Читать книгу The Picture of Dorian Gray - Оскар Уайльд, F. H. Cornish, Lord Alfred Douglas - Страница 11

‘Mother, mother, I am so happy!’ whispered the girl, burying her face in the lap of the faded, tired-looking woman who, with back turned to the shrill intrusive light, was sitting in the one arm-chair that their dingy sitting-room contained. ‘I am so happy!’ she repeated, ‘and you must be happy too!’

Mrs. Vane winced, and put her thin bismuth-whitened hands on her daughter’s head. ‘Happy!’ she echoed, ‘I am only happy, Sibyl, when I see you act. You must not think of anything but your acting. Mr. Isaacs has been very good to us, and we owe him money.’

The girl looked up and pouted. ‘Money, mother?’ she cried, ‘what does money matter? Love is more than money.’

‘Mr. Isaacs has advanced us fifty pounds to pay off our debts, and to get a proper outfit for James. You must not forget that, Sibyl. Fifty pounds is a very large sum. Mr. Isaacs has been most considerate.’

‘He is not a gentleman, mother, and I hate the way he talks to me,’ said the girl, rising to her feet, and going over to the window.

‘I don’t know how we could manage without him,’ answered the elder woman, querulously.

Sibyl Vane tossed her head and laughed. ‘We don’t want him any more, mother. Prince Charming rules life for us now.’ Then she paused. A rose shook in her blood, and shadowed her cheeks. Quick breath parted the petals of her lips. They trembled. Some southern wind of passion swept over her, and stirred the dainty folds of her dress. ‘I love him,’ she said, simply.

‘Foolish child! foolish child!’ was the parrot-phrase flung in answer. The waving of crooked, false-jewelled fingers gave grotesqueness to the words.