was rather odd, though not, when looked into, very unreasonable30; Mr. Mansergh never forgave her either. The countess had accomplished31 his wishes for him, the countess had bestowed32 upon him the wife he coveted33, but she had deceived him, and when he won his wife's confidence he found her mother out. He had not been se foolish as to think the girl loved him, but he had believed she was willing to become his wife--he had never had a suspicion of the domestic scenes which had preceded that pretty tableau34 vivant at St. George's, Hanover Square, in which every emotion proper to the occasion had been represented to perfection. Fortunately for Lady Caroline, her elderly husband was a perfect gentleman, and treated her with indulgence, consideration, and respect, which appealed successfully to her feelings, and were rewarded by a degree of confidence on her part, which insured her safety and his peace in the hazardous35 experiment of their unequal marriage. She told him frankly36 all about herself, her tastes, her feelings--the estrangement37, almost amounting to dislike, which existed between herself and her mother--the attempt she had made to avoid her marriage; in short, the whole story of her brief life, in which there had been much to deplore38. Mr. Mansergh possessed much firmness of character and good sense, which, though it had not preserved him from the folly39 of marrying a girl young enough to be his daughter, came to his aid in making the best (and that much better than could have been expected) of the perilous40 position. Lady Caroline did not, indeed, learn to love her husband in the sense in which alone any woman can be justified41 in becoming the wife of any man, but she liked him better than she liked any one in the world, and she regarded him with real and active respect, a sentiment which she had never entertained previously42 for any one. Thus it fell out--contrary to the expectations of "society," which would have acted in the aggregate43 precisely44 as Lady Hetherington had done, but which would also have congratulated itself on its discernment, and exulted45 hugely had the matrimonial speculation46 turned out a failure--that Lady Caroline Mansergh was happy and respectable. She never gave cause for the smallest scandal; she was constantly with her husband, and was so naturally unaffectedly cheerful and content in his company, that not the most censorious observer could discover that he was used as a shield or a pretence47. There was a perfectly good understanding between Mr. Mansergh and his young wife on all points; but if there was more complete accord on one in particular than on others, it was in keeping the countess at a distance. The manoeuvring mother profited little by the success of her scheme. To be sure she got rid of her daughter at the comparatively trifling48 expense of a splendid trousseau,and the unconsidered risk of the welfare and the reputation of the daughter in question, and she had the advantage over the majority of her friends of having married her advantageously in her first season. But the profit of the transaction terminated there. In her daughter's house Lady Hetherington remained on the same ceremonious footing as any other visiting acquaintance, and every attempt she made either to interfere49 or advise was met by a polite and resolute50 coldness, against the silent obstinacy51 of which she would have striven unsuccessfully had she not been much too wise to strive at all. If the barrier had been reared by Lady Caroline's hands alone, though they were no longer feeble, the countess would have flung it down by the force of her imperious will; but when she found that her daughter had her husband's opinion and authority to back her, Lady Hetherington executed the strategic movement of retreat with celerity and discretion52, and would never have been suspected of discomfiture53 had she not spoken of her daughter henceforth with suspicious effusion. Then "society" smiled, and knew all about it, and felt that Mr. Mansergh had been foolish indeed, but not immoderately, not unpardonably so. Lady Caroline was very popular and very much admired, and had her only friend's life been prolonged for a few years, until she had passed the dangerous period of youth, she might have been as worthy54 of esteem55 and affection as she was calculated to inspire admiration56. But Mr. Mansergh died before his wife was twenty-three years old, and left her with a large fortune, brilliant beauty, and just sufficient knowledge of the world to enable her to detect and despise its most salient snares57, but with a mind still but half educated, desultory58 habits, and a wholly unoccupied heart. Her grief for her husband's loss, if not poignant59 and torturing, was at least sincere, deep, and well founded. When he died, she had said to herself that she should never again have so true, so wise, and so constant a friend, and she was right. Life had many pleasant and some good things in store for Lady Caroline Mansergh, but such a love as that with which her husband had loved her was not among them. She acknowledged this always; the impression did not fade away with the first vehemence60 of grief--it lasted, and was destined61 to deepen. She strayed into a bad "set" before long, and to her youth and impulsiveness62, with her tendency to ennui,and her sad freedom from all ties of attachment63, the step from feeling that no one was so good as her husband had been, to believing that no one else was good at all, was very easy. And so Lady Caroline acquired a dangerous and demoralising trick of contempt for her fellows, which she hid under a mask of light and careless good-nature indeed, and which was seriously offensive to no one, but which condemned64 her, nevertheless, to much interior solitude and dreariness65. That she was not of the world she lived in, was due less to any elevation66 of sentiment than to a capricious and disdainful humour, which caused her to grow bored very readily, and to dismiss her associates from her thoughts after a brief scrutiny67, in which their follies68 and foibles came into strong light, and the qualities which would have required time and patience to find out remained undiscovered.
