the heir of redclyffe-第10节
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and very much misplaced。 Could you guess what a conflict it is every
time I am helped up that mountain of a staircase; or the slope of my
sofa is altered? Last time Philip stayed here; every step cost an
argument; till at last; through sheer exhaustion; I left myself a dead
weight on his hands; to be carried up by main strength。 And after all;
he is such a great; strong fellow; that I am afraid he did not mind it;
so next time I _crutched_ myself down alone; and I hope that did
provoke him。'
'Sir Guy is so kind that I am ashamed;' said Mrs。 Edmonstone。 'It
seems as if we had brought him for the sole purpose of waiting on
Charles。'
'Half his heart is in his horse;' said Charles。 'Never had man such
delight in the 〃brute creation。〃'
'They have been his chief playfellows;' said Mrs。 Edmonstone。 'The
chief of his time was spent in wandering in the woods or on the beach;
watching them and their ways。'
'I fairly dreamt of that Elysium of his last night;' said Charles: 'a
swamp half frozen on a winter's night; full of wild ducks。 Here;
Charlotte; come and tell Mary the roll of Guy's pets。'
Charlotte began。 'There was the sea…gull; and the hedgehog; and the
fox; and the badger; and the jay; and the monkey; that he bought
because it was dying; and cured it; only it died the next winter; and a
toad; and a raven; and a squirrel; and'
'That will do; Charlotte。'
'Oh! but Mary has not heard the names of all his dogs。 And Mary; he
has cured Bustle of hunting my Puss。 We held them up to each other; and
Puss hissed horribly; but Bustle did not mind it a bit; and the other
day; when Charles tried to set him at her; he would not take the least
notice。'
'Now; Charlotte;' said Charles; waving his hand; with a provoking mock
politeness; 'have the goodness to return to your friends。
Tea over; Laura proposed the game of definitions。 'You know it。
Philip;' said she; 'you taught us。'
'Yes I learnt it of your sisters; Thorndale;' said Philip。
'0 pray let us have it。 It must be charming!' exclaimed Miss Harper;
on this recommendation。
'Definitions!' said Charles; contemptuously。 'Dr。 Johnson must be the
hand for them。'
'They are just the definitions not to be found in Johnson;' said Mr。
Thorndale。 'Our standing specimen is adversity; which may be
differently explained according to your taste; as 〃a toad with a
precious jewel in its head;〃 or 〃the test of friendship。〃'
'The spirit of words;' said Guy; looking eager and interested。
'Well; we'll try;' said Charles; 'though I can't say it sounds to me
promising。 Come; Maurice; define an Irishman。'
'No; no; don't let us be personal;' said Laura; 'I had thought of the
word 〃happiness〃。 We are each to write a definition on a slip of
paper; then compare them。'
The game was carried on with great spirit for more than an hour。 It
was hard to say; which made most fun; Maurice; Charles; or Guy; the
last no longer a spectator; but an active contributor to the sport。
When the break…up came; Mary and Amabel were standing over the table
together; collecting the scattered papers; and observing that it had
been very good fun。 'Some so characteristic;' said Amy; 'such as
Maurice's definition of happiness; … a row at Dublin。'
'Some were very deep; though;' said Mary; 'if it is not treason; I
should like to make out whose that other was of happiness。'
'You mean this;' said Amy: '〃Gleams from a brighter world; too soon
eclipsed or forfeited。〃 I thought it was Philip's; but it is Sir Guy's
writing。 How very sad! I should not like to think so。 And he was so
merry all the time! This is his; too; I see; this one about riches
being the freight for which the traveller is responsible。'
'There is a great deal of character in them;' said Mary。 'I should not
have wondered at any of us; penniless people; philosophizing in the fox
and grapes style; but; for him; and at his age'
'He has been brought up so as to make the theory of wisdom come early;'
said Philip; who was nearer than she thought。
'Is that intended for disparagement?' she asked quickly。
I think very highly of him; he has a great deal of sense and right
feeling;' was Philip's sedate answer; and he turned away to say some
last words to Mr。 Thorndale。
The Rosses were the last to depart; Mary in cloak and clogs; while Mr。
Edmonstone lamented that it was in vain to offer the carriage; and Mary
laughed; and thanked; and said the walk home with Papa was the greatest
of treats in the frost and star…light。
'Don't I pity you; who always go out to dinner in a carriage!' were her
last words to Laura。
'Well; Guy;' said Charlotte; 'how do you like it?'
