登陆注册
5362700000066

第66章

When Anne entered and took her seat she was always loudly hailed by Miller Loveday as he whetted his knife; but from Bob she condescended to accept no such familiar greeting, and they often sat down together as if each had a blind eye in the direction of the other. Bob sometimes told serious and correct stories about sea- captains, pilots, boatswains, mates, able seamen, and other curious fauna of the marine world; but these were directly addressed to his father and Mrs. Loveday, Anne being included at the clinching-point by a glance only. He sometimes opened bottles of sweet cider for her, and then she thanked him; but even this did not lead to her encouraging his chat.

One day when Anne was paring an apple she was left at table with the young man. 'I have made something for you,' he said.

She looked all over the table; nothing was there save the ordinary remnants.

'O I don't mean that it is here; it is out by the bridge at the mill-head.'

He arose, and Anne followed with curiosity in her eyes, and with her firm little mouth pouted up to a puzzled shape. On reaching the mossy mill-head she found that he had fixed in the keen damp draught which always prevailed over the wheel an AEolian harp of large size.

At present the strings were partly covered with a cloth. He lifted it, and the wires began to emit a weird harmony which mingled curiously with the plashing of the wheel.

'I made it on purpose for you, Miss Garland,' he said.

She thanked him very warmly, for she had never seen anything like such an instrument before, and it interested her. 'It was very thoughtful of you to make it,' she added. 'How came you to think of such a thing?'

'O I don't know exactly,' he replied, as if he did not care to be questioned on the point. 'I have never made one in my life till now.'

Every night after this, during the mournful gales of autumn, the strange mixed music of water, wind, and strings met her ear, swelling and sinking with an almost supernatural cadence. The character of the instrument was far enough removed from anything she had hitherto seen of Bob's hobbies; so that she marvelled pleasantly at the new depths of poetry this contrivance revealed as existent in that young seaman's nature, and allowed her emotions to flow out yet a little further in the old direction, notwithstanding her late severe resolve to bar them back.

One breezy night, when the mill was kept going into the small hours, and the wind was exactly in the direction of the water-current, the music so mingled with her dreams as to wake her. it seemed to rhythmically set itself to the words, 'Remember me! think of me!'

She was much impressed; the sounds were almost too touching; and she spoke to Bob the next morning on the subject.

'How strange it is that you should have thought of fixing that harp where the water gushes!' she gently observed. 'It affects me almost painfully at night. You are poetical, Captain Bob. But it is too-- too sad!'

'I will take it away,' said Captain Bob promptly. 'It certainly is too sad; I thought so myself. I myself was kept awake by it one night.'

'How came you to think of making such a peculiar thing?'

'Well,' said Bob, 'it is hardly worth saying why. It is not a good place for such a queer noisy machine; and I'll take it away.'

'On second thoughts,' said Anne, 'I should like it to remain a little longer, because it sets me thinking.'

'Of me?' he asked with earnest frankness.

Anne's colour rose fast.

'Well, yes,' she said, trying to infuse much plain matter-of-fact into her voice. 'Of course I am led to think of the person who invented it.'

Bob seemed unaccountably embarrassed, and the subject was not pursued. About half-an-hour later he came to her again, with something of an uneasy look.

'There was a little matter I didn't tell you just now, Miss Garland,' he said. 'About that harp thing, I mean. I did make it, certainly, but it was my brother John who asked me to do it, just before he went away. John is very musical, as you know, and he said it would interest you; but as he didn't ask me to tell, I did not.

Perhaps I ought to have, and not have taken the credit to myself.'

'O, it is nothing!' said Anne quickly. 'It is a very incomplete instrument after all, and it will be just as well for you to take it away as you first proposed.'

He said that he would, but he forgot to do it that day; and the following night there was a high wind, and the harp cried and moaned so movingly that Anne, whose window was quite near, could hardly bear the sound with its new associations. John Loveday was present to her mind all night as an ill-used man; and yet she could not own that she had ill-used him.

