登陆注册
14820300000041

第41章

If Mr. Mell looked homely, in my eyes, before the handsome boy, it would be quite impossible to say how homely Mr. Creakle looked.

'Let him deny it,' said Steerforth.

'Deny that he is a beggar, Steerforth?' cried Mr. Creakle. 'Why, where does he go a-begging?'

'If he is not a beggar himself, his near relation's one,' said Steerforth. 'It's all the same.'

He glanced at me, and Mr. Mell's hand gently patted me upon the shoulder. I looked up with a flush upon my face and remorse in my heart, but Mr. Mell's eyes were fixed on Steerforth. He continued to pat me kindly on the shoulder, but he looked at him.

'Since you expect me, Mr. Creakle, to justify myself,' said Steerforth, 'and to say what I mean, - what I have to say is, that his mother lives on charity in an alms-house.'

Mr. Mell still looked at him, and still patted me kindly on the shoulder, and said to himself, in a whisper, if I heard right:

'Yes, I thought so.'

Mr. Creakle turned to his assistant, with a severe frown and laboured politeness:

'Now, you hear what this gentleman says, Mr. Mell. Have the goodness, if you please, to set him right before the assembled school.'

'He is right, sir, without correction,' returned Mr. Mell, in the midst of a dead silence; 'what he has said is true.'

'Be so good then as declare publicly, will you,' said Mr. Creakle, putting his head on one side, and rolling his eyes round the school, 'whether it ever came to my knowledge until this moment?'

'I believe not directly,' he returned.

'Why, you know not,' said Mr. Creakle. 'Don't you, man?'

'I apprehend you never supposed my worldly circumstances to be very good,' replied the assistant. 'You know what my position is, and always has been, here.'

'I apprehend, if you come to that,' said Mr. Creakle, with his veins swelling again bigger than ever, 'that you've been in a wrong position altogether, and mistook this for a charity school. Mr. Mell, we'll part, if you please. The sooner the better.'

'There is no time,' answered Mr. Mell, rising, 'like the present.'

'Sir, to you!' said Mr. Creakle.

'I take my leave of you, Mr. Creakle, and all of you,' said Mr. Mell, glancing round the room, and again patting me gently on the shoulders. 'James Steerforth, the best wish I can leave you is that you may come to be ashamed of what you have done today. At present I would prefer to see you anything rather than a friend, to me, or to anyone in whom I feel an interest.'

Once more he laid his hand upon my shoulder; and then taking his flute and a few books from his desk, and leaving the key in it for his successor, he went out of the school, with his property under his arm. Mr. Creakle then made a speech, through Tungay, in which he thanked Steerforth for asserting (though perhaps too warmly) the independence and respectability of Salem House; and which he wound up by shaking hands with Steerforth, while we gave three cheers -I did not quite know what for, but I supposed for Steerforth, and so joined in them ardently, though I felt miserable. Mr. Creakle then caned Tommy Traddles for being discovered in tears, instead of cheers, on account of Mr. Mell's departure; and went back to his sofa, or his bed, or wherever he had come from.

We were left to ourselves now, and looked very blank, I recollect, on one another. For myself, I felt so much self-reproach and contrition for my part in what had happened, that nothing would have enabled me to keep back my tears but the fear that Steerforth, who often looked at me, I saw, might think it unfriendly - or, Ishould rather say, considering our relative ages, and the feeling with which I regarded him, undutiful - if I showed the emotion which distressed me. He was very angry with Traddles, and said he was glad he had caught it.

Poor Traddles, who had passed the stage of lying with his head upon the desk, and was relieving himself as usual with a burst of skeletons, said he didn't care. Mr. Mell was ill-used.

'Who has ill-used him, you girl?' said Steerforth.

'Why, you have,' returned Traddles.

'What have I done?' said Steerforth.

'What have you done?' retorted Traddles. 'Hurt his feelings, and lost him his situation.'

'His feelings?' repeated Steerforth disdainfully. 'His feelings will soon get the better of it, I'll be bound. His feelings are not like yours, Miss Traddles. As to his situation - which was a precious one, wasn't it? - do you suppose I am not going to write home, and take care that he gets some money? Polly?'

We thought this intention very noble in Steerforth, whose mother was a widow, and rich, and would do almost anything, it was said, that he asked her. We were all extremely glad to see Traddles so put down, and exalted Steerforth to the skies: especially when he told us, as he condescended to do, that what he had done had been done expressly for us, and for our cause; and that he had conferred a great boon upon us by unselfishly doing it.

But I must say that when I was going on with a story in the dark that night, Mr. Mell's old flute seemed more than once to sound mournfully in my ears; and that when at last Steerforth was tired, and I lay down in my bed, I fancied it playing so sorrowfully somewhere, that I was quite wretched.

I soon forgot him in the contemplation of Steerforth, who, in an easy amateur way, and without any book (he seemed to me to know everything by heart), took some of his classes until a new master was found. The new master came from a grammar school; and before he entered on his duties, dined in the parlour one day, to be introduced to Steerforth. Steerforth approved of him highly, and told us he was a Brick. Without exactly understanding what learned distinction was meant by this, I respected him greatly for it, and had no doubt whatever of his superior knowledge: though he never took the pains with me - not that I was anybody - that Mr. Mell had taken.

