登陆注册
5339900000035

第35章 At Christminster(12)

'It is made after the best conjectural maps,based on actual visits to the city as it now exists.'

'I fancy we have had enough of Jerusalem,'she said,'considering we are not descended from the Jews.There was nothing first-rate about the place,or people,after all -as there was about Athens,Rome,Alexandria,and other old cities.'

'But my dear girl,consider what it is to us!'

She was silent,for she was easily repressed;and then perceived behind the group of children clustered round the model a young man in a white flannel jacket,his form being bent so low in his intent inspection of the Valley of Jehoshaphat that his face was almost hidden from view by the Mount of Olives.'Look at your cousin Jude,'continued the schoolmaster.

'He doesn't think we have had enough of Jerusalem!'

'Ah -I didn't see him!'she cried in her quick,light voice.

'Jude -how seriously you are going into it!'

Jude started up from his reverie,and saw her.'Oh -Sue!'he said,with a glad flush of embarrassment.'These are your school-children,of course!I saw that schools were admitted in the afternoons,and thought you might come;but I got so deeply interested that I didn't remember where I was.How it carries one back,doesn't it!I could examine it for hours,but I have only a few minutes,unfortunately;for I am in the middle of a job out here.'

'Your cousin is so terribly clever that she criticizes it unmercifully,'

said Phillotson,with good-humoured satire.'She is quite sceptical as to its correctness.'

'No,Mr.Phillotson,I am not -altogether!I hate to be what is called a clever girl -there are too many of that sort now!'answered Sue sensitively.'I only meant -I don't know what I meant -except that it was what you don't understand!'

'I know your meaning,'said Jude ardently (although he did not).'And I think you are quite right.'

'That's a good Jude -I know you believe in me!'She impulsively seized his hand,and leaving a reproachful look on the schoolmaster turned away to Jude,her voice revealing a tremor which she herself felt to be absurdly uncalled for by sarcasm so gentle.She had not the least conception how the hearts of the twain went out to her at this momentary revelation of feeling,and what a complication she was building up thereby in the futures of both.

The model wore too much of an educational aspect for the children not to tire of it soon,and a little later in the afternoon they were all marched back to Lumsdon,Jude returning to his work.He watched the juvenile flock in their clean frocks and pinafores,filing down the street towards the country beside Phillotson and Sue,and a sad,dissatisfied sense of being out of the scheme of the latters'lives had possession of him.Phillotson had invited him to walk out and see them on Friday evening,when there would be no lessons to give to Sue,and Jude had eagerly promised to avail himself of the opportunity.

Meanwhile the scholars and teachers moved homewards,and the next day,on looking on the blackboard in Sue's class,Phillotson was surprised to find upon it,skilfully drawn in chalk,a perspective view of Jerusalem,with every building shown in its place.

'I thought you took no interest in the model,and hardly looked at it?'he said.

'I hardly did,'said she,'but I remembered that much of it.'

'It is more than I had remembered myself.'

Her Majesty's school-inspector was at that time paying 'surprise-visits'

in this neighbourhood to test the teaching unawares;and two days later,in the middle of the morning lessons,the latch of the door was softly lifted,and in walked my gentleman,the king of terrors -to pupil-teachers.

To Mr.Phillotson the surprise was not great;like the lady in the story he had been played that trick too many times to be unprepared.

But Sue's class was at the further end of the room,and her back was towards the entrance;the inspector therefore came and stood behind her and watched her teaching some half-minute before she became aware of his presence.

She turned,and realized that an oft-dreaded moment had come.The effect upon her timidity was such that she uttered a cry of fright.Phillotson,with a strange instinct of solicitude quite beyond his control,was at her side just in time to prevent her falling from faintness.She soon recovered herself,and laughed;but when the inspector had gone there was a reaction,and she was so white that Phillotson took her into his room,and gave her some brandy to bring her round.She found him holding her hand.

'You ought to have told me,'she gasped petulantly,'that one of the inspector's surprise-visits was imminent!Oh,what shall I do!Now he'll write and tell the managers that I am no good,and I shall be disgraced for ever!'

