登陆注册
5272500000060

第60章 CHAPTER VI: INTO TEMPTATION(2)

She jumped to the floor, hastily flung off her shawl and bonnet, smoothed and patted her hair till the curls hung in passable condition, and listened. No knock. Nearly a minute passed, and still there was no knock. Then there arose a soft series of raps, no louder than the tapping of a distant woodpecker, and barely distinct enough to reach her ears. She composed herself and flung open the door.

In the porch stood Mr. Maybold.

There was a warm flush upon his face, and a bright flash in his eyes, which made him look handsomer than she had ever seen him before.

"Good-evening, Miss Day."

"Good-evening, Mr. Maybold," she said, in a strange state of mind.

She had noticed, beyond the ardent hue of his face, that his voice had a singular tremor in it, and that his hand shook like an aspen leaf when he laid his umbrella in the corner of the porch. Without another word being spoken by either, he came into the schoolroom, shut the door, and moved close to her. Once inside, the expression of his face was no more discernible, by reason of the increasing dusk of evening.

"I want to speak to you," he then said; "seriously--on a perhaps unexpected subject, but one which is all the world to me--I don't know what it may be to you, Miss Day."

No reply.

"Fancy, I have come to ask you if you will be my wife?"

As a person who has been idly amusing himself with rolling a snowball might start at finding he had set in motion an avalanche, so did Fancy start at these words from the vicar. And in the dead silence which followed them, the breathings of the man and of the woman could be distinctly and separately heard; and there was this difference between them--his respirations gradually grew quieter and less rapid after the enunciation hers, from having been low and regular, increased in quickness and force, till she almost panted.

"I cannot, I cannot, Mr. Maybold--I cannot! Don't ask me!" she said.

"Don't answer in a hurry!" he entreated. "And do listen to me.

This is no sudden feeling on my part. I have loved you for more than six months! Perhaps my late interest in teaching the children here has not been so single-minded as it seemed. You will understand my motive--like me better, perhaps, for honestly telling you that I have struggled against my emotion continually, because I have thought that it was not well for me to love you! But I resolved to struggle no longer; I have examined the feeling; and the love I bear you is as genuine as that I could bear any woman! I see your great charm; I respect your natural talents, and the refinement they have brought into your nature--they are quite enough, and more than enough for me! They are equal to anything ever required of the mistress of a quiet parsonage-house--the place in which I shall pass my days, wherever it may be situated. O Fancy, I have watched you, criticized you even severely, brought my feelings to the light of judgment, and still have found them rational, and such as any man might have expected to be inspired with by a woman like you! So there is nothing hurried, secret, or untoward in my desire to do this. Fancy, will you marry me?"

No answer was returned.

"Don't refuse; don't," he implored. "It would be foolish of you--I mean cruel! Of course we would not live here, Fancy. I have had for a long time the offer of an exchange of livings with a friend in Yorkshire, but I have hitherto refused on account of my mother.

There we would go. Your musical powers shall be still further developed; you shall have whatever pianoforte you like; you shall have anything, Fancy, anything to make you happy--pony-carriage, flowers, birds, pleasant society; yes, you have enough in you for any society, after a few months of travel with me! Will you, Fancy, marry me?"

Another pause ensued, varied only by the surging of the rain against the window--panes, and then Fancy spoke, in a faint and broken voice.

"Yes, I will," she said.

"God bless you, my own!" He advanced quickly, and put his arm out to embrace her. She drew back hastily. "No no, not now!" she said in an agitated whisper. "There are things;--but the temptation is, O, too strong, and I can't resist it I can't tell you now, but I must tell you! Don't, please, don't come near me now! I want to think, I can scarcely get myself used to the idea of what I have promised yet." The next minute she turned to a desk, buried her face in her hands, and burst into a hysterical fit of weeping. "O, leave me to myself!" she sobbed; "leave me! O, leave me!"

"Don't be distressed; don't, dearest!" It was with visible difficulty that he restrained himself from approaching her. "You shall tell me at your leisure what it is that grieves you so; I am happy--beyond all measure happy!--at having your simple promise."

"And do go and leave me now!"

"But I must not, in justice to you, leave for a minute, until you are yourself again."

"There then," she said, controlling her emotion, and standing up; "I am not disturbed now."

