登陆注册
15289300000031

第31章

THREE months passed. During that time Frank remained in London; pursuing his new duties, and writing occasionally to report himself to Mr. Vanstone, as he had promised.

His letters were not enthusiastic on the subject of mercantile occupations. He described himself as being still painfully loose in his figures. He was also more firmly persuaded than ever--now when it was unfortunately too late--that he preferred engineering to trade. In spite of this conviction; in spite of headaches caused by sitting on a high stool and stooping over ledgers in unwholesome air; in spite of want of society, and hasty breakfasts, and bad dinners at chop-houses, his attendance at the office was regular, and his diligence at the desk unremitting. The head of the department in which he was working might be referred to if any corroboration of this statement was desired. Such was the general tenor of the letters; and Frank's correspondent and Frank's father differed over them as widely as usual. Mr. Vanstone accepted them as proofs of the steady development of industrious principles in the writer. Mr. Clare took his own characteristically opposite view. "These London men," said the philosopher, "are not to be trifled with by louts. They have got Frank by the scruff of the neck--he can't wriggle himself free--and he makes a merit of yielding to sheer necessity."The three months' interval of Frank's probation in London passed less cheerfully than usual in the household at Combe-Raven.

As the summer came nearer and nearer, Mrs. Vanstone's spirits, in spite of her resolute efforts to control them, became more and more depressed.

"I do my best," she said to Miss Garth; "I set an example of cheerfulness to my husband and my children--but I dread July." Norah's secret misgivings on her sister's account rendered her more than usually serious and uncommunicative, as the year advanced. Even Mr. Vanstone, when July drew nearer, lost something of his elasticity of spirit. He kept up appearances in his wife's presence--but on all other occasions there was now a perceptible shade of sadness in his look and manner. Magdalen was so changed since Frank's departure that she helped the general depression, instead of relieving it. All her movements had grown languid; all her usual occupations were pursued with the same weary indifference; she spent hours alone in her own room; she lost her interest in being brightly and prettily dressed; her eyes were heavy, her nerves were irritable, her complexion was altered visibly for the worse--in one word, she had become an oppression and a weariness to herself and to all about her. Stoutly as Miss Garth contended with these growing domestic difficulties, her own spirits suffered in the effort. Her memory reverted, oftener and oftener, to the March morning when the master and mistress of the house had departed for London, and then the first serious change, for many a year past, had stolen over the family atmosphere. When was that atmosphere to be clear again? When were the clouds of change to pass off before the returning sunshine of past and happier times?

The spring and the early summer wore away. The dreaded month of July came, with its airless nights, its cloudless mornings, and its sultry days.

On the fifteenth of the month, an event happened which took every one but Norah by surprise. For the second time, without the slightest apparent reason--for the second time, without a word of warning beforehand--Frank suddenly re-appeared at his father's cottage.

Mr. Clare's lips opened to hail his son's return, in the old character of the "bad shilling"; and closed again without uttering a word. There was a portentous composure in Frank's manner which showed that he had other news to communicate than the news of his dismissal. He answered his father's sardonic look of inquiry by at once explaining that a very important proposal for his future benefit had been made to him, that morning, at the office. His first idea had been to communicate the details in writing; but the partners had, on reflection, thought that the necessary decision might be more readily obtained by a personal interview with his father and his friends. He had laid aside the pen accordingly, and had resigned himself to the railway on the spot.

After this preliminary statement, Frank proceeded to describe the proposal which his employers had addressed to him, with every external appearance of viewing it in the light of an intolerable hardship.

The great firm in the City had obviously made a discovery in relation to their clerk, exactly similar to the discovery which had formerly forced itself on the engineer in relation to his pupil. The young man, as they politely phrased it, stood in need of some special stimulant to stir him up. His employers (acting under a sense of their obligation to the gentleman by whom Frank had been recommended) had considered the question carefully, and had decided that the one promising use to which they could put Mr. Francis Clare was to send him forthwith into another quarter of the globe.

