lady baltimore-第14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！



〃Put　yourself　in　his　place；〃　the　girl　continued。

〃Ah；〃　I　gasped；　〃that　is　always　so　easy　to　say　and　so　hard　to　do。〃

My　remark　proved　not　a　happy　one。　She　made　a　brief；　cold　pause　over　it；　and　then；　as　she　wheeled　round　from　me；　back　to　the　counter：　〃No　　Southerner　would　let　pass　such　an　affront。〃

It　was　final。　She　regained　her　usual　place；　she　resumed　her　ledger；　the　curly　dog；　who　had　come　out　to　hear　our　conversation；　went　in　again；　I　was　disgraced。　Not　only　with　the　profile　of　her　short；　belligerent　nose；　but　with　the　chilly　way　in　which　she　made　her　pencil　move　over　the　ledger；　she　told　me　plainly　that　my　self…respect　had　failed　to　meet　her　tests。　This　was　what　my　remarkable　ingenuity　had　achieved　for　me。　I　swallowed　the　last　crumbs　of　Lady　Baltimore；　and　went　forward　to　settle　the　account。

〃I　suppose　I'm　scarcely　entitled　to　ask　for　a　fresh　one　to…morrow；〃　I　ventured。　I　am　so　fond　of　this　cake。〃

Her　officialness　met　me　adequately。　〃Certainly　the　public　is　entitled　to　whatever　we　print　upon　our　bill…of…fare。〃

Now　this　was　going　to　be　too　bad！　Henceforth　I　was　to　rank　merely　as　〃the　public；〃　no　matter　how　much　Lady　Baltimore　I　should　lunch　upon！　A　happy　thought　seized　me；　and　I　spoke　out　instantly　on　the　strength　of　it。

〃Miss　La　Heu；　I've　a　confession　to　make。〃

But　upon　this　beginning　of　mine　the　inauspicious　door　opened　and　young　John　Mayrant　came　in。　It　was　all　right　about　his　left　eye；　anybody　could　see　that　bruise！

〃Oh！〃　he　exclaimed；　hearty；　but　somewhat　disconcerted。　〃To　think　of　finding　you　here！　You're　going？　But　I'll　see　you　later？〃

〃I　hope　so；〃　I　said。　〃You　know　where　I　work。〃

〃Yesyes。　I'll　come。　We've　all　sorts　of　things　more　to　say；　haven't　we？　Wegood…by！〃

Did　I　hear；　as　I　gained　the　street；　something　being　said　about　the　General；　and　the　state　of　his　health？



VIII：　Midsummer…Night's　Dream

You　may　imagine　in　what　state　of　wondering　I　went　out　of　that　place；　and　how　little　I　could　now　do　away　with　my　curiosity。　By　the　droll　looks　and　head…turnings　which　followed　me　from　strangers　that　passed　me　by　in　the　street；　I　was　made　aware　that　I　must　be　talking　aloud　to　myself；　and　the　words　which　I　had　evidently　uttered　were　these：　〃But　who　in　the　world　can　he　have　smashed　up？〃

Of　course；　beneath　the　public　stare　and　smile　I　kept　the　rest　of　my　thoughts　to　myself；　yet　they　so　possessed　and　took　me　from　my　surroundings；　that　presently；　while　crossing　Royal　Street；　I　was　nearly　run　down　by　an　electric　car。　Nor　did　even　this　serve　to　disperse　my　preoccupation；　my　walk　back　to　Court　and　Chancel　streets　is　as　if　it　had　not　been；　I　can　remember　nothing　about　it；　and　the　first　account　that　I　took　of　external　objects　was　to　find　myself　sitting　in　my　accustomed　chair　in　the　Library；　with　the　accustomed　row　of　books　about　the　battle　of　Cowpens　waiting　on　the　table　in　front　of　me。　How　long　we　had　thus　been　facing　each　other；　the　books　and　I；　I've　not　a　notion。　And　with　such　mysterious　machinery　are　we　human　beings　filledmachinery　that　is　in　motion　all　the　while；　whether　we　are　aware　of　it　or　notthat　now；　with　some　part　of　my　mind；　and　with　my　pencil　assisting；　I　composed　several　stanzas　to　my　kingly　ancestor；　the　goal　of　my　fruitless　search；　and　yet　during　the　whole　process　of　my　metrical　exercise　I　was　really　thinking　and　wondering　about　John　Mayrant；　his　battles　and　his　loves。

