第 28 节
作者:青涩春天      更新:2024-04-09 19:50      字数:9322
  his son; I had mayd my proposals for Hangelina; and was axepted;
  and hoped soon to be made the appiest gent in Hengland。
  〃'You must break the matter gently to her;' said her hexlent
  father。  'You have my warmest wishes; my dear Mr。 De la Pluche; and
  those of my Lady Bareacres; but I am notnot quite certain about
  Lady Angelina's feelings。  Girls are wild and romantic。  They do
  not see the necessity of prudent establishments; and I have never
  yet been able to make Angelina understand the embarrassments of her
  family。  These silly creatures prate about love and a cottage; and
  despise advantages which wiser heads than theirs know how to
  estimate。'
  〃'Do you mean that she aint fassanated by me?' says I; bursting out
  at this outrayjus ideer。
  〃'She WILL be; my dear sir。  You have already pleased her;your
  admirable manners must succeed in captivating her; and a fond
  father's wishes will be crowned on the day in which you enter our
  family。'
  〃'Recklect; gents;' says I to the 2 lords;'a barging's a barging
  I'll pay hoff Southdown's Jews; when I'm his brother。  As a
  STRAYNGER'(this I said in a sarcastickle toan)'I wouldn't take
  such a LIBBATY。  When I'm your suninlor I'll treble the valyou of
  your estayt。  I'll make your incumbrinces as right as a trivit; and
  restor the ouse of Bareacres to its herly splender。  But a pig in a
  poak is not the way of transacting bisniss imployed by Jeames De la
  Pluche; Esquire。'
  〃And I had a right to speak in this way。  I was one of the greatest
  scrip…holders in Hengland; and calclated on a kilossle fortune。
  All my shares was rising immence。  Every poast brot me noose that I
  was sevral thowsands richer than the day befor。  I was detummind
  not to reerlize till the proper time; and then to buy istates; to
  found a new family of Delapluches; and to alie myself with the
  aristoxy of my country。
  〃These pints I reprasented to pore Mary Hann hover and hover agin。
  'If you'd been Lady Hangelina; my dear gal;' says I; 'I would have
  married you: and why don't I?  Because my dooty prewents me。  I'm a
  marter to dooty; and you; my pore gal; must cumsole yorself with
  that ideer。'
  〃There seemed to be a consperracy; too; between that Silvertop and
  Lady Hangelina to drive me to the same pint。  'What a plucky fellow
  you were; Pluche;' says he (he was rayther more familiar than I
  liked); 'in your fight with Fitzwarrento engage a man of twice
  your strength and science; though you were sure to be beaten' (this
  is an etroashous folsood: I should have finnisht Fitz in 10
  minnits); 'for the sake of poor Mary Hann!  That's a generous
  fellow。  I like to see a man risen to eminence like you; having his
  heart in the right place。  When is to be the marriage; my boy?'
  〃'Capting S。' says I; 'my marridge consunns your most umble servnt
  a precious sight more than you;'and I gev him to understand I
  didn't want him to put in HIS oreI wasn't afrayd of his whiskers;
  I prommis you; Capting as he was。  I'm a British Lion; I am as
  brayv as Bonypert; Hannible; or Holiver Crummle; and would face
  bagnits as well as any Evy drigoon of 'em all。
  〃Lady Hangelina; too; igspawstulated in her hartfl way。  'Mr。 De la
  Pluche (seshee); why; why press this point?  You can't suppose that
  you will be happy with a person like me?'
  〃'I adoar you; charming gal!' says I。  'Never; never go to say any
  such thing。'
  〃'You adored Mary Ann first;' answers her ladyship; 'you can't keep
  your eyes off her now。  If any man courts her you grow so jealous
  that you begin beating him。  You will break the girl's heart if you
  don't marry her; and perhaps some one else'sbut you don't mind
  THAT。'
  〃'Break yours; you adoarible creature!  I'd die first!  And as for
  Mary Hann; she will git over it; people's arts aint broakn so easy。
  Once for all; suckmstances is changed betwigst me and er。  It's a
  pang to part with her' (says I; my fine hi's filling with tears);
  'but part from her I must。'
  〃It was curius to remark abowt that singlar gal; Lady Hangelina;
  that melumcolly as she was when she was talking to me; and ever so
  dismlyet she kep on laffing every minute like the juice and all。
  〃'What a sacrifice!' says she; 'it's like Napoleon giving up
  Josephine。  What anguish it must cause to your susceptible heart!'
  〃'It does;' says I'Hagnies!'  (Another laff。)
  〃'And ifif I don't accept youyou will invade the States of
  the Emperor; my papa; and I am to be made the sacrifice and the
  occasion of peace between you!'
