登陆注册
15693000000200

第200章

It put the whole thing before me in a new light. It showed me--what I had never even suspected till this morning--that she is really fond of him.

"Heavy as my debt of obligation is to her, there is no fear _now_of my failing to pay it to the last farthing. It would have been no small triumph for me to stand between Miss Milroy and her ambition to be one of the leading ladies of the county. But it is infinitely more, where her first love is concerned, to stand between Miss Milroy and her heart's desire. Shall I remember my own youth and spare her? No! She has deprived me of the one chance I had of breaking the chain that binds me to a past life too horrible to be thought of. I am thrown back into a position, compared to which the position of an outcast who walks the streets is endurable and enviable. No, Miss Milroy--no, Mr.

Armadale; I will spare neither of you.

"I have been back some hours. I have been thinking, and nothing has come of it. Ever since I got that strange letter of Midwinter's last Sunday, my usual readiness in emergencies has deserted me. When I am not thinking of him or of his story, my mind feels quite stupefied. I, who have always known what to do on other occasions, don't know what to do now. It would be easy enough, of course, to warn Major Milroy of his daughter's proceedings. But the major is fond of his daughter; Armadale is anxious to be reconciled with him; Armadale is rich and prosperous, and ready to submit to the elder man; and sooner or later they will be friends again, and the marriage will follow.

Warning Major Milroy is only the way to embarrass them for the present; it is not the way to part them for good and all.

"What _is_ the way? I can't see it. I could tear my own hair off my head! I could burn the house down! If there was a train of gunpowder under the whole world, I could light it, and blow the whole world to destruction--I am in such a rage, such a frenzy with myself for not seeing it!

"Poor dear Midwinter! Yes, '_dear._' I don't care. I'm lonely and helpless. I want somebody who is gentle and loving to make much of me; I wish I had his head on my bosom again; I have a good mind to go to London and marry him. Am I mad? Yes; all people who are as miserable as I am are mad. I must go to the window and get some air. Shall I jump out? No; it disfigures one so, and the coroner's inquest lets so many people see it.

"The air has revived me. I begin to remember that I have Time on my side, at any rate. Nobody knows but me of their secret meetings in the park the first thing in the morning. If jealous old Bashwood, who is slinking and sly enough for anything, tries to look privately after Armadale, in his own interests, he will try at the usual time when he goes to the steward's office. He knows nothing of Miss Milroy's early habits; and he won't be on the spot till Armadale has got back to the house. For another week to come, I may wait and watch them, and choose my own time and way of interfering the moment I see a chance of his getting the better of her hesitation, and making her say Yes.

"So here I wait, without knowing how things will end with Midwinter in London; with my purse getting emptier and emptier, and no appearance so far of any new pupils to fill it; with Mother Oldershaw certain to insist on having her money back the moment she knows I have failed; without prospects, friends, or hopes of any kind--a lost woman, if ever there was a lost woman yet. Well! I say it again and again and again--I don't care! Here I stop, if I sell the clothes off my back, if I hire myself at the public-house to play to the brutes in the tap-room; here Istop till the time comes, and I see the way to parting Armadale and Miss Milroy forever!

"Seven o'clock.--Any signs that the time is coming yet? I hardly know; there are signs of a change, at any rate, in my position in the neighborhood.

"Two of the oldest and ugliest of the many old and ugly ladies who took up my case when I left Major Milroy's service have just called, announcing themselves, with the insufferable impudence of charitable Englishwomen, as a deputation from my patronesses. It seems that the news of my reconciliation with Armadale has spread from the servants' offices at the great house, and has reached the town, with this result.

"It is the unanimous opinion of my 'patronesses' (and the opinion of Major Milroy also, who has been consulted) that I have acted with the most inexcusable imprudence in going to Armadale's house, and in there speaking on friendly terms with a man whose conduct toward myself has made his name a by-word in the neighborhood. My total want of self-respect in this matter has given rise to a report that I am trading as cleverly as ever on my good looks, and that I am as likely as not to end in making Armadale marry me, after all. My 'patronesses' are, of course, too charitable to believe this. They merely feel it necessary to remonstrate with me in a Christian spirit, and to warn me that any second and similar imprudence on my part would force all my best friends in the plate to withdraw the countenance and protection which I now enjoy.

"Having addressed me, turn and turn about, in these terms (evidently all rehearsed beforehand), my two Gorgon visitors straightened themselves in their chairs, and looked at me as much as to say, 'You may often have heard of Virtue, Miss Gwilt, but we don't believe you ever really saw it in full bloom till we came and called on you.'

"Seeing they were bent on provoking me, I kept my temper, and answered them in my smoothest, sweetest, and most lady-like manner. I have noticed that the Christianity of a certain class of respectable people begins when they open their prayer-books at eleven o'clock on Sunday morning, and ends when they shut them up again at one o'clock on Sunday afternoon. Nothing so astonishes and insults Christians of this sort as reminding them of their Christianity on a week-day. On this hint, as the man says in the play, I spoke.

