the unbearable bassington-第8节

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influence；　setting　before　her　son　an　example　of　showy　ambition　that　

he　was　not　in　the　least　likely　to　follow；　and　providing　him　with　a　

model　of　extravagant　dandyism　that　he　was　only　too　certain　to　copy。　　

In　her　heart　she　knew　that　Comus　would　have　embarked　just　as　surely　

on　his　present　course　of　idle　self…indulgence　if　he　had　never　known　

of　the　existence　of　Youghal；　but　she　chose　to　regard　that　young　man　

as　her　son's　evil　genius；　and　now　he　seemed　likely　to　justify　more　

than　ever　the　character　she　had　fastened　on　to　him。　　For　once　in　

his　life　Comus　appeared　to　have　an　idea　of　behaving　sensibly　and　

making　some　use　of　his　opportunities；　and　almost　at　the　same　moment　

Courtenay　Youghal　arrived　on　the　scene　as　a　possible　and　very　

dangerous　rival。　　Against　the　good　looks　and　fitful　powers　of　

fascination　that　Comus　could　bring　into　the　field；　the　young　

politician　could　match　half…a…dozen　dazzling　qualities　which　would　

go　far　to　recommend　him　in　the　eyes　of　a　woman　of　the　world；　still　

more　in　those　of　a　young　girl　in　search　of　an　ideal。　　Good…looking　

in　his　own　way；　if　not　on　such　showy　lines　as　Comus；　always　well　

turned…out；　witty；　self…confident　without　being　bumptious；　with　a　

conspicuous　Parliamentary　career　alongside　him；　and　heaven　knew　

what　else　in　front　of　him；　Courtenay　Youghal　certainly　was　not　a　

rival　whose　chances　could　be　held　very　lightly。　　Francesca　laughed　

bitterly　to　herself　as　she　remembered　that　a　few　hours　ago　she　had　

entertained　the　idea　of　begging　for　his　good　offices　in　helping　on　

Comus's　wooing。　　One　consolation；　at　least；　she　found　for　herself：　

if　Youghal　really　meant　to　step　in　and　try　and　cut　out　his　young　

friend；　the　latter　at　any　rate　had　snatched　a　useful　start。　　Comus　

had　mentioned　Miss　de　Frey　at　luncheon　that　day；　casually　and　

dispassionately；　if　the　subject　of　the　dinner　guests　had　not　come　

up　he　would　probably　not　have　mentioned　her　at　all。　　But　they　were　

obviously　already　very　good　friends。　　It　was　part　and　parcel　of　the　

state　of　domestic　tension　at　Blue　Street　that　Francesca　should　only　

have　come　to　know　of　this　highly　interesting　heiress　by　an　

accidental　sorting　of　guests　at　a　dinner　party。



Lady　Caroline's　voice　broke　in　on　her　reflections；　it　was　a　gentle　

purring　voice；　that　possessed　an　uncanny　quality　of　being　able　to　

make　itself　heard　down　the　longest　dinner　table。



〃The　dear　Archdeacon　is　getting　so　absent…minded。　　He　read　a　list　

of　box…holders　for　the　opera　as　the　First　Lesson　the　other　Sunday；　

instead　of　the　families　and　lots　of　the　tribes　of　Israel　that　

entered　Canaan。　　Fortunately　no　one　noticed　the　mistake。〃







CHAPTER　V







ON　a　conveniently　secluded　bench　facing　the　Northern　Pheasantry　in　

the　Zoological　Society's　Gardens；　Regent's　Park；　Courtenay　Youghal　

sat　immersed　in　mature　flirtation　with　a　lady；　who；　though　

certainly　young　in　fact　and　appearance；　was　some　four　or　five　years　

his　senior。　　　When　he　was　a　schoolboy　of　sixteen；　Molly　McQuade　had　

personally　conducted　him　to　the　Zoo　and　stood　him　dinner　afterwards　

at　Kettner's；　and　whenever　the　two　of　them　happened　to　be　in　town　

on　the　anniversary　of　that　bygone　festivity　they　religiously　

repeated　the　programme　in　its　entirety。　　Even　the　menu　of　the　

dinner　was　adhered　to　as　nearly　as　possible；　the　original　selection　

of　food　and　wine　that　schoolboy　exuberance；　tempered　by　schoolboy　

shyness；　had　pitched　on　those　many　years　ago；　confronted　Youghal　on　

those　occasions；　as　a　drowning　man's　past　life　is　said　to　rise　up　

and　parade　itself　in　his　last　moments　of　consciousness。



The　flirtation　which　was　thus　perennially　restored　to　its　old…time　

footing　owed　its　longevity　more　to　the　enterprising　solicitude　of　

Miss　McQuade　than　to　any　conscious　sentimental　effort　on　the　part　

of　Youghal　himself。　　Molly　McQuade　was　known　to　her　neighbours　in　a　

minor　hunting　shire　as　a　hard…riding　conventionally　unconventional　

type　of　young　woman；　who　came　naturally　into　the　classification；　〃a　

good　sort。〃　　She　was　just　sufficiently　good…looking；　sufficiently　

reticent　about　her　own　illnesses；　when　she　had　any；　and　

sufficiently　appreciative　of　her　neighbours'　gardens；　children　and　

hunters　to　be　generally　popular。　　Most　men　liked　her；　and　the　

percentage　of　women　who　disliked　her　was　not　inconveniently　high。　　

One　of　these　days；　it　was　assumed；　she　would　marry　a　brewer　or　a　