  〃'I don't know what you're eluding to about Joseyfeen and Hemperors
  your Pas; but I know that your Pa's estate is over hedaneers
  morgidged; that if some one don't elp him; he's no better than an
  old pawper; that he owes me a lot of money; and that I'm the man
  that can sell him up hoss & foot; or set him up agenTHAT'S what I
  know; Lady Hangelina;' says I; with a hair as much as to say; 'Put
  THAT in your ladyship's pipe and smoke it。'
  〃And so I left her; and nex day a serting fashnable paper enounced
  〃'MARRIAGE IN HIGH LIFE。We hear that a matrimonial union is on
  the tapis between a gentleman who has made a colossal fortune in
  the Railway World; and the only daughter of a noble earl; whose
  estates are situated in D…ddles…x。  An early day is fixed for this
  interesting event。'〃
  〃Contry to my expigtations (but when or ow can we reckn upon the
  fealinx of wimming?) Mary Hann didn't seem to be much efected by
  the hideer of my marridge with Hangelinar。  I was rayther
  disapinted peraps that the fickle young gal reckumsiled herself so
  easy to give me hup; for we Gents are creechers of vannaty after
  all; as well as those of the hopsit secks; and betwigst you and me
  there WAS mominx; when I almost wisht that I'd been borne a
  Myommidn or Turk; when the Lor would have permitted me to marry
  both these sweet beinx; wherehas I was now condemd to be appy with
  ony one。
  〃Meanwild everythink went on very agreeable betwigst me and my
  defianced bride。  When we came back to town I kemishnd Mr。 Showery
  the great Hoctionear to look out for a town maushing sootable for a
  gent of my qualaty。  I got from the Erald Hoffis (not the Mawning
  Eraldno; no; I'm not such a Mough as to go THERE for ackrit
  infamation) an account of my famly; my harms and pedigry。
  〃I hordered in Long Hacre; three splendid equipidges; on which my
  arms and my adord wife's was drawn & quartered; and I got portricks
  of me and her paynted by the sellabrated Mr。 Shalloon; being
  resolved to be the gentleman in all things; and knowing that my
  character as a man of fashn wasn't compleat unless I sat to that
  dixtinguished Hartist。  My likenis I presented to Hangelina。  It's
  not considered flattringand though SHE parted with it; as you
  will hear; mighty willingly; there's ONE young lady (a thousand
  times handsomer) that values it as the happle of her hi。
  〃Would any man beleave that this picture was soald at my sale for
  about a twenty…fifth part of what it cost me?  It was bought in by
  Maryhann; though: 'O dear Jeames;' says she; often (kissing of it &
  pressing it to her art); 'it isn't ansum enough for you; and hasn't
  got your angellick smile and the igspreshn of your dear dear i's。'
  〃Hangelina's pictur was kindly presented to me by Countess B。; her
  mamma; though of coarse I paid for it。  It was engraved for the
  'Book of Bewty' the same year。
  〃With such a perfusion of ringlits I should scarcely have known
  herbut the ands; feat; and i's; was very like。  She was painted
  in a gitar supposed to be singing one of my little melladies; and
  her brother Southdown; who is one of the New England poits; wrote
  the follering stanzys about her:
  〃LINES UPON MY SISTER'S PORTRAIT。
  〃BY THE LORD SOUTHDOWN。
  〃The castle towers of Bareacres are fair upon the lea;
  Where the cliffs of bonny Diddlesex rise up from out the sea:
  I stood upon the donjon keep and view'd the country o'er;
  I saw the lands of Bareacres for fifty miles or more。
  I stood upon the donjon keepit is a sacred place;
  Where floated for eight hundred years the banner of my race;
  Argent; a dexter sinople; and gules an azure field;
  There ne'er was nobler cognizance on knightly warrior's shield。
  〃The first time England saw the shield 'twas round a Norman neck;
  On board a ship from Valery; King William was on deck。
  A Norman lance the colors wore; in Hastings' fatal fray
  St。 Willibald for Bareacres! 'twas double gules that day!
  O Heaven and sweet St。 Willibald! in many a battle since
  A loyal…hearted Bareacres has ridden by his Prince!
  At Acre with Plantagenet; with Edward at Poitiers;
  The pennon of the Bareacres was foremost on the spears!
  〃'Twas pleasant in the battle…shock to hear our war…cry ringing:
  O grant me; sweet St。 Willibald; to listen to such singing!
  Three hundred steel…clad gentlemen; we drove the foe before us;
  And thirty score of Briti