曼斯菲尔德庄园 Chapter 18

CHAPTER XVIII ,Everything was now in a regular train: theatre, actors, actresses, and dresses, were all getting forward; but though no other great impediments arose, Fanny found, before many days were past, that it was not all uninterrupted enjoyment ¹ to the party themselves, and that she had not to witness the continuance of such unanimity ² and delight as had been almost too much for her at first. Everybody began to have their vexation. Edmund had many. Entirely ³ against _his_ judgment ⁴, a scene-painter arrived from town, and was at work, much to the increase of the expenses, and, what was worse, of the eclat ⁵ of their proceedings ⁶; and his brother, instead of being really guided by him as to the privacy of the representation, was giving an invitation to every family who came in his way. Tom himself began to fret ⁷ over the scene-painter's slow progress, and to feel the miseries ⁸ of waiting. He had learned his part--all his parts, for he took every trifling ⁹ one that could be united with the Butler, and began to be impatient to be acting ¹⁰; and every day thus unemployed ¹¹ was tending to increase his sense of the insignificance ¹² of all his parts together, and make him more ready to regret that some other play had not been chosen. ,Fanny, being always a very courteous ¹³ listener, and often the only listener at hand, came in for the complaints and the distresses ¹⁴ of most of them. _She_ knew that Mr. Yates was in general thought to rant ¹⁶ dreadfully; that Mr. Yates was disappointed in Henry Crawford; that Tom Bertram spoke ¹⁷ so quick he would be unintelligible ¹⁸; that Mrs. Grant spoiled everything by laughing; that Edmund was behindhand with his part, and that it was misery ¹⁹ to have anything to do with Mr. Rushworth, who was wanting a prompter through every speech. She knew, also, that poor Mr. Rushworth could seldom get anybody to rehearse with him: _his_ complaint came before her as well as the rest; and so decided ²⁰ to her eye was her cousin Maria's avoidance of him, and so needlessly often the rehearsal ²¹ of the first scene between her and Mr. Crawford, that she had soon all the terror of other complaints from _him_. So far from being all satisfied and all enjoying, she found everybody requiring something they had not, and giving occasion of discontent to the others. Everybody had a part either too long or too short; nobody would attend as they ought; nobody would remember on which side they were to come in; nobody but the complainer would observe any directions. ,Fanny believed herself to derive ²² as much innocent enjoyment from the play as any of them; Henry Crawford acted well, and it was a pleasure to _her_ to creep into the theatre, and attend the rehearsal of the first act, in spite of the feelings it excited in some speeches for Maria. Maria, she also thought, acted well, too well; and after the first rehearsal or two, Fanny began to be their only audience; and sometimes as prompter, sometimes as spectator, was often very useful. As far as she could judge, Mr. Crawford was considerably ²³ the best actor of all: he had more confidence than Edmund, more judgment than Tom, more talent and taste than Mr. Yates. She did not like him as a man, but she must admit him to be the best actor, and on this point there were not many who differed from her. Mr. Yates, indeed, exclaimed against his tameness and insipidity ²⁴; and the day came at last, when Mr. Rushworth turned to her with a black look, and said, "Do you think there is anything so very fine in all this? For the life and soul of me, I cannot admire him; and, between ourselves, to see such an undersized, little, mean-looking man, set up for a fine actor, is very ridiculous in my opinion." ,From this moment there was a return of his former jealousy ²⁵, which Maria, from increasing hopes of Crawford, was at little pains to remove; and the chances of Mr. Rushworth's ever attaining ²⁶ to the knowledge of his two-and-forty speeches became much less. As to his ever making anything _tolerable_ of them, nobody had the smallest idea of that except his mother; _she_, indeed, regretted that his part was not more considerable, and deferred ²⁷ coming over to Mansfield till they were forward enough in their rehearsal to comprehend all his scenes; but the others aspired ²⁸ at nothing beyond his remembering the catchword, and the first line of his speech, and being able to follow the prompter through the rest. Fanny, in her pity and kindheartedness, was at great pains to teach him how to learn, giving him all the helps and directions in her power, trying to make an artificial memory for him, and learning every word of his part herself, but without his being much the forwarder. ,Many uncomfortable, anxious, apprehensive ²⁹ feelings she certainly had; but with all these, and other claims on her time and attention, she was as far from finding herself without employment or utility amongst them, as without a companion in uneasiness; quite as far from having no demand on her leisure as on her compassion ³⁰. The gloom of her first anticipations ³¹ was proved to have been unfounded. She was occasionally useful to all; she was perhaps as much at peace as any. ,Fanny took the work very quietly, without attempting any defence; but her kinder aunt Bertram observed on her behalf-- ,"One cannot wonder, sister, that Fanny _should_ be delighted: it is all new to her, you know; you and I used to be very fond of a play ourselves, and so am I still; and as soon as I am a little more at leisure, _I_ mean to look in at their rehearsals ³³ too. What is the play about, Fanny? you have never told me." ,"Oh! sister, pray do not ask her now; for Fanny is not one of those who can talk and work at the same time. It is about Lovers' Vows ³⁴." ,"I believe," said Fanny to her aunt Bertram, "there will be three acts rehearsed to-morrow evening, and that will give you an opportunity of seeing all the actors at once." ,"You had better stay till the curtain is hung," interposed Mrs. Norris; "the curtain will be hung in a day or two-- there is very little sense in a play without a curtain-- and I am much mistaken if you do not find it draw up into very handsome festoons." ,After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话 ，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴 。,These discussions have led to a remarkable unanimity.这些讨论导致引人注目的一致意见。