Chapter1
Itbeganin
sebuah
aWoman’sClubinLondononsebuah
aFebruaryafternoon—anuncomfortableclub,dan
andamiserableafternoon—whenMrs.Wilkins,whohadcomedownfromHampsteadtoberbelanja
shopandhadlunchedatherklub
club,tookupTheTimesfromthemeja
tableinthesmoking-room,andmenjalankan
runningherlistlesseyedowntheAgonyKolom
Columnsawthis:.ToThose
yang
whoAppreciateWistariaandSunshine.Kecil
SmallmediaevalItalianCastleonyang
theshoresoftheMediterraneantobeLetFurnishedforyang
themonthofApril.Necessaryservants
tetap
remain.Z,Box1000,TheTimes.
Itu
Thatwasitsconception;yet,asin
yang
thecaseofmanyanother,yang
theconceiverwasunawareofitatyang
themoment.SoentirelyunawarewasMrs.Wilkinsthather
April
Aprilforthatyearhadthendan
andtherebeensettledforherthatshemenjatuhkan
droppedthenewspaperwithagerakan
gesturethatwasbothirritateddan
andresigned,andwentovertothejendela
windowandstareddrearilyoutatthedrippingjalan
street.Notforherweremediaevalcastles,
bahkan
eventhosethatarespeciallydescribedaskecil
small.NotforhertheshoresinApriloftheMediterranean,
dan
andthewistariaandsunshine.Seperti
Suchdelightswereonlyforthekaya
rich.Yettheadvertisementhadbeenaddressedto
orang
personswhoappreciatethesethings,sothatithadbeen,bagaimanapun
anyhow,addressedtootoher,forshetentu
certainlyappreciatedthem;morethan
siapa pun
anybodyknew;morethanshehadevertold.
Tapi
Butshewaspoor.Inthe
seluruh
wholeworldshepossessedofherverymemiliki
ownonlyninetypounds,savedfromtahun
yeartoyear,putbycarefullypound
poundbypound,outofherpakaian
dressallowance.Shehadscraped
ini
thissumtogetheratthesaran
suggestionofherhusbandasaperisai
shieldandrefugeagainstahujan
rainyday.Herdressallowance,givenherbyherfather,was£100a
setahun
year,sothatMrs.Wilkins’sclotheswerewhatherhusband,urginghertomenghemat
save,calledmodestandbecoming,dan
andheracquaintancetoeachlain
other,whentheyspokeofheratall,whichwasjarang
seldomforshewasverynegligible,calledaperfectsight.Mr.
Wilkins,
seorang
asolicitor,encouragedthrift,exceptthatcabang
branchofitwhichgotintohisfood.Hedidnotcall
yang
thatthrift,hecalleditburuk
badhousekeeping.Butforthethriftwhich,
seperti
likemoth,penetratedintoMrs.Wilkins’spakaian
clothesandspoiltthem,hehadbanyak
muchpraise.“Youneverknow,”hesaid,“when
ada
therewillbearainyhari
day,andyoumaybesangat
verygladtofindyoumemiliki
haveanest-egg.Indeedwe
berdua
bothmay.”Lookingoutofthe
klub
clubwindowintoShaftesburyAvenue—herswasanekonomis
economicalclub,butconvenientforHampstead,mana
whereshelived,andforShoolbred’s,mana
wheresheshopped—Mrs.Wilkins,havingstood
sana
theresometimeverydrearily,hermind’smata
eyeontheMediterraneaninApril,dan
andthewistaria,andtheenviableopportunitiesofthekaya
rich,whileherbodilyeyemenonton
watchedthereallyextremelyhorriblesootyrainjatuh
fallingsteadilyonthehurryingumbrellasdan
andsplashingomnibuses,suddenlywonderedwhethermungkin
perhapsthiswasnottherainyhari
dayMellersh—MellershwasMr.Wilkins—hadsooftenencouragedhertopreparefor,dan
andwhethertogetoutofsuchaclimatedan
andintothesmallmediaevalcastlewasn’tmungkin
