jeremy-第18节
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〃I have them; too;〃 said Jeremy。 〃It's generally; I expect; because
I eat too muchat least; the Jampot used to say so。 They're in my
head sometimes; too。 And then I'm really sick。 Do you feel sick?〃
Miss Jones began to pull herself together。 She wiped her eyes and
patted her hair。
〃It's my neuralgia;〃 she said again。 〃It's from my eyes partly; I
expect。〃
〃It's better to be sick;〃 continued Jeremy; 〃if you can be〃
She flung him then a desperate look; as though she were really an
animal at bay。
〃You see; I can't go away;〃 she said。 〃I've nowhere to go to。 I've
no friends; nor relations; and no one will take me for their
children; if Mrs。 Cole says I can't keep order。〃
〃Then I suppose you'd go to the workhouse;〃 continued Jeremy;
pursuing her case with excited interest。 〃That's what the Jampot
always used to say; that one day she'd end in the workhouse; and
that's a horrible place; SHE said; where there was nothing but
porridge to eat; and sometimes they took all your clothes off and
scrubbed your back with that hard yellow soap they wash Hamlet
with。〃
His eyes grew wide with the horrible picture。
〃Oh; Miss Jones; you mustn't go there!〃
〃Would you mind;〃 she said; 〃just getting me some water from thejug
over there? There's a glass there。〃
Still proud of the level to which he had been raised; but puzzled
beyond any words as to this new realisation of Miss Jones; he
fetched her the water; then; standing quite close to her; he said:
〃You must stay with us; always。〃
She looked up at him; and they exchanged a glance。
With that glance Miss Jones learnt more about children than she had
ever learnt beforemore; indeed; than most people learn in all
their mortal lives。
〃I can't stay;〃 she said; and she even smiled a little; 〃if you're
always naughty。〃
〃We won't be naughty any more。〃 He sighed。 〃It was great fun; of
course; but we won't do it any more。 We never knew you minded。〃
〃Never knew I minded?〃
〃At least; we never thought about you at all。 Helen did sometimes。
She said you had a headache when you were very yellow in the
morning; but I said it was only because you were old。 But we'll be
good now。 I'll tell them too〃
Then he added: 〃But you won't go away now even if we're not always
good? We won't always be; I suppose; and I'm going to school in
September; and it will be better then; I expect。 I'm too old;
really; to learn with girls now。〃
She wanted terribly to kiss him; and; had she done so; the whole
good work of the last quarter of an hour would have been undone。 He
was aware of her temptation; he felt it in the air。 She saw the
warning in his eyes。 The moment passed。
〃You won't go away; will you?〃 he said again。
〃Not if you're good;〃 she said。
IV
Half an hour later; when Mary and Helen returned from their walk;
they were addressed by Jeremy。
〃She was crying because we'd been so naughty; and she had pains in
her head; and her brother was dead。 Her brother was very strong; and
he used to row in a boat forty years ago。 She told me all about it;
just as though I'd been Aunt Amy or Mother。 And she says that if we
go on being naughty she'll go away; and no one else will have her;
because they'll hear about our having been naughty。 And I told her
about the workhouse and the porridge and the yellow soap that the
Jampot told us of; and it would be awful if she went there because
of us; wouldn't it?〃
〃Awful;〃 said Mary。
But Helen said: 〃She wouldn't go there。 She'd take a little house;
like Miss Dobell; and have tea…parties on Thursdayssomewhere near
the Cathedral。〃
〃No; she wouldn't!〃 said Jeremy excitedly。 〃How could she take a
little house if she hadn't any money? She told me she hadn't; and no
friends; nor nobody; and she cried like anything〃 He paused for
breath; then concluded: 〃So we've got to be good now; and learn
sums; and not make her jump。 Really and truly; we must。〃
〃I always thought you were very silly to make so much noise;〃 said
Helen in a superior fashion。 〃You and Marybabies!〃
〃We're not babies;〃 shouted Jeremy。
〃Yes; you are。〃
〃No; we're not。〃
Miss Jones was no longer the subject of the conversation。
That same day it happened that rumours were brought to Mrs。 Cole
through Rose; the housemaid; or some other medium for the first
time; of Miss Jones's incapacity。
That evening Jeremy was spending his last half…hour before bedtime
in his mother's room happily in a corner with his toy village。 He
suddenly heard his mother say to Aunt Amy:
〃I'm afraid Miss Jones won't do。 I thought she was managing the
children; but now I hear that she can't keep order at all。 I'm
sorryit's so difficult to get anyone。〃
Jeremy sprang up from the floor; startling the ladies; who had
forgotten that he was there。
〃She's all right;〃 he cried。 〃Really she is; Mother。 We're going to
be as good as anything; really we are。 You won't send her away; will
you??
