christie johnstone-第12部分
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_Miss V。_ 〃I can't sing a note without book。〃
_Sir H。 Talbot。_ 〃Your music is in your soulnot at your fingers' ends。〃
_Lord Ipsden; to Lady Bar。_ 〃It is in her book; and not in her soul。〃
_Lady Bar。; to Lord Ips。_ 〃Then it has chosen the better situation of the
two。〃
_Ips。_ 〃Miss Vere is to the fine art of music what the engrossers are to
the black art of law; it all filters through them without leaving any
sediment; and so the music of the day passes through Miss Vere's mind;
but none remainsto stain its virgin snow。〃
He bows; she smiles。
_Lady Bar。; to herself。_ 〃Insolent。 And the little dunce thinks he is
complimenting her。〃
_Ips。_ 〃Perhaps Talbot will come to our rescuehe is a fiddler。〃
_Tal。_ 〃An amateur of the violin。〃
_Ips。_ 〃It is all the same thing。〃
_Lady Bar。_ 〃I wish it may prove so。〃
'Note: original has music notation here'
_Miss V。_ 〃Beautiful。〃
_Mrs。 Vere。_ 〃Charming。〃
_Hither。_ 〃Superb!〃
_Ips。_ 〃You are aware that good music is a thing to be wedded to immortal
verse; shall I recite a bit of poetry to match Talbot's strain?〃
_Miss V。_ 〃Oh; yes! how nice。〃
_Ips。 (rhetorically)。_ 〃A。 B。 C。 D。 E。 F。 G。 H。 I。 J。 K。 L。 M。 N。 O。 P。
Q。 R。 S。 T。 U。 V。 W。 X。 Y。 Z。 Y。 X。 W。 V。 U。 T。 S。 O。 N。 M。 L。 K。 J。 I。
H。 G。 F。 A。 M。 little p。 little t。〃
_Lady Bar。_ 〃Beautiful! Superb! Ipsden has been taking lessons on the
thinking instrument。〃
_Hither。_ 〃He has been _perdu_ among vulgar people。〃
_Tal。_ 〃And expects a pupil of Herz to play him tunes!〃
_Lady Bar。_ 〃What are tunes; Sir Henry?〃
_Tal。_ 〃Something I don't play; Lady Barbara。〃
_Lady Bar。_ 〃I understand you; something we ought to like。〃
_Ips。_ 〃I have a Stradivarius violin at home。 It is yours; Talbot; if you
can define a tune。〃
_Tal。_ 〃A tune iseverybody knows what。〃
_Lady Bar。_ 〃A tune is a tune; that is what you meant to say。〃
_Tal。_ 〃Of course it is。〃
_Lady Bar。_ 〃Be reasonable; Ipsden; no man can do two things at once; how
can the pupil of Herz condemn a thing and know what it means
contemporaneously?〃
_Ips。_ 〃Is the drinking…song in 'Der Freischutz' a tune?〃
_Lady Bar。_ 〃It is。〃
_Ips。_ 〃And the melodies of Handel; are they tunes?〃
_Lady Bar。 (pathetically)。_ 〃They are! They are!〃
_Ips。_ 〃And the 'Russian Anthem;' and the 'Marseillaise;' and 'Ah;
Perdona'?〃
_Tal。_ 〃And 'Yankee Doodle'?〃
_Lady Bar。_ 〃So that Sir Henry; who prided himself on his ignorance; has
a wide field for its dominion。
_Tal。_ 〃All good violin players do like me; they prelude; not play
tunes。〃
_Ips。_ 〃Then Heaven be thanked for our blind fiddlers。 You like syllables
of sound in unmeaning rotation; and you despise its words; its purposes;
its narrative feats; carry out your principle; it will show you where you
are。 Buy a dirty palette for a picture; and dream the alphabet is a
poem。〃
_Lady Bar。; to herself。_ 〃Is this my cousin Richard?〃
_Hither。_ 〃Mind; Ipsden; you are a man of property; and there are such
things as commissions _de lunatico。〃_
_Lady Bar。_ 〃His defense will be that his friends pronounced him insane。
_Ips。_ 〃No; I shall subpoena Talbot's fiddle; cross…examination will get
nothing out of that but; do; re; mi; fa。〃
_Lady Bar。_ 〃Yes; it will; fa; mi; re; do。〃
_Tal。_ 〃Violin; if you please。〃
_Lady Bar。_ 〃Ask Fiddle's pardon; directly。〃
_Sound of fiddles is heard in the distance。_
