Chapter1
ItbeganinaWoman’sClubinLondononaFebruaryafternoon—anuncomfortableclub,
i
andamiserableafternoon—whenMrs.Wilkins,whohadcomedół
downfromHampsteadtoshopi
andhadlunchedatherclub,wzięła
tookupTheTimesfromthestołu
tableinthesmoking-room,andrunningherlistlesseyedół
downtheAgonyColumnsawthis:.To
Tych
ThosewhoAppreciateWistariaandSunshine
Sunshine.SmallmediaevalItalianCastleontheshoresoftheMediterraneantobeLetFurnishedforthemonthofApril.
Necessaryservants
pozostają
remain.Z,Box1000,TheTimes.
Thatwasitsconception;
yet,asinthe
przypadku
caseofmanyanother,theconceiverwasunawareofitatthechwili
moment.SoentirelyunawarewasMrs.Wilkinsthather
Kwietnia
Aprilforthatyearhadtheni
andtherebeensettledforherthatshedroppedthenewspaperz
withagesturethatwaszarówno
bothirritatedandresigned,andposzedł
wentovertothewindowi
andstareddrearilyoutatthedrippingstreet.Notforherweremediaevalcastles,
nawet
eventhosethatarespeciallydescribedasmałe
small.NotforhertheshoresinApriloftheMediterranean,
i
andthewistariaandsunshine.Takie
Suchdelightswereonlyfortherich.Jednak
Yettheadvertisementhadbeenaddressedtoosób
personswhoappreciatethesethings,sothatithadbeen,każdym razie
anyhow,addressedtootoher,forshecertainlyappreciatedje
them;morethananybodyknew;
więcej
morethanshehadeverpowiedziała
told.Butshewaspoor.
Inthewhole
świecie
worldshepossessedofherverywłasny
ownonlyninetypounds,savedfromyeartoyear,umieścić
putbycarefullypoundbypound,outofherdressallowance.Shehadscraped
tę
thissumtogetheratthesuggestionofhermęża
husbandasashieldandrefugeprzed
againstarainyday.Herdressallowance,givenherbyher
ojca
father,was£100ayear,sothatMrs.Wilkins’subrania
clotheswerewhatherhusband,urginghertosave,calledmodestandbecoming,andheracquaintancetoeachother,kiedy
whentheyspokeofheratall,whichwasrzadko
seldomforshewasverynegligible,calledaperfectsight.Mr.
Wilkins,a
adwokat
solicitor,encouragedthrift,exceptthatgałęzi
branchofitwhichgotintohisfood.Hedidnotcallthatthrift,hecalleditbadhousekeeping.
Ale
Butforthethriftwhich,jak
likemoth,penetratedintoMrs.Wilkins’sclothesi
andspoiltthem,hehadwiele
muchpraise.“Youneverknow,”he
powiedział
said,“whentherewillbeadeszczowy
rainyday,andyoumaybebardzo
verygladtofindyoumasz
haveanest-egg.Indeedwebothmay.”
Lookingoutofthe
klub
clubwindowintoShaftesburyAvenue—herswasaneconomicalklub
club,butconvenientforHampstead,gdzie
whereshelived,andforShoolbred’s,gdzie
wheresheshopped—Mrs.Wilkins,havingstoodtheresome
czas
timeverydrearily,hermind’seyeontheMediterraneaninApril,i
andthewistaria,andtheenviableopportunitiesoftherich,podczas
whileherbodilyeyewatchedthereallyextremelyhorriblesootydeszcz
rainfallingsteadilyonthehurryingumbrellasi
andsplashingomnibuses,suddenlywonderedwhethermoże
perhapsthiswasnotthedeszczowy
rainydayMellersh—MellershwasMr.Wilkins—hadsoczęsto
oftenencouragedhertopreparefor,i
andwhethertogetoutofsuchaclimatei
andintothesmallmediaevalzamku
castlewasn’tperhapswhatProvidencehadallalongzamierzała
intendedhertodowithhersavings.Partofhersavings,of
oczywiście
course;perhapsquiteasmallpart.
