第2章
加入书架 A- A+
点击下载App,搜索"Miss Sarah Jack, of Spanish Town, Jamaica",免费读到尾

  \"I’mafraidImust。IndeedIhaven’tbroughtmythingswithme。\"

  AndthenheagaincaughtMarian’seye,andbegantowishthathisresolutionhadnotbeensosternlymade。

  \"IsupposeyouaresofondofthatHouseofAssembly,\"saidMarian,\"thatyoucannottearyourselfawayformorethanoneday。You’llnotbeable,Isuppose,tofindtimetocometoourpicnicnextweek?\"

  Mauricesaidhefearedthatheshouldnothavetimetogotoapicnic。

  \"Oh,nonsense,\"saidFanny——oneoftheyoungergirls——\"youmustcome。

  Wecan’tdowithouthim,canwe?\"

  \"Marianhasgotyournamedownthefirstonthelistofthegentlemen,\"saidanother。

  \"Yes;andCaptainEwing’ssecond,\"saidBell,theyoungest。

  \"I’mafraidImustinduceyoursistertoalterherlist,\"saidMaurice,inhissternestmanner。\"Icannotmanagetogo,andI’msureshewillnotmissme。\"

  Marionlookedatthelittlegirlwhohadsounfortunatelymentionedthewarrior’sname,andthelittlegirlknewthatshehadsinned。

  \"Oh,wecannotpossiblydowithoutyou;canwe,Marian?\"saidFanny。

  \"It’stobeatBingley’sDell,andwe’vegotabedforyouatNewcastle;quitenear,youknow。\"

  \"Andanotherfor——\"beganBell,butshestoppedherself。

  \"Goawaytoyourlessons,Bell,\"saidMarion。\"Youknowhowangrymammawillbeatyourstayinghereallthemorning;\"andpoorBellwithasorrowfullooklefttheroom。

  \"Weareallcertainlyveryanxiousthatyoushouldcome;veryanxiousforagreatmanyreasons,\"saidMarian,inavoicethatwasrathersolemn,andasthoughthematterwereoneofconsiderableimport。

  \"Butifyoureallycannot,whyofcoursethereisnomoretobesaid。\"

  \"Therewillbeplentywithoutme,Iamsure。\"

  \"Asregardsnumbers,Idaresaytherewill;forweshallhaveprettynearlythewholeofthetworegiments;\"andMarianasshealludedtotheofficersspokeinatonewhichmightleadonetothinkthatshewouldmuchratherbewithoutthem;\"butwecountedonyouasbeingoneofourselves;andasyouhadbeenawaysolong,wethought——wethought——,\"andthensheturnedawayherface,anddidnotfinishherspeech。Beforehecouldmakeuphismindastohisanswershehadrisenfromherchair,andwalkedoutoftheroom。Mauricealmostthoughtthathesawatearinhereyeasshewent。

  HedidridebacktoSpanishTownthatafternoon,afteranearlydinner;butbeforehewentMarianspoketohimaloneforoneminute。

  \"Ihopeyouarenotoffendedwithme,\"shesaid。

  \"Offended!ohno;howcouldIbeoffendedwithyou?\"

  \"Becauseyouseemsostern。IamsureIwoulddoanythingIcouldtoobligeyou,ifIknewhow。Itwouldbesoshockingnottobegoodfriendswithacousinlikeyou。\"

  \"Buttherearesomanydifferentsortsoffriends,\"saidMaurice。

  \"Ofcoursethereare。Thereareagreatmanyfriendsthatonedoesnotcareabitfor,——peoplethatonemeetsatballsandplaceslikethat——\"

  \"Andatpicnics,\"saidMaurice。

  \"’Well,someofthemtheretoo;butwearenotlikethat;arewe?\"

