登陆注册
5388100000104

第104章

"Not for all the world," said Miss Gale. "Make a bundle of it for me to take home. It is only poison in the hands of ignoramuses. It is most sovereign medicine. I shall make tinctures, and check many a sharp ill with it. Given in time, it cuts down fever wonderfully; and when you check the fever, you check the disease."Soon after this Miss Gale said she had not come to stop; she was on her way to Taddington to buy lint and German styptics, and many things useful in domestic surgery. "For," said she, "the people at Hillstoke are relenting; at least, they run to me with their cut fingers and black eyes, though they won't trust me with their sacred rheumatics. I must also supply myself with vermifuges till the well is dug, and so mitigate puerile puttiness and internal torments."The other ladies were not sorry to get rid of an irrelevant zealot, who talked neither love, nor dress, nor anything that reaches the soul.

So Zoe said, "What, going already?" and having paid that tax to politeness, returned to the house with alacrity.

But the doctress would not go without her Wolf's-bane, Aconite ycleped.

The irrelevant zealot being gone, the true business of the mind was resumed; and that is love-making, or novelists give us false pictures of life, and that is impossible.

As the doctress drove from the front door, Lord Uxmoor emerged from the library--a coincidence that made both girls smile; he hoped Miss Vizard was not too tired to take another turn.

"Oh no!" said Zoe: "are you, Fanny?"

At the first step they took, Severne came round an angle of the building and joined them. He had watched from the balcony of his bedroom.

Both men looked black at each other, and made up to Zoe. She felt uncomfortable, and hardly knew what to do. However, she would not seem to observe, and was polite, but a little stiff, to both.

However, at last, Severne, having asserted his rights, as he thought, gave way, but not without a sufficient motive, as may be gathered from his first word to Fanny.

"My dear friend, for Heaven's sake, what is the matter? She is angry with me about something. What is it? has she told you?""Not a word. But I see she is in a fury with you; and really it is too ridiculous. You told a fib; that is the mighty matter, I do believe. No, it isn't; for you have told her a hundred, no doubt, and she liked you all the better; but this time you have been naughty enough to be found out, and she is romantic, and thinks her lover ought to be the soul of truth.""Well, and so he ought," said Ned.

"He isn't, then;" and Fanny burst out laughing so loud that Zoe turned round and enveloped them both in one haughty glance, as the exaggerating Gaul would say.

"La! there was a look for you!" said Fanny, pertly: "as if I cared for her black brows.""I do, though: pray remember that."

"Then tell no more fibs. Such a fuss about nothing! What is a fib?" and she turned up her little nose very contemptuously at all such trivial souls as minded a little mendacity.

Indeed, she disclaimed the importance of veracity so imperiously that Severne was betrayed into saying, "Well, not much, between you and me;and I'll be bound I can explain it."

"Explain it to me, then."

"Well, but I don't know--"

"Which of your fibs it was."

Another silver burst of laughter. But Zoe only vouchsafed a slightly contemptuous movement of her shoulders.

"Well, no," said Severne, half laughing himself at the sprightly jade's smartness.

"Well, then, that friend of yours that called at luncheon."Severne turned grave directly. "Yes," said he.

"You said he was your lawyer, and came about a lease.""So he did."

"And his name was Jackson.

"So it was."

"This won't do. You mustn't fib to _me!_ It was Poikilus, a Secret Inquiry; and they all know it; now tell me, without a fib-- if you can--what ever did you want with Poikilus?"Severne looked aghast. He faltered out, "Why, how could they know?""Why, he advertises, stupid! and Lord Uxmoor and Harrington had seen it.

Gentlemen _read_ advertisements. That is one of their peculiarities.""Of course he advertises: that is not what I mean. I did not drop his card, did I? No; I am sure I pocketed it directly. What mischief-making villain told them it was Poikilus?"Fanny colored a little, but said, hastily, "Ah, that I could not tell you.""The footman, perhaps?"

"I should not wonder." (What is a fib?)

"Curse him!"

"Oh, don't swear at the servants; that is bad taste.""Not when he has ruined me?"

"Ruined you?--nonsense! Make up some other fib, and excuse the first.""I can't. I don't know what to do; and before my rival, too! This accounts for the air of triumph he has worn ever since, and her glances of scorn and pity. She is an angel, and I have lost her.""Stuff and nonsense!" said Fanny Dover. "Be a man, and tell me the truth.""Well, I will," said he; "for I am in despair. It is all that cursed money at Homburg. I could not clear my estate without it. I dare not go for it. She forbade me; and indeed I can't bear to leave her for anything; so I employed Poikilus to try and learn whether that lady has the money still, and whether she means to rob me of it or not."Fanny Dover reflected a moment, then delivered herself thus: "You were wrong to tell a fib about it. What you must do now--brazen it out. Tell her you love her, but have got your pride and will not come into her family a pauper. Defy her, to be sure; we like to be defied now and then, when we are fond of the fellow.""I will do it," said he; "but she shuns me. I can't get a word with her."Fanny said she would try and manage that for him; and as the rest of their talk might not interest the reader, and certainly would not edify him, I pass on to the fact that she did, that very afternoon, go into Zoe's room, and tell her Severne was very unhappy: he had told a fib; but it was not intended to deceive her, and he wished to explain the whole thing.

