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The Two Destinies
英语 BooksWhale 版本 · Wilkie Collins
A romantic mystery of childhood separation, reunion, prophecy, and the invisible forces that seem to bind two lives across time.
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图书简介
The Two Destinies
Collins combines emotional melodrama with supernatural uncertainty. The separated protagonists must decide whether their connection is fate, coincidence, or the result of choices made long before either can understand them.
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Published in 1876; Wilkie Collins died in 1889. The original English text is public domain under the United States term and life-plus-70 rules.
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预览章节Full text阅读预览
The Two Destinies
Wilkie Collins
预览章节The Prelude.预览
The Prelude.
预览章节THE GUEST WRITES AND TELLS THE STORY OF THE DINNER PARTY.预览
MANY years have passed since my wife and I left the United States to pay our first visit to England.
We were provided with letters of introduction, as a matter of course. Among them there was a letter which had been written for us by my wife’s brother. It presented us to an English gentleman who held a high rank on the list of his old and valued friends.
“You will become acquainted with Mr. George Germaine,” my brother-in-law said, when we took leave of him, “at a very interesting period of his life. My last news of him tells me that he is just married. I know nothing of the lady, or of the circumstances under which my friend first met with her. But of this I am certain: married or single, George Germaine will give you and your wife a hearty welcome to England, for my sake.”
The day after our arrival in London, we left our letter of introduction at the house of Mr. Germaine.
The next morning we went to see a favorite object of American interest, in the metropolis of England—the Tower of London. The citizens of the United States find this relic of the good old times of great use in raising their national estimate of the value of republican institutions. On getting back to the hotel, the cards of Mr. and Mrs. Germaine told us that they had already returned our visit. The same evening we received an invitation to dine with the newly married couple. It was inclosed in a little note from Mrs. Germaine to my wife, warning us that we were not to expect to meet a large party. “It is the first dinner we give, on our return from our wedding tour” (the lady wrote); “and you will only be introduced to a few of my husband’s old friends.”
In America, and (as I hear) on the continent of Europe also, when your host invites you to dine at a given hour, you pay him the compliment of arriving punctually at his house. In England alone, the incomprehensible and discourteous custom prevails of keeping the host and the dinner waiting for half an hour or more—without any assignable reason and without any better excuse than the purely formal apology that is implied in the words, “Sorry to be late.”
Arriving at the appointed time at the house of Mr. and Mrs. Germaine, we had every reason to congratulate ourselves on the ignorant punctuality which had brought us into the drawing-room half an hour in advance of the other guests.
In the first place, there was so much heartiness, and so little ceremony, in the welcome accorded to us, that we almost fancied ourselves back in our own country. In the second place, both husband and wife interested us the moment we set eyes on them. The lady, especially, although she was not, strictly speaking, a beautiful woman, quite fascinated us. There was an artless charm in her face and manner, a simple grace in all her movements, a low, delicious melody in her voice, which we Americans felt to be simply irresistible. And then, it was so plain (and so pleasant) to see that here at least was a happy marriage! Here were two people who had all their dearest hopes, wishes, and sympathies in common—who looked, if I may risk the expression, born to be man and wife. By the time when the fashionable delay of the half hour had expired, we were talking together as familiarly and as confidentially as if we had been all four of us old friends.
Eight o’clock struck, and the first of the English guests appeared.
Having forgotten this gentleman’s name, I must beg leave to distinguish him by means of a letter of the alphabet. Let me call him Mr. A. When he entered the room alone, our host and hostess both started, and both looked surprised. Apparently they expected him to be accompanied by some other person. Mr. Germaine put a curious question to his friend.
目录
本版本内容
- 01Full text
- 02The Prelude.
- 03THE GUEST WRITES AND TELLS THE STORY OF THE DINNER PARTY.
- 04The Narrative.
- 05GEORGE GERMAINE WRITES, AND TELLS HIS OWN LOVE STORY.
- 06CHAPTER I. GREENWATER BROAD
- 07CHAPTER II. TWO YOUNG HEARTS.
- 08CHAPTER III. SWEDENBORG AND THE SIBYL.
- 09I guessed three times, and each guess was wrong. Mary decided on helping me by a hint.
- 10I began: “A, B, C, D, E, F—” There she stopped me.
- 11I guessed, “Fern,” “Feather,” “Fife.” And here my resources failed me.
- 12I repeated my question:
- 13I neither moved nor answered him.
- 14CHAPTER IV. THE CURTAIN FALLS.
- 15CHAPTER V. MY STORY.
- 16CHAPTER VI. HER STORY.
- 17CHAPTER VII. THE WOMAN ON THE BRIDGE.
- 18MY mother looked in at the library door, and disturbed me over my books.
- 19I rose and followed her. She pointed to a miniature portrait, hanging above the mantelpiece.
- 20CHAPTER VIII. THE KINDRED SPIRITS
- 21I persisted in repeating my question:
- 22I was too much excited to be able to exercise my ingenuity. “I give it up!” I said, impatiently.
