第1章

类别:其他 作者:William Makepeace Thackeray字数:6780更新时间:18/12/18 13:25:45
DRAMATISPERSONAE。 MR。HORACEMILLIKEN,aWidower,awealthyCityMerchant。 GEORGEMILLIKEN,aChild,hisSon。 CAPTAINTOUCHIT,hisFriend。 CLARENCEKICKLEBURY,brothertoMilliken’slateWife。 JOHNHOWELL,M’sButlerandconfidentialServant。 CHARLESPAGE,Foot—boy。 BULKELEY,LadyKicklebury’sServant。 MR。BONNINGTON。 Coachman,Cabman;aBluecoatBoy,anotherBoy(Mrs。Prior’sSons)。 LADYKICKLEBURY,Mother—in—lawtoMilliken。 MRS。BONNINGTON,Milliken’sMother(marriedagain)。 MRS。PRIOR。 MISSPRIOR,herDaughter,GovernesstoMilliken’sChildren。 ARABELLAMILLIKEN,aChild。 MARYBARLOW,School—roomMaid。 Agrown—upGirlandChildofMrs。Prior’s,LadyK。’sMaid,Cook。 THEWOLVESANDTHELAMB。 ACTI。 Scene。——MILLIKEN’SvillaatRichmond;twodrawing—roomsopeningintooneanother。ThelateMRS。MILLIKEN’Sportraitoverthemantel—piece;bookcases,writing—tables,piano,newspapers,ahandsomelyfurnishedsaloon。Theback—roomopens,withverylargewindows,onthelawnandpleasure—ground;gate,andwall——overwhichtheheadsofacabandacarriageareseen,aspersonsarrive。Fruit,andaladderonthewalls。Adoortothedining— room,anothertothesleeping—apartments,&c。 JOHN。——Everybodyout;governorinthecity;governess(heigh—ho!) walkingintheParkwiththechildren;ladyshipgoneoutinthecarriage。Let’ssitdownandhavealookatthepapers。ButtonsfetchtheMorningPostoutofLadyKicklebury’sroom。Where’stheDailyNews,sir? PAGE。——Thinkit’sinMilliken’sroom。 JOHN。——Milliken!youscoundrel!WhatdoyoumeanbyMilliken? Speakofyouremployerasyourgovernorifyoulike;butnotassimpleMilliken。Confoundyourimpudence!you’llbecallingmeHowellnext。 PAGE。——Well!Ididn’tknow。YOUcallhimMilliken。 JOHN。——BecauseIknowhim,becauseI’mintimatewithhim,becausethere’snotasecrethehasbutImayhaveitfortheasking; becausethelettersaddressedtoHoraceMilliken,Esq。,mightaswellbeaddressedJohnHowell,Esq。,forIread’em,Iput’emawayanddocket’em,andremember’em。Iknowhisaffairsbetterthanhedoes:hisincometoashilling,payhistradesmen,wearhiscoatsifIlike。ImaycallMr。MillikenwhatIplease;butnotYOU,youlittlescampofaclod—hoppingploughboy。Knowyourstationanddoyourbusiness,oryoudon’twearTHEMbuttonslong,Ipromiseyou。[ExitPage。] Letmegoonwiththepaper[reads]。Howbrilliantthiswritingis!Times,Chronicle,DailyNews,they’reallgood,blestiftheyain’t。Howmuchbetterthenineleadersinthemthreedailypapersis,thanninespeechesintheHouseofCommons!Takeaverybestspeechinthe’Ousenow,andcompareitwithanarticleinTheTimes!Isay,thenewspaperhasthebestofitforphilosophy,forwit,novelty,goodsensetoo。Andthepartythatwritestheleadingarticleisnobody,andthechapthatspeaksintheHouseofCommonsisahero。Lord,Lord,howtheworldis’umbugged! Pop’larrepresentation!whatISpop’larrepresentation?Dammy,it’safarce。Hallo!thisarticleisstole!IrememberapassageinMontesquieuuncommonlylikeit。[Goesandgetsthebook。Asheisstandinguponsofatogetit,andsittingdowntoreadit,MISS PRIORandtheChildrenhavecomeinatthegarden。Childrenpassacrossstage。MISSPRIORentersbyopenwindow,bringingflowersintotheroom。] JOHN。——ItISlikeit。[Heslapsthebook,andseeingMISSPRIOR whoenters,thenjumpsupfromsofa,sayingveryrespectfully,] JOHN。——Ibegyourpardon,Miss。 MISSP。——[sarcastically。]DoIdisturbyou,Howell? JOHN。——Disturb!Ihavenorighttosay——aservanthasnorighttobedisturbed,butIhopeImaybepardonedforventuringtolookatavolumeinthelibery,Miss,justinreferencetoanewspaperharticle——that’sall,Miss。 MISSP。——Youareveryfortunateinfindinganythingtointerestyouinthepaper,I’msure。 