This was just what her father had not come there to talk about. Without replying he raised his arm, and moved his finger till he fixed4 it at a point. “There,” he said, “you see that plantation5 reaching over the hill like a great slug, and just behind the hill a particularly green sheltered bottom? That’s where Mr. Fitzpiers’s family were lords of the manor6 for I don’t know how many hundred years, and there stands the village of Buckbury Fitzpiers. A wonderful property ’twas — wonderful!”
“But they are not lords of the manor there now.”
“Why, no. But good and great things die as well as little and foolish. The only ones representing the family now, I believe, are our doctor and a maiden7 lady living I don’t know where. You can’t help being happy, Grace, in allying yourself with such a romantical family. You’ll feel as if you’ve stepped into history.”
“We’ve been at Hintock as long as they’ve been at Buckbury; is it not so? You say our name occurs in old deeds continually.”
“Oh yes — as yeomen, copyholders, and such like. But think how much better this will be for ‘ee. You’ll be living a high intellectual life, such as has now become natural to you; and though the doctor’s practice is small here, he’ll no doubt go to a dashing town when he’s got his hand in, and keep a stylish8 carriage, and you’ll be brought to know a good many ladies of excellent society. If you should ever meet me then, Grace, you can drive past me, looking the other way. I shouldn’t expect you to speak to me, or wish such a thing, unless it happened to be in some lonely, private place where ‘twouldn’t lower ye at all. Don’t think such men as neighbor Giles your equal. He and I shall be good friends enough, but he’s not for the like of you. He’s lived our rough and homely9 life here, and his wife’s life must be rough and homely likewise.”
So much pressure could not but produce some displacement10. As Grace was left very much to herself, she took advantage of one fine day before Fitzpiers’s return to drive into the aforesaid vale where stood the village of Buckbury Fitzpiers. Leaving her father’s man at the inn with the horse and gig, she rambled11 onward12 to the ruins of a castle, which stood in a field hard by. She had no doubt that it represented the ancient stronghold of the Fitzpiers family.
The remains13 were few, and consisted mostly of remnants of the lower vaulting14, supported on low stout15 columns surmounted16 by the crochet17 capital of the period. The two or three arches of these vaults18 that were still in position were utilized19 by the adjoining farmer as shelter for his calves20, the floor being spread with straw, amid which the young creatures rustled21, cooling their thirsty tongues by licking the quaint22 Norman carving23, which glistened24 with the moisture. It was a degradation25 of even such a rude form of art as this to be treatad so grossly, she thought, and for the first time the family of Fitzpiers assumed in her imagination the hues26 of a melancholy27 romanticism.
It was soon time to drive home, and she traversed the distance with a preoccupied28 mind. The idea of so modern a man in science and aesthetics29 as the young surgeon springing out of relics30 so ancient was a kind of novelty she had never before experienced. The combination lent him a social and intellectual interest which she dreaded31, so much weight did it add to the strange influence he exercised upon her whenever he came near her.
In an excitement which was not love, not ambition, rather a fearful consciousness of hazard in the air, she awaited his return.
Meanwhile her father was awaiting him also. In his house there was an old work on medicine, published towards the end of the last century, and to put himself in harmony with events Melbury spread this work on his knees when he had done his day’s business, and read about Galen, Hippocrates, and Herophilus — of the dogmatic, the empiric, the hermetical, and other sects32 of practitioners33 that have arisen in history; and thence proceeded to the classification of maladies and the rules for their treatment, as laid down in this valuable book with absolute precision. Melbury regretted that the treatise34 was so old, fearing that he might in consequence be unable to hold as complete a conversation as he could wish with Mr. Fitzpiers, primed, no doubt, with more recent discoveries.
The day of Fitzpiers’s return arrived, and he sent to say that he would call immediately. In the little time that was afforded for putting the house in order the sweeping35 of Melbury’s parlor36 was as the sweeping of the parlor at the Interpreter’s which wellnigh choked the Pilgrim. At the end of it Mrs. Melbury sat down, folded her hands and lips, and waited. Her husband restlessly walked in and out from the timber-yard, stared at the interior of the room, jerked out “ay, ay,” and retreated again. Between four and five Fitzpiers arrived, hitching37 his horse to the hook outside the door.
As soon as he had walked in and perceived that Grace was not in the room, he seemed to have a misgiving38. Nothing less than her actual presence could long keep him to the level of this impassioned enterprise, and that lacking he appeared as one who wished to retrace39 his steps.
He mechanically talked at what he considered a woodland matron’s level of thought till a rustling40 was heard on the stairs, and Grace came in. Fitzpiers was for once as agitated41 as she. Over and above the genuine emotion which she raised in his heart there hung the sense that he was casting a die by impulse which he might not have thrown by judgment42.
