老妇人的故事 英文版The Old Wives' Tale
阿诺德.本涅特 Arnold Bennett
III Page 2
"I have put her to bed," said Laurence, in a whisper, as shecautiously closed the door. "The poor woman! Oh, what a charmingbracelet! It is a true pearl, naturally?"
Her roving eye had immediately, with an infallible instinct,caught sight of a bracelet which, in taking stock of herpossessions, Sophia had accidentally left on the piano. She pickedit up, and then put it down again.
"Yes," said Sophia. She was about to add: "It's nearly all thejewellery I possess;" but she stopped.
Laurence moved towards Sophia's bed, and stood over it as she hadoften done in her quality as nurse. She had taken off her gloves,and she made a piquant, pretty show, with her thirty years, andher agreeable, slightly roguish face, in which were mingled theknowingness of a street boy and the confidence of a woman who hasceased to be surprised at the influence of her snub nose on ahighly intelligent man.
"Did she tell you what they had quarrelled about?" Laurenceinquired abruptly. And not only the phrasing of the question, butthe assured tone in which it was uttered, showed that Laurencemeant to be the familiar of Sophia.
"Not a word!" said Sophia.
In this brief question and reply, all was crudely implied that hadpreviously been supposed not to exist. The relations between thetwo women were altered irretrievably in a moment.
"It must have been her fault!" said Laurence. "With men she isinsupportable. I have never understood how that poor woman hasmade her way. With women she is charming. But she seems to beincapable of not treating men like dogs. Some men adore that, butthey are few. Is it not?"
"I have told her! How many times have I told her! But it isuseless. It is stronger than she is, and if she finishes on strawone will be able to say that it was because of that. But truly sheought not to have asked him here! Truly that was too much! If heknew ...!"
"Why not?" asked Sophia, awkwardly. The answer startled her.
nicely. Thisgiving of the bracelet, souvenir.
"Because her room has not been disinfected."
"But I thought all the flat had been disinfected?"
"All except her room."
"But why not her room?"
Laurence shrugged her shoulders. "She did not want to disturb herthings! Is it that I know, I? She is like that. She takes an idea--and then, there you are!"
"She told me every room had been disinfected."
"She told the same to the police and the doctor."
"Then all the disinfection is useless?"
"Perfectly! But she is like that. This flat might be veryremunerative; but with her, never! She has not even paid for thefurniture--after two years!"
"But what will become of her?" Sophia asked.
disinfected." with an extremelypuzzling.
"Ah--that!" Another shrug of the shoulders. "All that I know isthat it will be necessary for me to leave here. The last time Ibrought Monsieur Cerf here, she was excessively rude to him. Shehas doubtless told you about Monsieur Cerf?"
"No. Who is Monsieur Cerf?"
"Ah! She has not told you? That astonishes me. Monsieur Cerf, thatis my friend, you know."
"Oh!" murmured Sophia.
"Yes," Laurence proceeded, impelled by a desire to impress Sophiaand to gossip at large. "That is my friend. I knew him at thehospital. It was to please him that I left the hospital. Afterthat we quarrelled for two years; but at the end he gave me right.I did not budge. Two years! It is long. And I had left thehospital. I could have gone back. But I would not. That is not alife, to be nurse in a Paris hospital! No, I drew myself out aswell as I could ... He is the most charming boy you can imagine!And rich now; that is to say, relatively. He has a cousininfinitely more rich than he. I dined with them both to-night atthe Maison Doree. For a luxurious boy, he is a luxurious boy--thecousin I mean. It appears that he has made a fortune in Canada."
"Truly!" said Sophia, with politeness. Laurence's hand was playingon the edge of the bed, and Sophia observed for the first timethat it bore a wedding-ring.
"You remark my ring?" Laurence laughed. "That is he--the cousin.'What!' he said, 'you do not wear an alliance? An alliance is moreproper. We are going to arrange that after dinner.' I said thatall the jewellers' shops would be closed. 'That is all the same tome,' he said. 'We will open one.' And in effect ... it passed likethat. He succeeded! Is it not beautiful?" She held forth her hand.
"Yes," said Sophia. "It is very beautiful."
"Yours also is beautiful," said Laurence, with an extremelypuzzling intonation.
exist. The relations between.
"It is just the ordinary English wedding-ring," said Sophia. Inspite of herself she blushed.
"Now I have married you. It is I, the cure, said he--the cousin--when he put the ring on my finger. Oh, he is excessively amusing!He pleases me much. And he is all alone. He asked me whether Iknew among my friends a sympathetic, pretty girl, to make fourwith us three for a picnic. I said I was not sure, but I thoughtnot. Whom do I know? Nobody. I'm not a woman like the rest. I amalways discreet. I do not like casual relations. ... But he isvery well, the cousin. Brown eyes. ... It is an idea--will youcome, one day? He speaks English. He loves the English. He is allthat is most correct, the perfect gentleman. He would arrange adazzling fete. I am sure he would be enchanted to make youracquaintance. Enchanted! ... As for my Charles, happily he iscompletely mad about me--otherwise I should have fear."
She smiled, and in her smile was a genuine respect for Sophia'sface.
"I fear I cannot come," said Sophia. She honestly endeavoured tokeep out of her reply any accent of moral superiority, but she didnot quite succeed. She was not at all horrified by Laurence'ssuggestion. She meant simply to refuse it; but she could not do soin a natural voice.
"It is true you are not yet strong enough," said the imperturbableLaurence, quickly, and with a perfect imitation of naturalness."But soon you must make a little promenade." She stared at herring. "After all, it is more proper," she observed judicially."With a wedding-ring one is less likely to be annoyed. What iscurious is that the idea never before came to me. Yet ..."
"You like jewellery?" said Sophia.
"If I like jewellery!" with a gesture of the hands.
"Will you pass me that bracelet?"
Laurence obeyed, and Sophia clasped it round the girl's wrist.
"Keep it," Sophia said.
"For me?" Laurence exclaimed, ravished. "It is too much."
"It is not enough," said Sophia. "And when you look at it, youmust remember how kind you were to me, and how grateful I am."
"How nicely you say that!" Laurence said ecstatically.
And Sophia felt that she had indeed said it rather nicely. Thisgiving of the bracelet, souvenir of one of the few capriciousfollies that Gerald had committed for her and not for himself,pleased Sophia very much.
"I am afraid your nursing of me forced you to neglect MonsieurCerf," she added.
"Yes, a little!" said Laurence, impartially, with a small pout ofhaughtiness. "It is true that he used to complain. But I soon puthim straight. What an idea! He knows there are things upon which Ido not joke. It is not he who will quarrel a second time! Believeme!"
Laurence's absolute conviction of her power was what impressedSophia. To Sophia she seemed to be a vulgar little piece of goods,with dubious charm and a glance that was far too brazen. Hermovements were vulgar. And Sophia wondered how she had establishedher empire and upon what it rested.
"I shall not show this to Aimee," whispered Laurence, indicatingthe bracelet.
"As you wish," said Sophia.
"By the way, have I told you that war is declared?" Laurencecasually remarked.
"No," said Sophia. "What war?"
"The scene with Aimee made me forget it ... With Germany. The cityis quite excited. An immense crowd in front of the new Opera. Theysay we shall be at Berlin in a month--or at most two months."
"Oh!" Sophia muttered. "Why is there a war?"
"Don't you think we ought to begin again with the disinfecting?"Sophia asked anxiously. "I must speak to Madame Foucault."
Laurence told her not to worry, and went off to show the braceletto Madame Foucault. She had privately decided that this was apleasure which, after all, she could not deny herself.