首页 >出版文学> THE SONG OF THE LARK>第3章
  IV
  AnditwasSummer,beautifulSummer!"ThoseweretheclosingwordsofThea’sfavoritefairytale,andshethoughtofthemassheranoutintotheworldoneSaturdaymorninginMay,hermusicbookunderherarm。
  ShewasgoingtotheKohlers’totakeherlesson,butshewasinnohurry。
  Itwasinthesummerthatonereallylived。Thenallthelittleovercrowdedhouseswereopenedwide,andthewindblewthroughthemwithsweet,earthysmellsofgarden—planting。Thetownlookedasifithadjustbeenwashed。Peoplewereoutpaintingtheirfences。Thecotton—
  woodtreeswerea—flickerwithsticky,yellowlittleleaves,andthefeatherytamariskswereinpinkbud。Withthewarmweathercamefreedomforeverybody。Peopleweredugup,asitwere。Theveryoldpeople,whomonehadnotseenallwinter,cameoutandsunnedthemselvesintheyard。Thedoublewindowsweretakenoffthehouses,thetormentingflannelsinwhichchildrenhadbeenencasedallwinterwereputawayinboxes,andtheyoungstersfeltapleasureinthecoolcottonthingsnexttheirskin。
  TheahadtowalkmorethanamiletoreachtheKohlers’
  house,averypleasantmileoutoftowntowardtheglitter—
  ingsandhills,——yellowthismorning,withlinesofdeepvioletwherethecleftsandvalleyswere。Shefollowedthesidewalktothedepotatthesouthendofthetown;thentooktheroadeasttothelittlegroupofadobehouseswheretheMexicanslived,thendroppedintoadeepravine;adrysandcreek,acrosswhichtherailroadtrackranonatrestle。
  Beyondthatgulch,onalittleriseofgroundthatfacedtheopensandyplain,wastheKohlers’house,whereProfessorWunschlived。FritzKohlerwasthetowntailor,oneofthe
  firstsettlers。Hehadmovedthere,builtalittlehouseandmadeagarden,whenMoonstonewasfirstmarkeddownonthemap。Hehadthreesons,buttheynowworkedontherailroadandwerestationedindistantcities。OneofthemhadgonetoworkfortheSantaFe,andlivedinNewMexico。
  Mrs。KohlerseldomcrossedtheravineandwentintothetownexceptatChristmas—time,whenshehadtobuypres—
  entsandChristmascardstosendtoheroldfriendsinFreeport,Illinois。Asshedidnotgotochurch,shedidnotpossesssuchathingasahat。Yearafteryearsheworethesameredhoodinwinterandablacksunbonnetinsummer。
  Shemadeherowndresses;theskirtscamebarelytohershoe—tops,andweregatheredasfullastheycouldpossiblybetothewaistband。Shepreferredmen’sshoes,andusu—
  allyworethecast—offsofoneofhersons。ShehadneverlearnedmuchEnglish,andherplantsandshrubswerehercompanions。Shelivedforhermenandhergarden。Besidethatsandgulch,shehadtriedtoreproduceabitofherownvillageintheRhineValley。Shehidherselfbehindthegrowthshehadfostered,livedundertheshadeofwhatshehadplantedandwateredandpruned。Intheblazeoftheopenplainshewasstupidandblindlikeanowl。Shade,shade;thatwaswhatshewasalwaysplanningandmaking。
  Behindthehightamariskhedge,hergardenwasajungleofverdureinsummer。Abovethecherrytreesandpeachtreesandgoldenplumsstoodthewindmill,withitstankonstilts,whichkeptallthisverdurealive。Outside,thesage—brushgrewuptotheveryedgeofthegarden,andthesandwasalwaysdriftinguptothetamarisks。
  EveryoneinMoonstonewasastonishedwhentheKohlerstookthewanderingmusic—teachertolivewiththem。InseventeenyearsoldFritzhadneverhadacrony,excepttheharness—makerandSpanishJohnny。ThisWunschcamefromGodknewwhere,——followedSpanishJohnnyintotownwhenthatwanderercamebackfromone
