Chapter 2 Chapter 2 The St. Aubis Family
After this tragic upheaval, Aunt Sophie not only became my legal guardian, but took me to live in one of the most charming counties in England.I am very lucky.
Once there, I immediately noticed an unusual atmosphere.When I mentioned it to Aunt Sophie, she said it was the ancient ruins.The ancestors who lived on this land in prehistoric times left indelible traces.
Among the ancient ruins, those huge stones are the main ones.Some people speculate that it stood there before the birth of Jesus, giving it a more sublime color.But this baseless statement is not enough to explain this strange phenomenon.
Harper Green itself is like any other village in England.In the village, there is the "Old Earl's Church" that needs to be restored all the year round; the surroundings are full of greenery: there is a duck pond; opposite there are rows of Tudor-style cottages; there is also a mansion built in the 16th century in the St.
Aunt Sophie's house was not very big, but it was very comfortable.And whenever it is cold, there will be a warm fire in every room.Lily from Cornwall told me she couldn't stand the cold.She and Aunt Sophie thought about it all the time: How to collect more wood and pile up the woodshed to the full.
Just like Meg from London: after leaving her native Cornwall, Lily also stayed at Cedar House.So she knew Meg very well, and I always liked to chat with her about Meg.
"She went with Miss Caroline," Lily said. "I was the luckier one to follow Miss Sophie."
I have written to Meg, but as her writing is not very smooth, I know little so far, except that she wishes me and her the best, and that Somerside is all right.I'm glad I can tell her the new situation; if she has trouble reading the letter herself, I'm sure there must be someone out there who can read it to her.That being the case, I already feel very comforted.
St. Aubie's Mansion and the majestic red brick house - the Big Bell House are two more distinctive buildings in the vicinity.
"It's called that," said Aunt Sophie, "because there's always been a big clock over the porch, high up there, almost touching the roof. It must have been a chapel there. Now the Dorians live there, and they have A girl of your age . . . is an orphan who has lost her parents. She is Mrs. Dourien's niece. Of course there is a family living in St. Aubis's."
"What kind of family?"
"Oh, it's the same name as the mansion... St. Aubie, their family has lived there for generations. The St. Aubie's mansion was built at the end of the sixteenth century, and the Great Bell Mansion was more than a hundred years later."
"And what about the St. Aubis family?"
"They have two children... children! Master Chrissie must not like to be said that about him! He is at least twenty years old, and a very arrogant gentleman. The second child is a woman-Temaris, with gentle An unusual name. Temaris is the same age as you, so I might invite you over for a cup of tea."
"We never had tea with the man who bought the Cedar House."
"Perhaps it was rejected by your mother, my dear."
"She belittled them because of their success."
"Poor Caroline, has been obsessed with the past. No one cares about her past... except herself. The St. Aubis family is the most prominent family here, and the people in the Great Clock House are the second largest family. Born in I, who was in the Cedar House, am now living happily in the Yamanashi House.”
"Sorbus House" is our home, whose name was inspired by the two sorbus trees that line the porch.I like best when Aunt Sophie talks about the village.Lei Fanlun.Although Pastor Heatherington has retired, his "Word" must continue to be preached, so Mulder.Miss Heatherington had to take care of us as well as the house.
"Very strong lady," remarked Aunt Sophie, "poor Levan Lun must have had her."
I'm particularly interested in the rocks a few miles from the Yamanashi House.I met the rocks for the first time that day (for there were no shops in Harp Green) on my way to Sandborough for shopping in Jogabin's carriage with Aunt Sophie.
"Joe, can we stop here for a while?" asked Aunt Sophie.Joe did as she was told.
Standing among these ancient boulders, the unreachable time seems to surround me.I was both happy and excited, and now I understand the feeling of "awe".
Aunt Sophie told me a little about the history of the group of rocks.
"No one really knows," she told me. "Some people think that it was placed by Zhu Yinde priests about 1,700 years ago, before the birth of Jesus. Another theory is: this is an ancient temple. At that time, people had a high degree of worship to heaven. meaning. They say the stones were designed for the projection of the rising and setting sun."
I held her arm tightly, happy to be standing there with her.Back in the carriage, Qiao Jiabin drove us home. I thought a lot about this journey.
Whenever I think of the period of life in the shadow of the Midmercida house, I am very happy with the present situation.
We often visit my mother.She seemed at ease, just unsure of where she was and where she was.
Leaving her always caused me sadness; but, looking at Aunt Sophie, I couldn't deny how much happier our lives would be if Mother were as good as she was.Aunt Sophie was getting more likable every day.
Many of the more mundane details have been arranged—mainly my educational concerns. Aunt Sophie joins Harpgreen's most important event.She is energetic and likes to direct and manage.She organized the church choir, arranged the annual festival and bazaar, and although she and Heatherington sometimes disagreed, they both recognized each other's talents. It is true that the hut where Aunt Sophie lived could not be compared with St. Aubie's Mansion and the Great Bell House, but she grew up in a big mansion and knew the responsibilities and obligations of taking care of village life.Although less influential, I quickly learned that we belonged to the same "high society". Aunt Sophie had described the people who had played an important role in my life to me before meeting them.I knew old Tom, who had been gardener at the St. Aubie's until the rheumatism "took its legs," and sat on a stool all day looking at the duck pond.He once told those sitting aside that his little villa in the park of Saint-Auby was his own "as long as he lived".It sounded like it was a prison that locked him up instead of the love house bestowed upon him by the lord that had once made him proud.People say that if you see Tom, you must say "good day" immediately, or you will be left behind to listen to his old stories. There was poor old Charlie who said "good-bye" to everyone he saw.In addition, there is General Cumming who led the army to suppress the Indian rebellion, and now those major exploits have become a part of his life. Aunt Sophie called them both "the old elders of Greenville".The two of them would gather there, as long as the weather was not bad, said Aunt Sophie; they would always talk about Tom's cottage and rheumatism: when Charlie was there, they would add about the Indian rebels, and they They all listened intently and nodded, as if all this was "new" news. They are all behind the scenes - like a choir.What really interested me the most: the girls my own age—especially the two at Saint-Auby's and the Great Clock. Aunt Sophie said: "Temaris is a bit wild, no wonder. Lord and Mrs. St. Aubie only care about their own lives and never spend time with the children. Of course, they have nurses and nurses... But , the child needs special care from the mother." She looked at me almost wistfully, knowing that my mother was too preoccupied with the "good old days" to love me. "They were a happy couple," she went on, "with endless parties and dances, from London to the Outback. Maybe you'd say so what? Anyway, there was a nanny and Family teacher. Lily thinks this is inappropriate and unnatural. They have a son. Although the child is born and handed over to the servants, I don't think they want to have another child, because it affects the life that Mrs. St. Aubie is pursuing. It's like a shackle... Everyone knows that for a long time, the St. Aubis and his wife often left their son Chris Pai at home and went to the carnival on their own. Chris Pai Didn't join in St. Aubie's exuberant life, and they didn't know him very well. You guessed it! He took care of the nanny who had treated him so well...and her sister, they were always together. Poor Buddha Lola is a little mentally disturbed. Both of them are unmarried and live in a cottage in the mansion. Chris sent a grateful heart and took good care of them. However, you want to know the development of the story! Later, Monsieur dies, people say it's because life's too rotten, they always say that, don't they? Staying up partying, loitering...drinking too much. In many ways, that's what Jonathan St. Aubis said. It's too much, too much, and Mrs. Saint Aubie also has this tendency later. They say she still likes to drink... However, people always like to talk about those right and wrong. Fortunately, when the master died, Chris Pie was past adult At this age, Di Yuan has become organized under his leadership, and he is the best candidate to take over Di Yuan." "He's really good, isn't he?" "Excellent landowner—don't forget his title. Most agree that's just what the old mansion needs; however, there are some who don't speak well of him. He's the landowner of the estate." The son—now is the 'lord of the mansion'." "Is there a mistress in the mansion?" "I think you mean Mrs. St. Aubie--their mother. However, since her husband's death, she has been ill and seldom leaves the park. They are very in love with each other, except for the carousing and spending years with him. , she wants nothing. Krispy was married." "Married?" I asked. "She ran away from him. People weren't surprised by it." "Is she still his wife?" "No. She died in a train accident shortly after arriving in London." "Terrible!" "Some people say that evil comes around, and the pious Joshua Durien of the Great Bell House is convinced of this. There are more well-meaning people who say they can understand the poor girl's eagerness to leave her husband." "It's so dramatic." "Well, it depends on which angle you look at it, my dear. This phenomenon of mixed flavors can be seen in every village. Under the calm appearance, after the wind blows, you may find unexpected things, just Like finding treasure hidden under a rock, ever? Try it and you'll see what I mean." "So Chris Pie was married... but, now single." "That's called a widower. He was too young at the time, and I think the poor girl