the house of pride and other tales of hawaii-第14节

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family　held　out　for　a　week；　then　returned；　along　with　Ah　Chun　and　

the　many　servants；　to　occupy　the　bungalow　once　more。　　And　thereafter　

no　question　was　raised　when　Ah　Chun　elected　to　enter　his　brilliant　

drawing…room　in　blue　silk　robe；　wadded　slippers；　and　black　silk　

skull…cap　with　red　button　peak；　or　when　he　chose　to　draw　at　his　

slender…stemmed　silver…bowled　pipe　among　the　cigarette…　and　cigar…

smoking　officers　and　civilians　on　the　broad　verandas　or　in　the　

smoking　room。



Ah　Chun　occupied　a　unique　position　in　Honolulu。　　Though　he　did　not　

appear　in　society；　he　was　eligible　anywhere。　　Except　among　the　

Chinese　merchants　of　the　city；　he　never　went　out；　but　he　received；　

and　he　always　was　the　centre　of　his　household　and　the　head　of　his　

table。　　Himself　peasant；　born　Chinese；　he　presided　over　an　

atmosphere　of　culture　and　refinement　second　to　none　in　all　the　

islands。　　Nor　were　there　any　in　all　the　islands　too　proud　to　cross　

his　threshold　and　enjoy　his　hospitality。　　First　of　all；　the　Achun　

bungalow　was　of　irreproachable　tone。　　Next；　Ah　Chun　was　a　power。　　

And　finally；　Ah　Chun　was　a　moral　paragon　and　an　honest　business　man。　　

Despite　the　fact　that　business　morality　was　higher　than　on　the　

mainland；　Ah　Chun　outshone　the　business　men　of　Honolulu　in　the　

scrupulous　rigidity　of　his　honesty。　　It　was　a　saying　that　his　word　

was　as　good　as　his　bond。　　His　signature　was　never　needed　to　bind　

him。　　He　never　broke　his　word。　　Twenty　years　after　Hotchkiss；　of　

Hotchkiss；　Morterson　Company；　died；　they　found　among　mislaid　papers　

a　memorandum　of　a　loan　of　thirty　thousand　dollars　to　Ah　Chun。　　It　

had　been　incurred　when　Ah　Chun　was　Privy　Councillor　to　Kamehameha　

II。　　In　the　bustle　and　confusion　of　those　heyday；　money…making　

times；　the　affair　had　slipped　Ah　Chun's　mind。　　There　was　no　note；　no　

legal　claim　against　him；　but　he　settled　in　full　with　the　Hotchkiss'　

