CHAPTERI.OURSOCIETY
Inthe
pertama
firstplace,CranfordisinpossessionoftheAmazons;semua
alltheholdersofhousesaboveacertainrentarewomen.Jika
Ifamarriedcouplecometosettleinthekota
town,somehowthegentlemandisappears;heiseitherfairlyfrightenedto
mati
deathbybeingtheonlyorang
manintheCranfordeveningparties,atau
orheisaccountedforbybeingwithhisregiment,hisship,atau
orcloselyengagedinbusinesssepanjang
alltheweekinthebesar
greatneighbouringcommercialtownofDrumble,distantonlytwentymilesonarailroad.Inshort,
apa pun
whateverdoesbecomeofthegentlemen,theyarenotatCranford.What
bisa
couldtheydoiftheywerethere?Thesurgeon
memiliki
hashisroundofthirtymiles,dan
andsleepsatCranford;but
setiap
everymancannotbeasurgeon.For
menjaga
keepingthetrimgardensfullofchoiceflowerstanpa
withoutaweedtospeckmereka
them;forfrighteningawaylittleboyswho
melihat
lookwistfullyatthesaidflowersmelalui
throughtherailings;forrushing
keluar
outatthegeesethatoccasionallyventureintothegardensjika
ifthegatesareleftterbuka
open;fordecidingallquestionsofliterature
dan
andpoliticswithouttroublingthemselvesdengan
withunnecessaryreasonsorarguments;forobtaining
jelas
clearandcorrectknowledgeofeverybody’saffairsinyang
theparish;forkeepingtheirneatmaid-servantsinadmirable
urutan
order;forkindness(somewhatdictatorial)tothe
miskin
poor,andrealtendergoodofficestosetiap
eachotherwhenevertheyareindistress,theladiesofCranfordarequitesufficient.“Aman,”asoneofthemobservedtomeonce,“issointhe
jalan
wayinthehouse!”AlthoughtheladiesofCranford
tahu
knowalleachother’sproceedings,theyareexceedinglyindifferenttoeachother’sopinions.Indeed,as
masing
eachhasherownindividuality,nottomengatakan
sayeccentricity,prettystronglydeveloped,nothingissomudah
easyasverbalretaliation;but,somehow,good-willreignsamongthemtoaconsiderabledegree.
TheCranfordladies
memiliki
haveonlyanoccasionallittlequarrel,spiritedkeluar
outinafewpepperywordsdan
andangryjerksofthekepala
head;justenoughtopreventthe
bahkan
eventenoroftheirlivesfrommenjadi
becomingtooflat.Theirdressis
sangat
veryindependentoffashion;astheyobserve,“Whatdoesitsignify
cara
howwedresshereatCranford,mana
whereeverybodyknowsus?”And
jika
iftheygofromhome,theiralasan
reasonisequallycogent,“Whatdoesitsignifycara
howwedresshere,wherenobodytahu
knowsus?”Thematerialsoftheirclothesare,ingeneral,
baik
goodandplain,andmostofthemarenearlyasscrupulousasMissTyler,ofcleanlymemory;tapi
butIwillanswerforitu
it,thelastgigot,theterakhir
lasttightandscantypetticoatinwearinEngland,wasseeninCranford—andseentanpa
withoutasmile.Icantestifyto
seorang
amagnificentfamilyredsilkumbrella,underyang
whichagentlelittlespinster,leftsendirian
aloneofmanybrothersandsisters,usedtopattertochurchonrainydays.Memiliki
HaveyouanyredsilkumbrellasinLondon?We
memiliki
hadatraditionofthepertama
firstthathadeverbeenseeninCranford;dan
andthelittleboysmobbedit,dan
andcalledit“astickinpetticoats.”Itmight
telah
havebeentheveryredsilksatu
oneIhavedescribed,heldbyseorang
astrongfatheroveratroopofkecil
littleones;thepoorlittlelady—thesurvivorofall—couldscarcelycarryit.
