登陆注册
5435100000201

第201章

AUNT ROSINA

During this period of heroism it had been necessary to Houston to have some confidential friend to whom from time to time he could speak of his purpose. He could not go on eating slices of boiled mutton at eating-houses, and drinking driblets of bad wine out of little decanters no bigger than the bottles in a cruet stand, without having someone to encourage him in his efforts.

It was a hard apprenticeship, and, coming as it did rather late in life for such a beginning, and after much luxurious indulgence, required some sympathy and consolation. There were Tom Shuttlecock and Lord John Battledore at the club. Lord John was the man as to whose expulsion because of his contumacious language so much had been said, but who lived through that and various other dangers.

These had been his special friends, and to them he had confided everything in regard to the Tringle marriage.

Shuttlecock had ridiculed the very idea of love, and had told him that everything else was to be thrown to the dogs in pursuit of a good income. Battledore had reminded him that there was "a deuced deal of cut-and-come-again in a hundred and twenty thousand pounds." They had been friends, not always altogether after his own heart, but friends who had served his purpose when he was making his raid upon Lombard Street. But they were not men to whom he could descant on the wholesomeness of cabbages as an article of daily food, or who would sympathise with the struggling joys of an embryo father. To their thinking, women were occasionally very convenient as being the depositaries of some of the accruing wealth of the world. Frank had been quite worthy of their friendship as having "spotted" and nearly "run down" for himself a well-laden city heiress. But now Tom Shuttlecock and Lord John Battledore were distasteful to him -- as would he be to them. But he found the confidential friend in his maiden aunt.

Miss Houston was an old lady -- older than her time, as are some people -- who lived alone in a small house in Green Street. She was particular in calling it Green Street, Hyde Park. She was very anxious to have it known that she never occupied it during the months of August, September, and October -- though it was often the case with her that she did not in truth expatriate herself for more than six weeks. She was careful to have a fashionable seat in a fashionable church. She dearly loved to see her name in the papers when she was happy enough to be invited to a house whose entertainments were chronicled. There were a thousand little tricks -- I will not be harsh enough to call them unworthy --by which she served Mammon. But she did not limit her service to the evil spirit. When in her place in church she sincerely said her prayers. When in London, or out of it, she gave a modicum of her slender income to the poor. And, though she liked to see her name in the papers as one of the fashionable world, she was a great deal too proud of the blood of the Houstons to toady anyone or to ask for any favour. She was a neat, clean, nice-looking old lady, who understood that if economies were to be made in eating and drinking they should be effected at her own table and not at that of the servants who waited upon her. This was the confidential friend whom Frank trusted in his new career.

It must be explained that Aunt Rosina, as Miss Houston was called, had been well acquainted with her nephew's earlier engagement, and had approved of Imogene as his future wife. Then had come the unexpected collapse in the uncle's affairs, by which Aunt Rosina as well as others in the family had suffered -- and Frank, much to his aunt's displeasure, had allowed himself to be separated from the lady of his love on account of his comparative poverty.

She had heard of Gertrude Tringle and all her money, but from a high standing of birth and social belongings had despised all the Tringles and all their money. To her, as a maiden lady, truth in love was everything. To her, as a well-born lady, good blood was everything. Therefore, though there had been no quarrel between her and Frank, there had been a cessation of sympathetic interest, and he had been thrown into the hands of the Battledores and Shuttlecocks. Now again the old sympathies were revived, and Frank found it convenient to drink tea with his aunt when other engagements allowed it.

"I call that an infernal interference," he said to his aunt, showing her Imogene's letters.

"My dear Frank, you need not curse and swear," said the old lady.

"Infernal is not cursing nor yet swearing." Then Miss Houston, having liberated her mind by her remonstrance, proceeded to read the letter. "I call that abominable," said Frank, alluding of course to the allusions made in the letter to Mudbury Docimer.

"It is a beautiful letter -- just what I should have expected from Imogene. My dear, I will tell you what I propose. Remain as you are both of you for five years.""Five years. That's sheer nonsense."

"Five years, my dear, will run by like a dream. Five years to look back upon is as nothing.""But these five years are five years to be looked forward to.

It is out of the question."

"But you say that you could not live as a married man.""Live! I suppose we could live." Then he thought of the cabbages and the cottage at Pau. "There would be seven hundred a year, I suppose.""Couldn't you do something, Frank?"

"What, to earn money? No; I don't think I could. If I attempted to break stones I shouldn't break enough to pay for the hammers.""Couldn't you write a book?"

"That would be worse than the stones. I sometimes thought I could paint a picture -- but, if I did, nobody would buy it. As to making money that is hopeless. I could save some, by leaving off gloves and allowing myself only three clean shirts a-week.""That would be dreadful, Frank."

"It would be dreadful, but it is quite clear that I must do something.

