登陆注册
5291400000086

第86章 CHAPTER XXX.(1)

Examine Grace as her father might, she would admit nothing. For the present, therefore, he simply watched.

The suspicion that his darling child was being slighted wrought almost a miraculous change in Melbury's nature. No man so furtive for the time as the ingenuous countryman who finds that his ingenuousness has been abused. Melbury's heretofore confidential candor towards his gentlemanly son-in-law was displaced by a feline stealth that did injnry to his every action, thought, and mood. He knew that a woman once given to a man for life took, as a rule, her lot as it came and made the best of it, without external interference; but for the first time he asked himself why this so generally should be so. Moreover, this case was not, he argued, like ordinary cases. Leaving out the question of Grace being anything but an ordinary woman, her peculiar situation, as it were in mid-air between two planes of society, together with the loneliness of Hintock, made a husband's neglect a far more tragical matter to her than it would be to one who had a large circle of friends to fall back upon. Wisely or unwisely, and whatever other fathers did, he resolved to fight his daughter's battle still.

Mrs. Charmond had returned. But Hintock House scarcely gave forth signs of life, so quietly had she reentered it. He went to church at Great Hintock one afternoon as usual, there being no service at the smaller village. A few minutes before his departure, he had casually heard Fitzpiers, who was no church-goer, tell his wife that he was going to walk in the wood. Melbury entered the building and sat down in his pew; the parson came in, then Mrs.

Charmond, then Mr. Fitzpiers.

The service proceeded, and the jealons father was quite sure that a mutual consciousness was uninterruptedly maintained between those two; he fancied that more than once their eyes met. At the end, Fitzpiers so timed his movement into the aisle that it exactly coincided with Felice Charmond's from the opposite side, and they walked out with their garments in contact, the surgeon being just that two or three inches in her rear which made it convenient for his eyes to rest upon her cheek. The cheek warmed up to a richer tone.

This was a worse feature in the flirtation than he had expected.

If she had been playing with him in an idle freak the game might soon have wearied her; but the smallest germ of passion--and women of the world do not change color for nothing--was a threatening development. The mere presence of Fitzpiers in the building, after his statement, was wellnigh conclusive as far as he was concerned; but Melbury resolved yet to watch.

He had to wait long. Autumn drew shiveringly to its end. One day something seemed to be gone from the gardens; the tenderer leaves of vegetables had shrunk under the first smart frost, and hung like faded linen rags; then the forest leaves, which had been descending at leisure, descended in haste and in multitudes, and all the golden colors that had hung overhead were now crowded together in a degraded mass underfoot, where the fallen myriads got redder and hornier, and curled themselves up to rot. The only suspicious features in Mrs. Charmond's existence at this season were two: the first, that she lived with no companion or relative about her, which, considering her age and attractions, was somewhat unusual conduct for a young widow in a lonely country- house; the other, that she did not, as in previous years, start from Hintock to winter abroad. In Fitzpiers, the only change from his last autnmn's habits lay in his abandonment of night study-- his lamp never shone from his new dwelling as from his old.

If the suspected ones met, it was by such adroit contrivances that even Melbury's vigilance could not encounter them together. A simple call at her house by the doctor had nothing irregular about it, and that he had paid two or three such calls was certain.

What had passed at those interviews was known only to the parties themselves; but that Felice Charmond was under some one's influence Melbury soon had opportunity of perceiving.

Winter had come on. Owls began to be noisy in the mornings and evenings, and flocks of wood-pigeons made themselves prominent again. One day in February, about six months after the marriage of Fitzpiers, Melbury was returning from Great Hintock on foot through the lane, when he saw before him the surgeon also walking.

Melbury would have overtaken him, but at that moment Fitzpiers turned in through a gate to one of the rambling drives among the trees at this side of the wood, which led to nowhere in particular, and the beauty of whose serpentine curves was the only justification of their existence. Felice almost simultaneously trotted down the lane towards the timber-dealer, in a little basket-carriage which she sometimes drove about the estate, unaccompanied by a servant. She turned in at the same place without having seen either Melbury or apparently Fitzpiers.

Melbury was soon at the spot, despite his aches and his sixty years. Mrs. Charmond had come up with the doctor, who was standing immediately behind the carriage. She had turned to him, her arm being thrown carelessly over the back of the seat. They looked in each other's faces without uttering a word, an arch yet gloomy smile wreathing her lips. Fitzpiers clasped her hanging hand, and, while she still remained in the same listless attitude, looking volumes into his eyes, he stealthily unbuttoned her glove, and stripped her hand of it by rolling back the gauntlet over the fingers, so that it came off inside out. He then raised her hand to his month, she still reclining passively, watching him as she might have watched a fly upon her dress. At last she said, "Well, sir, what excuse for this disobedience?"

"I make none."

"Then go your way, and let me go mine." She snatched away her hand, touched the pony with the whip, and left him standing there, holding the reversed glove.

