友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!
读书室 返回本书目录 加入书签 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 『收藏到我的浏览器』

jeremy-第24部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完,想下次继续接着阅读,可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能!

humour that Aunt Amy felt to be impertinence; but could not
penetrate。

〃And is that really how you teach them history; Miss Jones? Not
quite the simplest way; surely。 。 。 I remember an excellent
governess whom we once had〃

〃Perhaps;〃 said Miss Jones; gently; 〃you would give them a history
lesson yourself; Miss Trefusis。 I would be so glad to pick up any
little hints〃

〃I have; of course; no time;〃 said Aunt Amy hurriedly; 〃but;
speaking generally; I am afraid I can't approve altogether of your
system。〃

〃It isn't very good; I'm afraid;〃 said Miss Jones weakly。 〃The
children would be glad; I know; to have a few hints from you if you
could spare a moment〃

Jeremy; who was listening; giggled; tried to turn the giggle into a
sneeze and choked。

〃Jeremy!〃 said Aunt Amy severely。

〃Oh; do look; Aunt Amy!〃 cried Mary; always Jeremy's faithful ally;
〃all your hairpins are dropping out!〃

She devoted herself then to Jeremy and worried him in every possible
way; and after two days of this he hated her with a deep and bitter
hatred; very different from that earlier teasing of Miss Jones。 That
had sprung from a sudden delicious discovery of power; and had been
directed against no one。 This was a real personal hatred that
children of a less solid and tenacious temperament than Jeremy would
have been incapable of feeling。

He did not laugh at her; he did not tease her; he no longer put out
his tongue at her。 He was older than that nowhe was simply
reserved and silent; watching her with his large eyes; his square
body set; and resolved as though he knew that his moment would come。

Her experience with him was baffling。 She punished him; petted him;
she ignored him; she stormed at him; it seemed that she would do
anything could she only win from him an acknowledgment of her power;
her capability。 But she could not。 He only said: 〃Yes; Aunt Amy。〃
〃No; Aunt Amy。〃

She burst out: 〃You're a sullen; wicked little boy; Jeremy。 Do you
know what happens to little boys who sulk?〃

〃No; Aunt Amy。〃

〃They grow into cross; bad…tempered men whom nobody likes and nobody
trusts。 Do you want to be like that when you're a man ?〃

〃I don't care。〃

〃You know what happened to 'Don't Care。' I shall have to punish you
if you're rude to me。〃

〃What have I done that's rude?〃

〃You mustn't speak to me like that。 Is that the way you speak to
your mother?〃

〃No; Aunt Amy。〃

〃Well; then; if you don't speak to your mother like that; you
mustn't speak to me like that; either。〃

〃No; Aunt Amy。〃

〃Well; then 。 。 。〃

This hatred was quite new to him。 He had once; years ago; hated a
black…faced doll that had been given to him。 He had not known why he
hated it; but there it had been。 He had thrown it out of the window;
and the gardener had found it and brought it into the house again;
battered and bruised; but still alive; with its horrid red smile;
and this had terrified him。 。 。 He had begun to burn it; and the
nurse had caught him and slapped him。 He had begun to cut it with
scissors; and when the sawdust flowed he was more terrified than
ever。 But that doll was quite different from Aunt Amy。 He was not
terrified of her at all。 He hated her。 Hated the fringe of her black
hair; the heavy eyelashes; the thin down on her upper lip; the way
that the gold cross fell up and down on her breast; her thin; blue…
veined hands; her black shoes。 She was his first enemy; and he
waited; as an ambush hides and watches; for his opportunity。 。 。




