登陆注册
5429600000101

第101章

A LOVE SCENE

Mr Slope, as we have said, left the palace with a feeling of considerable triumph. Not that he thought that his difficulties were over; he did not so deceive himself; but he felt that he had played his first move well, as well as the pieces on the board would allow; and that he had nothing with which to reproach himself. He first of all posted the letter to the archbishop, and having made that sure he proceeded to push the advantage which he had gained. Had Mrs Bold been at home, he would have called on her;but he knew that she was at Plumstead, as he wrote the following note. It was the beginning of what, he trusted, might be a long and tender series of epistles.

'My dear Mrs Bold,--You will understand perfectly that I cannot at present correspond with your father. I heartily wish that I could, and hope the day may be not long distant, when mists shall have cleared away, and we may know each other. But I cannot preclude myself from the pleasure of sending you these few lines to say that Mr Q. has to-day, in my presence, resigned any title that he ever had to the wardenship of the hospital, and that the bishop has assured me that it is his intention to offer it to your esteemed father.

'Will you, with my respectful compliments, ask him, who I believe is a fellow visitor with you, to call on the bishop either on Wednesday or Thursday, between ten and one. This is by the bishop's desire. If you will so far oblige me as to let me have a line naming either day, and the hour which will suit Mr Harding, I will take care that the servants shall have orders to show him in without delay. Perhaps I should say no more,--but still I wish you could make your father understand that no subject will be mooted between his lordship and him, which will refer at all to the method in which he may choose to perform his duty. I for one, am persuaded that no clergyman could perform it more satisfactorily than he did, or than he will do again.

'On a former occasion I was indiscreet and much too impatient, considering your father's age and my own. I hope he will not now refuse my apology. I still hope also that with your aid and sweet pious labours, we may live to attach such a Sabbath school to the old endowment, as may, by God's grace and furtherance, be a blessing to the poor of this city.

'You will see at once that this letter is confidential. The subject, of course, makes it so. But, equally, of course, it is for your parent's eye as well as for your own, should you think it proper to show it to him.

'I hope my darling little friend Johnny is as strong as ever,--dear little fellow. Does he still continue his rude assaults on those beautiful long silken tresses?

'I can assure your friends miss you from Barchester sorely; but it would be cruel to begrudge you your sojourn among flowers and fields during this truly sultry weather.

'Pray believe me, my dear Mrs Bold Yours most sincerely, 'OBADIAHSLOPE. 'Barchester, Friday.'

Now this letter, taken as a whole, and with the consideration that Mr Slope wished to assume a great degree of intimacy with Eleanor, would not have been bad, but for the allusion to the tresses.

Gentlemen do not write to ladies about their tresses, unless they are on very intimate terms indeed. But Mr Slope could not be expected to be aware of this. He longed to put a little affection into his epistle, and yet he thought it injudicious, as the letter would he knew be shown to Mr Harding. He would have insisted that the letter should be strictly private and seen by no eyes but Eleanor's own, had he not felt that such an injunction would have been disobeyed. He therefore restrained his passion, did not sign himself 'yours affectionately,' and contented himself instead with the compliment to the tresses.

We will now follow his letter. He took it to Mrs Bold's house, and learning there, from the servant, that things were to be sent out to Plumstead that afternoon, left it, with many injunctions, in her hands.

We will now follow Mr Slope so as to complete the day with him, and then return to his letter and its momentous fate in the next chapter.

There is an old song which gives us some very good advice about courting:--"It's gude to be off with the auld luve Before ye be on wi' the new."Of the wisdom of this maxim Mr Slope was ignorant, and accordingly, having written his letter to Mrs Bold, he proceeded to call upon the Signora Neroni. Indeed it was hard to say which was the old love and which was the new, Mr Slope having been smitten with both so nearly at the same time. Perhaps he thought it not amiss to have two strings to his bow. But two strings to Cupid's bow are always dangerous to him on whose behalf they are to be used. A man should remember that between two stools he may fall to the ground.

But in sooth Mr Slope was pursuing Mrs Bold in obedience to his better instincts, and the signora in obedience to his worse. Had he won the widow and worn her, no one could have blamed him. You, Oreader, and I, and Eleanor's other friends would have received the story of such a winning with much disgust and disappointment; but we should have been angry with Eleanor, not with Mr Slope. Bishop, male and female, dean and chapter and diocesan clergy in full congress, could have found nothing to disapprove of in such an alliance. Convocation itself, that mysterious and mighty synod, could in no wise have fallen foul of it. The possession of L 1000 a year and a beautiful wife would not al all have hurt the voice of the pulpit character, or lessened the grace and piety of the exemplary clergyman.

