首页 >出版文学> THE SONG OF THE LARK>第15章
  "Youhavenothingtodotoyourhair,"Mrs。Harsanyisaidkindly,asTheaturnedtothemirror。"Howeverithappenstolie,it’salwayspretty。IadmireitasmuchasTanyadoes。"
  Theaglancedawkwardlyawayfromherandlookedstern,butMrs。Harsanyiknewthatshewaspleased。Theywentintotheliving—room,behindthestudio,wherethetwochildrenwereplayingonthebigrugbeforethecoalgrate。Andor,theboy,wassix,asturdy,handsomechild,andthelittlegirlwasfour。ShecametrippingtomeetThea,lookinglikealittledollinherwhitenetdress——hermothermadeallherclothes。Theapickedherupandhuggedher。Mrs。Harsanyiexcusedherselfandwenttothedining—room。Shekeptonlyonemaidanddidagooddealofthehouseworkherself,besidescookingherhusband’sfavoritedishesforhim。Shewasstillunderthirty,aslender,gracefulwoman,gracious,intelligent,andcapable。Sheadaptedherselftocircumstanceswithawell—bredeasewhichsolvedmanyofherhusband’sdifficulties,andkepthim,ashesaid,fromfeelingcheapanddownattheheel。
  Nomusicianeverhadabetterwife。Unfortunatelyherbeautywasofaveryfrailandimpressionablekind,andshewasbeginningtoloseit。Herfacewastoothinnow,andtherewereoftendarkcirclesunderhereyes。
  Leftalonewiththechildren,TheasatdownonTanya’slittlechair——shewouldratherhavesatonthefloor,butwasafraidofrumplingherdress——andhelpedthemplay"cars"withAndor’sironrailwayset。Sheshowedhim
  newwaystolayhistracksandhowtomakeswitches,setuphisNoah’sarkvillageforstationsandpackedtheani—
  malsintheopencoalcarstosendthemtothestockyards。
  TheyworkedouttheirshipmentsorealisticallythatwhenAndorputthetwolittlereindeerintothestockcar,Tanyasnatchedthemoutandbegantocry,sayingshewasn’tgoingtohavealltheiranimalskilled。
  Harsanyicamein,jadedandtired,andaskedTheatogoonwithhergame,ashewasnotequaltotalkingmuchbeforedinner。Hesatdownandmadepretenseofglancingattheeveningpaper,buthesoondroppedit。Aftertherailroadbegantogrowtiresome,Theawentwiththechild—
  rentotheloungeinthecorner,andplayedforthemthegamewithwhichsheusedtoamuseThorforhoursto—
  getherbehindtheparlorstoveathome,makingshadowpicturesagainstthewallwithherhands。Herfingerswereverysupple,andshecouldmakeaduckandacowandasheepandafoxandarabbitandevenanelephant。Har—
  sanyi,fromhislowchair,watchedthem,smiling。Theboywasonhisknees,jumpingupanddownwiththeexcite—
  mentofguessingthebeasts,andTanyasatwithherfeettuckedunderherandclappedherfraillittlehands。Thea’sprofile,inthelamplight,teasedhisfancy。Wherehadheseenaheadlikeitbefore?
