Anna stood in the middle of the room, her eyes on the door.
Darrow's questioning gaze was still on her, and she said toherself with a quick-drawn breath: "If only he doesn't comenear me!"It seemed to her that she had been suddenly endowed with thefatal gift of reading the secret sense of every seeminglyspontaneous look and movement, and that in his least gestureof affection she would detect a cold design.
For a moment longer he continued to look at her enquiringly;then he turned away and took up his habitual1 stand by themantel-piece. She drew a deep breath of relief .
"Won't you please explain?" he said.
"I can't explain: I don't know. I didn't even know--tillshe told you--that she really meant to break her engagement.
All I know is that she came to me just now and said shewished to leave Givre today; and that Owen, when he heard ofit--for she hadn't told him--at once accused her of goingaway with the secret intention of throwing him over.""And you think it's a definite break?" She perceived, as shespoke, that his brow had cleared.
"How should I know? Perhaps you can tell me.""I?" She fancied his face clouded again, but he did not movefrom his tranquil3 attitude.
"As I told you," she went on, "Owen has worked himself up toimagining that for some mysterious reason you've influencedSophy against him."Darrow still visibly wondered. "It must indeed be amysterious reason! He knows how slightly I know Miss Viner.
Why should he imagine anything so wildly improbable?""I don't know that either.""But he must have hinted at some reason.""No: he admits he doesn't know your reason. He simply saysthat Sophy's manner to him has changed since she came backto Givre and that he's seen you together several times--inthe park, the spring-house, I don't know where--talkingalone in a way that seemed confidential--almost secret; andhe draws the preposterous4 conclusion that you've used yourinfluence to turn her against him.""My influence? What kind of influence?""He doesn't say."Darrow again seemed to turn over the facts she gave him.
His face remained grave, but without the least trace ofdiscomposure. "And what does Miss Viner say?""She says it's perfectly5 natural that she shouldoccasionally talk to my friends when she's under my roof--and refuses to give him any other explanation.""That at least is perfectly natural!"Anna felt her cheeks flush as she answered: "Yes--but thereis something----""Something----?""Some reason for her sudden decision to break herengagement. I can understand Owen's feeling, sorry as I amfor his way of showing it. The girl owes him some sort ofexplanation, and as long as she refuses to give it hisimagination is sure to run wild.""She would have given it, no doubt, if he d asked it in adifferent tone.""I don't defend Owen's tone--but she knew what it was beforeshe accepted him. She knows he's excitable andundisciplined.""Well, she's been disciplining him a little--probably thebest thing that could happen. Why not let the matter restthere?""Leave Owen with the idea that you HAVE been the causeof the break?"He met the question with his easy smile. "Oh, as to that--leave him with any idea of me he chooses! But leave him, atany rate, free.""Free?" she echoed in surprise.
"Simply let things be. You've surely done all you could forhim and Miss Viner. If they don't hit it off it's their ownaffair. What possible motive6 can you have for trying tointerfere now?"Her gaze widened to a deeper wonder. "Why--naturally, whathe says of you!""I don't care a straw what he says of me! In such asituation a boy in love will snatch at the most far-fetchedreason rather than face the mortifying7 fact that the ladymay simply be tired of him.""You don t quite understand Owen. Things go deep with him,and last long. It took him a long time to recover from hisother unlucky love affair. He's romantic and extravagant8:
he can't live on the interest of his feelings. He worshipsSophy and she seemed to be fond of him. If she's changedit's been very sudden. And if they part like this, angrilyand inarticulately, it will hurt him horribly--hurt his verysoul. But that, as you say, is between the two. Whatconcerns me is his associating you with their quarrel.
Owen's like my own son--if you'd seen him when I first camehere you'd know why. We were like two prisoners who talk toeach other by tapping on the wall. He's never forgotten it,nor I. Whether he breaks with Sophy, or whether they makeit up, I can't let him think you had anything to do withit."She raised her eyes entreatingly9 to Darrow's, and read inthem the forbearance of the man resigned to the discussionof non-existent problems.
"I'll do whatever you want me to," he said; "but I don't yetknow what it is."His smile seemed to charge her with inconsequence, and theprick to her pride made her continue: "After all, it's notso unnatural10 that Owen, knowing you and Sophy to be almoststrangers, should wonder what you were saying to each otherwhen he saw you talking together."She felt a warning tremor11 as she spoke2, as though someinstinct deeper than reason surged up in defense12 of itstreasure. But Darrow's face was unstirred save by the flitof his half-amused smile.
