the financier-第38节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


he　American　and　later　the　foreign　masters　exclusively。　　His　own　and　his　father's　house　had　not　been　furnished　fully　in　these　matters；　and　there　was　that　other　house　in　North　Tenth　Street；　which　he　desired　to　make　beautiful。　　Aileen　had　always　objected　to　the　condition　of　her　own　home。　　Love　of　distinguished　surroundings　was　a　basic　longing　with　her；　though　she　had　not　the　gift　of　interpreting　her　longings。　　But　this　place　where　they　were　secretly　meeting　must　be　beautiful。　　She　was　as　keen　for　that　as　he　was。　　So　it　became　a　veritable　treasure…trove；　more　distinguished　in　furnishings　than　some　of　the　rooms　of　his　own　home。　　He　began　to　gather　here　some　rare　examples　of　altar　cloths；　rugs；　and　tapestries　of　the　Middle　Ages。　　He　bought　furniture　after　the　Georgian　theorya　combination　of　Chippendale；　Sheraton；　and　Heppelwhite　modified　by　the　Italian　Renaissance　and　the　French　Louis。　　He　learned　of　handsome　examples　of　porcelain；　statuary；　Greek　vase　forms；　lovely　collections　of　Japanese　ivories　and　netsukes。　　Fletcher　Gray；　a　partner　in　Cable　&　Gray；　a　local　firm　of　importers　of　art　objects；　called　on　him　in　connection　with　a　tapestry　of　the　fourteenth　century　weaving。　　Gray　was　an　enthusiast　and　almost　instantly　he　conveyed　some　of　his　suppressed　and　yet　fiery　love　of　the　beautiful　to　Cowperwood。

〃There　are　fifty　periods　of　one　shade　of　blue　porcelain　alone；　Mr。　Cowperwood；〃　Gray　informed　him。　　〃There　are　at　least　seven　distinct　schools　or　periods　of　rugsPersian；　Armenian；　Arabian；　Flemish；　Modern　Polish；　Hungarian；　and　so　on。　　If　you　ever　went　into　that；　it　would　be　a　distinguished　thing　to　get　a　complete　I　mean　a　representativecollection　of　some　one　period；　or　of　all　these　periods。　　They　are　beautiful。　　I　have　seen　some　of　them；　others　I've　read　about。〃

〃You'll　make　a　convert　of　me　yet；　Fletcher；〃　replied　Cowperwood。　〃You　or　art　will　be　the　ruin　of　me。　　I'm　inclined　that　way　temperamentally　as　it　is；　I　think；　and　between　you　and　Ellsworth　and　Gordon　Strake〃another　young　man　intensely　interested　in　painting〃you'll　complete　my　downfall。　　Strake　has　a　splendid　idea。　　He　wants　me　to　begin　right　nowI'm　using　that　word　'right'　in　the　sense　of　'properly；'〃　he　commented〃and　get　what　examples　I　can　of　just　the　few　rare　things　in　each　school　or　period　of　art　which　would　properly　illustrate　each。　　He　tells　me　the　great　pictures　are　going　to　increase　in　value；　and　what　I　could　get　for　a　few　hundred　thousand　now　will　be　worth　millions　later。　　He　doesn't　want　me　to　bother　with　American　art。〃

〃He's　right；〃　exclaimed　Gray；　〃although　it　isn't　good　business　for　me　to　praise　another　art　man。　　It　would　take　a　great　deal　of　money；　though。〃

〃Not　so　very　much。　　At　least；　not　all　at　once。　　It　would　be　a　matter　of　years；　of　course。　　Strake　thinks　that　some　excellent　examples　of　different　periods　could　be　picked　up　now　and　later　replaced　if　anything　better　in　the　same　held　showed　up。〃

