1、Chapter 1 THE MISTRESS OF LITTLEGREEN HOUSEMiss Arundell died on May 1st. Though her illness was short her death did not occasion much surprise in the little country town of Market Basing, where she had lived since she was a girl of sixteen. For Emily Arundell was well over seventy, the last of a fa
2、mily of five, and she had been known to be in delicate health for many years and had indeed nearly died of a similar attack to the one that killed her some eighteen months before. But though Miss Arundells death surprised no one, something else did. The provisions of her will gave rise to varying em
3、otions, astonishment, pleasurable excitement, deep condemnation, fury, despair, anger and general gossip. For weeks and even months Market Basing was to talk of nothing else. Everyone had something to say about it, from Mr Jones at the grocery, according to whom blood was thicker than water, to Mrs
4、Laphrey, the post-mistress, who repeated ad nauseam that certain to be something behind it. Mark my words! What lead to all these speculations was the fact that the testament was recent, from April 21st. Besides, Emily Arundells nearest relatives had spent the Easter holidays with her, thus resultin
5、g the wildest theories, and nicely breaking the monotony so characteristic of life in Market Basing. There was one person who mas much more suspected than it was apparent. It was the lady companion of the deceased, Miss Wilhelmina Lawson, who knew as much as anybody else, and proclaimed that she was
6、 very surprised when the will was read. Of course a lot of people didnt believe it. But there was only one person who knew all about it: the deceased. Emily Arundell, as was her way, hadnt explained anything to anybody, not even to her lawyer. On the Friday before Easter, Emily Arundell had stood in
7、 the hall of Littlegreen House and given instructions to Miss Lawson. Miss Arundell was saying: Now then, Minnie, where have you put them all? Well, I thought - I hope Ive done right - Dr and Mrs Tanios in the Oak room and Theresa in the Blue room and Mr Charles in the Old Nursery - Miss Arundell in
8、terrupted: Theresa can have the Old Nursery and Charles will have the Blue room. Oh, yes - Im sorry - I thought the Old Nursery being rather more inconvenient - It will do very nicely for Theresa. In Miss Arundells day, women took second place. Men were the important members of society. Im so sorry
9、the dear little children arent coming, murmured Miss Lawson sentimentally. She loved children and was quite incapable of managing them. Four visitors will be quite enough, said Miss Arundell. In any case, Bella spoils her children abominably. They never dream of doing what they are told. Minnie Laws
10、on murmured: Mrs Tanios is a very devoted mother. Miss Arundell said with grave approval: Bella is a good woman. Miss Lawson sighed and said: It must be very hard for her sometimes - living in an outlandish place like Smyrna. Emily Arundell replied: She has made her bed and she must lie on it. And h
11、aving uttered this final Victorian pronouncement she went on: I am going to the village now to speak about the orders for the weekend. Oh, Miss Arundell, do let me. I mean - Nonsense. I prefer to go myself. Rogers needs a sharp word. The trouble with you is, Minnie, that youre not emphatic enough. B
12、ob! Bob! Where is the dog? A wire-haired terrier came tearing down the stairs. He circled round and round his mistress, uttering short staccato barks of delight and expectation. Together mistress and dog passed out of the front door and down the short path to the gate. Miss Lawson stood in the doorw
13、ay smiling rather foolishly after them, her mouth a little open. Behind her a voice said tartly: Them pillow-cases you gave me, miss, isnt a pair. What? How stupid of me. Minnie Lawson plunged once more into household routine. Emily Arundell, attended by Bob, made a royal progress down the main stre
14、et of Market Basing. It was very much of a royal progress. In each shop she entered the proprietor always hurried forward to attend to her. She was Miss Arundell of Littlegreen House. She was one of our oldest customers. She was one of the old school. Not many about like her nowadays. Good-morning,
15、miss. What can I have the pleasure of doing for you - Not tender? Well, Im sorry to hear that. I thought myself it was as nice a little saddle - Yes, of course, Miss Arundell. If you say so, it is so - No, indeed, I wouldnt think of sending Canterbury to you, Miss Arundell - Yes, Ill see to it mysel
16、f, Miss Arundell. Bob and Spot, the butchers dog, circled slowly round each other, hackles raised, growling gently. Spot was a stout dog of nondescript breed. He knew that he must not fight with customers dogs, but he permitted himself to tell them, by subtle indication, just exactly what mincemeat