couldn't get along with him! To be honest, in terms of the reputation of the St. Aubis family, as the master of the mansion, he is invisible. A kind of temptation, perhaps the occurrence of this event will have a deterrent effect on those speculators who are about to make a move." "Tell me about Temaris." "She's what's called an 'inadvertent'. I didn't think they wanted another baby at first, considering that during those few months, Mrs. had to give up her happy life. Anyway, little Chris Pie was seven years old. Temaris was born." "Her birth must have caused them great inconvenience." "Oh, she was fine when she was born, but later, in order not to let her affect their lives, she was handed over to the nanny. It's no wonder she is so self-willed. For these two brothers and sisters, the nanny is their childhood. The world: Master and Madame are strangers to them, and they don't care about their growth. Poor children, they must be very sad. But I also sympathize with Mrs. Saint Aubie, they love each other so much, and he But go ahead and leave her alone in the world. Mulder Hetherington and I both visited her, but she refused. In fact, we didn't want to see her, but Mander said we must go, Mander No one can not listen to De's words." "Should I meet them?" "That's what I'm going to say next. But first I have to tell you about the Douriens at the Great Clock House. It's a wonderful house... set back from the road, red brick, with vertical windows on the windows. Frame, what a pity!" "What a pity?" "It's a pity it's the Dourion family. It's a happy house. I'd love to live there. It's a bit big for me, but I think we can make good use of it. I think Joshua Dourion Just can't forget that it used to be a Quaker chapel, and while it's not really a church, there's hardly any difference between the two. But one can imagine the people there being the kind of... Sin comes from indulgence, It's the Lock to Hell. It's still hanging high in front of the house, and I don't think Joshua Dourion intends to take it down." "Isn't there a girl there? You said she was the same age as me...and Temaris Saint Aubie." "That's right, you look about the same age. Poor girl! Both of her parents died a while ago. Fortunately, she still has her uncle and aunt to rely on." "And I have my aunt to take care of..." She laughed and said, "Hey, honey, don't compare me to Joshua Doleen." "I consider myself very lucky." "God bless you, boy, both of us, we both bring luck to each other. I feel sorry for Rachel growing up in that environment. It's a life of order, you know what I mean! Even the servants It won't be long before Marie Dourion has to take care of their daily life alone - at her husband's behest. Everyone hates Joshua Dourion and Rachel's mother is Marie Dourion's sister. I tell you so much , because if I can arrange your education smoothly, I hope you can have a good understanding of the people, things, and things around you. I want to send you to school...to a good school." "Isn't that expensive?" "We'll figure it out then, probably in another year...not now. Before that, Temaris had a tutor...Miss Raleigh, Rachel also had lessons with her, and she taught every day Do you know my intention to study with Temaris at St. Abby's Mansion?" "you want me……?" Aunt Sophie nodded vigorously. "I haven't got it all set up yet, but soon. I don't see anything wrong, and it shouldn't be hard to get you in. I'll have to ask Mrs. St. Aubie, though she doesn't care too much about the outside world. Agree, she should not object. Next is Joshua Dollion, I think he will agree. Anyway, we will know when the time comes, and I believe there is no problem that cannot be solved. " I'm incredibly excited about the prospect. "It means you have lessons every morning at St. Aubie's, and it's a good thing to study with friends of the same age." At this point, Lily turned her attention to the front door. "Miss Heatherington is here," she said. "Please come in," Aunt Sophie called, turning to me. "You will meet our vicar's daughter—his right-hand man and best advisor, and she wields considerable power in Harpgreen." As soon as she came in, I knew that Aunt Sophie's opinion of her was not exaggerated, and I could see her authority immediately.She is tall and big, with her hair thrown up in a bun on the top of her head, and she wears a small hat decorated with forget-me-nots, and a blouse with a neckline that reaches her chin makes her look more severe: behind her glasses are her pair Brown alert eyes: her teeth protrude a bit: the authority that radiates from her is impossible to ignore. Her eyes fell on me immediately, and I stepped forward. "This is your niece?" she said. "Yes." Aunt Sophie said with a smile. "You're welcome, boy," said Heatherington. "You will be one of us, and you will be happy here." Her tone was firm and unambiguous. "I know." I said. She talked to me a bit, seemed satisfied, and I guess she was trying to get to know me and see what I could do. Aunt Sophie told her that she wished I could join those two girls and study at St Auby's. "Of course, it's a very sensible decision. For Miss Raleigh, whether it's two or three students, it won't affect her teaching quality." Miss Heatherington said. "I shall first seek the consent of Mrs. St. Aubie and Mr. Dorian." I wondered what she would do if they didn't say yes, but it was hard to imagine them going against her. "Okay, Sophie, I have to discuss something with you..." I slipped out of the room, leaving the two of them inside. A few days later, Aunt Sophie told me that the matter of the governess had been settled, and that I would join Temaris and Rachel in my classroom at St. Aubie's.
After careful consideration, Aunt Sophie invited the two of them to tea at Yamanashi House, thinking it would be best to get to know them before I joined them as study partners. I am very excited about this meeting.While waiting in the downstairs living room, I was curious but a little apprehensive. Rachel arrived first, a slender girl with dark hair and large brown eyes.We greeted each other with a dignified, somewhat haughty handshake, while Aunt Sophie smiled. "You and Rachel will get along very well," she said. "Rachel, my niece has just arrived in Harpergreen, would you like to teach her how to jump rope?" Rachel replied with a weak smile, "I'll try to teach her." "Great, now that you know each other, let's sit down and chat!" "You can live in the Great Bell Mansion! I think it is very charming." I opened the topic first. "That house is wonderful," Rachel said, and there was a silence. "It's a real old building, almost as old as St. Abby's," said Aunt Sophie. "Oh, not that grand," Rachel said. "It's charming," insisted Aunt Sophie. "Temaris is late." "Temaris is always late," Rachel said. "Hmph!" Aunt Sophie complained in a low voice. "She wanted to meet you so badly," Rachel told me. "She'll be here soon." She was absolutely right. "Oh dear, here you come!" said Aunt Sophie. "Late, eh!" "Oh, yes!" said the newcomer.She was charming, with beautiful curly hair, sparkling blue eyes, and a small nose that turned up very pleasantly.She looked at me with undisguised curiosity. "You are that 'niece'!" "You are Temaris Saint Aubie?" "Yes, I live in St. Aubie's Park," she said, scanning Aunt Sophie's elegant, tasteful but modest living room with her "eyes of contempt". "How are you?" I asked her coldly. "Good, thank you. What about you?" "Very good." I replied. "You'll join Rachel and me in class." "Yes, I am looking forward to that day." I'm getting used to her averted face and pursed lips, which means maybe after seeing the governess I'll change my mind. She said, "Diarrhea is the best way to enslave children, isn't it? Rachel." Rachel didn't answer, she looked very timid, maybe because she was in awe of Temaris! "Diarrhea man?" I asked. "Dyrrhea, Raleigh, her real name is Alice, but I call her 'Dyrrhea'." "Not because of her looks," Rachel added quickly. "I think so," Temaris retorted. "I start classes on Monday," I told them. "The three of you can have a good chat and get to know each other," said Aunt Sophie. "I'm going to see if the tea is ready." Now I am alone with the two guests. "Now you plan to settle here!" said Temaris. "My mother was sick and she lived in a nursing home very close to here, so I came here." "Rachel's father and mother passed away, so she came here to join her aunt and uncle." "Yes, I know, she lives in the Great Bell Mansion." "It's no better than our home," Tamaris told me. "It's not bad, though." She scanned Aunt Sophie's living room again with that contemptuous look. "We're going to be at school soon," Rachel told me. "I think I should go too." "Then there will be three of us traveling together." Tamaris giggled. "It's great to be in school, it's a pity we're all too young." "Of course we won't always be this young," I said, perhaps answering too quickly, causing Temaris to burst out laughing. "You sound like a dysentery already," she said. "Tell us about your hometown." They listened intently to me, and Lily was bringing in tea just as they were asking me back. "Freddy, do your best to our guest," she said. "I'll leave this responsibility to you. You can learn from each other's experience, support and grow together." After listening to my aunt's words, no matter whether I pour tea or bring refreshments to them, I feel that I am very important. "It's a funny name, isn't it? Rachel," Temaris said. "Freddy! Sounds like a boy's name." "Actually it should be Frederica." "Frederica!!" Her expression was full of contempt. "My name is special. Poor Rachel, your name is so ordinary, don't you think 'Rachel' seems to have something to do with the Bible?" "Yeah, that's right," Rachel said. "I still like 'Tamaris' best, I don't like being called by a boy's name." "So you don't get confused with others." I replied, only to get a burst of laughter from Tamaris. After that we talked about everything without taboo, and it felt like the two of them had accepted me.They told me about the capricious temperament of the dysentery, and how gullible she was, only that the person who caused it must be held accountable: she had a lover who died young of an unknown disease , that's why she's still unmarried, to be a governess to people like Tamaris and Rachel and me, instead of living with her husband and family and having a home of her own. By the end of the tea party, I had lost all fear and felt I could handle Tamaris, but not Rachel.Next Monday, I'm ready to go to St. Abby's Park, right and Alice.Miss Raleigh's meeting was filled with optimistic curiosity.