  ofhistramps。Wunschplayedinthedanceorchestra,tunedpianos,andgavelessons。WhenMrs。Kohlerrescuedhim,hewassleepinginadirty,unfurnishedroomoveroneofthesaloons,andhehadonlytwoshirtsintheworld。
  Oncehewasunderherroof,theoldwomanwentathimasshedidathergarden。Shesewedandwashedandmendedforhim,andmadehimsocleanandrespectablethathewasabletogetalargeclassofpupilsandtorentapiano。Assoonashehadmoneyahead,hesenttotheNarrowGaugelodging—house,inDenver,foratrunkfulofmusicwhichhadbeenheldthereforunpaidboard。Withtearsinhiseyestheoldman——hewasnotoverfifty,butsadlybat—
  tered——toldMrs。KohlerthatheaskednothingbetterofGodthantoendhisdayswithher,andtobeburiedinthegarden,underherlindentrees。TheywerenotAmericanbasswood,buttheEuropeanlinden,whichhashoney—
  coloredbloomsinsummer,withafragrancethatsur—
  passesalltreesandflowersanddrivesyoungpeoplewildwithjoy。
  TheawasreflectingasshewalkedalongthathaditnotbeenforProfessorWunschshemighthavelivedonforyearsinMoonstonewithouteverknowingtheKohlers,withouteverseeingtheirgardenortheinsideoftheirhouse。Besidesthecuckooclock,——whichwaswonderfulenough,andwhichMrs。Kohlersaidshekeptfor"companywhenshewaslonesome,"——theKohlershadintheirhousethemostwonderfulthingTheahadeverseen——butofthatlater。
  ProfessorWunschwenttothehousesofhisotherpupilstogivethemtheirlessons,butonemorninghetoldMrs。
  KronborgthatTheahadtalent,andthatifshecametohimhecouldteachherinhisslippers,andthatwouldbebetter。Mrs。Kronborgwasastrangewoman。Thatword"talent,"whichnooneelseinMoonstone,notevenDr。Archie,wouldhaveunderstood,shecomprehendedperfectly。Toanyotherwomanthere,itwouldhavemeant
  thatachildmusthaveherhaircurledeverydayandmustplayinpublic。Mrs。KronborgknewitmeantthatTheamustpracticefourhoursaday。Achildwithtalentmustbekeptatthepiano,justasachildwithmeaslesmustbekeptundertheblankets。Mrs。Kronborgandherthreesistershadallstudiedpiano,andallsangwell,butnoneofthemhadtalent。TheirfatherhadplayedtheoboeinanorchestrainSweden,beforehecametoAmericatobetterhisfortunes。HehadevenknownJennyLind。Achildwithtalenthadtobekeptatthepiano;sotwiceaweekinsum—
  merandonceaweekinwinterTheawentoverthegulchtotheKohlers’,thoughtheLadies’AidSocietythoughtitwasnotproperfortheirpreacher’sdaughtertogo"wheretherewassomuchdrinking。"NotthattheKohlersonseversomuchaslookedataglassofbeer。Theywereashamedoftheiroldfolksandgotoutintotheworldasfastaspossible;hadtheirclothesmadebyaDenvertailorandtheirnecksshavedupundertheirhairandforgotthepast。OldFritzandWunsch,however,indulgedinafriendlybottleprettyoften。Thetwomenwerelikecom—
  rades;perhapsthebondbetweenthemwastheglasswhereinlosthopesarefound;perhapsitwascommonmemoriesofanothercountry;perhapsitwasthegrapevineinthegar—
  den——knotty,fibrousshrub,fullofhomesicknessandsenti—
  ment,whichtheGermanshavecarriedaroundtheworldwiththem。
  AsTheaapproachedthehouseshepeepedbetweenthepinkspraysofthetamariskhedgeandsawtheProfessorandMrs。Kohlerinthegarden,spadingandraking。Thegardenlookedlikearelief—mapnow,andgavenoindicationofwhatitwouldbeinAugust;suchajungle!Polebeansandpotatoesandcornandleeksandkaleandredcabbage——therewouldevenbevegetablesforwhichthereisnoAmericanname。Mrs。KohlerwasalwaysgettingbymailpackagesofseedsfromFreeportandfromtheoldcountry。
