lady baltimore-第43节

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ing　curve　of　grace；　holding　her　prey　caught；　and　then；　catching　also　her　handsome　skirts　on　either　side；　she　danced　like　a　whirling　fan　among　the　empty　chairs。



XVIII：　Again　the　Replacers

But　a　little　while；　and　all　that　I　had　just　witnessed　in　such　vivid　dumb…show　might　have　seemed　to　me　in　truth　some　masque；　so　smooth　had　it　been；　and　voiceless；　coming　and　going　like　a　devised　fancy。　And　after　the　last　of　the　players　was　gone　from　the　stage；　leaving　the　white　cloth；　and　the　silver；　and　the　cups；　and　the　groups　of　chairs　near　the　pleasant　arbor；　I　watched　the　deserted　garden　whence　the　sunlight　was　slowly　departing；　and　it　seemed　to　me　more　than　ever　like　some　empty　and　charming　scene　in　a　playhouse；　to　which　the　comedians　would　in　due　time　return　to　repeat　their　delicate　pantomime。　But　these　were　mental　indulgences；　with　which　I　sat　playing　until　the　sight　of　my　interrupted　letter　to　Aunt　Carola　on　the　table　before　me　brought　the　reality　of　everything　back　into　my　thoughts；　and　I　shook　my　head　over　Miss　Eliza。　I　remembered　that　hand　of　hers；　lying　in　despondent　acquiescence　upon　her　lap；　as　the　old　lady　sat　in　her　best　dress；　formally　and　faithfully　accepting　the　woman　whom　her　nephew　John　had　brought　upon　them　as　his　bride…electformally　and　faithfully　accepting　this　distasteful　person；　and　thus　atoning　as　best　she　could　to　her　beloved　nephew　for　the　wrong　that　her　affection　had　led　her　to　do　him　in　that　ill…starred　and　inexcusable　tampering　with　his　affairs。

But　there　was　my　letter　waiting。　I　took　my　pen；　and　finished　what　I　had　to　say　about　the　negro　and　the　injustice　we　had　done　to　him；　as　well　as　to　our　own　race；　by　the　Fifteenth　Amendment。　I　wrote：

〃I　think　Northerners　must　often　seem　to　these　people　strangely　obtuse　in　their　attitude。　And　they　deserve　such　opinion；　since　all　they　need　to　do　is　come　here　and　see　for　themselves　what　the　War　did　to　the　South。

〃You　may　have　a　perfectly　just　fight　with　a　man　and　beat　him　rightly；　but　if　you　are　able　to　go　on　with　your　work　next　day；　while　his　health　is　so　damaged　that　for　a　long　while　he　limps　about　as　a　cripple；　you　must　not　look　up　from　your　busy　thriving　and　reproach　him　with　his　helplessness；　and　remind　him　of　its　cause；　nor　must　you　be　surprised　that　he　remembers　the　fight　longer　than　you　have　time　for。　I　know　that　the　North　meant　to　be　magnanimous；　that　the　North　was　magnanimous；　that　the　spirit　of　Grant　at　Appomattox　filled　many　breasts；　and　I　know　that　the　magnanimity　was　not　met　by　those　who　led　the　South　after　Lee's　retirement；　and　before　reconstruction　set　in；　and　that　the　Fifteenth　Amendment　was　brought　on　by　their　own　doings：　when　have　two　wrongs　made　a　right？　And　to　place　the　negro　above　these　people　was　an　atrocity。　You　cannot　expect　them　to　inquire　very　industriously　how　magnanimous　this　North　meant　to　be；　when　they　have　suffered　at　her　hands　worse；　far　worse；　than　France　suffered　from　Germany's　after　1870。

〃I　do　think　there　should　be　a　different　spirit　among　some　of　the　later…born；　but　I　have　come　to　understand　even　the　slights　and　suspicions　from　which　I　here　and　there　suffer；　since　to　their　minds；　shut　in　by　circumstance；　I'm　always　a　'Yankee。'

〃We　are　prosperous；　and　prosperity　does　not　bind；　it　merely　assembles　peopleat　dinners　and　dances。　It　is　adversity　that　bindsbeside　the　gravestone；　beneath　the　desolated　roof。　Could　you　come　here　and　see　what　I　have　seen；　the　retrospect　of　suffering；　the　long；　lingering　con…　valescence；　the　small　outlook　of　vigor　to　come；　and　the　steadfast　sodality　of　affliction　and　affection　and　fortitude；　your　kind　but　unenlightened　heart　would　be　wrung；　as　mine　has　been；　and　is　being；　at　every　turn。〃

After　I　had　posted　this　reply　to　Aunt　Carola；　I　had　some　fears　that　my　pen　had　run　away　with　me；　and　that　she　might　now　descend　upon　me　with　that　reproof　which　she　knew　so　well　how　to　exercise　in　cases　of　disrespect。　But　there　was　actually　a　certain　pathos　in　her　mildness　when　it　came。　She　felt　it　her　duty　to　go　over　a　good　deal　of　history　first；　but：

〃I　do　not　understand　the　present　generation；〃　she　finished；　〃and　I　suppose　that　I　was　not　meant　to。〃

The　little　sigh　in　these　words　did　great　credit　to　Aunt　Carola。

This　vindication　off　my　mind；　and　relieved　by　it　of　the　more　general　thoughts　about　Kings　Port　and　the　South；　which　the　pantomime　of　Kings　Port's　forced　capitulation　to　Hortense　had　raised　in　me；　I　returned　to　the　personal　matters　between　that　young　woman　and　John；　and　Charley。　How　much　did　Charley　know？　How　much　would　Charley　stand？　How　much　would　John　stand；　if　he　came　to　know？

