Chapter 2 Chapter two

It didn't take long for Miss Ley to settle down in her new home.Part of the house's charm to its new owner, who was determinedly hostile to modernity, was its quaint old-fashioned style: the Queen Anne house was built in the unhurried, spacious apartment style that prevailed at the time, with doors There are beautifully carved rims, cast-iron railings, and, to Miss Ley's delight, a uniquely shaped fire extinguisher. The rooms in the house are large, with gently sloping roofs, and through the wide windows, you can have a bird's-eye view of almost all the gardens in London.Miss Ley made no major adjustments to these arrangements.She was hedonistic, and for years the mere love of freedom had disturbed the equanimity of her indolent disposition.However, she is willing to make any sacrifice in order to defend complete and pure freedom: she will avoid those relationships that make her feel uncomfortable, like physical pain--family or love relationship, habit or confinement. —she avoided them as best she could.She had been careful not to allow her life to be constrained, and at one point she felt too attached to some objects in her home—cabinets and fine fans bought in Spain, gilded woodcarvings in Florentine frames and copper plates in English Carvings, Neapolitan bronzes, tables and settees found in the backwoods of France—and, with heroic courage, she sold them all.She won't allow herself to be too homely, because if she were, it would be painful to leave it; she's a hiker, a wanderer in life, eager to find beauty, open-minded, unbiased, and ready Laugh at the ridiculous things in the world.Miss Ley, therefore, was glad to move what little she had to her cousin's, and use it as a furnished quarters, while still being a place of freedom; and when death came--a young heretic, The twin of the god of sleep, rather than a bony, unpleasant Christian—she's like a well-fed reveler getting ready to leave, smiling meaninglessly and with no remorse.The new changes removed some clumsy furnishings, and quickly made Miss Ley's living room more elegant and more distinctive: these collected works of art made the room more beautifully arranged; at the same time, her friends We were not surprised to see that, as in her own flat, Miss Ley had placed the carved straight chair between two sets of windows, and had carefully arranged the furniture so that the ladies of the room The host, who is also part of the aesthetic scheme, commands and manipulates her guests with ease.

Soon after Miss Ley settled comfortably, she wrote a letter to an old friend and distant relative, Algernon Langton, the dean of Tkenbury, inviting him and his daughter to visit her new home; Miss Ton replied that they would be happy to go and expected to arrive on a Thursday morning.Miss Ley, however, did not entertain her relatives with particular enthusiasm, for she wished, on a whim, to prevent the display of affection; yet, unlike the kind and polite contempt with which most clergymen were treated, she managed to She respects her cousin Algernon from the bottom of her heart. This is a tall old man, dressed in simple clothes, with a slightly bent back, very white hair, and pale skin that is almost transparent; his eyes are slightly melancholy in the cold, but they are extraordinarily gentle.Mr. Algernon's demeanor was dignified, and at the same time his infinite familiarity reminded one of those old and famous clergy whose names were permanently inscribed in some famous Church of England; Birth shaped all this, and whether gentleman or courtier, like them, his classical accomplishments may have been more important than his biblical learning.And even though he was somewhat narrow-minded and unwilling to adopt a modern way of thinking, his aesthetic taste and Christian refinement attracted him countless admiration, sometimes even admiration.Miss Ley, who delighted in observing the most diverse tendencies (for no one way of life or thought was inherently more valuable in her doubtful mind than any other) admired his grandeur and natural simplicity. Appreciation, when I was with him, I actually had a tolerance that I didn't usually have.

"Ah, Polly," said the presiding minister, "I think, now that you are a rich woman, you will give up those futile pursuits that are hard to come by. You will settle down and become a people respected by society." "You don't need to say that my hair is grayer and my wrinkles more pronounced than when you last saw me." Miss Ley had changed as little as the statue of Agrippina in the Naples museum in the past twenty years.Like Agrippina, she has a wrinkled face and an expression of extreme contempt for the world. The queen obtained her extraordinary behavior from the manipulation of the crowd, while Miss Ley obtained her extraordinary behavior from the manipulation of herself. These.

"But you're right, Algernon," she added, "I'm getting old, and I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever have the courage to sell everything I hold dear. I don't think I'll be able to face this utter loneliness , the kind of solitude that I used to like when I don’t have anything that belongs to me except the clothes on my body.” "You have a pretty decent income!" "Yes, thank God! There is no luxury of liberty at all on an income of less than five hundred pounds a year; without that money life is but a miserable struggle for a living."

