Chapter1
ItbeganinaWoman’s
Club
ClubinLondononaFebrero
Februaryafternoon—anuncomfortableclub,andamiserable
miserableafternoon—whenMrs.Wilkins,whohabía
hadcomedownfromHampsteadtocomprar
shopandhadlunchedatherclub
club,tookupTheTimesfromthemesa
tableinthesmoking-room,andcorriendo
runningherlistlesseyedowntheAgonía
AgonyColumnsawthis:.To
Aquellos
ThosewhoAppreciateWistariaandSunshine.Pequeño
SmallmediaevalItalianCastleontheshoresoftheMediterráneo
MediterraneantobeLetFurnishedforthemes
monthofApril.Necessaryservants
permanecen
remain.Z,Box1000,TheTimes.
Esa
Thatwasitsconception;yet,asinthe
caso
caseofmanyanother,theconceiverwasunawareofitatthemoment.SoentirelyunawarewasMrs.Wilkins
ese
thatherAprilforthataño
yearhadthenandtherebeenresuelto
settledforherthatshecaer
droppedthenewspaperwithagesto
gesturethatwasbothirritatedy
andresigned,andwentovertotheventana
windowandstareddrearilyoutatthedrippingcalle
street.Notforherweremediaevalcastles,
incluso
eventhosethatarespeciallydescriben
describedassmall.Notforhertheshoresin
Abril
ApriloftheMediterranean,andthewistariay
andsunshine.Suchdelightswere
sólo
onlyfortherich.Yetthe
anuncio
advertisementhadbeenaddressedtopersonas
personswhoappreciatethesethings,sothatithabía
hadbeen,anyhow,addressedtootoher,forsheciertamente
certainlyappreciatedthem;morethan
nadie
anybodyknew;morethanshe
había
hadevertold.Butshewas
pobre
poor.Inthewholeworldshe
poseía
possessedofherveryownsólo
onlyninetypounds,savedfromaño
yeartoyear,putbycuidadosamente
carefullypoundbypound,outofhervestido
dressallowance.Shehadscraped
esta
thissumtogetheratthesugerencia
suggestionofherhusbandasun
ashieldandrefugeagainstun
arainyday.Herdress
asignación
allowance,givenherbyherpadre
father,was£100ayear,sothatMrs.Wilkins’sropa
clotheswerewhatherhusband,urginghertoahorrar
save,calledmodestandbecoming,y
andheracquaintancetoeachother,cuando
whentheyspokeofheratall,whichwasseldomforshewasmuy
verynegligible,calledaperfectvista
sight.Mr.
Wilkins,asolicitor,
alentó
encouragedthrift,exceptthatbranchofitwhichgotintohiscomida
food.Hedidnotcall
eso
thatthrift,hecalleditbadhousekeeping.Pero
Butforthethriftwhich,como
likemoth,penetratedintoMrs.Wilkins’sropa
clothesandspoiltthem,hetuvo
hadmuchpraise.“Youneverknow,”he
dijo
said,“whentherewillbeun
arainyday,andyoupuedes
maybeverygladtoencontrar
findyouhaveanest-egg.Hecho
Indeedwebothmay.”Lookingoutofthe
club
clubwindowintoShaftesburyAvenue—herswasun
aneconomicalclub,butconvenientforHampstead,donde
whereshelived,andforShoolbred’s,donde
wheresheshopped—Mrs.Wilkins,havingstood
allí
theresometimeverydrearily,hermind’sojo
eyeontheMediterraneaninAbril
April,andthewistaria,andtheenviableopportunitiesoftherich,mientras
whileherbodilyeyewatchedtherealmente
reallyextremelyhorriblesootyraincaía
fallingsteadilyonthehurryingumbrellasy
andsplashingomnibuses,suddenlywonderedsi
whetherperhapsthiswasnotthelluvioso
rainydayMellersh—MellershwasMr.Wilkins—hadsooftenencouragedhertopreparefor,y
andwhethertogetoutoftal
suchaclimateandintothesmallmediaevalcastlewasn’ttal vez
perhapswhatProvidencehadallalongintendedhertodocon
withhersavings.Partofhersavings,of
supuesto
course;perhapsquiteasmall
parte
part.Thecastle,beingmediaeval,
podría
mightalsobedilapidated,anddilapidationsweresurelycheap.Shewouldn’tin
