登陆注册
5390100000035

第35章 The Indian Gentleman(2)

"Here,poor little girl,"he said."Here is a sixpence.

I will give it to you."

Sara started,and all at once realized that she looked exactly like poor children she had seen,in her better days,waiting on the pavement to watch her as she got out of her brougham.

And she had given them pennies many a time.Her face went red and then it went pale,and for a second she felt as if she could not take the dear little sixpence.

"Oh,no!"she said."Oh,no,thank you;I mustn't take it,indeed!"

Her voice was so unlike an ordinary street child's voice and her manner was so like the manner of a well-bred little person that Veronica Eustacia (whose real name was Janet)and Rosalind Gladys (who was really called Nora)leaned forward to listen.

But Guy Clarence was not to be thwarted in his benevolence.

He thrust the sixpence into her hand.

"Yes,you must take it,poor little girl!"he insisted stoutly.

"You can buy things to eat with it.It is a whole sixpence!"

There was something so honest and kind in his face,and he looked so likely to be heartbrokenly disappointed if she did not take it,that Sara knew she must not refuse him.To be as proud as that would be a cruel thing.So she actually put her pride in her pocket,though it must be admitted her cheeks burned.

"Thank you,"she said."You are a kind,kind little darling thing."

And as he scrambled joyfully into the carriage she went away,trying to smile,though she caught her breath quickly and her eyes were shining through a mist.She had known that she looked odd and shabby,but until now she had not known that she might be taken for a beggar.

As the Large Family's carriage drove away,the children inside it were talking with interested excitement.

"Oh,Donald,"(this was Guy Clarence's name),Janet exclaimed alarmedly,"why did you offer that little girl your sixpence?

I'm sure she is not a beggar!"

"She didn't speak like a beggar!"cried Nora."And her face didn't really look like a beggar's face!"

"Besides,she didn't beg,"said Janet."I was so afraid she might be angry with you.You know,it makes people angry to be taken for beggars when they are not beggars."

"She wasn't angry,"said Donald,a trifle dismayed,but still firm.

"She laughed a little,and she said I was a kind,kind little darling thing.And I was!"--stoutly."It was my whole sixpence."

Janet and Nora exchanged glances.

"A beggar girl would never have said that,"decided Janet.

"She would have said,`Thank yer kindly,little gentleman--thank yer,sir;'and perhaps she would have bobbed a curtsy."

Sara knew nothing about the fact,but from that time the Large Family was as profoundly interested in her as she was in it.

Faces used to appear at the nursery windows when she passed,and many discussions concerning her were held round the fire.

"She is a kind of servant at the seminary,"Janet said."I don't believe she belongs to anybody.I believe she is an orphan.

But she is not a beggar,however shabby she looks."

And afterward she was called by all of them,"The-little-girl-who-is-not-a-beggar,"which was,of course,rather a long name,and sounded very funny sometimes when the youngest ones said it in a hurry.

Sara managed to bore a hole in the sixpence and hung it on an old bit of narrow ribbon round her neck.Her affection for the Large Family increased--as,indeed,her affection for everything she could love increased.She grew fonder and fonder of Becky,and she used to look forward to the two mornings a week when she went into the schoolroom to give the little ones their French lesson.

Her small pupils loved her,and strove with each other for the privilege of standing close to her and insinuating their small hands into hers.

It fed her hungry heart to feel them nestling up to her.She made such friends with the sparrows that when she stood upon the table,put her head and shoulders out of the attic window,and chirped,she heard almost immediately a flutter of wings and answering twitters,and a little flock of dingy town birds appeared and alighted on the slates to talk to her and make much of the crumbs she scattered.

With Melchisedec she had become so intimate that he actually brought Mrs.Melchisedec with him sometimes,and now and then one or two of his children.She used to talk to him,and,somehow,he looked quite as if he understood.

There had grown in her mind rather a strange feeling about Emily,who always sat and looked on at everything.It arose in one of her moments of great desolateness.She would have liked to believe or pretend to believe that Emily understood and sympathized with her.

She did not like to own to herself that her only companion could feel and hear nothing.She used to put her in a chair sometimes and sit opposite to her on the old red footstool,and stare and pretend about her until her own eyes would grow large with something which was almost like fear--particularly at night when everything was so still,when the only sound in the attic was the occasional sudden scurry and squeak of Melchisedec's family in the wall.

One of her "pretends"was that Emily was a kind of good witch who could protect her.Sometimes,after she had stared at her until she was wrought up to the highest pitch of fancifulness,she would ask her questions and find herself ALMOST feeling as if she would presently answer.But she never did.

"As to answering,though,"said Sara,trying to console herself,"I don't answer very often.I never answer when I can help it.

When people are insulting you,there is nothing so good for them as not to say a word--just to look at them and THINK>.Miss Minchin turns pale with rage when I do it,Miss Amelia looks frightened,and so do the girls.When you will not fly into a passion people know you are stronger than they are,because you are strong enough to hold in your rage,and they are not,and they say stupid things they wish they hadn't said afterward.There's nothing so strong as rage,except what makes you hold it in--that's stronger.

