登陆注册
5230200000035

第35章

JAMES SEES VISIONS

The butler himself opened the door,and closing it softly,detained Soames on the inner mat.

"The master's poorly,sir,"he murmured."He wouldn't go to bed till you came in.He's still in the diningroom.

Soames responded in the hushed tone to which the house was now accustomed.

"What's the matter with him,Warmson?"

"Nervous,sir,I think.Might be the funeral;might be Mrs.

Dartie's comin'round this afternoon.I think he overheard something.I've took him in a negus.The mistress has just gone up."Soames hung his hat on a mahogany stag's-horn.

"All right,Warmson,you can go to bed;I'll take him up myself."And he passed into the dining-room.

James was sitting before the fire,in a big armchair,with a camel-hair shawl,very light and warm,over his frock-coated shoulders,on to which his long white whiskers drooped.His white hair,still fairly thick,glistened in the lamplight;a little moisture from his fixed,light-grey eyes stained the cheeks,still quite well coloured,and the long deep furrows running to the corners of the clean-shaven lips,which moved as if mumbling thoughts.His long legs,thin as a crow's,in shepherd's plaid trousers,were bent at less than a right angle,and on one knee a spindly hand moved continually,with fingers wide apart and glistening tapered nails.Beside him,on a low stool,stood a half-finished glass of negus,bedewed with beads of heat.There he had been sitting,with intervals for meals,all day.At eighty-eight he was still organically sound,but suffering terribly from the thought that no one ever told him anything.It is,indeed,doubtful how he had become aware that Roger was being buried that day,for Emily had kept it from him.She was always keeping things from him.Emily was only seventy!James had a grudge against his wife's youth.He felt sometimes that he would never have married her if he had known that she would have so many years before her,when he had so few.It was not natural.She would live fifteen or twenty years after he was gone,and might spend a lot of money;she had always had extravagant tastes.For all he knew she might want to buy one of these motor-cars.Cicely and Rachel and Imogen and all the young people--they all rode those bicycles now and went off Goodness knew where.And now Roger was gone.He didn't know--couldn't tell!The family was breaking up.Soames would know how much his uncle had left.Curiously he thought of Roger as Soames'uncle not as his own brother.Soames!It was more and more the one solid spot in a vanishing world.Soames was careful;he was a warm man;but he had no one to leave his money to.There it was!

He didn't know!And there was that fellow Chamberlain!For James'political principles had been fixed between '70and '85when 'that rascally Radical'had been the chief thorn in the side of property and he distrusted him to this day in spite of his conversion;he would get the country into a mess and make money go down before he had done with it.A stormy petrel of a chap!Where was Soames?

He had gone to the funeral of course which they had tried to keep from him.He knew that perfectly well;he had seen his son's trousers.Roger!Roger in his coffin!He remembered how,when they came up from school together from the West,on the box seat of the old Slowflyer in 1824,Roger had got into the 'boot'and gone to sleep.James uttered a thin cackle.A funny fellow--Roger--an original!He didn't know!Younger than himself,and in his coffin!The family was breaking up.There was Val going to the university;he never came to see him now.He would cost a pretty penny up there.It was an extravagant age.And all the pretty pennies that his four grandchildren would cost him danced before James'eyes.He did not grudge them the money,but he grudged terribly the risk which the spending of that money might bring on them;he grudged the diminution of security.And now that Cicely had married,she might be having children too.He didn't know--couldn't tell!Nobody thought of anything but spending money in these days,and racing about,and having what they called 'a good time.'A motor-car went past the window.Ugly great lumbering thing,making all that racket!But there it was,the country rattling to the dogs!People in such a hurry that they couldn't even care for style--a neat turnout like his barouche and bays was worth all those new-fangled things.And consols at 116!There must be a lot of money in the country.And now there was this old Kruger!They had tried to keep old Kruger from him.But he knew better;there would be a pretty kettle of fish out there!He had known how it would be when that fellow Gladstone--dead now,thank God!made such a mess of it after that dreadful business at Majuba.

