“After all, you can say what you like, Theodore, but in point of fact we belong to just the same class as Bertram Railing. Are you sure that Winnie is not merely sinking to our proper level? It’s a tendency with families like ours, that have come up in the world; and with most of us, to keep up our nobility is just swimming against the stream.”
“Well, in our heart of hearts we’re bourgeois6, we’re desperately7 bourgeois. But I suspect it’s just the same with others as it is with us. In the last fifty years so many tinkers, tailors, and spectacle-makers have pitchforked themselves into the upper classes; and very few of them are quite at home. Some are continually on the alert to uphold their dignity, trying to hide by the stupid pretentiousness8 of a bogus genealogy9 in Burke, the grandfather who was a country attorney, or a plate-layer, or a groom10. Some, with the energy still in them of all those ancestors who were honest shopkeepers or artisans, throw themselves from sheer boredom11 into every kind of dissipation.”
“And after all, however much they struggle, the majority, sooner or later, sink back into the ranks of the middle classes. And, once there, with what a comfortable ease they wallow!”
“Facilis descensus Averni,” he murmured.
“Lord Stonehenge can make earldoms and baronies galore, but what’s the good when the instincts of these new noblemen, their habits and virtues15 and vices16, are bourgeois to the very marrow17!”
Lady Sophia looked at her brother for an indignant denial of these statements, but to her surprise he answered nothing. He was very thoughtful.
“Don’t you know shoals of them?” she said. “Young men who would make quite passable doctors or fairly honest lawyers, and who wear their hereditary18 honours like clothes several sizes too large for them? They meander19 through life aimlessly, like fish out of water. Look at Sir Peter Mason, whose father was President of some medical body at the Jubilee20, and managed with difficulty to scrape up the needful thirty thousand pounds to accept a baronetcy. Peter was then a medical student whose ambition it was to buy a little practice in the country and marry his cousin Bertha. Well, now he’s a baronet and Bertha thinks it bad form that he should drive about in a dog-cart to see patients at five shillings a visit. So they live in Essex because it’s cheap, and try to keep up their dignity on a thousand a year, and they’re desperately bored. Have you never met rather dowdy21 girls who’ve spent their lives in Bayswater or in some small dull terrace at South Kensington, till their father in the see-saw of politics was made a peer? How clumsily they bear their twopenny titles, how self-consciously! And with what relief they marry some obscure young man in the City!”
Canon Spratte looked at his sister for a moment, and when he answered, it was only by a visible effort that his voice remained firm.
“Sophia, if Winnie marries beneath her it will break my heart.”
“Yes, you’re the other sort of nouvelle noblesse, Theodore: you’re the sort that’s always struggling to get on equal terms with the old.”
“Sophia, Sophia!”
“She’s a charming woman and she has a deeply religious spirit, Sophia.”
“Yes, but all the same I have an idea that she raised those thin eyebrows23 of hers and in that quiet, meek24 voice, asked: ‘Winnie Spratte, Harry? Do you think the Sprattes are quite up to your form?’ ”
“I should think it extremely snobbish25 if she said anything of the sort,” retorted the Canon, with all his old fire.
The conversation dropped, but he could not help it if some of these observations rankled26. Lionel, on whom depended the future of the stock, proposed to marry a brewer’s daughter, and Winnie was positively27 engaged to a man of no family. It looked indeed as though his children were sinking back into the ranks whence with so much trouble his father had emerged. Nor did the second Earl conceal28 his scorn for the family honours. His coronet, with the strawberry leaves and the lifted pearls, he kicked hither and thither29, verbally, like a football; and the ermine cloak was a scarlet30 rag which never ceased to excite his derision.
“I’m the only member of the family who has a proper sense of his dignity,” sighed the Canon.
But when he heard that Winnie, on her return from Peckham Rye, had gone to her room with a headache, he chased away these gloomy thoughts. Even paternal31 affection could not prevent him from rubbing his hands with satisfaction.
“I thought she wouldn’t be very well after a visit to Mr. Railing’s mamma,” he said.
When she entered the drawing-room he went towards her with outstretched hands.
“Ah, my love, I see you’ve returned safely from the wilds of Peckham. I hope you encountered no savage32 beasts in those unfrequented parts.”
Winnie, with a little groan33 of exhaustion34, sank into a chair. Her head was aching still and her eyes were red with many tears. Canon Spratte assumed his most affable manner. His voice was a marvel35 of kindly36 solicitude37, and only in a note here and there was perceptible a suspicion of banter38.
“I hope you enjoyed yourself, my pet. You know the only wish I have in the world is to make you happy. And did your prospective39 mother-in-law take you to her capacious bosom40?”
“She was very kind, father.”
“I imagine that she was not exactly polished?”
