登陆注册
4593700000037

第37章

"Indeed!" and Kicklebury had never told her! He laughed at her when she talked about great people: he told her all sorts of ridiculous stories when upon this theme. But, at any rate, the acquaintance was made: Lady Kicklebury would not leave Lady Knightsbridge; and, even in the throes of sea-sickness, and the secret recesses of the cabin, WOULD talk to her about the world, Lord Pimlico, and her father, General Guff, late aide-de-camp to the Duke of York.

That those throes of sickness ensued, I need not say. A short time after passing Ramsgate, Serjeant Lankin, who had been exceedingly gay and satirical--(in his calm way; he quotes Horace, my favorite bits as an author, to myself, and has a quiet snigger, and, so to speak, amontillado flavor, exceedingly pleasant)--Lankin, with a rueful and livid countenance, descended into his berth, in the which that six foot of serjeant packed himself I don't know how.

When Lady Knightsbridge went down, down went Kicklebury. Milliken and his wife stayed, and were ill together on deck. A palm of glory ought to be awarded to that man for his angelic patience, energy, and suffering. It was he who went for Mrs. Milliken's maid, who wouldn't come to her mistress; it was he, the shyest of men, who stormed the ladies' cabin--that maritime harem--in order to get her mother's bottle of salts; it was he who went for the brandy-and-water, and begged, and prayed, and besought his adored Lavinia to taste a leetle drop. Lavinia's reply was, "Don't--go away--don't tease, Horace," and so forth. And, when not wanted, the gentle creature subsided on the bench, by his wife's feet, and was sick in silence.

[Mem--In married life, it seems to me, that it is almost always Milliken and wife, or just the contrary. The angels minister to the tyrants; or the gentle, hen-pecked husband cowers before the superior partlet. if ever I marry, I know the sort of woman I will choose; and I won't try her temper by over-indulgence, and destroy her fine qualities by a ruinous subserviency to her wishes.]

Little Miss Fanny stayed on deck, as well as her sister, and looked at the stars of heaven, as they began to shine there, and at the Foreland lights as we passed them. I would have talked with her; Iwould have suggested images of poesy, and thoughts of beauty; Iwould have whispered the word of sentiment--the delicate allusion--the breathing of the soul that longs to find a congenial heart--the sorrows and aspirations of the wounded spirit, stricken and sad, yet not QUITE despairing; still knowing that the hope-plant lurked in its crushed ruins--still able to gaze on the stars and the ocean, and love their blazing sheen, their boundless azure. Iwould, I say, have taken the opportunity of that stilly night to lay bare to her the treasures of a heart that, I am happy to say, is young still; but circumstances forbade the frank outpouring of my poet soul: in a word, I was obliged to go and lie down on the flat of my back, and endeavor to control OTHER emotions which struggled in my breast.

Once, in the night-watches, I arose, and came on deck; the vessel was not, methought, pitching much; and yet--and yet Neptune was inexorable. The placid stars looked down, but they gave me no peace. Lavinia Milliken seemed asleep, and her Horace, in a death-like torpor, was huddled at her feet. Miss Fanny had quitted the larboard side of the ship, and had gone to starboard; and I thought that there was a gentleman beside her; but I could not see very clearly, and returned to the horrid crib, where Lankin was asleep, and the German fiddler underneath him was snoring like his own violoncello.

In the morning we were all as brisk as bees. We were in the smooth waters of the lazy Scheldt. The stewards began preparing breakfast with that matutinal eagerness which they always show. The sleepers in the cabin were roused from their horse-hair couches by the stewards' boys nudging, and pushing, and flapping table-cloths over them. I shaved and made a neat toilette, and came upon deck just as we lay off that little Dutch fort, which is, I dare say, described in "Murray's Guide-book," and about which I had some rare banter with poor Hicks and Lady Kicklebury, whose sense of humor is certainly not very keen. He had, somehow, joined her ladyship's party, and they were looking at the fort, and its tri-colored flag--that floats familiar in Vandevelde's pictures--and at the lazy shipping, and the tall roofs, and dumpy church towers, and flat pastures, lying before us in a Cuyplike haze.

I am sorry to say, I told them the most awful fibs about that fort.

How it had been defended by the Dutch patriot, Van Swammerdam, against the united forces of the Duke of Alva and Marshal Turenne, whose leg was shot off as he was leading the last unsuccessful assault, and who turned round to his aide-de-camp and said, "Allez dire an Premier Consul, que je meurs avec regret de ne pas avoir assez fait pour la France!" which gave Lady Kicklebury an opportunity to placer her story of the Duke of York, and the bombardment of Valenciennes; and caused young Hicks to look at me in a puzzled and appealing manner and hint that I was "chaffing.""Chaffing indeed!" says I, with a particularly arch eye-twinkle at Miss Fanny. "I wouldn't make fun of you, Captain Hicks! If you doubt my historical accuracy, look at the 'Biographie Universelle.'

I say--look at the 'Biographie Universelle.'"He said, "O--ah--the 'Biogwaphie Universelle' may be all vewy well, and that; but I never can make out whether you are joking or not, somehow; and I always fancy you are going to CAWICKACHAW me. Ha, ha!" And he laughed, the good-natured dragoon laughed, and fancied he had made a joke.

I entreated him not to be so severe upon me; and again he said, "Haw haw!" and told me, "I mustn't expect to have it all MY OWNWAY, and if I gave a hit, I must expect a Punch in return. Haw haw!" Oh, you honest young Hicks!

