Скорбь сатаны/The Tribulation of Satan (Мари Корелли). Страница 142 из 279

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Early

in

April

I

made

my

first

visit

to

Willowsmere

,

having

received

information

from

the

head

of

the

firm

of

decorators

and

furnishers

employed

there

,

that

their

work

was

close

on

completion

,

and

that

they

would

be

glad

of

a

visit

of

inspection

from

me

.

Lucio

and

I

went

down

together

for

the

day

,

and

as

the

train

rushed

through

a

green

and

smiling

landscape

,

bearing

us

away

from

the

smoke

,

dirt

and

noise

of

the

restless

modern

Babylon

,

I

was

conscious

of

a

gradually

deepening

peace

and

pleasure

.

The

first

sight

of

the

place

I

had

recklessly

purchased

without

so

much

as

looking

at

it

,

filled

me

with

delight

and

admiration

.

It

was

a

beautiful

old

house

,

ideally

English

and

suggestive

of

home-happiness

.

Ivy

and

jessamine

clung

to

its

red

walls

and

picturesque

gables

--

through

the

long

vista

of

the

exquisitely

wooded

grounds

,

the

silver

gleam

of

the

Avon

river

could

be

discerned

,

twisting

in

and

out

like

a

ribbon

tied

in

true

love-knots

--

the

trees

and

shrubs

were

sprouting

forth

in

all

their

fresh

spring

beauty

--

the

aspect

of

the

country

was

indescribably

bright

and

soothing

,

and

I

began

to

feel

as

if

a

burden

had

been

suddenly

lifted

from

my

life

leaving

me

free

to

breathe

and

enjoy

my

liberty

.

I

strolled

from

room

to

room

of

my

future

abode

,

admiring

the

taste

and

skill

with

which

the

whole

place

had

been

fitted

and

furnished

,

down

to

the

smallest

detail

of

elegance

,

comfort

and

convenience

.

Here

my

Sibyl

was

born

,

I

thought

,

with

a

lover-like

tenderness

--

here

she

would

dwell

again

as

my

wife

,

amid

the

lovely

and

beloved

surroundings

of

her

childhood

--

and

we

should

be

happy

--

yes

,

we

should

be

happy

,

despite

all

the

dull

and

heartless

social

doctrines

of

the

modern

world

.

In

the

spacious

and

beautiful

drawing-room

I

stopped

to

look

out

from

the

windows

on

the

entrancing

view

of

lawn

and

woodland

that

stretched

before

me

--

and

as

I

looked

,

a

warm

sense

of

gratitude

and

affection

filled

me

for

the

friend

to

whose

good

offices

I

owed

this

fair

domain

.

Turning

,

I

grasped

him

by

the

hand

.

"

It

is

all

your

doing

,

Lucio

!

"

I

said

--

"

I

feel

I

can

never

thank

you

enough

!

Without

you

I

should

perhaps

never

have

met

Sibyl

--

I

might

never

have

heard

of

her

,

or

of

Willowsmere

;

and

I

never

could

have

been

as

happy

as

I

am

to-day

!

"

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"

Oh

,

you

are

happy

then

?

"

he

queried

with

a

little

smile

--

"

I

fancied

you

were

not

!

"

"

Well

--

I

have

not

been

as

happy

as

I

expected

to

be

;

"

I

confessed

--

"

Something

in

my

sudden

accession

to

wealth

seems

to

have

dragged

me

down

rather

than

lifted

me

up

--

--

it

is

strange

--

--

"

"

It

is

not

strange

at

all

"

--

he

interrupted

--

"

on

the

contrary

it

is

very

natural

.

As

a

rule

the

most

miserable

people

in

the

world

are

the

rich

.

"

"

Are

you

miserable

,

for

instance

?

"

I

asked

,

smiling

.

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His

eyes

rested

on

me

with

a

dark

and

dreary

pathos

.

"

Are

you

too

blind

to

see

that

I

am

?

"

he

answered

,

his

accents

vibrating

with

intense

melancholy

--

"

Can

you

think

I

am

happy

?

Does

the

smile

I

wear

--

the

disguising

smile

men

put

on

as

a

mask

to

hide

their

secret

agonies

from

the

pitiless

gaze

of

unsympathetic

fellow-creatures

--

persuade

you

that

I

am

free

from

care

?

As

for

my

wealth

--

I

have

never

told

you

the

extent

of

it

;

if

I

did

,

it

might

indeed

amaze

you

,

though

I

believe

it

would

not

now

arouse

your

envy

,

considering

that

your

trifling

five

millions

have

not

been

without

effect

in

depressing

your

mind

.

But

I

--

I

could

buy

up

kingdoms

and

be

none

the

poorer

--

I

could

throne

and

unthrone

kings

and

be

none

the

wiser

--

I

could

crush

whole

countries

under

the

iron

heel

of

financial

speculation

--

I

could

possess

the

world

--

and

yet

estimate

it

at

no

higher

value

than

I

do

now

--

the

value

of

a

grain

of

dust

circling

through

infinity

,

or

a

soap-bubble

blown

on

the

wind

!

"

His

brows

knitted

--

his

face

expressed

pride

,

scorn

and

sorrow

.

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