perhapswhatProvidencehadallalongintendedhertodowithhersavings.Bagian
Partofhersavings,ofsaja
course;perhapsquiteasmall
bagian
part.Thecastle,beingmediaeval,might
juga
alsobedilapidated,anddilapidationswerepasti
surelycheap.Shewouldn’tintheleast
keberatan
mindafewofthem,karena
becauseyoudidn’tpayfordilapidationswhichweresudah
alreadythere;onthecontrary—by
mengurangi
reducingthepriceyouhadtopaytheyreallypaidyou.Tapi
Butwhatnonsensetothinkofit...She
berpaling
turnedawayfromthewindowwiththesama
samegestureofmingledirritationdan
andresignationwithwhichshehadmeletakkan
laiddownTheTimes,andcrossedtheroommenuju
towardsthedoorwiththeniat
intentionofgettinghermackintoshdan
andumbrellaandfightingherwayintooneoftheovercrowdedomnibusesdan
andgoingtoShoolbred’sonherwaypulang
homeandbuyingsomesolesforMellersh’sdinner—Mellershwassulit
difficultwithfishandlikedhanya
onlysoles,exceptsalmon—whenshebeheldMrs.Arbuthnot,seorang
awomansheknewbypandangan
sightasalsolivinginHampsteaddan
andbelongingtotheclub,duduk
sittingatthetableinthetengah
middleoftheroomonwhichthenewspapersdan
andmagazineswerekept,absorbed,inherberpaling
turn,inthefirstpageofTheTimes.Mrs.
Wilkinshadnever
belum
yetspokentoMrs.Arbuthnot,whobelongedtooneoftheberbagai
variouschurchsets,andwhoanalysed,classified,divideddan
andregisteredthepoor;whereasshe
dan
andMellersh,whentheydidpergi
goout,wenttothepartiesofimpressionistpainters,ofwhominHampsteadada
thereweremany.Mellershhada
saudara
sisterwhohadmarriedoneofthemdan
andlivedupontheHeath
Heath,andbecauseofthisaliansi
allianceMrs.Wilkinswasdrawnintoalingkaran
circlewhichwashighlyunnaturaltoher,dan
andshehadlearnedtotakut
dreadpictures.Shehadto
mengatakan
saythingsaboutthem,andshedidn’ttahu
knowwhattosay.Sheusedto
bergumam
murmur,“Marvellous,”andfeelthatitwasnotcukup
enough.Butnobodyminded.
Nobody
mendengarkan
listened.NobodytookanynoticeofMrs.Wilkins.
Shewasthe
jenis
kindofpersonwhoisnotnoticedatparties.Herclothes,infestedbythrift,madeher
praktis
practicallyinvisible;herfacewasnon-arresting;
her
percakapan
conversationwasreluctant;shewas
pemalu
shy.Andifone’sclothes
dan
andfaceandconversationaresemua
allnegligible,thoughtMrs.Wilkins,whomengakui
recognisedherdisabilities,what,atparties,isthereleftofone?Juga
AlsoshewasalwayswithWilkins,thatclean-shaven,fine-lookingpria
man,whogaveaparty,hanya
merelybycomingtoit,sebuah
agreatair.Wilkinswas
sangat
veryrespectable.Hewasknowntobe
sangat
highlythoughtofbyhisseniorpartners.Hissister’s
lingkaran
circleadmiredhim.Hepronouncedadequately
cerdas
intelligentjudgmentsonartandartists.Hewaspithy;
hewasprudent;
he
pernah
neversaidawordtoobanyak
much,nor,ontheothersisi
hand,didheeversayakata
wordtoolittle.Heproduced
yang
theimpressionofkeepingcopiesofeverythinghesaid;dan
andhewassoobviouslydapat diandalkan
reliablethatitoftenhappenedthatorang
peoplewhomethimatini
thesepartiesbecamediscontentedwiththeirsendiri
ownsolicitors,andafteraperiode
periodofrestlessnessextricatedthemselvesdan
andwenttoWilkins.NaturallyMrs.Wilkinswasblottedout.
