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a first family of tasajara-第5节

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disappeared with his guests。  Then there was the familiar shuffle

of his feet on the staircase; followed by other more cautious

footsteps that grew delicately and even courteously deliberate as

they approached。  At which the young girl; in some new sense of

decorum; drew in her pretty head; glanced around the room quickly;

reset the tidy on her father's chair; placed the resplendent

accordion like an ornament in the exact centre of the table; and

then vanished into the hall as Mr。 Harkutt entered with the

strangers。



They were both of the same age and appearance; but the principal

speaker was evidently the superior of his companion; and although

their attitude to each other was equal and familiar; it could be

easily seen that he was the leader。  He had a smooth; beardless

face; with a critical expression of eye and mouth that might have

been fastidious and supercilious but for the kindly; humorous

perception that tempered it。  His quick eye swept the apartment and

then fixed itself upon the accordion; but a smile lit up his face

as he said quietly;



〃I hope we haven't frightened the musician away。  It was bad enough

to have interrupted the young lady。〃



〃No; no;〃 said Mr。 Harkutt; who seemed to have lost his abstraction

in the nervousness of hospitality。  〃I reckon she's only lookin'

after her sick sister。  But come into the kitchen; both of you;

straight off; and while you're dryin' your clothes; mother'll fix

you suthin' hot。〃



〃We only need to change our boots and stockings; we've some dry

ones in our pack downstairs;〃 said the first speaker hesitatingly。



〃I'll fetch 'em up and you can change in the kitchen。  The old

woman won't mind;〃 said Harkutt reassuringly。  〃Come along。〃  He

led the way to the kitchen; the two strangers exchanged a glance of

humorous perplexity and followed。



The quiet of the little room was once more unbroken。  A far…off

commiserating murmur indicated that Mrs。 Harkutt was receiving her

guests。  The cool breath of the wet leaves without slightly stirred

the white dimity curtains; and somewhere from the darkened eaves

there was a still; somnolent drip。  Presently a hurried whisper and

a half…laugh appeared to be suppressed in the outer passage or

hall。  There was another moment of hesitation and the door opened

suddenly and ostentatiously; disclosing Phemie; with a taller and

slighter young woman; her elder sister; at her side。  Perceiving

that the room was empty; they both said 〃Oh!〃 yet with a certain

artificiality of manner that was evidently a lingering trace of

some previous formal attitude they had assumed。  Then without

further speech they each selected a chair and a position; having

first shaken out their dresses; and gazed silently at each other。



It may be said briefly that sitting thusin spite of their

unnatural attitude; or perhaps rather because of its suggestion of

a photographic posethey made a striking picture; and strongly

accented their separate peculiarities。  They were both pretty; but

the taller girl; apparently the elder; had an ideal refinement and

regularity of feature which was not only unlike Phemie; but

gratuitously unlike the rest of her family; and as hopelessly and

even wantonly inconsistent with her surroundings as was the

elaborately ornamented accordion on the centre…table。  She was one

of those occasional creatures; episodical in the South and West;

who might have been stamped with some vague ante…natal impression

of a mother given to over…sentimental contemplation of books of

beauty and albums rather than the family features; offspring of

typical men and women; and yet themselves incongruous to any known

local or even general type。  The long swan…like neck; tendriled

hair; swimming eyes; and small patrician head; had never lived or

moved before in Tasajara or the West; nor perhaps even existed

except as a personified 〃Constancy;〃 〃Meditation;〃 or the 〃Baron's

Bride;〃 in mezzotint or copperplate。  Even the girl's common pink

print dress with its high sleeves and shoulders could not

conventionalize these original outlines; and the hand that rested

stiffly on the back of her chair; albeit neither over…white nor

well kept; looked as if it had never held anything but a lyre; a

rose; or a good book。  Even the few sprays of wild jessamine which

she had placed in the coils of her waving hair; although a local

fashion; became her as a special ornament。



The two girls kept their constrained and artificially elaborated

attitude for a few moments; accompanied by the murmur of voices in

the kitchen; the monotonous drip of the eaves before the window;