  WhatcouldMauricedobutsay,\"no,\"anddeclarethattheirfriendshipwasofawarmerdescription?Andhowcouldheresistpromisingtogotothepicnic,thoughashemadethepromiseheknewthatmiserywouldbeinstoreforhim?Hedidpromise,andthenshegavehimherhandandcalledhimMaurice。

  \"Oh!Iamsoglad,\"shesaid。\"Itseemedsoshockingthatyoushouldrefusetojoinus。Andmindandbeearly,Maurice;forI

  shallwanttoexplainitall。Wearetomeet,youknow,atCliftonGateatoneo’clock,butdoyoubealittlebeforethat,andweshallbethere。\"

  MauriceCummingresolvedwithinhisownbreastasherodebacktoSpanishTown,thatifMarianbehavedtohimallthatdayatthepicnicasshehaddonethisdayatShandyHall,hewouldaskhertobehiswifebeforehelefther。

  AndMissJackalsowastobeatthepicnic。

  \"Thereisnoneedofgoingearly,\"saidshe,whenhernephewmadeafussaboutthestarting。\"Peopleareneververypunctualatsuchaffairsasthat;andthentheyarealwaysquitelongenough。\"ButMauriceexplainedthathewasanxioustobeearly,andonthisoccasionhecarriedhispoint。

  WhentheyreachedCliftonGatetheladieswerealreadythere;notincarriages,aspeoplegotopicnicsinotherandtamercountries,buteachonherownhorseorherownpony。Buttheywerenotalone。

  BesideMissLesliewasagentleman,whomMauriceknewasLieutenantGraham,oftheflag—shipatPortRoyal;andatalittledistancewhichquiteenabledhimtojoinintheconversationwasCaptainEwing,thelieutenantwiththenarrowwaistofthepreviousyear。

  \"Weshallhaveadelightfulday,MissLeslie,\"saidthelieutenant。

  \"Oh,charming,isn’tit?\"saidMarian。

  \"Butnowtochooseaplacefordinner,CaptainEwing;——whatdoyousay?\"

  \"Willyoucommissionmetoselect?YouknowI’mverywellupingeometry,andallthat?\"

  \"Butthatwon’tteachyouwhatsortofaplacedoesforapicnicdinner;——willit,Mr。Cumming?\"AndthensheshookhandswithMaurice,butdidnottakeanyfurtherspecialnoticeofhim。\"We’llallgotogether,ifyouplease。Thecommissionistooimportanttobelefttoone。\"AndthenMarianrodeoff,andthelieutenantandthecaptainrodewithher。

  ItwasopenforMauricetojointhemifhechose,buthedidnotchoose。Hehadcomethereeversomuchearlierthanheneedhavedone,dragginghisauntwithhim,becauseMarianhadtoldhimthathisserviceswouldbespeciallyrequiredbyher。Andnowassoonasshesawhimshewentawaywiththetwoofficers!——wentawaywithoutvouchsafinghimaword。Hemadeuphismind,thereonthespot,thathewouldneverthinkofheragain——neverspeaktoherotherwisethanhemightspeaktothemostindifferentofmortals。

  Andyethewasamanthatcouldstrugglerightmanfullywiththeworld’stroubles;onewhohadstruggledwiththemfromhisboyhood,andhadneverbeenovercome。Nowhewasunabletoconcealthebitternessofhiswrathbecausealittlegirlhadriddenofftolookforagreenspotforhertableclothwithoutaskinghisassistance!

