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youth, to strength, to ambition, to a future? Why, in her rich
young force, to failure, to abdication to superannuation?" In his
thought at that sharp moment he blasphemed even against all that
had been left of his faith in the peccable Master. "I'm so sorry I
missed you," she went on. "My father told me. How charming of you
to have come so soon!"
"Does that surprise you?" Paul Overt asked.
"The first day? No, from you - nothing that's nice." She was
interrupted by a lady who bade her good-night, and he seemed to
read that it cost her nothing to speak to him in that tone; it was
her old liberallavish way, with a certain added amplitude that
time had brought; and if this manner began to operate on the spot,
at such a juncture in her history, perhaps in the other days too it
had meant just as little or as much - a mere mechanical charity,
with the difference now that she was satisfied, ready to give but
in want of nothing. Oh she was satisfied - and why shouldn't she
be? Why shouldn't she have been surprised at his coming the first
day - for all the good she had ever got from him? As the lady
continued to hold her attention Paul turned from her with a strange
irritation in his complicatedartistic soul and a sort of
disinterested disappointment. She was so happy that it was almost
stupid - a disproof of the extraordinaryintelligence he had
formerly found in her. Didn't she know how bad St. George could
be, hadn't she recognised the awful thinness -? If she didn't she
was nothing, and if she did why such an insolence of serenity?
This question expired as our young man's eyes settled at last on
the genius who had advised him in a great crisis. St. George was
still before the chimney-piece, but now he was alone - fixed,
waiting, as if he meant to stop after every one - and he met the
clouded gaze of the young friend so troubled as to the degree of
his right (the right his resentment would have enjoyed) to regard
himself as a victim. Somehow the ravage of the question was
checked by the Master's radiance. It was as fine in its way as
Marian Fancourt's, it denoted the happy human being; but also it
represented to Paul Overt that the author of "Shadowmere" had now
definitely ceased to count - ceased to count as a writer. As he
smiled a welcome across the place he was almost banal, was almost
smug. Paul fancied that for a moment he hesitated to make a
movement, as if for all the world he HAD his bad conscience; then
they had already met in the middle of the room and had shaken hands
- expressively, cordially on St. George's part. With which they
had passed back together to where the elder man had been standing,
while St. George said: "I hope you're never going away again.
I've been dining here; the General told me." He was handsome, he
was young, he looked as if he had still a great fund of life. He
bent the friendliest, most unconfessing eyes on his disciple of a
couple of years before; asked him about everything, his health, his
plans, his late occupations, the new book. "When will it be out -
soon, soon, I hope? Splendid, eh? That's right; you're a comfort,
you're a luxury! I've read you all over again these last six
months." Paul waited to see if he would tell him what the General
had told him in the afternoon and what Miss Fancourt, verbally at
least, of course hadn't. But as it didn't come out he at last put
the question.
"Is it true, the great news I hear - that you're to be married?"
"Ah you have heard it then?"
"Didn't the General tell you?" Paul asked.
The Master's face was wonderful. "Tell me what?"
"That he mentioned it to me this afternoon?"
"My dear fellow, I don't remember. We've been in the midst of
people. I'm sorry, in that case, that I lose the pleasure, myself,
of announcing to you a fact that touches me so nearly. It IS a
fact, strange as it may appear. It has only just become one.
Isn't it ridiculous?" St. George made this speech without
confusion, but on the other hand, so far as our friend could judge,
without latent impudence. It struck his interlocutor that, to talk
so comfortably and coolly, he must simply have forgotten what had
passed between them. His next words, however, showed he hadn't,
and they produced, as an appeal to Paul's own memory, an effect
which would have been ludicrous if it hadn't been cruel. "Do you
recall the talk we had at my house that night, into which Miss
Fancourt's name entered? I've often thought of it since."
"Yes; no wonder you said what you did" - Paul was careful to meet
his eyes.
"In the light of the present occasion? Ah but there was no light
young force, to failure, to abdication to superannuation?" In his
thought at that sharp moment he blasphemed even against all that
had been left of his faith in the peccable Master. "I'm so sorry I
missed you," she went on. "My father told me. How charming of you
to have come so soon!"
"Does that surprise you?" Paul Overt asked.
