第 31 节
作者:旅游巴士      更新:2021-10-16 18:45      字数:9317
  bespeak   him   weeks       beforehand;   and   even   then;   if   there   were   an   east
  wind     blowing or a cloud or two in the sky he might be too                   careful of
  his precious self to come out。         It would be       rather jolly if you could lure
  him into a hammock in the             orchard; just near the spot where there is a
  wasps'     nest    every     summer。      A    comfortable      hammock       on   a  warm
  afternoon      would appeal to his indolent tastes; and then; when he                  was
  getting   drowsy;   a   lighted   fusee   thrown   into   the   nest   would   bring   the
  wasps out in an indignant mass; and they              would soon find a 'home away
  from  home'   on Waldo's   fat       body。     It   takes   some   doing   to   get   out   of   a
  hammock in a        hurry。〃
  〃They might sting him to death;〃 protested Mrs。               Thackenbury。
  〃Waldo is one of those people who would be                  enormously improved
  by death;〃 said Clovis; 〃but if you            didn't want to go as far as that; you
  could   have   some   wet     straw   ready   to   hand;   and   set   it   alight   under   the
  hammock        at the same time that the fusee was thrown into the nest;                the
  smoke would keep all but the most militant of the                wasps just outside the
  stinging   line;   and   as   long   as Waldo   remained   within   its   protection   he
  would   escape      serious   damage;   and   could   be   eventually   restored   to   his
  mother;     kippered     all  over   and   swollen    in  places;   but    still  perfectly
  recognisable。〃
  〃His mother would be my enemy for life;〃 said Mrs。                 Thackenbury。
  〃That   would   be   one   greeting   less   to   exchange   at   Christmas;〃   said
  Clovis。
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  BEASTS AND SUPER…BEASTS
  THE DREAMER
  IT was the season of sales。       The august      establishment of Walpurgis
  and Nettlepink had lowered its          prices for an entire week as a concession
  to   trade    observances;      much    as   an  Arch…duchess       might    protestingly
  contract     an   attack   of  influenza    for   the   unsatisfactory      reason    that
  influenza     was   locally   prevalent。     Adela     Chemping;       who    considered
  herself    in  some    measure    superior    to   the   allurements    of  an   ordinary
  bargain sale; made a        point of attending the reduction week at Walpurgis
  and    Nettlepink's。
  〃I'm not a bargain hunter;〃 she said; 〃but I like to           go where bargains
  are。〃
  Which   showed   that   beneath   her   surface   strength   of    character   there
  flowed a gracious undercurrent of human              weakness。
  With a view to providing herself with a male escort               Mrs。 Chemping
  had invited her youngest nephew to             accompany her on the first day of
  the   shopping      expedition;     throwing    in  the  additional    allurement    of  a
  cinematograph        theatre   and   the   prospect    of  light    refreshment。       As
  Cyprian was not yet eighteen she hoped              he might not have reached that
  stage in masculine        development when parcel…carrying is looked on as a
  thing    abhorrent。
  〃Meet me just outside the floral department;〃 she             wrote to him; 〃and
  don't be a moment later than eleven。〃
  Cyprian     was   a  boy   who    carried   with   him   through    early   life  the
  wondering look of a dreamer; the eyes of one who                  sees things that are
  not visible to ordinary  mortals; and          invests the commonplace things of
  this   world   with   qualities   unsuspected   by   plainer   folk   …   the   eyes   of   a
  poet or a house agent。        He was quietly dressed … that          sartorial quietude
  which      frequently    accompanies       early     adolescence;      and    is  usually
  attributed by novel…writers         to the influence of a widowed mother。             His
  hair   was    brushed      back   in  a  smoothness      as  of  ribbon    seaweed     and
  seamed   with   a   narrow   furrow   that   scarcely   aimed   at   being    a   parting。
  His aunt particularly noted this item of his            toilet when they  met at the
  appointed   rendezvous;   because         he   was   standing   waiting   for   her   bare…
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  BEASTS AND SUPER…BEASTS
  headed。
  〃Where is your hat?〃 she asked。
  〃I didn't bring one with me;〃 he replied。
  Adela Chemping was slightly scandalised。
  〃You are not going to be what they call a Nut; are              you?〃 she inquired
  with     some    anxiety;   partly   with    the   idea    that   a  Nut    would    be   an
  extravagance       which    her    sister's   small   household      would    scarcely    be
  justified in    incurring; partly; perhaps; with the instinctive           apprehension
  that a Nut; even in its embryo stage; would             refuse to carry parcels。
  Cyprian looked at her with his wondering; dreamy                 eyes。
  〃I didn't bring   a hat;〃 he said;  〃because  it is   such        a  nuisance  when
  one is shopping; I mean it is so awkward             if one meets anyone one knows
  and has to take one's hat        off when one's hands are full of parcels。           If one
  hasn't    got a hat on one can't take it off。〃
  Mrs。 Chemping sighed with great relief; her worst                fear had been laid
  at rest。
  〃It is   more   orthodox   to  wear   a hat;〃   she   observed;    and   then turned
  her attention briskly to the business in          hand。
  〃We   will   go   first   to   the   table…linen   counter;〃   she said;   leading   the
  way in that direction; 〃I should like          to look at some napkins。〃
  The wondering look deepened in Cyprian's eyes as he                    followed his
  aunt; he belonged to a generation that is            supposed to be over…fond of the
  role of mere spectator;         but looking at napkins that one did not mean to
  buy   was   a   pleasure   beyond   his   comprehension。          Mrs。   Chemping   held
  one or two napkins up to the light and stared fixedly at                them; as though
  she half expected to find some            revolutionary cypher written on them in
  scarcely visible      ink; then she suddenly broke away in the direction of the
  glassware department。
  〃Millicent   asked   me   to   get   her   a   couple   of   decanters if   there   were
  any going really cheap;〃 she explained on              the way; 〃and I really do want
  a salad bowl。      I can come       back to the napkins later on。〃
  She handled and scrutinised a large number of                decanters and a long
  series of salad bowls; and finally         bought seven chrysanthemum vases。
  〃No   one   uses   that   kind   of   vase   nowadays;〃   she   informed   Cyprian;
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  BEASTS AND SUPER…BEASTS
  〃but they will do for presents next         Christmas。〃
  Two     sunshades     that   were    marked     down     to  a   price   that   Mrs。
  Chemping considered absurdly cheap were added to her                   purchases。
  〃One of them will do for Ruth Colson; she is going                out to the Malay
  States; and a sunshade will always be            useful there。      And I must get her
  some thin writing        paper。    It takes up no room in one's baggage。〃
  Mrs。 Chemping bought stacks of writing paper; it was                 so cheap; and
  it  went    so  flat  in  a  trunk   or  portmanteau。        She    also  bought    a  few
  envelopes       …  envelopes     somehow         seemed      rather    an   extragavance
  compared with notepaper。
  〃Do you think Ruth will like blue or grey paper?〃              she asked Cyprian。
  〃Grey;〃 said Cyprian; who had never met the lady in               question。
  〃Have   you   any   mauve   notepaper   of   this   quality?〃     Adela   asked   the
  assistant。
  〃We haven't any mauve;〃 said the assistant; 〃but             we've two shades of
  green and a darker shade of grey。〃
  Mrs。 Chemping inspected the greens and the darker                  grey; and chose
  the blue。
  〃Now we can have some lunch;〃 she said。
  Cyprian      behaved     in  an   exemplary      fashion    in   the   refreshment
  department; and cheerfully accepted a fish              cake and a mince pie and a
  small     cup   of   coffee    as   adequate      restoratives    after   two    hours   of
  concentrated