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第6章

[夜与日].(night.and.day).(英)弗吉尼亚·伍尔芙.文字版-第6章


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he began to repeat what Mr。 Fortescue had said; in Mr。 
Fortescue’s own manner; about Manchester。 His mind then 
began to wander about the house; and he wondered 
whether there were other rooms like the drawingroom; 
and he thought; inconsequently; how beautiful the bathroom 
must be; and how leisurely it was—the life of these 
wellkept people; who were; no doubt; still sitting in the 
same room; only they had changed their clothes; and 
little Mr。 Anning was there; and the aunt who would mind 
if the glass of her father’s picture was broken。 Miss Hilbery 
had changed her dress (“although she’s wearing such a 
pretty one;” he heard her mother say); and she was talk


ing to Mr。 Anning; who was well over forty; and bald into 
the bargain; about books。 How peaceful and spacious it 
was; and the peace possessed him so pletely that his 
muscles slackened; his book drooped from his hand; and 
he forgot that the hour of work was wasting minute by 
minute。 

He was roused by a creak upon the stair。 With a guilty 
start he posed himself; frowned and looked intently at 
the fiftysixth page of his volume。 A step paused outside 
his door; and he knew that the person; whoever it might 
be; was considering the placard; and debating whether to 
honor its decree or not。 Certainly; policy advised him to sit 
still in autocratic silence; for no custom can take root in a 
family unless every breach of it is punished severely for 
the first six months or so。 But Ralph was conscious of a 
distinct wish to be interrupted; and his disappointment 
was perceptible when he heard the creaking sound rather 
farther down the stairs; as if his visitor had decided to 
withdraw。 He rose; opened the door with unnecessary 
abruptness; and waited on the landing。 The person stopped 
simultaneously half a flight downstairs。 

20 



Virginia Woolf 

“Ralph?” said a voice; inquiringly。 

“Joan?” 

“I was ing up; but I saw your notice。” 

“Well; e along in; then。” He concealed his desire 
beneath a tone as grudging as he could make it。 

Joan came in; but she was careful to show; by standing 
upright with one hand upon the mantelpiece; that she 
was only there for a definite purpose; which discharged; 
she would go。 

She was older than Ralph by some three or four years。 
Her face was round but worn; and expressed that tolerant 
but anxious good humor which is the special attribute of 
elder sisters in large families。 Her pleasant brown eyes 
resembled Ralph’s; save in expression; for whereas he 
seemed to look straightly and keenly at one object; she 
appeared to be in the habit of considering everything 
from many different points of view。 This made her appear 
his elder by more years than existed in fact between them。 
Her gaze rested for a moment or two upon the rook。 She 
then said; without any preface: 

“It’s about Charles and Uncle John’s offer… 。 Mother’s 

been talking to me。 She says she can’t afford to pay for 
him after this term。 She says she’ll have to ask for an 
overdraft as it is。” 

“That’s simply not true;” said Ralph。 

“No。 I thought not。 But she won’t believe me when I 
say it。” 

Ralph; as if he could foresee the length of this familiar 
argument; drew up a chair for his sister and sat down 
himself。 

“I’m not interrupting?” she inquired。 

Ralph shook his head; and for a time they sat silent。 
The lines curved themselves in semicircles above their 
eyes。 

“She doesn’t understand that one’s got to take risks;” 
he observed; finally。 

“I believe mother would take risks if she knew that 
Charles was the sort of boy to profit by it。” 

“He’s got brains; hasn’t he?” said Ralph。 His tone had 
taken on that shade of pugnacity which suggested to his 
sister that some personal grievance drove him to take 
the line he did。 She wondered what it might be; but at 

21 



Night and Day 

once recalled her mind; and assented。 

“In some ways he’s fearfully backward; though; pared 
with what you were at his age。 And he’s difficult at 
home; too。 He makes Molly slave for him。” 

Ralph made a sound which belittled this particular argument。 
It was plain to Joan that she had struck one of 
her brother’s perverse moods; and he was going to oppose 
whatever his mother said。 He called her “she;” which 
was a proof of it。 She sighed involuntarily; and the sigh 
annoyed Ralph; and he exclaimed with irritation: 

“It’s pretty hard lines to stick a boy into an office at 
seventeen!” 

“Nobody wants to stick him into an office;” she said。 

She; too; was being annoyed。 She had spent the 
whole of the afternoon discussing wearisome details of 
education and expense with her mother; and she had e 
to her brother for help; encouraged; rather irrationally; 
to expect help by the fact that he had been out somewhere; 
she didn’t know and didn’t mean to ask where; all 
the afternoon。 

Ralph was fond of his sister; and her irritation made 

him think how unfair it was that all these burdens should 
be laid on her shoulders。 

“The truth is;” he observed gloomily; “that I ought to 
have accepted Uncle John’s offer。 I should have been 
making six hundred a year by this time。” 

“I don’t think that for a moment;” Joan replied quickly; 
repenting of her annoyance。 “The question; to my mind; is; 
whether we couldn’t cut down our expenses in some way。” 

“A smaller house?” 

“Fewer servants; perhaps。” 

Neither brother nor sister spoke with much conviction; 
and after reflecting for a moment what these proposed 
reforms in a strictly economical household meant; Ralph 
announced very decidedly: 

“It’s out of the question。” 

It was out of the question that she should put any 
more household work upon herself。 No; the hardship must 
fall on him; for he was determined that his family should 
have as many chances of distinguishing themselves as 
other families had—as the Hilberys had; for example。 He 
believed secretly and rather defiantly; for it was a fact 

22 



Virginia Woolf 

not capable of proof; that there was something very re


markable about his family。 

“If mother won’t run risks—” 

“You really can’t expect her to sell out again。” 

“She ought to look upon it as an investment; but if she 
won’t; we must find some other way; that’s all。” 

A threat was contained in this sentence; and Joan knew; 
without asking; what the threat was。 In the course of his 
professional life; which now extended over six or seven 
years; Ralph had saved; perhaps; three or four hundred 
pounds。 Considering the sacrifices he had made in order 
to put by this sum it always amazed Joan to find that he 
used it to gamble with; buying shares and selling them 
again; increasing it sometimes; sometimes diminishing 
it; and always running the risk of losing every penny of it 
in a day’s disaster。 But although she wondered; she could 
not help loving him the better for his odd bination of 
Spartan selfcontrol and what appeared to her romantic 
and childish folly。 Ralph interested her more than any 
one else in the world; and she often broke off in the 
middle of one of these economic discussions; in spite of 

their gravity; to consider some fresh aspect of his character。 


“I think you’d be foolish to risk your money on poor old 
Charles;” she observed。 “Fond as I am of him; he doesn’t 
seem to me exactly brilliant… 。 Besides; why should you 
be sacrificed?” 

“My dear Joan;” Ralph exclaimed; stretching himself 
out with a gesture of impatience; “don’t you see that 
we’ve all got to be sacrificed? What’s the use of denying 
it? What’s the use of struggling against it? So it always 
has been; so it always will be。 We’ve got no money and 
we never shall have any money。 We shall just turn round 
in the mill every day of our lives until we drop and die; 
worn out; as most people do; when one es to think 
of it。” 

Joan looked at him; opened her lips as if to speak; and 
closed them again。 Then she said; very tentatively: 

“Aren’t you happy; Ralph?” 

“No。 Are you? Perhaps I’m a

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