For a second, as she approached him, the quick tremor1 of herglance showed her all intent on the same thought as himself.
He transmitted his instructions with mechanical precision,and she answered in the same tone, repeating his words withthe intensity2 of attention of a child not quite sure ofunderstanding. Then she disappeared up the stairs.
Darrow lingered on in the hall, not knowing if she meant toreturn, yet inwardly sure she would. At length he saw hercoming down in her hat and jacket. The rain still streakedthe window panes3, and, in order to say something, he said:
"You're not going to the lodge4 yourself?""I've sent one of the men ahead with the things; but Ithought Mrs. Leath might need me.""She didn't ask for you," he returned, wondering how hecould detain her; but she answered decidedly: "I'd bettergo."He held open the door, picked up his umbrella and followedher out. As they went down the steps she glanced back athim. "You've forgotten your mackintosh.""I sha'n't need it."She had no umbrella, and he opened his and held it out toher. She rejected it with a murmur6 of thanks and walked onthrough the thin drizzle7, and he kept the umbrella over hisown head, without offering to shelter her.
Rapidly and in silence they crossed the court and began towalk down the avenue. They had traversed a third of itslength before Darrow said abruptly8: "Wouldn't it have beenfairer, when we talked together yesterday, to tell me whatI've just heard from Mrs. Leath?""Fairer----?" She stopped short with a startled look.
"If I'd known that your future was already settled I shouldhave spared you my gratuitous9 suggestions."She walked on, more slowly, for a yard or two. "I couldn'tspeak yesterday. I meant to have told you today.""Oh, I'm not reproaching you for your lack of confidence.
Only, if you HAD told me, I should have been more sureof your really meaning what you said to me yesterday."She did not ask him to what he referred, and he saw that herparting words to him lived as vividly10 in her memory as inhis.
"Is it so important that you should be sure?" she finallyquestioned.
"Not to you, naturally," he returned with involuntaryasperity. It was incredible, yet it was a fact, that forthe moment his immediate11 purpose in seeking to speak to herwas lost under a rush of resentment12 at counting for solittle in her fate. Of what stuff, then, was his feelingfor her made? A few hours earlier she had touched histhoughts as little as his senses; but now he felt oldsleeping instincts stir in him...
A rush of rain dashed against his face, and, catchingSophy's hat, strained it back from her loosened hair. Sheput her hands to her head with a familiar gesture...He camecloser and held his umbrella over her...
At the lodge he waited while she went in. The raincontinued to stream down on him and he shivered in thedampness and stamped his feet on the flags. It seemed tohim that a long time elapsed before the door opened and shereappeared. He glanced into the house for a glimpse ofAnna, but obtained none; yet the mere13 sense of her nearnesshad completely altered his mood.
The child, Sophy told him, was doing well; but Mrs. Leathhad decided5 to wait till the surgeon came. Darrow, as theyturned away, looked through the gates, and saw the doctor'sold-fashioned carriage by the roadside.
"Let me tell the doctor's boy to drive you back," hesuggested; but Sophy answered: "No; I'll walk," and he movedon toward the house at her side. She expressed no surpriseat his not remaining at the lodge, and again they walked onin silence through the rain. She had accepted the shelterof his umbrella, but she kept herself at such a carefullymeasured distance that even the slight swaying movementsproduced by their quick pace did not once bring her arm intouch with his; and, noticing this, he perceived that everydrop of her blood must be alive to his nearness.
"What I meant just now," he began, "was that you ought tohave been sure of my good wishes."She seemed to weigh the words. "Sure enough for what?""To trust me a little farther than you did.""I've told you that yesterday I wasn't free to speak.""Well, since you are now, may I say a word to you?"She paused perceptibly, and when she spoke14 it was in so lowa tone that he had to bend his head to catch her answer. "Ican't think what you can have to say.""It's not easy to say here, at any rate. And indoors Isha'n't know where to say it." He glanced about him in therain. "Let's walk over to the spring-house for a minute."To the right of the drive, under a clump15 of trees, a littlestucco pavilion crowned by a balustrade rose on arches ofmouldering brick over a flight of steps that led down to aspring. Other steps curved up to a door above. Darrowmounted these, and opening the door entered a small circularroom hung with loosened strips of painted paper whereonspectrally faded Mandarins executed elongated16 gestures.