同类推荐
  • 平书

    平书

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 三秦记

    三秦记

    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。
  • 林泉老人评唱丹霞淳禅师颂古虚堂集

    林泉老人评唱丹霞淳禅师颂古虚堂集

    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。
  • 十二礼赞阿弥陀佛文

    十二礼赞阿弥陀佛文

    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。
  • 顺鼓篇

    顺鼓篇

    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
  • 涅槃逆袭:帝都废材七小姐

    涅槃逆袭:帝都废材七小姐

    她,新世纪的王牌杀手,最开心的就是跟他在一起,她为了他,生死相依,换来的却是永世伤痕。一朝穿越,成了夏侯府的七小姐,废材?柔弱?她虽不是她,但从现在起,她就是她!全新的她!前一世,她受尽情伤;前一世,她被世人欺辱!这一世,她统统要他们付出代价!谁说变强了没人爱?本小姐有当下最强冥王爷为她争风吃醋,宠溺至极。什么?宠物猛兽很稀有?不好意思,她左手一个浴火凤凰,右手一个鬼域神龙;炼丹不容易?收服一个小小丹妖轻而易举的升级。美男无数,幸运女神为她降临,看她如何走向人生巅峰!(完整简介,尽在作者QQ)一对一宠文,放心入坑。作者泡泡:3506308313,敲门砖:姨妈,欢迎串门。读者专属泡泡,你不来么?
  • 丐食神妃,土皇勾勾馋

    丐食神妃,土皇勾勾馋

    一朝穿越至灾荒年代,险些没被饿惨了的古人生吞活剥。本已脱离虎口,却又入狼穴,兜兜转转,几年光阴匆匆而过。偶遇孤寡老人,硬是将她认孙子。好,反正她无家可归,那咱就认了吧。
  • 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!)
  • 南游记

    南游记

    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。
  • 遗毒记——鬼脸面具

    遗毒记——鬼脸面具

    以“红木方盒”和寻找中医何源为主线,以不同人物身上的血印为牵引,再现了抗战胜利前后,三代中国人的悲欢离合与爱恨情仇,刻画了众多美丑善恶的人物群像。借助京剧、中医、象棋等传统文化,让守墓人、老道长、抑郁症患者的鲜活人生展现得淋漓尽致,对主人公痴恋、虐恋、眷恋的情感纠葛进行了全新演绎。在抽丝剥茧地寻找“遗毒”根源的道路上,对不速之客的诱杀、谋杀、错杀悬念迭起,无论是饱受折磨的局中人还是袖手在侧的旁观者,都因对信仰的坚守和对生活的渴望显得血肉丰满。而在每个案发现场,“鬼脸面具”都如约而至。在这阴森恐怖的面具背后,不知隐藏着多少秘密?不知包裹着多少带血的苦痛、多少极度的绝望和对未来的美丽幻想?
  • 九道之尊

    九道之尊

    棋子与棋手的交锋,凡人与天的较量!“从蝼蚁到众生,从芸芸到一宗之主,我一步步爬到这个高度,不是为了让你一脚踹下去的!”“我活着,就是为了看到你因为我还活着而不安,并且这种不安还要一直下去,直到永远!”…………………………………………………………瓦罐从不畏惧与瓷器相撞!
  • 神仙?只配给我提鞋:众神之神

    神仙?只配给我提鞋:众神之神

    因为一时迷糊,结果被牛头马面给抓了差,成了地府里的一名小小的医生。可惜,挂职几天,乌龙事件百出,搞的阎罗王大没面子,只好把他给投胎了。唉,又是一个历史上没有的朝代,而且是一个最不受皇上待见,人称妖怪的皇子,一个数百年来的朝代,又面临的亡国的危险。看我如何翻起风云,搅乱三界!
  • 傲世宙尊

    傲世宙尊

    乾坤浩瀚不过一次布局,是巧合还是注定,逆天征伐从此始,新的纪元,战火再延。琼霄掌狼烟,不为功名,只为心中逆鳞永不犯
  • 惑乱邪王心

    惑乱邪王心

    皇帝老儿赐婚,王后却是个地地道道无盐女,且还是个哑巴!哼!女戒典范又怎样?别看王爷玩世不恭,她略施手段,王爷还不乖乖拜服。可……身份揭穿,王后看你哪里逃!
  • 一个平凡人的无限

    一个平凡人的无限

    平樊,一个平凡的普通人,无意间进入了无限空间他该如何掌控自己的命运且看一个平凡人如何在无限空间中闯荡,最后超脱命运……书友QQ群号:391774020(大家可以加一下,可以一起讨论哒)