THE TWO PEARLS OF ALLINGTON
"But Mr Crosbie is only a mere clerk." This sarcastic condemnation was
spoken by Miss Lilian Dale to her sister Isabella, and referred to a
gentleman with whom we shall have much concern in these pages. I do not
say that Mr Crosbie will be our hero, seeing that that part in the
drama will be cut up, as it were, into fragments. Whatever of the
magnificent may be produced will be diluted and apportioned out in very
moderate quantities among two or more, probably among three or four,
young gentlemen--to none of whom will be vouchsafed the privilege of
much heroic action.
"I don't know what you call a mere clerk, Lily. Mr Fanfaron is a mere
barrister, and Mr Boyce is a mere clergyman." Mr Boyce was the vicar of
Allington, and Mr Fanfaron was a lawyer who had made his way over to
Allington during the last assizes. "You might as well say that Lord de
Guest is a mere earl."
"So he is--only a mere earl. Had he ever done anything except have fat
oxen, one wouldn't say so. You know what I mean by a mere clerk? It
isn't much in a man to be in a public office, and yet Mr Crosbie gives
himself airs."
"You don't suppose that Mr Crosbie is the same as John Eames," said
Bell, who, by her tone of voice, did not seem inclined to undervalue
the qualifications of Mr Crosbie. Now John Eames was a young man from
Guestwick, who had been appointed to a clerkship in the Income-tax
Office, with eighty pounds a year, two years ago.
"Then Johnny Eames is a mere clerk," said Lily; "and Mr Crosbie
is--After all, Bell, what is Mr Crosbie, if he is not a mere clerk? Of
course, he is older than John Eames; and, as he has been longer at it,
I suppose he has more than eighty pounds a year."
"I am not in Mr Crosbie's confidence. He is in the General Committee
Office, I know; and, I believe, has pretty nearly the management of the
whole of it. I have heard Bernard say that he has six or seven young
men under him, and that--but, of course, I don't know what he does at
his office."
"I'll tell you what he is, Bell; Mr Crosbie is a swell." And Lilian
Dale was right; Mr Crosbie was a swell.
...
After the sentence pronounced against him by Lilian, the two girls
remained silent for awhile. Bell was, perhaps, a little angry with her
sister. It was not often that she allowed herself to say much in praise
of any gentleman; and, now that she had spoken a word or two in favour
of Mr Crosbie, she felt herself to be rebuked by her sister for this
unwonted enthusiasm. Lily was at work on a drawing, and in a minute or
two had forgotten all about Mr Crosbie; but the injury remained on
Bell's mind and prompted her to go back to the subject." I don't like
those slang words, Lily."
"What slang words?"
"You know what you called Bernard's friend."
"Oh; a swell. I fancy I do like slang. I think it's awfully jolly to
talk about things being jolly. Only that I was afraid of your nerves I
should have called him stunning. It's so slow, you know, to use nothing
but words out of a dictionary."
"I don't think it's nice in talking of gentlemen."
"Isn't it? Well, I'd like to be nice--if I knew how." If she knew how!
There is no knowing how, for a girl, in that matter. If nature and her
mother have not done it for her, there is no hope for her on that head.
I think I may say that nature and her mother had been sufficiently
efficacious for Lilian Dale in this respect.
"Mr Crosbie is, at any rate, a gentleman, and knows how to make himself
pleasant. That was all that I meant. Mamma said a great deal more about
him than I did."
"Mr Crosbie is an Apollo; and I always look upon Apollo as the
greatest--you know what--that ever lived. I mustn't say the word, because
Apollo was a gentleman." At this moment, while the name of the god was
still on her lips, the high open window of the drawing-room was
darkened, and Bernard entered, followed by Mr Crosbie.
"Who is talking about Apollo?" said Captain Dale.
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взято из: Anthony Trollope, "The Small House at Allington"
целиком здесь: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/4599