"A rosy3 blonde, and in a college gown
That clad her like an April daffodilly."
But now it must be taken my some one else.
Little Ada Hardy4, who was about Rosalind's height, and had the real innocence5 which, alas6! poor Rosalind lacked, was sent for in a hurry, and, carefully drilled by Constance Field and Maggie Oliphant, by the time the night arrived she was sufficiently7 prepared to act the character, slight in itself, which was assigned to her. The other actors were, of course, fully2 prepared to take their several parts, and a number of girls were invested in the
"Academic silks, in hue8
The lilac, with a silken hood9 to each,
And zoned10 with gold."
Nothing could have been more picturesque11, and there was a buzz of hearty12 applause from the many spectators who crowded the galleries and front seats of the little theater when the curtain rose on the well-known garden scene, where the Prince, Florian and Cyril saw the maidens13 of that first college for women— that poet's vision, so amply fulfilled in the happy life at St. Benet's.
There
One walk'd, reciting by herself, and one
In this hand held a volume as to read,
And smoothed a petted peacock down with that:
Some to a low song oar'd a shallop by,
Or under arches of the marble bridge
Hung, shadow'd from the heat: some hid and sought
In the orange thickets14: others tost a ball
Above the fountain jets, and back again
With laughter: others lay about the lawns,
Of the older sort, and murmur'd that their May
Was passing: what was learning unto them?
They wish'd to marry: they could rule a house;
Men hated learned women. . . ."
The girls walked slowly about among the orange groves15 and by the fountain jets. In the distance the chapel16 bells tolled17 faint and sweet. More maidens appeared, and Tennyson's lovely lines were again represented with such skill, the effect of multitude was so skilfully18 managed that the
"Six hundred maidens, clad in purest white,"
appeared really to fill the gardens,
"While the great organ almost burst his pipes,
Groaning19 for power, and rolling thro' the court
A long melodious20 thunder to the sound
Of solemn psalms21, and silver litanies."
The curtain fell, to rise in a few moments amid a burst of applause. The Princess herself now appeared for the first time on the little stage. Nothing could have been more admirable than the grouping of this tableau22. All the pride of mien23, of race, of indomitable purpose was visible on the face of the young girl who acted the part of the Princess Ida.
"She stood
Among her maidens, higher by the head,
Her back against a pillar."
It was impossible, of course, to represent the tame leopards24, but the maidens who gathered round the Princess prevented this want being apparent, and Maggie Oliphant's attitude and the expression which filled her bright eyes left nothing to be desired.
"Perfect!" exclaimed the spectators: the interest of every one present was more than aroused; each individual in the little theater felt, though no one could exactly tell why, that Maggie was not merely acting25 her part, she was living it.
Suddenly she raised her head and looked steadily26 at the visitors in the gallery: a wave of rosy red swept over the whitness of her face. It was evident that she had encountered a glance which disturbed her composure.
The play proceeded brilliantly, and now the power and originality27 of Priscilla's acting divided the attention of the house. Surely there never was a more impassioned Prince.
Priscilla could sing; her voice was not powerful, but it was low and rather deeply set. The well-known and familiar song with which the Prince tried to woo Ida lost little at her hands.
"O Swallow, Swallow, flying, flying South,
Fly to her, and fall upon her gilded28 eaves,
And tell her, tell her what I tell to thee.
"O tell her, Swallow, thou that knowest each,
That bright and fierce and fickle29 is the South,
And dark and true and tender is the North.
"Why lingereth she to clothe her heart with love,
Delaying as the tender ash delays
To clothe herself, when all the woods are green?
"O tell her, brief is life but love is long,
And brief the sun of summer in the North,
And brief the moon of beauty in the South.
"O Swallow, flying from the golden woods,
Fly to her, and pipe and woo her, and make her mine,
And tell her, tell her that I follow thee."
The wooing which followed made a curious impression; this impression was not only produced upon the house, but upon both Prince and Princess.
