登陆注册
15732900000005

第5章

Should he? The car turned in at the drive. It was too late! And he only waited, jumping up and down in his excitement. The car came quickly, whirred, and stopped. His father got out, exactly like life. He bent down and little Jon bobbed up--they bumped. His father said "Bless us! Well, old man, you are brown!" Just as he would; and the sense of expectation--of something wanted--bubbled unextinguished in little Jon. Then, with a long, shy look he saw his mother, in a blue dress, with a blue motor scarf over her cap and hair, smiling. He jumped as high as ever he could, twined his legs behind her back, and hugged. He heard her gasp, and felt her hugging back. His eyes, very dark blue just then, looked into hers, very dark brown, till her lips closed on his eyebrow, and, squeezing with all his might, he heard her creak and laugh, and say:

"You are strong, Jon!"

He slid down at that, and rushed into the hall, dragging her by the hand.

While he was eating his jam beneath the oak tree, he noticed things about his mother that he had never seemed to see before, her cheeks for instance were creamy, there were silver threads in her dark goldy hair, her throat had no knob in it like Bella's, and she went in and out softly. He noticed, too, some little lines running away from the corners of her eyes, and a nice darkness under them. She was ever so beautiful, more beautiful than "Da" or Mademoiselle, or "Auntie" June or even "Auntie" Holly, to whom he had taken a fancy; even more beautiful than Bella, who had pink cheeks and came out too suddenly in places. This new beautifulness of his mother had a kind of particular importance, and he ate less than he had expected to.

When tea was over his father wanted him to walk round the gardens.

He had a long conversation with his father about things in general, avoiding his private life--Sir Lamorac, the Austrians, and the emptiness he had felt these last three days, now so suddenly filled up. His father told him of a place called Glensofantrim, where he and his mother had been; and of the little people who came out of the ground there when it was very quiet. Little Jon came to a halt, with his heels apart.

"Do you really believe they do, Daddy?" "No, Jon, but I thought you might.""Why?""You're younger than I; and they're fairies." Little Jon squared the dimple in his chin.

"I don't believe in fairies. I never see any." "Ha!" said his father.

"Does Mum?"

His father smiled his funny smile.

"No; she only sees Pan."

"What's Pan?"

"The Goaty God who skips about in wild and beautiful places.""Was he in Glensofantrim?""Mum said so."

Little Jon took his heels up, and led on.

"Did you see him?"

"No; I only saw Venus Anadyomene."

Little Jon reflected; Venus was in his book about the Greeks and Trojans. Then Anna was her Christian and Dyomene her surname?

But it appeared, on inquiry, that it was one word, which meant rising from the foam.

"Did she rise from the foam in Glensofantrim?""Yes; every day.""What is she like, Daddy?"

"Like Mum."

"Oh! Then she must be..." but he stopped at that, rushed at a wall, scrambled up, and promptly scrambled down again. The discovery that his mother was beautiful was one which he felt must absolutely be kept to himself. His father's cigar, however, took so long to smoke, that at last he was compelled to say:

"I want to see what Mum's brought home. Do you mind, Daddy?"He pitched the motive low, to absolve him from unmanliness, and was a little disconcerted when his father looked at him right through, heaved an important sigh, and answered:

"All right, old man, you go and love her."He went, with a pretence of slowness, and then rushed, to make up.

He entered her bedroom from his own, the door being open. She was still kneeling before a trunk, and he stood close to her, quite still.

She knelt up straight, and said:

"Well, Jon?"

"I thought I'd just come and see."

Having given and received another hug, he mounted the window-seat, and tucking his legs up under him watched her unpack. He derived a pleasure from the operation such as he had not yet known, partly because she was taking out things which looked suspicious, and partly because he liked to look at her. She moved differently from anybody else, especially from Bella; she was certainly the refinedest-looking person he had ever seen. She finished the trunk at last, and knelt down in front of him.

"Have you missed us, Jon?"

Little Jon nodded, and having thus admitted his feelings, continued to nod.

"But you had 'Auntie' June?"

"Oh! she had a man with a cough."

His mother's face changed, and looked almost angry. He added hastily:

"He was a poor man, Mum; he coughed awfully; I--I liked him."His mother put her hands behind his waist.

"You like everybody, Jon?"

Little Jon considered.

"Up to a point," he said: "Auntie June took me to church one Sunday.""To church? Oh!""She wanted to see how it would affect me." "And did it?""Yes. I came over all funny, so she took me home again very quick.

