登陆注册
26212200000011

第11章 VILLA RUBEIN(9)

The train stopped with a jerk; she looked round at him.It was as though she had said: "You are my friend."At Villa Rubein, Herr Paul had killed the fatted calf for Greta's Fest.When the whole party were assembled, he alone remained standing; and waving his arm above the cloth, cried: "My dears! Your happiness! There are good things here--Come!" And with a sly look, the air of a conjurer producing rabbits, he whipped the cover off the soup tureen:

"Soup-turtle, fat, green fat!" He smacked his lips.

No servants were allowed, because, as Greta said to Harz:

"It is that we are to be glad this evening."Geniality radiated from Herr Paul's countenance, mellow as a bowl of wine.He toasted everybody, exhorting them to pleasure.

Harz passed a cracker secretly behind Greta's head, and Miss Naylor, moved by a mysterious impulse, pulled it with a sort of gleeful horror; it exploded, and Greta sprang off her chair.Scruff, seeing this, appeared suddenly on the sideboard with his forelegs in a plate of soup; without moving them, he turned his head, and appeared to accuse the company of his false position.It was the signal for shrieks of laughter.Scruff made no attempt to free his forelegs;but sniffed the soup, and finding that nothing happened, began to lap it.

"Take him out! Oh! take him out!" wailed Greta, "he shall be ill!""Allons! Mon cher!" cried Herr Paul, "c'est magnifique, mais, vous savez, ce nest guere la guerre!" Scruff, with a wild spring, leaped past him to the ground.

"Ah!" cried Miss Naylor, "the carpet!" Fresh moans of mirth shook the table; for having tasted the wine of laughter, all wanted as much more as they could get.When Scruff and his traces were effaced, Herr Paul took a ladle in his hand.

"I have a toast," he said, waving it for silence; "a toast we will drink all together from our hearts; the toast of my little daughter, who to-day has thirteen years become; and there is also in our hearts," he continued, putting down the ladle and suddenly becoming grave, "the thought of one who is not today with us to see this joyful occasion; to her, too, in this our happiness we turn our hearts and glasses because it is her joy that we should yet be joyful.I drink to my little daughter; may God her shadow bless!"All stood up, clinking their glasses, and drank: then, in the hush that followed, Greta, according to custom, began to sing a German carol; at the end of the fourth line she stopped, abashed.

Heir Paul blew his nose loudly, and, taking up a cap that had fallen from a cracker, put it on.

Every one followed his example, Miss Naylor attaining the distinction of a pair of donkey's ears, which she wore, after another glass of wine, with an air of sacrificing to the public good.

At the end of supper came the moment for the offering of gifts.Herr Paul had tied a handkerchief over Greta's eyes, and one by one they brought her presents.Greta, under forfeit of a kiss, was bound to tell the giver by the feel of the gift.Her swift, supple little hands explored noiselessly; and in every case she guessed right.

Dawney's present, a kitten, made a scene by clawing at her hair.

"That is Dr.Edmund's," she cried at once.Christian saw that Harz had disappeared, but suddenly he came back breathless, and took his place at the end of the rank of givers.

Advancing on tiptoe, he put his present into Greta's hands.It was a small bronze copy of a Donatello statue.

"Oh, Herr Harz!" cried Greta; "I saw it in the studio that day.It stood on the table, and it is lovely."Mrs.Decie, thrusting her pale eyes close to it, murmured:

"Charming!"

Mr.Treffry took it in his forgers.

"Rum little toad! Cost a pot of money, I expect!" He eyed Harz doubtfully.

They went into the next room now, and Herr Paul, taking Greta's bandage, transferred it to his own eyes.

"Take care--take care, all!" he cried; "I am a devil of a catcher,"and, feeling the air cautiously, he moved forward like a bear about to hug.He caught no one.Christian and Greta whisked under his arms and left him grasping at the air.Mrs.Decie slipped past with astonishing agility.Mr.Treffry, smoking his cigar, and barricaded in a corner, jeered: "Bravo, Paul! The active beggar! Can't he run!

Go it, Greta!"

At last Herr Paul caught Cousin Teresa, who, fattened against the wall, lost her head, and stood uttering tiny shrieks.

Suddenly Mrs.Decie started playing The Blue Danube.Herr Paul dropped the handkerchief, twisted his moustache up fiercely, glared round the room, and seizing Greta by the waist, began dancing furiously, bobbing up and down like a cork in lumpy water.Cousin Teresa followed suit with Miss Naylor, both very solemn, and dancing quite different steps.Harz, went up to Christian.

"I can't dance," he said, "that is, I have only danced once, but--if you would try with me!"She put her hand on his arm, and they began.She danced, light as a feather, eyes shining, feet flying, her body bent a little forward.

It was not a great success at first, but as soon as the time had got into Harz's feet, they went swinging on when all the rest had stopped.Sometimes one couple or another slipped through the window to dance on the veranda, and came whirling in again.The lamplight glowed on the girls' white dresses; on Herr Paul's perspiring face.

He constituted in himself a perfect orgy, and when the music stopped flung himself, full length, on the sofa gasping out:

"My God! But, my God!"

Suddenly Christian felt Harz cling to her arm.

Glowing and panting she looked at him.