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 天龙八部(第二卷)(纯文字新修版)

    天龙八部(第二卷)(纯文字新修版)

    《天龙八部》一书以北宋、辽、西夏、大理并立的历史为宏大背景,将儒释道、琴棋书画等中国传统文化融会贯通其中,书中人物繁多,个性鲜明,情节离奇,尽显芸芸众生百态。丐帮帮主乔峰与大理国王子段誉、少林弟子虚竹结为兄弟。他身为大宋武林第一大帮帮主,发现自己竟是契丹人,虽受尽中原武林人士唾弃而不肯以怨报怨;他身为辽国南院大王,却甘愿背上叛族罪名,最终以悲壮的自杀来阻止辽国发兵攻宋,不愧为顶天立地的大英雄。
  • 亲子关系对了,孩子的世界就对了

    亲子关系对了,孩子的世界就对了

    武志红工作室心理咨询师吴在天倾情力作,直指过界父母,披露中国父母焦虑内心。言辞犀利,分析精准。中国父母最大的问题,就是没搞清自己和孩子的关系。关系不清,界限不清,带来的是孩子和整个世界的关系混乱。而理清亲子关系,首先要理清自己和自己的关系。当关系对了,一切就都对了。作者以一线实战心理咨询经验为基础,借用真事实例分析讲述。数载精华沉淀,悉心汇编,深度调研,匠心打磨,为万千家长奉上最懂你、最具实效的亲子关系指导书。
  • 我家宿主人美心黑

    我家宿主人美心黑

    【免费甜宠1v1】作为史上最佛系(懒惰)宿主,尹念就想吃吃吃喝喝喝,打打游戏马上睡。至于任务,能拖尽量拖。还有男主,就是一长的好看的绣花枕头。不要也罢!病娇美人、斯文败类、高冷校草、傲娇男神各个人格齐声道:“你说什么?”“额…我说男主是我的枕头,我想睡男主。”某系统不屑道:不知道哪位前几天说,自己要权谋天下,绝不沉浸在男色中。某念:“嘿嘿,人都有年少轻狂的时候嘛。”总得来说就是女主在被打脸的路上一去不复返。男主追妻路漫漫。还有位面是无cp或微耽。【不喜勿喷】作者不弃坑(就是有点懒)
  • 阴阳盗墓人

    阴阳盗墓人

    二十年前,一群土耗子从一座古墓中带出了一枚龙凤玉佩,几乎全军覆没,二十年后,一个土耗子的后人发现了龙凤玉佩的秘密,他集齐了一批经验丰富的盗墓人前去寻宝,谁也没想到,一片寻常的养尸地,竟然充满了险恶危机:燕啼血、养活尸、九星莲台、血月鬼尸……这次有去还能有还吗?
  • 揭秘梵蒂冈:《天使长迷案》史海钩沉

    揭秘梵蒂冈:《天使长迷案》史海钩沉

    本书是《天使长迷案:耶稣会崛起》出版以后,为解答读者的疑问,作者所写的一部梵蒂冈简史,既是理解《天使长迷案:耶稣会崛起》的背景知识,同时也是了解欧洲宗教史上一些神秘事件的一个窗口。《天使长迷案:耶稣会崛起》是小说,是虚构的,本书则是相关的历史事件及其来龙去脉。美国亚马逊给本书的分类很有意思:教皇&梵蒂冈;有组织的犯罪。其销量总排名非常靠前,超过了大部分悬疑推理小说。
  • 有责任心的孩子才有未来

    有责任心的孩子才有未来

    提升孩子责任心,培养未来精英的最佳读本。让孩子在责任的担当中感悟人生的意义,从优美的文字中汲取至深的哲理。教会每一位青少年勇担责任,把握自己的未来。
  • 广播电视新闻评论(高等院校影视传媒书系)

    广播电视新闻评论(高等院校影视传媒书系)

    《广播电视新闻评论》是云南师范大学传媒学院郝朴宁教授领衔的“现代影视艺术研究团队”学术研究的成果之一。教材借鉴了众多广播电视新闻评论的采写经验,众多广播电视媒体组织和部门的新闻工作者,以其辛勤的工作实践,为我们提供了写作的素材和研究的案例。写作的过程中也从各种版本的广播电视新闻评论著作和教材中汲取了宝贵的营养,并听取了兄弟院校教授广播电视新闻评论课程同仁们的中肯建议。
  • 萍踪寄语

    萍踪寄语

    内容包括:船上的民族意识、海上拾零、月下中流、海程结束、威尼斯、佛罗伦萨、世界公园的瑞士、巴黎的特征、瑕瑜互见的法国、法国的农村、在法的青田人、由巴黎到伦敦、华美窗帷的后面、曼彻斯特等。
  • 抗战之狙杀行动

    抗战之狙杀行动

    刺客赵子龙因一个青铜鼎穿越到抗战年代。他去南京救人期间,发现鬼子的侵略而隐藏着一个重大秘密。之后,他要做的就是,杀鬼子除汉奸,挖宝藏……这是一部情节紧凑,充满热血、悬疑的抗战小说。欢迎朋友们阅读!
  • 无限超人系统

    无限超人系统

    能力越大,责任越大;还是能力越大,越不负责任。如果拥有绝对的力量,你会如何?如果你拥有了超人的能力,穿梭在各种无限类型的世界内,你会选择怎样?称霸当世?凌驾众生?还是独揽生杀大权?或许,总有一些人,他们骨里带着正气,心中始终燃烧着正义的热血,去维护那零星的公道和秩序!(新书《轮回干预者》已发布,求支持)(本书讨论群545699306)