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The Wheels of Chance-Part27_H. G. WELLS (1866-1946)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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"A world full of unknown dangers," resumed the clergyman. "Your



proper place was surely the natural surroundings that are part of

you. You have been unduly influenced, it is only too apparent, by



a class of literature which, with all due respect to

distinguished authoress that shall be nameless, I must call the



New Woman Literature. In that deleterious ingredient of our book

boxes--"



"I don't altogether agree with you there," said Miss Mergle,

throwing her head back and regarding him firmly through her



spectacles, and Mr. Widgery coughed.

"What HAS all this to do with me?" asked Jessie, availing herself



of the interruption.

"The point is," said Mrs. Milton, on her defence, "that in my



books--"

"All I want to do," said Jessie, "is to go about freely by



myself. Girls do so in America. Why not here?"

"Social conditions are entirely different in America," said Miss



Mergle. "Here we respect Class Distinctions."

"It's very unfortunate. What I want to know is, why I cannot go



away for a holiday if I want to."

"With a strange young man, socially your inferior," said Widgery,



and made her flush by his tone.

"Why not?" she said. "With anybody."



"They don't do that, even in America," said Miss Mergle.

"My dear young lady," said the clergyman, "the most elementary



principles of decorum--A day will come when you will better

understand how entirely subservient your ideas are to the very



fundamentals of our present civilisation, when you will better

understand the harrowing anxiety you have given Mrs. Milton by



this inexplicableflight of yours. We can only put things down at

present, in charity, to your ignorance--"



"You have to consider the general body of opinion, too," said

Widgery.



"Precisely," said Miss Mergle. "There is no such thing as conduct

in the absolute." "If once this most unfortunate business gets



about," said the clergyman, "it will do you infinite harm."

"But I'VE done nothing wrong. Why should I be responsible for



other people's--"

"The world has no charity," said Mrs. Milton.



"For a girl," said Jessie. "No."

"Now do let us stop arguing, my dear young lady, and let us



listen to reason. Never mind how or why, this conduct of yours

will do you infinite harm, if once it is generally known. And not



only that, it will cause infinite pain to those who care for you.

But if you will return at once to your home, causing it to be



understood that you have been with friends for these last few

days--"



"Tell lies," said Jessie. "Certainly not. Most certainly not. But

I understand that is how your absence is understood at present,



and there is no reason--"

Jessie's grip tightened on her handkerchief. "I won't go back,"



she said, "to have it as I did before. I want a room of my own,

what books I need to read, to be free to go out by myself alone,



Teaching--"

"Anything," said Mrs. Milton ,"anything in reason."



"But will you keep your promise?" said Jessie.

"Surely you won't dictate to your mother!" said Widgery.



"My stepmother! I don't want to dictate. I want definite promises

now."



"This is most unreasonable," said the clergyman. "Very well,"

said Jessie, swallowing a sob but with unusualresolution. "Then



I won't go back. My life is being frittered away--"

"LET her have her way," said Widgery.



"A room then. All your Men. I'm not to come down and talk away

half my days--"



"My dear child, if only to save you," said Mrs. Milton. "If you

don't keep your promise--"



"Then I take it the matter is practically concluded," said the

clergyman. "And that you very properlysubmit to return to your






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