"Giddy!" he murmured: "I dance so badly; but I'll soon learn."Greta clapped her hands: "Every evening we will dance, every evening we will dance."Harz looked at Christian; the colour had deepened in her face.

"I'll show you how they dance in my village, feet upon the ceiling!"And running to Dawney, he said:

同类推荐
  • 叶衣观自在菩萨经

    叶衣观自在菩萨经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 医方集解

    医方集解

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 佛说阿含正行经

    佛说阿含正行经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 陆先生道门科略

    陆先生道门科略

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 甚希有经

    甚希有经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 如天使般爱你

    如天使般爱你

    谁说平凡人就注定和明星擦肩而过?只有我们才能把握自己的命运。一个浪漫的午后,一个无意间的机缘巧合,那日思夜想的面容如今呈现在自己眼前,变得越发真实。她默念,这只是一场甜美的梦而已。但,背后冰凉的触感却打断了她的思绪,间接地告诉她,这不是梦。年少青春的我们都曾熬夜追剧、暗恋明星,哪怕是多年过去,依旧如此。可明星,永远都不是遥不可及的神。他们就在那里,你不该只有自卑的心理和仅仅在荧屏上看见就疯狂到尖叫,也不该每每看到他的照片只有一股热泪盈眶的力量。然而拥有之后,更多的是舆论的压力和相差迥异的家庭背景。如果我们都没有被世间的利欲蒙蔽双眼,那么我在灯火阑珊处回眸,是否还能看见一如最初那个翩翩少年呢?
  • 王者荣耀神力的战争

    王者荣耀神力的战争

    本作品与fate系例类似,不过有些地方不太一样,所以请大家建立好一个新的世界观哦。所有人物形象都是原创,都选自历史或神话中的人物。这里共分了六个职业,它们分别是‘战士’、‘法师’、‘刺客’、‘坚盾’、‘破坏者’以及‘仲裁者’(被称为‘Special’职业)。本作品与游戏《王者荣誉》的背景故事没有任何关系。
  • 水浒天王传

    水浒天王传

    倒霉鬼晁盖挪动了西溪村的石塔,“托塔天王”之名传遍江湖,但不久后却突然身亡。在其丧礼之上,“晁盖”奇迹还阳,随后开始了一段惊天动地的水浒之旅,使得历史的车轮转向。
  • 一生要读的美丽唐诗

    一生要读的美丽唐诗

    唐诗是中华名族智慧的结晶,它如浩瀚的海洋,蕴藏着数不尽的珍宝。历代人吟之诵之,借此体味人生苦乐,感悟生活哲理,议论社会时弊……《时光文库:一生要读的美丽唐诗》的选编,参照了多种唐诗选本,提取各家精华,旨在于为广大读者提供一本普及型唐诗读物,从而弘扬民族文化,提高民族素质……
  • 灵异.

    灵异.

    超好看......................................................
  • 沧海莲在

    沧海莲在

    他是俊朗飘逸的冷面医仙——羽画,背负沉重的神祗血蛊,不能动情,不能动心,用冰冷的外表隔绝自己。一心寻找消失多年的神农氏炎曦圣女,开启碧落血莲之谜。她是天真烂漫的苗疆少女,孤身乞讨,头顶长着奇怪的牛角,被视为不祥妖物,受尽欺辱。在月圆夜的危难之际,她毫不犹豫地冲出来用身躯替他挡剑,他收她为徒儿,从此跟随身边。他不能动心,却情不自禁爱上了徒弟,日日夜夜,饱受噬心之苦。她爱上他,却不忍看他痛苦,拿起匕首毫不犹豫插进自己的胸膛。他一夜白头,青丝成雪。她堕入尘世,生死未卜。可是,那圣女身在何方,血莲,究竟何解……
  • 重生之麒麟决

    重生之麒麟决

    蜀山灵门,一个专门杀鬼捉妖的职业。破魔门主,一个代代独传的门派。传说中只有蜀山灵门和破魔门主联手才可灭掉妖皇,夺得麒麟决,从而恢复一个更为平衡的六界………
  • 彩虹时空记

    彩虹时空记

    从前有座彩虹山,团结友爱似桃源,落莲生和雅本是彩虹山的裔民,直到那一天,时光弄人,些许不同的命运让两条本该相交的线趋于平行,两人是否还能相遇,位面的穿越到底会遇到什么......
  • 搜神记

    搜神记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 狂野法师

    狂野法师

    我拥有黑色的眼睛,我却用这双眼睛来毁灭世界!拥有野蛮人,黑暗精灵血统的法师,将会统治无数的位面。谁说法师就一定是站在那里拿着法杖扔魔法,我就不一样,暴力法师,一样狂野。不一样的法师,不一样的魔法世界!尼欧拥有一对截然不同的眼睛,一只看向光明,可以带给亲人祝福,另外一只代表死亡,送给敌人。魔法战争,光与黑暗的战争,位面战争。法师将不再是龟缩在后面单单释放魔法的所在,而是可以冲锋陷阵,冲杀在最前方,同样可以展示暴力美学的职业。————-----------------------------------------------------------------苍龙会用心写好故事,希望大家喜欢,同时求收藏,推荐票,希望大家留下宝贵的意见,另外征求版主,龙套,可发站内短信,也可在书评区申请。谢谢大家!