an international episode-第15节

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〃You　ought　to　be　very　clever　and　brilliant；　and　to　know　almost　everything。〃



Lord　Lambeth　looked　at　her　a　moment。　　〃Shall　I　tell　you　something？〃　he　asked。

〃A　young　man　in　my　position；　as　you　call　it〃



〃I　didn't　invent　the　term；〃　interposed　Bessie　Alden。

〃I　have　seen　it　in　a　great　many　books。〃



〃Hang　it！　you　are　always　at　your　books。　　A　fellow

in　my　position；　then；　does　very　well　whatever　he　does。

That's　about　what　I　mean　to　say。〃



〃Well；　if　your　own　people　are　content　with　you；〃

said　Bessie　Alden；　laughing；　〃it　is　not　for　me　to　complain。

But　I　shall　always　think　that；　properly；　you　should　have　been

a　great　minda　great　character。〃



〃Ah；　that's　very　theoretic；〃　Lord　Lambeth　declared。

〃Depend　upon　it；　that's　a　Yankee　prejudice。〃



〃Happy　the　country；〃　said　Bessie　Alden；　〃where　even　people's

prejudices　are　so　elevated！〃



〃Well；　after　all；〃　observed　Lord　Lambeth；　〃I　don't　know　that　I　am

such　a　fool　as　you　are　trying　to　make　me　out。〃



〃I　said　nothing　so　rude　as　that；　but　I　must　repeat　that

you　are　disappointing。〃



〃My　dear　Miss　Alden；〃　exclaimed　the　young　man；　〃I　am　the　best

fellow　in　the　world！〃



〃Ah；　if　it　were　not　for　that！〃　said　Bessie　Alden　with　a　smile。



Mrs。　Westgate　had　a　good　many　more　friends　in　London　than

she　pretended；　and　before　long　she　had　renewed　acquaintance

with　most　of　them。　　Their　hospitality　was　extreme；　so　that；

one　thing　leading　to　another；　she　began；　as　the　phrase　is；　to　go　out。

Bessie　Alden；　in　this　way；　saw　something　of　what　she　found

it　a　great　satisfaction　to　call　to　herself　English　society。

She　went　to　balls　and　danced；　she　went　to　dinners　and　talked；

she　went　to　concerts　and　listened　（at　concerts　Bessie

always　listened）；　she　went　to　exhibitions　and　wondered。

Her　enjoyment　was　keen　and　her　curiosity　insatiable；　and；

grateful　in　general　for　all　her　opportunities；　she　especially

prized　the　privilege　of　meeting　certain　celebrated　persons

authors　and　artists；　philosophers　and　statesmenof　whose

renown　she　had　been　a　humble　and　distant　beholder；　and　who　now；

as　a　part　of　the　habitual　furniture　of　London　drawing　rooms；

struck　her　as　stars　fallen　from　the　firmament　and　become　palpable

revealing　also　sometimes；　on　contact；　qualities　not　to

have　been　predicted　of　sidereal　bodies。　　Bessie；　who　knew

so　many　of　her　contemporaries　by　reputation；　had　a　good　many

personal　disappointments；　but；　on　the　other　hand；　she　had

innumerable　satisfactions　and　enthusiasms；　and　she　communicated

the　emotions　of　either　class　to　a　dear　friend；　of　her　own　sex；

in　Boston；　with　whom　she　was　in　voluminous　correspondence。

Some　of　her　reflections；　indeed；　she　attempted　to　impart

to　Lord　Lambeth；　who　came　almost　every　day　to　Jones's　Hotel；

and　whom　Mrs。　Westgate　admitted　to　be　really　devoted。

Captain　Littledale；　it　appeared；　had　gone　to　India；　and　of

several　others　of　Mrs。　Westgate's　ex…pensionersgentlemen　who；

as　she　said；　had　made；　in　New　York；　a　clubhouse　of　her　drawing　room

no　tidings　were　to　be　obtained；　but　Lord　Lambeth　was　certainly

attentive　enough　to　make　up　for　the　accidental　absences；

the　short　memories；　all　the　other　irregularities　of　everyone　else。

He　drove　them　in　the　park；　he　took　them　to　visit　private　collections

of　pictures；　and；　having　a　house　of　his　own；　invited　them　to　dinner。

Mrs。　Westgate；　following　the　fashion　of　many　of　her　compatriots；

caused　herself　and　her　sister　to　be　presented　at　the　English

court　by　her　diplomatic　representativefor　it　was　in　this

manner　that　she　alluded　to　the　American　minister　to　England；

inquiring　what　on　earth　he　was　put　there　for；　if　not　to　make

the　proper　arrangements　for　one's　going　to　a　Drawing　Room。



Lord　Lambeth　declared　that　he　hated　Drawing　Rooms；　but　he　participated

in　the　ceremony　on　the　day　on　which　the　two　ladies　at　Jones's　Hotel

repaired　to　Buckingham　Palace　in　a　remarkable　coach　which　his　lordship

had　sent　to　fetch　them。　　He　had　on　a　gorgeous　uniform；　and　Bessie　Alden

was　particularly　struck　with　his　appearanceespecially　when　on　her

asking　him；　rather　foolishly　as　she　felt；　if　he　were　a　loyal　subject；

he　replied　that　he　was　a　loyal　subject　to　HER。　　This　declaration

was　emphasized　by　his　dancing　with　her　at　a　royal　ball　to　which　the　two

ladies　afterward　went；　and　was　not　impaired　by　the　fact　that　she

thought　he　danced　very　ill。　　He　seemed　to　her　wonderfully　kind；

she　asked　herself；　with　growing　vivacity；　why　he　should　be　so　kind。

