首页 >出版文学> THE SONG OF THE LARK>第26章
  Attheendoftwo,hewasdrinkingandinopenrebellion。
  Hehadlearnedtodetesthiswife。Herwastefulnessandcrueltyrevoltedhim。Theignoranceandthefatuouscon—
  ceitwhichlaybehindhergrimacingmaskofslangandridiculehumiliatedhimsodeeplythathebecameabsolutelyreckless。Hergracewasonlyanuneasywriggle,herauda—
  citywastheresultofinsolenceandenvy,andherwitwasrestlessspite。Asherpersonalmannerismsgrewmoreandmoreodioustohim,hebegantodullhisperceptionswithchampagne。Hehaditfortea,hedrankitwithdinner,andduringtheeveninghetookenoughtoinsurethathewouldbewellinsulatedwhenhegothome。Thisbehaviorspreadalarmamonghisfriends。Itwasscandalous,anditdidnotoccuramongbrewers。HewasviolatingtheNOBLESSEOBLIGE
  ofhisguild。Hisfatherandhisfather’spartnerslookedalarmed。
  WhenFred’smotherwenttohimandwithclaspedhandsentreatedanexplanation,hetoldherthattheonlytroublewasthathecouldn’tholdenoughwinetomakelifeendur—
  able,sohewasgoingtogetoutfromunderandenlistinthenavy。Hedidn’twantanythingbuttheshirtonhisbackandcleansaltair。Hismothercouldlookout;hewasgoingtomakeascandal。
  Mrs。OttoOttenburgwenttoKansasCitytoseeMr。
  Beers,andhadthesatisfactionoftellinghimthathehadbroughtuphisdaughterlikeasavage,EINEUNGEBILDETE。AlltheOttenburgsandalltheBeers,andmanyoftheirfriends,weredrawnintothequarrel。Itwastopublicopinion,how—
  everandnottohismother’sactivities,thatFredowedhispartialescapefrombondage。ThecosmopolitanbrewingworldofSt。Louishadconservativestandards。TheOtten—
  burgs’friendswerenotpredisposedinfavoroftheplungingKansasCityset,andtheydislikedyoungFred’swifefrom
  thedaythatshewasbroughtamongthem。Theyfoundherignorantandill—bredandinsufferablyimpertinent。WhentheybecameawareofhowmattersweregoingbetweenherandFred,theyomittednoopportunitytosnubher。YoungFredhadalwaysbeenpopular,andSt。Louispeopletookuphiscausewithwarmth。Eventheyoungermen,amongwhomMrs。Fredtriedtodraftafollowing,atfirstavoidedandthenignoredher。Herdefeatwassoconspicuous,herlifebecamesuchadesert,thatsheatlastconsentedtoacceptthehouseinSantaBarbarawhichMrs。OttoOtten—
  burghadlongownedandcherished。Thisvilla,withitsluxuriantgardens,wasthepriceofFred’sfurlough。Hismotherwasonlytoogladtoofferitinhisbehalf。AssoonashiswifewasestablishedinCalifornia,Fredwastrans—
  ferredfromSt。LouistoChicago。
  AdivorcewastheonethingEdithwouldnever,never,givehim。Shetoldhimso,andshetoldhisfamilyso,andherfatherstoodbehindher。Shewouldenterintonoarrangementthatmighteventuallyleadtodivorce。Shehadinsultedherhusbandbeforeguestsandservants,hadscratchedhisface,thrownhand—mirrorsandhairbrushesandnail—scissorsathimoftenenough,butsheknewthatFredwashardlythefellowwhowouldgointocourtandofferthatsortofevidence。Inherbehaviorwithothermenshewasdiscreet。
  AfterFredwenttoChicago,hismothervisitedhimoften,anddroppedawordtoheroldfriendsthere,whowerealreadykindlydisposedtowardtheyoungman。Theygossipedaslittleaswascompatiblewiththeinteresttheyfelt,undertooktomakelifeagreeableforFred,andtoldhisstoryonlywheretheyfeltitwoulddogood:togirlswhoseemedtofindtheyoungbrewerattractive。Sofar,hehadbehavedwell,andhadkeptoutofentanglements。
  SincehewastransferredtoChicago,Fredhadbeenabroadseveraltimes,andhadfallenmoreandmoreintothewayofgoingaboutamongyoungartists,——peoplewith
