首页 >出版文学> THE SONG OF THE LARK>第8章
  WhenhewenttoDenverortoChicago,hedriftedaboutincarelesscompanywheregayetyandgood—humorcanbebought,notbecausehehadanytasteforsuchsociety,butbecausehehonestlybelievedthatanythingwasbetterthandivorce。Heoftentoldhimselfthat"hangingandwivinggobydestiny。"Ifwivingwentbadlywithaman,——anditdidoftenerthannot,——thenhemustdothebesthecouldtokeepupappearancesandhelpthetraditionofdomestichappinessalong。TheMoonstonegossips,as—
  sembledinMrs。Smiley’smillineryandnotionstore,oftendiscussedDr。Archie’spolitenesstohiswife,andhispleas—
  antmannerofspeakingabouther。"Nobodyhasevergotathingoutofhimyet,"theyagreed。Anditwascertainlynotbecausenoonehadevertried。
  WhenhewasdowninDenver,feelingalittlejolly,Archiecouldforgethowunhappyhewasathome,andcouldevenmakehimselfbelievethathemissedhiswife。Healwaysboughtherpresents,andwouldhavelikedtosendherflowersifshehadnotrepeatedlytoldhimnevertosendheranythingbutbulbs,——whichdidnotappealtohiminhisexpansivemoments。AttheDenverAthleticClubban—
  quets,oratdinnerwithhiscolleaguesattheBrownPalaceHotel,hesometimesspokesentimentallyabout"littleMrs。Archie,"andhealwaysdrankthetoast"toourwives,Godblessthem!"withgusto。
  ThedeterminingfactoraboutDr。Archiewasthathewasromantic。HehadmarriedBelleWhitebecausehewasromantic——tooromantictoknowanythingaboutwomen,exceptwhathewishedthemtobe,ortorepulseaprettygirlwhohadsethercapforhim。Atmedicalschool,thoughhewasaratherwildboyinbehavior,hehadalwaysdis—
  likedcoarsejokesandvulgarstories。InhisoldFlint’sPhysiologytherewasstillapoemhehadpastedtherewhen
  hewasastudent;someversesbyDr。OliverWendellHolmesabouttheidealsofthemedicalprofession。Aftersomuchandsuchdisillusioningexperiencewithit,hestillhadaromanticfeelingaboutthehumanbody;asensethatfinerthingsdweltinitthancouldbeexplainedbyanatomy。
  Heneverjestedaboutbirthordeathormarriage,anddidnotliketohearotherdoctorsdoit。Hewasagoodnurse,andhadareverenceforthebodiesofwomenandchildren。
  Whenhewastendingthem,onesawhimathisbest。Thenhisconstraintandself—consciousnessfellawayfromhim。
  Hewaseasy,gentle,competent,masterofhimselfandofotherpeople。Thentheidealistinhimwasnotafraidofbeingdiscoveredandridiculed。
  Inhistastes,too,thedoctorwasromantic。ThoughhereadBalzacalltheyearthrough,hestillenjoyedtheWaverleyNovelsasmuchaswhenhehadfirstcomeuponthem,inthickleather—boundvolumes,inhisgrandfather’slibrary。HenearlyalwaysreadScottonChristmasandholidays,becauseitbroughtbackthepleasuresofhisboy—
  hoodsovividly。HelikedScott’swomen。ConstancedeBeverleyandtheminstrelgirlin"TheFairMaidofPerth,"nottheDuchessedeLangeais,werehisheroines。
  Butbetterthananythingthatevergotfromtheheartofamanintoprinter’sink,helovedthepoetryofRobertBurns。"DeathandDr。Hornbook"and"TheJollyBeg—
  gars,"Burns’s"ReplytohisTailor,"heoftenreadaloudtohimselfinhisoffice,lateatnight,afteraglassofhottoddy。
  Heusedtoread"Tamo’Shanter"toTheaKronborg,andhegothersomeofthesongs,settotheoldairsforwhichtheywerewritten。Helovedtohearhersingthem。Some—
  timeswhenshesang,"Oh,wertthouinthecauldblast,"
  thedoctorandevenMr。Kronborgjoinedin。Theanevermindedifpeoplecouldnotsing;shedirectedthemwithherheadandsomehowcarriedthemalong。Whenherfathergotoffthepitchsheletherownvoiceoutandcoveredhim。
  XIII
  AtthebeginningofJune,whenschoolclosed,TheahadtoldWunschthatshedidn’tknowhowmuchprac—
  ticingshecouldgetinthissummerbecauseThorhadhisworstteethstilltocut。
  "MyGod!alllastsummerhewasdoingthat!"Wunschexclaimedfuriously。
