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crome yellow(克罗姆·耶娄)-第30节

小说: crome yellow(克罗姆·耶娄) 字数: 每页4000字

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whole dinner。       He looked from time to time at her two sisters; Georgiana 

and     Caroline    seemed     to   be   quite   as  abstemious。      They    waved     away 

whatever was offered them with an expression of delicate disgust; shutting 

their eyes and averting their faces from the proffered dish; as though the 

lemon sole; the duck; the loin of veal; the trifle; were objects revolting to 

the sight and smell。        George; who thought the dinner capital; ventured to 

comment on the sisters' lack of appetite。 

     〃'Pray;   don't   talk   to   me   of   eating;'   said   Emmeline;   drooping   like   a 

sensitive   plant。     'We   find   it   so   coarse;   so   unspiritual;   my   sisters   and   I。 

One can't think of one's soul while one is eating。' 

     〃George agreed; one couldn't。           'But one must live;' he said。 

     〃'Alas!' Emmeline sighed。           'One must。      Death is very beautiful; don't 

you think?'      She broke a corner off a piece of toast and began to nibble at 

it languidly。     'But since; as you say; one must live。。。'             She made a little 

gesture   of   resignation。   'Luckily   a   very   little   suffices   to   keep   one   alive。' 



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She put down her corner of toast half eaten。 

     〃George   regarded   her   with       some   surprise。     She   was   pale;   but   she 

looked   extraordinarily   healthy;   he   thought;   so   did   her   sisters。   Perhaps   if 

you   were   really   spiritual   you   needed   less   food。      He;   clearly;   was   not 

spiritual。 

     〃After this he saw them  frequently。             They  all liked him;  from  Lady 

Lapith downwards。           True; he was not very romantic or poetical; but   he 

was   such     a   pleasant;   unpretentious;   kind…hearted   young   man;   that   one 

couldn't     help   liking   him。    For    his   part;  he   thought    them    wonderful; 

wonderful;      especially    Georgiana。      He     enveloped     them    all  in  a  warm; 

protective   affection。      For   they   needed   protection;   they   were   altogether 

too frail; too spiritual for this world。          They never ate; they were always 

pale;   they   often   complained   of   fever;   they   talked   much   and   lovingly   of 

death; they frequently swooned。             Georgiana was the most ethereal of all; 

of the three she ate least; swooned most often; talked most of death; and 

was the palestwith a pallor that was so startling as to appear positively 

artificial。   At any moment; it seemed; she might loose her precarious hold 

on this material world and become all spirit。               To George the thought was 

a continual agony。        If she were to die。。。 

     〃She contrived; however; to live through the season; and that in spite 

of   the   numerous      balls;  routs;   and   other   parties   of  pleasure    which;    in 

company with the rest of the lovely trio; she never failed to attend。                  In the 

middle of July the whole household moved down to the country。                        George 

was invited to spend the month of August at Crome。 

     〃The house…party was distinguished; in the list of visitors figured the 

names of two marriageable young men of title。                   George had hoped   that 

country  air;   repose;   and   natural   surroundings   might   have   restored   to   the 

three    sisters   their  appetites    and    the  roses   of   their  cheeks。     He     was 

mistaken。      For dinner; the first evening; Georgiana ate only an olive; two 

or   three   salted   almonds;   and   half   a   peach。    She   was   as   pale   as   ever。 

During the meal she spoke of love。 

     〃'True     love;'   she   said;   'being    infinite   and   eternal;    can   only    be 

consummated         in   eternity。    Indiana     and    Sir  Rodolphe      celebrated     the 

mystic     wedding      of   their   souls   by   jumping      into  Niagara。      Love      is 



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incompatible      with   life。  The     wish   of  two   people    who   truly   love  one 

another is not to live together but to die together。' 

     〃'Come; come; my dear;' said Lady Lapith; stout and practical。 'What 

would become of the next generation; pray; if all the world acted on your 

principles?' 

