登陆注册
5229500000020

第20章 Chapter III. Mrs. Presty Changes Her Mind.(1)

The two ladies were alone.

Widely as the lot in life of one differed from the lot in life of the other, they presented a contrast in personal appearance which was more remarkable still. In the prime of life, tall and fair--the beauty of her delicate complexion and her brilliant blue eyes rivaled by the charm of a figure which had arrived at its mature perfection of development--Mrs. Linley sat side by side with a frail little dark-eyed creature, thin and pale, whose wasted face bore patient witness to the three cruelest privations under which youth can suffer--want of fresh air, want of nourishment, and want of kindness. The gentle mistress of the house wondered sadly if this lost child of misfortune was capable of seeing the brighter prospect before her that promised enjoyment of a happier life to come.

"I was afraid to disturb you while you were resting," Mrs. Linley said. "Let me hope that my housekeeper has done what I might have done myself, if I had seen you when you arrived."

"The housekeeper has been all that is good and kind to me, madam."

"Don't call me 'madam'; it sounds so formal--call me 'Mrs.

Linley.' You must not think of beginning to teach Kitty till you feel stronger and better. I see but too plainly that you have not been happy. Don't think of your past life, or speak of your past life."

"Forgive me, Mrs. Linley; my past life is my one excuse for having ventured to come into this house."

"In what way, my dear?"

At the moment when that question was put, the closed curtains which separated the breakfast-room from the library were softly parted in the middle. A keen old face, strongly marked by curiosity and distrust, peeped through--eyed the governess with stern scrutiny--and retired again into hiding.

The introduction of a stranger (without references) into the intimacy of the family circle was, as Mrs. Presty viewed it, a crisis in domestic history. Conscience, with its customary elasticity, adapted itself to the emergency, and Linley's mother-in-law stole information behind the curtain--in Linley's best interests, it is quite needless to say.

The talk of the two ladies went on, without a suspicion on either side that it was overheard by a third person.

Sydney explained herself.

"If I had led a happier life," she said, "I might have been able to resist Mr. Linley's kindness. I concealed nothing from him. He knew that I had no friends to speak for me; he knew that I had been dismissed from my employment at the school. Oh, Mrs. Linley, everything I said which would have made other people suspicious of me made _him_ feel for me! I began to wonder whether he was an angel or a man. If he had not prevented it, I should have fallen on my knees before him. Hard looks and hard words I could have endured patiently, but I had not seen a kind look, I had not heard a kind word, for more years than I can reckon up. That is all I can say for myself; I leave the rest to your mercy."

"Say my sympathy," Mrs. Linley answered, "and you need say no more.. But there is one thing I should like to know. You have not spoken to me of your mother. Have you lost both your parents?"

"No."

"Then you were brought up by your mother?"

"Yes."

"You surely had some experience of kindness when you were a child?"

A third short answer would have been no very grateful return for Mrs. Linley's kindness. Sydney had no choice but to say plainly what her experience of her mother had been.

"Are there such women in the world!" Mrs. Linley exclaimed.

"Where is your mother now?"

"In America--I think."

"You think?"

"My mother married again," said Sydney. "She went to America with her husband and my little brother, six years ago."

"And left you behind?"

"Yes."

"And has she never written to you;"

"Never."

This time, Mrs. Linley kept silence; not without an effort.

Thinking of Sydney's mother--and for one morbid moment seeing her own little darling in Sydney's place--she was afraid to trust herself to speak while the first impression was vividly present to her mind.

"I will only hope," she replied, after waiting a little, "that some kind person pitied and helped you when you were deserted.

Any change must have been for the better after that. Who took charge of you?"

"My mother's sister took charge of me, an elder sister, who kept a school. The time when I was most unhappy was the time when my aunt began to teach me. 'If you don't want to be beaten, and kept on bread and water,' she said, 'learn, you ugly little wretch, and be quick about it."'

"Did she speak in that shameful way to the other girls?"

同类推荐
  • 玉堂荟记

    玉堂荟记

    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。
  • 云门麦浪怀禅师宗门设难

    云门麦浪怀禅师宗门设难

    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。
  • 普超三昧经

    普超三昧经

    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。
  • The Lumley Autograph

    The Lumley Autograph

    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。
  • 对类

    对类

    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
  • 如果不遇顾知深

    如果不遇顾知深

    【新文《甜妻狂想娶:总裁翻墙来》欢迎阅读】云简月在姐姐的订婚当天被交往三年的男友甩了。酒吧买醉,隔日醒来,准姐夫变成了亲老公。前任新欢对她出手,隔天新欢家公司宣布破产!有杂志报道她勾引姐夫,不知廉耻?翌日杂志社无端倒闭!云简月慌了,睁大漆黑的瞳仁,惶恐道:我,我们去把婚离了。亲老公忙着签文件,头都没抬的回她一句:既然婚都结了,何必浪费9块钱,我们试试吧。云简月一脸呆滞:试什么?顾知深终于舍得放下手中的文件,俯身凑近,亲密的咬着她的耳朵低喃:试爱,你要是想试尺寸,随时可以!云简月:“……”
  • 恶魔校草缠上身:攻略坏丫头