  Thentheflowers!Therewerebigsunflowersforthecanary
  bird,tigerliliesandphloxandzinniasandlady’s—slippersandportulacaandhollyhocks,——gianthollyhocks。Besidethefruittreestherewasagreatumbrella—shapedcatalpa,andabalm—of—Gilead,twolindens,andevenaginka,——arigid,pointedtreewithleavesshapedlikebutterflies,whichshivered,butneverbenttothewind。
  ThismorningTheasawtoherdelightthatthetwoole—
  andertrees,onewhiteandonered,hadbeenbroughtupfromtheirwinterquartersinthecellar。ThereishardlyaGermanfamilyinthemostaridpartsofUtah,NewMex—
  ico,Arizona,buthasitsoleandertrees。HoweverloutishtheAmerican—bornsonsofthefamilymaybe,therewasneveronewhorefusedtogivehismuscletotheback—break—
  ingtaskofgettingthosetubbedtreesdownintothecellarinthefallandupintothesunlightinthespring。Theymaystrivetoaverttheday,buttheygrapplewiththetubatlast。
  WhenTheaenteredthegate,herprofessorleanedhisspadeagainstthewhitepostthatsupportedtheturreteddove—house,andwipedhisfacewithhisshirt—sleeve;some—
  wayhenevermanagedtohaveahandkerchiefabouthim。
  Wunschwasshortandstocky,withsomethingroughandbear—likeabouthisshoulders。Hisfacewasadark,brickyred,deeplycreasedratherthanwrinkled,andtheskinwaslikelooseleatheroverhisneckband——heworeabrasscollarbuttonbutnocollar。Hishairwascroppedclose;
  iron—graybristlesonabullet—likehead。Hiseyeswerealwayssuffusedandbloodshot。Hehadacoarse,scornfulmouth,andirregular,yellowteeth,muchwornattheedges。
  Hishandsweresquareandred,seldomclean,butalwaysalive,impatient,evensympathetic。
  "MORGEN,"hegreetedhispupilinabusinesslikeway,putonablackalpacacoat,andconductedheratoncetothepianoinMrs。Kohler’ssitting—room。Hetwirledthestooltotheproperheight,pointedtoit,andsatdowninawoodenchairbesideThea。
  "ThescaleofBflatmajor,"hedirected,andthenfellintoanattitudeofdeepattention。Withoutawordhispupilsettowork。
  ToMrs。Kohler,inthegarden,camethecheerfulsoundofeffort,ofvigorousstriving。Unconsciouslyshewieldedherrakemorelightly。Occasionallysheheardtheteacher’svoice。"ScaleofEminor……WEITER,WEITER!……IMMER
  Ihearthethumb,likealamefoot。WEITER……WEITER,once;……SCHON!Thechords,quick!"
  ThepupildidnotopenhermouthuntiltheybeganthesecondmovementoftheClementisonata,whensheremon—
  stratedinlowtonesaboutthewayhehadmarkedthefingeringofapassage。
  "Itmakesnomatterwhatyouthink,"repliedherteachercoldly。"Thereisonlyonerightway。Thethumbthere。EIN,ZWEI,DREI,VIER,"etc。Thenforanhourtherewasnofurtherinterruption。
  AttheendofthelessonTheaturnedonherstoolandleanedherarmonthekeyboard。Theyusuallyhadalittletalkafterthelesson。
  HerrWunschgrinned。"Howsoonisityouarefreefromschool?Thenwemakeaheadfaster,eh?"
  "FirstweekinJune。Thenwillyougivemethe`Invi—
  tationtotheDance’?"
  Heshruggedhisshoulders。"Itmakesnomatter。Ifyouwanthim,youplayhimoutoflessonhours。"
  "Allright。"Theafumbledinherpocketandbroughtoutacrumpledslipofpaper。"Whatdoesthismean,please?
