第 4 节
作者:指点迷津      更新:2021-02-20 05:05      字数:9322
  to and fro; repeating; 〃He shall answer to me for this。 He shall
  answer for it。〃
  Mrs。 Jansenius frowned at her daughter to remain silent; and said
  soothingly; 〃Don't lose your temper; John。〃
  〃But I will lose my temper。 Insolent hound! Damned scoundrel!〃
  〃He is not;〃 whimpered Henrietta; sitting down and taking out her
  handkerchief。
  〃Oh; come; come!〃 said Mrs。 Jansenius peremptorily; 〃we have had
  enough crying。 Let us have no more of it。〃
  Henrietta sprang up in a passion。 〃I will say and do as I
  please;〃 she exclaimed。 〃I am a married woman; and I will receive
  no orders。 And I will have my husband back again; no matter what
  he does to hide himself。 Papa; won't you make him come back to
  me? I am dying。 Promise that you will make him come back。〃
  And; throwing herself upon her father's bosom; she postponed
  further discussion by going into hysterics; and startling the
  household by her screams。
  CHAPTER III
  One of the professors at Alton College was a Mrs。 Miller; an
  old…fashioned schoolmistress who did not believe in Miss Wilson's
  system of government by moral force; and carried it out under
  protest。 Though not ill…natured; she was narrow…minded enough to
  be in some degree contemptible; and was consequently prone to
  suspect others of despising her。 She suspected Agatha in
  particular; and treated her with disdainful curtness in such
  intercourse as they hadit was fortunately little。 Agatha was
  not hurt by this; for Mrs。 Miller was an unsympathetic woman; who
  made no friends among the girls; and satisfied her affectionate
  impulses by petting a large cat named Gracchus; but generally
  called Bacchus by an endearing modification of the harsh initial
  consonant。
  One evening Mrs。 Miller; seated with Miss Wilson in the study;
  correcting examination papers; heard in the distance a cry like
  that of a cat in distress。 She ran to the door and listened。
  Presently there arose a prolonged wail; slurring up through two
  octaves; and subsiding again。 It was a true feline screech;
  impossible to localize; but it was interrupted by a sob; a snarl;
  a fierce spitting; and a scuffling; coming unmistakably from a
  room on the floor beneath; in which; at that hour; the older
  girls assembled for study。
  〃My poor Gracchy!〃 exclaimed Mrs。 Miller; running downstairs as
  fast as she could。 She found the room unusually quiet。 Every girl
  was deep in study except Miss Carpenter; who; pretending to pick
  up a fallen book; was purple with suppressed laughter and the
  congestion caused by stooping。
  〃Where is Miss Ward?〃 demanded Mrs。 Miller。
  〃Miss Ward has gone for some astronomical diagrams in which we
  are interested;〃 said Agatha; looking up gravely。 Just then Miss
  Ward; diagrams in hand; entered。
  〃Has that cat been in here?〃 she said; not seeing Mrs。 Miller;
  and speaking in a tone expressive of antipathy to Gracchus。
  Agatha started and drew up her ankles; as if fearful of having
  them bitten。 Then; looking apprehensively under the desk; she
  replied; 〃There is no cat here; Miss Ward。〃
  〃There is one somewhere; I heard it;〃 said Miss Ward carelessly;
  unrolling her diagrams; which she began to explain without
  further parley。 Mrs。 Miller; anxious for her pet; hastened to
  seek it elsewhere。 In the hall she met one of the housemaids。
  〃Susan;〃 she said; 〃have you seen Gracchus?〃
  〃He's asleep on the hearthrug in your room; ma'am。 But I heard
  him crying down here a moment ago。 I feel sure that another cat
  has got in; and that they are fighting。〃
  Susan smiled compassionately。 〃Lor' bless you; ma'am;〃 she said;
  〃that was Miss Wylie。 It's a sort of play…acting that she goes
  through。 There is the bee on the window…pane; and the soldier up
  the chimley; and the cat under the dresser。 She does them all
  like life。〃
  〃The soldier in the chimney!〃 repeated Mrs。 Miller; shocked。
  〃Yes; ma'am。 Like as it were a follower that had hid there when
  he heard the mistress coming。〃
  Mrs。 Miller's face set determinedly。 She returned to the study
  and related what had just occurred; adding some sarcastic
  comments on the efficacy of moral force in maintaining collegiate
  discipline。 Miss Wilson looked grave; considered for some time;
  and at last said: 〃I must think over this。 Would you mind leaving
  it in my hands for the present?〃
  Mrs。 Miller said that she did not care in whose hands it remained
  provided her own were washed of it; and resumed her work at the
  papers。 Miss Wilson then; wishing to be alone; went into the
  empty classroom at the other side of the landing。 She took the
  Fault Book from its shelf and sat down before it。 Its record
  closed with the announcement; in Agatha's handwriting:
  〃Miss Wilson has called me impertinent; and has written to my
  uncle that I have refused to obey the rules。 I was not
  impertinent; and I never refused to obey the rules。 So much for
  Moral Force!〃
  Miss Wilson rose vigorously; exclaiming: 〃I will soon let her
  know whether〃 She checked herself; and looked round hastily;
  superstitiously fancying that Agatha might have stolen into the
  room unobserved。 Reassured that she was alone; she examined her
  conscience as to whether she had done wrong in calling Agatha
  impertinent; justifying herself by the reflection that Agatha
  had; in fact; been impertinent。 Yet she recollected that she had
  refused to admit this plea on a recent occasion when Jane
  Carpenter had advanced it in extenuation of having called a
  fellow…student a liar。 Had she then been unjust to Jane; or
  inconsiderate to Agatha?