"The first day? No, from you - nothing that's nice." She was
interrupted by a lady who bade her good-night, and he seemed to
read that it cost her nothing to speak to him in that tone; it was
her old liberallavish way, with a certain added amplitude that
time had brought; and if this manner began to operate on the spot,
at such a juncture in her history, perhaps in the other days too it
had meant just as little or as much - a mere mechanical charity,
with the difference now that she was satisfied, ready to give but
in want of nothing. Oh she was satisfied - and why shouldn't she
be? Why shouldn't she have been surprised at his coming the first
day - for all the good she had ever got from him? As the lady
continued to hold her attention Paul turned from her with a strange
irritation in his complicatedartistic soul and a sort of
disinterested disappointment. She was so happy that it was almost
stupid - a disproof of the extraordinaryintelligence he had
formerly found in her. Didn't she know how bad St. George could
be, hadn't she recognised the awful thinness -? If she didn't she
was nothing, and if she did why such an insolence of serenity?
This question expired as our young man's eyes settled at last on
the genius who had advised him in a great crisis. St. George was
still before the chimney-piece, but now he was alone - fixed,
waiting, as if he meant to stop after every one - and he met the
clouded gaze of the young friend so troubled as to the degree of
his right (the right his resentment would have enjoyed) to regard
himself as a victim. Somehow the ravage of the question was
checked by the Master's radiance. It was as fine in its way as
Marian Fancourt's, it denoted the happy human being; but also it
represented to Paul Overt that the author of "Shadowmere" had now
definitely ceased to count - ceased to count as a writer. As he
smiled a welcome across the place he was almost banal, was almost
smug. Paul fancied that for a moment he hesitated to make a
movement, as if for all the world he HAD his bad conscience; then
they had already met in the middle of the room and had shaken hands
- expressively, cordially on St. George's part. With which they
had passed back together to where the elder man had been standing,
while St. George said: "I hope you're never going away again.
I've been dining here; the General told me." He was handsome, he
was young, he looked as if he had still a great fund of life. He
bent the friendliest, most unconfessing eyes on his disciple of a
couple of years before; asked him about everything, his health, his
plans, his late occupations, the new book. "When will it be out -
soon, soon, I hope? Splendid, eh? That's right; you're a comfort,
you're a luxury! I've read you all over again these last six
months." Paul waited to see if he would tell him what the General
had told him in the afternoon and what Miss Fancourt, verbally at
least, of course hadn't. But as it didn't come out he at last put
the question.
"Is it true, the great news I hear - that you're to be married?"
"Ah you have heard it then?"
"Didn't the General tell you?" Paul asked.
The Master's face was wonderful. "Tell me what?"
"That he mentioned it to me this afternoon?"
"My dear fellow, I don't remember. We've been in the midst of
people. I'm sorry, in that case, that I lose the pleasure, myself,
of announcing to you a fact that touches me so nearly. It IS a
fact, strange as it may appear. It has only just become one.
Isn't it ridiculous?" St. George made this speech without
confusion, but on the other hand, so far as our friend could judge,
without latent impudence. It struck his interlocutor that, to talk
so comfortably and coolly, he must simply have forgotten what had