It's a good thing not to answer your enemies.I scarcely ever do.

同类推荐
  • 一字顶轮王念诵仪轨(依忉利天宫所说经译)

    一字顶轮王念诵仪轨(依忉利天宫所说经译)

    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。
  • 白朴元曲集

    白朴元曲集

    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。
  • 竹泉生女科集要

    竹泉生女科集要

    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。
  • 庄子通

    庄子通

    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。
  • 元史纪事本末

    元史纪事本末

    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
  • 妖妃惑爱:丞相大人太傲娇

    妖妃惑爱:丞相大人太傲娇

    前世,她倾尽半生筹谋,终为那人换来了无上帝位。可迎接她的,竟是断筋废骨和暗无天日的折磨监禁!到最后,更是被一把火了却残生!重来一次,苏颜决定抱好师叔的金大腿,远离一切危险雄性。当然,渣男绿茶必须虐!还有那抢人的小白花,一路掐!可是……她师叔不应该是清风朗月、俊雅如仙的人物么?为什么这一只的画风有点不对?不仅腹黑闷骚,居然还是个傲娇?妈呀,她现在后悔还来不来得及?世人皆说,他是乱政奸相,迎敌兵入境,为一个女人亡一国江山。世人更说,她是祸国妖妃,一手葬送整个南恪江山。
  • 学长反攻战

    学长反攻战

    (你若是我的未来,我定为你放弃现在。)刚刚进学校的第一天就和漂亮学长杠上,这是要闹哪样?腹黑学长身份很强大?没关系,明着不可以,暗着来总可以了吧。好端端的在宿舍玩游戏碰上一个2B青年,结果一不小心就吵了起来,还引发了全服最大的战争,这又是要闹哪样?这就是大学生活吗,为何如此的不多娇……
  • 父母新知:培养孩子的独立能力

    父母新知:培养孩子的独立能力

    孩子的素质教育,一刻不能放松!著名教育大家陶行知语:“要理解孩子的头脑、双手、脚、空间、时间,使他们充分得到自由的生活,从自由的生活中得到真正的教育。”培养孩子的独立能力,让他们自由飞翔!
  • 千金丫鬟:拒嫁腹黑小王爷

    千金丫鬟:拒嫁腹黑小王爷

    俗话说,一个伟大爱情的开始,总会有一个先耍流氓。一个是转世穿越的千金小丫鬟,一个是位高权重的腹黑小王爷,一次偶然的邂逅,引发之后一连串爆笑故事。看腹黑小王爷如何调教千金小丫鬟,千金小丫鬟又如何由弱变强叫板腹黑小王爷。开头很爆笑,过程很腹黑,带点小虐,结局很温馨。菜鸟一枚,擅写小白,如不喜欢,恳请绕道,更新给力,请勿拍砖!o(∩_∩)o
  • 新武帝

    新武帝

    大梦初醒,来历不凡的少年已然重生。自此,他面对的是爱恨悲欢家国恩怨、红颜转瞬快意恩仇!波澜壮阔的大时代里,身上背负的沉重期盼支撑着他从未停下的脚步!终有一日,他发现武道巅峰已是他的宿命!——————————这是幻想世界里的少年英雄梦。
  • 天才脑筋急转弯(超级智商训练营)

    天才脑筋急转弯(超级智商训练营)

    脑筋急转弯一书旨在为小朋友提供一个平台,让他们通过简单的思考、练习与反复应用,达到开发智力的效果,小朋友可以通过本书的不同分类和不同描述,学着自己设计谜题,锻炼大脑的主动思考能力,本书内容丰富简练,又通俗易懂,最适合小朋友买来看看了。
  • 茶隐出世

    茶隐出世

    一个生活在底层的小城青年修文,因为一场茶艺大赛意外进入上层社会。在“贵人”的安排下,得以结识名商政要,夺冠后在商界大佬的加持下投身商海。商场如战场,修文得以阅尽三教九流,品评人生百态以及各类恩怨情仇。就在他回到家乡,以为可以过安静日子时,对手却从一个意想不到的地方给他致命一击。人生如梦,但有些伤害是一辈子也弥合不了的。
  • 好句好段大全集(优秀小学生必读)

    好句好段大全集(优秀小学生必读)

    本书针对小学生作文中最常见的内容,将精彩的好句子好段落进行科学、系统地归纳,既为小学生进行写作实践提供急需的素材,又助其在借鉴经典句段中升华思想;既为其寻找到了一位常伴身旁的良师益友,又能激发其创新灵感,进入迷人的作文世界。
  • 方圆

    方圆

    一对希望得到自由和爱情而又“不相般配”的男女梁世云和林霞“不合时宜”地走在了一起,从而引来无数的责难和阻挠,然而他们并没有选择逃避与委曲求全,而是选择了“大逆不道”的私奔之路。
  • 瑶卿

    瑶卿

    人不犯我,我不犯人;人若犯我,我必犯人。