"I shall never hear from you. And you will forget all about me."

"No," said Dorothea, "I shall never forget you. I have never



forgotten any one whom I once knew. My life has never been crowded,

and seems not likely to be so. And I have a great deal of space



for memory at Lowick, haven't I?" She smiled.

"Good God!" Will burst out passionately, rising, with his hat still



in his hand, and walking away to a marble table, where he suddenly

turned and leaned his back against it. The blood had mounted to his



face and neck, and he looked almost angry. It had seemed to him

as if they were like two creatures slowly turning to marble in each



other's presence, while their hearts were conscious and their eyes

were yearning. But there was no help for it. It should never be true



of him that in this meeting to which he had come with bitter resolution

he had ended by a confession which might be interpreted into asking



for her fortune. Moreover, it was actually true that he was fearful

of the effect which such confessions might have on Dorothea herself.



She looked at him from that distance in some trouble, imagining that

there might hate been an offence in her words. But all the while



there was a current of thought in her about his probable want

of money, and the impossibility of her helping him. If her uncle



had been at home, something might have been done through him!

It was this preoccupation with the hardship of Will's wanting money,



while she had what ought to have been his share, which led her to say,

seeing that he remained silent and looked away from her--



"I wonder whether you would like to have that miniature

which hangs up-stairs--I mean that beautiful miniature OF



your grandmother. I think it is not right for me to keep it,

if you would wish to have it. It is wonderfully like you."



"You are very good," said Will, irritably. "No; I don't mind

about it. It is not very consoling to have one's own likeness.



It would be more consoling if others wanted to have it."

"I thought you would like to cherish her memory--I thought--



"Dorothea broke off an instant, her imagination suddenly warning

her away from Aunt Julia's history--"you would surely like to have



the miniature as a family memorial."

"Why should I have that, when I have nothing else! A man with only



a portmanteau for his stowage must keep his memorials in his head."

Will spoke at random: he was merely venting his petulance;



it was a little too exasperating to have his grandmother's portrait

offered him at that moment. But to Dorothea's feeling his words



had a peculiar sting. She rose and said with a touch of indignation

as well as hauteur--



"You are much the happier of us two, Mr. Ladislaw, to have nothing."

Will was startled. Whatever the words might be, the tone seemed



like a dismissal; and quitting his leaning posture, he walked

a little way towards her. Their eyes met, but with a strange



questioning gravity. Something was keeping their minds aloof,

and each was left to conjecture what was in the other. Will had



really never thought of himself as having a claim of inheritance

on the property which was held by Dorothea, and would have required



a narrative to make him understand her present feeling.

"I never felt it a misfortune to have nothing till now," he said.



"But poverty may be as bad as leprosy, if it divides us from what we

most care for."



The words cut Dorothea to the heart, and made her relent.

She answered in a tone of sad fellowship.



"Sorrow comes in so many ways. Two years ago I had no notion of that--

I mean of the unexpected way in which trouble comes, and ties our hands,



and makes us silent when we long to speak. I used to despise women

a little for not shaping their lives more, and doing better things.



I was very fond of doing as I liked, but I have almost given it up,"

she ended, smiling playfully.



"I have not given up doing as I like, but I can very seldom do it,"

said Will. He was standing two yards from her with his mind full



of contradictory desires and resolves--desiring some unmistakable

proof that she loved him, and yet dreading the position into which



such a proof might bring him. "The thing one most longs for may

be surrounded with conditions that would be intolerable."



At this moment Pratt entered and said, "Sir James Chettam

is in the library, madam."



"Ask Sir James to come in here," said Dorothea, immediately. It was

as if the same electric shock had passed through her and Will.



Each of them felt proudly resistant, and neither looked at the other,

while they awaited Sir James's entrance.

• nevertheless [,nevəðə´les] conj.&ad.然而；不过 (初中英语单词)


• knitting [´nitiŋ] n.编织(物)；接合；联合 (初中英语单词)


• formal [´fɔ:məl] a.正式的；外表的 (初中英语单词)


• income [´inkʌm] n.收入，所得 (初中英语单词)


• sunshine [´sʌnʃain] n.日光，阳光 (初中英语单词)


• prospect [´prɔspekt, prəs´pekt] n.景色；境界 v.勘察 (初中英语单词)


• energy [´enədʒi] n.活力，精力；能力 (初中英语单词)


• standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)


• utmost [´ʌtməust] a.最大的 n.极端 (初中英语单词)


• permission [pə´miʃən] n.允许；同意；许可 (初中英语单词)


• winged [´wiŋd] a.有翼的 (初中英语单词)


• ignorant [´ignərənt] a.无知的，愚昧的 (初中英语单词)


• jealous [´dʒeləs] a.妒忌的 (初中英语单词)


• miserable [´mizərəbəl] a.悲惨的；可怜的 (初中英语单词)


• previous [´pri:viəs] a.先，前，以前的 (初中英语单词)


• imagination [i,mædʒi´neiʃən] n.想象(力) (初中英语单词)


• neighborhood [´neibəhud] n.邻居；邻近；附近 (初中英语单词)


