For some strange reason of diffidence, Richard had not been to the Crabtree since his visit there with Adeline. He was sardonically1 in search of his motive2 for staying away when the young gentlemen with the "Sportsman" left the bus. Miss Roberts grew rosy3 as he got up and offered her his hand, at the same time seating himself by her side. She wore a black jacket and skirt, well worn but in good preservation4, a hat with red flowers, and grey woollen gloves; and any person of ordinary discernment would have guessed her occupation without a great deal of difficulty. During the last year she had become stouter5, and her figure was now full rather than slender; her features, especially the nostrils6, mouth, and chin, were somewhat heavy, but she had prettily7 shaped ears, and her eyes, of no definable tint8, were soft and tender; her reddish-brown hair was as conspicuous9 and as splendid as ever, coiled with tight precision at the back of her head, and escaping here and there above her ears in tiny flying wisps. The expression of her face was mainly one of amiability10, but passive, animal-like, inert11; she seemed full of good-nature.
"We haven't seen you at the Crabtree, lately," she said.
"You are still at the old place, then?"
"Oh, yes; and shall be, I expect. They've taken another floor now, and we're the biggest vegetarian12 restaurant in London."
There was a note of timid agitation13 in her voice, and he noticed besides that her cheeks were red and her eyes shone. Could it be that this encounter had given her pleasure? The idea of such a possibility afforded him secret delight.... She, a breathing woman, glad to see him! He wondered what the other people on the bus were thinking of them, and especially what the driver thought; the driver had happened to catch sight of them when they were shaking hands, and as Richard examined the contour of the man's rubicund14 face, he fancied he saw there a glimmer15 of a smile. This was during a little pause in the conversation.
"And how have you spent Christmas?" It was Richard's question.
"At home," she answered simply, "with father and mother. My married sister and her husband came over for the day."
"And I spent mine all alone," he said ruefully. "No friends, no pudding, no nothing."
She looked at him compassionately17.
"I suppose you live in rooms? It must be very lonely."
"Oh!" he returned lightly, yet seizing with eager satisfaction the sympathy she offered, "it's nothing when you're used to it. This makes my third Christmas in London, and none of them has been particularly uproarious. Fortunately there was the skating this year. I was on the Serpentine18 nearly all day."
Then she asked him if skating was easy to learn, because she had been wanting to try for years, but had never had opportunity. He answered that it was quite easy, if one were not afraid.
"I'm going your way," he said, as they both got off at Piccadilly Circus, and they walked along Coventry Street together. The talk flagged; to rouse it Richard questioned her about the routine of the restaurant,—a subject on which she spoke19 readily, and with a certain sense of humour. When they reached the Crabtree,—
"Why, it's been painted!" Richard exclaimed. "It looks very swagger, indeed, now."
"Yes, my! doesn't it? And it's beautiful inside, too. You must come in sometime."
"I will," he said with emphasis.
She shook his hand quite vigorously, and their eyes met with a curious questioning gaze. He smiled to himself as he walked down Chandos Street; his dejection had mysteriously vanished, and he even experienced a certain uplifting of spirit. It occurred to him that he had never at all understood Miss Roberts before. How different she was outside the restaurant! Should he go to the Crabtree for lunch that day, or should he allow a day or two to elapse? He decidedly prudently20 to wait.
He debated whether he should mention the meeting to Jenkins, and said on the whole that he would not do so. But he found Jenkins surprisingly urbane21, and without conscious volition22 he was soon saying,—
"Guess who I came down with on the bus this morning."
Jenkins gave it up.
"Laura Roberts;" and then, seeing no look of comprehension on Jenkins' face, "You know, the cashier at the Crabtree."
"Oh—her!"
The stress was a little irritating.
"I saw her about a fortnight ago," Jenkins said.
"At the Crabtree?"
"Yes. Did she say anything to you about me?" The youth smiled.
"No. Why?"
"Ah, my boy, you won't get far with her."
"Oh, sha'n't I? I could tell you a thing or two re Laura Roberts, if I liked."
Although Jenkins' remark was characteristic, and Richard knew well enough that there was nothing behind his words, yet his mind reverted24 instantly to the stories connecting Miss Roberts with Mr. Aked.
The discussion might have gone further, had it not been interrupted by Mr. Smythe, who burst suddenly into the room, as his custom was.
"Larch27, come with me into Mr. Curpet's room." His tone was brusque. He had none of Mr. Curpet's natural politeness, though on rare occasions, of which the present was not one, he sought clumsily to imitate it. Richard felt a vague alarm.
