登陆注册
19588800000055

第55章

"Not even that.It may be halfway in the wrong direction.I can't explain.I don't believe in all these fads,and yet I don't like saying that I don't believe in them."He seemed unsatisfied,and said:"So you wouldn't give me your word that you don't hold with astral bodies and all the rest of it?""I could,"said Margaret,surprised that the point was of any importance to him."Indeed,I will.When I talked about scrubbing my aura,I was only trying to be funny.But why do you want this settled?""I don't know."

"Now,Mr.Wilcox,you do know."

"Yes,I am,""No,you're not,"burst from the lovers opposite.Margaret was silent for a moment,and then changed the subject.

"How's your house?"

"Much the same as when you honoured it last week.""I don't mean Ducie Street.Howards End,of course.""Why 'of course'?"

"Can't you turn out your tenant and let it to us?

We're nearly demented."

"Let me think.I wish I could help you.

But I thought you wanted to be in town.One bit of advice:fix your district,then fix your price,and then don't budge.That's how Igot both Ducie Street and Oniton.I said to myself,'I mean to be exactly here,'and I was,and Oniton's a place in a thousand.""But I do budge.Gentlemen seem to mesmerize houses--cow them with an eye,and up they come,trembling.Ladies can't.It's the houses that are mesmerizing me.I've no control over the saucy things.Houses are alive.No?""I'm out of my depth,"he said,and added:"Didn't you talk rather like that to your office boy?""Did I?--I mean I did,more or less.I talk the same way to every one--or try to.""Yes,I know.And how much do you suppose that he understood of it?""That's his lookout.I don't believe in suiting my conversation to my company.One can doubtless hit upon some medium of exchange that seems to do well enough,but it's no more like the real thing than money is like food.There's no nourishment in it.

You pass it to the lower classes,and they pass it back to you,and this you call 'social intercourse'or 'mutual endeavour,'when it's mutual priggishness if it's anything.Our friends at Chelsea don't see this.They say one ought to be at all costs intelligible,and sacrifice--""Lower classes,"interrupted Mr.Wilcox,as it were thrusting his hand into her speech."Well,you do admit that there are rich and poor.That's something."Margaret could not reply.Was he incredibly stupid,or did he understand her better than she understood herself?

"You do admit that,if wealth was divided up equally,in a few years there would be rich and poor again just the same.

The hard-working man would come to the top,the wastrel sink to the bottom.""Every one admits that."

"Your Socialists don't."

"My Socialists do.Yours mayn't;but I strongly suspect yours of being not Socialists,but ninepins,which you have constructed for your own amusement.I can't imagine any living creature who would bowl over quite so easily."He would have resented this had she not been a woman.

But women may say anything--it was one of his holiest beliefs--and he only retorted,with a gay smile:"I don't care.You've made two damaging admissions,and I'm heartily with you in both."In time they finished lunch,and Margaret,who had excused herself from the Hippodrome,took her leave.Evie had scarcely addressed her,and she suspected that the entertainment had been planned by the father.He and she were advancing out of their respective families towards a more intimate acquaintance.It had begun long ago.She had been his wife's friend,and,as such,he had given her that silver vinaigrette as a memento.It was pretty of him to have given that vinaigrette,and he had always preferred her to Helen--unlike most men.But the advance had been astonishing lately.They had done more in a week than in two years,and were really beginning to know each other.

She did not forget his promise to sample Eustace Miles,and asked him as soon as she could secure Tibby as his chaperon.

He came,and partook of body-building dishes with humility.

Next morning the Schlegels left for Swanage.

They had not succeeded in finding a new home.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 执爱:夜焰总裁霸娇妻

    执爱:夜焰总裁霸娇妻

    他,神秘组织夜幽的唯一继承人。夜,是他的颜色,焰,是他的本色。她,白家无忧无虑的小公主一枚。因为他的一次注目,被下药后绑上他的床,迫不得已,只能嘿咻。因为他的二度关心,被亲妈送进他的魔窟,为了生存,只能讨好。因为他的三顾闺房,体检怀孕,被教务主任留校,只为性安全教育!
  • 胜任才是硬道理

    胜任才是硬道理

    一本真正关注员工命运的书!本书指出:未来,我们很难靠学历取得终身受雇的机会,却可以靠培养和提高“胜任力”而存活下来!书中倾囊相授培养和提高“胜任力”的方法和途径,通过大量案例总结,激发读者的潜能,是职场人士提升自我、改变人生命运的必修课!
  • 掌灯人

