登陆注册
5140700000100

第100章 At Aldbrickham and Elsewhere(16)

'Certainly I won't,dear little girl!We'll get nice lodgings,wherever we go.I shall be moving about probably -getting a job here and a job there.'

'I shall do something too,of course,till -till Well,now Ican't be useful in the lettering it behoves me to turn my hand to something else.'

'Don't hurry about getting employment,'he said regretfully.'Idon't want you to do that.I wish you wouldn't,Sue.The boy and yourself are enough for you to attend to.'

There was a knock at the door,and Jude answered it.Sue could hear the conversation:

'Is Mr.Fawley at home?...Biles and Willis the building contractors sent me to know if you'll undertake the relettering of the ten commandments in a little church they've been restoring lately in the country near here.'

Jude reflected,and said he could undertake it.

'It is not a very artistic job,'continued the messenger.'The clergyman is a very old-fashioned chap,and he has refused to let anything more be done to the church than cleaning and repairing.'

'Excellent old man!'said Sue to herself,who was sentimentally opposed to the horrors of over-restoration.

'The Ten Commandments are fixed to the east end,'the messenger went on,'and they want doing up with the rest of the wall there,since he won't have them carted off as old materials belonging to the contractor in the usual way of the trade.'

A bargain as to terms was struck,and Jude came indoors.'There,you see,'he said cheerfully.'One more job yet,at any rate,and you can help in it -at least you can try.We shall have all the church to ourselves,as the rest of the work is finished.'

Next day Jude went out to the church,which was only two miles off.He found that what the contractor's clerk had said was true.The tables of the Jewish law towered sternly over the utensils of Christian grace,as the chief ornament of the chancel end,in the fine dry style of the last century.And as their framework was constructed of ornamental plaster they could not be taken down for repair.A portion,crumbled by damp,required renewal;and when this had been done,and the whole cleansed,he began to renew the lettering.On the second morning Sue came to see what assistance she could render,and also because they liked to be together.

The silence and emptiness of the building gave her confidence,and,standing on a safe low platform erected by Jude,which she was nevertheless timid at mounting,she began painting in the letters of the first Table while he set about mending a portion of the second.She was quite pleased at her powers;she had acquired them in the days she painted illumined texts for the church-fitting shop at Christminster.Nobody seemed likely to disturb them;and the pleasant twitter of birds,and rustle of October leafage,came in through an open window,and mingled with their talk.

They were not,however,to be left thus snug and peaceful for long.About half-past twelve there came footsteps on the gravel without.

The old vicar and his churchwarden entered,and,coming up to see what was being done,seemed surprised to discover that a young woman was assisting.

They passed on into an aisle,at which time the door again opened,and another figure entered -a small one,that of little Time,who was crying.

Sue had told him where he might find her between school-hours,if he wished.

She came down from her perch,and said,'What's the matter,my dear?'

'I couldn't stay to eat my dinner in school,because they said --'He described how some boys had taunted him about his nominal mother,and Sue,grieved,expressed her indignation to Jude aloft.The child went into the churchyard,and Sue returned to her work.Meanwhile the door had opened again,and there shuffled in with a businesslike air the white-aproned woman who cleaned the church.Sue recognized her as one who had friends in Spring Street,whom she visited.The church-cleaner looked at Sue,gaped,and lifted her hands;she had evidently recognized Jude's companion as the latter had recognized her.Next came two ladies,and after talking to the charwoman they also moved forward,and as Sue stood reaching upward,watched her hand tracing the letters,and critically regarded her person in relief against the white wall,till she grew so nervous that she trembled visibly.

They went back to where the others were standing,talking in undertones:and one said -Sue could not hear which -'She's his wife,I suppose?'

'Some say Yes:some say No,'was the reply from the charwoman.

'Not?Then she ought to be,or somebody's -that's very clear!'

'They've only been married a very few weeks,whether or no.'

'A strange pair to be painting the Two Tables!I wonder Biles and Willis could think of such a thing as hiring those!'

The churchwarden supposed that Biles and Willis knew of nothing wrong,and then the other,who had been talking to the old woman,explained what she meant by calling them strange people.