“She,”saidhis
saudara
sister,withsomethingherselfoftheyudisial
judicial,thedigested,andtheakhir
finalinhermanner,“shouldtinggal
stayathome.”ButWilkins
bisa
couldnotleavehiswifeatrumah
home.Hewasafamily
pengacara
solicitor,andallsuchhavewivesdan
andshowthem.Withhisintheweekhe
pergi
wenttoparties,andwithhisonSundayshepergi
wenttochurch.Beingstillfairlyyoung—hewasthirty-nine—and
ambisius
ambitiousofoldladies,ofwhomhehadnotbelum
yetacquiredinhispracticeasufficientjumlah
number,hecouldnotaffordtomissgereja
church,anditwasthereyang
thatMrs.Wilkinsbecamefamiliar,meskipun
thoughneverthroughwords,withMrs.Arbuthnot.Shesawhermarshallingthe
anak
childrenofthepoorintopews.She
akan
wouldcomeinatthekepala
headoftheprocessionfromyang
theSundaySchoolexactlyfiveminutessebelum
beforethechoir,andgetherboysdan
andgirlsneatlyfittedintotheirallottedseats,dan
anddownontheirlittlekneesintheirawal
preliminaryprayer,andupagainontheirkaki
feetjustas,totheswellingorgan,yang
thevestrydooropened,andyang
thechoirandclergy,bigdengan
withthelitaniesandcommandmentstheywerepresentlytorollout,muncul
emerged.Shehadasad
wajah
face,yetshewasevidentlyefisien
efficient.ThecombinationusedtomakeMrs.Wilkins
tanya
wonder,forshehadbeentoldbyMellersh,ondaysketika
whenshehadonlybeenabletogetplaice,thatjika
ifonewereefficientonewouldn’tbetertekan
depressed,andthatifonemelakukan
doesone’sjobwellonemenjadi
becomesautomaticallybrightandbrisk.Tentang
AboutMrs.Arbuthnottherewasnothingcerah
brightandbrisk,thoughmuchinherwaydengan
withtheSundaySchoolchildrenthatwasotomatis
automatic;butwhenMrs.Wilkins,turningfromthe
jendela
window,caughtsightofherintheklub
clubshewasnotbeingotomatis
automaticatall,butwasmelihat
lookingfixedlyatoneportionofthepertama
firstpageofTheTimes,memegang
holdingthepaperquitestill,hereyesnotbergerak
moving.Shewasjuststaring;
dan
andherface,asusual,wasyang
thefaceofapatientdan
anddisappointedMadonna.Obeyingan
dorongan
impulseshewonderedatevensaat
whileobeyingit,Mrs.Wilkins,yang
theshyandthereluctant,insteadofmelanjutkan
proceedingasshehadintendedtoyang
thecloakroomandfromthencetoSchoolbred’sinsearchofMellersh’sikan
fish,stoppedatthetabledan
andsatdownexactlyoppositeMrs.Arbuthnot,towhomshehadneverbelum
yetspokeninherlife.Itwasoneofthose
panjang
long,narrowrefectorytables,sothattheywerecukup
quiteclosetoeachother.Mrs.
Arbuthnot,
bagaimanapun
however,didnotlookup.She
terus
continuedtogaze,witheyesthatseemedtobedreaming,atsatu
onespotonlyofTheTimes.Mrs.
Wilkinswatchedheraminute,
mencoba
tryingtoscrewupcouragetoberbicara
speaktoher.Shewantedto
bertanya
askherifshehadmelihat
seentheadvertisement.Shedidnot
tahu
knowwhyshewantedtobertanya
askherthis,butsheingin
wantedto.Howstupidnottobe
bisa
abletospeaktoher.She
terlihat
lookedsokind.Shelookedso
bahagia
unhappy.Whycouldn’ttwounhappy
orang
peoplerefresheachotherontheirperjalanan
waythroughthisdustybusinessofkehidupan
lifebyalittletalk—real,alami
naturaltalk,aboutwhattheyfelt,whattheywouldhavesuka
liked,whattheystilltriedtoberharap
hope?Andshecouldnot
membantu
helpthinkingthatMrs.Arbuthnot,juga
too,wasreadingthatverysama
sameadvertisement.Hereyeswereonthevery
bagian
partofthepaper.Was
dia
she,too,picturingwhatitakan
wouldbelike—thecolour,thearoma
fragrance,thelight,thesoftlappingofthelaut
seaamonglittlehotrocks?Warna
Colour,fragrance,light,sea;insteadofShaftesbury
Avenue
Avenue,andthewetomnibuses,dan
andthefishdepartmentatShoolbred’s,dan
andtheTubetoHampstead,dan
anddinner,andto-morrowthesama
sameandthedayafterthesama
sameandalwaysthesame...SuddenlyMrs.Wilkins
menemukan
foundherselfleaningacrossthemeja
table.“Areyoureadingaboutthemediaeval
kastil
castleandthewistaria?”she
mendengar
heardherselfasking.NaturallyMrs.Arbuthnotwassurprised;
tapi
butshewasnothalfsomuchsurprisedasMrs.Wilkinswasatherselfforbertanya
asking.Mrs.