The harp was removed next day. Bob, feeling that his credit for originality was damaged in her eyes, by way of recovering it set himself to paint the summer-house which Anne frequented, and when he came out he assured her that it was quite his own idea.

'It wanted doing, certainly,' she said, in a neutral tone.

'It is just about troublesome.'

同类推荐
  • 海角续编

    海角续编

    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。
  • 医方证治汇编歌诀

    医方证治汇编歌诀

    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。
  • 贤识录

    贤识录

    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。
  • The Critique of Pure Reason

    The Critique of Pure Reason

    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。
  • 咏史诗·昆阳

    咏史诗·昆阳

    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
  • 蓝莲花

    蓝莲花

    早晨八点,杜律师和小冯在天信大厦门前碰面,搭乘205路公交车赶往南山看守所。车上的乘客不多,车厢里流动着一股淡淡的水腥气,大概刚刚打扫过。两个人在司机后面的位置坐下来,透过前挡风玻璃,能看到站前大厦顶层圆形的旋转餐厅和雾霾笼罩下的一小块铅灰色天空。距离开庭还有一周时间,这是他们第一次去见董小桃。一年多前,案件刚发生时,受到了全国多家媒体的关注,很多市民都去看过那幢被烧得焦黑的三层别墅。不过,直到事情渐渐平息下来,杜律师才有所耳闻。当时,他正在整理妻子的遗物,试图找到她决然告别人世的原因,对外界还处于不闻不问的状态。
  • 星陨幻梦

    星陨幻梦

    故事起源在一个神秘的大陆之上,伴随着主角的成长,一个个谜团显露真相,谁曾想,真相之后是惊天动地的秘密。
  • 中国酒业经济观察

    中国酒业经济观察

    该书共分为“产业观察”、“产业评论”、“产业分析”和“产业纪实”等四个篇章,全面细致地剖析了我国酒业发展现状和趋势,深入解读了中国酒业发展中存在的问题及原因,为人们解惑释疑,指点迷津,更有企业经营运作的实战分析,为中国酒业健康发展提供了理论支撑和实践指导。
  • 安云传

    安云传

    金木水火土五行相生相克,土国小伙安云能否纵横天下,破解身世之迷。
  • 当生如是心

    当生如是心

    机关算尽太聪明,反送了卿卿性命。天后夜蓉步步为营,计划缜密,东海水族族长江沅深谋远虑,乐萱为母则刚,甘心为孩子付出一切,两代人爱恨情仇,理不清,剪还乱。为了爱自己的和自己所爱的,澜清迫不得已放弃初衷,逼宫天帝,震烨,悦心一对欢喜冤家在经历错爱后终于看清自己的内心,勇敢的走在一起,而暄研,泓炎在双方的算计和利用中历经苦痛却终于修成正果。当生如是心,凡所有相,皆是虚妄,舍妄心,以真心见法界。无为法非因缘所生,如如不动。应灭度一切众生。
  • 做鬼生涯

    做鬼生涯

    做鬼即爽也虐,爽到酣畅淋漓,也虐到肝肠寸断。
  • 邪魅王爷:本妃不侍寝

    邪魅王爷:本妃不侍寝

    穿越、穿越、穿越、穿越……穿你个酸菜鱼!一只蝴蝶随便扇扇翅膀都有可能引起翻天覆地的灾难,更何况是她这样一个大活人。只能白痴似的自我催眠:安啦,只是做梦嘛,做梦啦。【情节虚构,请勿模仿】
  • 感想与风景

    感想与风景

    《感想与风景》是日本现代著名作家横光利一的游记随笔集。所选作品多以奇异的修辞和绚丽的词藻直观地暴露内在的感性,极富感染力,精致周到而委婉,又不乏深度。
  • The Short Stack Cookbook
  • 八荒御兽

    八荒御兽

    八荒之上,一注定庸碌一生的废材,因一本传奇武决获得重生,这本来自大能的炼体之术让他走上强者之路。强悍的肉体,万能的丹药,奇妙的精神,飘渺的剑术,好似无所不能的他,能不能真正放下心中的桎梏,达到真正的八荒称王。