    掌灯人

    在通往幽冥的通道处,由十八根蜡烛照亮了整个通道。一旦有其中一根熄灭,那么整个幽冥与人间,便会接连发生惨案。王城,一个普通专科毕业的青年,迫于生活无奈,选择了一件维护路灯的工作。而在他上班的第一天,同福路深处便点亮了十八盏路灯……
  • 极品包装

    极品包装

    陈海凭借过人的记忆与信息量,踉跄闯进娱乐圈,不按套路出牌,不走寻常路,你包装帅哥,我包装屌丝,你打造玉女,我包装熟男!身在花丛中,环肥燕瘦,妩颜媚骨,香娇玉嫩,纵然如此,又如何,哥只爱好打包装,帅哥美女流水线,外加实力派!不要叫我经纪人,我是极品包装师!
  • 都市修真武神

    都市修真武神

    在现代都市里,依然有神秘修真的存在。高元,觉醒先祖血脉,开启家传秘籍,修成完美男神,让全民女神青睐、总裁丽人迷失、神秘狐仙暗恋。携手元阴玉体,修得寻地:神奇的修真世界……
  • 旺田

    旺田

    现代宅女穿越成战国小农妇,战火硝烟,穷途末路。孙琴暗叹命苦,家里穷得叮当响,上有老,下有小,当爹当妈当保姆;吃不饱,穿不暖,有了上顿没下顿,卷着锅碗瓢盆到处逃命,还时时当心会不会被从天而降的火药炸死。孙琴摸摸鼻子,抓抓锄头,带着全家自力更生,好不容易日子稍微好了,七大姑八大姨全都找上门来了。什么?说她贪财?拜托,她这是致富;指她好色?笑话,她这是博爱;骂她小器?谬论,她这是持家。她不守妇道?等等,孙琴彻底晕了,眼前的这一排闪瞎她眼睛的帅哥是要闹哪样啊?
  • 美丽女人的贴身保养秘籍

    美丽女人的贴身保养秘籍

    读过这本“秘籍”,你将在不知不觉中完成一次脱胎换骨的蜕变。20到40岁的女性都将是本书的受益者。在这里我们将一起聊一聊怎么吃得美味、吃得健康,你还会获赠好多美颜瘦身的饮食小秘方! 20到40岁的女性都将是本书的受益者,在这本“秘籍”中你会知道怎样才算吃得美味、吃得健康,会获赠全面细致而又实用的美容护肤知识,会得到女性健康、卫生、睡眠、工作、生活和穿着打扮等全方位的保养“小贴士”,还会一同学习和分享作为女人的小秘密,聊聊女人一生中的重大转折和蜕变:如何作好孕妈妈。
  • 豪门错爱:乔少的替身贤妻

    豪门错爱:乔少的替身贤妻

    聂婉箩觉得自己是天大的笑话。乔能只要有一分爱她,就不会把她的生日弄错。说到底,她只是个替身。可当有一天,他指天发誓一口咬定再没有所谓替身,从头到尾只爱她一人时,她突然想说,哎呀,早说不就好了嘛。
  • 暴力史

    暴力史

    手指是80后的年轻作家,但是他从不曾把视角局限在青春的风花雪月和愤世嫉俗中。他以老练、平实、不动声色的精准笔力描摹着年轻人的挣扎与彷徨,甜蜜与哀伤,沉着而不失尖锐,简洁而意味深长。《暴力史》为青年作家手指的中短篇小说集,共收录手指发表在《人民文学》《收获》《大家》等刊物上的小说17篇,包括在文学圈与青年读者中有广泛影响的《寻找建新》《我们为什么没有老婆》《齐声大喝》《我们干点什么》《马福是个傻子》等等。作为书名的《暴力史》则借用了中国武侠小说的模式,想象了古典与现代混搭的武林传奇。
  • 朕的调皮皇后

    朕的调皮皇后

    一朝穿越。成为一国皇后,本是不受宠的皇后一夜之间变了模样。任性如她,对任何人毫无忌惮,正是因为这种毫不掩饰的性子某皇帝竟然对她有了兴趣。集三千宠爱于一身。妃嫔间勾心与她有何关系,反正有人宠着就好,要这些勾心斗角有何用?【温馨清水】