第2章

类别:其他 作者:Trollope, Anthony字数:9701更新时间:18/12/24 14:32:54
\"I’mafraidImust。IndeedIhaven’tbroughtmythingswithme。\" AndthenheagaincaughtMarian’seye,andbegantowishthathisresolutionhadnotbeensosternlymade。 \"IsupposeyouaresofondofthatHouseofAssembly,\"saidMarian,\"thatyoucannottearyourselfawayformorethanoneday。You’llnotbeable,Isuppose,tofindtimetocometoourpicnicnextweek?\" Mauricesaidhefearedthatheshouldnothavetimetogotoapicnic。 \"Oh,nonsense,\"saidFanny——oneoftheyoungergirls——\"youmustcome。 Wecan’tdowithouthim,canwe?\" \"Marianhasgotyournamedownthefirstonthelistofthegentlemen,\"saidanother。 \"Yes;andCaptainEwing’ssecond,\"saidBell,theyoungest。 \"I’mafraidImustinduceyoursistertoalterherlist,\"saidMaurice,inhissternestmanner。\"Icannotmanagetogo,andI’msureshewillnotmissme。\" Marionlookedatthelittlegirlwhohadsounfortunatelymentionedthewarrior’sname,andthelittlegirlknewthatshehadsinned。 \"Oh,wecannotpossiblydowithoutyou;canwe,Marian?\"saidFanny。 \"It’stobeatBingley’sDell,andwe’vegotabedforyouatNewcastle;quitenear,youknow。\" \"Andanotherfor——\"beganBell,butshestoppedherself。 \"Goawaytoyourlessons,Bell,\"saidMarion。\"Youknowhowangrymammawillbeatyourstayinghereallthemorning;\"andpoorBellwithasorrowfullooklefttheroom。 \"Weareallcertainlyveryanxiousthatyoushouldcome;veryanxiousforagreatmanyreasons,\"saidMarian,inavoicethatwasrathersolemn,andasthoughthematterwereoneofconsiderableimport。 \"Butifyoureallycannot,whyofcoursethereisnomoretobesaid。\" \"Therewillbeplentywithoutme,Iamsure。\" \"Asregardsnumbers,Idaresaytherewill;forweshallhaveprettynearlythewholeofthetworegiments;\"andMarianasshealludedtotheofficersspokeinatonewhichmightleadonetothinkthatshewouldmuchratherbewithoutthem;\"butwecountedonyouasbeingoneofourselves;andasyouhadbeenawaysolong,wethought——wethought——,\"andthensheturnedawayherface,anddidnotfinishherspeech。Beforehecouldmakeuphismindastohisanswershehadrisenfromherchair,andwalkedoutoftheroom。Mauricealmostthoughtthathesawatearinhereyeasshewent。 HedidridebacktoSpanishTownthatafternoon,afteranearlydinner;butbeforehewentMarianspoketohimaloneforoneminute。 \"Ihopeyouarenotoffendedwithme,\"shesaid。 \"Offended!ohno;howcouldIbeoffendedwithyou?\" \"Becauseyouseemsostern。IamsureIwoulddoanythingIcouldtoobligeyou,ifIknewhow。Itwouldbesoshockingnottobegoodfriendswithacousinlikeyou。\" \"Buttherearesomanydifferentsortsoffriends,\"saidMaurice。 \"Ofcoursethereare。Thereareagreatmanyfriendsthatonedoesnotcareabitfor,——peoplethatonemeetsatballsandplaceslikethat——\" \"Andatpicnics,\"saidMaurice。 \"’Well,someofthemtheretoo;butwearenotlikethat;arewe?\" WhatcouldMauricedobutsay,\"no,\"anddeclarethattheirfriendshipwasofawarmerdescription?Andhowcouldheresistpromisingtogotothepicnic,thoughashemadethepromiseheknewthatmiserywouldbeinstoreforhim?Hedidpromise,andthenshegavehimherhandandcalledhimMaurice。 \"Oh!Iamsoglad,\"shesaid。\"Itseemedsoshockingthatyoushouldrefusetojoinus。Andmindandbeearly,Maurice;forI shallwanttoexplainitall。Wearetomeet,youknow,atCliftonGateatoneo’clock,butdoyoubealittlebeforethat,andweshallbethere。\" MauriceCummingresolvedwithinhisownbreastasherodebacktoSpanishTown,thatifMarianbehavedtohimallthatdayatthepicnicasshehaddonethisdayatShandyHall,hewouldaskhertobehiswifebeforehelefther。 AndMissJackalsowastobeatthepicnic。 \"Thereisnoneedofgoingearly,\"saidshe,whenhernephewmadeafussaboutthestarting。\"Peopleareneververypunctualatsuchaffairsasthat;andthentheyarealwaysquitelongenough。\"ButMauriceexplainedthathewasanxioustobeearly,andonthisoccasionhecarriedhispoint。 WhentheyreachedCliftonGatetheladieswerealreadythere;notincarriages,aspeoplegotopicnicsinotherandtamercountries,buteachonherownhorseorherownpony。Buttheywerenotalone。 BesideMissLesliewasagentleman,whomMauriceknewasLieutenantGraham,oftheflag—shipatPortRoyal;andatalittledistancewhichquiteenabledhimtojoinintheconversationwasCaptainEwing,thelieutenantwiththenarrowwaistofthepreviousyear。 \"Weshallhaveadelightfulday,MissLeslie,\"saidthelieutenant。 \"Oh,charming,isn’tit?\"saidMarian。 \"Butnowtochooseaplacefordinner,CaptainEwing;——whatdoyousay?\" \"Willyoucommissionmetoselect?YouknowI’mverywellupingeometry,andallthat?\" \"Butthatwon’tteachyouwhatsortofaplacedoesforapicnicdinner;——willit,Mr。Cumming?\"AndthensheshookhandswithMaurice,butdidnottakeanyfurtherspecialnoticeofhim。\"We’llallgotogether,ifyouplease。Thecommissionistooimportanttobelefttoone。\"AndthenMarianrodeoff,andthelieutenantandthecaptainrodewithher。 ItwasopenforMauricetojointhemifhechose,buthedidnotchoose。Hehadcomethereeversomuchearlierthanheneedhavedone,dragginghisauntwithhim,becauseMarianhadtoldhimthathisserviceswouldbespeciallyrequiredbyher。Andnowassoonasshesawhimshewentawaywiththetwoofficers!——wentawaywithoutvouchsafinghimaword。Hemadeuphismind,thereonthespot,thathewouldneverthinkofheragain——neverspeaktoherotherwisethanhemightspeaktothemostindifferentofmortals。 Andyethewasamanthatcouldstrugglerightmanfullywiththeworld’stroubles;onewhohadstruggledwiththemfromhisboyhood,andhadneverbeenovercome。Nowhewasunabletoconcealthebitternessofhiswrathbecausealittlegirlhadriddenofftolookforagreenspotforhertableclothwithoutaskinghisassistance! Picnicsare,Ithink,ingeneral,rathertediousfortheelderlypeoplewhoaccompanythem。Whenthejointsbecomealittlestiff,dinnersareeatenmostcomfortablywiththeaccompanimentofchairsandtables,andaroofoverheadisanagrementdeplus。But,nevertheless,picnicscannotexistwithoutacertainallowanceofelderlypeople。TheMissMariansandCaptainsEwingcannotgoouttodineonthegrasswithoutsomeonetolookafterthem。Sotheelderlypeoplegotopicnics,inadulltameway,doingtheirduty,andwishingthedayover。Nowonthemorninginquestion,whenMarianrodeoffwithCaptainEwingandlieutenantGraham,MauriceCummingremainedamongtheelderlypeople。 AcertainMr。Pomken,agreatJamaicaagriculturist,oneoftheCouncil,amanwhohadknownthegoodoldtimes,gothimbythebuttonandheldhimfast,discoursingwiselyofsugarandruin,ofGadsdenpansandrecreantnegroes,onallofwhichsubjectsMauriceCummingwasknowntohaveanopinionofhisown。ButasMr。Pomken’swordssoundedintooneear,intotheotherfellnotes,listenedtofromafar,——theshrilllaughingvoiceofMarianLeslieasshegaveherhappyordertohersatellitesaroundher,andeverandanonthebasshaw—hawofCaptainEwing,whowasmadewelcomeasthechiefofherattendants。ThateveninginawhispertoabrothercouncillorMr。PomkencommunicatedhisopinionthatafteralltherewasnotsomuchinthatyoungCummingassomepeoplesaid。ButMr。PomkenhadnoideathatthatyoungCummingwasinlove。 Andthenthedinnercame,spreadoverhalfanacre。Mauricewasamongthelastwhoseatedhimself;andwhenhedidsoitwasinanawkwardcomfortlesscorner,behindMr。