Estate；　voluntarily　paying　a　compound　interest　that　dwarfed　the　

principal。　　Likewise；　when　he　verbally　guaranteed　the　disastrous　

Kakiku　Ditch　Scheme；　at　a　time　when　the　least　sanguine　did　not　dream　

a　guarantee　necessary〃Signed　his　cheque　for　two　hundred　thousand　

without　a　quiver；　gentlemen；　without　a　quiver；〃　was　the　report　of　

the　secretary　of　the　defunct　enterprise；　who　had　been　sent　on　the　

forlorn　hope　of　finding　out　Ah　Chun's　intentions。　　And　on　top　of　the　

many　similar　actions　that　were　true　of　his　word；　there　was　scarcely　

a　man　of　repute　in　the　islands　that　at　one　time　or　another　had　not　

experienced　the　helping　financial　hand　of　Ah　Chun。



So　it　was　that　Honolulu　watched　his　wonderful　family　grow　up　into　a　

perplexing　problem　and　secretly　sympathized　with　him；　for　it　was　

beyond　any　of　them　to　imagine　what　he　was　going　to　do　with　it。　　But　

Ah　Chun　saw　the　problem　more　clearly　than　they。　　No　one　knew　as　he　

knew　the　extent　to　which　he　was　an　alien　in　his　family。　　His　own　

family　did　not　guess　it。　　He　saw　that　there　was　no　place　for　him　

amongst　this　marvellous　seed　of　his　loins；　and　he　looked　forward　to　

his　declining　years　and　knew　that　he　would　grow　more　and　more　alien。　　

He　did　not　understand　his　children。　　Their　conversation　was　of　

things　that　did　not　interest　him　and　about　which　he　knew　nothing。　　

The　culture　of　the　West　had　passed　him　by。　　He　was　Asiatic　to　the　

last　fibre；　which　meant　that　he　was　heathen。　　Their　Christianity　was　

to　him　so　much　nonsense。　　But　all　this　he　would　have　ignored　as　

extraneous　and　irrelevant；　could　he　have　but　understood　the　young　

people　themselves。　　When　Maud；　for　instance；　told　him　that　the　

housekeeping　bills　for　the　month　were　thirty　thousandthat　he　

understood；　as　he　understood　Albert's　request　for　five　thousand　with　

which　to　buy　the　schooner　yacht　Muriel　and　become　a　member　of　the　

Hawaiian　Yacht　Club。　　But　it　was　their　remoter；　complicated　desires　

and　mental　processes　that　obfuscated　him。　　He　was　not　slow　in　

learning　that　the　mind　of　each　son　and　daughter　was　a　secret　

labyrinth　which　he　could　never　hope　to　tread。　　Always　he　came　upon　

the　wall　that　divides　East　from　West。　　Their　souls　were　inaccessible　

to　him；　and　by　the　same　token　he　knew　that　his　soul　was　inaccessible　

to　them。



Besides；　as　the　years　came　upon　him；　he　found　himself　harking　back　

more　and　more　to　his　own　kind。　　The　reeking　smells　of　the　Chinese　

quarter　were　spicy　to　him。　　He　sniffed　them　with　satisfaction　as　he　

passed　along　the　street；　for　in　his　mind　they　carried　him　back　to　

the　narrow　tortuous　alleys　of　Canton　swarming　with　life　and　

movement。　　He　regretted　that　he　had　cut　off　his　queue　to　please　

Stella　Allendale　in　the　prenuptial　days；　and　he　seriously　considered　

the　advisability　of　shaving　his　crown　and　growing　a　new　one。　　The　

dishes　his　highly　paid　chef　concocted　for　him　failed　to　tickle　his　

reminiscent　palate　in　the　way　that　the　weird　messes　did　in　the　

stuffy　restaurant　down　in　the　Chinese　quarter。　　He　enjoyed　vastly　

more　a　half…hour's　smoke　and　chat　with　two　or　three　Chinese　chums；　

than　to　preside　at　the　lavish　and　elegant　dinners　for　which　his　

bungalow　was　famed；　where　the　pick　of　the　Americans　and　Europeans　

sat　at　the　long　table；　men　and　women　on　equality；　the　women　with　

jewels　that　blazed　in　the　subdued　light　against　white　necks　and　

arms；　the　men　in　evening　dress；　and　all　chattering　and　laughing　over　

topics　and　witticisms　that；　while　they　were　not　exactly　Greek　to　

