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小说: vanity fair(名利场) 字数: 每页4000字

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man? Do you want to see a dawg as CAN kill a rat?
If you do; come down with me to Tom Corduroy's; in
Castle Street Mews; and I'll show you such a bull…terrier
asPooh! gammon;〃 cried James; bursting out laughing
at his own absurdity〃YOU don't care about a dawg
or rat; it's all nonsense。  I'm blest if I think you know
the difference between a dog and a duck。〃
〃No; by the way;〃 Pitt continued with increased blandness;
〃it was about blood you were talking; and the
personal advantages which people derive from patrician
birth。  Here's the fresh bottle。〃
〃Blood's the word;〃 said James; gulping the ruby fluid
down。  〃Nothing like blood; sir; in hosses; dawgs; AND
men。  Why; only last term; just before I was rusticated;
that is; I mean just before I had the measles; ha; hathere
was me and Ringwood of Christchurch; Bob Ringwood;
Lord Cinqbars' son; having our beer at the Bell at
Blenheim; when the Banbury bargeman offered to fight either
of us for a bowl of punch。  I couldn't。  My arm was in a
sling; couldn't even take the drag downa brute of a
mare of mine had fell with me only two days before;
out with the Abingdon; and I thought my arm was broke。
Well; sir; I couldn't finish him; but Bob had his coat
off at oncehe stood up to the Banbury man for three
minutes; and polished him off in four rounds easy。  Gad;
how he did drop; sir; and what was it? Blood; sir; all
blood。〃
〃You don't drink; James;〃 the ex…attache continued。
〃In my time at Oxford; the men passed round the bottle
a little quicker than you young fellows seem to do。〃
〃Come; come;〃 said James; putting his hand to his
nose and winking at his cousin with a pair of vinous
eyes; 〃no jokes; old boy; no trying it on on me。  You
want to trot me out; but it's no go。  In vino veritas; old
boy。  Mars; Bacchus; Apollo virorum; hey? I wish my
aunt would send down some of this to the governor; it's
a precious good tap。〃
〃You had better ask her;〃 Machiavel continued; 〃or
make the best of your time now。  What says the bard?
'Nunc vino pellite curas; Cras ingens iterabimus aequor;' 〃
and the Bacchanalian; quoting the above with a House
of Commons air; tossed off nearly a thimbleful of wine
with an immense flourish of his glass。
At the Rectory; when the bottle of port wine was
opened after dinner; the young ladies had each a glass
from a bottle of currant wine。  Mrs。 Bute took one glass
of port; honest James had a couple commonly; but as
his father grew very sulky if he made further inroads
on the bottle; the good lad generally refrained from
trying for more; and subsided either into the currant wine;
or to some private gin…and…water in the stables; which
he enjoyed in the company of the coachman and his
pipe。  At Oxford; the quantity of wine was unlimited;
but the quality was inferior:  but when quantity and
quality united as at his aunt's house; James showed that
he could appreciate them indeed; and hardly needed any
of his cousin's encouragement in draining off the
second bottle supplied by Mr。 Bowls。
When the time for coffee came; however; and for a
return to the ladies; of whom he stood in awe; the young
gentleman's agreeable frankness left him; and he relapsed
into his usual surly timidity; contenting himself by
saying yes and no; by scowling at Lady Jane; and by
upsetting one cup of coffee during the evening。
If he did not speak he yawned in a pitiable manner;
and his presence threw a damp upon the modest
proceedings of the evening; for Miss Crawley and Lady Jane
at their piquet; and Miss Briggs at her work; felt that
his eyes were wildly fixed on them; and were uneasy
under that maudlin look。
〃He seems a very silent; awkward; bashful lad;〃 said
Miss Crawley to Mr。 Pitt。
〃He is more communicative in men's society than with
ladies;〃 Machiavel dryly replied:  perhaps rather
disappointed that the port wine had not made Jim
speak more。
He had spent the early part of the next morning in
writing home to his mother a most flourishing account
of his reception by Miss Crawley。  But ah! he little knew
what evils the day was bringing for him; and how short his
reign of favour was destined to be。  A circumstance
which Jim had forgottena trivial but fatal circumstance
had taken place at the Cribb's Arms on the night
before he had come to his aunt's house。  It was no other
than thisJim; who was always of a generous disposition;
and when in his cups especially hospitable; had in the
course of the night treated the Tutbury champion and
the Rottingdean man; and their friends; twice or thrice
