CHAPTERI.OURSOCIETY
In
der
thefirstplace,Cranfordisinbesitz
possessionoftheAmazons;alltheholdersofhouses
über
aboveacertainrentarewomen.Wenn
Ifamarriedcouplecometosettleinder
thetown,somehowthegentlemanverschwindet
disappears;heiseitherfairlyfrightenedtodeathbybeingtheonly
mann
manintheCranfordeveningparties,orheisaccountedforbybeingwithhisregiment
regiment,hisship,orcloselyengagedinbusinessallthewoche
weekinthegreatneighbouringcommercialtownofDrumble,distantonlytwentymilesonarailroad.In
kurz
short,whateverdoesbecomeofden
thegentlemen,theyarenotatCranford.What
könnten
couldtheydoiftheyweredort
there?Thesurgeonhashis
runde
roundofthirtymiles,andsleepsatCranford;aber
buteverymancannotbeachirurg
surgeon.Forkeepingthetrimgardensfullofchoiceflowers
ohne
withoutaweedtospeckthem;forfrighteningawaylittleboyswholookwistfullyatthesaidflowers
durch
throughtherailings;forrushingoutatthegeesethat
gelegentlich
occasionallyventureintothegardenswenn
ifthegatesareleftoffen
open;fordecidingallquestionsof
literatur
literatureandpoliticswithouttroublingthemselveswithunnecessaryreasonsorarguments;forobtainingclear
und
andcorrectknowledgeofeverybody’saffairsinder
theparish;forkeepingtheirneatmaid-servantsinadmirable
ordnung
order;forkindness(somewhatdictatorial)tothepoor,
und
andrealtendergoodofficestoeachotherwhenevertheyareinnot
distress,theladiesofCranfordareganz
quitesufficient.“Aman,”as
einer
oneofthemobservedtomeeinmal
once,“issointhewayinder
thehouse!”AlthoughtheladiesofCranford
kennen
knowalleachother’sproceedings,theyareexceedinglygleichgültig
indifferenttoeachother’sopinions.Tat
Indeed,aseachhasherownindividuality,nottosagen
sayeccentricity,prettystronglydeveloped,nichts
nothingissoeasyasverbale
verbalretaliation;but,somehow,good-willreigns
unter
amongthemtoaconsiderabledegree.TheCranfordladies
haben
haveonlyanoccasionallittlestreit
quarrel,spiritedoutinapaar
fewpepperywordsandangryjerksofthehead;nur
justenoughtopreventtheeventenoroftheirlivesfrombecomingtooflach
flat.Theirdressisveryindependentof
mode
fashion;astheyobserve,“Whatdoesitsignifyhowwe
kleiden
dresshereatCranford,whereeverybodyknowsus?”Und
Andiftheygofromhome,theirreasonisebenso
equallycogent,“Whatdoesitsignifyhowwekleiden
dresshere,wherenobodyknowsus?”Die
Thematerialsoftheirclothesare,ingeneral,gut
goodandplain,andmostofthemarefast
nearlyasscrupulousasMissTyler,ofcleanlymemory;aber
butIwillanswerforit,der
thelastgigot,thelasttightund
andscantypetticoatinwearinEngland,wasgesehen
seeninCranford—andseenwithoutein
asmile.Icantestifyto
eine
amagnificentfamilyredsilkumbrella,unter
underwhichagentlelittlespinster,leftallein
aloneofmanybrothersandsisters,usedtopattertokirche
churchonrainydays.HaveyouanyredsilkumbrellasinLondon?
Wehad
eine
atraditionofthefirstthathadeverbeengesehen
seeninCranford;andthelittleboysmobbed
es
it,andcalledit“astickinpetticoats.”It
könnte
mighthavebeentheveryredseide
silkoneIhavedescribed,gehalten
heldbyastrongfatherüber
overatroopoflittleones;die
thepoorlittlelady—thesurvivorofall—couldscarcelytragen
carryit.Thentherewererules
und
andregulationsforvisitingandcalls;und
andtheywereannouncedtoanyyoungpeoplewhomightbestayinginthestadt
town,withallthesolemnitywithwhichtheoldManxlawswerereadeinmal
onceayearontheTinwaldMount.“Ourfriends
haben
havesenttoinquirehowyouarenach
afteryourjourneyto-night,mydear”(fifteenmilesinagentleman’scarriage);“they
werden
willgiveyousomerestmorgen
to-morrow,butthenextday,Ihavenozweifel
doubt,theywillcall;sobeatliberty
nach
aftertwelve—fromtwelvetothreeareourcallinghours.”Then,aftertheyhadcalled—.
