Shopping with Mr. Eager
Under Eager’s guidance the party selects a host of hideous souvenirs—gilded picture-frames, oak easel-frames, a vellum blotting book, mosaic brooches, Eros and Psyche in alabaster, St. Peter to match, and finally a model of the Leaning Tower—all of which would have cost less in London. The shopping is interrupted by an Italian photograph-vendor whom Eager tries to ignore but who pursues them relentlessly until he has swept their minds clean of every other thought.
Mr. Eager’s Accusations Against the Emersons
While shopping, the conversation turns to the Emersons. Eager reveals that old Mr. Emerson was the son of a labourer, once a mechanic and then a writer for the Socialistic Press in his London parish; he later made an advantageous marriage and his wife is now dead. Eager hints darkly at scandal and, when pressed by the surprisingly defiant Lucy, finally blurts out that “that man murdered his wife”—adding “in the sight of God” in a hasty attempt to qualify the outburst. Lucy, in her first act of open rebellion, refuses to condemn the Emersons on a single word.
Lucy’s Frustration at the Duplicate Invitation
When Eager departs and mentions the drive, Lucy suddenly recalls that Mr. Beebe had already arranged exactly the same outing without any fuss at all. Exasperated, she exclaims “Bother the drive!”—the chaplain’s grand invitation is nothing more than a duplicate of a simpler plan, and she sees no reason why his elaborate overture should be treated as anything special when each party is paying for itself.
第五章
Chapter V follows Lucy and Charlotte in Florence as they navigate social complications, practical concerns, and growing restlessness. A dispute over a shared carriage ride with Mr. Beebe and Mr. Eager is complicated by Eleanor Lavish’s invitation, prompting Charlotte to plan logistics and financial arrangements at the English bank. While Charlotte focuses on practicalities, Lucy drifts into reflection on Florence, reads nostalgic letters from home, and learns that the Vyses have gone to Rome. The chapter culminates in Lucy’s impulsive proposal to abandon the planned drive and travel to Rome immediately, a suggestion the two women laugh off together as they cross the Piazza Signoria.
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