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第38章

armadale-第38章

小说: armadale 字数: 每页3500字

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master of Thorpe Ambrose。 The penitential expression on Miss
Milroy's face gently melted away; she looked down; demure and
smiling; at the flowers in her lap。

〃I deserve a good scolding;〃 she said。 〃I don't deserve
compliments; Mr。 Armadaleleast of all from _you。_〃

〃Oh; yes; you do!〃 cried the headlong Allan; getting briskly on
his legs。 〃Besides; it isn't a compliment; it's true。 You are the
prettiestI beg your pardon; Miss Milroy! _my_ tongue ran away
with me that time。〃

Among the heavy burdens that are laid on female human nature;
perhaps the heaviest; at the age of sixteen; is the burden of
gravity。 Miss Milroy struggled; tittered; struggled again; and
composed herself for the time being。

The gardener; who still stood where he had stood from the first;
immovably waiting for his next opportunity; saw it now; and
gently pushed his personal interests into the first gap of
silence that had opened within his reach since Allan's appearance
on the scene。

〃I humbly bid you welcome to Thorpe Ambrose; sir;〃 said Abraham
Sage; beginning obstinately with his little introductory speech
for the second time。 〃My name〃

Before he could deliver himself of his name; Miss Milroy looked
accidentally in the horticulturist's pertinacious face; and
instantly lost her hold on her gravity beyond recall。 Allan;
never backward in following a boisterous example of any sort;
joined in her laughter with right goodwill。 The wise man of the
gardens showed no surprise; and took no offense。 He waited for
another gap of silence; and walked in again gently with his
personal interests the moment the two young people stopped to
take breath。

〃I have been employed in the grounds;〃 proceeded Abraham Sage;
irrepressibly; 〃for more than forty years〃

〃You shall be employed in the grounds for forty more; if you'll
only hold your tongue and take yourself off!〃 cried Allan; as
soon as he could speak。

〃Thank you kindly; sir;〃 said the gardener; with the utmost
politeness; but with no present signs either of holding his
tongue or of taking himself off。

〃Well?〃 said Allan。

Abraham Sage carefully cleared his throat; and shifted his rake
from one hand to the other。 He looked down the length of his own
invaluable implement; with a grave interest and attention;
seeing; apparently; not the long handle of a rake; but the long
perspective of a vista; with a supplementary personal interest
established at the end of it。 〃When more convenient; sir;〃
resumed this immovable man; 〃I should wish respectfully to speak
to you about my son。 Perhaps it may be more convenient in the
course of the day? My humble duty; sir; and my best thanks。 My
son is strictly sober。 He is accustomed to the stables; and he
belongs to the Church of Englandwithout incumbrances。〃 Having
thus planted his offspring provisionally in his master's
estimation; Abraham Sage shouldered his invaluable rake; and
hobbled slowly out of view。

〃If that's a specimen of a trustworthy old servant;〃 said Allan;
〃I think I'd rather take my chance of being cheated by a new one。
_You_ shall not be troubled with him again; Miss Milroy; at any
rate。 All the flower…beds in the garden are at your disposal; and
all the fruit in the fruit season; if you'll only come here and
eat it。〃

〃Oh; Mr。 Armadale; how very; very kind you are。 How can I thank
you?〃

Allan saw his way to another complimentan elaborate compliment;
in the shape of a trap; this time。

〃You can do me the greatest possible favor;〃 he said。 〃You can
assist me in forming an agreeable impression of my own grounds。〃

〃Dear me! how?〃 asked Miss Milroy; innocently。

Allan judiciously closed the trap on the spot in these words: 〃By
taking me with you; Miss Milroy; on your morning walk。〃 He spoke;
smiled; and offered his arm。

She saw the way; on her side; to a little flirtation。 She rested
her hand on his arm; blushed; hesitated; and suddenly took it
away again。

〃I don't think it's quite right; Mr。 Armadale;〃 she said;
devoting herself with the deepest attention to her collection of
flowers。 〃Oughtn't we to have some old lady here? Isn't it
improper to take your arm until I know you a little better than I
do now? I am obliged to ask; I have had so little instruction; I
have seen so little of society; and one of papa's friends once
said my manners were too bold for my age。 What do _you_ think?〃

〃I think it's a very good thing your papa's friend is not here
now;〃 answered the outspoken Allan; 〃I should quarrel with him to
a dead certainty。 As for society; Miss Milroy; nobody knows less
about it than I do; but if we _had_ an old lady here; I must say
myself I think she would be uncommonly in the way。 Won't you?〃
concluded Allan; imploringly offering his arm for the second
time。 〃Do!〃

Miss Milroy looked up at him sidelong from her flowers 〃You are
as bad as the gardener; Mr。 Armadale!〃 She looked down again in a
flutter of indecision。 〃I'm sure it's wrong;〃 she said; and took
his arm the instant afterward without the slightest hesitation。

They moved away together over the daisied turf of the paddock;
young and bright and happy; with the sunlight of the summer
morning shining cloudless over their flowery path。

〃And where are we going to; now?〃 asked Allan。 〃Into another
garden?〃

She laughed gayly。 〃How very odd of you; Mr。 Armadale; not to
know; when it all belongs to you! Are you really seeing Thorpe
Ambrose this morning for the first time? How indescribably
strange it must feel! No; no; don't say any more complimentary
things to me just yet。 You may turn my head if you do。 We haven't
got the old lady with us; and I really must take care of myself。
Let me be useful; let me tell you all about your own grounds。 We
are going out at that little gate; across one of the drives in
the park; and then over the rustic bridge; and then round the
corner of the plantationwhere do you think? To where I live;
Mr。 Armadale; to the lovely little cottage that you have let to
papa。 Oh; if you only knew how lucky we thought ourselves to get
it!'