• preparation [,prepə´reiʃən] n.准备；预习(时间) (初中英语单词)


• poetry [´pəuitri] n.诗；诗意 (初中英语单词)


• approve [ə´pru:v] v.赞成；同意；批准 (初中英语单词)


• supposed [sə´pəuzd] a.想象的；假定的 (初中英语单词)


• liquid [´likwid] n.液体 a.流动的 (初中英语单词)


• patience [´peiʃəns] n.忍耐(力)；耐心；坚韧 (初中英语单词)


• horrible [´hɔrəbəl] a.可怕的；恐怖的 (初中英语单词)


• marble [´mɑ:bəl] n.大理石 a.大理石的 (初中英语单词)


• conscious [´kɔnʃəs] a.意识的；自觉的 (初中英语单词)


• moreover [mɔ:´rəuvə] ad.再者，此外，而且 (初中英语单词)


• actually [´æktʃuəli] ad.事实上；实际上 (初中英语单词)


• probable [´prɔbəbəl] a.大概的n.很可能的事 (初中英语单词)


• grandmother [´græn,mʌðə] n.(外)祖母 (初中英语单词)


• instant [´instənt] a.立即的 n.紧迫；瞬间 (初中英语单词)


• peculiar [pi´kju:liə] a.特有的；奇异的 (初中英语单词)


• whatever [wɔt´evə] pron.&a.无论什么 (初中英语单词)


• poverty [´pɔvəti] n.贫穷(乏，瘠)；不足 (初中英语单词)


• despise [di´spaiz] vt.轻视，藐视 (初中英语单词)


• proudly [´praudli] ad.骄傲地；傲慢地 (初中英语单词)


• dignified [´dignifaid] a.尊贵的 (高中英语单词)


• unexpected [ʌniks´pektid] a.突然的；意外的 (高中英语单词)


• neutral [´nju:trəl] a.中立(国)的 (高中英语单词)


• butler [´bʌtlə] n.(男)管家 (高中英语单词)


• agitation [,ædʒi´teiʃən] n.鼓动；摇动；焦虑 (高中英语单词)


• painful [´peinfəl] a.痛(苦)的；费力的 (高中英语单词)


• uneasy [ʌn´i:zi] a.不安的；不自在的 (高中英语单词)


• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)


• reconcile [´rekənsail] vt.调和；使和谐 (高中英语单词)


• behavior [bi´heiviə] n.举止，行为 (高中英语单词)


• outrage [´aut,reidʒ] n.残暴 vt.虐待；伤害 (高中英语单词)


• inward [´inwəd] a.向内的；心灵上的 (高中英语单词)


• confession [kən´feʃən] n.招供；认错；交待 (高中英语单词)


• hardship [´hɑ:dʃip] n.受苦，吃苦；苦难 (高中英语单词)


• miniature [´miniətʃə] n.缩样 a.雏型的 (高中英语单词)


• cherish [´tʃeriʃ] vt.珍爱；怀有(感情) (高中英语单词)


• random [´rændəm] n.偶然的行动 (高中英语单词)


• gravity [´græviti] n.严肃；严重；重力 (高中英语单词)


• narrative [´nærətiv] a.叙述的 n.记事 (高中英语单词)


• misfortune [mis´fɔ:tʃən] n.不幸；灾祸 (高中英语单词)


• ardent [´ɑ:dənt] a.热心的；热情洋溢的 (英语四级单词)


• peculiarly [pi´kju:liəli] ad.特有地；古怪地 (英语四级单词)


• unkind [,ʌn´kaind] a.不客气的；不和善的 (英语四级单词)


• delighted [di´laitid] a.高兴的；喜欢的 (英语四级单词)


• trying [´traiiŋ] a.难堪的；费劲的 (英语四级单词)


• passionately [´pæʃənitli] ad.多情地；热烈地 (英语四级单词)


• wonderfully [´wʌndəfuli] ad.令人惊讶地；奇妙地 (英语四级单词)


• conjecture [kən´dʒektʃə] n.&v.猜测(想)；设想 (英语四级单词)


• oratory [´ɔrətəri] n.演讲(术)；修辞 (英语六级单词)


• holding [´həuldiŋ] n.保持，固定，存储 (英语六级单词)


• applied [ə´plaid] a.实用的，应用的 (英语六级单词)


• solemnity [sə´lemniti] n.庄严；(隆重的)仪式 (英语六级单词)


• damask [´dæməsk] n.锦缎 a.缎子的 (英语六级单词)


• affected [ə´fektid] a.做作的；假装的 (英语六级单词)


• speaking [´spi:kiŋ] n.说话 a.发言的 (英语六级单词)


• judicious [dʒu:´diʃəs] a.明智的；贤明的 (英语六级单词)


• impossibility [impɔsi´biliti] n.不可能办到的事 (英语六级单词)


• wanting [´wɔntiŋ, wɑ:n-] a.短缺的；不足的 (英语六级单词)


• posture [´pɔstʃə] n.姿势 v.故作姿态 (英语六级单词)