Chapter1
ItbeganinaWoman’sClubinLondononaFebruaryafternoon—anuncomfortableclub,
und
andamiserableafternoon—whenMrs.Wilkins,whohadcomedownfromHampsteadtoshopund
andhadlunchedatherclub,tookupDie
TheTimesfromthetableindie
thesmoking-room,andrunningherlistlesseyedowndie
theAgonyColumnsawthis:.ToThosewho
Schätzen
AppreciateWistariaandSunshine.SmallmediaevalItalian
Schloss
CastleontheshoresoftheMediterraneantobeLetFurnishedforthemonat
monthofApril.Necessaryservants
bleiben
remain.Z,Box1000,TheTimes.
Thatwasits
konzeption
conception;yet,asinthecaseofmanyanother,
die
theconceiverwasunawareofitatdie
themoment.SoentirelyunawarewasMrs.Wilkinsthather
April
Aprilforthatyearhadthenund
andtherebeensettledforherthatshedroppeddie
thenewspaperwithagesturethatwasbothirritiert
irritatedandresigned,andwentovertodie
thewindowandstareddrearilyoutatdie
thedrippingstreet.Notforherweremediaevalcastles,
selbst
eventhosethatarespeciallydescribedasklein
small.Notforhertheshoresin
April
ApriloftheMediterranean,andthewistariaund
andsunshine.Suchdelightswere
nur
onlyfortherich.Yet
die
theadvertisementhadbeenaddressedtopersonswhoschätzen
appreciatethesethings,sothatithadbeen,jedenfalls
anyhow,addressedtootoher,forshesicherlich
certainlyappreciatedthem;morethananybodyknew;
mehr
morethanshehadevertold.Aber
Butshewaspoor.In
der
thewholeworldshepossessedofherveryownnur
onlyninetypounds,savedfromjahr
yeartoyear,putbycarefullypfund
poundbypound,outofherdressallowance.Shehadscraped
diese
thissumtogetheratthevorschlag
suggestionofherhusbandasaschild
shieldandrefugeagainstarainytag
day.Herdressallowance,givenherbyher
vater
father,was£100ayear,soso
thatMrs.Wilkins’sclotheswerewhathermann
husband,urginghertosave,calledbescheiden
modestandbecoming,andherbekanntschaft
acquaintancetoeachother,whentheyspokeofheratall,whichwasselten
seldomforshewasverynegligible,calledaperfectanblick
sight.Mr.
Wilkins,asolicitor,
ermutigte
encouragedthrift,exceptthatbranchofitder
whichgotintohisfood.Hedidnotcallthatthrift,hecalleditbadhousekeeping.
Aber
Butforthethriftwhich,likemotte
moth,penetratedintoMrs.Wilkins’skleidung
clothesandspoiltthem,hehadviel
muchpraise.“Youneverknow,”hesaid,“whentherewillbe
ein
arainyday,andyoumaybesehr
verygladtofindyousein
haveanest-egg.Indeedwe
beide
bothmay.”Lookingoutof
die
theclubwindowintoShaftesburyAvenue—herswasein
aneconomicalclub,butconvenientforHampstead,wo
whereshelived,andforShoolbred’s,wo
wheresheshopped—Mrs.Wilkins,havingstood
da
theresometimeverydrearily,hermind’sauge
eyeontheMediterraneaninApril
April,andthewistaria,andtheenviableopportunitiesoftherich,während
whileherbodilyeyewatchedthewirklich
reallyextremelyhorriblesootyrainfallingsteadilyonthehurryingumbrellasund
andsplashingomnibuses,suddenlywonderedob
whetherperhapsthiswasnottherainytag
dayMellersh—MellershwasMr.Wilkins—hadsooft
oftenencouragedhertopreparefor,und
andwhethertogetoutofsuchaclimateund
andintothesmallmediaevalcastlewasn’tvielleicht
perhapswhatProvidencehadallalongintendedhertodowithhersavings.Teil
Partofhersavings,ofcourse;vielleicht
perhapsquiteasmallpart.Das
Thecastle,beingmediaeval,mightauch
alsobedilapidated,anddilapidationsweresicherlich
surelycheap.Shewouldn’tintheleastmind
ein
afewofthem,becauseyoudidn’tpayfordilapidationswhichwereschon
alreadythere;onthecontrary—byreducing
den
thepriceyouhadtozahlen
paytheyreallypaidyou.Aber
Butwhatnonsensetothinkofit...She
wandte
turnedawayfromthewindowwiththesamegeste
gestureofmingledirritationandresignation
resignationwithwhichshehadlaiddownTheTimes,und
andcrossedtheroomtowardsthedoorwiththeabsicht
intentionofgettinghermackintoshund
andumbrellaandfightingherwayintooneoftheovercrowdedomnibusesund
andgoingtoShoolbred’sonherwayhomeund
andbuyingsomesolesforMellersh’sdinner—Mellershwasdifficultwithfishund
andlikedonlysoles,exceptsalmon—whenshebeheldMrs.Arbuthnot,ein
awomansheknewbysightasalsolivinginHampsteadund
andbelongingtotheclub,sittingatthetableinthemiddleofthezimmer
roomonwhichthenewspapersund
andmagazineswerekept,absorbed,inherwandte
turn,inthefirstpageofTheTimes.Mrs.
