三色电子书 > 文学其他电子书 > [夜与日].(night.and.day).(英)弗吉尼亚·伍尔芙.文字版 >

第3部分

[夜与日].(night.and.day).(英)弗吉尼亚·伍尔芙.文字版-第3部分


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!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!



small people。 

“This is a copy of the first edition of the poems;” she 
continued; without considering the fact that Mr。 Denham 
was still occupied with the manuscript; “which contains 
several poems that have not been reprinted; as well as 
corrections。” She paused for a minute; and then went on; 
as if these spaces had all been calculated。 

“That lady in blue is my greatgrandmother; by 
Millington。 Here is my uncle’s walkingstick—he was Sir 
Richard Warburton; you know; and rode with Havelock to 
the Relief of Lucknow。 And then; let me see—oh; that’s 
the original Alardyce; 1697; the founder of the family 
fortunes; with his wife。 Some one gave us this bowl the 
other day because it has their crest and initials。 We think 
it must have been given them to celebrate their silver 
weddingday。” 

Here she stopped for a moment; wondering why it was 

9 



Night and Day 

that Mr。 Denham said nothing。 Her feeling that he was 
antagonistic to her; which had lapsed while she thought 
of her family possessions; returned so keenly that she 
stopped in the middle of her catalog and looked at him。 
Her mother; wishing to connect him reputably with the 
great dead; had pared him with Mr。 Ruskin; and the 
parison was in Katharine’s mind; and led her to be 
more critical of the young man than was fair; for a young 
man paying a call in a tailcoat is in a different element 
altogether from a head seized at its climax of expressiveness; 
gazing immutably from behind a sheet of glass; 
which was all that remained to her of Mr。 Ruskin。 He had 
a singular face—a face built for swiftness and decision 
rather than for massive contemplation; the forehead broad; 
the nose long and formidable; the lips cleanshaven and 
at once dogged and sensitive; the cheeks lean; with a 
deeply running tide of red blood in them。 His eyes; expressive 
now of the usual masculine impersonality and 
authority; might reveal more subtle emotions under favorable 
circumstances; for they were large; and of a clear; 
brown color; they seemed unexpectedly to hesitate and 

speculate; but Katharine only looked at him to wonder 
whether his face would not have e nearer the standard 
of her dead heroes if it had been adorned with side
whiskers。 In his spare build and thin; though healthy; 
cheeks; she saw tokens of an angular and acrid soul。 His 
voice; she noticed; had a slight vibrating or creaking sound 
in it; as he laid down the manuscript and said: 

“You must be very proud of your family; Miss Hilbery。” 

“Yes; I am;” Katharine answered; and she added; “Do 
you think there’s anything wrong in that?” 

“Wrong? How should it be wrong? It must be a bore; 
though; showing your things to visitors;” he added reflectively。 


“Not if the visitors like them。” 

“Isn’t it difficult to live up to your ancestors?” he proceeded。 


“I dare say I shouldn’t try to write poetry;” Katharine 
replied。 

“No。 And that’s what I should hate。 I couldn’t bear my 
grandfather to cut me out。 And; after all;” Denham went 
on; glancing round him satirically; as Katharine thought; 

10 



Virginia Woolf 

“it’s not your grandfather only。 You’re cut out all the way 
round。 I suppose you e of one of the most distinguished 
families in England。 There are the Warburtons 
and the Mannings—and you’re related to the Otways; 
aren’t you? I read it all in some magazine;” he added。 

“The Otways are my cousins;” Katharine replied。 

“Well;” said Denham; in a final tone of voice; as if his 
argument were proved。 

“Well;” said Katharine; “I don’t see that you’ve proved 
anything。” 

Denham smiled; in a peculiarly provoking way。 He was 
amused and gratified to find that he had the power to annoy 
his oblivious; supercilious hostess; if he could not impress 
her; though he would have preferred to impress her。 

