Dinner was now served, a short and silent meal. Lord Cadurcis did not choose to speak because he felt aggrieved2, and his mother because she was husbanding her energies for the contest which she believed impending3. At length, when the table was cleared, and the servant departed, Cadurcis said in a quiet tone, ‘I think I shall write to my guardian4 tomorrow about my going to Eton.’
‘You shall do no such thing,’ said Mrs. Cadurcis, bristling5 up; ‘I never heard such a ridiculous idea in my life as a boy like you writing letters on such subjects to a person you have never yet seen. When I think it proper that you should go to Eton, I shall write.’
‘I wish you would think it proper now then, ma’am.’
‘I won’t be dictated6 to,’ said Mrs. Cadurcis, fiercely.
‘I was not dictating,’ replied her son, calmly.
‘You would if you could,’ said his mother.
‘Time enough to find fault with me when I do, ma’am.’
‘There is enough to find fault about at all times, sir.’
‘On which side, Mrs. Cadurcis?’ inquired Plantagenet, with a sneer7.
‘Don’t aggravate8 me, Lord Cadurcis,’ said his mother.
‘How am I aggravating9 you, ma’am?’
‘I won’t be answered,’ said the mother.
‘I prefer silence myself,’ said the son.
‘I won’t be insulted in my own room, sir,’ said Mrs. Cadurcis.
‘I am not insulting you, Mrs. Cadurcis,’ said Plantagenet, rather fiercely; ‘and, as for your own room, I never wish to enter it. Indeed I should not be here at this moment, had you not ordered my fire to be put out, and particularly requested that I should sit in the saloon.’
‘Oh! you are a vastly obedient person, I dare say,’ replied Mrs. Cadurcis, very pettishly10. ‘How long, I should like to know, have my requests received such particular attention? Pooh!’
‘Well, then, I will order my fire to be lighted again,’ said Plantagenet.
‘You shall do no such thing,’ said the mother; ‘I am mistress in this house. No one shall give orders here but me, and you may write to your guardian and tell him that, if you like.’
‘I shall certainly not write to my guardian for the first time,’ said Lord Cadurcis, ‘about any such nonsense.’
‘Nonsense, sir! Nonsense you said, did you? Your mother nonsense! This is the way to treat a parent, is it? I am nonsense, am I? I will teach you what nonsense is. Nonsense shall be very good sense; you shall find that, sir, that you shall. Nonsense, indeed! I’ll write to your guardian, that I will! You call your mother nonsense, do you? And where did you learn that, I should like to know? Nonsense, indeed! This comes of your going to Cherbury! So your mother is nonsense; a pretty lesson for Lady Annabel to teach you. Oh! I’ll speak my mind to her, that I will.’
‘What has Lady Annabel to do with it?’ inquired Cadurcis, in a loud tone.
‘Don’t threaten me, sir,’ said Mrs. Cadurcis, with violent gesture. ‘I won’t be menaced; I won’t be menaced by my son. Pretty goings on, indeed! But I will put a stop to them; will I not? that is all. Nonsense, indeed; your mother nonsense!’
‘Well, you do talk nonsense, and the greatest,’ said Plantagenet, doggedly11; ‘you are talking nonsense now, you are always talking nonsense, and you never open your mouth about Lady Annabel without talking nonsense.’
‘If I was not very ill I would give it you,’ said his mother, grinding her teeth. ‘O you brat12! You wicked brat, you! Is this the way to address me? I have half a mind to shake your viciousness out of you, that I have!
You are worse than your father, that you are!’ and here she wept with rage.
‘I dare say my father was not so bad, after all!’ said Cadurcis.
‘What should you know about your father, sir?’ said Mrs. Cadurcis. ‘How dare you speak about your father!’
‘Who should speak about a father but a son?’
‘Hold your impudence13, sir!’
‘I am not impudent14, ma’am.’
‘You aggravating brat!’ exclaimed the enraged15 woman, ‘I wish I had something to throw at you!’
‘Did you throw things at my father?’ asked his lordship.
Mrs. Cadurcis went into an hysterical16 rage; then, suddenly jumping up, she rushed at her son. Lord Cadurcis took up a position behind the table, but the sportive and mocking air which he generally instinctively17 assumed on these occasions, and which, while it irritated his mother more, was in reality affected18 by the boy from a sort of nervous desire of preventing these dreadful exposures from assuming a too tragic19 tone, did not characterise his countenance20 on the present occasion; on the contrary, it was pale, but composed and very serious. Mrs. Cadurcis, after one or two ineffectual attempts to catch him, paused and panted for breath. He took advantage of this momentary21 cessation, and spoke22 thus, ‘Mother, I am in no humour for frolics. I moved out of your way that you might not strike me, because I have made up my mind that, if you ever strike me again, I will live with you no longer. Now, I have given you warning; do what you please; I shall sit down in this chair, and not move. If you strike me, you know the consequences.’ So saying, his lordship resumed his chair.
Mrs. Cadurcis simultaneously23 sprang forward and boxed his ears; and then her son rose without the slightest expression of any kind, and slowly quitted the chamber24.
Mrs. Cadurcis remained alone in a savage25 sulk; hours passed away, and her son never made his appearance. Then she rang the bell, and ordered the servant to tell Lord Cadurcis that tea was ready; but the servant returned, and reported that his lordship had locked himself up in his room, and would not reply to his inquiries26. Determined27 not to give in, Mrs. Cadurcis, at length, retired28 for the night, rather regretting her violence, but still sullen. Having well scolded her waiting-woman, she at length fell asleep.