Arbuthnothadnot
belum
yettoherknowledgeseteyesontheshabby,lank,loosely-put-togethersosok
figuresittingoppositeher,withitskecil
smallfreckledfaceandbigabu
greyeyesalmostdisappearingunderasmashed-downwet-weathertopi
hat,andshegazedatheramomenttanpa
withoutanswering.Shewasreading
tentang
aboutthemediaevalcastleandthewistaria,atau
orratherhadreadaboutitsepuluh
tenminutesbefore,andsincethenhadbeenhilang
lostindreams—oflight,ofwarna
colour,offragrance,ofthelembut
softlappingoftheseaantara
amonglittlehotrocks...“Whydoyou
bertanya
askmethat?”shesaidinhergrave
suara
voice,forhertrainingofdan
andbythepoorhadmadehergravedan
andpatient.Mrs.
Wilkinsflushed
dan
andlookedexcessivelyshyandfrightened.“Oh,
hanya
onlybecauseIsawitjuga
too,andIthoughtperhaps—Ithoughtsomehow—”shestammered.
WhereuponMrs.Arbuthnot,hermindbeing
digunakan
usedtogettingpeopleintolistsdan
anddivisions,fromhabitconsidered,asshegazedthoughtfullyatMrs.Wilkins,underwhatheading,supposingshehadtoclassifyher,shebisa
couldmostproperlybeput.“AndI
tahu
knowyoubysight,”wentonMrs.Wilkins,who,seperti
likealltheshy,onceshewasmulai
startedplungedon,frighteningherselftolebih
moreandmorespeechbythesheersuara
soundofwhatshehadsaidterakhir
lastinherears.“EverySunday—I
melihat
seeyoueverySundayinchurch—”.“Inchurch?”
echoedMrs.Arbuthnot.
“And
ini
thisseemssuchawonderfulthing—thisadvertisementtentang
aboutthewistaria—and—”.Mrs.
Wilkins,whomusthavebeenat
setidaknya
leastthirty,brokeoffandwriggledinherchairdengan
withthemovementofancanggung
awkwardandembarrassedschoolgirl.“Itseemssowonderful,”shewentoninakindof
ledakan
burst,“and—itissuchamenyedihkan
miserableday...”Dan
AndthenshesatlookingatMrs.Arbuthnotdengan
withtheeyesofanimprisonedanjing
dog.“Thispoorthing,”thoughtMrs.Arbuthnot,
yang
whoselifewasspentinmembantu
helpingandalleviating,“needsadvice.”Sheaccordinglypreparedherself
sabar
patientlytogiveit.“Ifyou
melihat
seemeinchurch,”shesaid,kindlydan
andattentively,“Isupposeyoutinggal
liveinHampsteadtoo?”“Ohyes,”saidMrs.Wilkins.
Dan
Andsherepeated,herheadonitslongtipis
thinneckdroopingalittleasiftheingatan
recollectionofHampsteadbowedher,“Ohyes.”“Where?”
askedMrs.Arbuthnot,who,
ketika
whenadvicewasneeded,naturallyfirstmelanjutkan
proceededtocollectthefacts.Tapi
ButMrs.Wilkins,layingherhandlembut
softlyandcaressinglyonthebagian
partofTheTimeswhereyang
theadvertisementwas,asthoughyang
themereprintedwordsofitwereberharga
precious,onlysaid,“Perhapsthat’ssebabnya
whythisseemssowonderful.”“No—I
pikir
thinkthat’swonderfulanyhow,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot,melupakan
forgettingfactsandfaintlysighing.“Thenyouwerereadingit?”
“Yes,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot,hereyesgoingdreamy
lagi
again.“Wouldn’titbewonderful?”
murmuredMrs.Wilkins.
