an international episode-第8节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



said　Percy　Beaumont。



〃Well；　I　do！〃　　Mrs。　Westgate　declared；　and　she　turned　to　her　sister。

〃You　know　you　have　to　go　to　town。　　The　phaeton　is　there。

You　had　better　take　Lord　Lambeth。〃



At　this　point　Percy　Beaumont　certainly　looked　straight　at　his　kinsman；

he　tried　to　catch　his　eye。　　But　Lord　Lambeth　would　not　look　at　him；　his　own

eyes　were　better　occupied。　　〃I　shall　be　very　happy；〃　cried　Bessie　Alden。

〃I　am　only　going　to　some　shops。　　But　I　will　drive　you　about　and　show

you　the　place。〃



〃An　American　woman　who　respects　herself；〃　said　Mrs。　Westgate；

turning　to　Beaumont　with　her　bright　expository　air；　〃must　buy

something　every　day　of　her　life。　　If　she　can　not　do　it　herself；

she　must　send　out　some　member　of　her　family　for　the　purpose。

So　Bessie　goes　forth　to　fulfill　my　mission。〃



The　young　girl　had　walked　away；　with　Lord　Lambeth　by　her　side；

to　whom　she　was　talking　still；　and　Percy　Beaumont　watched　them

as　they　passed　toward　the　house。　　〃She　fulfills　her　own　mission；〃

he　presently　said；　〃that　of　being　a　very　attractive　young　lady。〃



〃I　don't　know　that　I　should　say　very　attractive；〃　Mrs。　Westgate　rejoined。

〃She　is　not　so　much　that　as　she　is　charming　when　you　really　know　her。

She　is　very　shy。〃



〃Oh；　indeed！〃　said　Percy　Beaumont。



〃Extremely　shy；〃　Mrs。　Westgate　repeated。　　〃But　she　is　a　dear　good　girl；　she　is

a　charming　species　of　girl。　　She　is　not　in　the　least　a　flirt；　that　isn't

at　all　her　line；　she　doesn't　know　the　alphabet　of　that　sort　of　thing。

She　is　very　simple；　very　serious。　　She　has　lived　a　great　deal　in　Boston；

with　another　sister　of　minethe　eldest　of　uswho　married　a　Bostonian。

She　is　very　cultivated；　not　at　all　like　me；　I　am　not　in　the　least　cultivated。

She　has　studied　immensely　and　read　everything；　she　is　what　they　call

in　Boston　'thoughtful。'〃



〃A　rum　sort　of　girl　for　Lambeth　to　get　hold　of！〃　his　lordship's

kinsman　privately　reflected。



〃I　really　believe；〃　Mrs。　Westgate　continued；　〃that　the　most　charming

girl　in　the　world　is　a　Boston　superstructure　upon　a　New　York　fonds；

or　perhaps　a　New　York　superstructure　upon　a　Boston　fonds。　　At　any　rate；

it's　the　mixture；〃　said　Mrs。　Westgate；　who　continued　to　give　Percy

Beaumont　a　great　deal　of　information。



Lord　Lambeth　got　into　a　little　basket　phaeton　with　Bessie　Alden；

and　she　drove　him　down　the　long　avenue；　whose　extent　he　had

measured　on　foot　a　couple　of　hours　before；　into　the　ancient　town；

as　it　was　called　in　that　part　of　the　world；　of　Newport。　　The　ancient

town　was　a　curious　affaira　collection　of　fresh…looking　little

wooden　houses；　painted　white；　scattered　over　a　hillside　and　clustered

about　a　long　straight　street　paved　with　enormous　cobblestones。

There　were　plenty　of　shopsa　large　proportion　of　which　appeared

to　be　those　of　fruit　vendors；　with　piles　of　huge　watermelons　and

pumpkins　stacked　in　front　of　them；　and；　drawn　up　before　the　shops；

