第 16 节
作者:左思右想      更新:2021-02-19 19:45      字数:9322
  〃See whom?〃 said Miss Sharp。
  〃Whom? O whom?  Captain Dobbin; of course; to whom
  we were all so attentive; by the way; last night。〃
  〃We were very unkind to him;〃 Emmy said; blushing
  very much。  〃II quite forgot him。〃
  〃Of course you did;〃 cried Osborne; still on the laugh。
  〃One can't be ALWAYS thinking about Dobbin; you know;
  Amelia。  Can one; Miss Sharp?〃
  〃Except when he overset the glass of wine at dinner;〃
  Miss Sharp said; with a haughty air and a toss of the
  head; 〃I never gave the existence of Captain Dobbin one
  single moment's consideration。〃
  〃Very good; Miss Sharp; I'll tell him;〃 Osborne said;
  and as he spoke Miss Sharp began to have a feeling of
  distrust and hatred towards this young officer; which he
  was quite unconscious of having inspired。  〃He is to make
  fun of me; is he?〃 thought Rebecca。  〃Has he been
  laughing about me to Joseph?  Has he frightened him?
  Perhaps he won't come。〃A film passed over her eyes;
  and her heart beat quite quick。
  〃You're always joking;〃 said she; smiling as innocently
  as she could。  〃Joke away; Mr。 George; there's nobody
  to defend ME。〃 And George Osborne; as she walked away
  and Amelia looked reprovingly at himfelt some little
  manly compunction for having inflicted any unnecessary
  unkindness upon this helpless creature。  〃My dearest
  Amelia;〃 said he; 〃you are too goodtoo kind。  You
  don't know the world。  I do。  And your little friend Miss
  Sharp must learn her station。〃
  〃Don't you think Jos will〃
  〃Upon my word; my dear; I don't know。  He may; or
  may not。  I'm not his master。  I only know he is a very
  foolish vain fellow; and put my dear little girl into a very
  painful and awkward position last night。  My dearest
  diddle…diddle…darling!〃 He was off laughing again; and he
  did it so drolly that Emmy laughed too。
  All that day Jos never came。  But Amelia had no fear
  about this; for the little schemer had actually sent away
  the page; Mr。 Sambo's aide…de…camp; to Mr。 Joseph's
  lodgings; to ask for some book he had promised; and how
  he was; and the reply through Jos's man; Mr。 Brush; was;
  that his master was ill in bed; and had just had the doctor
  with him。  He must come to…morrow; she thought; but she
  never had the courage to speak a word on the subject
  to Rebecca; nor did that young woman herself allude
  to it in any way during the whole evening after the night
  at Vauxhall。
  The next day; however; as the two young ladies sate on
  the sofa; pretending to work; or to write letters; or to
  read novels; Sambo came into the room with his usual
  engaging grin; with a packet under his arm; and a note
  on a tray。  〃Note from Mr。 Jos; Miss;〃 says Sambo。
  How Amelia trembled as she opened it!
  So it ran:
  Dear Amelia;I send you the 〃Orphan of the Forest。〃
  I was too ill to come yesterday。  I leave town to…day
  for Cheltenham。  Pray excuse me; if you can; to the
  amiable Miss Sharp; for my conduct at Vauxhall; and
  entreat her to pardon and forget every word I may have
  uttered when excited by that fatal supper。  As soon as
  I have recovered; for my health is very much shaken; I
  shall go to Scotland for some months; and am
  Truly yours;
  Jos Sedley
  It was the death…warrant。  All was over。  Amelia did
  not dare to look at Rebecca's pale face and burning eyes;
  but she dropt the letter into her friend's lap; and got up;
  and went upstairs to her room; and cried her little heart
  out。
  Blenkinsop; the housekeeper; there sought her presently
  with consolation; on whose shoulder Amelia wept
  confidentially; and relieved herself a good deal。  〃Don't take
  on; Miss。  I didn't like to tell you。  But none of us in the
  house have liked her except at fust。  I sor her with my
  own eyes reading your Ma's letters。  Pinner says she's
  always about your trinket…box and drawers; and
  everybody's drawers; and she's sure she's put your white
  ribbing into her box。〃
  〃I gave it her; I gave it her;〃 Amelia said。
  But this did not alter Mrs。 Blenkinsop's opinion of Miss
  Sharp。  〃I don't trust them governesses; Pinner;〃 she
  remarked to the maid。  〃They give themselves the hairs and
  hupstarts of ladies; and their wages is no better than
  you nor me。〃
  It now became clear to every soul in the house; except
  poor Amelia; that Rebecca should take her departure;
  and high and low (always with the one exception) agreed
  that that event should take place as speedily as possible。
  Our good child ransacked all her drawers; cupboards;
  reticules; and gimcrack boxespassed in review all her
  gowns; fichus; tags; bobbins; laces; silk stockings; and
  fallalsselecting this thing and that and the other; to
