第 167 节
作者:左思右想      更新:2021-02-19 19:48      字数:9322
  you for it when you gave it me; many; many years ago;
  before I was married。  I thought somebody else had given
  it。  Thank you; William。〃 She held out her hand; but the
  poor little woman's heart was bleeding; and as for her
  eyes; of course they were at their work。
  But William could hold no more。  〃Amelia; Amelia;〃
  he said; 〃I did buy it for you。  I loved you then as I
  do now。  I must tell you。  I think I loved you from the
  first minute that I saw you; when George brought me to
  your house; to show me the Amelia whom he was
  engaged to。  You were but a girl; in white; with large
  ringlets; you came down singingdo you remember?
  and we went to Vauxhall。  Since then I have thought of
  but one woman in the world; and that was you。  I
  think there is no hour in the day has passed for twelve
  years that I haven't thought of you。  I came to tell you
  this before I went to India; but you did not care; and
  I hadn't the heart to speak。  You did not care whether
  I stayed or went。〃
  〃I was very ungrateful;〃 Amelia said。
  〃No; only indifferent;〃 Dobbin continued desperately。
  〃I have nothing to make a woman to be otherwise。  I
  know what you are feeling now。  You are hurt in your
  heart at the discovery about the piano; and that it came
  from me and not from George。  I forgot; or I should
  never have spoken of it so。  It is for me to ask your
  pardon for being a fool for a moment; and thinking
  that years of constancy and devotion might have pleaded
  with you。〃
  〃It is you who are cruel now;〃 Amelia said with some
  spirit。  〃George is my husband; here and in heaven。  How
  could I love any other but him? I am his now as when
  you first saw me; dear William。  It was he who told me
  how good and generous you were; and who taught me
  to love you as a brother。  Have you not been everything
  to me and my boy? Our dearest; truest; kindest friend
  and protector? Had you come a few months sooner
  perhaps you might have spared me thatthat dreadful
  parting。  Oh; it nearly killed me; Williambut you didn't
  come; though I wished and prayed for you to come;
  and they took him too away from me。  Isn't he a noble
  boy; William? Be his friend still and mine〃and here her
  voice broke; and she hid her face on his shoulder。
  The Major folded his arms round her; holding her to
  him as if she was a child; and kissed her head。  〃I will
  not change; dear Amelia;〃 he said。  〃I ask for no more
  than your love。  I think I would not have it otherwise。
  Only let me stay near you and see you often。〃
  〃Yes; often;〃 Amelia said。  And so William was at
  liberty to look and longas the poor boy at school
  who has no money may sigh after the contents of the
  tart…woman's tray。
  CHAPTER LX
  Returns to the Genteel World
  Good fortune now begins to smile upon Amelia。  We are
  glad to get her out of that low sphere in which she has
  been creeping hitherto and introduce her into a polite
  circlenot so grand and refined as that in which our
  other female friend; Mrs。 Becky; has appeared; but still
  having no small pretensions to gentility and fashion。  Jos's
  friends were all from the three presidencies; and his new
  house was in the comfortable Anglo…Indian district of
  which Moira Place is the centre。  Minto Square; Great
  Clive Street; Warren Street; Hastings Street; Ochterlony
  Place; Plassy Square; Assaye Terrace (〃gardens〃 was
  a felicitous word not applied to stucco houses with
  asphalt terraces in front; so early as 1827)who does not
  know these respectable abodes of the retired Indian
  aristocracy; and the quarter which Mr。 Wenham calls the
  Black Hole; in a word? Jos's position in life was not grand
  enough to entitle him to a house in Moira Place; where
  none can live but retired Members of Council; and
  partners of Indian firms (who break; after having settled a
  hundred thousand pounds on their wives; and retire into
  comparative penury to a country place and four thousand
  a year); he engaged a comfortable house of a
  second… or third…rate order in Gillespie Street; purchasing the
  carpets; costly mirrors; and handsome and appropriate
  planned furniture by Seddons from the assignees of Mr。
  Scape; lately admitted partner into the great Calcutta
  House of Fogle; Fake; and Cracksman; in which poor
  Scape had embarked seventy thousand pounds; the
  earnings of a long and honourable life; taking Fake's place;
  who retired to a princely park in Sussex (the Fogles have
  been long out of the firm; and Sir Horace Fogle is about
  to be raised to the peerage as Baron Bandanna)admitted;
  I say; partner into the great agency house of Fogle
  and Fake two years before it failed for a million and
