the beast in the jungle-第1章

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The　Beast　in　the　Jungle

by　Henry　James






CHAPTER　I



What　determined　the　speech　that　startled　him　in　the　course　of　their　encounter　scarcely　matters；　being　probably　but　some　words　spoken　by　himself　quite　without　intentionspoken　as　they　lingered　and　slowly　moved　together　after　their　renewal　of　acquaintance。　　He　had　been　conveyed　by　friends　an　hour　or　two　before　to　the　house　at　which　she　was　staying；　the　party　of　visitors　at　the　other　house；　of　whom　he　was　one；　and　thanks　to　whom　it　was　his　theory；　as　always；　that　he　was　lost　in　the　crowd；　had　been　invited　over　to　luncheon。　　There　had　been　after　luncheon　much　dispersal；　all　in　the　interest　of　the　original　motive；　a　view　of　Weatherend　itself　and　the　fine　things；　intrinsic　features；　pictures；　heirlooms；　treasures　of　all　the　arts；　that　made　the　place　almost　famous；　and　the　great　rooms　were　so　numerous　that　guests　could　wander　at　their　will；　hang　back　from　the　principal　group　and　in　cases　where　they　took　such　matters　with　the　last　seriousness　give　themselves　up　to　mysterious　appreciations　and　measurements。　　There　were　persons　to　be　observed；　singly　or　in　couples；　bending　toward　objects　in　out…of…the…way　corners　with　their　hands　on　their　knees　and　their　heads　nodding　quite　as　with　the　emphasis　of　an　excited　sense　of　smell。　　When　they　were　two　they　either　mingled　their　sounds　of　ecstasy　or　melted　into　silences　of　even　deeper　import；　so　that　there　were　aspects　of　the　occasion　that　gave　it　for　Marcher　much　the　air　of　the　〃look　round；〃　previous　to　a　sale　highly　advertised；　that　excites　or　quenches；　as　may　be；　the　dream　of　acquisition。　　The　dream　of　acquisition　at　Weatherend　would　have　had　to　be　wild　indeed；　and　John　Marcher　found　himself；　among　such　suggestions；　disconcerted　almost　equally　by　the　presence　of　those　who　knew　too　much　and　by　that　of　those　who　knew　nothing。　　The　great　rooms　caused　so　much　poetry　and　history　to　press　upon　him　that　he　needed　some　straying　apart　to　feel　in　a　proper　relation　with　them；　though　this　impulse　was　not；　as　happened；　like　the　gloating　of　some　of　his　companions；　to　be　compared　to　the　movements　of　a　dog　sniffing　a　cupboard。　　It　had　an　issue　promptly　enough　in　a　direction　that　was　not　to　have　been　calculated。

It　led；　briefly；　in　the　course　of　the　October　afternoon；　to　his　closer　meeting　with　May　Bartram；　whose　face；　a　reminder；　yet　not　quite　a　remembrance；　as　they　sat　much　separated　at　a　very　long　table；　had　begun　merely　by　troubling　him　rather　pleasantly。　　It　affected　him　as　the　sequel　of　something　of　which　he　had　lost　the　beginning。　　He　knew　it；　and　for　the　time　quite　welcomed　it；　as　a　continuation；　but　didn't　know　what　it　continued；　which　was　an　interest　or　an　amusement　the　greater　as　he　was　also　somehow　aware　yet　without　a　direct　sign　from　herthat　the　young　woman　herself　hadn't　lost　the　thread。　　She　hadn't　lost　it；　but　she　wouldn't　give　it　back　to　him；　he　saw；　without　some　putting　forth　of　his　hand　for　it；　and　he　not　only　saw　that；　but　saw　several　things　more；　things　odd　enough　in　the　light　of　the　fact　that　at　the　moment　some　accident　of　grouping　brought　them　face　to　face　he　was　still　merely　fumbling　with　the　idea　that　any　contact　between　them　in　the　past　would　have　had　no　importance。　　If　it　had　had　no　importance　he　scarcely　knew　why　his　actual　impression　of　her　should　so　seem　to　have　so　much；　the　answer　to　which；　however；　was　that　in　such　a　life　as　they　all　appeared　to　be　leading　for　the　moment　one　could　but　take　things　as　they　came。　　He　was　satisfied；　without　in　the　least　being　able　to　say　why；　that　this　young　lady　might　roughly　have　ranked　in　the　house　as　a　poor　relation；　satisfied　also　that　she　was　not　there　on　a　brief　visit；　but　was　more　or　less　a　part　of　the　establishmentalmost　a　working；　a　remunerated　part。　　Didn't　she　enjoy　at　periods　a　protection　that　she　paid　for　by　helping；　among　other　services；　to　show　the　place　and　explain　it；　deal　with　the　tiresome　people；　answer　questions　about　the　dates　of　the　building；　the　styles　of　the　furniture；　the　authorship　of　the　pictures；　the　favourite　haunts　of　the　ghost？　　It　wasn't　that　she　looked　as　if　you　could　have　given　her　shillingsit　was　impossible　to　look　less　so。　Yet　when　she　finally　drifted　toward　him；　distinctly　handsome；　though　ever　so　much　olderolder　than　when　he　had　seen　her　before　it　might　have　been　as　an　effect　of　her　guessing　that　he　had；　within　the　couple　of　hours；　devoted　more　imagination　to　her　than　to　all　the　others　put　together；　and　had　thereby　penetrated　to　a　kind　of　truth　that　the　others　were　too　stupid　for。　　She　WAS　there　on　harder　terms　than　any　one；　she　was　there　as　a　consequence　of　things　suffered；　one　way　and　another；　in　the　interval　of　years；　and　she　remembered　him　very　much　as　she　was　rememberedonly　a　good　deal　better。

