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[夜与日].(night.and.day).(英)弗吉尼亚·伍尔芙.文字版-第119部分


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of her eyes; and I always feel that our physical ailments 
are so apt to turn into mental ailments。 I think Matthew 
Arnold says something of the same kind about Lord Byron。) 
But that’s neither here nor there。” 

The effect of these parentheses; whether they were introduced 
for that purpose or represented a natural instinct 
on Mrs。 Hilbery’s part to embellish the bareness of 
her discourse; gave Ralph time to perceive that she possessed 
all the facts of their situation and was e; somehow; 
in the capacity of ambassador。 

“I didn’t e here to talk about Lord Byron;” Mrs。 
Hilbery continued; with a little laugh; “though I know 
that both you and Katharine; unlike other young people 

of your generation; still find him worth reading。” She 
paused。 “I’m so glad you’ve made Katharine read poetry; 
Mr。 Denham!” she exclaimed; “and feel poetry; and look 
poetry! She can’t talk it yet; but she will—oh; she will!” 

Ralph; whose hand was grasped and whose tongue almost 
refused to articulate; somehow contrived to say that there 
were moments when he felt hopeless; utterly hopeless; though 
he gave no reason for this statement on his part。 

“But you care for her?” Mrs。 Hilbery inquired。 

“Good God!” he exclaimed; with a vehemence which 
admitted of no question。 

“It’s the Church of England service you both object to?” 
Mrs。 Hilbery inquired innocently。 

“I don’t care a damn what service it is;” Ralph replied。 

“You would marry her in Westminster Abbey if the worst 
came to the worst?” Mrs。 Hilbery inquired。 

“I would marry her in St。 Paul’s Cathedral;” Ralph replied。 
His doubts upon this point; which were always 
roused by Katharine’s presence; had vanished pletely; 
and his strongest wish in the world was to be with her 
immediately; since every second he was away from her he 

425 



Night and Day 

imagined her slipping farther and farther from him into 
one of those states of mind in which he was unrepresented。 
He wished to dominate her; to possess her。 

“Thank God!” exclaimed Mrs。 Hilbery。 She thanked Him 
for a variety of blessings: for the conviction with which 
the young man spoke; and not least for the prospect that 
on her daughter’s weddingday the noble cadences; the 
stately periods; the ancient eloquence of the marriage 
service would resound over the heads of a distinguished 
congregation gathered together near the very spot where 
her father lay quiescent with the other poets of England。 
The tears filled her eyes; but she remembered simultaneously 
that her carriage was waiting; and with dim eyes 
she walked to the door。 Denham followed her downstairs。 

It was a strange drive。 For Denham it was without exception 
the most unpleasant he had ever taken。 His only 
wish was to go as straightly and quickly as possible to 
Cheyne Walk; but it soon appeared that Mrs。 Hilbery either 
ignored or thought fit to baffle this desire by interposing 
various errands of her own。 She stopped the carriage 
at postoffices; and coffeeshops; and shops of in


scrutable dignity where the aged attendants had to be 
greeted as old friends; and; catching sight of the dome of 
St。 Paul’s above the irregular spires of Ludgate Hill; she 
pulled the cord impulsively; and gave directions that 
Anderson should drive them there。 But Anderson had reasons 
of his own for discouraging afternoon worship; and 
kept his horse’s nose obstinately towards the west。 After 
some minutes; Mrs。 Hilbery realized the situation; and 
accepted it goodhumoredly; apologizing to Ralph for his 
disappointment。 

“Never mind;” she said; “we’ll go to St。 Paul’s another 
day; and it may turn out; though I can’t promise that it 
will; that he’ll take us past Westminster Abbey; which 
would be even better。” 

Ralph was scarcely aware of what she went on to say。 Her 
mind and body both seemed to have floated into another 
region of quicksailing clouds rapidly passing across each 
other and enveloping everything in a vaporous indistinctness。 
Meanwhile he remained conscious of his own concentrated 
desire; his impotence to bring about anything 
he wished; and his increasing agony of impatience。 

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Virginia Woolf 

Suddenly Mrs。 Hilbery pulled the cord with such decision 
that even Anderson had to listen to the order which she 
leant out of the window to give him。 The carriage pulled 
up abruptly in the middle of Whitehall before a large building 
dedicated to one of our Government offices。 In a second 
Mrs。 Hilbery was mounting the steps; and Ralph was left in 
too acute an irritation by this further delay even to speculate 
what errand took her now to the Board of Education。 
He was about to jump from the carriage and take a cab; 
when Mrs。 Hilbery reappeared talking genially to a figure 
who remained hidden behind her。 

“There’s plenty of room for us all;” she was saying。 “Plenty 
of room。 We could find space for four of you; William;” she 
added; opening the door; and Ralph found that Rodney 
had now joined their pany。 The two men glanced at 
each other。 If distress; shame; disfort in its most acute 
form were ever visible upon a human face; Ralph could 
read them all expressed beyond the eloquence of words 
upon the face of his unfortunate panion。 But Mrs。 
Hilbery was either pletely unseeing or determined to 
appear so。 She went on talking; she talked; it seemed to 

both the young men; to some one outside; up in the air。 
She talked about Shakespeare; she apostrophized the human 
race; she proclaimed the virtues of divine poetry; she 
began to recite verses which broke down in the middle。 
The great advantage of her discourse was that it was self
supporting。 It nourished itself until Cheyne Walk was 
reached upon half a dozen grunts and murmurs。 

“Now;” she said; alighting briskly at her door; “here we 
are!” 

There was something airy and ironical in her voice and 
expression as she turned upon the doorstep and looked 
at them; which filled both Rodney and Denham with the 
same misgivings at having trusted their fortunes to such 
an ambassador; and Rodney actually hesitated upon the 
threshold and murmured to Denham: 

“You go in; Denham。 I …” He was turning tail; but the 
door opening and the familiar look of the house asserting 
its charm; he bolted in on the wake of the others; 
and the door shut upon his escape。 Mrs。 Hilbery led the 
way upstairs。 She took them to the drawingroom。 The 
fire burnt as usual; the little tables were laid with china 

427 



Night and Day 

and silver。 There was nobody there。 

“Ah;” she said; “Katharine’s not here。 She must be upstairs 
in her room。 You have something to say to her; I 
know; Mr。 Denham。 You can find your way?” she vaguely 
indicated the ceiling with a gesture of her hand。 She had 
bee suddenly serious and posed; mistress in her 
own house。 The gesture with which she dismissed him 
had a dignity that Ralph never forgot。 She seemed to 
make him free with a wave of her hand to all that she 
possessed。 He left the room。 

The Hilberys’ house was tall; possessing many stories 
and passages with closed doors; all; once he had passed 
the drawingroom floor; unknown to Ralph。 He mounted as 
high as he could and knocked at the first door he came to。 

“May I e in?” he asked。 

A voice from within answered “Yes。” 

He was conscious of a large window; full of light; of a 
bare table; and of a long lookingglass。 Katharine had 
risen; and was standing with some white papers in her 
hand; which slowly fluttered to the ground as she saw 
her visitor。 The explanation was a short one。 The sounds 

were inarticulate; no one could have understood the meaning 
save themselves。 As if the forces of the world were all 
at work to tear them asunder they sat; clasping hands; 
near enough to be taken even by the malicious eye of 
Time himself for a united couple; an indivisible unit。 

“Don’t move; don’t go;” she begged of him; when he 
stooped to gather the papers she had let fall。 But he took 
them in his hands and; giving her by a sudden impulse 
his own unfinishe

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