-
Главная
-
- Книги
-
- Авторы
-
- Уильям Тэккерей
-
- Ярмарка тщеславия
-
- Стр. 269/431
Для того чтобы воспользоваться озвучкой предложений, необходимо
Войти или зарегистрироваться
Озвучка предложений доступна при наличии PRO-доступа
Купить PRO-доступ
Briggs
tried
to
live
with
her
relations
in
the
country
,
but
found
that
attempt
was
vain
after
the
better
society
to
which
she
had
been
accustomed
.
Briggs
's
friends
,
small
tradesmen
,
in
a
country
town
,
quarrelled
over
Miss
Briggs
's
forty
pounds
a
year
as
eagerly
and
more
openly
than
Miss
Crawley
's
kinsfolk
had
for
that
lady
's
inheritance
.
Briggs
's
brother
,
a
radical
hatter
and
grocer
,
called
his
sister
a
purse-proud
aristocrat
,
because
she
would
not
advance
a
part
of
her
capital
to
stock
his
shop
;
and
she
would
have
done
so
most
likely
,
but
that
their
sister
,
a
dissenting
shoemaker
's
lady
,
at
variance
with
the
hatter
and
grocer
,
who
went
to
another
chapel
,
showed
how
their
brother
was
on
the
verge
of
bankruptcy
,
and
took
possession
of
Briggs
for
a
while
.
The
dissenting
shoemaker
wanted
Miss
Briggs
to
send
his
son
to
college
and
make
a
gentleman
of
him
.
Between
them
the
two
families
got
a
great
portion
of
her
private
savings
out
of
her
,
and
finally
she
fled
to
London
followed
by
the
anathemas
of
both
,
and
determined
to
seek
for
servitude
again
as
infinitely
less
onerous
than
liberty
.
And
advertising
in
the
papers
that
a
"
Gentlewoman
of
agreeable
manners
,
and
accustomed
to
the
best
society
,
was
anxious
to
,
"
&
c.
,
she
took
up
her
residence
with
Mr.
Bowls
in
Half
Moon
Street
,
and
waited
the
result
of
the
advertisement
.
So
it
was
that
she
fell
in
with
Rebecca
.
Mrs.
Rawdon
's
dashing
little
carriage
and
ponies
was
whirling
down
the
street
one
day
,
just
as
Miss
Briggs
,
fatigued
,
had
reached
Mr.
Bowls
's
door
,
after
a
weary
walk
to
the
Times
Office
in
the
City
to
insert
her
advertisement
for
the
sixth
time
.
Rebecca
was
driving
,
and
at
once
recognized
the
gentlewoman
with
agreeable
manners
,
and
being
a
perfectly
good-humoured
woman
,
as
we
have
seen
,
and
having
a
regard
for
Briggs
,
she
pulled
up
the
ponies
at
the
doorsteps
,
gave
the
reins
to
the
groom
,
and
jumping
out
,
had
hold
of
both
Briggs
's
hands
,
before
she
of
the
agreeable
manners
had
recovered
from
the
shock
of
seeing
an
old
friend
.
Briggs
cried
,
and
Becky
laughed
a
great
deal
and
kissed
the
gentlewoman
as
soon
as
they
got
into
the
passage
;
and
thence
into
Mrs.
Bowls
's
front
parlour
,
with
the
red
moreen
curtains
,
and
the
round
looking-glass
,
with
the
chained
eagle
above
,
gazing
upon
the
back
of
the
ticket
in
the
window
which
announced
"
Apartments
to
Let
.
"
Briggs
told
all
her
history
amidst
those
perfectly
uncalled-for
sobs
and
ejaculations
of
wonder
with
which
women
of
her
soft
nature
salute
an
old
acquaintance
,
or
regard
a
rencontre
in
the
street
;
for
though
people
meet
other
people
every
day
,
yet
some
there
are
who
insist
upon
discovering
miracles
;
and
women
,
even
though
they
have
disliked
each
other
,
begin
to
cry
when
they
meet
,
deploring
and
remembering
the
time
when
they
last
quarrelled
.
So
,
in
a
word
,
Briggs
told
all
her
history
,
and
Becky
gave
a
narrative
of
her
own
life
,
with
her
usual
artlessness
and
candour
.
Mrs.
Bowls
,
late
Firkin
,
came
and
listened
grimly
in
the
passage
to
the
hysterical
sniffling
and
giggling
which
went
on
in
the
front
parlour
.
Becky
had
never
been
a
favourite
of
hers
.
Since
the
establishment
of
the
married
couple
in
London
they
had
frequented
their
former
friends
of
the
house
of
Raggles
,
and
did
not
like
the
latter
's
account
of
the
Colonel
's
menage
.
"
I
would
n't
trust
him
,
Ragg
,
my
boy
,
"
Bowls
remarked
;
and
his
wife
,
when
Mrs.
Rawdon
issued
from
the
parlour
,
only
saluted
the
lady
with
a
very
sour
curtsey
;
and
her
fingers
were
like
so
many
sausages
,
cold
and
lifeless
,
when
she
held
them
out
in
deference
to
Mrs.
Rawdon
,
who
persisted
in
shaking
hands
with
the
retired
lady
's
maid
.
She
whirled
away
into
Piccadilly
,
nodding
with
the
sweetest
of
smiles
towards
Miss
Briggs
,
who
hung
nodding
at
the
window
close
under
the
advertisement-card
,
and
at
the
next
moment
was
in
the
park
with
a
half-dozen
of
dandies
cantering
after
her
carriage
.
When
she
found
how
her
friend
was
situated
,
and
how
having
a
snug
legacy
from
Miss
Crawley
,
salary
was
no
object
to
our
gentlewoman
,
Becky
instantly
formed
some
benevolent
little
domestic
plans
concerning
her
.
This
was
just
such
a
companion
as
would
suit
her
establishment
,
and
she
invited
Briggs
to
come
to
dinner
with
her
that
very
evening
,
when
she
should
see
Becky
's
dear
little
darling
Rawdon
.
Mrs.
Bowls
cautioned
her
lodger
against
venturing
into
the
lion
's
den
,
"
wherein
you
will
rue
it
,
Miss
B.
,
mark
my
words
,
and
as
sure
as
my
name
is
Bowls
.
"
And
Briggs
promised
to
be
very
cautious
The
upshot
of
which
caution
was
that
she
went
to
live
with
Mrs.
Rawdon
the
next
week
,
and
had
lent
Rawdon
Crawley
six
hundred
pounds
upon
annuity
before
six
months
were
over
.
