登陆注册
15402600000041

第41章

Ultimately her eyes fell upon the ground.

A peculiarity was observable beneath her.A green field spread itself on each side of the hedge,one belonging to the glebe,the other being a part of the land attached to the manor-house adjoining.On the vicarage side she saw a little footpath,the distinctive and altogether exceptional feature of which consisted in its being only about ten yards long;it terminated abruptly at each end.

A footpath,suddenly beginning and suddenly ending,coming from nowhere and leading nowhere,she had never seen before.

Yes,she had,on second thoughts.She had seen exactly such a path trodden in the front of barracks by the sentry.

And this recollection explained the origin of the path here.Her father had trodden it by pacing up and down,as she had once seen him doing.

Sitting on the hedge as she sat now,her eyes commanded a view of both sides of it.And a few minutes later,Elfride looked over to the manor side.

Here was another sentry path.It was like the first in length,and it began and ended exactly opposite the beginning and ending of its neighbour,but it was thinner,and less distinct.

Two reasons existed for the difference.This one might have been trodden by a similar weight of tread to the other,exercised a less number of times;or it might have been walked just as frequently,but by lighter feet.

Probably a gentleman from Scotland-yard,had he been passing at the time,might have considered the latter alternative as the more probable.Elfride thought otherwise,so far as she thought at all.But her own great To-Morrow was now imminent;all thoughts inspired by casual sights of the eye were only allowed to exercise themselves in inferior corners of her brain,previously to being banished altogether.

Elfride was at length compelled to reason practically upon her undertaking.All her definite perceptions thereon,when the emotion accompanying them was abstracted,amounted to no more than these:

Say an hour and three-quarters to ride to St.Launces.

Say half an hour at the Falcon to change my dress.

Say two hours waiting for some train and getting to Plymouth.

Say an hour to spare before twelve oclock.

Total time from leaving Endelstow till twelve oclock,five hours.

Therefore I shall have to start at seven.

No surprise or sense of unwontedness entered the minds of the servants at her early ride.The monotony of life we associate with people of small incomes in districts out of the sound of the railway whistle,has one exception,which puts into shade the experience of dwellers about the great centres of population--that is,in travelling.Every journey there is more or less an adventure;adventurous hours are necessarily chosen for the most commonplace outing.Miss Elfride had to leave early--that was all.

Elfride never went out on horseback but she brought home something--something found,or something bought.If she trotted to town or village,her burden was books.If to hills,woods,or the seashore,it was wonderful mosses,abnormal twigs,a handkerchief of wet shells or seaweed.

Once,in muddy weather,when Pansy was walking with her down the street of Castle Boterel,on a fair-day,a packet in front of her and a packet under her arm,an accident befell the packets,and they slipped down.On one side of her,three volumes of fiction lay kissing the mud;on the other numerous skeins of polychromatic wools lay absorbing it.Unpleasant women smiled through windows at the mishap,the men all looked round,and a boy,who was minding a ginger-bread stall whilst the owner had gone to get drunk,laughed loudly.The blue eyes turned to sapphires,and the cheeks crimsoned with vexation.

After that misadventure she set her wits to work,and was ingenious enough to invent an arrangement of small straps about the saddle,by which a great deal could be safely carried thereon,in a small compass.Here she now spread out and fastened a plain dark walking-dress and a few other trifles of apparel.Worm opened the gate for her,and she vanished away.

同类推荐
  • The Midnight Queen

    The Midnight Queen

    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。
  • 声律发蒙

    声律发蒙

    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。
  • 青眉

    青眉

    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。
  • 王家营志

    王家营志

    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。
  • 春官宗伯

    春官宗伯

    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
  • 帝王情:恩宠难消美人恩

    帝王情:恩宠难消美人恩

    我保你四方平安,只求你稳坐江山。纵使山河飘零远,也只愿你儿孙满堂,金玉满殿,万事安。——题记“如果这是你的愿望,那这就是我的准则。”“我既为你而来,也可因你而去。”承诺描绘的永远,似是不堪一击的樱花,当花落满地,剩下残花一片,荒凉的誓言,就已深埋。真可笑,就算花再美,情再真,到头来,还不是枯萎。湖光熠熠,暗涌深流,岁月长河,涓涓永淌,但是有时候思念还会泛滥,顿时成灾,放纵了想念。“黎国因她而兴,必因她而亡。”他见她最后一面时,她眉眼含笑,手里握着名剑断月,而他转身离去。她说,“墨泽,我只问一次。”她说,“墨泽,你愿不愿意回头?”
  • 我的冰山美女总裁