las
theleastmindafewofellos
them,becauseyoudidn’tpayfordilapidationswhichwerealreadyallí
there;onthecontrary—byreducing
el
thepriceyouhadtopagar
paytheyreallypaidyou.Pero
Butwhatnonsensetothinkofit...Sheturnedawayfromthe
ventana
windowwiththesamegestureofmingledirritationy
andresignationwithwhichshehabía
hadlaiddownTheTimes,y
andcrossedtheroomtowardsthepuerta
doorwiththeintentionofconseguir
gettinghermackintoshandumbrellay
andfightingherwayintouno
oneoftheovercrowdedomnibusesy
andgoingtoShoolbred’sonhercamino
wayhomeandbuyingsomesolesforMellersh’sdinner—Mellershwasdifficultcon
withfishandlikedonlysoles,exceptsalmon—whenshebeheldMrs.Arbuthnot,awomansheknewbysightasalsolivinginHampsteady
andbelongingtotheclub,sittingatthetableinthemiddleofthehabitación
roomonwhichthenewspapersy
andmagazineswerekept,absorbed,inherturn,inthefirstpageofTheTimes.Mrs.
Wilkins
había
hadneveryetspokentoMrs.Arbuthnot,whopertenecía
belongedtooneofthevarios
variouschurchsets,andwhoanalysed,classified,dividía
dividedandregisteredthepoor;whereasshe
y
andMellersh,whentheydidiban
goout,wenttothepartiesofimpressionistpainters,ofwhominHampsteadthereweremuchos
many.Mellershhadasisterwhohad
casado
marriedoneofthemandvivía
livedupontheHeath,y
andbecauseofthisallianceMrs.Wilkinswasdrawnintoacírculo
circlewhichwashighlyunnaturaltoher,y
andshehadlearnedtotemer
dreadpictures.Shehadto
decir
saythingsaboutthem,andshedidn’tsabía
knowwhattosay.Sheusedtomurmur,“Marvellous,”
y
andfeelthatitwasnotsuficiente
enough.Butnobodyminded.
Nobody
escuchó
listened.NobodytookanynoticeofMrs.Wilkins.
Shewasthe
tipo
kindofpersonwhoisnotnota
noticedatparties.Herclothes,infestedbythrift,
hacía
madeherpracticallyinvisible;her
cara
facewasnon-arresting;herconversationwas
reticente
reluctant;shewasshy.
And
si
ifone’sclothesandfacey
andconversationareallnegligible,pensó
thoughtMrs.Wilkins,whorecognisedherdisabilities,qué
what,atparties,isthereleftofuno
one?Alsoshewasalways
con
withWilkins,thatclean-shaven,fine-lookinghombre
man,whogaveaparty,merelybyvenir
comingtoit,agreataire
air.Wilkinswasveryrespectable.
Hewas
conocido
knowntobehighlythoughtofbyhisseniorpartners.Hissister’s
círculo
circleadmiredhim.Hepronouncedadequatelyintelligentjudgmentson
arte
artandartists.Hewaspithy;
hewasprudent;
he
nunca
neversaidawordtoomuch,ni
nor,ontheotherhand,didheeverdijo
sayawordtoolittle.He
produjo
producedtheimpressionofkeepingcopiesoftodo
everythinghesaid;andhewasso
obviamente
obviouslyreliablethatitoftensucedía
happenedthatpeoplewhomethimatestas
thesepartiesbecamediscontentedwiththeirownsolicitors,y
andafteraperiodofinquietud
restlessnessextricatedthemselvesandwenttoWilkins.Naturalmente
NaturallyMrs.Wilkinswasblottedout.“She,”
dijo
saidhissister,withsomethingherselfofthejudicial
judicial,thedigested,andthefinal
finalinhermanner,“shouldquedarse
stayathome.”ButWilkins
podía
couldnotleavehiswifeatcasa
home.Hewasafamily
abogado
solicitor,andallsuchhavewivesy
andshowthem.Withhisinthe
semana
weekhewenttoparties,y
andwithhisonSundaysheiba
wenttochurch.Beingstill
bastante
fairlyyoung—hewasthirty-nine—andambitiousofoldladies,ofwhomhehabía
hadnotyetacquiredinhispráctica
practiceasufficientnumber,hepodía
couldnotaffordtomissiglesia
