Maggie felt sore; she scarcely knew why. Her voice was bright, her eyes shining, her cheeks radiant in their rich and lovely bloom. But there was a quality in her voice which Hammond recognized— a certain ring which meant defiance3 and which prophesied4 to those who knew her well that one of her bad half-hours was not very far off.
Maggie seated herself near a girl who was a comparative stranger and began to talk. Hammond drew near and made a third in the conversation. Maggie talked in the brilliant, somewhat reckless fashion which she occasionally adopted. Hammond listened, now and then uttered a short sentence, now and then was silent, with disapproval5 in his eyes.
Maggie read their expression like a book.
"He shall be angry with me," she said to herself. Her words became a little wilder. The sentiments she uttered were the reverse of those Hammond held.
Soon a few old friends came up. They were jolly, merry, good-humored girls, who were all prepared to look up to Maggie Oliphant and to worship her beauty and cleverness if she would allow them. Maggie welcomed the girls with effusion, let them metaphorically6 sit at her feet and proceeded to disenchant them as hard as she could.
Some garbled8 accounts of the auction9 at St. Benet's had reached them, and they were anxious to get a full report from Miss Oliphant. Did she not think it a scandalous sort of thing to have occurred?
"Not at all," answered Maggie in her sweetest tones; "it was capital fun, I assure you."
"Were you really there?" asked Miss Duncan, the eldest10 of the girls. "We heard it, of course, bur could scarcely believe it possible."
"Of course I was there," replied Maggie. "Whenever there is something really amusing going on, I am always in the thick of it."
"Well!" Emily Duncan looked at her sister Susan. Susan raised her brows. Hammond took a photograph from a table which stood near and pretended to examine it.
"Shall I tell you about the auction?" asked Maggie.
"Oh, please, if you would be so kind. I suppose, as you were present, such a thing could not really lower the standard of the college?" These words came from Susan Duncan, who looked at Hammond as she spoke11. She was his cousin and very fond of him.
"Please tell us about the auction," he said, looking full at Maggie.
"I will," she replied, answering his gaze with a flash of repressed irritation12. "The auction was splendid fun! One of our girls was in debt, and she had to sell her things. Oh, it was capital! I wish you could have seen her acting13 as her own auctioneer. Some of us were greedy and wanted her best things. I was one of those. She sold a sealskin jacket, an expensive one, quite new. There is a legend in the college that eighty guineas were expended14 on it. Well, I bid for the sealskin and it was knocked down to me for ten. It is a little too big for me, of course, but when it is cut to my figure, it will make a superb winter garment."
Maggie was clothed now in velvet15 and sable16; nothing could be richer than her attire17; nothing more mocking than her words.
"You were fortunate," said Susan Duncan. "You got your sealskin at a great bargain. Didn't she, Geoffrey?"
"I don't think so," replied Hammond.
"Why not? Oh, do tell us why not," cried the sisters eagerly.
He bowed to them, laughed as lightly as Maggie would have done and said in a careless tone: "My reasons are complex and too many to mention. I will only say now that what is objectionable to possess can never be a bargain to obtain. In my opinion, sealskin jackets are detestable."
With these words he strode across the room and seated himself with a sigh of relief by Priscilla's side.
"What are you doing all by yourself?" he said cheerfully. "Is no one attending to you? Are you always to be left like a poor little forsaken18 mouse in the background?"
"I am not at all lonely," said Prissie.
"I thought you hated to be alone."
"I did, the other day, in that drawing-room; but not in this. People are all kind in this."
"You are right. Our hostess is most genial19 and sympathetic."
"And the guests are nice, too," said Prissie; "at least, they look nice."
"Ay, but you must not be taken in by appearances. Some of them only look nice."
"Do you mean—" began Prissie in her abrupt20, anxious voice.
Hammond took alarm. He remembered her peculiar21 outspokenness22.
"I don't mean anything," he said hastily. "By the way, are you fond of pictures?"
"I have scarcely ever seen any."
"That does not matter. I know by your face that you can appreciate some pictures."
"But, really, I know nothing of art."
"Never mind. If the painter who paints knows you——"
"The painter knows me? I have never seen an artist in my life."
"Nevertheless, there are some artists in the world who have conceived of characters like yours. There are some good pictures in this house. Shall I show you one or two?"
Prissie sprang to her feet.
"You are most kind," she said elusively23. "I really don't know how to thank you."
"You need not thank me at all; or, at any rate, not in such a loud voice, not so impressively. Our neighbors will think I have bestowed24 half a kingdom upon you."
