太子爷小说网 > 英语电子书 > the turmoil >

第31节

the turmoil-第31节

小说: the turmoil 字数: 每页4000字

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!




She waited in the grave…yard; and drove home with him from JIM'S  FUNERAL!

Never spoke to him before!  Jim wasn't COLD!〃



She rocked herself back and forth upon the divan。  〃Bibbs!〃 she  shrieked。

〃Bibbs!  Roscoe; THINK of it!  BIBBS!〃



He stared unsympathetically; but her mirth was unabated for all that。   〃And

yesterday;〃 she continued; between paroxysms〃yesterday she came  out of the

housejust as he was passing。  She must have been looking  outwaiting for

the chance; I saw the old lady watching at the  window!  And she got him there

last nightto 'PLAY' to him; the old  lady gave that away!  And to…day she

made him take her out in a machine!  And the cream of it is that they didn't

even know  whether he was INSANE or notthey thought maybe he was; but she

went  after him just the same!  The old lady set herself to pump me about it

to…day。  BIBBS!  Oh; my Lord!  BIBBS!〃



But Roscoe looked grim。  〃So it's funny to you; is it?  It sounds kind of

pitiful to me。  I should think it would to a woman; too。〃



〃Oh; it might;〃 she returned; sobering。  〃It might; if those people  weren't

such frozen…faced smart Alecks。  If they'd had the decency to  come down off

the perch a little I probably wouldn't think it was funny;  but to see 'em sit

up on their pedestal all the time they're eating dirt  well; I think it's

funny!  That girl sits up as if she was Queen  Elizabeth; and expects people

to wallow on the ground before her until  they get near enough for her to give

'em a good kick with her old patched  shoesoh; she'd do THAT; all

right!and then she powders up and  goes out to mashBIBBS SHERIDAN!〃



〃Look here;〃 said Roscoe; heavily; 〃I don't care about that one way or

another。  If you're through; I got something I want to talk to you  about。  I

was going to; that day just before we heard about Jim。〃



At this Sibyl stiffened quickly; her eyes became intensely bright。  〃What  is

it?〃



〃Well;〃 he began; frowning; 〃what I was going to say then〃  He broke  off;

and; becoming conscious that he was still holding the wet napkin in  his hand;

threw it pettishly into a corner。  〃I never expected I'd have  to say anything

like this to anybody I MARRIED; but I was going to ask  you what was the

matter between you and Lamhorn。〃



Sibyl uttered a sharp monosyllable。 〃Well?〃



〃I felt the time had come for me to know about it;〃 he went on。  〃You  never

told me anything〃



〃You never asked;〃 she interposed; curtly。



〃Well; we'd got in a way of not talking much;〃 said Roscoe。  〃It looks to  me

now as if we'd pretty much lost the run of each other the way a good  many

people do。  I don't say it wasn't my fault。  I was up early and down  to work

all day; and I'd come home tired at night; and want to go to bed  soon as I'd

got the paper readunless there was some good musical show  in town。  Well;

you seemed all right until here lately; the last month or  so; I began to see

something was wrong。  I couldn't help seeing it。〃



〃Wrong?〃 she said。  〃What like?〃



〃You changed; you didn't look the same。 You were all strung up and  excited

and fidgety; you got to looking peakid and run down。  Now then;  Lamhorn had

been going with us a good while; but I noticed that not long  ago you got to

picking on him about every little thing he did; you got to  quarreling with

him when I was there and when I wasn't。  I could see  you'd been quarreling

whenever I came in and he was here。〃



〃Do you object to that?〃 asked Sibyl; breathing quickly。



〃Yeswhen it injures my wife's health!〃 he returned; with a quick lift  of

his eyes to hers。  〃You began to run down just about the time you  began

falling out with him。〃 He stepped close to her。  〃See here; Sibyl;  I'm going

to know what it means。〃



〃Oh; you ARE?〃 she snapped。



〃You're trembling;〃 he said; gravely。



〃Yes。  I'm angry enough to do more than tremble; you'll find。  Go on!〃



〃That was all I was going to say the other day;〃 he said。  〃I was going to

ask you〃



〃Yes; that was all you were going to say THE OTHER DAY。  Yes。  What else  have

you to say to…night?〃



〃To…night;〃 he replied; with grim swiftness; 〃I want to know why you keep

telephoning him you want to see him since he stopped coming here。〃



She made a long; low sound of comprehension before she said; 〃And what  else

did Edith want you to ask me?〃



〃I want to know what you say over the telephone to Lamhorn;〃 he said;