With a muffler round his throat, Mr. Curpet was seated before the fire, blowing his nose and breathing noisily. Mr. Smythe went to the window, and played with the tassel28 of the blind cord.
"We are thinking of making some changes, Larch," Mr. Curpet began.
"Yes, sir." His heart sank. Was he to be dismissed? The next sentence was reassuring29.
"In future all costs will be drawn30 and settled in the office, instead of being sent out. Do you feel equal to taking charge of that department?"
Richard had many times helped in the preparation of bills of cost, and possessed31 a fair knowledge of this complicated and engaging subject. He answered very decidedly in the affirmative.
"What we propose," Mr. Smythe broke in, "is that you should have an assistant, and that the two of you should attend to both the books and the costs."
"Of course your salary will be increased," Mr. Curpet added.
"Let me see, what do you get now?" This from Mr. Smythe, whose memory was imperfect.
"Three pounds ten, sir."
"Suppose we say four pounds ten," said Mr. Smythe to Mr. Curpet, and then turning to Larch: "That's very good indeed, you know, young man; you wouldn't get that everywhere. By Jove, no, you wouldn't!" Richard was fully16 aware of the fact. He could scarcely credit his own luck. "And we shall expect you to keep things up to the mark."
Mr. Curpet smiled kindly32 over his handkerchief, as if to intimate that Mr. Smythe need not have insisted on that point.
"And you may have to stay late sometimes," Mr. Smythe went on.
"Yes, sir."
When the interview was finished, he retraced33 his career at the office, marvelling34 that he should have done anything unusual enough to inspire his principals to such appreciation35, and he soon made out that, compared with others of the staff, he had indeed been a model clerk. A delicious self-complacence enveloped36 him. Mr. Smythe had had the air of conferring a favour; but Mr. Curpet was at the head of affairs at No. 2 Serjeant's Court, and Mr. Curpet's attitude had been decidedly flattering. At first he had a difficulty in grasping his good fortune, thought it too good to be true; but he ended by believing in himself very heartily37. In the matter of salary, he stood now second only to Mr. Alder38, he a youth not three years out of the provinces. Three years ago an income of £234 per annum would have seemed almost fabulous39. His notions as to what constituted opulence40 had changed since then, but nevertheless £234 was an excellent revenue, full of possibilities. A man could marry on that and live comfortably; many men ventured to marry on half as much. In clerkdom he had indubitably risen with ease to the upper ranks. There was good Northern stuff in Richard Larch, after all! As he walked home, his brain was busy with plans, beautiful plans for the New Year,—how he would save money, and how he would spend his nights in toil41.
该作者的其它作品
《老妇人的故事 The Old Wives' Tale》
《Clayhanger克雷亨格》
该作者的其它作品
《老妇人的故事 The Old Wives' Tale》
《Clayhanger克雷亨格》
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1
sardonically
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| adv.讽刺地，冷嘲地 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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preservation
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| n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持 | |
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stouter
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| 粗壮的( stout的比较级 )； 结实的； 坚固的； 坚定的 | |
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nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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7
prettily
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| adv.优美地；可爱地 | |
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8
tint
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| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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amiability
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| n.和蔼可亲的，亲切的，友善的 | |
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inert
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| adj.无活动能力的，惰性的；迟钝的 | |
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12
vegetarian
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| n.素食者；adj.素食的 | |
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13
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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14
rubicund
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| adj.(脸色)红润的 | |
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glimmer
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| v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光 | |
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16
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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17
compassionately
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| adv.表示怜悯地，有同情心地 | |
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18
serpentine
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| adj.蜿蜒的，弯曲的 | |
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19
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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prudently
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| adv. 谨慎地，慎重地 | |
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urbane
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| adj.温文尔雅的，懂礼的 | |
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volition
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| n.意志；决意 | |
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mashed
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| a.捣烂的 | |
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reverted
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| 恢复( revert的过去式和过去分词 )； 重提； 回到…上； 归还 | |
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curtly
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| adv.简短地 | |
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rudiments
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| n.基础知识，入门 | |
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larch
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| n.落叶松 | |
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tassel
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| n.流苏，穗；v.抽穗， （玉米）长穗须 | |
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reassuring
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| a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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31
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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32
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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33
retraced
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| v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
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34
marvelling
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| v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的现在分词 ) | |
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35
appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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38
alder
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| n.赤杨树 | |
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fabulous
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| adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的 | |
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40
opulence
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| n.财富，富裕 | |
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41
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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