  whompersonalrelationswereincidental。Withwomen,andevengirls,whohadcareerstofollow,ayoungmanmighthavepleasantfriendshipswithoutbeingregardedasapro—
  spectivesuitororlover。Amongartistshispositionwasnotirregular,becausewiththemhismarriageablenesswasnotanissue。Histastes,hisenthusiasm,andhisagreeablepersonalitymadehimwelcome。
  WithTheaKronborghehadallowedhimselfmorelib—
  ertythanheusuallydidinhisfriendshipsorgallantrieswithyoungartists,becausesheseemedtohimdistinctlynotthemarryingkind。Sheimpressedhimasequippedtobeanartist,andtobenothingelse;alreadydirected,con—
  centrated,formedastomentalhabit。Hewasgenerousandsympathetic,andshewaslonelyandneededfriendship;
  neededcheerfulness。Shehadnotmuchpowerofreachingouttowardusefulpeopleorusefulexperiences,didnotseeopportunities。Shehadnotactaboutgoingaftergoodpositionsorenlistingtheinterestofinfluentialpersons。
  Sheantagonizedpeopleratherthanconciliatedthem。Hediscoveredatoncethatshehadamerryside,arobusthumorthatwasdeepandhearty,likeherlaugh,butitsleptmostofthetimeunderherowndoubtsandthedull—
  nessofherlife。Shehadnotwhatiscalleda"senseofhumor。"Thatis,shehadnointellectualhumor;nopowertoenjoytheabsurditiesofpeople,norelishoftheirpreten—
  tiousnessandinconsistencies——whichonlydepressedher。
  Butherjoviality,Fredfelt,wasanasset,andoughttobedeveloped。Hediscoveredthatshewasmorereceptiveandmoreeffectiveunderapleasantstimulusthanshewasunderthegraygrindwhichsheconsideredhersalvation。
  ShewasstillMethodistenoughtobelievethatifathingwerehardandirksome,itmustbegoodforher。Andyet,whatevershedidwellwasspontaneous。Undertheleastglowofexcitement,asatMrs。Nathanmeyer’s,hehadseentheapprehensive,frowningdrudgeofBowers’sstudioflashintoaresourcefulandconsciouslybeautifulwoman。
  HisinterestinTheawasserious,almostfromthefirst,andsosincerethathefeltnodistrustofhimself。Hebe—
  lievedthatheknewagreatdealmoreaboutherpossibili—
  tiesthanBowersknew,andhelikedtothinkthathehadgivenherastrongerholdonlife。Shehadneverseenher—
  selforknownherselfasshedidatMrs。Nathanmeyer’smusicalevenings。Shehadbeenadifferentgirleversince。
  Hehadnotanticipatedthatshewouldgrowmorefondofhimthanhisimmediateusefulnesswarranted。Hethoughtheknewthewaysofartists,and,ashesaid,shemusthavebeen"atitfromhercradle。"Hehadimagined,perhaps,butneverreallybelieved,thathewouldfindherwaitingforhimsometimeashefoundherwaitingonthedayhereachedtheBiltmerranch。Oncehefoundherso——
  well,hedidnotpretendtobeanythingmoreorlessthanareasonablywell—intentionedyoungman。Alovesickgirloraflirtatiouswomanhecouldhavehandledeasilyenough。Butapersonalitylikethat,unconsciouslyreveal—
  ingitselfforthefirsttimeundertheexaltationofaper—
  sonalfeeling,——whatcouldonedobutwatchit?Asheusedtosaytohimself,inrecklessmomentsbackthereinthecanyon,"Youcan’tputoutasunrise。"Hehadtowatchit,andthenhehadtoshareit。
  Besides,washereallygoingtodoheranyharm?TheLordknewhewouldmarryherifhecould!Marriagewouldbeanincident,notanendwithher;hewassureofthat。
  Ifitwerenothe,itwouldbesomeoneelse;someonewhowouldbeaweightaboutherneck,probably;whowouldholdherbackandbeatherdownanddivertherfromthefirstplungeforwhichhefeltshewasgatheringallherener—