Prissie blushed and looked down.
"Don't be shocked, with me," said Hammond. "I can read your grateful heart. Come this way"
They passed Maggie Oliphant and her two or three remaining satellites. Prissie looked at her with longing25 and tripped awkwardly against her chair. Hammond walked past Maggie as if she did not exist to him. Maggie nodded affectionately to Priscilla and followed the back of Hammond's head and shoulders with a supercilious26, amused smile.
Hammond opened the outer drawing-room door.
"Where are we going?" asked Priscilla. "Are not the pictures here?"
"Some are here, but the best are in the picture gallery— here to the left and down these steps. Now, I'm going to introduce you to a new world."
He pushed aside a heavy curtain, and Prissie found herself in a rather small room, lighted from the roof. It contained in all about six or eight pictures, each the work of a master.
Hammond walked straight across the gallery to a picture which occupied a wall by itself at the further end. It represented a summer scene of deep repose27. There was water in the foreground, in the back tall forest trees in the fresh, rich foliage28 of June. Overhead was a sunset sky, its saffron and rosy29 tints30 reflected in the water below. The master who painted the picture was Corot.
Hammond motioned Priscilla to sit down opposite to it.
"There is summer." he said; "peace, absolute repose. You have not to go to it; it comes to you."
He did not say any more, but walked away to look at another picture in a different part of the gallery.
Prissie clasped her hands; all the agitation31 and eagerness went out of her face. She leaned back in her chair. Her attitude partook of the quality of the picture and became restful. Hammond did not disturb her for several moments.
"I am going to show you something different now," he said, coming up to her almost with reluctance32. "There is one sort of rest; I will now show you a higher. Here stand so. The light falls well from this angle. Now, what do you see?"
"I don't understand it," said Prissie after a long, deep gaze.
"Never mind, you see something. Tell me what you see."
Priscilla looked again at the picture.
"I see a woman," she said at last in a slow, pained kind of voice. "I can't see her face very well, but I know by the way she lies back in that chair that she is old and dreadfully tired. Oh, yes, I know well that she is tired— see her hand stretched out there— her hand and her arm— how thin they are— how worn— and——"
"Hard worked," interrupted Hammond. "Any one can see by the attitude of that hand, by the starting veins33 and the wrinkles that the woman has gone through a life of labor34. Well, she does not occupy the whole of the picture. You see before you a tired-out worker. Don't be so unhappy about her. Look up a little higher in the picture. Observe for yourself that her toils35 are ended."
"Who is that other figure?" said Priscilla. "A woman too, but young and strong. How glad she looks and how kind. She is carrying a little child in her arms. Who is she? What does she mean?"
"That woman, so grand and strong, represents Death, but not under the old metaphor7. She comes with renewed life— the child is the type of that— she comes as a deliverer. See, she is touching36 that poor worn-out creature, who is so tired that she can scarcely hold her head up again. Death, with a new aspect and a new, grand strength in her face is saying to this woman, 'Come with me now to your rest. It is all over,' Death says: all the trouble and perplexity and strife37. Come away with me and rest. The name of that picture is 'The Deliverer.' It is the work of a painter who can preach a sermon, write a book, deliver an oration38 and sing a song all through the medium of his brush. I won't trouble you with his name just now. You will hear plenty of him and his wonderful, great pictures by and by, if you love art as I do."
"Thank you," said Prissie simply. Some tears stole down her cheeks. She did not know she was crying; she did not attempt to wipe them away.
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1
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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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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3
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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prophesied
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| v.预告，预言( prophesy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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disapproval
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| n.反对，不赞成 | |
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metaphorically
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| adv. 用比喻地 | |
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metaphor
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| n.隐喻，暗喻 | |
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8
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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auction
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| n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖 | |
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10
eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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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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12
irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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14
expended
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| v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 )；使用（钱等）做某事；用光；耗尽 | |
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15
velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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sable
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| n.黑貂；adj.黑色的 | |
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attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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18
Forsaken
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| adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词 | |
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genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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outspokenness
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elusively
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| adv.巧妙逃避地，易忘记地 | |
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bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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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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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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30
tints
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| 色彩( tint的名词复数 )； 带白的颜色； （淡色）染发剂； 痕迹 | |
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31
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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reluctance
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| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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33
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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34
labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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35
toils
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| 网 | |
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36
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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37
strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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oration
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| n.演说，致辞，叙述法 | |
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