登陆注册
5289000000055

第55章 Chapter 17(1)

While Sir Walter and Elizabeth were assiduously pushing their good fortune in Laura Place, Anne was renewing an acquaintance of a very different description.

She had called on her former governess, and had heard from her of there being an old school-fellow in Bath, who had the two strong claims on her attention of past kindness and present suffering. Miss Hamilton, now Mrs Smith, had shewn her kindness in one of those periods of her life when it had been most valuable. Anne had gone unhappy to school, grieving for the loss of a mother whom she had dearly loved, feeling her separation from home, and suffering as a girl of fourteen, of strong sensibility and not high spirits, must suffer at such a time; and Miss Hamilton, three years older than herself, but still from the want of near relations and a settled home, remaining another year at school, had been useful and good to her in a way which had considerably lessened her misery, and could never be remembered with indifference.

Miss Hamilton had left school, had married not long afterwards, was said to have married a man of fortune, and this was all that Anne had known of her, till now that their governess's account brought her situation forward in a more decided but very different form.

She was a widow and poor. Her husband had been extravagant; and at his death, about two years before, had left his affairs dreadfully involved. She had had difficulties of every sort to contend with, and in addition to these distresses had been afflicted with a severe rheumatic fever, which, finally settling in her legs, had made her for the present a cripple. She had come to Bath on that account, and was now in lodgings near the hot baths, living in a very humble way, unable even to afford herself the comfort of a servant, and of course almost excluded from society.

Their mutual friend answered for the satisfaction which a visit from Miss Elliot would give Mrs Smith, and Anne therefore lost no time in going. She mentioned nothing of what she had heard, or what she intended, at home. It would excite no proper interest there.

She only consulted Lady Russell, who entered thoroughly into her sentiments, and was most happy to convey her as near to Mrs Smith's lodgings in Westgate Buildings, as Anne chose to be taken.

The visit was paid, their acquaintance re-established, their interest in each other more than re-kindled. The first ten minutes had its awkwardness and its emotion. Twelve years were gone since they had parted, and each presented a somewhat different person from what the other had imagined. Twelve years had changed Anne from the blooming, silent, unformed girl of fifteen, to the elegant little woman of seven-and-twenty, with every beauty except bloom, and with manners as consciously right as they were invariably gentle; and twelve years had transformed the fine-looking, well-grown Miss Hamilton, in all the glow of health and confidence of superiority, into a poor, infirm, helpless widow, receiving the visit of her former protegee as a favour; but all that was uncomfortable in the meeting had soon passed away, and left only the interesting charm of remembering former partialities and talking over old times.

Anne found in Mrs Smith the good sense and agreeable manners which she had almost ventured to depend on, and a disposition to converse and be cheerful beyond her expectation. Neither the dissipations of the past--and she had lived very much in the world--nor the restrictions of the present, neither sickness nor sorrow seemed to have closed her heart or ruined her spirits.

In the course of a second visit she talked with great openness, and Anne's astonishment increased. She could scarcely imagine a more cheerless situation in itself than Mrs Smith's. She had been very fond of her husband: she had buried him. She had been used to affluence: it was gone. She had no child to connect her with life and happiness again, no relations to assist in the arrangement of perplexed affairs, no health to make all the rest supportable.

Her accommodations were limited to a noisy parlour, and a dark bedroom behind, with no possibility of moving from one to the other without assistance, which there was only one servant in the house to afford, and she never quitted the house but to be conveyed into the warm bath.

Yet, in spite of all this, Anne had reason to believe that she had moments only of languor and depression, to hours of occupation and enjoyment. How could it be? She watched, observed, reflected, and finally determined that this was not a case of fortitude or of resignation only. A submissive spirit might be patient, a strong understanding would supply resolution, but here was something more; here was that elasticity of mind, that disposition to be comforted, that power of turning readily from evil to good, and of finding employment which carried her out of herself, which was from nature alone.

It was the choicest gift of Heaven; and Anne viewed her friend as one of those instances in which, by a merciful appointment, it seems designed to counterbalance almost every other want.