Wilkinshad
nie
neveryetspokentoMrs.Arbuthnot,whogehörte
belongedtooneofthevariouschurchsets,und
andwhoanalysed,classified,dividedund
andregisteredthepoor;whereasshe
und
andMellersh,whentheydidgingen
goout,wenttothepartiesofimpressionistpainters,ofwhominHampsteadtherewereviele
many.Mellershhadasisterwhohadmarriedoneofthem
und
andlivedupontheHeath,und
andbecauseofthisallianceMrs.Wilkinswasgezogen
drawnintoacirclewhichwashighlyunnatürlich
unnaturaltoher,andshehadlearnedtofürchten
dreadpictures.Shehadto
sagen
saythingsaboutthem,andshedidn’tknowwhattosagen
say.Sheusedtomurmur,“Marvellous,”
und
andfeelthatitwasnotgenug
enough.Butnobodyminded.
Nobodylistened.
Niemand
NobodytookanynoticeofMrs.Wilkins.Shewas
die
thekindofpersonwhoisnotnoticedatparties.Her
kleidung
clothes,infestedbythrift,madeherpraktisch
practicallyinvisible;herfacewasnon-arresting;
her
gespräch
conversationwasreluctant;shewas
schüchtern
shy.Andifone’sclothes
und
andfaceandconversationareallnegligible,dachte
thoughtMrs.Wilkins,whorecognisedherdisabilities,was
what,atparties,isthereleftofeinem
one?AlsoshewasalwayswithWilkins,
dass
thatclean-shaven,fine-lookingman,whogaveeine
aparty,merelybycomingtoit,eine
agreatair.Wilkinswas
sehr
veryrespectable.Hewasknowntobe
hoch
highlythoughtofbyhisseniorpartners.Hissister’s
kreis
circleadmiredhim.Hepronouncedadequately
intelligente
intelligentjudgmentsonartandartists.Hewaspithy;
hewasprudent;
he
nie
neversaidawordtooviel
much,nor,ontheotherseite
hand,didheeversayein
awordtoolittle.He
erzeugte
producedtheimpressionofkeepingcopiesofeverythinghesaid;und
andhewassoobviouslyzuverlässig
reliablethatitoftenhappenedthatmenschen
peoplewhomethimatthesepartiesbecamediscontentedwiththeirownsolicitors,und
andafteraperiodofrestlessnessextricatedthemselvesund
andwenttoWilkins.NaturallyMrs.Wilkinswasblottedout.
