登陆注册
37373200000290

第290章

THE LAST MEETING AT MATCHING.

The ex-Prime Minister did not carry out his purpose of leaving London in the middle of the season and travelling either to Italy or Norway.He was away from London at Whitsuntide longer perhaps than he might have been if still in office, and during this period regarded himself as a man from whose hands all work had been taken--as one who had been found unfit to carry any longer a burden serviceably; but before June was over he and the Duchess were back in London, and gradually he allowed himself to open his mouth on this or that subject in the House of Lords,--not pitching into everybody all round, as his wife had recommended,--but expressing an opinion now and again, generally in support of his friends, with the dignity which should belong to a retired Prime Minister.The Duchess too recovered much of her good temper,--as far at least as the outward show went.One or two who knew her, especially Mrs Finn, were aware that her hatred and her ideas of revenge were not laid aside; but she went on from day to day anathematizing her special enemies, and abstained from reproaching her husband for his pusillanimity.Then came the question as to the autumn.'Let's have everybody down at Gatherum, just as we had before,' said the Duchess.

The proposition almost took away the Duke's breath.'Why do you want a crowd, like that?'

'Just to show them that we are not beaten because we are turned out.'

'But inasmuch as we were turned out, we were beaten.And what has a gathering of people at my house to do with a political manoeuvre? Do you especially want to go to Gatherum?'

'I hate the place.You know I do.'

'Then why should you propose to go there?' He hardly yet knew his wife well enough to understand that the suggestion had been a joke.'If you don't wish to go abroad--'

'I hate going abroad.'

'Then we'll remain at Matching.You don't hate Matching.'

'Ah dear! There are memories there too.But you like it.'

'My books are there.'

'Blue-books,' said the Duchess.

'And there is plenty of room if you wish to have friends.'

'I suppose we must have somebody.You can't live without your mentor.'

'You can ask whom you please,' he said almost fretfully.

'Lady Rosina, of course,' suggested the Duchess.Then he turned to the papers before him, and wouldn't say another word.The matter ended in a party much as usual being collected at Matching about the middle of October,--Telemachus having spent the early part of the autumn with Mentor at Long Royston.There might perhaps be a dozen guests in the house and among them were Phineas Finn and his wife.And Mr Grey was there, having come back from his eastern mission,--whose unfortunate abandonment of his seat at Silverbridge had cause so many troubles,--and Mrs Grey, who in days now long passed had been almost as necessary to Lady Glencora, as was now her later friend Mrs Finn,--and the Cantrips, and for a short time the St Bungays.But Lady Rosina De Courcy on this occasion was not present.There were few there whom my patient readers have not seen at Matching before; but among those few was Arthur Fletcher.

'So it is to be,' said the Duchess to the member for Silverbridge one morning.She had by this time become intimate with 'her member', as she would sometimes call him in a joke, and had concerned herself much as to his matrimonial prospects.

'Yes, Duchess, it is to be,--unless some unforeseen circumstance should arise.'

'What circumstance?'

'Ladies and gentlemen do sometimes change their minds;--but in this case I do not think it likely.'

'And why ain't you being married now, Mr Fletcher?'

'We have agreed to postpone it till next year;--so that we may be quite sure of our own minds.'

'I know you are laughing at me; but nevertheless I am very glad that it is settled.Pray tell her from me that I shall again call soon as ever she is Mrs Fletcher, though I don't think she repaid either of the last two visits I made her.'

'You must make excuses for her, Duchess.'

'Of course.I know.After all she is a most fortunate woman.

And as for you,--I regard you as a hero among lovers.'

'I'm getting used to it,' she said one day to Mrs Finn.

'Of course you'll get used to it.We get used to anything that chance sends us in a marvellously short time.'

'What I mean is that I can go to bed and sleep, and get up and eat my meals without missing the sound of trumpets so much as Idid at first.I remember hearing of people who lived in a mill, and couldn't sleep when the mill stopped.It was like that with me when our mill stopped at first.I had got myself so used to the excitement of it, that I could hardly live without it.'

'You might have all the excitement still, if you pleased.You need not be dead to politics because your husband is not Prime Minister.'

'No; never again,--unless he should come back.If anyone had told me ten years ago that I should have taken an interest in this or that man being in Government, I should have laughed him to scorn.It did not seem possible to me then that I should care what became of men like Sir Timothy Beeswax and Mr Roby.But Idid get to be anxious about it when Plantagenet was shifted from one office to another.'

'Of course you did.Do you think I am not anxious about Phineas?'

'But when he became Prime Minister, I gave myself up to it altogether.I shall never forget what I felt when he came to me and told me that perhaps it might be so;--but told me also that he would escape from it if it were possible.I was the Lady Macbeth of the occasion all over;--whereas he was so scrupulous, so burdened with conscience! As for me, I would have taken it by any means.Then it was the old Duke played the part of the three witches to a nicety.Well, there hasn't been any absolute murder, and I haven't quite gone mad.'

'Nor need you be afraid though all the woods of Gatherum should come to Matching.'