  Picnicsare,Ithink,ingeneral,rathertediousfortheelderlypeoplewhoaccompanythem。Whenthejointsbecomealittlestiff,dinnersareeatenmostcomfortablywiththeaccompanimentofchairsandtables,andaroofoverheadisanagrementdeplus。But,nevertheless,picnicscannotexistwithoutacertainallowanceofelderlypeople。TheMissMariansandCaptainsEwingcannotgoouttodineonthegrasswithoutsomeonetolookafterthem。Sotheelderlypeoplegotopicnics,inadulltameway,doingtheirduty,andwishingthedayover。Nowonthemorninginquestion,whenMarianrodeoffwithCaptainEwingandlieutenantGraham,MauriceCummingremainedamongtheelderlypeople。

  AcertainMr。Pomken,agreatJamaicaagriculturist,oneoftheCouncil,amanwhohadknownthegoodoldtimes,gothimbythebuttonandheldhimfast,discoursingwiselyofsugarandruin,ofGadsdenpansandrecreantnegroes,onallofwhichsubjectsMauriceCummingwasknowntohaveanopinionofhisown。ButasMr。Pomken’swordssoundedintooneear,intotheotherfellnotes,listenedtofromafar,——theshrilllaughingvoiceofMarianLeslieasshegaveherhappyordertohersatellitesaroundher,andeverandanonthebasshaw—hawofCaptainEwing,whowasmadewelcomeasthechiefofherattendants。ThateveninginawhispertoabrothercouncillorMr。PomkencommunicatedhisopinionthatafteralltherewasnotsomuchinthatyoungCummingassomepeoplesaid。ButMr。PomkenhadnoideathatthatyoungCummingwasinlove。

  Andthenthedinnercame,spreadoverhalfanacre。Mauricewasamongthelastwhoseatedhimself;andwhenhedidsoitwasinanawkwardcomfortlesscorner,behindMr。Pomken’sback,andfarawayfromthelaughterandmirthoftheday。ButyetfromhiscomfortlesscornerhecouldseeMarianasshesatinherprideofpower,withherfriendJuliaDavisnearher,aflirtasbadasherself,andhersatellitesaroundher,obedienttohernod,andhappyinhersmiles。

  \"NowIwon’tallowanymorechampagne,\"saidMarian,\"orwhowilltherebesteadyenoughtohelpmeovertherockstothegrotto?\"

  \"Oh,youhavepromisedme!\"criedthecaptain。

  \"Indeed,Ihavenot;haveI,Julia?\"

  \"MissDavishascertainlypromisedme,\"saidthelieutenant。

  \"Ihavemadenopromise,anddon’tthinkIshallgoatall,\"saidJulia,whowassometimesinclinedtoimaginethatCaptainEwingshouldbeherownproperty。

  AllwhichandmuchmoreofthekindMauriceCummingcouldnothear;

  buthecouldsee——andimagine,whichwasworse。Howinnocentandinaneare,afterall,theflirtingsofmostyoungladies,ifalltheirwordsanddoingsinthatlinecouldbebroughttopaper!Idonotknowwhethertherebeasarulemorevocalexpressionofthesentimentoflovebetweenamanandwomanthanthereisbetweentwothrushes!Theywhistleandcalltoeachother,guidedbyinstinctratherthanbyreason。

  \"Youaregoinghomewiththeladiesto—night,Ibelieve,\"saidMauricetoMissJack,immediatelyafterdinner。MissJackacknowledgedthatsuchwasherdestinationforthenight。

  \"ThenmygoingbacktoSpanishTownatoncewon’thurtanyone——for,totellthetruth,Ihavehadenoughofthiswork。\"

  \"Why,Maurice,youwereinsuchahurrytocome。\"

  \"ThemorefoolI;andsonowIaminahurrytogoaway。Don’tnoticeittoanybody。\"

  MissJacklookedinhisfaceandsawthathewasreallywretched;andsheknewthecauseofhiswretchedness。

  \"Don’tgoyet,Maurice,\"shesaid;andthenaddedwithatendernessthatwasquiteuncommonwithher,\"Gotoher,Maurice,andspeaktoheropenlyandfreely,onceforall;youwillfindthatshewilllistenthen。DearMaurice,do,formysake。\"

  Hemadenoanswer,butwalkedaway,roamingsadlybyhimselfamongthetrees。\"Listen!\"heexclaimedtohimself。\"Yes,shewillalteradozentimesinasmanyhours。Whocancareforacreaturethatcanchangeasshechanges?\"Andyethecouldnothelpcaringforher。