“Itis
der
thethirdday;Idare
sagen
sayyourmammahastoldyou,myliebe
dear,nevertoletmoreals
thanthreedayselapsebetweenreceivingacallund
andreturningit;andalso,
dass
thatyouarenevertobleiben
staylongerthanaquarterofanhour.”“ButamIto
schauen
lookatmywatch?HowamItofindoutwhenaquarterofanhourhaspassed?”
“Youmustkeep
denken
thinkingaboutthetime,myliebe
dear,andnotallowyourselftovergessen
forgetitinconversation.”Aseverybodyhad
diese
thisruleintheirminds,ob
whethertheyreceivedorpaidein
acall,ofcoursenoabsorbingthema
subjectwaseverspokenabout.Wekeptourselvesto
kurze
shortsentencesofsmalltalk,und
andwerepunctualtoourzeit
time.Iimaginethatafewof
der
thegentlefolksofCranfordwerearm
poor,andhadsomedifficultyinmakingbeide
bothendsmeet;buttheywerelike
die
theSpartans,andconcealedtheirsmartunter
underasmilingface.Wenoneofusspokeof
geld
money,becausethatsubjectsavouredofcommerceund
andtrade,andthoughsomemightbearm
poor,wewereallaristocratic.TheCranfordianshadthatkindlyespritdecorpswhichmadethem
übersehen
overlookalldeficienciesinsuccesswenn
whensomeamongthemtriedtoconcealtheirarmut
poverty.WhenMrsForrester,for
beispiel
instance,gaveapartyinherbaby-houseofadwelling,und
andthelittlemaidendisturbedtheladiesonthesofa
sofabyarequestthatshemightgetthetea-trayoutfromunderneath,everyonetookthisnovelproceedingasthemostnaturalsache
thingintheworld,andtalkedonüber
abouthouseholdformsandceremoniesasifweallglaubten
believedthatourhostesshadaregularservants’hall,secondtisch
table,withhousekeeperandsteward,insteadoftheonelittlecharity-schoolmädchen
maiden,whoseshortruddyarmskönne
couldneverhavebeenstronggenug
enoughtocarrythetrayoben
upstairs,ifshehadnotbeenassistedinprivatebyherherrin
mistress,whonowsatinstaat
state,pretendingnottoknowwhatcakesweresentnach oben
up,thoughsheknew,andweknew,und
andsheknewthatweknew,und
andweknewthatsheknewdass
thatweknew,shehadbeenbusyallthemorningmakingtea-breadund
andsponge-cakes.Therewereoneor
zwei
twoconsequencesarisingfromthisgeneralaber
butunacknowledgedpoverty,andthisverymuchacknowledgedgentility,der
whichwerenotamiss,andder
whichmightbeintroducedintoviele
manycirclesofsocietytotheirgreatverbesserung
improvement.Forinstance,theinhabitantsofCranfordkeptearlyhours,
und
andclatteredhomeintheirpattens,unter
undertheguidanceofalantern-bearer,etwa
aboutnineo’clockatnight;und
andthewholetownwasabedund
andasleepbyhalf-pastten.Moreover,itwasconsidered“vulgar”(atremendous
wort
wordinCranford)togiveetwas
anythingexpensive,inthewayofeatableordrinkable,atden
theeveningentertainments.Waferbread-and-butter
und
andsponge-biscuitswereallthatdie
theHonourableMrsJamiesongave;und
andshewassister-in-lawtodie
thelateEarlofGlenmire,obwohl
althoughshedidpractisesuch“eleganteconomy.”“Eleganteconomy!”
