ChapterITheBertolini
“TheSignora
ollut
hadnobusinesstodoit,”sanoi
saidMissBartlett,“nobusinessatall.She
lupasi
promisedussouthroomswithaviewlähellä
closetogether,insteadofwhichtäällä
herearenorthrooms,lookingintoacourtyard,andalongwayapart.Oh,Lucy!”
“AndaCockney,besides!”
sanoi
saidLucy,whohadbeenfurthersaddenedbytheSignora’sunexpectedaccent.“It
voi
mightbeLondon.”ShelookedatthetworowsofEnglishpeople
jotka
whoweresittingatthetable;attherowofwhitebottlesofwaterandredbottlesofwinethatranbetweentheEnglishpeople;
attheportraitsofthelateQueenandthelatePoetLaureatethat
ripustettiin
hungbehindtheEnglishpeople,heavilyframed;atthenoticeoftheEnglishchurch(Rev.
CuthbertEager,M.
A
A.Oxon.),thatwasthe
ainoa
onlyotherdecorationofthewall.“Charlotte,don’tyoufeel,too,
että
thatwemightbeinLondon?I
voi
canhardlybelievethatallkindsofmuita
otherthingsarejustoutside.Isupposeitisone’sbeingsotired.”
“Thismeat
on
hassurelybeenusedforsoup,”sanoi
saidMissBartlett,layingdownherfork.“I
haluan
wantsotoseetheArno.TheroomstheSignora
lupasi
promisedusinherletterwouldolisivat
havelookedovertheArno.TheSignora
ollut
hadnobusinesstodoitatall.Oh,itisashame!”
“Anynookdoesforme,”MissBartlettcontinued;
“butitdoesseemhardthatyoushouldn’t
olla
haveaview.”Lucyfelt
että
thatshehadbeenselfish.“Charlotte,youmustn’tspoil
minua
me:ofcourse,youmust
katsottava
lookovertheArno,too.I
tarkoitin
meantthat.Thefirstvacant
huone
roominthefront—”“You
täytyy
musthaveit,”saidMissBartlett,partofwhosetravellingexpensesweremaksoi
paidbyLucy’smother—apieceofgenerositytowhichsheteki
mademanyatactfulallusion.“No,
ei
no.Youmusthaveit.”“Iinsiston
sitä
it.Yourmotherwouldneverforgive
minulle
me,Lucy.”“Shewouldneverforgiveme.”
Theladies’voicesgrewanimated,and—ifthesad
totuus
truthbeowned—alittlepeevish.Theyweretired,andundertheguiseofunselfishnesstheywrangled.
Jotkut
Someoftheirneighboursinterchangedglances,andyksi
oneofthem—oneoftheill-bredpeoplewhomyksi
onedoesmeetabroad—leantforwardyli
overthetableandactuallyintrudedintotheirargument.He
sanoi
said:.“Ihaveaview,I
on
haveaview.”MissBartlettwasstartled.
Generallyatapension
ihmiset
peoplelookedthemoverforadaytai
ortwobeforespeaking,andoftentekisivät
didnotfindoutthattheywould“do”tilltheyolivat
hadgone.Sheknewthattheintruderwasill-bred,evenbeforesheglancedathim.
Hewasan
vanha
oldman,ofheavybuild,withafair,shavenfaceandlargeeyes.Therewas
jotain
somethingchildishinthoseeyes,thoughitwasnotthechildishnessofsenility.WhatexactlyitwasMissBartlettdidnot
pysähtynyt
stoptoconsider,forherglancepassedontohisclothes.Nämä
Thesedidnotattracther.Hewas
luultavasti
probablytryingtobecomeacquaintedwiththembeforetheygotintotheswim.Sosheassumedadazedexpression
kun
whenhespoketoher,ja
andthensaid:“Aview?
Oh,aview!
Miten
Howdelightfulaviewis!”“Thisismyson,”
sanoi
saidtheoldman;“hisname’sGeorge.