Master　of　Otter　Hounds；　and；　after　a　brief　interval；　be　known　to　

the　world　as　the　mother　of　a　boy　or　two　at　Malvern　or　some　similar　

seat　of　learning。　　The　romantic　side　of　her　nature　was　altogether　

unguessed　by　the　country…side。



Her　romances　were　mostly　in　serial　form　and　suffered　perhaps　in　

fervour　from　their　disconnected　course　what　they　gained　in　length　

of　days。　　Her　affectionate　interest　in　the　several　young　men　who　

figured　in　her　affairs　of　the　heart　was　perfectly　honest；　and　she　

certainly　made　no　attempt　either　to　conceal　their　separate　

existences；　or　to　play　them　off　one　against　the　other。　　Neither　

could　it　be　said　that　she　was　a　husband　hunter；　she　had　made　up　her　

mind　what　sort　of　man　she　was　likely　to　marry；　and　her　forecast　did　

not　differ　very　widely　from　that　formed　by　her　local　acquaintances。　　

If　her　married　life　were　eventually　to　turn　out　a　failure；　at　least　

she　looked　forward　to　it　with　very　moderate　expectations。　　Her　love　

affairs　she　put　on　a　very　different　footing　and　apparently　they　

were　the　all…absorbing　element　in　her　life。　　She　possessed　the　

happily　constituted　temperament　which　enables　a　man　or　woman　to　be　

a　〃pluralist；〃　and　to　observe　the　sage　precaution　of　not　putting　

all　one's　eggs　into　one　basket。　　Her　demands　were　not　exacting；　she　

required　of　her　affinity　that　he　should　be　young；　good…looking；　and　

at　least；　moderately　amusing；　she　would　have　preferred　him　to　be　

invariably　faithful；　but；　with　her　own　example　before　her；　she　was　

prepared　for　the　probability；　bordering　on　certainty；　that　he　would　

be　nothing　of　the　sort。　　The　philosophy　of　the　〃Garden　of　Kama〃　was　

the　compass　by　which　she　steered　her　barque　and　thus　far；　if　she　

had　encountered　some　storms　and　buffeting；　she　had　at　least　escaped　

being　either　shipwrecked　or　becalmed。



Courtenay　Youghal　had　not　been　designed　by　Nature　to　fulfil　the　

ROLE　of　an　ardent　or　devoted　lover；　and　he　scrupulously　respected　

the　limits　which　Nature　had　laid　down。　　For　Molly；　however；　he　had　

a　certain　responsive　affection。　　She　had　always　obviously　admired　

him；　and　at　the　same　time　she　never　beset　him　with　crude　flattery；　

the　principal　reason　why　the　flirtation　had　stood　the　test　of　so　

many　years　was　the　fact　that　it　only　flared　into　active　existence　

at　convenient　intervals。　　In　an　age　when　the　telephone　has　

undermined　almost　every　fastness　of　human　privacy；　and　the　sanctity　

of　one's　seclusion　depends　often　on　the　ability　for　tactful　

falsehood　shown　by　a　club　pageboy；　Youghal　was　duly　appreciative　of　

the　circumstance　that　his　lady　fair　spent　a　large　part　of　the　year　

pursuing　foxes；　in　lieu　of　pursuing　him。　　Also　the　honestly　

admitted　fact　that；　in　her　human　hunting；　she　rode　after　more　than　

one　quarry；　made　the　inevitable　break…up　of　the　affair　a　matter　to　

which　both　could　look　forward　without　a　sense　of　coming　

embarrassment　and　recrimination。　　When　the　time　for　gathering　ye　

rosebuds　should　be　over；　neither　of　them　could　accuse　the　other　of　

having　wrecked　his　or　her　entire　life。　　At　the　most　they　would　only　

have　disorganised　a　week…end。



On　this　particular　afternoon；　when　old　reminiscences　had　been　gone　

through；　and　the　intervening　gossip　of　past　months　duly　recounted；　

a　lull　in　the　conversation　made　itself　rather　obstinately　felt。　　

Molly　had　already　guessed　that　matters　were　about　to　slip　into　a　

new　phase；　the　affair　had　reached　maturity　long　ago；　and　a　new　

phase　must　be　in　the　nature　of　a　wane。



〃You're　a　clever　brute；〃　she　said；　suddenly；　with　an　air　of　

affectionate　regret；　〃I　always　knew　you'd　get　on　in　the　House；　but　

I　hardly　expected　you　to　come　to　the　front　so　soon。〃



〃I'm　coming　to　the　front；〃　admitted　Youghal；　judicially；　〃the　

problem　is；　shall　I　be　able　to　stay　there。　　Unless　something　

happens　in　the　financial　line　before　long；　I　don't　see　how　I'm　to　

stay　in　Parliament　at　all。　　Economy　is　out　of　the　question。　　It　

would　open　people's　eyes；　I　fancy；　if　they　knew　how　little　I　exist　

on　as　it　is。　　And　I'm　living　so　far　beyond　my　income　that　we　may　

almost　be　said　to　be　living　apart。〃



〃It　will　have　to　be　a　rich　wife；　I　suppose；〃　said　Molly；　slowly；　

〃that's　the　worst　of　success；　it　imposes　so　many　conditions。　　I　

rather　knew；　from　something　in　your　manner；　that　you　were　drifting　

that　way。〃



Youghal　said　nothing　in　the　way　of　contradiction；　he　gazed　

steadfastly　at　the　aviary　in　front　of　him　as　though　exotic　

pheasants　were　for　the　moment　the　most　absorbing　study　in　the　

world。