  "Iknow,butittakesthemtwoyears,andThorisslow,"
  Theaansweredreprovingly。
  Thesummerwentwellbeyondherhopes,however。Shetoldherselfthatitwasthebestsummerofherlife,sofar。
  Nobodywassickathome,andherlessonswereuninter—
  rupted。Nowthatshehadfourpupilsofherownandmadeadollaraweek,herpracticingwasregardedmoreseriouslybythehousehold。Hermotherhadalwaysarrangedthingssothatshecouldhavetheparlorfourhoursadayinsum—
  mer。Thorprovedafriendlyally。Hebehavedhandsomelyabouthismolars,andneverobjectedtobeingpulledoffintoremoteplacesinhiscart。WhenTheadraggedhimoverthehillandmadeacampundertheshadeofabushorabank,hewouldwaddleaboutandplaywithhisblocks,orburyhismonkeyinthesandanddighimupagain。
  Sometimeshegotintothecactusandsetupahowl,butusuallyhelethissisterreadpeacefully,whilehecoatedhishandsandface,firstwithanall—daysuckerandthenwithgravel。
  LifewaspleasantanduneventfuluntilthefirstofSep—
  tember,whenWunschbegantodrinksohardthathewasunabletoappearwhenTheawenttotakehermid—weeklesson,andMrs。Kohlerhadtosendherhomeafteratear—
  fulapology。OnSaturdaymorningshesetoutfortheKohlers’again,butonherway,whenshewascrossingthe
  ravine,shenoticedawomansittingatthebottomofthegulch,undertherailroadtrestle。SheturnedfromherpathandsawthatitwasMrs。Tellamantez,andsheseemedtobedoingdrawn—work。ThenTheanoticedthattherewassomethingbesideher,coveredupwithapurpleandyellowMexicanblanket。SheranupthegulchandcalledtoMrs。
  Tellamantez。TheMexicanwomanheldupawarningfinger。
  Theaglancedattheblanketandrecognizedasquareredhandwhichprotruded。Themiddlefingertwitchedslightly。
  "Ishehurt?"shegasped。
  Mrs。Tellamantezshookherhead。"No;verysick。Heknowsnothing,"shesaidquietly,foldingherhandsoverherdrawn—work。
  ThealearnedthatWunschhadbeenoutallnight,thatthismorningMrs。Kohlerhadgonetolookforhimandfoundhimunderthetrestlecoveredwithdirtandcinders。
  Probablyhehadbeentryingtogethomeandhadlosthisway。Mrs。Tellamantezwaswatchingbesidetheuncon—
  sciousmanwhileMrs。KohlerandJohnnywenttogethelp。
  "Youbettergohomenow,Ithink,"saidMrs。Tella—
  mantez,inclosinghernarration。
  Theahungherheadandlookedwistfullytowardtheblanket。
  "Couldn’tIjuststaytilltheycome?"sheasked。"I’dliketoknowifhe’sverybad。"
  "Badenough,"sighedMrs。Tellamantez,takingupherworkagain。
  TheasatdownunderthenarrowshadeofoneofthetrestlepostsandlistenedtothelocustsraspinginthehotsandwhileshewatchedMrs。Tellamantezevenlydrawherthreads。Theblanketlookedasifitwereoveraheapofbricks。
  "Idon’tseehimbreathingany,"shesaidanxiously。
  "Yes,hebreathes,"saidMrs。Tellamantez,notliftinghereyes。
  ItseemedtoTheathattheywaitedforhours。Atlast
  theyheardvoices,andapartyofmencamedownthehillandupthegulch。Dr。ArchieandFritzKohlercamefirst;behindwereJohnnyandRay,andseveralmenfromtheroundhouse。Rayhadthecanvaslitterthatwaskeptatthedepotforaccidentsontheroad。Behindthemtrailedhalfadozenboyswhohadbeenhangingroundthedepot。
  WhenRaysawThea,hedroppedhiscanvasrollandhurriedforward。"Betterrunalonghome,Thee。Thisisuglybusiness。"RaywasindignantthatanybodywhogaveTheamusiclessonsshouldbehaveinsuchamanner。
  Thearesentedbothhisproprietarytoneandhissuperiorvirtue。"Iwon’t。Iwanttoknowhowbadheis。I’mnotababy!"sheexclaimedindignantly,stampingherfootintothesand。
  Dr。Archie,whohadbeenkneelingbytheblanket,gotupandcametowardThea,dustinghisknees。Hesmiledandnoddedconfidentially。"He’llbeallrightwhenwegethimhome。Buthewouldn’twantyoutoseehimlikethis,pooroldchap!Understand?Now,skip!"
