to-morrow-第2章

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of　that　return　till　next　year；　he　would　be　well　on



his　way　to　not　saying　any　more　about　it。　　In　other



matters　he　was　quite　rational；　so　this；　too；　was



bound　to　come。　　Such　was　the　barber's　firm　opin…



ion。







Nobody　had　ever　contradicted　him；　his　own　hair



had　gone　grey　since　that　time；　and　Captain　Hag…



berd's　beard　had　turned　quite　white；　and　had　ac…



quired　a　majestic　flow　over　the　No。　1　canvas　suit；



which　he　had　made　for　himself　secretly　with　tarred



twine；　and　had　assumed　suddenly；　coming　out　in



it　one　fine　morning；　whereas　the　evening　before　he



had　been　seen　going　home　in　his　mourning　of



broadcloth。　　It　caused　a　sensation　in　the　High



Streetshopkeepers　coming　to　their　doors；　people



in　the　houses　snatching　up　their　hats　to　run　out



a　stir　at　which　he　seemed　strangely　surprised　at



first；　and　then　scared；　but　his　only　answer　to　the



wondering　questions　was　that　startled　and　evasive；



〃For　the　present。〃







That　sensation　had　been　forgotten；　long　ago；



and　Captain　Hagberd　himself；　if　not　forgotten；



had　come　to　be　disregardedthe　penalty　of　daili…



nessas　the　sun　itself　is　disregarded　unless　it



makes　its　power　felt　heavily。　　Captain　Hagberd's



movements　showed　no　infirmity：　he　walked　stiffly



in　his　suit　of　canvas；　a　quaint　and　remarkable　fig…



ure；　only　his　eyes　wandered　more　furtively　perhaps



than　of　yore。　　His　manner　abroad　had　lost　its　ex…



citable　watchfulness；　it　had　become　puzzled　and



diffident；　as　though　he　had　suspected　that　there



was　somewhere　about　him　something　slightly　com…



promising；　some　embarrassing　oddity；　and　yet　had



remained　unable　to　discover　what　on　earth　this



something　wrong　could　be。







He　was　unwilling　now　to　talk　with　the　townsfolk。



He　had　earned　for　himself　the　reputation　of　an



awful　skinflint；　of　a　miser　in　the　matter　of　living。



He　mumbled　regretfully　in　the　shops；　bought　in…



ferior　scraps　of　meat　after　long　hesitations；　and



discouraged　all　allusions　to　his　costume。　　It　was



as　the　barber　had　foretold。　　For　all　one　could　tell；



he　had　recovered　already　from　the　disease　of　hope；



and　only　Miss　Bessie　Carvil　knew　that　he　said　noth…



ing　about　his　son's　return　because　with　him　it　was



no　longer　〃next　week；〃　〃next　month；〃　or　even



〃next　year。〃　　It　was　〃to…morrow。〃







In　their　intimacy　of　back　yard　and　front　gar…



den　he　talked　with　her　paternally；　reasonably；　and



dogmatically；　with　a　touch　of　arbitrariness。　　They



met　on　the　ground　of　unreserved　confidence；　which



was　authenticated　by　an　affectionate　wink　now　and



then。　　Miss　Carvil　had　come　to　look　forward　rather



to　these　winks。　　At　first　they　had　discomposed　her：



the　poor　fellow　was　mad。　　Afterwards　she　had



learned　to　laugh　at　them：　there　was　no　harm　in



him。　　Now　she　was　aware　of　an　unacknowledged；



pleasurable；　incredulous　emotion；　expressed　by　a



faint　blush。　　He　winked　not　in　the　least　vulgarly；



his　thin　red　face　with　a　well…modelled　curved　nose；



had　a　sort　of　distinctionthe　more　so　that　when　he



talked　to　her　he　looked　with　a　steadier　and　more　in…



telligent　glance。　　A　handsome；　hale；　upright；　ca…



pable　man；　with　a　white　beard。　　You　did　not　think



of　his　age。　　His　son；　he　affirmed；　had　resembled



him　amazingly　from　his　earliest　babyhood。







Harry　would　be　one…and…thirty　next　July；　he



declared。　　Proper　age　to　get　married　with　a　nice；



sensible　girl　that　could　appreciate　a　good　home。



He　was　a　very　high…spirited　boy。　　High…spirited



husbands　were　the　easiest　to　manage。　　These　mean；



soft　chaps；　that　you　would　think　butter　wouldn't



melt　in　their　mouths；　were　the　ones　to　make　a　wom…



an　thoroughly　miserable。　　And　there　was　nothing



like　a　homea　firesidea　good　roof：　no　turning