  Ashewenton,climbingamongrocks,heagaincameuponthesoundofvoices,andheardespeciallythatofCaptainEwing。\"Now,MissLeslie,ifyouwilltakemyhandyouwillsoonbeoverallthedifficulty。\"Andthenapartyofsevenoreight,scramblingoversomestones,camenearlyonthelevelonwhichhestood,infullviewofhim;andleadingtheotherswereCaptainEwingandMissLeslie。

  Heturnedonhisheeltogoaway,whenhecaughtthesoundofastepfollowinghim,andavoicesaying,\"Oh,thereisMr。Cumming,andI

  wanttospeaktohim;\"andinaminutealighthandwasonhisarm。

  \"Whyareyourunningawayfromus?\"saidMarian。

  \"Because——oh,Idon’tknow。Iamnotrunningaway。Youhaveyourpartymadeup,andIamnotgoingtointrudeonit。\"

  \"Whatnonsense!Docomenow;wearegoingtothiswonderfulgrotto。

  Ithoughtitsoill—naturedofyou,notjoiningusatdinner。Indeedyouknowyouhadpromised。\"

  Hedidnotanswerher,buthelookedather——fullintheface,withhissadeyesladenwithlove。Shehalfunderstoodhiscountenance,butonlyhalfunderstoodit。

  \"Whatisthematter,Maurice?\"shesaid。\"Areyouangrywithme?

  Willyoucomeandjoinus?\"

  \"No,Marian,Icannotdothat。Butifyoucanleavethemandcomewithmeforhalfanhour,Iwillnotkeepyoulonger。\"

  Shestoodhesitatingamoment,whilehercompanionremainedonthespotwhereshehadlefthim。\"Come,MissLeslie,\"calledCaptainEwing。\"Youwillhaveitdarkbeforewecangetdown。\"

  \"Iwillcomewithyou,\"whisperedshetoMaurice,\"butwaitamoment。\"Andshetrippedback,andinsomefiveminutesreturnedafteraneagerargumentwithherfriends。\"There,\"shesaid,\"I

  don’tcareaboutthegrotto,onebit,andIwillwalkwithyounow;——

  onlytheywillthinkitsoodd。\"Andsotheystartedofftogether。

  BeforethetropicaldarknesshadfallenuponthemMauricehadtoldthetaleofhislove,——andhadtolditinamannerdifferingmuchfromthatofMarian’susualadmirers,hespokewithpassionandalmostwithviolence;hedeclaredthathisheartwassofullofherimagethathecouldnotridhimselfofitforoneminute;\"norwouldhewishtodoso,\"hesaid,\"ifshewouldbehisMarian,hisownMarian,hisveryown。Butifnot——\"andthenheexplainedtoher,withallalover’swarmth,andwithalmostmorethanalover’sliberty,whatwashisideaofherbeing\"hisown,hisveryown,\"andindoingsoinveighedagainstherusuallight—heartednessintermswhichatanyratewerestrongenough。

  ButMarianhereitallwell。Perhapssheknewthatthelessonwassomewhatdeserved;andperhapssheappreciatedatitsvaluetheloveofsuchamanasMauriceCumming,weighinginherjudgmentthedifferencebetweenhimandtheEwingsandtheGrahams。