  Thearandownthegulchandlookedbackonlyonce,toseethemliftingthecanvaslitterwithWunschuponit,stillcoveredwiththeblanket。
  ThemencarriedWunschupthehillanddowntheroadtotheKohlers’。Mrs。Kohlerhadgonehomeandmadeupabedinthesitting—room,assheknewthelittercouldnotbegotroundtheturninthenarrowstairway。Wunschwaslikeadeadman。Helayunconsciousallday。RayKen—
  nedystayedwithhimtilltwoo’clockintheafternoon,whenhehadtogooutonhisrun。ItwasthefirsttimehehadeverbeeninsidetheKohlers’house,andhewassomuchimpressedbyNapoleonthatthepiece—pictureformedanewbondbetweenhimandThea。
  Dr。Archiewentbackatsixo’clock,andfoundMrs。
  KohlerandSpanishJohnnywithWunsch,whowasinahighfever,mutteringandgroaning。
  "Thereoughttobesomeoneheretolookafterhim
  to—night,Mrs。Kohler,"hesaid。"I’monaconfinementcase,andIcan’tbehere,butthereoughttobesomebody。
  Hemaygetviolent。"
  Mrs。KohlerinsistedthatshecouldalwaysdoanythingwithWunsch,butthedoctorshookhisheadandSpanishJohnnygrinned。Hesaidhewouldstay。Thedoctorlaughedathim。"Tenfellowslikeyoucouldn’tholdhim,Spanish,ifhegotobstreperous;anIrishmanwouldhavehishandsfull。GuessI’dbetterputthesoftpedalonhim。"
  Hepulledouthishypodermic。
  SpanishJohnnystayed,however,andtheKohlerswenttobed。Atabouttwoo’clockinthemorningWunschrosefromhisignominiouscot。Johnny,whowasdozingonthelounge,awoketofindtheGermanstandinginthemiddleoftheroominhisundershirtanddrawers,hisarmsbare,hisheavybodyseemingtwiceitsnaturalgirth。Hisfacewassnarlingandsavage,andhiseyeswerecrazy。Hehadrisentoavengehimself,towipeouthisshame,todestroyhisenemy。OnelookwasenoughforJohnny。Wunschraisedachairthreateningly,andJohnny,withthelightnessofaPICADOR,dartedunderthemissileandoutoftheopenwin—
  dow。Heshotacrossthegullytogethelp,meanwhileleav—
  ingtheKohlerstotheirfate。
  Fritz,upstairs,heardthechaircrashuponthestove。
  Thenhehearddoorsopeningandshutting,andsomeonestumblingaboutintheshrubberyofthegarden。HeandPaulinasatupinbedandheldaconsultation。Fritzslippedfromunderthecovers,andgoingcautiouslyovertothewindow,pokedouthishead。Thenherushedtothedoorandboltedit。
  "MEINGOTT,Paulina,"hegasped,"hehastheaxe,hewillkillus!"
  "Thedresser,"criedMrs。Kohler;"pushthedresserbeforethedoor。ACH,ifyouhadyourrabbitgun,now!"
  "Itisinthebarn,"saidFritzsadly。"Itwoulddonogood;hewouldnotbeafraidofanythingnow。Stayyouin
  thebed,Paulina。"Thedresserhadlostitscastersyearsago,buthemanagedtodragitinfrontofthedoor。"Heisinthegarden。Hemakesnothing。Hewillgetsickagain,may—be。"
  Fritzwentbacktobedandhiswifepulledthequiltoverhimandmadehimliedown。Theyheardstumblinginthegardenagain,thenasmashofglass。
  "ACH,DASMISTBEET!"gaspedPaulina,hearingherhot—
  bedshivered。"Thepoorsoul,Fritz,hewillcuthimself。
  ACH!whatisthat?"Theybothsatupinbed。"WIEDER!
  ACH,Whatishedoing?"
  Thenoisecamesteadily,asoundofchopping。Paulinatoreoffhernight—cap。DIEBAUME,DIEBAUME!Heiscut—
  tingourtrees,Fritz!"Beforeherhusbandcouldpreventher,shehadsprungfromthebedandrushedtothewin—
  dow。"DERTAUBENSCHLAG!GERECHTERHIMMEL,heischoppingthedove—housedown!"