He shouldn't wonder if the Empire split up and went to pot.And this vision of the Empire going to pot filled a full quarter of an hour with qualms of the most serious character.He had eaten a poor lunch because of them.But it was after lunch that the real disaster to his nerves occurred.He had been dozing when he became aware of voices--low voices.Ah!they never told him anything!

Winifred's and her mother's."Monty!"That fellow Dartie--always that fellow Dartie!The voices had receded;and James had been left alone,with his ears standing up like a hare's,and fear creeping about his inwards.Why did they leave him alone?Why didn't they come and tell him?And an awful thought,which through long years had haunted him,concreted again swiftly in his brain.

同类推荐
  • 佛说盂兰盆经

    佛说盂兰盆经

    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。
  • 辩正论

    辩正论

    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。
  • 善住意天子所问经

    善住意天子所问经

    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。
  • 重庆堂随笔

    重庆堂随笔

    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。
  • 世医得效方

    世医得效方

    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
  • 娇妻送上门

    娇妻送上门

    濮阳上若本出身名门世家,后因家族败落父母双亡之后,被人收养,成为乌拉训练营里出来的顶级杀手。回国之后,她和轩辕婳祎、左沁可两个好友潜进英特奇里学院……
  • 宅斗之玉面玲珑大结局

    宅斗之玉面玲珑大结局

    绮丽玉面间的尔虞我诈,八面玲珑中的波谲云诡,再掀不见硝烟的旷世之争。拨开柯弘安身世的迷雾,捅破家族斗争的窗户纸。忠婢秋白智巧无双,腹黑妾合纵连横。一个要助迎初走出绝境,一个誓要断尽夫君后路。迎初与弘安能否突破重重困境,继续夫妻同心,斗破山河?且看这不见刀枪的战火,怎样继续这不同以往的故事……
  • 超越权力:网络时代的领导行为

    超越权力:网络时代的领导行为

    21世纪已经过去十年。这十年我们最深刻的体验是——信息以10的N次方在增长,财富以10的倍数在变化,而人的寿命只以小数点级在增加。这是一个信息爆炸可以给我们带来无限机会,同时信息垃圾充斥使人迷茫的时代;这是一个可以快速致富,同时又是一个可以快速贬值的时代;这还是一个人类用有限的寿命创造无限的生命意义的时代,同时又是一个寿命微不足道的增长远远跟不上变化的时代。
  • 左爷:请接招

    左爷:请接招

    初见,撕衣。二见,强吻。三见,压身。穆念亭看着眼前冷静非常的男人,而他却无视她的冷眸,轻笑道,下次见面,会不会是床上?穆念亭咬唇,左爷,您可有一个温婉如玉的未婚妻呢!他不以为然,退了就是。殊不知,她口中的未婚妻就是她。自此,名声在外轰动江陵城的左爷走上一条视妻如命的道路。众人惊呼:左爷宠妻不要命,虐遍所有人,只为红颜一笑!
  • 法师手札

    法师手札

    魔法师们在高塔的阴影中窃窃私语,至今已经少有人能够听到他们微风一般的低吟。新历二十二年我故地重游,法师塔隐没于梧桐与橡叶的树荫当中。那是一个时代的终结,是一个新世界的开始。那也是一个神话的终结,是更多传说的发端。两个世界的碰撞,两种力量的战争,无数种族的血泪,亿万生灵的哀嚎……由野心、鲜血、仇恨、掠夺、迷茫、欣喜构成这画卷,而我就在开端。在某个明媚的清晨,我踏上旅途的第一步。这个世界,早已不是我所知的那副模样。-----书友群号:132717993
  • 谢志峰艺术人生

    谢志峰艺术人生

    本书展示了谢志峰先生丰富多彩的艺术人生,叙述了谢志峰收藏的历史渊源及其文物收藏系列的精华,并从艺术的角度探讨了谢志峰收藏之外,还揭示了他在诗、书、画、陶艺等方面的综合艺术修养。
  • 神医傻妃,王爷请挂号