  Whendinnerwasannounced,littleAndortookThea’shandandwalkedtothedining—roomwithher。Thechil—
  drenalwayshaddinnerwiththeirparentsandbehavedverynicelyattable。"Mamma,"saidAndorseriouslyasheclimbedintohischairandtuckedhisnapkinintothecollarofhisblouse,"MissKronborg’shandsareeverykindofanimalthereis。"
  Hisfatherlaughed。"Iwishsomebodywouldsaythataboutmyhands,Andor。"
  WhenTheadinedattheHarsanyisbefore,shenoticedthattherewasanintensesuspensefromthemomenttheytooktheirplacesatthetableuntilthemasterofthehouse
  hadtastedthesoup。Hehadatheorythatifthesoupwentwell,thedinnerwouldgowell;butifthesoupwaspoor,allwaslost。To—nighthetastedhissoupandsmiled,andMrs。HarsanyisatmoreeasilyinherchairandturnedherattentiontoThea。Thealovedtheirdinnertable,be—
  causeitwaslightedbycandlesinsilvercandle—sticks,andshehadneverseenatablesolightedanywhereelse。
  Therewerealwaysflowers,too。To—nighttherewasalittleorangetree,withorangesonit,thatoneofHarsanyi’spupilshadsenthimatThanksgivingtime。AfterHarsanyihadfinishedhissoupandaglassofredHungarianwine,helosthisfaggedlookandbecamecordialandwitty。HepersuadedTheatodrinkalittlewineto—night。Thefirsttimeshedinedwiththem,whenheurgedhertotastetheglassofsherrybesideherplate,sheastonishedthembytellingthemthatshe"neverdrank。"
  Harsanyiwasthenamanofthirty—two。Hewastohaveaverybrilliantcareer,buthedidnotknowitthen。
  TheodoreThomaswasperhapstheonlymaninChicagowhofeltthatHarsanyimighthaveagreatfuture。Har—
  sanyibelongedtothesofterSlavictype,andwasmorelikeaPolethanaHungarian。Hewastall,slender,active,withsloping,gracefulshouldersandlongarms。Hisheadwasveryfine,stronglyanddelicatelymodelled,and,asTheaputit,"soindependent。"Alockofhisthickbrownhairusuallyhungoverhisforehead。Hiseyewaswonderful;
  fulloflightandfirewhenhewasinterested,softandthoughtfulwhenhewastiredormelancholy。Themean—
  ingandpoweroftwoveryfineeyesmustallhavegoneintothisone——therightone,fortunately,theonenexthisaudiencewhenheplayed。Hebelievedthattheglasseyewhichgaveonesideofhisfacesuchadull,blindlook,hadruinedhiscareer,orratherhadmadeacareerimpos—
  sibleforhim。Harsanyilosthiseyewhenhewastwelveyearsold,inaPennsylvaniaminingtownwhereexplo—
  siveshappenedtobekepttooneartheframeshanties
  inwhichthecompanypackednewlyarrivedHungarianfamilies。
  Hisfatherwasamusicianandagoodone,buthehadcruellyover—workedtheboy;keepinghimatthepianoforsixhoursadayandmakinghimplayincafesanddancehallsforhalfthenight。Andorranawayandcrossedtheoceanwithanuncle,whosmuggledhimthroughtheportasoneofhisownmanychildren。TheexplosioninwhichAndorwashurtkilledascoreofpeople,andhewasthoughtluckytogetoffwithaneye。Hestillhadaclip—
  pingfromaPittsburgpaper,givingalistofthedeadandinjured。Heappearedas"Harsanyi,Andor,lefteyeandslightinjuriesaboutthehead。"ThatwashisfirstAmerican"notice";andhekeptit。Heheldnogrudgeagainstthecoalcompany;heunderstoodthattheacci—
  dentwasmerelyoneofthethingsthatareboundtohap—
  peninthegeneralscrambleofAmericanlife,whereeveryonecomestograbandtakeshischance。
  Whiletheywereeatingdessert,TheaaskedHarsanyiifshecouldchangeherTuesdaylessonfromafternoontomorning。"Ihavetobeatachoirrehearsalintheafter—
  noon,togetreadyfortheChristmasmusic,andIexpectitwilllastuntillate。"
  Harsanyiputdownhisforkandlookedup。"Achoirrehearsal?Yousinginachurch?"
  "Yes。AlittleSwedishchurch,overontheNorthside。"
  "Whydidyounottellus?"
  "Oh,I’monlyatemporary。Theregularsopranoisnotwell。"
  "Howlonghaveyoubeensingingthere?"
  "EversinceIcame。Ihadtogetapositionofsomekind,"Theaexplained,flushing,"andthepreachertookmeon。Herunsthechoirhimself。Heknewmyfather,andIguesshetookmetooblige。"
  Harsanyitappedthetableclothwiththeendsofhis
  fingers。"Butwhydidyounevertellus?Whyareyousoreticentwithus?"
  Thealookedshylyathimfromunderherbrows。"Well,it’scertainlynotveryinteresting。It’sonlyalittlechurch。
  Ionlydoitforbusinessreasons。"
  "Whatdoyoumean?Don’tyouliketosing?Don’tyousingwell?"