church,anditwastherethatMrs.Wilkinsbecamefamiliar,aunque
thoughneverthroughwords,withMrs.Arbuthnot.She
vio
sawhermarshallingthechildrenofthepoorintopews.Shewouldcomeinatthe
cabeza
headoftheprocessionfromtheSundayEscuela
Schoolexactlyfiveminutesbeforethecoro
choir,andgetherboysy
andgirlsneatlyfittedintotheirallottedseats,y
anddownontheirlittlekneesintheirpreliminar
preliminaryprayer,andupagainontheirfeetjusto
justas,totheswellingórgano
organ,thevestrydooropened,y
andthechoirandclergy,bigcon
withthelitaniesandcommandmentstheywerepresentlytorollout,surgían
emerged.Shehadasad
cara
face,yetshewasevidentlyeficiente
efficient.Thecombinationusedto
hacer
makeMrs.Wilkinswonder,forshehabía
hadbeentoldbyMellersh,ondayswhenshehabía
hadonlybeenabletoconseguir
getplaice,thatifonewereeficiente
efficientonewouldn’tbedepressed,y
andthatifonedoesone’strabajo
jobwellonebecomesautomaticallybrillante
brightandbrisk.AboutMrs.Arbuthnottherewas
nada
nothingbrightandbrisk,thoughmuchinhercamino
waywiththeSundaySchoolniños
childrenthatwasautomatic;but
cuando
whenMrs.Wilkins,turningfromtheventana
window,caughtsightofherintheclub
clubshewasnotbeingautomaticatall,butwasmirando
lookingfixedlyatoneportionoftheprimera
firstpageofTheTimes,sosteniendo
holdingthepaperquitestill,hereyesnotmoverse
moving.Shewasjuststaring;
y
andherface,asusual,wasel
thefaceofapatienty
anddisappointedMadonna.Obeyingan
impulso
impulseshewonderedatevenwhileobedeciendo
obeyingit,Mrs.Wilkins,theshyy
andthereluctant,insteadofproceder
proceedingasshehadintendedtola
thecloakroomandfromthencetoSchoolbred’sinbusca
searchofMellersh’sfish,stoppedatla
thetableandsatdownexactamente
exactlyoppositeMrs.Arbuthnot,towhomshehabía
hadneveryetspokeninhervida
life.Itwasoneofthoselong,narrowrefectorytables,sothattheywere
bastante
quiteclosetoeachother.Mrs.
Arbuthnot,however,didnot
miró
lookup.Shecontinuedtogaze,
con
witheyesthatseemedtobesoñando
dreaming,atonespotonlyofTheTimes.Mrs.
Wilkins
miró
watchedheraminute,tryingtoscrewupcoraje
couragetospeaktoher.She
quería
wantedtoaskherifshehabía
hadseentheadvertisement.Shedidnot
sabía
knowwhyshewantedtopreguntarle
askherthis,butshequería
wantedto.Howstupidnottobeableto
hablar
speaktoher.Shelookedso
amable
kind.Shelookedsounhappy.
Por qué
Whycouldn’ttwounhappypeoplerefrescarse
refresheachotherontheircamino
waythroughthisdustybusinessofvida
lifebyalittletalk—real,natural
naturaltalk,aboutwhattheysentían
felt,whattheywouldhavegustado
liked,whattheystilltriedtoesperar
hope?Andshecouldnothelp
pensar
thinkingthatMrs.Arbuthnot,too,wasleyendo
readingthatverysameadvertisement.Hereyeswereon
la
theverypartofthepapel
paper.Wasshe,too,picturingwhatit
sería
wouldbelike—thecolour,thefragrance,theluz
light,thesoftlappingofthemar
seaamonglittlehotrocks?Color
Colour,fragrance,light,sea;insteadofShaftesburyAvenue,
y
andthewetomnibuses,andthepescado
fishdepartmentatShoolbred’s,andtheTubetoHampstead,y
anddinner,andto-morrowthemismo
sameandthedayafterthemismo
sameandalwaysthesame...De repente
SuddenlyMrs.Wilkinsfoundherselfleaningacrossla
thetable.“Areyoureading
sobre
aboutthemediaevalcastleandthewistaria?”she
oyó
heardherselfasking.NaturallyMrs.Arbuthnotwas
sorprendió
surprised;butshewasnot
mitad
halfsomuchsurprisedasMrs.Wilkinswasatherselfforpreguntar
asking.Mrs.
