David Copperfield

Chapter 65 Falling in love (2)
Chapter 26 Falling In Love (2)
Mr Spenlow's house has a nice garden.Although it was not the best time of the year to enjoy flowers and trees, I was fascinated by the exquisite gardening.There was a green lawn, and a clump of trees, and a dirt path I could only make out in the twilight, with a vaulted lattice shed, and plants and trees clinging to it, and I thought, "Miss Spenlow must be walking alone here, Ugh!"

We entered the brightly lit house, first in the hall, where there hung all kinds of tall hats, coats, plaids, gloves, whips and walking sticks. "Where is Miss Dora?" said Mr. Spenlow to the servant. "Dora," I thought, "what a name!"

We went to an adjoining room (I think that was the breakfast room, famous for its brown East Indian wines).Then a voice said: "Mr. Copperfield, little Dora, little Dora's friend!" Mr. Spenlow had said it, there was no doubt about it, but I couldn't hear it, and didn't care who it was.After a while, what happened in my life came.I am a captive, a slave.I love Dora Spenlow, I love her madly.

I think she's a fairy, an elf—I don't know what the hell she is, she's something no one has ever seen, something everyone wants.I fell into the abyss of love from which I would never come out.I haven't stopped at the edge of the abyss, haven't looked down, haven't looked back.Before I could think of a word to say to her, I jumped headfirst into it.

"I," I had just bowed and hummed, when a soft voice said, "I've seen Mr. Copperfield before."

It was not Dora who spoke, but the friend—Miss Murdstone.

I don't think I was surprised then.As far as I'm concerned, I no longer have a decent stay of surprise.There is nothing surprising in the world except Dora.I said, "Miss Murdstone, how are you? I hope you are well." She replied, "I am well." I said, "How is Mr. Murdstone?" She replied, " Shedi is very strong, I thank you."

I believed Mr. Spenlow to be surprised to see that we knew each other, when he interposed:

"Mr. Copperfield and Miss Murdstone have known each other for a long time."

"Mr Copperfield and I," said Miss Murdstone, with icy calmness, "are relations, have known each other for a time, in his boyhood, and events have separated us, and I almost recognized him Leave him alone."

I replied that I always knew her wherever I was.This is true.

"Under the care of Miss Murdstone," said Mr. Spenlow to me, "accepted to be my daughter Dora's companion. My daughter Dora had the misfortune of being motherless, but Miss Murdstone agreed to be her." Girlfriend to take care of her."

It suddenly occurred to me that Miss Murdstone was like a weapon hidden in her pocket, not so much for protection as for attack.But then I had only fleeting thoughts about anything.I just think I see, in her lovely casual manner, not wanting to be extra intimate with this companion and protector.Just then the bell rang, and Mr. Spenlow said it was the first supper bell.So I went to prepare.

In this mood of being in love, the idea of ​​changing clothes, or any other activity, seems comical.I sat in front of the fire with the keys to my rug bag, imagining the charming childish Dora with her bright eyes.What a figure she had, what a face she had, how elegant, how graceful, how charming her manners!

In that case I should have dressed myself carefully, but the bell rang again, and I had to change quickly and go downstairs.There are some guests there.Dora was talking to an old gentleman with white hair.Despite his gray hair - a great-grandfather, according to him - I hated him madly.

What a state of mind I was then! I was jealous of anyone, and could not bear the thought of anyone being closer to Mr. Spenlow than I was.It was hard for me to hear them talk about things I wasn't a part of.A bald man with a very kind face asked me across the table if it was my first visit to the house, and I wanted to take all revenge on him.

I only remember Dora.I have no idea what I ate except her.I seem to have made a whole table of Dora's beauty, and removed half a dozen dishes intact.I talk to her cordially.Her touching voice, that lively smile, and the happiest and most charming little gestures made a young man willing to be her slave.She is so petite, but I think the smaller the cuter.

When she and Miss Murdstone came out of the dining-room, I fell into thought again, disturbed only by the apprehension that Miss Murdstone would speak ill of me to her.The bald, kind old man told me a long story, about gardening, I think.I seem to have heard him say "my gardener".I pretended to pay close attention to his expression, but I was actually playing with Dora in the Garden of Eden.

When we came into the drawing-room Miss Murdstone's gloomy and indifferent look aroused my apprehension that I should be reproached in the presence of my beloved.But I accidentally released this worry.

"David Copperfield." Miss Modes beckoned me to a window.

I stood face to face with Miss Murdstone.