  gies。Hemeanttohelpher,andhecouldnotthinkofanothermanwhowould。Hewentoverhisunmarriedfriends,EastandWest,andhecouldnotthinkofonewhowouldknowwhatshewasdrivingat——orcare。Thecleveroneswereselfish,thekindlyoneswerestupid。
  "Damnit,ifshe’sgoingtofallinlovewithsomebody,it
  hadbetterbemethananyoftheothers——ofthesortshe’dfind。Gethertiedupwithsomeconceitedasswho’dtrytomakeherover,trainherlikeapuppy!Giveoneof’emabignaturelikethat,andhe’dbehorrified。Hewouldn’tshowhisfaceintheclubsuntilhe’dgoneafterherandcombedherdowntoconformtosomefoolideainhisownhead——puttherebysomeotherwoman,too,hisfirstsweetheartorhisgrandmotheroramaidenaunt。Atleast,Iunderstandher。Iknowwhatsheneedsandwhereshe’sbound,andImeantoseethatshehasafightingchance。"
  Hisownconductlookedcrooked,headmitted;butheaskedhimselfwhether,betweenmenandwomen,allwayswerenotmoreorlesscrooked。Hebelievedthosewhicharecalledstraightwerethemostdangerousofall。Theyseemedtohim,forthemostpart,toliebetweenwindowlessstonewalls,andtheirrectitudehadbeenachievedattheexpenseoflightandair。Intheirunquestionedregularitylurkedeverysortofhumancrueltyandmeanness,andeverykindofhumiliationandsuffering。Hewouldratherhaveanywomanhecaredforwoundedthancrushed。Hewoulddeceivehernotonce,hetoldhimselffiercely,butahundredtimes,tokeepherfree。
  WhenFredwentbacktotheobservationcaratoneo’clock,aftertheluncheoncall,itwasempty,andhefoundTheaaloneontheplatform。Sheputoutherhand,andmethiseyes。
  "It’sasIsaid。Thingshaveclosedbehindme。Ican’tgoback,soIamgoingon——toMexico?"Sheliftedherfacewithaneager,questioningsmile。
  Fredmetitwithasinkingheart。Hadhereallyhopedshewouldgivehimanotheranswer?Hewouldhavegivenprettymuchanything——Butthere,thatdidnogood。Hecouldgiveonlywhathehad。Thingswerenevercompleteinthisworld;youhadtosnatchatthemastheycameorgo
  without。Nobodycouldlookintoherfaceanddrawback,nobodywhohadanycourage。Shehadcourageenoughforanything——lookathermouthandchinandeyes!Wherediditcomefrom,thatlight?Howcouldaface,afamiliarface,becomesothepictureofhope,bepaintedwiththeverycolorsofyouth’sexaltation?Shewasright;shewasnotoneofthosewhodrawback。Somepeoplegetonbyavoidingdangers,othersbyridingthroughthem。
  Theystoodbytherailinglookingbackatthesandlevels,bothfeelingthatthetrainwassteamingaheadveryfast。
  Fred’smindwasaconfusionofimagesandideas。Onlytwothingswerecleartohim:theforceofherdetermination,andthebeliefthat,handicappedashewas,hecoulddobetterbyherthananothermanwoulddo。Heknewhewouldalwaysrememberher,standingtherewiththatex—
  pectant,forward—lookingsmile,enoughtoturnthefutureintosummer。
  EndofPartIV
  PARTV
  DR。ARCHIE’SVENTURE
  I
  DR。HOWARDARCHIEhadcomedowntoDenverforameetingofthestockholdersintheSanFelipesilvermine。Itwasnotabsolutelynecessaryforhimtocome,buthehadnoverypressingcasesathome。WinterwasclosingdowninMoonstone,andhedreadedthedull—
  nessofit。Onthe10thdayofJanuary,therefore,hewasregisteredattheBrownPalaceHotel。Onthemorningofthe11thhecamedowntobreakfasttofindthestreetswhiteandtheairthickwithsnow。Awildnorthwesterwasblowingdownfromthemountains,oneofthosebeautifulstormsthatwrapDenverindry,furrysnow,andmakethecityaloadstonetothousandsofmeninthemountainsandontheplains。Thebrakemenoutontheirbox—cars,theminersupintheirdiggings,thelonelyhomesteadersinthesandhillsofYuccaandKitCarsonCounties,begintothinkofDenver,muffledinsnow,fulloffoodanddrinkandgoodcheer,andtoyearnforherwiththatadmirationwhichmakesher,morethanotherAmericancities,anobjectofsentiment。