Arbuthnothadnotyettoher
conocimiento
knowledgeseteyesontheshabby,lank,loosely-put-togetherfigura
figuresittingoppositeher,withitssmallfreckledcara
faceandbiggreyeyescasi
almostdisappearingunderasmashed-downwet-weathersombrero
hat,andshegazedatherun
amomentwithoutanswering.Shewasreading
sobre
aboutthemediaevalcastleandthewistaria,o
orratherhadreadaboutitdiez
tenminutesbefore,andsincethenhabía
hadbeenlostindreams—oflight,ofcolor
colour,offragrance,ofthesuave
softlappingoftheseaentre
amonglittlehotrocks...“Whydoyou
preguntas
askmethat?”shesaidinher
grave
gravevoice,forhertrainingofy
andbythepoorhadhecho
madehergraveandpatient.Mrs.
Wilkinsflushed
y
andlookedexcessivelyshyandasustado
frightened.“Oh,onlybecauseI
vi
sawittoo,andIpensé
thoughtperhaps—Ithoughtsomehow—”shestammered.
WhereuponMrs.Arbuthnot,her
mente
mindbeingusedtogettinggente
peopleintolistsanddivisions,fromcostumbre
habitconsidered,asshegazedthoughtfullyatMrs.Wilkins,bajo
underwhatheading,supposingshetuviera
hadtoclassifyher,shepodría
couldmostproperlybeput.“AndI
conozco
knowyoubysight,”wentonMrs.Wilkins,who,como
likealltheshy,onceshewascomenzó
startedplungedon,frighteningherselftomás
moreandmorespeechbythesheersonido
soundofwhatshehaddicho
saidlastinherears.“EverySunday—I
veo
seeyoueverySundayinchurch—”.“Inchurch?”
echoedMrs.Arbuthnot.
“And
esto
thisseemssuchawonderfulthing—thisanuncio
advertisementaboutthewistaria—and—”.Mrs.
Wilkins,who
debía
musthavebeenatleastthirty,brokeoffy
andwriggledinherchaircon
withthemovementofantorpe
awkwardandembarrassedschoolgirl.“Itseemssowonderful,”shewentonina
especie
kindofburst,“and—itistan
suchamiserableday...”Y
AndthenshesatlookingatMrs.Arbuthnotcon
withtheeyesofanimprisonedperro
dog.“Thispoorthing,”thoughtMrs.Arbuthnot,
cuya
whoselifewasspentinayudando
helpingandalleviating,“needsadvice.”She
en consecuencia
accordinglypreparedherselfpatientlytogiveit.“Ifyou
ves
seemeinchurch,”shedijo
said,kindlyandattentively,“Isupposeyouvives
liveinHampsteadtoo?”“Ohyes,”
dijo
saidMrs.Wilkins.Andshe
repitió
repeated,herheadonitslargo
longthinneckdroopingapoco
littleasiftherecollectionofHampsteadbowedher,“Ohyes.”“Where?”
preguntó
askedMrs.Arbuthnot,who,whenadvicewasnecesitaba
needed,naturallyfirstproceededtorecopilar
collectthefacts.ButMrs.Wilkins,
poniendo
layingherhandsoftlyandcaressinglyontheparte
partofTheTimeswheretheanuncio
advertisementwas,asthoughthemereprintedwordsofitwereprecious,sólo
onlysaid,“Perhapsthat’swhyesto
thisseemssowonderful.”“No—I
creo
thinkthat’swonderfulanyhow,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot,olvidando
forgettingfactsandfaintlysighing.“Thenyouwere
leyendo
readingit?”“Yes,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot,hereyesgoingdreamyagain.
“Wouldn’titbewonderful?”
murmuredMrs.Wilkins.
