登陆注册
5291400000049

第49章 CHAPTER XVII.(3)

In such circumstances, maybe, an old man dreams of an ideal friend, till he throws himself into the arms of any impostor who chooses to wear that title on his face. A young man may dream of an ideal friend likewise, but some humor of the blood will probably lead him to think rather of an ideal mistress, and at length the rustle of a woman's dress, the sound of her voice, or the transit of her form across the field of his vision, will enkindle his soul with a flame that blinds his eyes.

The discovery of the attractive Grace's name and family would have been enough in other circumstances to lead the doctor, if not to put her personality out of his head, to change the character of his interest in her. Instead of treasuring her image as a rarity, he would at most have played with it as a toy. He was that kind of a man. But situated here he could not go so far as amative cruelty. He dismissed all reverential thought about her, but he could not help taking her seriously.

He went on to imagine the impossible. So far, indeed, did he go in this futile direction that, as others are wont to do, he constructed dialogues and scenes in which Grace had turned out to be the mistress of Hintock Manor-house, the mysterious Mrs.

Charmond, particularly ready and willing to be wooed by himself and nobody else. "Well, she isn't that," he said, finally. "But she's a very sweet, nice, exceptional girl."

The next morning he breakfasted alone, as usual. It was snowing with a fine-flaked desultoriness just sufficient to make the woodland gray, without ever achieving whiteness. There was not a single letter for Fitzpiers, only a medical circular and a weekly newspaper.

To sit before a large fire on such mornings, and read, and gradually acquire energy till the evening came, and then, with lamp alight, and feeling full of vigor, to pursue some engrossing subject or other till the small hours, had hitherto been his practice. But to-day he could not settle into his chair. That self-contained position he had lately occupied, in which the only attention demanded was the concentration of the inner eye, all outer regard being quite gratuitous, seemed to have been taken by insidious stratagem, and for the first time he had an interest outside the house. He walked from one window to another, and became aware that the most irksome of solitudes is not the solitude of remoteness, but that which is just outside desirable company.

The breakfast hour went by heavily enough, and the next followed, in the same half-snowy, half-rainy style, the weather now being the inevitable relapse which sooner or later succeeds a time too radiant for the season, such as they had enjoyed in the late midwinter at Hintock. To people at home there these changeful tricks had their interests; the strange mistakes that some of the more sanguine trees had made in budding before their month, to be incontinently glued up by frozen thawings now; the similar sanguine errors of impulsive birds in framing nests that were now swamped by snow-water, and other such incidents, prevented any sense of wearisomeness in the minds of the natives. But these were features of a world not familiar to Fitzpiers, and the inner visions to which he had almost exclusively attended having suddenly failed in their power to absorb him, he felt unutterably dreary.

He wondered how long Miss Melbury was going to stay in Hintock.

The season was unpropitious for accidental encounters with her out-of-doors, and except by accident he saw not how they were to become acquainted. One thing was clear--any acquaintance with her could only, with a due regard to his future, be casual, at most of the nature of a flirtation; for he had high aims, and they would some day lead him into other spheres than this.

Thus desultorily thinking he flung himself down upon the couch, which, as in many draughty old country houses, was constructed with a hood, being in fact a legitimate development from the settle. He tried to read as he reclined, but having sat up till three o'clock that morning, the book slipped from his hand and he fell asleep.

同类推荐
  • 几暇格物编

    几暇格物编

    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。
  • 摩尼光佛教法仪

    摩尼光佛教法仪

    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 Rhythm of Life and Other Essays

    The Rhythm of Life and Other Essays

    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。
  • 春日灞亭同苗员外寄

    春日灞亭同苗员外寄

    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。
  • 坛溪梓舟船禅师语录

    坛溪梓舟船禅师语录

    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
  • 神洲:鬼谷传人

    神洲:鬼谷传人

    神龙一现惊天下,半世苦修成浮云。这说的是旷世无双的神器神龙令,非大圆满不可敌!鲲鹏展翅破云霄,无知燕雀妄称鹏!这话从一十岁的黄口小儿口中说出,羞煞天下男儿!雷霆击身亦等闲,单凭只手可遮天。十年后百晓楼称他为狂生、只能为友不能为敌,天下俊杰奉为金科玉律,此人该是何等风范? 宁犯圆满,不惹狂生! 机变如神,天下无不可坑之人,看他是如何在江湖中拨弄风云,成就千门第一名将!
  • 帝后传说Ⅱ庶女皇后

    帝后传说Ⅱ庶女皇后

    这年头穿越的事情多了,可谁TMD的有这个福分,一而再再而三的穿越。你这个贼老天,我杨紫衣招你了还是惹你了,连死都不让我死。好吧!我忍,可你偏偏又让我感受了一次爱的苦。难道我真的要再一次执起长剑来个美女救英雄?情节虚构,请勿模仿!
  • 重生之圣手医妃

