There had been in the first place the exquisite9 old house itself, early Jacobean, supreme10 in every part: it was a provocation11, an inspiration, a matchless canvas for the picture. Then there had been her husband's sympathy and generosity12, his knowledge and love, their perfect accord and beautiful life together, twenty-six years of planning and seeking, a long, sunny harvest of taste and curiosity. Lastly, she never denied, there had been her personal gift, the genius, the passion, the patience of the collector—a patience, an almost infernal cunning, that had enabled her to do it all with a limited command of money. There wouldn't have been money enough for any one else, she said with pride, but there had been money enough for her. They had saved on lots of things in life, and there were lots of things they hadn't had, but they had had in every corner of Europe their swing among the Jews. It was fascinating to poor Fleda, who hadn't a penny in the world nor anything nice at home, and whose only treasure was her subtle mind, to hear this genuine English lady, fresh and fair, young in the fifties, declare with gayety and conviction that she was herself the greatest Jew who had ever tracked a victim. Fleda, with her mother dead, hadn't so much even as a home, and her nearest chance of one was that there was some appearance her sister would become engaged to a curate whose eldest13 brother was supposed to have property and would perhaps allow him something. Her father paid some of her bills, but he didn't like her to live with him; and she had lately, in Paris, with several hundred other young women, spent a year in a studio, arming herself for the battle of life by a course with an impressionist painter. She was determined14 to work, but her impressions, or somebody's else, were as yet her only material. Mrs. Gereth had told her she liked her because she had an extraordinary flair15; but under the circumstances a flair was a questionable16 boon17: in the dry places in which she had mainly moved she could have borne a chronic18 catarrh. She was constantly summoned to Cadogan Place, and before the month was out was kept to stay, to pay a visit of which the end, it was agreed, should have nothing to do with the beginning. She had a sense, partly exultant19 and partly alarmed, of having quickly become necessary to her imperious friend, who indeed gave a reason quite sufficient for it in telling her there was nobody else who understood. From Mrs. Gereth there was in these days an immense deal to understand, though it might be freely summed up in the circumstance that she was wretched. She told Fleda that she couldn't completely know why till she should have seen the things at Poynton. Fleda could perfectly20 grasp this connection, which was exactly one of the matters that, in their inner mystery, were a blank to everybody else.
The girl had a promise that the wonderful house should be shown her early in July, when Mrs. Gereth would return to it as to her home; but even before this initiation21 she put her finger on the spot that in the poor lady's troubled soul ached hardest. This was the misery22 that haunted her, the dread23 of the inevitable24 surrender. What Fleda had to sit up to was the confirmed appearance that Owen Gereth would marry Mona Brigstock, marry her in his mother's teeth, and that such an act would have incalculable bearings. They were present to Mrs. Gereth, her companion could see, with a vividness that at moments almost ceased to be that of sanity25. She would have to give up Poynton, and give it up to a product of Waterbath—that was the wrong that rankled26, the humiliation27 at which Fleda would be able adequately to shudder28 only when she should know the place. She did know Waterbath, and she despised it—she had that qualification for sympathy. Her sympathy was intelligent, for she read deep into the matter; she stared, aghast, as it came home to her for the first time, at the cruel English custom of the expropriation of the lonely mother. Mr. Gereth had apparently29 been a very amiable30 man, but Mr. Gereth had left things in a way that made the girl marvel31. The house and its contents had been treated as a single splendid object; everything was to go straight to his son, and his widow was to have a maintenance and a cottage in another county. No account whatever had been taken of her relation to her treasures, of the passion with which she had waited for them, worked for them, picked them over, made them worthy32 of each other and the house, watched them, loved them, lived with them. He appeared to have assumed that she would settle questions with her son, that he could depend upon Owen's affection. And in truth, as poor Mrs. Gereth inquired, how could he possibly have had a prevision—he who turned his eyes instinctively33 from everything repulsive—of anything so abnormal as a Waterbath Brigstock? He had been in ugly houses enough, but had escaped that particular nightmare. Nothing so perverse34 could have been expected to happen as that the heir to the loveliest thing in England should be inspired to hand it over to a girl so exceptionally tainted35. Mrs. Gereth spoke37 of poor Mona's taint36 as if to mention it were almost a violation38 of decency39, and a person who had listened without enlightenment would have wondered of what fault the girl had been or had indeed not been guilty. But Owen had from a boy never cared, had never had the least pride or pleasure in his home.