“Wonderful,”
dijo
saidMrs.Arbuthnot.Herface,which
había
hadlitup,fadedintopatiencede nuevo
again.“Verywonderful,”shesaid.
“Butit’s
no
nousewastingone’stimepensando
thinkingofsuchthings.”“Oh,
pero
butitis,”wasMrs.Wilkins’squick,surprisingrespuesta
reply;surprisingbecauseitwassomuchunlikethe
resto
restofher—thecharacterlesscoaty
andskirt,thecrumpledhat,theundecidedwispofcabello
hairstragglingout.“Andjustthe
considera
consideringofthemisworthmientras
whileinitself—suchachangefromHampstead—andsometimesIbelieve—Ireallydobelieve—ifuno
oneconsidershardenoughoneobtienen
getsthings.”Mrs.
Arbuthnotobservedher
con paciencia
patiently.Inwhatcategorywouldshe,
suponiendo
supposingshehadto,puther?“Perhaps,”shesaid,leaning
adelante
forwardalittle,“youwilltellmeyournombre
name.Ifwearetobefriends”—she
sonrió
smiledhergravesmile—“asIespero
hopeweare,wehadmejor
betterbeginatthebeginning.”“Ohyes—how
amable
kindofyou.I’mMrs.Wilkins,”
dijo
saidMrs.Wilkins.“Idon’texpect,”she
añadió
added,flushing,asMrs.Arbuthnotdijo
saidnothing,“thatitconveysanythingtoyou.Sometimesit—itdoesn’t
parece
seemtoconveyanythingtometampoco
either.But”—shelookedroundwith
un
amovementofseekinghelp—“IamMrs.Wilkins.”Shedidnot
gustaba
likehername.Itwasamean,
pequeño
smallname,withakindoffacetiousgiro
twist,shethought,aboutitsfinal
endliketheupwardcurveofapugdog’scola
tail.Thereitwas,however.
Therewas
no
nodoinganythingwithit.Wilkinsshewas
y
andWilkinsshewouldremain;y
andthoughherhusbandencouragedhertogiveitontodas
alloccasionsasMrs.Mellersh-Wilkinsshesólo
onlydidthatwhenhewaswithinearshot,forshepensaba
thoughtMellershmadeWilkinsworse,emphasisingitinthemanera
wayChatsworthonthegate-postsofuna
avillaemphasisesthevilla.Cuando
Whenfirsthesuggestedsheshouldañadiera
addMellershshehadobjectedfortheaboverazón
reason,andafterapause—Mellershwasmuchdemasiado
tooprudenttospeakexceptafterapausa
pause,duringwhichpresumablyhewastakingacarefulmental
mentalcopyofhiscomingobservation—hedijo
said,muchdispleased,“ButIamnotavilla,”y
andlookedatherashemiró
lookswhohopes,forperhapsthehundredthtime,thathemaynothavecasado
marriedafool.Ofcoursehewasnot
una
avilla,Mrs.Wilkinsassuredhim;she
había
hadneversupposedhewas;she
había
hadnotdreamedofmeaning...shewasonlyjust
pensando
thinking...The
más
moresheexplainedthemoreearnestbecameMellersh’sesperanza
hope,familiartohimbythismomento
time,forhehadthenbeenun
ahusbandfortwoyears,ese
thathemightnotbyanycasualidad
chancehavemarriedafool;y
andtheyhadaprolongedpelea
quarrel,ifthatcanbellamado
calledaquarrelwhichisconductedcon
withdignifiedsilenceononelado
sideandearnestapologyontheotro
other,astowhetherorno
noMrs.Wilkinshadintendedtosugerir
suggestthatMr.Wilkinswasavilla
villa.“Ibelieve,”shehad
pensado
thoughtwhenitwasatfin
lastover—ittookalongwhile—“thatcualquiera
anybodywouldquarrelaboutanythingcuando
whenthey’venotleftoffbeingjuntos
togetherforasingledayfordos
twowholeyears.Whatwe
ambos
bothneedisaholiday.”“Myhusband,”wentonMrs.WilkinstoMrs.Arbuthnot,
tratando
tryingtothrowsomelightonherself,“isun
asolicitor.He—”
Shecastaboutfor
algo
somethingshecouldsayelucidatoryofMellersh,y
andfound:“He’sveryhandsome.”