him；　did　not　interest　him　nor　entertain。



But　it　was　not　merely　his　alienness　and　his　growing　desire　to　return　

to　his　Chinese　flesh…pots　that　constituted　the　problem。　　There　was　

also　his　wealth。　　He　had　looked　forward　to　a　placid　old　age。　　He　had　

worked　hard。　　His　reward　should　have　been　peace　and　repose。　　But　he　

knew　that　with　his　immense　fortune　peace　and　repose　could　not　

possibly　be　his。　　Already　there　were　signs　and　omens。　　He　had　seen　

similar　troubles　before。　　There　was　his　old　employer；　Dantin；　whose　

children　had　wrested　from　him；　by　due　process　of　law；　the　management　

of　his　property；　having　the　Court　appoint　guardians　to　administer　it　

for　him。　　Ah　Chun　knew；　and　knew　thoroughly　well；　that　had　Dantin　

been　a　poor　man；　it　would　have　been　found　that　he　could　quite　

rationally　manage　his　own　affairs。　　And　old　Dantin　had　had　only　

three　children　and　half　a　million；　while　he；　Chun　Ah　Chun；　had　

fifteen　children　and　no　one　but　himself　knew　how　many　millions。



〃Our　daughters　are　beautiful　women；〃　he　said　to　his　wife；　one　

evening。　　〃There　are　many　young　men。　　The　house　is　always　full　of　

young　men。　　My　cigar　bills　are　very　heavy。　　Why　are　there　no　

marriages？〃



Mamma　Achun　shrugged　her　shoulders　and　waited。



〃Women　are　women　and　men　are　menit　is　strange　there　are　no　

marriages。　　Perhaps　the　young　men　do　not　like　our　daughters。〃



〃Ah；　they　like　them　well　enough；〃　Mamma　Chun　answered；　〃but　you　see；　

they　cannot　forget　that　you　are　your　daughters'　father。〃



〃Yet　you　forgot　who　my　father　was；〃　Ah　Chun　said　gravely。　　〃All　you　

asked　was　for　me　to　cut　off　my　queue。〃



〃The　young　men　are　more　particular　than　I　was；　I　fancy。〃



〃What　is　the　greatest　thing　in　the　world？〃　Ah　Chun　demanded　with　

abrupt　irrelevance。



Mamma　Achun　pondered　for　a　moment；　then　replied：　　〃God。〃



He　nodded。　　〃There　are　gods　and　gods。　　Some　are　paper；　some　are　

wood；　some　are　bronze。　　I　use　a　small　one　in　the　office　for　a　paper…

weight。　　In　the　Bishop　Museum　are　many　gods　of　coral　rock　and　lava　

stone。〃



〃But　there　is　only　one　God；〃　she　announced　decisively；　stiffening　

her　ample　frame　argumentatively。



Ah　Chun　noted　the　danger　signal　and　sheered　off。



〃What　is　greater　than　God；　then？〃　he　asked。　　〃I　will　tell　you。　　It　

is　money。　　In　my　time　I　have　had　dealings　with　Jews　and　Christians；　

Mohammedans　and　Buddhists；　and　with　little　black　men　from　the　

Solomons　and　New　Guinea　who　carried　their　god　about　them；　wrapped　in　

oiled　paper。　　They　possessed　various　gods；　these　men；　but　they　all　

worshipped　money。　　There　is　that　Captain　Higginson。　　He　seems　to　

like　Henrietta。〃



〃He　will　never　marry　her；〃　retorted　Mamma　Achun。　　〃He　will　be　an　

admiral　before　he　dies〃



〃A　rear…admiral；〃　Ah　Chun　interpolated。



〃Yes；　I　know。　　That　is　the　way　they　retire。〃



〃His　family　in　the　United　States　is　a　high　one。　　They　would　not　like　

it　if　he　married　。　。　。　if　he　did　not　marry　an　American　girl。〃



Ah　Chun　knocked　the　ashes　out　of　his　pipe；　thoughtfully　refilling　

the　silver　bowl　with　a　tiny　pleget　of　tobacco。　　He　lighted　it　and　

smoked　it　out　before　he　spoke。



〃Henrietta　is　the　oldest　girl。　　The　day　she　marries　I　will　give　her　

three　hundred　thousand　dollars。　　That　will　fetch　that　Captain　

Higginson　and　his　high　family　along　with　him。　　Let　the　word　go　out　

to　him。　　I　leave　it　to　you。〃



And　Ah　Chun　sat　and　smoked　on；　and　in　the　curling　smoke…wreaths　he　

saw　take　shape　the　face　and　figure　of　Toy　ShueyToy　Shuey；　the　maid　

of　all　work　in　his　uncle's　house　in　t