登陆注册
5159000000059

第59章

Water-party E VERY YEAR Mr Crich gave a more or less public water-party on the lake.There was a little pleasure-launch on Willey Water and several rowing boats, and guests could take tea either in the marquee that was set up in the grounds of the house, or they could picnic in the shade of the great walnut tree at the boat-house by the lake.This year the staff of the Grammar-School was invited, along with the chief officials of the firm.Gerald and the younger Criches did not care for this party, but it had become customary now, and it pleased the father, as being the only occasion when he could gather some people of the district together in festivity with him.For he loved to give pleasures to his dependents and to those poorer than himself.But his children preferred the company of their own equals in wealth.They hated their inferiors' humility or gratitude or awkwardness.

Nevertheless they were willing to attend at this festival, as they had done almost since they were children, the more so, as they all felt a little guilty now, and unwilling to thwart their father any more, since he was so ill in health.Therefore, quite cheerfully Laura prepared to take her mother's place as hostess, and Gerald assumed responsibility for the amusements on the water.

Birkin had written to Ursula saying he expected to see her at the party, and Gudrun, although she scorned the patronage of the Criches, would nevertheless accompany her mother and father if the weather were fine.

The day came blue and full of sunshine, with little wafts of wind.The sisters both wore dresses of white crepe, and hats of soft grass.But Gudrun had a sash of brilliant black and pink and yellow colour wound broadly round her waist, and she had pink silk stockings, and black and pink and yellow decoration on the brim of her hat, weighing it down a little.She carried also a yellow silk coat over her arm, so that she looked remarkable, like a painting from the Salon.Her appearance was a sore trial to her father, who said angrily:

`Don't you think you might as well get yourself up for a Christmas cracker, an'ha' done with it?'

But Gudrun looked handsome and brilliant, and she wore her clothes in pure defiance.When people stared at her, and giggled after her, she made a point of saying loudly, to Ursula:

`Regarde, regarde ces gens-la! Ne sont-ils pas des hiboux incroyables?'

And with the words of French in her mouth, she would look over her shoulder at the giggling party.

`No, really, it's impossible!' Ursula would reply distinctly.And so the two girls took it out of their universal enemy.But their father became more and more enraged.

Ursula was all snowy white, save that her hat was pink, and entirely without trimming, and her shoes were dark red, and she carried an orange-coloured coat.And in this guise they were walking all the way to Shortlands, their father and mother going in front.

They were laughing at their mother, who, dressed in a summer material of black and purple stripes, and wearing a hat of purple straw, was setting forth with much more of the shyness and trepidation of a young girl than her daughters ever felt, walking demurely beside her husband, who, as usual, looked rather crumpled in his best suit, as if he were the father of a young family and had been holding the baby whilst his wife got dressed.

`Look at the young couple in front,' said Gudrun calmly.Ursula looked at her mother and father, and was suddenly seized with uncontrollable laughter.

The two girls stood in the road and laughed till the tears ran down their faces, as they caught sight again of the shy, unworldly couple of their parents going on ahead.

`We are roaring at you, mother,' called Ursula, helplessly following after her parents.

Mrs Brangwen turned round with a slightly puzzled, exasperated look.

`Oh indeed!' she said.`What is there so very funny about me, Ishould like to know?'

She could not understand that there could be anything amiss with her appearance.She had a perfect calm sufficiency, an easy indifference to any criticism whatsoever, as if she were beyond it.Her clothes were always rather odd, and as a rule slip-shod, yet she wore them with a perfect ease and satisfaction.Whatever she had on, so long as she was barely tidy, she was right, beyond remark; such an aristocrat she was by instinct.

`You look so stately, like a country Baroness,' said Ursula, laughing with a little tenderness at her mother's naive puzzled air.

` Just like a country Baroness!' chimed in Gudrun.Now the mother's natural hauteur became self-conscious, and the girls shrieked again.

`Go home, you pair of idiots, great giggling idiots!' cried the father inflamed with irritation.

`Mm-m-er!' booed Ursula, pulling a face at his crossness.

The yellow lights danced in his eyes, he leaned forward in real rage.

`Don't be so silly as to take any notice of the great gabies,' said Mrs Brangwen, turning on her way.

`I'll see if I'm going to be followed by a pair of giggling yelling jackanapes --' he cried vengefully.

The girls stood still, laughing helplessly at his fury, upon the path beside the hedge.

`Why you're as silly as they are, to take any notice,' said Mrs Brangwen also becoming angry now he was really enraged.

`There are some people coming, father,' cried Ursula, with mocking warning.

He glanced round quickly, and went on to join his wife, walking stiff with rage.And the girls followed, weak with laughter.

When the people had passed by, Brangwen cried in a loud, stupid voice:

`I'm going back home if there's any more of this.I'm damned if I'm going to be made a fool of in this fashion, in the public road.'

He was really out of temper.At the sound of his blind, vindictive voice, the laughter suddenly left the girls, and their hearts contracted with contempt.They hated his words `in the public road.' What did they care for the public road? But Gudrun was conciliatory.