St. Abby's Mansion is a large Tudor-style mansion, and the bushes in the outer garden on both sides are full of gorgeous flowers.Aunt Sophie and I passed through the fine door and into the cobblestone vestibule.Aunt Sophie explained this trip as: "Introduce this place to you." "Don't let Temaris bully you, she is the kind of person who won't give up when she gets a chance. Don't forget that you are as smart as her," she said.I promised her that she would never give her the opportunity to bully me. A servant ushered us in, saying: "Miss Cattingham, Miss Raleigh is waiting for this young lady!" "Thanks, so shall we go up?" "Great." I replied. The hall is tall and magnificent, with a long dining table surrounded by several chairs, and a full-body photo of Queen Elizabeth on the wall. She is wearing a dress decorated with bird feathers and diamonds, which looks like Quite harsh. "She's been here, and the family has always been proud," said Aunt Sophie softly. She led us up a flight of stairs, and we passed a landing, then more stairs, past a balcony with pairs of sofas, chairs, a harpsichord and a harp, which I doubted Temaris would have played musical instrument.Next is the stairs. "The classroom must be on the top floor of the house, and that's the case with the Cedar Mansion." Aunt Sophie made a conclusion. Finally, we finally arrived.Aunt Sophie knocked on the door and entered the classroom. This classroom became very familiar to me. It was spacious, with a high ceiling, and there was a long table in the middle, where Temaris and Rachel sat.I noticed half-open cupboards filled with books and slates.There is a blackboard at the other end of the classroom.This is a very typical classroom. There was a woman walking straight in my direction, she, of course, was Alice.Miss Raleigh.She was tall and thin, in her early forties, and I noticed the expression on her face, as if she had suffered for a long time, she must have taught Temaris.Consequences for students like St. Oby.This mixed look of melancholy reminded me of what Temaris said, there was a man she loved so much in her life who once made up countless beauties, and... "Miss Raleigh, this is my niece, Freddy...in fact, Frederica." Miss Raleigh looked at me with a smile that changed her, and from that moment on I liked her as a person. "Welcome to join, Frederica, you must introduce yourself well, so that I can know whether you can match the level of the other two students." She said. "I'm sure you'll get along very well. See you later, dear," said Aunt Sophie. She said goodbye to Miss Raleigh and left. Miss Raleigh directed me to sit down, asked me a few questions, seemed satisfied with my responses, and we began our lesson. My desire for knowledge is very strong, and I have been reading books uninterruptedly, so I soon found that my level was not behind the other two students. At eleven a servant came in with a tray on which were three glasses of milk and three plates of biscuits. "I left yours in the room, Miss Raleigh," she said. "Thank you," said Miss Raleigh. "Okay, everyone, take a fifteen-minute break." Temaris made a face behind her back as she left. The hot milk tasted so good, we all ate a biscuit. "Finally free." Temaris concluded. "Is this a daily routine?" I asked. Tamaris nodded. "Eleven: Milk time. Eleven fifteen: Class time until twelve, then you and Rachel can go home." Rachel nodded approvingly. "I suppose you think the house is magnificent," Temaris said to me. “It’s as magnificent as the house my mother grew up in,” I said, feeling overblown. "It's called Xida Mansion, you may have heard of it!" Tamaris shook her head nonchalantly. But I don't buy it, and go on to describe the house—using my imagination, of course, because I've never been inside Cedar House.But I can take what I saw in St. Aubia's garden and move it into Cedar's mansion, and I am sure to make it sound more magnificent and more magnificent. Rachel sat listening intently, seemingly sinking into her chair.She was so fascinated by listening to it, so engrossed. "Of course, Rachel doesn't understand what we're talking about." Temaris said, staring at Rachel. "I understand," Rachel said. "Oh, no, you don't understand, you only lived in the dilapidated house of the Great Bell House: and, before that, I don't know where you came from? Of course you don't know about such a house, do you, Buddha Leddy?" I said, "One doesn't need to live in a house like this to understand these things. And besides, Rachel has classes here every morning, doesn't she?" Rachel looked at me gratefully, and from that moment on, I was determined to protect her.She was small and delicate and looked like a fragile doll. I liked Rachel, but I was skeptical of Temaris. We went on boasting about our house until Miss Raleigh and the servant came in, the servant took the tray away and we started our lessons. I remember having Geography and English Grammar on the first morning, and Miss Raleigh's satisfaction with me was evident because of my good performance in class.It all worked out perfectly until we got home from get out of class. At that time, Rachel and I were going in the direction of the Yamanashi House, because the Big Bell House and the Yamanashi House are not far away. Miss Raleigh looked at me kindly with a smile on her face and said: She is very happy with my joining and believes that I am the most ideal student in her mind.Then she headed off to what she called her "study" - just next door to the classroom. Temaris came downstairs with us. "Huh!" she pushed me, and said, "I can see you're going to be a little pet of the dysentery, licking her toes, Freddie Heyman. 'I believe you're my ideal." student.'" She imitated Miss Raleigh. "I don't like sycophants," she added maliciously. "I was born that way," I said. "I like Miss Raleigh. As long as I want to, of course I can be her ideal student. She needs at least one." Then I looked at Rachel who I swore to protect, and I went on: "...or two indivual." "Nerds! I hate nerds the most." Temaris said. "I came here to learn, and this is our duty, otherwise, what are you doing here?" "Look how serious she is!" Temaris said to Rachel. Rachel stared straight at the floor. She had no doubt been bullied by Temaris, but she swallowed her humiliation in return for Saint Aubie's kindness—for giving her the opportunity to learn.However, these courses are arranged by adults and have nothing to do with Temaris, and I have no intention of pandering to her. Temaris decided to drop the subject, and I learned her quick-coming, quick-going temper.She can insult you one minute and make up with you and be friends the next.It was clear to me that she was delighted to have me on board: the fact that she enjoyed having me as a rival broke Rachel's usual meekness and resignation. When we got to the wide stairwell, there was a man just downstairs waiting to go upstairs. "Hello, Chris Pie," said Temaris. Chris Pie!I thought to myself: This is her brother!The "Lord of the Garden" in people's minds. He was exactly as described by Aunt Sophie, tall and thin, with dark hair and a pair of light gray eyes...cold eyes...as if he despised the world. It looks like it just came in from the outside. He just nodded in acceptance at his sister's greeting, glanced quickly over Rachel and me, and ran up the stairs past us. "He's my brother, Chrispie," said Temaris. "I know, you just called his name." "It's all his," she said, spreading her arms proudly. "He doesn't pay much attention to you!" "That's why you're here." The next thing I heard was his voice, a voice that could be heard far and wide. He said, "Who is that nondescript kid?" He was chatting with the people upstairs. "I suppose it's the new guy!" he added. Tamaris restrained herself, not daring to laugh, but I felt that the blood in my whole body was rushing to my face in an instant, and it was hot.I know I'm not as attractive as Temaris, or as pretty as Rachel, but..."a non-distinctive kid"!I resentfully felt that I was so sad and ashamed. "Well, he does want to know who you are. Besides, this is his house, and you're the nondescript kid," Temaris said.She really doesn't have much respect for other people's inner feelings. I said, "I don't care, Miss Raleigh likes me, my Aunt Sophie likes me, and I don't care what your rude brother thinks." "It's just a fact, it's definitely not disrespectful, 'truth never dies'... that's what it should be said! You're smart, and you know it, because you're the mangy man's little pet." We walked to the door, and Temaris said without hatred, "See you tomorrow." Walking home with Rachel, I thought to myself: I'm nothing special. I never thought of it, and now I have to face it plainly. Rachel was on my arm, she'd been through this humiliation herself, so she understood how I felt, and I was grateful for her silence, thinking as I walked: I'm nothing special. We have arrived at the Great Bell House, which looks very charming in the bright sun.As we moved forward, a middle-aged man stepped out the door. His ginger hair was thickly piled on top, the patches around his temples had faded to silver gray, and his short beard looked like The thorns that grow on the face are generally sharp. I noticed that his hand on the door was covered with ginger hair, his mouth was set in a tight line, and his small eyes sparkled. "Good day, you're the new guy who lives in the Yamanashi House and takes classes at St. Aubie's," he said, keeping his eyes on me. "This is my uncle," Rachel said quietly. "Good afternoon, Mr. Dourion," I said. 