登陆注册
4613600000106

第106章 ANTHONY AND FLORA(6)

"That fellow Fyne has been telling me the truth. She does not care for me a bit." It humiliated him and also increased his compassion for the girl who in this darkness of life, buffeted and despairing, had fallen into the grip of his stronger will, abandoning herself to his arms as on a night of shipwreck. Flora on her side with partial insight (for women are never blind with the complete masculine blindness) looked on him with some pity; and she felt pity for herself too. It was a rejection, a casting out; nothing new to her.

But she who supposed all her sensibility dead by this time, discovered in herself a resentment of this ultimate betrayal. She had no resignation for this one. With a sort of mental sullenness she said to herself: "Well, I am here. I am here without any nonsense. It is not my fault that I am a mere worthless object of pity."And these things which she could tell herself with a clear conscience served her better than the passionate obstinacy of purpose could serve Roderick Anthony. She was much more sure of herself than he was. Such are the advantages of mere rectitude over the most exalted generosity.

And so they went out to get married, the people of the house where she lodged having no suspicion of anything of the sort. They were only excited at a "gentleman friend" (a very fine man too) calling on Miss Smith for the first time since she had come to live in the house. When she returned, for she did come back alone, there were allusions made to that outing. She had to take her meals with these rather vulgar people. The woman of the house, a scraggy, genteel person, tried even to provoke confidences. Flora's white face with the deep blue eyes did not strike their hearts as it did the heart of Captain Anthony, as the very face of the suffering world. Her pained reserve had no power to awe them into decency.

Well, she returned alone--as in fact might have been expected.

After leaving the Registry Office Flora de Barral and Roderick Anthony had gone for a walk in a park. It must have been an East-End park but I am not sure. Anyway that's what they did. It was a sunny day. He said to her: "Everything I have in the world belongs to you. I have seen to that without troubling my brother-in-law.

They have no call to interfere."

She walked with her hand resting lightly on his arm. He had offered it to her on coming out of the Registry Office, and she had accepted it silently. Her head drooped, she seemed to be turning matters over in her mind. She said, alluding to the Fynes: "They have been very good to me." At that he exclaimed:

"They have never understood you. Well, not properly. My sister is not a bad woman, but . . . "Flora didn't protest; asking herself whether he imagined that he himself understood her so much better. Anthony dismissing his family out of his thoughts went on: "Yes. Everything is yours. Ihave kept nothing back. As to the piece of paper we have just got from that miserable quill-driver if it wasn't for the law, Iwouldn't mind if you tore it up here, now, on this spot. But don't you do it. Unless you should some day feel that--"He choked, unexpectedly. She, reflective, hesitated a moment then making up her mind bravely.

"Neither am I keeping anything back from you."She had said it! But he in his blind generosity assumed that she was alluding to her deplorable history and hastened to mutter:

"Of course! Of course! Say no more. I have been lying awake thinking of it all no end of times."He made a movement with his other arm as if restraining himself from shaking an indignant fist at the universe; and she never even attempted to look at him. His voice sounded strangely, incredibly lifeless in comparison with these tempestuous accents that in the broad fields, in the dark garden had seemed to shake the very earth under her weary and hopeless feet.

She regretted them. Hearing the sigh which escaped her Anthony instead of shaking his fist at the universe began to pat her hand resting on his arm and then desisted, suddenly, as though he had burnt himself. Then after a silence:

"You will have to go by yourself to-morrow. I . . . No, I think Imustn't come. Better not. What you two will have to say to each other--"She interrupted him quickly:

"Father is an innocent man. He was cruelly wronged.""Yes. That's why," Anthony insisted earnestly. "And you are the only human being that can make it up to him. You alone must reconcile him with the world if anything can. But of course you shall. You'll have to find words. Oh you'll know. And then the sight of you, alone, would soothe--""He's the gentlest of men," she interrupted again.

