登陆注册
5428400000034

第34章 VII(1)

On the following Sunday morning, Mr. Mordaunt had a large congregation. Indeed, he could scarcely remember any Sunday on which the church had been so crowded. People appeared upon the scene who seldom did him the honor of coming to hear his sermons.

There were even people from Hazelton, which was the next parish.

There were hearty, sunburned farmers, stout, comfortable, apple-cheeked wives in their best bonnets and most gorgeous shawls, and half a dozen children or so to each family. The doctor's wife was there, with her four daughters. Mrs. Kimsey and Mr. Kimsey, who kept the druggist's shop, and made pills, and did up powders for everybody within ten miles, sat in their pew;Mrs. Dibble in hers; Miss Smiff, the village dressmaker, and her friend Miss Perkins, the milliner, sat in theirs; the doctor's young man was present, and the druggist's apprentice; in fact, almost every family on the county side was represented, in one way or another.

In the course of the preceding week, many wonderful stories had been told of little Lord Fauntleroy. Mrs. Dibble had been kept so busy attending to customers who came in to buy a pennyworth of needles or a ha'porth of tape and to hear what she had to relate, that the little shop bell over the door had nearly tinkled itself to death over the coming and going. Mrs. Dibble knew exactly how his small lordship's rooms had been furnished for him, what expensive toys had been bought, how there was a beautiful brown pony awaiting him, and a small groom to attend it, and a little dog-cart, with silver-mounted harness. And she could tell, too, what all the servants had said when they had caught glimpses of the child on the night of his arrival; and how every female below stairs had said it was a shame, so it was, to part the poor pretty dear from his mother; and had all declared their hearts came into their mouths when he went alone into the library to see his grandfather, for "there was no knowing how he'd be treated, and his lordship's temper was enough to fluster them with old heads on their shoulders, let alone a child.""But if you'll believe me, Mrs. Jennifer, mum," Mrs. Dibble had said, "fear that child does not know--so Mr. Thomas hisself says; an' set an' smile he did, an' talked to his lordship as if they'd been friends ever since his first hour. An' the Earl so took aback, Mr. Thomas says, that he couldn't do nothing but listen and stare from under his eyebrows. An' it's Mr. Thomas's opinion, Mrs. Bates, mum, that bad as he is, he was pleased in his secret soul, an' proud, too; for a handsomer little fellow, or with better manners, though so old-fashioned, Mr. Thomas says he'd never wish to see."And then there had come the story of Higgins. The Reverend Mr.

Mordaunt had told it at his own dinner table, and the servants who had heard it had told it in the kitchen, and from there it had spread like wildfire.

And on market-day, when Higgins had appeared in town, he had been questioned on every side, and Newick had been questioned too, and in response had shown to two or three people the note signed "Fauntleroy."And so the farmers' wives had found plenty to talk of over their tea and their shopping, and they had done the subject full justice and made the most of it. And on Sunday they had either walked to church or had been driven in their gigs by their husbands, who were perhaps a trifle curious themselves about the new little lord who was to be in time the owner of the soil.

It was by no means the Earl's habit to attend church, but he chose to appear on this first Sunday--it was his whim to present himself in the huge family pew, with Fauntleroy at his side.

There were many loiterers in the churchyard, and many lingerers in the lane that morning. There were groups at the gates and in the porch, and there had been much discussion as to whether my lord would really appear or not. When this discussion was at its height, one good woman suddenly uttered an exclamation.

"Eh," she said, "that must be the mother, pretty young thing." All who heard turned and looked at the slender figure in black coming up the path. The veil was thrown back from her face and they could see how fair and sweet it was, and how the bright hair curled as softly as a child's under the little widow's cap.

She was not thinking of the people about; she was thinking of Cedric, and of his visits to her, and his joy over his new pony, on which he had actually ridden to her door the day before, sitting very straight and looking very proud and happy. But soon she could not help being attracted by the fact that she was being looked at and that her arrival had created some sort of sensation. She first noticed it because an old woman in a red cloak made a bobbing courtesy to her, and then another did the same thing and said, "God bless you, my lady!" and one man after another took off his hat as she passed. For a moment she did not understand, and then she realized that it was because she was little Lord Fauntleroy's mother that they did so, and she flushed rather shyly and smiled and bowed too, and said, "Thank you," in a gentle voice to the old woman who had blessed her.

To a person who had always lived in a bustling, crowded American city this simple deference was very novel, and at first just a little embarrassing; but after all, she could not help liking and being touched by the friendly warm-heartedness of which it seemed to speak. She had scarcely passed through the stone porch into the church before the great event of the day happened. The carriage from the Castle, with its handsome horses and tall liveried servants, bowled around the corner and down the green lane.

"Here they come!" went from one looker-on to another.

