登陆注册
15706100000003

第3章 First Quarter(3)

Toby was not a casuist - that he knew of, at least - and I don't mean to say that when he began to take to the Bells, and to knit up his first rough acquaintance with them into something of a closer and more delicate woof, he passed through these considerations one by one, or held any formal review or great field-day in his thoughts.But what I mean to say, and do say is, that as the functions of Toby's body, his digestive organs for example, did of their own cunning, and by a great many operations of which he was altogether ignorant, and the knowledge of which would have astonished him very much, arrive at a certain end; so his mental faculties, without his privity or concurrence, set all these wheels and springs in motion, with a thousand others, when they worked to bring about his liking for the Bells.

And though I had said his love, I would not have recalled the word, though it would scarcely have expressed his complicated feeling.

For, being but a simple man, he invested them with a strange and solemn character.They were so mysterious, often heard and never seen; so high up, so far off, so full of such a deep strong melody, that he regarded them with a species of awe; and sometimes when he looked up at the dark arched windows in the tower, he half expected to be beckoned to by something which was not a Bell, and yet was what he had heard so often sounding in the Chimes.For all this, Toby scouted with indignation a certain flying rumour that the Chimes were haunted, as implying the possibility of their being connected with any Evil thing.In short, they were very often in his ears, and very often in his thoughts, but always in his good opinion; and he very often got such a crick in his neck by staring with his mouth wide open, at the steeple where they hung, that he was fain to take an extra trot or two, afterwards, to cure it.

The very thing he was in the act of doing one cold day, when the last drowsy sound of Twelve o'clock, just struck, was humming like a melodious monster of a Bee, and not by any means a busy bee, all through the steeple!

'Dinner-time, eh!' said Toby, trotting up and down before the church.'Ah!'

Toby's nose was very red, and his eyelids were very red, and he winked very much, and his shoulders were very near his ears, and his legs were very stiff, and altogether he was evidently a long way upon the frosty side of cool.

'Dinner-time, eh!' repeated Toby, using his right-hand muffler like an infantine boxing-glove, and punishing his chest for being cold.

'Ah-h-h-h!'

He took a silent trot, after that, for a minute or two.

'There's nothing,' said Toby, breaking forth afresh - but here he stopped short in his trot, and with a face of great interest and some alarm, felt his nose carefully all the way up.It was but a little way (not being much of a nose) and he had soon finished.

'I thought it was gone,' said Toby, trotting off again.'It's all right, however.I am sure I couldn't blame it if it was to go.It has a precious hard service of it in the bitter weather, and precious little to look forward to; for I don't take snuff myself.

It's a good deal tried, poor creetur, at the best of times; for when it DOES get hold of a pleasant whiff or so (which an't too often) it's generally from somebody else's dinner, a-coming home from the baker's.'

The reflection reminded him of that other reflection, which he had left unfinished.

'There's nothing,' said Toby, 'more regular in its coming round than dinner-time, and nothing less regular in its coming round than dinner.That's the great difference between 'em.It's took me a long time to find it out.I wonder whether it would be worth any gentleman's while, now, to buy that obserwation for the Papers; or the Parliament!'

Toby was only joking, for he gravely shook his head in self-depreciation.

'Why! Lord!' said Toby.'The Papers is full of obserwations as it is; and so's the Parliament.Here's last week's paper, now;'

taking a very dirty one from his pocket, and holding it from him at arm's length; 'full of obserwations! Full of obserwations! I like to know the news as well as any man,' said Toby, slowly; folding it a little smaller, and putting it in his pocket again: 'but it almost goes against the grain with me to read a paper now.It frightens me almost.I don't know what we poor people are coming to.Lord send we may be coming to something better in the New Year nigh upon us!'

'Why, father, father!' said a pleasant voice, hard by.

But Toby, not hearing it, continued to trot backwards and forwards:

musing as he went, and talking to himself.