Pomken’sback,andfarawayfromthelaughterandmirthoftheday。ButyetfromhiscomfortlesscornerhecouldseeMarianasshesatinherprideofpower,withherfriendJuliaDavisnearher,aflirtasbadasherself,andhersatellitesaroundher,obedienttohernod,andhappyinhersmiles。 \"NowIwon’tallowanymorechampagne,\"saidMarian,\"orwhowilltherebesteadyenoughtohelpmeovertherockstothegrotto?\" \"Oh,youhavepromisedme!\"criedthecaptain。 \"Indeed,Ihavenot;haveI,Julia?\" \"MissDavishascertainlypromisedme,\"saidthelieutenant。 \"Ihavemadenopromise,anddon’tthinkIshallgoatall,\"saidJulia,whowassometimesinclinedtoimaginethatCaptainEwingshouldbeherownproperty。 AllwhichandmuchmoreofthekindMauriceCummingcouldnothear; buthecouldsee——andimagine,whichwasworse。Howinnocentandinaneare,afterall,theflirtingsofmostyoungladies,ifalltheirwordsanddoingsinthatlinecouldbebroughttopaper!Idonotknowwhethertherebeasarulemorevocalexpressionofthesentimentoflovebetweenamanandwomanthanthereisbetweentwothrushes!Theywhistleandcalltoeachother,guidedbyinstinctratherthanbyreason。 \"Youaregoinghomewiththeladiesto—night,Ibelieve,\"saidMauricetoMissJack,immediatelyafterdinner。MissJackacknowledgedthatsuchwasherdestinationforthenight。 \"ThenmygoingbacktoSpanishTownatoncewon’thurtanyone——for,totellthetruth,Ihavehadenoughofthiswork。\" \"Why,Maurice,youwereinsuchahurrytocome。\" \"ThemorefoolI;andsonowIaminahurrytogoaway。Don’tnoticeittoanybody。\" MissJacklookedinhisfaceandsawthathewasreallywretched;andsheknewthecauseofhiswretchedness。 \"Don’tgoyet,Maurice,\"shesaid;andthenaddedwithatendernessthatwasquiteuncommonwithher,\"Gotoher,Maurice,andspeaktoheropenlyandfreely,onceforall;youwillfindthatshewilllistenthen。DearMaurice,do,formysake。\" Hemadenoanswer,butwalkedaway,roamingsadlybyhimselfamongthetrees。\"Listen!\"heexclaimedtohimself。\"Yes,shewillalteradozentimesinasmanyhours。Whocancareforacreaturethatcanchangeasshechanges?\"Andyethecouldnothelpcaringforher。 Ashewenton,climbingamongrocks,heagaincameuponthesoundofvoices,andheardespeciallythatofCaptainEwing。\"Now,MissLeslie,ifyouwilltakemyhandyouwillsoonbeoverallthedifficulty。\"Andthenapartyofsevenoreight,scramblingoversomestones,camenearlyonthelevelonwhichhestood,infullviewofhim;andleadingtheotherswereCaptainEwingandMissLeslie。 Heturnedonhisheeltogoaway,whenhecaughtthesoundofastepfollowinghim,andavoicesaying,\"Oh,thereisMr。Cumming,andI wanttospeaktohim;\"andinaminutealighthandwasonhisarm。 \"Whyareyourunningawayfromus?\"saidMarian。 \"Because——oh,Idon’tknow。Iamnotrunningaway。Youhaveyourpartymadeup,andIamnotgoingtointrudeonit。\" \"Whatnonsense!Docomenow;wearegoingtothiswonderfulgrotto。 Ithoughtitsoill—naturedofyou,notjoiningusatdinner。Indeedyouknowyouhadpromised。\" Hedidnotanswerher,buthelookedather——fullintheface,withhissadeyesladenwithlove。Shehalfunderstoodhiscountenance,butonlyhalfunderstoodit。 \"Whatisthematter,Maurice?\"shesaid。\"Areyouangrywithme? Willyoucomeandjoinus?\" \"No,Marian,Icannotdothat。Butifyoucanleavethemandcomewithmeforhalfanhour,Iwillnotkeepyoulonger。\" Shestoodhesitatingamoment,whilehercompanionremainedonthespotwhereshehadlefthim。\"Come,MissLeslie,\"calledCaptainEwing。\"Youwillhaveitdarkbeforewecangetdown。\" \"Iwillcomewithyou,\"whisperedshetoMaurice,\"butwaitamoment。