     〃'Mamma!。。。'       Georgiana protested; and dropped her eyes。 

     〃'In my young days;' Lady Lapith went on; 'I should have been laughed 

out   of   countenance   if   I'd   said   a   thing   like   that。 But   then   in   my   young 

days   souls   weren't   as   fashionable   as   they   are   now   and   we   didn't   think 

death was at all poetical。       It was just unpleasant。' 

     〃'Mamma!。。。' Emmeline and Caroline implored in unison。 

     〃'In   my   young   days'   Lady   Lapith   was   launched   into   her   subject; 

nothing; it seemed; could stop her now。            'In my young days; if you didn't 

eat; people told you you needed a dose of rhubarb。 Nowadays。。。' 

     〃There     was   a  cry;   Georgiana     had   swooned     sideways     on   to  Lord 

Timpany's shoulder。         It was a desperate expedient; but it was successful。 

Lady Lapith was stopped。 

     〃The days passed in an uneventful round of pleasures。                Of all the gay 

party George alone was unhappy。             Lord Timpany was paying his court to 

Georgiana;      and   it  was   clear   that  he   was   not   unfavourably      received。 

George looked on; and his soul was a hell of jealousy and despair。                    The 

boisterous   company   of       the  young    men   became     intolerable    to  him;   he 

shrank   from   them;   seeking   gloom   and   solitude。       One   morning;   having 

broken away from them on some vague pretext; he returned to the house 

alone。     The young men were bathing in the pool below; their cries   and 

laughter floated up to him; making the quiet house seem lonelier and more 

silent。 The lovely sisters and their mamma still kept their chambers; they 

did not customarily make their appearance till luncheon; so that the male 

guests had the morning to themselves。              George sat down in the hall and 

abandoned himself to thought。 

     〃At   any   moment   she   might   die;   at   any   moment   she   might   become 

Lady Timpany。         It was terrible; terrible。     If she died; then he would die 

too;   he   would   go   to   seek   her   beyond   the   grave。 If   she   became   Lady 

Timpany。。。ah; then!        The solution of the problem would not be so simple。 



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If   she   became     Lady    Timpany:       it  was    a  horrible    thought。     But    then 

suppose she were in love with Timpanythough it seemed incredible that 

anyone   could   be   in   love   with   Timpany   suppose   her   life   depended   on 

Timpany; suppose she  couldn't live   without   him?                He was   fumbling his 

way   along   this   clueless   labyrinth   of   suppositions   when   the   clock   struck 

twelve。     On   the   last   stroke;   like   an   automaton   released   by   the   turning 

clockwork; a little maid; holding a large covered tray; popped out of the 

door that led from the kitchen regions into the hall。                 From his deep arm… 

chair   George   watched   her   (himself;   it   was   evident;   unobserved)   with   an 

idle curiosity。      She pattered across the room and came to a halt in front of 

what seemed a blank expense of panelling。                 She reached out her hand and; 

to George's extreme astonishment; a little door swung open; revealing the 

foot   of   a   winding   staircase。    Turning   sideways   in   order   to   get   her   tray 

through the narrow opening; the little maid darted in with a rapid crab…like 

motion。      The     door   closed    behind    her   with   a  click。   A   minute    later   it 

opened again and the maid; without her tray; hurried back across the hall 

and     disappeared      in   the   direction    of   the   kitchen。      George      tried   to 

recompose his thoughts; but an invincible curiosity drew his mind towards 

the   hidden   door;   the   staircase;   the   little   maid。   It   was   in   vain   he   told 

himself that the matter was none of his business; that to explore the secrets 

of that surprising door; that mysterious staircase within; would be a piece 

of    unforgivable      rudeness     and   indiscretion。      It  was    in   vain;   for  five 

minutes he struggled   heroically  with his   curiosity; but   at the   end   of   that 

time he found himself 

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