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Nobody
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"Why?"
"Philip, what makes you ask such a question?"
"I assure you, a very honest ignorance of the answer to it."
"Why, one must do as everybody does?"
"Yes."
The lady's tone and accent had implied that the answer wasself-evident; yet it was not given.
"Really," – Philip went on. "What should hinder you from staying in thispleasant house part of the summer, or all of the summer, if you findyourselves more comfortable here?"
"Being comfortable isn't the only thing," said Julia.
"No. What other consideration governs the decision? that is what I amasking."
"Why, Philip, there is nobody in town."
"That is better than company you do not like."
"I wish it was the fashion to stay in town," said Mrs. Caruthers."There is everything here, in one's own house, to make the heatendurable, and just what we miss when we go to a hotel. Large rooms, and cool nights, and clean servants, and gas, and baths – hotel roomsare so stuffy."
"After all, one does not live in one's rooms," said Julia.
"But," said Philip, returning to the charge, "why should not you, Mrs.Caruthers, do what you like? Why should you be displeased in Saratoga,or anywhere, merely because other people are pleased there? Why not doas you like?"
"You know one can't do as one likes in this world," Julia returned.
"Why not, if one can, – as you can?" said Philip, laughing.
"But that's ridiculous," said Julia, raising herself up with a littleshow of energy. "You know perfectly well, Mr. Dillwyn, that peoplebelonging to the world must do as the rest of the world do. Nobody isin town. If we stayed here, people would get up some unspeakable storyto account for our doing it; that would be the next thing."
"Dillwyn, where are you going?" said Tom suddenly from the floor, wherehe had been more uneasy than his situation accounted for.
"I don't know – perhaps I'll take your train and go to Saratoga too. Notfor fear, though."
"That's capital!" said Tom, half raising himself up and leaning on hiselbow. "I'll turn the care of my family over to you, and I'll seek thewilderness."
"What wilderness?" asked his sister sharply.
"Some wilderness – some place where I shall not see crinoline, nor beexpected to do the polite thing. I'll go for the sea, I guess."
"What have you in your head, Tom?"
"Refreshment."
"You've just come from the sea."
"I've just come from the sea where it was fashionable. Now I'll findsome place where it is unfashionable. I don't favour Saratoga any morethan you do. It's a jolly stupid; that's what it is."
"But where do you want to go, Tom? you have some place in your head."
"I'd as lief go off for the Isles of Shoals as anywhere," said Tom, lying down again. "They haven't got fashionable yet. I've a notion tosee 'em first."
"I doubt about that," remarked Philip gravely. "I am not sure but the
Isles of Shoals are about the most distinguished place you could go to."
"Isles of Shoals. Where are they? and what are they?" Julia asked.
"A few little piles of rock out in the Atlantic, on which it spends itswrath all the year round; but of course the ocean is not always raging; and when it is not raging, it smiles; and they say the smile is nowheremore bewitching than at the Isles of Shoals," Philip answered.
"But will nobody be there?"
"Nobody you would care about," returned Tom.
"Then what'll you do?"
"Fish."
"Tom! you're not a fisher. You needn't pretend it."
"Sun myself on the rocks."
"You are brown enough already."
"They say, everything gets bleached there."
"Then I should like to go. But I couldn't stand the sea and solitude, and I don't believe you can stand it. Tom, this is ridiculous. You'renot serious?"
"Not often," said Tom; "but this time I am. I am going to the Isles ofShoals. If Philip will take you to Saratoga, I'll start to-morrow; otherwise I will wait till I get you rooms and see you settled."
"Is there a hotel there?"
"Something that does duty for one, as I understand."
"Tom, this is too ridiculous, and vexatious," remonstrated his sister.
"We want you at Saratoga."
"Well, it is flattering; but you wanted me at St. Augustine a littlewhile ago, and you had me. You can't always have a fellow. I'm going tosee the Isles of Shoals before they're the rage. I want to get cooledoff, for once, after Florida and Newport, besides."
"Isn't that the place where Mrs. Wishart is gone," said Philip now.
"I don't know – yes, I believe so."
"Mrs. Wishart!" exclaimed Julia in a different tone. "She gone to the
"Philip, what makes you ask such a question?"