or　bumping　about　on　the　cobblestones；　were　innumerable　other　basket

phaetons　freighted　with　ladies　of　high　fashion；　who　greeted　each　other

from　vehicle　to　vehicle　and　conversed　on　the　edge　of　the　pavement

in　a　manner　that　struck　Lord　Lambeth　as　demonstrative；　with　a　great

many　〃Oh；　my　dears；〃　and　little　quick　exclamations　and　caresses。

His　companion　went　into　seventeen　shopshe　amused　himself　with

counting　themand　accumulated　at　the　bottom　of　the　phaeton　a　pile

of　bundles　that　hardly　left　the　young　Englishman　a　place　for　his　feet。

As　she　had　no　groom　nor　footman；　he　sat　in　the　phaeton　to　hold

the　ponies；　where；　although　he　was　not　a　particularly　acute　observer；

he　saw　much　to　entertain　himespecially　the　ladies　just　mentioned；

who　wandered　up　and　down　with　the　appearance　of　a　kind　of　aimless

intentness；　as　if　they　were　looking　for　something　to　buy；　and　who；

tripping　in　and　out　of　their　vehicles；　displayed　remarkably　pretty　feet。

It　all　seemed　to　Lord　Lambeth　very　odd；　and　bright；　and　gay。

Of　course；　before　they　got　back　to　the　villa；　he　had　had　a　great

deal　of　desultory　conversation　with　Bessie　Alden。



The　young　Englishmen　spent　the　whole　of　that　day　and　the　whole

of　many　successive　days　in　what　the　French　call　the　intimite

of　their　new　friends。　　They　agreed　that　it　was　extremely　jolly；

that　they　had　never　known　anything　more　agreeable。

It　is　not　proposed　to　narrate　minutely　the　incidents

of　their　sojourn　on　this　charming　shore；　though　if　it　were

convenient　I　might　present　a　record　of　impressions　nonetheless

delectable　that　they　were　not　exhaustively　analyzed。

Many　of　them　still　linger　in　the　minds　of　our　travelers；

attended　by　a　train　of　harmonious　imagesimages　of　brilliant

mornings　on　lawns　and　piazzas　that　overlooked　the　sea；

of　innumerable　pretty　girls；　of　infinite　lounging　and　talking

and　laughing　and　flirting　and　lunching　and　dining；　of　universal

friendliness　and　frankness；　of　occasions　on　which　they　knew

everyone　and　everything　and　had　an　extraordinary　sense　of　ease；

of　drives　and　rides　in　the　late　afternoon　over　gleaming　beaches；

on　long　sea　roads；　beneath　a　sky　lighted　up　by　marvelous　sunsets；

of　suppers；　on　the　return；　informal；　irregular；　agreeable；

of　evenings　at　open　windows　or　on　the　perpetual　verandas；

in　the　summer　starlight；　above　the　warm　Atlantic。

The　young　Englishmen　were　introduced　to　everybody；

entertained　by　everybody；　intimate　with　everybody。　　At　the　end

of　three　days　they　had　removed　their　luggage　from　the　hotel

and　had　gone　to　stay　with　Mrs。　Westgatea　step　to　which　Percy

Beaumont　at　first　offered　some　conscientious　opposition。

I　call　his　opposition　conscientious；　because　it　was　founded　upon

some　talk　that　he　had　had；　on　the　second　day；　with　Bessie　Alden。

He　had　indeed　had　a　good　deal　of　talk　with　her；　for　she

was　not　literally　always　in　conversation　with　Lord　Lambeth。

He　had　meditated　upon　Mrs。　Westgate's　account　of　her　sister；

and　he　discovered　for　himself　that　the　young　lady　was　clever；