"Did he explain it to you?" asked Zoe, rather sharply.

"No; but he said enough to make me think you are using him very hardly.

同类推荐
  • 孝经纪事

    孝经纪事

    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。
  • 傲轩吟稿

    傲轩吟稿

    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。
  • 过庭录

    过庭录

    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。
  • Honorine

    Honorine

    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。
  • 佛说大乘圣吉祥持世陀罗尼经

    佛说大乘圣吉祥持世陀罗尼经

    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。
热门推荐
  • 净土神珠

    净土神珠

    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。
  • 朱门娇

    朱门娇

    遇到她以前,他仿佛是一个人活着,冰冷的;遇到他以前,她仿佛是一个人活着,辛苦的。真好,他们相遇了,细水流长,只化为一句:“很荣幸遇着你。”如此罢了。不是重生,亦非穿越,不过是个普通的故事罢了。
  • 佛说弥勒下生成佛经

    佛说弥勒下生成佛经

    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。
  • 你的我的从前

    你的我的从前

    谁没有从前,而谁的从前又不是一则故事?是岁月的捉弄还是命运的安排,让那些青春的“事故”衍生出故事。谨以此书赠给项远(项天寒)的原型:可惜男主角不是你,因为最后陪在你身边的人不是我
  • 无尽之欲望之路

    无尽之欲望之路

    轮回悠悠,万世跟随,我若在天地惊,我若离去大道伤,这是一个不平凡的故事。又是一个破劫的世界!我本是一株平静无奇的心兰妖,可因为你变成杀戮万千的妖心兰——妖心兰。岁月之后世间再无轮回,只有一个个强者的欲望——天荒。我曾一语荡古今,也曾只手握天地,可还是败给了恒古不变的岁月——无名。明灭总有因果,诸天万界吹不散我的执着,无尽岁月之后可有人还记得我——泯灭大帝。
  • 修亚诸神传

    修亚诸神传

    这里不是凡界,这是一场以天使为起点的诸神史诗!这是诸神的崛起之路,是一群热血强者的传奇人生!
  • 嵘夏

    嵘夏

    有的人,遇上就是劫。夏梦知道,遇上陈啸嵘,是她自己布下的劫。陈啸嵘也知道,夏梦是唯一能让他渡劫的人。“你算计我?”“如果你是指爱上我,我承认”
  • 名剑之宿命

    名剑之宿命

    来自未来的剑迷,为了完成一直以来的梦想乘坐时光机追寻十大名剑的下落,没想到在旅途中时光机故障掉落到21世纪被网游宅女救治后,两人共同寻找名剑,穿越异次元、穿越时空、、、、、、、
  • 温故(之二)

    温故(之二)

    人类始终生活在历史的投影里。这投影,既非上帝的恩赐,也不是什么神做的手脚,而是源自人类将自己与动物区分开来的那个重要特征——记忆。历史的投影有过远有近,远的如原始祖先迈向文明渺然足迹,所的如昨天刚刚发生的事情。时间之流,不舍昼夜,不仅把已经发生的,而且终将把正在发生的以及行将发生的一切,都裹挟而去,统统融入历史的投影。最早意识到这投影价值的,不是别人,正是我们的至圣先师孔夫子,他老人家一句“温故而知新”,虽平白如话,却如醍醐灌顶。历史既是人类活动的归宿,更是面向未来的智慧之源。谈到历史与现实的关系,英国作家奥威尔的表述则更加直截了当,他说:谁掌握了历史,谁就掌握了现在。
  • 三十六计(国学启蒙书系列)

    三十六计(国学启蒙书系列)

    《三十六计》是我国古代兵家计谋的总结和军事谋略学的宝贵遗产,为便于人们熟记这三十六条妙计,有位学者在三十六计中每取一字,依序组成一首诗:金玉檀公策,借以擒劫贼,鱼蛇海间笑,羊虎桃桑隔,树暗走痴故,釜空苦远客,屋梁有美尸,击魏连伐虢。《三十六计(双色注音版)》是“国学启蒙书系列”中的一册。在《三十六计(双色注音版)》一书中,编者韩震等人采用活泼插图的表现方式,编选相关的精彩故事,融知识性与趣味性于一体,让青少年在诵读中轻松快乐地亲近《三十六计》,更直观、真切地感受《三十六计》的魅力,在阅读中积淀文化底蕴,培养良好道德品质,从而受益一生。