〃My dear Jeremy;〃 his mother said; 〃I'd forgotten you were there。
Rose says you don't do anything Miss Jones tells you。〃
〃Rose is silly;〃 he answered。 〃She doesn't know anything about it。
But you will keep her; won't you; Mother?〃
〃I don't knowif she can't manage you〃
〃But she can manage us。 We'll be good as anything; I promise。 You
will keep her; won't you; Mother?〃
〃Really; Jeremy;〃 said Aunt Amy; 〃to bother your mother so! And it's
nearly time you went to bed。〃
He brushed her aside。 〃You will keep her; Mother; won't you ?〃
〃It depends; dear;〃 said Mrs。 Cole; laughing。 〃You see〃
〃Nowe'll be bad with everyone else;〃 he cried。 〃We will; really
everyone else。 And we'll be good with Miss Jones。〃
〃Well; so long as you're good; dear;〃 she said。 〃I'd no idea you
liked her so much。〃
〃Oh; she's all right;〃 he said。 〃But it isn't that〃 Then he
stopped; he couldn't explainespecially with that idiot Aunt Amy
there; who'd only laugh at him; or kiss him; or something else
horrible。
Afterwards; as he went slowly up to bed; he stopped for a moment in
the dark passage thinking。 The whole house was silent about him;
only the clocks whispering。
What a tiresome bother Aunt Amy was! How he wished that she were
dead! And what a bore it would be being good now with Miss Jones。 At
the same time; the renewed consciousness of her personal drama most
strangely moved himher brother who rowed; her neuralgia; her lack
of relations。 Perhaps Aunt Amy also had an exciting history! Perhaps
she also cried!
The world seemed to be suddenly filled with pressing; thronging
figures; all with businesses of their own。
It was very odd。
He pushed back the schoolroom door and blinked at the sudden light。
CHAPTER V
THE SEA…CAPTAIN
I
Very few matter…of…fact citizens of the present…day world will
understand the part that the sea used to play in our young lives
thirty years ago in Polchester。
It is very easy to look at the map and say that the sea is a
considerable distance from Polchester; and that even if you stood on
the highest ridge of the highest cornfield above the town you would
not be able to catch the faintest glimpse of it。 That may be true;
although I myself can never be completely assured; possessing so
vividly as I do a memory of a day when I stood with my nurse at the
edge of Merazion Woods and; gazing out to the horizon; saw a fleet
of ships full…sail upon the bluest of seas; and would not be
persuaded that it was merely wrack of clouds。 That may be or no; the
fact remains that Polchester sniffed the sea from afar; was caught
with sea breezes and bathed in reflected sea…lights; again and again
of an evening the Cathedral sailed on dust and shadow towards the
horizon; a great white ghost of a galleon; and the young citizens of
the town with wondering eyes; watched it go。 But there were more
positive influences than mere cloud and light。 We had; in the lower
part of our town; sailors; quite a number of them。 There were the
old white…bearded ones who would sit upon tubs and tell smuggling
tales; these haunted the River Pol; fished in it; ferried people
across it; and let out boats for hire。 There were younger sailors
who; tired of the still life of their little villages and dreading
the real hard work of a life at sea; lurched and slouched by the
Pol's river bed; fishing a little; sleeping; eating and drinking a
great deal。
And there were the true sailors; passing through perhaps on their
way to Drymouth to join their ships; staying in the town for a day
or two to visit their relations; or simply stopping for an hour or
so to gaze open…mouthed at the Cathedral and the market…place and
the Canons and the old women。 These men had sometimes gold rings in
their ears; and their faces were often coloured a dark rich brown;
and they carried bundles across their backs all in the traditional
style。
Then there were influences more subtle than either clouds or men。
There were the influences of the places that we had ourselves seen
in our summer holidaysRafiel and St。 Lowe; Marion Bay or Borhaze
and; on the other coast; Newbock with its vast stretch of yellow
sand; St。 Borse with its wild seas and giant Borse Head; or St。
Nails…in…Cove with its coloured rock