　　　　　　　　　　ODE　ON　INTIMATIONS　OF　ROYALTY

　　　　　　　　　　I　sing　to　thee；　thou　Great　Unknown；　　　　　　　　　　　Who　canst　connect　me　with　a　throne　　　　　　　　　　　Through　uncle；　cousin；　aunt；　or　sister；

　　　　　　　　　　But　not；　I　trust；　through　bar　sinister。

　　　　　　　　　　Chorus：　　　　　　　　　　　Gules！　Gules！　and　a　cuckoo　peccant！

Such　was　the　frivolous　opening　of　my　poem；　which；　as　it　progressed；　grew　even　less　edifying；　I　have　quoted　this　fragment　merely　to　show　you　how　little　reverence　for　the　Selected　Salic　Scions　was　by　this　time　left　in　my　spirit；　and　not　because　the　verses　themselves　are　in　the　least　meritorious；　they　should　serve　as　a　model　for　no　serious…minded　singer；　and　they　afford　a　striking　instance　of　that　volatile　mood；　not　to　say　that　inclination　to　ribaldry；　which　will　at　seasons　crop　out　in　me；　do　what　I　will。　It　is　my　hope　that　age　may　help　me　to　subdue　this；　although　I　have　observed　it　in　some　very　old　men。

I　did　not　send　my　poem　to　Aunt　Carola；　but　I　wrote　her　a　letter；　even　there　and　then；　couched　in　terms　which　I　believe　were　altogether　respectful。　I　deplored　my　lack　of　success　in　discovering　the　link　that　was　missing　between　me　and　king's　blood；　I　intimated　my　conviction　that　further　effort　on　my　part　would　still　be　met　with　failure；　and　I　renounced　with　fitting　expressions　of　disappointment　my　candidateship　for　the　Scions　thanking　Aunt　Carola　for　her　generosity；　by　which　I　must　now　no　longer　profit。　I　added　that　I　should　remain　in　Kings　Port　for　the　present；　as　I　was　finding　the　climate　of　decided　benefit　to　my　health；　and　the　courtesy　of　the　people　an　education　in　itself。

Whatever　pain　at　missing　the　glory　of　becoming　a　Scion　may　have　lingered　with　me　after　this　was　much　assuaged　in　a　few　days　by　my　reading　an　article　in　a　New　York　paper；　which　gave　an　account　of　a　meeting　of　my　Aunt's　Society；　held　in　that　city。　My　attention　was　attracted　to　this　article　by　the　prominent　heading　given　to　it：　THEY　WORE　THEIR　CROWNS。　This　in　very　conspicuous　Roman　capitals；　caused　me　to　sit　up。　There　must　have　been　truth　in　some　of　it；　because　the　food　eaten　by　the　Scions　was　mentioned　as　consisting　of　sandwiches；　sherry　and　croquettes；　yet　I　think　that　the　statement　that　the　members　present　addressed　each　other　according　to　the　royal　families　from　which　they　severally　traced　descent；　as；　for　example；　Brother　Guelph　and　Sister　Plantagenet；　can　scarce　have　beers　aught　but　an　exaggeration；　nevertheless；　the　article　brought　me　undeniable　consolation　for　my　disappointment。

