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第39节

jeremy-第39节

小说: jeremy 字数: 每页4000字

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〃Now;〃 he said cheerfully at last; to Charlotte; 〃I'll look for the
crabs。〃

〃I hate crabs;〃 she said。 〃I want to go home。〃

〃You can't go home;〃 he answered furiously。 〃What's the good of
saying that over and over again? You aren't going yet; so it's no
use saying you are。〃

〃You're a horrid little boy;〃 she brought out with a kind of
inanimate sob。

He did not reply to that; he was still trying to behave like a
gentleman。 How could he ever have liked her? Why; her hair was not
so much after all。 What was hair when you come to think of it? Mary
got on quite well with hers; ugly though it was。 She was stupid;
stupid; stupid! She was like someone dead。 As he searched for the
crabs that weren't there he felt his temper growing。 Soon he would
lead her back to her mother and leave her there and never see her
again。

But this was not the climax of the afternoon。

When he looked up from gazing into the pool the whole world seemed
to have changed。 He was still dazzled perhaps by the reflection of
the water in his eyes; and yet it was not altogether that。 It was
not altogether because the day was slipping from afternoon into
evening。

The lazy ripple of the water as it slutched up the sand and then
broke; the shadows that were creeping farther and farther from rock
to rock; the green light that pushed up from the horizon into the
faint blue; the grey web of the sea; the thick gathering of the
hills as they crept more closely about the little darkening beach 。
。 。 it was none of these things。

He began hurriedly to tell Charlotte about the Scarlet Admiral。 Even
as he told her he was himself caught into the excitement of the
narration。 He forgot her; he did not see her white cheeks; her mouth
open with terror; an expression new to her; that her face had never
known before; stealing into her eyes。 He told her how the Fool had
seen the ship; how the Admiral had landed; then left his men on the
beach; how he had climbed the little green path; how the young man
had followed him; how they had fought; how the young man had fallen。
What was that? Jeremy jumped from his rock。 〃I say; did you hear
anything?〃

And that was enough for Charlotte。 With one scream; a scream such as
she had never uttered in her life before; sue turned; and then;
running as indeed she had never run before; she stumbled; half fell;
stumbled; finally ran as though the whole world of her ghosts was
behind her。 Her screams were so piercing that they may well have
startled; the villagers of Rafiel。

Jeremy followed her; but his mind was not with her。 Was he going to
see something? What was it? Who was it?

Then the awful catastrophe that finished the afternoon occurred。
Turning the corner of the rock; Charlotte missed her footing and
fell straight into a pool。 Jeremy; Mary and Helen were upon her
almost as she fell。 They dragged her out; but alas! what a sight was
there! Instead of the beautiful and magnificent Charlotte there was
a bedraggled and dirty little girl。

But also; instead of an inanimate and lifeless doll; there was at
last a human being; a terrified soul。

The scene that followed passes all power of description。 Mrs。 Le
Page wailed like a lost spirit; Mr。 Le Page was so rude to Mr。 Cole
that it might confidently be said that those two gentlemen would
never speak to one another again。 Mrs。 Cole; dismayed though she
was; had some fatalistic consolation that she had known from the
first that the picnic would be a most dreadful failure and that the
worst had occurred; there was no more to come。

Everyone was too deeply occupied to scold Jeremy。 They all moved up
to the farm; Charlotte behaving most strangely; even striking her
mother and crying: 〃Let me go! Let me go! I don't want to be clean!
I'm frightened! I'm frightened!〃

Jeremy hung behind the others。 At the bottom of the little lane he
stood and waited。 Was there a figure coming up through the dusk? Did
someone pass him? Why did he suddenly feel no longer afraid; but
only reassured and with the strangest certainty that the lane; the
beach; the field belonged to him now? He would come there and live
when he grew up。 He would come often。 Had the Scarlet Admiral passed
him? If not the Scarlet Admiral; then the other。