    我的冰山美女总裁

    为老和尚的一顿酒,莫名其妙成为了女总裁的丈夫,清纯美眉贴上身,妖娆熟女甩不掉,暴力警花求交往。我还是个黄花大闺男,请温柔点。来自古老传承,身兼佛道两大修炼法门,正所谓金鳞岂是池中物,一遇风云便化龙。且看少年秦昊踏出大山,如何在都市之中搅动风云,龙翔九天!
  • 中国谋术全书

    中国谋术全书

    《中国谋术全书》一书对中国自古以来有关智谋韬略的经典历史案例和著名故事进行了全面梳理和归纳,甄选了数百个最具典型性的智谋故事,本书内容丰富多彩,妙趣横生,涉及社会生活的方方面面,从多个角度清晰、完整地呈现了中华谋略文化的全貌,生动地再现了古代人们在治国理政、行军打仗、外交谈判、应对危难及处世交往等方面的智慧与谋略。希望本书不仅能成为读者增长智谋的参考书,更能成为读者在实践中运用智谋解决具体问题的工具书。
  • 青天问道行

    青天问道行

    这世界有三种人。一种人活着就是为了死亡,一种人活着就是为了生活,还有一种人活着就是为了等待。且看年少的你又是为了什么。
  • 你的感情我买单

    你的感情我买单

    高二的唐宽在学校算是一个小混混,泡网吧,打游戏,打架,追女孩,整天不务正业。唯一算得上一个优点的就是会经常打打篮球。有一次为了追学校的一女同学,到一家花店买花,却遇上店主不在家......“姐姐,追求女孩子送什么花比较好?”“你多大啊?”“17,怎么了?”“那你才高二吧?现在的高中生这么高调吗?都开始送花了?”“姐姐,那你多大了?”“没礼貌,怎么能直接问女孩的年龄呢?我都大三了,你们这些小屁孩别光顾着追女孩,好好学习,到了大学有更好的女孩等着你们呢。”......“姐姐,你喜欢什么花?”“我喜欢红色风信子。”“为什么?”“让人感动的爱!”......多年后唐宽再问:“我的爱让你感动了吗?”......杨橘哽咽的说:“不早也不晚!”
  • 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!)
  • 不败灵尊

    不败灵尊

    【玄幻爽文】天灵大陆,是一个灵者的世界!灵能养神,也可杀人!不止是人,还有很多未知的存在!林枫,地球上的杀手,因为义父的欲望,把他逼上了绝路!最终死于义父之手!死后得到一系统!接下来他会有什么样的遭遇呢?敬请关注......(入灵、通灵、聚灵、融灵、王灵、皇灵、帝灵、灵尊)
  • 当危难碰上EXO

    当危难碰上EXO

    从远古时代起,五个肉眼可见的经典行星就已经被人们熟知,他们对神学、宗教宇宙学和古代天文学都有重要的影响。在古代,天文学家记录了一些特定的光点是相对于其他星星如何移动跨越天空。在古代希腊、中国、巴比伦和实际上所有前现代文明中,是人们几乎普遍的相信,地球是宇宙的中心,并且所有的“行星”都围绕着地球旋转。会有这种认识的原因是,人们每天都看到星星围绕着地球旋转,而且看起来好像是常识的认为,地球是坚实且稳定的,应该是静止的而不是会移动的。
  • 斩天诀

    斩天诀

    一个身世如谜、被称为灵修废物的少年,誓要逆天改命。历尽千辛万险后,灵脉修行惊天地,炼体之路泣鬼神,宿命的轮盘终究将他推上一条踏神斩天之路!
  • 巅峰魂者

    巅峰魂者

    魂者大陆,魂者的天下,一个实力决定一切的世界!每个人都拥有魂珠,魂珠的强大与否,决定着一个人的前途与地位!主角从地球而来,他带着穿越者与生俱来的大气运,踏上这个世界的巅峰!等级:魂徒、魂士、魂师、大魂师、魂王、魂皇、魂帝、魂宗、魂尊、魂圣、魂神每级分为九星