_Tal。_ 〃How lucky for you; there are fiddles and tunes; and the natives
you are said to favor; why not join them?〃
_Ips。 (shaking his head solemnly)。_ 〃I dread to encounter another
prelude。〃
_Hither。_ 〃Come; I know you would like it; it is a wedding…partytwo sea
monsters have been united。 The sailors and fishermen are all blue cloth
and wash…leather gloves。〃
_Miss V。_ 〃He! he!〃
_Tal。_ 〃The fishwives unite the colors of the rainbow〃
_Lady Bar。_ 〃(And we all know how hideous they are)to vulgar; blooming
cheeks; staring white teeth; and sky…blue eyes。〃
_Mrs。 V。_ 〃How satirical you are; especially you; Lady Barbara。〃
Here Lord Ipsden; after a word to Lady Barbara; the answer to which did
not appear to be favorable; rose; gave a little yawn; looked steadily at
his companions without seeing them; and departed without seeming aware
that he was leaving anybody behind him。
_Hither。_ 〃Let us go somewhere where we can quiz the natives without
being too near them。〃
_Lady Bar。_ 〃I am tired of this unbroken solitude; I must go and think to
the sea;〃 added she; in a mock soliloquy; and out she glided with the
same unconscious air as his lordship had worn。
The others moved off slowly together。
〃Mamma;〃 said Miss Vere;〃 I can't understand half Barbara Sinclair says。〃
〃It is not necessary; my love;〃 replied mamma; 〃she is rather eccentric;
and I fear she is spoiling Lord Ipsden。〃
〃Poor Lord Ipsden;〃 murmured the lovely Vere; 〃he used to be so nice; and
do like everybody else。 Mamma; I shall bring some work the next time。〃
〃Do; my love。〃
PICNIC NO。 2。
In a house; two hundred yards from this scene; a merry dance; succeeding
a merry song; had ended; and they were in the midst of an interesting
story; Christie Johnstone was the narrator。 She had found the tale in one
of the viscount's booksit had made a great impression on her。
The rest were listening intently。 In a room which had lately been all
noise; not a sound was now to be heard but the narrator's voice。
〃Aweel; lasses; here are the three wee kists set; the lads are to
chusethe ane that chuses reicht is to get Porsha; an' the lave to get
the bag; and dee baitchelarsFlucker Johnstone; you that's sae
cleverare ye for gowd; or siller; or leed?〃
_1st Fishwife。_ 〃Gowd for me!〃
_2d ditto。_ 〃The white siller's my taste。〃
_Flucker。_ 〃Na! there's aye some deevelish trick in thir lassie's
stories。 I shall ha to; till the ither lads hae chused; the mair part
will put themsels oot; ane will hit it off reicht maybe; then I shall gie
him a hidin' an' carry off the lass。 You…hoo!〃
_Jean Carnie。_ 〃That's you; Flucker。〃
_Christie Johnstone。_ 〃And div ye really think we are gawn to let you see
a' the world chuse? Na; lad; ye are putten oot o' the room; like
witnesses。〃
_Flucker。_ 〃Then I'd toss a penny; for gien ye trust to luck; she whiles
favors ye; but gien ye commence to reason and argefyye're done!〃
_Christie。_ 〃The suitors had na your wit; my manny; or maybe they had na
a penny to toss; sae ane chused the gowd; ane the siller; but they got an
awfu' affront。 The gold kist had just a skull intil't; and the siller a
deed cuddy's head!〃
_Chorus of Females。_ 〃He! he! he!〃
_Ditto of Males。_ 〃Haw! haw! haw! haw! Ho!〃
_Christie。_ 〃An' Porsha puttit the pair of gowks to the door。 Then came
Bassanio; the lad fra Veeneece; that Porsha loed in secret。 Veeneece;
