Dinner at St. Benet's was at half-past six, and Prissie reflected with a great sensation of thankfulness that Rosalind and she must go back in good time for this meal, as it was one of the rules of the college that no girl should absent herself from late dinner without getting permission from the principal.
Prissie looked in agony at the clock which stood on a mantel-piece not far from where she had ensconced herself. Presently it struck five; no one heard its silver note in the babel of sound, but Priscilla watched its slowly moving hands in an agony.
Rose must come to fetch her presently. Prissie knew— she reflected to her horror that she had not the moral courage to walk about those drawing-rooms hunting for Rose.
Two or three exquisitely1 dressed but frivolous-looking women stood in a group not far from the window where Priscilla sat forlorn. They talked about the cut of their mantles2 and the price they had given for their new winter bonnets3. Their shrill4 laughter reached Prissie's ears, also their words. They complimented one another, but talked scandal of their neighbors. They called somebody— who Prissie could not imagine—" a certain lady," and spoke5 of how she was angling to get a footing in society, and how the good set at Kingsdene would certainly never have anything to do with her or hers.
"She's taking up those wretched girl graduates," said one of these gossips to her neighbor. Then her eye fell upon Prissie. She said "Hush6!" in an audible tone, and the little party moved away out of earshot.
The minute hand of the clock on the mantel-piece pointed7 to nearly half-past five. Poor Prissie felt her miseries8 grow almost intolerable. Tears of mortification9 and anguish10 were forcing themselves to her eyes. She felt that, in addition to having lost so many hours of study, she would get into a serious scrape at St. Benet's for breaking one of the known rules of the college.
At this moment a quiet voice said, "How do you do?"
She raised her tearful eyes. Geoffrey Hammond was standing11 by her side. He gave her a kind glance, shook hands with her and stood by her window uttering commonplaces until Priscilla had recovered her self-possession. Then, dropping into a chair near, he said abruptly12:
"I saw you from the other end of the room. I was surprised. I did not suppose you knew our hostess."
"Nor do I really," said Priscilla with sudden vehemence13. "Oh, it's a shame!" she added, her face reddening up woefully; "I have been entrapped14!"
"You must not let the people who are near us hear you say words of that kind," said Hammond; "they will crowd around to hear your story. Now, I want it all to myself. Do you think you can tell it to me in a low voice?"
To poor Hammond's horror Prissie began to whisper.
"I beg your pardon," he said, interrupting her, "but do you know that the buzzing noise caused by a whisper carries sound a long way? That is a well authenticated15 fact. Now, if you will try to speak low."
"Oh, thank you; yes, I will," said Prissie. She began a garbled16 account. Hammond looked at her face and guessed the truth. The miseries of her present position were depriving the poor girl of the full use of her intellect. At last he ascertained17 that Priscilla's all-absorbing present anxiety was to be in time for the half-past six dinner at St. Benet's.
"I know we'll be late," she said, "and I'll have broken the rules, and Miss Heath will be so much annoyed with me."
Hammond volunteered to look for Miss Merton.
"Oh, thank you," said Prissie, the tears springing to her eyes. "How very, very kind you are."
"Please don't speak of it," said Hammond. "Stay where you are. I'll soon bring the young truant18 to your side."
He began to move about the drawing-rooms, and Prissie from her hiding-place watched him with a world of gratitude19 in her face. "Talk of my stirring from this corner," she said to herself, "why, I feel glued to the spot! Oh, my awful muddy boots. I daren't even think of them. Now I do hope Mr. Hammond will find Miss Merton quickly. How kind he is! I wonder Maggie does not care for him as much as he cares for her. I do not feel half as shy with him as I do with every one else in this dreadful— dreadful room. Oh, I do trust he'll soon come back and bring Miss Merton with him. Then, if we run all the way, we may, perhaps, be in time for dinner."
Hammond was absent about ten minutes; they seemed like so many hours to anxious Prissie. To her horror she saw him returning alone, and now she so far forgot her muddy boots as to run two or three steps to meet him. She knocked over a footstool as she did so, and one or two people looked round and shrugged20 their shoulders at the poor gauche21 girl.
"Where is she?" exclaimed Prissie, again speaking in a loud voice. "Oh, haven't you brought her? What shall I do?"
"It's all right, I assure you, Miss Peel. Let me conduct you back to that snug22 seat in the window. I have seen Miss Merton, and she says you are to make yourself happy. She asked Miss Heath's permission for you both to be absent from dinner to-day."
"She did? I never heard of anything so outrageous23. I won't stay. I shall go away at once."
"Had you not better just think calmly over it? If you return to St. Benet's without Miss Merton, you will get her into a scrape."
"Do you think I care for that? Oh, she has behaved disgracefully! She has told Miss Heath a lie. I shall explain matters the very moment I go back."
Priscilla was not often in a passion, but she felt in one now. She lost her shyness and her voice rose without constraint24.
"I am not supposed to know the ways of society," she said, "but I don't think I want to know much about this sort of society." And she got up, prepared to leave the room.
The ladies, who had been gossiping at her side, turned at the sound of her agitation25. They saw a plain, badly dressed girl, with a frock conveniently short for the muddy streets, but by no means in tone with her present elegant surroundings, standing up and contradicting, or at least appearing to contradict, Geoffrey Hammond, one of the best known men at St. Hilda's, a Senior Wrangler26, too. What did this gauche girl mean? Most people were deferential27 to Hammond, but she seemed to be scolding him.