His　mind；　in　spite　of　his　outward　placidity；　was　tinged　with　a　great　seeking。　　Wealth；　in　the　beginning；　had　seemed　the　only　goal；　to　which　had　been　added　the　beauty　of　women。　　And　now　art；　for　art's　sakethe　first　faint　radiance　of　a　rosy　dawnhad　begun　to　shine　in　upon　him；　and　to　the　beauty　of　womanhood　he　was　beginning　to　see　how　necessary　it　was　to　add　the　beauty　of　life　the　beauty　of　material　backgroundhow；　in　fact；　the　only　background　for　great　beauty　was　great　art。　　This　girl；　this　Aileen　Butler；　her　raw　youth　and　radiance；　was　nevertheless　creating　in　him　a　sense　of　the　distinguished　and　a　need　for　it　which　had　never　existed　in　him　before　to　the　same　degree。　　It　is　impossible　to　define　these　subtleties　of　reaction；　temperament　on　temperament；　for　no　one　knows　to　what　degree　we　are　marked　by　the　things　which　attract　us。　　A　love　affair　such　as　this　had　proved　to　be　was　little　less　or　more　than　a　drop　of　coloring　added　to　a　glass　of　clear　water；　or　a　foreign　chemical　agent　introduced　into　a　delicate　chemical　formula。

In　short；　for　all　her　crudeness；　Aileen　Butler　was　a　definite　force　personally。　　Her　nature；　in　a　way；　a　protest　against　the　clumsy　conditions　by　which　she　found　herself　surrounded；　was　almost　irrationally　ambitious。　　To　think　that　for　so　long；　having　been　born　into　the　Butler　family；　she　had　been　the　subject；　as　well　as　the　victim　of　such　commonplace　and　inartistic　illusions　and　conditions；　whereas　now；　owing　to　her　contact　with；　and　mental　subordination　to　Cowperwood；　she　was　learning　so　many　wonderful　phases　of　social；　as　well　as　financial；　refinement　of　which　previously　she　had　guessed　nothing。　　The　wonder；　for　instance；　of　a　future　social　career　as　the　wife　of　such　a　man　as　Frank　Cowperwood。　The　beauty　and　resourcefulness　of　his　mind；　which；　after　hours　of　intimate　contact　with　her；　he　was　pleased　to　reveal；　and　which；　so　definite　were　his　comments　and　instructions；　she　could　not　fail　to　sense。　　The　wonder　of　his　financial　and　artistic　and　future　social　dreams。　　And；　oh；　oh；　she　was　his；　and　he　was　hers。　　She　was　actually　beside　herself　at　times　with　the　glory；　as　well　as　the　delight　of　all　this。

At　the　same　time；　her　father's　local　reputation　as　a　quondam　garbage　contractor　（〃slop…collector〃　was　the　unfeeling　comment　of　the　vulgarian　cognoscenti）；　her　own　unavailing　efforts　to　right　a　condition　of　material　vulgarity　or　artistic　anarchy　in　her　own　home；　the　hopelessness　of　ever　being　admitted　to　those　distinguished　portals　which　she　recognized　afar　off　as　the　last　sanctum　sanctorum　of　established　respectability　and　social　distinction；　had　bred　in　her；　even　at　this　early　age；　a　feeling　of　deadly　opposition　to　her　home　conditions　as　they　stood。　　Such　a　house　compared　to　Cowperwood's！　Her　dear；　but　ignorant；　father！　And　this　great　man；　her　lover；　had　now　condescended　to　love　hersee　in　her　his　future　wife。　　Oh；　God；　that　it　might　not　fail！　Through　the　Cowperwoods　at　first　she　had　hoped　to　meet　a　few　people；　young　men　and　womenand　particularly　menwho　were　above　the　station　in　which　she　found　herself；　and　to　whom　her　beauty　and　prospective　fortune　would　commend　her；　but　this　had　not　been　the　case。　　The　Cowperwoods　themselves；　in　spite　of　Frank　Cowperwood's　artistic　proclivities　and　growing　wealth；　had　not　penetrated　the　inner　circle　as　yet。　　In　fact；　aside　from　the　subtle；　preliminary　consideration　which　they　were　receiving；　they　were　a　long　way　off。