There had been a time, Mrs Smith told her, when her spirits had nearly failed. She could not call herself an invalid now, compared with her state on first reaching Bath. Then she had, indeed, been a pitiable object; for she had caught cold on the journey, and had hardly taken possession of her lodgings before she was again confined to her bed and suffering under severe and constant pain; and all this among strangers, with the absolute necessity of having a regular nurse, and finances at that moment particularly unfit to meet any extraordinary expense. She had weathered it, however, and could truly say that it had done her good. It had increased her comforts by making her feel herself to be in good hands.

同类推荐
  • 经学通论

    经学通论

    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。
  • 二度梅全传

    二度梅全传

    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。
  • 孟夏纪

    孟夏纪

    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。
  • 骊宫高-美天子重惜

    骊宫高-美天子重惜

    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。
  • 明伦汇编人事典九十一岁至百岁部

    明伦汇编人事典九十一岁至百岁部

    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
  • 邪魅皇后征服圣君

    邪魅皇后征服圣君

    现代高材生,带着妖孽般的智慧,穿越到架空的古代世界,跟三千后宫佳丽,斗智斗勇斗床戏,征服圣君的精彩步伐。(穿越方式纯属臆想,请勿模仿,所有产生的后果请自行承担。)
  • 小儿诸热门

    小儿诸热门

    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。
  • 两情缱绻若久长

    两情缱绻若久长

    刘月明是一个笨呼呼,傻憨憨的小女人,自上班开始就被公司里的职员欺负,直到公司股东的二少进入公司,一切才开始转变,从邂逅到相知不过转瞬,从误会到释怀却沧海桑田,终是丑小鸭变成了白天鹅,谁说麻雀不能变凤凰?
  • 重生之如花美眷

    重生之如花美眷

    如花美眷,终抵不过似水流年。他,连中三元经世之才,然却是她苏慕云的杀身仇人;枉死之时,她指天发誓若有来生,定叫这些害她之人生不如死,血债血偿!而老天,果然有眼。再睁眼,竟然得以重生!…他,貌如神祇,世间之人事无不在他的算计之中。这一世,他却为了她--苏慕云,将天下当成了手中的棋子…*****重生后片段一******“苏慕云,你不得好死。”男人腥红的眼,恨不得在她身上盯出个洞。“是吗?”苏慕云看着眼前的男子,冷冷一笑,“可惜,你看不到。”*****重生后片段二******“慕云,你听我说,不是这样的,你…”“你去跟我母亲说,跟苏家上上下下几十口人命说吧,告诉他们,你做了什么。”“不…,我不想死,我不想死…”然不任女人如何挣扎,最终等待她的仍是那泛着寒凉,森冷的刀光。*****重生后片段三******“为什么要帮我?”苏慕云屏了声息看着眼前的男子,因着男子身上的凛冽之气太重,她不敢靠前,三步之外便止了步子。男子独饮独酌,如瀑的青丝凌乱地洒于身后,一双极好看的眉,眼角微微向上扬起,勾人心弦。狭长的凤目牢牢盯着亭下的水面,若有所思。“你不知道?”苏慕云摇头。男子忽的便绽唇一笑,如春晓之花。“因为你将会是我的妃。”*娘子完结文*《嫡女恶妾》《二品嫡女》《高门奴妃》
  • 百鬼莫侵

    百鬼莫侵

    天命神祇,造化四方。地载万物,水泽绵长。人间多舛,广置封疆。魂归蒿里,魄出扶桑。怀仁至善,大庇八荒。温恭朝夕,执事惟常。诸邪不入,有恶皆攘。百鬼莫侵,逢难呈祥……
  • 捡个老婆回家