  "Ilikeitwellenough,but,ofcourse,Idon’tknowany—
  thingaboutsinging。Iguessthat’swhyIneversaidany—
  thingaboutit。Anybodythat’sgotavoicecansinginalittlechurchlikethat。"
  Harsanyilaughedsoftly——alittlescornfully,Theathought。"Soyouhaveavoice,haveyou?"
  Theahesitated,lookedintentlyatthecandlesandthenatHarsanyi。"Yes,"shesaidfirmly;"Ihavegotsome,anyway。"
  "Goodgirl,"saidMrs。Harsanyi,noddingandsmilingatThea。"Youmustletushearyousingafterdinner。"
  Thisremarkseeminglyclosedthesubject,andwhenthecoffeewasbroughttheybegantotalkofotherthings。
  HarsanyiaskedTheahowshehappenedtoknowsomuchaboutthewayinwhichfreighttrainsareoperated,andshetriedtogivehimsomeideaofhowthepeopleinlittledeserttownslivebytherailwayandordertheirlivesbythecomingandgoingofthetrains。Whentheyleftthedining—
  roomthechildrenweresenttobedandMrs。HarsanyitookTheaintothestudio。Sheandherhusbandusuallysatthereintheevening。
  AlthoughtheirapartmentseemedsoeleganttoThea,itwassmallandcramped。Thestudiowastheonlyspaciousroom。TheHarsanyiswerepoor,anditwasduetoMrs。
  Harsanyi’sgoodmanagementthattheirlives,eveninhardtimes,movedalongwithdignityandorder。Shehadlongagofoundoutthatbillsordebtsofanykindfrightenedherhusbandandcrippledhisworkingpower。
  Hesaidtheywerelikebarsonthewindows,andshutout
  thefuture;theymeantthatjustsomanyhundreddollars’
  worthofhislifewasdebilitatedandexhaustedbeforehegottoit。SoMrs。Harsanyisawtoitthattheyneverowedanything。Harsanyiwasnotextravagant,thoughhewassometimescarelessaboutmoney。Quietandorderandhiswife’sgoodtastewerethethingsthatmeantmosttohim。Afterthese,goodfood,goodcigars,alittlegoodwine。Heworehisclothesuntiltheywereshabby,untilhiswifehadtoaskthetailortocometothehouseandmea—
  surehimfornewones。Hisnecktiessheusuallymadeher—
  self,andwhenshewasinshopsshealwayskepthereyeopenforsilksinverydullorpaleshades,graysandolives,warmblacksandbrowns。
  WhentheywentintothestudioMrs。HarsanyitookupherembroideryandTheasatdownbesideheronalowstool,herhandsclaspedaboutherknees。Whilehiswifeandhispupiltalked,HarsanyisankintoaCHAISELONGUEinwhichhesometimessnatchedafewmoments’restbetweenhislessons,andsmoked。Hesatwelloutofthecircleofthelamplight,hisfeettothefire。Hisfeetwereslenderandwellshaped,alwayselegantlyshod。Muchofthegraceofhismovementswasduetothefactthathisfeetwerealmostassureandflexibleashishands。Helistenedtothecon—
  versationwithamusement。Headmiredhiswife’stactandkindnesswithcrudeyoungpeople;shetaughtthemsomuchwithoutseemingtobeinstructing。Whentheclockstrucknine,Theasaidshemustbegoinghome。
  Harsanyiroseandflungawayhiscigarette。"Notyet。
  Wehavejustbeguntheevening。Nowyouaregoingtosingforus。Ihavebeenwaitingforyoutorecoverfromdinner。Come,whatshallitbe?"hecrossedtothepiano。
  Thealaughedandshookherhead,lockingherelbowsstilltighteraboutherknees。"Thankyou,Mr。Harsanyi,butifyoureallymakemesing,I’llaccompanymyself。
  Youcouldn’tstandittoplaythesortofthingsIhavetosing。"
  AsHarsanyistillpointedtothechairatthepiano,sheleftherstoolandwenttoit,whilehereturnedtohisCHAISE
  LONGUE。Thealookedatthekeyboarduneasilyforamo—
  ment,thenshebegan"Come,yeDisconsolate,"thehymnWunschhadalwayslikedtohearhersing。Mrs。Harsanyiglancedquestioninglyatherhusband,buthewaslookingintentlyatthetoesofhisboots,shadinghisforeheadwithhislongwhitehand。WhenTheafinishedthehymnshedidnotturnaround,butimmediatelybegan"TheNinetyandNine。"Mrs。Harsanyikepttryingtocatchherhus—
  band’seye;buthischinonlysankloweronhiscollar。
  "TherewereninetyandninethatsafelylayIntheshelterofthefold,Butonewasoutonthehillsaway,Farofffromthegatesofgold。"
  Harsanyilookedather,thenbackatthefire。
  "Rejoice,fortheShepherdhasfoundhissheep。"
  Theaturnedonthechairandgrinned。"That’saboutenough,isn’tit?Thatsonggotmemyjob。Thepreachersaiditwassympathetic,"shemincedtheword,remember—
  ingMr。Larsen’smanner。
  Harsanyidrewhimselfupinhischair,restinghiselbowsonthelowarms。"Yes?Thatisbettersuitedtoyourvoice。Youruppertonesaregood,aboveG。Imustteachyousomesongs。Don’tyouknowanything——pleasant?"