and　appeared　to　have　read　a　great　deal。　　She　seemed　very　nice；

though　he　could　not　make　out；　as　Mrs。　Westgate　had　said；　she　was　shy。

If　she　was　shy；　she　carried　it　off　very　well。



〃Mr。　Beaumont；〃　she　had　said；　〃please　tell　me　something　about　Lord

Lambeth's　family。　　How　would　you　say　it　in　Englandhis　position？〃



〃His　position？〃　　Percy　Beaumont　repeated。



〃His　rank；　or　whatever　you　call　it。　　Unfortunately　we　haven't　got

a　PEERAGE；　like　the　people　in　Thackeray。〃



〃That's　a　great　pity；〃　said　Beaumont。　　〃You　would　find　it　all　set

forth　there　so　much　better　than　I　can　do　it。〃



〃He　is　a　peer；　then？〃



〃Oh；　yes；　he　is　a　peer。〃



〃And　has　he　any　other　title　than　Lord　Lambeth？〃



〃His　title　is　the　Marquis　of　Lambeth；〃　said　Beaumont；　and　then　he　was　silent。

Bessie　Alden　appeared　to　be　looking　at　him　with　interest。　　〃He　is　the　son

of　the　Duke　of　Bayswater；〃　he　added　presently。



〃The　eldest　son？〃



〃The　only　son。〃



〃And　are　his　parents　living？〃



〃Oh　yes；　if　his　father　were　not　living　he　would　be　a　duke。〃



〃So　that　when　his　father　dies；〃　pursued　Bessie　Alden　with　more

simplicity　than　might　have　been　expected　in　a　clever　girl；

〃he　will　become　Duke　of　Bayswater？〃



〃Of　course；〃　said　Percy　Beaumont。　　〃But　his　father　is　in　excellent　health。〃



〃And　his　mother？〃



Beaumont　smiled　a　little。　　〃The　duchess　is　uncommonly　robust。〃



〃And　has　he　any　sisters？〃



〃Yes；　there　are　two。〃



〃And　what　are　they　called？〃



〃One　of　them　is　married。　　She　is　the　Countess　of　Pimlico。〃



〃And　the　other？〃



〃The　other　is　unmarried；　she　is　plain　Lady　Julia。〃



Bessie　Alden　looked　at　him　a　moment。　　〃Is　she　very　plain？〃



Beaumont　began　to　laugh　again。　　〃You　would　not　find　her　so　handsome　as

her　brother；〃　he　said；　and　it　was　after　this　that　he　attempted　to　dissuade

the　heir　of　the　Duke　of　Bayswater　from　accepting　Mrs。　Westgate's　invitation。

〃Depend　upon　it；〃　he　said；　〃that　girl　means　to　try　for　you。〃



〃It　seems　to　me　you　are　doing　your　best　to　make　a　fool　of　me；〃

the　modest　young　nobleman　answered。



〃She　has　been　asking　me；〃　said　Beaumont；　〃all　about　your　people

and　your　possessions。〃



〃I　am　sure　it　is　very　good　of　her！〃　　Lord　Lambeth　rejoined。



〃Well；　then；〃　observed　his　companion；　〃if　you　go；　you　go

with　your　eyes　open。〃



〃Damn　my　eyes！〃　exclaimed　Lord　Lambeth。　　〃If　one　is　to　be　a　dozen　times

a　day　at　the　house；　it　is　a　great　deal　more　convenient　to　sleep　there。

I　am　sick　of　traveling　up　and　down　this　beastly　avenue。〃



Since　he　had　determined　to　go；　Percy　Beaumont　would；　of　course；

have　been　very　sorry　to　allow　him　to　go　alone；　he　was　a　man

of　conscience；　and　he　remembered　his　promise　to　the　duchess。

It　was　obviously　the　memory　of　this　promise　that　made　him　say

to　his　companion　a　couple　of　days　later　that　he　rather　wondered

he　should　be　so　fond　of　that　girl。



〃In　the　first　place；　how　do　you　know　how　fond　I　am　of　her？〃

asked　Lord　Lambeth。　　〃And；　in　the　second　place；　why　shouldn't

I　be　fond　of　her？〃



〃I　shouldn't　think　she　would　be　i