In the oak room he found Mrs. Leath, her mother-in-law andEffie. The group, as he came toward it down the longdrawing-rooms, composed itself prettily1 about the tea-table.
The lamps and the fire crossed their gleams on silver andporcelain, on the bright haze2 of Effie's hair and on thewhiteness of Anna's forehead, as she leaned back in herchair behind the tea-urn.
She did not move at Darrow's approach, but lifted to him adeep gaze of peace and confidence. The look seemed to throwabout him the spell of a divine security: he felt the joy ofa convalescent suddenly waking to find the sunlight on hisface.
Madame de Chantelle, across her knitting, discoursed4 oftheir afternoon's excursion, with occasional pauses inducedby the hypnotic effect of the fresh air; and Effie,kneeling, on the hearth5, softly but insistently6 sought toimplant in her terrier's mind some notion of the relationbetween a vertical7 attitude and sugar.
Darrow took a chair behind the little girl, so that he mightlook across at her mother. It was almost a necessity forhim, at the moment, to let his eyes rest on Anna's face, andto meet, now and then, the proud shyness of her gaze.
Madame de Chantelle presently enquired8 what had become ofOwen, and a moment later the window behind her opened, andher grandson, gun in hand, came in from the terrace. As hestood there in the lamp-light, with dead leaves and bits ofbramble clinging to his mud-spattered clothes, the scent3 ofthe night about him and its chill on his pale bright face,he really had the look of a young faun strayed in from theforest.
Effie abandoned the terrier to fly to him. "Oh, Owen, wherein the world have you been? I walked miles and miles withNurse and couldn't find you, and we met Jean and he said hedidn't know where you'd gone.""Nobody knows where I go, or what I see when I get there--that's the beauty of it!" he laughed back at her. "But ifyou're good," he added, "I'll tell you about it one of thesedays.""Oh, now, Owen, now! I don't really believe I'll ever bemuch better than I am now.""Let Owen have his tea first," her mother suggested; but theyoung man, declining the offer, propped9 his gun against thewall, and, lighting10 a cigarette, began to pace up and downthe room in a way that reminded Darrow of his own cagedwanderings. Effie pursued him with her blandishments, andfor a while he poured out to her a low-voiced stream ofnonsense; then he sat down beside his step-mother and leanedover to help himself to tea.
"Where's Miss Viner?" he asked, as Effie climbed up on him.
"Why isn't she here to chain up this ungovernable infant?""Poor Miss Viner has a headache. Effie says she went to herroom as soon as lessons were over, and sent word that shewouldn't be down for tea.""Ah," said Owen, abruptly11 setting down his cup. He stoodup, lit another cigarette, and wandered away to the piano inthe room beyond.
From the twilight12 where he sat a lonely music, borne onfantastic chords, floated to the group about the tea-table.
Under its influence Madame de Chantelle's meditative13 pausesincreased in length and frequency, and Effie stretchedherself on the hearth, her drowsy14 head against the dog.
Presently her nurse appeared, and Anna rose at the sametime. "Stop a minute in my sitting-room15 on your way up,"she paused to say to Darrow as she went.
A few hours earlier, her request would have brought himinstantly to his feet. She had given him, on the day of hisarrival, an inviting16 glimpse of the spacious17 book-lined roomabove stairs in which she had gathered together all thetokens of her personal tastes: the retreat in which, as onemight fancy, Anna Leath had hidden the restless ghost ofAnna Summers; and the thought of a talk with her there hadbeen in his mind ever since. But now he sat motionless, asif spell-bound by the play of Madame de Chantelle's needlesand the pulsations of Owen's fitful music.
"She will want to ask me about the girl," he repeated tohimself, with a fresh sense of the insidious18 taint19 thatembittered all his thoughts; the hand of the slender-columned clock on the mantel-piece had spanned a half-hourbefore shame at his own indecision finally drew him to hisfeet.
From her writing-table, where she sat over a pile ofletters, Anna lifted her happy smile. The impulse to presshis lips to it made him come close and draw her upward. Shethrew her head back, as if surprised at the abruptness20 ofthe gesture; then her face leaned to his with the slow droopof a flower. He felt again the sweep of the secret tides,and all his fears went down in them.
She sat down in the sofa-corner by the fire and he drew anarmchair close to her. His gaze roamed peacefully about thequiet room.
"It's just like you--it is you," he said, as his eyes cameback to her.