  Fritzreachedhersidebeforeshehadgotherbreathagain,andpokedhisheadoutbesidehers。There,inthefaintstarlight,theysawabulkyman,barefoot,halfdressed,choppingawayatthewhitepostthatformedthepedestalofthedove—house。Thestartledpigeonswerecroakingandflyingabouthishead,evenbeatingtheirwingsinhisface,sothathestruckatthemfuriouslywiththeaxe。Inafewsecondstherewasacrash,andWunschhadactuallyfelledthedove—house。
  "Oh,ifonlyitisnotthetreesnext!"prayedPaulina。
  "Thedove—houseyoucanmakenewagain,butnotDIE
  BAUME。"
  Theywatchedbreathlessly。InthegardenbelowWunschstoodintheattitudeofawoodman,contemplatingthefallencote。Suddenlyhethrewtheaxeoverhisshoulderandwentoutofthefrontgatetowardthetown。
  "Thepoorsoul,hewillmeethisdeath!"Mrs。Kohlerwailed。Sheranbacktoherfeatherbedandhidherfaceinthepillow。
  Fritzkeptwatchatthewindow。"No,no,Paulina,"hecalledpresently;"Iseelanternscoming。Johnnymusthavegoneforsomebody。Yes,fourlanterns,comingalongthegulch。Theystop;theymusthaveseenhimalready。
  NowtheyareunderthehillandIcannotseethem,butI
  thinktheyhavehim。Theywillbringhimback。Imustdressandgodown。"Hecaughthistrousersandbeganpullingthemonbythewindow。"Yes,heretheycome,halfadozenmen。Andtheyhavetiedhimwitharope,Paulina!"
  "ACH,thepoorman!Tobeledlikeacow,"groanedMrs。Kohler。"Oh,itisgoodthathehasnowife!"ShewasreproachingherselffornaggingFritzwhenhedrankhimselfintofoolishpleasantryormildsulks,andfeltthatshehadneverbeforeappreciatedherblessings。
  Wunschwasinbedfortendays,duringwhichtimehewasgossipedaboutandevenpreachedaboutinMoonstone。
  TheBaptistpreachertookashotatthefallenmanfromhispulpit,Mrs。LiveryJohnsonnoddingapprovinglyfromherpew。ThemothersofWunsch’spupilssenthimnotesinforminghimthattheirdaughterswoulddiscontinuetheirmusic—lessons。Theoldmaidwhohadrentedhimherpianosentthetowndrayforhercontaminatedinstrument,andeverafterwarddeclaredthatWunschhadruineditstoneandscarreditsglossyfinish。TheKohlerswereunre—
  mittingintheirkindnesstotheirfriend。Mrs。Kohlermadehimsoupsandbrothswithoutstint,andFritzrepairedthedove—houseandmounteditonanewpost,lestitmightbeasadreminder。
  AssoonasWunschwasstrongenoughtositaboutinhisslippersandwaddedjacket,hetoldFritztobringhimsomestoutthreadfromtheshop。WhenFritzaskedwhathewasgoingtosew,heproducedthetatteredscoreof"Orpheus"andsaidhewouldliketofixitupforalittlepresent。Fritzcarrieditovertotheshopandstitchedit
  intopasteboards,coveredwithdarksuiting—cloth。Overthestitcheshegluedastripofthinredleatherwhichhegotfromhisfriend,theharness—maker。AfterPaulinahadcleanedthepageswithfreshbread,Wunschwasamazedtoseewhatafinebookhehad。Itopenedstiffly,butthatwasnomatter。
  Sittinginthearboronemorning,undertheripegrapesandthebrown,curlingleaves,withapenandinkonthebenchbesidehimandtheGluckscoreonhisknee,Wunschponderedforalongwhile。Severaltimeshedippedthepenintheink,andthenputitbackagaininthecigarboxinwhichMrs。Kohlerkeptherwritingutensils。Histhoughtswanderedoverawideterritory;overmanycountriesandmanyyears。Therewasnoorderorlogicalsequenceinhisideas。Picturescameandwentwithoutreason。Faces,mountains,rivers,autumndaysinothervineyardsfaraway。HethoughtofaFUSZREISEhehadmadethroughtheHartzMountainsinhisstudentdays;oftheinnkeeper’sprettydaughterwhohadlightedhispipeforhiminthegardenonesummerevening,ofthewoodsaboveWiesba—
  den,haymakersonanislandintheriver。Theround—
  housewhistlewokehimfromhisreveries。Ah,yes,hewasinMoonstone,Colorado。Hefrownedforamomentandlookedatthebookonhisknee。Hehadthoughtofagreatmanyappropriatethingstowriteinit,butsuddenlyherejectedallofthem,openedthebook,andatthetopofthemuch—engravedtitle—pagehewroterapidlyinpurpleink:——
  EINST,OWUNDER!——
  A。WUNSCH。
  MOONSTONE,COLO。
  SEPTEMBER30,18——
  NobodyinMoonstoneeverfoundwhatWunsch’sfirstnamewas。That"A"mayhavestoodforAdam,orAugust,orevenAmadeus;hegotveryangryifanyoneaskedhim。