\"Andshetrippedback,andinsomefiveminutesreturnedafteraneagerargumentwithherfriends。\"There,\"shesaid,\"I don’tcareaboutthegrotto,onebit,andIwillwalkwithyounow;—— onlytheywillthinkitsoodd。\"Andsotheystartedofftogether。 BeforethetropicaldarknesshadfallenuponthemMauricehadtoldthetaleofhislove,——andhadtolditinamannerdifferingmuchfromthatofMarian’susualadmirers,hespokewithpassionandalmostwithviolence;hedeclaredthathisheartwassofullofherimagethathecouldnotridhimselfofitforoneminute;\"norwouldhewishtodoso,\"hesaid,\"ifshewouldbehisMarian,hisownMarian,hisveryown。Butifnot——\"andthenheexplainedtoher,withallalover’swarmth,andwithalmostmorethanalover’sliberty,whatwashisideaofherbeing\"hisown,hisveryown,\"andindoingsoinveighedagainstherusuallight—heartednessintermswhichatanyratewerestrongenough。 ButMarianhereitallwell。Perhapssheknewthatthelessonwassomewhatdeserved;andperhapssheappreciatedatitsvaluetheloveofsuchamanasMauriceCumming,weighinginherjudgmentthedifferencebetweenhimandtheEwingsandtheGrahams。 Andthensheansweredhimwellandprudently,withwordswhichstartledhimbytheirprudentseriousnessascomingfromher。Shebeggedhispardonheartily,shesaid,foranygriefwhichshehadcausedhim;butyethowwasshetoheblamed,seeingthatshehadknownnothingofhisfeelings?Herfatherandmotherhadsaidsomethingtoherofthisproposedmarriage;something,butverylittle;andshehadansweredbysayingthatshedidnotthinkMauricehadanywarmerregardforherthanofacousin。Afterthisanswerneitherfathernormotherhadpressedthematterfurther。Astoherownfeelingsshecouldthensaynothing,forshethenknewnothing;—— nothingbutthis,thatshelovednoonebetterthanhim,orratherthatshelovednooneelse。Shewouldaskherselfifshecouldlovehim;buthemustgivehersomelittletimeforthat。Inthemeantime——andshesmiledsweetlyathimasshemadethepromise——shewouldendeavourtodonothingthatwouldoffendhim;andthensheaddedthatonthateveningshewoulddancewithhimanydancesthatheliked。Maurice,withaself—denialthatwasnotverywise,contentedhimselfwithengagingherforthefirstquadrille。 Theyweretodancethatnightinthemess—roomoftheofficersatNewcastle。Thisschemehadbeenaddedonasanadjuncttothepicnic,anditthereforebecamenecessarythattheladiesshouldretiretotheirownortheirfriends’housesatNewcastletoadjusttheirdresses。MarianLeslieandJuliaDaviswerethereaccommodatedwiththeloanofasmallroombythemajor’swife,andastheywerebrushingtheirhair,andputtingontheirdancing—shoes,somethingwassaidbetweenthemaboutMauriceCumming。 \"AndsoyouaretobeMrs。C。ofMountPleasant,\"saidJulia。\"Well; Ididn’tthinkitwouldcometothatatlast。\" \"Butithasnotcometothat,andifitdidwhyshouldInotbeMrs。 C。,asyoucallit?\" \"Theknightoftheruefulcountenance,Icallhim。\" \"Itellyouwhatthen,heisanexcellentyoungman,andthefactisyoudon’tknowhim。\" \"Idon’tlikeexcellentyoungmenwithlongfaces。Isupposeyouwon’tbelettodancequickdancesatallnow。\" \"IshalldancewhateverdancesIlike,asIhavealwaysdone,\"saidMarian,withsomelittleasperityinhertone。 \"Notyou;orifyoudo,you’llloseyourpromotion。You’llneverlivetobemyLadyRue。AndwhatwillGrahamsay?Youknowyou’vegivenhimhalfapromise。\" \"That’snottrue,Julia;——Inevergavehimthetenthpartofapromise。\" \"Well,hesaysso;\"andthenthewordsbetweentheyoungladiesbecamealittlemoreangry。But,nevertheless,induetimetheycameforthwithfacessmilingasusual,withtheirhairbrushed,andwithoutanysignsofwarfare。 