资源描述：
《The Early Short Fiction Part Two #(早斯短篇小说(第二部)) 》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在学术论文-天天文库。
1、ATen-PartCollectionPartTwoATen-PartCollectionPartTwoEdithWharton1ATen-PartCollectionPartTwoAFTERWARDJanuary1910I"Oh,thereISone,ofcourse,butyou'llneverknowit."Theassertion,laughinglyflungoutsixmonthsearlierinabrightJunegarden,camebacktoMaryBoynewithasharpperceptionofitslatentsignificanceasshestood,
2、intheDecemberdusk,waitingforthelampstobebroughtintothelibrary.ThewordshadbeenspokenbytheirfriendAlidaStair,astheysatatteaonherlawnatPangbourne,inreferencetotheveryhouseofwhichthelibraryinquestionwasthecentral,thepivotal"feature."MaryBoyneandherhusband,inquestofacountryplaceinoneofthesouthernorsout
3、hwesterncounties,had,ontheirarrivalinEngland,carriedtheirproblemstraighttoAlidaStair,whohadsuccessfullysolveditinherowncase;butitwasnotuntiltheyhadrejected,almostcapriciously,severalpracticalandjudicioussuggestionsthatshethrewitout:"Well,there'sLyng,inDorsetshire.ItbelongstoHugo'scousins,andyoucan
4、getitforasong."Thereasonsshegaveforitsbeingobtainableontheseterms--itsremotenessfromastation,itslackofelectriclight,hot-waterpipes,andothervulgarnecessities--wereexactlythosepleadinginitsfavorwithtworomanticAmericansperverselyinsearchoftheeconomicdrawbackswhichwereassociated,intheirtradition,withu
5、nusualarchitecturalfelicities."IshouldneverbelieveIwaslivinginanoldhouseunlessIwasthoroughlyuncomfortable,"NedBoyne,themoreextravagantofthetwo,hadjocoselyinsisted;"theleasthintof'convenience'wouldmakemethinkithadbeenboughtoutofanexhibition,withthepiecesnumbered,andsetupagain."Andtheyhadproceededto
6、enumerate,withhumorousprecision,theirvarioussuspicionsandexactions,refusingtobelievethatthehousetheircousinrecommendedwasREALLYTudortilltheylearnedithadnoheatingsystem,orthatthevillagechurchwasliterallyinthe2ATen-PartCollectionPartTwogroundstillsheassuredthemofthedeplorableuncertaintyofthewater-su
7、pply."It'stoouncomfortabletobetrue!"EdwardBoynehadcontinuedtoexultastheavowalofeachdisadvantagewassuccessivelywrungfromher;buthehadcutshorthisrhapsodytoask,withasuddenrelapsetodistrust:"Andtheghost?You'vebeenconc