The sea picnic had; after all; been not quite a misfortune。

Jeremy had been made free of the land。

And Charlotte? Charlotte had been woken up; and never would go to
sleep again。




CHAPTER X

MARY


I


Mary Cole had been; all her life; that thing beloved of the
sentimental novelist; a misunderstood child。 She was the only
misunderstood member of the Cole family; and she was misunderstood;
as is very often the case; in a large measure because she was so
plain。 Had she been good…looking as Helen; or independent as Jeremy;
she would have either attracted the world in general; or have been
indifferent as to whether she attracted it or not。 As it was; she
longed to attract everyone; and; in truth; attracted nobody。 She
might have found consolation in books or her own highly…coloured
imaginations had it not been for the burning passions which she
formed; at a very early age; for living people。 For some years now
her life had centred round her brother Jeremy。 Had the Coles been an
observant family they might; perhaps; have found some pathos in the
way in which Mary; with her pale sallow complexion; her pear…shaped
face with its dull; grey eyes; her enormous glasses; her lanky
colourless hair; and her thin; bony figure; gazed at her masculine
and independent brother。

Uncle Samuel might have noticed; but he was occupied with his
painting。 For the rest they were not observant。 Mary was only seven
years of age; but she had the capacity for being hurt of a person of
thirty。 She was hurt by everything and everybody。 When somebody
said: 〃Now; Mary; hurry up。 You're always so slow;〃 she was hurt。 If
Helen told her that she was selfish; she was hurt; and would sit
wondering whether she was selfish or no。 If Mrs。 Cole said that she
must brush her hair more carefully she was hurt; and when Jeremy
said anything sharp to her she was in agony。 She discovered very
quickly that no one cared for her agonies。 The Coles were a plain;
matter…of…fact race; and had the day's work to finish。 They had no
intention of thinking too much of their children's feelings。 Thirty
years ago that was not so popular as it is now。 Meanwhile; her
devotion to her brother grew with every month of her life。 She
thought him; in all honesty; the most miraculous of all human
beings。 There was more in her worship than mere dog…like fidelity。
She adored him for reasons that were real and true; for his
independence; his obstinacy; his sense of fun; his sudden;
unexpected kindnesses; his sudden helplessness; and above all; for
his bravery。 He seemed to her the bravest hero in all history; and
she felt it the more because she was herself compact of every fear
and terror known to man。 It was not enough for her; the ordinary
panic that belongs to all human life at every stage of its progress。
She feared everything and everybody; and only hid her fear by a
persistent cover of almost obstinate stupidity; which deceived; to
some extent; her relations; but never in any degree herself。 She
knew that she was plain; awkward and hesitating; but she knew also
that she was clever。 She knew that she could do everything twice as
fast as Jeremy and Helen; that she was often so impatient of their
slow progress at lessons that she would beat her foot on the ground
in a kind of agonised impatience。 She knew that she was clever; and
she wondered sometimes why her cleverness did not give her more
advantage。 Why; for instance; should Helen's good looks be noticed
at once by every visitor and her own cleverness be unnoticed?
Certainly; on occasions; her mother would say: 〃And Mary? I don't
think you've met Mary。 Come and say; how do you do; Mary。 Mary is
the clever one of the family!〃 but it was always said in a
deprecating; apologetic tone; which made Mary hang her head and hate
both herself and her mother。

She told herself stories of the times when Jeremy would have to
depend entirely upon the splendour of her brains for his delivery
from some horrordeath; torture or disgrace。 At present those times
were; she was bound to confess to herself; very distant。 He depended
upon no one for anything; he could not be said to need Mary's
assistance in any particular。 And with this burning desire of hers
came; of course; jealousy。 There are some happy; easy natures to
whom jealousy is; through life; unknown。 They are to be envied。
Jealousy in a grown…up human being is bad; in a child it is
terrible。 Had you told Mrs。 Colegood mother though she wasthat
her daughter Mary; aged seven; suffered tortures through jealousy;
she would have assured you that it was not; in reality; jealousy;
but rather indigestion; and that a little medicine would put it
right。

Mary was quite helpless。 What is a child to do if she is jealous?
Other children do not understand her; her elders laugh at her。 Mary;
with a wisdom greatly beyond her years; realised very quickly that
this was some sort of horrible disease; with which she mu

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