  Theashookherheadruefully。"I’mafraidIdon’t。Letmesee——Perhaps,"sheturnedtothepianoandputherhandsonthekeys。"IusedtosingthisforMr。Wunschalongwhileago。It’sforcontralto,butI’lltryit。"Shefrownedatthekeyboardamoment,playedthefewin—
  troductorymeasures,andbegan"ACH,ICHHABESIEVERLOREN,"
  Shehadnotsungitforalongtime,anditcamebacklikeanoldfriendship。Whenshefinished,Harsanyisprangfromhischairanddroppedlightlyuponhistoes,akindof
  ENTRE—CHATthathesometimesexecutedwhenheformedasuddenresolution,orwhenhewasabouttofollowapureintuition,againstreason。Hiswifesaidthatwhenhegavethatspringhewasshotfromthebowofhisancestors,andnowwhenhelefthischairinthatmannersheknewhewasintenselyinterested。Hewentquicklytothepiano。
  "Singthatagain。Thereisnothingthematterwithyourlowvoice,mygirl。Iwillplayforyou。Letyourvoiceout。"Withoutlookingatherhebegantheaccom—
  paniment。Theadrewbackhershoulders,relaxedtheminstinctively,andsang。
  Whenshefinishedthearia,Harsanyibeckonedhernearer。"SingAH——AHforme,asIindicate。"Hekepthisrighthandonthekeyboardandputhislefttoherthroat,placingthetipsofhisdelicatefingersoverherlarynx。"Again,——untilyourbreathisgone。——Trillbetweenthetwotones,always;good!Again;excellent!——
  Nowup,——staythere。EandF。Notsogood,isit?Fisalwaysahardone。——Now,trythehalf—tone。——That’sright,nothingdifficultaboutit。——Now,pianissimo,AH——
  AH。Now,swellit,AH——AH。——Again,followmyhand。——
  Now,carryitdown。——Anybodyevertellyouanythingaboutyourbreathing?"
  "Mr。LarsensaysIhaveanunusuallylongbreath,"
  Thearepliedwithspirit。
  Harsanyismiled。"Soyouhave,soyouhave。ThatwaswhatImeant。Now,oncemore;carryitupandthendown,AH——AH。"Heputhishandbacktoherthroatandsatwithhisheadbent,hisoneeyeclosed。Helovedtohearabigvoicethrobinarelaxed,naturalthroat,andhewasthinkingthatnoonehadeverfeltthisvoicevibratebefore。ItwaslikeawildbirdthathadflownintohisstudioonMiddletonStreetfromgoodnessknewhowfar!
