登陆注册
15490900000058

第58章 MISS WINCHELSEA'S HEART(1)

Miss Winchelsea was going to Rome. The matter had filled her mind for a month or more, and had overflowed so abundantly into her conversation that quite a number of people who were not going to Rome, and who were not likely to go to Rome, had made it a personal grievance against her. Some indeed had attempted quite unavailingly to convince her that Rome was not nearly such a desirable place as it was reported to be, and others had gone so far as to suggest behind her back that she was dreadfully "stuck up" about "that Rome of hers." And little Lily Hardhurst had told her friend Mr. Binns that so far as she was concerned Miss Winchelsea might "go to her old Rome and stop there; SHE (Miss Lily Hardhurst) wouldn't grieve."

And the way in which Miss Winchelsea put herself upon terms of personal tenderness with Horace and Benvenuto Cellini and Raphael and Shelley and Keats--if she had been Shelley's widow she could not have professed a keener interest in his grave--was a matter of universal astonishment.

Her dress was a triumph of tactful discretion, sensible, but not too "touristy"--Miss Winchelsea, had a great dread of being "touristy"--and her Baedeker was carried in a cover of grey to hide its glaring red. She made a prim and pleasant little figure on the Charing Cross platform, in spite of her swelling pride, when at last the great day dawned, and she could start for Rome. The day was bright, the Channel passage would be pleasant, and all the omens promised well. There was the gayest sense of adventure in this unprecedented departure.

She was going with two friends who had been fellow-students with her at the training college, nice honest girls both, though not so good at history and literature as Miss Winchelsea. They both looked up to her immensely, though physically they had to look down, and she anticipated some pleasant times to be spent in "stirring them up" to her own pitch of aesthetic and historical enthusiasm. They had secured seats already, and welcomed her effusively at the carriage door. In the instant criticism of the encounter she noted that Fanny had a slightly "touristy" leather strap, and that Helen had succumbed to a serge jacket with side pockets, into which her hands were thrust.

But they were much too happy with themselves and the expedition for their friend to attempt any hint at the moment about these things.

As soon as the first ecstasies were over--Fanny's enthusiasm was a little noisy and crude, and consisted mainly in emphatic repetitions of "Just FANCY! we're going to Rome, my dear!--Rome!"--they gave their attention to their fellow-travellers. Helen was anxious to secure a compartment to themselves, and, in order to discourage intruders, got out and planted herself firmly on the step. Miss Winchelsea peeped out over her shoulder, and made sly little remarks about the accumulating people on the platform, at which Fanny laughed gleefully.

They were travelling with one of Mr. Thomas Gunn's parties--fourteen days in Rome for fourteen pounds. They did not belong to the personally conducted party of course--Miss Winchelsea had seen to that--but they travelled with it because of the convenience of that arrangement.

The people were the oddest mixture, and wonderfully amusing.

There was a vociferous red-faced polyglot personal conductor in a pepper-and-salt suit, very long in the arms and legs and very active. He shouted proclamations. When he wanted to speak to people he stretched out an arm and held them until his purpose was accomplished.

One hand was full of papers, tickets, counterfoils of tourists.

The people of the personally conducted party were, it seemed, of two sorts; people the conductor wanted and could not find, and people he did not want and who followed him in a steadily growing tail up and down the platform. These people seemed, indeed, to think that their one chance of reaching Rome lay in keeping close to him. Three little old ladies were particularly energetic in his pursuit, and at last maddened him to the pitch of clapping them into a carriage and daring them to emerge again. For the rest of the time, one, two, or three of their heads protruded from the window wailing enquiries about "a little wickerwork box" whenever he drew near. There was a very stout man with a very stout wife in shiny black; there was a little old man like an aged hostler.

"What CAN such people want in Rome?" asked Miss Winchelsea. "What can it mean to them?" There was a very tall curate in a very small straw hat, and a very short curate encumbered by a long camera stand. The contrast amused Fanny very much. Once they heard some one calling for "Snooks." "I always thought that name was invented by novelists," said Miss Winchelsea. "Fancy! Snooks. I wonder which IS Mr. Snooks." Finally they picked out a very stout and resolute little man in a large check suit. "If he isn't Snooks, he ought to be," said Miss Winchelsea.

Presently the conductor discovered Helen's attempt at a corner in carriages. "Room for five," he bawled with a parallel translation on his fingers. A party of four together--mother, father, and two daughters--blundered in, all greatly excited. "It's all right, Ma, you let me," said one of the daughters, hitting her mother's bonnet with a handbag she struggled to put in the rack. Miss Winchelsea detested people who banged about and called their mother "Ma."

A young man travelling alone followed. He was not at all "touristy" in his costume, Miss Winchelsea observed; his Gladstone bag was of good pleasant leather with labels reminiscent of Luxembourg and Ostend, and his boots, though brown, were not vulgar. He carried an overcoat on his arm. Before these people had properly settled in their places, came an inspection of tickets and a slamming of doors, and behold! they were gliding out of Charing Cross station on their way to Rome.

"Fancy!" cried Fanny, "we are going to Rome, my dear! Rome! I don't seem to believe it, even now."