He reluctantly moved towards the door. "Good-bye!" he murmured tenderly. "I'll come to-morrow about this time."

同类推荐
  • 上清太上黄素四十四方经

    上清太上黄素四十四方经

    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。
  • Myths and Legends of the Sioux

    Myths and Legends of the Sioux

    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。
  • 平台纪事本末

    平台纪事本末

    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。
  • 诗经稗疏

    诗经稗疏

    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。
  • 明实录闽海关系史料

    明实录闽海关系史料

    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
  • 马鸣菩萨成就悉地念诵

    马鸣菩萨成就悉地念诵

    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。
  • 伤感的散文精选(散文书系)

    伤感的散文精选(散文书系)

    散文是美的,它能给人以美的享受,然而什么样的散文才是最美的散文呢?秦牧曾说:“精粹警辟的、谈笑风生的、亲切感人的、玲珑剔透的,使你读时入了神、读后印象久久不会消失的好散文,还是不多。”他还说:“一篇好的散文,应该通过各种各样的内容给人以思想的启发、美的感受、情操的陶冶。”品读精美的散文,宛如清风般涤荡沐浴;让散文的清扬与美丽永远地伴随你。
  • 佛说金光王童子经

    佛说金光王童子经

    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。
  • 精灵与王座

    精灵与王座

    精灵族赖以生存的生命圣树面临枯萎,精灵之森面临毁灭。南方的人类帝国大军压境,西方的兽族蠢蠢欲动。为了守护精灵族……
  • 吴礼部词话

    吴礼部词话

    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。
  • 女人好口才,职场好未来

    女人好口才,职场好未来

    语言表达是女人形象和能力的一个重要组成部分,职场中的女人们若想自己的能力得到认可,当然不能放过这个好工具、好帮手。一个聪明的女人懂得拿起语言的工具并且善加利用,让自己成为一个吐气如兰、妙语连珠的职场新女性。这样的女人自然能够博得老板、同事、客户、家人、朋友的青睐,必然可在职场生涯中获得好人气、好运气、好福气。
  • 重生之文化帝国

    重生之文化帝国

    有多少人期盼自己的人生可以重来一次?当杨一幸运而茫然的被时光逆潮卷回了那年夏至将至之时,前世的遗憾终得弥补,今生的理想亦要实现——和一如风一如冰两个女孩之间的牵绊,在校园里是比后来者“韩寒”更加惹人争议的偏科鬼才、话题人物,象牙塔外却是阳一文化这个超然帝国的掌舵人。无数动人的文字和音乐,电影和游戏,还有山河美景,民俗传统……在打上“阳一出品”的标签后,他开始向整个世界输出华夏文化。而无数欧美的文化保守主义者们,亦在这个云中帝国之下仰视着惊呼——黄祸又来了!(有提建议和闲来聊天的么?6*5*9*9*1*6*8*7,群的气氛还很不错)
  • 凰图帝姬

    凰图帝姬

    圣人听我言,至尊伏鞍前。我已极修凡尘道,觐见仙帝敢斜冠!
  • 《中华人民共和国企业破产法》释义及实用指南

    《中华人民共和国企业破产法》释义及实用指南

    本书由全国人大法工委参与破产法立法及研究的同志撰写。本书共分三四个部分:第一部分,法律文本及条文释义;第二部分,立法文件;第三部分,相关司法解释;第四部分,一些国家和地区的破产法律制度研究。
  • 迷宫中的恋人

    迷宫中的恋人

    对于这些命运交织的爱的命题,关于背叛,伤害,信仰,守护,自我,他人,过去未来,记忆与遗忘,原谅,宽宥,救赎,重建,等到它们像一颗一颗巨石,真实地砸向我,像巨斧,真正地从后脑把我劈开了,我倒地不起,我以为我完蛋了。后来,我才又逐一地,奋力拨开身上的落石,积尘,真实地感觉到,我必须响应,回想,理解,答复,求助,那些迎面而来,将我拦腰折断的巨大提问。——陈雪。作者在自传体小说《附魔者》出版后,生了一场大病,然后伴侣离开,生活陷入混乱。本书是作者的复出之作。作者以疾病与爱情为主题,以31万字的篇幅书写生死、爱情、命运和信仰,深刻地探讨了人性。小说以自传的叙述方式,将写作推向“自毁与自我创生”。