Suddenly a noise and a flurry arose in the grey light and its general repose5. Accents of terror and anxiety are heard, and a movement of pity and distress6 arises and grows in the establishment. A young girl is attacked by violent illness—a life in its spring-time is threatened with sudden extinction7; friends at hand are seeking remedies and bewailing the calamity—friends at a distance, all unconscious, are mentioned with subdued voices and averted8 eyes.
Mrs. Price was wiping her eyes and carrying up restoratives with her own hands. "'Twas Mistress Fiddy, whom she had known from a child; the niece of Master Rowland, who had always supported the house; and madam, her mother, away at the Vicarage, and the dear child, so good and quiet."
"I will come, my good Mrs. Price. My sister had these fainting fits; I'm used to them. I'll revive the child: the poor child, I am sure she'll not be offended at the liberty. Pooh! I can sit up as well as sleep after playing. Dear! dear! Many a night I was happy to sit up with Deb," pleaded an urgent, benevolent9 voice, waxing plaintive10 towards the conclusion of the speech.
"Indeed you are too gracious, my lady—I mean [Page 79]madam," protested the perplexed11, overwhelmed Mrs. Price; "but I dare not venture without Master Rowland's consent: he will do everything himself, issue his orders even, although Dr. Fulford's been upstairs lending his advice these ten minutes."
"A fudge for doctors when there's a helpful woman at hand, Mrs. Price? Convey my message to the squire12; inform him that I've had experience—mind, experience—and am a full-grown, reasonable woman, and not a fine lady. I know the poor little sister will be shaking like a leaf, and frightening the darling; and you are stiff in the joints13 yourself, Mrs. Price, and a little overcome. I'm just the person, so let me in!"
Master Rowland, without his coat (for though he had an orderly turn of his own, he was not a methodical enough man to travel with a gown and slippers14 in his valise), was labouring to recover his niece; Mistress Prissy, with her cloak huddled15 round her, was making magnanimous efforts to aid her uncle; while the poor little sufferer—guileless, affectionate Mistress Fiddy—lay pale, faint, and chill, with life flickering16 beneath her half-closed eyelids17 and in the gushes18 of her fitful breath. Master Rowland's trouble rendered him outwardly cold and hard, as it does some men; yet Mistress Fiddy's closing eyes turned trustfully to him, and her weak fingers clung tightly to his strong hand.
"No, no; the fewer onlookers20 the better. What would a stranger do here, Mrs. Price?" he inquired angrily, remembering, with a pang21, that certain new, unaccountable, engrossing22 emotions had quite banished23 Fiddy from his [Page 80]thoughts and notice, when he might have detected the signs of approaching illness, met them and vanquished24 them before their climax25.
"Bid him speak a word with me, Mrs. Price, a gentleman cannot refuse. I have reasons which will excuse my importunity," reiterated26 that sympathetic voice.
He walked out doggedly27, and never once lifted his eyes. "Madam, I am your servant; but we do not need your help: my niece would be scared by the presence of a stranger. Reserve your charity——" "for the poor" he was about to add; but she put her frank hand upon his arm, and said, "Your worship, I believe I could nurse the young lady better than anybody: I have seen my dear sister afflicted28, as I judge similarly. Do not stand on ceremony, sir, and deprive a poor girl of a benefit which Providence29 has sent her, if you would not regret it. I beg your pardon, but do let me succour her."
He looked up. There she stood in her white wrapping-gown and cap, ready prepared for her patient; so appropriate-looking in dress and face, with her broad forehead full of thought, and her cheek flushed with feeling; an able tender woman in her prime, endeavouring to do Christian30 offices, longing31 to pour balm into gaping32, smarting wounds, imploring33 to be allowed to fulfil her mission. He bowed, and stood aside; she curtsied, and passed in. He heard her voice the next moment, low, but perfectly34 audible, cheerful and pleasant, addressing Mistress Prissy. "My dear madam, your uncle has permitted me to count myself a mature friend, like madam your mother; and after this introduction you will excuse me for taking care of [Page 81]you. Doctor, what drops do you favour? You have them there; if you please, I'll offer them: I've administered them before." She spoke35 to the doctor very courteously36; perhaps remarking that he was young and somewhat agitated37. "Mayn't I chafe38 Mistress Fiddy's hands, doctor? You're better, my dear?"
