登陆注册
15453300000046

第46章 XX.(1)

In these first days a letter came to Clementina from Mrs. Lander's banker, enclosing the introduction which Mrs. Milray had promised to her sister-in-law. It was from Mr. Milray, as before, and it was in Mrs.

Milray's handwriting; but no message from her came with it. To Clementina it explained itself, but she had to explain it to Mrs. Lander.

She had to tell her of Mrs. Milray's behavior after the entertainment on the steamer, and Mrs. Lander said that Clementina had done just exactly right; and they both decided, against some impulses of curiosity in Clementina's heart, that she should not make use of the introduction.

The 'Hotel des Financieres' was mainly frequented by rich Americans full of ready money, and by rich Russians of large credit. Better Americans and worse, went, like the English, to smaller and cheaper hotels; and Clementina's acquaintance was confined to mothers as shy and ungrammatical as Mrs. Lander herself, and daughters blankly indifferent to her. Mrs. Lander drove out every day when it did not rain, and she took Clementina with her, because the doctor said it would do them both good; but otherwise the girl remained pent in their apartment. The doctor found her a teacher, and she kept on with her French, and began to take lessons in Italian; she spoke with no one but her teacher, except when the doctor came. At the table d'hote she heard talk of the things that people seemed to come to Florence for: pictures, statues, palaces, famous places; and it made her ashamed of not knowing about them. But she could not go to see these things alone, and Mrs. Lander, in the content she felt with all her circumstances, seemed not to suppose that Clementina could care for anything but the comfort of the hotel and the doctor's visits. When the girl began to get letters from home in answer to the first she had written back, boasting how beautiful Florence was, they assumed that she was very gay, and demanded full accounts of her pleasures. Her brother Jim gave something of the village news, but he said he supposed that she would not care for that, and she would probably be too proud to speak to them when she came home. The Richlings had called in to share the family satisfaction in Clementina's first experiences, and Mrs. Richling wrote her very sweetly of their happiness in them. She charged her from the rector not to forget any chance of self-improvement in the allurements of society, but to make the most of her rare opportunities. She said that they had got a guide-book to Florence, with a plan of the city, and were following her in the expeditions they decided she must be making every day; they were reading up the Florentine history in Sismondi's Italian Republics, and she bade Clementina be sure and see all the scenes of Savonarola's martyrdom, so that they could talk them over together when she returned.

Clexnentina wondered what Mrs. Richling would think if she told her that all she knew of Florence was what she overheard in the talk of the girls in the hotel, who spoke before her of their dances and afternoon teas, and evenings at the opera, and drives in the Cascine, and parties to Fiesole, as if she were not by.

The days and weeks passed, until Carnival was half gone, and Mrs. Lander noticed one day that Clementina appeared dull. "You don't seem to get much acquainted?" she suggested.

"Oh, the'e's plenty of time," said Clementina.

"I wish the'e was somebody you could go round with, and see the place.

Shouldn't yon like to see the place? " Mrs. Lander pursued.

"There's no hurry about it, Mrs. Lander. It will stay as long as we do."

Mrs. Lander was thoughtfully silent. Then she said, "I declare, I've got half a mind to make you send that letta to Miss Milray, after all. What difference if Mrs. Milray did act so ugly to you? He never did, and she's his sista."

"Oh, I don't want to send it, Mrs. Landa; you mustn't ask me to. I shall get along," said Clementina. The recognition of her forlornness deepened it, but she was cheerfuller, for no reason, the next morning; and that afternoon, the doctor unexpectedly came upon a call which he made haste to say was not professional.

"I've just come from another patient of mine, and I promised to ask if you had not crossed on the same ship with a brother of hers,--Mr. Milray."

Celementina and Mrs. Lander looked guiltily at each other. "I guess we did," Mrs. Lander owned at last, with a reluctant sigh.

"Then, she says you have a letter for her."

The doctor spoke to both, but his looks confessed that he was not ignorant of the fact when Mrs. Lander admitted, "Well Clementina, he'e, has."

"She wants to know why you haven't delivered it," the doctor blurted out.

Mrs. Lander looked at Clementina. "I guess she ha'n't quite got round to it yet, have you, Clementina?"

The doctor put in: "Well, Miss Milray is rather a dangerous person to keep waiting. If you don't deliver it pretty soon, I shouldn't be surprised if she came to get it." Dr. Welwright was a young man in the early thirties, with a laugh that a great many ladies said had done more than any one thing for them, and he now prescribed it for Clementina.

But it did not seem to help her in the trouble her face betrayed.

Mrs. Lander took the word, "Well, I wouldn't say it to everybody. But you're our doctor, and I guess you won't mind it. We don't like the way Mrs. Milray acted to Clementina, in the ship, and we don't want to be beholden to any of her folks. I don't know as Clementina wants me to tell you just what it was, and I won't; but that's the long and sho't of it."

