登陆注册
5380000000001

第1章

RowlandMallet had made his arrangements to sail for Europe on the first of September, and having in the interval a fortnight to spare, he determined to spend it with his cousin Cecilia, the widow of a nephew of his father.He was urged by the reflection that an affectionate farewell might help to exonerate him from the charge of neglect frequently preferred by this lady.

It was not that the young man disliked her; on the contrary, he regarded her with a tender admiration, and he had not forgotten how, when his cousin had brought her home on her marriage, he had seemed to feel the upward sweep of the empty bough from which the golden fruit had been plucked, and had then and there accepted the prospect of bachelorhood.The truth was, that, as it will be part of the entertainment of this narrative to exhibit, Rowland Mallet had an uncomfortably sensitive conscience, and that, in spite of the seeming paradox, his visits to Cecilia were rare because she and her misfortunes were often uppermost in it.

Her misfortunes were three in number: first, she had lost her husband; second, she had lost her money (or the greater part of it); and third, she lived at Northampton, Massachusetts.

Mallet's compassion was really wasted, because Cecilia was a very clever woman, and a most skillful counter-plotter to adversity.

She had made herself a charming home, her economies were not obtrusive, and there was always a cheerful flutter in the folds of her crape.

It was the consciousness of all this that puzzled Mallet whenever he felt tempted to put in his oar.He had money and he had time, but he never could decide just how to place these gifts gracefully at Cecilia's service.He no longer felt like marrying her:

in these eight years that fancy had died a natural death.

And yet her extreme cleverness seemed somehow to make charity difficult and patronage impossible.He would rather chop off his hand than offer her a check, a piece of useful furniture, or a black silk dress; and yet there was some sadness in seeing such a bright, proud woman living in such a small, dull way.

Cecilia had, moreover, a turn for sarcasm, and her smile, which was her pretty feature, was never so pretty as when her sprightly phrase had a lurking scratch in it.Rowland remembered that, for him, she was all smiles, and suspected, awkwardly, that he ministered not a little to her sense of the irony of things.

And in truth, with his means, his leisure, and his opportunities, what had he done? He had an unaffected suspicion of his uselessness.

Cecilia, meanwhile, cut out her own dresses, and was personally giving her little girl the education of a princess.

This time, however, he presented himself bravely enough;for in the way of activity it was something definite, at least, to be going to Europe and to be meaning to spend the winter in Rome.

Cecilia met him in the early dusk at the gate of her little garden, amid a studied combination of floral perfumes.A rosy widow of twenty-eight, half cousin, half hostess, doing the honors of an odorous cottage on a midsummer evening, was a phenomenon to which the young man's imagination was able to do ample justice.

Cecilia was always gracious, but this evening she was almost joyous.

She was in a happy mood, and Mallet imagined there was a private reason for it--a reason quite distinct from her pleasure in receiving her honored kinsman.The next day he flattered himself he was on the way to discover it.

For the present, after tea, as they sat on the rose-framed porch, while Rowland held his younger cousin between his knees, and she, enjoying her situation, listened timorously for the stroke of bedtime, Cecilia insisted on talking more about her visitor than about herself.

"What is it you mean to do in Europe?" she asked, lightly, giving a turn to the frill of her sleeve--just such a turn as seemed to Mallet to bring out all the latent difficulties of the question.

"Why, very much what I do here," he answered."No great harm.""Is it true," Cecilia asked, "that here you do no great harm?

Is not a man like you doing harm when he is not doing positive good?""Your compliment is ambiguous," said Rowland.

"No," answered the widow, "you know what I think of you.

You have a particular aptitude for beneficence.You have it in the first place in your character.You are a benevolent person.

Ask Bessie if you don't hold her more gently and comfortably than any of her other admirers.""He holds me more comfortably than Mr.Hudson," Bessie declared, roundly.

Rowland, not knowing Mr.Hudson, could but half appreciate the eulogy, and Cecilia went on to develop her idea."Your circumstances, in the second place, suggest the idea of social usefulness.

You are intelligent, you are well-informed, and your charity, if one may call it charity, would be discriminating.

You are rich and unoccupied, so that it might be abundant.

Therefore, I say, you are a person to do something on a large scale.

Bestir yourself, dear Rowland, or we may be taught to think that virtue herself is setting a bad example.""Heaven forbid," cried Rowland, "that I should set the examples of virtue! I am quite willing to follow them, however, and if Idon't do something on the grand scale, it is that my genius is altogether imitative, and that I have not recently encountered any very striking models of grandeur.Pray, what shall I do?

Found an orphan asylum, or build a dormitory for Harvard College?

I am not rich enough to do either in an ideally handsome way, and I confess that, yet awhile, I feel too young to strike my grand coup.I am holding myself ready for inspiration.