“Well,”
dijo
saidMrs.Arbuthnotkindly,“thatdebe
mustbeagreatpleasuretoyou.”“Why?”
preguntó
askedMrs.Wilkins.“Because,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot,
un
alittletakenaback,forconstantrelaciones
intercoursewiththepoorhadaccustomedhertohabían
haveherpronouncementsacceptedwithoutquestion,“becausebeauty—handsomeness—isun
agiftlikeanyother,y
andifitisproperlyused—”.Shetrailedoffinto
silencio
silence.Mrs.Wilkins’sgreatgreyeyeswere
fijaron
fixedonher,anditpareció
seemedsuddenlytoMrs.Arbuthnotthattal vez
perhapsshewasbecomingcrystallisedintoahábito
habitofexposition,andofexpositionafterthemanera
mannerofnursemaids,throughhavinganaudiencia
audiencethatcouldn’tbutagree,thatwouldbemiedo
afraid,ifitwished,tointerrumpir
interrupt,thatdidn’tknow,thatwas,inhecho
fact,athermercy.ButMrs.Wilkinswasnot
escuchando
listening;forjustthen,absurdasit
pareciera
seemed,apicturehadflashedacrosshercerebro
brain,andthereweretwofiguresinitsittingjuntas
togetherunderagreattrailingwistariaese
thatstretchedacrossthebranchesofaárbol
treeshedidn’tknow,anditwasherselfy
andMrs.Arbuthnot—shesawthem—shesawthem.Y
Andbehindthem,brightinsol
sunshine,wereoldgreywalls—themediaevalcastle—shevio
sawit—theywerethere...She
por lo tanto
thereforestaredatMrs.Arbuthnoty
anddidnothearapalabra
wordshesaid.AndMrs.Arbuthnot
miró
staredtooatMrs.Wilkins,arrestedbytheexpresión
expressiononherface,whichwassweptbytheemoción
excitementofwhatshesaw,y
andwasasluminousandtremulousbajo
underitaswaterinsunlightcuando
whenitisruffledbyuna
agustofwind.At
este
thismoment,ifshehadbeenatuna
aparty,Mrs.Wilkinswouldhavebeenlookedatcon
withinterest.Theystaredateach
otro
other;Mrs.Arbuthnotsurprised,inquiringly,Mrs.Wilkins
con
withtheeyesofsomeonewhohashadarevelación
revelation.Ofcourse.
Thatwashowit
podía
couldbedone.Sheherself,shebyherself,couldn’taffordit,
y
andwouldn’tbeable,evensi
ifshecouldaffordit,toir
gothereallalone;butshe
y
andMrs.Arbuthnottogether...Sheleanedacross
la
thetable.“Whydon’twe
intentamos
tryandgetit?”she
susurró
whispered.Mrs.
Arbuthnotbecameeven
más
morewide-eyed.“Getit?”
she
repitió
repeated.“Yes,”saidMrs.Wilkins,
todavía
stillasthoughsheweremiedo
afraidofbeingoverheard.“Not
sólo
justsithereandsayHowmaravilloso
wonderful,andthengohometoHampsteadsin
withouthavingputoutafinger—gocasa
homejustasusualandver
seeaboutthedinnerandthepescado
fishjustaswe’vebeendoingforyearsy
andyearsandwillgoondoingforyearsy
andyears.Infact,”saidMrs.Wilkins,flushingtotherootsofher
cabello
hair,forthesoundofwhatshewassaying,ofwhatwascomingpouringout,asustó
frightenedher,andyetshecouldn’tstop,“Iveo
seenoendtoit.Hay
Thereisnoendtoit.Sothatthereoughttobe
un
abreak,thereoughttobeintervals—ineverybody’sintereses
interests.Why,itwouldreallybebeingunselfishtogoaway
y
andbehappyforalittle,porque
becausewewouldcomebacksomuchnicer.You
verás
see,afterabiteverybodynecesita
needsaholiday.”“But—howdoyou
decir
mean,getit?”askedMrs.Arbuthnot.
“Takeit,”
dijo
saidMrs.Wilkins.“Takeit?”