贝壳电子书 > 英文原著电子书 > the island pharisees >

第11章

the island pharisees-第11章

小说: the island pharisees 字数: 每页4000字

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!




brown face was perfectly clean…shaven。  His grey; silky hair was

brushed in a cock's comb from his fine forehead; bald on the left

side。  He stood before the hearth facing the room; and his figure had

the springy abruptness of men who cannot fatten。  There was a certain

youthfulness; too; in his eyes; yet they had a look as though he had

been through fire; and his mouth curled at the corners in surprising

smiles。  The room was like the manmorally large; void of red…tape

and almost void of furniture; no tin boxes were ranged against the

walls; no papers littered up the table; a single bookcase contained a

complete edition of the law reports; and resting on the Law Directory

was a single red rose in a glass of water。  It looked the room of one

with a sober magnanimity; who went to the heart of things; despised

haggling; and before whose smiles the more immediate kinds of humbug

faded。



〃Well; Dick;〃 said he; 〃how's your mother?〃



Shelton replied that his mother was all right。



〃Tell her that I'm going to sell her Easterns after all; and put into

this Brass thing。  You can say it's safe; from me。〃



Shelton made a face。



〃Mother;〃 said he; 〃always believes things are safe。〃



His uncle looked through him with his keen; half…suffering glance;

and up went the corners of his mouth。



〃She's splendid;〃 he said。



〃Yes;〃 said Shelton; 〃splendid。〃



The transaction; however; did not interest him; his uncle's judgment

in such matters had a breezy soundness he would never dream of

questioning。



〃Well; about your settlement〃; and; touching a bell three times; Mr。

Paramor walked up and down the room。  〃Bring me the draft of Mr。

Richard's marriage settlement。〃



The stalwart commissionaire reappearing with a document〃Now then;

Dick;〃 said Mr。 Paramor。  〃She 's not bringing anything into

settlement; I understand; how 's that?〃



〃I did n't want it;〃 replied Shelton; unaccountably ashamed。



Mr。 Paramor's lips quivered; he drew the draft closer; took up a blue

pencil; and; squeezing Shelton's arm; began to read。  The latter;

following his uncle's rapid exposition of the clauses; was relieved

when he paused suddenly。



〃If you die and she marries again;〃 said Mr。 Paramor; 〃she forfeits

her life interestsee?〃



〃Oh!〃 said Shelton; 〃wait a minute; Uncle Ted。〃



Mr。 Paramor waited; biting his pencil; a smile flickered on his

mouth; and was decorously subdued。  It was Shelton's turn to walk

about。



〃If she marries again;〃 he repeated to himself。



Mr。 Paramor was a keen fisherman; he watched his nephew as he might

have watched a fish he had just landed。



〃It's very usual;〃 he remarked。



Shelton took another turn。



〃She forfeits;〃 thought he; 〃exactly。〃



When he was dead; he would have no other way of seeing that she

continued to belong to him。  Exactly!



Mr。 Paramor's haunting eyes were fastened on his nephew's face。



〃Well; my dear;〃 they seemed to say; 〃what 's the matter?〃



Exactly!  Why should she have his money if she married again?  She

would forfeit it。  There was comfort in the thought。  Shelton came

back and carefully reread the clause; to put the thing on a purely

business basis; and disguise the real significance of what was

passing in his mind。



〃If I die and she marries again;〃 he repeated aloud; 〃she forfeits。〃



What wiser provision for a man passionately in love could possibly

have been devised?  His uncle's eye travelled beyond him; humanely

turning from the last despairing wriggles of his fish。



〃I don't want to tie her;〃 said Shelton suddenly。



The corners of Mr。 Paramour's mouth flew up。



〃You want the forfeiture out?〃 he asked。



The blood rushed into Shelton's face; he felt he had been detected in

a piece of sentiment。



〃Ye…es;〃 he stammered。



〃Sure?〃



〃Quite!〃  The answer was a little sulky。



Her uncle's pencil descended on the clause; and he resumed the

reading of the draft; but Shelton could not follow it; he was too

much occupied in considering exactly why Mr。 Paramor had been amused;

and to do this he was obliged to keep his eyes upon him。  Those

features; just pleasantly rugged; the springy poise of the figure;

the hair neither straight nor curly; neither short nor long; the

haunting look of his eyes and the humorous look of his mouth; his

clothes neither shabby nor dandified; his serviceable; fine hands;

above all; the equability of the hovering blue pencil; conveyed the

impression of a perfect balance between heart and head; sensibility

and reason; theory and its opposite。



〃'During coverture;'〃 quoted Mr。 Paramor; pausing again; 〃you

understand; of course; if you don't get on; and separate; she goes on

taking?〃



If they didn't get on!  Shelton smiled。  Mr。 Paramor did not smile;

and again Shelton had the sense of having knocked up against

something poised but firm。  He remarked irritably:



〃If we 're not living together; all the more reason for her having

it。〃



This time his uncle smiled。  It was difficult for Shelton to feel

angry at that ironic merriment; with its sudden ending; it was too

impersonal to irritate: it was too concerned with human nature。



〃Ifhumit came to the other thing;〃 said Mr。 Paramor; 〃the

settlement's at an end as far as she 's concerned。  We 're bound to

look at every case; you know; old boy。〃



The memory of the play and his conversation with Halidome was still

strong in Shelton。  He was not one of those who could not face the

notion of transferred affectionsat a safe distance。



〃All right; Uncle Ted;〃 said he。  For one mad moment he was attacked

by the desire to 〃throw in〃 the case of divorce。  Would it not be

common chivalry to make her independent; able to change her

affections if she wished; unhampered by monetary troubles?  You only

needed to take out the words 〃during coverture。〃



Almost anxiously he looked into his uncle's face。  There was no

meanness there; but neither was there encouragement in that

comprehensive brow with its wide sweep of hair。  〃Quixotism;〃 it

seemed to say; 〃has merits; but〃  The room; too; with its wide

horizon and tall windows; looking as if it dealt habitually in

common…sense; discouraged him。  Innumerable men of breeding and the

soundest principles must have bought their wives in here。  It was

perfumed with the atmosphere of wisdom and law…calf。  The aroma of

Precedent was strong; Shelton swerved his lance; and once more

settled down to complete the purchase of his wife。



〃I can't conceive what you'rein such a hurry for; you 're not going

to be married till the autumn;〃 said Mr。 Paramor; finishing at last。



Replacing the blue pencil in the rack; he took the red rose from the

glass; and sniffed at it。  〃Will you come with me as far as Pall

Mall?  I 'm going to take an afternoon off; too cold for Lord's; I

suppose?〃



They walked into the Strand。



〃Have you seen this new play of Borogrove's?〃 asked Shelton; as they

passed the theatre to which he had been with Halidome。



〃I never go to modern plays;〃 replied Mr。 Paramor; 〃 too d…d

gloomy。〃



Shelton glanced at him; he wore his hat rather far back on his head;

his eyes haunted the street in front; he had shouldered his umbrella。



〃Psychology 's not in your line; Uncle Ted?〃



〃Is that what they call putting into words things that can't be put

in words?〃



〃The French succeed in doing it;〃 replied Shelton; and the Russians;

why should n't we?〃



Mr。 Paramor stopped to look in at a fishmonger's。



〃What's right for the French and Russians; Dick;〃 he said 〃is wrong

for us。  When we begin to be real; we only really begin to be false。

I should like to have had the catching of that fellow; let's send him

to your mother。〃  He went in and bought a salmon:



〃Now; my dear;〃 he continued; as they went on; 〃do you tell me that

it's decent for men and women on the stage to writhe abo

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的