Some black and gold chairs with straw seats and an unsteadytable of cracked lacquer stood on the floor of red-glazedtile.
Sophy had followed him without comment. He closed the doorafter her, and she stood motionless, as though waiting forhim to speak.
"Now we can talk quietly," he said, looking at her with asmile into which he tried to put an intention of thefrankest friendliness17.
She merely repeated: "I can't think what you can have tosay."Her voice had lost the note of half-wistful confidence onwhich their talk of the previous day had closed, and shelooked at him with a kind of pale hostility18. Her tone madeit evident that his task would be difficult, but it did notshake his resolve to go on. He sat down, and mechanicallyshe followed his example. The table was between them andshe rested her arms on its cracked edge and her chin on herinterlocked hands. He looked at her and she gave him backhis look.
"Have you nothing to say to ME?" he asked at length.
A faint smile lifted, in the remembered way, the left cornerof her narrowed lips.
"About my marriage?""About your marriage."She continued to consider him between half-drawn lids. "Whatcan I say that Mrs. Leath has not already told you?""Mrs. Leath has told me nothing whatever but the fact--andher pleasure in it.""Well; aren't those the two essential points?""The essential points to YOU? I should have thought----""Oh, to YOU, I meant," she put in keenly.
He flushed at the retort, but steadied himself and rejoined:
"The essential point to me is, of course, that you should bedoing what's really best for you."She sat silent, with lowered lashes19. At length shestretched out her arm and took up from the table a littlethreadbare Chinese hand-screen. She turned its ebony stemonce or twice between her fingers, and as she did so Darrowwas whimsically struck by the way in which their evanescentslight romance was symbolized20 by the fading lines on thefrail silk.
"Do you think my engagement to Mr. Leath not really best forme?" she asked at length.
Darrow, before answering, waited long enough to get hiswords into the tersest21 shape--not without a sense, as he didso, of his likeness22 to the surgeon deliberately23 poising24 hislancet for a clean incision25. "I'm not sure," he replied,"of its being the best thing for either of you."She took the stroke steadily26, but a faint red swept her facelike the reflection of a blush. She continued to keep herlowered eyes on the screen.
"From whose point of view do you speak?""Naturally, that of the persons most concerned.""From Owen's, then, of course? You don't think me a goodmatch for him?""From yours, first of all. I don't think him a good matchfor you."He brought the answer out abruptly, his eyes on her face.
It had grown extremely pale, but as the meaning of his wordsshaped itself in her mind he saw a curious inner light dawnthrough her set look. She lifted her lids just far enoughfor a veiled glance at him, and a smile slipped through themto her trembling lips. For a moment the change merelybewildered him; then it pulled him up with a sharp jerk ofapprehension.
"I don't think him a good match for you," he stammered,groping for the lost thread of his words.
She threw a vague look about the chilly27 rain-dimmed room.
"And you've brought me here to tell me why?"The question roused him to the sense that their minutes werenumbered, and that if he did not immediately get to hispoint there might be no other chance of making it.
"My chief reason is that I believe he's too young andinexperienced to give you the kind of support you need."At his words her face changed again, freezing to a tragiccoldness. She stared straight ahead of her, perceptiblystruggling with the tremor of her muscles; and when she hadcontrolled it she flung out a pale-lipped pleasantry. "Butyou see I've always had to support myself!""He's a boy," Darrow pushed on, "a charming, wonderful boy;but with no more notion than a boy how to deal with theinevitable daily problems...the trivial stupid unimportantthings that life is chiefly made up of.""I'll deal with them for him," she rejoined.
"They'll be more than ordinarily difficult."She shot a challenging glance at him. "You must have somespecial reason for saying so.""Only my clear perception of the facts.""What facts do you mean?"Darrow hesitated. "You must know better than I," hereturned at length, "that the way won't be made easy toyou.""Mrs. Leath, at any rate, has made it so.""Madame de Chantelle will not.""How do YOU know that?" she flung back.
He paused again, not sure how far it was prudent28 to revealhimself in the confidence of the household. Then, to avoidinvolving Anna, he answered: "Madame de Chantelle sent forme yesterday.""Sent for you--to talk to you about me?" The colour rose toher forehead and her eyes burned black under lowered brows.
