登陆注册
5291400000091

第91章 CHAPTER XXXII.(1)

At nine o'clock the next morning Melbury dressed himself up in shining broadcloth, creased with folding and smelling of camphor, and started for Hintock House. He was the more impelled to go at once by the absence of his son-in-law in London for a few days, to attend, really or ostensibly, some professional meetings. He said nothing of his destination either to his wife or to Grace, fearing that they might entreat him to abandon so risky a project, and went out unobserved. He had chosen his time with a view, as he supposed, of conveniently catching Mrs. Charmond when she had just finished her breakfast, before any other business people should be about, if any came. Plodding thoughtfully onward, he crossed a glade lying between Little Hintock Woods and the plantation which abutted on the park; and the spot being open, he was discerned there by Winterborne from the copse on the next hill, where he and his men were working. Knowing his mission, the younger man hastened down from the copse and managed to intercept the timber- merchant.

"I have been thinking of this, sir," he said, "and I am of opinion that it would be best to put off your visit for the present."

But Melbury would not even stop to hear him. His mind was made up, the appeal was to be made; and Winterborne stood and watched him sadly till he entered the second plantation and disappeared.

Melbury rang at the tradesmen's door of the manor-house, and was at once informed that the lady was not yet visible, as indeed he might have guessed had he been anybody but the man he was.

Melbury said he would wait, whereupon the young man informed him in a neighborly way that, between themselves, she was in bed and asleep.

"Never mind," said Melbury, retreating into the court, "I'll stand about here." Charged so fully with his mission, he shrank from contact with anybody.

But he walked about the paved court till he was tired, and still nobody came to him. At last he entered the house and sat down in a small waiting-room, from which he got glimpses of the kitchen corridor, and of the white-capped maids flitting jauntily hither and thither. They had heard of his arrival, but had not seen him enter, and, imagining him still in the court, discussed freely the possible reason of his calling. They marvelled at his temerity; for though most of the tongues which had been let loose attributed the chief blame-worthiness to Fitzpiers, these of her household preferred to regard their mistress as the deeper sinner.

Melbury sat with his hands resting on the familiar knobbed thorn walking-stick, whose growing he had seen before he enjoyed its use. The scene to him was not the material environment of his person, but a tragic vision that travelled with him like an envelope. Through this vision the incidents of the moment but gleamed confusedly here and there, as an outer landscape through the high-colored scenes of a stained window. He waited thus an hour, an hour and a half, two hours. He began to look pale and ill, whereupon the butler, who came in, asked him to have a glass of wine. Melbury roused himself and said, "No, no. Is she almost ready?"

"She is just finishing breakfast," said the butler. "She will soon see you now. I am just going up to tell her you are here."

"What! haven't you told her before?" said Melbury.

"Oh no," said the other. "You see you came so very early."

At last the bell rang: Mrs. Charmond could see him. She was not in her private sitting-room when he reached it, but in a minute he heard her coming from the front staircase, and she entered where he stood.

At this time of the morning Mrs. Charmond looked her full age and more. She might almost have been taken for the typical femme de trente ans, though she was really not more than seven or eight and twenty. There being no fire in the room, she came in with a shawl thrown loosely round her shoulders, and obviously without the least suspicion that Melbury had called upon any other errand than timber. Felice was, indeed, the only woman in the parish who had not heard the rumor of her own weaknesses; she was at this moment living in a fool's paradise in respect of that rumor, though not in respect of the weaknesses themselves, which, if the truth be told, caused her grave misgivings.

"Do sit down, Mr. Melbury. You have felled all the trees that were to be purchased by you this season, except the oaks, I believe."

"Yes," said Melbury.

"How very nice! It must be so charming to work in the woods just now!"

She was too careless to affect an interest in an extraneous person's affairs so consummately as to deceive in the manner of the perfect social machine. Hence her words "very nice," "so charming," were uttered with a perfunctoriness that made them sound absurdly unreal.

"Yes, yes," said Melbury, in a reverie. He did not take a chair, and she also remained standing. Resting upon his stick, he began:

"Mrs. Charmond, I have called upon a more serious matter--at least to me--than tree-throwing. And whatever mistakes I make in my manner of speaking upon it to you, madam, do me the justice to set 'em down to my want of practice, and not to my want of care."

Mrs. Charmond looked ill at ease. She might have begun to guess his meaning; but apart from that, she had such dread of contact with anything painful, harsh, or even earnest, that his preliminaries alone were enough to distress her. "Yes, what is it?" she said.

