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the turn of the screw-第2章

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as we had had our mild wonders of the previous night。

It appeared that the narrative he had promised to read us really

required for a proper intelligence a few words of prologue。

Let me say here distinctly; to have done with it;

that this narrative; from an exact transcript of my own made

much later; is what I shall presently give。  Poor Douglas;

before his deathwhen it was in sightcommitted to me

the manuscript that reached him on the third of these days

and that; on the same spot; with immense effect; he began

to read to our hushed little circle on the night of the fourth。

The departing ladies who had said they would stay didn't;

of course; thank heaven; stay:  they departed; in consequence

of arrangements made; in a rage of curiosity; as they professed;

produced by the touches with which he had already worked us up。

But that only made his little final auditory more compact and select;

kept it; round the hearth; subject to a common thrill。



The first of these touches conveyed that the written statement

took up the tale at a point after it had; in a manner; begun。

The fact to be in possession of was therefore that his old friend;

the youngest of several daughters of a poor country parson;

had; at the age of twenty; on taking service for the first time

in the schoolroom; come up to London; in trepidation; to answer

in person an advertisement that had already placed her in brief

correspondence with the advertiser。  This person proved; on her

presenting herself; for judgment; at a house in Harley Street;

that impressed her as vast and imposingthis prospective

patron proved a gentleman; a bachelor in the prime of life;

such a figure as had never risen; save in a dream or an old novel;

before a fluttered; anxious girl out of a Hampshire vicarage。

One could easily fix his type; it never; happily; dies out。

He was handsome and bold and pleasant; offhand and gay and kind。

He struck her; inevitably; as gallant and splendid;

but what took her most of all and gave her the courage she

afterward showed was that he put the whole thing to her as

a kind of favor; an obligation he should gratefully incur。

She conceived him as rich; but as fearfully extravagant

saw him all in a glow of high fashion; of good looks;

of expensive habits; of charming ways with women。

He had for his own town residence a big house filled

with the spoils of travel and the trophies of the chase;

but it was to his country home; an old family place in Essex;

that he wished her immediately to proceed。



He had been left; by the death of their parents in India;

guardian to a small nephew and a small niece; children of a younger;

a military brother; whom he had lost two years before。

These children were; by the strangest of chances for a man

in his positiona lone man without the right sort of

experience or a grain of patiencevery heavily on his hands。

It had all been a great worry and; on his own part doubtless;

a series of blunders; but he immensely pitied the poor chicks

and had done all he could; had in particular sent them

down to his other house; the proper place for them being

of course the country; and kept them there; from the first;

with the best people he could find to look after them;

parting even with his own servants to wait on them and going

down himself; whenever he might; to see how they were doing。

The awkward thing was that they had practically no other

relations and that his own affairs took up all his time。

He had put them in possession of Bly; which was healthy and secure;

and had placed at the head of their little establishment

but below stairs onlyan excellent woman; Mrs。 Grose;

whom he was sure his visitor would like and who had formerly been

maid to his mother。  She was now housekeeper and was also acting

for the time as superintendent to the little girl; of whom;

without children of her own; she was; by good luck; extremely fond。

There were plenty of people to help; but of course the young lady

who should go down as governess would be in supreme authority。

She would also have; in holidays; to look after the small boy;

who had been for a term at schoolyoung as he was to be sent;

but what else could be done?and who; as the holidays were

about to begin; would be back from one day to the other。

There had been for the two children at first a young lady

whom they had had the misfortune to lose。  She had done

for them quite beautifullyshe was a most respectable person

till her death; the great awkwardness of which had; precisely;

left no alternative but the school for little Miles。

Mrs。 Grose; since then; in the way of manners and things;

had done as she could for Flora; and there were; further; a cook;

a housemaid; a dairywoman; an old pony; an old groom;

and an old gardener; all likewise thoroughly respectable。



So far had Douglas presented his picture when someone put a question。

〃And what did the former governess die of?of so much respectability?〃



Our friend's answer was prompt。  〃That will come out。

I don't anticipate。〃



〃Excuse meI thought that was just what you ARE doing。〃



〃In her successor's place;〃 I suggested; 〃I should have wished to learn

if the office brought with it〃



〃Necessary danger to life?〃  Douglas completed my thought。

〃She did wish to learn; and she did learn。  You shall hear tomorrow

what she learned。  Meanwhile; of course; the prospect struck her

as slightly grim。  She was young; untried; nervous:  it was a vision

of serious duties and little company; of really great loneliness。

She hesitatedtook a couple of days to consult and consider。

But the salary offered much exceeded her modest measure;

and on a second interview she faced the music; she engaged。〃

And Douglas; with this; made a pause that; for the benefit

of the company; moved me to throw in



〃The moral of which was of course the seduction exercised by the splendid

young man。  She succumbed to it。〃



He got up and; as he had done the night before; went to the fire;

gave a stir to a log with his foot; then stood a moment with his back to us。

〃She saw him only twice。〃



〃Yes; but that's just the beauty of her passion。〃



A little to my surprise; on this; Douglas turned round to me。

〃It WAS the beauty of it。  There were others;〃 he went on;

〃who hadn't succumbed。  He told her frankly all his difficulty

that for several applicants the conditions had been prohibitive。

They were; somehow; simply afraid。  It sounded dullit sounded strange;

and all the more so because of his main condition。〃



〃Which was?〃



〃That she should never trouble himbut never; never:

neither appeal nor complain nor write about anything;

only meet all questions herself; receive all moneys from

his solicitor; take the whole thing over and let him alone。

She promised to do this; and she mentioned to me that when;

for a moment; disburdened; delighted; he held her hand;

thanking her for the sacrifice; she already felt rewarded。〃



〃But was that all her reward?〃 one of the ladies asked。



〃She never saw him again。〃



〃Oh!〃 said the lady; which; as our friend immediately left us again;

was the only other word of importance contributed to the subject till;

the next night; by the corner of the hearth; in the best chair;

he opened the faded red cover of a thin old…fashioned gilt…edged album。

The whole thing took indeed more nights than one; but on the first occasion

the same lady put another question。  〃What is your title?〃



〃I haven't one。〃



〃Oh; _I_ have!〃  I said。  But Douglas; without heeding me;

had begun to read with a fine clearness that was like a rendering

to the ear of the beauty of his author's hand。







                            I





I remember the whole beginning as a succession of flights and drops;

a little seesaw of the right throbs and the wrong。  After rising; in town;

to meet his appeal; I had at all events a couple of very bad days

found myself doubtf

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