ButMarianhadtostandanotherattackbeforethebusinessoftheeveningcommenced,andthiswasfromnolessdoughtyanantagonistthanheraunt,MissJack。MissJacksoonfoundthatMauricehadnotkepthisthreatofgoinghome;andthoughshedidnotabsolutelylearnfromhimthathehadgonesofartowardsperfectingherdearesthopesastomakeaformaloffertoMarion,neverthelessshedidgatherthatthingswerefastthatwaytending。Ifonlythisdancingwereover!shesaidtoherself,dreadingtheunnumberedwaltzeswithEwing,andtheviolentpolkaswithGraham。SoMissJackresolvedtosayonewordtoMarian——\"Awisewordingoodseason,\"saidMissJacktoherself,\"howsweetathingitis。\" \"Marian,\"saidshe。\"Stephereamoment,Iwanttosayawordtoyou。\" \"Yes,auntSarah,\"saidMarian,followingherauntintoacorner,notquiteinthebesthumourintheworld;forshehadadreadofsomefurtherinterference。 \"AreyougoingtodancewithMauriceto—night?\" \"Yes,Ibelieveso,——thefirstquadrille。\" \"Well,whatIwasgoingtosayisthis。Idon’twantyoutodancemanyquickdancesto—night,forareasonIhave;——thatis,notagreatmany。\" \"Why,aunt,whatnonsense!\" \"Nowmydearest,dearestgirl,itisallforyourownsake。Well,then,itmustout。Hedoesnotlikeit,youknow。\" \"Whathe?\" \"Maurice。\" \"Well,aunt,Idon’tknowthatI’mboundtodanceornottodancejustasMr。Cummingmaylike。Papadoesnotmindmydancing。Thepeoplehavecomeheretodanceandyoucanhardlywanttomakemeridiculousbysittingstill。\"Andsothatwiseworddidnotappeartobeverysweet。 Andthentheamusementoftheeveningcommenced,andMarianstoodupforaquadrillewithherlover。Shehoweverwasnotintheverybesthumour。Shehad,asshethought,saidanddoneenoughforonedayinMaurice’sfavour。Andshehadnoidea,asshedeclaredtoherself,ofbeinglecturedbyauntSarah。 \"DearestMarion,\"hesaidtoher,asthequadrillecametoaclose,\"itisanyourpowertomakemesohappy,——soperfectlyhappy。\" \"Butthenpeoplehavesuchdifferentideasofhappiness,\"shereplied。\"Theycan’tallseewiththesameeyes,youknow。\"Andsotheyparted。 Butduringtheearlypartoftheeveningshewassufficientlydiscreet;shedidwaltzwithLieutenantGraham,andpolkwithCaptainEwing,butshedidsoinatamermannerthanwasusualwithher,andshemadenoemulousattemptstodancedownothercouples。Whenshehaddoneshewouldsitdown,andthensheconsentedtostandupfortwoquadrilleswithtwoverytamegentlemen,towhomnolovercouldobject。 \"Andso,Marian,yourwingsareregularlyclippedatlast,\"saidJuliaDaviscominguptoher。 \"Nomoreclippedthanyourown,\"saidMarian。 \"IfSirRuewon’tletyouwaltznow,whatwillherequireofyouwhenyou’remarriedtohim?\" \"IamjustaswellabletowaltzwithwhomIlikeasyouare,Julia; andifyousaysointhatway,Ishallthinkit’senvy。\" \"Ha——ha——ha;Imayhaveenviedyousomeofyourbeauxbeforenow;I daresayIhave。ButIcertainlydonotenvyyouSirRue。\"Andthenshewentofftoherpartner。 AllthiswastoomuchforMarian’sweakstrength,andbeforelongshewasagainwhirlingroundwithCaptainEwing。\"Come,MissLeslie,\" saidhe,\"letusseewhatwecando。GrahamandJuliaDavishavebeensayingthatyourwaltzingdaysareover,butIthinkwecanputthemdown。\" Marianasshegotup,andraisedherarminorderthatEwingmightputhisroundherwaist,caughtMaurice’seyeasheleanedagainstawall,andreadinitasternrebuke。\"Thisistoobad,\"shesaidtoherself。\"Heshallnotmakeaslaveofme,atanyrateasyet。\"Andawayshewentasmadly,moremadlythanever,andfortherestoftheeveningshedancedwithCaptainEwingandwithhimalone。 Thereisanintoxicationquitedistinctfromthatwhichcomesfromstrongdrink。