  Her casuistry was interrupted by some one softly whistling a
  theme from the overture to Masaniello; popular at the college in
  the form of an arrangement for six pianofortes and twelve hands。
  There was only one student unladylike and musical enough to
  whistle; and Miss Wilson was ashamed to find herself growing
  nervous at the prospect of an encounter with Agatha; who entered
  whistling sweetly; but with a lugubrious countenance。 When she
  saw in whose presence she stood; she begged pardon politely; and
  was about to withdraw; when Miss Wilson; summoning all her
  Judgment and tact; and hoping that they wouldcontrary to their
  custom in emergenciesrespond to the summons; said:
  〃Agatha; come here。 I want to speak to you。〃
  Agatha closed her lips; drew in a long breath through her
  nostrils; and marched to within a few feet of Miss Wilson; where
  she halted with her hands clasped before her。
  〃Sit down。〃
  Agatha sat down with a single movement; like a doll。
  〃I don't understand that; Agatha;〃 said Miss Wilson; pointing to
  the entry in the Recording Angel。 〃What does it mean?〃
  〃I am unfairly treated;〃 said Agatha; with signs of agitation。
  〃In what way?〃
  〃In every way。 I am expected to be something more than mortal。
  Everyone else is encouraged to complain; and to be weak and
  silly。 But I must have no feeling。 I must be always in the right。
  Everyone else may be home…sick; or huffed; or in low spirits。 I
  must have no nerves; and must keep others laughing all day long。
  Everyone else may sulk when a word of reproach is addressed to
  them; and may make the professors afraid to find fault with them。
  I have to bear with the insults of teachers who have less
  self…control than I; a girl of seventeen! and must coax them out
  of the difficulties they make for themselves by their own ill
  temper。〃
  〃But; Agatha〃
  〃Oh; I know I am talking nonsense; Miss Wilson; but can you
  expect me to be always sensibleto be infallible?〃
  〃Yes; Agatha; I do not think it is too much to expect you to be
  always sensible; and〃
  〃Then you have neither sense nor sympathy yourself;〃 said Agatha。
  There was an awful pause。 Neither could have told how long it
  lasted。 Then Agatha; feeling that she must do or say something
  desperate; or else fly; made a distracted gesture and ran out of
  the room。
  She rejoined her companions in the great hall of the mansion;
  where they were assembled after study for 〃recreation;〃 a noisy
  process which always set in spontaneously when the professors
  withdrew。 She usually sat with her two favorite associates on a
  high window seat near the hearth。 That place was now occupied by
  a little girl with flaxen hair; whom Agatha; regardless of moral
  force; lifted by the shoulders and deposited on the floor。 Then
  she sat down and said:
  〃Oh; such a piece of news!〃
  Miss Carpenter opened her eyes eagerly。 Gertrude Lindsay affected
  indifference。
  〃Someone is going to be expelled;〃 said Agatha。
  〃Expelled! Who?〃
  〃You will know soon enough; Jane;〃 replied Agatha; suddenly
  grave。 〃It is someone who made an impudent entry in the Recording
  Angel。〃
  Fear stole upon Jane; and she became very red。 〃Agatha;〃 she
  said; 〃it was you who told me what to write。 You know you did;
  and you can't deny it。〃
  〃I can't deny it; can't I? I am ready to swear that I never
  dictated a word to you in my life。〃
  〃Gertrude knows you did;〃 exclaimed Jane; appalled; and almost in
  tears。
  〃There;〃 said Agatha; petting her as if she were a vast baby。 〃It
  shall not be expelled; so it shan't。 Have you seen the Recording
  Angel lately; either of you?〃
  〃Not since our last entry;〃 said Gertrude。
  〃Chips;〃 said Agatha; calling to the flaxen…