1．克莱尔夫人
Lady Clare
夏秋时分，克莱尔夫人收到表哥罗纳尔德爵士亲手养的小白鹿，她高兴极了。明天他们就要结婚了。她知道罗纳尔德爵士不是为了财富才娶她的。即使自己是一个穷女孩，他也会照样爱自己。
老保姆爱丽丝问刚才是谁来了，她说是表哥送来了一只白鹿，是她作为克莱尔夫人接受的最后一件礼物，明天他们就成夫妻了。老保姆认为一切都是那么完美和公正。
克莱尔夫人感觉她话里有意思，便让她说 出来。
爱丽丝只好告诉她她不是克莱尔夫人，原来是自己的女儿。当时老伯爵的女儿夭折了，她在老伯爵家当保姆，悄悄把伯爵的孩子埋在了死去的丈夫旁边，让她当了伯爵的女儿。
她感到不可思议。爱丽丝嘱咐她永远不要把这件事说出去，明天她就要结婚了，她的所有财产都将还给罗纳尔德爵士。
克莱尔夫人说自己必须把真相说出来，把东西还给他，看他什么态度。说着把耳朵上的首饰取了下来。老保姆拦不住她，让她给自己一个吻，并说自己因为爱她而犯了罪。
她转身给了母亲一个吻，并让母亲为自己祈福，然后便换上粗糙的袍子去找表哥。罗纳尔德急忙迎上前去，看到她打扮得像村女一样，就问她在搞什么。
她告诉罗纳尔德这只是为适合自己的身份，并告诉他早上保姆说的话。她是那么光明正大，那么骄傲，充满着勇气和自信！
罗纳尔德吻了她说，即使她原来不是这片土地的主人，自己依然爱 她。明天这片土地仍将是她的，也是自己的。她还是大家尊敬的克莱尔 夫人！
T was about the time when lilies blow and Spring sits under fruit trees, thick with blossom, and dreams of Summer and Autumn—it was just at this pleasant time of the year that Lord Ronald brought a lily-white doe that he had tamed to feed from his hand, and gave it to his cousin, Lady Clare.
Pleased enough was she with the pretty gift and the pretty creature; and, indeed, any gift would have been dear to her from Ronalds hand, for he and Clare had long been lovers, and tomorrow they would be married, and dearly happy they hoped to be together."He does not love me because I am a rich woman," said Lady Clare. "I might be a poor girl and welcome, and no matter, for Ronald loves me for myself, and will love me so for ever." She walked about her room as she spoke, and looked now at the veil she was to wear tomorrow as a bride.
Then she turned away from them to Alice, her old nurse, who had followed her into the room.
"Who went from here just now, my bird?" asked Alice.
"It was my cousin, Lord Ronald," said Lady Clare, smiling, and blushing. "He brought me a white doe, and that is the last gift he will give me as Lady Clare. After tomorrow what he gives me will be given to his wife."
Nurse Alice flushed too, but she did not smile. "Oh, God be thanked that all has come round so just and fair," she cried.
"What is this you are saying of justness and fairness, nurse? It is love and marriage between us two," said Lady Clare.
"I meant nothing else, my bird."
"Yes, you did. And I must needs know what you meant, at once," said Lady Clare.
Alice wrung her hands."Why will you want so old a story?"
"Tell me at once," said pale Lady Clare. And Alice trembled and told.
"I said, Thank God that all has worked out so just and fair! because—because—oh, child! Lord Ronald is not only heir of half the county, but he is master of all your lands as well, and you are not the Lady Clare."
"Are you gone mad?" said Lady Clare. And Alice wept and trembled more.
"By all thats good, I do but speak the truth at last. If you will have it—you are not the Lady Clare: you are my child. I was nurse to the old Earls daughter, and she died in my arms, poor babe! I speak the truth as I live by bread! She died in my arms, and my baby girl was well and strong. I buried the old Earls daughter like my own sweet child in the grave where my goodman lies, and I put my own child in her place. And nobody ever knew."
"That was a dreadful deed to do, mother," said she who was no longer Lady Clare. "How had you the heart to put your baby in the Earls daughters cradle? How had you the heart to keep the best man under the sun out of his rights these many years?"
"Dont speak so loud," said Nurse Alice in terror. "Speak low, or speak not at all, my child; but lock the secret up in your heart as I wish I had locked it up in mine for ever, and all will come right by tomorrow; for all that you have—every rood of ground, every brick and stone in this house—will be Lord Ronalds when he and you are man and wife."
"If Im a beggar born," said her daughter, "the world shall surely know it. You may have lied for me, mother; but I will not lie for myself. I must and I will speak out this very day."
And she undid the diamond necklace that was round her throat, and unpinned the gold brooch she wore.
"What are you doing, my bird? Keep the secret even only a little while longer—a month? a week? a day?"
"No," said her daughter."I will try what mans faith is like."
"Faith? Surely the man will cleave to the lands and home that are his by right if ye tell him they are his," sobbed Alice.
"And he shall have his rights," said she who had been the Lady Clare, "though I should die to-night for giving them back to him."
"Go to him then if you will go, but give me one kiss first," pleaded the old nurse."I am your mother, child, after all. And O, my pretty one, I sinned for the love of you!"
"It is all so strange," said Alices daughter, but she turned and kissed the old womans sobbing mouth. "But heres your kiss for you, mother; and now put your hand upon my head, mother, and say God bless you, before I go."
She changed her rich silk dress for a brown stuff gown, such as Lady Clare would never have put on, but was good enough for Alices daughter, and she went out through dale and over down, seeking her cousin, with a red rose in her hand and a white rose in her hair.
The white doe Lord Ronald had given her, seeing her pass, rose from her bed in the fern, dropped her head to take a caress from her mistresss hand, and followed her all the way to Lord Ronalds home.
Lord Ronald had seen her coming, and he hastened down to meet her.
"Why, Lady Clare, what trick of yours is this to come dressed like a village girl on a working day? You are the flower of all the earth, and you should be dressed as finely as a flower."
"If I come dressed like a village girl, I am dressed to fit rny fortunes, changed as they are," said she."I am a beggar born, and not a flower; I am not even Lady Clare."
"Play me no tricks," said Lord Ronald, "and bring me no riddle I cannot read. Tell me in plain words what it is that has happened, for you are mine, and I am yours, and we will speak truth one to another."
She stood up proudly then, and looked him fairly and squarely in the eyes. High of courage she stood there, facing him, and told him what her nurse had that morning confessed to her. When she had done Lord Ronald laughed.
Then he turned and kissed her where she stood. "If all this story is true," he said, "and not an old wifes tale, even then there is no harm done. If you are not the heiress born of all these lands that the old Earl held; if these hills and dales are mine instead of yours, tomorrow they shall be yours as well as mine. For you and I will be married tomorrow; so you shall still be Lady Clare."
The Beautiful Legend from the West ——England
Lady Clare
展开