"It's a good place to be alone in--I don't think I've everbefore cared to talk with any one here.""Let's be quiet, then: it's the best way of talking.""Yes; but we must save it up till later. There are things Iwant to say to you now."He leaned back in his chair. "Say them, then, and I'lllisten.""Oh, no. I want you to tell me about Miss Viner.""About Miss Viner?" He summoned up a look of faintinterrogation.
He thought she seemed surprised at his surprise. "It'simportant, naturally," she explained, "that I should findout all I can about her before I leave.""Important on Effie's account?""On Effie's account--of course.""Of course...But you've every reason to be satisfied,haven't you?""Every apparent reason. We all like her. Effie's very fondof her, and she seems to have a delightful21 influence on thechild. But we know so little, after all--about herantecedents, I mean, and her past history. That's why Iwant you to try and recall everything you heard about herwhen you used to see her in London.""Oh, on that score I'm afraid I sha'n't be of much use. As Itold you, she was a mere22 shadow in the background of thehouse I saw her in--and that was four or five years ago...""When she was with a Mrs. Murrett?""Yes; an appalling23 woman who runs a roaring dinner-factorythat used now and then to catch me in its wheels. I escapedfrom them long ago; but in my time there used to be half adozen fagged 'hands' to tend the machine, and Miss Viner wasone of them. I'm glad she's out of it, poor girl!""Then you never really saw anything of her there?""I never had the chance. Mrs. Murrett discouraged anycompetition on the part of her subordinates.""Especially such pretty ones, I suppose?" Darrow made nocomment, and she continued: "And Mrs. Murrett's own opinion--if she'd offered you one--probably wouldn't have been ofmuch value?""Only in so far as her disapproval24 would, on generalprinciples, have been a good mark for Miss Viner. Butsurely," he went on after a pause, "you could have found outabout her from the people through whom you first heard ofher?"Anna smiled. "Oh, we heard of her through Adelaide Painter--;" and in reply to his glance of interrogation sheexplained that the lady in question was a spinster of SouthBraintree, Massachusetts, who, having come to Paris somethirty years earlier, to nurse a brother through an illness,had ever since protestingly and provisionally camped therein a state of contemptuous protestation oddly manifested byher never taking the slip-covers off her drawing-roomchairs. Her long residence on Gallic soil had not mitigatedher hostility25 toward the creed26 and customs of the race, butthough she always referred to the Catholic Church as theScarlet Woman and took the darkest views of French privatelife, Madame de Chantelle placed great reliance on herjudgment and experience, and in every domestic crisis theirreducible Adelaide was immediately summoned to Givre.
"It's all the odder because my mother-in-law, since hersecond marriage, has lived so much in the country that she'spractically lost sight of all her other American friends.
Besides which, you can see how completely she has identifiedherself with Monsieur de Chantelle's nationality and adoptedFrench habits and prejudices. Yet when anything goes wrongshe always sends for Adelaide Painter, who's more Americanthan the Stars and Stripes, and might have left SouthBraintree yesterday, if she hadn't, rather, brought it overwith her in her trunk."Darrow laughed. "Well, then, if South Braintree vouches27 forMiss Viner----""Oh, but only indirectly28. When we had that odious29 adventurewith Mademoiselle Grumeau, who'd been so highly recommendedby Monsieur de Chantelle's aunt, the Chanoinesse, Adelaidewas of course sent for, and she said at once: 'I'm not theleast bit surprised. I've always told you that what youwanted for Effie was a sweet American girl, and not one ofthese nasty foreigners.' Unluckily she couldn't, at themoment, put her hand on a sweet American; but she presentlyheard of Miss Viner through the Farlows, an excellent couplewho live in the Quartier Latin and write about French lifefor the American papers. I was only too thankful to findanyone who was vouched30 for by decent people; and so far I'vehad no cause to regret my choice. But I know, after all,very little about Miss Viner; and there are all kinds ofreasons why I want, as soon as possible, to find out more--to find out all I can.""Since you've got to leave Effie I understand your feelingin that way. But is there, in such a case, anyrecommendation worth half as much as your own directexperience?""No; and it's been so favourable31 that I was ready to acceptit as conclusive32. Only, naturally, when I found you'd knownher in London I was in hopes you'd give me some morespecific reasons for liking33 her as much as I do.""I'm afraid I can give you nothing more specific than mygeneral vague impression that she seems very plucky34 andextremely nice.""You don't, at any rate, know anything specific to thecontrary?""To the contrary? How should I? I'm not conscious of everhaving heard any one say two words about her. I only inferthat she must have pluck and character to have stuck it outso long at Mrs. Murrett's.""Yes, poor thing! She has pluck, certainly; and pride, too;which must have made it all the harder." Anna rose to herfeet. "You don't know how glad I am that your impression'son the whole so good. I particularly wanted you to likeher."He drew her to him with a smile. "On that condition I'mprepared to love even Adelaide Painter.""I almost hope you wont35 have the chance to--poor Adelaide!
