This considerable rise in the life of Endymion, after the first excitement occasioned by its announcement to him had somewhat subsided1, was not contemplated2 by him with unmixed feelings of satisfaction. It seemed to terminate many relations of life, the value of which he had always appreciated, but which now, with their impending3 conclusion, he felt, and felt keenly, had absolutely contributed to his happiness. There was no great pang4 in quitting his fellow-clerks, except Trenchard, whom he greatly esteemed5. But poor little Warwick Street had been to him a real home, if unvarying kindness, and sedulous6 attention, and the affection of the eyes and heart, as well as of the mouth, can make a hearth7. He hoped he might preserve the friendship of Waldershare, which their joint8 intimacy9 with the prince would favour; but still he could hardly flatter himself that the delightful10 familiarity of their past lives could subsist11. Endymion sighed, and then he sighed again. He felt sad. Because he was leaving the humble12 harbour of refuge, the entrance to which, even in the darkest hour of his fallen fortunes, was thought somewhat of an indignity13, and was about to assume a position which would not have altogether misbecome the earliest expectations of his life? That seems unreasonable14; but mankind, fortunately, are not always governed by reason, but by sentiment, and often by very tender sentiment.
When Endymion, sitting in his little room, analysed his feelings, he came to the conclusion that his sadness was occasioned by his having to part from Imogene. It often requires an event in life, and an unexpected one, to make us clearly aware of the existence of feelings which have long influenced us. Never having been in a position in which the possibility of uniting his fate to another could cross his mind for a moment, he had been content with the good fortune which permitted a large portion of his life to be passed in the society of a woman who, unconsciously both to him and to herself, had fascinated him. The graceful15 child who, four or five years ago, had first lit him to his garret, without losing any of her rare and simple ingenuousness16, had developed into a beautiful and accomplished17 woman. There was a strong resemblance between Imogene and her sister, but Imogene was a brunette. Her countenance18 indicated far more intellect and character than that of Sylvia. Her brow was delicately pencilled and finely arched, and her large dark eyes gleamed with a softness and sweetness of expression, which were irresistibly19 attractive, and seemed to indicate sympathy with everything that was good and beautiful. Her features were not so regular as her sister’s; but when she smiled, her face was captivating.
Endymion had often listened, half with fondness and half with scepticism, to Waldershare dilating20, according to his wont21, on the high character and qualities of Imogene, whom he persisted in believing he was preparing for a great career. “How it will come about I cannot say,” he would remark; “but it will come. If my legitimate22 sovereign were on the throne, and I in the possession of my estates, which were graciously presented by the usurper23 to the sausage-makers, or some other choice middle-class corporation, I would marry her myself. But that is impossible. That would only be asking her to share my ruin. I want her to live in palaces, and perhaps, in my decline of life, make me her librarian, like Casanova. I should be content to dine in her hall every day beneath the salt, and see her enter with her state, amid the flourish of trumpets24.” And now, strange to say, Endymion was speculating on the fate of Imogene, and, as he thought, in a more practical spirit. Six hundred a year, he thought, was not a very large income; but it was an income, and one which a year ago he never contemplated possessing until getting grey in the public service. Why not realise perfect happiness at once? He could conceive no bliss25 greater than living with Imogene in one of those little villas26, even if semi-detached, which now are numbered by tens of thousands, and which were then beginning to shoot out their suburban27 antennae28 in every direction of our huge metropolis29. He saw her in his mind’s eye in a garden of perpetual sunshine, breathing of mignonette and bright with roses, and waiting for him as he came down from town and his daily labours, in the cheap and convenient omnibus. What a delightful companion to welcome him! How much to tell her, and how much to listen to! And then their evenings with a delicious book or some delightful music! What holidays, too, of romantic adventure! The vine-clad Rhine, perhaps Switzerland; at any rate, the quaint30 old cities of Flanders, and the winding31 valley of the Meuse. They could live extremely well on six hundred a year, yes, with all the real refinements33 of existence. And all their genuine happiness was to be sacrificed for utterly34 fantastic and imaginary gratifications, which, if analysed, would be found only to be efforts to amuse and astonish others.
