酷兔英语
    当前位置:
  1. 首页
  2. 文章
  3. 娱乐英语
  4. 原版小说
  5. 正文

MIDDLEMARCH-Part98_GEORGE ELIOT(1819-1880)_English Literature(文学)-第2页

0 收藏 0 分享 0 赞

章节正文
文章总共2页
father will come home. We must let Fred go alone. He can tell

Mary that you are here, and she will come back to-morrow."



Christy glanced at his own threadbare knees, and then at Fred's

beautiful white trousers. Certainly Fred's tailoring suggested



the advantages of an English university, and he had a graceful way

even of looking warm and of pushing his hair back with his handkerchief.



"Children, run away," said Mrs. Garth; "it is too warm to hang

about your friends. Take your brother and show him the rabbits."



The eldest understood, and led off the children immediately.

Fred felt that Mrs. Garth wished to give him an opportunity of saying



anything he had to say, but he could only begin by observing--

"How glad you must be to have Christy here!"



"Yes; he has come sooner than I expected. He got down from the coach

at nine o'clock, just after his father went out. I am longing for



Caleb to come and hear what wonderful progress Christy is making.

He has paid his expenses for the last year by giving lessons,



carrying on hard study at the same time. He hopes soon to get

a private tutorship and go abroad."



"He is a great fellow," said Fred, to whom these cheerful

truths had a medicinal taste, "and no trouble to anybody."



After a slight pause, he added, "But I fear you will think

that I am going to be a great deal of trouble to Mr. Garth."



"Caleb likes taking trouble: he is one of those men who always

do more than any one would have thought of asking them to do,"



answered Mrs. Garth. She was knitting, and could either look at

Fred or not, as she chose--always an advantage when one is bent



on loading speech with salutary meaning; and though Mrs. Garth

intended to be duly reserved, she did wish to say something



that Fred might be the better for.

"I know you think me very undeserving, Mrs. Garth, and with good reason,"



said Fred, his spirit rising a little at the perception of something

like a disposition to lecture him. "I happen to have behaved just



the worst to the people I can't help wishing for the most from.

But while two men like Mr. Garth and Mr. Farebrother have not given



me up, I don't see why I should give myself up." Fred thought it

might be well to suggest these masculine examples to Mrs. Garth.



"Assuredly," said she, with gatheringemphasis. "A young man

for whom two such elders had devoted themselves would indeed be



culpable if he threw himself away and made their sacrifices vain."

Fred wondered a little at this strong language, but only said,



"I hope it will not be so with me, Mrs. Garth, since I have some

encouragement to believe that I may win Mary. Mr. Garth has told



you about that? You were not surprised, I dare say?" Fred ended,

innocently referring only to his own love as probably evident enough.



"Not surprised that Mary has given you encouragement?"

returned Mrs. Garth, who thought it would be well for Fred to be



more alive to the fact that Mary's friends could not possibly

have wished this beforehand, whatever the Vincys might suppose.



"Yes, I confess I was surprised."

"She never did give me any--not the least in the world, when I



talked to her myself," said Fred, eager to vindicate Mary.

"But when I asked Mr. Farebrother to speak for me, she allowed him



to tell me there was a hope."

The power of admonition which had begun to stir in Mrs. Garth had



not yet discharged itself. It was a little too provoking even for

HER self-control that this bloomingyoungster should flourish



on the disappointments of sadder and wiser people--making a meal

of a nightingale and never knowing it--and that all the while his



family should suppose that hers was in eager need of this sprig;

and her vexation had fermented the more actively because of its total



repression towards her husband. Exemplary wives will sometimes

find scapegoats in this way. She now said with energetic decision,



"You made a great mistake, Fred, in asking Mr. Farebrother to speak

for you."



"Did I?" said Fred, reddening instantaneously. He was alarmed,

but at a loss to know what Mrs. Garth meant, and added,



in an apologetic tone, "Mr. Farebrother has always been such

a friend of ours; and Mary, I knew, would listen to him gravely;



and he took it on himself quite readily."

"Yes, young people are usually blind to everything but their own wishes,



and seldom imagine how much those wishes cost others," said Mrs. Garth




文章总共2页

章节正文
Copyright © 2023 Qeto All rights reserved.
商务合作 | 联系我们 | 关于我们 | 版权声明 | 隐私条款 | 如果智培

京ICP备05059198号-1 京公网安备 11011202003401号