同类推荐
  • 善法方便陀罗尼咒经

    善法方便陀罗尼咒经

    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。
  • 台湾资料清德宗实录选辑

    台湾资料清德宗实录选辑

    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。
  • 州县须知

    州县须知

    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。
  • 三字鉴

    三字鉴

    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。
  • 时病论

    时病论

    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
  • 末世大小姐

    末世大小姐

    原本是千年难遇的红色流星雨,却带着令人类灭绝的危险病毒,14000公里的距离,7个国家的路程,远在千里的亲人,失踪的爱人,未知的命运。她如何在丧尸纵横,野兽肆虐的末世中艰难求生,如何穿越各个国家寻回自己唯一的亲人。丧尸、变异、人性、陷害,她又如何化险为夷。亲情、友情、爱情、生死,她一项都不会放手!
  • 我就是如此娇花

    我就是如此娇花

    新书《软玉生香》已发,爱所有大宝贝们~————全京城的人都知道,冯家二爷选婿的标准严苛到令人发指。个矮的不要,体胖的不要,家有恶戚的不要,身无功名的不要,文武不双全的不要,姐姐妹妹太多的不要……好不容易来个合适的,又嫌人家长得太好,怀疑人家光有一个花架子。冯乔捂额:好不容易重生一回,还能不能让人愉快的谈恋爱?--------冯二爷:每天都有想要叼走我家闺女的狼崽子出现,不开心→_→。狼崽子:每天都要和未来岳父斗智斗勇,心好累←_←。
  • 哪年梨花凉

    哪年梨花凉

    “早知如此绊人心,何如当初莫相识”寥寥数字,蕴含了多少的悲欢离合。这是一个故事,一个关于两辈人的故事,最终的最终,请记住,自始至终,我爱你。
  • 大风赋

    大风赋

    岁月苍茫,神州的历史轨迹,诡异的消失了两千九百万年,但却从未有人知晓曾经的历史少了这么一段惊天的空白。“三千万年啊,留给我们的时间,不多了!”望着夜空下的繁华,一道叹息声悠悠的响起。“那又如何,我们经历了无尽的岁月寂寥、时光孤独,还不是为了那一刻。”一道语气颇为沧桑,却又中气无双的声音回应道。下一刻,两道身影消失,仿佛从未出现过。
  • 慧卿思语

    慧卿思语

    《慧卿思语》共四章,里面记载着作者对亲情、友情、生活、自然的点滴思考与感悟。作者将多年生活、工作的记忆点滴,罗列成文,内容涵盖幸福和快乐、感动和忧伤、相遇和别离等诸多情感经历。
  • 蛮荒巨神

    蛮荒巨神

    一座仙岛,一个女神,一条通天路。路,就在方岳脚下……方岳身为族长儿子却因血脉低下,备受欺凌,但少年心性坚韧,努力修炼,最终打破魔咒,成功突破。并带领方氏部落重新崛起!百年后,且看天下,谁主沉浮!
  • 绿茵锋芒

    绿茵锋芒

    从青春校园走出,走向欧洲走向世界。在中国足球低迷的年代,韩锋这个高中生带着梦想,用双脚向世界踢出最华美的中国乐章。等到退役之际,他说:在别人眼中的绿茵锋芒,其实仅仅源于我对足球的梦想与热爱。
  • 偶像,求绑定

    偶像,求绑定

    某相亲节目,主持人抛出问题:如果有一天偶像来到你身边,偏偏你有了蓝盆友,你还会对他动心吗?场上女嘉宾纷纷色变。只有苏落一人淡定回答“Yes”。她初中看上的偶像,十年都没有变。就凭这时间和纯度……再说,她踏马根本没蓝盆友好伐?结果,第一轮,苏落就被男嘉宾炮轰出局。随后,她就遇到了自己的偶像。
  • 最后一个西夏女人

    最后一个西夏女人

    本书揭示西夏被灭国的原因;以超历史的推理续写了西夏亡国后的一段不为人知的历史。是一部西夏百科全书,想获得知识的,想获得经典文笔美味的,想获得闲暇娱乐的,想获得你所知道的情感以及那个时代的秘密,应有尽有。绝对是唯一的一部,也是仅有的一部西夏灭亡后的故事。凡是有点文学功底的朋友,读此书绝不会被认为仅仅是娱乐。即使文学功底不深的朋友阅读次数,也会被深深打动。我相信……*本书故事概貌如、西夏末年战争、雅丹魔鬼城爱情、黑水城赶尸战、十二红杏探马金兰故事、西夏王陵地宫战、寻觅九龙金翡翠等等玄幻离奇和宏伟的战争游戏场面。精绝的武器、迷你的爱情、西夏的回音。兽国的屠杀和奴国的抗争将有谁的爱情填埋?故国的真实和我的玄幻谁更接近谎言。《剑穿论语》当孔门之道不能束缚我的癫狂时七月依旧是温柔的顺着塞上的路我悠然的寻觅撕去那些沽名钓誉名不副实我成了孔门的杀手《论语》成了谎言我成了刺客从此故国的哀伤我只念系伊的存亡浑浊的金河我只感觉沙的分量*我猜想是否是大漠的风让雕成了秃鹫还是兽国的剑锋去了英雄的发从此的苍茫中只有飞翔*《论语》天才的谎言只维诺于尚武的民族却阉割不了自己的囊肿那位羞涩的夫子只在黑暗中发声只在道貌岸然中严肃喔!《论语》你这个骗子害的天才九年不第害的女人奴隶千年喔!《论语》我是刺客请抹掉你的虚伪让我剑穿你之后还我一个故国的山川那里尚武那里的英雄以及龙的传人剑穿《论语》之后我在残片中寻找结局
  • 佛说未生冤经

    佛说未生冤经

    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。