Algernon had been so quick in his movements that he managed to be in town before the story of Lord Seely's having cast him off had had time to be circulated amongst his acquaintance there. And he was enabled, as the result of his activity, to obtain from Mrs. Machyn-Stubbs and others several letters of introduction calculated to be of use to him abroad. He was described by Mrs. Machyn-Stubbs as a nephew of Lord Seely and her intimate friend, who was travelling on the Continent to recruit his health after the shock of his wife's sudden death.
He had brought away from Whitford such few jewels belonging to his dead wife as were of any value, and he sold them in London. He furnished himself handsomely with such articles as were desirable for a gentleman of fortune travelling for his pleasure; and allowed the West-end tradesmen, to whom the Honourable7 John Patrick Price had recommended him during his brilliant London season, to write down against him in their books some very extortionate charges for the same. His outfit8 being accomplished9 in this inexpensive manner, he was enabled to travel with as much comfort as was compatible in those days with a journey from London to Calais, and he stepped on to the French shore with a considerable sum of money in his pocket.
For a long time the tidings of him that reached Whitford were uncertain and conflicting; then they began to arrive at even wider and wider intervals10; and, finally, after Mrs. Errington left the town, they ceased altogether to reach the general world of Whitfordians. The real history of the circumstances which induced Mrs. Errington to leave the home of so many years was known to very few persons. It was this:
About a twelvemonth after Algernon's departure Mrs. Errington made a sudden journey to London; and, on her return, she confided11 to her old friend, Dr. Bodkin, that she had sold out of the funds nearly the whole sum from which her little income was derived12 and transmitted it to Algy, who had an absolute need for the money, which she considered paramount13. "But, my dear soul, you have ruined yourself!" cried the doctor aghast. "Algernon will repay me, sir," replied the poor old woman, drawing herself up with the ghost of her old Ancram grandeur14. The upshot was that Dr. Bodkin, in concert with one or two other old friends of her late husband, made some representations on her behalf to Mr. Filthorpe, the wealthy Bristol merchant, who was, as the reader may remember, a cousin of Dr. Errington; and that Mr. Filthorpe benevolently15 allowed his cousin's widow a small annuity16, which, together with the few pounds that still remained to her of her own, enabled her to live in decent comfort. But she professed18 herself unable to remain in Whitford, and removed to a cottage in Dorrington, where she had a kind friend in the wife of the head-master of the proprietary19 school, whom we first presented to the reader as "little Rhoda Maxfield."
Mrs. Diamond (as she was now) lived in a very handsome house, and wore very elegant dresses, and was looked upon as a personage of some importance in Dorrington and its vicinity. Her husband had decidedly opposed a proposition she made to him to receive Mrs. Errington as an inmate20 of his home. But he put no further constraint21 on Rhoda's affectionate solicitude22 about her old friend.
And the two women drove together, and sewed together, and talked together; and their talk was chiefly about that exiled victim of unmerited misfortune, Algernon Errington. Rhoda preserved her faith in the Ancram glories. And although she acknowledged to herself that Algernon had treated her badly, he was invested in her mind with some mysterious immunity23 from the obligations that bind24 ordinary mortals.
A visitor, who was often cordially welcomed at Dorrington by Matthew Diamond, was Miss Chubb. And the kind-hearted little spinster endured a vast amount of snubbing and patronage25 from her old enemy on the battle-ground of polite society—Mrs. Errington—with much charitable sweetness.
Old Max lived to see his daughter's first-born child; but he was unable to move from his bed for many months before his death. Perhaps it was the period of quiet reflection thus obtained, when the things of this world were melting away from his grasp, which occasioned the addition of a codicil26 to the old man's will, that surprised most of his acquaintance. He had settled the bulk of his property on his daughter at her marriage, and, in his original testament27, had bequeathed the whole of the residue28 to her also. But the codicil set forth3 that his only and beloved daughter being amply provided for, and his son James inheriting the stock, fixtures29, and good-will of his flourishing business, together with the house and furniture, Jonathan Maxfield felt that he was doing injustice30 to no one by bequeathing the sum of three thousand pounds to Miss Minnie Bodkin as a mark of respect and admiration31. And he, moreover, left one hundred pounds, free of duty, to "that God-fearing member of the Wesleyan Society, Richard Gibbs, now living as groom32 in the service of Orlando Pawkins, Esquire, of Pudcombe Hall;" a bequest33 which sensibly embittered34 the flavour of the sermon preached by the un-legacied Brother Jackson on the next Sunday after old Max's funeral.
