登陆注册
5254800000110

第110章 CHAPTER XXXV RUTH IS NOT LIKE LORNA(2)

'That I did; and very fine they were. Now nine maidens out of ten would have feigned not to have heard one word that was said, and have borne black malice in their hearts. Come, Annie, now, would not you have done so?'

'I think,' said Annie, 'although of course I cannot tell, you know, John, that I should have been ashamed at hearing what was never meant for me, and should have been almost as angry with myself as anybody.'

'So you would,' replied my mother; 'so any daughter of mine would have done, instead of railing and reviling.

However, I am very sorry that any words of mine which the poor little thing chose to overhear should have made her so forget herself. I shall beg her pardon before she goes, and I shall expect her to beg mine.'

'That she will never do,' said I; 'a more resolute little maiden never yet had right upon her side;although it was a mere accident. I might have said the same thing myself, and she was hard upon you, mother dear.'

After this, we said no more, at least about that matter; and little Ruth, the next morning, left us, in spite of all that we could do. She vowed an everlasting friendship to my younger sister Eliza; but she looked at Annie with some resentment, when they said good-bye, for being so much taller. At any rate so Annie fancied, but she may have been quite wrong. Irode beside the little maid till far beyond Exeford, when all danger of the moor was past, and then I left her with John Fry, not wishing to be too particular, after all the talk about her money. She had tears in her eyes when she bade me farewell, and she sent a kind message home to mother, and promised to come again at Christmas, if she could win permission.

Upon the whole, my opinion was that she had behaved uncommonly well for a maid whose self-love was outraged, with spirit, I mean, and proper pride; and yet with a great endeavour to forgive, which is, meseems, the hardest of all things to a woman, outside of her own family.

After this, for another month, nothing worthy of notice happened, except of course that I found it needful, according to the strictest good sense and honour, to visit Lorna immediately after my discourse with mother, and to tell her all about it. My beauty gave me one sweet kiss with all her heart (as she always did, when she kissed at all), and I begged for one more to take to our mother, and before leaving, I obtained it. It is not for me to tell all she said, even supposing (what is not likely) that any one cared to know it, being more and more peculiar to ourselves and no one else. But one thing that she said was this, and I took good care to carry it, word for word, to my mother and Annie:--'I never can believe, dear John, that after all the crime and outrage wrought by my reckless family, it ever can be meant for me to settle down to peace and comfort in a simple household. With all my heart Ilong for home; any home, however dull and wearisome to those used to it, would seem a paradise to me, if only free from brawl and tumult, and such as I could call my own. But even if God would allow me this, in lieu of my wild inheritance, it is quite certain that the Doones never can and never will.'

Again, when I told her how my mother and Annie, as well as myself, longed to have her at Plover's Barrows, and teach her all the quiet duties in which she was sure to take such delight, she only answered with a bright blush, that while her grandfather was living she would never leave him; and that even if she were free, certain ruin was all she should bring to any house that received her, at least within the utmost reach of her amiable family. This was too plain to be denied, and seeing my dejection at it, she told me bravely that we must hope for better times, if possible, and asked how long I would wait for her.

'Not a day if I had my will,' I answered very warmly;at which she turned away confused, and would not look at me for awhile; 'but all my life,' I went on to say, 'if my fortune is so ill. And how long would you wait for me, Lorna?'

同类推荐
  • 周公解梦

    周公解梦

    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。
  • 无盦词

    无盦词

    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。
  • Helen of Troy And Other Poems

    Helen of Troy And Other Poems

    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。
  • 名物蒙求

    名物蒙求

    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。
  • 桂海虞衡志

    桂海虞衡志

    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
  • 盛世倾城颜

    盛世倾城颜

    什么,我穿越了!!!还是寄人篱下的孤女!还带着个弟弟,不带这样的,一个人活着已经很辛苦了!什么,我还是个公主,被追杀?能不能来点好事?
  • 黑暗超神

    黑暗超神

    生而彷徨,常有迷茫。从哪里来,到哪里去,我又是谁?顾行因为从小的奇特经历对人生常常感到困惑,直到一篇名为《生命的进化》的信息涌入他的脑海,于是,他开始了不一样的追寻之旅。……震惊!16岁文学少年惨遭书籍简介难住!只得无奈玩深沉!新人新书,请多关爱,有票投票,无票收藏~本书书友群:336324245
  • 龙镇天下