Whenthejudgmentisaltogetherovercomebythespiritsthisspeciesofdrunkennesscomeson,andinthiswayMarianLesliewasdrunkthatnight。FortwohoursshedancedwithCaptainEwing,andeverandanonshekeptsayingtoherselfthatshewouldteachtheworldtoknow——andofalltheworldMr。Cummingespecially— —thatshemightbelead,butnotdriven。 Thenaboutfouro’clockshewenthome,andassheattemptedtoundressherselfinherownroomsheburstintoviolenttearsandopenedherhearttohersister——\"Oh,Fanny,Idolovehim,Idolovehimsodearly!andnowhewillnevercometomeagain!\" Mauricestoodstillwithhisbackagainstthewall,forthefulltwohoursofMarian’sexhibition,andthenhesaidtohisauntbeforeheleft——\"Ihopeyouhavenowseenenough;youwillhardlymentionhernametomeagain。\"MissJackgroanedfromthebottomofherheartbutshesaidnothing。Shesaidnothingthatnighttoanyone;butshelayawakeinherbed,thinking,tillitwastimetoriseanddressherself。\"AskMissMariantocometome,\"shesaidtotheblackgirlwhocametoassisther。Butitwasnottillshehadsentthreetimes,thatMissMarianobeyedthesummons。 Atthreeo’clockonthefollowingdayMissJackarrivedatherownhalldoorinSpanishTown。Longasthedistancewassheordinarilyrodeitall,butonthisoccasionshehadprovidedacarriagetobringheroverasmuchofthejourneyasitwaspracticableforhertoperformonwheels。AssoonasshereachedherownhalldoorsheaskedifMr。Cummingwasathome。\"Yes,\"theservantsaid。\"Hewasinthesmallbook—room,atthebackofthehouse,upstairs。\" Silently,asifafraidofbeingheard,shesteppedupherownstairsintoherowndrawing—room;andverysilentlyshewasfollowedbyapairoffeetlighterandsmallerthanherown。 MissJackwasusuallysomewhatofadespotinherownhouse,buttherewasnothingdespoticabouthernowasshepeeredintothebook— room。Thisshedidwithherbonnetstillon,lookingroundthehalf— openeddoorasthoughshewereafraidtodisturbhernephew,hesatatthewindowlookingoutintotheverandahwhichranbehindthehouse,sointentonhisthoughtsthathedidnothearher。 \"Maurice,\"shesaid,\"canIcomein?\" \"Comein?ohyes,ofcourse;\"andheturnedroundsharplyather。\"I tellyouwhat,aunt;IamnotwellhereandIcannotstayoutthesession。IshallgobacktoMountPleasant。\" \"Maurice,\"andshewalkedcloseuptohimasshespoke,\"Maurice,I havebroughtsomeonewithmetoaskyourpardon。\" Hisfacebecamereduptotherootsofhishairashestoodlookingatherwithoutanswering。\"Youwouldgrantitcertainly,\"shecontinued,\"ifyouknewhowmuchitwouldbevalued。\" \"Whomdoyoumean?whoisit?\"heaskedatlast。 \"Onewholovesyouaswellasyouloveher——andshecannotloveyoubetter。Comein,Marian。\"Thepoorgirlcreptinatthedoor,ashamedofwhatshewasinducedtodo,butyetlookinganxiouslyintoherlover’sface。\"Youaskedheryesterdaytobeyourwife,\"saidMissJack,\"andshedidnotthenknowherownmind。Nowshehashadalesson。Youwillaskheronceagain;willyounot,Maurice?\" Whatwashetosay?howwashetorefuse,whenthatsoftlittlehandwasheldouttohim;whenthoseeyesladenwithtearsjustventuredtolookintohisface? \"IbegyourpardonifIangeredyoulastnight,\"shesaid。 InhalfaminuteMissJackhadlefttheroom,andinthespaceofanotherthirtysecondsMauricehadforgivenher。\"Iamyourownnow,youknow,\"shewhisperedtohiminthecourseofthatlongevening。 \"Yesterday,youknow——,\"butthesentencewasneverfinished。 ItwasinvainthatJuliaDaviswasill—naturedandsarcastic,invainthatEwingandGrahammadejointattemptuponherconstancy。 Fromthatnighttothemorningofhermarriage——andtheintervalwasonlythreemonths——MarianLesliewasneverknowntoflirt。