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The Warden-Part13_Antony Trollope(1815-1882)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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sombre papers hung up; those heavy curtains draped so as to half



exclude the light of the sun: nor were these old-fashioned

chairs, bought at a price far exceeding that now given for more



modern goods, without a purpose. The breakfast-service on the

table was equallycostly and equally plain; the apparent object



had been to spend money without obtaining brilliancy or splendour.

The urn was of thick and solid silver, as were also the tea-pot,



coffee-pot, cream-ewer, and sugar-bowl; the cups were old, dim

dragon china, worth about a pound a piece, but very despicable in



the eyes of the uninitiated. The silver forks were so heavy as

to be disagreeable to the hand, and the bread-basket was of a



weight really formidable to any but robust persons. The tea

consumed was the very best, the coffee the very blackest, the



cream the very thickest; there was dry toast and buttered

toast, muffins and crumpets; hot bread and cold bread, white



bread and brown bread, home-made bread and bakers'

bread, wheaten bread and oaten bread; and if there be other



breads than these, they were there; there were eggs in napkins,

and crispy bits of bacon under silver covers; and there were



little fishes in a little box, and devilled kidneys frizzling on

a hot-water dish; which, by the bye, were placed closely



contiguous to the plate of the worthy archdeacon himself.

Over and above this, on a snow-white napkin, spread upon



the sideboard, was a huge ham and a huge sirloin; the latter

having laden the dinner table on the previous evening. Such



was the ordinary fare at Plumstead Episcopi.

And yet I have never found the rectory a pleasant house.



The fact that man shall not live by bread alone seemed to be

somewhat forgotten; and noble as was the appearance of



the host, and sweet and good-natured as was the face of the

hostess, talented" target="_blank" title="a.天才的；能干的">talented as were the children, and excellent as were the



viands and the wines, in spite of these attractions, I generally

found the rectory somewhat dull. After breakfast the archdeacon



would retire, of course to his clerical pursuits. Mrs

Grantly, I presume, inspected her kitchen, though she had a



first-rate housekeeper, with sixty pounds a year; and attended

to the lessons of Florinda and Grizzel, though she had an



excellent governess with thirty pounds a year: but at any rate

she disappeared: and I never could make companions of the



boys. Charles James, though he always looked as though

there was something in him, never seemed to have much to



say; and what he did say he would always unsay the next

minute. He told me once that he considered cricket, on the



whole, to be a gentlemanlike game for boys, provided they

would play without running about; and that fives, also, was a



seemly game, so that those who played it never heated themselves.

Henry once quarrelled with me for taking his sister



Grizzel's part in a contest between them as to the best mode

of using a watering-pot for the garden flowers; and from that



day to this he has not spoken to me, though he speaks at me

often enough. For half an hour or so I certainly did like



Sammy's gentle speeches; but one gets tired of honey, and I

found that he preferred the more admiring listeners whom he



met in the kitchen-garden and back precincts of the establishment;

besides, I think I once caught Sammy fibbing.



On the whole, therefore, I found the rectory a dull house,

though it must be admitted that everything there was of the



very best.

After breakfast, on the morning of which we are writing,



the archdeacon, as usual, retired to his study, intimating that

he was going to be very busy, but that he would see Mr Chadwick



if he called. On entering this sacred room he carefully

opened the paper case on which he was wont to compose his



favourite sermons, and spread on it a fair sheet of paper and

one partly written on; he then placed his inkstand, looked at



his pen, and folded his blotting paper; having done so, he got

up again from his seat, stood with his back to the fire-place,



and yawned comfortably, stretching out vastly his huge arms

and opening his burly chest. He then walked across the room



and locked the door; and having so prepared himself, he

threw himself into his easy-chair, took from a secret drawer






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