  Iguessit’sLatin。"
  Wunschblinkedatthelinepenciledonthepaper。
  "Wherefromyougetthis?"heaskedgruffly。
  "OutofabookDr。Archiegavemetoread。It’sallEng—
  lishbutthat。Didyoueverseeitbefore?"sheasked,watchinghisface。
  "Yes。Alongtimeago,"hemuttered,scowling。
  "Ovidius!"Hetookastubofleadpencilfromhisvest
  pocket,steadiedhishandbyavisibleeffort,andunderthewords"LENTECURRITE,LENTECURRITE,NOCTISEQUI,"
  hewroteinaclear,elegantGothichand,——
  "GOSLOWLY,GOSLOWLY,YESTEEDSOFTHENIGHT。"
  HeputthepencilbackinhispocketandcontinuedtostareattheLatin。Itrecalledthepoem,whichhehadreadasastudent,andthoughtveryfine。Thereweretreasuresofmemorywhichnolodging—housekeepercouldattach。Onecarriedthingsaboutinone’shead,longafterone’slinencouldbesmuggledoutinatuning—bag。HehandedthepaperbacktoThea。"ThereistheEnglish,quiteelegant,"
  hesaid,rising。
  Mrs。Kohlerstuckherheadinatthedoor,andTheaslidoffthestool。"Comein,Mrs。Kohler,"shecalled,"andshowmethepiece—picture。"
  Theoldwomanlaughed,pulledoffherbiggardening—
  gloves,andpushedTheatotheloungebeforetheobjectofherdelight。The"piece—picture,"whichhungonthewallandnearlycoveredonewholeendoftheroom,wasthehandiworkofFritzKohler。Hehadlearnedhistradeunderanold—fashionedtailorinMagdeburgwhorequiredfromeachofhisapprenticesathesis:thatis,beforetheylefthisshop,eachapprenticehadtocopyinclothsomewell—
  knownGermanpainting,stitchingbitsofcoloredstufftogetheronalinenbackground;akindofmosaic。Thepupilwasallowedtoselecthissubject,andFritzKohlerhadchosenapopularpaintingofNapoleon’sretreatfromMoscow。ThegloomyEmperorandhisstaffwererepre—
  sentedascrossingastonebridge,andbehindthemwastheblazingcity,thewallsandfortressesdoneingrayclothwithorangetonguesofflamedartingaboutthedomesandminarets。Napoleonrodehiswhitehorse;Murat,inOri—
  entaldress,abaycharger。Theawasnevertiredofexam—
  iningthiswork,ofhearinghowlongithadtakenFritzto
  makeit,howmuchithadbeenadmired,andwhatnarrowescapesithadhadfrommothsandfire。Silk,Mrs。Kohlerexplained,wouldhavebeenmucheasiertomanagethanwoolencloth,inwhichitwasoftenhardtogettherightshades。Thereinsofthehorses,thewheelsofthespurs,thebroodingeyebrowsoftheEmperor,Murat’sfiercemustaches,thegreatshakosoftheGuard,wereallworkedoutwiththeminutestfidelity。Thea’sadmirationforthispicturehadendearedhertoMrs。Kohler。Itwasnowmanyyearssincesheusedtopointoutitswonderstoherownlittleboys。AsMrs。Kohlerdidnotgotochurch,sheneverheardanysinging,exceptthesongsthatfloatedoverfromMexicanTown,andTheaoftensangforherafterthelessonwasover。ThismorningWunschpointedtothepiano。
  "OnSunday,whenIgobythechurch,Ihearyousingsomething。"
  Theaobedientlysatdownonthestoolagainandbegan,"COME,YEDISCONSOLATE。"Wunschlistenedthoughtfully,hishandsonhisknees。Suchabeautifulchild’svoice!
  OldMrs。Kohler’sfacerelaxedinasmileofhappiness;
  shehalfclosedhereyes。Abigflywasdartinginandoutofthewindow;thesunlightmadeagoldenpoolontheragcarpetandbathedthefadedcretonnepillowsonthelounge,underthepiece—picture。"EARTHHASNOSORROW
  THATHEAVENCANNOTHEAL,"thesongdiedaway。
  "Thatisagoodthingtoremember,"Wunschshookhim—
  self。"Youbelievethat?"lookingquizzicallyatThea。
  Shebecameconfusedandpeckednervouslyatablackkeywithhermiddlefinger。"Idon’tknow。Iguessso,"
  shemurmured。
  Herteacherroseabruptly。"Remember,fornexttime,thirds。Yououghttogetupearlier。"
  ThatnighttheairwassowarmthatFritzandHerrWunschhadtheirafter—supperpipeinthegrapearbor,smokinginsilencewhilethesoundoffiddlesandguitarscameacrosstheravinefromMexicanTown。Longafter
  FritzandhisoldPaulinahadgonetobed,Wunschsatmotionlessinthearbor,lookingupthroughthewoollyvineleavesattheglitteringmachineryofheaven。