The
zamek
castle,beingmediaeval,mightalsobedilapidated,a
anddilapidationsweresurelycheap.Shewouldn’tintheleastmindafewof
nich
them,becauseyoudidn’tpayfordilapidationsktóre
whichwerealreadythere;onthecontrary—byreducingthe
cenę
priceyouhadtopaytheynaprawdę
reallypaidyou.Butwhat
nonsens
nonsensetothinkofit...Sheturnedawayfromthe
okna
windowwiththesamegestureofmingledirritationi
andresignationwithwhichshehadlaiddownTheTimes,i
andcrossedtheroomtowardsthedrzwi
doorwiththeintentionofgettinghermackintoshi
andumbrellaandfightingherwayintojednego
oneoftheovercrowdedomnibusesi
andgoingtoShoolbred’sonherwaydomu
homeandbuyingsomesolesforMellersh’sdinner—Mellershwasdifficultwithfishi
andlikedonlysoles,exceptsalmon—whenshebeheldMrs.Arbuthnot,awomansheznała
knewbysightasalsolivinginHampsteadi
andbelongingtotheclub,sittingatthetableinthemiddleoftheroomonktóra
whichthenewspapersandmagazineswerekept,absorbed,inherturn,inthefirstpageofTheTimes.Mrs.
Wilkinshadnever
jeszcze
yetspokentoMrs.Arbuthnot,whobelongedtojednego
oneofthevariouschurchsets,i
andwhoanalysed,classified,dividedi
andregisteredthepoor;whereasshe
i
andMellersh,whentheydidgoout,wenttothepartiesofimpressionistpainters,ofwhominHampsteadtherewerewiele
many.Mellershhadasisterwho
miał
hadmarriedoneofthemi
andlivedupontheHeath
Heath,andbecauseofthissojuszu
allianceMrs.Wilkinswasdrawnintoakrąg
circlewhichwashighlyunnaturaltoniej
her,andshehadlearnedtodreadpictures.Shehadto
powiedzieć
saythingsaboutthem,andshedidn’twiedziała
knowwhattosay.Sheusedtomurmur,“Marvellous,”
i
andfeelthatitwasnotenough.Ale
Butnobodyminded.Nobodylistened.
Nikt nie
NobodytookanynoticeofMrs.Wilkins.Shewasthekindofpersonwhoisnotnoticedatparties.
Her
ubrania
clothes,infestedbythrift,madeherpraktycznie
practicallyinvisible;herfacewasnon-arresting;
herconversationwasreluctant;
shewasshy.
And
jeśli
ifone’sclothesandfaceandconversationareallnegligible,pomyślała
thoughtMrs.Wilkins,whorecognisedherdisabilities,co
what,atparties,isthereleftofone?Również
AlsoshewasalwayswithWilkins,thatclean-shaven,fine-lookingmężczyzna
man,whogaveaparty,merelybycomingtoit,awielki
greatair.Wilkinswasvery
szanowany
respectable.Hewasknowntobe
bardzo
highlythoughtofbyhisseniorpartners.Hissister’s
krąg
circleadmiredhim.Hepronouncedadequately
inteligentne
intelligentjudgmentsonartandartists.Hewaspithy;
hewasprudent;
he
nigdy nie
neversaidawordtoowiele
much,nor,ontheotherstrony
hand,didheeversayawordzbyt
toolittle.Heproducedtheimpressionofkeepingcopiesofeverythinghesaid;
i
andhewassoobviouslyreliableże
thatitoftenhappenedthatpeoplektórzy
whomethimatthesepartiesbecamediscontentedze
withtheirownsolicitors,andpo
afteraperiodofrestlessnessextricatedthemselvesi
andwenttoWilkins.NaturallyMrs.Wilkinswasblottedout.