  Andthensheansweredhimwellandprudently,withwordswhichstartledhimbytheirprudentseriousnessascomingfromher。Shebeggedhispardonheartily,shesaid,foranygriefwhichshehadcausedhim;butyethowwasshetoheblamed,seeingthatshehadknownnothingofhisfeelings?Herfatherandmotherhadsaidsomethingtoherofthisproposedmarriage;something,butverylittle;andshehadansweredbysayingthatshedidnotthinkMauricehadanywarmerregardforherthanofacousin。Afterthisanswerneitherfathernormotherhadpressedthematterfurther。Astoherownfeelingsshecouldthensaynothing,forshethenknewnothing;——

  nothingbutthis,thatshelovednoonebetterthanhim,orratherthatshelovednooneelse。Shewouldaskherselfifshecouldlovehim;buthemustgivehersomelittletimeforthat。Inthemeantime——andshesmiledsweetlyathimasshemadethepromise——shewouldendeavourtodonothingthatwouldoffendhim;andthensheaddedthatonthateveningshewoulddancewithhimanydancesthatheliked。Maurice,withaself—denialthatwasnotverywise,contentedhimselfwithengagingherforthefirstquadrille。

  Theyweretodancethatnightinthemess—roomoftheofficersatNewcastle。Thisschemehadbeenaddedonasanadjuncttothepicnic,anditthereforebecamenecessarythattheladiesshouldretiretotheirownortheirfriends’housesatNewcastletoadjusttheirdresses。MarianLeslieandJuliaDaviswerethereaccommodatedwiththeloanofasmallroombythemajor’swife,andastheywerebrushingtheirhair,andputtingontheirdancing—shoes,somethingwassaidbetweenthemaboutMauriceCumming。

  \"AndsoyouaretobeMrs。C。ofMountPleasant,\"saidJulia。\"Well;

  Ididn’tthinkitwouldcometothatatlast。\"

  \"Butithasnotcometothat,andifitdidwhyshouldInotbeMrs。

  C。,asyoucallit?\"

  \"Theknightoftheruefulcountenance,Icallhim。\"

  \"Itellyouwhatthen,heisanexcellentyoungman,andthefactisyoudon’tknowhim。\"

  \"Idon’tlikeexcellentyoungmenwithlongfaces。Isupposeyouwon’tbelettodancequickdancesatallnow。\"

  \"IshalldancewhateverdancesIlike,asIhavealwaysdone,\"saidMarian,withsomelittleasperityinhertone。

  \"Notyou;orifyoudo,you’llloseyourpromotion。You’llneverlivetobemyLadyRue。AndwhatwillGrahamsay?Youknowyou’vegivenhimhalfapromise。\"

  \"That’snottrue,Julia;——Inevergavehimthetenthpartofapromise。\"

  \"Well,hesaysso;\"andthenthewordsbetweentheyoungladiesbecamealittlemoreangry。But,nevertheless,induetimetheycameforthwithfacessmilingasusual,withtheirhairbrushed,andwithoutanysignsofwarfare。

  ButMarianhadtostandanotherattackbeforethebusinessoftheeveningcommenced,andthiswasfromnolessdoughtyanantagonistthanheraunt,MissJack。MissJacksoonfoundthatMauricehadnotkepthisthreatofgoinghome;andthoughshedidnotabsolutelylearnfromhimthathehadgonesofartowardsperfectingherdearesthopesastomakeaformaloffertoMarion,neverthelessshedidgatherthatthingswerefastthatwaytending。Ifonlythisdancingwereover!shesaidtoherself,dreadingtheunnumberedwaltzeswithEwing,andtheviolentpolkaswithGraham。SoMissJackresolvedtosayonewordtoMarian——\"Awisewordingoodseason,\"saidMissJacktoherself,\"howsweetathingitis。\"

  \"Marian,\"saidshe。\"Stephereamoment,Iwanttosayawordtoyou。\"

  \"Yes,auntSarah,\"saidMarian,followingherauntintoacorner,notquiteinthebesthumourintheworld;forshehadadreadofsomefurtherinterference。

  \"AreyougoingtodancewithMauriceto—night?\"

  \"Yes,Ibelieveso,——thefirstquadrille。\"

  \"Well,whatIwasgoingtosayisthis。Idon’twantyoutodancemanyquickdancesto—night,forareasonIhave;——thatis,notagreatmany。\"

  \"Why,aunt,whatnonsense!\"

