their silver wedding journey v3-第29节

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confidences　to　her　father　were　not　full。　　She　told　her　father　that　her
engagement　was　broken　for　reasons　that　did　not　mean　anything　very　wrong
in　Mr。　Burnamy　but　that　convinced　her　they　could　never　be　happy　together。
As　she　did　not　give　the　reasons；　he　found　a　natural　difficulty　in
accepting　them；　and　there　was　something　in　the　situation　which　appealed
strongly　to　his　contrary…mindedness。　　Partly　from　this；　partly　from　his
sense　of　injury　in　being　obliged　so　soon　to　adjust　himself　to　new
conditions；　and　partly　from　his　comfortable　feeling　of　security　from　an
engagement　to　which　his　assent　had　been　forced；　he　said；　〃I　hope　you're
not　making　a　mistake。〃

〃Oh；　no；〃　she　answered；　and　she　attested　her　conviction　by　a　burst　of
sobbing　that　lasted　well　on　the　way　to　the　first　stop　of　the　train。




LXIX。

It　would　have　been　always　twice　as　easy　to　go　direct　from　Berlin　to　the
Hague　through　Hanover；　but　the　Marches　decided　to　go　by　Frankfort　and　the
Rhine；　because　they　wished　to　revisit　the　famous　river；　which　they
remembered　from　their　youth；　and　because　they　wished　to　stop　at
Dusseldorf；　where　Heinrich　Heine　was　born。　　Without　this　Mrs。　March；　who
kept　her　husband　up　to　his　early　passion　for　the　poet　with　a　feeling　that
she　was　defending　him　from　age　in　it；　said　that　their　silver　wedding
journey　would　not　be　complete；　and　he　began　himself　to　think　that　it
would　be　interesting。

They　took　a　sleeping…car　for　Frankfort　and　they　woke　early　as　people　do
in　sleeping…cars　everywhere。　　March　dressed　and　went　out　for　a　cup　of　the
same　coffee　of　which　sleeping…car　buffets　have　the　awful　secret　in　Europe
as　well　as　America；　and　for　a　glimpse　of　the　twilight　landscape。　　One
gray　little　town；　towered　and　steepled　and　red…roofed　within　its
mediaeval　walls；　looked　as　if　it　would　have　been　warmer　in　something
more。　　There　was　a　heavy　dew；　if　not　a　light　frost；　over　all；　and　in
places　a　pale　fog　began　to　lift　from　the　low　hills。　　Then　the　sun　rose
without　dispersing　the　cold；　which　was　afterwards　so　severe　in　their　room
at　the　Russischer　Hof　in　Frankfort　that　in　spite　of　the　steam…radiators
they　sat　shivering　in　all　their　wraps　till　breakfast…time。

There　was　no　steam　on　in　the　radiators；　of　course；　when　they　implored　the
portier　for　at　least　a　lamp　to　warm　their　hands　by　he　turned　on　all　the
electric　lights　without　raising　the　temperature　in　the　slightest　degree。
Amidst　these　modern　comforts　they　were　so　miserable　that　they　vowed　each
other　to　shun；　as　long　as　they　were　in　Germany；　or　at　least　while　the
summer　lasted；　all　hotels　which　were　steam…heated　and　electric…lighted。
They　heated　themselves　somewhat　with　their　wrath；　and　over　their
breakfast　they　relented　so　far　as　to　suffer　themselves　a　certain　interest
in　the　troops　of　all　arms　beginning　to　pass　the　hotel。　　They　were
fragments　of　the　great　parade；　which　had　ended　the　day　before；　and　they
were　now　drifting　back　to　their　several　quarters　of　the　empire。　　Many　of
them　were　very　picturesque；　and　they　had　for　the　boys　and　girls　running
before　and　beside　them；　the　charm　which　armies　and　circus　processions
have　for　children　everywhere。　　But　their　passage　filled　with　cruel
anxiety　a　large　old　dog　whom　his　master　had　left　harnessed　to　a　milk…cart
before　the　hotel　door；　from　time　to　time　he　lifted　up　his　voice；　and
called　to　the　absentee　with　hoarse；　deep　barks　that　almost　shook　him　from
his　feet。

The　day　continued　blue　and　bright　and　cold；　and　the　Marches　gave　the
morning　to　a　rapid　survey　of　the　city；　glad　that　it　was　at　least　not　wet。
What　afterwards　chiefly　remained　to　them　was　the　impression　of　an　old
town　as　quaint　almost　and　as　Gothic　as　old　Hamburg；　and　a　new　town；
handsome　and　regular；　and；　in　the　sudden　arrest　of　some　streets；
apparently　overbuilt。　　The　modern　architectural　taste　was　of　course
Parisian；　there　is　no　other　taste　for　the　Germans；　but　in　the　prevailing
absence　of　statues　there　was　a　relief　from　the　most　oppressive
characteristic　of　the　imperial　capital　which　was　a　positive　delight。
Some　sort　of　monument　to　the　national　victory　over　France　there　must　have
been；　but　it　must　have　been　unusually　inoffensive；　for　it　left　no　record
of　itself　in　the　travellers'　consciousness。　　They　were　aware　of　gardened
squares　and　avenues；　bordered　by　stately　dwellings；　of　dignified　civic
edifices；　and　of　a　vast　arid　splendid　railroad　station；　such　as　the　state
builds　even　in　minor　European　cities；　but　such　as　our　paternal
corporations　have　not　yet　given　us　anywhere　in　America。　　They　went　to　the
Zoological　Garden；　where　they　heard　the　customary　Kalmucks　at　their
public　prayers　behind　a　high　board　fence；　and　as　pilgrims　from　the　most
plutrocratic　country　in　the　world　March　insisted　that　they　must　pay　their
devoirs　at　the　shrine　of　the　Rothschilds；　whose　natal　banking…house　they
revered　from　the　outside。

