Which Is Rather Strange.
IT WAS on the morning after the assembly at Bellair House that Ferdinand was roused from his welcome slumbers1, for he had passed an almost sleepless2 night, by his servant bringing him a note, and telling him that it had been left by a lady in a carriage. He opened it, and read as follows:—
‘Silly, silly Captain Armine! why did you not come to my Vauxhall last night? I wanted to present you to the fairest damsel in the world, who has a great fortune too; but that you don’t care about. When are you going to be married? Miss Grandison looked charming, but disconsolate3 without her knight4. Your mother is an angel, and the Duchess of———is quite in love with her. Your father, too, is a worthy5 man. I love your family very much. Come and call upon poor old doting6 bedridden H. B., who is at home every day from two to six to receive her friends. Has charming Lady Armine got a page? I have one that would just suit her. He teases my poor squirrel so that I am obliged to turn him away; but he is a real treasure. That fine lady, Mrs. Montgomery Floyd, would give her ears for him; but I love your mother much more, and so she shall have him. He shall come to her to-night. All the world takes tea with H. B. on Thursday and Saturday.’
‘One o’clock!’ said Ferdinand. ‘I may as well get up and call in Brook-street, and save my mother from this threatened infliction7. Heigho! Day after day, and each more miserable8 than the other. How will this end?’
When Ferdinand arrived in Brook-street, he went up stairs without being announced, and found in the drawing-room, besides his mother and Katherine, the duchess, Lord Montfort, and Henrietta Temple.
The young ladies were in their riding-habits. Henrietta appeared before him, the same Henrietta whom he had met, for the first time, in the pleasaunce at Armine. Retreat was impossible. Her Grace received Ferdinand cordially, and reminded him of old days. Henrietta bowed, but she was sitting at some distance with Miss Grandison, looking at some work. Her occupation covered her confusion. Lord Montfort came forward with extended hand.
‘I have the pleasure of meeting an old friend,’ said his lordship.
Ferdinand just touched his lordship’s finger, and bowed rather stiffly; then, turning to his mother, he gave her Lady Bellair’s note. ‘It concerns you more than myself,’ he observed.
‘You were not at Lady Bellair’s last night, Captain Armine,’ said her Grace.
‘I never go anywhere,’ was the answer.
‘He has been a great invalid,’ said Lady Armine.
‘Where is Glastonbury, Ferdinand?’ said Lady Armine. ‘He never comes near us.’
‘He goes every day to the British Museum.’
‘I wish he would take me,’ said Katherine. ‘I have never been there. Have you?’ she enquired9, turning to Henrietta.
‘I am ashamed to say never,’ replied Henrietta. ‘It seems to me that London is the only city of which I know nothing.’
‘Ferdinand,’ said Katherine, ‘I wish you would go with us to the Museum some day. Miss Temple would like to go. You know Miss Temple,’ she added, as if she of course supposed he had not that pleasure.
Ferdinand bowed; Lord Montfort came forward, and turned the conversation to Egyptian antiquities10. When a quarter of an hour had passed, Ferdinand thought that he might now withdraw.
‘Do you dine at home, Katherine, today?’ he enquired.
Miss Grandison looked at Miss Temple; the young ladies whispered.
‘Ferdinand,’ said Katherine, ‘what are you going to do?’
‘Nothing particular.’
‘We are going to ride, and Miss Temple wishes you would come with us.’
‘I should be very happy, but I have some business to attend to.’
‘Dear Ferdinand, that is what you always say. You really appear to me to be the most busy person in the world.’
‘Pray come, Captain Armine,’ said Lord Montfort.
‘Thank you; it is really not in my power.’ His hat was in his hand; he was begging her Grace to bear his compliments to the duke, when Henrietta rose from her seat, and, coming up to him, said, ‘Do, Captain Armine, come with us; I ask you as a favour.’
That voice! Oh! it came o’er his ear ‘like the sweet south;’ it unmanned him quite. He scarcely knew where he was. He trembled from head to foot. His colour deserted11 him, and the unlucky hat fell to the floor; and yet she stood before him, awaiting his reply, calm, quite calm, serious, apparently12 a little anxious. The duchess was in earnest conversation with his mother. Lord Montfort had walked up to Miss Grandison, and was engaged in arranging a pattern for her. Ferdinand and Henrietta were quite unobserved. He looked up; he caught her eye; and then he whispered, ‘This is hardly fair.’