"Well, my dear--and couldn't you have told him?""I?" she faltered13 out through her blush.
"You seem to forget, one and all of you, the position youput me in when I came down here: your appeal to me to seeOwen through, your assurance to him that I would, Madame deChantelle's attempt to win me over; and most of all, my ownsense of the fact you've just recalled to me: theimportance, for both of us, that Owen should like me. Itseemed to me that the first thing to do was to get as muchlight as I could on the whole situation; and the obvious wayof doing it was to try to know Miss Viner better. Of courseI've talked with her alone--I've talked with her as often asI could. I've tried my best to find out if you were rightin encouraging Owen to marry her."She listened with a growing sense of reassurance14, strugglingto separate the abstract sense of his words from thepersuasion in which his eyes and voice enveloped15 them.
"I see--I do see," she murmured.
"You must see, also, that I could hardly say this to Owenwithout offending him still more, and perhaps increasing thebreach between Miss Viner and himself. What sort of figureshould I cut if I told him I'd been trying to find out ifhe'd made a proper choice? In any case, it's none of mybusiness to offer an explanation of what she justly saysdoesn't need one. If she declines to speak, it's obviouslyon the ground that Owen's insinuations are absurd; and thatsurely pledges me to silence.""Yes, yes! I see," Anna repeated. "But I don't want you toexplain anything to Owen.""You haven't yet told me what you do want."She hesitated, conscious of the difficulty of justifying16 herrequest; then: "I want you to speak to Sophy," she said.
Darrow broke into an incredulous laugh. "Considering whatmy previous attempts have resulted in----!"She raised her eyes quickly. "They haven't, at least,resulted in your liking17 her less, in your thinking less wellof her than you've told me?"She fancied he frowned a little. "I wonder why you go backto that?""I want to be sure--I owe it to Owen. Won't you tell me theexact impression she's produced on you?""I have told you--I like Miss Viner.""Do you still believe she's in love with Owen?""There was nothing in our short talks to throw anyparticular light on that.""You still believe, though, that there's no reason why heshouldn't marry her?"Again he betrayed a restrained impatience18. "How can Ianswer that without knowing her reasons for breaking withhim?""That's just what I want you to find out from her.""And why in the world should she tell me?""Because, whatever grievance19 she has against Owen, she cancertainly have none against me. She can't want to have Owenconnect me in his mind with this wretched quarrel; and shemust see that he will until he's convinced you've had noshare in it."Darrow's elbow dropped from the mantel-piece and he took arestless step or two across the room. Then he halted beforeher.
"Why can't you tell her this yourself?""Don't you see?"He eyed her intently, and she pressed on: "You must haveguessed that Owen's jealous of you.""Jealous of me?" The blood flew up under his brown skin.
"Blind with it--what else would drive him to this folly20? AndI can't have her think me jealous too! I've said all Icould, short of making her think so; and she's refused aword more to either of us. Our only chance now is that sheshould listen to you--that you should make her see the harmher silence may do."Darrow uttered a protesting exclamation21. "It's all toopreposterous--what you suggest! I can't, at any rate, appealto her on such a ground as that!"Anna laid her hand on his arm. "Appeal to her on the groundthat I'm almost Owen's mother, and that any estrangementbetween you and him would kill me. She knows what he is--she'll understand. Tell her to say anything, do anything,she wishes; but not to go away without speaking, not toleave THAT between us when she goes!"She drew back a step and lifted her face to his, trying tolook into his eyes more deeply than she had ever looked; butbefore she could discern what they expressed he had takenhold of her hands and bent22 his head to kiss them.
"You'll see her? You'll see her?" she entreated23; and heanswered: "I'll do anything in the world you want me to."
收听单词发音 |
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habitual
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| adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的 | |
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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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tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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preposterous
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| adj.荒谬的，可笑的 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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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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mortifying
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| adj.抑制的，苦修的v.使受辱( mortify的现在分词 )；伤害（人的感情）；克制；抑制（肉体、情感等） | |
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extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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entreatingly
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| 哀求地，乞求地 | |
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unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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tremor
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| n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震 | |
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defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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13
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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reassurance
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| n.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
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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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justifying
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| 证明…有理( justify的现在分词 )； 为…辩护； 对…作出解释； 为…辩解（或辩护） | |
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liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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grievance
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| n.怨愤，气恼，委屈 | |
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folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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entreated
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| 恳求，乞求( entreat的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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