17、he would make of them were he free to do so. Bob, a dog of spirit, replied in kind. Emily Arundell said Bob! sharply and passed on. In the greengrocers there was a meeting of heavenly bodies. Another old lady, spherical in outline, but equally distinguished by that air of royalty, said: Mornin, Emil
18、y. Good-morning, Caroline. Caroline Peabody said: Expecting any of your young people down? Yes, all of them. Theresa, Charles and Bella. So Bellas home, is she? Husband too? Yes. It was a simple monosyllable, but underlying it was knowledge common to both ladies. For Bella Biggs, Emily Arundell s ni
19、ece, had married a Greek. And Emily Arundells people, who were what is known as all service people, simply did not marry Greeks. By way of being obscurely comforting (for, of course, such a matter could not be referred to openly) Miss Peabody said: Bellas husbands got brains. And charming manners! H
20、is manners are delightful, agreed Miss Arundell. Moving out into the street Miss Peabody asked: Whats this about Theresa being engaged to young Donaldson? Miss Arundell shrugged her shoulders. Young people are so casual nowadays. Im afraid it will have to be a rather long engagement - that is, if an
21、ything comes of it. He has no money. Of course Theresa has her own money, said Miss Peabody. Miss Arundell said stiffly: A man could not possibly wish to live on his wifes money. Miss Peabody gave a rich, throaty chuckle. They dont seem to mind doing it, nowadays. You and I are out of date, Emily. W
22、hat I cant understand is what the child sees in him. Of all the namby-pamby young men! Hes a clever doctor, I believe. Those pince-nez - and that stiff way of talking! In my young days wed have called him a poor stick! There was a pause while Miss Peabodys memory, diving into the past, conjured up v
23、isions of dashing, bewhiskered young men. She said with a sigh: Send that young dog Charles along to see me - if hell come. Of course. Ill tell him. The two ladies parted. They had known each other for considerably over fifty years. Miss Peabody knew of certain regrettable lapses in the life of Gene
24、ral Arundell, Emilys father. She knew just precisely what a shock Thomas Arundells marriage had been to his sisters. She had a very shrewd idea of certain troubles connected with the younger generation. But no word had ever passed between the two ladies on any of these subjects. They were both uphol
25、ders of family dignity, family solidarity, and complete reticence on family matters. Miss Arundell walked home, Bob trotting sedately at her heels. To herself, Emily Arundell admitted what she would never have admitted to another human being, her dissatisfaction with the younger generation of her fa
26、mily. Theresa, for instance. She had no control over Theresa since the latter had come into her own money at the age of twenty-one. Since then the girl had achieved a certain notoriety. Her picture was often in the papers. She belonged to a young, bright, go-ahead set in London - a set that had frea
27、k parties and occasionally ended up in the police courts. It was not the kind of notoriety that Emily Arundell approved of for an Arundell. In fact, she disapproved very much of Theresas way of living. As regards the girls engagement, her feelings were slightly confused. On the one hand she did not
28、consider an upstart Dr Donaldson good enough for an Arundell. On the other she was uneasily conscious that Theresa was a most unsuitable wife for a quiet country doctor. With a sigh her thoughts passed on to Bella. There was no fault to find with Bella. She was a good woman - a devoted wife and moth
29、er, quite exemplary in behavior - and extremely dull! But even Bella could not be regarded with complete approval. For Bella had married a foreigner - and not only a foreigner - but a Greek. In Miss Arundells prejudiced mind a Greek was almost as bad as an Argentine or a Turk. The fact that Dr Tanio
30、s had a charming manner and was said to be extremely able in his profession only prejudiced the old lady slightly more against him. She distrusted charm and easy compliments. For this reason, too, she found it difficult to be fond of the two children. They had both taken after their father in looks
31、- there was really nothing English about them. And then Charles. Yes, Charles. It was no use blinding ones eyes to facts. Charles, charming though he was, was not to be trusted. Emily Arundell sighed. She felt suddenly tired, old, depressed. She supposed that she couldnt last much longer. Her mind r
32、everted to the will she had made some years ago. Legacies to the servants - to charities - and the main bulk of her considerable fortune to be divided equally between these, her three surviving relations. It still seemed to her that she had done the right and equitable thing. It just crossed her min