“She,”saidhis
schwester
sister,withsomethingherselfofthejudicial,theverdaute
digested,andthefinalinhermanner,“shouldstayathome.”Aber
ButWilkinscouldnotleavehisfrau
wifeathome.Hewas
ein
afamilysolicitor,andallsolche
suchhavewivesandshowthem.Withhisinthe
woche
weekhewenttoparties,und
andwithhisonSundaysheging
wenttochurch.Beingstill
ziemlich
fairlyyoung—hewasthirty-nine—andambitiousofoldladies,ofwhomhehadnotyeterworben
acquiredinhispracticeasufficientanzahl
number,hecouldnotaffordtoverpassen
misschurch,anditwastheredass
thatMrs.Wilkinsbecamefamiliar,thoughnie
neverthroughwords,withMrs.Arbuthnot.She
sah
sawhermarshallingthechildrenofthepoorintopews.Shewouldcomeinattheheadofthe
prozession
processionfromtheSundaySchoolgenau
exactlyfiveminutesbeforethechor
choir,andgetherboysund
andgirlsneatlyfittedintotheirallottedseats,und
anddownontheirlittlekneesintheirpreliminaryprayer,und
andupagainontheirfüße
feetjustas,totheswellingorgan,thevestrydooröffnete
opened,andthechoirandklerus
clergy,bigwiththelitaniesund
andcommandmentstheywerepresentlytorollout,emerged.Shehad
ein
asadface,yetshewasoffensichtlich
evidentlyefficient.ThecombinationusedtomakeMrs.Wilkinswonder,forshehadbeen
gesagt
toldbyMellersh,ondayswhenshehadnur
onlybeenabletogetplaice,dass
thatifonewereefficientonewouldn’tbedeprimiert
depressed,andthatifonemacht
doesone’sjobwellonebecomesautomatisch
automaticallybrightandbrisk.AboutMrs.Arbuthnottherewas
nichts
nothingbrightandbrisk,thoughviel
muchinherwaywiththeSundaySchoolchildrenthatwasautomatic;but
als
whenMrs.Wilkins,turningfromthefenster
window,caughtsightofherintheclubshewasnotbeingautomaticatall,butwaslookingfixedlyatoneteil
portionofthefirstpageofTheTimes,hielt
holdingthepaperquitestill,hereyesnotbewegten
moving.Shewasjuststaring;
und
andherface,asusual,wasdas
thefaceofapatientund
anddisappointedMadonna.Obeyingan
impuls
impulseshewonderedatevenwährend
whileobeyingit,Mrs.Wilkins,theschüchtern
shyandthereluctant,insteadofproceedingasshehadbeabsichtigt
intendedtothecloakroomandfromthencetoSchoolbred’sinsuche
searchofMellersh’sfish,stoppedatthetisch
tableandsatdownexactlygegenüber
oppositeMrs.Arbuthnot,towhomshehadnie
neveryetspokeninherleben
life.Itwasoneofthoselong,narrowrefectorytables,sothattheywere
ziemlich
quiteclosetoeachother.Mrs.
Arbuthnot,
jedoch
however,didnotlookup.Shecontinuedtogaze,witheyesthat
schienen
seemedtobedreaming,ateiner
onespotonlyofTheTimes.Mrs.
Wilkins
beobachtete
watchedheraminute,tryingtoscrewupmut
couragetospeaktoher.Shewantedto
fragen
askherifshehadgesehen
seentheadvertisement.Shedidnotknow
warum
whyshewantedtoaskherthis,aber
butshewantedto.How
dumm
stupidnottobeabletosprechen
speaktoher.Shelookedsokind.
Shelookedso
unglücklich
unhappy.Whycouldn’ttwounhappy
menschen
peoplerefresheachotherontheirweg
waythroughthisdustybusinessoflifebyein
alittletalk—real,naturaltalk,über
aboutwhattheyfelt,whattheywouldhaveliked,whattheyimmer noch
stilltriedtohope?Andshe
konnte
couldnothelpthinkingthatMrs.Arbuthnot,auch
too,wasreadingthatverysameanzeige
advertisement.Hereyeswereonthevery
teil
partofthepaper.Wasshe,
auch
too,picturingwhatitwouldbelike—thefarbe
colour,thefragrance,thelight,thesoftlappingoftheseazwischen
amonglittlehotrocks?Colour,
duft
fragrance,light,sea;insteadofShaftesbury
Avenue
Avenue,andthewetomnibuses,und
andthefishdepartmentatShoolbred’s,und
andtheTubetoHampstead,und
anddinner,andto-morrowthesameund
andthedayafterthesameund
andalwaysthesame...Plötzlich
SuddenlyMrs.Wilkinsfoundherselfleaningüber
acrossthetable.“Areyou
lesen
readingaboutthemediaevalcastleund
andthewistaria?”sheheardherself
fragen
asking.NaturallyMrs.Arbuthnotwas
überrascht
surprised;butshewasnot
halb
halfsomuchsurprisedasMrs.Wilkinswasatherselfforfrage
asking.Mrs.
