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little dorrit-信丽(英文版)-第175章

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to touch you with my fan; that I may impress you very much with what I
am going to say。 That will do。 Quite close enough。 Oh; you do look so
big!'

Mr Sparkler apologised for the circumstance; pleaded that he couldn't
help it; and said that 'our fellows;' without more particularly
indicating whose fellows; used to call him by the name of Quinbus
Flestrin; Junior; or the Young Man Mountain。

'You ought to have told me so before;' Fanny plained。

'My dear;' returned Mr Sparkler; rather gratified; 'I didn't know
It would interest you; or I would have made a point of telling you。'
'There! For goodness sake; don't talk;' said Fanny; 'I want to talk;
myself。 Edmund; we must not be alone any more。 I must take such
precautions as will prevent my being ever again reduced to the state of
dreadful depression in which I am this evening。'

'My dear;' answered Mr Sparkler; 'being as you are well known to be; a
remarkably fine woman with no……'

'Oh; good GRACIOUS!' cried Fanny。

Mr Sparkler was so disposed by the energy of this exclamation;
acpanied with a flouncing up from the sofa and a flouncing down
again; that a minute or two elapsed before he felt himself equal to
saying in explanation:

'I mean; my dear; that everybody knows you are calculated to shine in
society。'

'Calculated to shine in society;' retorted Fanny with great
irritability; 'yes; indeed! And then what happens? I no sooner recover;
in a visiting point of view; the shock of poor dear papa's death; and my
poor uncle's……though I do not disguise from myself that the last was
a happy release; for; if you are not presentable you had much better
die……'

'You are not referring to me; my love; I hope?' Mr Sparkler humbly
interrupted。

'Edmund; Edmund; you would wear out a Saint。 Am I not expressly speaking
of my poor uncle?'

'You looked with so much expression at myself; my dear girl;' said Mr
Sparkler; 'that I felt a little unfortable。 Thank you; my love。'

'Now you have put me out;' observed Fanny with a resigned toss of her
fan; 'and I had better go to bed。'

'Don't do that; my love;' urged Mr Sparkler。 'Take time。'

Fanny took a good deal of time: lying back with her eyes shut; and her
eyebrows raised with a hopeless expression as if she had utterly given
up all terrestrial affairs。 At length; without the slightest notice; she
opened her eyes again; and remenced in a short; sharp manner:

'What happens then; I ask! What happens? Why; I find myself at the very
period when I might shine most in society; and should most like for
very momentous reasons to shine in society……I find myself in a situation
which to a certain extent disqualifies me for going into society。 It's
too bad; really!'

'My dear;' said Mr Sparkler。 'I don't think it need keep you at
home。' 'Edmund; you ridiculous creature;' returned Fanny; with great
indignation; 'do you suppose that a woman in the bloom of youth and not
wholly devoid of personal attractions; can put herself; at such a
time; in petition as to figure with a woman in every other way her
inferior? If you do suppose such a thing; your folly is boundless。'

Mr Sparkler submitted that he had thought 'it might be got over。' 'Got
over!' repeated Fanny; with immeasurable scorn。

'For a time;' Mr Sparkler submitted。

Honouring the last feeble suggestion with no notice; Mrs Sparkler
declared with bitterness that it really was too bad; and that positively
it was enough to make one wish one was dead!

'However;' she said; when she had in some measure recovered from her
sense of personal ill…usage; 'provoking as it is; and cruel as it seems;
I suppose it must be submitted to。'

'Especially as it was to be expected;' said Mr Sparkler。

'Edmund;' returned his wife; 'if you have nothing more being to do
than to attempt to insult the woman who has honoured you with her hand;
when she finds herself in adversity; I think YOU had better go to bed!'