Then
ada
therewererulesandregulationsforvisitingdan
andcalls;andtheywereannouncedtoany
muda
youngpeoplewhomightbetinggal
stayinginthetown,withsemua
allthesolemnitywithwhichthelama
oldManxlawswerereadsekali
onceayearontheTinwaldMount.“Ourfriends
telah
havesenttoinquirehowyouaresetelah
afteryourjourneyto-night,mydear”(fifteenmilesinagentleman’scarriage);“they
akan
willgiveyousomerestbesok
to-morrow,butthenextday,Ihavetidak
nodoubt,theywillcall;sobeatliberty
setelah
aftertwelve—fromtwelvetothreeareourcallinghours.”Then,
setelah
aftertheyhadcalled—.“Itisthethird
hari
day;Idaresayyourmammahas
mengatakan
toldyou,mydear,nevertomembiarkan
letmorethanthreedayselapseantara
betweenreceivingacallandreturningit;dan
andalso,thatyouarepernah
nevertostaylongerthanaquarterofanhour.”“ButamIto
melihat
lookatmywatch?HowamItofindout
ketika
whenaquarterofanjam
hourhaspassed?”“Youmust
terus
keepthinkingaboutthetime,mydear,dan
andnotallowyourselftoforgetitinconversation.”As
semua
everybodyhadthisruleintheirminds,whethertheyreceivedatau
orpaidacall,ofsaja
coursenoabsorbingsubjectwaseverspokenabout.We
menjaga
keptourselvestoshortsentencesofkecil
smalltalk,andwerepunctualtoourwaktu
time.IimaginethatafewofthegentlefolksofCranfordwere
miskin
poor,andhadsomedifficultyinmembuat
makingbothendsmeet;buttheywere
seperti
liketheSpartans,andconcealedtheirsmartbawah
underasmilingface.Wenoneofus
berbicara
spokeofmoney,becausethatsubjectsavouredofcommercedan
andtrade,andthoughsomemightbemiskin
poor,wewereallaristocratic.TheCranfordians
memiliki
hadthatkindlyespritdecorpswhichmembuat
madethemoverlookalldeficienciesinsuccessketika
whensomeamongthemtriedtoconcealtheirpoverty.Ketika
WhenMrsForrester,forinstance,gaveapesta
partyinherbaby-houseofadwelling,dan
andthelittlemaidendisturbedtheladiesonthesofabyarequestthatshemightgetthetea-trayoutfromunderneath,orang
everyonetookthisnovelproceedingasthepaling
mostnaturalthinginthedunia
world,andtalkedonabouthouseholdformsdan
andceremoniesasifwesemua
allbelievedthatourhostessmemiliki
hadaregularservants’hall,kedua
secondtable,withhousekeeperandsteward,insteadofthesatu
onelittlecharity-schoolmaiden,whoseshortruddyarmsbisa
couldneverhavebeenstrongcukup
enoughtocarrythetrayupstairs,jika
ifshehadnotbeenassistedinprivatebyhermistress,whosekarang
nowsatinstate,pretendingnottotahu
knowwhatcakesweresentup,thoughshetahu
knew,andweknew,andshetahu
knewthatweknew,andwetahu
knewthatsheknewthatwetahu
knew,shehadbeenbusysemua
allthemorningmakingtea-breaddan
andsponge-cakes.Therewereone
atau
ortwoconsequencesarisingfromini
thisgeneralbutunacknowledgedpoverty,dan
andthisverymuchacknowledgedgentility,yang
whichwerenotamiss,andyang
whichmightbeintroducedintomanycirclesofsocietytotheirbesar
greatimprovement.Forinstance,theinhabitantsofCranford
menjaga
keptearlyhours,andclatteredrumah
homeintheirpattens,undertheguidanceofseorang
alantern-bearer,aboutnineo’clockatmalam
night;andthewholetownwasabed
dan
andasleepbyhalf-pastten.Moreover,itwasconsidered“vulgar”(atremendouswordinCranford)to
memberikan
giveanythingexpensive,inthewayofeatableatau
ordrinkable,attheeveningentertainments.Waferbread-and-butter
dan
andsponge-biscuitswereallthattheHonourableMrsJamiesongave;dan
andshewassister-in-lawtothealmarhum
lateEarlofGlenmire,althoughshemelakukan
didpractisesuch“eleganteconomy.”“Eleganteconomy!”