“She,”
powiedziała
saidhissister,withsomethingherselfofthejudicial,thedigested,i
andthefinalinhersposób
manner,“shouldstayathome.”Ale
ButWilkinscouldnotleavehisżony
wifeathome.Hewasafamilysolicitor,andallsuch
mają
havewivesandshowthem.Withhisintheweekhewenttoparties,
a
andwithhisonSundayshewenttochurch.Beingstill
dość
fairlyyoung—hewasthirty-nine—andambitiousofoldladies,ofwhomhemiał
hadnotyetacquiredinhispracticeasufficientnumber,hecouldnotsobie pozwolić
affordtomisschurch,anditwastherethatMrs.Wilkinsbecamefamiliar,choć
thoughneverthroughwords,withMrs.Arbuthnot.She
widziała
sawhermarshallingthechildrenoftheubogich
poorintopews.Shewouldcomeinattheheadofthe
procesji
processionfromtheSundaySchooldokładnie
exactlyfiveminutesbeforethechór
choir,andgetherboysandgirlsporządnie
neatlyfittedintotheirallottedseats,anddownontheirlittlekneesintheirpreliminaryprayer,andupponownie
againontheirfeetjustas,totheswellingorgan,thevestrydrzwi
dooropened,andthechoirandclergy,bigwiththelitaniesandcommandmentstheywerepresentlytorollout,emerged.She
miała
hadasadface,yetshewasnajwyraźniej
evidentlyefficient.ThecombinationusedtomakeMrs.Wilkinswonder,forshehadbeen
powiedział
toldbyMellersh,ondayskiedy
whenshehadonlybeenstanie
abletogetplaice,thatjeśli
ifonewereefficientonewouldn’tbeprzygnębiony
depressed,andthatifonedoesone’spracę
jobwellonebecomesautomaticallyjasny
brightandbrisk.AboutMrs.Arbuthnot
nie
therewasnothingbrightandbrisk,chociaż
thoughmuchinherwayz
withtheSundaySchoolchildrenże
thatwasautomatic;butwhenMrs.Wilkins,turningfromthe
okna
window,caughtsightofherintheclubshewasnotbeingautomaticatall,ale
butwaslookingfixedlyatjedną
oneportionofthefirstpageofTheTimes,holdingthepapercałkiem
quitestill,hereyesnotmoving.Shewas
po prostu
juststaring;andherface,as
zwykle
usual,wasthefaceofapatientanddisappointedMadonna.Obeyingan
impuls
impulseshewonderedatevenpodczas
whileobeyingit,Mrs.Wilkins,thenieśmiały
shyandthereluctant,insteadofproceedingasshehadzamierzała
intendedtothecloakroomandfromthencetoSchoolbred’sinsearchofMellersh’sryb
fish,stoppedatthetablei
andsatdownexactlyoppositeMrs.Arbuthnot,towhomshehadneveryetmówił
spokeninherlife.Itwas
jeden
oneofthoselong,narrowrefectorytables,soże
thattheywerequiteclosetoeachother.Mrs.
Arbuthnot,
jednak
however,didnotlookup.She
kontynuowała
continuedtogaze,witheyesktóre
thatseemedtobedreaming,atjednym
onespotonlyofTheTimes.Mrs.
Wilkinswatchedheraminute,tryingtoscrewupcourageto
porozmawiać
speaktoher.Shewantedto
zapytać
askherifshehadwidziała
seentheadvertisement.Shedidnot
wiedziała
knowwhyshewantedtozapytać
askherthis,butshewantedto.Jak
Howstupidnottobestanie
abletospeaktoher.She
wyglądała
lookedsokind.Shelookedsounhappy.
Dlaczego
Whycouldn’ttwounhappypeopleodświeżyć
refresheachotherontheirdrodze
waythroughthisdustybusinessofżycia
lifebyalittletalk—real,naturaltalk,o
aboutwhattheyfelt,whattheywouldmieć
haveliked,whattheystillpróbowali
triedtohope?Andshecouldnothelpthinking
że
thatMrs.Arbuthnot,too,wasreadingże
thatverysameadvertisement.Hereyeswereonthevery
części
partofthepaper.Was
ona
she,too,picturingwhatitwouldbelike—thekolor
colour,thefragrance,thelight,themiękkie
softlappingoftheseamiędzy
amonglittlehotrocks?Colour,
zapach
fragrance,light,sea;insteadofShaftesbury
Avenue
Avenue,andthewetomnibuses,i
andthefishdepartmentatShoolbred’s,i
andtheTubetoHampstead,i
anddinner,andto-morrowthesamei
andthedayafterthesamei
andalwaysthesame...Nagle
SuddenlyMrs.Wilkinsfoundherselfleaningacrossthestół
table.“Areyoureadingaboutthemediaeval
zamku
castleandthewistaria?”she
słyszała
heardherselfasking.NaturallyMrs.Arbuthnotwassurprised;
ale
butshewasnothalfsomuchsurprisedasMrs.Wilkinswasatherselfforasking.Mrs.