Her appearance here always coincides with a catastrophe36.""Oh, then I must manage to meet her elsewhere." He held Annacloser, saying to himself, as he smoothed back the hair fromher forehead: "What does anything matter but just THIS?
--Must I go now?" he added aloud.
She answered absently: "It must be time to dress"; then shedrew back a little and laid her hands on his shoulders. "Mylove--oh, my dear love!" she said.
It came to him that they were the first words of endearmenthe had heard her speak, and their rareness gave them a magicquality of reassurance37, as though no danger could strikethrough such a shield.
A knock on the door made them draw apart. Anna lifted herhand to her hair and Darrow stooped to examine a photographof Effie on the writing-table.
"Come in!" Anna said.
The door opened and Sophy Viner entered. Seeing Darrow, shedrew back.
"Do come in, Miss Viner," Anna repeated, looking at herkindly.
The girl, a quick red in her cheeks, still hesitated on thethreshold.
"I'm so sorry; but Effie has mislaid her Latin grammar, andI thought she might have left it here. I need it to preparefor tomorrow's lesson.""Is this it?" Darrow asked, picking up a book from thetable.
"Oh, thank you!"He held it out to her and she took it and moved to the door.
"Wait a minute, please, Miss Viner," Anna said; and as thegirl turned back, she went on with her quiet smile: "Effietold us you'd gone to your room with a headache. You mustn'tsit up over tomorrow's lessons if you don't feel well."Sophy's blush deepened. "But you see I have to. Latin's oneof my weak points, and there's generally only one page ofthis book between me and Effie." She threw the words offwith a half-ironic smile. "Do excuse my disturbing you,"she added.
"You didn't disturb me," Anna answered. Darrow perceivedthat she was looking intently at the girl, as though struckby something tense and tremulous in her face, her voice, herwhole mien38 and attitude. "You DO look tired. You'dmuch better go straight to bed. Effie won't be sorry to skipher Latin.""Thank you--but I'm really all right," murmured Sophy Viner.
Her glance, making a swift circuit of the room, dwelt for anappreciable instant on the intimate propinquity of arm-chairand sofa-corner; then she turned back to the door.
收听单词发音 |
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prettily
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| adv.优美地；可爱地 | |
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haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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discoursed
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| 演说（discourse的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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insistently
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| ad.坚持地 | |
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vertical
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| adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置 | |
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8
enquired
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| 打听( enquire的过去式和过去分词 )； 询问； 问问题； 查问 | |
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propped
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| 支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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meditative
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| adj.沉思的，冥想的 | |
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drowsy
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| adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的 | |
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15
sitting-room
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| n.（BrE）客厅，起居室 | |
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inviting
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| adj.诱人的，引人注目的 | |
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spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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insidious
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| adj.阴险的，隐匿的，暗中为害的，（疾病）不知不觉之间加剧 | |
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taint
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| n.污点；感染；腐坏；v.使感染；污染 | |
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abruptness
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| n. 突然，唐突 | |
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delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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disapproval
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| n.反对，不赞成 | |
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hostility
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| n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争 | |
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creed
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| n.信条；信念，纲领 | |
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vouches
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| v.保证( vouch的第三人称单数 )；担保；确定；确定地说 | |
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indirectly
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| adv.间接地，不直接了当地 | |
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odious
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| adj.可憎的，讨厌的 | |
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vouched
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| v.保证( vouch的过去式和过去分词 )；担保；确定；确定地说 | |
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favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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conclusive
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| adj.最后的，结论的；确凿的，消除怀疑的 | |
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liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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34
plucky
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| adj.勇敢的 | |
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wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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reassurance
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| n.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
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mien
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| n.风采；态度 | |
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