part 4-第11章

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was　scornful　of　everything；which　became　her　eyebrows。



Her　face　was　mobile　and　discontented；　her　eyes　quick



and　black。　　There　was　a　sort　of　smouldering　fire　about



her；　young　Ottenburg　thought。　　She　entertained　him　pro…



digiously。







　　　　　After　luncheon　Miss　Beers　said　she　was　going　uptown　to



be　fitted；　and　that　she　would　go　alone　because　her　aunt



made　her　nervous。　　When　Fred　held　her　coat　for　her；　she



murmured；　〃Thank　you；　Alphonse；〃　as　if　she　were　address…



ing　the　waiter。　　As　she　stepped　into　a　hansom；　with　a　long















stretch　of　thin　silk　stocking；　she　said　negligently；　over　her



fur　collar；　〃Better　let　me　take　you　along　and　drop　you



somewhere。〃　　He　sprang　in　after　her；　and　she　told　the　driver



to　go　to　the　Park。







　　　　　It　was　a　bright　winter　day；　and　bitterly　cold。　　Miss　Beers



asked　Fred　to　tell　her　about　the　game　at　New　Haven；　and



when　he　did　so　paid　no　attention　to　what　he　said。　　She



sank　back　into　the　hansom　and　held　her　muff　before　her



face；　lowering　it　occasionally　to　utter　laconic　remarks



about　the　people　in　the　carriages　they　passed；　interrupt…



ing　Fred's　narrative　in　a　disconcerting　manner。　　As　they



entered　the　Park　he　happened　to　glance　under　her　wide



black　hat　at　her　black　eyes　and　hairthe　muff　hid　every…



thing　elseand　discovered　that　she　was　crying。　　To　his



solicitous　inquiry　she　replied　that　it　〃was　enough　to　make



you　damp；　to　go　and　try　on　dresses　to　marry　a　man　you



weren't　keen　about。〃







　　　　　Further　explanations　followed。　　She　had　thought　she



was　〃perfectly　cracked〃　about　Brisbane；　until　she　met



Fred　at　the　Holland　House　three　days　ago。　　Then　she



knew　she　would　scratch　Brisbane's　eyes　out　if　she　married



him。　　What　was　she　going　to　do？







　　　　　Fred　told　the　driver　to　keep　going。　　What　did　she　want



to　do？　　Well；　she　didn't　know。　　One　had　to　marry　some…



body；　after　all　the　machinery　had　been　put　in　motion。



Perhaps　she　might　as　well　scratch　Brisbane　as　anybody



else；　for　scratch　she　would；　if　she　didn't　get　what　she



wanted。







　　　　　Of　course；　Fred　agreed；　one　had　to　marry　somebody。



And　certainly　this　girl　beat　anything　he　had　ever　been　up



against　before。　　Again　he　told　the　driver　to　go　ahead。　　Did



she　mean　that　she　would　think　of　marrying　him；　by　any



chance？　　Of　course　she　did；　Alphonse。　　Hadn't　he　seen　that



all　over　her　face　three　days　ago？　　If　he　hadn't；　he　was　a



snowball。







　　　　　By　this　time　Fred　was　beginning　to　feel　sorry　for　the















driver。　　Miss　Beers；　however；　was　compassionless。　　After



a　few　more　turns；　Fred　suggested　tea　at　the　Casino。　　He



was　very　cold　himself；　and　remembering　the　shining　silk



hose　and　pumps；　he　wondered　that　the　girl　was　not　frozen。



As　they　got　out　of　the　hansom；　he　slipped　the　driver　a　bill



and　told　him　to　have　something　hot　while　he　waited。







　　　　　At　the　tea…table；　in　a　snug　glass　enclosure；　with　the　steam



sputtering　in　the　pipes　beside　them　and　a　brilliant　winter



sunset　without；　they　developed　their　plan。　　Miss　Beers　had



with　her　plenty　of　money；　destined　for　tradesmen；　which



she　was　quite　willing　to　divert　into　other　channelsthe



first　excitement　of　buying　a　trousseau　had　worn　off；　any…



way。　　It　was　very　much　like　any　other　shopping。　　Fred



had　his　allowance　and　a　few　hundred　he　had　won　on　the



game。　　She　would　meet　him　to…morrow　morning　at　the



Jersey　ferry。　　They　could　take　one　of　the　west…bound



Pennsylvania　trains　and　goanywhere；　some　place



where　the　laws　weren't　too　fussy。　　Fred　had　not　even



thought　about　the　laws！　　It　would　be　all　right　with



her　father；　he　knew　Fred's　family。







　　　　　Now　that　they　were　engaged；　she　thought　she　would