"I assure you, a very honest ignorance of the answer to it."
"Why, one must do as everybody does?"
"Yes."
The lady's tone and accent had implied that the answer wasself-evident; yet it was not given.
"Really," – Philip went on. "What should hinder you from staying in thispleasant house part of the summer, or all of the summer, if you findyourselves more comfortable here?"
"Being comfortable isn't the only thing," said Julia.
"No. What other consideration governs the decision? that is what I amasking."
"Why, Philip, there is nobody in town."
"That is better than company you do not like."
"I wish it was the fashion to stay in town," said Mrs. Caruthers."There is everything here, in one's own house, to make the heatendurable, and just what we miss when we go to a hotel. Large rooms, and cool nights, and clean servants, and gas, and baths – hotel roomsare so stuffy."
"After all, one does not live in one's rooms," said Julia.
"But," said Philip, returning to the charge, "why should not you, Mrs.Caruthers, do what you like? Why should you be displeased in Saratoga,or anywhere, merely because other people are pleased there? Why not doas you like?"
"You know one can't do as one likes in this world," Julia returned.
"Why not, if one can, – as you can?" said Philip, laughing.
"But that's ridiculous," said Julia, raising herself up with a littleshow of energy. "You know perfectly well, Mr. Dillwyn, that peoplebelonging to the world must do as the rest of the world do. Nobody isin town. If we stayed here, people would get up some unspeakable storyto account for our doing it; that would be the next thing."
"Dillwyn, where are you going?" said Tom suddenly from the floor, wherehe had been more uneasy than his situation accounted for.
"I don't know – perhaps I'll take your train and go to Saratoga too. Notfor fear, though."
"That's capital!" said Tom, half raising himself up and leaning on hiselbow. "I'll turn the care of my family over to you, and I'll seek thewilderness."
"What wilderness?" asked his sister sharply.
"Some wilderness – some place where I shall not see crinoline, nor beexpected to do the polite thing. I'll go for the sea, I guess."
"What have you in your head, Tom?"
"Refreshment."
"You've just come from the sea."
"I've just come from the sea where it was fashionable. Now I'll findsome place where it is unfashionable. I don't favour Saratoga any morethan you do. It's a jolly stupid; that's what it is."
"But where do you want to go, Tom? you have some place in your head."
"I'd as lief go off for the Isles of Shoals as anywhere," said Tom, lying down again. "They haven't got fashionable yet. I've a notion tosee 'em first."
"I doubt about that," remarked Philip gravely. "I am not sure but the
Isles of Shoals are about the most distinguished place you could go to."
"Isles of Shoals. Where are they? and what are they?" Julia asked.
"A few little piles of rock out in the Atlantic, on which it spends itswrath all the year round; but of course the ocean is not always raging; and when it is not raging, it smiles; and they say the smile is nowheremore bewitching than at the Isles of Shoals," Philip answered.
"But will nobody be there?"
"Nobody you would care about," returned Tom.
"Then what'll you do?"
"Fish."
"Tom! you're not a fisher. You needn't pretend it."
"Sun myself on the rocks."
"You are brown enough already."
"They say, everything gets bleached there."
"Then I should like to go. But I couldn't stand the sea and solitude, and I don't believe you can stand it. Tom, this is ridiculous. You'renot serious?"
"Not often," said Tom; "but this time I am. I am going to the Isles ofShoals. If Philip will take you to Saratoga, I'll start to-morrow; otherwise I will wait till I get you rooms and see you settled."
"Is there a hotel there?"
"Something that does duty for one, as I understand."
"Tom, this is too ridiculous, and vexatious," remonstrated his sister.
"We want you at Saratoga."
"Well, it is flattering; but you wanted me at St. Augustine a littlewhile ago, and you had me. You can't always have a fellow. I'm going tosee the Isles of Shoals before they're the rage. I want to get cooledoff, for once, after Florida and Newport, besides."
"Isn't that the place where Mrs. Wishart is gone," said Philip now.
"I don't know – yes, I believe so."
"Mrs. Wishart!" exclaimed Julia in a different tone. "She gone to the
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Последний отзыв
очень хорошая книга для студентов и учителей