He sat silent; holding the precious little book of poems 
unopened in his hands; and Katharine watched him; the 
melancholy or contemplative expression deepening in her 
eyes as her annoyance faded。 She appeared to be considering 
many things。 She had forgotten her duties。 

“Well;” said Denham again; suddenly opening the little 
book of poems; as though he had said all that he meant 

to say or could; with propriety; say。 He turned over the 
pages with great decision; as if he were judging the book 
in its entirety; the printing and paper and binding; as 
well as the poetry; and then; having satisfied himself of 
its good or bad quality; he placed it on the writingtable; 
and examined the malacca cane with the gold knob which 
had belonged to the soldier。 

“But aren’t you proud of your family?” Katharine demanded。 


“No;” said Denham。 “We’ve never done anything to be 
proud of—unless you count paying one’s bills a matter 
for pride。” 

“That sounds rather dull;” Katharine remarked。 

“You would think us horribly dull;” Denham agreed。 

“Yes; I might find you dull; but I don’t think I should 
find you ridiculous;” Katharine added; as if Denham had 
actually brought that charge against her family。 

“No—because we’re not in the least ridiculous。 We’re a 
respectable middleclass family; living at Highgate。” 

“We don’t live at Highgate; but we’re middle class too; 
I suppose。” 

11 



Night and Day 

Denham merely smiled; and replacing the malacca cane 
on the rack; he drew a sword from its ornamental sheath。 

“That belonged to Clive; so we say;” said Katharine; 
taking up her duties as hostess again automatically。 

“Is it a lie?” Denham inquired。 

“It’s a family tradition。 I don’t know that we can prove 
it。” 

“You see; we don’t have traditions in our family;” said 
Denham。 

“You sound very dull;” Katharine remarked; for the second 
time。 

“Merely middle class;” Denham replied。 

“You pay your bills; and you speak the truth。 I don’t see 
why you should despise us。” 

Mr。 Denham carefully sheathed the sword which the 
Hilberys said belonged to Clive。 

“I shouldn’t like to be you; that’s all I said;” he replied; 
as if he were saying what he thought as accurately as he 
could。 

“No; but one never would like to be any one else。” 

“I should。 I should like to be lots of other people。” 

“Then why not us?” Katharine asked。 

Denham looked at her as she sat in her grandfather’s 
armchair; drawing her greatuncle’s malacca cane 
smoothly through her fingers; while her background was 
made up equally of lustrous blueandwhite paint; and 
crimson books with gilt lines on them。 The vitality and 
posure of her attitude; as of a brightplumed bird 
poised easily before further flights; roused him to show 
her the limitations of her lot。 So soon; so easily; would 
he be forgotten。 

“You’ll never know anything at first hand;” he began; 
almost savagely。 “It’s all been done for you。 You’ll never 
know the pleasure of buying things after saving up for 
them; or reading books for the first time; or making discoveries。” 


“Go on;” Katharine observed; as he paused; suddenly 
doubtful; when he heard his voice proclaiming aloud these 
facts; whether there was any truth in them。 

“Of course; I don’t know how you spend your time;” he 
continued; a little stiffly; “but I suppose you have to 
show people round。 You are writing a life of your grand


12 



Virginia Woolf 

father; aren’t you? And this kind of thing”—he nodded 
towards the other room; where they could hear bursts of 
cultivated laughter—”must take up a lot of time。” 

She looked at him expectantly; as if between them they 
were decorating a small figure of herself; and she saw 
him hesitating in the disposition of some bow or sash。 

“You’ve got it very nearly right;” she said; “but I only 
help my mother。 I don’t write myself。” 

“Do you do anything yourself?” he demanded。 

“What do you mean?” she asked。 “I don’t leave the 
house at ten and e back at six。” 

“I don’t mean that。” 

Mr。 Denham had recovered his selfcontrol; he spoke 
with a quietness which made Katharine rather anxiou

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的