登陆注册
5242200000134

第134章 Chapter 2(3)

Blint; after which she had once more broken ground on the matter of the "type" of Gloucester. It brought her, as he came round the table to join her, yet another of his kind conscious stares, one of the looks, visibly beguiled but at the same time not invisibly puzzled, with which he had already shown his sense of this charming grace of her curiosity. It was as if he might for a moment be going to say: "You need n't PRETEND, dearest, quite so hard, need n't think it necessary to care quite so much!"--it was as if he stood there before her with some such easy intelligence, some such intimate reassurance, on his lips. Her answer would have been all ready--that she was n't in the least pretending; and she looked up at him, while he took her hand, with the maintenance, the real persistence, of her lucid little plan in her eyes. She wanted him to understand from that very moment that she was going to be WITH him again, quite with THEM, together, as she doubtless had n't been since the "funny" changes--that was really all one could call them--into which they had each, as for the sake of the others, too easily and too obligingly slipped. They had taken too much for granted that their life together required, as people in London said, a special "form"--which was very well so long as the form was kept only for the outside world and was made no more of among themselves than the pretty mould of an iced pudding, or something of that sort, into which, to help yourself, you (28) did n't hesitate to break with the spoon. So much as THAT she would, with an opening, have allowed herself furthermore to observe; she wanted him to understand how her scheme embraced Charlotte too; so that if he had but uttered the acknowledgement she judged him on the point of making--the acknowledgement of his catching at her brave little idea for their case--she would have found herself, as distinctly, voluble almost to eloquence.

What befell however was that even while she thus waited she felt herself present at a process taking place rather deeper within him than the occasion, on the whole, appeared to require--a process of weighing something in the balance, of considering, deciding, dismissing. He had guessed that she was there with an idea, there in fact by reason of her idea; only this, oddly enough, was what at the last stayed his words. She was helped to these perceptions by his now looking at her still harder than he had yet done--which really brought it to the turn of a hair for her that she did n't make sure his notion of her idea was the right one. It was the turn of a hair because he had possession of her hands and was bending toward her, ever so kindly, as if to see, to understand more, or possibly give more--she did n't know which; and that had the effect of simply putting her, as she would have said, in his power. She gave up, let her idea go, let everything go; her one consciousness was that he was taking her again into his arms. It was not till afterwards that she discriminated as to this; felt how the act operated with him INSTEAD of the words he had n't uttered--operated in his view as probably better (29) than any words, as always better in fact at any time than anything. Her acceptance of it, her response to it, inevitable, foredoomed, came back to her later on as a virtual assent to the assumption he had thus made that there was really nothing such a demonstration did n't anticipate and did n't dispose of, and also that the spring acting within herself might well have been beyond any other the impulse legitimately to provoke it. It made, for any issue, the third time since his return that he had drawn her to his breast- and at present, holding her to his side as they left the room, he kept her close for their moving into the hall and across it, kept her for their slow return together to the apartments above. He had been right, overwhelmingly right, as to the felicity of his tenderness and the degree of her sensibility, but even while she felt these things sweep all others away she tasted of a sort of terror of the weakness they produced in her. It was still for her that she had positively something to do, and that she must n't be weak for this, must much rather be strong. For many hours after, none the less, she remained weak--if weak it was; though holding fast indeed to the theory of her success, since her agitated overture had been after all so unmistakeably met.

She recovered soon enough on the whole the sense that this left her Charlotte always to deal with--Charlotte who at any rate, however SHE might meet overtures, must meet them at the worst more or less differently. Of that inevitability, of such other ranges of response as were open to Charlotte, Maggie took the measure in approaching her, on the morrow of her (30) return from Matcham, with the same show of desire to hear all her story. She wanted the whole picture from her, as she had wanted it from her companion, and, promptly, in Eaton Square, whither, without the Prince, she repaired almost ostentatiously for the purpose, this purpose only, she brought her repeatedly back to the subject, both in her husband's presence and during several scraps of independent colloquy. Before her father, instinctively, Maggie took the ground that his wish for interesting echoes would be not less than her own--allowing, that is, for everything his wife would already have had to tell him, for such passages between them as might have occurred since the evening before. Joining them after luncheon, reaching them, in her desire to proceed with the application of her idea, before they had quitted the breakfast-room, the scene of their midday meal, she referred, in her parent's presence, to what she might have lost by delay, she expressed the hope that there would be an anecdote or two left for her to pick up.