"I'm sorry," the doctor said. "I've never met Mrs. Milray, but Miss Milray has such a pleasant house, and likes to get young people about her. There are a good many young people in your hotel, though, and I suppose you all have a very good time here together." He ended by speaking to Clementina, and now he said he had done his errand, and must be going.

When he was gone, Mrs. Lander faltered, "I don't know but what we made a mistake, Clementina."

It's too late to worry about it now," said the girl.

同类推荐
  • 西游记补

    西游记补

    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。
  • 洞真太上八素真经三五行化妙诀

    洞真太上八素真经三五行化妙诀

    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。
  • 上清十一大曜灯仪

    上清十一大曜灯仪

    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。
  • 仙都志

    仙都志

    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。
  • 海道经

    海道经

    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。
热门推荐
  • tfboys梦想

    tfboys梦想

    三个大男孩,在追逐梦想的道路上不断努力,最后取得自己想要成绩,并在梦想的道路上遇到自己喜欢的人,在对的时间遇到对的人,为什么不在一起呢?
  • 锦绣年华之言清恋

    锦绣年华之言清恋

    她跨世与他相识,相恋,相爱,一起策马走江湖。他铺十里红妆,不顾所有人的反对,执意娶她。她说,不求荣华富贵,长命百岁,只求一生一世一双人。他笑,不求同年同月同日生,但求同年同月同日死。她不过是一介江湖人士,却不曾想他是皇子皇孙。她可以放弃一切,与他做对隐世夫妻;他不可以也不能放弃。她陪着他,为他步步为营,运筹帷幄;当他终于登上皇位,成为九五之尊时,她早已杀人无数,双手沾满了鲜血,遭世人唾弃。
  • 浴火战狼

    浴火战狼

    犯我国威,即使逃出国门,依然千里追杀外敌入侵,我必走出国门,亮剑沙场抬头看看,犯我国威者,苍天放过谁同样是军人的身份,但是不得不隐姓埋名,甚至是在家人的咒骂声中,毅然踏出国门,奔赴隐形的战场。或许,我们侥幸活了下来,十年、二十年之后,档案解封,我们可以约上三五个看得顺眼的人,在昏暗的灯光下,在外摆的大排档中,在一片嬉戏吵闹的环境中,拿着酒瓶,高声诉说着自己的光荣事迹。老子曾经也是一名光荣的军人,老子也曾经为国家抛头颅、洒热血,他们的军功章,也得有老子的一半。可是换来的,大多只能是奚落与嘲笑。这小子又喝多了!提着酒瓶,一口吹掉瓶中所有的酒,我们只能摇摇晃晃起身离席。老子的经历,你们不懂。
  • 王俊凯原谅我一直不敢说的秘密

    王俊凯原谅我一直不敢说的秘密

    请原谅我,一直不敢说出口的秘密。。。。。。
  • 澎湖厅志

    澎湖厅志

    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。
  • 元魂封天录

    元魂封天录

    他是从无尽深渊中爬出的少年,他还携带着自己唯一的至亲——妹妹。为了寻找父母,为了天下苍生,为了保护好所有自己所爱的人,怀着满腔的热血,毅然决然投入这浩瀚无垠的元境,云谲波诡的江湖。何为正?何为邪?一切的答案又在何方······
  • 爱情与恩情

    爱情与恩情

    十年前,一个小乞丐刘恬甜流落街头,饱受别人欺负,被江家二小姐江妍雪救了,并成为朋友,可是,十年后,几乎同时爱上了一个叫蔡亚骁的男人,因为江妍雪曾救了自己,刘恬甜放弃追求蔡亚骁,可是命运像是开了个玩笑似的,江妍雪突然失踪了,而刘恬甜因为长的跟江妍雪很像,所以,刘恬甜阴差阳错的替名江妍雪,谁知,蔡亚骁竟然喜欢上刘恬甜,后来刘恬甜嫁给了蔡亚骁,谁知,江妍雪突然出现,刘恬甜的身份暴露,无奈之下,刘恬甜走了。
  • 武林群侠传

    武林群侠传

    包子连日跋涉,终于来到了洛阳城。却没想到她的英雄老爹居然是一座大雕像。
  • 李文戈升官记

    李文戈升官记

    《李文戈升官记:一个大学生的从政心经》虽写官场,但没有以往官场的剑拔弩张,没有双方那种你死我活的斗争,而是把官场当职场,在一种平和的心态中,把做人、做事、做官有机结合在一起。小说深刻地告诉人们:在当今的官场中,不考背景、不靠钱财、不靠美色一样可以当官,可以荣升。而要做到这一点,靠的就是一个人的品德和智慧。智者为官,这就是《李文戈升官记:一个大学生的从政心经》留给人们最深刻的启示。
  • 柯悦探险记

    柯悦探险记

    爱探险的五年级男孩柯悦一觉醒来,发现自己置身于神奇的勒雪瑜穆森林之中。他将在这里度过七天的神奇之旅。他将会经历一系列神奇而令人感动的事情,他也将和几个孩子利用智慧和爱心成功地完成自己的使命……