On learning that lunch would not be ready until two o'clock, our presiding pastor left the house, leaving Miss Ley and his daughter behind.Bella Langton had reached the age where she could no longer be politely called a girl, and recently, to her dismay, her father had composed some Latin verse for her fortieth birthday.She was no longer beautiful, nor had the grace of her father as presiding priest: she was a little boxy, her brown hair was pleasant and carefully arranged; Ordinary, but her gray eyes were very kind, and her expression belied the best of mind.Following local fashions for costly cloth, and being influenced by pious virgins who congregate in cathedral cities--Miss Langton's choice of durable and plain cloth often gave a feeling of great expense. Big but out of date.She is clearly a woman who can be relied upon in any emergency.Unimaginable and practical kindness was the most suitable and competent leader of the benevolent spirit of Tuckenbury, and, fully aware of her importance in the church organization, she managed her small group with strict discipline. Small clerical circle - but no shortage of kindness.Despite her zeal and sincere Christian humility, Miss Langton secretly had her own values ​​at heart; for her father not only had a stately office, but came from a good county--where no family The Episcopal Church is notorious, and the father's wife is a governess.Miss Langton would give her last penny to some needy curate and their sick wife, but she would think twice about inviting them to visit her parish; All very kind and friendly, but showing some high society decorum only to people of good quality.

"I have invited many people to see you at dinner," said Miss Ley. "How are these people?" "They sure aren't annoying. Mrs. Barlow Bassett will be bringing her son, and I like her son because he's so sweet. Basil Kent, Barrister, will be coming too, and I like him a lot." because he has the face of a knight in an early Italian painting." "Mary, once you meet a good-looking man, your weakness will be exposed." Miss Langton replied with a smile. "Honey, beauty is the most important thing in the world. When people say men's looks don't matter, it's because they're stupid. I've known men who just got good eyes or a good mouth shape. All the kudos and compliments... and then I invited Mr. and Mrs. Castingyoung; Mr. Castingyoung is a member of parliament, very dull and arrogant, but he is the kind of person who can make people laugh."

Just as he was talking, someone handed him a note. "What a nuisance!" she cried when she had finished. "Mr. Castingyoung has written to say that he will be leaving Parliament very late today, and wishes there was no autumn session. Let him be a philistine who thinks himself indispensable." But now I have to find someone else to fill his place." Miss Ley sat down and wrote a few lines quickly. She rang the bell, and ordered a servant to send the letter to Harley Street at once. "I've got Frank Herrier," Ley explained to Miss Langton, "and he's a fine boy—people are boys at forty these days, and he's ten years away from turning forty." .He's a doctor, and quite famous; he's just recently become an Assistant Physician at St. Luke's Hospital, and he lives in Harley Street, waiting for the patients to call."

"Is he handsome?" asked Miss Langton, laughing. "Not handsome at all, but he's one of the few people I know who really amuses me. You might find him annoying, and you might even want him gone." After saying this evaluation, Miss Ley sat down by the window again in order to let the younger lady relax completely.It was a warm and sunny day, but those yellow or red trees that had the brilliance of early autumn still looked heavy because of the rain last night.The majestic St. James's Park gives people a sense of beauty, with cool and slippery drops of water between the thick leaves and neatly manicured grass; Miss Ley watched all this silently, a little unclear pride, because abundance is a pleasant thing.

"What kind of gift is more suitable for a poet?" Miss Langton asked suddenly. "A rhyme dictionary, of course," replied her friend, laughing, "or a Bradshaw's Guide, to teach them the aesthetic value of common sense." "Don't be joking, Mary. I really want your advice. I know a young man in Tkenbury who writes poetry." "I never met a young man who wasn't a poet. Bella, you're not in love with a pale and passionate curate?" "I'm not in love with anyone," replied Miss Langton, with a blush passing over her cheeks. "At my age, it would be ridiculous. But I'd be happy to tell you about the boy." thing. He's only twenty years old, and he's a clerk in a bank over there."

"Bella," cried Miss Ley--a cry full of derision and horror, "don't you tell me you're flirting with a man who doesn't belong to the upper class! Did your father say anything? See For God's sake, watch out for poetic boys; a woman your age should pray to God every day to keep herself from falling in love with a boy twenty years her junior. That's one of the most common epidemics these days." "His father was a linen manufacturer in Blackstable, and he finished secondary school at the Regis School in Tkenbury, taking almost every scholarship he could get. He was going to Cambridge, but his His father died and he had to work in a bank to make ends meet. It was not easy for him."