Mistress Fiddy's head was on her arm; her eyes were raised to her nurse's face wonderingly but complacently39, and, though quite conscious, Mistress Fiddy involuntarily sighed out "mother." Very motherly was the elder woman's assurance: "Yes, my dear, I'll serve as madam your mother in her absence, till madam herself comes; and she'll laugh at our confusion and clumsiness, I warrant."
Mistress Fiddy smiled a little smile herself. Nature was reacting in its own redemption; the necessary stimulus40 was obtained, and the little lass was in a fair way of recovery.
But Mistress Betty did not leave off her cares; she elected herself mistress of the sick room—for she reigned41 there as everywhere else. She dismissed shivering, tearful, grateful Prissy with a hug, and a whispered promise that her dear sister Fiddy would be as lively as a grig in the morning; got rid of the doctor and Mrs. Price, and all but routed Master Rowland, succeeding in driving him as far as the next room.
How light her foot was—light as her fingers were nimble; how cleverly she shaded the sick girl from the light, without depriving her of air! How resigned Fiddy was to be consigned42 to her! how quickly and entirely43 the child had confided44 in her; she had hailed her as another mother! Mistress Betty was putting the chamber45 to [Page 82]rights, in defiance46 of all the chamber-maids of the "Bear;" she was concocting47 some refreshing48 drink, for which Mrs. Price had supplied the materials, over the fire, which she had ordered in case of mould and damp, even in the well-seasoned "Bear." Once she began to sing softly what might have been a cradle-song, but stopped short, as if fearing to disturb Fiddy, and composed herself to perfect stillness. Then Master Rowland heard Mistress Fiddy question Mistress Betty in her weak, timid voice, on Fiddy's own concerns. "You said you had seen these fits before, madam? May I be so bold as to ask, did the sufferer recover?"
There was a moment's silence. "It was my sister, Fiddy: she was much older than I. She had a complication of diseases, besides being liable to swoons all her life. My dear, she died, as we must all die when our time comes; and may we all be as well prepared as was Deb! In the meantime we are in God's hands. I have been taken with fainting fits myself, Fiddy, ere now. I think they are in my constitution, but they are not called out yet, and I believe they will be kept under; as, I fully19 trust, country air, and exercise, and early hours, will conquer yours."
"And you will take great care of yourself, and go into the country sometimes, dear Mistress Betty," pleaded the girl fondly, forgetting herself.
Mistress Betty laughed, and turned the conversation, and finally read her patient to sleep with the Morning Lesson, given softly and reverently50, as good Bishop51 Ken49 himself might have done it.
[Page 83]The poor squire was a discomfited52, disordered Sir Roger. He could not cope with this fine woman; and then it came home to him imperatively53 that he was precisely54 in that haggard, unbecoming state of looks and costume significantly expressed in those days by the powder being out of a man's hair and his frills rumpled55. So he absented himself for an hour, and returned freshened by a plunge56 in the river and a puff57 in his wig58. But, alas59! he found that Mistress Betty, without quitting Mistress Fiddy's bedchamber, and by the mere60 sleight61 of hand of tying on a worked apron62 with vine clusters and leaves and tendrils all in purple and green floss silks, pinning a pink bow under her mob-cap, and sticking in her bosom63 a bunch of dewy ponceau polyanthuses, had beat him most completely.