"Well, then, if he doesn't care!"—Fleda exclaimed, with some impetuosity; stopping short, however, before she completed her sentence.
Mrs. Gereth looked at her rather hard. "If he doesn't care?"
Fleda hesitated; she had not quite had a definite idea. "Well—he'll give them up."
"Give what up?"
"Why, those beautiful things."
"Give them up to whom?" Mrs. Gereth more boldly stared.
"To you, of course—to enjoy, to keep for yourself."
"And leave his house as bare as your hand? There's nothing in it that isn't precious."
Fleda considered; her friend had taken her up with a smothered40 ferocity by which she was slightly disconcerted. "I don't mean of course that he should surrender everything; but he might let you pick out the things to which you're most attached."
"I think he would if he were free," said Mrs. Gereth.
"And do you mean, as it is, that she'll prevent him?" Mona Brigstock, between these ladies, was now nothing but "she."
"By every means in her power."
"But surely not because she understands and appreciates them?"
"No," Mrs. Gereth replied, "but because they belong to the house and the house belongs to Owen. If I should wish to take anything, she would simply say, with that motionless mask: 'It goes with the house.' And day after day, in the face of every argument, of every consideration of generosity, she would repeat, without winking41, in that voice like the squeeze of a doll's stomach: 'It goes with the house—it goes with the house.' In that attitude they'll shut themselves up."
Fleda was struck, was even a little startled with the way Mrs. Gereth had turned this over—had faced, if indeed only to recognize its futility42, the notion of a battle with her only son. These words led her to make an inquiry43 which she had not thought it discreet44 to make before; she brought out the idea of the possibility, after all, of her friend's continuing to live at Poynton. Would they really wish to proceed to extremities45? Was no good-humored, graceful46 compromise to be imagined or brought about? Couldn't the same roof cover them? Was it so very inconceivable that a married son should, for the rest of her days, share with so charming a mother the home she had devoted47 more than a score of years to making beautiful for him? Mrs. Gereth hailed this question with a wan48, compassionate49 smile; she replied that a common household, in such a case, was exactly so inconceivable that Fleda had only to glance over the fair face of the English land to see how few people had ever conceived it. It was always thought a wonder, a "mistake," a piece of overstrained sentiment; and she confessed that she was as little capable of a flight of that sort as Owen himself. Even if they both had been capable, they would still have Mona's hatred50 to reckon with. Fleda's breath was sometimes taken away by the great bounds and elisions which, on Mrs. Gereth's lips, the course of discussion could take. This was the first she had heard of Mona's hatred, though she certainly had not needed Mrs. Gereth to tell her that in close quarters that young lady would prove secretly mulish. Later Fleda perceived indeed that perhaps almost any girl would hate a person who should be so markedly averse51 to having anything to do with her. Before this, however, in conversation with her young friend, Mrs. Gereth furnished a more vivid motive52 for her despair by asking how she could possibly be expected to sit there with the new proprietors53 and accept—or call it, for a day, endure—the horrors they would perpetrate in the house. Fleda reasoned that they wouldn't after all smash things nor burn them up; and Mrs. Gereth admitted when pushed that she didn't quite suppose they would. What she meant was that they would neglect them, ignore them, leave them to clumsy servants (there wasn't an object of them all but should be handled with perfect love), and in many cases probably wish to replace them by pieces answerable to some vulgar modern notion of the convenient. Above all, she saw in advance, with dilated54 eyes, the abominations they would inevitably55 mix up with them—the maddening relics56 of Waterbath, the little brackets and pink vases, the sweepings57 of bazaars58, the family photographs and illuminated59 texts, the "household art" and household piety60 of Mona's hideous61 home. Wasn't it enough simply to contend that Mona would approach Poynton in the spirit of a Brigstock, and that in the spirit of a Brigstock she would deal with her acquisition? Did Fleda really see her, Mrs. Gereth demanded, spending the remainder of her days with such a creature's elbow in her eye?