Betapa
HownaturallyonefallsbackintothephraseologyofCranford!Sana
There,economywasalways“elegant,”dan
andmoney-spendingalways“vulgarandostentatious”;a
semacam
sortofsour-grapeismwhichmadeussangat
verypeacefulandsatisfied.I
pernah
nevershallforgetthedismayfeltketika
whenacertainCaptainBrowndatang
cametoliveatCranford,dan
andopenlyspokeabouthisbeingpoor—notinseorang
awhispertoanintimateteman
friend,thedoorsandwindowsbeingpreviouslyclosed,tetapi
butinthepublicstreet!inaloudmilitaryvoice!
alleginghispovertyasa
alasan
reasonfornottakingaparticularrumah
house.TheladiesofCranfordwere
sudah
alreadyrathermoaningovertheinvasionoftheirterritoriesbyseorang
amanandagentleman.Hewas
seorang
ahalf-paycaptain,andhadobtainedbeberapa
somesituationonaneighbouringrailroad,whichhadbeenvehementlypetitionedterhadap
againstbythelittletown;dan
andif,inadditiontohismasculinegender,dan
andhisconnectionwiththeobnoxiousrailroad,hewassobrazenastoberbicara
talkofbeingpoor—why,then,indeed,heharus
mustbesenttoCoventry.Kematian
Deathwasastrueandascommonaspoverty;namun
yetpeopleneverspokeaboutitu
that,loudoutinthestreets.Itwasa
kata
wordnottobementionedtoearspolite.Wehadtacitlyagreedtoignorethatanywithwhomweassociatedontermsofvisitingequality
bisa
couldeverbepreventedbypovertyfrommelakukan
doinganythingthattheywished.Jika
Ifwewalkedtoorfromsebuah
aparty,itwasbecausethemalam
nightwassofine,ortheudara
airsorefreshing,notbecausesedan-chairswereexpensive.Jika
Ifweworeprints,insteadofsummersilks,itwaskarena
becausewepreferredawashingmaterial;dan
andsoon,tillweblindedourselvestothevulgarfakta
factthatwewere,allofus,orang
peopleofverymoderatemeans.Of
saja
course,then,wedidnottahu
knowwhattomakeofseorang
amanwhocouldspeakofpovertyasifitwasnotseorang
adisgrace.Yet,somehow,CaptainBrown
membuat
madehimselfrespectedinCranford,dan
andwascalledupon,inspiteofsemua
allresolutionstothecontrary.Iwassurprisedto
mendengar
hearhisopinionsquotedasauthorityatavisitwhichIbayar
paidtoCranfordaboutasetahun
yearafterhehadsettledinthekota
town.Myownfriendshadbeenamongthebitterestopponentsof
setiap
anyproposaltovisittheCaptaindan
andhisdaughters,onlytwelvemonthssebelumnya
before;andnowhewas
bahkan
evenadmittedinthetabooedhourssebelum
beforetwelve.True,itwastodiscoverthe
penyebab
causeofasmokingchimney,sebelum
beforethefirewaslighted;tapi
butstillCaptainBrownwalkedupstairs,nothingdaunted,berbicara
spokeinavoicetoolargeforyang
theroom,andjokedquiteinyang
thewayofatamepria
manaboutthehouse.Hehadbeenblindto
semua
allthesmallslights,andomissionsoftrivialceremonies,dengan
withwhichhehadbeenreceived.Hehadbeenfriendly,
meskipun
thoughtheCranfordladieshadbeendingin
cool;hehadansweredsmallsarcasticcomplimentsin
baik
goodfaith;andwithhismanlyfranknesshadoverpowered
semua
alltheshrinkingwhichmethimasseorang
amanwhowasnotashamedtobemiskin
poor.And,atlast,hisexcellentmasculinecommonsense,
dan
andhisfacilityindevisingexpedientstoovercomedomesticdilemmas,hadgainedhimanextraordinarytempat
placeasauthorityamongtheCranfordladies.Hehimselfwentoninhiscourse,asunawareofhispopularityashehadbeenof