同类推荐
  • 皇天上清金阙帝君灵书紫文上经

    皇天上清金阙帝君灵书紫文上经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛祖历代通载

    佛祖历代通载

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • THE SIX ENNEADS

    THE SIX ENNEADS

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 十住经

    十住经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 新传奇品

    新传奇品

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 太上魔道

    太上魔道

    自创功法,不走前人之路。正邪不容,魔起始源,蛮族引上古祭祀之光,逐鹿大地,邪人肆虐,揭开上古之谜。幽禁在绝死之地的生灵,哭泣在黑海之上的怨灵,究竟一切是为了什么?苏臻能否走出这里,他的路又是否成功。
  • 三国红妆

    三国红妆

    她是战国谋士,也是硝烟知己。以兵法智谋为主,爱情为辅的三国。带智商穿越,行军打仗,能人异士,奇谋诡谲!【情节虚构,请勿模仿】
  • 大慧普觉禅师年谱

    大慧普觉禅师年谱

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 牛虻

    牛虻

    有谁像他一样饱受感情的苦难?身世的离奇莫测,亲人和爱人给予的心灵伤害,逼迫他远走他乡。十三年后,他为什么还要返回这个伤心之地?如今的“牛虻”还是当初那个纯洁善良的基督徒吗?爱与恨,革命与宗教,演绎了一场轰轰烈烈的人间悲剧。为了理想,牛虻割舍了爱情和亲情,也舍弃了深爱他的吉卜赛女郎绮达,含笑走向刑场……
  • 镇魂帝姬

    镇魂帝姬

    镇魂帝姬苏醒,人魂两界暗流涌动...都是体内那颗镇魂珠惹的祸,从此一位女大学生卷入了这场充满阴谋的灵异世界...这里有奶声奶气的鬼娃、掉下巴的公交车司机、被玷污的尸姐、分尸冷冻、梦游跳楼;等等——有男主,有cp,不断更,不弃坑。
  • 祸虚篇

    祸虚篇

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 六字大陀罗尼咒经

    六字大陀罗尼咒经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 间谍先生:暗杀名单

    间谍先生:暗杀名单

    惊动世界四大情报组织的间谍小说大师福赛斯!福赛斯在英国军情六处秘密工作二十多年,6岁开坦克,19岁成为战斗机飞行员!他对世界各国的间谍手法了如指掌,是美国中情局、以色列摩萨德重点关注对象!同时,他也是爱·伦坡奖得主,8部作品被改编成电影,累计销量超7000万册! 间谍的世界,你不能解决问题,你就会成为问题!英美接连发生恐怖袭击事件,随着调查深入,幕后主使“传教士”逐渐浮出水面。“传教士”不断通过网络视频向信徒施加个人意志,用扭曲的教义号召他们给美国全力一击。他的话极具煽动性,越来越多的信徒自发成了人体炸弹。“追踪者”奉命暗杀“传教士”。然而,“传教士”如幽灵般活在网络中,从未露出真正面目。“追踪者”知道的是,目标有一双琥珀色的眼睛……
  • 情绪掌控术大全集(超值金版)

    情绪掌控术大全集(超值金版)

    每个人时时刻刻都面临着困惑,在对物质的占有上,在对生活的追求上,在对情感的忠诚上……其实,每个人都像在同自己战斗,情绪控制能力差的人就会在一场场没有硝烟的战争中迷失自己,成为彻底的失败者;而情绪控制能力强的人就能控制自己内心蠢蠢欲动的想法,能调节即将喷发的怒火,能缓解内心深处的焦虑。掌控好自己的情绪,就能保证在人生的路上不致偏离轨道太远。牧之、凤莲编著的《情绪掌控术大全集(超值金版)》从生活中的实际状况出发,剖析了人们在生活中的各种情绪困扰,揭示其背后隐藏的内在原因,同时提供了一系列调控方案,为读者提高生活质量,提高工作效率,改善人际关系指明了便捷的通道。
  • 原谅这世上没童话

    原谅这世上没童话

    面对无法容忍焦点被其夺去的莫小菲的挑衅,她也只是冷眼旁观,直到不堪的过去被人当成把柄攥在手中——她可以为了几枚硬币抛弃尊严,可以吃别人丢弃的食物,唯独碍于他的包容才不得不作出了断。