  HeremainedA。Wunschtotheendofhischapterthere。
  WhenhepresentedthisscoretoThea,hetoldherthatintenyearsshewouldeitherknowwhattheinscriptionmeant,orshewouldnothavetheleastidea,inwhichcaseitwouldnotmatter。
  WhenWunschbegantopackhistrunk,boththeKohlerswereveryunhappy。Hesaidhewascomingbacksomeday,butthatforthepresent,sincehehadlostallhispupils,itwouldbebetterforhimtotrysome"newtown。"
  Mrs。Kohlerdarnedandmendedallhisclothes,andgavehimtwonewshirtsshehadmadeforFritz。Fritzmadehimanewpairoftrousersandwouldhavemadehimanovercoatbutforthefactthatovercoatsweresoeasytopawn。
  WunschwouldnotgoacrosstheravinetothetownuntilhewenttotakethemorningtrainforDenver。HesaidthatafterhegottoDenverhewould"lookaround。"HeleftMoonstoneonebrightOctobermorning,withouttellinganyonegood—bye。Heboughthisticketandwentdirectlyintothesmoking—car。Whenthetrainwasbeginningtopullout,heheardhisnamecalledfrantically,andlookingoutofthewindowhesawTheaKronborgstandingonthesiding,bareheadedandpanting。SomeboyshadbroughtwordtoschoolthattheysawWunsch’strunkgoingovertothestation,andTheahadrunawayfromschool。Shewasattheendofthestationplatform,herhairintwobraids,herblueginghamdresswettothekneesbecauseshehadrunacrosslotsthroughtheweeds。Ithadraineddur—
  ingthenight,andthetallsunflowersbehindherwerefreshandshining。
  "Good—bye,HerrWunsch,good—bye!"shecalledwavingtohim。
  Hethrusthisheadoutatthecarwindowandcalledback,"LEBENSIEWOHL,LEBENSIEWOHL,MEINKIND!"Hewatchedheruntilthetrainsweptaroundthecurvebe—
  yondtheroundhouse,andthensankbackintohisseat,
  muttering,"Shehadbeenrunning。Ah,shewillrunalongway;theycannotstopher!"
  Whatwasitaboutthechildthatonebelievedin?Wasitherdoggedindustry,sounusualinthisfree—and—easycountry?Wasitherimagination?Morelikelyitwasbe—
  causeshehadbothimaginationandastubbornwill,curi—
  ouslybalancingandinterpenetratingeachother。Therewassomethingunconsciousandunawakenedabouther,thattemptedcuriosity。Shehadakindofseriousnessthathehadnotmetwithinapupilbefore。Shehateddifficultthings,andyetshecouldneverpassoneby。
  Theyseemedtochallengeher;shehadnopeaceuntilshemasteredthem。Shehadthepowertomakeagreateffort,toliftaweightheavierthanherself。Wunschhopedhewouldalwaysrememberherasshestoodbythetrack,lookingupathim;herbroadeagerface,sofairincolor,withitshighcheek—bones,yelloweyebrowsandgreenish—
  hazeleyes。Itwasafacefulloflightandenergy,oftheunquestioninghopefulnessoffirstyouth。Yes,shewaslikeaflowerfullofsun,butnotthesoftGermanflowersofhischildhood。Hehaditnow,thecomparisonhehadab—
  sentlyreachedforbefore:shewasliketheyellowprickly—
  pearblossomsthatopenthereinthedesert;thornierandsturdierthanthemaidenflowersheremembered;notsosweet,butwonderful。
  ThatnightMrs。Kohlerbrushedawaymanyatearasshegotsupperandsetthetablefortwo。Whentheysatdown,Fritzwasmoresilentthanusual。Peoplewhohavelivedlongtogetherneedathirdattable:theyknoweachother’sthoughtssowellthattheyhavenothinglefttosay。
  Mrs。Kohlerstirredandstirredhercoffeeandclatteredthespoon,butshehadnoheartforhersupper。Shefelt,forthefirsttimeinyears,thatshewastiredofherowncook—
  ing。Shelookedacrosstheglasslampatherhusbandandaskedhimifthebutcherlikedhisnewovercoat,and
  whetherhehadgottheshouldersrightinaready—madesuithewaspatchingoverforRayKennedy。Aftersup—
  perFritzofferedtowipethedishesforher,butshetoldhimtogoabouthisbusiness,andnottoactasifsheweresickorgettinghelpless。
  Whenherworkinthekitchenwasalldone,shewentouttocovertheoleandersagainstfrost,andtotakealastlookatherchickens。Asshecamebackfromthehen—houseshestoppedbyoneofthelindentreesandstoodrestingherhandonthetrunk。Hewouldnevercomeback,thepoorman;sheknewthat。Hewoulddriftonfromnewtowntonewtown,fromcatastrophetocatastrophe。Hewouldhardlyfindagoodhomeforhimselfagain。Hewoulddieatlastinsomeroughplace,andbeburiedinthedesertoronthewildprairie,farenoughfromanylindentree!
