登陆注册
5150800000047

第47章

"Rather beg than work, wouldn't he? I call him Micawber because he's always waiting for something to turn up."Joan wheeled round.To hear a stranger's voice in a place that was peculiarly hers and Martin's amazed and offended her.It was unbelievable.

A girl was sitting in the long grass, hatless, with her hands clasped round her knees.The sun lit up her bobbed hair that shone like brass and had touched her white skin with a warm finger.

Wistful and elfish, sitting like Puck on a toadstool, she might have slipped out of some mossy corner of the woods to taste the breeze and speculate about life.She wore a butter-colored sport shirt wide open at the neck and brown cord riding breeches and puttees.Slight and small boned and rather thin she could easily have passed for a delicate boy or, except for something at the back of her eyes that showed that she had not always lived among trees, for Peter Pan's brother of whom the world had never heard.

Few people would have recognized in this spring maid the Tootles of Broadway and that rabbit warren in West Forty-sixth Street.The dew of the country had washed her face and lips, and the choir voices of Martin's big cathedral had put peace and gentleness into her expression.

She ran her eyes with frank admiration over the unself-consciously patrician Joan in her immaculate town clothes and let them rest finally on a face that seemed to her to be the most attractive that she had ever seen, for all that its expression made her want to scramble to her feet and take to her heels.But she controlled herself and sat tight, summoned her native impertinence to the rescue and gave a friendly nod.After all, it was a free country.

There were no princesses knocking about.

"You don't look as if you were a pal of squirrels," she said.

Joan's resentment at the unexpected presence of this interloper only lasted a moment.It gave way almost immediately before interest and curiosity and liking,--even, for a vague reason, sympathy.

"I've known this one all his life," she said."His father and mother were among my most intimate friends and, what's more, his grandfather and grandmother relied on me to help them out in bad times."The duet of laughter echoed among the trees.

With a total lack of dignity the squirrel retired and stood, with erect tail, behind a tuft of coarse grass, wondering what had happened.

"It's a gift to be country and look town," said Tootles, with unconcealed flattery."It's having as many ancestors as the squirrels, I suppose.According to the rules I ought to feel awkward, oughtn't I?""Why?"

"Well, I'm trespassing.I saw it in your eyes.'Pon my soul it never occurred to me before.Shall I try and make a conventional exit or may I stay if I promise not to pinch the hill? This view is better than face massage.It rubs out all the lines.My word, but it's good to be alive up here!"The mixture of cool cheek and ecstasy, given forth in the patois of the London suburbs, amused Joan.Here was a funny, whimsical, pathetic, pretty little thing, she thought--queerly wise, too, and with all about her a curious appeal for friendship and kindness.

"Stay, of course," she said."I'm very glad you like my hill.Use it as often as you can." She sat down on the flat-topped piece of rock that she had so often shared with Martin.There was a sense of humanity about this girl that had the effect of a magnet.She inspired confidence, as Martin did.

"Thanks most awfully," said Tootles."You're kinder than you think to let me stay here.And I'm glad you're going to sit down for a bit.I like you, and I don't mind who knows it.""And I like you," said Joan.

And they both laughed again, feeling like children.It was a characteristic trick of Fate's to bring about this meeting.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 五行修神

    五行修神

    一个先天血脉浓度为零,不可能走上修真之路的废物,却有着极为超常的智力!天生拥有水之印记却又没有水之血脉,却是神秘五行族之水之传人!身为世袭武修家族的二少爷,却又拥有来自其他星球的古老强悍血脉!在即将登上修真之巅的时候,却又发现原来五行的终极目标另有其意!
  • 霸道弃妃

    霸道弃妃

    【盛醇皇宫】好不容易熬了三年终于回国准备发展自己的事业了,可没想到和朋友聚会竟然让车给撞死了,被带到阴间,结果阎王告诉她抓错了!天啊!这阎王是吃屎去了还是脑残啊!怎么可以犯这样的低级错误呢?不行,想要补偿!一定要补偿,阎王居然答应了,那她就要天下第一的功夫!可以飞檐走壁的!想想回去就可以喝朋友炫耀一下了,一切都商量好了!那就让黑白无常送她回去吧!可是,她万万没想到啊!低级的错误居然犯了两次,她没回到现代,黑白无常居然给她送到古代了!买噶的!而且还是一个嫁过人的!听说自己的老公是个王爷,还是一个美男子,不过丫环说这个王爷风流成性,一点也不喜欢以前的正主,这么说自己还是一个弃妃了?好吧,既然来了,那他就要好好的会会这个王爷了!他津平羽澈,天宇王朝三王爷,被众人成为风流王爷,整日在醉红楼夜不归宿,其实他只是借着风流的名号让人误认为他不理朝政之事,在风流的背后操纵着极大的实力,是皇上的得力助手!这样的两个人碰在一起,将会怎样呢?且看看咱们的现代王妃怎么把风流王爷驯的服服帖帖------!
  • 高丽国普照禅师修心诀