JOHN。——Perhaps,Miss,youarenotaccustomedtopoliticaldiscussion,andignorantof——ah——Ibegyourpardon:aservant,Iknow,hasnorighttospeak。[Exitintodining—room,makingalowbow。] MISSPRIOR。——Thecoolnessofsomepeopleisreallyquiteextraordinary!theairstheygivethemselves,thewayinwhichtheyanswerone,thebookstheyread!Montesquieu:\"EspritdesLois!\" [takesbookupwhichJ。hasleftonsofa。]Ibelievethemanhasactuallytakenthisfromtheshelf。IamsureMr。Milliken,orherladyship,neverwould。Theotherday\"Helvetius\"wasfoundinMr。 Howell’spantry,forsooth!ItiswonderfulhowhepickedupFrenchwhilstwewereabroad。\"EspritdesLois!\"whatisit?itmustbedreadfullystupid。Andasforreading\"Helvetius\"(who,Isuppose,wasaRomangeneral),Ireallycan’tunderstandhow——Dear,dear! whatairsthesepersonsgivethemselves!Whatwillcomenext?A footman——IbegMr。Howell’spardon——abutlerandconfidentialvaletlollsonthedrawing—roomsofa,andreadsMontesquieu!Impudence! Andaddtothis,hefollowsmeforthelasttwoorthreemonthswitheyesthatarequitehorrid。Whatcanthecreaturemean?ButIforgot——Iamonlyagoverness。Agovernessisnotalady——agovernessisbutaservant——agovernessistoworkandwalkalldaywiththechildren,dineintheschool—room,andcometothedrawing—roomtoplaythemanofthehousetosleep。Agovernessisadomestic,onlyherplaceisnottheservants’hall,andsheispaidnotquitesowellasthebutlerwhoservesherherglassofwine。Odious!George!Arabella!therearethoselittlewretchesquarrellingagain![Exit。Childrenareheardcallingout,andseenquarrellingingarden。] JOHN[re—entering]。——Seewhereshemoves!graceisinallhersteps。’Eaveninherhigh——no——a—heaveninherheye,ineverygesturedignityandlove——ah,IwishIcouldsayit!Iwishyoumayprocureit,poorfool!Shepassesbyme——shetr—r—amplesonme。Here’sthechairshesetsin[kissesit。]Here’sthepianosheplayson。Prettykeys,themfingersout—hivoriesyou!Whensheplaysonit,Istandandlistenatthedrawing—roomdoor,andmyheartthr—obsintime!Fool,fool,fool!whydidyoulookonher,JohnHowell!whydidyoubeatforher,busyheart!Youweretranquiltillyouknewher!IthoughtIcouldhavebeena—happywithMarytillthen。Thatgirl’saffectionsoothedme。Herconversationdidn’tamusememuch,herideersain’texactlyelevated,buttheyarejustandproper。Herattentionspleasedme。 Sheeverkep’thebestcupofteaforme。Shecrispedmybutteredtoast,ormixedmyquiettumblerforme,asIsatofheveningsandreadmynewspaperinthekitching。Sherespectedthesanctatyofmypantry。WhenIwasa—studyingthere,sheneverinterruptedme。 Shedarnedmystockingsforme,shestarchedandfoldedmychokers,andshesowedonthehabsentbuttonsofwhichtimeandchancehadbereftmylinning。Shehasagoodheart,Maryhas。Iknowshe’dgetupandblackthebootsformeofthecoldestwintermornings。 Shedidwhenwewasinhumblerlife,shedid。 EnterMARY。 Youhaveagoodheart,Mary! MARY。——HaveI,dearJohn?[sadly。] JOHN。——Yes,child——yes。Ithinkabetterneverbeatinwoman’sbosom。You’regoodtoeverybody——goodtoyourparentswhomyousendhalfyourwagesto:goodtoyouremployerswhomyouneverrobbedofahalfpenny。 MARY[whimpering]。——Yes,Idid,John。Itookthejellywhenyouwereinbedwiththeinfluenza;andbroughtyouthepork—winenegus。 JOHN。——Port,notpork,child。PorkisthehanimalwhichJewsab’or。PortisfromOportoinPortugal。 MARY[stillcrying]。——Yes,John;youknoweverythinga’most,John。 JOHN。——Andyou,poorchild,butlittle!It’snotheartyouwant,youlittletrump,it’seducation,Mary:it’sinformation:it’shead,head,head!Youcan’tlearn。Younevercanlearn。Yourideersain’tnogood。Younevercanhinterchangeemwithmine。 Conversationbetweenusisimpossible。It’snotyourfault。