    重生之圣手医妃

    一身能解百毒的特殊血液,一双妙手回春的柔荑!前世的夏宜冰,温婉纯良,救苦救难,最终却落得个被至亲及夫君残害而死的下场!今生,她历经重生,携恨而归。她以守护爹爹、弟弟为首任,周旋于恶毒伯母和阴险堂姐之间。她不求大富大贵,只求一家人能平安相守。可是,她向往的平淡生活,被纨绔世子君墨宇生生介入。从此,心塞的日子拉开帷幕。
  • 芒果城

    芒果城

    讲述了一个女人夏云仙及其子孙以异乡流浪者的身份,对抗传统、习俗和权威,为了土地生存权而苦苦拼斗的故事。其中有欺骗、背叛、疯狂、梦呓、谋杀、自杀。光怪陆离,惊心动魄。这是一个灵魂救赎的故事,这是一个荒诞离奇的故事,这是一个拷问人性的故事,这是一个凄惨爱情的故事,这还是一个称得上深沉的故事……本书是一道夺目的光芒,深层揭示了漂泊与定居、传统与对抗、迷醉与清醒的人生状态。
  • 十七英里

    十七英里

    吴君,女,中国作协会员。曾获首届中国小说双年奖、广东新人新作奖。长篇小说《我们不是一个人类》被媒体评为2004年最值得记忆五部长篇之一。出版多本中篇小说集。根据其中篇小说《亲爱的深圳》改编的电影已在国内及北美地区发行放映。
  • 心跳领域

    心跳领域

    我是风焱,常住云海市精神病院,喜欢将院长U盘中的学术视频换成小电影,在院长参加市级会议时让他起飞,让他carry。曾用压电点火器电击过别人的菊花,也曾在院长于海滩边游泳时潜水扒掉他的泳裤当泳帽,最终留下院长顺利逃脱。讨厌谐音,讨厌一切基宅腐受,卖萌高冷一概不吃,御姐萝莉直接弄死,这就是我,看着都让你上火。
  • 赚钱其实没那么难

    赚钱其实没那么难

    本书精选作家迩半坡先生在各个名刊上发表的文章40余篇,其中多篇被大量转载和入选进各种书籍,篇篇文章以当下国内外的创业明星为榜样,以时尚前沿的商业模式为蓝本,截取最新锐热点事件和现象,通过系统化研究,揭示创意创业、实现梦想和改造世界等过程中的核心竞争力,囊括富有鲜活动力的人物精神和创新意识,揭秘创意创业的商业智慧,带给你全新的启迪借鉴意义和实战经验价值。
  • 女法医手记之证词

    女法医手记之证词

    一名女游客半夜死于度假区农家院,凶案现场发现一排奇特的血脚印。经过大量的调查取证,终于锁定嫌疑人,眼见案情即将尘埃落定,却又被推翻……所谓的异睡症杀人,到底是真是假?匿名电话分别打到刑警队和刑侦局,举报已被派出所认定为心脏病发作致死的案件为他杀。经过对现场的仔细勘查,每一个证据都显示死者为非正常死亡。案情扑朔迷离,凶手藏身何处?三个地点接连出现三具尸体,死状、死因全部相同,凶案情节与一部探案小说高度吻合。这究竟是巧合,还是在模仿作案?
  • 腹黑小娇医

    腹黑小娇医

    前世身为医毒双绝的圣手小神医,却因瞎眼而错信渣男贱女,死于乱军之中。再睁眼时,却回到了十岁那年。再世为人,她不想再陷入那些阴谋诡计之中只想好好活着。却发现自小就已经被下了毒,肥胖如猪蠢笨不堪。所以她终于认清现实,想要活的好,奋斗谋划少不了。那些刻薄伪善的假姐妹,嚣张跋扈的下人,曾经欺她,辱她之人,这一世定要百倍奉还。等等——“这位将军,你不是好人吗?为什么好人能这么睁着眼睛骗人,还没有丝毫愧疚的?!”
  • 扶一把大秦

    扶一把大秦

    【大国记·秦时明月征文金奖作品】新书《扶乱唐》已经开始上传,在哪跌倒的,就在哪爬起来,唐朝一定要写好一本!当始皇帝的生命即将走到尽头,大秦在始皇余威之下暗流涌动,处处惊雷。大秦的皇子们,无疑是悲剧的。但,当两千余年后的灵魂附身在一个姥姥不亲舅舅不爱的皇子嬴高身上时,会有怎样的故事发生?嬴高:“扶苏兄长,你若能听我劝谏,这天下便是你的,你挥斥方遒,我纵情山水,何如?”扶苏:“我誓死谨遵大秦礼法,不忠不孝不义之事,我宁死不做!”嬴高:“胡亥幼弟,你颇有父亲之风,只要罢黜赵高这等奸佞,父亲定可将大秦交于你手!”胡亥:“老师待我如父一般,我万万不能背叛老师!”嬴高:“这泱泱大秦,尔等不能守,只有我亲自来扶一把了……”群号:576932610