同类推荐
  • Around

    Around

    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。
  • 波罗蜜多心经挟注

    波罗蜜多心经挟注

    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。
  • 九转灵砂大丹资圣玄经

    九转灵砂大丹资圣玄经

    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。
  • 金锁流珠引

    金锁流珠引

    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。
  • On the Parts of Animals

    On the Parts of Animals

    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
  • 神秘的钱包

    神秘的钱包

    小胡同饭馆的员工两男两女。两个男的是掌勺的二来子和采购的胡小开;两个女的是半个老板宫小北,迎宾小姐会儿。二来子跟会儿好,胡小开跟宫小北好。他们四个人住同一个村子,现在又在一起打工,关系相当不错。只是胡小开追宫小北,会儿追二来子,这样一来,就有点“不一样”了。不过,这两对儿的关系都还悬着,哪个也没最后定,因此四个人的友谊仍然不错。明显定不下来的是二来子和会儿这一对。会儿一心要“纠正”二来子抻脖子、扬下巴的毛病,二来子不乐意。
  • 校草你家吃货又不见了

    校草你家吃货又不见了

    新文:(替嫁甜妻:亿万老公,请温柔)欢迎填坑。转校第一天,惹上大恶魔,从此身陷狼窝。“亲一下,给你一根棒棒糖!”某恶魔的算盘打的啪啪作响,机关算尽让她留在身边。饿了?恶魔亲亲就不饿了。累了?恶魔亲亲就不累了。困了?恶魔亲亲就不困了。“混蛋!不要再亲了!”小吃货终于忍无可忍,奴隶翻身要把歌唱。而这次,宠她上天的恶魔步步逼紧,“小吃货,吃了我的棒棒糖,哪有不以身相许的道理?”遇上她之前,他不知道什么叫爱情。遇上她之后,他的心里眼里都是她!
  • 珍爱甜妻

    珍爱甜妻

    顾辰宇第一次遇见赵梦言就被她所深深吸引,从相遇到相知;从欣赏再到相爱,他始终愿为她付出一切。要问爱与不爱,赵梦言直击自己心灵深处。可是始终不晓答案,自己究竟是爱?还是不爱?也许这个爱,并不是表面看上去的那么简单。是一场计划已久的“戏”,现在的她并非昔日的她。(此内容纯属虚构。)
  • THE RED FAIRY BOOK

    THE RED FAIRY BOOK

    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。
  • 中国现代诗导读(1917-1937)

    中国现代诗导读(1917-1937)

    《中国现代诗导读(1917-1937)》收录了多篇诗人与解诗者的文学对话,可供从事相关研究工作的人员或对中国文学有兴趣爱好的读者阅读。中国现代诗,也叫“新诗”,是指发端于“五四”时期到1949年新中国成立这一段时间的白话诗,即应用现代汉语的、自由抒发思想感情的、形式上不拘一格的诗歌。
  • 先生离婚吧

    先生离婚吧

    “大小姐,你回来啦。”叶行音推开门迎面走来的王妈恭敬的问候,点了点头,叶行音嗯了一声当作回答,面上漠然。“太太说今天是二小姐的生日,还请大小姐不要随意走动。”王妈冷漠的说着,眼里闪过一丝的不屑和快意。在叶家大宅里谁不知道叶家大小姐不得宠,甚至可以说是连他们这些佣人都不如。真是活该,妈妈是破坏人家家庭的小三,孩子也贱到骨子里!“哦。”心里抽疼抽疼的,面上却做不在乎的应了一声,……
  • 天煞毒尊

    天煞毒尊

    “凌歌只是挥了挥手,便有一道浓厚的毒瘴出现,那道瘴气迅速将黑衣人疑惑包裹起来”......凌歌不禁YY自己毒功大成的场景,然而,凌歌不经意间瞥见了自己桌上那朴素的陶土小瓶,想起里面装的还是不能称之为“丹”的药物。“呃,我还是赶紧修炼吧。”
  • 快穿王者之英雄有点苏

    快穿王者之英雄有点苏

    【系统大人】:小可欣,你最喜欢王者峡谷里的哪个英雄?苏可欣:“都一般般。”【系统大人】:“那帅帅的兰陵王?苏可欣:“不好,太冷了。【系统大人】:“那大众情人李白?苏可欣:“不好,有太多脑残粉了。”【系统大人】:“那大暖男百里守约?”苏可欣:“不好,有个哥控弟弟。”......【系统大人】:“那你究竟喜欢哪一个啊?!”“我喜欢安琪拉。”“why”“因为她会做披萨给我吃,我还喜欢张良。”“这次又是因为什么。”“因为他是王者峡谷里最有文化的,而我最喜欢男男恋,嘿嘿。”【系统大人】:“……”
  • 过去

    过去

    于晓愉看了看窗外,觉得现在走,天黑前就能赶回家。但她在思想上还是举棋不定,等张小卫一起走?还是自己先走?大概有三分钟的时间,她在这两个选择之间进行自我说服,最后还是决定自己先走。她下决心似的从衣帽架上拿下她的羽绒服,然后在镜子前看了看,她的头发有点乱,于是她去窗台上找来梳子,她要把自己收拾得整齐一些,总不能一出门,就让别人看到她乱糟糟的头发。临出门前,于晓愉关掉了电脑电源,看了看,她刚泡起的玫瑰花茶味道正好,她端起杯子又喝了一口。一下午的时间,她已经喝了两杯玫瑰花茶了,后来觉得味道有点淡,就倒掉了。
  • 让我再看你一眼0

    让我再看你一眼0

    那年遇见,那年再见,那年那些人再也难见到却再也忘不了。