yang
thereverse;andIam
yakin
surehewasstartledonehari
daywhenhefoundhisadvicesohighlyesteemedastomembuat
makesomecounselwhichhehadgiveninjesttobetakeninsober,serius
seriousearnest.Itwason
ini
thissubject:Anoldlady
memiliki
hadanAlderneycow,whichshelookeduponasseorang
adaughter.Youcouldnot
membayar
paytheshortquarterofanjam
hourcallwithoutbeingtoldofyang
thewonderfulmilkorwonderfulintelligenceofini
thisanimal.Thewholetown
tahu
knewandkindlyregardedMissBetsyBarker’sAlderney;therefore
besar
greatwasthesympathyandregretwhen,inanunguardedmoment,yang
thepoorcowtumbledintoalime-pit.Shemoanedsoloudly
bahwa
thatshewassoonhearddan
andrescued;butmeanwhilethe
malang
poorbeasthadlostmostofherhair,dan
andcameoutlookingnaked,dingin
cold,andmiserable,inabareskin.Semua
Everybodypitiedtheanimal,thoughabeberapa
fewcouldnotrestraintheirsmilesatherdrollappearance.MissBetsyBarkerabsolutelycried
dengan
withsorrowanddismay;anditwassaidshe
berpikir
thoughtoftryingabathofoil.Ini
Thisremedy,perhaps,wasrecommendedbybeberapa
someoneofthenumberwhoseadviceshememinta
asked;buttheproposal,ifeveritwasmade,wasknockedonthe
kepala
headbyCaptainBrown’sdecided“Getheraflannelwaistcoatdan
andflanneldrawers,ma’am,ifyouingin
wishtokeepheralive.Tapi
Butmyadviceis,killthemalang
poorcreatureatonce.”MissBetsyBarkerdriedhereyes,
dan
andthankedtheCaptainheartily;shesetto
bekerja
work,andby-and-byallthekota
townturnedouttoseetheAlderneymeeklypergi
goingtoherpasture,cladindarkgreyflannel.I
telah
havewatchedhermyselfmanyakali
time.DoyoueverseecowsdressedingreyflannelinLondon?
CaptainBrownhad
mengambil
takenasmallhouseontheoutskirtsofthekota
town,wherehelivedwithhisdua
twodaughters.Hemusthavebeenupwardsofsixtyatthe
saat
timeofthefirstvisitIpaidtoCranfordsetelah
afterIhadleftitasaresidence.Tapi
Buthehadawiry,well-trained,elasticfigure,astiffmilitarythrow-backofhishead,dan
andaspringingstep,whichmadehimappearjauh
muchyoungerthanhewas.Hiseldest
putri
daughterlookedalmostasoldashimself,dan
andbetrayedthefactthathisrealwaslebih
morethanhisapparentage.MissBrownmusthavebeenforty;
she
memiliki
hadasickly,pained,carewornexpressiononherface,dan
andlookedasifthegaietyofyouthmemiliki
hadlongfadedoutofsight.Bahkan
Evenwhenyoungshemusthavebeenplaindan
andhard-featured.MissJessieBrownwas
sepuluh
tenyearsyoungerthanhersister,dan
andtwentyshadesprettier.Herfacewasround
dan
anddimpled.MissJenkynsonce
mengatakan
said,inapassionagainstCaptainBrown(thecauseofwhichIakan
willtellyoupresently),“thatsheberpikir
thoughtitwastimeforMissJessietomeninggalkan
leaveoffherdimples,andnotselalu
alwaystobetryingtoterlihat
looklikeachild.”Itwas
benar
truetherewassomethingchildlikeinherface;dan
andtherewillbe,Ipikir
think,tillshedies,thoughsheharus
shouldlivetoahundred.Hereyeswerelargebluewonderingeyes,
melihat
lookingstraightatyou;hernosewasunformed
dan
andsnub,andherlipsweremerah
redanddewy;sheworeherhair,
juga
too,inlittlerowsofcurls,yang
whichheightenedthisappearance.Idonot
tahu
knowwhethershewasprettyatau
ornot;butIlikedherface,
dan