    捡个老婆回家

    【推荐】新文新文新文红莎的新文开坑啦红莎的新文《闲散小女人的狼君们》请支持个!!温馨文文啊温馨文文她,知道自己这样很难看,但是,还有什么可在乎呢。男友今天结婚,新娘却是别人,还有什么比这更糟糕的呢?呵呵…在这大雨里,如果有哪个没结婚的男人来救救溃不成军的她,她豁出去了,她也要不顾一切一次。无论是谁,她都决定把自己给嫁掉。【片断一】“今天,你可以和我结婚吗?”她不顾眼前人的震惊和尴尬,直直问着自己想要的答案。她,真的什么也不在乎了。她要结婚,说她逃避也好,都不在乎了。她只想抓住这根救命的稻草,让自己可以继续过活。“好,我们今天结婚。”心里鼓动得这般的惊天,所以他知道这是自己的答案,也坚定了自己的心。【片断二】“那人对你这样重要吗?重要到让你不惜彻夜不眠的等待要与我摊牌。”他不想这样说的,可是看到她那样急切为那人的样子,让他真的快被满腹的嫉妒之火灭顶了。“我是要跟你摊牌,你准备好要听了吗?”埋在他怀里,她闷闷的说道。不是难过,而是觉得他的怀抱温暖得让她想哭。“好,你说。”他只能吐出这三个字,而这已经要了他所有的力气。【片断三】“我爸妈是离异的,我跟妈妈相依为命的,妈妈在我十五岁的时候逝世的。遇见你那天,男朋友正好结婚,我是最后一个得知的,新娘不是我,而是一个可以让他平步青云的女人。”像是过了一个世纪的时间,她平缓的讲述着自己的一生际遇,仿佛那不是说自己的事一样的平淡语气。他没有言语,只是紧紧的,紧紧的握着那兜在自己口袋里的柔弱。借以来支撑这个让他心疼万分的小女人。“昨天,我又知道了,那个让他可以少奋斗三十年的新娘原来竟与我身上流着一半相同的血液。真是奇妙的缘分,奇妙到可笑至极吧。你说是不是?”她已经分不清自己的心是不是还会痛了,但是她以为自己已经不会再为那些事流泪的,可是老天爷竟这般的开她玩笑,一滴一滴的不断往外跑。【片断四】“那天你带着你的妻女走后,我就指着天对自己说,事不过三,此后你汤唯贤死活再不与我有关系,改名弃姓作证。”“我妈说让我不要恨你,起码在她有生之年不要恨你。所以我妈死的那天,我的爸爸也死了。所以你认错人的了。”盯着汤唯贤那低下头去的样子,她平静的诉说着。很奇怪自己竟然可以这般平静的说着以前那些让她痛心疾首的往事,淡淡的看了在场所有人的表情,她也如期的受到了自己想要的。
  • 青囊序

    青囊序

    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。
  • 第一次销售就成功

    第一次销售就成功

    新入职的营销人员,对事业与人生有着美好的憧憬;有经验的营销人员,对成为销售专家有着强烈的渴望。
  • 执事妻,惹不得

    执事妻,惹不得

    每个家族之间的衰败全都掌握在家主手中,在利益与爱情之间到底该如何抉择?是选择无尽的权利还是选择甜蜜的爱情?一个控制全局的阴谋到底出自谁的手,谁又打破了四个个家族多百年来的和平,是敌是友无法分辨。家族之间的纠纷,阴谋的牵扯塑造一对对爱人。亲情之间的割舍,恋人之间的欺骗,是爱得太深?还是爱得自私?远赴南美洲的叶子宇是否能安全回归?左氏刻意的刁难,叶康生艰难的决定,让叶子沫何去何从,最后叶子沫女扮男装孤身进入左氏,而左氏--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 百业孝为先:《孝经》中的员工准则

    百业孝为先:《孝经》中的员工准则

    《百业孝为先:<孝经>中的员工准则》通过充分的说理、实际的案例、科学的方法,以传统孝道为切入点,结合职场员工工作态度、同事关系、工作能力等方面,深刻剖析“小孝治家,中孝治企,大孝治国”的内涵。《职场》(孝道)通俗易懂,条理清晰,具有很强的实用性和启发性,是现代职场人走向成功、实现自我价值的必读之书。