登陆注册
4708300000086

第86章

Contrary to the opinion of the doctors, the wound had healed after the first surgical operation, and his leg was gradually acquiring strength, though he could only as yet get about on crutches, or ride, or be dragged in a chair.

Miss Aldclyffe had arranged that Cytherea should be married from Knapwater House, and not from her brother's lodgings at Budmouth, which was Cytherea's first idea. Owen, too, seemed to prefer the plan. The capricious old maid had latterly taken to the contemplation of the wedding with even greater warmth than had at first inspired her, and appeared determined to do everything in her power, consistent with her dignity, to render the adjuncts of the ceremony pleasing and complete.

But the weather seemed in flat contradiction of the whole proceeding. At eight o'clock the coachman crept up to the House almost upon his hands and knees, entered the kitchen, and stood with his back to the fire, panting from his exertions in pedestrianism.

The kitchen was by far the pleasantest apartment in Knapwater House on such a morning as this. The vast fire was the centre of the whole system, like a sun, and threw its warm rays upon the figures of the domestics, wheeling about it in true planetary style. A nervously-feeble imitation of its flicker was continually attempted by a family of polished metallic utensils standing in rows and groups against the walls opposite, the whole collection of shines nearly annihilating the weak daylight from outside. A step further in, and the nostrils were greeted by the scent of green herbs just gathered, and the eye by the plump form of the cook, wholesome, white-aproned, and floury--looking as edible as the food she manipulated--her movements being supported and assisted by her satellites, the kitchen and scullery maids. Minute recurrent sounds prevailed--the click of the smoke-jack, the flap of the flames, and the light touches of the women's slippers upon the stone floor.

The coachman hemmed, spread his feet more firmly upon the hearthstone, and looked hard at a small plate in the extreme corner of the dresser.

'No wedden this mornen--that's my opinion. In fact, there can't be,' he said abruptly, as if the words were the mere torso of a many-membered thought that had existed complete in his head.

The kitchen-maid was toasting a slice of bread at the end of a very long toasting-fork, which she held at arm's length towards the unapproachable fire, travestying the Flanconnade in fencing.

'Bad out of doors, isn't it?' she said, with a look of commiseration for things in general.

'Bad? Not even a liven soul, gentle or simple, can stand on level ground. As to getten up hill to the church, 'tis perfect lunacy.

And I speak of foot-passengers. As to horses and carriage, 'tis murder to think of 'em. I am going to send straight as a line into the breakfast-room, and say 'tis a closer. . . . Hullo--here's Clerk Crickett and John Day a-comen! Now just look at 'em and picture a wedden if you can.'

All eyes were turned to the window, from which the clerk and gardener were seen crossing the court, bowed and stooping like Bel and Nebo.

'You'll have to go if it breaks all the horses' legs in the county,' said the cook, turning from the spectacle, knocking open the oven-door with the tongs, glancing critically in, and slamming it together with a clang.

'O, O; why shall I?' asked the coachman, including in his auditory by a glance the clerk and gardener who had just entered.

'Because Mr. Manston is in the business. Did you ever know him to give up for weather of any kind, or for any other mortal thing in heaven or earth?'

'---- Mornen so's--such as it is!' interrupted Mr. Crickett cheerily, coming forward to the blaze and warming one hand without looking at the fire. 'Mr. Manston gie up for anything in heaven or earth, did you say? You might ha' cut it short by sayen "to Miss Aldclyffe," and leaven out heaven and earth as trifles. But it might be put off; putten off a thing isn't getten rid of a thing, if that thing is a woman. O no, no!'

The coachman and gardener now naturally subsided into secondaries.

The cook went on rather sharply, as she dribbled milk into the exact centre of a little crater of flour in a platter--'It might be in this case; she's so indifferent.'

'Dang my old sides! and so it might be. I have a bit of news--I thought there was something upon my tongue; but 'tis a secret; not a word, mind, not a word. Why, Miss Hinton took a holiday yesterday.'

'Yes?' inquired the cook, looking up with perplexed curiosity.

'D'ye think that's all?'

'Don't be so three-cunning--if it is all, deliver you from the evil of raising a woman's expectations wrongfully; I'll skimmer your pate as sure as you cry Amen!'

'Well, it isn't all. When I got home last night my wife said, "Miss Adelaide took a holiday this mornen," says she (my wife, that is);

"walked over to Nether Mynton, met the comen man, and got married!" says she.'

'Got married! what, Lord-a-mercy, did Springrove come?'

'Springrove, no--no--Springrove's nothen to do wi' it--'twas Farmer Bollens. They've been playing bo-peep for these two or three months seemingly. Whilst Master Teddy Springrove has been daddlen, and hawken, and spetten about having her, she's quietly left him all forsook. Serve him right. I don't blame the little woman a bit.'

'Farmer Bollens is old enough to be her father!'

'Ay, quite; and rich enough to be ten fathers. They say he's so rich that he has business in every bank, and measures his money in half-pint cups.'

'Lord, I wish it was me, don't I wish 'twas me!' said the scullery-maid.