Arbuthnot
miała
hadnotyettoherwiedzy
knowledgeseteyesontheshabby
shabby,lank,loosely-put-togetherfiguresittingnaprzeciwko
oppositeher,withitssmallfreckledtwarzy
faceandbiggreyeyesprawie
almostdisappearingunderasmashed-downwet-weatherhat,i
andshegazedatheramomentbez
withoutanswering.Shewasreading
o
aboutthemediaevalcastleandthewistaria,orraczej
ratherhadreadaboutitdziesięć
tenminutesbefore,andsincethenhadbeenlostindreams—ofświetle
light,ofcolour,offragrance,ofthesoftlappingofthemorza
seaamonglittlehotrocks...“Whydoyouaskmethat?”
she
powiedziała
saidinhergravevoice,forhertrainingofi
andbythepoorhadmadehergravei
andpatient.Mrs.
Wilkinsflushed
i
andlookedexcessivelyshyandfrightened.“Oh,
tylko
onlybecauseIsawitteż
too,andIthoughtperhaps—Ipomyślałam
thoughtsomehow—”shestammered.
WhereuponMrs.Arbuthnot,her
umysł
mindbeingusedtogettingludzi
peopleintolistsanddivisions,fromprzyzwyczajenia
habitconsidered,asshegazedthoughtfullyatMrs.Wilkins,pod
underwhatheading,supposingshehadtoclassifyher,shecouldnajbardziej
mostproperlybeput.“AndI
znam
knowyoubysight,”wentonMrs.Wilkins,who,jak
likealltheshy,onceshewaszaczęła
startedplungedon,frighteningherselftomoreandmoremowy
speechbythesheersoundofwhatshehadpowiedziała
saidlastinherears.“EverySunday—I
widzę
seeyoueverySundayinchurch—”.“Inchurch?”
echoedMrs.Arbuthnot.
“Andthis
wydaje
seemssuchawonderfulthing—thisreklama
advertisementaboutthewistaria—and—”.Mrs.
Wilkins,whomust
mieć
havebeenatleastthirty,brokeoffi
andwriggledinherchairwiththemovementofanawkwardi
andembarrassedschoolgirl.“Itseemssowonderful,”shewentoninakindofburst,“and—itis
takie
suchamiserableday...”Andthenshe
usiadła
satlookingatMrs.Arbuthnotwiththeeyesofanimprisonedpsa
dog.“Thispoorthing,”thoughtMrs.Arbuthnot,whoselifewas
spędziła
spentinhelpingandalleviating,“needsadvice.”She
związku
accordinglypreparedherselfpatientlytogivego
it.“Ifyouseemeinchurch,”she
powiedziała
said,kindlyandattentively,“IsupposeyouliveinHampsteadtoo?”“Ohyes,”
powiedziała
saidMrs.Wilkins.Andsherepeated,herheadonitslongthin
szyi
neckdroopingalittleasifthewspomnienie
recollectionofHampsteadbowedher,“Ohyes.”“Where?”
zapytał
askedMrs.Arbuthnot,who,whenadvicewasneeded,naturalnie
naturallyfirstproceededtocollectthefacts.Ale
ButMrs.Wilkins,layingherrękę
handsoftlyandcaressinglyontheczęści
partofTheTimeswherethereklama
advertisementwas,asthoughthemereprintedwordsofitwerecenne
precious,onlysaid,“Perhapsthat’swhythiswydaje
seemssowonderful.”“No—Ithinkthat’s
wspaniałe
wonderfulanyhow,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot,forgettingfactsi
andfaintlysighing.“Thenyouwerereadingit?”
“Yes,”
powiedziała
saidMrs.Arbuthnot,hereyesgoingdreamyznów
again.“Wouldn’titbewonderful?”
murmuredMrs.Wilkins.
