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第42章

bleak house(凄凉的房子)-第42章

小说: bleak house(凄凉的房子) 字数: 每页4000字

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if she says I didn’t; she’s a Lie!” 

    He had pulled his pipe out of his mouth to say all this; and he 

now     turned     over   on   his   other    side;   and   smoked      again。    Mrs 

Pardiggle;   who   had   been   regarding   him   through   her   spectacles 

with a forcible composure; calculated; I could not help thinking; to 

increase     his   antagonism;   pulled      out   a  good   book;    as  it  were   a 

constable’s   staff;   and   took   the   whole   family  into   custody。   I   mean 

into religious custody; of course; but she really did it; as if she were 

an inexorable moral Policeman carrying them all off to a station… 

house。 

    Ada and I were very uncomfortable。 We both felt intrusive and 

out of place; and we both thought that Mrs Pardiggle would have 

got on infinitely better; if she had not had such a mechanical way 

of taking possession of people。 The children sulked and stared; the 

family took no notice of us whatever; except when the young man 

made the dog bark: which he usually did when Mrs Pardiggle was 

most   emphatic。   We   both   felt   painfully   sensible   that   between   us 

and   these   people   there   was   an   iron   barrier;   which   could   not   be 

removed       by   our   new    friend。    By   whom;      or  how;    it  could    be 

removed; we did not know; but we knew that。 Even what she read 

and said; seemed to us to be ill chosen for such auditors; if it had 

been imparted ever so modestly and with ever so much tact。 As to 

the   little   book   to   which   the   man   on   the   floor   had   referred;   we 

acquired a   knowledge   of  it  afterwards;   and   Mr   Jarndyce   said   he 

doubted if Robinson Crusoe could have read it; though he had had 



Charles Dickens                                                      ElecBook Classics 


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                                   Bleak House                                     154 



no other on his desolate island。 

    We were much relieved; under these circumstances; when Mrs 

Pardiggle   left   off。   The   man   on   the   floor   then   turning   his   head 

round again; said morosely;— 

    “Well! You’ve done; have you?” 

    “For today; I have; my friend。 But I am never fatigued。   I   shall 

come to you again; in your regular order;” returned Mrs Pardiggle 

with demonstrative cheerfulness。 

    “So    long   as   you   goes   now;”    said   he;   folding   his   arms    and 

shutting his eyes with an oath; “you may do wot you like!” 

    Mrs Pardiggle accordingly rose; and made a little vortex in the 

confined room from which  the   pipe   itself  very  narrowly  escaped。 

Taking   one      of   her   young   family   in  each    hand;    and   telling   the 

others     to   follow    closely;   and    expressing      her    hope    that    the 

brickmaker   and   all   his   house   would   be   improved   when   she   saw 

them next; she then proceeded to another cottage。 I hope it is not 

unkind   in   me   to   say   that   she   certainly   did   make;   in   this;   as   in 

everything else; a show that was not conciliatory; of doing charity 

by wholesale; and of dealing in it to a large extent。 

    She   supposed   that   we   were   following   her;   but   as   soon   as   the 

space was left clear; we approached the woman sitting by the fire; 

to ask if the baby were ill。 

    She   only   looked   at   it   as   it   lay   on   her   lap。   We   had   observed 

before; that when she looked at it she covered her discoloured eye 

with her hand; as   though  she   wished   to  separate   any  association 

with    noise    and   violence    and    ill…treatment;    from    the  poor    little 

child。 

    Ada;   whose   gentle   heart   was   moved   by   its   appearance;   bent 

down to touch its little face。 As she did so; I   saw  what  happened 



Charles Dickens                                                      ElecBook Classics 


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                                   Bleak House                                     155 



and drew her back。 The child died。 

    “O   Esther!”   cried   Ada;   sinking   on   her   knees   beside   it。   “Look 

here!    O   Esther;    my   love;   the  little  thing!   The    suffering;   quiet; 

pretty little thing! I am so sorry for it。 I am so sorry for the mother。 

I never saw a sight so pitiful as this before! O baby; baby!” 

    Such compassion; such gentleness; as that with which she bent 

down weeping; and put her hand  upon   the   mother’s; might  have 

softened   any   mother’s   heart   that   ever   beat。   The   woman   at   first 

gazed at her in astonishment; and then burst into tears。 

    Presently I took the light burden from her lap; did what I could 

to make the baby’s rest the prettier and gentler; laid it on a shelf; 

and covered it with my own handkerchief。 We tried to comfort the 

mother;      and    we   whispered      to   her   what    our   Saviour     said   of 

children。   She   answered   nothing;   but   sat   weeping—weeping   very 

much。 

    When I turned; I found that the young man had taken out the 

dog;   and   was   standing   at   the   door   looking   in   upon   us;   with   dry 

eyes; but quiet。 The girl was quiet too; and sat in a corner looking 

on the ground。 The man had risen。 He still smoked his pipe with 

an air of defiance; but he was silent。 

    An   ugly   woman;   very   poorly   clothed;   hurried   in   while   I   was 

glancing   at   them;   and      coming   straight   up     to   the  mother;    said; 

“Jenny! Jenny!” The mother rose on being so addressed; and fell 

upon the woman’s neck。 

    She also had upon her face and arms the marks of ill…usage。 She 

had   no   kind   of   grace   about   her;   but   the   grace   of   sympathy;   but 

when   she   condoled   with   the   woman;   and   her   own   tears   fell;   she 

wanted      no   beauty。    I  say   condoled;     but   her   only   words     were; 

“Jenny!   Jenny!”   All   the   rest   was   in   the   tone   in   which   she   said 



Charles Dickens                                                      ElecBook Classics 


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                                    Bleak House                                     156 



them。 

    I thought it very touching to see these two women; coarse and 

shabby   and   beaten;   so   united;   to   see   what   they   could   be   to   one 

another;   to   see   how   they   felt   for   one   another;   how   the   heart   of 

each to each was softened by the hard trials of their lives。 I think 

the   best   side   of   such   people   is   almost   hidden   from   us。   What   the 

poor are to the poor is little known;  excepting  to  themselves and 

God。 

    We felt it better to withdraw and leave them uninterrupted。 We 

stole out quietly; and without notice from any one except the man。 

He   was   leaning  against   the   wall   near   the   door;   and   finding   that 

there   was   scarcely   room   for   us   to   pass;   went   out   before   us。   He 

seemed   to   want   to   hide   that   he   did   this   on   our   account;   but   we 

perceived that he did; and thanked him。 He made no answer。 

    Ada was so full of grief of all the way home; and Richard; whom 

we found at home; was so distressed to see her in tears (though he 

said   to  me   when   she   was   not   present;   how   beautiful   it   was   too!) 

that we arranged to return at night with some little comforts; and 

repeat our visit at the brickmaker’s house。 We said as little as we 

could to Mr Jarndyce; but the wind changed directly。 

    Richard  accompanied   us   at night  to  the   scene   of  our  morning 

expedition。   On   our   way   there;   we   had   to   pass   a   noisy   drinking… 

house;     where   a    number     of  men     were    flocking   about    the   door。 

Among   them;   and   promi

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