登陆注册
5242200000133

第133章 Chapter 2(2)

She had a long pause before the fire during which she might have been fixing with intensity her projected vision, have been conscious even of its taking an absurd, a fantastic shape. She might have been watching the family coach pass and noting that somehow Amerigo and Charlotte were pulling it while she and her father were not so much as pushing. They were seated inside together, dandling the Principino and holding him up to the (24) windows to see and be seen, like an infant positively royal; so that the exertion was ALL with the others. Maggie found in this image a repeated challenge; again and yet again she paused before the fire: after which, each time, in the manner of one for whom a strong light has suddenly broken, she gave herself to livelier movement. She had seen herself at last, in the picture she was studying, suddenly jump from the coach; whereupon, frankly, with the wonder of the sight, her eyes opened wider and her heart stood still for a moment. She looked at the person so acting as if this person were somebody else, waiting with intensity to see what would follow. The person had taken a decision--which was evidently because an impulse long gathering had at last felt a sharpest pressure. Only how was the decision to be applied?--what in particular would the figure in the picture do? She looked about her, from the middle of the room, under the force of this question, as if THERE exactly were the field of action involved. Then as the door opened again she recognised, whatever the action, the form, at any rate, of a first opportunity. Her husband had reappeared--he stood before her refreshed, almost radiant, quite reassuring. Dressed, anointed, fragrant, ready above all for his dinner, he smiled at her over the end of their delay. It was as if her opportunity had depended on his look--and now she saw that it was good. There was still for the instant something in suspense, but it passed more quickly than on his previous entrance. He was already holding out his arms.

It was for hours and hours later on as if she had (25) somehow been lifted aloft, were floated and carried on some warm high tide beneath which stumbling-blocks had sunk out of sight. This came from her being again for the time in the enjoyment of confidence, from her knowing, as she believed, what to do. All the next day and all the next she appeared to herself to know it. She had a plan, and she rejoiced in her plan: this consisted of the light that, suddenly breaking into her restless reverie, had marked the climax of that vigil. It had come to her as a question--"What if I've abandoned THEM, you know? What if I've accepted too passively the funny form of our life?" There would be a process of her own by which she might do differently in respect to Amerigo and Charlotte--a process quite independent of any process of theirs. Such a solution had but to rise before her to affect her, to charm her, with its simplicity, an advantageous simplicity she had been stupid for so long not to have been struck by; and the simplicity meanwhile seemed proved by the success that had already begun to attend her. She had only had herself to do something to see how promptly it answered.

This consciousness of its having answered with her husband was the uplifting sustaining wave. He had "met" her--she so put it to herself; met her with an effect of generosity and of gaiety in especial, on his coming back to her ready for dinner, which she wore in her breast as the token of an escape for them both from something not quite definite but clearly much less good.

Even at that moment in fact her plan had begun to work; she had been, when he brightly reappeared, in the act of plucking it out of (26) the heart of her earnestness--plucking it, in the garden of thought, as if it had been some full-blown flower that she could present to him on the spot.

Well, it was the flower of participation, and as that, then and there, she held it out to him, putting straightway into execution the idea, so needlessly, so absurdly obscured, of her SHARING with him, whatever the enjoyment, the interest, the experience might be--and sharing also for that matter with Charlotte.

She had thrown herself at dinner into every feature of the recent adventure of the companions, letting him see without reserve that she wished to hear everything about it, and making Charlotte in particular, Charlotte's judgement of Matcham, Charlotte's aspect, her success there, her effect traceably produced, her clothes inimitably worn, her cleverness gracefully displayed, her social utility, in fine, brilliantly exemplified, the subject of endless enquiry. Maggie's enquiry was most sympathetic, moreover, for the whole happy thought of the cathedral-hunt, which she was so glad they had entertained and as to the pleasant results of which, down to the cold beef and bread-and-cheese, the queer old smell and the dirty tablecloth at the inn, Amerigo was good-humouredly responsive. He had looked at her across the table more than once, as if touched by the humility of this welcome offered to impressions at second-hand, the amusements, the large freedoms only of others--as if recognising in it something fairly exquisite; and at the end, while they were alone, before she had rung for a servant, he had renewed again his condonation of the little irregularity, such as it was, on which she (27) had ventured. They had risen together to come upstairs; he had been talking at the last about some of the people, at the very last of all about Lady Castledean and Mr.