    恶魔校草缠上身:攻略坏丫头

    [狗粮撒不止]凌晨玩逃相亲,被逼的无路可退的安小小,却发现巷子里面居然还有一条黑漆漆的小巷子!谢天谢地,终于有救了!却未曾想到,获救的同时,某位被小家伙缠上了! “辰谦时,要不要考虑做我正宫?” “不了,丑拒。”辰谦时冷淡拒绝。 “阿时,要不要考虑臣服于我?”辰谦时低头若有所思:“我考虑考虑……” 某天,安小小突然被壁咚。 “好了,我来做你正宫了。你好,我心念十几年的宝贝。”
  • 赤眉绿林起义

    赤眉绿林起义

    绿林赤眉起义是西汉末年王莽篡权时发生的农民起义,后来与刘演刘秀起义军会合,成为光武中兴的源头。地皇二年(公元21年),新莽荆州牧发兵2万人进攻绿林军,绿林军击败莽军,部众增至数万人。次年,绿林山一带发生疫病,起义军分兵转移,一路由王常、成丹率领,西入南郡,称下江兵;一路由王匡、王凤、马武率领,北上南阳,称新市兵。
  • 辛亥革命

    辛亥革命

    全景展示了推翻清朝政府、结束统治中国几千年的君主专制制度、建立民主共和国的辛亥革命的整个过程。以孙中山的革命历程为主线,围绕中国同盟会成立、武昌起义、中华民国成立以及革命成果被袁世凯窃取后进行二次革命、护国战争到取消帝制等重大历史事件,真实地展现了中国近代民主革命的艰难曲折,生动再现了伟大先行者孙中山“首举彻底反封建的旗帜”“起共和而终帝制”九死不悔的奋斗历程,讴歌了暗夜下追求民主自由的民族精英、仁人志士的不屈意志和下层群众、新军官兵奋勇投身革命的牺牲精神。全剧尊重历史真实、尊重革命实践,浓墨重彩描绘了一幅中国近代史风云激荡的多彩画卷,堪称一部形象的辛亥革命教科书。
  • 画说辽宁文化遗产

    画说辽宁文化遗产

    本书收录了辽宁省全部物质文化遗产和非物质文化遗产。除了遗产现状的介绍之外,还插入了大量色彩丰富的图片,以图带文,以文载图,使此书更具特色。
  • 天下

    天下

    三秋风寒,夜黑如墨。疏星淡照的小苑内,东首耳房尚亮着灯,映出窗纸上一条纹丝不动人影。窗外,一人来回踱着步子:“真的要按计划行事吗?”“在没有得到验证之前,没有别的选择了。”窗纸上的人影动了动,长吁短叹。窗外人蓦然站住,咬了咬牙:“好!小不为则乱大谋,只有当机立断了。”“此为劫数……只是要委屈你了!”屋里之人叹道。“我的毕生理念都在于此,只要能成此事,其他都不过是旁枝末节了。你只要记住我们的约定,我虽死无憾,否则生不如死!”窗外之人道。
  • 同班同学

    同班同学

    酒井三津枝那平静而有些无聊的生活,从那天起就开始被打破了。4月底,天空吹拂着干燥的风。这天下午,三津枝照例一边看着邻居家的小孩郁夫啃着学校里午饭剩下的橄榄形面包,一边问他春游去什么地方,漫无边际地唠着话捱过时间。郁夫脖子上挂着房门钥匙,是社会上所谓的“钥匙儿童”。郁夫读小学五年纪,住在三津枝正对面两层楼水泥建筑的住宅中。他没有父亲,母亲在保险公司工作,所以郁夫总是将钥匙吊在毛衣或衬衫里面,放学以后就常常背起书包径直去三津枝的家里玩。
  • 喊风来

    喊风来

    那一天太阳泛白,是人们常说的那种毒日头,光到最强烈时总是这种颜色。资江流域有句气象民谚说:白太阳久晴,红太阳近雨。唐家观就是匍匐在资江中下游北岸的一个小镇,这里的人都知道未济老师不怕太阳只怕雨。太阳有什么可怕?未济说,万物生长还靠太阳哩,要是真晒得我眼冒金星了,就往江河里一潜,与鱼儿们嬉戏耳语一阵,再上得岸来时,啧啧,红翅白翅就像是来寻伴一样,都会争着要往我的渔篓里飞。那才过瘾呢!未济老师口中津津乐道的红翅和白翅,是山溪里两种不同类型的小鱼。
  • 拜见大魔王

    拜见大魔王

    简介:螟,低等魔族,偶然获得了一些非常非常非常残破的记忆,还有一个系统商城……一个需要光明点的系统商城,故事由此展开!简单地说,这就是个未开化的小魔族利用系统在地球和异界之间穿梭,学习知识,建设发展,逐渐成长为大魔王的故事。(本文非暗黑,主角不是正统意义上的魔族,喜欢暗黑文的书友请绕道。)
  • 云端的次元漫步

    云端的次元漫步

    这些精彩的世界,真的是很有趣啊,虽然不知道为什么,自己拥有了系统穿越一个又一个的动漫世界。 奥,自己还在 系统的帮助下成为了一名修炼者,这下子,我的春天终于来了哈哈哈哈哈哈! …… 柳千城在经历过不同寻常的第一次任务出击后,经过修炼而成为了灵纹阵师,而随着临行前Z23的加入,下一场冒险又会发生什么样的变化呢? —— —— 第一卷——《重装机兵2r》 第二卷——《漆黑的子弹》