Prissie for the time being became more interesting even than the winter fashions. The ladies drew a step or two nearer to enjoy the little comedy.
Priscilla noticed no one, but Hammond felt these good ladies in the air. His cheeks burned and he wished himself well out of his present position.
"If you will sit down, Miss Peel," he said in a low, firm voice, "I think I can give you good reasons for not rushing away in this headlong fashion."
"Well, what are they?" said Prissie. Hammond's voice had a sufficiently28 compelling power to make her sit down once more on her window-ledge.
"Don't you think," he said, seating himself in front of her, "that we may as well keep this discussion to ourselves?"
"Oh, yes; was I speaking too loud? I wouldn't vex29 you for anything."
"Pardon me; you are still speaking a little loud."
"Oh!" Poor Prissie fell back, her face crimson30. "Please say anything you wish," she presently piped in a voice as low as a little mouse might have used.
"What I have to say is simply this," said Hammond: "You will gain nothing now by rushing off to St. Benet's. However hard you struggle, you cannot get there in time for dinner. Would it not be best, then, to remain here quietly until Miss Merton asks you to accompany her back to the college? Then, of course, it will remain with you to pay her out in any way you think well."
"Thank you; perhaps that is best. It is quite hopeless now to think of getting back in time for dinner. I only hope Miss Merton won't keep me waiting very long, for it is very, very dull sitting here and seeing people staring at you."
"I would not look at them if I were you, Miss Peel; and, if you will permit me, I shall be only too pleased to keep you company."
"Oh, thank you," said Prissie. "Then I sha'n't mind staying at all."
The next half-hour seemed to pass on the wings of the wind.
Priscilla was engaged in an animated31 discussion with Hammond on the relative attractions of the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey32;" her opinion differed from his, and she was well able to hold her ground. Her face was now both eloquent33 and attractive, her eyes were bright, her words terse34 and epigrammatic. She looked so different a girl from the cowed and miserable35 little Prissie of an hour ago that Rosalind Merton as she came up and tapped her on the shoulder, felt a pang36 of envy.
"I am sorry to interrupt you," she said, "but it is time for us to be going home. Have you given Mr. Hammond his message?"
"What do you mean?" asked Priscilla. "I have not any message for Mr. Hammond."
"You must have forgotten. Did not Miss Oliphant give you a letter for him?"
"Certainly not. What do you mean?"
"I felt sure I saw her," said Rosalind. "I suppose I was mistaken. Well, sorry as I am to interrupt a pleasant talk, I fear I must ask you to come home with me now."
She raised her pretty baby eyes to Hammond's face as she spoke. He absolutely scowled37 down at her, shook hands warmly with Priscilla and turned away.
"Come and bid Mrs. Elliot-Smith good-by," said Rosalind, her eyes still dancing. "She is at the other end of the drawing-room; come, you can follow me."
"How disgracefully you have behaved, Miss Merton!" began Priscilla at once. "You cannot expect me ever to speak to you again, and I shall certainly tell Miss Heath."
They were walking across the crowded drawing-room now. Rosalind turned and let her laughing eyes look full at Prissie.
"My dear Miss Peel, pray reserve any little scolding you intend to bestow38 upon me until we get out into the street, and please do not tread upon my dress!"
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收听单词发音
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1
exquisitely
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| adv.精致地；强烈地；剧烈地；异常地 | |
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2
mantles
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| vt.&vi.覆盖（mantle的第三人称单数形式） | |
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bonnets
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| n.童帽( bonnet的名词复数 )；（烟囱等的）覆盖物；（苏格兰男子的）无边呢帽；（女子戴的）任何一种帽子 | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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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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6
hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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7
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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miseries
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| n.痛苦( misery的名词复数 )；痛苦的事；穷困；常发牢骚的人 | |
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mortification
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| n.耻辱，屈辱 | |
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anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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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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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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13
vehemence
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| n.热切；激烈；愤怒 | |
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entrapped
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| v.使陷入圈套，使入陷阱( entrap的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15
authenticated
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| v.证明是真实的、可靠的或有效的( authenticate的过去式和过去分词 )；鉴定，使生效 | |
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16
garbled
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| adj.（指信息）混乱的，引起误解的v.对（事实）歪曲，对（文章等）断章取义，窜改( garble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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17
ascertained
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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truant
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| n.懒惰鬼，旷课者；adj.偷懒的，旷课的，游荡的；v.偷懒，旷课 | |
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gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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gauche
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| adj.笨拙的，粗鲁的 | |
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snug
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| adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房 | |
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outrageous
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| adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的 | |
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constraint
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| n.(on)约束，限制；限制(或约束)性的事物 | |
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25
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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wrangler
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| n.口角者，争论者；牧马者 | |
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27
deferential
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| adj. 敬意的，恭敬的 | |
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28
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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29
vex
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| vt.使烦恼，使苦恼 | |
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crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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31
animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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32
odyssey
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| n.长途冒险旅行；一连串的冒险 | |
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eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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terse
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| adj.(说话，文笔)精炼的，简明的 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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37
scowled
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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bestow
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| v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费 | |
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