It　was　a　pity；　he　said；　that　the　Rothschilds　were　not　on　his　letter　of
credit；　he　would　have　been　willing　to　pay　tribute　to　the　Genius　of
Finance　in　the　percentage　on　at　least　ten　pounds。　　But　he　consoled
himself　by　reflecting　that　he　did　not　need　the　money；　and　he　consoled
Mrs。　March　for　their　failure　to　penetrate　to　the　interior　of　the
Rothschilds'　birthplace　by　taking　her　to　see　the　house　where　Goethe　was
born。　　The　public　is　apparently　much　more　expected　there；　and　in　the
friendly　place　they　were　no　doubt　much　more　welcome　than　they　would　have
been　in　the　Rothschild　house。　　Under　that　roof　they　renewed　a　happy
moment　of　Weimar；　which　after　the　lapse　of　a　week　seemed　already　so
remote。　　They　wondered；　as　they　mounted　the　stairs　from　the　basement
opening　into　a　clean　little　court；　how　Burnamy　was　getting　on；　and
whether　it　had　yet　come　to　that　understanding　between　him　and　Agatha；
which　Mrs。　March；　at　least；　had　meant　to　be　inevitable。　　Then　they　became
part　of　some　such　sight…seeing　retinue　as　followed　the　custodian　about　in
the　Goethe　horse　in　Weimar；　and　of　an　emotion　indistinguishable　from　that
of　their　fellow　sight…seers。　　They　could　make　sure；　afterwards；　of　a
personal　pleasure　in　a　certain　prescient　classicism　of　the　house。　　It
somehow　recalled　both　the　Goethe　houses　at　Weimar；　and　it　somehow
recalled　Italy。　　It　is　a　separate　house　of　two　floors　above　the　entrance；
which　opens　to　a　little　court　or　yard；　and　gives　access　by　a　decent
stairway　to　the　living…rooms。　　The　chief　of　these　is　a　sufficiently
dignified　parlor　or　salon；　and　the　most　important　is　the　little　chamber
in　the　third　story　where　the　poet　first　opened　his　eyes　to　the　light
which　he　rejoiced　in　for　so　long　a　life；　and　which；　dying；　he　implored　to
be　with　him　more。　　It　is　as　large　as　his　death…chamber　in　Weimar；　where
he　breathed　this　prayer；　and　it　looks　down　into　the　Italian…looking
court；　where　probably　he　noticed　the　world　for　the　first　time；　and
thought　it　a　paved　enclosure　thirty　or　forty　feet　square。　　In　the　birth…
room　they　keep　his　puppet　theatre；　and　the　place　is　fairly　suggestive　of
his　childhood；　later；　in　his　youth；　he　could　look　from　the　parlor　windows
and　see　the　house　where　his　earliest　love　dwelt。　　So　much　remains　of
Goethe　in　the　place　where　he　was　born；　and　as　such　things　go；　it　is　not　a
little。　　The　house　is　that　of　a　prosperous　and　well…placed　citizen；　and
speaks　of　the　senatorial　quality　in　his　family　which　Heine　says　he　was
fond　of　recalling；　rather　than　the　sartorial　quality　of　the　ancestor　who；
again　as　Heine　says；　mended　the　Republic's　breeches。

From　the　Goethe　house；　one　drives　by　the　Goethe　monument　to　the　Romer；
the　famous　town…hall　of　the　old　free　imperial　city　which　Frankfort　once
was；　and　by　this　route　the　Marches　drove　to　it；　agreeing　with　their
coachman　that　he　was　to　keep　as　much　in　the　sun　as　possible。　　It　was
still　so　cold　that　when　they　reached　the　Romer；　and　he　stopped　in　a　broad
blaze　of　the　only　means　of　heating　that　they　have　in　Frankfort　in　the
summer；　the　travellers　were　loath　to　leave　it　for　the　chill　interior；
where　the　German　emperors　were　elected　for　so　many　centuries。　　As　soon　as
an　emperor　was　chosen；　in　the　great　hall　effigied　round　with　the
portraits　of　his　predecessors；　he　hurried　out　in　the　balcony；　ostensibly
to　show　himself　to　the　people；　but　really；　March　contended；　to　warm　up　a
little　in　the　sun。　　The　balcony　was　undergoing　repairs　that　day；　and　the
travellers　could　not　go　out　on　it；　but　under　the　spell　of　the　historic
interest　of　the　beautiful　old　Gothic　place；　they　lingered　in　the　interior
till　they　were　half…torpid　with　the　cold。　　Then　she　abandoned　to　him　the
joint　duty　of　viewing　the　cathedral；　and　hurried　to　their　carriage　where
she　basked　in　the　sun　till　he　came　to　her。　　He　returned　shivering；　after
a　half…hour's　absence；　and　pretended　that　she　had　missed　the　greatest
thing　in　the　world；　but　as　he　could　never　be　got　to　say　just　what　she　had
lost；　and　under　the　closest　cross…examination　could　not　prove　that　this
cathedral　was　memorably　different　from　hundreds　of　other　fourteenth…
century　cathedrals；　she　remained　in　a　lasting　content　with　the　easier
part　she　had　chosen。　　His　only　definite　impression　at　the　cathedral
seemed　to　be　confined　to　a　Bostonian　of　gloomily　correct　type；　whom　he
had　seen　doing　it　with　his　Baedeker；　and　not　letting