'He won't do that,my dear little girl.You are the best teacher ever I had!'

He looked so gently at her that she was moved,and regretted that she had upbraided him.When she was better she went home.

Jude in the meantime had been waiting impatiently for Friday.

On both Wednesday and Thursday he had been so much under the influence of his desire to see her that he walked after dark some distance along the road in the direction of the village,and,on returning to his room to read,found himself quite unable to concentrate his mind on the page.

On Friday,as soon as he had got himself up as he thought Sue would like to see him,and made a hasty tea,he set out,notwithstanding that the evening was wet.The trees overhead deepened the gloom of the hour,and they dripped sadly upon him,impressing him with forebodings -illogical forebodings;for though he knew that he loved her he also knew that he could not be more to her than he was.

同类推荐
  • Madame Firmiani

    Madame Firmiani

    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。
  • 永乐大典残卷

    永乐大典残卷

    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。
  • 昭应李郎中见贻佳作

    昭应李郎中见贻佳作

    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。
  • 黄庭内景五藏六府图

    黄庭内景五藏六府图

    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。
  • Lyrical Poems

    Lyrical Poems

    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
  • 俯仰顾盼

    俯仰顾盼

    人不犯我,我不犯人。人若犯我,还你一针。人再犯我,斩草除根。防明枪、折暗箭、打七寸,学读心、识奸计、躲艳遇。职斗,亦是智斗。
  • 日食妖后

    日食妖后

    穿越成为身中巨毒被人毁婚的极品丑女,精湛医术,素女功,驭兽术,日食异能,开放思想,丰富阅历和淡泊心境使她重获丽容、逍遥皇宫、笑傲江湖,成为天下名士追逐的绝代佳人。于乱世中救了避难皇帝和小太子,无意中获得逍遥丹容颜不老、逍遥天书窥视天下,几经周折,她被封一国皇后。皇帝患重病昏厥,赐她玉玺,辅佐太子,掌管朝政。她在国内推施仁政,使国家走出绝境,国富民强,带领军队抵御外国大军的侵略。文武百官里,与她关系暧昧的多人。更有国外风流皇帝慕名前来和她约会。天下第一风流美女,妖后之名,传遍天下。带只可爱小色猴,在江湖里玩遍群侠帅哥,在皇宫里色遍文武百官。爱我者,必被我珍爱;伤我者,必将被我丢弃。皇帝、王爷、将军、国师、异人……到底谁是最爱她的人?谁又是她的最爱?古代家族谍中谍,皇族艳史,总有你想象不到的剧情。欢迎阅读芳菲第五部曲《日食妖后》。
  • 无法湮灭的悲怆

    无法湮灭的悲怆

    本书重新还原那段悲抑的历史。当赵登禹挥动大刀倒在血泊、赵尚忐惨死汉奸宵小之手、杨靖宇的弹尽粮绝英雄末路都以细节的方式呈现时,读者如何忍住不哭?当一个团半日之内临阵“升迁五个营长,都壮烈牺牲”,却仍与力量悬殊之敌对峙,当田横五百士的遭遇重演,被日军逼上绝路的八百多名十七岁左右的新兵,在叩拜了天地父母后前赴后继地跳入黄河,读者如何忍住不哭?……哭泣,不只是泪奠英雄,更为那打不垮的民族之精神。
  • 浮生仙缘

    浮生仙缘

    浮生几世觅仙缘,只愿此情莫相忘,漫漫仙路何为伴,一壶清酒待佳人。本是仙界公主,奈何沦落下界,不过没关系,本仙子自能凭着本事打回仙界!什么?我是你的情劫?!抱歉!本仙子才不会轻易为情折腰!!
  • 七里樱