    龙镇天下

    一颗不起眼的黑色珠子,却是大陆上唯一的龙珠!薛云轩意外发现其中的秘密,得到无上功法《化龙诀》,从此开启逆天人生!点化水族,组建虾兵蟹将大军;逆转人道,成就最强龙王真身!神龙一朝腾起,必将主宰万妖,镇压天地!
  • 青春的方案:构建同步成长的十大志商

    青春的方案:构建同步成长的十大志商

    本书告诉我们:一个人没有志商,就等于没有目标,而没有目标的人很难取得成功。小志小成,大志大成,学多人一生平淡,不是因为没有才干,而是因为缺乏远大的志向和清晰的发展目标。
  • 盛宠医妃

    盛宠医妃

    上一世,爹不亲,姨娘不爱,姐妹轮番奚落。好不容易嫁个相公,还被他亲手推入悬崖。她前世惨死,涅槃重生,六亲不认,美男相伴,谁能奈她几何?妹妹会害人,她会变本加厉;姐姐会下毒,她会养毒蛊;姐姐有人帮忙,她也有美男相伴;王爷态度冷漠,她就让他宠她入骨。有世仇又如何?爱能化解一切干戈;有情敌又如何?她是他心头唯一的牵挂!他为她挡尽一切的风霜!
  • 斗神尊

    斗神尊

    家族的废柴少爷,境界一直难以提升的原因竟是天生异体缺少海量资源,遇到名师后一路披荆斩棘,与人斗,与魔斗,与神斗,与天斗……当他踏入巅峰,得知一个天道秘密,他面临自我牺牲奉献和同归于尽的选择……
  • 戴东原先生轶事

    戴东原先生轶事

    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。
  • 神明战纪

    神明战纪

    “入生门者,向死而生。”万年之前,宇宙传说中的“生门”被外力打开,衍生出平行宇宙与次平行宇宙接壤的灰色地带,各方势力野心勃勃,都想通过这片灰色地带进而争夺两宇宙空间的统领权,世纪战争一度爆发,一时间,生灵涂炭,惨绝人寰。百年后,次平行宇宙中一个自称维护宇宙秩序的神秘组织现世,仅用了短短数年便平息了即将再度爆发的世纪战争,后人尊称其为“审判者”,后此组织迁居于灰色地带,再未复出。三系秩序平衡万年后,各方势力蠢蠢欲动,欲从中打破时空裂缝再次攻占次平行宇宙,第二次世纪战争即将爆发,新的冒险,从此开始。本书纯属虚构,“平行、次平行”等词与其专业名词并非指同事或同物,无可考证。如有雷同,实属巧合。
  • 英雄联盟:冠军之箭

    英雄联盟:冠军之箭

    新书《低调大明星》已发。————一觉醒来重生于熟悉而又陌生的平行世界。有熟悉的老爸,有陌生的后妈,还有个没有任何血缘关系的漂亮妹妹开直播。有熟悉的英雄联盟,有更完善的职体系,还有前世打职业时很难想象的女选手。ps1:认为游戏文主角世界里就只有游戏的读者就别看了,要是你看了后对游戏没兴趣了咋办?ps2:普通书友群302085764,订阅粉丝群52159748(进群需验证全订粉丝值)
  • 仙道贵生:道教与养生

    仙道贵生:道教与养生

    《中华道文化丛书·仙道贵生:道教与养生》以“道”为理论基础而博大精深,但它的落脚点却在人世、在现时。与此相应,我们这套丛书亦努力做到文字平和朴实、语言流畅生动、叙述要言不烦、面貌平易近人,以使更为广大的读者都能从中受益,得到有关道文化的比较全面和科学的知识。