Mistress Fiddy was, as Mistress Betty had predicted, so far re-established that she could breakfast with the party and talk of riding home later in the day; though wan64 yet, like one of those roses with a faint colour and a fleeting65 odour in their earliest bud. And Mistress Betty breakfasted with the Parnells, and was such company as the little girls had never encountered before; nor, for that matter, their uncle before them, though he kept his discovery a profound secret. It was not so pleasant in one sense, and yet in another it made him feel like a king.
This was Mistress Betty's last day in Bath, and she was to travel up to Town in the train of my Lord and Lady Salop, by easy stages and long halts; otherwise she must have hired servants, or carried pistols, and been prepared to use them, in the mail. Fortunately the Salops' chariots and gigs did not start till the afternoon, so that Mistress [Page 84]Betty had the morning to spend with her new friends, and she was delighted to bestow66 it on them; though my Lord and Lady and their satellites were perpetually sending lacqueys with compliments, conveniences, and little offerings to court Mistress Betty,—the star in the plenitude of her lustre67, who might emulate68 Polly Peacham, and be led to the altar by another enslaved Duke of Bolton.
How pleasant Mistress Betty was with the girls! Upon the whole, she slighted "the Justice," as she had dubbed69 him. She saw with her quick eyes that he was something superior; but then she saw many men quite as well-looking, well-endowed, well-mannered, and with as fair intellects, and more highly cultivated than he.
But she did not often find a pair of unsophisticated little girls won to her by her frankness and kindness, and dazzled by her goodness and greatness. How she awoke Fiddy's laugh with the Chit-Chat Club and the Silence Stakes. What harmless, diverting stories she told them of high life—how she had danced at Ranelagh, sailed upon the Thames, eaten her bun at Chelsea, mounted one of the eight hundred favours which cost a guinea a piece when Lady Die became a countess, and called upon Lady Petersham, in her deepest mourning, when she sat in her state-bed enveloped70 in crape, with her children and grandchildren in a row at her feet! And then she told that she was born in a farmhouse71 like that on the hill, and would like to know if they roasted groats and played at shovelboard there still; and ended by showing them her little silver tankard, which her godfather the jolly miller72 had given her, and out of which her elder sister, who had never taken [Page 85]kindly to tea, had drunk her ale and her aniseed water. And Fiddy and Prissy had each a draught73 of milk out of it, to boast of for the rest of their lives, as if they had sipped74 caudle out of the caudle-cup at a royal heir's christening.
Mistress Betty made the girls talk, too,—of their garden, the old parish clerk, the housekeeper75 at Larks76' Hall, granny, madam, the vicar, and, to his face, of Uncle Rowland, his horses and colts, his cows and calves77, his pictures and cabinets. They spoke also of Foxholes78, of Letty and Grizel, of Sedley and Bearwood, and Dick Ashbridge—at whose name Prissy laughed saucily79, and Fiddy bit her lips and frowned as fiercely as she was able. With what penetration80 Mistress Betty read their connections, and how blithely81 and tenderly she commented upon them!
Mistress Betty promised to send her young friends sets of silk for their embroidery82 (and kept her word); she presented Prissy with her enamel83 snuff-box, bearing an exact representation of that ugly building of St. James's; and Fiddy with her "equipage"—scissors, tablets, and all, chased and wreathed with tiny pastorals, shepherds reclining and piping on sylvan84 banks, and shepherds and shepherdesses dancing on velvet85 lawns.
Mistress Betty kissed the girls at parting, and wished them health, peace, and good husbands; she held out her hand to Master Rowland, who took it with a crimson86 cheek, and raised it to his lips: pshaw! she never once looked at him.
The poor bachelor squire drove off, but for his manhood, groaning87 inwardly. Lady Betty had acted, and caught not [Page 86]only her share of Master Rowland's ticket, to which she was fairly entitled, but the cream of his fancy and the core of his heart; with which she had no manner of business, any more than with the State Papers and the Coronation-jewels.
