登陆注册
5291400000013

第13章 CHAPTER V.(1)

Winterborne sped on his way to Sherton Abbas without elation and without discomposure. Had he regarded his inner self spectacularly, as lovers are now daily more wont to do, he might have felt pride in the discernment of a somewhat rare power in him--that of keeping not only judgment but emotion suspended in difficult cases. But he noted it not. Neither did he observe what was also the fact, that though he cherished a true and warm feeling towards Grace Melbury, he was not altogether her fool just now. It must be remembered that he had not seen her for a year.

Arrived at the entrance to a long flat lane, which had taken the spirit out of many a pedestrian in times when, with the majority, to travel meant to walk, he saw before him the trim figure of a young woman in pattens, journeying with that steadfast concentration which means purpose and not pleasure. He was soon near enough to see that she was Marty South. Click, click, click went the pattens; and she did not turn her head.

She had, however, become aware before this that the driver of the approaching gig was Giles. She had shrunk from being overtaken by him thus; but as it was inevitable, she had braced herself up for his inspection by closing her lips so as to make her mouth quite unemotional, and by throwing an additional firmness into her tread.

"Why do you wear pattens, Marty? The turnpike is clean enough, although the lanes are muddy."

"They save my boots."

"But twelve miles in pattens--'twill twist your feet off. Come, get up and ride with me."

She hesitated, removed her pattens, knocked the gravel out of them against the wheel, and mounted in front of the nodding specimen apple-tree. She had so arranged her bonnet with a full border and trimmings that her lack of long hair did not much injure her appearance; though Giles, of course, saw that it was gone, and may have guessed her motive in parting with it, such sales, though infrequent, being not unheard of in that locality.

But nature's adornment was still hard by--in fact, within two feet of him, though he did not know it. In Marty's basket was a brown paper packet, and in the packet the chestnut locks, which, by reason of the barber's request for secrecy, she had not ventured to intrust to other hands.

Giles asked, with some hesitation, how her father was getting on.

He was better, she said; he would be able to work in a day or two; he would be quite well but for his craze about the tree falling on him.

"You know why I don't ask for him so often as I might, I suppose?" said Winterborne. "Or don't you know?"

"I think I do."

"Because of the houses?"

She nodded.

"Yes. I am afraid it may seem that my anxiety is about those houses, which I should lose by his death, more than about him.

Marty, I do feel anxious about the houses, since half my income depends upon them; but I do likewise care for him; and it almost seems wrong that houses should be leased for lives, so as to lead to such mixed feelings."

"After father's death they will be Mrs. Charmond's?"

"They'll be hers."

"They are going to keep company with my hair," she thought.

Thus talking, they reached the town. By no pressure would she ride up the street with him. "That's the right of another woman," she said, with playful malice, as she put on her pattens. "I wonder what you are thinking of! Thank you for the lift in that handsome gig. Good-by."

He blushed a little, shook his head at her, and drove on ahead into the streets--the churches, the abbey, and other buildings on this clear bright morning having the liny distinctness of architectural drawings, as if the original dream and vision of the conceiving master-mason, some mediaeval Vilars or other unknown to fame, were for a few minutes flashed down through the centuries to an unappreciative age. Giles saw their eloquent look on this day of transparency, but could not construe it. He turned into the inn-yard.

Marty, following the same track, marched promptly to the hair- dresser's, Mr. Percombe's. Percombe was the chief of his trade in Sherton Abbas. He had the patronage of such county offshoots as had been obliged to seek the shelter of small houses in that ancient town, of the local clergy, and so on, for some of whom he had made wigs, while others among them had compensated for neglecting him in their lifetime by patronizing him when they were dead, and letting him shave their corpses. On the strength of all this he had taken down his pole, and called himself "Perruquier to the aristocracy."

Nevertheless, this sort of support did not quite fill his children's mouths, and they had to be filled. So, behind his house there was a little yard, reached by a passage from the back street, and in that yard was a pole, and under the pole a shop of quite another description than the ornamental one in the front street. Here on Saturday nights from seven till ten he took an almost innumerable succession of twopences from the farm laborers who flocked thither in crowds from the country. And thus he lived.

Marty, of course, went to the front shop, and handed her packet to him silently. "Thank you," said the barber, quite joyfully. "I hardly expected it after what you said last night."

She turned aside, while a tear welled up and stood in each eye at this reminder.

"Nothing of what I told you," he whispered, there being others in the shop. "But I can trust you, I see."

