霍华德庄园 英文版 Howards End
爱德华.摩根.福斯特 Edward Morgan Forster
Chapter 35
One speaks of the moods of spring, but the days that are hertrue children have only one mood; they are all full of therising and dropping of winds, and the whistling of birds.New flowers may come out, the green embroidery of the hedgesincrease, but the same heaven broods overhead, soft, thick,and blue, the same figures, seen and unseen, are wanderingby coppice and meadow. The morning that Margaret had spentwith Miss Avery, and the afternoon she set out to entrapHelen, were the scales of a single balance. Time mightnever have moved, rain never have fallen, and man alone,with his schemes and ailments, was troubling Nature until hesaw her through a veil of tears.
She protested no more. Whether Henry was right orwrong, he was most kind, and she knew of no other standardby which to judge him. She must trust him absolutely. Assoon as he had taken up a business, his obtusenessvanished. He profited by the slightest indications, and thecapture of Helen promised to be staged as deftly as themarriage of Evie.
They went down in the morning as arranged, and hediscovered that their victim was actually in Hilton. On hisarrival he called at all the livery-stables in the village,and had a few minutes' serious conversation with theproprietors. What he said, Margaret did not know--perhapsnot the truth; but news arrived after lunch that a lady hadcome by the London train, and had taken a fly to Howards End.
"She was bound to drive," said Henry. "There will beher books.
"I cannot make it out," said Margaret for the hundredth time.
"Finish your coffee, dear. We must be off."
"Yes, Margaret, you know you must take plenty," said Dolly.
Margaret tried, but suddenly lifted her hand to hereyes. Dolly stole glances at her father-in-law which he didnot answer. In the silence the motor came round to the door.
to jump on thefootboard. .
"You're not fit for it," he said anxiously. "Let me goalone. I know exactly what to do."
"Oh yes, I am fit," said Margaret, uncovering her face."Only most frightfully worried. I cannot feel that Helen isreally alive. Her letters and telegrams seem to have comefrom someone else. Her voice isn't in them. I don'tbelieve your driver really saw her at the station. I wishI'd never mentioned it. I know that Charles is vexed. Yes,he is--" She seized Dolly's hand and kissed it. "There,Dolly will forgive me. There. Now we'll be off."
Henry had been looking at her closely. He did not likethis breakdown.
"Don't you want to tidy yourself?" he asked.
"Have I time?"
"Yes, plenty."
She went to the lavatory by the front door, and as soonas the bolt slipped, Mr. Wilcox said quietly:
"Dolly, I'm going without her."
Dolly's eyes lit up with vulgar excitement. Shefollowed him on tip-toe out to the car.
"Tell her I thought it best."
"Yes, Mr. Wilcox, I see."
"Say anything you like. All right."
The car started well, and with ordinary luck would havegot away. But Porgly-woggles, who was playing in thegarden, chose this moment to sit down in the middle of thepath. Crane, in trying to pass him, ran one wheel over abed of wallflowers. Dolly screamed. Margaret, hearing thenoise, rushed out hatless, and was in time to jump on thefootboard. She said not a single word: he was only treatingher as she had treated Helen, and her rage at his dishonestyonly helped to indicate what Helen would feel against them.She thought, "I deserve it: I am punished for lowering mycolours." And she accepted his apologies with a calmnessthat astonished him.
"I still consider you are not fit for it," he kept saying.
"Perhaps I was not at lunch. But the whole thing isspread clearly before me now."
"I was meaning to act for the best."
in the porch, we can stroll roundinto the .
"Just lend me your scarf, will you? This wind takesone's hair so."
"Certainly, dear girl. Are you all right now?"
"Look! My hands have stopped trembling."
"And have quite forgiven me? Then listen. Her cabshould already have arrived at Howards End. (We're a littlelate, but no matter.) Our first move will be to send it downto wait at the farm, as, if possible, one doesn't want ascene before servants. A certain gentleman"--he pointed atCrane's back--"won't drive in, but will wait a little shortof the front gate, behind the laurels. Have you still thekeys of the house?"
"Yes."
"Well, they aren't wanted. Do you remember how thehouse stands?"
"Yes."
"If we don't find her in the porch, we can stroll roundinto the garden. Our object--"
Here they stopped to pick up the doctor.
"I was just saying to my wife, Mansbridge, that our mainobject is not to frighten Miss Schlegel. The house, as youknow, is my property, so it should seem quite natural for usto be there. The trouble is evidently nervous--wouldn't yousay so, Margaret?"
The doctor, a very young man, began to ask questionsabout Helen. Was she normal? Was there anything congenitalor hereditary? Had anything occurred that was likely toalienate her from her family?
"Nothing," answered Margaret, wondering what would havehappened if she had added: "Though she did resent myhusband's immorality."
"She always was highly strung," pursued Henry, leaningback in the car as it shot past the church. "A tendency tospiritualism and those things, though nothing serious.Musical, literary, artistic, but I should say normal--a verycharming girl."
Margaret's anger and terror increased every moment. Howdare these men label her sister! What horrors lay ahead!What impertinences that shelter under the name of science!The pack was turning on Helen, to deny her human rights, andit seemed to Margaret that all Schlegels were threatenedwith her. "Were they normal?" What a question to ask! Andit is always those who know nothing about human nature, whoare bored by psychology and shocked by physiology, who askit. However piteous her sister's state, she knew that shemust be on her side. They would be mad together if theworld chose to consider them so.
It was now five minutes past three. The car slowed downby the farm, in the yard of which Miss Avery was standing.Henry asked her whether a cab had gone past. She nodded,and the next moment they caught sight of it, at the end ofthe lane. The car ran silently like a beast of prey. Sounsuspicious was Helen that she was sitting on the porch,with her back to the road. She had come. Only her head andshoulders were visible. She sat framed in the vine, and oneof her hands played with the buds. The wind ruffled herhair, the sun glorified it; she was as she had always been.
Margaret was seated next to the door. Before herhusband could prevent her, she slipped out. She ran to thegarden gate, which was shut, passed through it, anddeliberately pushed it in his face. The noise alarmedHelen. Margaret saw her rise with an unfamiliar movement,and, rushing into the porch, learnt the simple explanationof all their fears--her sister was with child.
Dolly, I'm going .
"Is the truant all right?" called Henry.
She had time to whisper: "Oh, my darling--" The keys ofthe house were in her hand. She unlocked Howards End andthrust Helen into it. "Yes, all right," she said, and stoodwith her back to the door.