登陆注册
26267200000029

第29章 MEPHISTOPHELES ON A STEAMER(2)

"No! Not you, Mr. Aynesworth. Mr. Wingrave understands so much better how to wrap me up. Thanks! Won't you sit down yourself? It's much better for you out here than in the smoking room--and we might go on with our argument.""I thought," Wingrave remarked, accepting her invitation after a moment's hesitation, "that we were to abandon it.""That was before dinner," she answered, glancing sideways at him. "I feel braver now.""You are prepared," he remarked, "for unconditional surrender?"She looked at him again. She had rather nice eyes, quite dark and very soft, and she was a great believer in their efficacy.

"Of my argument?"

He did not answer her for a moment. He had turned his head slightly towards her, and though his face was, as usual, expressionless, and his eyes cold and hard, she found nevertheless something of meaning in his steady regard. There was a flush in her cheek when she looked away.

"I am afraid," she remarked, "that you are rather a terrible person.""You flatter me," he murmured. "I am really quite harmless!""Not from conviction then, I am sure," she remarked.

"Perhaps not," he admitted. "Let us call it from lack of enterprise! The virtues are all very admirable things, but it is the men and women with vices who have ruled the world. The good die young because there is no useful work for them to do. No really satisfactory person, from a moral point of view, ever achieved greatness!"She half closed her eyes.

"My head is going round," she murmured. "What an upheaval! Fancy Mephistopheles on a steamer!""He was, at any rate, the most interesting of that little trio," Wingrave remarked, "but even he was a trifle heavy.""Do you go about the world preaching your new doctrines?" she asked.

"Not I!" he answered. "Nothing would every make a missionary of me, for good or for evil, for the ****** reason that no one else's welfare except my own has the slightest concern for me.""What hideous selfishness!" she said softly. "But I don't think--you quite mean it?""I can assure you I do," he answered drily. "My world consists of myself for the central figure, and the half a dozen or so of people who are useful or amusing to me! Except that the rest are needed to keep moving the machinery of the world, they might all perish, so far as I was concerned.""I don't think," Mrs. Travers said softly, "that I should like to be in your world.""I can very easily believe you," he answered.

"Unless," she remarked tentatively, "I came to convert!"He nodded.

"There is something in that," he admitted. "It would be a great work, a little difficult, you know.""All the more interesting!"

"You see," he continued, "I am not only bad, but I admire badness. My wish is to remain bad--in fact, I should like to be worse if I knew how. You would find it hard to make a start. I couldn't even admit that a state of goodness was desirable!"She looked at him curiously. The night air was perhaps getting colder, for she shivered, and drew the rug a little closer around her.

"You speak like a prophet," she remarked.

"A prophet of evil then!"

She looked at him steadfastly. The lightness had gone out of her tone.

"Do you know," she said, "I am almost sorry that I ever knew you?"He shook his head.

"You can't mean it," he declared.

"Why not?"

"I have done you the greatest service one human being can render another! Ihave saved you from being bored!"

She nodded.

"That may be true," she admitted. "But can you conceive no worse state in the world than being bored?""There is no worse state," he answered drily. "I was bored once," he added, "for ten years or so; I ought to know!""Were you married?" she asked.

He shook his head.

"Not quite so bad as that," he answered. "I was in prison!"She turned a startled face towards him.

"Nonsense!"

"It is perfectly true," he said coolly. "Are you horrified?""What did you do?" she asked in a low tone.

"I killed a man."

"Purposely?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"He attacked me! I had to defend myself."

She said nothing for several moments.

"Shall I go?" he asked.

"No! Sit still," she answered. "I am frightened of you, but I don't want you to go away. I want to think . . . . Yes! I can understand you better now! Your life was spoilt!""By no means," he answered. "I am still young! I am going to make up for those ten years."She shook her head.

"You cannot," she answered. "The years can carry no more than their ordinary burden of sensations. If you try to fill them too full, you lose everything.""I shall try what I can do!" he remarked calmly.

She rose abruptly.

"I am afraid of you tonight," she said. "I am going downstairs. Will you give my rug and cushion to the deck steward? And--good night."She gave him her hand, but she did not look at him, and she hurried away a little abruptly.

