爱趣看小说

手机浏览器扫描二维码访问

第22部分(第1页)

at to say next。 Indeed; Orlando was at her wit’s end what to talk about and had she not bethought her of a game called Fly Loo; at which great sums of money can be lost with very little expense of spirit; she would have had to marry him; she supposed; for how else to get rid of him she knew not。 By this device; however; and it was a simple one; needing only three lumps of sugar and a sufficiency of flies; the embarrassment of conversation was overe and the necessity of marriage avoided。 For now; the Archduke would bet her five hundred pounds to a tester that a fly would settle on this lump and not on that。 Thus; they would have occupation for a whole morning watching the flies (who were naturally sluggish at this season and often spent an hour or so circling round the ceiling) until at length some fine bluebottle made his choice and the match was won。 Many hundreds of pounds changed hands between them at this game; which the Archduke; who was a born gambler; swore was every bit as good as horse racing; and vowed he could play at for ever。 But Orlando soon began to weary。

What’s the good of being a fine young woman in the prime of life’; she asked; ‘if I have to pass all my mornings watching blue–bottles with an Archduke?’

She began to detest the sight of sugar; flies made her dizzy。 Some way out of the difficulty there must be; she supposed; but she was still awkward in the arts of her sex; and as she could no longer knock a man over the head or run him through the body with a rapier; she could think of no better method than this。 She caught a blue–bottle; gently pressed the life out of it (it was half dead already; or her kindness for the dumb creatures would not have permitted it) and secured it by a drop of gum arabic to a lump of sugar。 While the Archduke was gazing at the ceiling; she deftly substituted this lump for the one she had laid her money on; and crying ‘Loo Loo!’ declared that she had won her bet。 Her reckoning was that the Archduke; with all his knowledge of sport and horseracing; would detect the fraud and; as to cheat at Loo is the most heinous of crimes; and men have been banished from the society of mankind to that of apes in the tropics for ever because of it; she calculated that he would be manly enough to refuse to have anything further to do with her。 But she misjudged the simplicity of the amiable nobleman。 He was no nice judge of flies。 A dead fly looked to him much the same as a living one。 She played the trick twenty times on him and he paid her over 17;250 pounds (which is about 40;885 pounds 6 shillings and 8 pence of our own money) before Orlando cheated so grossly that even he could be deceived no longer。 When he realized the truth at last; a painful scene ensued。 The Archduke rose to his full height。 He coloured scarlet。 Tears rolled down his cheeks one by one。 That she had won a fortune from him was nothing—she was wele to it; that she had deceived him was something—it hurt him to think her capable of it; but that she had cheated at Loo was everything。 To love a woman who cheated at play was; he said; impossible。 Here he broke down pletely。 Happily; he said; recovering slightly; there were no witnesses。 She was; after all; only a woman; he said。 In short; he was preparing in the chivalry of his heart to forgive her and had bent to ask her pardon for the violence of his language; when she cut the matter short; as he stooped his proud head; by dropping a small toad between his skin and his shirt。

In justice to her; it must be said that she would infinitely have preferred a rapier。 Toads are clammy things to conceal about one’s person a whole morning。 But if rapiers are forbidden; one must have recourse to toads。 Moreover toads and laughter between them sometimes do what cold steel cannot。 She laughed。 The Archduke blushed。 She laughed。 The Archduke cursed。 She laughed。 The Archduke slammed the door。

‘Heaven be praised!’ cried Orlando still laughing。 She heard the sound of chariot wheels driven at a furious pace down the courtyard。 She heard them rattle along the road。 Fainter and fainter the sound became。 Now it faded away altogether。

‘I am alone;’ said Orlando; aloud since there was no one to hear。

That silence is more profound after noise still wants the confirmation of science。 But that loneliness is more apparent directly after one has been made love to; many women would take their oath。 As the sound of the Archduke’s chariot wheels died away; Orlando felt drawing further from her and further from her an Archduke (she did not mind that); a fortune (she did not mind that); a title (she did not mind that); the safety and circumstance of married life (she did not mind that); but life she heard going from her; and a lover。 ‘Life and a lover;’ she murmured; and going to her writing–table she dipped her pen in the ink and wrote:

‘Life and a lover’—a line which did not scan and made no sense with what went before—something about the proper way of dipping sheep to avoid the scab。 Reading it over she blushed and repeated;

‘Life and a lover。’ Then laying her pen aside she went into her bedroom; stood in front of her mirror; and arranged her pearls about her neck。 Then since pearls do not show to advantage against a morning gown of sprigged cotton; she changed to a dove grey taffeta; thence to one of peach bloom; thence to a wine–coloured brocade。 Perhaps a dash of powder was needed; and if her hair were disposed—so—about her brow; it might bee her。 Then she slipped her feet into pointed slippers; and drew an emerald ring upon her finger。 ‘Now;’ she said when all was ready and lit the silver sconces on either side of the mirror。 What woman would not have kindled to see what Orlando saw then burning in the snow—for all about the looking–glass were snowy lawns; and she was like a fire; a burning bush; and the candle flames about her head were silver leaves; or again; the glass was green water; and she a mermaid; slung with pearls; a siren in a cave; singing so that oarsmen leant from their boats and fell down; down to embrace her; so dark; so bright; so hard; so soft; was she; so astonishingly seductive that it was a thousand pities that there was no one there to put it in plain English; and say outright; ‘Damn it; Madam; you are loveliness incarnate;’ which was the truth。 Even Orlando (who had no conceit of her person) knew it; for she smiled the involuntary smile which women smile when their own beauty; which seems not their own; forms like a drop falling or a fountain rising and confronts them all of a sudden in the glass—this smile she smiled and then she listened for a moment and heard only the leaves blowing and the sparrows twittering; and then she sighed; ‘Life; a lover;’ and then she turned on her heel with extraordinary rapidity; whipped her pearls from her neck; stripped the satins from her back; stood erect in the neat black silk knickerbockers of an ordinary nobleman; and rang the bell。 When the servant came; she told him to order a coach and six to be in readiness instantly。 She was summoned by urgent affairs to London。 Within an hour of the Archduke’s departure; off she drove。

And as she drove; we may seize the opportunity; since the landscape was of a simple English kind which needs no description; to draw the reader’s attention more particularly than we could at the moment to one or two remarks which have slipped in here and there in the course of the narrative。 For example; it may have been observed that Orlando hid her manuscripts when interrupted。 Next; that she looked long and intently in the glass; and now; as she drove to London; one might notice her starting and suppressing a cry when the horses galloped faster than she liked。 Her modesty as to her writing; her vanity as to her person; her fears for her safety all seems to hint that what was said a short time ago about there being no change in Orlando the man and Orlando the woman; was ceasing to be altogether true。 She was being a little more modest; as women are; of her brains; and a little more vain; as women are; of her person。 Certain susceptibilities were asserting themselves; and others were diminishing。 The change of clothes had; some philosophers will say; much to do with it。 Vain trifles as they seem; clothes have; they say; more important offices than merely to keep us warm。 They change our view of the world and the world’s view of us。 For example; when Captain Bartolus saw Orlando’s skirt; he had an awning stretched for her immediately; pressed her to take another slice of beef; and invited her to go ashore with him in the long–boat。 These pliments would certainly not have been paid her had her skirts; instead of flowing; been cut tight to her legs in the fashion of breeches。 And when we are paid pliments; it behoves us to make some return。 Orlando curtseyed; she plied; she flattered the good man’s humours as she would not have done had his neat breeches been a woman’s skirts; and his braided coat a woman’s satin bodice。 Thus; there is much to support the view that it is clothes that wear us and not we them; we may make them take the mould of arm or breast; but they mould our hearts; our brains; our tongues to their liking。 So; having now worn skirts for a considerable time; a certain change was visible in Orlando; which is to be found if the reader will look at @ above; even in her face。 If we pare the picture of Orlando as a man with that of Orlando as a woman we shall see that though both are undoubtedly one and the same person; there are certain changes。 The man has his hand free to seize his sword; the woman must use hers to keep the satins from slipping from her shoulders。 The man looks the world full in the face; as if it were made for his uses and fashioned to his liking。 The woman takes a sidelong glance at it; full of subtlety; even of suspicion。 Had they both worn the same clothes; it is possible that their outlook might have been the same。