to the refreshment of gin…and…waterso that no less than
eighteen glasses of that fluid at eightpence per glass were
charged in Mr。 James Crawley's bill。  It was not the
amount of eightpences; but the quantity of gin which
told fatally against poor James's character; when his
aunt's butler; Mr。 Bowls; went down at his mistress's
request to pay the young gentleman's bill。  The landlord;
fearing lest the account should be refused altogether;
swore solemnly that the young gent had consumed
personally every farthing's worth of the liquor:  and Bowls
paid the bill finally; and showed it on his return home
to Mrs。 Firkin; who was shocked at the frightful
prodigality of gin; and took the bill to Miss Briggs as
accountant…general; who thought it her duty to mention
the circumstance to her principal; Miss Crawley。
Had he drunk a dozen bottles of claret; the old
spinster could have pardoned him。  Mr。 Fox and Mr。
Sheridan drank claret。  Gentlemen drank claret。  But eighteen
glasses of gin consumed among boxers in an ignoble
pot…houseit was an odious crime and not to be
pardoned readily。  Everything went against the lad:  he came
home perfumed from the stables; whither he had been
to pay his dog Towzer a visitand whence he was
going to take his friend out for an airing; when he met
Miss Crawley and her wheezy Blenheim spaniel; which
Towzer would have eaten up had not the Blenheim fled
squealing to the protection of Miss Briggs; while the
atrocious master of the bull…dog stood laughing at the
horrible persecution。
This day too the unlucky boy's modesty had likewise
forsaken him。  He was lively and facetious at dinner。
During the repast he levelled one or two jokes against Pitt
Crawley:  he drank as much wine as upon the previous
day; and going quite unsuspiciously to the drawing…room;
began to entertain the ladies there with some choice
Oxford stories。  He described the different pugilistic qualities
of Molyneux and Dutch Sam; offered playfully to give
Lady Jane the odds upon the Tutbury Pet against the
Rottingdean man; or take them; as her Ladyship chose:
and crowned the pleasantry by proposing to back
himself against his cousin Pitt Crawley; either with or without
the gloves。  〃And that's a fair offer; my buck;〃 he said;
with a loud laugh; slapping Pitt on the shoulder; 〃and
my father told me to make it too; and he'll go halves
in the bet; ha; ha!〃 So saying; the engaging youth nodded
knowingly at poor Miss Briggs; and pointed his thumb
over his shoulder at Pitt Crawley in a jocular and
exulting manner。
Pitt was not pleased altogether perhaps; but still not
unhappy in the main。  Poor Jim had his laugh out:  and
staggered across the room with his aunt's candle; when
the old lady moved to retire; and offered to salute her
with the blandest tipsy smile:  and he took his own leave
and went upstairs to his bedroom perfectly satisfied with
himself; and with a pleased notion that his aunt's money
would be left to him in preference to his father and all
the rest of the family。
Once up in the bedroom; one would have thought he
could not make matters worse; and yet this unlucky boy
did。  The moon was shining very pleasantly out on the
sea; and Jim; attracted to the window by the romantic
appearance of the ocean and the heavens; thought he
would further enjoy them while smoking。  Nobody would
smell the tobacco; he thought; if he cunningly opened
the window and kept his head and pipe in the fresh air。
This he did:  but being in an excited state; poor Jim
had forgotten that his door was open all this time; so
that the breeze blowing inwards and a fine thorough
draught being established; the clouds of tobacco were
carried downstairs; and arrived with quite undiminished
fragrance to Miss Crawley and Miss Briggs。
The pipe of tobacco finished the business:  and the
Bute…Crawleys never knew how many thousand pounds
it cost them。  Firkin rushed downstairs to Bowls who
was reading out the 〃Fire and the Frying Pan〃 to his
aide…de…camp in a loud and ghostly voice。  The dreadful
secret was told to him by Firkin with so frightened a look;
that for the first moment Mr。 Bowls and his young man
thought that robbers were in the house; the legs of whom
had probably been discovered by the woman under Miss
Crawley's bed。  When made aware of the fact; however
to rush upstairs at three steps at a time to enter
the unconscious James's apartment; calling out; 〃Mr。
James;〃 in a voice stifled with alarm; and to cry; 〃For
Gawd's sake; sir; stop that 'ere pipe;〃 was the work of
a minute with Mr。 Bowls。  〃O; Mr。 James; what 'AVE you
done!〃 he said in a voice of the deepest pathos; as he
threw the implement

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