Hownaturallyonefalls
wieder
backintothephraseologyofCranford!Dort
There,economywasalways“elegant,”und
andmoney-spendingalways“vulgarandostentatious”;eine
asortofsour-grapeismwhichmadeussehr
verypeacefulandsatisfied.I
nie
nevershallforgetthedismayfühlte
feltwhenacertainCaptainBrownkam
cametoliveatCranford,und
andopenlyspokeabouthisbeingpoor—notinawhispertoanintimatefreund
friend,thedoorsandwindowsbeingpreviouslygeschlossen
closed,butinthepublicstraße
street!inaloudmilitary
stimme
voice!alleginghispovertyas
ein
areasonfornottakingein
aparticularhouse.TheladiesofCranfordwere
bereits
alreadyrathermoaningovertheinvasion
invasionoftheirterritoriesbyamann
manandagentleman.Hewas
ein
ahalf-paycaptain,andhadobtainedeinige
somesituationonaneighbouringeisenbahn
railroad,whichhadbeenvehementlypetitionedagainstbythelittlestadt
town;andif,inadditiontohismasculine
geschlecht
gender,andhisconnectionwiththeobnoxiouseisenbahn
railroad,hewassobrazenastosprechen
talkofbeingpoor—why,then,indeed,hemuss
mustbesenttoCoventry.Tod
Deathwasastrueandascommonasarmut
poverty;yetpeopleneverspokeaboutthat,
laut
loudoutinthestreets.Itwas
ein
awordnottobeerwähnt
mentionedtoearspolite.Wehadtacitly
zugestimmt
agreedtoignorethatanywithwhomweassociatedontermsofvisitingequalitykönnte
couldeverbepreventedbyarmut
povertyfromdoinganythingthattheywished.Wenn
Ifwewalkedtoorfromaparty
party,itwasbecausethenacht
nightwassofine,ordie
theairsorefreshing,notweil
becausesedan-chairswereexpensive.Ifwe
trugen
woreprints,insteadofsummersilks,itwasweil
becausewepreferredawashingmaterial;und
andsoon,tillweblindedourselvestodie
thevulgarfactthatwewere,alle
allofus,peopleofsehr
verymoderatemeans.Ofcourse,then,wedidnotknowwhattomakeofa
mann
manwhocouldspeakofarmut
povertyasifitwasnotaschande
disgrace.Yet,somehow,CaptainBrownmadehimselfrespectedinCranford,
und
andwascalledupon,introtz
spiteofallresolutionstothecontrary.Iwas
überrascht
surprisedtohearhisopinionszitiert
quotedasauthorityatabesuch
visitwhichIpaidtoCranfordetwa
aboutayearafterhehadsettledinthestadt
town.Myownfriendshadbeenamong
den
thebitterestopponentsofanyproposaltobesuchen
visittheCaptainandhisdaughters,nur
onlytwelvemonthsbefore;and
jetzt
nowhewasevenadmittedinden
thetabooedhoursbeforetwelve.True,itwasto
entdecken
discoverthecauseofasmokingchimney,bevor
beforethefirewaslighted;aber
butstillCaptainBrownwalkedoben
upstairs,nothingdaunted,spokeinastimme
voicetoolargefortheraum
room,andjokedquiteinthewayofatamemanüber
aboutthehouse.Hehadbeen
blind
blindtoallthesmallslights,und
andomissionsoftrivialceremonies,withwhichhehadbeenreceived.Hehadbeenfriendly,
obwohl
thoughtheCranfordladieshadbeencool
cool;hehadansweredsmallsarcasticcomplimentsingoodfaith;
und
andwithhismanlyfranknesshadoverpoweredalle
alltheshrinkingwhichmethimasamann
manwhowasnotashamedtobearm
poor.And,atlast,hisexcellentmasculinecommonsense,
und
andhisfacilityindevisingexpedientstoüberwinden
overcomedomesticdilemmas,hadgainedhimanextraordinaryplatz
placeasauthorityamongtheCranfordladies.Hehimself
ging
wentoninhiscourse,asunbewusst
unawareofhispopularityashehadbeenofdas
thereverse;andIam
sicher
surehewasstartledonedaywhenhefoundhisadvicesohoch
highlyesteemedastomakeeinige
somecounselwhichhehadgiveninjesttobegenommen