andsodideverybody,andIdonotberpikir
thinkshecouldhelpherdimples.She
memiliki
hadsomethingofherfather’sjauntinessofgaitdan
andmanner;andanyfemaleobservermightdetectaslightdifferenceintheattireofthe
dua
twosisters—thatofMissJessiebeingsekitar
abouttwopoundsperannumlebih
moreexpensivethanMissBrown’s.Dua
TwopoundswasalargesuminCaptainBrown’sannualdisbursements.Suchwas
yang
theimpressionmadeuponmebyyang
theBrownfamilywhenIfirstmelihat
sawthemalltogetherinCranfordChurch.TheCaptainIhad
temui
metbefore—ontheoccasionofthesmokychimney,whichhehadcuredbybeberapa
somesimplealterationintheflue.Inchurch,he
memegang
heldhisdoubleeye-glasstohiseyesduringthePagi
MorningHymn,andthenlifteduphisheaderectdan
andsangoutloudandjoyfully.He
membuat
madetheresponseslouderthantheclerk—antua
oldmanwithapipingfeeblevoice,who,Ipikir
think,feltaggrievedattheCaptain’ssonorousbass,dan
andquiveredhigherandhigherinconsequence.Oncoming
keluar
outofchurch,thebriskCaptainpaidyang
themostgallantattentiontohiskedua
twodaughters.Henoddedandsmiledtohisacquaintances;
tapi
butheshookhandswithnoneuntilhehadmembantu
helpedMissBrowntounfurlherumbrella,hadrelievedherofherprayer-book,dan
andhadwaitedpatientlytillshe,dengan
withtremblingnervoushands,hadmengambil
takenuphergowntoberjalan
walkthroughthewetroads.Iwonderwhat
yang
theCranfordladiesdidwithCaptainBrownattheirparties.Wehadoftenrejoiced,informerdays,
bahwa
thattherewasnogentlemantobeattendedto,dan
andtofindconversationfor,atthecard-parties.Wehadcongratulatedourselvesuponthesnugnessoftheevenings;
dan
and,inourloveforgentility,dan
anddistasteofmankind,wehadhampir
almostpersuadedourselvesthattobeseorang
amanwastobe“vulgar”;sothat
ketika
whenIfoundmyfrienddan
andhostess,MissJenkyns,wasgoingtohaveapesta
partyinmyhonour,andthatCaptaindan
andtheMissBrownswereinvited,Iwonderedbanyak
muchwhatwouldbethekursus
courseoftheevening.Card-tables,withgreenbaizetops,weresetoutbydaylight,justasusual;
itwasthethird
minggu
weekinNovember,sotheeveningsclosedinsekitar
aboutfour.Candles,andcleanpacksofcards,werearrangedon
setiap
eachtable.Thefirewas
buat
madeup;theneatmaid-servanthadreceivedherlastdirections;
dan
andtherewestood,dressedinourterbaik
best,eachwithacandle-lighterinourhands,siap
readytodartatthecandlesassegera
soonasthefirstknockdatang
came.PartiesinCranfordweresolemnfestivities,
membuat
makingtheladiesfeelgravelyelatedastheyduduk
sattogetherintheirbestdresses.As
segera
soonasthreehadarrived,weduduk
satdownto“Preference,”Ibeingyang
theunluckyfourth.Thenext
empat
fourcomerswereputdownimmediatelytolain
anothertable;andpresentlythetea-trays,whichIhad
melihat
seensetoutinthestore-roomasIpassedinthepagi
morning,wereplacedeachonthemiddleofacard-table.Yang
Thechinawasdelicateegg-shell;theold-fashionedsilverglittered
dengan
withpolishing;buttheeatableswereof
yang
theslightestdescription.Whilethetrayswereyetonthetables,Captain
dan
andtheMissBrownscamein;dan
andIcouldseethat,somehowatau
orother,theCaptainwasafavouritedengan
withalltheladiespresent.Ruffledbrowsweresmoothed,sharpvoicesloweredathisapproach.