  Nooneknewthatithadcome,oreventhatitexisted;
  leastofallthestrange,crudegirlinwhosethroatitbeatitspassionatewings。Whatasimplethingitwas,here—
  flected;whyhadheneverguesseditbefore?Everythingaboutherindicatedit,——thebigmouth,thewidejawandchin,thestrongwhiteteeth,thedeeplaugh。Themachinewassosimpleandstrong,seemedtobesoeasilyoperated。
  Shesangfromthebottomofherself。Herbreathcamefromdownwhereherlaughcamefrom,thedeeplaughwhichMrs。Harsanyihadoncecalled"thelaughofthepeople。"
  Arelaxedthroat,avoicethatlayonthebreath,thathadneverbeenforcedoffthebreath;itroseandfellintheair—columnlikethelittleballswhichareputtoshineinthejetofafountain。Thevoicedidnotthinasitwentup;
  theuppertoneswereasfullandrichasthelower,pro—
  ducedinthesamewayandasunconsciously,onlywithdeeperbreath。
  AtlastHarsanyithrewbackhisheadandrose。"Youmustbetired,MissKronborg。"
  Whenshereplied,shestartledhim;hehadforgottenhowhardandfullofbursherspeakingvoicewas。"No,"shesaid,"singingnevertiresme。"
  Harsanyipushedbackhishairwithanervoushand。
  "Idon’tknowmuchaboutthevoice,butIshalltakelibertiesandteachyousomegoodsongs。Ithinkyouhaveaveryinterestingvoice。"
  "I’mgladifyoulikeit。Good—night,Mr。Harsanyi。"
  TheawentwithMrs。Harsanyitogetherwraps。
  WhenMrs。Harsanyicamebacktoherhusband,shefoundhimwalkingrestlesslyupanddowntheroom。
  "Don’tyouthinkhervoicewonderful,dear?"sheasked。
  "Iscarcelyknowwhattothink。AllIreallyknowaboutthatgirlisthatshetiresmetodeath。Wemustnothaveheroften。IfIdidnothavemylivingtomake,then——"
  hedroppedintoachairandclosedhiseyes。"HowtiredIam。Whatavoice!"
  IV
  AFTERthateveningThea’sworkwithHarsanyichangedsomewhat。Heinsistedthatsheshouldstudysomesongswithhim,andafteralmosteverylessonhegaveuphalfanhourofhisowntimetopracticingthemwithher。Hedidnotpretendtoknowmuchaboutvoiceproduction,butsofar,hethought,shehadacquirednoreallyinjurioushabits。Ahealthyandpowerfulorganhadfounditsownmethod,whichwasnotabadone。Hewishedtofindoutagooddealbeforeherecommendedavocalteacher。HenevertoldTheawhathethoughtabouthervoice,andmadehergeneralignoranceofanythingworthsinginghispretextforthetroublehetook。Thatwasinthebeginning。Afterthefirstfewlessonshisownpleasureandherswerepretextenough。Thesingingcameattheendofthelessonhour,andtheybothtreateditasaformofrelaxation。
  Harsanyididnotsaymucheventohiswifeabouthisdiscovery。Hebroodeduponitinacuriousway。Hefoundthattheseunscientificsinginglessonsstimulatedhiminhisownstudy。AfterMissKronborglefthimheoftenlaydowninhisstudioforanhourbeforedinner,withhisheadfullofmusicalideas,withaneffervescenceinhisbrainwhichhehadsometimeslostforweekstogetherun—
  derthegrindofteaching。HehadnevergotsomuchbackforhimselffromanypupilashedidfromMissKronborg。
  Fromthefirstshehadstimulatedhim;somethinginherpersonalityinvariablyaffectedhim。Nowthathewasfeelinghiswaytowardhervoice,hefoundhermorein—
  terestingthaneverbefore。Sheliftedthetediumofthewinterforhim,gavehimcuriousfanciesandreveries。
  Musically,shewassympathetictohim。Whyallthiswas
  true,heneveraskedhimself。Hehadlearnedthatonemusttakewhereandwhenonecanthemysteriousmentalir—
  ritantthatrousesone’simagination;thatitisnottobehadbyorder。Sheoftenweariedhim,butsheneverboredhim。Underhercrudenessandbrusquehardness,hefelttherewasanaturequitedifferent,ofwhichhenevergotsomuchasahintexceptwhenshewasatthepiano,orwhenshesang。Itwastowardthishiddencreaturethathewastrying,forhisownpleasure,tofindhisway。Inshort,HarsanyilookedforwardtohishourwithTheaforthesamereasonthatpoorWunschhadsometimesdreadedhis;becauseshestirredhimmorethananythingshedidcouldadequatelyexplain。
  OneafternoonHarsanyi,afterthelesson,wasstandingbythewindowputtingsomecollodiononacrackedfinger,andTheawasatthepianotryingover"DieLorelei"
  whichhehadgivenherlastweektopractice。Itwasscarcelyasongwhichasingingmasterwouldhavegivenher,buthehadhisownreasons。Howshesangitmatteredonlytohimandtoher。Hewasplayinghisowngamenow,withoutinterference;hesuspectedthathecouldnotdosoalways。
  Whenshefinishedthesong,shelookedbackoverhershoulderathimandspokethoughtfully。"Thatwasn’tright,attheend,wasit?"