like　to　drive　a　little　more。　　They　were　jerked　about　in　the



cab　for　another　hour　through　the　deserted　Park。　　Miss



Beers；　having　removed　her　hat；　reclined　upon　Fred's



shoulder。







　　　　　The　next　morning　they　left　Jersey　City　by　the　latest　fast



train　out。　　They　had　some　misadventures；　crossed　several



States　before　they　found　a　justice　obliging　enough　to　marry



two　persons　whose　names　automatically　instigated　inquiry。



The　bride's　family　were　rather　pleased　with　her　originality；



besides；　any　one　of　the　Ottenburg　boys　was　clearly　a　better



match　than　young　Brisbane。　　With　Otto　Ottenburg；　how…



ever；　the　affair　went　down　hard；　and　to　his　wife；　the　once



proud　Katarina　Furst；　such　a　disappointment　was　almost



unbearable。　　Her　sons　had　always　been　clay　in　her　hands；



and　now　the　GELIEBTER　SOHN　had　escaped　her。



















　　　　　Beers；　the　packer；　gave　his　daughter　a　house　in　St。　Louis；



and　Fred　went　into　his　father's　business。　　At　the　end　of　a



year；　he　was　mutely　appealing　to　his　mother　for　sympathy。



At　the　end　of　two；　he　was　drinking　and　in　open　rebellion。



He　had　learned　to　detest　his　wife。　　Her　wastefulness　and



cruelty　revolted　him。　　The　ignorance　and　the　fatuous　con…



ceit　which　lay　behind　her　grimacing　mask　of　slang　and



ridicule　humiliated　him　so　deeply　that　he　became　absolutely



reckless。　　Her　grace　was　only　an　uneasy　wriggle；　her　auda…



city　was　the　result　of　insolence　and　envy；　and　her　wit　was



restless　spite。　　As　her　personal　mannerisms　grew　more　and



more　odious　to　him；　he　began　to　dull　his　perceptions　with



champagne。　　He　had　it　for　tea；　he　drank　it　with　dinner；　and



during　the　evening　he　took　enough　to　insure　that　he　would



be　well　insulated　when　he　got　home。　　This　behavior　spread



alarm　among　his　friends。　　It　was　scandalous；　and　it　did　not



occur　among　brewers。　　He　was　violating　the　NOBLESSE　OBLIGE



of　his　guild。　　His　father　and　his　father's　partners　looked



alarmed。







　　　　　When　Fred's　mother　went　to　him　and　with　clasped　hands



entreated　an　explanation；　he　told　her　that　the　only　trouble



was　that　he　couldn't　hold　enough　wine　to　make　life　endur…



able；　so　he　was　going　to　get　out　from　under　and　enlist　in



the　navy。　　He　didn't　want　anything　but　the　shirt　on　his



back　and　clean　salt　air。　　His　mother　could　look　out；　he　was



going　to　make　a　scandal。







　　　　　Mrs。　Otto　Ottenburg　went　to　Kansas　City　to　see　Mr。



Beers；　and　had　the　satisfaction　of　telling　him　that　he　had



brought　up　his　daughter　like　a　savage；　EINE　UNGEBILDETE。　　All



the　Ottenburgs　and　all　the　Beers；　and　many　of　their　friends；



were　drawn　into　the　quarrel。　　It　was　to　public　opinion；　how…



ever　and　not　to　his　mother's　activities；　that　Fred　owed　his



partial　escape　from　bondage。　　The　cosmopolitan　brewing



world　of　St。　Louis　had　conservative　standards。　　The　Otten…



burgs'　friends　were　not　predisposed　in　favor　of　the　plunging



Kansas　City　set；　and　they　disliked　young　Fred's　wife　from















the　day　that　she　was　brought　among　them。　　They　found　her



ignorant　and　ill…bred　and　insufferably　impertinent。　　When



they　became　aware　of　how　matters　were　going　between　her



and　Fred；　they　omitted　no　opportunity　to　snub　her。　　Young



Fred　had　always　been　popular；　and　St。　Louis　people　took



up　his　cause　with　warmth。　　Even　the　younger　men；　among



whom　Mrs。　Fred　tried　to　draft　a　following；　at　first　avoided



and　then　ignored　her。　　Her　defeat　was　so　conspicuous；　her



life　became　such　a　desert；　that　she　at　last　consented　to



accept　the　house　in　Santa　Barbara　which　Mrs。　Otto　Otten…



burg　had　long　owned　and　cherished。　　This　villa；　with　its



luxuriant　gardens；　was　the　price　of　Fred's　furlough。　　His



mother　was　only　too　glad　to　offer　it　in　his　behalf。　　As　soon



as　his　wife　was　established　in　California；　Fred　was