    七里樱

    年少时,我们,似乎成为了世界的主角,遗憾过,苦恼过,伤心心过,但庆幸的是在那个即将逝去的青春里,你世界的男主随着四季辗转在你身旁,陪你笑,陪你哭……终有一天,你发现他只是喜欢你身边的那个人而已…“你知道的,我喜欢她哎。”“没事…”至少我的青春,你来过就好。
  • 追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    青涩蜕变,如今她是能独当一面的女boss,爱了冷泽聿七年,也同样花了七年时间去忘记他。以为是陌路,他突然向他表白,扬言要娶她,她只当他是脑子抽风,他的殷勤她也全都无视。他帮她查她父母的死因,赶走身边情敌,解释当初拒绝她的告别,和故意对她冷漠都是无奈之举。突然爆出她父母的死居然和冷家有丝毫联系,还莫名跳出个公爵未婚夫,扬言要与她履行婚约。峰回路转,破镜还能重圆吗? PS:我又开新文了,每逢假期必书荒,新文《有你的世界遇到爱》,喜欢我的文的朋友可以来看看,这是重生类现言,对这个题材感兴趣的一定要收藏起来。
  • 瑞之灵

    瑞之灵

    一株小灵芝救了一位帅公子,本来不是该像人界话本子里的一样日久生情两情相悦然后幸福地生活在一起吗?结果……这个家伙怎么跟木头似的?!
  • 追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    青涩蜕变,如今她是能独当一面的女boss,爱了冷泽聿七年,也同样花了七年时间去忘记他。以为是陌路,他突然向他表白,扬言要娶她,她只当他是脑子抽风,他的殷勤她也全都无视。他帮她查她父母的死因,赶走身边情敌,解释当初拒绝她的告别,和故意对她冷漠都是无奈之举。突然爆出她父母的死居然和冷家有丝毫联系,还莫名跳出个公爵未婚夫,扬言要与她履行婚约。峰回路转,破镜还能重圆吗? PS:我又开新文了,每逢假期必书荒,新文《有你的世界遇到爱》,喜欢我的文的朋友可以来看看,这是重生类现言,对这个题材感兴趣的一定要收藏起来。
  • 追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    青涩蜕变,如今她是能独当一面的女boss,爱了冷泽聿七年,也同样花了七年时间去忘记他。以为是陌路,他突然向他表白,扬言要娶她,她只当他是脑子抽风,他的殷勤她也全都无视。他帮她查她父母的死因,赶走身边情敌,解释当初拒绝她的告别,和故意对她冷漠都是无奈之举。突然爆出她父母的死居然和冷家有丝毫联系,还莫名跳出个公爵未婚夫,扬言要与她履行婚约。峰回路转,破镜还能重圆吗? PS:我又开新文了,每逢假期必书荒,新文《有你的世界遇到爱》,喜欢我的文的朋友可以来看看,这是重生类现言,对这个题材感兴趣的一定要收藏起来。
  • 报告!你的毒舌竹马已上线

    报告!你的毒舌竹马已上线

    儿时的相遇于她不过是一场游戏,于他却似一场救赎。年龄的相隔斩断了他们的联系,时间使她忘却,却使他更加牢记,想去抓紧不曾舍弃。 九年之后再度相逢,上演的是抢厕所的竞争。他是她的顾客她忘了他,却活得更加张扬。 顾客等于上帝?老子送你去见上帝!看的不爽,照样是眼神杀! 片断一: 冯雨诺客套开口:"何先生还没带侄子回家啊!" 何远萧一脸犯贱,"怎么?诺诺倒是很在意我啊!不过我并未打算回你这个问题……" 冯雨诺脸黑:“随意,告辞!”直接甩袖走人。 片段二: 冯雨诺洗盘子,何远萧走进,贱贱开口:"多时未见,不知诺诺可有想在下?" 冯雨诺讽刺回击,"哦!是吗?是小哥的脑子有点儿不好使吧!这分明就只过去了两个小时而已。还望这位脑子有病的小哥哪凉快那待着,不要热的病情加重为好!"冯雨诺:人生中最美好的事也许莫过于留下遗憾。这样能更好的让记忆的大门封锁住美好的一切,让时间不会那般容易将它们掠夺。何远萧:是你闯入我的生命中成为我的幸运草,如今丢失的记忆外加分离的八年光阴,我来拿一生弥补!【彪悍逗比女】+【腹黑嘴毒男】=【欢喜冤家】撕逼的火花照亮天【本文1v1,非小白,属诙谐幽默、搞笑型正剧】