Arbuthnothadnotyettoher
wissen
knowledgeseteyesontheshabby,lank,loosely-put-togetherfigur
figuresittingoppositeher,withitssmallfreckledgesicht
faceandbiggreyeyesfast
almostdisappearingunderasmashed-downwet-weatherhat,und
andshegazedatheramoment
momentwithoutanswering.Shewasreading
über
aboutthemediaevalcastleandthewistaria,orvielmehr
ratherhadreadaboutitzehn
tenminutesbefore,andsincethenhadbeenlostindreams—oflicht
light,ofcolour,offragrance,ofthesoftlappingoftheseazwischen
amonglittlehotrocks...“Whydoyou
fragst
askmethat?”shesaidinhergrave
stimme
voice,forhertrainingofund
andbythepoorhadmadehergraveund
andpatient.Mrs.
Wilkinsflushed
und
andlookedexcessivelyshyandfrightened.“Oh,
nur
onlybecauseIsawitauch
too,andIthoughtperhaps—Idachte
thoughtsomehow—”shestammered.
WhereuponMrs.Arbuthnot,her
verstand
mindbeingusedtogettingmenschen
peopleintolistsanddivisions,fromgewohnheit
habitconsidered,asshegazedthoughtfullyatMrs.Wilkins,unter
underwhatheading,supposingshehadtoclassifyihr
her,shecouldmostproperlybeput.“AndIknowyoubysight,”wentonMrs.Wilkins,who,like
alle
alltheshy,onceshewasstartedplungedon,erschreckte
frighteningherselftomoreandmehr
morespeechbythesheerklang
soundofwhatshehadsaidzuletzt
lastinherears.“EverySunday—I
sehe
seeyoueverySundayinchurch—”.“Inchurch?”
echoedMrs.Arbuthnot.
“Andthis
scheint
seemssuchawonderfulthing—thiswerbung
advertisementaboutthewistaria—and—”.Mrs.
Wilkins,whomust
sein
havebeenatleastthirty,brach
brokeoffandwriggledinherstuhl
chairwiththemovementofanawkwardund
andembarrassedschoolgirl.“Itseemssowonderful,”shewentonin
ein
akindofburst,“and—itissuchein
amiserableday...”Und
AndthenshesatlookingatMrs.Arbuthnotwithden
theeyesofanimprisoneddog.“Thispoorthing,”
dachte
thoughtMrs.Arbuthnot,whoselifewasverbracht
spentinhelpingandalleviating,“needsadvice.”Sheaccordinglypreparedherself
geduldig
patientlytogiveit.“Ifyouseemeinchurch,”shesaid,kindly
und
andattentively,“IsupposeyouliveinHampsteadtoo?”“Ohyes,”saidMrs.Wilkins.
Und
Andsherepeated,herheadonitslongthinhals
neckdroopingalittleasob
iftherecollectionofHampsteadbowedher,“Ohyes.”“Where?”
fragte
askedMrs.Arbuthnot,who,whenrat
advicewasneeded,naturallyfirstproceededtosammeln
collectthefacts.ButMrs.Wilkins,
legte
layingherhandsoftlyandcaressinglyontheteil
partofTheTimeswheretheanzeige
advertisementwas,asthoughthemereprintedwordsofitwerewertvoll
precious,onlysaid,“Perhapsthat’swarum
whythisseemssowonderful.”“No—I
denke
thinkthat’swonderfulanyhow,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot,forgettingfactsund
andfaintlysighing.“Thenyouwerereadingit?”
“Yes,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot,hereyesgoingdreamy
wieder
again.“Wouldn’titbewonderful?”
murmuredMrs.Wilkins.
