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…