  Fritz,smokinghispipeonthekitchendoorstep,watchedhisPaulinaandguessedherthoughts。He,too,wassorrytolosehisfriend。ButFritzwasgettingold;hehadlivedalongwhileandhadlearnedtolosewithoutstruggle。
  XIV
  "Mother,"saidPeterKronborgtohiswifeonemorn—
  ingabouttwoweeksafterWunsch’sdeparture,"howwouldyouliketodriveouttoCopperHolewithmeto—day?"
  Mrs。Kronborgsaidshethoughtshewouldenjoythedrive。Sheputonhergraycashmeredressandgoldwatchandchain,asbefittedaminister’swife,andwhileherhusbandwasdressingshepackedablackoilclothsatchelwithsuchclothingassheandThorwouldneedovernight。
  CopperHolewasasettlementfifteenmilesnorthwestofMoonstonewhereMr。KronborgpreachedeveryFridayevening。Therewasabigspringthereandacreekandafewirrigatingditches。Itwasacommunityofdiscour—
  agedagriculturistswhohaddisastrouslyexperimentedwithdryfarming。Mr。Kronborgalwaysdroveoutonedayandbackthenext,spendingthenightwithoneofhisparishioners。Often,whentheweatherwasfine,hiswifeaccompaniedhim。To—daytheysetoutfromhomeafterthemiddaymeal,leavingTillieinchargeofthehouse。Mrs。Kronborg’smaternalfeelingwasalwaysgar—
  neredupinthebaby,whoeverthebabyhappenedtobe。
  Ifshehadthebabywithher,theotherscouldlookoutforthemselves。Thor,ofcourse,wasnot,accuratelyspeaking,ababyanylonger。Inthematterofnourishmenthewasquiteindependentofhismother,thoughthisindependencehadnotbeenwonwithoutastruggle。Thorwasconserva—
  tiveinallthings,andthewholefamilyhadanguishedwithhimwhenhewasbeingweaned。Beingtheyoungest,hewasstillthebabyforMrs。Kronborg,thoughhewasnearlyfouryearsoldandsatupboldlyonherlapthisafternoon,
  holdingontotheendsofthelinesandshouting"`mup,’mup,horsey。"HisfatherwatchedhimaffectionatelyandhummedhymntunesinthejovialwaythatwassometimessuchatrialtoThea。
  Mrs。Kronborgwasenjoyingthesunshineandthebril—
  liantskyandallthefaintlymarkedfeaturesofthedazzling,monotonouslandscape。Shehadaratherunusualcapacityforgettingtheflavorofplacesandofpeople。Althoughshewassoenmeshedinfamilycaresmostofthetime,shecouldemergeserenewhenshewasawayfromthem。Foramotherofseven,shehadasingularlyunprejudicedpointofview。Shewas,moreover,afatalist,andasshedidnotattempttodirectthingsbeyondhercontrol,shefoundagooddealoftimetoenjoythewaysofmanandnature。
  Whentheywerewellupontheirroad,outwherethefirstleanpasturelandsbeganandthesandgrassmadeafaintshowingbetweenthesagebushes,Mr。Kronborgdroppedhistuneandturnedtohiswife。"Mother,I’vebeenthink—
  ingaboutsomething。"