  HowardArchiewasgladhehadgotinbeforethestormcame。Hefeltascheerfulasifhehadreceivedalegacythatmorning,andhegreetedtheclerkwithevengreaterfriendlinessthanusualwhenhestoppedatthedeskforhismail。Inthedining—roomhefoundseveraloldfriendsseatedhereandtherebeforesubstantialbreakfasts:cattle—
  menandminingengineersfromoddcornersoftheState,alllookingfreshandwellpleasedwiththemselves。Hehad
  awordwithoneandanotherbeforehesatdownatthelittletablebyawindow,wheretheAustrianheadwaiterstoodattentivelybehindachair。Afterhisbreakfastwasputbeforehim,thedoctorbegantorunoverhisletters。TherewasonedirectedinTheaKronborg’shandwriting,for—
  wardedfromMoonstone。Hesawwithastonishment,asheputanotherlumpofsugarintohiscup,thatthisletterboreaNewYorkpostmark。HehadknownthatTheawasinMexico,travelingwithsomeChicagopeople,butNewYork,toaDenverman,seemsmuchfartherawaythanMexicoCity。Heputtheletterbehindhisplate,uprightagainstthestemofhiswatergoblet,andlookedatitthoughtfullywhilehedrankhissecondcupofcoffee。HehadbeenalittleanxiousaboutThea;shehadnotwrittentohimforalongwhile。
  Ashenevergotgoodcoffeeathome,thedoctoralwaysdrankthreecupsforbreakfastwhenhewasinDenver。
  Oscarknewjustwhentobringhimasecondpot,freshandsmoking。"Andmorecream,Oscar,please。YouknowI
  likelotsofcream,"thedoctormurmured,asheopenedthesquareenvelope,markedintheupperright—handcor—
  ner,"EverettHouse,UnionSquare。"Thetextoftheletterwasasfollows:——
  DEARDOCTORARCHIE:——
  Ihavenotwrittentoyouforalongtime,butithasnotbeenunintentional。Icouldnotwriteyoufrankly,andsoIwouldnotwriteatall。Icanbefrankwithyounow,butnotbyletter。Itisagreatdealtoask,butIwonderifyoucouldcometoNewYorktohelpmeout?Ihavegotintodifficulties,andIneedyouradvice。Ineedyourfriendship。
  IamafraidImustevenaskyoutolendmemoney,ifyoucanwithoutseriousinconvenience。IhavetogotoGer—
  manytostudy,anditcan’tbeputoffanylonger。Myvoiceisready。Needlesstosay,Idon’twantanywordofthistoreachmyfamily。TheyarethelastpeopleIwouldturnto,
  thoughIlovemymotherdearly。Ifyoucancome,pleasetelegraphmeatthishotel。Don’tdespairofme。I’llmakeituptoyouyet。
  Youroldfriend,THEAKRONBORG。
  Thisinabold,jaggedhandwritingwithaGothicturntotheletters,——somethingbetweenahighlysophisticatedhandandaveryunsophisticatedone,——notintheleastsmoothorflowing。
  Thedoctorbitofftheendofacigarnervouslyandreadtheletterthroughagain,fumblingdistractedlyinhispock—
  etsformatches,whilethewaiterkepttryingtocallhisattentiontotheboxhehadjustplacedbeforehim。AtlastOscarcameout,asiftheideahadjuststruckhim,"Matches,sir?"
  "Yes,thankyou。"Thedoctorslippedacoinintohispalmandrose,crumplingThea’sletterinhishandandthrustingtheothersintohispocketunopened。Hewentbacktothedeskinthelobbyandbeckonedtotheclerk,uponwhosekindnesshethrewhimselfapologetically。
  "Harry,I’vegottopulloutunexpectedly。CalluptheBurlington,willyou,andaskthemtoroutemetoNewYorkthequickestway,andtoletusknow。AskforthehourI’llgetin。Ihavetowire。"
  "Certainly,Dr。Archie。Haveitforyouinaminute。"
  Theyoungman’spallid,clean—scrapedfacewasallsympa—
  theticinterestashereachedforthetelephone。Dr。Archieputouthishandandstoppedhim。
  "Waitaminute。Tellme,first,isCaptainHarrisdownyet?"