'Very much; indeed。 It was very pleasant。'
'You are getting into the fairy ring;' said Laura; smiling。
'Ay' he said; smiling too; 'but it does not turn to tinsel。 Would it
if I saw more of it?' and he looked at Mrs; Edmonstone。
'It would be no compliment to ourselves to say so;' she answered。
'I suppose tinsel or gold depends on the using;' said he; thoughtfully;
'there are some lumps of solid gold among those papers; I am sure; one;
in particular; about a trifle。 May I see that again? I mean
'Little things
On little wings
Bear little souls to heaven。'
'Oh! that was only a quotation;' said Amy; turning over the definitions
again with him; and laughing at some of the most amusing; while; in the
mean time; Philip went to help Laura; who was putting some books away
in the ante…room。
'Yes; Laura;' he said; 'he has thought; mind; and soul; he is no mere
rattle。'
'No indeed。 Who could help seeing his superiority over Maurice?'
'If only he does not pervert his gifts; and if it is not all talk。 I
don't like such excess of openness about his feelings; it is too like
talking for talking's sake。'
'Mamma says it in the transparency of youthfulness。 You know he has
never been at school; so his thoughts come out in security of sympathy;
without fear of being laughed at。 But it is very late。 Good night。'
The frost turned to rain the next morning; and the torrents streamed
against the window; seeming to have a kind of attraction for Philip and
Guy; who stood watching them。
Guy wondered if the floods would be out at Redclyffe and his cousins
were interested by his description of the sudden; angry rush of the
mountain streams; eddying fiercely along; bearing with them tree and
rock; while the valleys became lakes; and the little mounds islets; and
the trees looked strangely out of proportion when only their branches
were visible。 'Oh! a great flood is famous fun;' said he。
'Surely;' said Philip; 'I have heard a legend of your being nearly
drowned in some flood。
'Yes;' said Guy; 'I had a tolerable ducking。'
'Oh; tell us about it!' said Amy。
'Ay! I have a curiosity to hear a personal experience of drowning;'
said Charles。 'Come; begin at the beginning。'
'I was standing watching the tremendous force of the stream; when I saw
an unhappy old ram floating along; bleating so piteously; and making
such absurd; helpless struggles; that I could not help pulling off my
coat and jumping in after him。 It was very foolish; for the stream was
too strongI was two years younger then。 Moreover; the beast was very
heavy; and not at all grateful for any kind intentions; and I found
myself sailing off to the sea; with the prospect of a good many rocks
before long; but just then an old tree stretched out its friendly arms
through the water; it stopped the sheep; and I caught hold of the
branches; and managed to scramble up; while my friend got entangled in
them with his wool'
'Omne quum Proteus pecus egit altos
Visere montes;'
quoted Philip。
'Ovium et summa; genus haesit ulmo;'
added Guy。
'_Ovium_;' exclaimed Philip; with a face of horror。 'Don't you know
that _0_ in _Ovis_ is short? Do anything but take liberties with
Horace!'
'Get out of the tree first; Guy;' said Charles; 'for at present your
history seems likely to end with a long ohone!'
'Well; Tritonnot Proteuscame to the rescue at last;' said Guy;
laughing; 'I could not stir; and the tree bent so frightfully with the
current that I expected every minute we should all go together; so I
had nothing for it but to halloo as loud as I could。 No one heard but
Triton; the old Newfoundland dog; who presently came swimming up; so
eager to help; poor fellow; that I thought he would have throttled me;
or hurt himself in the branches。 I took off my handkerchief and threw
it to him; telling him to take it to Arnaud; who I knew would
understan