She paused; looked up at her companion; and stopped another
compliment on the incorrigible Allan's lips。

〃I'll drop your arm;〃 she said coquettishly; 〃if you do! We
_were_ lucky to get the cottage; Mr。 Armadale。 Papa said he felt
under an obligation to you for letting it; the day we got in。 And
_I_ said I felt under an obligation; no longer ago than last
week。〃

〃You; Miss Milroy!〃 exclaimed Allan。

〃Yes。 It may surprise you to hear it; but if you hadn't let the
cottage to papa; I believe I should have suffered the indignity
and misery of being sent to school。〃

Allan's memory reverted to the half…crown that he had spun on the
cabin…table of the yacht; at Castletown。 〃If she only knew that I
had tossed up for it!〃 he thought; guiltily。

〃I dare say you don't understand why I should feel such a horror
of going to school;〃 pursued Miss Milroy; misinterpreting the
momentary silence on her companion's side。 〃If I had gone to
school in early lifeI mean at the age when other girls goI
shouldn't have minded it now。 But I had no such chance at the
time。 It was the time of mamma's illness and of papa's
unfortunate speculation; and as papa had nobody to comfort him
but me; of course I stayed at home。 You needn't laugh; I was of
some use; I can tell you。 I helped papa over his trouble; by
sitting on his knee after dinner; and asking him to tell me
stories of all the remarkable people he had known when he was
about in the great world; at home and abroad。 Without me to amuse
him in the evening; and his clock to occupy him in the daytime〃

〃His clock?〃 repeated Allan。

〃Oh; yes! I ought to have told you。 Papa is an extraordinary
mechanical genius。 You will say so; too; when you see his clock。
It's nothing like so large; of course; but it's on the model of
the famous clock at Strasbourg。 Only think; he began it when I
was eight years old; and (though I was sixteen last birthday) it
isn't finished yet! Some of our friends were quite surprised he
should take to such a thing when his troubles began。 But papa
himself set that right in no time; he reminded them that Louis
the Sixteenth took to lock…making when _his_ troubl es began; and
then everybody was perfectly satisfied。〃 She stopped; and changed
color confusedly。 〃Oh; Mr。 Armadale;〃 she said; in genuine
embarrassment this time; 〃here is my unlucky tongue running away
with me again! I am talking to you already as if I had known you
for years! This is what papa's friend meant when he said my
manners were too bold。 It's quite true; I have a dreadful way of
getting familiar with people; if〃 She checked herself suddenly;
on the brink of ending the sentence by saying; 〃if I like them。〃

〃No; no; do go on!〃 pleaded Allan。 〃It's a fault of mine to be
familiar; too。 Besides; we _must_ be familiar; we are such near
neighbors。 I'm rather an uncultivated sort of fellow; and I don't
know quite how to say it; but I want your cottage to be jolly and
friendly with my house; and my house to be jolly and friendly
with your cottage。 There's my meaning; all in the wrong words。 Do
go on; Miss Milroy; pray go on!〃

She smiled and hesitated。 〃I don't exactly remember where I was;〃
she replied; 〃I only remember I had something I wanted to tell
you。 This comes; Mr。 Armadale; of my taking your arm。 I should
get on so much better; if you would only consent to walk
separately。 You won't? Well; then; will you tell me what it was I
wanted to say? Where was I before I went wandering off to papa's
troubles and papa's clock?〃

〃At school!〃 replied Allan; with a prodigious effort of memory。

〃_Not_ at school; you mean;〃 said Miss Milroy; 〃and all through
_you。_ Now I can go on again; which is a great comfort。 I am
quite serious; Mr。 Armadale; in saying that I should have been
sent to school; if you had said No when papa proposed for the
cottage。 This is how it happened。 When we began moving in; Mrs。
Blanchard sent us a most kind message from the great house to say
that her servants were at our disposal; if we wanted any
assistance。 The least papa and I could do; after that; was to
call and thank her。 We saw Mrs。 Blanchard and Miss Blanchard。
Mistress was charming; and miss looked perfectly lovely in her
mourning。 I'm sure you admire her? She's tall and pale and
gracefulquite your idea of beauty; I should think?〃

〃Nothing like it;〃 began Allan。 〃My idea of beauty at the present
moment〃

Miss Milroy felt it coming; and instantly took her hand off his
arm。

〃I mean I have never seen either Mrs。 Blanchard or her niece;〃
added Allan; precipitately correcting himself。

Miss Milroy tempered justice with mercy; and put her hand back
again。

〃How extraordinary that you should never have seen them!〃 she
went on。 〃Why; you are a perfect stranger to everything and
everybody at Thorpe Ambrose! Well; after Miss Blanchard and I had
sat and talked a little while; I heard my name on Mrs。
Blanchard's lips and instantly held my breath。 She was asking
papa if I had finished my education。 Out came papa's great
grievance directly。 My old governess; you must know; left us to
be married just before we came here; and none of our friends
could produc

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