他点点头，用舌头舔湿他的嘴唇，突然间一阵不知名的嫌恶之感涌上我的心头，我很纳闷，但又无法否认。 瑞琪儿的态度也变了，她看起来有点怕：不过我想她大概天生如此吧！ “上帝保佑你。”杜利恩先生说，眼睛依然直盯着我看。 我和他们道别，然后往山梨之屋方向离去。 苏菲姨妈和莉莉正在那儿等我，午餐也已摆在桌上。 “嗯，怎么样？”苏菲姨妈问道。 “非常好。” “很好，我就说嘛，是吧？莉莉。我猜你一定把她们俩个比下去了。” “我也这么觉得。”莉莉说。 “罗利小姐好像觉得我还不错，说她很高兴能够教到我这样的学生。” 她们俩相互换了个眼神，然后莉莉说“我花整个早上的时间精心准备好午餐，可别等到菜凉了才吃。” 我们坐在餐桌前，而她则开始上菜，我没什么胃口，吃不多。 “所以，今天早上算得上刺激了。”苏菲姨妈说。 我很高兴能逃回房间躲起来。盯着镜子，我心里想着：没特色！哎，没错。虽然我的头发又直又多，但颜色却太深了：泰玛莉丝的头发卷卷的，颜色又很漂亮，瑞琪儿的波浪也很美。我的脸颊光滑但太苍白了，我淡棕色的眼睛，配上长但不起眼的棕色睫毛。我的鼻子太大且嘴巴太宽了。 苏菲姨妈进来时，我正看着我的脸。她坐在床上。 “最好告诉我，发生什么事了？不是都很顺利吗？”她问道。 “你是指上课吗？” “我是指一切。是不是泰玛莉丝找你的麻烦？我不会感到惊讶的。” "I can handle her." “我想也是。她像是个吹了气的气球，把空气泄出来，她的锐气就不再了。可怜的泰玛莉丝，她无法过着正常的童年生活。好了，到底怎么回事？” “是……她哥哥。” “泰玛莉丝的哥哥，克里斯派！他怎么会卷进这里面呢？” “我们出来时，他正好在大厅。” “他对你说了什么？” “他什么也没对我说……但，说了有关我的事。” 她不可置信地看着我。我解释那短暂的巧遇及他如何说“那个没特色的孩子是谁……？” “那个下流的小人！你不需要把这种人说的话放在心上，不值得。” “但他说得一点也没错，我的确毫无特色。” “乱讲，你不需要听这种无意义的话。” “但，那是事实。我不像泰玛莉丝和瑞琪儿般漂亮。” “孩子，你拥有比漂亮更重要的东西，一种很吸引人、很特别的气质，这才是重点，我很庆幸你是我的侄女，除了你，我谁也不要。” "real?" "of course it's true." “我的鼻子太大了。” “那才算是真正的鼻子。不像那些小家子气的鼻子，看起来好像才刚被黏上去似的。” 我失声大笑，她则继续说：“大鼻子才有个性，我真希望自己也有个大鼻子！” 我说：“苏菲姨妈，您的鼻子并不小。” “你父亲的鼻子生得好，而他将它传给你，他是我见过最帅的男人。你有一双明亮……且充满感情的眼睛，你的心全映在里面，这就是眼睛的功能……当然了，还有看清事物。别担心，说这种话的人，通常都未曾思考过，他当时匆匆忙忙的，这就是为什么他会这么说的原因了：他一定没看清楚嘛！” “他只不过看了我一眼。” “这就是了，他对任何人都可能下同样的评论。如果你没特色，那我不就成了拿破仑了吗？就是这样！” 我无法忍住不笑，亲爱的苏菲姨妈！她又一次地解救了我。
因此，从星期一到星期五，每天早上我都固定到圣奥比邸园去。我已习惯在大钟宅门口和瑞琪儿碰面，然后一起相伴到邸园，我成了瑞琪儿的头目，我俩编列为同一国和泰玛莉丝对抗。 但，我还是忘不了克里斯派对我下的评论，它对我产生很大的影响。苏菲姨妈清楚地告诉我：我并不是没特色，我的头发很美，她坚持地说。虽然有点太多，但很好，我每天都把它梳得光亮柔顺，然后让它散在肩上，一改往日保守的辫子作风，确定我没把衣服弄绉。泰玛莉丝将一切看在眼里，虽然没下评论，但，她却笑得很神秘。 她对我很友善，有时我认为她试着想取得我的支持，好让我和瑞琪儿瓦解，我对这种奉承感到受宠若惊。 我很少见到克里斯派，即使有，通常距离也都很远。很明显的，他对他的妹妹及她的同伴并不感兴趣。 苏菲姨妈说得一点也没错，他的确是个“下流的小人”，找对这点深信不疑。 他想让人们崇拜他的地位，但是他却不在乎苏菲姨妈或我是否崇拜他。 有一天，由于我提早到和瑞琪儿相约的地方，所以她并没在那儿等，因为看到大门是开着的，于是我便走入前庭，坐在椅子上等她。 我双眼凝视着大宅，它的确很庄严华丽，甚至此圣奥比更具吸引力。它应该是个充满快乐、温暖的房子，但事实则不然。泰玛莉丝从小就被家人忽视，且由保姆带大，但也许除此之外一切都很正常。瑞琪儿胆子很小……好像畏惧着什么似的，我觉得可能和这房子有关。 也许我是个浪漫主义者，梅格说我是个爱做梦的小妮子，总爱替别人编故事…… 而其中大半和事实毫无关联。 突然间，我背后有声音响起。 “早安，亲爱的。” 是瑞琪儿的姨丈，杜利恩先生。我突然有股强烈的冲动想立刻站起来，从他身边逃开。他的声音听起来很和善，但，为什么我会有这种反应？ “你在等瑞琪儿吗？” “是的。”我边说边站起来，因为他正准备坐在我旁边，他把手放在我手臂上，拉我回座位上。 他很专注地看着我。“你喜欢上罗利小姐的课吗？” “喜欢，谢谢你的关心。” “很好……非常好。” 他坐的地方离我相当近。 “我们再不走就要迟到了。”我说。 然后我看到瑞琪儿从屋子里走出来，谢天谢地。 “对不起，我迟到了。”瑞琪儿说道，而且她注意到了她姨丈也在场。 “你害弗雷德莉卡在这儿等。”她姨丈温和地谴责她。 “是我的错，抱歉。” “快走吧。”我一心一意急着想离开。 “做个乖女孩，上帝会保佑你们的。”杜利恩先生说。 我看到他的眼睛在我们背后直盯着我们离去的身影，不知道为什么，但是他的确使我感到毛骨悚然。 瑞琪儿什么话也没说，但她经常那么安静，不过，不知什么原因使我相信她能了解我的感受。 有关杜利恩先生不愉快的回忆的确干扰了我一阵子，而我也试着忘记它。所以之后我都在外面等瑞琪儿，不敢再越入前庭内。 罗利小姐和我处得相当融洽，而我也很高兴能成为她最喜爱的学生，她说我反应灵敏。我们分享彼此对诗的爱好，一起分析、讨论，这时瑞琪儿脸上总会露出不知所云、茫茫然的表隋，而泰玛莉丝则是一副穷极无聊的样子，好似我们的讨论丝毫引不起她的注意。 罗利小姐说，若泰玛莉丝能邀请我和瑞琪儿一块喝个茶，那该有多好。 “泰玛莉丝，你觉得呢？”她问道。 “我无所谓。”泰玛莉丝很不客气地回答。 “太好了，那我们就来开个小茶会。” 当我告诉苏菲姨妈时，她看起来很开心。 “除了那间旧教堂外，那房子还有很多值得你看的。”她下了个评论。 “你会有很多收获的。我很高兴看到你和罗利小姐成了朋友，她是个通晓事理的女人，知道你比她们两个聪明得多。” “也许我长得没那么好看，但是我的学习能力比她们来得快。” “胡说！我是说前面那句是胡说，而后面那段是事实。亲爱的，抬起你的脸，你必须先要有自信，这样别人才会对你有信心。” 于是我出席了，茶会里有精致的三明治及美味的樱桃蛋糕，罗利小姐说：身为女主人，泰玛莉丝应想些点子娱乐我们这些客人。但泰玛莉丝的行为举止和平常没什么两样。 听说泰玛莉丝近来在她母亲健康状况准许下，都会在四点半去探望她，罗利小姐事先已问过圣奥比夫人，是否同意和她女儿的同学们见见面，出乎罗利小姐的意料，她马上就答应了，并说她的精神还不错，只是会面时间不宜太久。 就这样，我见到了这邸园的女主人——泰玛莉丝和克里斯派的母亲。 罗利小姐带领我们进去。 圣奥比夫人身上穿的薄绸睡衣是淡紫色、半透明且上面缀有缎带；她当时正躺在沙发上休息，沙发旁有个桌子，桌上有一盒硬糖：虽然她有点太过丰满，不过在那一头金发的陪衬下——发色和泰玛莉丝的一模一样——她看起来非常美丽：她的颈子上有钻石组成的垂饰，手指上也戴有同样的宝石，灿烂夺目。 她没精打采地看着我们，然后目光闪闪地落在我身上。“圣奥比夫人，这位是弗雷德莉卡，卡汀汉小姐的侄女。”罗利小姐说。 她指示我走近一点。 “听说你母亲病了。”她说。 "yes." 她点点头说：“我非常……了解这种事。她现在应该是在疗养院了吧？” I say yes." She sighed. “这真的太不幸了，可怜的孩子，我们必须好好聊聊。” 我正打算说话时，她又接着加了一句：“改天……等到我的精神好些时。” 罗利小姐把手放在我肩上，将我拉开，我明白引起圣奥比夫人兴趣的是我母亲的疾病，而不是我。 过没多久，我就想离开这个房间，而罗利小姐似乎也有同感，她说：“圣奥比夫人，您一定累了吧！” 圣奥比夫人顺从地点点头。 “这位是瑞琪儿，她和弗雷德莉卡是好朋友。”罗利小姐说。 “很好。” “她们都是好孩子。泰玛莉丝跟你母亲说再见……还有你们俩……” 我们带着解脱的心情，照着她的话做。 我心想：这个家真是有够奇怪的了，不过至少圣奥比夫人不像她的儿女般坏，记得苏菲姨妈说，她曾在狂欢中过日子，除了享受生活外，她并不在乎任何事。如今的状况对她而言一定很难适应，不过我想到，也许她也享受这些，穿着有蕾丝的薄绸，躺在沙发椅上，受疾病煎熬的日子。 人是很奇怪的动物。 泰玛莉丝和我之间的战况也变得较友善了，她总想在各方面比我强，老实说我也乐在其中。她对我的尊重比对瑞琪儿多多了，每当我和她顶嘴时——常有的事，她看起来也很享受我们之间的文字大战。她对瑞琪儿的轻视是毫不保留的：但，我想在某方面她很崇拜我。 有时，我们会花整个下午的时间，在圣奥比广大的领地上逛，她喜欢用高傲的态度指出所有特殊的目标，也因此我有机会拜访佛萝拉和露西．莲。 她们的小屋离圣奥比邸园不远，她说：她们俩曾都是克里斯派的保姆。 “人们总是和老保姆有份特殊的感情，”她继续说：“尤其是在他们的父母不大关心子女时。虽然坎普顿老奶奶总是生气地对我说：'别这样！'，但，我还是很喜欢她。克里斯派很关心露西．莲，多奇怪的姓！我想他可能不记得佛萝拉了，起先是她照顾他，后来她发癫，就由露西接下来做。他将她们俩照顾得很好，你没想到克里斯派会这么细心吧？” “我不知道，我还没真正见过他呢！”我说。 每当我提起他的名字时——当然了，这情形并不多——我的声调听起来总是冷冷的，想起当初他问起：“那个没特色的孩子是谁？”的声音。 “她们就住在这小屋里，本来露西也该是我的保姆，但，我出生时她的母亲正好去世，所以她得照顾她妹妹，佛萝拉需要有人看着她，她老是做那些奇怪的事。” "What things?" “她总是带着娃娃四处游走，把它当成婴儿，我还听过她唱歌给它听，她常坐在屋子后面的花园里，对着临近矮小的桑树说话。露西不喜欢人们和她说话，她说这会使她变得很沮丧，我们去拜访她们，这样你就可以看到她了。” “她们会欢迎我们吗？” “这有什么关系？她们住在圣奥比的土地上，不是吗？” “这是她们的家，而且是你哥哥送给她们的，也许她们应享有自己的隐私权。” “呕，呕，呕”泰玛莉丝嘲笑地说：“不论如何，我就是要进去。” 我也不再坚持，和她进去了。 小屋孤孤单单地立在那儿，前面有个小花园，泰玛莉丝打开大门向小径走去，而我则跟在后面。 “有人在家吗？”她大喊着。 一个女人走出来，我一眼就猜出她是露西．莲小姐。她的头发已渐转灰了，而脸上流露出的不安神情，看起来像是经年累月刻上去的，她身上穿着整洁的灰色衬衫及灰色裙子。 “我带弗雷德莉卡．海曼来见你们。”泰玛莉丝说。 “噢，你真好，请进。”露西．莲说。 我们进入小小的客厅，不过规模虽小，却也有条有理，窗明几净。 “原来你就是邸园新来的学生，卡汀汉小姐的侄女？”露西．莲看着我说。 "Yes." I replied. “并且和泰玛莉丝一起上课，这真是太好了。” 我们坐下来。 “佛萝拉今天好吗？”泰玛莉丝问道，她很失望我无法和她见面。 “她在房里，我不想打扰她。小姐，你喜欢哈普葛林吗？” “非常喜欢。”我告诉她。 “你可怜的母亲……我知道，她生病了。” 我同意她的说法，也猜她接下来会说：“幸好。”不过她却出乎意料地说：“欧……人生中无法事事如意。” 泰玛莉丝开始觉得无聊了。“不知道我们能不能和佛萝拉打个招呼。”她说。 露西看起来很惶恐，我确定她正要回绝我们的请求。就在同时，房间的门突然打开了，门槛里站着一个女人。 由她和露西之间明显可见的相似点，我知道她一定就是佛萝拉；不过，露西看来已全副武装，进入警觉状态，而佛萝拉却睁着她困惑的大眼，好像在找什么不存在的东西似的，她的手里抱着一个洋娃娃，这种情景在一个中年妇女身上看到，是颇为奇怪的。 “哈罗，佛萝拉，我来看你了，这位是弗雷德莉卡．海曼。”泰玛莉丝说。 我说：“我叫弗雷德莉卡。弗雷德莉卡．海曼。” 佛萝拉点点头，目光由泰玛莉丝身上转向我。 “佛莱迪和我们一起上课。”泰玛莉丝继续说。 “佛萝拉，你是不是该回房了？”露西紧张地问。 佛萝拉摇摇头，低下头看着洋娃娃说：“他今天不大安稳，长牙齿的关系。” “这是个小男孩，对吧？”泰玛莉丝说。 佛萝拉坐下来，把娃娃放在腿上，温柔地看着它。 “他的午睡时间不是到了吗？”露西问道。“来，我们上楼去吧！真是抱歉。”她对我们说。 她紧紧地挽着佛萝拉的手，将她带走。 泰玛莉丝用手指着头，看着我。 她低声说：“我告诉你，她疯了，露西试着想为她隐瞒……不过，她真的是精神错乱。” “可怜的女人！这对她们俩来说都很悲哀。我想我们也该走了，她们不想看到我们在这里，我们不该来的。”我说。 “好吧，我只想带你来见见佛萝拉。”泰玛莉丝说。 “我们得等到露西下来才能走。” 于是我们在那儿等。 我们走回去的路上，泰玛莉丝问我觉得怎样。 “真可悲，那个姊姊——露西，她是姊姊吧？”泰玛莉丝点点头。“她真的很担心她发疯的妹妹，真可怕，居然能把洋娃娃看成婴儿。” “她把它当成克里斯派……克里斯派当时只是个婴儿！” “不知为何她会变成如此？” “我没想过这点，那是好久好久以前的事了，当时他只是个婴儿，后来九岁时他便离家出外求学了。他一直很喜欢露西，她的父亲因为曾是我们家的园丁，所以一直住在那幢小屋内，他在露西返乡前便去逝了。原先她在北方工作；她父亲死后，母亲还住在小屋里，所以她便回来了；接下来没多久，佛萝拉发疯了，于是露西就成了克里斯派的保姆。” “即使她们俩都不再替圣奥比家工作，但克里斯派能留她们在这里，到底是件好事。” “他很喜欢露西，大部分的人对保姆都有份特殊之情，而她就是他的保姆。” 在回家的途中，我不断想起那个将洋娃娃误认为克里斯派，抱着它到处晃的怪女人。 很难想像那个骄傲自大的男人，曾是个小小的婴儿。
Many of the more mundane details have been arranged—mainly my educational concerns. Aunt Sophie joins Harpgreen's most important event.She is energetic and likes to direct and manage.She organized the church choir, arranged the annual festival and bazaar, and although she and Heatherington sometimes disagreed, they both recognized each other's talents. It is true that the hut where Aunt Sophie lived could not be compared with St. Aubie's Mansion and the Great Bell House, but she grew up in a big mansion and knew the responsibilities and obligations of taking care of village life.Although less influential, I quickly learned that we belonged to the same "high society". Aunt Sophie had described the people who had played an important role in my life to me before meeting them.I knew old Tom, who had been gardener at the St. Aubie's until the rheumatism "took its legs," and sat on a stool all day looking at the duck pond.He once told those sitting aside that his little villa in the park of Saint-Auby was his own "as long as he lived".It sounded like it was a prison that locked him up instead of the love house bestowed upon him by the lord that had once made him proud.People say that if you see Tom, you must say "good day" immediately, or you will be left behind to listen to his old stories. There was poor old Charlie who said "good-bye" to everyone he saw.In addition, there is General Cumming who led the army to suppress the Indian rebellion, and now those major exploits have become a part of his life. Aunt Sophie called them both "the old elders of Greenville".The two of them would gather there, as long as the weather was not bad, said Aunt Sophie; they would always talk about Tom's cottage and rheumatism: when Charlie was there, they would add about the Indian rebels, and they They all listened intently and nodded, as if all this was "new" news. They are all behind the scenes - like a choir.What really interested me the most: the girls my own age—especially the two at Saint-Auby's and the Great Clock. Aunt Sophie said: "Temaris is a bit wild, no wonder. Lord and Mrs. St. Aubie only care about their own lives and never spend time with the children. Of course, they have nurses