第 74 节
作者:绝对601      更新:2022-04-16 12:12      字数:9273
  the occasion; was very far from thinking it a bad match for her。—
  On the contrary when he saw more of Capt。 W。 & eyed him well;
  he   was   very   much   struck   by   his   personal   claims   &   felt   that  his
  superiority of appearance might be not unfairly  balanced   against
  her    superiority     of  Rank;—and        all  this;  together     with   his   well…
  sounding  name;   enabled  Sir W。   at last  to  prepare   his pen   with a
  very good grace for the insertion of the Marriage in the volume of
  Honour。—The           only   person     among      them     whose     opposition     of
  feelings could excite any serious anxiety; was Lady Russell。—Anne
  knew that Lady R。 must be suffering some pain in understanding
  &   relinquishing   Mr   E。   &   be   making   some   struggles   to   become
  truly acquainted with & do justice to Capt。 W。—This however; was
  what Lady R。 had now to do。 She must learn to feel that she had
  been   mistaken   with   regard   to   both—that   she   had   been   unfairly
  influenced       by   appearances       in  each—that;       because      Capt。   W。’s
  manners had not suited her own ideas; she had been too quick in
  suspecting them to indicate a Character of dangerous Impetuosity;
  & that because   Mr  Elliot’s manners   had  precisely  pleased   her  in
  their propriety &   correctness;   their  general   politeness &   suavity;
  she had been too quick in receiving them as the certain result of
  the    most    correct    opinions     &   well   regulated     Mind。    There     was
  nothing   less   for   Lady   R。   to   do   than   to   admit   that   she   had   been
  pretty   completely   wrong;   &   to   take   up   a   new   set   of   opinions   &
  hopes。—There is a quickness of perception in some; a nicety in the
  discernment   of   character—a   natural   Penetration   in   short   which
  no   Experience   in   others   can   equal—and   Lady   R。   had   been   less
  gifted   in   this  part  of  Understanding   than   her   young   friend;—but
  Classics in Literature: Jane Austen                                            ElecBook
  … Page 301…
  Jane Austen: Persuasion                                301
  she   was   a   very   good   Woman;   &   if   her   second   object   was   to   be
  sensible   &   well   judging;   her   first   was   to   see    Anne     happy。     She
  loved Anne better than she loved her own abilities—and when the
  awkwardness of the Beginning was  over;   found   little   hardship   in
  attaching   herself   as   a   Mother   to   the   Man   who   was   securing   the
  happiness   of  her  Child。   Of all   the   family;   Mary  was   probably  the
  one    most     immediately        gratified    by   the    circumstance。        It  was
  creditable to have a  Sister  married;   and she   might  flatter  herself
  that    she   had    been    greatly    instrumental       to  the   connection;       by
  having Anne staying with her in the Autumn; & as her own Sister
  must   be   better   than   her   Husbands   Sisters;   it   was   very   agreable
  that   Captain   W。   should   be   a   richer   Man   than   either   Capt。   B。   or
  Charles Hayter。—She had something to suffer perhaps when they
  came into contact again;   in   seeing Anne   restored   to  the   rights   of
  Seniority & the Mistress of a very pretty Landaulet—but she had a
  future    to   look   forward   to;   of   powerful   consolation—Anne   had   no
  Uppercross Hall before   her;   no  Landed  Estate;   no  Headship   of a
  family;   and   if   they   could   but   keep   Capt。   W。   from   being   made   a
  Baronet; she would not change situations with Anne。—It would be
  well   for   the  Eldest    Sister   if   she   were   equally   satisfied   with  her
  situation; for a change is not very probable there。—She had soon
  the   mortification   of   seeing   Mr   E。   withdraw;   &   no   one   of   proper
  condition has since presented himself to raise even the unfounded
  hopes     which     sunk    with   him。    The     news    of   his   Cousin     Anne’s
  engagement burst on Mr Elliot most unexpectedly。 It deranged his
  best   plan   of   domestic   Happiness;   his   best   hopes   of   keeping   Sir
  Walter     single    by  the   watchfulness       which     a  son   in   law’s   rights