“I didn’t expect her to be,” answered Winnie, in so dejected a tone that it would have melted the heart of any one less inflexible41 than Theodore Spratte.
“But I suppose you didn’t really mind that much, did you? True disinterestedness42 is such a beautiful thing, and in this world, alas43! so rare.”
“I mean to marry Bertram in spite of everything, papa.”
“My darling, whoever suggested that you shouldn’t? By the way, do they call him Bertie?”
“Yes, they call him Bertie.”
“I thought they would,” answered the Canon, with the triumphant46 air of a man who has found some important hypothesis verified by fact. “And Mrs. Railing’s husband I think you said was connected with the sea?”
“He was first mate on a collier.”
The Canon burst into song, facetiously49, with a seaman’s roll, hoisting50 his slacks. His singing voice was melodious51 and full of spirit.
“For I’m no sailor bold,
And I’ve never been upon the sea;
And if I fall therein, it’s a fact I couldn’t swim,
And quickly at the bottom I should be.”
“My dear, how uncommunicative you are, and I’m dying with curiosity. Tell me all about Mrs. Railing. Aitchless, I presume?”
“Oh, papa, how can you, how can you!” cried Winnie, hardly keeping back the tears.
“My dear, I have no doubt they are rough diamonds, but you mustn’t be discouraged at that. You must make the best of things. Remember that externals are not everything—even in this world. I’m sure the Railings are thoroughly53 worthy54 people. It is doubtless possible to eat peas with a knife, and yet to have an excellent heart. One of the most saintly women I ever knew, the old Marquise de Surennes, used invariably to wipe her knife and fork with a table-napkin before eating.”
His words, notwithstanding the tone of great tenderness, were bitter stabs; and Canon Spratte, as he spoke, really could not help admiring his own cleverness.
“I should imagine that your fiancé was devoted55 to his mother and sister. People of that class always are. You will naturally be a good deal together. In fact, I think it probable that they will make you long and frequent visits. One’s less desirable relations are such patterns of affection; they’re always talking of the beauty of a united family. But I’m quite sure that you’ll soon accustom56 yourself to their slight eccentricities57 of diction, to their little vulgarities of manner. Remember always that ‘kind hearts are more than coronets and simple faith than Norman blood.’ ”
But Winnie could hold herself in no longer.
“Oh, they were awful,” she cried, putting her hands to her eyes. “What shall I do? What shall I do?”
Canon Spratte, still in the swing of his rhetoric58, stood in front of her. A faint smile was outlined on his lips. Was this the critical moment when the final blow might be effectively delivered? Should he suggest that it was the easiest thing in the world to break off the engagement with Bertram? He hesitated. After all, there was no need to take things hurriedly, and Providence59 notoriously sided with discretion60 and the large battalions61. If Winnie suffered, it was for her good, and it was a cherished maxim62 with Canon Spratte that suffering was salutary. He had said in the pulpit frequently, (he was too clever a man to hesitate to repeat himself,) that the human soul was brought to its highest perfection only through distress63, mental or bodily.
“Man is ennobled by pain,” he said, looking so handsome that it must have been a cynic indeed who doubted that he spoke sense. “Our character is refined to pure gold. The gross lusts64 of the flesh, the commonness which is in all of us, the pettiness of spirit, disappear in these profitable afflictions. From a bed of sickness may spring the most delicate flowers of unselfishness, of devotion, and of true saintliness. Do not seek to avoid pain, but accept it as the surest guide to all that is in you of beauty, of heavenliness, and of truth.”
For his own part, when forced to visit his dentist for the extraction of a tooth, he took good care to have gas properly administered.
In the present instance he looked upon himself as a surgeon who applies irritation65 that the ragged66 edges of an ulcer67 may inflame68 and heal. Possibly there was also in his determination to strike no sudden blow, a certain human weakness from which Canon Spratte often confessed he was not exempt69. He had not the heart to interrupt the scheme which he had so ingeniously devised. He was like a debater who has convinced his adversary70 by the first section of an argument, but for his own pleasure, and in the interests of truth, duly exposes the rest of his contention71.
He sat down at the little writing-table which was in the drawing-room and scribbled72 a note. He took out an envelope.
“By the way, my love, what is the address of dear Mrs. Railing?”
Winnie looked up with astonishment73.
“What do you want it for?”
“Balmoral, Rosebery Gardens, Gladstone Road.”
“It sounds quite aristocratic,” he said, suavely75. “Their Liberalism is evidently a family tradition.”
“I consider it my duty to be as cordial as possible to your future relations, Winnie, and I have a natural curiosity to make their acquaintance. I have asked Mrs. Railing to bring her daughter to tea, and I shall ask your uncle to meet them.”
“Oh, father, you don’t know what they’re like!”