and nurses... But , the child needs special care from the mother." She looked at me almost wistfully, knowing that my mother was too preoccupied with the "good old days" to love me. "They were a happy couple," she went on, "with endless parties and dances, from London to the Outback. Maybe you'd say so what? Anyway, there was a nanny and Family teacher. Lily thinks this is inappropriate and unnatural. They have a son. Although the child is born and handed over to the servants, I don't think they want to have another child, because it affects the life that Mrs. St. Aubie is pursuing. It's like a shackle... Everyone knows that for a long time, the St. Aubis and his wife often left their son Chris Pai at home and went to the carnival on their own. Chris Pai Didn't join in St. Aubie's exuberant life, and they didn't know him very well. You guessed it! He took care of the nanny who had treated him so well...and her sister, they were always together. Poor Buddha Lola is a little mentally disturbed. Both of them are unmarried and live in a cottage in the mansion. Chris sent a grateful heart and took good care of them. However, you want to know the development of the story! Later, Monsieur dies, people say it's because life's too rotten, they always say that, don't they? Staying up partying, loitering...drinking too much. In many ways, that's what Jonathan St. Aubis said. It's too much, too much, and Mrs. Saint Aubie also has this tendency later. They say she still likes to drink... However, people always like to talk about those right and wrong. Fortunately, when the master died, Chris Pie was past adult At this age, Di Yuan has become organized under his leadership, and he is the best candidate to take over Di Yuan." "He's really good, isn't he?" "Excellent landowner—don't forget his title. Most agree that's just what the old mansion needs; however, there are some who don't speak well of him. He's the landowner of the estate." The son—now is the 'lord of the mansion'." "Is there a mistress in the mansion?" "I think you mean Mrs. St. Aubie--their mother. However, since her husband's death, she has been ill and seldom leaves the park. They are very in love with each other, except for the carousing and spending years with him. , she wants nothing. Krispy was married." "Married?" I asked. "She ran away from him. People weren't surprised by it." "Is she still his wife?" "No. She died in a train accident shortly after arriving in London." "Terrible!" "Some people say that evil comes around, and the pious Joshua Durien of the Great Bell House is convinced of this. There are more well-meaning people who say they can understand the poor girl's eagerness to leave her husband." "It's so dramatic." "Well, it depends on which angle you look at it, my dear. This phenomenon of mixed flavors can be seen in every village. Under the calm appearance, after the wind blows, you may find unexpected things, just Like finding treasure hidden under a rock, ever? Try it and you'll see what I mean." "So Chris Pie was married... but, now single." "That's called a widower. He was too young at the time, and I think the poor girl couldn't get along with him! To be honest, in terms of the reputation of the St. Aubis family, as the master of the mansion, he is invisible. A kind of temptation, perhaps the occurrence of this event will have a deterrent effect on those speculators who are about to make a move." "Tell me about Temaris." "She's what's called an 'inadvertent'. I didn't think they wanted another baby at first, considering that during those few months, Mrs. had to give up her happy life. Anyway, little Chris Pie was seven years old. Temaris was born." "Her birth must have caused them great inconvenience." "Oh, she was fine when she was born, but later, in order not to let her affect their lives, she was handed over to the nanny. It's no wonder she is so self-willed. For these two brothers and sisters, the nanny is their childhood. The world: Master and Madame are strangers to them, and they don't care about their growth. Poor children, they must be very sad. But I also sympathize with Mrs. Saint Aubie, they love each other so much, and he But go ahead and leave her alone in the world. Mulder Hetherington and I both visited her, but she refused. In fact, we didn't want to see her, but Mander said we must go, Mander No one can not listen to De's words." "Should I meet them?" "That's what I'm going to say next. But first I have to tell you about the Douriens at the Great Clock House. It's a wonderful house... set back from the road, red brick, with vertical windows on the windows. Frame, what a pity!" "What a pity?" "It's a pity it's the Dourion family. It's a happy house. I'd love to live there. It's a bit big for me, but I think we can make good use of it. I think Joshua Dourion Just can't forget that it used to be a Quaker chapel, and while it's not really a church, there's hardly any difference between the two. But one can imagine the people there being the kind of... Sin comes from indulgence, It's the Lock to Hell. It's still hanging high in front of the house, and I don't think Joshua Dourion intends to take it down." "Isn't there a girl there? You said she was the same age as me...and Temaris Saint Aubie." "That's right, you look about the same age. Poor girl! Both of her parents died a while ago. Fortunately, she still has her uncle and aunt to rely on." "And I have my aunt to take care of..." She laughed and said, "Hey, honey, don't compare me to Joshua Doleen." "I consider myself very lucky." "God bless you, boy, both of us, we both bring luck to each other. I feel sorry for Rachel growing up in that environment. It's a life of order, you know what I mean! Even the servants It won't be long before Marie Dourion has to take care of their daily life alone - at her husband's behest. Everyone hates Joshua Dourion and Rachel's mother is Marie Dourion's sister. I tell you so much , because if I can arrange your education smoothly, I hope you can have a good understanding of the people, things, and things around you. I want to send you to school...to a good school." "Isn't that expensive?" "We'll figure it out then, probably in another year...not now. Before that, Temaris had a tutor...Miss Raleigh, Rachel also had lessons with her, and she taught every day Do you know my intention to study with Temaris at St. Abby's Mansion?" "you want me……?" Aunt Sophie nodded vigorously. "I haven't got it all set up yet, but soon. I don't see anything wrong, and it shouldn't be hard to get you in. I'll have to ask Mrs. St. Aubie, though she doesn't care too much about the outside world. Agree, she should not object. Next is Joshua Dollion, I think he will agree. Anyway, we will know when the time comes, and I believe there is no problem that cannot be solved. " I'm incredibly excited about the prospect. "It means you have lessons every morning at St. Aubie's, and it's a good thing to study with friends of the same age." At this point, Lily turned her attention to the front door. "Miss Heatherington is here," she said. "Please come in," Aunt Sophie called, turning to me. "You will meet our vicar's daughter—his right-hand man and best advisor, and she wields considerable power in Harpgreen." As soon as she came in, I knew that Aunt Sophie's opinion of her was not exaggerated, and I could see her authority immediately.She is tall and big, with her hair thrown up in a bun on the top of her head, and she wears a small hat decorated with forget-me-nots, and a blouse with a neckline that reaches her chin makes her look more severe: behind her glasses are her pair Brown alert eyes: her teeth protrude a bit: the authority that radiates from her is impossible to ignore. Her eyes fell on me immediately, and I stepped forward. "This is your niece?" she said. "Yes." Aunt Sophie said with a smile. "You're welcome, boy," said Heatherington. "You will be one of us, and you will be happy here." Her tone was firm and unambiguous. "I know." I said. She talked to me a bit, seemed satisfied, and I guess she was trying to get to know me and see what I could do. Aunt Sophie told her that she wished I could join those two girls and study at St Auby's. "Of course, it's a very sensible decision. For Miss Raleigh, whether it's two or three students, it won't affect her teaching quality." Miss Heatherington said. "I shall first seek the consent of Mrs. St. Aubie and Mr. Dorian." I wondered what she would do if they didn't say yes, but it was hard to imagine them going against her. "Okay, Sophie, I have to discuss something with you..." I slipped out of the room, leaving the two of them inside. A few days later, Aunt Sophie told me that the matter of the governess had been settled, and that I would join Temaris and Rachel in my classroom at St. Aubie's.
