Риф, або Там, де розбивається щастя

III

           Herguardian,adrudgeinabigbankinghouse,wasabsorbedby“theoffice”;theguardian’swife,byherhealthandherreligion;andaneldersister,Laura,married,unmarried,remarried,andpursuing,throughallthesealternatingphases,somevaguely“artistic"idealonwhichtheguardianandhiswifelookedaskance,had(asDarrowconjectured)takentheirdisapprovalasapretextfornottroublingherselfaboutpoorSophy,towhom—perhapsforthisreason—shehadremainedtheincarnationofremoteromanticpossibilities.

           Inthecourseoftimeasudden“stroke”oftheguardian’shadthrownhispersonalaffairsintoastateofconfusionfromwhich—afterhiswidelylamenteddeath—itbecameevidentthatitwouldnotbepossibletoextricatehisward’sinheritance.Noonedeploredthismoresincerelythanhiswidow,whosawinitonemoreproofofherhusband’slifehavingbeensacrificedtotheinnumerabledutiesimposedonhim,andwhocouldhardly—butforthecounselsofreligion—havebroughtherselftopardontheyounggirlforherindirectshareinhasteninghisend.Sophydidnotresentthispointofview.Shewasreallymuchsorrierforherguardian’sdeaththanforthelossofherinsignificantfortune.Thelatterhadrepresentedonlythemeansofholdingherinbondage,anditsdisappearancewastheoccasionofherimmediateplungeintothewidebrightseaoflifesurroundingtheisland—ofhercaptivity.

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Roboto Lora
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