But not of such a nature were likely to be his dealings with the Signora Neroni. In the first place he knew that her husband was living, and therefore he could not woo her honestly. Then again she had nothing to recommend her to his honest wooing had such been possible. She was not only portionless, but also from misfortune unfitted to be chosen as the wife of any man who wanted a useful mate. Mr Slope was aware that she was a helpless hopeless cripple.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 故事会(2017年12月上)

    故事会(2017年12月上)

    《故事会》是中国最通俗的民间文学小本杂志,是中国的老牌刊物之一。先后获得两届中国期刊的最高奖——国家期刊奖。1998年,它在世界综合类期刊中发行量排名第5。从1984年开始,《故事会》由双月刊改为月刊,2003年11月份开始试行半月刊,2007年正式改为半月刊。现分为红、绿两版,其中红版为上半月刊,绿版为下半月刊。
  • The Captives

    The Captives

    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。
  • 少年记趣(人猿泰山系列)

    少年记趣(人猿泰山系列)

    人猿泰山系列是一部让中小学生开阔眼界、丰富想象力的书,是一部教给孩子动物是朋友、大自然是家园的温情冒险小说,是一部中小学图书馆和孩子的书架上不得不放的书,是父母与孩子共同阅读的睡前故事。小说情节奇谲精彩,主人公强悍而无畏,为孩子们打开了一扇充满着浪漫英雄主义的丛林世界大门。译者的话:上世纪四十年代,我们在读初中时,《人猿泰山》作为世界名著,曾经风靡一时。每逢课间十分钟,同学们几乎满教室争说泰山。当时,这部奇趣曼妙的小说,已经在我们心里扎根了。1988年,我俩六十岁退休后,曾到各地旅游,顺便到各省大图书馆、大学图书馆查询此书,不但译本遍寻不得,连原文本也没有了。
  • 介石智朋禅师语录

    介石智朋禅师语录

    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。
  • 御夫有稻:绝世娘子懒为妃

    御夫有稻:绝世娘子懒为妃

    【全文完】一朝穿越成农家小萝莉,她以为只需要卖个萌再装点嫩就好!谁知,她不光得谨守奇葩家规,还得养活大爷似的一家老小。她一不小心起了点小主意,开了家古代连锁超市,富了一亩三分之地;然后一不小心养只白虎,救个江湖侠客,却被迫拜师成为江湖一派踪迹诡异的继承者;再一不小心发现个随身空间,未免资源浪费,低调的建立了神秘的百灵山庄。她无意江湖纷争、无意朝堂纷乱,更无意江山社稷帝王后妃。却不知那是家族唯一的使命!更无奈惹得当朝皇子对她威逼利诱,武林盟主与她把酒言欢,贴身护卫视她重过性命,魔教教头屡次救她于危难!搞笑的是那个从小“斗”着她长大的哑哥儿竟说是她指腹为婚的未婚夫婿?等等!哑哥儿!你说啥?
  • 农门医女之药香满园

    农门医女之药香满园

    一不小心穿越了,可是老天也太不公平了。凭什么别人都是王妃贵族,吃香的喝辣的,就单单她姚善宝浑身没有二两肉,穿个衣服?旧的!吃口肉?借的,要还的!娘亲不爱,姐姐刻薄,她姚善宝好歹也是她肚子里的一块肉,怎的就差别这么大!卷起裤管,撸起袖子,一锄头挥下去就怒了!想她堂堂医学硕士,素手不沾阳春水,双足不沾地里沙,平素里都是人求她,哪有低头吃别人瘪的道理。挖药草,配偏方,双手赚得一满钵,俊美秀才贴上来。可是,为毛,身后那个甩不掉的小傻子,老是爱娘子,娘子的叫!亲亲娘亲掉包计,二姐配与美秀才,她姚善宝嫁给了小傻子。男捕猎来女行医,日子和美,她姚善宝也就认了。可是谁能告诉她,好日子还没过几天,凭什么就被人追杀??!----二姐看着眼前郎才女貌分外登对的两个人直了眼,“你……你……”“二姐,可别太激动忘了礼仪,那可是大罪。”姚善宝走过去替她亲爱的姐姐合上惊呆的下巴。“民妇,民妇……”姚善宝坐在上方看着下面臣服的人笑道:“娘亲,为何这么惶恐?”“啊……”二姐突然尖叫了起来,“坐在那个位置上的人是我,当初许配给小傻子的人是我!”“二姐,你以为人妇,为人母,别人的东西还是不要觊觎的好……”----“娘子,娘子……”某人一脸无害的表情凑了过来。三根银针在姚善宝手里闪烁着光芒,“昨天是怎么回事,给我解释清楚……”某人看着姚善宝白皙脖子上的小草莓闪过一丝得逞的笑,“娘子,不要针针,君君怕……”姚善宝太阳穴一跳,“君深,你要还敢装无辜骗我,小心我让你一辈子都成小君君!”“娘子,你舍得吗?”某男直接将她拥入怀里,贴近她的耳边,磁性的嗓音,却也烧得姚善宝脸红。
  • 能说会做决定你的一生

    能说会做决定你的一生

    有见地的人都会说能力重于学历,其实口才更重于能力。身在一个竞争异常激烈的社会中,如果没有说服别人的能力,没有推销自己的良好口才,也难免落个终生郁郁不得志的结局。很多人是败在口才而不是能力上。
  • 铠龙

    铠龙

    一群人无端来到了一处神秘的实验厂,而统领这里的存在是黑白无常,他们十分的残忍,所以主角开始带领大家展开了大逃亡,然而……他们不知道的是,这场游戏从刚刚开始。
  • 大毒物

    大毒物

    “天啊!这家伙是异类!你们看这奇怪的蜥蜴身上满是颗粒,肯定是剧毒之物,这是代表不详的兽灵!”
  • 斩仙诀

    斩仙诀

    道义,一个至地狱归来的青年,携逆天功诀与血海深仇,踏上了一条血浴之路,展开了一段霸道人生,誓完成一段逆天之旅。一人一枪,独挑九界,斩仙魔,屠神圣,只为成为那万古流传的亘古一帝——混元无极太上圣帝!【热血仙侠风,暧昧请绕道】