第 180 节
作者:左思右想      更新:2021-02-19 19:48      字数:9322
  repent of her good humour。
  Whenever Becky made a little circle for herself with
  incredible toils and labour; somebody came and swept it
  down rudely; and she had all her work to begin over
  again。  It was very hard; very hard; lonely and
  disheartening。
  There was Mrs。 Newbright; who took her up for some
  time; attracted by the sweetness of her singing at church
  and by her proper views upon serious subjects; concerning
  which in former days; at Queen's Crawley; Mrs。
  Becky had had a good deal of instruction。  Well; she not
  only took tracts; but she read them。  She worked flannel
  petticoats for the Quashybooscotton night…caps for the
  Cocoanut Indianspainted handscreens for the
  conversion of the Pope and the Jewssat under Mr。 Rowls
  on Wednesdays; Mr。 Huggleton on Thursdays; attended
  two Sunday services at church; besides Mr。 Bawler; the
  Darbyite; in the evening; and all in vain。  Mrs。 Newbright
  had occasion to correspond with the Countess of Southdown
  about the Warmingpan Fund for the Fiji
  Islanders (for the management of which admirable
  charity both these ladies formed part of a female committee);
  and having mentioned her 〃sweet friend;〃 Mrs。 Rawdon
  Crawley; the Dowager Countess wrote back such a
  letter regarding Becky; with such particulars; hints; facts;
  falsehoods; and general comminations; that intimacy
  between Mrs。 Newbright and Mrs。 Crawley ceased forthwith;
  and all the serious world of Tours; where this misfortune
  took place; immediately parted company with the
  reprobate。  Those who know the English Colonies abroad
  know that we carry with us us our pride; pills; prejudices;
  Harvey…sauces; cayenne…peppers; and other Lares;
  making a little Britain wherever we settle down。
  From one colony to another Becky fled uneasily。  From
  Boulogne to Dieppe; from Dieppe to Caen; from Caen
  to Tourstrying with all her might to be respectable;
  and alas!  always found out some day or other and
  pecked out of the cage by the real daws。
  Mrs。 Hook Eagles took her up at one of these places
  a woman without a blemish in her character and a house
  in Portman Square。  She was staying at the hotel at Dieppe;
  whither Becky fled; and they made each other's acquaintance
  first at sea; where they were swimming together;
  and subsequently at the table d'hote of the hotel。  Mrs
  Eagles had heardwho indeed had not?some of the
  scandal of the Steyne affair; but after a conversation
  with Becky; she pronounced that Mrs。 Crawley was an
  angel; her husband a ruffian; Lord Steyne an
  unprincipled wretch; as everybody knew; and the whole case
  against Mrs。 Crawley an infamous and wicked conspiracy
  of that rascal Wenham。  〃If you were a man of
  any spirit; Mr。 Eagles; you would box the wretch's ears
  the next time you see him at the Club;〃 she said to her
  husband。  But Eagles was only a quiet old gentleman;
  husband to Mrs。 Eagles; with a taste for geology; and not tall
  enough to reach anybody's ears。
  The Eagles then patronized Mrs。 Rawdon; took her to
  live with her at her own house at Paris; quarrelled with
  the ambassador's wife because she would not receive her
  protegee; and did all that lay in woman's power to keep
  Becky straight in the paths of virtue and good repute。
  Becky was very respectable and orderly at first; but
  the life of humdrum virtue grew utterly tedious to her
  before long。  It was the same routine every day; the same
  dulness and comfort; the same drive over the same
  stupid Bois de Boulogne; the same company of an
  evening; the same Blair's Sermon of a Sunday nightthe
  same opera always being acted over and over again;
  Becky was dying of weariness; when; luckily for her;
  young Mr。 Eagles came from Cambridge; and his mother;
  seeing the impression which her little friend made upon
  him; straightway gave Becky warning。
  Then she tried keeping house with a female friend;
  then the double menage began to quarrel and get into
  debt。  Then she determined upon a boarding…house existence
  and lived for some time at that famous mansion
  kept by Madame de Saint Amour; in the Rue Royale; at
  Paris; where she began exercising her graces and
  fascinations upon the shabby dandies and fly…blown beauties
  who frequented her landlady's salons。  Becky loved
  society and; indeed; could no more exist without it than an
  opium…eater without his dram; and she was happy
  enough at the period of her boarding…house life。  〃The
  women here are as amusing as those in May Fair;〃 she
  told an old London friend who met her; 〃only; their
  dresses are not quite so fresh。  The men wear cleaned
  gloves; and are sad rogues; certainly; but they are not