Wingrave yawned, and lighting a cigar, strolled up and down the deck. A figure loomed out of the darkness and almost ran into him. It was the young man in the serge suit. He muttered a clumsy apology and hurried on.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 手心里的温热

    手心里的温热

    你抢走了我的一切。。。还不够吗?女孩目光暗淡下了,嘴角扬起来一抹意味深长的笑,墙角有被打碎的瓷瓶的碎片,从女孩的眼眶划出一道道泪痕。一声声压抑的、痛苦的唏嘘,仿佛是从她灵魂的深处艰难地一丝丝地抽出来,散布在屋里,织出一幅暗蓝的悲哀。灯光也变得朦胧浅淡了。。。
  • 斩天煞

    斩天煞

    九霄四域,浩瀚无垠,四道圣者林立,少年季雄,身处乱世大道,何去何存。千年后天降懿旨,诸圣争天之五道神位,乱天动地。新的大道诞生,冥域这个神秘新生力量出现。沉睡的远古战魂燃烧最后的辉煌。是结束还是开始,宿命中的巅峰之战何时到来何人谱写万年后血与火,情与恨的九霄苍穹,戟指傲问苍天,我主沉浮你可服气。QQ群:46853460
  • 首长大人:扑倒骄傲小老婆

    首长大人:扑倒骄傲小老婆

    当韩亦冉回到中国时,怎么也不会想到她被一个看似禁欲系的男神军官给看上了。传言,男神军官冷血无情。韩亦冉不止一次抱怨传言不可信,人们口中那个冷血无情的禁欲系男神真的是那个每天晚上吵着要她生包子的流氓吗........
  • 命运的幻想激奏

    命运的幻想激奏

    冒险者,一个收钱就可以为你办任何事的职业,一个高风险与高收益并存的职业。这是一个失去记忆的少年与两名少女,以冒险者的身份在世界这个舞台上活跃的故事。
  • 红颜未嫣

    红颜未嫣

    世界第一杀手,为报血海深仇,深入虎穴,却被最亲的人背叛,含恨而死。穿越到古代,她是花痴女,被家族抛弃。没关系,她不稀罕,她志在报仇。然而她却发现自己身世迷离,危险重重。且看她如何在古代游刃有余,重生归来,报得不共戴天之仇。
  • 我的爱,悄然绽放

    我的爱,悄然绽放

    “我的爱情,就如同最最平凡的蒲公英,不知不觉间,已悄然绽放成一片花海。”林宝瓶,冯婷婷,是发小,还是姐妹?徐子彧,高劲飞,是战友,还是兄弟?高劲松,最终又会情归何处?***********************若阿落落的文字还能让你喜欢,那么请支持一下阿落落的其他小说,希望阿落落的每一篇文字,都能带给你一点点感动。谢谢!《落红尘》阿落落http://novel.hongxiu.com/a/304897/《我以花的名义……》七蕊http://novel.hongxiu.com/a/312931/《左手成全右手爱》七蕊http://novel.hongxiu.com/a/314332/**********************
  • 巫者医者

    巫者医者

    简介无能,等以后想到再写吧无CP的可能要大些
  • 进化启示录

    进化启示录

    天外陨石降临地球,带来了丧尸、变异兽,也给人类带来了进化的契机。欢迎来到大进化时代,这里有形成了部族的丧尸,有进化出智慧的凶猛野兽,还有无数拥有超能力的人类进化者,而这一切背后,隐藏着的是外星异种入侵的阴谋。这是一个充满死亡和杀戮的世界,这是一个泯灭了人性和道义的时代。悠闲的小青年张珞在不知不觉中卷入了这大进化时代,他不想做英雄不想当霸主,只想带着身边的人好好活下去,为此他只能不断的战斗、变强。且看张珞手持利刃,如何在这末世大进化中斩出一条属于自己的路!!!!让我们共同领略这波澜壮阔的末世大进化时代!!!————————————————————————————————————新人新书。七分会呈现一个完整浩瀚热血的末世给大家,求推荐收藏,谢谢大家的支持!!!
  • 农女的种田手札

    农女的种田手札

    一朝穿越,白领变成农家女,家徒四壁漏风又漏雨,家无余粮余钱简直要人死!弟弟年幼,爹爹病弱,极品亲戚接踵来糟践,尼玛,老虎不发威,当她是病猫!嫌她没有娘?嫌她家没钱没田?撸起袖子做生意,卖香菇、置田地、建新屋、开店铺,日子红红火火过起来!(本文纯属虚构,请勿模仿。)
  • 绕城

    绕城

    本书是中国当代原创长篇小说,通过主人公所经历的求学和恋爱故事,真实而生动地描述了二十一世纪初的青年人复杂的情感纠葛和成长中的心路变化。