Daniel Deronda
乔治.艾略特 George Eliot
CHAPTER XXII. Page 2
Under the first shock she forgot everything but her anger, and snatched atany phrase that would serve as a weapon.
"If Klesmer has presumed to offer himself to you, your father shallhorsewhip him off the premises. Pray, speak, Mr. Arrowpoint."
The father took his cigar from his mouth, and rose to the occasion bysaying, "This will never do, Cath."
"Do!" cried Mrs. Arrowpoint; "who in their senses ever thought it woulddo? You might as well say poisoning and strangling will not do. It is acomedy you have got up, Catherine. Else you are mad."
"I am quite sane and serious, mamma, and Herr Klesmer is not to blame. Henever thought of my marrying him. I found out that he loved me, and lovinghim, I told him I would marry him."
"Leave that unsaid, Catherine," said Mrs. Arrowpoint, bitterly. "Every oneelse will say that for you. You will be a public fable. Every one will saythat you must have made an offer to a man who has been paid to come to thehouse--who is nobody knows what--a gypsy, a Jew, a mere bubble of theearth."
"Never mind, mamma," said Catherine, indignant in her turn. "We all knowhe is a genius--as Tasso was."
"Those times were not these, nor is Klesmer Tasso," said Mrs. Arrowpoint,getting more heated. "There is no sting in _that_ sarcasm, except thesting of undutifulness."
"I am sorry to hurt you, mamma. But I will not give up the happiness of mylife to ideas that I don't believe in and customs I have no respect for."
"You have lost all sense of duty, then? You have forgotten that you areour only child--that it lies with you to place a great property in theright hands?"
"What are the right hands? My grandfather gained the property in trade."
"Mr. Arrowpoint, _will_ you sit by and hear this without speaking?"
"I am a gentleman, Cath. We expect you to marry a gentleman," said thefather, exerting himself.
"And a man connected with the institutions of this country," said themother. "A woman in your position has serious duties. Where duty andinclination clash, she must follow duty."
"I don't deny that," said Catherine, getting colder in proportion to hermother's heat. "But one may say very true things and apply them falsely.People can easily take the sacred word duty as a name for what they desireany one else to do."
"Your parent's desire makes no duty for you, then?"
"Yes, within reason. But before I give up the happiness of my life--"
"Catherine, Catherine, it will not be your happiness," said Mrs.Arrowpoint, in her most raven-like tones.
"Well, what seems to me my happiness--before I give it up, I must see somebetter reason than the wish that I should marry a nobleman, or a man whovotes with a party that he may be turned into a nobleman. I feel atliberty to marry the man I love and think worthy, unless some higher dutyforbids."
"And so it does, Catherine, though you are blinded and cannot see it. Itis a woman's duty not to lower herself. You are lowering yourself. Mr.Arrowpoint, will you tell your daughter what is her duty?"
"You must see, Catherine, that Klesmer is not the man for you," said Mr.Arrowpoint. "He won't do at the head of estates. He has a deuced foreignlook--is an unpractical man."
"I really can't see what that has to do with it, papa. The land of Englandhas often passed into the hands of foreigners--Dutch soldiers, sons offoreign women of bad character:--if our land were sold to-morrow it wouldvery likely pass into the hands of some foreign merchant on 'Change. It isin everybody's mouth that successful swindlers may buy up half the land inthe country. How can I stem that tide?"
"It will never do to argue about marriage, Cath," said Mr. Arrowpoint."It's no use getting up the subject like a parliamentary question. We mustdo as other people do. We must think of the nation and the public good."
"I can't see any public good concerned here, papa," said Catherine. "Whyis it to be expected of any heiress that she should carry the propertygained in trade into the hands of a certain class? That seems to be aridiculous mishmash of superannuated customs and false ambition. I shouldcall it a public evil. People had better make a new sort of public good bychanging their ambitions."
"That is mere sophistry, Catherine," said Mrs. Arrowpoint. "Because youdon't wish to marry a nobleman, you are not obliged to marry a mountebankor a charlatan."
"I cannot understand the application of such words, mamma."
"No, I dare say not," rejoined Mrs. Arrowpoint, with significant scorn."You have got to a pitch at which we are not likely to understand eachother."
"It can't be done, Cath," said Mr. Arrowpoint, wishing to substitute abetter-humored reasoning for his wife's impetuosity. "A man like Klesmercan't marry such a property as yours. It can't be done."
"It certainly will not be done," said Mrs. Arrowpoint, imperiously. "Whereis the man? Let him be fetched."
"I cannot fetch him to be insulted," said Catherine. "Nothing will beachieved by that."
"I suppose you would wish him to know that in marrying you he will notmarry your fortune," said Mrs. Arrowpoint.
"Certainly; if it were so, I should wish him to know it."
"Then you had better fetch him."
Catherine only went into the music-room and said, "Come." She felt no needto prepare Klesmer.
"Herr Klesmer," said Mrs. Arrowpoint, with a rather contemptuousstateliness, "it is unnecessary to repeat what has passed between us andour daughter. Mr. Arrowpoint will tell you our resolution."
"Your marrying is out of the question," said Mr. Arrowpoint, rather tooheavily weighted with his task, and standing in an embarrassmentunrelieved by a cigar. "It is a wild scheme altogether. A man has beencalled out for less."
"You have taken a base advantage of our confidence," burst in Mrs.Arrowpoint, unable to carry out her purpose and leave the burden of speechto her husband.
Klesmer made a low bow in silent irony.
"The pretension is ridiculous. You had better give it up and leave thehouse at once," continued Mr. Arrowpoint. He wished to do withoutmentioning the money.
"I can give up nothing without reference to your daughter's wish," saidKlesmer. "My engagement is to her."
"It is useless to discuss the question," said Mrs. Arrowpoint. "We shallnever consent to the marriage. If Catherine disobeys us we shalldisinherit her. You will not marry her fortune. It is right you shouldknow that."
"Madam, her fortune has been the only thing I have had to regret abouther. But I must ask her if she will not think the sacrifice greater than Iam worthy of."
"It is no sacrifice to me," said Catherine, "except that I am sorry tohurt my father and mother. I have always felt my fortune to be a wretchedfatality of my life."
"You mean to defy us, then?" said Mrs. Arrowpoint.
"I mean to marry Herr Klesmer," said Catherine, firmly.
"He had better not count on our relenting," said Mrs. Arrowpoint, whosemanners suffered from that impunity in insult which has been reckonedamong the privileges of women.
"Madam," said Klesmer, "certain reasons forbid me to retort. Butunderstand that I consider it out of the power either of you, or of yourfortune, to confer on me anything that I value. My rank as an artist is ofmy own winning, and I would not exchange it for any other. I am able tomaintain your daughter, and I ask for no change in my life but hercompanionship."
"You will leave the house, however," said Mrs. Arrowpoint.
"I go at once," said Klesmer, bowing and quitting the room.
"Let there be no misunderstanding, mamma," said Catherine; "I considermyself engaged to Herr Klesmer, and I intend to marry him."
The mother turned her head away and waved her hand in sign of dismissal.
"There is Harry Brendall. He can take the name."
"Harry Brendall will get through it all in no time," said Mr. Arrowpoint,relighting his cigar.
And thus, with nothing settled but the determination of the lovers,Klesmer had left Quetcham.