登陆注册
20057400000110

第110章 CHAPTER XXXV RUTH IS NOT LIKE LORNA(2)

'That I did; and very fine they were. Now nine maidens out of ten would have feigned not to have heard one word that was said, and have borne black malice in their hearts. Come, Annie, now, would not you have done so?'

'I think,' said Annie, 'although of course I cannot tell, you know, John, that I should have been ashamed at hearing what was never meant for me, and should have been almost as angry with myself as anybody.'

'So you would,' replied my mother; 'so any daughter of mine would have done, instead of railing and reviling.

However, I am very sorry that any words of mine which the poor little thing chose to overhear should have made her so forget herself. I shall beg her pardon before she goes, and I shall expect her to beg mine.'

'That she will never do,' said I; 'a more resolute little maiden never yet had right upon her side;although it was a mere accident. I might have said the same thing myself, and she was hard upon you, mother dear.'

After this, we said no more, at least about that matter; and little Ruth, the next morning, left us, in spite of all that we could do. She vowed an everlasting friendship to my younger sister Eliza; but she looked at Annie with some resentment, when they said good-bye, for being so much taller. At any rate so Annie fancied, but she may have been quite wrong. Irode beside the little maid till far beyond Exeford, when all danger of the moor was past, and then I left her with John Fry, not wishing to be too particular, after all the talk about her money. She had tears in her eyes when she bade me farewell, and she sent a kind message home to mother, and promised to come again at Christmas, if she could win permission.

Upon the whole, my opinion was that she had behaved uncommonly well for a maid whose self-love was outraged, with spirit, I mean, and proper pride; and yet with a great endeavour to forgive, which is, meseems, the hardest of all things to a woman, outside of her own family.

After this, for another month, nothing worthy of notice happened, except of course that I found it needful, according to the strictest good sense and honour, to visit Lorna immediately after my discourse with mother, and to tell her all about it. My beauty gave me one sweet kiss with all her heart (as she always did, when she kissed at all), and I begged for one more to take to our mother, and before leaving, I obtained it. It is not for me to tell all she said, even supposing (what is not likely) that any one cared to know it, being more and more peculiar to ourselves and no one else. But one thing that she said was this, and I took good care to carry it, word for word, to my mother and Annie:--'I never can believe, dear John, that after all the crime and outrage wrought by my reckless family, it ever can be meant for me to settle down to peace and comfort in a simple household. With all my heart Ilong for home; any home, however dull and wearisome to those used to it, would seem a paradise to me, if only free from brawl and tumult, and such as I could call my own. But even if God would allow me this, in lieu of my wild inheritance, it is quite certain that the Doones never can and never will.'

Again, when I told her how my mother and Annie, as well as myself, longed to have her at Plover's Barrows, and teach her all the quiet duties in which she was sure to take such delight, she only answered with a bright blush, that while her grandfather was living she would never leave him; and that even if she were free, certain ruin was all she should bring to any house that received her, at least within the utmost reach of her amiable family. This was too plain to be denied, and seeing my dejection at it, she told me bravely that we must hope for better times, if possible, and asked how long I would wait for her.

'Not a day if I had my will,' I answered very warmly;at which she turned away confused, and would not look at me for awhile; 'but all my life,' I went on to say, 'if my fortune is so ill. And how long would you wait for me, Lorna?'

同类推荐
  • THE LOST WORLD

    THE LOST WORLD

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 终南山祖庭仙真内传

    终南山祖庭仙真内传

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 韩愈集

    韩愈集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 敲爻歌

    敲爻歌

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 家世旧闻

    家世旧闻

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 站住前面那株草

    站住前面那株草

    九天之上,我是天界九公主,土豪背景任行九天,可奈何丑的惊天动地,又怎敌美貌CP,只好开始漫漫追夫路。
  • 老子是首富

    老子是首富

    屌丝逆袭成首富,打脸装逼带领一众小弟占领地球!街上,一个脚下踩着拖鞋,穿着史努比T恤,下身套着屎黄色大裤衩的老头满脸凝重的对着周晓生道:“我是明石集团的董事长,而你是我儿子!”却见,周晓生不屑的看了老头一眼,回了一句:“滚犊子”市井混混变身周家遗子,老爹重病励志败光家业!反目成仇应聘三流学校,黑道教师威震四海群雄!易家千金怎么能阻止其前进的步伐,万花丛中就是要片片沾身!脑残组织,势必推倒重组,管你佣兵杀手,老子照单全收。一代枭雄方片七,逗逼般的装逼生涯——从此开始!
  • 三生三世:倾世绝恋