After careful consideration, Aunt Sophie invited the two of them to tea at Yamanashi House, thinking it would be best to get to know them before I joined them as study partners. I am very excited about this meeting.While waiting in the downstairs living room, I was curious but a little apprehensive. Rachel arrived first, a slender girl with dark hair and large brown eyes.We greeted each other with a dignified, somewhat haughty handshake, while Aunt Sophie smiled. "You and Rachel will get along very well," she said. "Rachel, my niece has just arrived in Harpergreen, would you like to teach her how to jump rope?" Rachel replied with a weak smile, "I'll try to teach her." "Great, now that you know each other, let's sit down and chat!" "You can live in the Great Bell Mansion! I think it is very charming." I opened the topic first. "That house is wonderful," Rachel said, and there was a silence. "It's a real old building, almost as old as St. Abby's," said Aunt Sophie. "Oh, not that grand," Rachel said. "It's charming," insisted Aunt Sophie. "Temaris is late." "Temaris is always late," Rachel said. "Hmph!" Aunt Sophie complained in a low voice. "She wanted to meet you so badly," Rachel told me. "She'll be here soon." She was absolutely right. "Oh dear, here you come!" said Aunt Sophie. "Late, eh!" "Oh, yes!" said the newcomer.She was charming, with beautiful curly hair, sparkling blue eyes, and a small nose that turned up very pleasantly.She looked at me with undisguised curiosity. "You are that 'niece'!" "You are Temaris Saint Aubie?" "Yes, I live in St. Aubie's Park," she said, scanning Aunt Sophie's elegant, tasteful but modest living room with her "eyes of contempt". "How are you?" I asked her coldly. "Good, thank you. What about you?" "Very good." I replied. "You'll join Rachel and me in class." "Yes, I am looking forward to that day." I'm getting used to her averted face and pursed lips, which means maybe after seeing the governess I'll change my mind. She said, "Diarrhea is the best way to enslave children, isn't it? Rachel." Rachel didn't answer, she looked very timid, maybe because she was in awe of Temaris! "Diarrhea man?" I asked. "Dyrrhea, Raleigh, her real name is Alice, but I call her 'Dyrrhea'." "Not because of her looks," Rachel added quickly. "I think so," Temaris retorted. "I start classes on Monday," I told them. "The three of you can have a good chat and get to know each other," said Aunt Sophie. "I'm going to see if the tea is ready." Now I am alone with the two guests. "Now you plan to settle here!" said Temaris. "My mother was sick and she lived in a nursing home very close to here, so I came here." "Rachel's father and mother passed away, so she came here to join her aunt and uncle." "Yes, I know, she lives in the Great Bell Mansion." "It's no better than our home," Tamaris told me. "It's not bad, though." She scanned Aunt Sophie's living room again with that contemptuous look. "We're going to be at school soon," Rachel told me. "I think I should go too." "Then there will be three of us traveling together." Tamaris giggled. "It's great to be in school, it's a pity we're all too young." "Of course we won't always be this young," I said, perhaps answering too quickly, causing Temaris to burst out laughing. "You sound like a dysentery already," she said. "Tell us about your hometown." They listened intently to me, and Lily was bringing in tea just as they were asking me back. "Freddy, do your best to our guest," she said. "I'll leave this responsibility to you. You can learn from each other's experience, support and grow together." After listening to my aunt's words, no matter whether I pour tea or bring refreshments to them, I feel that I am very important. "It's a funny name, isn't it? Rachel," Temaris said. "Freddy! Sounds like a boy's name." "Actually it should be Frederica." "Frederica!!" Her expression was full of contempt. "My name is special. Poor Rachel, your name is so ordinary, don't you think 'Rachel' seems to have something to do with the Bible?" "Yeah, that's right," Rachel said. "I still like 'Tamaris' best, I don't like being called by a boy's name." "So you don't get confused with others." I replied, only to get a burst of laughter from Tamaris. After that we talked about everything without taboo, and it felt like the two of them had accepted me.They told me about the capricious temperament of the dysentery, and how gullible she was, only that the person who caused it must be held accountable: she had a lover who died young of an unknown disease , that's why she's still unmarried, to be a governess to people like Tamaris and Rachel and me, instead of living with her husband and family and having a home of her own. By the end of the tea party, I had lost all fear and felt I could handle Tamaris, but not Rachel.Next Monday, I'm ready to go to St. Abby's Park, right and Alice.Miss Raleigh's meeting was filled with optimistic curiosity.
St. Abby's Mansion is a large Tudor-style mansion, and the bushes in the outer garden on both sides are full of gorgeous flowers.Aunt Sophie and I passed through the fine door and into the cobblestone vestibule.Aunt Sophie explained this trip as: "Introduce this place to you." "Don't let Temaris bully you, she is the kind of person who won't give up when she gets a chance. Don't forget that you are as smart as her," she said.I promised her that she would never give her the opportunity to bully me. A servant ushered us in, saying: "Miss Cattingham, Miss Raleigh is waiting for this young lady!" "Thanks, so shall we go up?" "Great." I replied. The hall is tall and magnificent, with a long dining table surrounded by several chairs, and a full-body photo of Queen Elizabeth on the wall. She is wearing a dress decorated with bird feathers and diamonds, which looks like Quite harsh. "She's been here, and the family has always been proud," said Aunt Sophie softly. She led us up a flight of stairs, and we passed a landing, then more stairs, past a balcony with pairs of sofas, chairs, a harpsichord and a harp, which I doubted Temaris would have played musical instrument.Next is the stairs. "The classroom must be on the top floor of the house, and that's the case with the Cedar Mansion." Aunt Sophie made a conclusion. Finally, we finally arrived.Aunt Sophie knocked on the door and entered the classroom. This classroom became very familiar to me. It was spacious, with a high ceiling, and there was a long table in the middle, where Temaris and Rachel sat.I noticed half-open cupboards filled with books and slates.There is a blackboard at the other end of the classroom.This is a very typical classroom. There was a woman walking straight in my direction, she, of course, was Alice.Miss Raleigh.She was tall and thin, in her early forties, and I