第18部分(第3/7 頁)

nized　her　in　superb；

childish　fashion。

The　girl　was　at　once　shy　and　wild。　She　had　a　curious　contempt

for　ordinary　people；　a　benevolent　superiority。　She　was　very　shy；

and　tortured　with　misery　when　people　did　not　like　her。　On　the

other　hand；　she　cared　very　little　for　anybody　save　her　mother；

whom　she　still　rather　resentfully　worshipped；　and　her　father；

whom　she　loved　and　patronized；　but　upon　whom　she　depended。　These

two；　her　mother　and　father；　held　her　still　in　fee。　But　she　was

free　of　other　people；　towards　whom；　on　the　whole；　she　took　the

benevolent　attitude。　She　deeply　hated　ugliness　or　intrusion　or

arrogance；　however。　As　a　child；　she　was　as　proud　and　shadowy　as

a　tiger；　and　as　aloof。　She　could　confer　favours；　but；　save　from

her　mother　and　father；　she　could　receive　none。　She　hated　people

who　came　too　near　to　her。　Like　a　wild　thing；　she　wanted　her

distance。　She　mistrusted　intimacy。

In　Cossethay　and　Ilkeston　she　was　always　an　alien。　She　had

plenty　of　acquaintances；　but　no　friends。　Very　few　people　whom

she　met　were　significant　to　her。　They　seemed　part　of　a　herd；

undistinguished。　She　did　not　take　people　very　seriously。

She　had　two　brothers；　Tom；　dark…haired；　small；　volatile；　whom

she　was　intimately　related　to　but　whom　she　never　mingled　with；

and　Fred；　fair　and　responsive；　whom　she　adored　but　did　not

consider　as　a　real；　separate　thing。　She　was　too　much　the　centre

of　her　own　universe；　too　little　aware　of　anything　outside。

The　first　person　she　met；　who　affected　her　as　a　real；

living　person；　whom　she　regarded　as　having　definite　existence；

was　Baron　Skrebensky；　her　mother's　friend。　He　also　was