The morning brought breakfast, but no Lord Cadurcis; in vain were all the messages of his mother, her son would make no reply to them. Mrs. Cadurcis, at length, personally repaired to his room and knocked at the door, but she was as unsuccessful as the servants; she began to think he would starve, and desired the servant to offer from himself to bring his meal. Still silence. Indignant at his treatment of these overtures29 of conciliation30, Mrs. Cadurcis returned to the saloon, confident that hunger, if no other impulse, would bring her wild cub31 out of his lair32; but, just before dinner, her waiting-woman came running into the room.
‘Oh, ma’am, ma’am, I don’t know where Lord Cadurcis has gone; but I have just seen John, and he says there was no pony33 in the stable this morning.’
‘Mrs. Cadurcis sprang up, rushed to her son’s chamber, found the door still locked, ordered it to be burst open, and then it turned out that his lordship had never been there at all, for the bed was unused. Mrs. Cadurcis was frightened out of her life; the servants, to console her, assured her that Plantagenet must be at Cherbury; and while she believed their representations, which were probable, she became not only more composed, but resumed her jealousy34 and sullenness35. ‘Gone to Cherbury, indeed! No doubt of it! Let him remain at Cherbury.’ Execrating36 Lady Annabel, she flung herself into an easy chair, and dined alone, preparing herself to speak her mind on her son’s return.
The night, however, did not bring him, and Mrs. Cadurcis began to recur37 to her alarm. Much as she now disliked Lady Annabel, she could not resist the conviction that her ladyship would not permit Plantagenet to remain at Cherbury. Nevertheless, jealous, passionate38, and obstinate39, she stifled40 her fears, vented41 her spleen on her unhappy domestics, and, finally, exhausting herself by a storm of passion about some very unimportant subject, again sought refuge in sleep.
She awoke early in a fright, and inquired immediately for her son. He had not been seen. She ordered the abbey bell to be sounded, sent messengers throughout the demesne42, and directed all the offices to be searched. At first she thought he must have returned, and slept, perhaps in a barn; then she adopted the more probable conclusion, that he had drowned himself in the lake. Then she went into hysterics; called Plantagenet her lost darling; declared he was the best and most dutiful of sons, and the image of his poor father, then abused all the servants, and then abused herself.
About noon she grew quite distracted, and rushed about the house with her hair dishevelled, and in a dressing-gown, looked in all the closets, behind the screens, under the chairs, into her work-box, but, strange to say, with no success. Then she went off into a swoon, and her servants, alike frightened about master and mistress, mother and son, dispatched a messenger immediately to Cherbury for intelligence, advice, and assistance. In less than an hour’s time the messenger returned, and informed them that Lord Cadurcis had not been at Cherbury since two days back, but that Lady Annabel was very sorry to hear that their mistress was so ill, and would come on to see her immediately. In the meantime, Lady Annabel added that she had sent to Dr. Masham, and had great hopes that Lord Cadurcis was at Marringhurst. Mrs. Cadurcis, who had now come to, as her waiting-woman described the returning consciousness of her mistress, eagerly embraced the hope held out of Plantagenet being at Marringhurst, poured forth43 a thousand expressions of gratitude44, admiration45, and affection for Lady Annabel, who, she declared, was her best, her only friend, and the being in the world whom she loved most, next to her unhappy and injured child.
After another hour of suspense46 Lady Annabel arrived, and her entrance was the signal for a renewed burst of hysterics from Mrs. Cadurcis, so wild and terrible that they must have been contagious47 to any female of less disciplined emotions than her guest.
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1
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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2
aggrieved
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| adj.愤愤不平的，受委屈的；悲痛的；（在合法权利方面）受侵害的v.令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式)；令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式和过去分词) | |
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3
impending
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| a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
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4
guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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5
bristling
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| a.竖立的 | |
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6
dictated
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| v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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7
sneer
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| v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语 | |
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8
aggravate
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| vt.加重(剧)，使恶化；激怒，使恼火 | |
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9
aggravating
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| adj.恼人的，讨厌的 | |
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10
pettishly
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doggedly
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| adv.顽强地，固执地 | |
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12
brat
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| n.孩子；顽童 | |
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13
impudence
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| n.厚颜无耻；冒失；无礼 | |
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14
impudent
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| adj.鲁莽的，卑鄙的，厚颜无耻的 | |
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15
enraged
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| 使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤 | |
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16
hysterical
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| adj.情绪异常激动的，歇斯底里般的 | |
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17
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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18
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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19
tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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20
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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21
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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22
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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simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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24
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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25
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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26
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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27
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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28
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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29
overtures
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| n.主动的表示，提议；（向某人做出的）友好表示、姿态或提议( overture的名词复数 )；（歌剧、芭蕾舞、音乐剧等的）序曲，前奏曲 | |
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30
conciliation
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| n.调解，调停 | |
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31
cub
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| n.幼兽，年轻无经验的人 | |
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32
lair
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| n.野兽的巢穴；躲藏处 | |
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33
pony
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| adj.小型的；n.小马 | |
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34
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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35
sullenness
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| n. 愠怒, 沉闷, 情绪消沉 | |
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36
execrating
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| v.憎恶( execrate的现在分词 )；厌恶；诅咒；咒骂 | |
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37
recur
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| vi.复发，重现，再发生 | |
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38
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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39
obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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40
stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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41
vented
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| 表达，发泄（感情，尤指愤怒）( vent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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42
demesne
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| n.领域，私有土地 | |
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43
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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44
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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45
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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46
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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47
contagious
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| adj.传染性的，有感染力的 | |
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