That is the view of some philosophers and wise ones; but on the whole; we incline to another。 The difference between the sexes is; happily; one of great profundity。 Clothes are but a symbol of something hid deep beneath。 It was a change in Orlando herself that dictated her choice of a woman’s dress and of a woman’s sex。 And perhaps in this she was only expressing rather more openly than usual—openness indeed was the soul of her nature—something that happens to most people without being thus plainly expressed。 For here again; we e to a dilemma。 Different though the sexes are; they intermix。 In every human being a vacillation from one sex to the other takes place; and often it is only the clothes that keep the male or female likeness; while underneath the sex is the very opposite of what it is above。 Of the plications and confusions which thus result everyone has had experience; but here we leave the general question and note only the odd effect it had in the particular case of Orlando herself。

For it was this mixture in her of man and woman; one being uppermost and then the other; that often gave her conduct an unexpected turn。 The curious of her own sex would argue; for example; if Orlando was a woman; how did she never take more than ten minutes to dress? And were not her clothes chosen rather at random; and

演讲论辩技巧  江泽民  我的苦难我的大学  梨园往事  红色之翼  民国演义  女性经理人打造术:跟王熙凤学管理  现在,发现你的优势  冷血悍将  东北黑旋风  双子变变变  生活要懂点博弈学 作 者: 王宇  心萦何处  销售人员职业教程  丛林战争  五胡烽火录  亮剑精神  草包英雄  在中国做事(全文阅读) - 黄夏君  要塞-中世纪领主  

热门小说推荐
终极之最强时空

终极之最强时空

关于终极之最强时空原主角团无穿越者无系统,主cp东婷,修香,不乱拆乱凑cp,四个时空都有涉及。这是终极一班2时间线修正后的故事,终极铁三角加入了雷婷成了终极四人组,为看望刚从银时空返回的修,四人组队前往铁时空看望,接到了第一个任务,创立剩死门,维护时空秩序。而修香返回铁时空,随之而来是各种麻烦,为此阿香一手遮天,放言道我当为叶赫那拉家掌门,统领魔道,镇压一切不服!...

摄影师重生,寻找我的专属模特

摄影师重生,寻找我的专属模特

关于摄影师重生,寻找我的专属模特陈道烦作为一位摄影师形象设计师重生回到2014年暂停时间本是神技,但摄影与记录让我们窥探了神的技能。你的美貌已经付过费了,所以这次拍摄是免费的。你好,我的模特走丢了,不知道能否邀请你当我的模特呢?这件衣服是我为你专属定制的,你穿上后让我为你拍照留念吧!一袭红衣惊天下,休言女子非凡物!陈道烦屹立巅峰后,回首过往,我真的只是一个摄影师!...

仙帝归来

仙帝归来

含冤入狱,无辜枉死!少年仙帝楚寻重生归来,一路快意恩仇,登临巅峰!...

抗日之特战军魂

抗日之特战军魂

特战教官,意外陨落,魂落南京。看,无数百姓,惨死鬼子之手!望,泱泱华夏,将沉沦于鬼子铁蹄之下!血性男儿,拿起手中钢枪,抛颅洒血,勇杀日寇,扬我华夏军威!敢犯中华天威者,虽远必诛!龙刃欢迎你的加入548202037...

小公主被全员读心后,暴君宠疯了

小公主被全员读心后,暴君宠疯了

阿宝穿书了!穿成了天圣皇朝的小公主。嗯是公主没错,可他娘的怎么是亡国公主啊。刚一出生就要被当成灾星处死。大暴君°°…当场嘎了老御史,她被抱出了冷宫。后来,六皇子一脚踢开凑上来的女主,哪凉快哪待着去吧!于是,选妃宴七皇子插刀女主,直接选中锦鲤小王妃。众人惊觉只要有小公主在的地方就是大型吃瓜现场!瓜瓜劲爆瓜瓜...

每日热搜小说推荐