It did not yet occur to Endymion that his garden could not always be sunshiny; that cares crop up in villas, even semi-detached, as well as joys; that he would have children, and perhaps too many; that they would be sick, and that doctors’ bills would soon put a stop to romantic excursions; that his wife would become exhausted35 with nursing and clothing and teaching them; that she herself would become an invalid36, and moped to death; that his resources would every day bear a less proportion to his expenditure37; and that wanting money, he would return too often from town a harassed38 husband to a jaded39 wife!
Mr. Rodney and Sylvia were at Conington on a visit to Lord Beaumaris, hunting. It was astonishing how Sylvia had ridden to the hounds, mounted on the choicest steeds, and in a scarlet40 habit which had been presented to her by Mr. Vigo. She had created quite an enthusiasm in the field, and Lord Beaumaris was proud of his guests. When Endymion parted with his sister at the Albany, where they had been examining his rooms, he had repaired to Warwick Street, with some expectation that the Rodneys would have returned from Conington, and he intended to break to his host the impending change in his life. The Rodneys, however, had not arrived, and so he ascended41 to his room, where he had been employed in arranging his books and papers, and indulging in the reverie which we have indicated. When he came downstairs, wishing to inquire about the probable arrival of his landlord, Endymion knocked at the door of the parlour where they used to assemble, and on entering, found Imogene writing.
“How do you do, Mr. Ferrars?” she said, rising. “I am writing to Sylvia. They are not returning as soon as they intended, and I am to go down to Conington by an early train tomorrow.”
“I want to see Mr. Rodney,” said Endymion moodily42.
“Can I write anything to him, or tell him anything?” said Imogene.
“No,” continued Endymion in a melancholy43 tone. “I can tell you what I wanted to say. But you must be occupied now, going away, and unexpectedly, tomorrow. It seems to me that every one is going away.”
“Well, we have lost the prince, certainly,” said Imogene, “and I doubt whether his rooms will be ever let again.”
“Indeed!” said Endymion.
“Well, I only know what Mr. Waldershare tells me. He says that Mr. Rodney and Mr. Vigo have made a great speculation44, and gained a great deal of money; but Mr. Rodney never speaks to me of such matters, nor indeed does Sylvia. I am myself very sorry that the prince has gone, for he interested me much.”
“Well, I should think Mr. Rodney would not be very sorry to get rid of me then,” said Endymion.
“O Mr. Ferrars! why should you say or think such things! I am sure that my brother and sister, and indeed every one in this house, always consider your comfort and welfare before any other object.”
“Yes,” said Endymion, “you have all been most kind to me, and that makes me more wretched at the prospect45 of leaving you.”
“But there is no prospect of that?”
“A certainty, Imogene; there is going to be a change in my life,” and then he told her all.
“Well,” said Imogene, “it would be selfish not to be happy at what I hear; but though I hope I am happy, I need not be joyful46. I never used to be nervous, but I am afraid I am getting so. All these great changes rather shake me. This adventure of the prince—as Mr. Waldershare says, it is history. Then Miss Myra’s great marriage, and your promotion—although they are exactly what we used to dream about, and wished a fairy would accomplish, and somehow felt that, somehow or other, they must happen—yet now they have occurred, one is almost as astounded47 as delighted. We certainly have been very happy in Warwick Street, at least I have been, all living as it were together. But where shall we be this time next year? All scattered48, and perhaps not even the Rodneys under this roof. I know not how it is, but I dread49 leaving the roof where one has been happy.”
“Oh! you know you must leave it one day or other, Imogene. You are sure to marry; that you cannot avoid.”
“Well, I am not by any means sure about that,” said Imogene. “Mr. Waldershare, in educating me, as he says, as a princess, has made me really neither fish, flesh, nor fowl50, nor even that coarser but popular delicacy51 never forgotten. I could not unite my life with a being who was not refined in mind and in manners, and the men of my class in life, who are the only ones after all who might care to marry me, shock my taste, I am ashamed to say so. I am not sure it is not wicked to think it even; but so it is.”