MissBrown
tampak
lookedill,anddepressedalmosttogloom.MissJessiesmiledasusual,
dan
andseemednearlyaspopularasherfather.Heimmediately
dan
andquietlyassumedtheman’stempat
placeintheroom;attendedto
setiap
everyone’swants,lessenedthecantik
prettymaid-servant’slabourbywaitingonemptycupsdan
andbread-and-butterlessladies;andyet
melakukan
diditallinsomudah
easyanddignifiedamanner,dan
andsomuchasifitwereseorang
amatterofcourseforthestrongtoattendtotheweak,thathewasseorang
atruemanthroughout.He
bermain
playedforthreepennypointswithasgraveaninterestasiftheyhadbeenpounds;and
namun
yet,inallhisattentiontostrangers,hememiliki
hadaneyeonhissufferingdaughter—forsufferingIwasyakin
sureshewas,thoughtobanyak
manyeyesshemightonlyappeartobeirritable.MissJessie
bisa
couldnotplaycards:butshe
berbicara
talkedtothesitters-out,who,sebelum
beforehercoming,hadbeenratherinclinedtobecross.She
bernyanyi
sang,too,toanoldcrackedpiano,whichIpikir
thinkhadbeenaspinetinitsyouth.MissJessie
bernyanyi
sang,“JockofHazeldean”asedikit
littleoutoftune;butwewerenoneofusmusical,
meskipun
thoughMissJenkynsbeattime,luar
outoftime,bywayofappearingtobeso.Itwas
sangat
verygoodofMissJenkynstomelakukan
dothis;forIhad
melihat
seenthat,alittlebefore,shememiliki
hadbeenagooddealannoyedbyMiss
MissJessieBrown’sunguardedadmission(àproposofShetlandwool)thatshememiliki
hadanuncle,hermother’ssaudara
brother,whowasashopkeeperinEdinburgh.MissJenkyns
mencoba
triedtodrownthisconfessionbyaterriblecough—foryang
theHonourableMrsJamiesonwasduduk
sittingatacard-tablenearestMissJessie,dan
andwhatwouldshesayatau
orthinkifshefoundoutshewasinyang
thesameroomwithashop-keeper’sniece!Tapi
ButMissJessieBrown(whomemiliki
hadnotact,aswesemua
allagreedthenextmorning)akan
wouldrepeattheinformation,andassureMissPoleshebisa
couldeasilygethertheidenticalShetlandwoolrequired,“throughmypaman
uncle,whohasthebestassortmentofShetlandgoodsofanyoneinEdinbro’.”Itwasto
mengambil
takethetasteofthisoutofourmouths,dan
andthesoundofthisoutofourears,thatMissJenkynsproposedmusik
music;soIsayagain,itwas
sangat
verygoodofhertomemukul
beattimetothesong.Ketika
Whenthetraysre-appearedwithbiscuitsdan
andwine,punctuallyataquartertonine,ada
therewasconversation,comparingofcards,dan
andtalkingovertricks;butby-and-byCaptainBrownsporteda
sedikit
bitofliterature.“Haveyou
melihat
seenanynumbersof‘ThePickwickPapers’?”saidhe.
Mereka
(Theywerethenpublishinginparts.)“Capitalthing!”
Sekarang
NowMissJenkynswasdaughterofadeceasedrectorofCranford;dan
and,onthestrengthofanumberofmanuscriptsermons,dan
andaprettygoodlibraryofdivinity,consideredherselfliterary,dan
andlookeduponanyconversationtentang
aboutbooksasachallengetoher.Soshe
menjawab
answeredandsaid,“Yes,shehadseenthem;indeed,shemight
mengatakan
sayshehadreadthem.”“Andwhatdoyouthinkofthem?”
exclaimedCaptainBrown.
“Aren’ttheyfamouslygood?”
SourgedMissJenkyns
bisa
couldnotbutspeak.“I
harus
mustsay,Idon’tthinktheyarebyanymeansequaltoDrJohnson.Masih
Still,perhaps,theauthorismuda
young.Lethimpersevere,andwho
tahu
knowswhathemaybecomejika
ifhewilltakethehebat
greatDoctorforhismodel?”Ini
ThiswasevidentlytoomuchforCaptainBrowntomengambil
takeplacidly;andIsawthewordsonthetipofhistongue
sebelum
beforeMissJenkynshadfinishedhersentence.“Itis
sangat
quiteadifferentsortofhal
thing,mydearmadam,”hebegan.“Iam
sangat
quiteawareofthat,”returnedshe.“AndI
membuat
makeallowances,CaptainBrown.”“Justallowmetoreadyou
sebuah
asceneoutofthismonth’snumber,”pleadeddia
he.“Ihaditonly
ini
thismorning,andIdon’tberpikir
thinkthecompanycanhavereadityet.”“Asyouplease,”saidshe,settlingherself
dengan
withanairofresignation.He
membaca
readtheaccountofthe“swarry”whichSamWellergaveatBath.Beberapa
Someofuslaughedheartily.Ididnotdare,
karena
becauseIwasstayingintherumah
house.