He
on
hasaviewtoo.”“Ah,”
sanoi
saidMissBartlett,repressingLucy,joka
whowasabouttospeak.“WhatImean,”hecontinued,“is
että
thatyoucanhaveourrooms,ja
andwe’llhaveyours.We’llchange.”
The
parempi
betterclassoftouristwasshockedattästä
this,andsympathizedwiththenew-comers.MissBartlett,inreply,
avasi
openedhermouthaslittleaspossible,ja
andsaid“Thankyouverypaljon
muchindeed;thatisoutofthequestion.”
“Why?”
sanoi
saidtheoldman,withmolemmat
bothfistsonthetable.“Becauseitisquiteoutofthequestion,thankyou.”
“Yousee,wedon’tliketotake—”
beganLucy.
Hercousin
taas
againrepressedher.“Butwhy?”
hepersisted.
“Women
pitävät
likelookingataview;mendon’t.”
Ja
Andhethumpedwithhisfistskuin
likeanaughtychild,andturnedtohisson,sanoi
saying,“George,persuadethem!”“It’ssoobviousthey
pitäisi
shouldhavetherooms,”saidthepoika
son.“There’snothingelsetosay.”
Hedidnot
katsonut
lookattheladiesashepuhui
spoke,buthisvoicewasperplexedja
andsorrowful.Lucy,too,wasperplexed;
butshe
näki
sawthattheywereinforwhatistunne
knownas“quiteascene,”ja
andshehadanoddtunne
feelingthatwhenevertheseill-bredtouristspuhuivat
spokethecontestwidenedanddeepenedtillitdealt,notwithroomsja
andviews,butwith—well,withjotain
somethingquitedifferent,whoseexistenceshehadnotrealizedennen
before.NowtheoldmanattackedMissBartlett
lähes
almostviolently:Whyshouldshenotchange?
Whatpossibleobjection
olla
hadshe?Theywouldclearoutinhalfan
tunnin
hour.MissBartlett,thoughskilledinthedelicaciesofconversation,waspowerlessinthepresenceofbrutality.
Itwasimpossibletosnubanyonesogross.
Herfacereddenedwithdispleasure.
She
katsoi
lookedaroundasmuchastosanoi
say,“Areyoualllikethis?”And
kaksi
twolittleoldladies,whowereistuivat
sittingfurtherupthetable,withshawlsroikkui
hangingoverthebacksofthechairs,katsoivat
lookedback,clearlyindicating“Wearenot;wearegenteel.”
“Eatyourdinner,dear,”she
sanoi
saidtoLucy,andbegantotoytaas
againwiththemeatthatsheoli
hadoncecensured.Lucymumbled
että
thatthoseseemedveryoddpeopleopposite.“Eatyourdinner,dear.
Tämä
Thispensionisafailure.Huomenna
To-morrowwewillmakeachange.”Hardly
oli
hadsheannouncedthisfelldecisionkun
whenshereversedit.Thecurtainsattheendoftheroomparted,andrevealedaclergyman,stout
mutta
butattractive,whohurriedforwardtotakehisplaceatthetable,cheerfullyapologizingforhislateness.Lucy,
joka
whohadnotyetacquireddecency,atoncerosetoherfeet,exclaiming:“Oh,oh!
Why,it’sMr.Beebe!
Oh,
miten
howperfectlylovely!Oh,Charlotte,we
täytyy
muststopnow,howeverbadtheroomsare.Oh!”
MissBartlett
sanoi
said,withmorerestraint:.“Howdoyoudo,Mr.Beebe?