fiercely。



〃Is that all Edith told you to ask me?  You saw her when you stopped in  there

on your way home this evening; didn't you?  Didn't she tell you  then what I

said over the telephone to Mr。 Lamhorn?〃



〃No; she didn't!〃 he vociferated; his voice growing louder。  〃She said;  'You

tell your wife to stop telephoning Robert Lamhorn to come and see  her;

because he isn't going to do it!'  That's what she said!  And I want  to know

what it means。  I intend〃



A maid appeared at the lower end of the hall。  〃Dinner is ready;〃 she  said;

and; giving the troubled pair one glance; went demurely into the  dining…room。

Roscoe disregarded the interruption。



〃I intend to know exactly what has been going on;〃 he declared。  〃I mean  to

know just what〃



Sibyl jumped up; almost touching him; standing face to face with him。



〃Oh; you DO!〃 she cried; shrilly。  〃You mean to know just what's what; do

you?  You listen to your sister insinuating ugly things about your wife;  and

then you come home making a scene before the servants and humiliating  me in

their presence!  Do you suppose that Irish girl didn't hear every  word you

said?  You go in there and eat your dinner alone!  Go on!  Go  and eat your

dinner alonebecause I won't eat with you!〃



And she broke away from the detaining grasp he sought to fasten upon her;  and

dashed up the stairway; panting。  He heard the door of her room slam

overhead; and the sharp click of the key in the lock。





At seven o'clock on the last morning of that month; Sheridan; passing  through

the upper hall on his way to descend the stairs for breakfast;  found a couple

of scribbled sheets of note…paper lying on the floor。  A  window had been open

in Bibbs's room the evening before; he had left his  note…book on the

silland the sheets were loose。  The door was open;  and when Bibbs came in

and closed it; he did not notice that the two  sheets had blown out into the

hall。  Sheridan recognized the handwriting  and put the sheets in his coat

pocket; intending to give them to George  or Jackson for return to the owner;

but he forgot and carried them  down…town with him。  At noon he found himself

alone in his office; and;  having a little leisure; remembered the bits of

manuscript; took them  out; and glanced at them。  A grance was enough to

reveal that they were  not epistolary。  Sheridan would not have read a

〃private letter〃 that  came into his possession in that way; though in a

〃matter of business〃 he  might have felt it his duty to take advantage of an

opportunity afforded  in any manner whatsoever。  Having satisfied himself that

Bibbs's  scribblings were only a sample of the kind of writing his son

preferred  to the machine…shop; he decided; innocently enough; that he would

be  justified in reading them。



It appears that a lady will nod pleasantly upon some windy generalization  of

a companion; and will wear the most agreeable expression of accepting  it as

the law; and thendays afterward; when the thing is a mummy to  its

promulgatorshe will inquire out of a clear sky: 〃WHY did you say  that the

people down…town have nothing in life that a chicken hasn't?   What did you

mean?〃  And she may say it in a manner that makes a sensible  reply very

difficultyou will be so full of wonder that she remembered  so seriously。



Yet; what does the rooster lack?  He has food and shelter; he is warm in

winter; his wives raise not one fine family for him; but dozens。  He has  a

clear sky over him; he breathes sweet air; he walks in his April  orchard

under a roof of flowers。  He must die; violently perhaps; but  quickly。  Is

Midas's cancer a better way?  The rooster's wives and  children must die。  Are

those of Midas immortal?  His life is shorter than  the life of Midas; but

Midas's life is only a sixth as long as that of  the Galapagos tortoise。



The worthy money…worker takes his vacation so that he may refresh himself

anew for the hard work of getting nothing that the rooster doesn't get。   The

office…building has an elevator; the rooster flies up to the bough。   Midas

has a machine to take him to his work; the rooster finds his worm  underfoot。

The 〃business man〃 feels a pressure sometimes; without knowing  why; and sits

late at wine after the day's labor; next morning he curses his  head because

it interferes with the workhe swears never to relieve  that pressure again。

The rooster has no pressure and no wine; this  difference is in his favor。



The rooster is a dependent; h

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的