Mr. Melbury was not in the room. Having to attend to matters in the yard, he had delayed putting on his afternoon coat and waistcoat till the doctor’s appearance, when, not wishing to be backward in receiving him, he entered the parlor hastily buttoning up those garments. Grace’s fastidiousness was a little distressed43 that Fitzpiers should see by this action the strain his visit was putting upon her father; and to make matters worse for her just then, old Grammer seemed to have a passion for incessantly45 pumping in the back kitchen, leaving the doors open so that the banging and splashing were distinct above the parlor conversation.
Whenever the chat over the tea sank into pleasant desultoriness46 Mr. Melbury broke in with speeches of labored47 precision on very remote topics, as if he feared to let Fitzpiers’s mind dwell critically on the subject nearest the hearts of all. In truth a constrained48 manner was natural enough in Melbury just now, for the greatest interest of his life was reaching its crisis. Could the real have been beheld instead of the corporeal49 merely, the corner of the room in which he sat would have been filled with a form typical of anxious suspense50, large-eyed, tight-lipped, awaiting the issue. That paternal51 hopes and fears so intense should be bound up in the person of one child so peculiarly circumstanced, and not have dispersed52 themselves over the larger field of a whole family, involved dangerous risks to future happiness.
Fitzpiers did not stay more than an hour, but that time had apparently53 advanced his sentiments towards Grace, once and for all, from a vaguely54 liquescent to an organic shape. She would not have accompanied him to the door in response to his whispered “Come!” if her mother had not said in a matter-of-fact way, “Of course, Grace; go to the door with Mr. Fitzpiers.” Accordingly Grace went, both her parents remaining in the room. When the young pair were in the great brick-floored hall the lover took the girl’s hand in his, drew it under his arm, and thus led her on to the door, where he stealthily kissed her.
She broke from him trembling, blushed and turned aside, hardly knowing how things had advanced to this. Fitzpiers drove off, kissing his hand to her, and waving it to Melbury who was visible through the window. Her father returned the surgeon’s action with a great flourish of his own hand and a satisfied smile.
The intoxication55 that Fitzpiers had, as usual, produced in Grace’s brain during the visit passed off somewhat with his withdrawal56. She felt like a woman who did not know what she had been doing for the previous hour, but supposed with trepidation57 that the afternoon’s proceedings58, though vague, had amounted to an engagement between herself and the handsome, coercive, irresistible59 Fitzpiers.
This visit was a type of many which followed it during the long summer days of that year. Grace was borne along upon a stream of reasonings, arguments, and persuasions60, supplemented, it must be added, by inclinations62 of her own at times. No woman is without aspirations63, which may be innocent enough within certain limits; and Grace had been so trained socially, and educated intellectually, as to see clearly enough a pleasure in the position of wife to such a man as Fitzpiers. His material standing64 of itself, either present or future, had little in it to give her ambition, but the possibilities of a refined and cultivated inner life, of subtle psychological intercourse65, had their charm. It was this rather than any vulgar idea of marrying well which caused her to float with the current, and to yield to the immense influence which Fitzpiers exercised over her whenever she shared his society.
Any observer would shrewdly have prophesied66 that whether or not she loved him as yet in the ordinary sense, she was pretty sure to do so in time.
One evening just before dusk they had taken a rather long walk together, and for a short cut homeward passed through the shrubberies of Hintock House — still deserted67, and still blankly confronting with its sightless shuttered windows the surrounding foliage68 and slopes. Grace was tired, and they approached the wall, and sat together on one of the stone sills — still warm with the sun that had been pouring its rays upon them all the afternoon.
“This place would just do for us, would it not, dearest,” said her betrothed69, as they sat, turning and looking idly at the old facade70.
“Oh yes,” said Grace, plainly showing that no such fancy had ever crossed her mind. “She is away from home still,” Grace added in a minute, rather sadly, for she could not forget that she had somehow lost the valuable friendship of the lady of this bower71.
“Who is? — oh, you mean Mrs. Charmond. Do you know, dear, that at one time I thought you lived here.”
“Indeed!” said Grace. “How was that?”
He explained, as far as he could do so without mentioning his disappointment at finding it was otherwise; and then went on: “Well, never mind that. Now I want to ask you something. There is one detail of our wedding which I am sure you will leave to me. My inclination61 is not to be married at the horrid72 little church here, with all the yokels73 staring round at us, and a droning parson reading.”
“Where, then, can it be? At a church in town?”
“No. Not at a church at all. At a registry office. It is a quieter, snugger74, and more convenient place in every way.”