    神医傻妃,王爷请挂号

    她是医学界奇才,一朝穿越成安东侯府大小姐,从懦弱变强悍。炼药宅斗宫斗朝堂斗,她统统搞掂。骂她丑女,瞎了狗眼!没看,当朝炙手可热的睿王是她老公?一个二个要搞死姐,姐偏要大放光芒,治各种不服。初见他,干坏事,然后逃之夭夭。再见,他长臂一舒,掐着她脖子轻笑:“干完坏事就跑,恩?之前的胆子呢?”某女白眼一翻:“怕你不行!”于是他凶性大发,最后问她,某女回答:“不咋地,哼!喂,你别过来!”【情节虚构,请勿模仿】
  • 21世纪穷窑

    21世纪穷窑

    将来,要有属于自己的小酒馆,过一个平凡悠闲的生活,偶尔与来往的酒客说谈有趣的故事,悠闲下更可以学学乐器,看看书!直到后来我才明白,活不成周星驰的电影,就只能做张学友的歌!一生最大的遗憾便是,从人海中相遇,从人海中相离!(本书已建群,群聊号码:629306685欢迎各位书友入群探讨!)
  • 不误佳期

    不误佳期

    【他说:“这颗心里装了你,就一辈子都是你的,苏亦燃,我索性把话挑明了,这辈子,我认定了你。你愿意是你幸运,有我爱你一生一世。你不愿意是你倒霉,绑也要绑你在我身边。”】七年前,他对她表白,她以为他是花花公子,拒绝。三年前,她被男友抛弃,沦落街头,他一路帮助扶植让她名利双收。他暖心守护,她却因前男友的背叛而对爱情望而却步,据他于千里之外。直到前男友出现,想跟她重修于好,她方寸大乱爱意有复燃之势,他却横刀立马在她面前。“人都说爱情经历七年之痒之后才会有甜美的果实,所以我避你四年,护你三年,给你七年的时间幻想、受伤、坚强、成长。现在七年到了,这甜美的果实只能我采摘,你整个人也只能入我怀。”她说:“我并不爱你。”他俨然一笑:“现在说还太早,你到底爱不爱我,让用时间来证明。”【片段一】他送她昂贵礼服让她参加他的寿宴,只因前男友碰了她的头发,拉了她的裙摆。他对她的经纪人示意:“这套衣服并不适合她丢掉,头发也做的难看重做,你让她洗个澡,重新化妆打扮,等下我会让人送新的礼服过来。”末了还特别温柔的追问一句:“这样不麻烦吧?”经纪人高呼:“这醋吃的太惊悚。如果摸摸她的手,是不是连手都要丢掉啊!”【片段二】眼看她的前男友对她穷追猛打各种浪漫追求装可怜,她居然心神动摇开始对他避而不见。第二天,他让各大报纸的头条版面同时爆出‘追妻令’,洋洋洒洒十八字,闹得满城风雨。当她满头黑线的出现时,他满面愁容伤心欲绝的样子:“我就算掏心掏肺的对你,却始终比不上他是吗?”“你跟他比什么?我只是帮他忙而已。”“可是我觉得你爱他比我多?”“哪有比你多?”他哈哈大笑将她扑倒:“之前还说不爱我,如今爱我比他多,果然要想如愿以偿还得脸皮厚坚守持久。”【天涯海角你躲不过我,今生今世你只能爱我。】
  • 脑间世界

    脑间世界

    突破想象力空间,脑洞大开的心理悬疑故事,不亚于《天才在左疯子在右》、《盗梦空间》的脑洞合集。一位警察,在他漫长的职业生涯当中,必然经历过许多奇奇怪怪的事情。或许从未有人认真深究过,造成怪事的原因到底是什么。这里有一位敏感而又执着的年轻警察,和他的队友齐佳恒一同经历了十五个离奇的事件。有些离奇事件的真相,并没有外界看起来这么简单。