登陆注册
5192700000006

第6章

EVERY year, the day he walked back from the great graveyard, he went to church as he had done the day his idea was born.It was on this occasion, as it happened, after a year had passed, that he began to observe his altar to be haunted by a worshipper at least as frequent as himself.Others of the faithful, and in the rest of the church, came and went, appealing sometimes, when they disappeared, to a vague or to a particular recognition; but this unfailing presence was always to be observed when he arrived and still in possession when he departed.He was surprised, the first time, at the promptitude with which it assumed an identity for him - the identity of the lady whom two years before, on his anniversary, he had seen so intensely bowed, and of whose tragic face he had had so flitting a vision.Given the time that had passed, his recollection of her was fresh enough to make him wonder.Of himself she had of course no impression, or rather had had none at first: the time came when her manner of transacting her business suggested her having gradually guessed his call to be of the same order.She used his altar for her own purpose - he could only hope that sad and solitary as she always struck him, she used it for her own Dead.There were interruptions, infidelities, all on his part, calls to other associations and duties; but as the months went on he found her whenever he returned, and he ended by taking pleasure in the thought that he had given her almost the contentment he had given himself.They worshipped side by side so often that there were moments when he wished he might be sure, so straight did their prospect stretch away of growing old together in their rites.She was younger than he, but she looked as if her Dead were at least as numerous as his candles.She had no colour, no sound, no fault, and another of the things about which he had made up his mind was that she had no fortune.Always black-robed, she must have had a succession of sorrows.People weren't poor, after all, whom so many losses could overtake; they were positively rich when they had had so much to give up.But the air of this devoted and indifferent woman, who always made, in any attitude, a beautiful accidental line, conveyed somehow to Stransom that she had known more kinds of trouble than one.

He had a great love of music and little time for the joy of it; but occasionally, when workaday noises were muffled by Saturday afternoons, it used to come back to him that there were glories.

There were moreover friends who reminded him of this and side by side with whom he found himself sitting out concerts.On one of these winter afternoons, in St.James's Hall, he became aware after he had seated himself that the lady he had so often seen at church was in the place next him and was evidently alone, as he also this time happened to be.She was at first too absorbed in the consideration of the programme to heed him, but when she at last glanced at him he took advantage of the movement to speak to her, greeting her with the remark that he felt as if he already knew her.She smiled as she said "Oh yes, I recognise you"; yet in spite of this admission of long acquaintance it was the first he had seen of her smile.The effect of it was suddenly to contribute more to that acquaintance than all the previous meetings had done.

He hadn't "taken in," he said to himself, that she was so pretty.

Later, that evening - it was while he rolled along in a hansom on his way to dine out - he added that he hadn't taken in that she was so interesting.The next morning in the midst of his work he quite suddenly and irrelevantly reflected that his impression of her, beginning so far back, was like a winding river that had at last reached the sea.

同类推荐
  • Three Elephant Power

    Three Elephant Power

    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 Study of Zoology

    On the Study of Zoology

    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。
  • 能断金刚般若波罗蜜经

    能断金刚般若波罗蜜经

    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。
  • 茅亭客话

    茅亭客话

    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。
  • 大乘二十二问本

    大乘二十二问本

    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
  • 赖上冷酷校草

    赖上冷酷校草

    她本是一个普通的学生,转到一个新学校之后却发生了一连串的事件,先是认识校董的儿子,没想到他还有一个很重要很秘密的身份。完了,他真的不是故意撞破他的秘密,为何要被他威胁利用?一个戏剧性的事情发生了,他们莫名其妙的同居了,她也渐渐的从女仆上升为女友,这还不错。
  • 中外帝王未解之谜

    中外帝王未解之谜

    帝王们的性情、脾气、性格、才华、手腕也是形形色色、丰富多彩的,有明君、暴君、昏君、庸君……他们的兴趣、爱好更是五花八门、光怪陆离,有喜欢做和尚的君主,有喜欢当木匠的皇帝,有喜欢吟诗作赋的皇帝,有喜欢书法绘画的皇帝,当然也有以杀人、折磨人为乐的帝王……他们之中有可恨、可耻之人,也有可爱、可怜之人,当然他们也是神秘不可莫测之人。
  • 两同书

    两同书

    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。
  • 寂寞笙歌凉

    寂寞笙歌凉

    她的一生,就如失去自由的旋转木马。似乎所有的下一站都是终点,也都是原点,寒来暑往,晨昏更叠,总也转不出命运安排好的苦难。
  • 神奇宝贝之智爷天下

    神奇宝贝之智爷天下

    小智屡屡屡得不了冠军,你看的下去吗?不用担心,由美丽少女化成系统帮助小智实现理想!系统少女的恶作剧居然让小智桃花朵朵绽开!大地震!!!小智的未婚妻居然是希罗娜!!!可是小智这个木头能开花到什么地步!?(以TV主线,加一些漫画和口袋妖怪元素。系统也绝不变态,只能查看神奇宝贝的资料,但会利用最大化的。)
  • 巴山的剑:两湖之乱

    巴山的剑:两湖之乱

    二十万字的新派武侠,立足于现实的人,武林人物也要吃饭穿衣,也有普通人一样的人性,也要真实的经历人生的苦难。本书无种马,无奇遇。有真情,有热血,有命运。
  • 天梯传说

    天梯传说

    江山美人,我所欲也。回家,亦我所欲也。一个地球人穿越到了一个陌生的大陆。历尽艰险,终于站在权力之巅。可在江山美人和回家之间,他会作何选择?
  • 孤忠后录

    孤忠后录

    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。
  • 医手天下:冷帝的腹黑狂妃

    医手天下:冷帝的腹黑狂妃

    他杀伐决断,冷情弃爱,谋算天下,一步步踏上帝王之路!她狡黠乖张,身负异能,是他的宠姬,亦是举世无双的神医。内侍来报:“皇上,不好了,又有人来向云姬示爱了!”某帝阴森一笑:“将云姬给朕绑到寝殿去!朕要正法!”某姬惊悚抱胸:“除了这个,你还有木有点儿别的能耐?”某帝笑容暧昧:“对付你,这点儿能耐就够了!”繁华帝都,阴谋诡诈,铁血沙场,金戈铁马,谁在谈笑间指点江山?谁又在肆意而为间扬名万里?PS:这是一个穿越异能女强宠文,喜欢滴亲们直接戳开吧……
  • 一字佛顶轮王念诵仪轨

    一字佛顶轮王念诵仪轨

    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。