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1
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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2
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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3
trotted
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| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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4
fervent
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| adj.热的，热烈的，热情的 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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extinction
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| n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种 | |
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averted
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| 防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移 | |
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9
benevolent
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| adj.仁慈的，乐善好施的 | |
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10
plaintive
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| adj.可怜的，伤心的 | |
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perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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squire
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| n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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13
joints
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| 接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语） | |
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14
slippers
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| n. 拖鞋 | |
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huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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eyelids
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| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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18
gushes
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| n.涌出，迸发( gush的名词复数 )v.喷，涌( gush的第三人称单数 )；滔滔不绝地说话 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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onlookers
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| n.旁观者，观看者( onlooker的名词复数 ) | |
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21
pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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22
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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23
banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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24
vanquished
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| v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制 | |
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25
climax
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| n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点 | |
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26
reiterated
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| 反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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doggedly
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| adv.顽强地，固执地 | |
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afflicted
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| 使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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29
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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30
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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32
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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33
imploring
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| 恳求的，哀求的 | |
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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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35
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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36
courteously
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| adv.有礼貌地，亲切地 | |
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37
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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38
chafe
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| v.擦伤；冲洗；惹怒 | |
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39
complacently
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| adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地 | |
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40
stimulus
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| n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物 | |
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41
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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42
consigned
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| v.把…置于（令人不快的境地）( consign的过去式和过去分词 )；把…托付给；把…托人代售；丟弃 | |
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43
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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44
confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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45
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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46
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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47
concocting
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| v.将（尤指通常不相配合的）成分混合成某物( concoct的现在分词 )；调制；编造；捏造 | |
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48
refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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49
ken
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| n.视野，知识领域 | |
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50
reverently
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| adv.虔诚地 | |
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51
bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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52
discomfited
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| v.使为难( discomfit的过去式和过去分词)；使狼狈；使挫折；挫败 | |
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53
imperatively
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| adv.命令式地 | |
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54
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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55
rumpled
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| v.弄皱，使凌乱( rumple的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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56
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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57
puff
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| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
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58
wig
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| n.假发 | |
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59
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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60
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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61
sleight
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| n.技巧，花招 | |
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62
apron
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| n.围裙；工作裙 | |
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63
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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64
wan
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| (wide area network)广域网 | |
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65
fleeting
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| adj.短暂的，飞逝的 | |
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66
bestow
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| v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费 | |
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67
lustre
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| n.光亮，光泽；荣誉 | |
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68
emulate
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| v.努力赶上或超越，与…竞争；效仿 | |
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69
dubbed
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| v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制 | |
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70
enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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71
farmhouse
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| n.农场住宅（尤指主要住房） | |
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72
miller
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| n.磨坊主 | |
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73
draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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74
sipped
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| v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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75
housekeeper
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| n.管理家务的主妇，女管家 | |
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76
larks
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| n.百灵科鸟（尤指云雀）( lark的名词复数 )；一大早就起床；鸡鸣即起；（因太费力而不想干时说）算了v.百灵科鸟（尤指云雀）( lark的第三人称单数 )；一大早就起床；鸡鸣即起；（因太费力而不想干时说）算了 | |
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77
calves
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| n.(calf的复数)笨拙的男子，腓；腿肚子( calf的名词复数 )；牛犊；腓；小腿肚v.生小牛( calve的第三人称单数 )；（冰川）崩解；生（小牛等），产（犊）；使（冰川）崩解 | |
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78
foxholes
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| n.散兵坑( foxhole的名词复数 ) | |
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79
saucily
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| adv.傲慢地，莽撞地 | |
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80
penetration
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| n.穿透，穿人，渗透 | |
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81
blithely
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| adv.欢乐地，快活地，无挂虑地 | |
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82
embroidery
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| n.绣花，刺绣；绣制品 | |
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83
enamel
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| n.珐琅，搪瓷，瓷釉；(牙齿的)珐琅质 | |
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84
sylvan
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| adj.森林的 | |
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85
velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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86
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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87
groaning
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| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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