登陆注册
5697600000007

第7章 ACT I(7)

Well,I should differ from my father on every one of them,probably,just as I differ from you about them.

BROADBENT.Yes;but you are an Irishman;and these things are not serious to you as they are to an Englishman.

DOYLE.What!not even Home Rule!

BROADBENT [steadfastly].Not even Home Rule.We owe Home Rule not to the Irish,but to our English Gladstone.No,Larry:I can't help thinking that there's something behind all this.

DOYLE [hotly].What is there behind it?Do you think I'm humbugging you?

BROADBENT.Don't fly out at me,old chap.I only thought--DOYLE.What did you think?

BROADBENT.Well,a moment ago I caught a name which is new to me:a Miss Nora Reilly,I think.[Doyle stops dead and stares at him with something like awe].I don't wish to be impertinent,as you know,Larry;but are you sure she has nothing to do with your reluctance to come to Ireland with me?

DOYLE [sitting down again,vanquished].Thomas Broadbent:Isurrender.The poor silly-clever Irishman takes off his hat to God's Englishman.The man who could in all seriousness make that recent remark of yours about Home Rule and Gladstone must be simply the champion idiot of all the world.Yet the man who could in the very next sentence sweep away all my special pleading and go straight to the heart of my motives must be a man of genius.

But that the idiot and the genius should be the same man!how is that possible?[Springing to his feet]By Jove,I see it all now.

I'll write an article about it,and send it to Nature.

BROADBENT [staring at him].What on earth--

DOYLE.It's quite simple.You know that a caterpillar--BROADBENT.A caterpillar!

DOYLE.Yes,a caterpillar.Now give your mind to what I am going to say;for it's a new and important scientific theory of the English national character.A caterpillar--BROADBENT.Look here,Larry:don't be an ass.

DOYLE [insisting].I say a caterpillar and I mean a caterpillar.

You'll understand presently.A caterpillar [Broadbent mutters a slight protest,but does not press it]when it gets into a tree,instinctively makes itself look exactly like a leaf;so that both its enemies and its prey may mistake it for one and think it not worth bothering about.

BROADBENT.What's that got to do with our English national character?

DOYLE.I'll tell you.The world is as full of fools as a tree is full of leaves.Well,the Englishman does what the caterpillar does.He instinctively makes himself look like a fool,and eats up all the real fools at his ease while his enemies let him alone and laugh at him for being a fool like the rest.Oh,nature is cunning,cunning![He sits down,lost in contemplation of his word-picture].

BROADBENT [with hearty admiration].Now you know,Larry,that would never have occurred to me.You Irish people are amazingly clever.Of course it's all tommy rot;but it's so brilliant,you know!How the dickens do you think of such things!You really must write an article about it:they'll pay you something for it.

If Nature won't have it,I can get it into Engineering for you:Iknow the editor.

DOYLE.Let's get back to business.I'd better tell you about Nora Reilly.

BROADBENT.No:never mind.I shouldn't have alluded to her.

DOYLE.I'd rather.Nora has a fortune.

BROADBENT [keenly interested].Eh?How much?

DOYLE.Forty per annum.

BROADBENT.Forty thousand?

DOYLE.No,forty.Forty pounds.

BROADBENT [much dashed.]That's what you call a fortune in Rosscullen,is it?

DOYLE.A girl with a dowry of five pounds calls it a fortune in Rosscullen.What's more 40pounds a year IS a fortune there;and Nora Reilly enjoys a good deal of social consideration as an heiress on the strength of it.It has helped my father's household through many a tight place.My father was her father's agent.She came on a visit to us when he died,and has lived with us ever since.

BROADBENT [attentively,beginning to suspect Larry of misconduct with Nora,and resolving to get to the bottom of it].Since when?

I mean how old were you when she came?

DOYLE.I was seventeen.So was she:if she'd been older she'd have had more sense than to stay with us.We were together for 18months before I went up to Dublin to study.When I went home for Christmas and Easter,she was there:I suppose it used to be something of an event for her,though of course I never thought of that then.

BROADBENT.Were you at all hard hit?

DOYLE.Not really.I had only two ideas at that time,first,to learn to do something;and then to get out of Ireland and have a chance of doing it.She didn't count.I was romantic about her,just as I was romantic about Byron's heroines or the old Round Tower of Rosscullen;but she didn't count any more than they did.

同类推荐
  • 续古尊宿语要目录

    续古尊宿语要目录

    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。
  • 无量寿经优波提舍

    无量寿经优波提舍

    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。
  • 谠论集

    谠论集

    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。
  • buttered side down

    buttered side down

    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。
  • 佛说舍利弗悔过经

    佛说舍利弗悔过经

    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
  • 时擦

    时擦

    因为一次偶遇,宋佳南喜欢上了隔壁班的班长苏立。苏立的成绩优秀、外表出色,气质和丰富的学识让平凡的宋佳南自惭形秽,她不敢表达自己的心意,只敢远远凝望这个身影。宋佳南在网络论坛上伪装陌生人,取名宋忆文与苏立聊天,频繁的联系让两人逐渐成为知心好友。然而当苏立提出见面的时候,宋佳南害怕自己的伪装曝光,掐断了联系。十年来,宋佳南一直将自己的心封闭起来,守护着这份暗恋的情结独自生活。直到这次偶遇,让宋佳南再也无法沉默,开始勇敢尝试接近苏立。再次相遇的两人,能否解开彼此的心结,错过了的十年,能否弥补感情的缺口?
  • 怪乖女恋爱季:和你一起混