同类推荐
  • 太微仙君功过格

    太微仙君功过格

    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。
  • 道地经

    道地经

    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。
  • 剡录

    剡录

    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。
  • 六壬断案

    六壬断案

    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。
  • 大般涅槃经-慧严

    大般涅槃经-慧严

    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
  • 玄道神藏

    玄道神藏

    群仙臣服,万魔称颂,脚踏乾坤,横扫万敌。一名从山村之中走出的少年,一段武道破天的故事,一个湮灭诸天神魔,独霸万古的传说。人不犯我我不犯人,神若犯我,我便屠神。我的道,乃杀戮之道。我的刀,乃屠神之刀。
  • 荆棘天使

    荆棘天使

    茉拉伊原本是看守第五重天的天使,因为无意中放跑了邪眼沙利叶而被惩罚,降职为守护天使。她负责守护的人类出生时就有着银灰色的双瞳,被视为“无瞳之子”,关进了死亡之塔。为了证明他不是恶魔,茉伊拉违反了天界的规定,赐予他可以看见天使的眼睛。可是仇恨蒙蔽了他的双眼,他与九尾狐妖闻人霜订下盟约,走上复仇之路。天使、恶魔、血族,所有能代表梦三生的奇幻元素都将一一呈现,这段跨越了种族的爱恋,必定铸成一段新的传奇。
  • 无敌师尊

    无敌师尊

    一个前世老师带着自己的虚空学府坑拐学生的征途,好像徒弟身世都很牛!项康一个落魄贵族接收专业户。
  • 是你,赐我隔世阑珊(已签约出版)

    是你,赐我隔世阑珊(已签约出版)

    佛曰人生有八苦:生,老,病,死,爱别离,怨长久,求不得,放不下。【爱别离】夏禹野,从她之后,他不对别的女人微笑,自从这个花安安出现,一切黑白颠倒。【怨长久】莲爵,她沦陷在他的温柔之后,却被他残忍推开,笑容背后是蜜糖裹着的刀刃。【求不得】萧楠,爱她十年,从男孩到男人,他一直是走不到她心里的那一个。【放不下】严柏乾,他始终没有放下,那个卑微的小女孩,在很多年之后,还是难以忘怀一个微笑。南江,一个充满了期期艾艾,等等待待,疯疯狂狂,痴痴颠颠的城。花安安,一个飞蛾扑火,不辞辛苦,坚忍等待,倔强任性,善良柔软的灵魂。姹紫嫣红的演艺圈,勾心斗角的争宠上位,名利钱财的诱惑,她是重生的佟默然,她是新生的花安安。在事业与爱情之间两难,在友情同同情之间徘徊,在爱与怜悯之间抉择。我是谁?谁爱我?是谁赐我,隔世阑珊?一一有话说:此文为了质量,一天两更,图推酌情加更,钻石花花加更。爱我的亲,如果给不了我钻石鲜花闪耀,请赐我爱的力量,给我一句留言,就足够。写文,只是想要分享我的故事给你们,世界很狼狈,渺小的我只是在尽最大努力给你们幸福的味道,让孤军奋斗的你们不至于寂寞。一一开微博了,上面可有我的照片,哈哈,诱惑你们加我。http://m.wkkk.net/1790874077ps:欢迎进群热络~~~~~*《那时纨绔》群:102129571**《花花世界》新群:125286359*
  • 思亦何所忆

    思亦何所忆

    每一个人心里都有一寸阳光,生活从来都是公平的。机会是专门提供给时刻准备着的人的。平凡的王思忆,从一个刚出校园的懵懂少女,经历了起与落,逐渐成熟蜕变成一个职场女精英,终于找到了自己的人生目标
  • 城市奇遇

    城市奇遇

    中篇小说《城市奇遇》讲述了一个农村青年,怀揣梦想,去城市打工。他在城里遭遇了难以想象的歧视,艰难困苦和欺骗。他最后也走到了杀人越货的道路。小说能让人们从这个故事反醒关于生存与发展的时代命题。
  • 神奇的动物

    神奇的动物

    本系列丛书出版发行以来,受到广大青少年读者的热烈欢迎,反响强烈。应该说,这是很自然很正常的。因为青少年的好奇心最强,求知欲正盛,而本丛书不仅满足这种好奇心,提升这种求知欲,还激发青少年对人类未解之谜的关注之心,对未来科学问题的探索之志。
  • 唐古拉山不会忘记

    唐古拉山不会忘记

    本书作者是青藏铁路一期和二期建设的参加者、亲历者和见证者,也是全国少数几位全程采访青藏铁路的记者之一,对青藏高原和青藏铁路一往情深。本书是伴随青藏铁路建设中在各大媒体上进行的系列报道,形成的散文特集。全书透过作者充满激情的文字,全程记录了这项世界奇迹的诞生,讴歌了那些为此付出生命的朴实而伟大的奉献者。正如作者所言:如今,青藏高原和青藏铁路,在我的心中,不仅仅是一个地理概念、一条通天大道,而是一种意味、一种境界、一种精神和生命的一部分。
  • 铁碇船帮

    铁碇船帮

    《铁碇船帮》是粗砺蛮野的“生猛海鲜”,它颇具传奇色彩地描叙边缘民族“疍民”(即船人)的历史变迁,交织着“民族、种族、阶级、爱情、文化”等冲突。被山人辱称为“曲蹄”的船人,被封建社会约定俗成“十不准”,“曲蹄爬上山,打死不见官”似乎就成为天经地义的“命理”,在风雨飘摇的无数灾难中他们开始举族抗争。其中的“脊梁骨”海和尚,得知自己原是母亲被地痞流氓轮奸而生,又目睹母亲受尽凌辱时,就开始盲目地仇恨这个世界。然而当他面对母亲上岸做奶妈时被主人“关爱”,而他偏偏欠主人之女的怜爱之情,同时又“理还乱”地愧对有恩于他的海匪头父女,因而爱恨交加,悲烈不已……
  • 随身空间:宠妻无下限

    随身空间:宠妻无下限

    花颜的人生目标:收齐世上所有植物,挑选最合适的男人,留下花家的血脉,让空间升级,连接异世通道……奋斗,奋斗,奋斗!只是,她本来想要一个最强的男人,结果找到的,居然是一个腹黑萌物!她是穿越的方式不对么?