  worse than Jack This and Tom That。  The mistress of the
  house is a little vulgar; but I don't think she is so vulgar
  as Lady 〃 and here she named the name of a
  great leader of fashion that I would die rather than
  reveal。  In fact; when you saw Madame de Saint Amour's
  rooms lighted up of a night; men with plaques and
  cordons at the ecarte tables; and the women at a little
  distance; you might fancy yourself for a while in good
  society; and that Madame was a real Countess。  Many
  people did so fancy; and Becky was for a while one of the
  most dashing ladies of the Countess's salons。
  But it is probable that her old creditors of 1815 found
  her out and caused her to leave Paris; for the poor little
  woman was forced to fly from the city rather suddenly;
  and went thence to Brussels。
  How well she remembered the place!  She grinned as
  she looked up at the little entresol which she had
  occupied; and thought of the Bareacres family; bawling
  for horses and flight; as their carriage stood in the
  porte…cochere of the hotel。  She went to Waterloo and to
  Laeken; where George Osborne's monument much
  struck her。  She made a little sketch of it。  〃That poor
  Cupid!〃 she said; 〃how dreadfully he was in love with
  me; and what a fool he was!  I wonder whether little
  Emmy is alive。  It was a good little creature; and that
  fat brother of hers。  I have his funny fat picture still
  among my papers。  They were kind simple people。〃
  At Brussels Becky arrived; recommended by Madame
  de Saint Amour to her friend; Madame la Comtesse de
  Borodino; widow of Napoleon's General; the famous
  Count de Borodino; who was left with no resource by the
  deceased hero but that of a table d'hote and an ecarte
  table。  Second…rate dandies and roues; widow…ladies who
  always have a lawsuit; and very simple English folks; who
  fancy they see 〃Continental society〃 at these houses; put
  down their money; or ate their meals; at Madame de
  Borodino's tables。  The gallant young fellows treated the
  company round to champagne at the table d'hote; rode
  out with the women; or hired horses on country excursions;
  clubbed money to take boxes at the play or the
  opera; betted over the fair shoulders of the ladies at the
  ecarte tables; and wrote home to their parents in
  Devonshire about their felicitous introduction to foreign
  society。
  Here; as at Paris; Becky was a boarding…house queen;
  and ruled in select pensions。  She never refused the
  champagne; or the bouquets; or the drives into the country;
  or the private boxes; but what she preferred was the
  ecarte at night;and she played audaciously。  First she
  played only for a little; then for five…franc pieces; then for
  Napoleons; then for notes:  then she would not be able
  to pay her month's pension:  then she borrowed from
  the young gentlemen:  then she got into cash again and
  bullied Madame de Borodino; whom she had coaxed and
  wheedled before:  then she was playing for ten sous at a
  time; and in a dire state of poverty:  then her quarter's
  allowance would come in; and she would pay off Madame
  de Borodino's score and would once more take the
  cards against Monsieur de Rossignol; or the Chevalier de
  Raff。
  When Becky left Brussels; the sad truth is that she
  owed three months' pension to Madame de Borodino; of
  which fact; and of the gambling; and of the drinking; and
  of the going down on her knees to the Reverend Mr。
  Muff; Ministre Anglican; and borrowing money of him;
  and of her coaxing and flirting with Milor Noodle; son of
  Sir Noodle; pupil of the Rev。  Mr。 Muff; whom she used
  to take into her private room; and of whom she won
  large sums at ecarteof which fact; I say; and of a
  hundred of her other knaveries; the Countess de
  Borodino informs every English person who stops at her
  establishment; and announces that Madame Rawdon was
  no better than a vipere。
  So our little wanderer went about setting up her tent
  in various cities of Europe; as restless as Ulysses or
  Bampfylde Moore Carew。  Her taste for disrespectability
  grew more and more remarkable。  She became a perfect
  Bohemian ere long; herding with people whom it would
  make your hair stand on end to meet。
  There is no town of any mark in Europe but it has its
  little colony of English raffsmen whose names Mr。
  Hemp the officer reads out periodically at the Sheriffs'
  Courtyoung gentlemen of very good family often; only
  that the latter disowns them; frequenters of billiard…
  rooms and estaminets; patrons of foreign races and
  gaming…tables。  They people the debtors' prisonsthey
  drink and swaggerthey fight and brawlthey run away
  without payingthey have duels with French and German
  officersthey chea