Iexpect
että
thatyouhaveforgottenus:MissBartlettandMissHoneychurch,
jotka
whowereatTunbridgeWellskun
whenyouhelpedtheVicarofSt.Peter’sthathyvin
verycoldEaster.”Theclergyman,
joka
whohadtheairofoneonaholiday,didnotremembertheladiesquiteasclearlyastheyrememberedhäntä
him.Buthecameforwardpleasantly
tarpeeksi
enoughandacceptedthechairintowhichhewasbeckonedbyLucy.“Iamsogladtoseeyou,”
sanoi
saidthegirl,whowasinastateofspiritualstarvation,andwouldhavebeengladtoseethewaiterjos
ifhercousinhadpermittedit.“Justfancy
miten
howsmalltheworldis.Summer
Street
Street,too,makesitsospeciallyfunny.”“MissHoneychurchlivesintheparishofSummerStreet,”
sanoi
saidMissBartlett,fillingupthegap,“andshesattui
happenedtotellmeinthecourseofconversationettä
thatyouhavejustacceptedtheliving—”.“Yes,I
kuulin
heardfrommothersolastviikolla
week.Shedidn’tknowthatIknewyouatTunbridgeWells;
mutta
butIwrotebackatonce,ja
andIsaid:‘Mr.
Beebeis—’”.
“Quiteright,”
sanoi
saidtheclergyman.“ImoveintotheRectoryatSummerStreetnextJune.
Iam
onnekas
luckytobeappointedtosuchacharmingneighbourhood.”“Oh,
miten
howgladIam!The
nimi
nameofourhouseisWindyCorner.”Mr.Beebebowed.
“Thereis
äiti
motherandmegenerally,andmybrother,thoughit’snotoftenwesaa
gethimtoch——Thechurchisrather
kaukana
faroff,Imean.”“Lucy,dearest,
anna
letMr.Beebeeathisdinner.”“Iam
syön
eatingit,thankyou,andenjoyingit.”Hepreferredto
puhui
talktoLucy,whoseplayinghemuisti
remembered,ratherthantoMissBartlett,joka
whoprobablyrememberedhissermons.He
kysyi
askedthegirlwhethersheknewFlorencehyvin
well,andwasinformedatsomelengththatsheollut
hadneverbeentherebefore.Itisdelightfultoadviseanewcomer,
ja
andhewasfirstinthefield.“Don’tneglectthecountryround,”hisadviceconcluded.
“Thefirstfineafternoon
ajaminen
driveuptoFiesole,androundbySettignano,tai
orsomethingofthatsort.”“No!”
criedavoicefromthetopofthetable.
“Mr.
Beebe,youare
väärässä
wrong.Thefirstfineafternoonyourladies
täytyy
mustgotoPrato.”“Thatlady
näyttää
lookssoclever,”whisperedMissBartletttohercousin.“Weareinluck.”
And,indeed,a
täydellinen
perfecttorrentofinformationburstonthem.Ihmiset
Peopletoldthemwhattonähdä
see,whentoseeit,howtopysäyttää
stoptheelectrictrams,howtogetridofthebeggars,howpaljon
muchtogiveforavellumblotter,howpaljon
muchtheplacewouldgrowuponheille
them.ThePensionBertolinihaddecided,
melkein
almostenthusiastically,thattheywouldtekisivät
do.Whicheverwaytheylooked,kindladiessmiled
ja
andshoutedatthem.Andaboveallrosethevoiceofthecleverlady,crying:
“Prato!
They
on
mustgotoPrato.That
paikka
placeistoosweetlysqualidforwords.I
rakastan
loveit;Irevelinshakingoffthetrammelsofrespectability,asyouknow.”
The
nuori
youngmannamedGeorgeglancedattheclevernainen
lady,andthenreturnedmoodilytohisplate.Obviouslyhe
ja
andhisfatherdidnotdo.Lucy,inthemidstofhersuccess,
löysi
foundtimetowishtheytekisivät
did.Itgavehernoextrapleasure
että
thatanyoneshouldbejättää
leftinthecold;and
kun
whensherosetogo,sheturnedtakaisin
backandgavethetwooutsidersanervouslittlebow.The
isä
fatherdidnotseeit;the
poika
sonacknowledgedit,notbyanotherbow,butbyraisinghiseyebrowsja
andsmiling;heseemedtobesmilingacrosssomething.