passed between them. His next words, however, showed he hadn't,
and they produced, as an appeal to Paul's own memory, an effect
which would have been ludicrous if it hadn't been cruel. "Do you
recall the talk we had at my house that night, into which Miss
Fancourt's name entered? I've often thought of it since."
"Yes; no wonder you said what you did" - Paul was careful to meet
his eyes.
"In the light of the present occasion? Ah but there was no light
- pointed [´pɔintid]
a.尖(锐)的；中肯的 (初中英语单词) - movement [´mu:vmənt] n.活动；运动；动作 (初中英语单词)
- impulse [´impʌls] n.推动(力)；冲动；刺激 (初中英语单词)
- therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)
- evident [´evidənt] a.明显的，明白的 (初中英语单词)
- recognition [,rekəg´niʃən] n.认出；认识；承认 (初中英语单词)
- observation [,ɔbzə´veiʃən] n.观测；注意；意义 (初中英语单词)
- advantage [əd´vɑ:ntidʒ] n.优势；利益 (初中英语单词)
- mainly [´meinli] ad.主要地；大体上 (初中英语单词)
- visitor [´vizitə] n.访问者；来宾；参观者 (初中英语单词)
- enable [i´neibəl] vt.使能够；赋予权力 (初中英语单词)
- interrupt [,intə´rʌpt] v.中断；打扰 (初中英语单词)
- interruption [intə´rʌpʃ(ə)n] n.停止，中断 (初中英语单词)
- retreat [ri´tri:t] v.&n.退却；撤退；放弃 (初中英语单词)
- absurd [əb´sə:d] a.荒谬的，可笑的 (初中英语单词)
- devotion [di´vəuʃən] n.献身；忠诚；热爱 (初中英语单词)
- relief [ri´li:f] n.救济；援救；减轻 (初中英语单词)
- interval [´intəvəl] n.间隙；(工间)休息 (初中英语单词)
- encounter [in´kauntə] vt.&n.偶然相遇；冲突 (初中英语单词)
- ambition [æm´biʃən] n.雄心，野心；企图 (初中英语单词)
- failure [´feiljə] n.失败；衰竭；破产 (初中英语单词)
- charming [´tʃɑ:miŋ] a.可爱的；极好的 (初中英语单词)
- liberal [´libərəl] a.大方的 n.开明的人 (初中英语单词)
- operate [´ɔpəreit] v.(使)运转；操作；经营 (初中英语单词)
- mechanical [mi´kænikəl] a.机械的；力学的 (初中英语单词)
- complicated [´kɔmplikeitid] a.结构复杂的；难懂的 (初中英语单词)
- disappointment [,disə´pɔintmənt] n.失望；挫折 (初中英语单词)
- extraordinary [ik´strɔ:dinəri] a.非常的；额外的 (初中英语单词)
- intelligence [in´telidʒəns] n.智力；消息 (初中英语单词)
- genius [´dʒi:niəs] n.天才(人物)；天赋 (初中英语单词)
- victim [´viktim] n.牺牲者；受害者 (初中英语单词)
- writer [´raitə] n.作者；作家 (初中英语单词)
- welcome [´welkəm] a.受欢迎的；可喜的 (初中英语单词)
- conscience [´kɔnʃəns] n.良心；道德心 (初中英语单词)
- shaken [´ʃeikən] shake的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
- amusing [ə´mju:ziŋ] a.有趣的 (高中英语单词)
- manchester [´mæntʃistə] n.曼彻斯特 (高中英语单词)
- customary [´kʌstəməri] a.通常的；惯例的 (高中英语单词)
- gossip [´gɔsip] n.&vi.说闲话；聊天 (高中英语单词)
- assent [ə´sent] vi.&n.同意，赞成 (高中英语单词)
- repeated [ri´pi:tid] a.反复的；重复的 (高中英语单词)
- crimson [´krimzən] a.&n.深(紫)红(的) (高中英语单词)
- treachery [´tretʃəri] n.背叛；背信弃义 (高中英语单词)
- breathless [´breθlis] a.屏息的 (高中英语单词)
- bitterness [´bitənis] n.苦味；辛酸；苦难 (高中英语单词)
- fireplace [´faiəpleis] n.壁炉，炉灶 (高中英语单词)
- radiant [´reidiənt] a.发光的 n.光源(体) (高中英语单词)
- artistic [ɑ:´tistik] a.艺术的；有美感的 (高中英语单词)
- crisis [´kraisis] n.转折点；危机 (高中英语单词)
- resentment [ri´zentmənt] n.不满；怨恨；忿恨 (高中英语单词)
- comfortably [´kʌmfətəbli] ad.舒适地 (高中英语单词)
- appeal [ə´pi:l] vi.&n.请求；呼吁；上诉 (高中英语单词)
- personage [´pə:sənidʒ] n.名流；人物，角色 (英语四级单词)
- irresistible [,iri´zistəbəl] a.不可抵抗的 (英语四级单词)
- momentary [´məuməntəri] a.瞬息间的 (英语四级单词)
- listener [´lisənə] n.(收)听者，听众之一 (英语四级单词)
- staircase [´steəkeis] n.楼梯 =stairway (英语四级单词)
- aggressive [ə´gresiv] a.进攻的；侵略的 (英语四级单词)
- delighted [di´laitid] a.高兴的；喜欢的 (英语四级单词)
- lavish [´læviʃ] a.慷慨的；浪费的 (英语四级单词)
- ravage [´rævidʒ] v.蹂躏；劫掠 (英语四级单词)
- radiance [´reidjəns] n.发光；光彩；辐射 (英语四级单词)
- cordially [´kɔ:djəli] ad.热诚地；亲切地 (英语四级单词)
- disciple [di´saipəl] n.门徒，弟子 (英语四级单词)
- coolly [´ku:li] ad.冷(静地)，沉着地 (英语四级单词)
- caller [´kɔ:lə] n.呼喊者；访问者 (英语六级单词)
- expressive [ik´spresiv] a.有表现力的 (英语六级单词)
- mechanically [mi´kænikəli] ad.机械地；无意识地 (英语六级单词)
- liking [´laikiŋ] n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 (英语六级单词)
- smitten [´smitn] smite的过去分词 (英语六级单词)
- insolence [´insələns] n.傲慢；无礼 (英语六级单词)
- latent [´leitənt] a.潜在的，潜伏的 (英语六级单词)
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