Fleda had to declare that she certainly didn't, and that Waterbath had been a warning it would be frivolous62 to overlook. At the same time she privately63 reflected that they were taking a great deal for granted, and that, inasmuch as to her knowledge Owen Gereth had positively64 denied his betrothal65, the ground of their speculations66 was by no means firm. It seemed to our young lady that in a difficult position Owen conducted himself with some natural art; treating this domesticated67 confidant of his mother's wrongs with a simple civility that almost troubled her conscience, so deeply she felt that she might have had for him the air of siding with that lady against him. She wondered if he would ever know how little really she did this, and that she was there, since Mrs. Gereth had insisted, not to betray, but essentially68 to confirm and protect. The fact that his mother disliked Mona Brigstock might have made him dislike the object of her preference, and it was detestable to Fleda to remember that she might have appeared to him to offer herself as an exemplary contrast. It was clear enough, however, that the happy youth had no more sense for a motive than a deaf man for a tune8, a limitation by which, after all, she could gain as well as lose. He came and went very freely on the business with which London abundantly furnished him, but he found time more than once to say to her, "It's awfully69 nice of you to look after poor Mummy." As well as his quick speech, which shyness made obscure—it was usually as desperate as a "rush" at some violent game—his child's eyes in his man's face put it to her that, you know, this really meant a good deal for him and that he hoped she would stay on. With a person in the house who, like herself, was clever, poor Mummy was conveniently occupied; and Fleda found a beauty in the candor70 and even in the modesty71 which apparently kept him from suspecting that two such wiseheads could possibly be occupied with Owen Gereth.
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1
overflowed
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| 溢出的 | |
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2
ordeal
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| n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验 | |
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confessions
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| n.承认( confession的名词复数 )；自首；声明；（向神父的）忏悔 | |
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condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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5
wince
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| n.畏缩，退避，（因痛苦，苦恼等)面部肌肉抽动；v.畏缩，退缩，退避 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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8
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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9
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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provocation
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| n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因 | |
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generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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flair
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| n.天赋，本领，才华；洞察力 | |
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16
questionable
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| adj.可疑的，有问题的 | |
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boon
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| n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠 | |
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18
chronic
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| adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的 | |
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19
exultant
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| adj.欢腾的，狂欢的，大喜的 | |
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20
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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21
initiation
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| n.开始 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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23
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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24
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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25
sanity
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| n.心智健全，神智正常，判断正确 | |
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26
rankled
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| v.（使）痛苦不已，（使）怨恨不已( rankle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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27
humiliation
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| n.羞辱 | |
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28
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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29
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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30
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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31
marvel
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| vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事 | |
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32
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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33
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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34
perverse
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| adj.刚愎的；坚持错误的，行为反常的 | |
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35
tainted
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| adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏 | |
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36
taint
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| n.污点；感染；腐坏；v.使感染；污染 | |
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37
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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38
violation
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| n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯 | |
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decency
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| n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重 | |
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40
smothered
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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41
winking
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| n.瞬眼，目语v.使眼色( wink的现在分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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42
futility
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| n.无用 | |
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43
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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44
discreet
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| adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的 | |
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45
extremities
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| n.端点( extremity的名词复数 )；尽头；手和足；极窘迫的境地 | |
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46
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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47
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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48
wan
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| (wide area network)广域网 | |
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49
compassionate
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| adj.有同情心的，表示同情的 | |
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50
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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51
averse
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| adj.厌恶的；反对的，不乐意的 | |
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52
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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53
proprietors
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| n.所有人，业主( proprietor的名词复数 ) | |
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54
dilated
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| adj.加宽的，扩大的v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55
inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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56
relics
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| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
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57
sweepings
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| n.笼统的( sweeping的名词复数 )；（在投票等中的）大胜；影响广泛的；包罗万象的 | |
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58
bazaars
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| （东方国家的）市场( bazaar的名词复数 )； 义卖； 义卖市场； （出售花哨商品等的）小商品市场 | |
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59
illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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60
piety
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| n.虔诚，虔敬 | |
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61
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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62
frivolous
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| adj.轻薄的；轻率的 | |
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63
privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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64
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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65
betrothal
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| n. 婚约, 订婚 | |
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66
speculations
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| n.投机买卖( speculation的名词复数 )；思考；投机活动；推断 | |
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67
domesticated
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| adj.喜欢家庭生活的；（指动物）被驯养了的v.驯化( domesticate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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68
essentially
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| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
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69
awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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70
candor
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| n.坦白，率真 | |
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modesty
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| n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素 | |
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