Mr Sparkler was much afflicted by the charge; and offered a most
tender and earnest apology。 His apology was accepted; but Mrs Sparkler
requested him to go round to the other side of the sofa and sit in the
window…curtain; to tone himself down。

'Now; Edmund;' she said; stretching out her fan; and touching him with
it at arm's length; 'what I was going to say to you when you began as
usual to prose and worry; is; that I shall guard against our being alone
any more; and that when circumstances prevent my going out to my own
satisfaction; I must arrange to have some people or other always here;
for I really cannot; and will not; have another such day as this has
been。'

Mr Sparkler's sentiments as to the plan were; in brief; that it had no
nonsense about it。 He added; 'And besides; you know it's likely that
you'll soon have your sister……'

'Dearest Amy; yes!' cried Mrs Sparkler with a sigh of affection。
'Darling little thing! Not; however; that Amy would do here alone。'

Mr Sparkler was going to say 'No?' interrogatively; but he saw his
danger and said it assentingly; 'No; Oh dear no; she wouldn't do here
alone。'

'No; Edmund。 For not only are the virtues of the precious child of that
still character that they require a contrast……require life and movement
around them to bring them out in their right colours and make one love
them of all things; but she will require to be roused; on more accounts
than one。'

'That's it;' said Mr Sparkler。 'Roused。'

'Pray don't; Edmund! Your habit of interrupting without having the least
thing in the world to say; distracts one。 You must be broken of it。
Speaking of Amy;……my poor little pet was devotedly attached to poor
papa; and no doubt will have lamented his loss exceedingly; and grieved
very much。 I have done so myself。 I have felt it dreadfully。 But Amy
will no doubt have felt it even more; from having been on the spot the
whole time; and having been with poor dear papa at the last; which I
unhappily was not。'

Here Fanny stopped to weep; and to say; 'Dear; dear; beloved papa! How
truly gentlemanly he was! What a contrast to poor uncle!'

'From the effects of that trying time;' she pursued; 'my good little
Mouse will have to be roused。 Also; from the effects of this long
attendance upon Edward in his illness; an attendance which is not
yet over; which may even go on for some time longer; and which in the
meanwhile unsettles us all by keeping poor dear papa's affairs from
being wound up。 Fortunately; however; the papers with his agents
here being all sealed up and locked up; as he left them when he
providentially came to England; the affairs are in that state of order
that they can wait until my brother Edward recovers his health in
Sicily; sufficiently to e over; and administer; or execute; or
whatever it may be that will have to be done。'

'He couldn't have a better nurse to bring him round;' Mr Sparkler made
bold to opine。

'For a wonder; I can agree with you;' returned his wife; languidly
turning her eyelids a little in his direction (she held forth; in
general; as if to the drawing…room furniture); 'and can adopt your
words。 He couldn't have a better nurse to bring him round。 There are
times when my dear child is a little wearing to an active mind; but; as
a nurse; she is Perfection。 Best of Amys!'

Mr Sparkler; growing rash on his late success; observed that Edward had
had; biggodd; a long bout of it; my dear girl。


'If Bout; Edmund;' returned Mrs Sparkler; 'is the slang term for
indisposition; he has。 If it is not; I am unable to give an opinion
on the barbarous language you address to Edward's sister。 That he
contracted Malaria Fever somewhere; either by travelling day and night
to Rome; where; after all; he arrived too late to see poor dear papa
before his death……or under some other unwholesome circumstances……is
indubitable; if that is what you mean。 Likewise that his extremely
careless life has made him a very bad subject for it indeed。'


Mr Sparkler considered it a parallel case to that of some of our fellows
in the West Indies with Yellow Jack。 Mrs Sparkler closed her eyes again;
and refused to have any consciousness of our fellows of the West Indies;
or of Yellow Jack。

'So; Amy;' she pursued; when she reopened her eyelids; 'will require
to be roused from the effects of many tedious and anxious weeks。 And
lastly; she will require to be roused from a low tendency which I know
very well to be at the bottom of her heart。 Don't ask me what it is;
Edmund; because I must decline to tell you。'

'I am not going to; my dear;' said Mr Sparkler。

'I shall thus have much improvement to effect in my sweet child;' Mrs
Sparkler continued; 'and cannot have her near me too soon。 Amiable and
dear little Twoshoes! As to the settlement of poor papa's affairs; my
interest in that is not very selfish。 Papa behaved very generously to me
when I was married; and I have little or nothing to expect。 Provided
he had made no will that can e into force; leaving a legacy to Mrs
General; I am contented。 Dear papa; dear papa。'

She wept again; but Mrs General was the best of restoratives。 The name
soon stimulated her to dry her eyes and say:

'It is a highly encouraging circumstance in Edward's illness; I am
thankful to t
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