  \"Nowmydearest,dearestgirl,itisallforyourownsake。Well,then,itmustout。Hedoesnotlikeit,youknow。\"

  \"Whathe?\"

  \"Maurice。\"

  \"Well,aunt,Idon’tknowthatI’mboundtodanceornottodancejustasMr。Cummingmaylike。Papadoesnotmindmydancing。Thepeoplehavecomeheretodanceandyoucanhardlywanttomakemeridiculousbysittingstill。\"Andsothatwiseworddidnotappeartobeverysweet。

  Andthentheamusementoftheeveningcommenced,andMarianstoodupforaquadrillewithherlover。Shehoweverwasnotintheverybesthumour。Shehad,asshethought,saidanddoneenoughforonedayinMaurice’sfavour。Andshehadnoidea,asshedeclaredtoherself,ofbeinglecturedbyauntSarah。

  \"DearestMarion,\"hesaidtoher,asthequadrillecametoaclose,\"itisanyourpowertomakemesohappy,——soperfectlyhappy。\"

  \"Butthenpeoplehavesuchdifferentideasofhappiness,\"shereplied。\"Theycan’tallseewiththesameeyes,youknow。\"Andsotheyparted。

  Butduringtheearlypartoftheeveningshewassufficientlydiscreet;shedidwaltzwithLieutenantGraham,andpolkwithCaptainEwing,butshedidsoinatamermannerthanwasusualwithher,andshemadenoemulousattemptstodancedownothercouples。Whenshehaddoneshewouldsitdown,andthensheconsentedtostandupfortwoquadrilleswithtwoverytamegentlemen,towhomnolovercouldobject。

  \"Andso,Marian,yourwingsareregularlyclippedatlast,\"saidJuliaDaviscominguptoher。

  \"Nomoreclippedthanyourown,\"saidMarian。

  \"IfSirRuewon’tletyouwaltznow,whatwillherequireofyouwhenyou’remarriedtohim?\"

  \"IamjustaswellabletowaltzwithwhomIlikeasyouare,Julia;

  andifyousaysointhatway,Ishallthinkit’senvy。\"

  \"Ha——ha——ha;Imayhaveenviedyousomeofyourbeauxbeforenow;I

  daresayIhave。ButIcertainlydonotenvyyouSirRue。\"Andthenshewentofftoherpartner。

  AllthiswastoomuchforMarian’sweakstrength,andbeforelongshewasagainwhirlingroundwithCaptainEwing。\"Come,MissLeslie,\"

  saidhe,\"letusseewhatwecando。GrahamandJuliaDavishavebeensayingthatyourwaltzingdaysareover,butIthinkwecanputthemdown。\"

  Marianasshegotup,andraisedherarminorderthatEwingmightputhisroundherwaist,caughtMaurice’seyeasheleanedagainstawall,andreadinitasternrebuke。\"Thisistoobad,\"shesaidtoherself。\"Heshallnotmakeaslaveofme,atanyrateasyet。\"Andawayshewentasmadly,moremadlythanever,andfortherestoftheeveningshedancedwithCaptainEwingandwithhimalone。

  Thereisanintoxicationquitedistinctfromthatwhichcomesfromstrongdrink。Whenthejudgmentisaltogetherovercomebythespiritsthisspeciesofdrunkennesscomeson,andinthiswayMarianLesliewasdrunkthatnight。FortwohoursshedancedwithCaptainEwing,andeverandanonshekeptsayingtoherselfthatshewouldteachtheworldtoknow——andofalltheworldMr。Cummingespecially—

  —thatshemightbelead,butnotdriven。

  Thenaboutfouro’clockshewenthome,andassheattemptedtoundressherselfinherownroomsheburstintoviolenttearsandopenedherhearttohersister——\"Oh,Fanny,Idolovehim,Idolovehimsodearly!andnowhewillnevercometomeagain!\"