and the far…off sough of the wind。  Then Phemie suddenly broke into

a constrained giggle; which she however quickly smothered as she

had the accordion; and with the same look of mischievous distress。



〃I'm astonished at you; Phemie;〃 said Clementina in a deep contralto

voice; which seemed even deeper from its restraint。  〃You don't seem

to have any sense。  Anybody'd think you never had seen a stranger

before。〃



〃Saw him before you did;〃 retorted Phemie pertly。  But here a

pushing of chairs and shuffling of feet in the kitchen checked her。

Clementina fixed an abstracted gaze on the ceiling; Phemie regarded

a leaf on the window sill with photographic rigidity as the door

opened to the strangers and her father。



The look of undisguised satisfaction which lit the young men's

faces relieved Mr。 Harkutt's awkward introduction of any

embarrassment; and almost before Phemie was fully aware of it; she

found herself talking rapidly and in a high key with Mr。 Lawrence

Grant; the surveyor; while her sister was equally; although more

sedately; occupied with Mr。 Stephen Rice; his assistant。  But the

enthusiasm of the strangers; and the desire to please and be

pleased was so genuine and contagious that presently the accordion

was brought into requisition; and Mr。 Grant exhibited a surprising

faculty of accompaniment to Mr。 Rice's tenor; in which both the

girls joined。



Then a game of cards with partners followed; into which the rival

parties introduced such delightful and shameless obviousness of

cheating; and displayed such fascinating and exaggerated

partisanship that the game resolved itself into a hilarious melee;

to which peace was restored only by an exhibition of tricks of

legerdemain with the cards by the young surveyor。  All of which

Mr。 Harkutt supervised patronizingly; with occasional fits of

abstraction; from his rocking…chair; and later Mrs。 Harkutt from her

kitchen threshold; wiping her arms on her apron and commiseratingly

observing that she 〃declared; the young folks looked better

already。〃



But it was here a more dangerous element of mystery and suggestion

was added by Mr。 Lawrence Grant in the telling of Miss Euphemia's

fortune from the cards before him; and that young lady; pink with

excitement; fluttered her little hands not unlike timid birds over

the cards to be drawn; taking them from him with an audible twitter

of anxiety and great doubts whether a certain 〃fair…haired

gentleman〃 was in hearts or diamonds。



〃Here are two strangers;〃 said Mr。 Grant; with extraordinary

gravity laying down the cards; 〃and here is a 'journey;' this is

'unexpected news;' and this ten of diamonds means 'great wealth' to

you; which you see follows the advent of the two strangers and is

some way connected with them。〃



〃Oh; indeed;〃 said the young lady with great pertness and a toss of

her head。  〃I suppose they've got the money with them。〃



〃No; though it reaches you through them;〃 he answered with

unflinching solemnity。  〃Wait a bit; I have it!  I see; I've made a

mistake with this card。  It signifies a journey or a road。  Queer!

isn't it; Steve?  It's THE ROAD。〃



〃It is queer;〃 said Rice with equal gravity; 〃but it's so。  The

road; sure!〃  Nevertheless he looked up into the large eyes of

Clementina with a certain confidential air of truthfulness。



〃You see; ladies;〃 continued the surveyor; appealing to them with

unabashed rigidity of feature; 〃the cards don't lie!  Luckily we

are in a position to corroborate them。  The road in question is a

secret known only to us and some capitalists in San Francisco。  In

fact even THEY don't know that it is feasible until WE report to

them。  But I don't mind telling you now; as a slight return for

your charming hospitality; that the road is a RAILROAD from Oakland

to Tasajara Creek of which we've just made the preliminary survey。

So you see what the cards mean is this: You're not far from

Tasajara Creek; in fact with a very little expense your father

could connect this stream with the creek; and have a WATERWAY

STRAIGHT TO THE RAILROAD TERMINUS。  That's the wealth the cards

promise; and if your father knows how to take a hint he can make

his fortune!〃



It was impossible to say which was the most dominant in the face of

the speaker; the expre

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