  "No,sir。TheCaptainhasn’tcomedownyetthismorning。"
  "I’llwaithereforhim。IfIdon’thappentocatchhim,nailhimandgetme。Thankyou,Harry。"
  Thedoctorspokegratefullyandturnedaway。Hebegan
  topacethelobby,hishandsbehindhim,watchingthebronzeelevatordoorslikeahawk。AtlastCaptainHarrisissuedfromoneofthem,tallandimposing,wearingaStetsonandfiercemustaches,afurcoatonhisarm,asoli—
  taireglitteringuponhislittlefingerandanotherinhisblacksatinascot。Hewasoneofthegrandoldbluffersofthosegoodolddays。Asgullibleasaschoolboy,hehadmanaged,withhissharpeyeandknowingairandtwistedblondmustaches,topasshimselfoffforanastutefinancier,andtheDenverpapersrespectfullyreferredtohimastheRothschildofCrippleCreek。
  Dr。ArchiestoppedtheCaptainonhiswaytobreakfast。
  "Mustseeyouaminute,Captain。Can’twait。WanttosellyousomesharesintheSanFelipe。Gottoraisemoney。"
  TheCaptaingrandlybestowedhishatuponaneagerporterwhohadalreadyliftedhisfurcoattenderlyfromhisarmandstoodnursingit。Inremovinghishat,theCap—
  tainexposedabald,flusheddome,thatchedabouttheearswithyellowishgrayhair。"Badtimetosell,doctor。YouwanttoholdontoSanFelipe,andbuymore。Whathaveyougottoraise?"
  "Oh,notagreatsum。Fiveorsixthousand。I’vebeenbuyingupcloseandhaverunshort。"
  "Isee,Isee。Well,doctor,you’llhavetoletmegetthroughthatdoor。Iwasoutlastnight,andI’mgoingtogetmybacon,ifyouloseyourmine。"HeclappedArchieontheshoulderandpushedhimalonginfrontofhim。
  "Comeaheadwithme,andwe’lltalkbusiness。"
  Dr。ArchieattendedtheCaptainandwaitedwhilehegavehisorder,takingtheseattheoldpromoterindi—
  cated。
  "Now,sir,"theCaptainturnedtohim,"youdon’twanttosellanything。YoumustbeundertheimpressionthatI’moneofthesedamnedNewEnglandsharksthatgettheirpoundoffleshoffthewidowandorphan。Ifyou’rea
  littleshort,signanoteandI’llwriteacheck。That’sthewaygentlemendobusiness。IfyouwanttoputupsomeSanFelipeascollateral,lethergo,butIshan’ttouchashareofit。Pensandink,please,Oscar,"——heliftedalargeforefingertotheAustrian。
  TheCaptaintookouthischeckbookandabookofblanknotes,andadjustedhisnose—nippers。HewroteafewwordsinonebookandArchiewroteafewintheother。Thentheyeachtoreacrossperforationsandexchangedslipsofpaper。
  "That’stheway。Savesofficerent,"theCaptaincom—
  mentedwithsatisfaction,returningthebookstohispocket。
  "Andnow,Archie,whereareyouoffto?"
  "GottogoEastto—night。AdealwaitingformeinNewYork。"Dr。Archierose。
  TheCaptain’sfacebrightenedashesawOscarapproach—
  ingwithatray,andhebegantuckingthecornerofhisnapkininsidehiscollar,overhisascot。"Don’tletthemunloadanythingonyoubackthere,doctor,"hesaidgen—
  ially,"anddon’tletthemrelieveyouofanything,either。
  Don’tletthemgetanyCripplestuffoffyou。Wecanman—
  ageourownsilverouthere,andwe’regoingtotakeitoutbytheton,sir!"