同类推荐
  • 破阵乐

    破阵乐

    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。
  • 佛说泥犁经

    佛说泥犁经

    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。
  • 解除篇

    解除篇

    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。
  • 游城南十六首 把酒

    游城南十六首 把酒

    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。
  • 大阿弥陀佛经

    大阿弥陀佛经

    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
  • 林徽因·人间四月天

    林徽因·人间四月天

    她是一个女人,一个母亲,一个作家,一个建筑学者。她是林徽因,一个传奇。作者笔下生花,将一代才女林徽因刻画得淋漓尽致。品读本书,我们将在享受文字中读懂林徽因。
  • 净土在人间

    净土在人间

    最近半年之内,我两度访台,对于忠孝东路的繁华、中央新村的幽静,以及仁爱路上亭亭如盖的椰树绿荫,那份新鲜的感受已变得亲切而熟悉了。无论坐在中央大学的讲台上,还是倘佯在东海大学黄昏的校园里,抑或在“阿门”的祈祷声中与卫理女中的花季少女们共进午餐,我从未有过生疏之感。而充溢在心头的,总是浓得化不开的亲情。毫无疑问,这座太平洋上的绿色小岛是丰饶富裕的。穿大街走小巷,沿逶迤的东海岸拾取藏在白沙中的贝壳,我从未邂逅过一个衣衫褴褛的乞者。
  • 灭圣开天

    灭圣开天

    一场离奇的失踪,是谁?故意将杨戬引入人间?风云变幻,三界不宁,魑魅魍魉共聚人间?人间篇:在这茫茫然的都市中,在我们看不到的角落,隐藏着许许多多的神衹和各种古古怪怪的妖魔,他们相互斗法,又相互共存……仙界篇:千种阴谋、万般变化,诬我、恶我、伤我、我杨戬!只一枪——通通破去,容纳变化,身成不灭,跳出这棋盘,掀翻这桌子,重开这片天地!!
  • 魔道破天

    魔道破天

    一个普通的少年,机缘之下进入一个修仙的世界。在这里他有金丹期的师傅,有逆天的法宝,有无数的美女围绕在身边,就在少年活的有知有味的时候,少年无意中发现了一个关于修仙界的惊天秘密。随后一切不可思议的事情就发生了。
  • 妆嗜宠

    妆嗜宠

    这个男人霸气,阴冷,甚至凶狠。他对她很狠,狠到让她感到绝望。可他对她也很宠,宠到能把世界都搬到她面前。他们两一个天一个地,他决绝果断,她柔韧坚强,然而他却是她命定的煞星。乔小妆是官家小姐,可认识她的人只知道她是个普通大学生。庄千夜是个手段狠戾的男人,可熟悉他的人都知道只有对乔小妆他才会温柔,甚至百般呵护。【强推新文:特种军官的腻宠:】【推荐连载文:夕钰皇妃:】她有男朋友,她跟他站在一起,很般配,她自己也这么觉得。可是,遇到他,她开始不幸。他是庄千夜,抢了兄弟的女人,他说:"这女人本来就是我的,从小就烙上了我的痕迹,你拿什么跟我争?"她说:我的命由我不由天他说:那得看你头顶这片天的是谁,你就是孙猴子,我也制得服你。她一直相信老天是公平的,却不知道老天把这只禽兽送到她身边来是折磨她还是对他的眷顾。她恨他,恨之入骨,她以为终于摆脱他了,她的生活终于风平浪静了。可是,他却摇身一变,成了家族联姻的对象,非她不娶。他爱她,爱得痴狂,宁负天下人也得要她。然而他爱她,她却从来都不知道。他除了强迫她,威胁她还能做什么?她不知道她眼里的禽兽为什么在母亲眼里,朋友眼里,甚至她最疼惜的弟弟眼里,他都是她的最佳夫婿。很多年以后,他在她耳边轻吐:"我就是掌控命运的神,不管我们相隔多远,相差多大,我爱你,你就是我的,你怎么躲也躲不掉。"本文定义:强宠、强娶豪宠=====================================蝎子年度新文震撼出世:《嚣张宝贝黑道妈》推荐:《婚内兽爱》《名门,高攀不起》《夕钰皇妃》推荐完结文:《囚徒》《燃爱》《燃爱Ⅱ》========================================【群:一九零八零零九七五】
  • 晋书

    晋书

    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。
  • American Literary Centers

    American Literary Centers

    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。
  • 异界穿越成神

    异界穿越成神

    如果有一天你重生在另一个世界,而且还有一个可以穿越诸天万界的系统附身,你会如何生存,一切尽在本书!
  • 郁达夫散文选(语文新课标课外必读第九辑)

    郁达夫散文选(语文新课标课外必读第九辑)

    国家教育部颁布了最新《语文课程标准》,统称新课标,对中、小学语文教学指定了阅读书目,对阅读的数量、内容、质量以及速度都提出了明确的要求,这对于提高学生的阅读能力,培养语文素养,陶冶情操,促进学生终身学习和终身可持续发展,对于提高广大人民的文学素养具有极大的意义。
  • 日本娱乐家

    日本娱乐家

    郑重声明:新读者请直接从鸟线开始阅读。前面的不看也不影响什么。……1992年,泡沫经济时期即将进入尾声。失去的十年即将结束,景气却根本不见到来……这一年,小猫俱乐部已经解散,ZARD如日中天,SMAP迅速崛起,而未来那个号称年收五十亿的秋元康则早已陷入了生活的最低谷……或许,这是一个最好的时代。群号:717698300