登陆注册
5386000000139

第139章

EXIT.

IT rained all through the night, and when the morning came it was raining still.

Contrary to his ordinary habit, Midwinter was waiting in the breakfast-room when Allan entered it. He looked worn and weary, but his smile was gentler and his manner more composed than usual. To Allan's surprise he approached the subject of the previous night's conversation of his own accord as soon as the servant was out of the room.

"I am afraid you thought me very impatient and very abrupt with you last night," he said. "I will try to make amends for it this morning. I will hear everything you wish to say to me on the subject of Miss Gwilt.""I hardly like to worry you," said Allan. "You look as if you had had a bad night's rest.""I have not slept well for some time past," replied Midwinter, quietly. "Something has been wrong with me. But I believe I have found out the way to put myself right again without troubling the doctors. Late in the morning I shall have something to say to you about this. Let us get back first to what you were talking of last night. You were speaking of some difficulty--" He hesitated, and finished the sentence in a tone so low that Allan failed to hear him. "Perhaps it would be better," he went on, "if, instead of speaking to me, you spoke to Mr. Brock?""I would rather speak to _you,_" said Allan. "But tell me first, was I right or wrong last night in thinking you disapproved of my falling in love with Miss Gwilt?"Midwinter's lean, nervous fingers began to crumble the bread in his plate. His eyes looked away from Allan for the first time.

"If you have any objection," persisted Allan, "I should like to hear it."Midwinter suddenly looked up again, his cheeks turning ashy pale, and his glittering black eyes fixed full on Allan's face.

"You love her," he said. "Does _she_ love _you?_""You won't think me vain?" returned Allan. "I told you yesterday I had had private opportunities with her--"Midwinter's eyes dropped again to the crumbs on his plate. "Iunderstand," he interposed, quickly. "You were wrong last night.

I had no objections to make."

"Don't you congratulate me?" asked Allan, a little uneasily.

"Such a beautiful woman! such a clever woman!"Midwinter h eld out his hand. "I owe you more than mere congratulations," he said. "In anything which is for your happiness I owe you help." He took Allan's hand, and wrung it hard. "Can I help you?" he asked, growing paler and paler as he spoke.

"My dear fellow," exclaimed Allan, "what is the matter with you?

Your hand is as cold as ice."

Midwinter smiled faintly. "I am always in extremes," he said; "my hand was as hot as fire the first time you took it at the old west-country inn. Come to that difficulty which you have not come to yet. You are young, rich, your own master--and she loves you.

What difficulty can there be?"

Allan hesitated. "I hardly know how to put it," he replied. "As you said just now, I love her, and she loves me; and yet there is a sort of strangeness between us. One talks a good deal about one's self when one is in love, at least I do. I've told her all about myself and my mother, and how I came in for this place, and the rest of it. Well--though it doesn't strike me when we are together--it comes across me now and then, when I'm away from her, that she doesn't say much on her side. In fact, I know no more about her than you do.""Do you mean that you know nothing about Miss Gwilt's family and friends?""That's it, exactly."

"Have you never asked her about them?"

"I said something of the sort the other day," returned Allan:

"and I'm afraid, as usual, I said it in the wrong way. She looked--I can't quite tell you how; not exactly displeased, but--oh, what things words are! I'd give the world, Midwinter, if I could only find the right word when I want it as well as you do.""Did Miss Gwilt say anything to you in the way of a reply?""That's just what I was coming to. She said, 'I shall have a melancholy story to tell you one of these days, Mr. Armadale, about myself and my family; but you look so happy, and the circumstances are so distressing, that I have hardly the heart to speak of it now.' Ah, _she_ can express herself--with the tears in her eyes, my dear fellow, with the tears in her eyes! Of course, I changed the subject directly. And now the difficulty is how to get back to it, delicately, without making her cry again.

We _must_ get back to it, you know. Not on my account; I am quite content to marry her first and hear of her family misfortunes, poor thing, afterward. But I know Mr. Brock. If I can't satisfy him about her family when I write to tell him of this (which, of course, I must do), he will be dead against the whole thing. I'm my own master, of course, and I can do as I like about it. But dear old Brock was such a good friend to my poor mother, and he has been such a good friend to me--you see what I mean, don't you?""Certainly, Allan; Mr. Brock has been your second father. Any disagreement between you about such a serious matter as this would be the saddest thing that could happen. You ought to satisfy him that Miss Gwilt is (what I am sure Miss Gwilt will prove to be) worthy, in every way worthy--" His voice sank in spite of him, and he left the sentence unfinished.