" 'What have I done that is wrong?' I asked, innocently. 'Mr.

同类推荐
  • 太上灵宝净明院真师密诰

    太上灵宝净明院真师密诰

    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。
  • 蠡海集

    蠡海集

    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。
  • The Crowd

    The Crowd

    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。
  • The Complete Angler

    The Complete Angler

    To the Right worshipfulJohn Offleyof Madeley Manor, in the County of Stafford Esquire, My most honoured FriendSir,-- I have made so ill use of your former favours, as by them to be encouraged to entreat, that they may be enlarged to the patronage and protection of this Book.
  • 洞真黄书

    洞真黄书

    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
  • 重生之最强高手

    重生之最强高手

    仙界天骄苏墨魂穿地球,成为清水市一名普通的高中生。炼丹治病,炼器杀敌,制符防身,布阵收校花……一路扮猪吃虎,纵横都市。全职最强高手,才是王道。
  • 要选他还是他

    要选他还是他

    原本开开心心的陈梦阳,突然遇见男神。第一次在咖啡店见到男神,他特别温柔,但是在学校的他竟然判若两人!后来才知道其实她认识他们两个!一个温柔如猫,一个霸气如虎,两个都很优秀,可是偏偏可怜的小羊对两个人都有好感,她一直在想,要选他还是他啊!
  • 新红楼美梦

    新红楼美梦

    神天的贪狼神君误闯入太虚幻境,巧遇刚刚凝神化形的绛珠仙子。又因绛珠仙子欲还神瑛侍者的甘露之恩,纠结了三者数世恩怨。贪狼星君几世为人,从警幻仙姑口中明白红楼梦是怎么回事,最终毁掉了金陵十二钗金册,穿越进了石头记中,改写了红楼梦中贾府各人的人生、家族命运。
  • 一笑倾城,再笑陌路

    一笑倾城,再笑陌路

    号外!号外!最近出了个新游戏[剑归心],夏亦紫玩了这个游戏后认识了第一美男子南宫夜……之后……(贼笑)自己想象
  • 灵宝仙间

    灵宝仙间

    在这片大陆上,有一群幸运儿自出生便携带了一片空间,空间千奇百怪:有植物系、灵兽系、海洋系、亡灵系、灵魂系.........我们的故事发生在大陆最普通的一个小村子里。
  • 恶魔校草恋上野蛮女孩

    恶魔校草恋上野蛮女孩

    一天晚上,白溪喝醉了酒,将冷安抵在墙上,迷迷糊糊问:“你那天干嘛吻我,你知道吗?那我可是我的初吻啊!”他将她的手移开,反壁咚,性感嘴唇贴近她的嘴角:“噢,是吗?那我就是你的初恋咯?”开学第一天,他们就成了冤家,不仅在同一个班,还是同桌。之后又因学校的训练营而同居在一起。“冷安,你干嘛!”“冷安,你干嘛又不穿衣服!”“冷安,你别太过分了!!”他将她抱在怀里,嘴角挂起邪恶的笑容,:“我还有更过分的,要不要试试,我不介意。”“你个流氓!死变态!”
  • 东方奇谭之千殇

    东方奇谭之千殇

    别怕,这里有鬼,但很温暖!这是一个人、鬼、妖、灵共存的世界…
  • 君不负卿

    君不负卿

    “若我错了你可愿原谅我只这一次”“王爷高高在上,何必祈求民妇的原谅”一袭墨绿,一抹鹅黄,一承紫衣。一次真心,一场阴谋,演绎虐恋。
  • 滋润教师心灵的情感美文

    滋润教师心灵的情感美文

    本套丛书共四本,在原书的基础上进行修订、补充,从提高教师人文素质入手,力求在心灵情感、育人智慧、教育艺术等方面,对千万教师进行由表及里、层层深入的滋养和浇灌,希望借此培育出一批彰显人格魅力的知名教师和教育专家。《中外教育名家的教育智慧(修订本)》:编者放眼人类教育进程,遴选出对教育产生重大影响的近百位教育名家,对其生平、教育思想、学术成果等进行介绍评说。在人类文明的进程中,数不清的教育大家,手擎着大旗,浓书着历史,描绘着蓝图,才有了今日教育的巨大进步。他们站在教育的殿堂里,发出的宏音,留下的足印,历史永远都不应该忘记,也不会忘记。
  • 福妻驾到

    福妻驾到

    现代饭店彪悍老板娘魂穿古代。不分是非的极品婆婆?三年未归生死不明的丈夫?心狠手辣的阴毒亲戚?贪婪而好色的地主老财?吃上顿没下顿的贫困宭境?不怕不怕,神仙相助,一技在手,天下我有!且看现代张悦娘,如何身带福气玩转古代,开面馆、收小弟、左纳财富,右傍美男,共绘幸福生活大好蓝图!!!!快本新书《天媒地聘》已经上架开始销售,只要3.99元即可将整本书抱回家,你还等什么哪,赶紧点击下面的直通车,享受乐乐精心为您准备的美食盛宴吧!)