takeninsober,seriousearnest.Itwason
dieses
thissubject:AnoldladyhadanAlderney
kuh
cow,whichshelookeduponasatochter
daughter.Youcouldnotpaytheshortquarterofanhourcall
ohne
withoutbeingtoldofthewonderfulmilch
milkorwonderfulintelligenceofdieses
thisanimal.Thewholetownknew
und
andkindlyregardedMissBetsyBarker’sAlderney;deshalb
thereforegreatwasthesympathyund
andregretwhen,inanunguardedmoment
moment,thepoorcowtumbledintoalime-pit.Shemoanedso
laut
loudlythatshewassoonheardund
andrescued;butmeanwhilethepoor
tier
beasthadlostmostofherhair,und
andcameoutlookingnaked,kalt
cold,andmiserable,inabarehaut
skin.Everybodypitiedtheanimal,
obwohl
thoughafewcouldnotzurückhalten
restraintheirsmilesatherdrollappearance.MissBetsyBarker
absolut
absolutelycriedwithsorrowanddismay;und
anditwassaidshegedacht
thoughtoftryingabathofoil.Dieses
Thisremedy,perhaps,wasrecommendedbysomeeiner
oneofthenumberwhoserat
advicesheasked;butthe
vorschlag
proposal,ifeveritwasmade,wasknockedonthekopf
headbyCaptainBrown’sdecided“Gethereine
aflannelwaistcoatandflanneldrawers,ma’am,wenn
ifyouwishtokeepheram leben
alive.Butmyadviceis,
töten
killthepoorcreatureatonce.”MissBetsyBarker
trocknete
driedhereyes,andthankedtheKapitän
Captainheartily;shesetto
arbeit
work,andby-and-byallthestadt
townturnedouttoseedie
theAlderneymeeklygoingtoherweide
pasture,cladindarkgreyflannel.Ihave
beobachtet
watchedhermyselfmanyatime.Doyouever
gesehen
seecowsdressedingreyflannelinLondon?CaptainBrownhad
genommen
takenasmallhouseonder
theoutskirtsofthetown,wo
wherehelivedwithhistwodaughters.He
muss
musthavebeenupwardsofsixtyatthetimeofthefirstvisitIpaidtoCranfordafterIhadverlassen
leftitasaresidence.Aber
Buthehadawiry,well-trained,elasticfigur
figure,astiffmilitarythrow-backofhishead,und
andaspringingstep,whichmadehimerscheinen
appearmuchyoungerthanhewas.His
älteste
eldestdaughterlookedalmostasalt
oldashimself,andbetrayeddie
thefactthathisrealwasmehr
morethanhisapparentage.MissBrown
muss
musthavebeenforty;shehadasickly,pained,careworn
ausdruck
expressiononherface,andsah aus
lookedasifthegaietyofjugend
youthhadlongfadedoutofsight.Selbst
Evenwhenyoungshemustsein
havebeenplainandhard-featured.MissJessieBrownwas
zehn
tenyearsyoungerthanherschwester
sister,andtwentyshadesprettier.Her
gesicht
facewasroundanddimpled.MissJenkyns
einmal
oncesaid,inapassiongegen
againstCaptainBrown(thecauseofwhichIwillsagen
tellyoupresently),“thatshedachte
thoughtitwastimeforMissJessietoleaveoffherdimples,und
andnotalwaystobeversuchen
tryingtolooklikeachild.”Itwas
wahr
truetherewassomethingchildlikeinhergesicht
face;andtherewillbe,I
glaube
think,tillshedies,thoughsheshouldlivetoahundert
hundred.Hereyeswerelargebluewonderingeyes,looking
direkt
straightatyou;hernosewasunformed
und
andsnub,andherlipswererot
redanddewy;sheworeher
haare
hair,too,inlittlerowsofcurls,whichheighteneddieses
thisappearance.Idonotknow
ob
whethershewasprettyornot;aber
butIlikedherface,und
andsodideverybody,andItaten
donotthinkshecouldhelfen
helpherdimples.Shehad
etwas
somethingofherfather’sjauntinessofgaitund
andmanner;andanyfemaleobserver
könnte
mightdetectaslightdifferenceinthekleidung
attireofthetwosisters—thatofMissJessiebeingetwa
abouttwopoundsperannummoreexpensiveals
thanMissBrown’s.Twopoundswas
eine