同类推荐
  • 体仁要术

    体仁要术

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 月令

    月令

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 文同诗集

    文同诗集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 明伦汇编人事典游部

    明伦汇编人事典游部

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 养老奉亲书

    养老奉亲书

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 原在四重天

    原在四重天

    四个不同的女子,家恨情仇,武林阴谋,身世迷奇。创造怎样的四重天?
  • 兵制

    兵制

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 世界上最神奇的24堂课(套装共6册)

    世界上最神奇的24堂课(套装共6册)

    《世界上最神奇的24堂课》是揭开美国政商精英成功秘诀的“禁书”。《智慧书》是全世界公认的“三大奇书之一”。《身体语言密码》教你一眼读懂人心深处的秘密,提供人际交往制胜的简单实用教程。《不抱怨的世界》能使常人脱颖而出,告诉你成功者最有力量的强者品质。《秘密》告诉你使人富有、成功、健康、幸福的终极“秘密”。《人性的弱点》是销售1500万册的超级励志巨著;影响千万人的生活和成功指南。
  • 民意是天

    民意是天

    《民意是天》围绕贺家湾村民贺瑞阳三次竞选村委会主任的经历,反映了改革开放三十多年来,中国农村新生的草根民主在与几千年官场潜规则、宗族、房派、黑恶势力等的斗争中所走过的艰难而曲折的路程,热情讴歌了时代的进步和一代新人的成长,并揭示了传统力量的强大与制度的痼疾,直言不讳地反映了当前村民自治下村委会与村民、村委会与村党支部、村委会与乡政府等的复杂关系,为我们呈现出了一幅转型期中国乡村社会政治、社会和家庭的生动画卷,并为我们留下了大量反思和追问的广阔空间,对当前正在不断深化的社会主义民主政治建设,具有独特的认识价值。
  • 做一个幸福的全职妈妈:全职妈妈美好生活必读

    做一个幸福的全职妈妈:全职妈妈美好生活必读

    本书不是一本教科书,是一本传递智慧与快乐的心灵读本,也是一本分享灵感和技巧的实用百科。本书融合了社会问题、心理问题、育儿问题、创业问题以及生活中的点点滴滴。书中有短小的案例,也有实用的攻略,它有专业提醒,也有温馨贴士,它包含着写给妈妈的话,也蕴藏着妈妈们应该去学习的技能。该书用温暖的语言唤醒了每一个全职妈妈对生活原本保有的热爱,它教会你“爱孩子的妈妈也要学会爱生活”,它也告诉你“爱生活的妈妈才能更好地照顾和教育孩子”。
  • The Piano Teacher

    The Piano Teacher

    The most popular work from provocative Austrian Nobel laureate Elfriede Jelinek, The Piano Teacher is a searing portrait of a woman bound between a repressive society and her darkest desires. Erika Kohut is a piano teacher at the prestigious and formal Vienna Conservatory, who still lives with her domineering and possessive mother. Her life appears boring, but Erika, a quiet thirty-eight-year-old, secretly visits Turkish peep shows at night and watched sadomasochistic films. Meanwhile, a handsome, self-absorbed, seventeen-year-old student has become enamored with Erika and sets out to seduce her. She resists him at firstbut then the dark passions roiling under the piano teacher's subdued exterior explode in a release of perversity, violence, and degradation.
  • 捡了个萌宠带回家

    捡了个萌宠带回家

    新书已发《原来你喜欢我呀》失恋第一天,被他捡回家,好吧,先暂住一下!只是……大神,我们熟吗?只不过是友情客串一下你的女朋友,帮你撑个场面,就当做是报答在你这白吃白住之恩,你怎么就能真的这么亲密、亲切、又亲热呢?“大神,我们这样肆无忌惮地秀恩爱真的好吗?毕竟不是真的情侣啊……”“我们什么时候不是真的情侣了?”啊?什么时候?她……她也不知道啊……这是假戏真做了吗?
  • 北行日录

    北行日录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 你是我余生的晨曦

    你是我余生的晨曦

    他,富可敌国;她,霸气侧漏。那个传说中不近女色的枭爷却独宠她一人。愿意倾尽所有只为博美人一笑。“小汐,以后你做我的女王。”某傲娇女:“谁稀罕!”超甜1V1宠文;萌新作者初来乍到;求收藏,求推荐,求打赏;biu~
  • 陌上晚斜阳

    陌上晚斜阳

    情落红尘为情伤,浊酒一壶苦断肠。此生惟问佳人意,天涯两隔泪情伤。她——前世未享有的亲情,在这个世界拥有了,然而却在一夜之间家破人亡!!是谁,夺走了她温暖?让她又再一次回到了前世的孤独。他——梁国的熙王,未来最有实力竞争皇位的皇子,却不料被亲兄弟抢了未婚妻,设计陷害,最后只能在轮椅上度过残生。欲相守,难相望,人各天涯愁断肠。爱易逝,恨亦长,灯火阑珊人彷徨。前世孤寂,今生情缘,红尘轮回梦一场。"