同类推荐
  • 绣像红灯记

    绣像红灯记

    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。
  • 丸经

    丸经

    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。
  • 外科集验方

    外科集验方

    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。
  • 蕉轩续录

    蕉轩续录

    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。
  • 天豹图

    天豹图

    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
  • 佛说花积楼阁陀罗尼经

    佛说花积楼阁陀罗尼经

    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。
  • 三十里铺(四)

    三十里铺(四)

    一九三七年秋天,探儿参加了八路军。有一次他和一个战友执行任务路过三十里铺,到自己家里去看了看,母亲不在家,院子静悄悄的,蜀荠花盛开在花坛里。整个村子里也没碰到几个人,只有院畔上的蜀荠花在微风中摇曳。探儿只在大路对面的窑里碰到了常有功。
  • 星际女王:星河光焰

    星际女王:星河光焰

    从见到那只濒死的虫母开始,她终于能向波澜壮阔的星空投去一瞥。这绝不是最好的时代,却可能是最坏的时代!一个女强人在星河时代崛起的传说!
  • 繁忙人士的简单健身法

    繁忙人士的简单健身法

    众所周知,工作、事业较为忙碌的人们,大多会忽略自身的健康问题。他们也往往会自认为没有太充足的时间与精力进行健身锻炼。这种意识和行动上的双重缺失,所导致的是这个特殊群体的健康整体处于一种极不理想的状态,他们的身体也往往存在着重大的健康隐患。本书正是面向“繁忙人士”这个数目庞大的特定人群,并有的放矢地为他们提供简便易学、切实可行的日常简单健身方法,旨在改善他们的体质与健康状况。
  • 伯爵夫人的腹黑老公

    伯爵夫人的腹黑老公

    五年的岁月,她终于可以挣脱束缚了自己许久的爱恨。让家人蒙羞的母亲,冷淡寡言的父亲,都是让她不愿意回来的理由。她终究还是不愿意被人唤作“晚晚”,她习惯了那个真正能够温暖自己的怀抱和他宠溺的叫自己“Azur”。那是天空的颜色,自由,随性,是伯爵大人才能给她的世界。另一个人在阴影里看着她的笑靥,原本清俊的面孔变得扭曲。多想冲上去,宣告这个世界那个女孩从来都是他的,都是他一个人的…可是啊——再多的嗔痴爱恋,纠缠苦痛,到头来都会被时间消磨掉。兰泽,西汉的辞赋家枚乘写,“游涉乎云林,周驰乎兰泽”。南朝梁萧统编辑的文选里,无名氏写道,“涉江采芙蓉,兰泽多芳草”。他是长满芬芳兰草的沼泽,引诱她靠近,再靠近,终于深陷其中再也无法逃脱。赵莫晚知道,这个男人不是她的劫难,是只属于她的温暖沼泽。赵云慈教会她求而不得的伤痛,孤注一掷的决绝。兰泽教会她,两情相悦,才是这世上属于自己独一无二的幸福。依旧取名无能,见谅啊菇凉么~腹黑伯爵一点点用满满的宠溺吞掉自家夫人的故事~小虐怡情,虐点自省。完结文:《妖孽公爵独宠妻》《梓洛琉璃》《寂寞小姐》《枫叶雪》《深爱晚承》微博:http/wkkk.net/519860126群:263407588(敲门砖:任意角色名)
  • 小师妹要出山

    小师妹要出山

    ——如果有一天,你穿越到以武为尊的古代,你会做什么呢?——当然是仗剑走天涯呀!只可惜她没有金手指,没有与生俱来的绝世武功,更没有大人物给她传授深厚内功,她只能从头开始,十年如一日地苦练武功,顺便撩拨一下她那个外冷内热的大师兄。终于,十年之后,江湖出了一对著名的侠侣,他们分别是“步遥公子”与“碧莲女侠”,人称“步遥碧莲”双侠!欢迎入坑,1V1双洁,青梅竹马,忠犬宠文。
  • 医方考

    医方考

    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。
  • 灵宝六丁秘法

    灵宝六丁秘法

    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。
  • 标准的礼仪规范

    标准的礼仪规范

    交谈是人们传递信息和感情、彼此增进了解和友谊的一种方式,是一种有来有往、相互交流思想情感的双边或多边活动,同时,交谈也是一件十分有意义的活动,它可以使你增长知识、开阔眼界、陶冶情操、愉悦心灵。
  • 国学全知道

    国学全知道

    “国学”是个宽泛的名词,但是不论你如何分类,都会把儒家与道家列为重点。我们的国家,历史悠久,文化灿烂,不输于任何一个民族。今天,随着国势的上升,我们自然要大力弘扬国学,向世界推介国学。成为文化大国才是真正的强国。在经济全球化背景下,作为一个中国人,我们不能不了解国学。一个人如果对本民族的文化都知之甚少,语焉不详,那岂不汗颜?《国学全知道》这部书,内容极其广泛,伦理道德,礼仪民俗、经史子集,琴棋书画,无所不包,是一部提升国学修养、丰富知识储备的理想读本!