  Mauricestoodstillwithhisbackagainstthewall,forthefulltwohoursofMarian’sexhibition,andthenhesaidtohisauntbeforeheleft——\"Ihopeyouhavenowseenenough;youwillhardlymentionhernametomeagain。\"MissJackgroanedfromthebottomofherheartbutshesaidnothing。Shesaidnothingthatnighttoanyone;butshelayawakeinherbed,thinking,tillitwastimetoriseanddressherself。\"AskMissMariantocometome,\"shesaidtotheblackgirlwhocametoassisther。Butitwasnottillshehadsentthreetimes,thatMissMarianobeyedthesummons。

  Atthreeo’clockonthefollowingdayMissJackarrivedatherownhalldoorinSpanishTown。Longasthedistancewassheordinarilyrodeitall,butonthisoccasionshehadprovidedacarriagetobringheroverasmuchofthejourneyasitwaspracticableforhertoperformonwheels。AssoonasshereachedherownhalldoorsheaskedifMr。Cummingwasathome。\"Yes,\"theservantsaid。\"Hewasinthesmallbook—room,atthebackofthehouse,upstairs。\"

  Silently,asifafraidofbeingheard,shesteppedupherownstairsintoherowndrawing—room;andverysilentlyshewasfollowedbyapairoffeetlighterandsmallerthanherown。

  MissJackwasusuallysomewhatofadespotinherownhouse,buttherewasnothingdespoticabouthernowasshepeeredintothebook—

  room。Thisshedidwithherbonnetstillon,lookingroundthehalf—

  openeddoorasthoughshewereafraidtodisturbhernephew,hesatatthewindowlookingoutintotheverandahwhichranbehindthehouse,sointentonhisthoughtsthathedidnothearher。

  \"Maurice,\"shesaid,\"canIcomein?\"

  \"Comein?ohyes,ofcourse;\"andheturnedroundsharplyather。\"I

  tellyouwhat,aunt;IamnotwellhereandIcannotstayoutthesession。IshallgobacktoMountPleasant。\"

  \"Maurice,\"andshewalkedcloseuptohimasshespoke,\"Maurice,I

  havebroughtsomeonewithmetoaskyourpardon。\"

  Hisfacebecamereduptotherootsofhishairashestoodlookingatherwithoutanswering。\"Youwouldgrantitcertainly,\"shecontinued,\"ifyouknewhowmuchitwouldbevalued。\"

  \"Whomdoyoumean?whoisit?\"heaskedatlast。

  \"Onewholovesyouaswellasyouloveher——andshecannotloveyoubetter。Comein,Marian。\"Thepoorgirlcreptinatthedoor,ashamedofwhatshewasinducedtodo,butyetlookinganxiouslyintoherlover’sface。\"Youaskedheryesterdaytobeyourwife,\"saidMissJack,\"andshedidnotthenknowherownmind。Nowshehashadalesson。Youwillaskheronceagain;willyounot,Maurice?\"

  Whatwashetosay?howwashetorefuse,whenthatsoftlittlehandwasheldouttohim;whenthoseeyesladenwithtearsjustventuredtolookintohisface?

  \"IbegyourpardonifIangeredyoulastnight,\"shesaid。

  InhalfaminuteMissJackhadlefttheroom,andinthespaceofanotherthirtysecondsMauricehadforgivenher。\"Iamyourownnow,youknow,\"shewhisperedtohiminthecourseofthatlongevening。

  \"Yesterday,youknow——,\"butthesentencewasneverfinished。

  ItwasinvainthatJuliaDaviswasill—naturedandsarcastic,invainthatEwingandGrahammadejointattemptuponherconstancy。

  Fromthatnighttothemorningofhermarriage——andtheintervalwasonlythreemonths——MarianLesliewasneverknowntoflirt。

点击下载App,搜索"Miss Sarah Jack, of Spanish Town, Jamaica",免费读到尾