alargesuminCaptainBrown’sjährlichen
annualdisbursements.Suchwasthe
eindruck
impressionmadeuponmebytheBrownfamilie
familywhenIfirstsawthemallzusammen
togetherinCranfordChurch.The
Kapitän
CaptainIhadmetbefore—ontheoccasionofthesmokychimney,whichhehadcuredbysomesimplealterationintheflue.In
kirche
church,heheldhisdoubleeye-glasstohiseyeswährend
duringtheMorningHymn,andthenlifteduphiskopf
headerectandsangoutlaut
loudandjoyfully.Hemadetheresponseslouder
als
thantheclerk—anoldmanwithein
apipingfeeblevoice,who,Iglaube
think,feltaggrievedattheCaptain’ssonorousbass
bass,andquiveredhigherandhöher
higherinconsequence.Oncoming
aus
outofchurch,thebriskKapitän
Captainpaidthemostgallantaufmerksamkeit
attentiontohistwodaughters.Henodded
und
andsmiledtohisacquaintances;aber
butheshookhandswithnoneuntilhehadhelpedMissBrowntounfurlherregenschirm
umbrella,hadrelievedherofherprayer-book,und
andhadwaitedpatientlytillshe,withtremblingnervoushands,hadtakenupherkleid
gowntowalkthroughthewetroads.Iwonderwhat
die
theCranfordladiesdidwithCaptainBrownattheirparties.Wehad
oft
oftenrejoiced,informerdays,dass
thattherewasnogentlemantobeattendedto,und
andtofindconversationfor,atden
thecard-parties.Wehadcongratulatedourselvesupon
den
thesnugnessoftheevenings;und
and,inourloveforgentility,und
anddistasteofmankind,wehadfast
almostpersuadedourselvesthattobeein
amanwastobe“vulgar”;so
dass
thatwhenIfoundmyfriendund
andhostess,MissJenkyns,wasgoingtosein
haveapartyinmyhonour,und
andthatCaptainandtheMissBrownswereeingeladen
invited,Iwonderedmuchwhatwürde
wouldbethecourseoftheevening.Card-tables,withgreenbaizetops,weresetoutby
tageslicht
daylight,justasusual;itwas
die
thethirdweekinNovember,sodie
theeveningsclosedinaboutvier
four.Candles,andcleanpacksofcards,werearrangedoneach
tisch
table.Thefirewasmadeup;
das
theneatmaid-servanthadreceivedherlastdirections;und
andtherewestood,dressedinourbest,jeder
eachwithacandle-lighterinourhands,bereit
readytodartatthecandlesassoonastheerste
firstknockcame.PartiesinCranfordweresolemnfestivities,making
die
theladiesfeelgravelyelatedastheysatzusammen
togetherintheirbestdresses.Assoonas
drei
threehadarrived,wesatdownto“Preference,”Ibeingder
theunluckyfourth.Thenext
vier
fourcomerswereputdownsofort
immediatelytoanothertable;andpresentlythetea-trays,whichIhad
gesehen
seensetoutinthestore-roomasIpassedinthemorgen
morning,wereplacedeachonthemitte
middleofacard-table.The
porzellan
chinawasdelicateegg-shell;theold-fashioned
silber
silverglitteredwithpolishing;buttheeatableswereoftheslightest
beschreibung
description.Whilethetrayswereyetonthetables,
Kapitän
CaptainandtheMissBrownskamen
camein;andIcould
sehen
seethat,somehoworother,theKapitän
Captainwasafavouritewithaller
alltheladiespresent.Ruffledbrowsweresmoothed,sharpvoices
senkt
loweredathisapproach.MissBrownlooked
krank
ill,anddepressedalmosttogloom.MissJessie
lächelte
smiledasusual,andseemedfast
nearlyaspopularashervater
father.Heimmediatelyandquietlyassumed
den
theman’splaceintheraum
room;attendedtoeveryone’swants,lessenedtheprettymaid-servant’slabourby
warteten
waitingonemptycupsandbread-and-butterlessladies;und
andyetdiditallinsoeasyund
anddignifiedamanner,andsosehr
muchasifitwereasache
matterofcourseforthestrongtoattendtotheweak,thathewasatruemann