“Wonderful,”
powiedziała
saidMrs.Arbuthnot.Herface,
która
whichhadlitup,fadedintocierpliwość
patienceagain.“Verywonderful,”she
powiedziała
said.“Butit’snousewastingone’s
czasu
timethinkingofsuchthings.”“Oh,
ale
butitis,”wasMrs.Wilkins’squick,surprisingodpowiedź
reply;surprisingbecauseitwassomuchunliketherestofher—thecharacterless
płaszcz
coatandskirt,thecrumpledkapelusz
hat,theundecidedwispofwłos
hairstragglingout.“Andjusttheconsideringofthemis
warte
worthwhileinitself—suchachangefromHampstead—andczasami
sometimesIbelieve—Ireallydobelieve—ifoneconsidersciężko
hardenoughonegetsthings.”Mrs.
Arbuthnot
obserwował
observedherpatiently.Inwhatcategorywouldshe,supposingshehadto,
umieściła
puther?“Perhaps,”shesaid,leaning
przodu
forwardalittle,“youwillpowiedziała
tellmeyourname.Ifwearetobefriends”—shesmiledhergravesmile—“asI
nadzieję
hopeweare,wehadlepiej
betterbeginatthebeginning.”“Ohyes—howkindofyou.
I’mMrs.Wilkins,”
powiedziała
saidMrs.Wilkins.“Idon’texpect,”she
dodała
added,flushing,asMrs.Arbuthnotpowiedziała
saidnothing,“thatitconveysanythingtoyou.Czasami
Sometimesit—itdoesn’tseemtoconveynic
anythingtomeeither.But”—she
spojrzała
lookedroundwithamovementofseekinghelp—“IamMrs.Wilkins.”Shedidnotlikeher
imię
name.Itwasamean,
małe
smallname,withakindoffacetioustwist,shepomyślała
thought,aboutitsendlikethegórę
upwardcurveofapugdog’sogona
tail.Thereitwas,however.
Therewasnodoing
nic
anythingwithit.Wilkinsshewas
i
andWilkinsshewouldremain;i
andthoughherhusbandencouragedhertogiveitonalloccasionsasMrs.Mellersh-Wilkinsshetylko
onlydidthatwhenhewaswithinearshot,forshethoughtMellershmadeWilkinsworse,emphasisingitinten
thewayChatsworthonthegate-postsofavillaemphasisesten
thevilla.Whenfirsthe
zasugerował
suggestedsheshouldaddMellershshema
hadobjectedfortheabovepowodu
reason,andafterapause—Mellershwasmuchzbyt
tooprudenttospeakexceptafterapause,duringwhichpresumablyhewastakingacarefulmentalcopyofhisby
comingobservation—hesaid,muchdispleased,“ButIamnotavilla,”andspojrzał
lookedatherashespojrzał
lookswhohopes,forperhapsthehundredthtime,thathemaynotma
havemarriedafool.Of
oczywiście
coursehewasnotawilla
villa,Mrs.Wilkinsassuredhim;shehad
nigdy nie
neversupposedhewas;shehadnotdreamedofmeaning...
shewasonly
po prostu
justthinking...The
więcej
moresheexplainedthemoreearnestbecameMellersh’shope,familiartohimbytym
thistime,forhehadthenbeenamężem
husbandfortwoyears,thathemightnotbyanychancehavemarriedafool;i
andtheyhadaprolongedquarrel,jeśli
ifthatcanbecalledaquarrelco
whichisconductedwithdignifiedsilenceononesidei
andearnestapologyonthedrugiej
other,astowhetherornoMrs.Wilkinsmiała
hadintendedtosuggestthatMr.Wilkinswasavilla.“Ibelieve,”shehad
pomyślała
thoughtwhenitwasatlastover—ittookalongwhile—“thatanybodywouldkłócił
quarrelaboutanythingwhenthey’venotleftoffbeingrazem
togetherforasingledayfordwa
twowholeyears.Whatweboth
potrzebujemy
needisaholiday.”“Myhusband,”wentonMrs.WilkinstoMrs.Arbuthnot,tryingto
rzucić
throwsomelightonherself,“isasolicitor.He—”
Shecast
o
aboutforsomethingshecouldpowiedzieć
sayelucidatoryofMellersh,andznalazł
found:“He’sveryhandsome.”