It　was　his　dispositionthat　seemed　the　natural　answer。

She　had　told　her　sister　that　she　liked　him　very　much；　and　now　that　she

liked　him　more　she　wondered　why。　　She　liked　him　for　his　disposition；

to　this　question　as　well　that　seemed　the　natural　answer。

When　once　the　impressions　of　London　life　began　to　crowd　thickly　upon　her；

she　completely　forgot　her　sister's　warning　about　the　cynicism

of　public　opinion。　　It　had　given　her　great　pain　at　the　moment；

but　there　was　no　particular　reason　why　she　should　remember　it；

it　corresponded　too　little　with　any　sensible　reality；　and　it

was　disagreeable　to　Bessie　to　remember　disagreeable　things。

So　she　was　not　haunted　with　the　sense　of　a　vulgar　imputation。

She　was　not　in　love　with　Lord　Lambethshe　assured　herself　of　that。

It　will　immediately　be　observed　that　when　such　assurances　become

necessary　the　state　of　a　young　lady's　affections　is　already　ambiguous；

and；　indeed；　Bessie　Alden　made　no　attempt　to　dissimulateto　herself；

of　coursea　certain　tenderness　that　she　felt　for　the　young　nobleman。

She　said　to　herself　that　she　liked　the　type　to　which　he　belonged

the　simple；　candid；　manly；　healthy　English　temperament。

She　spoke　to　herself　of　him　as　women　speak　of　young　men　they　like

alluded　to　his　bravery　（which　she　had　never　in　the　least　seen

tested）；　to　his　honesty　and　gentlemanliness；　and　was　not　silent

upon　the　subject　of　his　good　looks。　　She　was　perfectly　conscious；

moreover；　that　she　liked　to　think　of　his　more　adventitious　merits；

that　her　imagination　was　excited　and　gratified　by　the　sight

of　a　handsome　young　man　endowed　with　such　large　opportunities

opportunities　she　hardly　knew　for　what；　but；　as　she　supposed；

for　doing　great　thingsfor　setting　an　example；　for　exerting

an　influence；　for　conferring　happiness；　for　encouraging　the　arts。

She　had　a　kind　of　ideal　of　conduct　for　a　young　man　who　should　find

himself　in　this　magnificent　position；　and　she　tried　to　adapt

it　to　Lord　Lambeth's　deportment　as　you　might　attempt　to　fit

a　silhouette　in　cut　paper　upon　a　shadow　projected　upon　a　wall。

But　Bessie　Alden's　silhouette　refused　to　coincide　with　his

lordship's　image；　and　this　want　of　harmony　sometimes　vexed　her

more　than　she　thought　reasonable。　　When　he　was　absent　it　was；

of　course；　less　striking；　then　he　seemed　to　her　a　sufficiently

graceful　combination　of　high　responsibilities　and　amiable　qualities。

But　when　he　sat　there　within　sight；　laughing　and　talking　with　his

customary　good　humor　and　simplicity；　she　measured　it　more　accurately；

and　she　felt　acutely　that　if　Lord　Lambeth's　position　was　heroic；

there　was　but　little　of　the　hero　in　the　young　man　himself。

Then　her　imagination　wandered　away　from　himvery　far　away；　for　it　was

an　incontestable　fact　that　at　such　moments　he　seemed　distinctly　dull。

I　am　afraid　that　while　Bessie's　imagination　was　thus　invidiously

roaming；　she　cannot　have　been　herself　a　very　lively　companion；

but　it　may　well　have　been　that　these　occasional　fits　of　indifference

seemed　to　Lord　Lambeth　a　part　of　the　young　girl's　personal　charm。

It　had　been　a　part　of　this　charm　from　the　first　that　he　felt

that　she　judged　him　and　measured　him　more　freely　and　irresponsibly

more　at　her　ease　and　her　leisure；　as　it　werethan　several　young

ladies　with　whom　he　had　been　on　the　whole　about　as　intimate。

To　feel　this；　and　yet　to　feel　that　she　also　liked　him；　was　very　agreeable

to　Lord　Lambeth。　　He　fancied　he　had　compassed　that　gratification　so

desirable　to　young　men　of　title　and　fortunebeing　liked　for　himself。

It　is　true　that　a　cynical　counselor　might　have　whispered　to　him；

〃Liked　for　yourself？　　Yes；　but　not　so　very　much！〃　　He　had；　at　any　rate；

the　constant　hope　of　being　liked　more。



It　may　seem；　perhaps；　a　trifle　singularbut　it　is　nevertheless　true

that　Bessie　Alden；　when　he　struck　her　as　dull；　devoted　some　time；

on　grounds　of　conscience；　to　trying　to　like　him　more。

I　say　on　grounds　of　conscience　because　she　felt　that　he　had

been　extremely　〃nice〃　to　her　sister；　and　because　she　reflected

that　it　was　no　more　than　fair　that　she　should　think　as　well

of　him　as　he　thought　of　her。　　This　effort　was　possibly　sometimes

not　so　successful　as　it　might　have　been；　for　the　result

of　it　was　occasionally　a　vague　irritation；　which　expressed

itself　in　hostile　criticism　of　several　British　institutions。

Bessie　Alden　went　to　some　entertainments　at　which　she　met

Lord　Lambeth；　but　she　went　to　others　at　which　his　lordship　was

neither　actually　nor　potentially　present；　and　it　was　chiefly

on　these　latter　occasions　that