    怪乖女恋爱季:和你一起混

    群号:31840225【原创作者社团未央宫出品】“喂,你谁啊,不长眼睛呐!要死了,哎哟,痛死我了。看在你长得挺帅的份上,本小姐不和你计较!下次在让我看到你这么嚣张,你死定了!”“名字!?”“怎么,你想记仇啊?”当拽死不偿命的臭丫头遇到帅气冷酷的大少爷。一段甜蜜的爱情史已经绽放花蕾……读者加Q:2314175347(加时注明读者)
  • 于丹趣品汉字:节气节日篇

    于丹趣品汉字:节气节日篇

    从2016年11月30日开始,我们的二十四节气被正式列入联合国教科文组织的人类非物质文化遗产名录。其实从小时候起,许多中国孩子都熟悉且背诵过《二十四节气歌》:“春雨惊春清谷天,夏满芒夏暑相连,秋处露秋寒霜降,冬雪雪冬小大寒。”这四句里,藏着一年四季二十四节气。这是古人长期对自然界的物象进行观察的经验总结,里面充满了生活的智慧。春种夏耕,秋收冬藏,节气与节日里藏着大自然的语言和代代沿袭的民族基因。于丹老师从文字学角度,讲中国历史悠久的节日与节气。从节气故事、历史由来到古诗谚语、天文气候,应有尽有,字里行间传递着传统文化与自然之美。
  • 大业杂记

    大业杂记

    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。
  • 儿童家庭用药小百科

    儿童家庭用药小百科

    本书结合当前国内外关于青少年身心健康发展的诸多最新理念,从健康发展的6个方面--生长发育、必需的营养、体格锻炼、合理的生活作息和预防常见疾病,进行科学而合理的内容编排设计,构成《爱眼篇》《骨骼篇》《牙齿篇》《肠胃篇》《急救篇》和《用药篇》6部分内容。本书主要内容侧重于讲述青少年在成长发育过程中身体的各个重要部分眼睛、骨骼、牙齿、肠胃等常见的一些问题及处理措施,及在日常用药和出现突发事件的一些应急措施。语言通俗易懂,内容详实丰富。本书选用人们普遍易于接受和理解的生活实例,并融入相关知识,再加以艺术加工,分别构思成一个个有贯穿始终的人物、有一定曲折情节而又独立成篇的生动活泼的故事。
  • 超级探囊取物

    超级探囊取物

    穿梭抗战,武侠,科幻,玄幻,修真界,仙界,神界,圣界等时空,不断抢别人东西的故事!功法,美女,系统,先天灵宝,丹药……想要什么就抢什么!大道之手,无物不拿!乌龟新书《超级无限充值系统》!
  • 时间陷阱

    时间陷阱

    这是一本邪典悬疑故事集,分为“怪人”“怪物”“怪事”三部分,现实主义的叙述,搭配最邪典悬疑的情节,让平凡的生活萌生出一丝不寒而栗的恐怖。书摊上的旧闹钟、床上的枕头、生日蛋糕上的蜡烛、普普通通的一列火车、现实中忽然觉得似成相识的某个场景或梦的片段……这些生活中很常见的东西,却隐藏着最可怕的秘密——闹钟可以致人衰老,枕头可以吸食精髓,蜡烛熄灭足以致人死命,火车陷入无限的时间循环,梦的片段如操纵傀儡般操纵一个人自动走进死地……平淡的生活就这样忽然进入恐怖之地。
  • 为你摘下1460颗星辰

    为你摘下1460颗星辰

    你曾经说,等你有了未来,你要摘下天上的星辰。我说,我要成为陪你摘星辰的人。我本以为那个画面会成为你是在摘星辰中最开心的孩子,我在一旁温柔地注视着你。可是当我为了你,摘了1460颗星辰之时,我才想起来,你不在身旁。我无数次想要求你回来,却始终说不出口,不是不想,而是不敢。没想到,最后你来的时候“我在摘星辰的时候才发现,我忘记了你。”
  • 青叶事务所

    青叶事务所

    我叫林奇,在拆迁办工作,今年年初的时候负责一个旧小区的拆迁。小区中有一住户,门口挂着“青叶灵异事务所”的古怪牌子,屋子被改造成了办公室,废弃多时,积满了灰尘。在办公室的档案柜中,整齐陈列着大量文件和资料。我好奇之下,将之整理,发现了一个藏在现世下怪诞又恐怖的世界。档案中记载的事件也逐渐出现在了我的生活中……☆☆☆☆☆读者群:157446947☆☆☆☆☆
  • 重生宠妃:帝王情深几许

    重生宠妃:帝王情深几许

    惊才绝艳,身份尊贵,却错爱他人。被情爱迷了眼的她看不清嫡亲兄长的肺腑之心,看不见他的情深几许。一朝重生,重绽风华。欠了她的,她不想放过,她欠了的,她愿以一生偿还。前世那人死之前,含笑叫她阮阮的模样就那样深深刻在了她的心上,这一世,她只愿不负他情深。