It had occurred to Lady Caroline Mansergh, on several occasions of late, to wonder whether she was destined ever to experience the passion called love. She had not remained ignorant of the science of flirtation69 up to her present time of life, but she had not been beguiled70, ever so briefly71, into mistaking any of her flirtations for love. So she was accustomed to wonder wearily, when in an unusually desultory mood, whether she should ever feel that there existed in the world a human being for whom she should be willing to suffer, with whom life would be happy, without whom it would be intolerable, and whose welfare she could deliberately72 and practically prefer to her own. Of late she had begun to think that Fate was against her in this particular. The idea of the possibility of feeling love for one of the men whom she was in the habit of meeting was quite preposterous73; she did not hold her favourite followers74 half so dear as Hassan, her black barb75, or like them half so well as Gelert, her greyhound. Her life would doubtless continue to be the bright, fashionable, flimsy, careless, rather ennuyé existence it had hitherto been, and she should never know anything of the power, the pain, the engrossing76 influence of love. So much the better, she would think, in her more hopeful moods; it must be a narrowing kind of influence, bounding all one's horizon within such small limits, shutting up one's mortal vista77 with one figure.
When the Lady Caroline dismissed her maid, and resigned herself to reverie, on this night, it was not, after her accustomed fashion, to dwell in her thoughts on the dulness, staleness, flatness, and unprofitableness of the world in general, and the section of it in which she lived in particular. She had quite a distinct subject for thought, she had a figure and a face in her fancy, a voice in her memory which filled them wholly. What if she had been wrong, if not only love were coming to her, to fill her life with delight, and turn its weariness with purpose and meaning, but love at first sight? A ridiculous notion, entertained by school-girls, housemaids, novelists, and poets, but scouted78 by all reasonable people of the world, and in "society." She knew this, but she did not care; there was a strange delicious thrill about her heart; and in the swift flight of her thoughts she swept the beams of happy possibilities, and felt that she could, and would, and did despise society and its notions on this point.
What did she know about Walter Joyce? Absolutely nothing, but that he was young, handsome, brightly intelligent, presumably poor, and socially insignificant79, or he would not be her silly brother's secretary. Her attention had been directed to him at first, because she felt a compassionate80 curiosity about the person whom circumstances had oppressed so cruelly as to oblige him to purvey82 ideas, and language in which to express them, for Lord Hetherington. Curiosity and compassion81 had been replaced, within a few minutes, by admiration, which the difference between the manners and bearing of Walter, and those of the men with whom she was accustomed to associate, rather tended to increase. There was no awkwardness about Walter, but neither was there the slightest pretence. He was at ease in the unaccustomed company he found himself among, but he did not affect to be other than an observant stranger in it.
"He has an intellect and a heart," said Lady Caroline half aloud, as she rose from her seat by the fireside, and brought her reverie to a conclusion, "and why should I care for the world's opinion? It could not make me happy, if I conciliated it; but I think he could, if I defied it for his sake."