同类推荐
  • 台宗精英集

    台宗精英集

    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。
  • 凌临灵方

    凌临灵方

    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。
  • 咸亨殿宴近臣诸亲柏

    咸亨殿宴近臣诸亲柏

    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 Efficiency Expert

    The Efficiency Expert

    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。
  • 十不二门指要钞

    十不二门指要钞

    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
  • 光明帝国

    光明帝国

    国仇家恨,少年立志复仇,踏上力量征途。一柄魔剑一柄人剑,少年如何取舍?我既为人,必屠戮神魔。纷争大陆,神魔乱舞,建不朽帝业,成就光明霸业。
  • 我有一座奇妙屋

    我有一座奇妙屋

    精神分裂、高智商犯罪……这世界上,每天都有骇人听闻的事情发生,只是,你作为一个普通人,从来不知道而已……侯豖也是一个普通人,直到他继承了一座古宅……
  • 轰霆神帝

    轰霆神帝

    魂穿异界,好不容易修成武神,却葬身天罚之下,缘断仙路之前,元胎重生,这一世,洪尘要败尽诸天,寰宇称尊!
  • 入大乘论

    入大乘论

    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。
  • 半街梨落半阙词

    半街梨落半阙词

    她是南国王女,他是陆家二公子,他只为护她一世周全,不惜一切代价。吻她之眸,遮她半世流浪;抚她之面,慰她半世哀伤;扶她之肩,驱她半世沉寂;执她之手,守她半世轻狂;携她之心,许她一世情长。“此去南国,是为何故?”“为寻一个故人。”“可知生死?”“不知。”“悔否?”“不悔。”……
  • 精灵勇者1:英雄梦

    精灵勇者1:英雄梦

    游戏高手夏焰最讨厌的可就是他这一头红通通的卷发了!看,就因为没能及时拉直它,一连串的怪事件就找上门了。游戏中遇到的火鸟怪物真的出现在现实中,还冲进校园袭击老师和同学,死党宋天鸣手机上安装的精灵召唤程序真的召唤出精灵了,这是怎么一回事?神秘失踪的学长居然出现在游戏世界中,哇,还被怪物追杀……好不容易救出失踪的学长,转眼却发现学校和城市里的人们都变得行为古怪、凶暴,这可太奇怪了!“恶之花”的种子蔓延开来,一场由恶魔酝酿阴谋正在蠢蠢欲动。
  • 为谁结婚

    为谁结婚

    小说里写到的都是现在年轻人普遍遇到非常尖锐的现实问题——只能靠在外漂泊来获得生存;高房价对婚恋产生了巨大冲击;因为工作、房子等现实因素造成分居情况;因为房子、育儿、养老等问题,逃离北上广深。婚姻双方拉开差距后痛苦选择、艰难地处理相互间的关系;“责任”对于幸福的意义。
  • 某弓兵的异世界生活

    某弓兵的异世界生活

    老剑神一剑,抵不过我圣剑一柄。大法神一咒,亦不如我揽弓一箭。世间万物不过互自抄袭。我段御铭,于抄袭之道,无可比拟(PS:群内书友符灵友情帮忙制作,可以说是老鼠要求的,如果觉得有哪些地方违和可以去书评说一下,但是跑过来说介绍垃圾的,那么老鼠也只说一句,你行你上。)
  • 主流媒体核心竞争力

    主流媒体核心竞争力

    佳航同志的专著《主流媒体核心竞争力——党报机制体制创新研究》即将付梓面市。作者经过悉心淬炼,对其毕业时获得好评的同名博士论文加以梳理、充实和提高,以更具科学性、系统性的论述呈现在读者面前。作为她的博士生导师和书稿第一读者,我深为自己所带的第一个学生的刻苦精进和可喜收获而感到欣慰。记得初次与佳航见面时,她刚从媒体调入中国政法大学新闻与传播学院工作,踌躇满志地要从记者、编辑转型做新闻学学者。三个春秋过去,她虔敬地捧出这本十几万字的著述,如愿以偿地实现了人生角色的转换,其间付出的艰辛是可想而知的。
  • 五大牛王雨宝陀罗尼仪轨

    五大牛王雨宝陀罗尼仪轨

    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。