Well；　the　scene　in　the　garden　now　helped　me　to　answer　these　questions　much　better　than　I　could　have　answered　them　before　its　occurrence。　With　one　factthe　great　fact　of　loveestablished；　it　was　not　difficult　to　account　for　at　least　one　or　two　of　the　several　things　that　puzzled　me。　There　could　be　no　doubt　that　Hortense　loved　John　Mayrant；　loved　him　beyond　her　own　control。　When　this　love　had　begun；　made　no　matter。　Perhaps　it　began　on　the　bridge；　when　the　money　was　torn；　and　Eliza　La　Heu　had　appeared。　The　Kings　Port　version　of　Hortense's　indifference　to　John　before　the　event　of　the　phosphates　might　well　enough　be　true。　It　might　even　well　enough　be　true　that　she　had　taken　him　and　his　phosphates　at　Newport　for　lack　of　anything　better　at　hand；　and　because　she　was　sick　of　disappointed　hopes。　In　this　case；　Charley's　subsequent　appearance　as　something　very　much　better　（if　the　phosphates　were　to　fail）　would　perfectly　explain　the　various　postponements　of　the　wedding。

So　I　was　able　to　answer　my　questions　to　myself　thus：　How　much　did　Charley　know？Just　what　he　could　see　for　himself；　and　what　he　had　most　likely　heard　from　Newport　gossip。　He　could　have　heard　of　an　old　engagement；　made　purely　for　money's　sake；　and　of　recent　delays　created　by　the　lady；　and　he　could　see　the　gentlemanan　impossible　husband　from　a　Wall　Street　standpoint！to　whom　Hortense　was　evidently　tempering　her　final　refusal　by　indulgently　taking　an　interest　in　helping　along　his　phosphate　fortune。　Charley　would　not　refuse　to　lend　her　his　aid　in　this　estimable　benevolence；　nor　would　it　occur　to　Charley's　sensibilities　how　such　benevolence　would　be　taken　by　John　if　John　were　not　〃taken〃　himself。　Yes；　Charley　was　plainly　fooled；　and　fooled　the　more　readily　because　he　had　the　old　version　of　the　truth。　How　should　he　suspect　there　was　a　revised　version？　How　should　he　discover　that　passion　had　now　changed　sides；　that　it　was　now　John　who　allowed　himself　to　be　loved？　The　signs　of　this　did　not　occur　before　his　eyes。　Of　course；　Charley　would　not　stay　fooled　forever；　the　hours　of　that　were　numbered；but　their　number　was　quite　beyond　my　guessing！

How　much　would　Charley　stand？　He　would　stand　a　good　deal；　because　the　measure　of　his　toleration　was　the　measure　of　his　desire　for　Hortense；　and　it　was　plain　that　he　wanted　her　very　much　indeed。　But　how　much　would　John　stand？　How　soon　would　his　〃fire…eating〃　traditions　produce　a　〃difficulty〃？　Why　had　they　not　done　this　already？　Well；　the　garden　had　in　some　way　helped　me　to　frame　a　fairly　reasonable　answer　for　this　also。　Poor　Hortense　had　become　as　powerless　to　woo　John　to　warmth　as　poor　Venus　had　been　with　Adonis；　and　passion；　in　changing　sides；　had　advanced　the　boy's　knowledge。　He　knew　now　the　difference　between　the　embraces　of　his　lady　when　she　had　merely　wanted　his　phosphates；　and　these　other　caresses　now　that；　she　wanted　him。　In　his　ceaseless　search　for　some　possible　loophole　of　escape；　his　eye　could　not　have　overlooked　the　chance　that　lay　in　Charley；　and　he　was　far　too　canny　to　blast　his　forlorn　hope。　He　had　probably　wondered　what　had　changed　the　nature　of　Hortense's　caresses；　and　the　adventure　of　the　torn　money　could　scarce　have　failed　to　suggest　itself　to　the　mind　of　a　youth　who；　little　as　he　had　trodden　the　ways　of　the　world；　evidently　possessed　some　lively　instincts　regarding　the　nature　of　women。　To　batter　Charley　as　he　had　battered　Juno's　nephew；　might　result　in　winding　the　arms　of　Hortense　around　his　own　neck　more　tightly　than　ever。

Why　Hortense　should　keep　Charley　〃on〃　any　longer；　was　what　I　could　least　fathom；　but　I　trusted　her　to　have　excellent　reasons　for　anything　that　she　did。　〃It's　sure　to　be　quite　simple；　once　you　know　it；〃　I　told　myself；　and　the　near　future　proved　me　to　be　right。

Thus　I　laid　most　of　my　enigmas　to　rest；　there　was　but　one　which　now　and　then　awakened　still。　Were　Hortense　a　raw　girl　of　eighteen；　I　could　easily　grant　that　the　〃fire…eater〃　in　John　would　be　sure　to　move　her。　But　Hortense　had　travelled　many　miles　away　from　the　green　forests　of　romance；　her　present　fields　were　carpeted；　not　with　grass　and　flowers；　but　with　Oriental　mats　and　rugs；　and　it　was　electric　lights；　not　the　moon　and　stars；　that　shone　upon　her　highly　seasoned　nights。　No；　torn　money　and　all；　it　was　not　appropriate　in　a　woman　of　her　experience；　and　so　I　still　found　myself　inquiring　in　the　words　of　Beverly　Rodgers；　〃But　what　can　she　want　him　for？〃

The　next　time　that　I　met　Mrs。　Gregory　St。　Michael　it　was　on　my　way　to　join　the　party　at　the　old　church；　which　Mrs。　Weguelin　was　going　to　show　them。　The　card…case　was　in　her　hand；　and　the　sight　of　it　prompted　me　to　allude　to　Hortense　Rieppe。

〃I　find　her　beauty　growing　upon　me？〃　I　declared。