同类推荐
  • 维摩经义疏

    维摩经义疏

    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。
  • 天香传

    天香传

    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。
  • 中风论

    中风论

    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。
  • 佛说大净法门经

    佛说大净法门经

    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 Great War Syndicate

    The Great War Syndicate

    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
  • 梦逝南唐:王的独宠后

    梦逝南唐:王的独宠后

    不看心尘文章的人会后悔,看了心尘文章中途弃文的人更会后悔,俗话说“好戏在后头”。心尘的文斟词酌句,不是快餐,是为着最终理想而奋斗的心路历程。如果有喜欢“咿咿呀呀”小学生作文式的亲们,请慎入!-----------------------------------------------------李煜:五代十国之南唐君主,享有词中之帝的美誉。但人无完人,诗词上的卓越才华弥补不了他治国上的无能。或许你不一定知道他,但你一定会知道“问君能有几多愁,恰似一江春水向东流”这样的名句。小周后:李煜二妻,其逝世结发妻子为小周后的姐姐——蛾皇,史称大小周后。内容提示:当一切成为历史,是否尘埃落定!不,我绝不要做亡国之君的皇后!我要离家出走!我要扭转我在南唐的命运轨迹,我要历史来一个一百八十度的大转环!可为何红尘中的颠沛流离,逃不过你冥冥中的招唤!忘不了仙瑶林里的惊鸿一瞥:错过一时便是一世!忘不了望月亭里初见时的心动:遇见了便是再也逃不过的劫!他说:“薇薇,为了你我要亲自将南唐攻破!”他说:“薇儿,为了你朕绝不做亡国之君!”爱缠恨绕,江山美人,红颜殇!无言独上西楼,月如钩。寂寞梧桐庭院锁清秋。剪不断,理还乱,是离愁。别是一般滋味在心头。李煜\小周后\赵光义,剪不断理还乱!虽为穿越文,却有真实的历史事件为背景,戏说南唐如何因"我的穿越"而对宋军顽强抵抗!谢谢亲们的支持!
  • King Henry VIII

    King Henry VIII

    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。
  • 婴灵在线

    婴灵在线

    每本书9篇中篇悬疑推理小说,9个不同侧重点的精彩夜话故事,文笔流畅、叙事功底扎实,字里行间惊悸、悬疑、凄婉纷纷展现,惊悚的气氛、奇幻的画面。异度社精选现阶段最热门的话题与事件进行悬疑推理小说的创作元素,故事的场景似乎就在我们的身边。
  • 重生空间有点田

    重生空间有点田

    现代教师陈然一朝穿越成为一个五岁的幼儿,名字为陈乖宝。陈乖宝带有一个时空淘宝空间,空间住着一个坑爹小二。家长里短的温馨农家生活,欢乐甜宠两不误!
  • 二十四节气与食疗

    二十四节气与食疗

    随着自然界的运动变化,人体的脏腑经络、气血津液也会随之发生相应变化,并且这种变化有着严格的季节性,所以在二十四节气中科学合理地安排膳食,针对不同的节气选用不同的食物来制作饮膳,就能起到利用有利因素,实现“天人合一”,抵抗不利因素,“扶正祛邪”,从而达到保健强身、防病治病、延年益寿的目的。本书正是根据二十四节气对人体的影响,系统地阐述了顺应节气并科学地进行食疗方面的知识,适合各阶层的读者阅读,是关注健康者的必读之书,也是家庭必备的食疗宝典。
  • 律少追妻攻略

    律少追妻攻略

    【腹黑霸道情深不悔男主VS身娇体软假迷糊女主、甜宠、一对一、无虐】结婚只是一时冲动,本来就是一场意乱情迷的花事,可某人却认真了,从来没想过离。律言是一个腹黑的主,骗身、骗婚,附带赠送亿万家产,好不容易才将孟苇变成自己的老婆哄回家。孟苇只想说:“这个背景这么强大的男人,她真的不想要啊!啊!啊!”某个阳光明媚的周末,孟苇窝在沙发上刷微博。传闻,帝都律少上得厅堂下得厨房,还能开挂撩妹追老婆,简直是新时代男性的楷模,新时代女性的梦中良配!孟苇从手机上抬头,瞥了一眼身旁的某人,不屑道:“这媒体的胡扯能力越来越强,简直毫无下限。”某人一脸坏笑抢过她手里的手机,摩挲下巴一脸认真,“我看说的挺真实的,像我这么好的男人,打着灯笼也难找!”孟苇翻个大大的白眼,说好的高冷腹黑的男神呢?她以前怎么就没发现,这人这么自恋。某人凑过来撒娇,“老婆,这么好的老公,不鼓励一下嘛?”孟苇看向律言湿漉漉的眼睛,好像一只大金毛,看着老实,实则奸诈。瞧,尾巴都快翘上天了。她勾起某人的下巴,笑的轻狂,“好呀,那让本姑娘好好宠宠你,嗯哼~”某人勾唇,一个反扑将她压进柔软的沙发内,笑的恣意,“老婆大人的命令,岂敢不从。”
  • 居易续谈

    居易续谈

    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。
  • 独爱缉捕:瘾上亿万少夫人

    独爱缉捕:瘾上亿万少夫人

    从六岁开始,时溪追在容司景后头跑了十几年。她让他做她男朋友,他乖乖照办,她让他跟她结婚,他没有异议。可当她想跟他离婚时,‘乖巧听话’的男人突然变了脸。他说:“时溪,你欠我的,要用一辈子来还。”她无语又有点生气:“我对你千般好万般好,要欠也是你欠我好不好?”没想到男人一把将她压在了床上,暧昧低语:“我还,拿一辈子来还。”
  • 百丈怀海禅师广录

    百丈怀海禅师广录

    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。
  • 米萧的宝石

    米萧的宝石

    吴文君,女,浙江海宁人,浙江省作家协会会员,上海首届作家研究生班学员,鲁迅文学院第十七届中青年作家高研班学员,作品发表在《北京文学》、《大家》、《收获》、《上海文学》、《中国作家》、《钟山》、《山花》等多家文学期刊。