[夜与日].(night.and.day).(英)弗吉尼亚·伍尔芙.文字版-第14部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


name　as　Katharine　Hilbery；　I’m　afraid。”　

They　both　looked　out　of　the　window；　first　up　at　the　
hard　silver　moon；　stationary　among　a　hurry　of　little　grey
blue　clouds；　and　then　down　upon　the　roofs　of　London；　
with　all　their　upright　chimneys；　and　then　below　them　at　
the　empty　moonlit　pavement　of　the　street；　upon　which　
the　joint　of　each　pavingstone　was　clearly　marked　out。　
Mary　then　saw　Katharine　raise　her　eyes　again　to　the　moon；　
with　a　contemplative　look　in　them；　as　though　she　were　
setting　that　moon　against　the　moon　of　other　nights；　held　
in　memory。　Some　one　in　the　room　behind　them　made　a　
joke　about　stargazing；　which　destroyed　their　pleasure　in　
it；　and　they　looked　back　into　the　room　again。　

Ralph　had　been　watching　for　this　moment；　and　he　instantly　
produced　his　sentence。　

“I　wonder；　Miss　Hilbery；　whether　you　remembered　to　
get　that　picture　glazed？”　His　voice　showed　that　the　question　
was　one　that　had　been　prepared。　

“Oh；　you　idiot！”　Mary　exclaimed；　very　nearly　aloud；　with　
a　sense　that　Ralph　had　said　something　very　stupid。　So；　
after　three　lessons　in　Latin　grammar；　one　might　correct　a　
fellow　student；　whose　knowledge　did　not　embrace　the　
ablative　of　“mensa。”　

“Picture—what　picture？”　Katharine　asked。　“Oh；　at　home；　
you　mean—that　Sunday　afternoon。　Was　it　the　day　Mr。　
Fortescue　came？　Yes；　I　think　I　remembered　it。”　

The　three　of　them　stood　for　a　moment　awkwardly　silent；　
and　then　Mary　left　them　in　order　to　see　that　the　
great　pitcher　of　coffee　was　properly　handled；　for　beneath　
all　her　education　she　preserved　the　anxieties　of　one　who　
owns　china。　

Ralph　could　think　of　nothing　further　to　say；　but　could　
one　have　stripped　off　his　mask　of　flesh；　one　would　have　
seen　that　his　willpower　was　rigidly　set　upon　a　single　

49　



Night　and　Day　

object—that　Miss　Hilbery　should　obey　him。　He　wished　
her　to　stay　there　until；　by　some　measures　not　yet　apparent　
to　him；　he　had　conquered　her　interest。　These　states　
of　mind　transmit　themselves　very　often　without　the　use　
of　language；　and　it　was　evident　to　Katharine　that　this　
young　man　had　fixed　his　mind　upon　her。　She　instantly　
recalled　her　first　impressions　of　him；　and　saw　herself　again　
proffering　family　relics。　She　reverted　to　the　state　of　mind　
in　which　he　had　left　her　that　Sunday　afternoon。　She　supposed　
that　he　judged　her　very　severely。　She　argued　naturally　
that；　if　this　were　the　case；　the　burden　of　the　conversation　
should　rest　with　him。　But　she　submitted　so　far　as　
to　stand　perfectly　still；　her　eyes　upon　the　opposite　wall；　
and　her　lips　very　nearly　closed；　though　the　desire　to　laugh　
stirred　them　slightly。　

“You　know　the　names　of　the　stars；　I　suppose？”　Denham　
remarked；　and　from　the　tone　of　his　voice　one　might　have　
thought　that　he　grudged　Katharine　the　knowledge　he　attributed　
to　her。　

She　kept　her　voice　steady　with　some　difficulty。　

“I　know　how　to　find　the　Pole　star　if　I’m　lost。”　

“I　don’t　suppose　that　often　happens　to　you。”　

“No。　Nothing　interesting　ever　happens　to　me；”　she　said。　

“I　think　you　make　a　system　of　saying　disagreeable　things；　
Miss　Hilbery；”　he　broke　out；　again　going　further　than　he　
meant　to。　“I　suppose　it’s　one　of　the　characteristics　of　your　
class。　They　never　talk　seriously　to　their　inferiors。”　

Whether　it　was　that　they　were　meeting　on　neutral　ground　
tonight；　or　whether　the　carelessness　of　an　old　grey　coat　
that　Denham　wore　gave　an　ease　to　his　bearing　that　he　
lacked　in　conventional　dress；　Katharine　certainly　felt　no　
impulse　to　consider　him　outside　the　particular　set　in　which　
she　lived。　

“In　what　sense　are　you　my　inferior？”　she　asked；　looking　
at　him　gravely；　as　though　honestly　searching　for　his　meaning。　
The　look　gave　him　great　pleasure。　For　the　first　time　
he　felt　himself　on　perfectly　equal　terms　with　a　woman　
whom　he　wished　to　think　well　of　him；　although　he　could　
not　have　explained　why　her　opinion　of　him　mattered　one　
way　or　another。　Perhaps；　after　all；　he　only　wanted　to　
have　something　of　her　to　take　home　to　think　about。　But　
he　was　not　destined　to　profit　by　his　advantage。　