Priscilla, too, had encountered Hammond's earnest gaze. That gaze fired her heart, and she became once again not herself but he; poor, awkward and gauche31 little Prissie sank out of sight; she was Hammond pleading his own cause, she was wooing Maggie for him in the words of Tennyson's Prince. This fact was the secret of Priscilla's power; she had felt it more or less whenever she acted the part of the Prince; but, on this occasion, she communicated the sensations which animated32 her own breast to Maggie. Maggie, too, felt that Hammond was speaking to her through Priscilla's voice.
"I cannot cease to follow you, as they say
The seal does music; who desire you more
Than growing boys their manhood; dying lips,
With many thousand matters left to do,
The breath of life; O more than poor men wealth,
Than sick men health— yours, yours, not mine— but half
Without you; with you, whole; and of those halves
You worthiest33, and howe'er you block and bar
Your heart with system out from mine, I hold
That it becomes no man to nurse despair,
But in the teeth of clench'd antagonisms34
To follow up the worthiest till he die."
In the impassioned reply which followed this address it was noticed for the first time by the spectators that Maggie scarcely did herself justice. Her exclamation—
"I wed30 with thee! I, bound by precontract
Your bride, your bondslave!"
was scarcely uttered with the scorn which such a girl would throw into the words if her heart went with them.
The rest of the play proceeded well, the Prince following up his advantage until his last words—
"Accomplish thou my mandhood and thyself;
Lay thy sweet hands in mine and trust to me,"
brought down the house with ringing applause.
The curtain fell and rose again. The Prince and Princess stood with hands clasped. The eyes of the conquered Princess looked again at the people in the gallery, but the eyes she wanted to see did not meet hers.
An hour later Maggie Oliphant had occasion to go back to the forsaken35 green-room to fetch a bracelet36 she had left there. Priscilla was standing37 in the corridor when she passed. Quick as lightning Prissie disappeared, and, making her way into the library, which was thrown open for a general reception that evening, sought out Hammond, and, taking his hand, said abruptly38:
"I want you; come with me."
In surprise he followed her into the hall.
"Maggie is in the green-room. Go to her," said Priscilla.
He raised his brows; his eyes seemed to lighten and then grow dark. They asked Priscilla a thousand questions; his lips refused to ask one.
Replying to the look in his eyes, Priscilla said again: "It is cruel of you to leave her alone. Go to her; she is waiting for you— and oh, I know that her heart has been waiting for you for a long, long time."
"If I thought that," said Hammond's eyes.
He turned without a word and went down the long corridor which led to the little theater.
Late that evening, after all the bustle39 and excitement were over and most of the guests had left, Miss Heath was standing in her own sitting-room40 talking to Prissie.
"And you have quite made up your mind, Prissie?"
"Yes," answered Priscilla. "I heard from Aunt Raby to-day; she told me all about Mr. Hammond's visit, for Mr. Hayes went to see her and told her everything."
"Well, Prissie," said Miss Heath, "what have you decided41? It is a great chance for you, and there is nothing wrong in it; indeed, for aught we can tell, this may be the direct guiding of Providence42."
"But I don't think it is," said Priscilla in a slow voice. "I have thought it all over very carefully, and I don't think the chance offered by dear Maggie would be a good one for me."
"Why not, my dear? Your reasons must be strong when you say this."
"I don't know if they are strong," answered Priscilla, "but they are at least decided. My father and mother were poor and independent. Aunt Raby is very poor and also independent. I fancy that were I rich in comparison, I might cease to be independent. The strong motive43 power might go. Something might be taken out of me which I could never get back, so I——" Her lips trembled.
"Pause a minute, Prissie; remember what Maggie offers, a sufficient income to support your aunt, to educate your sisters and to enable you to pursue those studies at St. Benet's for which you have the greatest talent. Think of the honors that lie before you; think how brilliantly you may pass your tripos examination with your mind at rest."