Somepeoplearebornclever;someareborntall,Iain’ttall。 MARY。——Ho!you’rebigenoughforme,John。[Offerstotakehishand。] JOHN。——Letgomy’and——mya—hand,Mary!Isay,somepeoplearebornwithbrains,andsomewithbigfigures。Lookatthatgreatass,Bulkeley,LadyK。’sman——thebesotted,stupidbeast!He’sasbigasalife—guardsman,butheain’tnomoreeducationnorideersthantheoxhefeedson。 MARY。——Law,John,whateverdoyoumean? JOHN。——Hm!youknownot,littleone!younevercanknow。HaveYOU everfeltthepangsofimprisonedgenius?haveYOUeverfeltwhat’tistobeaslave? MARY。——Notinafreecountry,Ishouldhope,JohnHowell——nosuchathing。Aplaceisaplace,andIknowmine,andamcontentwiththespearoflifeinwhichitpleasesheaventoplaceme,John:andIwishyouwere,andrememberedwhatwelearnedfromourparsonwhenwewenttoschooltogetherindearoldPigeoncot,John——whenyouusedtohelplittleMarywithherlessons,John,andfoughtBobBrown,thebigbutcher’sboy,becausehewasrudetome,John,andhegaveyouthatblackhi。 JOHN。——Sayeye,Mary,notheye[gently]。 MARY。——Eye;andIthoughtyouneverlookedbetterinallyourlifethanyoudidthen:andwebothtookserviceatSquireMilliken’s—— measdairy—girl,andyouasknife—boy;andgoodmastershavetheybeentousfromouryouthhup:botholdSquireMillikenandMr。 Charlesasismasternow,andpoorMrs。asisdead,thoughshehadhertantrums——andIthoughtweshouldsaveupandtakethe\"MillikenArms\"——andnowwehavesavedup——andnow,now,now——oh,youareastone,astone,astone!andIwishyouwerehungroundmyneck,andIwereputdownthewell!There’sthehup—stairsbell。[Shestarts,changinghermannerasshehearsthebell,andexit。] JOHN[lookingafterher]。——It’salltrue。Gospel—true。Wewerechildreninthesamevillage——satonthesameformatschool。AnditwasforhersakethatBobBrownthebutcher’sboywhoppedme。A blackeye!I’mnothandsome。ButifIwereugly,uglyastheSaracen’s’Ead,uglyasthatbeastBulkeley,IknowitwouldbeallthesametoMary。SHEhasneverforgottheboysheloved,thatbroughtbirds’—nestsforher,andspenthishalfpennyoncherries,andboughtafairingwithhisfirsthalf—crown——abroochitwas,I remember,oftwobillingdovesa—hoppingononetwig,andbroughtithomeforlittleyellow—haired,blue—eyed,red—cheekedMary。 Lord,Lord!Idon’tliketothinkhowI’vekissed’em,theprettycheeks!they’vegotquitepalenowwithcrying——andshehasneveroncereproachedme,notonce,thetrump,thelittletr—rump! Isitmyfault[stamping]thatFatehasseparatedus?WhydidmyyoungmastertakemeuptoOxford,andgivemetherunofhisliberyandthesocietyofthebestscoutsintheUniversity?Whydidhetakemeabroad?WhyhaveIbeentoItaly,France,Jummanywithhim——theirmannersnotedandtheirrealmssurveyed,byjingo! I’veimprovedmyself,andMaryhasremainedasyouwas。Itryaconversation,andshecan’trespond。She’snevergotawordofpoetrybeyondWatt’sIms,andifItalkofByronorMooretoher,I’mblestifsheknowsanythingmoreabout’emthanthecook,whoisashignorantasapig,orthatbeastBulkeley,LadyKick’sfootman。Aboveall,why,whydidIseethewomanuponwhommywretchedheartisfixedforever,andwhocarriesawaymysoulwithher——prostrate,Isay,prostrate,throughthemudattheskirtsofhergownd!Enslaver!whydidIevercomenearyou?OenchantressKelipso!howyouhavegotholdofme!ItwasFate,Fate,Fate。 WhenMrs。MillikenfellillofscarletfeveratNaples,MillikenwasawayatPetersborough,Rooshia,lookingafterhisproperty。 Herforingwomanfled。Meandthegovernessremainedandnursedherandthechildren。Wenursedthelittleonesoutofthefever。 Weburiedtheirmother。WebroughtthechildrenhomeoverHalpandHappenine。Inursed’emallthree。Itended’emallthree,theorphans,andthelovelygu—gu—governess。