    高丽国普照禅师修心诀

    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。
  • 释闷

    释闷

    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。
  • 你凭什么做好互联网:从技术思维到商业逻辑

    你凭什么做好互联网:从技术思维到商业逻辑

    互联网技术大牛曹政,分享20年互联网从业核心经验,从技术思维到商业逻辑,全面盘点草根互联网创富法则!作为中国互联网免费统计网站系统CNZZ创始人之一,前4399首席架构师、首席信息官,曹政在数据、技术、业务上无一不精。他的见解深刻,高效接地气,全是摸爬滚打总结出来的方法,帮你全面通晓互联网行业的固有逻辑,建立正确的互联网思维,在技术、产品上避免犯致命错误,精准高效地创业。不管你是想进入这个行业还是想在这个行业里更进一步,这些思考逻辑和行事方法你必须知道。
  • 民女逆袭:封妃路漫漫

    民女逆袭:封妃路漫漫

    他是天子最喜欢的儿子没有之一,他最不喜欢一类人的就是:王妃。他爹和他哥哥非要塞给他那么一个人,真心无奈。不过要做他的王妃,要做好不受宠爱的思想准备,必要的时候还要有杀人放火、谋朝篡位的勇气哦……“这位小姑娘你叫什么名字?听说是十万两买回来的,这里是许王府,我的家,一纸卖身契在我手,你想要嚣张,得问过我!”……当她唯一的希望被击碎,誓要报仇,但“若牵连了王爷可怎么是好?”……“不就是杀个人,我许鑫泽还不至于窝囊至此,大不了谋个朝!”……诶,可是怎么被朝廷追兵追得连顿好饭都吃不上了……
  • 精灵王之苍穹神主

    精灵王之苍穹神主

    精灵族公主的遗骨,辗转与人族、妖族之间,面对着各种尔虞我诈,罗杰靠着坚毅的个性和过人的天赋征服了这片大陆。然而,这一切只是开始,辉煌过后,想要平淡已是不可能,外世界的入侵正式拉开了战争的序幕
  • 草莓的节日

    草莓的节日

    不知是山风吹红了草莓,还是太阳晒红了草莓,反正N县今年的草莓特别好吃——带着太阳的味道和风的味道的那种鲜美,把所有亲近它的人都熏醉了。N县政府就干脆举办了一个声势浩大的草莓节,吸引八方来客。那一天,在通往四面八方的公路口,人们都挂起了暖洋洋的横幅标语:在这美好的四月,去那草莓熟了的地方!时下中国的节日,个个都是人海大战,N县草莓节人潮如水的热闹不必细说。我们必须注意到市邮政局营业员郝雪雁所带领的这一个采摘草莓的姐妹群体——她们是一群四十岁上下的女人,不那么艳丽、不那么娇美,但她们提着小篮在草莓夥里咿咿呀呀地恣意欢笑,就和结在藤蔓上的草莓一样惹人爱恋了。
  • 豪门生存手记

    豪门生存手记

    为继承巨富家产,娘家人暗中欲置她于死地;为争夺世子袭位,夫家人明里视她为眼中钉;不欲成为家族棋子的夫君,与她貌合神离,渐行渐远。道道险关,步步惊心,她要怎么破,如何解,才能自保,才能和他偕老。
  • 走近大师:12位科学家的美丽人生

    走近大师:12位科学家的美丽人生

    《走近大师:12位科学家的美丽人生》并非完整的人物传记,而是重在介绍可供读者借鉴的大师成才之路;《走近大师:12位科学家的美丽人生》也不是普及大师们所掌握的艰深难懂的知识,而是描绘他们那令人景仰的品格风范。这是一位数学家写的一本散文集,讲述了12位科学与教育大师的真实而又鲜为人知的美丽人生。他们都是卓有贡献的出类拔萃的人才。今人正在享用他们的科学文化成果,应该认识并且走近他们。《走近大师:12位科学家的美丽人生》的主人公个个光彩照人,成就非凡,却也曾经历坎坷。他们之中有作者的师长、朋友。作者对自己笔下的人物饱含深情,更兼美的文笔。文章写得感人肺腑,每篇故事都具有知识性、趣味性、启迪性与普适性,具有很强的可读性。无论为人师者或莘莘学子,都将在阅读《走近大师:12位科学家的美丽人生》时获得乐趣与激励。