And then the carriage drew up, and Thomas stepped down and opened the door, and a little boy, dressed in black velvet, and with a splendid mop of bright waving hair, jumped out.

Every man, woman, and child looked curiously upon him.

同类推荐
  • An International Episode

    An International Episode

    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。
  • 移使鄂州,次岘阳馆

    移使鄂州,次岘阳馆

    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。
  • 孝子经

    孝子经

    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。
  • 简写水浒传

    简写水浒传

    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。
  • 道林寺

    道林寺

    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
  • 七宝奇谈

    七宝奇谈

    天下七宝重现江湖,争来抢去尽是人性得失。这是一个奇怪的江湖,天下第一采花大盗竟是天下第一痴心人,和尚能教杀手杀人。这里没有国仇家恨,有的只是每个人在世上的选择不同。总之,这是一个天下人管天下事的江湖。欲知其中事,且看手中书。
  • 朱门绛

    朱门绛

    那日,我望着我与她们有何不同,时隔多年,才发现,当时只望着你罢了。
  • 云萝姑娘:庐隐作品精选

    云萝姑娘:庐隐作品精选

    文学大师是一个时代的开拓者和各种文学形式的集大成者,他们的作品来源于他们生活的时代,记载了那个时代社会生活的缩影,包含了作家本人对社会、生活的体验与思考,影响着社会的发展进程,具有永恒的魅力。他们是我们心灵的工程师,能够指导我们的人生发展,给予我们心灵鸡汤般的精神滋养。
  • 受益终生的精粹:受益终生的西学精粹

    受益终生的精粹:受益终生的西学精粹

    电影、诗歌、国学、西学、美术、文学、音乐、处世。从浩如烟海的这些人文艺术作品中,作者用精炼、经典的标准,以青少年的角度,拣选出‘篇篇美文、幅幅名画、一部部佳作、一首首名曲。集成使人终生受益的5个单册,另以代表中华智慧的诸子百‘家‘孑充满哲理的西方先贤大师名言名篇编辑成《国学精粹》、《西学糟粹》,这既是了解学习人类人文艺术的上佳之作,也是必不可少的家藏书籍。
  • 霸道帝君独宠小财妃

    霸道帝君独宠小财妃

    她,本是21世纪的神医神圣,却因一枚硬币丢了小命不说?竟然还穿越了?穿就穿呗,竟摇身一变成了身中其毒的大胖子?他,是江湖上令人闻风丧胆的残月阁阁主,遇到她,丢了财,失了吻,还被袭了身?从此,北冥不太平了!冷酷无情的阁主变成了灭草专家。“帅哥,聊会呗!”某女说“你敢?”某男怒了,“信不信我把他嘴巴缝上!”“阁主大人,你不要那么血腥嘛!”某女谄媚道。某男脸色更黑了,“你喜欢他?”看着一脸怨气的某男,某女笑的花枝乱颤,“天下美男我皆爱!但我最爱的还是阁主大人你!”
  • 遗落仙境列传

    遗落仙境列传

    这是一个被修仙者遗忘的大陆,种族林立,祭师称雄!一个偶然的机会,火阳族少主玄鸷无意之中得到了一件上古秘宝,并由此招致灭族之祸,无奈之下只得奔走他乡,踏上复仇之路……接着仙家功法、美女佳人接踵而至!靠时运,靠天命,玄鸷一路拼杀,终成一代至尊!
  • 最后恋爱的声音

    最后恋爱的声音

    西琴海是一处著名旅游胜地,传说情侣乘船出海,如果互相倾诉恋爱蜜语,就会引来海豚群,而海豚会发出一种声音,最为动人美妙。苏音为此来到这里,遇到了海洋救生队成员欧源。仅仅两次见面,他们就意外“接吻”两次,这样的相遇,让欧源开始留意这个女生。之后的接触中,欧源发现这个女生总是流露出一种悲伤,甚至似乎一直处在一种自我幻想中……
  • 黑帮老大

    黑帮老大

    悬疑之父,大师之中的大师,只可模仿,不可超越的巅峰,直逼理性与疯狂、压制与抗争的心理极限,你永远都猜不到故事的结局,你也无法预想故事情节的发展!精品、经典、精装、超值价蕾遇生与死、罪与罚的灵魂拷问。
  • 梦中修仙传

    梦中修仙传

    原来,梦里面的世界才是真实的!原来,我真的是修炼有成的仙人!原来,并不是我做了一个修仙的梦,而是原本仙人的我梦里面出现了我,以及这个世界……
  • 蠡园惊梦

    蠡园惊梦

    电视主持人曹可凡首次披露家族百年风云变幻,以细腻、翔实、生动的笔墨,描写一个海上商业大亨家庭五代人的悲欢离合,以及家族与荣氏家族等近代中国史上风云商业大亨的恩怨情仇。