  make a little heap for Rebecca。  And going to her Papa;
  that generous British merchant; who had promised to
  give her as many guineas as she was years oldshe
  begged the old gentleman to give the money to dear
  Rebecca; who must want it; while she lacked for nothing。
  She even made George Osborne contribute; and
  nothing loth (for he was as free…handed a young fellow
  as any in the army); he went to Bond Street; and bought
  the best hat and spenser that money could buy。
  〃That's George's present to you; Rebecca; dear;〃 said
  Amelia; quite proud of the bandbox conveying these
  gifts。  〃What a taste he has! There's nobody like him。〃
  〃Nobody;〃 Rebecca answered。  〃How thankful I am to
  him!〃 She was thinking in her heart; 〃It was George
  Osborne who prevented my marriage。〃And she loved
  George Osborne accordingly。
  She made her preparations for departure with great
  equanimity; and accepted all the kind little Amelia's
  presents; after just the proper degree of hesitation and
  reluctance。  She vowed eternal gratitude to Mrs。 Sedley;
  of course; but did not intrude herself upon that good
  lady too much; who was embarrassed; and evidently
  wishing to avoid her。  She kissed Mr。 Sedley's hand; when
  he presented her with the purse; and asked permission to
  consider him for the future as her kind; kind friend and
  protector。  Her behaviour was so affecting that he was
  going to write her a cheque for twenty pounds more;
  but he restrained his feelings: the carriage was in waiting
  to take him to dinner; so he tripped away with a 〃God
  bless you; my dear; always come here when you come to
  town; you know。Drive to the Mansion House; James。〃
  Finally came the parting with Miss Amelia; over which
  picture I intend to throw a veil。  But after a scene in
  which one person was in earnest and the other a perfect
  performerafter the tenderest caresses; the most pathetic
  tears; the smelling…bottle; and some of the very best
  feelings of the heart; had been called into requisition
  Rebecca and Amelia parted; the former vowing to love
  her friend for ever and ever and ever。
  CHAPTER VII
  Crawley of Queen's Crawley
  Among the most respected of the names beginning in C
  which the Court…Guide contained; in the year 18; was
  that of Crawley; Sir Pitt; Baronet; Great Gaunt Street;
  and Queen's Crawley; Hants。  This honourable name had
  figured constantly also in the Parliamentary list for many
  years; in conjunction with that of a number of other
  worthy gentlemen who sat in turns for the borough。
  It is related; with regard to the borough of Queen's
  Crawley; that Queen Elizabeth in one of her progresses;
  stopping at Crawley to breakfast; was so delighted with
  some remarkably fine Hampshire beer which was then
  presented to her by the Crawley of the day (a handsome
  gentleman with a trim beard and a good leg); that she
  forthwith erected Crawley into a borough to send two
  members to Parliament; and the place; from the day of
  that illustrious visit; took the name of Queen's Crawley;
  which it holds up to the present moment。  And though; by
  the lapse of time; and those mutations which age produces
  in empires; cities; and boroughs; Queen's Crawley was no
  longer so populous a place as it had been in Queen Bess's
  timenay; was come down to that condition of borough
  which used to be denominated rottenyet; as Sir Pitt
  Crawley would say with perfect justice in his elegant
  way; 〃Rotten! be hangedit produces me a good fifteen
  hundred a year。〃
  Sir Pitt Crawley (named after the great Commoner)
  was the son of Walpole Crawley; first Baronet; of the
  Tape and Sealing…Wax Office in the reign of George II。;
  when he was impeached for peculation; as were a great
  number of other honest gentlemen of those days; and
  Walpole Crawley was; as need scarcely be said; son of
  John Churchill Crawley; named after the celebrated
  military commander of the reign of Queen Anne。  The family
  tree (which hangs up at Queen's Crawley) furthermore
  mentions Charles Stuart; afterwards called Barebones
  Crawley; son of the Crawley of James the First's time;
  and finally; Queen Elizabeth's Crawley; who is represented
  as the foreground of the picture in his forked beard and
  armour。  Out of his waistcoat; as usual; grows a tree; on
  the main branches of which the above illustrious names
  are inscribed。  Close by the name of Sir Pitt Crawley;
  Baronet (the subject of the present memoir); are written
  that of his brother; the Reverend Bute Crawley (the great
  Commoner was in disgrace when the reverend gentleman
  was born); rector of Crawley…cum…Snailby; and of various
  other male and female members of the Crawley family。
  Sir Pitt was first married to G