“Oh,” said she, with real distress44. “How can I be married except at church, and with all my dear friends round me?”
“Yeoman Winterborne among them.”
“Yes — why not? You know there was nothing serious between him and me ”
“You see, dear, a noisy bell-ringing marriage at church has this objection in our case: it would be a thing of report a long way round. Now I would gently, as gently as possible, indicate to you how inadvisable such publicity75 would be if we leave Hintock, and I purchase the practice that I contemplate76 purchasing at Budmouth — hardly more than twenty miles off. Forgive my saying that it will be far better if nobody there knows where you come from, nor anything about your parents. Your beauty and knowledge and manners will carry you anywhere if you are not hampered77 by such retrospective criticism.”
“But could it not be a quiet ceremony, even at church?” she pleaded.
“I don’t see the necessity of going there!” he said, a trifle impatiently. “Marriage is a civil contract, and the shorter and simpler it is made the better. People don’t go to church when they take a house, or even when they make a will.”
“Oh, Edgar — I don’t like to hear you speak like that.”
“Well, well — I didn’t mean to. But I have mentioned as much to your father, who has made no objection; and why should you?”
She gave way, deeming the point one on which she ought to allow sentiment to give way to policy — if there were indeed policy in his plan. But she was indefinably depressed78 as they walked homeward.
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1
specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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plantation
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| n.种植园，大农场 | |
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manor
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| n.庄园，领地 | |
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maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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stylish
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| adj.流行的，时髦的；漂亮的，气派的 | |
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homely
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| adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的 | |
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10
displacement
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| n.移置，取代，位移，排水量 | |
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rambled
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| （无目的地）漫游( ramble的过去式和过去分词 )； （喻）漫谈； 扯淡； 长篇大论 | |
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12
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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14
vaulting
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| n.（天花板或屋顶的）拱形结构 | |
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surmounted
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| 战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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17
crochet
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| n.钩针织物；v.用钩针编制 | |
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vaults
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| n.拱顶( vault的名词复数 )；地下室；撑物跳高；墓穴 | |
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19
utilized
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| v.利用，使用( utilize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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20
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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21
rustled
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| v.发出沙沙的声音( rustle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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22
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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carving
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| n.雕刻品，雕花 | |
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24
glistened
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| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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25
degradation
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| n.降级；低落；退化；陵削；降解；衰变 | |
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26
hues
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| 色彩( hue的名词复数 )； 色调； 信仰； 观点 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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28
preoccupied
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| adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式) | |
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29
aesthetics
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| n.(尤指艺术方面之)美学，审美学 | |
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30
relics
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| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
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31
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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32
sects
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| n.宗派，教派( sect的名词复数 ) | |
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practitioners
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| n.习艺者，实习者( practitioner的名词复数 )；从业者（尤指医师） | |
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34
treatise
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| n.专著；(专题)论文 | |
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35
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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parlor
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| n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅 | |
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37
hitching
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| 搭乘； （免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的现在分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上 | |
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38
misgiving
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕 | |
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39
retrace
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| v.折回；追溯，探源 | |
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40
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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41
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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42
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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43
distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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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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45
incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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46
desultoriness
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| n.散漫 | |
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47
labored
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| adj.吃力的，谨慎的v.努力争取(for)( labor的过去式和过去分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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48
constrained
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| adj.束缚的,节制的 | |
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49
corporeal
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| adj.肉体的，身体的；物质的 | |
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50
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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51
paternal
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| adj.父亲的，像父亲的，父系的，父方的 | |
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52
dispersed
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| adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
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53
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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54
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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55
intoxication
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| n.wild excitement;drunkenness；poisoning | |
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56
withdrawal
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| n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销 | |
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57
trepidation
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| n.惊恐，惶恐 | |
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58
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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persuasions
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| n.劝说，说服（力）( persuasion的名词复数 )；信仰 | |
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61
inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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62
inclinations
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| 倾向( inclination的名词复数 )； 倾斜； 爱好； 斜坡 | |
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63
aspirations
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| 强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音 | |
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64
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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intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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66
prophesied
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| v.预告，预言( prophesy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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68
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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69
betrothed
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| n. 已订婚者 动词betroth的过去式和过去分词 | |
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70
facade
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| n.(建筑物的)正面，临街正面；外表 | |
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bower
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| n.凉亭，树荫下凉快之处；闺房；v.荫蔽 | |
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72
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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yokels
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| n.乡下佬，土包子( yokel的名词复数 ) | |
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74
snugger
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| adj.整洁的( snug的比较级 )；温暖而舒适的；非常舒适的；紧身的 | |
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75
publicity
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| n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告 | |
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76
contemplate
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| vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视 | |
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77
hampered
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| 妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
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