同类推荐
  • 比丘尼僧祇律波罗提木叉戒经

    比丘尼僧祇律波罗提木叉戒经

    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。
  • 全金元词

    全金元词

    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。
  • 仙杂记

    仙杂记

    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。
  • 砚史

    砚史

    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。
  • Letters to Dead Authors

    Letters to Dead Authors

    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
  • 我的拈花时代

    我的拈花时代

    我的新娘是一个绝世美人儿,她会带着千万嫁妆,开着限量版劳斯莱斯来接......当然这是陈言的幻想,要知道这绝壁是不可能的。因为他既不帅,更没钱,还是个一心想做宅男的家伙。而现实呢?女的,活的。足矣!这年头或许就不存在所谓的逆袭,机会嘛,总是留给有准备的人的!
  • 妈咪带球跑:末端弃妇

    妈咪带球跑:末端弃妇

    新婚之夜的电话,她可以不在乎;凭空出现的儿子,她也可以容忍;表里不一,人前人后两样的婆婆,她也可以为爱让步;可是正当她用心做好一个妈妈的角色时,他却消失得无影无踪……当她下定决定抛开一切去找他的时候,却发现她掉进了另外一个他精心布置的陷阱……原来,一切的一切都是阴谋。
  • 霸道总裁只愿为你融化

    霸道总裁只愿为你融化

    一番苦恋,让沈梦佳身心俱疲。却在一个偶然间认识了董浙薪,他给了她一个美妙的梦,但前男友的纠缠以及随着时间的推移从而揭开的时光的秘密,让这个梦立刻破碎“宝贝,我爱你,我希望你性福”董浙薪说道“sorry,我现在有他,我很幸福”沈梦佳说道“她,只是我的,昨天我已经验证过了”
  • 情深不候:前夫别惹我

    情深不候:前夫别惹我

    一场车祸,她害他昏迷三年。一夜惊醒,她正在他的房间与别的男人痴缠。他恨的想要掐死这个女人,她却跪在榻前,字字清晰缓慢道:“莫云沣,我可以我用一生来为你负责,跟你说对不起这三个字,但,如果你还是个男人,如果你真的恨我,那就站起来,用尽你所有的手段,毁了我。”面对她的侮辱,他眸中迸发出毁天灭地的杀气:“好,我就让你如偿所愿,亲手毁了你!”……不是所有人都有勇气像楚思楠一样,能跪着走完涅槃前的荆棘路,因为每走一步,都是伤。也不是所有人都能像莫云沣一样,花费一生的时间来等待这个遍体鳞伤的女人。因为每等一日,都度日如年。幸运的是,她走完了这条路,他,等到了这个女人。
  • 魔妃逆天:娘子快上榻

    魔妃逆天:娘子快上榻

    从未想过孩子他爹居然是个强盗……大哥,您门路真广,在魔教头头的基础上还做起了土匪,很任性啊有木有?很没节操啊有木有?被撸回天魔教,日日夜夜被他压,不行,她要奋起反抗!等她牛逼哄哄的去挑战独孤邪后却再次被压倒……“娘子,你太不乖了,想学武功可以找为夫嘛~”“来来来,娘子,给为夫揉揉肩。”“来来来,娘子,给为夫端杯茶。”
  • 全能系统记

    全能系统记

    有人托付神秘老者让其萧洒得到了系统另加三个愿望,然后潇洒开启穿越历练之旅。(故事纯属虚构,新人新书求收藏)
  • 帝王之路:黑道颠峰

    帝王之路:黑道颠峰

    【原创作者社团『未央』出品】本书就图一个爽字,不喜勿入。
  • 九死仙尊

    九死仙尊

    穿越万族墓场,踏过亘古仙域!白陌凭借识海中的神秘石片,沟通星辰原灵,一念仙古、掌缘生灭!传说多个世界在此并行,传说九死即可成仙。
  • 史上最强抢婚

    史上最强抢婚

    “放开那个男人!他是我的!”她就这样穿着婚纱冲到教堂,从市长千金的身边抢来了一个男人。她是个生活在困境之中的普通女生,被她抢来的男人却是个年轻有为的豪门总裁!抢婚上头条,她是史上最强“小三”?他有钱任性,她又为何要钱不要命?“总裁大人别乱动!大床旁边这一片都是本姑娘的合法领土!本姑娘不是你的宠物,这是本姑娘睡觉的地方,不是狗窝!”阻挠重重,险象环生,撕X大战分分钟上演,人前人后,真真假假,到底谁才是谁的谁?
  • 龙栖楀桐

    龙栖楀桐

    痴迷看穿越小说的林语璠,一个平凡又不失美丽的大学生,一次昏迷阴差阳错魂穿明圣朝前将军嫡女,尽一切努力摆脱落花无意流水无情的赐婚,却不想无意中被一千年面瘫锁定。曾经的未婚夫旧马回头,同样医术高超的他退了婚事高调陪伴,被雇刺杀她的杀手改邪归正默默追随,这么多男儿都想采这朵绝美的花,偏偏可望不可及。唯有他,能执她之手,与她共老。一眼万年,他想要给了她一生的独宠挚爱,要让她一世受宠。