霍华德庄园 英文版 Howards End
爱德华.摩根.福斯特 Edward Morgan Forster
Chapter 32
She was looking at plans one day in the followingspring--they had finally decided to go down into Sussex andbuild--when Mrs. Charles Wilcox was announced.
"Have you heard the news?" Dolly cried, as soon as sheentered the room. "Charles is so ang--I mean he is sure youknow about it, or rather, that you don't know."
"Why, Dolly!" said Margaret, placidly kissing her."Here's a surprise! How are the boys and the baby?"
Boys and the baby were well, and in describing a greatrow that there had been at Hilton Tennis Club, Dolly forgother news. The wrong people had tried to get in. Therector, as representing the older inhabitants, hadsaid--Charles had said--the tax-collector had said--Charleshad regretted not saying--and she closed the descriptionwith, "But lucky you, with four courts of your own at Midhurst."
"It will be very jolly," replied Margaret.
"Are those the plans? Does it matter me seeing them?"
"Of course not."
"Charles has never seen the plans."
"They have only just arrived. Here is the groundfloor--no, that's rather difficult. Try the elevation. Weare to have a good many gables and a picturesque sky-line."
"What makes it smell so funny?" said Dolly, after amoment's inspection. She was incapable of understandingplans or maps.
"I suppose the paper."
"And WHICH way up is it?"
"Just the ordinary way up. That's the sky-line, and thepart that smells strongest is the sky."
"Well, ask me another. Margaret--oh--what was I goingto say? How's Helen?"
"Quite well."
"Is she never coming back to England? Every one thinksit's awfully odd she doesn't."
"So it is," said Margaret, trying to conceal hervexation. She was getting rather sore on this point."Helen is odd, awfully. She has now been away eight months.
"But hasn't she any address?"
"A poste restante somewhere in Bavaria is her address.Do write her a line. I will look it up for you."
"No, don't bother. That's eight months she has beenaway, surely?"
look after thehouse."opportunity.
"Exactly. She left just after Evie's wedding. It wouldbe eight months."
"Just when baby was born, then?"
"Just so."
Dolly sighed, and stared enviously round thedrawing-room. She was beginning to lose her brightness andgood looks. The Charles' were not well off, for Mr. Wilcox,having brought up his children with expensive tastes,believed in letting them shift for themselves. After all,he had not treated them generously. Yet another baby wasexpected, she told Margaret, and they would have to give upthe motor. Margaret sympathized, but in a formal fashion,and Dolly little imagined that the step-mother was urgingMr. Wilcox to make them a more liberal allowance. Shesighed again, and at last the particular grievance wasremembered. "Oh yes," she cried, "that is it: Miss Averyhas been unpacking your packing-cases."
"Why has she done that? How unnecessary!"
"Ask another. I suppose you ordered her to."
"I gave no such orders. Perhaps she was airing thethings. She did undertake to light an occasional fire."
"It was far more than an air," said Dolly solemnly."The floor sounds covered with books. Charles sent me toknow what is to be done, for he feels certain you don't know."
"Books!" cried Margaret, moved by the holy word."Dolly, are you serious? Has she been touching our books?"
"Hasn't she, though! What used to be the hall's full ofthem. Charles thought for certain you knew of it."
"I am very much obliged to you, Dolly. What can havecome over Miss Avery? I must go down about it at once.Some of the books are my brother's, and are quite valuable.She had no right to open any of the cases."
"I say she's dotty. She was the one that never gotmarried, you know. Oh, I say, perhaps she thinks your booksare wedding-presents to herself. Old maids are taken thatway sometimes. Miss Avery hates us all like poison eversince her frightful dust-up with Evie."
"I hadn't heard of that," said Margaret. A visit fromDolly had its compensations.
"Didn't you know she gave Evie a present last August,and Evie returned it, and then--oh, goloshes! You neverread such a letter as Miss Avery wrote."
"But it was wrong of Evie to return it. It wasn't likeher to do such a heartless thing."
"But the present was so expensive."
"Why does that make any difference, Dolly?"
"Still, when it costs over five pounds--I didn't see it,but it was a lovely enamel pendant from a Bond Street shop.You can't very well accept that kind of thing from a farmwoman. Now, can you?"
"You accepted a present from Miss Avery when you were married.
"Oh, mine was old earthenware stuff--not worth ahalfpenny. Evie's was quite different. You'd have to askanyone to the wedding who gave you a pendant like that.Uncle Percy and Albert and father and Charles all said itwas quite impossible, and when four men agree, what is agirl to do? Evie didn't want to upset the old thing, sothought a sort of joking letter best, and returned thependant straight to the shop to save Miss Avery trouble."
"But Miss Avery said--"
Dolly's eyes grew round. "It was a perfectly awfulletter. Charles said it was the letter of a madman. In theend she had the pendant back again from the shop and threwit into the duckpond.
"Did she give any reasons?"
"We think she meant to be invited to Oniton, and soclimb into society."
"She's rather old for that," said Margaret pensively."May not she have given the present to Evie in remembranceof her mother?"
"That's a notion. Give every one their due, eh? Well,I suppose I ought to be toddling. Come along, Mr. Muff--youwant a new coat, but I don't know who'll give it you, I'msure;" and addressing her apparel with mournful humour,Dolly moved from the room.
Margaret followed her to ask whether Henry knew aboutMiss Avery's rudeness.
"Oh yes."
"I wonder, then, why he let me ask her to look after thehouse."
"But she's only a farm woman," said Dolly, and herexplanation proved correct. Henry only censured the lowerclasses when it suited him. He bore with Miss Avery as withCrane--because he could get good value out of them. "I havepatience with a man who knows his job," he would say, reallyhaving patience with the job, and not the man. Paradoxicalas it may sound, he had something of the artist about him;he would pass over an insult to his daughter sooner thanlose a good charwoman for his wife.
Margaret judged it better to settle the little troubleherself. Parties were evidently ruffled. With Henry'spermission, she wrote a pleasant note to Miss Avery, askingher to leave the cases untouched. Then, at the firstconvenient opportunity, she went down herself, intending torepack her belongings and store them properly in the localwarehouse: the plan had been amateurish and a failure.Tibby promised to accompany her, but at the last momentbegged to be excused. So, for the second time in her life,she entered the house alone.