After　finishing　my　letter　to　Aunt　Carola　I　should　have　hastened　out　to　post　it　and　escape　from　Cowpens；　had　I　not　remembered　that　John　Mayrant　had　more　or　less　promised　to　meet　me　here。　Now；　there　was　but　a　slender　chance　that　he　boy　would　speak　to　me　on　the　subject　of　his　late　encounter；　this　I　must　learn　from　other　sources；　but　he　might　speak　to　me　about　something　that　would　open　a　way　for　my　hostile　preparations　against　Miss　Rieppe。　So　far　he　had　not　touched　upon　his　impending　marriage　in　any　way；　but　this　reserve　concerning　a　fact　generally　known　among　the　people　whom　I　was　seeing　could　hardly　go　on　long　without　becoming　ridiculous。　If　he　should　shun　mention　of　it　to…day；　I　would　take　this　as　a　plain　sign　that　he　did　not　look　forward　to　it　with　the　enthusiasm　which　a　lover　ought　to　feel　for　his　approaching　bliss；　and　on　such　silence　from　him　I　would　begin；　if　I　could；　to　undermine　his　intention　of　keeping　an　engagement　of　the　heart　when　the　heart　no　longer　entered　into　it。

While　my　thoughts　continued　to　be　busied　over　this　lover　and　his　concerns；　I　noticed　the　works　of　William　Shakespeare　close　beside　me　upon　a　shelf；　and　although　it　was　with　no　special　purpose　in　mind　that　I　took　out　one　of　the　volumes　and　sat　down　with　it　to　wait　for　John　Mayrant；　in　a　little　while　an　inspiration　came　to　me　from　its　pages；　so　that　I　was　more　anxious　than　ever　the　boy　should　not　fail　to　meet　me　here　in　the　Library。

Was　it　the　bruise　on　his　forehead　that　had　perturbed　his　manner　just　now　when　he　entered　the　Exchange？　No；　this　was　not　likely　to　be　the　reason；　since　he　had　been　full　as　much　embarrassed　that　first　day　of　my　seeing　him　there；　when　he　had　given　his　order　for　Lady　Baltimore　so　lamely　that　the　girl　behind　the　counter　had　come　to　his　aid。　And　what　could　it　have　been　that　he　had　begun　to　tell　her　to…day　as　I　was　leaving　the　place？　Was　the　making　of　that　cake　again　to　be　postponed　on　account　of　the　General's　precarious　health？　And　what　had　been　the　nature　of　the　insult　which　young　John　Mayrant　had　punished　and　was　now　commanded　to　shake　hands　over？　Could　it　in　truth　be　the　owner　of　the　Hermana　whom　he　had　thrashed　so　well　as　to　lay　him　up　in　bed？　That　incident　had　damaged　two　people　at　least；　the　unknown　vanquished　combatant　in　his　bodily　welfare；　and　me　in　my　character　as　an　upstanding　man　in　the　fierce　feminine　estimation　of　Miss　La　Heu；　but　this　injury　it　was　my　intention　to　set　right；　my　confession　to　the　girl　behind　the　counter　was　merely　delayed。　As　I　sat　with　Shakespeare　open　in　my　lap；　I　added　to　my　store　of　reasoning　one　little　new　straw　of　argument　in　favor　of　my　opinion　that　John　Mayrant　was　no　longer　at　ease　or　happy　about　his　love　affair。　I　had　never　before　met　any　young　man　in　whose　manner　nature　was　so　finely　tempered　with　good　bringing…up；　forwardness　and　shyness　were　alike　absent　from　him；　and　his　bearing　had　a　sort　of　polished　unconsciousness　as　far　removed　from　raw　diffidence　as　it　was　from　raw　conceit；　it　was　altogether　a　rare　and　charming　address　in　a　youth　of　such　true　youthfulness；　but　it　had　failed　him　upon　two　occasions　which　I　have　already　mentioned。　Both　times　that　he　had　come　to　the　Exchange　he　had　stumbled　in　his　usually　prompt　speech；　lost　his　habitual　ease；　and　betrayed；　in　short；　all　the　signs　of　being　disconcerted。　The　matter　seemed　suddenly　quite　plain　to　me：　it　was　the　nature　of　his　errands　to　the　Exchange。　The　first　time　he　h