  plunged half the Indian public into misery and ruin。
  Scape; ruined; honest; and broken…hearted at sixty…five
  years of age; went out to Calcutta to wind up the affairs
  of the house。  Walter Scape was withdrawn from Eton
  and put into a merchant's house。  Florence Scape; Fanny
  Scape; and their mother faded away to Boulogne; and
  will be heard of no more。  To be brief; Jos stepped in and
  bought their carpets and sideboards and admired
  himself in the mirrors which had reflected their kind
  handsome faces。  The Scape tradesmen; all honourably paid;
  left their cards; and were eager to supply the new
  household。  The large men in white waistcoats who waited at
  Scape's dinners; greengrocers; bank…porters; and
  milkmen in their private capacity; left their addresses and
  ingratiated themselves with the butler。  Mr。 Chummy; the
  chimney…purifier; who had swept the last three families;
  tried to coax the butler and the boy under him; whose
  duty it was to go out covered with buttons and with
  stripes down his trousers; for the protection of Mrs。
  Amelia whenever she chose to walk abroad。
  It was a modest establishment。  The butler was Jos's
  valet also; and never was more drunk than a butler in a
  small family should be who has a proper regard for his
  master's wine。  Emmy was supplied with a maid; grown on
  Sir William Dobbin's suburban estate; a good girl; whose
  kindness and humility disarmed Mrs。 Osborne; who was
  at first terrified at the idea of having a servant to wait
  upon herself; who did not in the least know how to use
  one; and who always spoke to domestics with the most
  reverential politeness。  But this maid was very useful in
  the family; in dexterously tending old Mr。 Sedley; who
  kept almost entirely to his own quarter of the house
  and never mixed in any of the gay doings which took
  place there。
  Numbers of people came to see Mrs。 Osborne。  Lady
  Dobbin and daughters were delighted at her change of
  fortune; and waited upon her。  Miss Osborne from Russell
  Square came in her grand chariot with the flaming
  hammer…cloth emblazoned with the Leeds arms。  Jos was
  reported to be immensely rich。  Old Osborne had no
  objection that Georgy should inherit his uncle's property as
  well as his own。  〃Damn it; we will make a man of the
  feller;〃 he said; 〃and I'll see him in Parliament before I
  die。  You may go and see his mother; Miss O。; though I'll
  never set eyes on her〃:  and Miss Osborne came。  Emmy;
  you may be sure; was very glad to see her; and so be
  brought nearer to George。  That young fellow was
  allowed to come much more frequently than before to visit
  his mother。  He dined once or twice a week in Gillespie
  Street and bullied the servants and his relations there; just
  as he did in Russell Square。
  He was always respectful to Major Dobbin; however;
  and more modest in his demeanour when that gentleman
  was present。  He was a clever lad and afraid of the
  Major。  George could not help admiring his friend's
  simplicity; his good humour; his various learning quietly
  imparted; his general love of truth and justice。  He had met
  no such man as yet in the course of his experience; and
  he had an instinctive liking for a gentleman。  He hung
  fondly by his godfather's side; and it was his delight to
  walk in the parks and hear Dobbin talk。  William told
  George about his father; about India and Waterloo; about
  everything but himself。  When George was more than
  usually pert and conceited; the Major made jokes at him;
  which Mrs。 Osborne thought very cruel。  One day; taking
  him to the play; and the boy declining to go into the pit
  because it was vulgar; the Major took him to the boxes;
  left him there; and went down himself to the pit。  He
  had not been seated there very long before he felt an arm
  thrust under his and a dandy little hand in a kid glove
  squeezing his arm。  George had seen the absurdity of his
  ways and come down from the upper region。  A tender
  laugh of benevolence lighted up old Dobbin's face and
  eyes as he looked at the repentant little prodigal。  He
  loved the boy; as he did everything that belonged to
  Amelia。  How charmed she was when she heard of this
  instance of George's goodness!  Her eyes looked more
  kindly on Dobbin than they ever had done。  She blushed;
  he thought; after looking at him so。
  Georgy never tired of his praises of the Major to his
  mother。  〃I like him; Mamma; because he knows such lots
  of things; and he ain't like old Veal; who is always
  bragging and using such long words; don't you know? The
  chaps call him 'Longtail' at school。  I gave him the name;
  ain't it capital? But Dob reads Latin like English; and
  French and tha