noticed the expression on her face, as if she had suffered for a long time, she must have taught Temaris.Consequences for students like St. Oby.This mixed look of melancholy reminded me of what Temaris said, there was a man she loved so much in her life who once made up countless beauties, and... "Miss Raleigh, this is my niece, Freddy...in fact, Frederica." Miss Raleigh looked at me with a smile that changed her, and from that moment on I liked her as a person. "Welcome to join, Frederica, you must introduce yourself well, so that I can know whether you can match the level of the other two students." She said. "I'm sure you'll get along very well. See you later, dear," said Aunt Sophie. She said goodbye to Miss Raleigh and left. Miss Raleigh directed me to sit down, asked me a few questions, seemed satisfied with my responses, and we began our lesson. My desire for knowledge is very strong, and I have been reading books uninterruptedly, so I soon found that my level was not behind the other two students. At eleven a servant came in with a tray on which were three glasses of milk and three plates of biscuits. "I left yours in the room, Miss Raleigh," she said. "Thank you," said Miss Raleigh. "Okay, everyone, take a fifteen-minute break." Temaris made a face behind her back as she left. The hot milk tasted so good, we all ate a biscuit. "Finally free." Temaris concluded. "Is this a daily routine?" I asked. Tamaris nodded. "Eleven: Milk time. Eleven fifteen: Class time until twelve, then you and Rachel can go home." Rachel nodded approvingly. "I suppose you think the house is magnificent," Temaris said to me. “It’s as magnificent as the house my mother grew up in,” I said, feeling overblown. "It's called Xida Mansion, you may have heard of it!" Tamaris shook her head nonchalantly. But I don't buy it, and go on to describe the house—using my imagination, of course, because I've never been inside Cedar House.But I can take what I saw in St. Aubia's garden and move it into Cedar's mansion, and I am sure to make it sound more magnificent and more magnificent. Rachel sat listening intently, seemingly sinking into her chair.She was so fascinated by listening to it, so engrossed. "Of course, Rachel doesn't understand what we're talking about." Temaris said, staring at Rachel. "I understand," Rachel said. "Oh, no, you don't understand, you only lived in the dilapidated house of the Great Bell House: and, before that, I don't know where you came from? Of course you don't know about such a house, do you, Buddha Leddy?" I said, "One doesn't need to live in a house like this to understand these things. And besides, Rachel has classes here every morning, doesn't she?" Rachel looked at me gratefully, and from that moment on, I was determined to protect her.She was small and delicate and looked like a fragile doll. I liked Rachel, but I was skeptical of Temaris. We went on boasting about our house until Miss Raleigh and the servant came in, the servant took the tray away and we started our lessons. I remember having Geography and English Grammar on the first morning, and Miss Raleigh's satisfaction with me was evident because of my good performance in class.It all worked out perfectly until we got home from get out of class. At that time, Rachel and I were going in the direction of the Yamanashi House, because the Big Bell House and the Yamanashi House are not far away. Miss Raleigh looked at me kindly with a smile on her face and said: She is very happy with my joining and believes that I am the most ideal student in her mind.Then she headed off to what she called her "study" - just next door to the classroom. Temaris came downstairs with us. "Huh!" she pushed me, and said, "I can see you're going to be a little pet of the dysentery, licking her toes, Freddie Heyman. 'I believe you're my ideal." student.'" She imitated Miss Raleigh. "I don't like sycophants," she added maliciously. "I was born that way," I said. "I like Miss Raleigh. As long as I want to, of course I can be her ideal student. She needs at least one." Then I looked at Rachel who I swore to protect, and I went on: "...or two indivual." "Nerds! I hate nerds the most." Temaris said. "I came here to learn, and this is our duty, otherwise, what are you doing here?" "Look how serious she is!" Temaris said to Rachel. Rachel stared straight at the floor. She had no doubt been bullied by Temaris, but she swallowed her humiliation in return for Saint Aubie's kindness—for giving her the opportunity to learn.However, these courses are arranged by adults and have nothing to do with Temaris, and I have no intention of pandering to her. Temaris decided to drop the subject, and I learned her quick-coming, quick-going temper.She can insult you one minute and make up with you and be friends the next.It was clear to me that she was delighted to have me on board: the fact that she enjoyed having me as a rival broke Rachel's usual meekness and resignation. When we got to the wide stairwell, there was a man just downstairs waiting to go upstairs. "Hello, Chris Pie," said Temaris. Chris Pie!I thought to myself: This is her brother!The "Lord of the Garden" in people's minds. He was exactly as described by Aunt Sophie, tall and thin, with dark hair and a pair of light gray eyes...cold eyes...as if he despised the world. It looks like it just came in from the outside. He just nodded in acceptance at his sister's greeting, glanced quickly over Rachel and me, and ran up the stairs past us. "He's my brother, Chrispie," said Temaris. "I know, you just called his name." "It's all his," she said, spreading her arms proudly. "He doesn't pay much attention to you!" "That's why you're here." The next thing I heard was his voice, a voice that could be heard far and wide. He said, "Who is that nondescript kid?" He was chatting with the people upstairs. "I suppose it's the new guy!" he added. Tamaris restrained herself, not daring to laugh, but I felt that the blood in my whole body was rushing to my face in an instant, and it was hot.I know I'm not as attractive as Temaris, or as pretty as Rachel, but..."a non-distinctive kid"!I resentfully felt that I was so sad and ashamed. "Well, he does want to know who you are. Besides, this is his house, and you're the nondescript kid," Temaris said.She really doesn't have much respect for other people's inner feelings. I said, "I don't care, Miss Raleigh likes me, my Aunt Sophie likes me, and I don't care what your rude brother thinks." "It's just a fact, it's definitely not disrespectful, 'truth never dies'... that's what it should be said! You're smart, and you know it, because you're the mangy man's little pet." We walked to the door, and Temaris said without hatred, "See you tomorrow." Walking home with Rachel, I thought to myself: I'm nothing special. I never thought of it, and now I have to face it plainly. Rachel was on my arm, she'd been through this humiliation herself, so she understood how I felt, and I was grateful for her silence, thinking as I walked: I'm nothing special. We have arrived at the Great Bell House, which looks very charming in the bright sun.As we moved forward, a middle-aged man stepped out the door. His ginger hair was thickly piled on top, the patches around his temples had faded to silver gray, and his short beard looked like The thorns that grow on the face are generally sharp. I noticed that his hand on the door was covered with ginger hair, his mouth was set in a tight line, and his small eyes sparkled. "Good day, you're the new guy who lives in the Yamanashi House and takes classes at St. Aubie's," he said, keeping his eyes on me. "This is my uncle," Rachel said quietly. "Good afternoon, Mr. Dourion," I said. 