I wasn't sick after all. I went to bed and had hot brandy and water, and read The Boys of Beechwood. It was scrumptious."His mother bit her lip.

"When was that?"

"Oh! about--a long time ago--I wanted her to take me again, but she wouldn't. You and Daddy never go to church, do you?""No, we don't.""Why don't you?"

His mother smiled.

"Well, dear, we both of us went when we were little. Perhaps we went when we were too little.""I see," said little Jon, "it's dangerous.""You shall judge for yourself about all those things as you grow up."Little Jon replied in a calculating manner:

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 临界裂痕

    临界裂痕

    宇宙渐缩,仙魔大战,烽火连城;神弃万物,自创空间,躲避灾难;待宇宙重生,重幻化万物。上邪古剑,穿越异界。自江湖奋起而剑指仙神,终以魔镇道成一代魔神。宇宙毁灭,上邪魔神持上邪劈开宇宙桎梏,创新世界;再诛神灭世,成天地主宰。………………感谢腾讯文学书评团提供书评支持!
  • 超能暴君

    超能暴君

    “既然回不去,何不在这个时代打出一片天下!”陈青锋遥望紫禁城,狠狠说道。
  • 上方大洞真元阴阳陟降图书后解

    上方大洞真元阴阳陟降图书后解

    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。
  • 我爱的人易烊千玺

    我爱的人易烊千玺

    我爱上了一个人,帅气、个个方面都很棒、优等生。易烊千玺的小说
  • 半个我

    半个我

    每个人心里都有一座关于爱情的墓碑,你回忆或是忘记,它就安安静静在那里,守着只属于你的青春回忆······
  • 火岭红鱼

    火岭红鱼

    华袭在一次意外被卷入海来到了名为火岭的世界真宿在梨花树上叼着草低着头手里玩着我的石头。“为什么要抢我的石头!”少年抬起头,他挑起眉问道“这是你的?明明这是火岭才有的东西。”是么?可是这是我小时候在海边捡到的,这石头还弄破了我的脚。倒是刚才,我的石头掉进海里,找到它时却看到一缕红把我的石头抢了。”少年对着光又仔细瞧瞧我的石头“的确,透明的石头里倒是有血丝,看起来也有几年,你叫什么?”“还我。”“叫还我?到底叫什么?”“快还我”“你告诉我我就还你”少年抛了抛石头说道我瞪了他一眼“华袭,你快还我。”“华袭?我叫真宿,以后我叫你阿袭,就这样决定了”他把石头丢回了我。就这样华袭与真宿之间的故事开始了。
  • 兄弟闯都市

    兄弟闯都市

    三个生死兄弟,一个是杀手界至尊,回归都市后成为黑道王者。一个是雇佣兵至尊,接受任务保护冷艳美女。一个是商业霸道总裁,运筹帷幄,过关斩将。看辉,冷锋,冷漠称霸世界。。。。
  • 带个小宇宙闯异界

    带个小宇宙闯异界

    真神开天是陈天齐所在真神宇宙的主神,战败陨落了。真神宇宙随之破碎,真神开天残留的意志随机选择了猪脚,附带着小宇宙一起送往异时空...
  • 丑女重生:美男攻略

    丑女重生:美男攻略

    丑女窦苗被亲母厌恶,与邻居高富帅突遭意外一同坠落山崖,重生金鼎国!她变漂亮了,她是七少奶奶,可是七爷却是个和尚!佛陀普渡众生,她普渡圣僧!但是就是这个圣僧也有人跟她争!王爷之位争红了眼,她的七爷当然也不是吃素的!风头出尽,她与七爷被棒打鸳鸯!摆平王府斗皇宫,谁夺走她的七爷,她跟谁没完,就算女皇也不例外!还我七爷,还有你的皇位,姑奶奶我要一统天下!
  • 银质

    银质

    平凡的学校,平凡的日常,平凡的男主角遇上满身伤痕的少女,一切都变了。我想讲述的,是一个有关爱与恨,忠贞与背叛,稚嫩与成熟,牺牲与成长的故事。会有热情的吻,伤心的泪,甚至是绝望,恐惧。我本来想,刻画一个比较完美的主角形象,那是我十年前的想法了,随着年龄的增长,经历的增加,在我心目中的形象就愈发清晰起来,把他放到各种各样的故事中,完成人格的雕塑,灵魂的塑造。总的来说,会是一篇奇幻的故事,主角们有着各种奇妙的力量,也背负着沉重的责任,和悲痛的过往,有些甚至是不愿回忆的伤痛,但是这也正是力量的来源,正如前面所说,是爱与恨。