登陆注册
5247400000034

第34章 BOOK I(34)

A special appositeness was given to these reflections by the discovery, in a neighbouring pew, of the serious profile and neatly-trimmed beard of Mr. Percy Gryce. There was something almost bridal in his own aspect: his large white gardenia had a symbolic air that struck Lily as a good omen. After all, seen in an assemblage of his kind he was not ridiculous-looking: a friendly critic might have called his heaviness weighty, and he was at his best in the attitude of vacant passivity which brings out the oddities of the restless. She fancied he was the kind of man whose sentimental associations would be stirred by the conventional imagery of a wedding, and she pictured herself, in the seclusion of the Van Osburgh conservatories, playing skillfully upon sensibilities thus prepared for her touch. In fact, when she looked at the other women about her, and recalled the image she had brought away from her own glass, it did not seem as though any special skill would be needed to repair her blunder and bring him once more to her feet.

The sight of Selden's dark head, in a pew almost facing her, disturbed for a moment the balance of her complacency. The rise of her blood as their eyes met was succeeded by a contrary motion, a wave of resistance and withdrawal. She did not wish to see him again, not because she feared his influence, but because his presence always had the effect of cheapening her aspirations, of throwing her whole world out of focus. Besides, he was a living reminder of the worst mistake in her career, and the fact that he had been its cause did not soften her feelings toward him. She could still imagine an ideal state of existence in which, all else being superadded, intercourse with Selden might be the last touch of luxury; but in the world as it was, such a privilege was likely to cost more than it was worth.

"Lily, dear, I never saw you look so lovely! You look as if something delightful had just happened to you!"The young lady who thus formulated her admiration of her brilliant friend did not, in her own person, suggest such happy possibilities. Miss Gertrude Farish, in fact, typified the mediocre and the ineffectual. If there were compensating qualities in her wide frank glance and the freshness of her smile, these were qualities which only the sympathetic observer would perceive before noticing that her eyes were of a workaday grey and her lips without haunting curves. Lily's own view of her wavered between pity for her limitations and impatience at her cheerful acceptance of them. To Miss Bart, as to her mother, acquiescence in dinginess was evidence of stupidity; and there were moments when, in the consciousness of her own power to look and to be so exactly what the occasion required, she almost felt that other girls were plain and inferior from choice. Certainly no one need have confessed such acquiescence in her lot as was revealed in the "useful" colour of Gerty Farish's gown and the subdued lines of her hat: it is almost as stupid to let your clothes betray that you know you are ugly as to have them proclaim that you think you are beautiful.

Of course, being fatally poor and dingy, it was wise of Gerty to have taken up philanthropy and symphony concerts; but there was something irritating in her assumption that existence yielded no higher pleasures, and that one might get as much interest and excitement out of life in a cramped flat as in the splendours of the Van Osburgh establishment. Today, however, her chirping enthusiasms did not irritate Lily. They seemed only to throw her own exceptionalness into becoming relief, and give a soaring vastness to her scheme of life.

"Do let us go and take a peep at the presents before everyone else leaves the dining-room!" suggested Miss Farish, linking her arm in her friend's. It was characteristic of her to take a sentimental and unenvious interest in all the details of a wedding: she was the kind of person who always kept her handkerchief out during the service, and departed clutching a box of wedding-cake.

"Isn't everything beautifully done?" she pursued, as they entered the distant drawing-room assigned to the display of Miss Van Osburgh's bridal spoils. "I always say no one does things better than cousin Grace! Did you ever taste anything more delicious than that MOUSSE of lobster with champagne sauce? I made up my mind weeks ago that I wouldn't miss this wedding, and just fancy how delightfully it all came about. When Lawrence Selden heard I was coming, he insisted on fetching me himself and driving me to the station, and when we go back this evening I am to dine with him at Sherry's. I really feel as excited as if Iwere getting married myself!"

Lily smiled: she knew that Selden had always been kind to his dull cousin, and she had sometimes wondered why he wasted so much time in such an unremunerative manner; but now the thought gave her a vague pleasure.

"Do you see him often?" she asked.

"Yes; he is very good about dropping in on Sundays. And now and then we do a play together; but lately I haven't seen much of him. He doesn't look well, and he seems nervous and unsettled.

The dear fellow! I do wish he would marry some nice girl. I told him so today, but he said he didn't care for the really nice ones, and the other kind didn't care for him--but that was just his joke, of course. He could never marry a girl who WASN'T nice.

Oh, my dear, did you ever see such pearls?"