"By what right, I should like to know? What have you to dowith me, or with anything in the world that concerns me?"Darrow instantly perceived what dread29 suspicion againpossessed her, and the sense that it was not whollyunjustified caused him a passing pang30 of shame. But it didnot turn him from his purpose.
"I'm an old friend of Mrs. Leath's. It's not unnatural31 thatMadame de Chantelle should talk to me."She dropped the screen on the table and stood up, turning onhim the same small mask of wrath32 and scorn which had glaredat him, in Paris, when he had confessed to his suppressionof her letter. She walked away a step or two and then cameback.
"May I ask what Madame de Chantelle said to you?""She made it clear that she should not encourage themarriage.""And what was her object in making that clear to YOU?"Darrow hesitated. "I suppose she thought----""That she could persuade you to turn Mrs. Leath against me?"He was silent, and she pressed him: "Was that it?""That was it.""But if you don't--if you keep your promise----""My promise?""To say nothing...nothing whatever..." Her strained lookthrew a haggard light along the pause.
As she spoke, the whole odiousness33 of the scene rushed overhim. "Of course I shall say nothing...you know that..." Heleaned to her and laid his hand on hers. "You know Iwouldn't for the world..."She drew back and hid her face with a sob34. Then she sankagain into her seat, stretched her arms across the table andlaid her face upon them. He sat still, overwhelmed withcompunction. After a long interval35, in which he hadpainfully measured the seconds by her hard-drawn breathing,she looked up at him with a face washed clear of bitterness.
"Don't suppose I don't know what you must have thought ofme!"The cry struck him down to a lower depth of self-abasement.
"My poor child," he felt like answering, "the shame of it isthat I've never thought of you at all!" But he could onlyuselessly repeat: "I'll do anything I can to help you."She sat silent, drumming the table with her hand. He sawthat her doubt of him was allayed36, and the perception madehim more ashamed, as if her trust had first revealed to himhow near he had come to not deserving it. Suddenly shebegan to speak.
"You think, then, I've no right to marry him?""No right? God forbid! I only meant----""That you'd rather I didn't marry any friend of yours." Shebrought it out deliberately, not as a question, but as amere dispassionate statement of fact.
Darrow in turn stood up and wandered away helplessly to thewindow. He stood staring out through its small discolouredpanes at the dim brown distances; then he moved back to thetable.
"I'll tell you exactly what I meant. You'll be wretched ifyou marry a man you're not in love with."He knew the risk of misapprehension that he ran, but heestimated his chances of success as precisely37 in proportionto his peril38. If certain signs meant what he thought theydid, he might yet--at what cost he would not stop to think--make his past pay for his future.
The girl, at his words, had lifted her head with a movementof surprise. Her eyes slowly reached his face and restedthere in a gaze of deep interrogation. He held the look fora moment; then his own eyes dropped and he waited.
At length she began to speak. "You're mistaken--you'requite mistaken."He waited a moment longer. "Mistaken----?""In thinking what you think. I'm as happy as if I deservedit!" she suddenly proclaimed with a laugh.
She stood up and moved toward the door. "NOW are yousatisfied?" she asked, turning her vividest face to him fromthe threshold.
收听单词发音 |
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tremor
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| n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震 | |
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intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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panes
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| 窗玻璃( pane的名词复数 ) | |
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lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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drizzle
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| v.下毛毛雨；n.毛毛雨，蒙蒙细雨 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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gratuitous
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| adj.无偿的，免费的；无缘无故的，不必要的 | |
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vividly
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| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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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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clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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elongated
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| v.延长，加长( elongate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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friendliness
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| n.友谊，亲切，亲密 | |
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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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lashes
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| n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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symbolized
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| v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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tersest
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| （说话、文笔等）精练的，简洁的，扼要的( terse的最高级 ) | |
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likeness
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| n.相像，相似（之处） | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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poising
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| 使平衡( poise的现在分词 )； 保持（某种姿势）； 抓紧； 使稳定 | |
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incision
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| n．切口，切开 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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chilly
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| adj.凉快的，寒冷的 | |
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prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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odiousness
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| n.可憎；讨厌；可恨 | |
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sob
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| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
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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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allayed
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| v.减轻，缓和( allay的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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