“My dear, I don’t expect to find them highly educated. I take it they are rough diamonds with hearts of gold. I’m prepared to like Mrs. Railing.”
“Papa, don’t ask any one else—she drinks.”
He had gone too far. Winnie gave him a long, keen look, and the old note of defiance78 came back to her face.
“I hope you don’t think I can ever break my engagement with Bertram. Nothing on earth shall induce me to do that. I’ve given him my solemn promise and I’d sooner die than break it.”
“My dear, I have not the least intention of thwarting80 you in any way. I think it wrong and even wicked for a father to attempt to influence his children’s matrimonial choice. Their youth and inexperience naturally make them so much more capable of judging for themselves.”
该作者其它作品
《英雄》
《魔术师 The Magician》
《月亮和六便士 Moon and Sixpence》
该作者其它作品
《英雄》
《魔术师 The Magician》
《月亮和六便士 Moon and Sixpence》
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1
persistence
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| n.坚持，持续，存留 | |
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2
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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3
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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scoffed
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| 嘲笑，嘲弄( scoff的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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metaphors
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| 隐喻( metaphor的名词复数 ) | |
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bourgeois
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| adj./n.追求物质享受的(人)；中产阶级分子 | |
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desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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pretentiousness
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| n.矫饰；炫耀；自负；狂妄 | |
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genealogy
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| n.家系，宗谱 | |
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10
groom
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| vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁 | |
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boredom
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| n.厌烦，厌倦，乏味，无聊 | |
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12
radical
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| n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的 | |
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13
disdain
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| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
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14
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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15
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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16
vices
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| 缺陷( vice的名词复数 )； 恶习； 不道德行为； 台钳 | |
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17
marrow
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| n.骨髓；精华；活力 | |
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18
hereditary
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| adj.遗传的，遗传性的，可继承的，世袭的 | |
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19
meander
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| n.河流的曲折，漫步，迂回旅行；v.缓慢而弯曲地流动，漫谈 | |
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20
jubilee
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| n.周年纪念；欢乐 | |
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21
dowdy
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| adj.不整洁的；过旧的 | |
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22
harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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23
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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24
meek
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| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
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25
snobbish
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| adj.势利的，谄上欺下的 | |
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26
rankled
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| v.（使）痛苦不已，（使）怨恨不已( rankle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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27
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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28
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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29
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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30
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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31
paternal
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| adj.父亲的，像父亲的，父系的，父方的 | |
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32
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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33
groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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34
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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35
marvel
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| vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事 | |
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36
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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solicitude
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| n.焦虑 | |
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38
banter
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| n.嘲弄，戏谑；v.取笑，逗弄，开玩笑 | |
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39
prospective
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| adj.预期的，未来的，前瞻性的 | |
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40
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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41
inflexible
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| adj.不可改变的，不受影响的，不屈服的 | |
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42
disinterestedness
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43
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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44
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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45
defiant
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| adj.无礼的，挑战的 | |
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46
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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47
smack
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| vt.拍，打，掴；咂嘴；vi.含有…意味；n.拍 | |
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48
briny
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| adj.盐水的；很咸的；n.海洋 | |
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49
facetiously
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| adv.爱开玩笑地；滑稽地，爱开玩笑地 | |
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50
hoisting
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| 起重，提升 | |
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51
melodious
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| adj.旋律美妙的，调子优美的，音乐性的 | |
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52
gaily
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| adv.欢乐地，高兴地 | |
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53
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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54
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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55
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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56
accustom
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| vt.使适应，使习惯 | |
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57
eccentricities
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| n.古怪行为( eccentricity的名词复数 )；反常；怪癖 | |
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58
rhetoric
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| n.修辞学，浮夸之言语 | |
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59
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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60
discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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61
battalions
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| n.（陆军的）一营（大约有一千兵士）( battalion的名词复数 )；协同作战的部队；军队；（组织在一起工作的）队伍 | |
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62
maxim
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| n.格言，箴言 | |
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63
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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64
lusts
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| 贪求（lust的第三人称单数形式） | |
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65
irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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66
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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ulcer
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| n.溃疡，腐坏物 | |
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68
inflame
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| v.使燃烧；使极度激动；使发炎 | |
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69
exempt
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| adj.免除的；v.使免除；n.免税者，被免除义务者 | |
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70
adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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71
contention
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| n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张 | |
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72
scribbled
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| v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下 | |
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73
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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74
improper
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| adj.不适当的，不合适的，不正确的，不合礼仪的 | |
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75
suavely
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76
blotting
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| 吸墨水纸 | |
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77
blandly
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| adv.温和地，殷勤地 | |
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78
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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79
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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80
thwarting
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| 阻挠( thwart的现在分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过 | |
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