同类推荐
  • 石经考异

    石经考异

    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。
  • 谒先主庙

    谒先主庙

    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。
  • 太虛心淵篇

    太虛心淵篇

    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。
  • 申日儿本经

    申日儿本经

    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。
  • 大方等大集贤护经

    大方等大集贤护经

    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。
热门推荐
  • The Daughter of an Empress

    The Daughter of an Empress

    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。
  • 匆匆那年(下册)

    匆匆那年(下册)

    80年代生人的张楠因大学毕业找不到好工作而留学澳洲,在那里他认识了同样留学的方茴。就在他被方茴的神秘感吸引时,却听说她竟然是同性恋。阴错阳差,他与方茴住在了同一屋檐下,并且通过其他朋友知道方茴并不是真正的同性恋者,而是曾经深受伤害,有过一段难以忘怀的经历。一次偶然的机会,在张楠的房间里,方茴给他讲述了自己的故事…
  • 四签名

    四签名

    摩斯坦小姐之父十年前失踪了。四年后,她每年都会收到由神秘人寄来的珍珠。福尔摩斯与华生陪同她找到了神秘人,得知了宝藏的惊天秘密。这时,戒备森严的樱沼别墅命案突发,写有“四签名”的纸条、离奇的孩童脚印、鬼魅般的木腿人、来自东方的剧毒木刺、消失在泰晤士河上的汽船……福尔摩斯这回的对手绝对非同寻常!沾染着血腥的宝藏下落如何?凶手能不能最终被绳之以法?真相就让福尔摩斯来揭晓吧!
  • 萧先生的呆萌前女友

    萧先生的呆萌前女友

    【宠文,1V1,身心干净。】“你听说没,新来的总裁超帅耶!”“对对,而且还是个黄金单身汉!”“哇哦,做他女朋友得多幸福呐!”林静用余光扫了众人一眼,“诶,一帮花痴女。”然而……她不仅看痴了,更是傻眼了……“what?”“纳尼?”“开什么玩笑?”竟然是他……——————都说时间是最治愈的良药,但它依然不会消弭久藏于心的感情。比如,再来一次,我仍然对你欢喜!
  • 万界最强皇帝

    万界最强皇帝

    诸天万界,谁主沉浮?亿万世界,万族林立,诸圣霸世,无上运朝横扫八荒,功德圣地横跨万界,大世来临,妖孽横行,天骄不断,赢齐携最强皇帝系统而来,召文臣唤武将,铸最强运朝,成最强皇帝。【书友交流QQ群:126567500】
  • 爱奴

    爱奴

    投胎?当然是有钱人家!生活?没人疼爱,要学会找爱.三个姐姐如此艳丽,没有嫉妒,却是欣喜,好处多多.有哪多呢?钱多,人多,帅哥多.哪怕是个陪衬,也自甘情愿.只是,到底哪个黑心的家伙,竟然害我清白.拜托,他到底有眼力不?我可是只会阿谀奉承的丑小鸭.到底那个暗地里那夜跑到我房间的是谁?是大姐的男友?还是二姐的?或许是三姐的?谁那样恶劣...竟然想玩耨我?888888888888888888888888888888888888888888推荐好友作品:伊图草希:禁爱冰冰七月:暴君,邪妃不予:这个奶爸有点酷http://m.wkkk.net?info/m.wkkk.net紫树叶子:包养老婆野人乙:我的天王老公海源蒙儿:爱我,请将我禁锢殷紫:哥,我爱你888888888888888888889999999999999999999999本文纯属于虚构.如有不符合常理的事情,还请多多见谅.
  • 废材修真:一世刁妃

    废材修真:一世刁妃

    她是AK杀手组首领黑鹰,惨遭姐妹背叛,穿越成南宫府废材三小姐。她的重生将扰乱这个世界的法则,乱异世,动乾坤,证天道,成就一世刁妃少轻狂。
  • 养真集

    养真集

    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。
  • 群山行云(一)

    群山行云(一)

    这是三楼靠近街道一侧的房间,浴室没有做好防水处理,乳白色的壁纸从墙角起卷、发泡,除此之外,这和一般的快捷酒店没有多大区别。电视只能接收几个台,覆满雪花的屏幕重复播放着时政新闻,中间插播广告——无论哪一个都比新闻更有趣和真实。我到达X城的时间太早,按照和老A的约定,他应该在今天下午两点左右到达这里——先坐飞机抵达三百多公里外的C市,之后坐上每天一趟通往X城的绿皮火车。按照计划,我会在他坐上绿皮火车大约一个小时后完成一次跃迁,之后在X城开好房间,整理“旅行”带来的疲惫和恍惚。我俩碰面的时间相差不会超过三个小时。
  • 挖掘你的销售力量

    挖掘你的销售力量

    本书在内容和结构上都作了调整、优化与创新,本书有意识地把消费者行为学的普遍原理与中国消费者行为的特殊性及消费者行为研究的最新具体实践相结合,即在阐述世界各国消费者行为的共性的基础上,尽可能多地阐述中国消费者行为的特殊性。学会这些潜规则将对你的以后的人生道路有着重要帮助。