"My God, so how did you meet him? Towns with cathedrals are especially exclusive, and I know that unless you notice that someone is really a dignitary, you will refuse to be introduced to you." Miss Ley, never prejudiced, laughed at her cousin's reverence for great families; though her own name was in Burke's curious book, she evidently concealed the fact, as she considered it a matter of interest. A thing that damages one's reputation.In her opinion, the only advantage of having an enviable family background was the ability to laugh wholeheartedly at the precepts of nobility. "He wasn't introduced by someone else," Bella replied sullenly. "I became friends with him by chance." "That sounds very inappropriate, my dear. I hope he at least saved your life in a carriage accident, which is Cupid's favorite trick. He has always been an unimaginative god, and his methods are too It's too commonplace... Don't say that this young man is seducing you on the street!" Bella Langton could not tell Miss Ley the whole story of her acquaintance with Herbert Field, because in a way, the meaning of it existed only in Miss Langton's mind, even her own. They haven't fully recovered yet.She had now reached the embarrassing stage that most unmarried women experience: youth had passed, and the drab middle age was threatening to strike.For a while, she gradually lost her sense of responsibility and seemed to be tired of her daily repetition: dreary days passed without change.She, too, like many others, nameless or famous, began to become distraught, like the fat Spanish explorer Cortez sailing uncharted waters, or others (not a few) who went on dangerous spiritual adventures .Now she began to envy her friends, her companions, who were already mothers of children, and began to regret that she had given up the natural pleasures of being a woman because of her father, and was now alone , always feel very helpless in reality.These feelings depress her, for she has lived only in a finite world, filled with piety and good deeds; and the feelings that tug at her heart seem like temptations of the devil, and she turns to her God Seeking comfort, but finding it in vain.Trying to distract herself with non-stop work, she redoubled her enthusiasm for her charity; instead of books, she made an angry decision: she started Learn Greek.But all to no avail.Instead, new ideas kept coming and going; she was horrified, because it seemed to her that no woman had ever been tortured by these wild and illegal fantasies.Her self-reminders proved futile, as the recurring presence of that proud name in her mind limited her capacity for self-denial, yet, even in the depths of her heart, she believed that she was in Tkenbury. His status means that he must set a good example for all living beings. In the past, Miss Langton was always happy to wander around, but now she can no longer find pleasure in the quiet and closed; the weather-beaten cathedral is very beautiful, but for Miss Langton , can no longer send a message of resignation and hope.She began to love excursions into the country, but the meadows adorned with spring buttercups and the woods with their autumn russet leaves only added to Miss Langton's uneasiness; , she could see the sparkling sea surface not far away, at that moment, the vastness of the sea would always soothe her restless heart.Sometimes, after the sun had set, there would suddenly appear a golden red in the gray stone-colored clouds in the west, causing ripples, like the procession of the goddess of fire; The giant is breaking through the prison walls that block him.At this moment, the sun showed its brilliance, and a huge copper sphere was displayed in front of the eyes of the world.It seems that it is going to break through the darkness and illuminate the whole sky; then, a wide and mysterious fire path is opened on the calm sea, on which, the mysterious and passionate soul of human beings is carried, endlessly to the source of the undying light.Bella Langton whimpered and turned, walking slowly back the way she had come.In the valley before me, the gray houses of Tkenbury clustered around the high cathedral, but the ancient beauty of the cathedral deeply hurt Miss Langton's heart. Soon, spring came.The field is full of flowers, like a warm carpet, on which Messer Perugino's angels with delicate feet can even walk gracefully. Facing this beautiful scenery, Lan Miss Ton could bear the pain no longer; and in every hedgerow and tree the birds sang an infinite variety of songs about the beauty of life, the beauty of the rain, and the splendor of the sun.They all told her that the world was young and beautiful, but human time was so short that each moment should be lived as if it were the last. When a friend invited her to spend a month in Brittany, Miss Langton, tired of her ennui, eagerly agreed.Traveling soothes her inner grief, and the weariness of the journey relieves her pain, allowing her to start adjusting to things that aren't quite as comfortable.Two women would stroll along the rolling shore.They stayed at Carnac, but those mysterious ancient stones only showed the nothingness of life; people came and went, with hope and longing, and made that vague belief a mystery for the future; and then they went to Le Fave , where there is the ruined church of St. Fiaquel, whose painted windows glisten like jewels in the sun: but the unending fascination of these scenes has nothing to do with the longing for life and the love that quickens the passage of time.They passed Prugstahl and St. Trogonek's chapel; those eerie passages lined with stones (a people bowing their heads to guilt before the effort of the good), and a patch of the western sky The grayness made her feel very depressed: they only showed the despair of death and the grave, but she was full of expectations, expectations that she could not explain herself.In a mystical way, she seemed unaware that she was sailing a dark and silent sea where the common-sense rules of life were of no use.After this trip, instead of fulfilling her purpose, she added to her troubles; she began to long for work so badly that she returned to Tkenbury.