  "LENTECURRITE,NOCTISEQUI。"
  Thatlineawokemanymemories。Hewasthinkingofyouth;ofhisown,solonggoneby,andofhispupil’s,justbeginning。Hewouldevenhavecherishedhopesforher,exceptthathehadbecomesuperstitious。Hebelievedthatwhateverhehopedforwasdestinednottobe;thathisaffectionbroughtill—fortune,especiallytotheyoung;thatifheheldanythinginhisthoughts,heharmedit。HehadtaughtinmusicschoolsinSt。LouisandKansasCity,wheretheshallownessandcomplacencyoftheyoungmisseshadmaddenedhim。Hehadencounteredbadmannersandbadfaith,hadbeenthevictimofsharpersofallkinds,wasdoggedbybadluck。Hehadplayedinorchestrasthatwereneverpaidandwanderingoperatroupeswhichdisbandedpenniless。Andtherewasalwaystheoldenemy,morerelentlessthantheothers。Itwaslongsincehehadwishedanythingordesiredanythingbeyondthenecessitiesofthebody。Nowthathewastemptedtohopeforanother,hefeltalarmedandshookhishead。
  Itwashispupil’spowerofapplication,herruggedwill,thatinterestedhim。Hehadlivedforsolongamongpeoplewhosesoleambitionwastogetsomethingfornothingthathehadlearnednottolookforseriousnessinanything。Nowthathebychanceencounteredit,itrecalledstandards,am—
  bitions,asocietylongforgot。Whatwasitsheremindedhimof?Ayellowflower,fullofsunlight,perhaps。No;athinglassfullofsweet—smelling,sparklingMosellewine。Heseemedtoseesuchaglassbeforehiminthearbor,towatchthebubblesrisingandbreaking,likethesilentdischargeofenergyinthenervesandbrain,therapidflorescenceinyoungblood——Wunschfeltashamedanddraggedhisslip—
  persalongthepathtothekitchen,hiseyesontheground。
  V
  ThechildrenintheprimarygradesweresometimesrequiredtomakereliefmapsofMoonstoneinsand。
  Hadtheyusedcoloredsands,astheNavajomedicinemendointheirsandmosaics,theycouldeasilyhaveindicatedthesocialclassificationsofMoonstone,sincethesecon—
  formedtocertaintopographicalboundaries,andeverychildunderstoodthemperfectly。
  Themainbusinessstreetran,ofcourse,throughthecenterofthetown。Tothewestofthisstreetlivedallthepeoplewhowere,asTillieKronborgsaid,"insociety。"
  SylvesterStreet,thethirdparallelwithMainStreetonthewest,wasthelongestintown,andthebestdwellingswerebuiltalongit。Faroutatthenorthend,nearlyamilefromthecourt—houseanditscottonwoodgrove,wasDr。Archie’shouse,itsbigyardandgardensurroundedbyawhitepalingfence。TheMethodistChurchwasinthecenterofthetown,facingthecourt—housesquare。TheKronborgslivedhalfamilesouthofthechurch,onthelongstreetthatstretchedoutlikeanarmtothedepotsettlement。ThiswasthefirststreetwestofMain,andwasbuiltuponlyononeside。Thepreacher’shousefacedthebacksofthebrickandframestorebuildingsandadrawfullofsunflowersandscrapsofoldiron。ThesidewalkwhichraninfrontoftheKronborgs’housewastheonecontinuoussidewalktothedepot,andallthetrainmenandroundhouseem—
  ployeespassedthefrontgateeverytimetheycameup—
  town。TheaandMrs。Kronborghadmanyfriendsamongtherailroadmen,whooftenpausedtochatacrossthefence,andofoneoftheseweshallhavemoretosay。
  InthepartofMoonstonethatlayeastofMainStreet,towardthedeepravinewhich,farthersouth,woundby
  MexicanTown,livedallthehumblercitizens,thepeoplewhovotedbutdidnotrunforoffice。Thehouseswerelittlestory—and—a—halfcottages,withnoneofthefussyarchi—
  tecturaleffortsthatmarkedthoseonSylvesterStreet。
  TheynestledmodestlybehindtheircottonwoodsandVir—
  giniacreeper;theiroccupantshadnosocialpretensionstokeepup。Therewerenohalf—glassfrontdoorswithdoor—