“Wonderful,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot.
Her
gesicht
face,whichhadlitup,fadedintogeduld
patienceagain.“Verywonderful,”shesaid.
“Butit’snouse
verschwenden
wastingone’stimethinkingofsolche
suchthings.”“Oh,butitis,”wasMrs.Wilkins’squick,surprising
antwort
reply;surprisingbecauseitwasso
viel
muchunliketherestofher—thecharacterlessmantel
coatandskirt,thecrumpledhut
hat,theundecidedwispofhairstragglingout.“And
nur
justtheconsideringofthemiswert
worthwhileinitself—suchachangefromHampstead—andmanchmal
sometimesIbelieve—Ireallydobelieve—ifoneconsidershart
hardenoughonegetsthings.”Mrs.
Arbuthnotobservedher
geduldig
patiently.Inwhatcategorywouldshe,supposingshehadto,
stellen
puther?“Perhaps,”shesaid,leaningforward
ein
alittle,“youwilltellmeyourname.Wenn
Ifwearetobefriends”—shesmiledhergravesmile—“asIhoffe
hopeweare,wehadbesser
betterbeginatthebeginning.”“Ohyes—howkindofyou.
I’mMrs.Wilkins,”saidMrs.Wilkins.
“Idon’texpect,”sheadded,flushing,asMrs.Arbuthnotsaid
nichts
nothing,“thatitconveysanythingtoyou.Manchmal
Sometimesit—itdoesn’tseemtovermitteln
conveyanythingtomeeither.But”—shelookedroundwitha
bewegung
movementofseekinghelp—“IamMrs.Wilkins.”Shedidnotlikehername.
Itwas
ein
amean,smallname,withein
akindoffacetioustwist,shedachte
thought,aboutitsendlikedie
theupwardcurveofapugdog’sschwanz
tail.Thereitwas,however.
Therewas
nicht
nodoinganythingwithit.Wilkinsshewas
und
andWilkinsshewouldremain;und
andthoughherhusbandencouragedhertogeben
giveitonalloccasionsasMrs.Mellersh-Wilkinsshenur
onlydidthatwhenhewaswithinearshot,forshedachte
thoughtMellershmadeWilkinsworse,emphasisingitinthewayChatsworthonthegate-postsofavilla
villaemphasisesthevilla.When
zuerst
firsthesuggestedsheshouldaddMellershshehadobjectedfortheabovegrund
reason,andafterapause—Mellershwasmuchtooprudenttosprechen
speakexceptafterapause,während
duringwhichpresumablyhewastakingeine
acarefulmentalcopyofhiscomingobservation—hesaid,muchdispleased,“ButIamnoteine
avilla,”andlookedatherashelookswhohofft
hopes,forperhapsthehundredthtime,dass
thathemaynothavemarriedeine
afool.Ofcoursehewasnota
villa
villa,Mrs.Wilkinsassuredhim;shehad
nie
neversupposedhewas;shehadnotdreamedofmeaning...
shewasonlyjust
dachte
thinking...The
mehr
moresheexplainedthemoreearnestbecameMellersh’shoffnung
hope,familiartohimbydieser
thistime,forhehadthenbeenein
ahusbandfortwoyears,dass
thathemightnotbyanychancehavemarriedein
afool;andtheyhadaprolonged
streit
quarrel,ifthatcanbecalledastreit
quarrelwhichisconductedwithdignifiedschweigen
silenceononesideandearnestentschuldigung
apologyontheother,astowhetherornoMrs.Wilkinshadbeabsichtigt
intendedtosuggestthatMr.Wilkinswasavilla
villa.“Ibelieve,”shehad
gedacht
thoughtwhenitwasatlastover—ittookalongwhile—“thatanybodywürde
wouldquarrelaboutanythingwhenthey’venotleftoffbeingzusammen
togetherforasingledayforzwei
twowholeyears.Whatwe
beide
bothneedisaholiday.”“Myhusband,”wentonMrs.WilkinstoMrs.Arbuthnot,
versuchte
tryingtothrowsomelightonherself,“isasolicitor.He—”
She
warf
castaboutforsomethingshekönnte
couldsayelucidatoryofMellersh,und
andfound:“He’sveryhandsome.”