50　



Virginia　Woolf　

“I　don’t　think　I　understand　what　you　mean；”　Katharine　
repeated；　and　then　she　was　obliged　to　stop　and　answer　
some　one　who　wished　to　know　whether　she　would　buy　a　
ticket　for　an　opera　from　them；　at　a　reduction。　Indeed；　
the　temper　of　the　meeting　was　now　unfavorable　to　separate　
conversation；　it　had　bee　rather　debauched　and　
hilarious；　and　people　who　scarcely　knew　each　other　were　
making　use　of　Christian　names　with　apparent　cordiality；　
and　had　reached　that　kind　of　gay　tolerance　and　general　
friendliness　which　human　beings　in　England　only　attain　
after　sitting　together　for　three　hours　or　so；　and　the　first　
cold　blast　in　the　air　of　the　street　freezes　them　into　isolation　
once　more。　Cloaks　were　being　flung　round　the　shoulders；　
hats　swiftly　pinned　to　the　head；　and　Denham　had　
the　mortification　of　seeing　Katharine　helped　to　prepare　
herself　by　the　ridiculous　Rodney。　It　was　not　the　convention　
of　the　meeting　to　say　goodbye；　or　necessarily　even　
to　nod　to　the　person　with　whom　one　was　talking；　but；　
nevertheless；　Denham　was　disappointed　by　the　pleteness　
with　which　Katharine　parted　from　him；　without　any　
attempt　to　finish　her　sentence。　She　left　with　Rodney。　

CHAPTER　V　


Denham　had　no　conscious　intention　of　following　Katharine；　
but；　seeing　her　depart；　he　took　his　hat　and　ran　rather　
more　quickly　down　the　stairs　than　he　would　have　done　if　
Katharine　had　not　been　in　front　of　him。　He　overtook　a　
friend　of　his；　by　name　Harry　Sandys；　who　was　going　the　
same　way；　and　they　walked　together　a　few　paces　behind　
Katharine　and　Rodney。　

The　night　was　very　still；　and　on　such　nights；　when　the　
traffic　thins　away；　the　walker　bees　conscious　of　the　
moon　in　the　street；　as　if　the　curtains　of　the　sky　had　been　
drawn　apart；　and　the　heaven　lay　bare；　as　it　does　in　the　
country。　The　air　was　softly　cool；　so　that　people　who　had　
been　sitting　talking　in　a　crowd　found　it　pleasant　to　walk　
a　little　before　deciding　to　stop　an　omnibus　or　encounter　
light　again　in　an　underground　railway。　Sandys；　who　was　a　
barrister　with　a　philosophic　tendency；　took　out　his　pipe；　
lit　it；　murmured　“hum”　and　“ha；”　and　was　silent。　The　
couple　in　front　of　them　kept　their　distance　accurately；　
and　appeared；　so　far　as　Denham　could　judge　by　the　way　

51　



Night　and　Day　

they　turned　towards　each　other；　to　be　talking　very　constantly。　
He　observed　that　when　a　pedestrian　going　the　
opposite　way　forced　them　to　part　they　came　together　
again　directly　afterwards。　Without　intending　to　watch　
them　he　never　quite　lost　sight　of　the　yellow　scarf　twisted　
round　Katharine’s　head；　or　the　light　overcoat　which　made　
Rodney　look　fashionable　among　the　crowd。　At　the　Strand　
he　supposed　that　they　would　separate；　but　instead　they　
crossed　the　road；　and　took　their　way　down　one　of　the　
narrow　passages　which　lead　through　ancient　courts　to　
the　river。　Among　the　crowd　of　people　in　the　big　thoroughfares　
Rodney　seemed　merely　to　be　lending　Katharine　
his　escort；　but　now；　when　passengers　were　rare　and　the　
footsteps　of　the　couple　were　distinctly　heard　in　the　silence；　
Denham　could　not　help　picturing　to　himself　some　
change　in　their　conversation。　The　effect　of　the　light　and　
shadow；　which　seemed　to　increase　their　height；　was　to　
make　them　mysterious　and　significant；　so　that　Denham　
had　no　feeling　of　irritation　with　Katharine；　but　rather　a　
halfdreamy　acquiescence　in　the　course　of　the　world。　Yes；　
she　did　very　well　to　dream　about—but　Sandys　had　sud


denly　begun　to　talk。　He　was　a　solitary　man　who　had　made　
his　friends　at　college　and　always　addressed　them　as　if　
they　were　still　undergraduates　arguing　in　his　room；　though　
many　months　or　even　years　had　passed　in　some　cases　
between　the　last　sentence　and　the　present　one。　The　
method　was　a　little　singular；　but　very　restful；　for　it　seemed　
to　ignore　pletely　all　accidents　of　human　life；　and　to　
span　very　deep　abysses　with　a　few　simple　words。　

On　this　occasion　he　began；　while　they　waited　for　a　
minute　on　the　edge　of　the　Strand：　

“I　hear　that　Bent　has　given　up　his　theory　o