out　of　your　warm　bed　in　all　sorts　of　weather。　　〃Eh；



my　dear？〃







Captain　Hagberd　had　been　one　of　those　sailors



that　pursue　their　calling　within　sight　of　land。　　One



of　the　many　children　of　a　bankrupt　farmer；　he　had



been　apprenticed　hurriedly　to　a　coasting　skipper；



and　had　remained　on　the　coast　all　his　sea　life。　　It



must　have　been　a　hard　one　at　first：　he　had　never



taken　to　it；　his　affection　turned　to　the　land；　with



its　innumerable　houses；　with　its　quiet　lives　gathered



round　its　firesides。　　Many　sailors　feel　and　profess



a　rational　dislike　for　the　sea；　but　his　was　a　pro…



found　and　emotional　animosityas　if　the　love　of



the　stabler　element　had　been　bred　into　him　through



many　generations。







〃People　did　not　know　what　they　let　their　boys　in



for　when　they　let　them　go　to　sea；〃　he　expounded　to



Bessie。　　〃As　soon　make　convicts　of　them　at　once。〃



He　did　not　believe　you　ever　got　used　to　it。　　The



weariness　of　such　a　life　got　worse　as　you　got　older。



What　sort　of　trade　was　it　in　which　more　than　half



your　time　you　did　not　put　your　foot　inside　your



house？　　Directly　you　got　out　to　sea　you　had　no



means　of　knowing　what　went　on　at　home。　　One



might　have　thought　him　weary　of　distant　voyages；



and　the　longest　he　had　ever　made　had　lasted　a　fort…



night；　of　which　the　most　part　had　been　spent　at



anchor；　sheltering　from　the　weather。　　As　soon　as



his　wife　had　inherited　a　house　and　enough　to　live　on



（from　a　bachelor　uncle　who　had　made　some　money



in　the　coal　business）　he　threw　up　his　command　of



an　East…coast　collier　with　a　feeling　as　though　he



had　escaped　from　the　galleys。　　After　all　these　years



he　might　have　counted　on　the　fingers　of　his　two



hands　all　the　days　he　had　been　out　of　sight　of　Eng…



land。　　He　had　never　known　what　it　was　to　be　out



of　soundings。　　〃I　have　never　been　further　than



eighty　fathoms　from　the　land；〃　was　one　of　his



boasts。







Bessie　Carvil　heard　all　these　things。　　In　front　of



their　cottage　grew　an　under…sized　ash；　and　on　sum…



mer　afternoons　she　would　bring　out　a　chair　on　the



grass…plot　and　sit　down　with　her　sewing。　　Captain



Hagberd；　in　his　canvas　suit；　leaned　on　a　spade。　　He



dug　every　day　in　his　front　plot。　　He　turned　it　over



and　over　several　times　every　year；　but　was　not　go…



ing　to　plant　anything　〃just　at　present。〃







To　Bessie　Carvil　he　would　state　more　explicitly：



〃Not　till　our　Harry　comes　home　to…morrow。〃　　And



she　had　heard　this　formula　of　hope　so　often　that　it



only　awakened　the　vaguest　pity　in　her　heart　for



that　hopeful　old　man。







Everything　was　put　off　in　that　way；　and　every…



thing　was　being　prepared　likewise　for　to…morrow。



There　was　a　boxful　of　packets　of　various　flower…



seeds　to　choose　from；　for　the　front　garden。　　〃He



will　doubtless　let　you　have　your　say　about　that；　my



dear；〃　Captain　Hagberd　intimated　to　her　across



the　railing。







Miss　Bessie's　head　remained　bowed　over　her



work。　　She　had　heard　all　this　so　many　times。　　But



now　and　then　she　would　rise；　lay　down　her　sewing；



and　come　slowly　to　the　fence。　　There　was　a　charm



in　these　gentle　ravings。　　He　was　determined　that



his　son　should　not　go　away　again　for　the　want　of　a



home　all　ready　for　him。　　He　had　been　filling　the



other　cottage　with　all　sorts　of　furniture。　　She　im…



agined　it　all　new；　fresh　with　varnish；　piled　up　as



in　a　warehouse。　　There　would　be　tables　wrapped



up　in　sacking；　rolls　of　carpets　thick　and　vertical



like　fragments　of　columns；　the　gleam　of　white　mar…



ble　tops　in　the　dimness　of　the　drawn　blinds。　　Cap…



tain　Hagberd　always　described　his　purchases　to



her；　carefully；　as　to　a　person　having　a　legitimate



interest　in　them。　　The　overgrown　yard　of　his　cot…



tage　could　be　laid　over　with　concrete　。　。