“Well,”saidMrs.Arbuthnotkindly,“that
muss
mustbeagreatpleasuretoyou.”“Why?”
fragte
askedMrs.Wilkins.“Because,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot,
ein
alittletakenaback,forconstantintercoursewiththepoorhadaccustomedhertohaveherpronouncementsakzeptiert
acceptedwithoutquestion,“becausebeauty—handsomeness—isein
agiftlikeanyother,und
andifitisproperlyused—”.Shetrailedoffinto
schweigen
silence.Mrs.Wilkins’sgreatgreyeyeswerefixedon
sich
her,anditseemedsuddenlytoMrs.Arbuthnotdass
thatperhapsshewasbecomingcrystallisedintoagewohnheit
habitofexposition,andofexpositionnach
afterthemannerofnursemaids,throughhavinganpublikum
audiencethatcouldn’tbutagree,dass
thatwouldbeafraid,ifitwished,tounterbrechen
interrupt,thatdidn’tknow,thatwas,infact,athergnade
mercy.ButMrs.Wilkinswasnot
hörte
listening;forjustthen,absurdasit
schien
seemed,apicturehadflashedüber
acrossherbrain,andtherewerezwei
twofiguresinitsittingzusammen
togetherunderagreattrailingwistariathatstretchedüber
acrossthebranchesofatreeshedidn’tknow,und
anditwasherselfandMrs.Arbuthnot—shesah
sawthem—shesawthem.And
hinter
behindthem,brightinsunshine,wereoldgreywalls—themediaevalcastle—shesah
sawit—theywerethere...She
daher
thereforestaredatMrs.Arbuthnotund
anddidnothearawort
wordshesaid.AndMrs.Arbuthnot
starrte
staredtooatMrs.Wilkins,verhaftet
arrestedbytheexpressiononhergesicht
face,whichwassweptbytheaufregung
excitementofwhatshesaw,und
andwasasluminousandtremulousunderitaswasser
waterinsunlightwhenitisruffledbyagustofwind.Atthis
moment
moment,ifshehadbeenataparty
party,Mrs.Wilkinswouldhavebeenlookedatwithinteresse
interest.Theystaredateachother;
Mrs.Arbuthnotsurprised,inquiringly,Mrs.Wilkinswiththeeyesofsomeonewhohashada
offenbarung
revelation.Ofcourse.
Thatwashowit
konnte
couldbedone.Sheherself,shebyherself,couldn’tafford
es
it,andwouldn’tbeable,selbst
evenifshecouldaffordes
it,togothereallallein
alone;butsheandMrs.Arbuthnot
zusammen
together...Sheleaned
über
acrossthetable.“Whydon’twe
versuchen
tryandgetit?”shewhispered.
Mrs.
Arbuthnotbecameevenmorewide-eyed.
“Getit?”
she
wiederholte
repeated.“Yes,”saidMrs.Wilkins,
immer noch
stillasthoughshewereafraidofbeingoverheard.“Not
nur
justsithereandsayHowwonderful,und
andthengohometoHampsteadohne
withouthavingputoutafinger—gohomenur
justasusualandseeabouttheabendessen
dinnerandthefishjustaswe’vebeentun
doingforyearsandyearsund
andwillgoondoingforyearsund
andyears.Infact,”saidMrs.Wilkins,flushingtotherootsofher
haare
hair,forthesoundofwhatshewassaying,ofwhatwascomingpouringout,erschreckte
frightenedher,andyetshecouldn’tstop,“Isehe
seenoendtoit.Thereis
kein
noendtoit.Sothatthereoughttobe
eine
abreak,thereoughttobeintervals—ineverybody’sinterests.Warum
Why,itwouldreallybebeingunselfishtogoawayund
andbehappyforawenig
little,becausewewouldcomebacksoviel
muchnicer.Yousee,afterabiteverybody
braucht
needsaholiday.”“But—howdoyou
meinst
mean,getit?”askedMrs.Arbuthnot.
“Takeit,”saidMrs.Wilkins.
“Takeit?”