"David Copperfield," said Miss Murdstone, "I don't want to say anything more about the old household. It's not a pleasant subject."

"Yes, ma'am," I replied.

Miss Murdstone agreed, saying: "Past arguments, past insults, I don't like to repeat. I have suffered from a person--a woman, and for our women's self-esteem, I feel sorry for us--" Violent, mentioning her, I feel disgusted with her; therefore I will not name names."

I was offended when she mentioned my aunt, but all I said was that it would be all right if Miss Murdstone didn't mention her.I added that when I heard someone say something rude about her, I couldn't help expressing my opinion with a firm tone.

Miss Murdstone closed her eyes, bowed her head contemptuously, then opened them again and said, "David Copperfield, I needn't hide that I did have an opinion when you were a child that you were worthless." , this opinion may be wrong, you may have changed. It is no longer a problem between us. I think I was born in a family with a strong character, I will not change with the environment, I have my opinion of you , you can also have your opinion about me."

This time it was my turn to bow my head.

"However," she said, "these two opinions need not be at war in this place. At present, it seems that no matter which side you look at, it is better not to conflict. The chances of life have brought us together again, and we will say I don't know where we will meet again, but I suggest that we treat each other as distant relatives here. Family makes us get along like this, and neither of us needs to talk about each other. Do you agree?"

"Miss Murdstone," I answered her, "I think both you and Mr. Murdstone have been cruel to me and my mother, and I have thought so all my life. But I fully agree with your proposal."

Miss Murdstone closed her eyes again, and bowed her head.Then she touched the back of my hand with her cold, hard finger, and walked away, adjusting the little chains around her wrists and neck.These chains seemed to be the same as the ones I had seen her last.These chains connect with Mordstone's character, reminding me of the chains on the prison door, so that all who see it can imagine what the inside looks like from the outside.

All that night, all I remember is hearing my beloved queen play the banjo and sing beautiful songs in French.The lyrics are: "Anyway, we should dance non-stop, ta la la, ta la la... I am in a state of intoxication. I don't care about snacks, and I especially hate noodles. All I know is that when Modes When Miss Tong took her into custody and took her away, she smiled at me and held out her soft little hand. I saw myself in the mirror, completely demented and stupid. I fell asleep in a state of extreme obsession , also got up in that state.

It was a bright morning, and I thought I should go for a walk on the paths under the vaulted lattice sheds, and recall her shadow too.As I walked through the foyer, I met her puppy, whose name was Gypsy—short for Gypsy.I approached it with tenderness because I fell in love with it too.But it gritted its teeth and got under the chair, screaming loudly, and didn't want to get close to me at all.

The garden was cool and secluded, and I thought about how enchanted I would be if I got engaged to this dear baby.As to marriage, property, and the like, I think I was as naive as I was when I loved little Emily.Just let me call her "Dora," write to her, love her, and I have reason to think she thinks of me when she's with other people—that's the highest human luxury.I was a wild little lover, no doubt, but in this love there was a simple heart, which, in retrospect, was lovely, but not enough to make me ashamed.

I had just walked for a while when I ran into her.Now when I remember that corner, I am so excited that even the pen in my hand trembles.

"You - up - early, Miss Spenlow," I said.

"It's so dull at home," she answered me, "and Miss Murdstone is so unreasonable. She says I can't go out until the weather is dry! .) One Sunday morning, I don't practice music, so I have to do something. So I told my father yesterday, I must come out. Besides, this is the brightest time of the day, don't you think?"

I boldly say (with a stammer) that I feel bright now, but a minute ago I felt so dark.

"That's a compliment," said Dora, "what a change of weather!"

I stammered still more, and replied that it was not a compliment, but the plain truth, though I was unaware of the change in the weather.I sheepishly add: The change is mine.

She shook her curls down to hide her coyness, and I've never seen curls like that—how could I, nobody has curls like that.As for the straw hats and turquoise ribbon knots on the curls, how nice it would be if they hung in my bedroom in Buckingham Street!

"Did you just come back from Paris?" I asked.

"Yes," she said, "have you ever been to Paris?"

"No."

"Oh! I wish you'd go there once, you'd love it very much."

The pain in my heart showed on my face, she wanted me to go, she believed that I could go, it was unbearable.I despise Paris.I said that, in the present circumstances, no earthly reason could cause me to leave England.In short, she was shaking those curls again, and that's when the little dog came running down the road and came to our rescue.

(End of this chapter)