"That's not the point," said Priscilla. There was a ring in her voice which she must have inherited from a long line of rugged44, proud but worthy45 ancestors. "In a question of this kind, I ought never to content myself with looking at the brilliant and tempting46 side. Forgive me, Miss Heath. I may have done wrong after all; but, right or wrong, I have made my resolve. I will keep my independence."
"Have you considered your Aunt Raby in this?"
"She has put herself absolutely out of the question by declining all aid as far as she is concerned. She says such assistance would kill her in a week. If I can earn money to help her before she dies, she will accept it from me with thankfulness, but from no one else."
"Then you will give up your Latin and Greek?"
"For the present, I must."
"And you are quite happy?"
"If Maggie and Mr. Hammond will only marry one another, I shall be one of the happiest girls in the world."
There came a knock at the door. Priscilla opened it.
"Prissie, darling!" said Maggie Oliphant's voice. She flung her arms round the young girl's neck and kissed her several times.
"It's all right, Priscilla," said Hammond.
Miss Heath made a step or two forward.
"Come and tell Miss Heath," said Prissie. "Miss Heath, here is Maggie! Here is dear Maggie and here is Mr. Hammond, and it is all right." Tears of gladness filled Priscilla's eyes. She went up to Hammond, took one of his hands in both her own and said in a voice of rapture47, "I did help you to-night, didn't I? You know I said I would do anything in the world for you."
"You have done everything for me, Priscilla," replied Hammond. "I shall bless you while I live."
Maggie Oliphant's arms were round Miss Heath's neck; her head rested against her breast. "We have come straight to you," she said; "you told me that if such an occasion came, you would act as a mother to me."
"So I can and so I will, dear child. God bless you. You are happy now."
"Happy!" Maggie's eyes were glistening48 through the softest rainbow of tears. Hammond came and took the hand which she had suddenly thrown at her side.
"We both owe everything to Priscilla," he said.
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1
rehearsals
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| n.练习( rehearsal的名词复数 )；排练；复述；重复 | |
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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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rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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4
hardy
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| adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的 | |
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5
innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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6
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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7
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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8
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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9
hood
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| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
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10
zoned
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| adj.划成区域的，束带的v.（飞机、汽车等）急速移动( zoom的现在分词 )；（价格、费用等）急升，猛涨 | |
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11
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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12
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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13
maidens
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| 处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球 | |
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14
thickets
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| n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 )；丛状物 | |
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15
groves
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| 树丛，小树林( grove的名词复数 ) | |
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16
chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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17
tolled
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| 鸣钟（toll的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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18
skilfully
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| adv. (美skillfully)熟练地 | |
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19
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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20
melodious
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| adj.旋律美妙的，调子优美的，音乐性的 | |
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21
psalms
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| n.赞美诗( psalm的名词复数 )；圣诗；圣歌；(中的) | |
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22
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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23
mien
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| n.风采；态度 | |
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24
leopards
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| n.豹( leopard的名词复数 )；本性难移 | |
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25
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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26
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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27
originality
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| n.创造力，独创性；新颖 | |
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28
gilded
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| a.镀金的，富有的 | |
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29
fickle
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| adj.(爱情或友谊上)易变的，不坚定的 | |
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30
wed
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| v.娶，嫁，与…结婚 | |
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31
gauche
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| adj.笨拙的，粗鲁的 | |
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32
animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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33
worthiest
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| 应得某事物( worthy的最高级 )； 值得做某事； 可尊敬的； 有（某人或事物）的典型特征 | |
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34
antagonisms
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| 对抗，敌对( antagonism的名词复数 ) | |
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35
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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36
bracelet
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| n.手镯，臂镯 | |
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37
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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38
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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39
bustle
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| v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹 | |
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40
sitting-room
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| n.（BrE）客厅，起居室 | |
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41
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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42
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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43
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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44
rugged
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| adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的 | |
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45
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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46
tempting
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| a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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47
rapture
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| n.狂喜；全神贯注；着迷；v.使狂喜 | |
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48
glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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