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1
temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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accomplishments
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| n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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boredom
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| n.厌烦，厌倦，乏味，无聊 | |
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coterie
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| n.(有共同兴趣的)小团体，小圈子 | |
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abhorrence
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| n.憎恶；可憎恶的事 | |
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appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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tact
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| n.机敏，圆滑，得体 | |
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supercilious
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| adj.目中无人的，高傲的；adv.高傲地；n.高傲 | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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tepid
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| adj.微温的，温热的，不太热心的 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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grumble
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| vi.抱怨；咕哝；n.抱怨，牢骚；咕哝，隆隆声 | |
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contrive
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| vt.谋划，策划；设法做到；设计，想出 | |
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felicitous
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| adj.恰当的，巧妙的；n.恰当，贴切 | |
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alteration
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| n.变更，改变；蚀变 | |
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ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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22
fatigues
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| n.疲劳( fatigue的名词复数 )；杂役；厌倦；（士兵穿的）工作服 | |
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23
dispensed
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| v.分配( dispense的过去式和过去分词 )；施与；配（药） | |
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odious
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| adj.可憎的，讨厌的 | |
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wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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inclinations
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| 倾向( inclination的名词复数 )； 倾斜； 爱好； 斜坡 | |
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remonstrance
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| n抗议，抱怨 | |
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opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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unreasonable
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| adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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32
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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coveted
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| adj.令人垂涎的；垂涎的，梦寐以求的v.贪求，觊觎(covet的过去分词)；垂涎；贪图 | |
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tableau
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| n.画面，活人画（舞台上活人扮的静态画面） | |
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hazardous
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| adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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estrangement
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| n.疏远，失和，不和 | |
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deplore
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| vt.哀叹，对...深感遗憾 | |
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folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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41
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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42
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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43
aggregate
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| adj.总计的，集合的；n.总数；v.合计；集合 | |
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precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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45
exulted
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| 狂喜，欢跃( exult的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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47
pretence
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| n.假装，作假；借口，口实；虚伪；虚饰 | |
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48
trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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49
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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50
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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51
obstinacy
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| n.顽固；（病痛等）难治 | |
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52
discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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53
discomfiture
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| n.崩溃；大败；挫败；困惑 | |
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54
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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55
esteem
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| n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作 | |
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56
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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57
snares
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| n.陷阱( snare的名词复数 )；圈套；诱人遭受失败（丢脸、损失等）的东西；诱惑物v.用罗网捕捉，诱陷，陷害( snare的第三人称单数 ) | |
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58
desultory
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| adj.散漫的，无方法的 | |
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poignant
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| adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的 | |
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vehemence
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| n.热切；激烈；愤怒 | |
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61
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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impulsiveness
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| n.冲动 | |
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attachment
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| n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附 | |
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64
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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65
dreariness
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| 沉寂，可怕，凄凉 | |
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66
elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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scrutiny
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| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
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follies
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| 罪恶，时事讽刺剧； 愚蠢，蠢笨，愚蠢的行为、思想或做法( folly的名词复数 ) | |
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flirtation
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| n.调情，调戏，挑逗 | |
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70
beguiled
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| v.欺骗( beguile的过去式和过去分词 )；使陶醉；使高兴；消磨（时间等） | |
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71
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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72
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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preposterous
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| adj.荒谬的，可笑的 | |
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followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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barb
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| n.（鱼钩等的）倒钩，倒刺 | |
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engrossing
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| adj.使人全神贯注的，引人入胜的v.使全神贯注( engross的现在分词 ) | |
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77
vista
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| n.远景，深景，展望，回想 | |
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78
scouted
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| 寻找，侦察( scout的过去式和过去分词 )； 物色（优秀运动员、演员、音乐家等） | |
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insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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80
compassionate
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| adj.有同情心的，表示同情的 | |
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81
compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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82
purvey
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| v.（大量）供给，供应 | |
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