  bells,orformidableparlorsbehindclosedshutters。Heretheoldwomenwashedinthebackyard,andthemensatinthefrontdoorwayandsmokedtheirpipes。ThepeopleonSylvesterStreetscarcelyknewthatthispartofthetownexisted。ThealikedtotakeThorandherexpresswagonandexplorethesequiet,shadystreets,wherethepeoplenevertriedtohavelawnsortogrowelmsandpinetrees,butletthenativetimberhaveitswayandspreadinluxuriance。Shehadmanyfriendsthere,oldwomenwhogaveherayellowroseorasprayoftrumpetvineandappeasedThorwithacookyoradoughnut。TheycalledThea"thatpreacher’sgirl,"butthedemonstrativewasmisplaced,forwhentheyspokeofMr。Kronborgtheycalledhim"theMethodistpreacher。"
  Dr。Archiewasveryproudofhisyardandgarden,whichheworkedhimself。HewastheonlymaninMoonstonewhowassuccessfulatgrowingramblerroses,andhisstrawberrieswerefamous。OnemorningwhenTheawasdowntownonanerrand,thedoctorstoppedher,tookherhandandwentoverherwithaquizzicaleye,ashenearlyalwaysdidwhentheymet。
  "Youhaven’tbeenuptomyplacetogetanystraw—
  berriesyet,Thea。They’reattheirbestjustnow。Mrs。
  Archiedoesn’tknowwhattodowiththemall。Comeupthisafternoon。JusttellMrs。ArchieIsentyou。Bringabigbasketandpicktillyouaretired。"
  WhenshegothomeTheatoldhermotherthatshedidn’twanttogo,becauseshedidn’tlikeMrs。Archie。
  "Sheiscertainlyonequeerwoman,"Mrs。Kronborg
  assented,"buthe’saskedyousooften,Iguessyou’llhavetogothistime。Shewon’tbiteyou。"
  AfterdinnerTheatookabasket,putThorinhisbaby—
  buggy,andsetoutforDr。Archie’shouseattheotherendoftown。Assoonasshecamewithinsightofthehouse,sheslackenedherpace。Sheapproacheditveryslowly,stoppingoftentopickdandelionsandsand—peasforThortocrushupinhisfist。
  Itwashiswife’scustom,assoonasDr。Archieleftthehouseinthemorning,toshutallthedoorsandwindowstokeepthedustout,andtopulldowntheshadestokeepthesunfromfadingthecarpets。Shethought,too,thatneighborswerelesslikelytodropinifthehousewasclosedup。Shewasoneofthosepeoplewhoarestingywithoutmotiveorreason,evenwhentheycangainnothingbyit。
  Shemusthaveknownthatskimpingthedoctorinheatandfoodmadehimmoreextravagantthanhewouldhavebeenhadshemadehimcomfortable。Henevercamehomeforlunch,becauseshegavehimsuchmiserablescrapsandshredsoffood。Nomatterhowmuchmilkhebought,hecouldnevergetthickcreamforhisstrawberries。Evenwhenhewatchedhiswifeliftitfromthemilkinsmooth,ivory—coloredblankets,shemanaged,bysomesleight—of—
  hand,todiluteitbeforeitgottothebreakfasttable。Thebutcher’sfavoritejokewasaboutthekindofmeathesoldMrs。Archie。Shefeltnointerestinfoodherself,andshehatedtoprepareit。ShelikednothingbetterthantohaveDr。ArchiegotoDenverforafewdays——heoftenwentchieflybecausehewashungry——andtobeleftalonetoeatcannedsalmonandtokeepthehouseshutupfrommorninguntilnight。
  Mrs。Archiewouldnothaveaservantbecause,shesaid,"theyatetoomuchandbroketoomuch";sheevensaidtheyknewtoomuch。Sheusedwhatmindshehadindevisingshiftstominimizeherhousework。Sheusedtotellherneighborsthatiftherewerenomen,therewould
  benohousework。WhenMrs。Archiewasfirstmarried,shehadbeenalwaysinapanicforfearshewouldhavechildren。Nowthatherapprehensionsonthatscorehadgrownpaler,shewasalmostasmuchafraidofhavingdustinthehouseasshehadoncebeenofhavingchildreninit。
  Ifdustdidnotgetin,itdidnothavetobegotout,shesaid。
  Shewouldtakeanyamountoftroubletoavoidtrouble。
  Why,nobodyknew。Certainlyherhusbandhadneverbeenabletomakeherout。Suchlittle,meannaturesareamongthedarkestandmostbafflingofcreatedthings。
  Thereisnolawbywhichtheycanbeexplained。Theor—
  dinaryincentivesofpainandpleasuredonotaccountfortheirbehavior。Theylivelikeinsects,absorbedinpettyactivitiesthatseemtohavenothingtodowithanygenialaspectofhumanlife。
  Mrs。Archie,asMrs。Kronborgsaid,"likedtogad。"
  Shelikedtohaveherhouseclean,empty,dark,locked,andtobeoutofit——anywhere。Achurchsocial,aprayermeeting,aten—centshow;sheseemedtohavenoprefer—