There was only one other event in this half-year, out of the daily school-life, that made an impression upon me which still survives.

It survives for many reasons.

同类推荐
  • 翰林志

    翰林志

    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。
  • 普曜经

    普曜经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 大乘破有论

    大乘破有论

    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。
  • 曹溪大师别传

    曹溪大师别传

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 海滨大事记

    海滨大事记

    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
  • 夙婴

    夙婴

    李山泽来到英国留学,与奇特的“家人”团聚,认识新的朋友,走进新的一段恋情。热爱学习,开朗友善的她符合大家心中优秀中国留学生的形象,并很快融入新的群体。但是危机也如跗骨之蛆追赶上来,嫌弃,突发的背叛,以及任务、秘密、奇幻的生命、杀戮的血腥。命运的缠绕来源于灵魂的轮转,如无法斩断的流水,而这正是一个斩断缠绕的历程。
  • 唐诗宋词元曲(第六卷)

    唐诗宋词元曲(第六卷)

    唐诗、宋词是中国诗歌史上流芳百世的不朽丰碑,将我国的诗词艺术推向了最高峰。警句名篇被历代文人墨客所吟咏,以至名人评说“唐后无诗,宋后无词。”为了更好的继承发扬中华民族优秀传统文化,我们本着思想性、艺术性、可读性兼顾,信达雅并重的原则,重新校订注释编纂了这部《唐诗宋词》,并配以清晰线描图,以飨读者。可谓“吟一首如遍品天下之敬醴,诵一句若尽阅华夏之圣观”! 本书采取最为脍炙人口的经典选本,融合中国古代绘画艺术作品,生动形象地阐发文学的主旨和意境,达到了“诗中有画,画中有诗”的完美境界。
  • 青春未完待续

    青春未完待续

    如果爱可以让人们找到幸福,那朴若宁呢?刚刚离开了骗了自己多年的岑寒和岑夏。如果爱真的可以让人找到归属,那朴若宁呢?自己的竹马早已在身边注视了自己很久,可深受爱情打击的朴若宁真的会相信这份爱情吗?当她去接受他时,但他,早已离开……
  • 契约玩偶:婚后谈谈爱

    契约玩偶:婚后谈谈爱

    什么?为了报复,他竟然不惜花三百万,让她做他三个月的玩偶,无情冷酷的折磨戏弄她。幸好,三个月不是很长。可是,为什么契约之期到了之后,他竟要用三百万买她的一生呢?不,她不要!
  • EXO之我爱他

    EXO之我爱他

    她喜欢他,但她的妹妹也喜欢着她,她选择放手,但是他喜欢的是她,不是他的妹妹,他的妹妹不领情,并从那么善良的女孩变成不择手段的人,不断的伤害她,她没有责怪妹妹,而她的妹妹说她假惺惺,爱情不可以强求,但她的妹妹.................这样的一个故事开始了。(我写的小说的男主角是吴亦凡)先说明一下,不喜欢看我的小说,可以不看,我不强求,我是第一次写小说,不好的还请各位提出来。谢谢看我小说的人。谢谢
  • 三界之封侯拜相

    三界之封侯拜相

    看惯了风起云涌,见多了王朝更迭,走过血雨腥风,躲开明枪暗箭,问一句死生的意义,有侵吞河山的气概,奈何英雄总是气短,白发唱挽歌,更添踌躇意,骈死于槽枥之间,长眠于沃野农田。
  • 驱鬼

    驱鬼

    驱鬼师帅气吧?霸气吧?可为毛他要被师傅嫌弃,被师兄欺负,还要被委托人鄙视!这世界太糟心了!
  • 英雄联盟之尘封的ID

    英雄联盟之尘封的ID

    S3赛季,大魔王一战封神,但众人却不知道,有一个神秘的玩家,曾经无数次斩杀过大魔王,他成为了大魔王一辈子的恶魔,却不知晓,这人是哪个国家,却只记得一个名字GodFZ……
  • 福妻驾到

    福妻驾到

    现代饭店彪悍老板娘魂穿古代。不分是非的极品婆婆?三年未归生死不明的丈夫?心狠手辣的阴毒亲戚?贪婪而好色的地主老财?吃上顿没下顿的贫困宭境?不怕不怕,神仙相助,一技在手,天下我有!且看现代张悦娘,如何身带福气玩转古代,开面馆、收小弟、左纳财富,右傍美男,共绘幸福生活大好蓝图!!!!快本新书《天媒地聘》已经上架开始销售,只要3.99元即可将整本书抱回家,你还等什么哪,赶紧点击下面的直通车,享受乐乐精心为您准备的美食盛宴吧!)
  • 美女老师的贴身兵王

    美女老师的贴身兵王

    兵王归来,为完成当年母亲的遗愿,他隐退都市,进学校当了个老师,嗯,体育老师。杀手暗杀,黑道逼近,昔日兄弟更是遭难,节节危险靠近,当年的真相一步步揭开,他怒火中烧,重出江湖,召集地狱组织,与敌人展开了南北争夺演绎。拜名师,习古武,让天下人见君胆战心惊!.