  would have given—But tho’ discomfited & disappointed; he could
  still  do  something  for  his   own interest  &   his   own   enjoyment。   He
  Classics in Literature: Jane Austen                                              ElecBook
  … Page 302…
  Jane Austen: Persuasion                            302
  soon    quitted    Bath   and    on  Mrs    Clay’s   quitting   it  likewise   soon
  afterwards       &   being    next   heard    of;  as   established     under    his
  Protection in London; it was evident how double a Game he  had
  been   playing;   &     how   determined      he   was   to  save   himself    from
  being cut out by one artful woman at least。—Mrs Clay’s affections
  had overpowered her Interest; & she had sacrificed for the Young
  Man’s sake; the possibility of scheming longer for Sir Walter;—she
  has Abilities however as well as Affections; and it is now a doubtful
  point    whether     his  cunning     or  hers   may    finally   carry   the   day;
  whether; after preventing her from being the wife of Sir Walter; he
  may not be wheedled & caressed at last into making her the wife
  of Sir William。
  It cannot be doubted that Sir Walter & Elizabeth were shocked
  & mortified by the loss of their companion & the discovery of their
  deception in her。 They had their great cousins to be sure; to resort
  to   for   comfort—but   they   must   long   feel   that   to   flatter   &   follow
  others; without being flattered & followed themselves is but a state
  of half enjoyment。
  Anne; satisfied at a very early period; of Lady Russell’s meaning
  to love Capt。 W。 as she ought; had no other alloy to the happiness
  of   her   prospects;     than   what    arose    from   the   consciousness       of
  having no relations to bestow on him which a Man of Sense could
  value。—There;         she     felt   her    own     Inferiority     keenly。—The
  disproportion in their fortunes was nothing;—it did not give her a
  moment’s   regret;—but   to   have   no   Family   to   receive   &   estimate
  him properly; nothing of respectability; of Harmony; of Goodwill to
  offer in return for all the Worth & all the prompt welcome which
  met her in his Brothers & Sisters; was a source of as lively pain; as
  her    Mind     could   well   be   sensible    of;  under     circumstances       of
  Classics in Literature: Jane Austen                                         ElecBook
  … Page 303…
  Jane Austen: Persuasion                              303
  otherwise strong felicity。—She had but  two  friends   in   the  World;
  to  add   to  his   List;   Lady  R。  &   Mrs   Smith。—To  those  however;   he
  was very well…disposed to attach himself。 Lady R。 inspite of all her
  former transgressions; he could now value from his heart;—while
  he was not obliged to say that he believed her to have been right in
  originally dividing them; he was ready to say almost anything else
  in   her   favour;—&   as   for   Mrs   Smith;   she   had   claims   of   various
  kinds     to  recommend        her   quickly    &    permanently。—Her          recent
  good   offices   by Anne   had been   enough  in   themselves—and   their
  marriage; instead of depriving her of one friend secured her two。
  She was one of their first visitors in their settled Life—and Capt。
  Wentworth; by putting her in the way of recovering her Husband’s
  property in the W。 Indies; by writing for her; & acting for her; &
  seeing  her  through  all   the   petty   Difficulties   of   the   case;   with   the
  activity & exertion of a fearless Man; & a determined friend; fully
  requited      the  services    she   had   rendered;      or  had   ever   meant     to
  render;   to  his Wife。   Mrs   Smith’s   enjoyments   were   not spoiled  by
  this improvement of Income; with some improvement of health; &
  the     acquisition     of   such    friends     to   be   often    with;    for   her
  chearfulness   &   mental   Activity   did   not   fail       her;  &   while   those
  prime   supplies   of   Good   remained;   she   might   have   bid   defiance
  even to greater accessions of worldly Prosperity。 She might  have
  been   absolutely   rich   &   perfectly   healthy;   &   yet   be   happy。—Her
  spring   of   Felicity   was   in   the   glow   of   her   Spirits—as   her   friend
  Anne’s   was   in   the   warmth   of   her   Heart。—Anne   was   Tenderness
  itself;—and       she   had   the   full  wort