33、d to wonder whether there might not be some way of securing Bellas share of the money so that her husband could not touch it. She must ask Mr Purvis. She turned in at the gate of Littlegreen House. Charles and Theresa Arundell arrived by car - the Tanioses by train. The brother and sister arrived fi
34、rst. Charles, tall and good-looking with his slightly mocking manner, said: Hallo, Aunt Emily, hows the girl? You look fine. And he kissed her. Theresa put an indifferent young cheek against her withered one. How are you. Aunt Emily? Theresa, her aunt thought, was looking far from well. Her face, be
35、neath its plentiful make-up, was slightly haggard and there were lines round her eyes. They had tea in the drawing-room. Bella Tanios, her hair inclined to straggle in wisps from below the fashionable hat that she wore at the wrong angle, stared at her cousin Theresa with a pathetic eagerness to ass
36、imilate and memorize her clothes. It was poor Bellas fate in life to be passionately fond of clothes without having any clothes sense. Theresas clothes were expensive, slightly bizarre, and she herself had an exquisite figure. Bella, when she arrived in England from Smyrna, had tried earnestly to co
37、py Theresas elegance at an inferior price and cut. Dr Tanios, who was a big, bearded, jolly-looking man, was talking to Miss Arundell. His voice was warm and full - an attractive voice that charmed a listener almost against his or her will. Almost in spite of herself, it charmed Miss Arundell. Miss
38、Lawson was fidgeting a good deal. She jumped up and down, handing plates, fussing over the tea table. Charles, whose manners were excellent, rose more than once to help her, but she expressed no gratitude. When, after tea, the party went out to make a tour of the garden Charles murmured to his siste
39、r: Lawson doesnt like me. Odd, isnt it? Theresa said mockingly: Very odd. So there is one person who can withstand your fatal fascination? Charles grinned - an engaging grin - and said: Lucky its only Lawson. In the garden Miss Lawson walked with Mrs Tanios and asked her questions about the children
40、. Bella Tanioss rather drab face lighted up. She forgot to watch Theresa. She talked eagerly and animatedly. Mary had said such a quaint thing on the boat. She found Minnie Lawson a most sympathetic listener. Presently a fair-haired young man with a solemn face and pince-nez was shown into the garde
41、n from the house. He looked rather embarrassed. Miss Arundell greeted him politely. Theresa said: Hallo, Rex! She slipped an arm through his. They wandered away. Charles made a face. He slipped away to have a word with the gardener, an ally of his from old days. When Miss Arundell re-entered the hou
42、se Charles was playing with Bob. The dog stood at the top of the stairs, his ball in his mouth, his tail gently wagging. Come on, old man, said Charles. Bob sank down on his haunches, nosed his ball slowly and slowly nearer the edge. As he finally bunted it over he sprang to his feet in great excite
43、ment. The ball bumped slowly down the stairs. Charles caught it and tossed it up to him. Bob caught it neatly in his mouth. The performance was repeated. Regular game of his, this, said Charles. Emily Arundell smiled. Hell go on for hours, she said. She turned into the drawing-room and Charles follo
44、wed her. Bob gave a disappointed bark. Glancing through the window, Charles said: Look at Theresa and her young man. They are an odd couple! You think Theresa is really serious over this? Oh, shes crazy about him! said Charles with confidence. Odd taste, but there it is. I think it must be the way h
45、e looks at her, as though she were a scientific specimen and not a live woman. Thats rather a novelty for Theresa. Pity the fellows so poor. Theresas got expensive tastes. Miss Arundell said drily: Ive no doubt she can change her way of living - if she wants to! And after all she has her own income.
46、 Eh? Oh, yes, yes, of course. Charles shot an almost guilty look at her. That evening, as the others were assembled in the drawing-room waiting to go in to dinner, there was a scurry and a burst of profanity on the stairs. Charles entered with his face rather red. Sorry, Aunt Emily, am I late? That
47、dog of yours nearly made me take the most frightful toss. Hed left that ball of his on the top of the stairs. Careless little doggie, cried Miss Lawson, bending down to Bob. Bob looked at her contemptuously and turned his head away. I know, said Miss Arundell. Its most dangerous. Minnie, fetch the ball and put it away. Miss Lawson hurried out. Dr Tanios monopolized the conversation at the dinner table most of the time. He told amusing stories of his life in
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