II


One of our nicest old maids; Miss Maddison; gave every year what she
called her 〃early summer party。〃 This was different from all our
other parties; because it occurred neither in the summer nor in the
winter; but always during those wonderful days when the spring first
began to fade into the high bright colours; the dry warmth; the deep
green shadows of the heat of the year。 It was early in May that Miss
Maddison had her party; and we played games on her little sloping
green lawn; and peered over her pink… brick wall down on to the
brown roofs of the houses below the Close; and had a tremendous tea
of every kind of cake and every kind of jam in her wainscoted
dining…room that looked out through its tall open windows on to the
garden。 Those old houses that run in a half…moon round the Close;
and face the green sward and the great western door of the
Cathedral; are the very heart of Polchester。 Walking down the
cobbled street; one may still to…day look through the open door;
down the dusky line of the little hall; out into the swimming colour
of the garden beyond。 In these little gardens; what did not grow?
Hollyhocks; pinks; tulips; nasturtiums; pansies; lilies of the
valley; roses; honeysuckle; sweet…williams; stocksI remember them
all at their different seasons in that muddled; absurd profusion。 I
can smell them now; can see them in their fluttering colours; the
great grey wall of the Cathedral; with its high carved door and
watching saints behind me; the sun beating on to the cobbles; the
muffled beat of the summer day; the sleepy noises of the town; the
pigeons cutting the thin; papery blue into arcs and curves and
circles; the little lattice…windowed houses; with crooked chimneys
and shining doors; smiling down upon me。 I can smell; too; that
especial smell that belonged to those summer hours; a smell of dried
blotting…paper; of corn and poppies from the fields; of cobble…
stones and new…baked bread and lemonade; and behind the warmth and
colour the cool note of the Cathedral bell echoed through the town;
down the High Street; over the meads; across the river; out into the
heart of the dark woods and the long spaces of the summer fields。 I
can see myself; too; toiling up the High Street; my cap on the back
of my head; little beads of perspiration on my forehead; and my eyes
always gazing into the air; so that I stumbled over the cobbles and
knocked against doorsteps。 All these things had to do with Miss
Maddison's parly; and it was always her party that marked the
beginning of them for us; she waited for the fine weather; and so
soon as it came the invitations were sent out; the flower…beds were
trimmed; the little green wooden seats under the mulberry tree were
cleaned; and Poupee; the black poodle; was clipped。

It happened this year that Miss Maddison gave her party during the
very week that Mr。 and Mrs。 Cole went to Drymouth。 She sent out her
invitations only three days before the great event; because the
summer had come with so fine a rush。 〃Master Jeremy and the Misses
Cole。 。 。 Would they give Miss Maddison the pleasure 。 。 。 ?〃 Yes;
of course they would。 Aunt Amy would take them。

On the morning of the great day Jeremy poured the contents of his
watering…can upon Aunt Amy's head。 It was a most unfortunate
accident; arranged obviously by a malignant fate。 Jeremy had been
presented with a pot of pinks; and these; every morning; he most
faithfully watered。 He had a bright…red watering…can; bought with
his own money; and; because it held more water than the pinks
needed; he was in the daily habit of emptying the remnant in a
glittering shower out of the pantry window on to the bed nearest the
garden wall。 Upon this morning someone called him; he turned his
head; the water still flowed; and Aunt Amy; hatless and defenceless;
received it as it tumbled with that sudden rush which always seizes
a watering…can at its last gasp。 Jeremy was banished into his
bedroom; where he employed the sunny morning in drawing pictures of
Aunt Amy as a witch upon the wallpaper。 For doing this he was caned
by Aunt Amy herself with a ruler; and at the end of the operation he
laughed and said she hadn't hurt him at all。 In return for this
impertinence he was robbed; at luncheon; of his puddingwhich was;
of course; on that very day; marmalade puddingand then; Mary
being discovered putting some of hers into a piece of paper; to be
delivered to him in due course; they were both stood in different
corners of the room 〃until you say you're sorry。〃

When the jingle arrived at three o'clock they had still not made
this acknowledgment; and Jeremy said he never would; 〃not if he
lived till he was ninety…nine。〃 At quarter past three Jeremy might
have been seen sitting up very straight in the jingle; his face
crimson from washing and temper。 He was wearing his new sailor suit;
which tickled him and was hot and sticky; he sat there devoting the
whole of his energies to the business of hating Aunt Amy。

As I have said; he had never hated anyone before; and he was
surprised at the glow of virtuous triumph that this new emotion
spread over his body。 He positively loved to hate Aunt Amy; and as
Parkes; the pony; slowly toiled up the hill to the Cathedral; he sat
stiff and proud with an almost humorous anger。 Then; as they turned
over the hot shining cobbles into the Close and saw the green trees
swimming in the sun; he turned his mind to the party。 What games
would they play? Who would be there? What would there be for tea ?
He felt creeping over him the stiff shyness that always comes when
one is approaching a party; and he wished that the first handshaking
and the first plunge into the stares of th
返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0
快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!