    三生三世:倾世绝恋

    她,是二十一世纪的极品杀手,黑道的老大传闻,她杀人不眨眼,任务从来没有失败过!她,蓝月大陆的废物、草包、花痴借魂穿越,她成了她废物?照样比你厉害!地位?照样比你土豪!草包?照样欺负你们!花痴?照样比你们美!钱少不是问题,钱多才是问题!
  • 苍穹之关

    苍穹之关

    一叶一菩萨,一花一世界,一沙一世界,一花一天堂。天地大道,上到仙庭,下到神界,再下到凡界。每一个位面,生灵无数,天地灵气浓厚,但由于灵气浓厚,故无论哪一界都已实力为尊。仙庭奇才赵曦,犯了大错,被打入凡界,故事便从这里开始.....
  • 冷帝的换脸新娘

    冷帝的换脸新娘

    结婚前夜,他夺走了她的初夜,一场婚礼却变成了她的葬礼,六年后,她以一个崭新的容貌,练就一身的功夫,以东南亚最大财团大姐大的身份出现在她们的面前,她们欠她的,她会一一的要回来;他们给她的,她也会一一的还回去……
  • 网络世界

    网络世界

    科学是人类进步的第一推动力,而科学知识的普及则是实现这一推动的必由之路。在新的时代,科技的发展、人们生活水平的不断提高,为我们青少年的科普教育提供了新的契机。抓住这个契机,大力普及科学知识,传播科学精神,提高青少年的科学素质,是我们全社会的重要课题。科学教育,是提高青少年素质的重要因素,是现代教育的核心,这不仅能使青少年获得生活和未来所需的知识与技能,更重要的是能使青少年获得科学思想、科学精神、科学态度及科学方法的熏陶和培养。科学教育,让广大青少年树立这样一个牢固的信念:科学总是在寻求、发现和了解世界的新现象,研究和掌握新规律,它是创造性的,它又是在不懈地追求真理,需要我们不断地努力奋斗。
  • 智战江湖

    智战江湖

    本是无名小卒,偏要在江湖上掀起点儿风浪。铮浪一副吊儿郎当的样子,迷惑了众多江湖老手,混江湖非得武功高强吗?看我用脑子收服你们!
  • 末日重生之我的世界

    末日重生之我的世界

    末世十年后,因为背叛而死于末影龙的风宇,重生回到末世来临之前,获得无上体质,建立唯一的城市,看风宇如何报复仇人,重新立于世界之巅。
  • 李龙炳的诗

    李龙炳的诗

    作为一个农民,一个和文字打了二十多年交道的农民,命运之诗会永远呼啸在我的血液之中。我只能说,诗歌确立了我和世界更美妙的关系。我只能站在我的这片土地上,用语言的手打开一扇又一扇崭新的窝口,见证着时光流转,云飞雪落。我所有的诗歌,都与这片土地的宿命有关,都是对真理、正义、崇高、光明和美好无尽的向往。对文本的探索。无论明朗或晦涩,始终贯穿着坚定的精神立场,在爱与忧愤之间也有对落难的承担,隐逸着一份刀锋的光芒,这些诗歌是一个现代农民和土地和时代牢牢拥抱在一起的见证。我的创造和想象,探索和追求,就是为了在纷乱的汉语诗歌中获得独特而独立的音调,让自己拥有心灵的自足。
  • 豪族

    豪族

    一人之力,可以称雄。一族之强,可以谋国。