  "No,thatshouldbeanopen,flowingtone,somethinglikethis,"——hewavedhisfingersrapidlyintheair。"Yougettheidea?"
  "No,Idon’t。Seemsaqueerending,aftertherest。"
  Harsanyicorkedhislittlebottleanddroppeditintothepocketofhisvelvetcoat。"Whyso?Shipwreckscomeandgo,MARCHENcomeandgo,buttheriverkeepsrighton。
  Thereyouhaveyouropen,flowingtone。"
  Thealookedintentlyatthemusic。"Isee,"shesaiddully。"Oh,Isee!"sherepeatedquicklyandturnedtohimaglowingcountenance。"Itistheriver。——Oh,yes,Igetitnow!"Shelookedathimbutlongenoughtocatch
  hisglance,thenturnedtothepianoagain。Harsanyiwasneverquitesurewherethelightcamefromwhenherfacesuddenlyflashedoutathiminthatway。Hereyesweretoosmalltoaccountforit,thoughtheyglitteredlikegreeniceinthesun。Atsuchmomentsherhairwasyellower,herskinwhiter,hercheekspinker,asifalamphadsuddenlybeenturnedupinsideofher。Shewentatthesongagain:
  "ICHWEISSNICHT,WASSOLLESBEDEUTEN,DASICHSOTRAURIGBIN。"
  Akindofhappinessvibratedinhervoice。Harsanyino—
  ticedhowmuchandhowunhesitatinglyshechangedherdeliveryofthewholesong,thefirstpartaswellasthelast。
  Hehadoftennoticedthatshecouldnotthinkathingoutinpassages。Untilshesawitasawhole,shewanderedlikeablindmansurroundedbytorments。Aftersheoncehadher"revelation,"aftershegottheideathattoher——notalwaystohim——explainedeverything,thenshewentfor—
  wardrapidly。Butshewasnotalwayseasytohelp。Shewassometimesimpervioustosuggestion;shewouldstareathimasifsheweredeafandignoreeverythinghetoldhertodo。Then,allatonce,somethingwouldhappeninherbrainandshewouldbegintodoallthathehadbeenforweekstellinghertodo,withoutrealizingthathehadevertoldher。
  To—nightTheaforgotHarsanyiandhisfinger。Shefinishedthesongonlytobeginitwithfreshenthusiasm。
  "UNDDASHATMITIHREMSINGEN
  DIELORELEIGETHAN。"
  ShesattheresingingituntilthedarkeningroomwassofloodedwithitthatHarsanyithrewopenawindow。
  "Youreallymuststopit,MissKronborg。Ishan’tbeabletogetitoutofmyheadto—night。"
  Thealaughedtolerantlyasshebegantogatheruphermusic。"Why,Ithoughtyouhadgone,Mr。Harsanyi。I
  likethatsong。"
  ThateveningatdinnerHarsanyisatlookingintentlyintoaglassofheavyyellowwine;boringintoit,indeed,withhisoneeye,whenhisfacesuddenlybrokeintoasmile。
  "Whatisit,Andor?"hiswifeasked。
  Hesmiledagain,thistimeather,andtookupthenut—
  crackersandaBrazilnut。"Doyouknow,"hesaidinatonesointimateandconfidentialthathemighthavebeenspeakingtohimself,——"doyouknow,IliketoseeMissKronborggetholdofanidea。Inspiteofbeingsotalented,she’snotquick。Butwhenshedoesgetanidea,itfillsheruptotheeyes。ShehadmyroomsoreekingofasongthisafternoonthatIcouldn’tstaythere。"
  Mrs。Harsanyilookedupquickly,"`DieLorelei,’youmean?Onecouldn’tthinkofanythingelseanywhereinthehouse。Ithoughtshewaspossessed。Butdon’tyouthinkhervoiceiswonderfulsometimes?"
  Harsanyitastedhiswineslowly。"Mydear,I’vetoldyoubeforethatIdon’tknowwhatIthinkaboutMissKronborg,exceptthatI’mgladtherearenottwoofher。