I am waiting till something takes my fancy irresistibly.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 王小波文集(共十卷)

    王小波文集(共十卷)

    王小波是目前中国最富创造性的作家,被誉为中国的乔依斯兼卡夫卡英,也是唯一一位两次获得世界华语文学界的重要奖项“台湾联合报系文学奖中篇小说大奖”的中国大陆作家。其文学创作独特,富于想像力、幻想力之余,却不乏理性精神。他的文字,是透明的也是朦胧的,是本份的也是狡猾的。迷宫一般的文字,可以让你想到博尔赫斯,他兜起圈子来,比出租车司机还要出租车司机……总之,你可以读到无限的可能或者不可能、无限的确定或者不确定。
  • 独宠贵妃

    独宠贵妃

    她生得倾国倾城,却在见他第一面的时候心为之沉沦……他是丞相之子,在放下矜持的她面前仍旧冷静的可怕。他没有接受她的倾心,而是让父亲将她送进了宫……他是一个花花公子,苦苦的纠缠只为博得她一笑。在她进宫的前一晚,他喝的酩酊大醉只哭不语……他是帝王,后宫佳丽无数却在见到她的时候,心中那平静的湖水激荡起圈圈涟漪。他宠爱她,想将她那颗冰冷的心给捂热……他曾经想掐断她那纤细的脖子,可是下不了手……他想将他的爱全部给她,可是他怕背叛……给大家奉上简单的对话:“为什么你是他献给我的?你在我身边想得到什么?”“没有……”“没有吗?不要骗我,我不想听到一个字是假的.啧啧,这么白皙的脖子,朕轻轻一握便可以断吧?”“真的没有,你信也好,不信也罢.”“哈哈,我信.”。。。。。。。。。《独宠贵妃》已经更新完毕,大概只要5块多便可以看完,嘿嘿!雨溪其他文:《痴君》最新连载架空历史望大家喜欢《疯狂》最新连载现代都市望大家喜欢《女佣情人》已经完结可放心阅读&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&独宠贵妃的视频地址:?pstyle=1希望大家可以喜欢
  • 我在春天等你

    我在春天等你

    该书是青春文学偶像作家夏雪缘纯爱虐恋倾力之作。整个故事的构思独具匠心,讲述了一个男女主角从偶然相遇到相互喜欢,再到分离,最后相聚的凄美爱情故事。文章语言细腻,浪漫唯美,在描写纯爱的同时加入了大量当下流行的偶像剧元素在其中,增添了故事的吸引力,身份代入感极强,且内容贴近读者的心理,能引起广大读者的共鸣看,为本书增加了很大的竞争力和影响力。
  • 大正句王经

    大正句王经

    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。
  • 天骄红颜:逆天四小姐

    天骄红颜:逆天四小姐

    丹药?我当糖豆嗑。灵兽?分分钟为我所用。美男手到擒来,空间认我为主!渣姊跪地求饶,渣男祈求垂帘,早知如此何必当初!看除灵师穿越成废物四小姐,在异界混得如鱼得水风生水起!【情节虚构,请勿模仿】
  • 真实的盛宴

    真实的盛宴

    游戏文,无cp【欢迎进入无间世界,祝您玩的开心】【人类下意识把错误加于他人,却从来不会去想是不是自己的过错】【他们总是以为自己很理性,但其实大多都是凭着感觉在行事】【没有黑暗哪来的光明】【他们以为凭着道德,大义等等虚无缥缈东西就可以压制住那些劣根性,为其添上枷锁,但其实只是披了一层虚伪的表象而已,只待爆发的那一天】【愿您安好,在无间的地狱里永久沉眠吧,那是您最好的归宿】
  • 异兽之无限穿越

    异兽之无限穿越

    林天骄被主神选中的众人之中的一员,一步步的走向巅峰的故事。(本书无女主,不圣母,异兽流,会化形,不喜勿喷)
  • 错爱成瘾:逃婚甜妻,难招架!

    错爱成瘾:逃婚甜妻,难招架!

    “啊……啊……太用力了,好痛!”她一脸委屈。“关个门都能夹到手,服了你的智商。”他手里拿着药,亲自给她敷。他宠她入骨,“蠢点好,不会跑!”成人礼当天,她被陷害,睡了自己的“亲小叔”,四年后归来,她躲着他,不肯见他,但是怀里的小包子却总是把那个男人带回家来,“妈咪,这是我的客人哦,你要好好照顾~”儿子总喜欢引狼入室,坑妈不要太过分!甜宠不虐,欢迎入坑!(男女主没有血缘关系)
  • 网游之神级农民

    网游之神级农民

    别人升级我种田,我种田比你打怪快,比你强。被驱赶出公司陶明,想要归隐田园,在朋友怂恿下玩起游戏。进入游戏,意外成为他最想要的特殊职业——农民。本以为游戏世界田园生活篇章将要开启。为何种田也能升级,比打怪升级要快要强啊,这不合乎常理啊。为何你们抢着拉一个农民刷副本打BOSS,说好平静的归隐田园生活呢?这些我都忍了,可种出来的东西能带到现实啊,这完全不符合常理啊。恢复HP草药能治疗一切外伤内伤?恢复MP药瞬间恢复精神?驱除异常状态药能治百病?救命啊,美女别投怀送抱,我只想安安静静做个小农民。
  • 梨花阴语

    梨花阴语

    梨花树下,紫晶月石。王城之中,千年定情。时间回溯,可再见否?