'It seems as if we can't go right, or do right, or be righted,'

said Toby.'I hadn't much schooling, myself, when I was young; and I can't make out whether we have any business on the face of the earth, or not.Sometimes I think we must have - a little; and sometimes I think we must be intruding.I get so puzzled sometimes that I am not even able to make up my mind whether there is any good at all in us, or whether we are born bad.We seem to be dreadful things; we seem to give a deal of trouble; we are always being complained of and guarded against.One way or other, we fill the papers.Talk of a New Year!' said Toby, mournfully.'I can bear up as well as another man at most times; better than a good many, for I am as strong as a lion, and all men an't; but supposing it should really be that we have no right to a New Year - supposing we really ARE intruding - '

'Why, father, father!' said the pleasant voice again.

Toby heard it this time; started; stopped; and shortening his sight, which had been directed a long way off as seeking the enlightenment in the very heart of the approaching year, found himself face to face with his own child, and looking close into her eyes.

同类推荐
  • Alfred Tennyson

    Alfred Tennyson

    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。
  • 土司灯仪

    土司灯仪

    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。
  • 沩山警策句释记

    沩山警策句释记

    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。
  • 哀江南赋

    哀江南赋

    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。
  • 五字陀罗尼颂

    五字陀罗尼颂

    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
  • 丫丫不分时代

    丫丫不分时代

    毕业聚会回家路上见鬼,出门被“狗咬”,哎,咱也赶下时髦,跟咱家男人游走时空去。
  • 公主爱你一世不会变

    公主爱你一世不会变

    公主的华丽归来,是否能得到王子的真心?当意外收获爱情之时,是否欣然接受?当爱情之路不会一帆风顺是,他们还会坚持么?
  • 美人双生:一世清欢

    美人双生:一世清欢

    这年云京百姓中盛传的便是尚书府中失踪十余年的小姐被寻回,人人皆道此女大难已过必有后福。?后福?如果与一群整日勾心斗角的女人何处不相逢也算是的吧,那她以前可真是逍遥似神仙了。?也罢,此生她本就只求护得那人一世长安便可。?可从几时起谁又能告诉她,为何她无心求权,却里权势的距离越来越近,为何会沉醉于那妖人浅笑而呼吸微滞。?她非莲,手执三尺染血青锋,杀出这天地间自己的一尺三寸。?她非凰,却非命运所能摆布,更惹得那般自傲之人为之倾心。?美人多面,谁是她真实的容颜。?时过境迁,能否再度榆下清欢。?
  • 神仙食炁金柜妙录

    神仙食炁金柜妙录

    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。
  • 思念成城

    思念成城

    伊映雪恨不起也爱不起,所以选择了逃避,同时也抛下了自己的好友,独自开始新的生活。可他们却发现分开是一件很痛苦的事情。在伊映雪离开后,她喜欢的人跟别人有了家庭有了孩子,此时的她更是绝望……
  • tfboys—心之萌动

    tfboys—心之萌动

    有人问我“tfboys在你心里有多重要?““tfboys在我心里有200克”“为什么是200克呢?”“因为一个人的心只有200克。”
  • 中国大时局2014:问题、困境和必然抉择

    中国大时局2014:问题、困境和必然抉择

    本书是关于中国历史、现状与未来的全景式著作,一本书让你看懂中国两百年的风云变幻,看懂中国的人和事,看懂中国过去、现状和未来。
  • TFBOYS之少女的复仇路

    TFBOYS之少女的复仇路

    她,冷若冰霜;她,活泼开朗;她温柔体贴。她们回国复仇,然而,她们遇上他们后,复仇的计划会变成怎么样?她们能顺利成功的复仇吗?(本宝宝第一次写文,不喜勿看勿喷)〖声明:本文纯属虚构,请勿上升真人〗
  • 菩提塲庄严陀罗尼经

    菩提塲庄严陀罗尼经

    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。
  • 邪狂众云生

    邪狂众云生

    上一世,她为他付出一切,助他登基为帝,最后却落得个身死冷宫的下场。这一世,她重生为从前的自己。为了不遇见他,她想尽了办法。但是到最后,她,却遇见了他。前世前太子妃,死后穿越回二十岁的自己,上一世为他付出了一切,这一世,为了感化他亦付出了自己的一切,因为她相信他跟他不是一样的人。他,皇帝二皇子,同时也是大周冷面军神。小时候遇见她,与她分离。长大后不断寻找她,为了她改变自己,禁锢自己。最终,他们何去何从?