By　the　time　they　at　last　thus　came　to　speech　they　were　alone　in　one　of　the　roomsremarkable　for　a　fine　portrait　over　the　chimney…　placeout　of　which　their　friends　had　passed；　and　the　charm　of　it　was　that　even　before　they　had　spoken　they　had　practically　arranged　with　each　other　to　stay　behind　for　talk。　　The　charm；　happily；　was　in　other　things　toopartly　in　there　being　scarce　a　spot　at　Weatherend　without　something　to　stay　behind　for。　　It　was　in　the　way　the　autumn　day　looked　into　the　high　windows　as　it　waned；　the　way　the　red　light；　breaking　at　the　close　from　under　a　low　sombre　sky；　reached　out　in　a　long　shaft　and　played　over　old　wainscots；　old　tapestry；　old　gold；　old　colour。　　It　was　most　of　all　perhaps　in　the　way　she　came　to　him　as　if；　since　she　had　been　turned　on　to　deal　with　the　simpler　sort；　he　might；　should　he　choose　to　keep　the　whole　thing　down；　just　take　her　mild　attention　for　a　part　of　her　general　business。　　As　soon　as　he　heard　her　voice；　however；　the　gap　was　filled　up　and　the　missing　link　supplied；　the　slight　irony　he　divined　in　her　attitude　lost　its　advantage。　　He　almost　jumped　at　it　to　get　there　before　her。　　〃I　met　you　years　and　years　ago　in　Rome。　I　remember　all　about　it。〃　　She　confessed　to　disappointmentshe　had　been　so　sure　he　didn't；　and　to　prove　how　well　he　did　he　began　to　pour　forth　the　particular　recollections　that　popped　up　as　he　called　for　them。　　Her　face　and　her　voice；　all　at　his　service　now；　worked　the　miraclethe　impression　operating　like　the　torch　of　a　lamplighter　who　touches　into　flame；　one　by　one；　a　long　row　of　gas…　jets。　　Marcher　flattered　himself　the　illumination　was　brilliant；　yet　he　was　really　still　more　pleased　on　her　showing　him；　with　amusement；　that　in　his　haste　to　make　everything　right　he　had　got　most　things　rather　wrong。　　It　hadn't　been　at　Romeit　had　been　at　Naples；　and　it　hadn't　been　eight　years　beforeit　had　been　more　nearly　ten。　　She　hadn't　been；　either；　with　her　uncle　and　aunt；　but　with　her　mother　and　brother；　in　addition　to　which　it　was　not　with　the　Pembles　HE　had　been；　but　with　the　Boyers；　coming　down　in　their　company　from　Romea　point　on　which　she　insisted；　a　little　to　his　confusion；　and　as　to　which　she　had　her　evidence　in　hand。　　The　Boyers　she　had　known；　but　didn't　know　the　Pembles；　though　she　had　heard　of　them；　and　it　was　the　people　he　was　with　who　had　made　them　acquainted。　　The　incident　of　the　thunderstorm　that　had　raged　round　them　with　such　violence　as　to　drive　them　for　refuge　into　an　excavationthis　incident　had　not　occurred　at　the　Palace　of　the　Caesars；　but　at　Pompeii；　on　an　occasion　when　they　had　been　present　there　at　an　important　find。

He　accepted　her　amendments；　he　enjoyed　her　corrections；　though　the　moral　of　them　was；　she　pointed　out；　that　he　REALLY　didn't　remember　the　least　thing　about　her；　and　he　only　felt　it　as　a　drawback　that　when　all　was　made　strictly　historic　there　didn't　appear　much　of　anything　left。　　They　lingered　together　still；　she　neglecting　her　officefor　from　the　moment　he　was　so　clever　she　had　no　proper　right　to　himand　both　neglecting　the　house；　just　waiting　as　to　see　if　a　memory　or　two　more　wouldn't　again　breathe　on　them。　　It　hadn't　taken　them　many　minutes；　after　all；　to　put　down　on　the　table；　like　the　cards　of　a　pack；　those　that　constituted　their　respective　hands；　only　what　came　out　was　that　the　pack　was　unfortunately　not　perfect…　…that　the　past；　invoked；　invited；　encouraged；　could　give　them；　naturally；　no　more　than　it　had。　　It　had　made　them　anciently　meet　her　at　twenty；　him　at　twenty…five