“Well,”
powiedziała
saidMrs.Arbuthnotkindly,“thatmusi
mustbeagreatpleasuretoyou.”“Why?”
zapytała
askedMrs.Wilkins.“Because,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot,a
trochę
littletakenaback,forconstantintercoursez
withthepoorhadaccustomedhertohaveherpronouncementsacceptedbez
withoutquestion,“becausebeauty—handsomeness—isadarem
giftlikeanyother,andjeśli
ifitisproperlyused—”.Shetrailedoffinto
milczenie
silence.Mrs.Wilkins’sgreatgreyeyeswerefixedon
jej
her,anditseemedsuddenlytoMrs.Arbuthnotthatmoże
perhapsshewasbecomingcrystallisedintoanawyk
habitofexposition,andofexpositionafterthesposób
mannerofnursemaids,throughhavinganpubliczności
audiencethatcouldn’tbutagree,thatwouldbeafraid,jeśli
ifitwished,tointerrupt,thatdidn’twiedziała
know,thatwas,infact,atherłasce
mercy.ButMrs.Wilkinswasnot
słuchała
listening;forjustthen,absurdasitseemed,a
obraz
picturehadflashedacrosshermózg
brain,andthereweretwofiguresinitsittingrazem
togetherunderagreattrailingwistariaktóry
thatstretchedacrossthebranchesofadrzewa
treeshedidn’tknow,anditwasherselfi
andMrs.Arbuthnot—shesawthem—shewidziała
sawthem.Andbehindthem,brightinsunshine,were
stare
oldgreywalls—themediaevalcastle—shesawit—theyweretam
there...She
dlatego
thereforestaredatMrs.Arbuthnoti
anddidnothearasłowa
wordshesaid.AndMrs.Arbuthnot
wpatrywała
staredtooatMrs.Wilkins,arrestedbytheexpressiononhertwarzy
face,whichwassweptbytheexcitementofwhatshewidziała
saw,andwasasluminousi
andtremulousunderitaswoda
waterinsunlightwhenitisruffledbyapodmuch
gustofwind.Atthis
chwili
moment,ifshehadbeenataparty,Mrs.Wilkinswouldhavebeenlookedatz
withinterest.Theystaredateachother;
Mrs.Arbuthnot
zaskoczyła
surprised,inquiringly,Mrs.Wilkinswiththeeyesofsomeonekto
whohashadarevelation.Of
oczywiście
course.Thatwashowitcouldbedone.
Sheherself,shebyherself,couldn’t
stanie
affordit,andwouldn’tbestanie
able,evenifshecouldstanie
affordit,togothereallsama
alone;butsheandMrs.Arbuthnot
razem
together...Sheleanedacrossthetable.
“Whydon’twetryandgetit?”
shewhispered.
Mrs.
Arbuthnotbecame
jeszcze
evenmorewide-eyed.“Getit?”
sherepeated.
“Yes,”
powiedziała
saidMrs.Wilkins,stillasthoughshewereafraidofbeingoverheard.“Not
tylko
justsithereandsayHowwonderful,andthengodomu
hometoHampsteadwithouthavingputsię
outafinger—gohomejustaszwykle
usualandseeaboutthedinnerandthefishtylko
justaswe’vebeendoingforyearsandyearsandwillgoonrobimy
doingforyearsandyears.Infact,”
powiedziała
saidMrs.Wilkins,flushingtotherootsofherwłosów
hair,forthesoundofwhatshewaspowiedziała
saying,ofwhatwascomingpouringsię
out,frightenedher,andyetshecouldn’tzatrzymać
stop,“Iseenoendtoto
it.Thereisnoendtoit.
So
że
thatthereoughttobeaprzerwy
break,thereoughttobeintervals—ineverybody’sinterests.Why,itwould
naprawdę
reallybebeingunselfishtogoawayi
andbehappyforatrochę
little,becausewewouldcomebacksowiele
muchnicer.Yousee,afterabit
każdy
everybodyneedsaholiday.”“But—howdoyou
myśli
mean,getit?”askedMrs.Arbuthnot.
“Takeit,”
powiedziała
saidMrs.Wilkins.“Takeit?”