“Wonderful,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot.
Herface,
yang
whichhadlitup,fadedintokesabaran
patienceagain.“Verywonderful,”shesaid.
“Butit’s
tidak
nousewastingone’stimethinkingofseperti
suchthings.”“Oh,butitis,”wasMrs.Wilkins’s
cepat
quick,surprisingreply;surprisingbecauseitwassomuchunlike
yang
therestofher—thecharacterlessmantel
coatandskirt,thecrumpledtopi
hat,theundecidedwispoframbut
hairstragglingout.“Andjustthe
mempertimbangkan
consideringofthemisworthsementara
whileinitself—suchachangefromHampstead—andkadang
sometimesIbelieve—Ireallydobelieve—ifsatu
oneconsidershardenoughonemendapatkan
getsthings.”Mrs.
Arbuthnotobservedher
sabar
patiently.Inwhatcategorywould
dia
she,supposingshehadto,puther?“Perhaps,”shesaid,leaningforwarda
sedikit
little,“youwilltellmeyourname.Jika
Ifwearetobefriends”—shetersenyum
smiledhergravesmile—“asIharap
hopeweare,wehadbetterbeginatthebeginning.”“Ohyes—howkindofyou.
I’mMrs.Wilkins,”saidMrs.Wilkins.
“Idon’texpect,”she
menambahkan
added,flushing,asMrs.Arbuthnotmengatakan
saidnothing,“thatitconveysanythingtoyou.Kadang
Sometimesit—itdoesn’tseemtomenyampaikan
conveyanythingtomeeither.But”—she
melihat
lookedroundwithamovementofmencari
seekinghelp—“IamMrs.Wilkins.”Shedidnot
suka
likehername.Itwasamean,
kecil
smallname,withakindoffacetioustwist,shethought,tentang
aboutitsendliketheupwardkurva
curveofapugdog’stail.Thereitwas,
namun
however.Therewasnodoinganything
dengan
withit.Wilkinsshewas
dan
andWilkinsshewouldremain;dan
andthoughherhusbandencouragedhertomemberikan
giveitonalloccasionsasMrs.Mellersh-Wilkinsshehanya
onlydidthatwhenhewaswithinearshot,forsheberpikir
thoughtMellershmadeWilkinsworse,emphasisingitinthecara
wayChatsworthonthegate-postsofavilla
villaemphasisesthevilla.Whenfirsthe
menyarankan
suggestedsheshouldaddMellershshehadobjectedfortheatas
abovereason,andafterapause—Mellershwasjauh
muchtooprudenttospeakkecuali
exceptafterapause,duringwhichpresumablyhewasmengambil
takingacarefulmentalcopyofhisdatang
comingobservation—hesaid,muchdispleased,“ButIamnotavilla,”dan
andlookedatherashemelihat
lookswhohopes,forperhapsthehundredthkali
time,thathemaynottelah
havemarriedafool.Of
saja
coursehewasnotavilla
villa,Mrs.Wilkinsassuredhim;shehad
pernah
neversupposedhewas;shehadnotdreamedofmeaning...
shewasonlyjust
berpikir
thinking...Themoreshe
menjelaskan
explainedthemoreearnestbecameMellersh’sharapan
hope,familiartohimbyini
thistime,forhehadthenbeenasuami
husbandfortwoyears,thathemightnotbyanykebetulan
chancehavemarriedafool;dan
andtheyhadaprolongedquarrel,jika
ifthatcanbecalledaquarrelwhichisconducteddengan
withdignifiedsilenceononesisi
sideandearnestapologyonthelain
other,astowhetherortidak
noMrs.Wilkinshadintendedtomenyarankan
suggestthatMr.Wilkinswasavilla
villa.“Ibelieve,”shehad
berpikir
thoughtwhenitwasatlastover—ittookalama
longwhile—“thatanybodywouldquarreltentang
aboutanythingwhenthey’venotleftoffbeingbersama
togetherforasingledayfordua
twowholeyears.Whatwe
berdua
bothneedisaholiday.”“Myhusband,”wentonMrs.WilkinstoMrs.Arbuthnot,
mencoba
tryingtothrowsomelightonherself,“isasolicitor.He—”
She
melemparkan
castaboutforsomethingshebisa
couldsayelucidatoryofMellersh,dan
andfound:“He’sveryhandsome.”
