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tea-table talk(茶桌上的谈话)-第2节

小说: tea-table talk(茶桌上的谈话) 字数: 每页4000字

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distinguish between the true and the false。          So it is with love。 The more it 

is   cheapened;     ridiculed;   employed     for   market    purposes;    the  less  the 

inclination to affect itto be in love with love; as Heine admitted he was; 

for its own sake。〃 

     〃Is the necessity to love born in us;〃 said the Girton Girl; 〃or do we 

practise to acquire it because it is the fashionmake up our mind to love; 

as boys learn to smoke; because every other fellow does it; and we do not 

like to be peculiar?〃 

     〃The    majority    of   men    and   women;〃      said  the   Minor    Poet;   〃are 

incapable of love。       With most it is a mere animal passion; with others a 

mild affection。〃 

     〃We talk about love;〃 said the Philosopher; 〃as though it were a known 

quantity。    After all; to say that a man loves is like saying that he paints or 

plays    the  violin;  it  conveys    no  meaning     until  we   have   witnessed    his 

performance。       Yet   to hear the   subject   discussed;   one   might imagine the 

love of a Dante or a society Johnny; of a Cleopatra or a Georges Sand; to 

be precisely the same thing。〃 

     〃It was always   poor   Susan's   trouble;〃 said the Woman   of   the World; 

〃she could never be persuaded that Jim really loved her。              It was very sad; 

because I am sure he was devoted to her; in his way。             But he could not do 

the sort of things she wanted him to do; she was so romantic。               He did try。 

He used to go to all the poetical plays and study them。             But he hadn't the 

knack of it and he was naturally clumsy。             He would rush into the room 

and fling himself on his knees before her; never noticing the dog; so that; 

instead of pouring out his heart as he had intended; he would have to start 

off with; 'So awfully sorry!       Hope I haven't hurt the little beast?'        Which 

was enough to put anybody out。〃 

     〃Young girls are so foolish;〃 said the Old Maid; 〃they run after what 

glitters; and do not see the gold until it is too late。          At first they are all 



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eyes and no heart。〃 

     〃I knew a girl;〃 I said; 〃or; rather; a young married woman; who was 

cured of folly by the homoeopathic method。                 Her great trouble was that 

her husband had ceased to be her lover。〃 

     〃It   seems   to   me   so   sad;〃   said   the   Old   Maid。 〃Sometimes   it   is   the 

woman's       fault;  sometimes      the   man's;    more    often    both。    The     little 

courtesies; the fond words; the tender nothings that mean so much to those 

that loveit would cost so little not to forget them; and they would make 

life so much more beautiful。〃 

     〃There is a line of common sense running through all things;〃 I replied; 

〃the secret of life consists in not diverging far from it on either side。               He 

had been the most devoted wooer; never happy out of her eyes; but before 

they had been married a year she found to her astonishment that he could 

be content even away from her skirts; that he actually took pains to render 

himself agreeable to other women。             He would spend whole afternoons at 

his club; slip out for a walk occasionally by himself; shut himself up now 

and again in his study。        It went so far that one day he expressed a distinct 

desire to leave her for a week and go a…fishing with some other men。                   She 

never complainedat least; not to him。〃            〃That is where she was foolish;〃 

said   the   Girton   Girl。   〃Silence   in   such   cases   is   a   mistake。 The   other 

party does not know what is the matter with you; and you yourselfyour 

temper bottled up within become more disagreeable every day。〃 

     〃She confided her trouble to a friend;〃 I explained。 

     〃I   so  dislike   people   who   do   that;〃   said   the   Woman   of   the   World。 

〃Emily never would speak to George; she would come and complain about 

him  to   me;   as   if   I   were   responsible   for him: I   wasn't   even   his   mother。 

When she had finished; George would come along; and I had to listen to 

the whole thing over again from his point of view。 I got so tired of it at last 

that I determined to stop it。〃 

     〃How   did   you   succeed?〃   asked   the   Old   Maid;   who   appeared   to   be 

interested in the recipe。 

     〃I knew George was coming one afternoon;〃 explained the Woman of 

the   World;    〃so   I  persuaded     Emily    to  wait   in  the  conservatory。      She 

thought I was going to give him good advice; instead of that I sympathised 



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with him and encouraged him to speak his mind freely; which he did。                         It 

made her so mad that she came out and told him what she thought of him。 

I left them at it。    They were both of them the better for it; and so was I。〃 

     〃In my case;〃 I said; 〃it came about differently。              Her friend explained 

to him just what was happening。             She pointed out to him how his neglect 

and   indifference   were   slowly   alienating   his   wife's   affections   from   him。 

He argued the subject。 

     〃'But   a   lover   and   a   husband   are   not   the   same;'   he   contended;   'the 

situation     is  entirely   different。    You    run   after   somebody      you    want   to 

overtake; but when you have caught him up; you settle down quietly and 

walk      beside    him;    you    don't    continue     shouting     and    waving      your 

handkerchief after you have gained him。' 

     〃Their mutual friend presented the problem differently。〃 

     〃'You   must   hold   what   you   have   won;'   she   said;   'or   it   will   slip   away 

from   you。     By  a   certain   course   of   conduct   and   behaviour   you   gained   a 

sweet   girl's   regard;   show   yourself   other   than   you   were;   how   can   you 

expect her to think the same of you?' 

     〃'You   mean;'   he   inquired;   'that   I   should   talk   and   act   as   her   husband 

exactly as I did when her lover?' 

     〃'Precisely;' said the friend 'why not?' 

     〃'It seems to me a mistake;' he grumbled。 

     〃'Try it and see;' said the friend。 

     〃'All   right;'   he   said;   'I   will。' And   he   went   straight   home   and   set   to 

work。〃 

     〃Was   it   too   late;〃   asked   the   Old   Maid;   〃or   did   they   come   together 

again?〃 

     〃For   the   next   mouth;〃   I   answered;   〃they   were   together   twenty…four 

hours of the day。        And then it was the wife who suggested; like the poet 

in   Gilbert's    Fatience;    the  delight    with   which    she   would     welcome      an 

occasional afternoon off。〃 

     〃He hung about her while she was dressing in the morning。                       Just as 

she had got her hair fixed he would kiss it passionately and it would come 

down again。        All meal…time he would hold her hand under the table and 

insist on feeding her with a fork。           Before marriage he had behaved once 



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or   twice    in  this  sort  of  way    at  picnics;   and    after  marriage;    when     at 

breakfast…time he had sat at the other end of the table reading the paper or 

his letters; she had reminded him of it reproachfully。                The entire day he 

never left her side。       She could never read a book; instead; he would read 

to   her   aloud;   generally   Browning'   poems   or   translations   from   Goethe。 

Reading   aloud   was   not   an   accomplishment   of   his;   but   in   their   courting 

days she had expressed herself pleased at his attempts; and of this he took 

care;   in   his   turn;   to   remind   her。 It   was   his   idea   that   if   the   game   were 

played at all; she should take a hand also。           If he was to blither; it was only 

fair   that   she   should   bleat   back。   As   he   explained;   for   the   future   they 

would both be lovers all their life long; and no logical argument in reply 

could she think of。       If she tried to write a letter; he would snatch away the 

paper her dear hands were pressing and fall to kissing itand; of course; 

smearing it。       When he  wasn't giving   her  pins and   needles by  sitting  on 

her feet he was balancing himself on the arm of her chair and occasionally 

falling over on top of her。          If she went shopping; he went with her and 

made himself ridiculous at the dressmaker's。              In society he took no notice 

of anybody but of her; and was hurt if she spoke to anybody but to him。 

Not   that   it

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