Dr. Bodkin still lives and rules in Whitford Grammar School. His wife's life is brightened by the sight of her Minnie's increased health and strength. But she has never quite forgiven Matthew Diamond, and has been heard to say that young Mrs. Diamond's children are the most singularly uninteresting she ever saw!
Of Minnie herself, the chronicle hitherto records a life of useful benevolence36, undisfigured by ascetic37 affectation, or the assumption of any pious38 livery whatever. She keeps her old delight in all the beautiful things of art and nature, and old Max's legacy39 has enabled her to enjoy some foreign travel. She is still in the first prime of womanhood, and more beautiful than ever. But, at the latest accounts, poor Mr. Warlock has not been tortured by the spectacle of any successful rival. For his part, he goes on worshipping Miss Bodkin with hopeless fidelity40.
For a long time Minnie continued to visit David Powell in the lunatic asylum41 at stated periods. He generally recognised her, and the sight of her seemed to soothe42 and comfort him. After a while he was pronounced cured, and left the asylum; but his madness returned on him at intervals, and he would voluntarily go and place himself under restraint when he felt the black fit coming. He did not live very long, being assailed43 by a mortal consumption. But as his body wasted, his mind grew clearer, stronger, and more serene44; and before his death Minnie had the satisfaction to hear him profess17 a humble45 faith in the Divine Goodness, and a fearless confidence in the mysterious hand that was leading him even as a little child into the shadowy land. There was as large a concourse of people at his burial as had ever thronged46 to hear his fiery47 preaching on Whit6 Meadow. His memory became surrounded by a saintly radiance in the imaginations of the poor. Stories of his goodness and his afflictions, and the final ray of peace which God sent to cheer his last moments, were long retailed48 amongst the Whitford Methodists. And his grave is still bright with carefully-tended flowers.
Of Algernon Errington the strangest rumours49 were circulated for a time. Some said he had become croupier at a foreign gambling-table; others declared he had married a West Indian heiress with a million of money, and was living in Florence in unheard-of luxury. Others, again, affirmed that they had the best authority for believing that he had gone to the United States, and had appeared on the stage there with immense success. However, the remembrance of him passed away from men's minds in Whitford within a few years; in London within a few months. But it was a long time before Jack35 Price left off recounting his final interview with Errington. "That young Ancram, you know. Captivating way of his own. What? On my honour, the rascal50 borrowed ten pounds of me. Ready money, sir, down on the nail! Bedad, it was a tour de force, for I never have a shilling in my pocket for my own use. But Ancram would coax51 the little birds off the bushes, as they say in my part of the world. Principle? Oh, devil a rag of principle in his whole composition. What? I wonder what the deuce has become of him! I give ye my word and honour he was really—really now—a Charming Fellow."
THE END.
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1
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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remittance
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| n.汇款，寄款，汇兑 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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seaport
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| n.海港，港口，港市 | |
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interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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whit
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| n.一点，丝毫 | |
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honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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outfit
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| n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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11
confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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12
derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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paramount
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| a.最重要的，最高权力的 | |
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grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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benevolently
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| adv.仁慈地，行善地 | |
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annuity
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| n.年金；养老金 | |
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profess
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| v.声称，冒称，以...为业，正式接受入教，表明信仰 | |
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professed
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| 公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的 | |
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proprietary
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| n.所有权，所有的；独占的；业主 | |
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inmate
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| n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人 | |
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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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solicitude
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| n.焦虑 | |
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immunity
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| n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权 | |
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bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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patronage
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| n.赞助，支援，援助；光顾，捧场 | |
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codicil
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| n.遗嘱的附录 | |
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testament
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| n.遗嘱；证明 | |
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residue
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| n.残余，剩余，残渣 | |
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fixtures
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| （房屋等的）固定装置( fixture的名词复数 )； 如（浴盆、抽水马桶）； 固定在某位置的人或物； （定期定点举行的）体育活动 | |
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injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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groom
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| vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁 | |
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bequest
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| n.遗赠；遗产，遗物 | |
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embittered
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| v.使怨恨，激怒( embitter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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benevolence
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| n.慈悲，捐助 | |
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ascetic
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| adj.禁欲的；严肃的 | |
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pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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legacy
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| n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西 | |
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40
fidelity
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| n.忠诚，忠实；精确 | |
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41
asylum
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| n.避难所，庇护所，避难 | |
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42
soothe
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| v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承 | |
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assailed
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| v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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44
serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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45
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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46
thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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retailed
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| vt.零售（retail的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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49
rumours
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| n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传 | |
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50
rascal
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| n.流氓；不诚实的人 | |
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51
coax
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| v.哄诱，劝诱，用诱哄得到，诱取 | |
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