AtRome,whereshetookill,Iwaitedonher;aswewenttoFlorence,hadwebeenattackedbytwentythousandbrigands,thislittlearmhadcourageforthemall!AndifIlovedthee,Julia,wasIwrong?andifIbaskedinthybeautydayandnight,Julia,amInotaman?andif,beforethisPeri,thisenchantress,thisgazelle,IforgotpoorlittleMaryBarlow,howcouldIhelpit?Isay,howthedoosecouldI helpit? EnterLadyKICKLEBURY,BULKELEYfollowingwithparcelsandaspaniel。 LADYK。——Arethechildrenandthegovernesscomehome? JOHN。——Yes,mylady[inaperfectlyalteredtone]。 LADYK。——Bulkeley,takethoseparcelstomysitting—room。 JOHN。——Getup,oldstoopid。Pushalong,olddaddylonglegs[asidetoBULKELEY]。 LADYK。——Doesanyonedinehereto—day,Howell? JOHN。——CaptainTouchit,mylady。 LADYK。——He’salwaysdininghere。 JOHN。——Mymaster’soldestfriend。 LADYK。——Don’ttellme。Hecomesfromhisclub。Hesmellsofsmoke;heisalow,vulgarperson。SendPinhornuptomewhenyougodownstairs。[ExitLadyK。] JOHN。——Iknow。SendPinhorntome,means,Sendmybonnybrownhair,andsendmybeautifulcomplexion,andsendmyfigure——and,O Lord!OLord!whatanoldtigressthatis!WhatanoldHector! HowshedotwistMillikenroundherthumb!He’sborntobebulliedbywomen:andIrememberhimhenpecked——let’ssee,eversince——eversincethetimeofthatlittlegloveressatWoodstock,whosepicterpoorMrs。M。madesuchanoiseaboutwhenshefounditinthelumber—room。Heh!HERpicturewillbegoingintothelumber—roomsomeday。M。mustmarrytogetridofhismother—in—lawandmotheroverhim:nomancanstandit,notM。himself,who’saJobofaman。Isn’the,lookathim![Ashehasbeenspeaking,thebellhasrung,thePagehasruntothegarden—door,andMILLIKENentersthroughthegarden,ladenwithahamper,band—box,andcricket— bat。] MILLIKEN。——Whywasthecarriagenotsentforme,Howell?Therewasnocabatthestation,andIhavehadtotoilallthewayupthehillwiththeseconfoundedparcelsofmylady’s。 JOHN。——Isupposetheshowertookoffallthecabs,sir。WhenDIDamanevergitacabinashower?——orapolicemanatapinch——orafriendwhenyouwantedhim——oranythingattherighttime,sir? MILLIKEN。——But,sir,whydidn’tthecarriagecome,Isay? JOHN。——YOUknow。 MILLIKEN。——HowdoyoumeanIknow?confoundyourimpudence! JOHN。——LadyKickleburytookit——yourmother—in—lawtookit——wentouta—visiting——HamCommon,Petersham,Twick’nam——dooseknowswhere。She,andherfootman,andherspan’ldog。 MILLIKEN。——Well,sir,supposeherladyshipDIDtakethecarriage? Hasn’tsheaperfectright?Andifthecarriagewasgone,Iwanttoknow,John,whythedevilthepony—chaisewasn’tsentwiththegroom?AmItobringabonnet—boxandahamperoffishinmyownhands,Ishouldliketoknow? JOHN。——Heh![laughs。] MILLIKEN。——Whydoyougrin,youCheshirecat? JOHN。——Yourmother—in—lawhadthecarriage;andyourmothersentforthepony—chaise。YourPawantedtogoandseetheWicarofPutney。Mr。Bonningtondon’tlikewalkingwhenhecanride。 MILLIKEN。——Andwhyshouldn’tMr。Bonningtonride,sir,aslongasthere’sacarriageinmystable?Mr。Bonningtonhashadthegout,sir!Mr。Bonningtonisaclergyman,andmarriedtomymother。HehasEVERYtitletomyrespect。 JOHN。——Andtoyourpony—chaise——yes,sir。 MILLIKEN。——Andtoeverythinghelikesinthishouse,sir。 JOHN。——Whatagoodfellowyouare,sir!You’dgiveyourheadoffyourshoulders,thatyouwould。Isthefishfordinnerto—day? Band—boxformylady,Isuppose,sir?[Looksin]——Turban,feathers,bugles,marabouts,spangles——dooseknowswhat。Yes,it’sforherladyship。[ToPage。]Charles,takethisband—boxtoherladyship’smaid。[Tohismaster。]Whatsaucewouldyoulikewiththeturbot?LobstersauceorHollandaise?Hollandaiseisbest—— mostwholesomeforyou。AnybodybesidesCaptainTouchitcomingtodinner? MILLIKEN。——NoonethatIknowof。