  Thedoctorleftthedining—room,andafteranothercon—
  sultationwiththeclerk,hewrotehisfirsttelegramtoThea:——
  MissTheaKronborg,EverettHouse,NewYork。
  Willcallatyourhoteleleveno’clockFridaymorning。
  Gladtocome。Thankyou。
  ARCHIE
  Hestoodandheardthemessageactuallyclickedoffonthewire,withthefeelingthatshewashearingtheclickattheotherend。Thenhesatdowninthelobbyandwrotea
  notetohiswifeandonetotheotherdoctorinMoonstone。
  Whenheatlastissuedoutintothestorm,itwaswithafeelingofelationratherthanofanxiety。Whateverwaswrong,hecouldmakeitright。Herletterhadpracticallysaidso。
  Hetrampedaboutthesnowystreets,fromthebanktotheUnionStation,whereheshovedhismoneyunderthegratingoftheticketwindowasifhecouldnotgetridofitfastenough。HehadneverbeeninNewYork,neverbeenfarthereastthanBuffalo。"That’sratherashame,"hereflectedboyishlyasheputthelongticketsinhispocket,"foramannearlyfortyyearsold。"However,hethoughtashewalkeduptowardtheclub,hewasonthewholegladthathisfirsttriphadahumaninterest,thathewasgoingforsomething,andbecausehewaswanted。Helovedholi—
  days。HefeltasifheweregoingtoGermanyhimself。
  "Queer,"——hewentoveritwiththesnowblowinginhisface,——"butthatsortofthingismoreinterestingthanminesandmakingyourdailybread。It’sworthpayingouttobeinonit,——forafellowlikeme。Andwhenit’sThea——Oh,Ibackher!"helaughedaloudasheburstinatthedooroftheAthleticClub,powderedwithsnow。
  ArchiesatdownbeforetheNewYorkpapersandranovertheadvertisementsofhotels,buthewastoorestlesstoread。Probablyhehadbettergetanewovercoat,andhewasnotsureabouttheshapeofhiscollars。"Idon’twanttolookdifferenttoherfromeverybodyelsethere,"
  hemused。"IguessI’llgodownandhaveVanlookmeover。He’llputmeright。"
  Soheplungedoutintothesnowagainandstartedforhistailor’s。Whenhepassedaflorist’sshophestoppedandlookedinatthewindow,smiling;hownaturallypleasantthingsrecalledoneanother。Atthetailor’shekeptwhis—
  tling,"Flowgently,SweetAfton,"whileVanDusenad—
  visedhim,untilthatresourcefultailorandhaberdasherexclaimed,"Youmusthaveadatebackthere,doctor;you
  behavelikeabridegroom,"andmadehimrememberthathewasn’tone。
  Beforehelethimgo,VanputhisfingerontheMasonicpininhisclient’slapel。"Mustn’twearthat,doctor。Verybadformbackthere。"
  II
  FREDOTTENBURG,smartlydressedfortheafter—
  noon,withalongblackcoatandgaiterswassittinginthedustyparloroftheEverettHouse。Hismannerwasnotinaccordwithhispersonalfreshness,thegoodlinesofhisclothes,andtheshiningsmoothnessofhishair。Hisattitudewasoneofdeepdejection,andhisface,thoughithadthecool,unimpeachablefairnesspossibleonlytoaveryblondyoungman,wasbynomeanshappy。Apageshuffledintotheroomandlookedabout。Whenhemadeoutthedarkfigureinashadowycorner,tracingoverthecarpetpatternwithacane,hedroned,"Theladysaysyoucancomeup,sir。"
  Fredpickeduphishatandglovesandfollowedthecrea—
  ture,whoseemedanagedboyinuniform,throughdarkcorridorsthatsmelledofoldcarpets。ThepageknockedatthedoorofThea’ssitting—room,andthenwanderedaway。Theacametothedoorwithatelegraminherhand。
  SheaskedOttenburgtocomeinandpointedtooneoftheclumsy,sullen—lookingchairsthatwereasthickastheywerehigh。Theroomwasbrownwithtime,darkinspiteoftwowindowsthatopenedonUnionSquare,withdullcurtainsandcarpet,andheavy,respectable—lookingfurni—
  tureinsombercolors。Theplacewassavedfromutterdis—
  malnessbyacoalfireundertheblackmarblemantelpiece,——brilliantlyreflectedinalongmirrorthathungbetweenthetwowindows。ThiswasthefirsttimeFredhadseentheroom,andhetookitinquickly,asheputdownhishatandgloves。
  Theaseatedherselfatthewalnutwriting—desk,stillholdingtheslipofyellowpaper。"Dr。Archieiscoming,"
  shesaid。"HewillbehereFridaymorning。"