She stretched forth13 her hand, took his hat, and laid it on the table; then, turning to Katherine, she said, in a tone which seemed to admit no doubt, ‘Captain Armine will ride with us;’ and she seated herself by Lady Armine.
The expedition was a little delayed by Ferdinand having to send for his horse; the others had, in the meantime, arrived. Yet this half-hour, by some contrivance, did at length disappear. Lord Montfort continued talking to Miss Grandison. Henrietta remained seated by Lady Armine. Ferdinand revolved14 a great question in, his mind, and it was this: Was Lord Montfort aware of the intimate acquaintance between himself and Miss Temple? And what was the moving principle of her present conduct? He conjured15 up a thousand reasons, but none satisfied him. His curiosity was excited, and, instead of regretting his extracted promise to join the cavalcade16, he rejoiced that an opportunity was thus afforded him of perhaps solving a problem in the secret of which he now began to feel extremely interested.
And yet in truth when Ferdinand found himself really mounted, and riding by the side of Henrietta Temple once more, for Lord Montfort was very impartial17 in his attentions to his fair companions, and Ferdinand continually found himself next to Henrietta, he really began to think the world was bewitched, and was almost sceptical whether he was or was not Ferdinand Armine. The identity of his companion too was so complete: Henrietta Temple in her riding-habit was the very image most keenly impressed upon his memory. He looked at her and stared at her with a face of curious perplexity. She did not, indeed, speak much; the conversation was always general, and chiefly maintained by Lord Montfort, who, though usually silent and reserved, made on this occasion successful efforts to be amusing. His attention to Ferdinand too was remarkable18; it was impossible to resist such genuine and unaffected kindness. It smote19 Ferdinand’s heart that he had received his lordship’s first advances so ungraciously. Compunction rendered him now doubly courteous20; he was even once or twice almost gay.
The day was as fine as a clear sky, a warm sun, and a western breeze could render it. Tempted21 by so much enjoyment22, their ride was long. It was late, much later than they expected, when they returned home by the green lanes of pretty Willesden, and the Park was quite empty when they emerged from the Edgware-road into Oxford-street.
‘Now the best thing we can all do is to dine in St. James’-square,’ said Lord Montfort. ‘It is ten minutes past eight. We shall just be in time, and then we can send messages to Grosvenor-square and Brook-street. What say you, Armine? You will come, of course?’
‘Thank you, if you would excuse me.’
‘No, no; why excuse you?’ said Lord Montfort: ‘I think it shabby to desert us now, after all our adventures.’
‘Really you are very kind, but I never dine out.’
‘Dine out! What a phrase! You will not meet a human being; perhaps not even my father. If you will not come, it will spoil everything.’
‘I cannot dine in a frock,’ said Ferdinand.
‘I shall,’ said Lord Montfort, ‘and these ladies must dine in their habits, I suspect.’
‘Oh! certainly, certainly,’ said the ladies.
‘Do come, Ferdinand,’ said Katherine.
‘I ask you as a favour,’ said Henrietta, turning to him and speaking in a low voice.
‘Well,’ said Ferdinand, with a sigh.
‘That is well,’ said Montfort; ‘now let us trot23 through the Park, and the groom24 can call in Grosvenor-square and Brook-street, and gallop25 after us. This is amusing, is it not?’
收听单词发音 |
1
slumbers
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| 睡眠，安眠( slumber的名词复数 ) | |
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sleepless
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| adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的 | |
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3
disconsolate
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| adj.忧郁的，不快的 | |
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4
knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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5
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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6
doting
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| adj.溺爱的，宠爱的 | |
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7
infliction
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| n.（强加于人身的）痛苦，刑罚 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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9
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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10
antiquities
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| n.古老( antiquity的名词复数 )；古迹；古人们；古代的风俗习惯 | |
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11
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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12
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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13
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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14
revolved
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| v.（使）旋转( revolve的过去式和过去分词 )；细想 | |
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conjured
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| 用魔术变出( conjure的过去式和过去分词 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现 | |
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16
cavalcade
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| n.车队等的行列 | |
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17
impartial
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| adj.(in,to)公正的，无偏见的 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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23
trot
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| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
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groom
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| vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁 | |
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gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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