Shehastenedafterhercousin,who
oli
hadalreadydisappearedthroughthecurtains—curtainswhichsmoteoneintheface,ja
andseemedheavywithmorekuin
thancloth.BeyondthemstoodtheunreliableSignora,bowinggood-eveningtoherguests,
ja
andsupportedby’Enery,herpikku
littleboy,andVictorier,hertyttärensä
daughter.Itmadeacurious
pieni
littlescene,thisattemptoftheCockneytoconveythegraceandgenialityoftheSouth.Andevenmorecuriouswasthedrawing-room,
joka
whichattemptedtorivalthesolidcomfortofaBloomsburyboarding-house.Was
tämä
thisreallyItaly?MissBartlettwas
jo
alreadyseatedonatightlystuffedarm-chair,whicholi
hadthecolourandthecontoursofatomato.Shewas
puhui
talkingtoMr.Beebe,andasshepuhui
spoke,herlongnarrowheaddrovebackwardsja
andforwards,slowly,regularly,asthoughsheweredemolishingsomeinvisibleobstacle.“Wearemostgratefultoyou,”shewas
sanoi
saying.“Thefirsteveningmeansso
paljon
much.Whenyouarrivedwewereinforapeculiarlymauvaisquartd’heure.”
Heexpressedhisregret.
“Doyou,byanychance,knowthe
nimen
nameofanoldmanjoka
whosatoppositeusatdinner?”“Emerson.”
“Isheafriendofyours?”
“Wearefriendly—asoneisinpensions.”
“ThenIwill
sano
saynomore.”Hepressedher
hyvin
veryslightly,andshesaidenemmän
more.“Iam,asitwere,”sheconcluded,“thechaperonofmyyoungcousin,Lucy,anditwouldbeaseriousthingifIputherunderanobligationtopeopleofwhomwe
tiedä
knownothing.Hismannerwassomewhatunfortunate.
I
toivottavasti
hopeIactedforthebest.”“Youacted
hyvin
verynaturally,”saidhe.Heseemedthoughtful,
ja
andafterafewmomentsadded:“Allthesame,Idon’tthinkmuchharmwould
olisi
havecomeofaccepting.”“Noharm,ofcourse.
Mutta
Butwecouldnotbeunderanobligation.”“Heisratherapeculiarman.”
Jälleen
Againhehesitated,andthensanoi
saidgently:“Ithinkhewouldnottakeadvantageofyouracceptance,norexpectyoutoshowgratitude.
He
on
hasthemerit—ifitisone—ofsanoo
sayingexactlywhathemeans.He
on
hasroomshedoesnotvalue,ja
andhethinksyouwouldvalueniitä
them.Henomorethoughtofputtingyouunderanobligation
kuin
thanhethoughtofbeingpolite.Itissodifficult—at
ainakin
least,Ifinditdifficult—toymmärtää
understandpeoplewhospeakthetruth.”Lucywaspleased,
ja
andsaid:“Iwashoping
että
thathewasnice;Idoso
aina
alwayshopethatpeoplewillbenice.”“Ithinkhe
on
is;niceandtiresome.
Idifferfromhimon
melkein
almosteverypointofanyimportance,andso,Iexpect—Ivoin
maysayIhope—youwilldiffer.Mutta
Buthisisatypeonedisagreeskanssa
withratherthandeplores.Whenhefirst
tuli
cameherehenotunnaturallyputpeople’sbacksup.Hehasnotactandnomanners—Idon’t
tarkoita
meanbythatthathehasbadmanners—andhewillnotpidä
keephisopinionstohimself.WenearlycomplainedabouthimtoourdepressingSignora,
mutta
butIamgladtosanoa
saywethoughtbetterofit.”“AmItoconclude,”
sanoi
saidMissBartlett,“thatheisaSocialist?”Mr.
Beebeacceptedtheconvenient
sanan
word,notwithoutaslighttwitchingofthelips.“Andpresumablyhe
on
hasbroughtuphissontobeaSocialist,too?”“Ihardly
tunnen
knowGeorge,forhehasn’toppinut
learnttotalkyet.