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He was, however, by no means so much in earnest as this might seem to indicate; and, indeed, he was more than anything else amused with the whole situation. He promised himself some entertainment from the little drama —if drama it was—of which Mrs. Penniman desired to represent the ingenious Mr. Townsend as the hero. There was no great danger in it; for Catherine, at the age of twenty-two, was, after all, a rather mature blossom , such as could be plucked from the stem only by a vigorous jerk . The fact that Morris Townsend was poor—was not of necessity against him; the Doctor had never made up his mind that his daughter should marry a rich man.The fortune she would inherit struck him as a very sufficient provision for two reasonable persons, and if a poor fellow who could give a good account of himself should show interest, he would be judged quite upon his personal merits.
He was very curious to see whether Catherine might really be loved for her moral worth. He smiled as he reflected that poor Mr. Townsend had been only twice to the house, and he said to Mrs. Penniman that the next time he should come she must ask him to dinner. He came very soon again, and Mrs. Penniman had, of course, great pleasure in executing this mission . Morris Townsend accepted her invitation with equal good grace, and the dinner took place a few days later.
There is every reason to suppose that Morris Townsend desired to make a good impression; and if he fell short of this result, it was not for want of a good deal of intelligent effort.The Doctor talked to him very little during dinner; but he observed him attentively, and after the ladies had gone out he pushed him the wine and asked him several questions.Morris was not a young man who needed to be pressed, and he found quite enough encouragement in the superior quality of the drink. The Doctor was struck with his appreciative guest; he saw that he was not a commonplace young man. “He has ability,” said Catherine’s father, “decided ability; he has a very good head if he chooses to use it. He has quite the sort of figure that pleases the ladies. But I don’t think I like him.” The Doctor, however, kept his thoughts to himself, and talked to his visitor about foreign lands, concerning which Morris offered him more information than he was ready to swallow. Dr. Sloper had traveled but little, and he took the liberty of not believing everything this story-telling idler narrated. He sat with his eyes quietly fixed on the young man’s bright, expressive face.“He has the assurance of the devil himself,” said Morris’s host,“I don’t think I ever saw such assurance. And his powers of invention are most remarkable. And a good head, did I say? I should think so—after a bottle of Madeira and a bottle and a half of claret !”
After dinner Morris Townsend went and stood before Catherine, who was standing before the fire in her red satin gown.
“He doesn’t like me—he doesn’t like me at all!” said the young man.
“I don’t see how you know,” said Catherine, blushing.
“I feel; I am very quick to feel.”
“Perhaps you are mistaken.”
“Ah, well; you ask him and you will see.”
“I shall not ask him,” she said, feeling rather embarrassed.
“That is very well; but it is not quite what I should have liked you to say. I should have liked you to say, ‘If my father doesn’t think well of you, what does it matter?’”
“Ah, but it would matter; I couldn’t say that!” the girl exclaimed.
He looked at her for a moment, smiling a little; and the Doctor, if he had been watching him just then, would have seen a gleam of fine impatience in the sociable softness of his eyes. But there was no impatience in his words—none, at least, except what was expressed in a little appealing sigh.“Ah, well, then, I must not give up the hope of bringing him round!”
He expressed it more frankly to Mrs. Penniman later in the evening.
“He doesn’t like me—He thinks I’m all wrong.”
Unlike her niece, Mrs. Penniman asked for no explanation.She only smiled very sweetly, as if she understood everything;and, unlike Catherine too, she made no attempt to contradict him. “Pray, what does it matter?” she murmured softly.
“Ah, you say the right thing!” said Morris, greatly to the satisfaction of Mrs. Penniman, who prided herself on always saying the right thing.
The Doctor, the next time he saw his sister Elizabeth, let her know that he had made the acquaintance of the young man.
“Physically,” he said, “he’s uncommonly well set up.”
“Don’t you see anything in people but their bones?” Mrs.Almond rejoined. “What do you think of him as a person?Lavinia tells me Catherine is in love.”
“She must get over it. He is not a gentleman.”
“Ah, take care! Remember that he is a branch of the Townsends, a family my daughter has just married into.”
“He is not what I call a gentleman. He has a vulgar nature.I saw through it in a minute. He is altogether too familiar—I hate familiarity.”
“Ah, well,” said Mrs. Almond, “if you make up your mind so easily, it’s a great advantage.”
“I don’t make up my mind easily. What I tell you is the result of thirty years of observation; and in order to be able to form that judgement in a single evening, I have had to spend a lifetime in study.”
“Very possibly you are right. But the thing is for Catherine to see it.”
“I will present her with a pair of spectacles !” said the Doctor.
drama /ˈdrɑ:mə/ n. 戏剧；戏剧艺术
ingenious /ɪnˈdʒi:njəs/ adj. 机灵的，有独创性的
mature /məˈtjʊə/ adj. 成熟的；到期的
blossom /ˈblɒsəm/ n. 花（尤指结果实者）；花开的状态；兴旺期pluck /plʌk/ vt. 采，摘，拔
stem /stem/ n. 茎，干
vigorous /ˈvɪɡərəs/ adj. 精力旺盛的，有力的，健壮的
jerk /dʒɜ:k/ n. 急推，猛拉
necessity /nɪˈsesətɪ/ n. 必要性，需要；必需品
sufficient /səˈfɪʃənt/ adj. 充分的，足够的
provision /prəˈvɪʒən/ n. 供应，（一批）供应品
execute /ˈeksɪkju:t/ vt. 执行；实行
mission /ˈmɪʃən/ n. 使命，任务
superior /sju:ˈpɪərɪə/ adj. 较高的；上好的，出众的
commonplace /ˈkɒmənpleɪs/ adj. 平凡的
liberty /ˈlɪbətɪ/ n. 自由；特权；随意；冒失，冒昧，失礼
idler /ˈaɪdlə/ n. 懒惰者，游手好闲的人
assurance / əˈʃʊərəns/ n. 自信；厚颜无耻，厚脸皮；确信，断言，保证，担保
devil /ˈdevəl/ n. 魔鬼；恶棍
claret /ˈklærət/ n. 红葡萄酒
satin /ˈsætɪn/ adj. 绸缎做的，缎子一般的
gleam /ɡli:m/ n. 微弱的闪光；一丝光线；瞬息的一现
appealing /əˈpi:lɪŋ/ adj. 吸引人的；哀诉似的，恳求似的
frankly /ˈfræŋklɪ/ adv. 坦白地，真诚地
contradict /ˌkɒntrəˈdɪkt/ vt. 同……矛盾，同……抵触
vulgar /ˈvʌlɡə/ adj. 粗俗的，庸俗的
judgement /ˈdʒʌdʒmənt/ n. 判断
spectacles /ˈspektəklz/ n. 眼镜