- 23I was bitterly disappointed. Yes: “bitterly” is the word—though she was a stranger to me.
- 24I pointed through the open door of the summer-house.
- 25CHAPTER IX. NATURAL AND SUPERNATURAL.
- 26CHAPTER IX. NATURAL AND SUPERNATURAL.
- 27I strained my eyes; I looked and looked. And the blank white paper looked back at me.
- 28CHAPTER X. SAINT ANTHONY’S WELL.
- 29CHAPTER XI. THE LETTER OF INTRODUCTION.
- 30I put her arm again in mine, and entered the inn.
- 31I handed her the open letter to read.
- 32I suppressed all appearance of surprise as well as I could, and took up the pen again.
- 33I rose and gave her the letter once more—with the postscript added, in her own words.
- 34I took up the letter of recommendation from the floor.
- 35CHAPTER XII. THE DISASTERS OF MRS. VAN BRANDT.
- 36“M. VAN BRANDT.
- 37CHAPTER XIII. NOT CURED YET.
- 38CHAPTER XIV. MRS. VAN BRANDT AT HOME.
- 39I was beside myself. I spoke as recklessly to her as she had spoken to me.
- 40I told her the truth as honestly as I have told it here.
- 41CHAPTER XV. THE OBSTACLE BEATS ME.
- 42I interrupted the narrative at that point.
- 43CHAPTER XVI. MY MOTHER’S DIARY.
- 44CHAPTER XVII. SHETLAND HOSPITALITY.
- 45“GUIDE! Where are we?”
- 46CHAPTER XVIII. THE DARKENED ROOM.
- 47I take up the bell, standing on the table at my side.
- 48CHAPTER XIX. THE CATS.
- 49CHAPTER XX. THE GREEN FLAG.
- 50I could hardly help laughing. “How can I tell,” I rejoined, “at this distance of time?”
- 51CHAPTER XXI. SHE COMES BETWEEN US.
- 52CHAPTER XXII. SHE CLAIMS ME AGAIN.
- 53I went on again with my letter.
- 54I waited—feeling awe, but no fear. My heart was all hers as I looked at her.
- 55I was near Miss Dunross—near enough, when I put out my hand, to touch her.
- 56I spoke a few composing words before I questioned her.
- 57I lighted the candle on the mantel-piece, and looked for the writing.
- 58CHAPTER XXIII. THE KISS.
- 59CHAPTER XXIV. IN THE SHADOW OF ST. PAUL’S.
- 60In ten days I was at home again—and my mother’s arms were round me.
- 61I took the paper from him, and looked at it.
- 62I put a last conclusive question.
- 63I turned away to hide my agitation. Even the child might have noticed it!
- 64CHAPTER XXV. I KEEP MY APPOINTMENT.
- 65I interceded for the unfortunate boy before I entered on my own business.
- 66I could barely hear the answering voice—it was so faint; and it uttered but one word: “No!”
- 67I turned to speak my first words of comfort to the mother. The cry of the child stopped me.
- 68I set more food before the famished child and kissed her. She looked up at me with wondering eyes.
- 69CHAPTER XXVI. CONVERSATION WITH MY MOTHER.
- 70CHAPTER XXVII. CONVERSATION WITH MRS. VAN BRANDT.
- 71CHAPTER XXVIII. LOVE AND MONEY.
- 72I forced myself to mention Van Brandt’s name, rather than hear it pass her lips.
- 73CHAPTER XXIX. OUR DESTINIES PART US.
- 74I left him, and went home.
- 75I presented myself at once in my mother’s sitting-room.
- 76I was completely thrown off my guard.
- 77CHAPTER XXX. THE PROSPECT DARKENS.
- 78“M. VAN BRANDT.”
- 79CHAPTER XXXI. THE PHYSICIAN’S OPINION.
- 80SIX months have elapsed. Summer-time has come again.
- 81CHAPTER XXXII. A LAST LOOK AT GREENWATER BROAD.
- 82CHAPTER XXXIII. A VISION OF THE NIGHT.
- 83I looked out again at the lonely night landscape.
- 84CHAPTER XXXIV. BY LAND AND SEA.
- 85I ascended to the deck, and looked about me.
- 86I considered with myself what my next course of proceeding was to be.
- 87CHAPTER XXXV. UNDER THE WINDOW.
- 88I could restrain myself no longer. I called out under the window:
- 89CHAPTER XXXVI. LOVE AND PRIDE.
- 90I tried to take her in my arms. She drew back as if I had frightened her.
- 91I whispered my next words, so that the child in the inner room might not hear us.
- 92I made a last appeal to her tenderness.
- 93CHAPTER XXXVII. THE TWO DESTINIES.
- 94I was the first to break the silence.
- 95THE END OF THE STORY.
- 96THE WIFE WRITES, AND CLOSES THE STORY.
- 97“MARY GERMAINE.”