同类推荐
  • 供养仪式

    供养仪式

    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。
  • 温热暑疫全书

    温热暑疫全书

    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。
  • 法玺印禅师语录

    法玺印禅师语录

    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。
  • 修行念诵仪轨次第法

    修行念诵仪轨次第法

    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。
  • You Never Can Tell

    You Never Can Tell

    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。
热门推荐
  • 万界之妖皇重现

    万界之妖皇重现

    来呀,快活呀,我要票票呀!(我是实在不会写简介)
  • 天行

    天行

    号称“北辰骑神”的天才玩家以自创的“牧马冲锋流”战术击败了国服第一弓手北冥雪,被誉为天纵战榜第一骑士的他,却受到小人排挤,最终离开了效力已久的银狐俱乐部。是沉沦,还是再次崛起?恰逢其时,月恒集团第四款游戏“天行”正式上线,虚拟世界再起风云!
  • 斗武通天

    斗武通天

    大千世界,佛世,神世,地狱三世为尊,雷神之子,意外被贬为凡世,观白云苍狗,察世态炎凉,看英雄少年如何逆境崛起
  • 帝吴飞云

    帝吴飞云

    帝吴飞云-穿越千年的吴大帝战记日企管理的主角,穿越到纷飞的三国乱世,目睹东吴帝国吴大帝孙权的后半生波澜壮阔的生涯,海上霸权还是中原逐鹿?历史是否会发生大幅改变?此时的东亚,日本有神功皇后的三韩征伐,邪马台女王的野望,是否会擦出不一样的火花?带给你绝对的震撼和感动,给你一个前所未有的三国新世界。
  • 凰惊天下:邪王盛宠狂妄妃

    凰惊天下:邪王盛宠狂妄妃

    ——新书《鬼帝倾世宠:毒手医妃》现代冷血杀手穿越致以灵力为尊者的迦墨大陆,没有灵力却得千万宠爱,唯独两个妹妹处心积虑想将她送入阎罗殿。想得到嫡系小姐的位置。放蛇咬她?不用太客气送你一堆极品王蛇,想下药害她?不好意思,自作自受。太子退婚?你以为我很稀罕你?测试会上大放异彩,黎猫惊世!另有邪王挡道相助,破基筑,三系全修,五系皆有天赋,亮瞎你们的狗眼!谁说她苏黎月是废物?拜天下第一药王为师,囚得修罗神兽,妖孽邪王相伴,纵横天上人间,谁人敢挡?![寻殿粉丝群:103220007]欢迎吐槽勾搭~
  • 我在玄幻世界捡属性

    我在玄幻世界捡属性

    陈歌得到了一个捡属性的金手指。捡到力量属性,力量+9999…!你靠肉体力量轰爆了星球。捡到敏捷属性,敏捷+9999…!你移动起来连光都只能在背后吃灰。捡到能量属性,能量+9999…!你的丹田灵力量如海似洋,连续突破n个境界。捡到节操属性,节操+9999…!…“等等,节操属性是什么鬼?我像那种缺节操的人吗?”陈歌腹诽。即使加了海量节操,你的节操依旧没有超过人类节操的平均值。陈歌:……
  • 假面骑士之转生重势

    假面骑士之转生重势

    送快递的孤独青年,收重人所托,做忠人之事,青年是否完成神秘人的重任!
  • 天行

    天行

    号称“北辰骑神”的天才玩家以自创的“牧马冲锋流”战术击败了国服第一弓手北冥雪,被誉为天纵战榜第一骑士的他,却受到小人排挤,最终离开了效力已久的银狐俱乐部。是沉沦,还是再次崛起?恰逢其时,月恒集团第四款游戏“天行”正式上线,虚拟世界再起风云!
  • 神武幽冥

    神武幽冥

    少年江尘自海外而来,踏入了浩瀚人间,见到了许多惊艳离奇!南方的广阔海域,古老的龙族乱天动地;北方苍茫林界,万妖入世,争天下繁华;遥远年代的鬼神破土而出,无人能逃……这世界人人都不平凡,有人坐拥天下,征战万里疆土,有人凭借机遇登高天阙,更有人天资绝代打遍天下,一战成仙……而江尘身上流着神的血液,烙印佛门金色圣光,无畏无惧将天下格局冲击的支离破碎……
  • 凰囚龙

    凰囚龙

    她是嗜血成性的雇佣兵,在执行任务中一不小心被雷劈了,莫名穿越。穿成公主以为自己会荣华一辈子,可是转眼美人皇兄就来了句和亲。不和亲也行啊,嫁丞相。TMD在逗我?本姑娘要找一个一生一世一双人好吗!随随便便就嫁吗?幸好遇到他,原本以为找到一生所爱就可以,谁曾知道这其中多么曲折,丞相大人是个腹黑狐妖,他又是每每想置自己于死地之人,他们都想亲手泯灭她他怀情而亡,她因情而灭,当她重新活在世上却又要重复当年他离开时候的杀戮。妖王为她而甘愿受挖心囚禁之苦,心怀苍生的仙界第一人为她而放任自己留一些空间只为放下她而她,一抹红唇轻轻一勾,白衣飘飘素手一挥指着这苍生说“还不够,我要的更多。”