他点点头，用舌头舔湿他的嘴唇，突然间一阵不知名的嫌恶之感涌上我的心头，我很纳闷，但又无法否认。 瑞琪儿的态度也变了，她看起来有点怕：不过我想她大概天生如此吧！ “上帝保佑你。”杜利恩先生说，眼睛依然直盯着我看。 我和他们道别，然后往山梨之屋方向离去。 苏菲姨妈和莉莉正在那儿等我，午餐也已摆在桌上。 “嗯，怎么样？”苏菲姨妈问道。 “非常好。” “很好，我就说嘛，是吧？莉莉。我猜你一定把她们俩个比下去了。” “我也这么觉得。”莉莉说。 “罗利小姐好像觉得我还不错，说她很高兴能够教到我这样的学生。” 她们俩相互换了个眼神，然后莉莉说“我花整个早上的时间精心准备好午餐，可别等到菜凉了才吃。” 我们坐在餐桌前，而她则开始上菜，我没什么胃口，吃不多。 “所以，今天早上算得上刺激了。”苏菲姨妈说。 我很高兴能逃回房间躲起来。盯着镜子，我心里想着：没特色！哎，没错。虽然我的头发又直又多，但颜色却太深了：泰玛莉丝的头发卷卷的，颜色又很漂亮，瑞琪儿的波浪也很美。我的脸颊光滑但太苍白了，我淡棕色的眼睛，配上长但不起眼的棕色睫毛。我的鼻子太大且嘴巴太宽了。 苏菲姨妈进来时，我正看着我的脸。她坐在床上。 “最好告诉我，发生什么事了？不是都很顺利吗？”她问道。 “你是指上课吗？” “我是指一切。是不是泰玛莉丝找你的麻烦？我不会感到惊讶的。” "I can handle her." “我想也是。她像是个吹了气的气球，把空气泄出来，她的锐气就不再了。可怜的泰玛莉丝，她无法过着正常的童年生活。好了，到底怎么回事？” “是……她哥哥。” “泰玛莉丝的哥哥，克里斯派！他怎么会卷进这里面呢？” “我们出来时，他正好在大厅。” “他对你说了什么？” “他什么也没对我说……但，说了有关我的事。” 她不可置信地看着我。我解释那短暂的巧遇及他如何说“那个没特色的孩子是谁……？” “那个下流的小人！你不需要把这种人说的话放在心上，不值得。” “但他说得一点也没错，我的确毫无特色。” “乱讲，你不需要听这种无意义的话。” “但，那是事实。我不像泰玛莉丝和瑞琪儿般漂亮。” “孩子，你拥有比漂亮更重要的东西，一种很吸引人、很特别的气质，这才是重点，我很庆幸你是我的侄女，除了你，我谁也不要。” "real?" "of course it's true." “我的鼻子太大了。” “那才算是真正的鼻子。不像那些小家子气的鼻子，看起来好像才刚被黏上去似的。” 我失声大笑，她则继续说：“大鼻子才有个性，我真希望自己也有个大鼻子！” 我说：“苏菲姨妈，您的鼻子并不小。” “你父亲的鼻子生得好，而他将它传给你，他是我见过最帅的男人。你有一双明亮……且充满感情的眼睛，你的心全映在里面，这就是眼睛的功能……当然了，还有看清事物。别担心，说这种话的人，通常都未曾思考过，他当时匆匆忙忙的，这就是为什么他会这么说的原因了：他一定没看清楚嘛！” “他只不过看了我一眼。” “这就是了，他对任何人都可能下同样的评论。如果你没特色，那我不就成了拿破仑了吗？就是这样！” 我无法忍住不笑，亲爱的苏菲姨妈！她又一次地解救了我。
因此，从星期一到星期五，每天早上我都固定到圣奥比邸园去。我已习惯在大钟宅门口和瑞琪儿碰面，然后一起相伴到邸园，我成了瑞琪儿的头目，我俩编列为同一国和泰玛莉丝对抗。 但，我还是忘不了克里斯派对我下的评论，它对我产生很大的影响。苏菲姨妈清楚地告诉我：我并不是没特色，我的头发很美，她坚持地说。虽然有点太多，但很好，我每天都把它梳得光亮柔顺，然后让它散在肩上，一改往日保守的辫子作风，确定我没把衣服弄绉。泰玛莉丝将一切看在眼里，虽然没下评论，但，她却笑得很神秘。 她对我很友善，有时我认为她试着想取得我的支持，好让我和瑞琪儿瓦解，我对这种奉承感到受宠若惊。 我很少见到克里斯派，即使有，通常距离也都很远。很明显的，他对他的妹妹及她的同伴并不感兴趣。 苏菲姨妈说得一点也没错，他的确是个“下流的小人”，找对这点深信不疑。 他想让人们崇拜他的地位，但是他却不在乎苏菲姨妈或我是否崇拜他。 有一天，由于我提早到和瑞琪儿相约的地方，所以她并没在那儿等，因为看到大门是开着的，于是我便走入前庭，坐在椅子上等她。 我双眼凝视着大宅，它的确很庄严华丽，甚至此圣奥比更具吸引力。它应该是个充满快乐、温暖的房子，但事实则不然。泰玛莉丝从小就被家人忽视，且由保姆带大，但也许除此之外一切都很正常。瑞琪儿胆子很小……好像畏惧着什么似的，我觉得可能和这房子有关。 也许我是个浪漫主义者，梅格说我是个爱做梦的小妮子，总爱替别人编故事…… 而其中大半和事实毫无关联。 突然间，我背后有声音响起。 “早安，亲爱的。” 是瑞琪儿的姨丈，杜利恩先生。我突然有股强烈的冲动想立刻站起来，从他身边逃开。他的声音听起来很和善，但，为什么我会有这种反应？ “你在等瑞琪儿吗？” “是的。”我边说边站起来，因为他正准备坐在我旁边，他把手放在我手臂上，拉我回座位上。 他很专注地看着我。“你喜欢上罗利小姐的课吗？” “喜欢，谢谢你的关心。” “很好……非常好。” 他坐的地方离我相当近。 “我们再不走就要迟到了。”我说。 然后我看到瑞琪儿从屋子里走出来，谢天谢地。 “对不起，我迟到了。”瑞琪儿说道，而且她注意到了她姨丈也在场。 “你害弗雷德莉卡在这儿等。”她姨丈温和地谴责她。 “是我的错，抱歉。” “快走吧。”我一心一意急着想离开。 “做个乖女孩，上帝会保佑你们的。”杜利恩先生说。 我看到他的眼睛在我们背后直盯着我们离去的身影，不知道为什么，但是他的确使我感到毛骨悚然。 瑞琪儿什么话也没说，但她经常那么安静，不过，不知什么原因使我相信她能了解我的感受。 有关杜利恩先生不愉快的回忆的确干扰了我一阵子，而我也试着忘记它。所以之后我都在外面等瑞琪儿，不敢再越入前庭内。 罗利小姐和我处得相当融洽，而我也很高兴能成为她最喜爱的学生，她说我反应灵敏。我们分享彼此对诗的爱好，一起分析、讨论，这时瑞琪儿脸上总会露出不知所云、茫茫然的表隋，而泰玛莉丝则是一副穷极无聊的样子，好似我们的讨论丝毫引不起她的注意。 罗利小姐说，若泰玛莉丝能邀请我和瑞琪儿一块喝个茶，那该有多好。 “泰玛莉丝，你觉得呢？”她问道。 “我无所谓。”泰玛莉丝很不客气地回答。 “太好了，那我们就来开个小茶会。” 当我告诉苏菲姨妈时，她看起来很开心。 “除了那间旧教堂外，那房子还有很多值得你看的。”她下了个评论。 “你会有很多收获的。我很高兴看到你和罗利小姐成了朋友，她是个通晓事理的女人，知道你比她们两个聪明得多。” “也许我长得没那么好看，但是我的学习能力比她们来得快。” “胡说！我是说前面那句是胡说，而后面那段是事实。亲爱的，抬起你的脸，你必须先要有自信，这样别人才会对你有信心。” 于是我出席了，茶会里有精致的三明治及美味的樱桃蛋糕，罗利小姐说：身为女主人，泰玛莉丝应想些点子娱乐我们这些客人。但泰玛莉丝的行为举止和平常没什么两样。 听说泰玛莉丝近来在她母亲健康状况准许下，都会在四点半去探望她，罗利小姐事先已问过圣奥比夫人，是否同意和她女儿的同学们见见面，出乎罗利小姐的意料，她马上就答应了，并说她的精神还不错，只是会面时间不宜太久。 就这样，我见到了这邸园的女主人——泰玛莉丝和克里斯派的母亲。 罗利小姐带领我们进去。 圣奥比夫人身上穿的薄绸睡衣是淡紫色、半透明且上面缀有缎带；她当时正躺在沙发上休息，沙发旁有个桌子，桌上有一盒硬糖：虽然她有点太过丰满，不过在那一头金发的陪衬下——发色和泰玛莉丝的一模一样——她看起来非常美丽：她的颈子上有钻石组成的垂饰，手指上也戴有同样的宝石，灿烂夺目。 她没精打采地看着我们，然后目光闪闪地落在我身上。“圣奥比夫人，这位是弗雷德莉卡，卡汀汉小姐的侄女。”罗利小姐说。 她指示我走近一点。 “听说你母亲病了。”她说。 "yes." 她点点头说：“我非常……了解这种事。她现在应该是在疗养院了吧？” I say yes." She sighed. “这真的太不幸了，可怜的孩子，我们必须好好聊聊。” 我正打算说话时，她又接着加了一句：“改天……等到我的精神好些时。” 罗利小姐把手放在我肩上，将我拉开，我明白引起圣奥比夫人兴趣的是我母亲的疾病，而不是我。 过没多久，我就想离开这个房间，而罗利小姐似乎也有同感，她说：“圣奥比夫人，您一定累了吧！” 圣奥比夫人顺从地点点头。 “这位是瑞琪儿，她和弗雷德莉卡是好朋友。”罗利小姐说。 “很好。” “她们都是好孩子。泰玛莉丝跟你母亲说再见……还有你们俩……” 我们带着解脱的心情，照着她的话做。 我心想：这个家真是有够奇怪的了，不过至少圣奥比夫人不像她的儿女般坏，记得苏菲姨妈说，她曾在狂欢中过日子，除了享受生活外，她并不在乎任何事。如今的状况对她而言一定很难适应，不过我想到，也许她也享受这些，穿着有蕾丝的薄绸，躺在沙发椅上，受疾病煎熬的日子。 人是很奇怪的动物。 泰玛莉丝和我之间的战况也变得较友善了，她总想在各方面比我强，老实说我也乐在其中。她对我的尊重比对瑞琪儿多多了，每当我和她顶嘴时——常有的事，她看起来也很享受我们之间的文字大战。她对瑞琪儿的轻视是毫不保留的：但，我想在某方面她很崇拜我。 有时，我们会花整个下午的时间，在圣奥比广大的领地上逛，她喜欢用高傲的态度指出所有特殊的目标，也因此我有机会拜访佛萝拉和露西．莲。 她们的小屋离圣奥比邸园不远，她说：她们俩曾都是克里斯派的保姆。 “人们总是和老保姆有份特殊的感情，”她继续说：“尤其是在他们的父母不大关心子女时。虽然坎普顿老奶奶总是生气地对我说：'别这样！'，但，我还是很喜欢她。克里斯派很关心露西．莲，多奇怪的姓！我想他可能不记得佛萝拉了，起先是她照顾他，后来她发癫，就由露西接下来做。他将她们俩照顾得很好，你没想到克里斯派会这么细心吧？” “我不知道，我还没真正见过他呢！”我说。 每当我提起他的名字时——当然了，这情形并不多——我的声调听起来总是冷冷的，想起当初他问起：“那个没特色的孩子是谁？”的声音。 “她们就住在这小屋里，本来露西也该是我的保姆，但，我出生时她的母亲正好去世，所以她得照顾她妹妹，佛萝拉需要有人看着她，她老是做那些奇怪的事。” "What things?" “她总是带着娃娃四处游走，把它当成婴儿，我还听过她唱歌给它听，她常坐在屋子后面的花园里，对着临近矮小的桑树说话。露西不喜欢人们和她说话，她说这会使她变得很沮丧，我们去拜访她们，这样你就可以看到她了。” “她们会欢迎我们吗？” “这有什么关系？她们住在圣奥比的土地上，不是吗？” “这是她们的家，而且是你哥哥送给她们的，也许她们应享有自己的隐私权。” “呕，呕，呕”泰玛莉丝嘲笑地说：“不论如何，我就是要进去。” 我也不再坚持，和她进去了。 小屋孤孤单单地立在那儿，前面有个小花园，泰玛莉丝打开大门向小径走去，而我则跟在后面。 “有人在家吗？”她大喊着。 一个女人走出来，我一眼就猜出她是露西．莲小姐。她的头发已渐转灰了，而脸上流露出的不安神情，看起来像是经年累月刻上去的，她身上穿着整洁的灰色衬衫及灰色裙子。 “我带弗雷德莉卡．海曼来见你们。”泰玛莉丝说。 “噢，你真好，请进。”露西．莲说。 我们进入小小的客厅，不过规模虽小，却也有条有理，窗明几净。 “原来你就是邸园新来的学生，卡汀汉小姐的侄女？”露西．莲看着我说。 "Yes." I replied. “并且和泰玛莉丝一起上课，这真是太好了。” 我们坐下来。 “佛萝拉今天好吗？”泰玛莉丝问道，她很失望我无法和她见面。 “她在房里，我不想打扰她。小姐，你喜欢哈普葛林吗？” “非常喜欢。”我告诉她。 “你可怜的母亲……我知道，她生病了。” 我同意她的说法，也猜她接下来会说：“幸好。”不过她却出乎意料地说：“欧……人生中无法事事如意。” 泰玛莉丝开始觉得无聊了。“不知道我们能不能和佛萝拉打个招呼。”她说。 露西看起来很惶恐，我确定她正要回绝我们的请求。就在同时，房间的门突然打开了，门槛里站着一个女人。 由她和露西之间明显可见的相似点，我知道她一定就是佛萝拉；不过，露西看来已全副武装，进入警觉状态，而佛萝拉却睁着她困惑的大眼，好像在找什么不存在的东西似的，她的手里抱着一个洋娃娃，这种情景在一个中年妇女身上看到，是颇为奇怪的。 “哈罗，佛萝拉，我来看你了，这位是弗雷德莉卡．海曼。”泰玛莉丝说。 我说：“我叫弗雷德莉卡。弗雷德莉卡．海曼。” 佛萝拉点点头，目光由泰玛莉丝身上转向我。 “佛莱迪和我们一起上课。”泰玛莉丝继续说。 “佛萝拉，你是不是该回房了？”露西紧张地问。 佛萝拉摇摇头，低下头看着洋娃娃说：“他今天不大安稳，长牙齿的关系。” “这是个小男孩，对吧？”泰玛莉丝说。 佛萝拉坐下来，把娃娃放在腿上，温柔地看着它。 “他的午睡时间不是到了吗？”露西问道。“来，我们上楼去吧！真是抱歉。”她对我们说。 她紧紧地挽着佛萝拉的手，将她带走。 泰玛莉丝用手指着头，看着我。 她低声说：“我告诉你，她疯了，露西试着想为她隐瞒……不过，她真的是精神错乱。” “可怜的女人！这对她们俩来说都很悲哀。我想我们也该走了，她们不想看到我们在这里，我们不该来的。”我说。 “好吧，我只想带你来见见佛萝拉。”泰玛莉丝说。 “我们得等到露西下来才能走。” 于是我们在那儿等。 我们走回去的路上，泰玛莉丝问我觉得怎样。 “真可悲，那个姊姊——露西，她是姊姊吧？”泰玛莉丝点点头。“她真的很担心她发疯的妹妹，真可怕，居然能把洋娃娃看成婴儿。” “她把它当成克里斯派……克里斯派当时只是个婴儿！” “不知为何她会变成如此？” “我没想过这点，那是好久好久以前的事了，当时他只是个婴儿，后来九岁时他便离家出外求学了。他一直很喜欢露西，她的父亲因为曾是我们家的园丁，所以一直住在那幢小屋内，他在露西返乡前便去逝了。原先她在北方工作；她父亲死后，母亲还住在小屋里，所以她便回来了；接下来没多久，佛萝拉发疯了，于是露西就成了克里斯派的保姆。” “即使她们俩都不再替圣奥比家工作，但克里斯派能留她们在这里，到底是件好事。” “他很喜欢露西，大部分的人对保姆都有份特殊之情，而她就是他的保姆。” 在回家的途中，我不断想起那个将洋娃娃误认为克里斯派，抱着它到处晃的怪女人。 很难想像那个骄傲自大的男人，曾是个小小的婴儿。