None　the　less；　and　instinctively　in　Cowperwood　Aileen　recognized　a　way　outa　doorand　by　the　same　token　a　subtle；　impending　artistic　future　of　great　magnificence。　　This　man　would　rise　beyond　anything　he　now　dreamed　ofshe　felt　it。　　There　was　in　him；　in　some　nebulous；　unrecognizable　form；　a　great　artistic　reality　which　was　finer　than　anything　she　could　plan　for　herself。　　She　wanted　luxury；　magnificence；　social　station。　　Well；　if　she　could　get　this　man　they　would　come　to　her。　　There　were；　apparently；　insuperable　barriers　in　the　way；　but　hers　was　no　weakling　nature；　and　neither　was　his。　　They　ran　together　temperamentally　from　the　first　like　two　leopards。　　Her　own　thoughtscrude；　half　formulated；　half　spokennevertheless　matched　his　to　a　degree　in　the　equality　of　their　force　and　their　raw　directness。

〃I　don't　think　papa　knows　how　to　do；〃　she　said　to　him；　one　day。　〃It　isn't　his　fault。　　He　can't　help　it。　　He　knows　that　he　can't。　And　he　knows　that　I　know　it。　　For　years　I　wanted　him　to　move　out　of　that　old　house　there。　　He　knows　that　he　ought　to。　　But　even　that　wouldn't　do　much　good。〃

She　paused；　looking　at　him　with　a　straight；　clear；　vigorous　glance。　He　liked　the　medallion　sharpness　of　her　featurestheir　smooth；　Greek　modeling。

〃Never　mind；　pet；〃　he　replied。　　〃We　will　arrange　all　these　things　later。　　I　don't　see　my　way　out　of　this　just　now；　but　I　think　the　best　thing　to　do　is　to　confess　to　Lillian　some　day；　and　see　if　some　other　plan　can't　be　arranged。　　I　want　to　fix　it　so　the　children　won't　suffer。　　I　can　provide　for　them　amply；　and　I　wouldn't　be　at　all　surprised　if　Lillian　would　be　willing　to　let　me　go。　　She　certainly　wouldn't　want　any　publicity。〃

He　was　counting　practically；　and　man…fashion；　on　her　love　for　her　children。

Aileen　looked　at　him　with　clear；　questioning；　uncertain　eyes。　　She　was　not　wholly　without　sympathy；　but　in　a　way　this　situation　did　not　appeal　to　her　as　needing　much。　　Mrs。　Cowperwood　was　not　friendly　in　her　mood　toward　her。　　It　was　not　based　on　anything　save　a　difference　in　their　point　of　view。　　Mrs。　Cowperwood　could　never　understand　how　a　girl　could　carry　her　head　so　high　and　〃put　on　such　airs；〃　and　Aileen　could　not　understand　how　any　one　could　be　so　lymphatic　and　lackadaisical　as　Lillian　Cowperwood。　　Life　was　made　for　riding；　driving；　dancing；　going。　　It　was　made　for　airs　and　banter　and　persiflage　and　coquetry。　　To　see　this　woman；　the　wife　of　a　young；　forceful　man　like　Cowperwood；　acting；　even　though　she　were　five　years　older　and　the　mother　of　two　children；　as　though　life　on　its　romantic　and　enthusiastic　pleasurable　side　were　all　over　was　too　much　for　her。　　Of　course　Lillian　was　unsuited　to　Frank；　of　course　he　needed　a　young　woman　like　herself；　and　fate　would　surely　give　him　to　her。　　Then　what　a　delicious　life　they　would　lead！

〃Oh；　Frank；〃　she　exclaimed　to　him；　over　and　over；　〃if　we　could　only　manage　it。　　Do　you　think　we　can？〃

〃Do　I　think　we　can？　Certainly　I　do。　　It's