“Why do you not marry Waldershare?” said Endymion.
“That would be madness! I do not know any alliance that could prove more unfortunate. Mr. Waldershare must never marry. All people of imagination, they say, are difficult to live with; but a person who consists solely52 of imagination, like Mr. Waldershare, who has indeed no other attribute—before a year was past, married, he would fly to the desert or to La Trappe, commit terrible scandals from mere53 weariness of feeling, write pasquinades against the wife of his bosom54, and hold us both up to the fierce laughter of the world. No, no; he is the best, the dearest, and the most romantic of friends; tender as a father, and sometimes as wise, for genius can be everything. He is going to rise early tomorrow, which he particularly dislikes, because he will not let me go to the station alone; though I tell him, as I often tell him, those are the becoming manners of my class.”
“But you might meet a person of the refinement32 you require,” said Endymion, “with a moderate and yet a sufficient income, who would not be unworthy of you.”
“I doubt it,” said Imogene.
“But, do not doubt it, dear Imogene,” said Endymion, advancing; “such charms as yours, both of body and of mind, such a companion in life, so refined, so accomplished, and yet endowed with such clear sense, and such a sweet disposition—believe me”——
But at this moment a splendid equipage drove up to the door, with powdered footmen and long canes55 behind, and then a terrible rap, like the tattoo56 of a field-marshal.
“Good gracious! what is all this?” exclaimed Imogene.
“It is my sister,” said Endymion, blushing; “it is Lady Roehampton.”
“I must go to her myself,” said Imogene; “I cannot have the servant attend upon your sister.”
Endymion remained silent and confused. Imogene was some little time at the carriage-door, for Lady Roehampton had inquiries57 to make after Sylvia and other courteous58 things to say, and then Imogene returned, and said to Endymion, “Lady Roehampton wishes you to go with her directly on some particular business.”
收听单词发音 |
1
subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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impending
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| a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
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pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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5
esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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sedulous
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| adj.勤勉的，努力的 | |
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hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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subsist
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| vi.生存，存在，供养 | |
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humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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indignity
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| n.侮辱，伤害尊严，轻蔑 | |
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unreasonable
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| adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的 | |
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15
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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ingenuousness
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| n.率直；正直；老实 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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irresistibly
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| adv.无法抵抗地，不能自持地；极为诱惑人地 | |
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dilating
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| v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的现在分词 ) | |
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wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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legitimate
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| adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法 | |
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usurper
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| n. 篡夺者, 僭取者 | |
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24
trumpets
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| 喇叭( trumpet的名词复数 )； 小号； 喇叭形物； （尤指）绽开的水仙花 | |
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bliss
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| n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福 | |
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villas
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| 别墅，公馆( villa的名词复数 )； （城郊）住宅 | |
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suburban
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| adj.城郊的，在郊区的 | |
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antennae
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| n.天线；触角 | |
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metropolis
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| n.首府；大城市 | |
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quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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31
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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32
refinement
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| n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼 | |
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refinements
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| n.（生活）风雅；精炼( refinement的名词复数 )；改良品；细微的改良；优雅或高贵的动作 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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invalid
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| n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的 | |
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expenditure
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| n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗 | |
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harassed
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| adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词 | |
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39
jaded
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| adj.精疲力竭的；厌倦的；（因过饱或过多而）腻烦的；迟钝的 | |
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40
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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41
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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42
moodily
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| adv.喜怒无常地；情绪多变地；心情不稳地；易生气地 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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46
joyful
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| adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的 | |
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47
astounded
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| v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶 | |
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48
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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49
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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50
fowl
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| n.家禽，鸡，禽肉 | |
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51
delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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52
solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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53
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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54
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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55
canes
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| n.（某些植物，如竹或甘蔗的）茎( cane的名词复数 )；（用于制作家具等的）竹竿；竹杖 | |
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56
tattoo
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| n.纹身，(皮肤上的)刺花纹；vt.刺花纹于 | |
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57
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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