CHAPTER XXIX SOME TWISTED THREADS

 BARNABAS,” said Miss Mason one day—it was the fourteenth of October—“what’s the matter with Paul?”

 

She was in Barnabas’ studio when she put the question.

 

“Ah,” said Barnabas, “you’ve seen it too.”

 

“One must be blind not to see it,” said Miss Mason. “I felt something was wrong before I went away, and since I’ve been back I’ve been sure of it.”

 

For a moment Barnabas did not reply. “I know part,” he said after a minute, “and the rest I can guess. You know he has lost a good bit of money?”

 

“Humpt!” said Miss Mason. “I didn’t know. So that’s the trouble.”

 

“Partly,” said Barnabas. “I think the other part is the Duchessa.”

 

“You mean——?” said Miss Mason.

 

“Paul was in love with her,” said Barnabas.

 

Miss Mason looked at him. Then she nodded her head two or three times. She suddenly realized that the Duchessa, who used frequently to [Pg 288]come to the courtyard, had not been there during the last three weeks of July, nor during this first fortnight in October. Of August and September she had, of course, no record.

 

“I see,” she said.

 

“I think,” went on Barnabas, “that if this money loss had not intervened they would have followed the example of Aurora¹ and Alan.”

 

“She cared for him then?” asked Miss Mason.

 

“I have never seen two people more in love with each other,” said Barnabas. “They evidently did not wish, at the moment, to make the fact public. But seeing them together, as I occasionally did, one must have been blind not to have realized it.”

 

“Ah,” said Miss Mason. “Then she is unhappy, too?”

 

“I have happened to meet her twice,” said Barnabas. “She acts very well. But the spring of life has gone.”

 

“But she has money,” said Miss Mason. “Surely——”

 

“If she marries again she loses every penny,” said Barnabas. “I learned that quite by chance one day from Charlton.”

 

Miss Mason made a curious sound with her tongue. It can only be described as clucking.

 

“The world,” she said, “can be curiously² contrary at times. I’m very glad I asked you.”

 

Then she went back to her studio and sat down for a long time in her big arm-chair to think.

 

 

And the Three Fates watched her. For when Miss Mason sat in her chair with just that particular expression on her face, it meant that she was not over-pleased with their weaving, and that she wished to unravel³ and re-weave their latest pattern to a fashion more according to their mind. And the Three Fates looked at each other, and they nodded their three old heads, and waited with amusement in their eyes to see what she would do. As a matter of fact they had made this particular bit of muddle⁴ in their weaving on purpose that she might have the pleasure of putting it straight.

 

But it was a bit of straightening about which Miss Mason felt a trifle nervous. Her fingers itched⁵ to be at the threads, unravelling⁶ and untwisting the knots, yet somehow she felt a little frightened to begin.

 

It was quite three hours before she made up her mind. Then she suddenly crossed to her writing-table and wrote a letter to Mr. Davis who had rooms in Gray’s Inn. In the letter she stated that she wished to see him at eleven o’clock precisely⁷ the following morning on urgent business.

 

And as she folded and sealed the letter the Three Fates laughed. For Miss Mason had put her fingers on the first knot.

 

“It is,” said Mr. Davis, “a most unusual proceeding⁸.”

 

It was twelve o’clock on the following morning.He had been talking to Miss Mason for an hour, or rather she had been talking, and it was the third time that he had made the above statement.

 

“All the same,” said Miss Mason firmly, “it is my wish. And I understand that I have absolute control over my capital.”

 

“Absolute,” said Mr. Davis regretfully, looking at her with a kind of mild protest through his spectacles.

 

“Very well, then,” she went on, “have the deeds, or whatever you call them, drawn⁹ up immediately. I will come down to your office the day after to-morrow to sign them. I shall bring them away with me, and post them to you the moment I wish the matter put in full train. Is everything perfectly¹⁰ clear?”

 

“Perfectly,” said Mr. Davis. “Of course, if there had been trustees——”

 

“But there aren’t, thank goodness,” said Miss Mason. “Remember, ten o’clock Friday morning I’ll be with you.”

 

Mr. Davis found himself dismissed; and he left the studio wondering how a woman who eighteen months ago did not know how to fill up a cheque should suddenly have become so remarkably¹¹ decided¹² regarding business matters, and utterly¹³ refuse to listen to common-sense statements on his part.

 

As soon as he had gone Miss Mason wrote to Sara.

 

“My dear Duchessa,” she wrote, “will you do [Pg 291]an old woman a favour and come to tea with her on Friday next at four o’clock. I want to see you on a particular matter. If you are engaged on Friday will you very kindly¹⁴ appoint some other hour on which you can come to see me.

 

“Yours very sincerely,

 

“Olive Mason.”

 

She sent the note by Sally, telling her to wait for an answer. In half an hour Sally returned with it. Miss Mason opened it with fingers a little shaky from anxiety. She read it slowly.

 

“My dear Aunt Olive.—Thank you for your letter. I will be with you on Friday next at four o’clock. My love to you and Pippa. I hope you both enjoyed your holiday in Devonshire.

 

“Very sincerely yours,

 

“Sara di Corleone.”

 

It had cost Sara something to write that letter. It would bring back memories of joy and pain for her again to enter the courtyard.

1 aurora   

n.极光

参考例句：

• The aurora is one of nature's most awesome spectacles.极光是自然界最可畏的奇观之一。
• Over the polar regions we should see aurora.在极地高空,我们会看到极光。

2 curiously   

adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地

参考例句：

• He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
• He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。

3 unravel   

v.弄清楚（秘密）；拆开，解开，松开

参考例句：

• He was good with his hands and could unravel a knot or untangle yarn that others wouldn't even attempt.他的手很灵巧，其他人甚至都不敢尝试的一些难解的绳结或缠在一起的纱线，他都能解开。
• This is the attitude that led him to unravel a mystery that long puzzled Chinese historians.正是这种态度使他解决了长期以来使中国历史学家们大惑不解的谜。

4 muddle   

n.困惑，混浊状态；vt.使混乱，使糊涂，使惊呆；vi.胡乱应付，混乱

参考例句：

• Everything in the room was in a muddle.房间里每一件东西都是乱七八糟的。
• Don't work in a rush and get into a muddle.克服忙乱现象。

5 itched   

v.发痒( itch的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Seeing the children playing ping-pong, he itched to have a go. 他看到孩子们打乒乓，不觉技痒。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He could hardly sIt'still and itched to have a go. 他再也坐不住了，心里跃跃欲试。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 unravelling   

解开，拆散，散开( unravel的现在分词 )； 阐明； 澄清； 弄清楚

参考例句：

• Nail head clamp the unravelling of nail exteriorize broken nails and clean. 钉头卡钉，拆开钉头取出碎钉并清洁。
• The ends of ropes are in good condition and secured without unravelling. 缆绳端部状况良好及牢固，并无松散脱线。

7 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

8 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

9 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

10 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

11 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

12 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

13 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

14 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。