同类推荐
  • 避戎夜话

    避戎夜话

    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。
  • Guy Mannering

    Guy Mannering

    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。
  • Censorship and Art

    Censorship and Art

    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 SONNETS

    THE SONNETS

    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。
  • Barchester Towers

    Barchester Towers

    The death of old Dr Grantly, who had for many years filled the chair with meek authority, took place exactly as the ministry of Lord - was going to give place to that Lord.汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 食味生仙

    食味生仙

    修界修士大概分两类,一类人纯粹苦修,尽量不借助任何外力,一类不忌法门,只要无愧于心,喝酒吃肉丹药法宝我全都要。作为一个厨修,姜莫不但想征服后一种修士的胃,更想让前一种修士对着她的食物喊“真香!”
  • 回到古代做神探

    回到古代做神探

    一次意外,临猗回到了大唐盛世,成为一个小小的捕快,身带系统的他,本以为可以摆脱前世孤儿跟屌丝的身份,成为一个富甲一方的大富豪,但万万没想到,他的出现还有他所做的一切,都是因为一场阴谋,每一次水落石出时,都会被莫名破坏,临猗只能是依靠自身的系统一次一次的寻找着线索,寻找可以回到未来之路。
  • 纯阳第一掌教

    纯阳第一掌教

    坑爹的穿越!好好一个宅男,竟然穿越成了一个道士!有个系统帮助,但是这系统同样是个天坑!“叮!系统唯一主线任务:纯阳成为武林第一大宗派。此任务不可取消!”望着只有两个人、几间破石屋的门派,萧千离简直欲哭无泪……有个秃子贡献了个Q群,大家加一下,贫道基本在里面蹲着,群号:363079671
  • 洞玄灵宝道要经

    洞玄灵宝道要经

    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。
  • 水浒密码:解密一百单八将

    水浒密码:解密一百单八将

    梁山108条好汉,共涉及77个姓氏,其中以李姓最多,有7人,约占好汉总数的7%,这一比例基本与如今李姓在全国人口的比例相当,施耐庵真有先见之明。在梁山108条好汉当中,曾经在宋朝各级政府当过公务员的有33人(以人物出场后为准);占山为王的黑帮老大有25人(以人物第一次出场为准);地主、富农出身的10人;开酒店的私营个体户出身的9人;打渔出身的8人;其他出身的23人……本文从今人的立场重新解析梁山上一百零八位好汉的宿命,让读者以新的角度去品味这部文学巨著。
  • 女扮男装世子爷太能作

    女扮男装世子爷太能作

    一眼万年,转世寻你。阿初,上一世不曾保护好你,这一世,便是逆天而为,神挡杀神,佛挡杀佛。他是上界仙尊,她是魔界魔君,因为某种因素,转世到一个古代王朝,这里的人都没有法力,有法力的人都会被当做神一样供着……(以前没有注明)“王爷王爷,不好啦,世子养眼要拆了您的王府”“她想拆旧拆,人手不够本王帮他”某王一脸淡定的喝着茶“尊上尊上,殿下出宫了”“她闲闷也是应当的”某仙尊一脸的不在意“可是,殿下说要广纳后宫……”某神尊“嗖”的一下冲出去了,阿初,你是我的。(这是一个霸道傲娇仙尊和腹黑能作魔君殿下的爱情故事)
  • 定居唐朝

    定居唐朝

    公元622年,大唐武德五年,唐高祖李渊在位,未来威震四方的大唐刚刚建立,风雨飘雨。薛朗,一个现代青年穿越到此时的唐朝,生存是个大问题!从孤身一人到安居乐业,这是一个男人的励志史。
  • 酒侠神医

    酒侠神医

    这个不算荒凉的小镇,一直沉寂着。突然有一日,有人打破了它的看似平静,形形色色的奇人异事,陆陆续续出现,他们会给我们带来什么养的故事呢?
  • 魔女戏天下:杠上妖孽邪王

    魔女戏天下:杠上妖孽邪王

    她是暗夜中的魔女杀手,一朝穿越,摇身变成若家的嫡七小姐。身为魔女,竟废材,蠢货,无灵根?开什么玩笑!她身兼绝世天赋,左手火焰灼烧,右手空间吞噬,契约空兽伴随,药材法宝手到擒来,傲然屹立苍穹巅峰!渣男渣爹渣姐妹,通通灭个底朝天,谁敢没事招惹她,她全都一击必杀!不过谁能告诉她,这个腹黑的妖孽美男从哪儿来,为何老是杠上她,戏弄她?“问寞绝,你这个骗子!”她咬牙,怒斥道。他却腹黑一笑,眉宇间尽是魅惑的戏谑,“我是骗了你的心还是……你的身,嗯?”
  • 我想去太空

    我想去太空

    万事万物,有因就有果。得到就会有失去。只要做对一件事,生活就会有意义。