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 泪殇,情魅异世

    泪殇,情魅异世

    【腾讯原创(未央)出品】她是一个因失恋而莫名穿越到异世的孤女,偏在最不相信感情的时候遇上了这个隶属极品祸水的男人,还阴差阳错成了他唯一的小妾,穿越的第一天她便扬言要把这个小三角色扮演到极致,至此命运的车轮开始旋转......“彼岸花,开一千年,落一千年,花叶永不相见。情不为因果,缘注定生死……”
  • 此生是我吗

    此生是我吗

    本书是本阅读性随笔集,由评电影、泛阅读、品人生三部分组成。生活有所缺憾,也有所裨益。只是我自愿背向时代,选定了这样的路。而我看到,生命的生动,一定是来之于精神的内部。《此生是我吗》,这本书讲的就是生命的生动与精神的内部。它诠释了刘苇的生活和内心独白,呈现其闲适的生活状态。
  • 韶华不为少年留

    韶华不为少年留

    我还以为我的同桌一定是小巧玲珑那个类型的,没想到她开口的第一句话就让我觉得她很伟大,她笑眯眯的问我:“妞,你有喜欢的人吗?”我花了一分钟调整了一下面部的表情,又花了一分钟思考我该怎么回答,结果我很白痴的说:“没啊。”出于礼貌,我又回了一句:“你呢?”“呵呵,我有没有关你屁事啊?”我的脑袋轰隆一声,爆炸似的冒出两个字,“变态!”认识于喵喵的第一天,我对这个世界绝望……
  • 秋季营养食谱

    秋季营养食谱

    《家庭美食坊丛书》根据四季的特点、不同的家常菜式、南北方的不同饮食习惯,精选了一千多道家常菜。食物搭配具有较强的针对性,富含营养,又有保健功效,让你吃得美味,吃出健康。《家庭美食坊丛书》内容丰富,实用性强,通俗易懂,还有相关的营养知识,是家庭食物调养的有益参考书。
  • 痴人妄想录

    痴人妄想录

    L十九岁的时候就从学校毕了业。经由朋友介绍,他找了一份短期工,头一次领到工资的那天,他觉得自己是真正成年了。十九岁的L,是个有大志的人,所以他看不上周遭的无数人。同事,邻里,甚至亲友。他每日从巷子里走过时,手上总是捧着一本书。他走路低头,神色只在盯着书上的某处,偶尔撞到了人,他也不道歉,因为别人先来斥责他了,骂他小子,长没长眼睛?他不回口,但心里很恼火,等骂的人过去时他才觉得需要反抗,可是他找不到反抗的言辞。他对着墙发狠,我操你娘!骂的是粗口。他觉得自己的面目污秽不堪。以后稍稍习惯了。
  • 圣彼得堡:行走

    圣彼得堡:行走

    本书收录了作者近两年来的优秀散文作品。作品得到国内多家媒体的关注与转载,是80后作者中实力派的散文作者。文风大气,沉着,厚重,质朴,铿锵有力,充分的展示了作者的才华,缜密的思考,成熟的文字,激情的探索,是这个散文集的主要特点。
  • 危险关系:总裁大人他有毒

    危险关系:总裁大人他有毒

    明明在他眼里,女人只是用钱买来的玩物,不配让他付出感情,但是不知道为何,内心会隐隐作痛。更没想到的是这个为了家人,不惜耗尽七年青春,抵押尊严跟在自己身边七年的丫头竟然在想着逃离!“你竟然敢骗我,哼,什么命中不命中,我告诉你,我不要你了。”霍千颜说完跑了出去。惹得沈文墨直喊:“你是我命中的妻,是注定的,你跑不掉了……”
  • 五月菖蒲

    五月菖蒲

    他坐在轮椅上,望着她的眼神温柔至极却也极其危险,阮唯斜睨她,嘴角有一丝不易察觉的冷笑:“黎少谦,你什么时候才能不那么幼稚?”黎少谦笑:“阮唯,这是你求人的态度吗?”阮唯低下头,声音放的很轻:“我求你,放过陆焉吧!”黎少谦嗤笑一声:“阮唯,我警告过你的,离他远一点。”“黎少谦,你明知道他是无辜的?”她眼眶里的泪太过沉重,止不住的往下掉,直到布满整张脸。黎少谦半讥讽半不屑:“他无辜?”泪水在脸上肆虐,阮唯却顾不得半分。“你到底要怎样才会放过他?”黎少谦推着轮椅,来到阮唯面前,漂亮的手抚着她的脸。“阮唯,知道吗?认识你八年,你都不曾为我掉过一滴泪。”【爱情那么远,回忆那么长。阮唯,最后,我还是把你弄丢了。】
  • 论美国的民主(全集)

    论美国的民主(全集)

    《论美国的民主(全集)》不只是泛泛地介绍美国的政治制度,还从社会学角度,分析美国民主的成因和发展,阐述了作者的政治哲学和政治社会学思想。涵盖面极广,相当于一部关于美国的“小百科全书”,论述内容包括美国地理环境、种族状况、移民对北美的影响、美国联邦制的优缺点以及与其他国家制度的比较等,还分析了美国人的民族性格、哲学观念、宗教思想、文学艺术,是一部不可多得的社会学著作。
  • 还乡,还乡

    还乡,还乡

    丁国义是市委书记,年前退了,因忍受不了官场的势利,决定逃离城市,和老伴一起回老家东峪村过年。在位时,丁国义没少为东峪村做好事,可是下台后,老家人民竟然把他做的好事一笔勾销了,这让丁国义十分难受。他发现了三个解不开的疑团:一是只比他大一两岁的马吉祥的死,二是镇长李军的辞职,三是村支书孙志荣的一堆反话。丁国义在东峪村再也呆不下去了,他又逃回了城市。读到这里,我们发现:故事才刚刚开始……大年三十日的下午,丁国义和王慧走进东峪村。