manthroughout.Heplayedforthreepennypointswithasgravean
interesse
interestasiftheyhadbeenpounds;und
andyet,inallhisaufmerksamkeit
attentiontostrangers,hehadein
aneyeonhissufferingdaughter—forsufferingIwassicher
sureshewas,thoughtoviele
manyeyesshemightonlyerscheinen
appeartobeirritable.MissJessie
konnte
couldnotplaycards:butshetalkedtothesitters-out,who,
bevor
beforehercoming,hadbeeneher
ratherinclinedtobecross.Shesang,
auch
too,toanoldcrackedklavier
piano,whichIthinkhadbeenaspinetinitsjugend
youth.MissJessiesang,“JockofHazeldean”
ein
alittleoutoftune;aber
butwewerenoneofusmusical,obwohl
thoughMissJenkynsbeattime,aus
outoftime,bywayofappearingtobeso.Itwas
sehr
verygoodofMissJenkynstotun
dothis;forIhad
gesehen
seenthat,alittlebefore,shehadbeenagooddealannoyedbyMissJessieBrown’sunguardedadmission(àproposofShetlandwool)dass
thatshehadanuncle,hermother’sbruder
brother,whowasashopkeeperinEdinburgh.MissJenkyns
versuchte
triedtodrownthisconfessionbyaterriblecough—fortheHonourableMrsJamiesonwassittingatacard-tablenearestMissJessie,und
andwhatwouldshesayordenken
thinkifshefoundoutshewasinthesamezimmer
roomwithashop-keeper’sniece!Aber
ButMissJessieBrown(whohadnotact,asweallagreedthenextmorgen
morning)wouldrepeattheinformation,und
andassureMissPoleshekönnte
couldeasilygethertheidenticalShetlandwolle
woolrequired,“throughmyuncle,whohasthebeste
bestassortmentofShetlandgoodsofanyoneinEdinbro’.”Itwasto
nehmen
takethetasteofthisaus
outofourmouths,andden
thesoundofthisoutofourears,thatMissJenkynsproposedmusik
music;soIsayagain,itwas
sehr
verygoodofhertoschlagen
beattimetothesong.Als
Whenthetraysre-appearedwithbiscuitsund
andwine,punctuallyataviertel
quartertonine,therewasconversation,comparingofcards,und
andtalkingovertricks;butby-and-byCaptainBrownsported
ein
abitofliterature.“Haveyou
gesehen
seenanynumbersof‘ThePickwickPapers’?”saidhe.
(Theywerethenpublishinginparts.)
“Capitalthing!”
NowMissJenkynswas
tochter
daughterofadeceasedrectorofCranford;und
and,onthestrengthofeine
anumberofmanuscriptsermons,und
andaprettygoodlibraryofdivinity,betrachtete
consideredherselfliterary,andlookeduponjede
anyconversationaboutbooksaseine
achallengetoher.Sosheanswered
und
andsaid,“Yes,shehadgesehen
seenthem;indeed,shemight
sagen
sayshehadreadthem.”“Andwhatdoyouthinkofthem?”
exclaimed
Kapitän
CaptainBrown.“Aren’ttheyfamouslygood?”
So
drängte
urgedMissJenkynscouldnotbutsprechen
speak.“Imustsay,Idon’t
glaube
thinktheyarebyanymeansequaltoDrJohnson.Still,
vielleicht
perhaps,theauthorisyoung.Lassen
Lethimpersevere,andwhoknowswhathekann
maybecomeifhewilltakeden
thegreatDoctorforhismodel?”Thiswas
offensichtlich
evidentlytoomuchforCaptainBrowntotakeplacidly;und
andIsawthewordsonthespitze
tipofhistonguebeforeMissJenkynshadbeendet
finishedhersentence.“Itis
ganz
quiteadifferentsortofsache
thing,mydearmadam,”hebegann
began.“Iamquiteawareofthat,”returnedshe.
“AndImakeallowances,CaptainBrown.”
“Justallowmetoreadyou
eine
asceneoutofthismonth’snumber,”pleadedhe.“Ihaditonlythis
morgen
morning,andIdon’tthinkdie
thecompanycanhavereadityet.”“Asyouplease,”saidshe,settlingherselfwithan
luft
airofresignation.Hereadthe
bericht
accountofthe“swarry”whichSamWellergaveatBath.Einige
Someofuslaughedheartily.Ididnotdare,
weil
becauseIwasstayinginthehaus
house.