“Well,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot
ramah
kindly,“thatmustbeagreatpleasuretoyou.”“Why?”
askedMrs.Wilkins.
“Because,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot,a
sedikit
littletakenaback,forconstantintercoursedengan
withthepoorhadaccustomedhertomemiliki
haveherpronouncementsacceptedwithoutpertanyaan
question,“becausebeauty—handsomeness—isagiftseperti
likeanyother,andifitisproperlyused—”.Shetrailedoffinto
keheningan
silence.Mrs.Wilkins’sgreatgreyeyeswerefixedon
nya
her,anditseemedsuddenlytoMrs.Arbuthnotthatmungkin
perhapsshewasbecomingcrystallisedintoakebiasaan
habitofexposition,andofexpositionsetelah
afterthemannerofnursemaids,melalui
throughhavinganaudiencethatcouldn’ttetapi
butagree,thatwouldbetakut
afraid,ifitwished,tomengganggu
interrupt,thatdidn’tknow,thatwas,infact,atherbelas kasihan
mercy.ButMrs.Wilkinswasnot
mendengarkan
listening;forjustthen,absurdasitseemed,
sebuah
apicturehadflashedacrossherbrain,dan
andthereweretwofiguresinitduduk
sittingtogetherunderagreattrailingwistariathatstretchedacrossthebranchesofsebuah
atreeshedidn’tknow,dan
anditwasherselfandMrs.Arbuthnot—shemelihat
sawthem—shesawthem.And
belakang
behindthem,brightinsunshine,weretua
oldgreywalls—themediaevalcastle—shesawit—theywerethere...ShethereforestaredatMrs.Arbuthnot
dan
anddidnothearakata
wordshesaid.AndMrs.Arbuthnotstared
juga
tooatMrs.Wilkins,arrestedbytheekspresi
expressiononherface,whichwassweptbythekegembiraan
excitementofwhatshesaw,dan
andwasasluminousandtremulousbawah
underitaswaterinsinar matahari
sunlightwhenitisruffledbyagustofangin
wind.Atthismoment,ifshehadbeenat
sebuah
aparty,Mrs.Wilkinswouldhavebeenlookedatdengan
withinterest.Theystaredateachother;
Mrs.Arbuthnotsurprised,inquiringly,Mrs.Wilkins
dengan
withtheeyesofsomeonewhomemiliki
hashadarevelation.Of
saja
course.Thatwashowit
bisa
couldbedone.Sheherself,shebyherself,couldn’taffordit,
dan
andwouldn’tbeable,evenjika
ifshecouldaffordit,topergi
gothereallalone;butshe
dan
andMrs.Arbuthnottogether...Sheleaned
melintasi
acrossthetable.“Whydon’twe
mencoba
tryandgetit?”she
berbisik
whispered.Mrs.
Arbuthnotbecameeven
lebih
morewide-eyed.“Getit?”
sherepeated.
“Yes,”saidMrs.Wilkins,
masih
stillasthoughsheweretakut
afraidofbeingoverheard.“Not
hanya
justsithereandsayBagaimana
Howwonderful,andthengopulang
hometoHampsteadwithouthavingputoutafinger—gopulang
homejustasusualandmelihat
seeaboutthedinnerandyang
thefishjustaswe’vebeenmelakukan
doingforyearsandyearsdan
andwillgoondoingforyearsdan
andyears.Infact,”saidMrs.Wilkins,flushingto
yang
therootsofherhair,foryang
thesoundofwhatshewassaying,ofwhatwasdatang
comingpouringout,frightenedher,andnamun
yetshecouldn’tstop,“Imelihat
seenoendtoit.Ada
Thereisnoendtoitu
it.Sothatthereoughttobea
istirahat
break,thereoughttobeintervals—ineverybody’sinterests.Mengapa
Why,itwouldreallybebeingunselfishtogoawaydan
andbehappyforasedikit
little,becausewewouldcomekembali
backsomuchnicer.You
lihat
see,afterabiteverybodymembutuhkan
needsaholiday.”“But—howdoyoumean,getit?”
askedMrs.Arbuthnot.
“Takeit,”saidMrs.Wilkins.
“Takeit?”