lasses; is a wonderful city; the streets o' 't are water; and the
carriages are boatsthat's in Chambers'。〃
_Flucker。_ 〃Wha are ye making a fool o'?〃
_Christie。_ 〃What's wrang?〃
_Flucker。_ 〃Yon's just as big a lee as ever I heerd。〃
The words were scarcely out of his mouth ere he had reason to regret
them; a severe box on the ear was administered by his indignant sister。
Nobody pitied him。
_Christie。_ 〃I'll laern yet' affront me before a' the company。〃
_Jean Carnie。_ 〃Suppose it's a lee; there's nae silver to pay for it;
Flucker。〃
_Christie。_ 〃Jean; I never telt a lee in a' my days。〃
_Jean。_ 〃There's ane to begin wi' then。 Go ahead; Custy。〃
_Christie。_ 〃She bade the music play for him; for music brightens
thoucht; ony way; he chose the leed kist。 Open'st and wasn't there
Porsha's pictur; and a posy; that said:
'If you be well pleased with this; And hold your fortune for your bliss;
Turn you where your leddy iss; And greet her wi' a loving〃' _(Pause)。_
〃Kess;〃 roared the company。
_Chorus; led by Flucker。_ 〃Hurraih!〃
_Christie (pathetically)。_ 〃Flucker; behave!〃
_Sandy Liston (drunk)。_ 〃Hur…raih!〃 He then solemnly reflected。 〃Na! but
it's na hurraih; decency requires amen first an' hurraih afterward;
here's kissin plenty; but I hear nae word o' the minister。 Ye'll
obsairve; young woman; that kissin's the prologue to sin; and I'm a
decent mon; an' a gray…headed mon; an' your licht stories are no for me;
sae if the minister's no expeckit I shall retirean' tak my quiet gill
my lane。〃
_Jean Carnie。_ 〃And div ye really think a decent cummer like Custy wad
let the lad and lass misbehave thirsels? Na! lad; the minister's at the
door; but〃 (sinking her voice to a confidential whisper) 〃I daurna let
him in; for fear he'd see ye hae putten the enemy in your mooth sae
aerly。 (That's Custy's word。)〃
〃Jemmy Drysel;〃 replied Sandy; addressing vacancy; for Jemmy was
mysteriously at work in the kitchen; 〃ye hae gotten a thoughtfu' wife。〃
(Then; with a strong revulsion of feeling。) 〃Dinna let the blackguard* in
here;〃 cried he; 〃to spoil the young folk's sporrt。〃
* At present this is a spondee in Englanda trochee in Scotland The
pronunciation of this important word ought to be fixed; representing; as
it does; so large a portion of the community in both countries。
_Christie。_ 〃Aweel; lassies; comes a letter to Bassanio; he reads it; and
turns as pale as deeth。〃
_A Fishwife。_ 〃Gude help us。〃
_Christie。_ 〃Poorsha behooved to ken his grief; wha had a better reicht?
'Here's a letter; leddy;' says he; 'the paper's the boedy of my freend;
like; and every word in it a gaping wound。'〃
_A Fisherman。_ 〃Maircy on us。〃
_Christie。_ 〃Lad; it was fra puir Antonio; ye mind o' him; Lasses。 Hech!
the ill luck o' yon man; no a ship come hame; ane foundered at sea;
coming fra Tri…po…lis; the pirates scuttled another; an' ane ran ashore
on the Goodwins; near Bright…helm…stane; that's in England itsel'; I daur
say。 Sae he could na pay the three thoosand ducats; an' Shylock had
grippit him; an' sought the pund o' flesh aff the breest o' him; puir
body。〃
_Sandy Liston。_ 〃He would na be the waur o' a wee bit hiding; yon
thundering urang…utang; let the man alane; ye cursed old cannibal。〃
_Christie。_ 〃Poorsha keepit her man but ae hoor till they were united;
an' then sent him wi' a puckle o' her ain siller to Veeneece; and
Antoniothink