01-the $30,000 bequest-第6章

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and　enjoy　the　money。〃



〃Good！　　Aleck！〃



〃Yes；　dear？〃



〃How　much　of　the　income　can　we　spend？〃



〃The　whole　of　it。〃



It　seemed　to　her　husband　that　a　ton　of　chains　fell　from　his　limbs。　

He　did　not　say　a　word；　he　was　happy　beyond　the　power　of　speech。



After　that；　they　broke　the　Sabbaths　right　along　as　fast　as　they

turned　up。　　It　is　the　first　wrong　step　that　counts。　　Every　Sunday

they　put　in　the　whole　day；　after　morning　service；　on　inventions

inventions　of　ways　to　spend　the　money。　　They　got　to　continuing　this

delicious　dissipation　until　past　midnight；　and　at　every　s'eance　Aleck

lavished　millions　upon　great　charities　and　religious　enterprises；

and　Sally　lavished　like　sums　upon　matters　to　which　（at　first）

he　gave　definite　names。　　Only　at　first。　　Later　the　names　gradually

lost　sharpness　of　outline；　and　eventually　faded　into　〃sundries；〃

thus　becoming　entirelybut　safelyundescriptive。　　For　Sally

was　crumbling。　　The　placing　of　these　millions　added　seriously

and　most　uncomfortably　to　the　family　expensesin　tallow　candles。　

For　a　while　Aleck　was　worried。　　Then；　after　a　little；　she　ceased

to　worry；　for　the　occasion　of　it　was　gone。　　She　was　pained；

she　was　grieved；　she　was　ashamed；　but　she　said　nothing；　and　so　became

an　accessory。　　Sally　was　taking　candles；　he　was　robbing　the　store。　

It　is　ever　thus。　　Vast　wealth；　to　the　person　unaccustomed　to　it；

is　a　bane；　it　eats　into　the　flesh　and　bone　of　his　morals。　

When　the　Fosters　were　poor；　they　could　have　been　trusted　with

untold　candles。　　But　now　theybut　let　us　not　dwell　upon　it。　

From　candles　to　apples　is　but　a　step：　　Sally　got　to　taking　apples；

then　soap；　then　maple…sugar；　then　canned　goods；　then　crockery。　

How　easy　it　is　to　go　from　bad　to　worse；　when　once　we　have　started　upon　a

downward　course！



Meantime；　other　effects　had　been　milestoning　the　course　of　the　Fosters'

splendid　financial　march。　　The　fictitious　brick　dwelling　had

given　place　to　an　imaginary　granite　one　with　a　checker…board

mansard　roof；　in　time　this　one　disappeared　and　gave　place　to　a

still　grander　homeand　so　on　and　so　on。　　Mansion　after　mansion；

made　of　air；　rose；　higher；　broader；　finer；　and　each　in　its　turn

vanished　away；　until　now　in　these　latter　great　days；　our　dreamers

were　in　fancy　housed；　in　a　distant　region；　in　a　sumptuous　vast

palace　which　looked　out　from　a　leafy　summit　upon　a　noble　prospect

of　vale　and　river　and　receding　hills　steeped　in　tinted　mists

and　all　private；　all　the　property　of　the　dreamers；　a　palace　swarming

with　liveried　servants；　and　populous　with　guests　of　fame　and　power；

hailing　from　all　the　world's　capitals；　foreign　and　domestic。



This　palace　was　far；　far　away　toward　the　rising　sun；　immeasurably　remote；

astronomically　remote；　in　Newport；　Rhode　Island；　Holy　Land

of　High　Society；　ineffable　Domain　of　the　American　Aristocracy。　

As　a　rule　they　spent　a　part　of　every　Sabbathafter　morning　service

in　this　sumptuous　home；　the　rest　of　it　they　spent　in　Europe；

or　in　dawdling　around　in　their　private　yacht。　　Six　days　of　sordid

and　plodding　fact　life　at　home　on　the　ragged　edge　of　Lakeside

and　straitened　means；　the　seventh　in　Fairlyandsuch　had　been

their　program　and　their　habit。



In　their　sternly　restricted　fact　life　they　remained　as　of　old

plodding；　diligent；　careful；　practical；　economical。　　They　stuck

loyally　to　the　little　Presbyterian　Church；　and　labored　faithfully

in　its　interests　and　stood　by　its　high　and　tough　doctrines　with　all

their　mental　and　spiritual　energies。　　But　in　their　dream　life　they

obeyed　the　invitations　of　their　fancies；　whatever　they　might　be；

and　howsoever　the　fancies　might　change。　　Aleck's　fancies　were　not

very　capricious；　and　not　frequent；　but　Sally's　scattered　a　good　deal。　

Aleck；　in　her　dream　life；　went　over　to　the　Episcopal　camp；　on　account

of　its　large　official　titles；　next　she　became　High…church　on　account

of　the　candles　and　shows；　and　next　she　naturally　changed　to　Rome；

where　there　were　cardinals　and　more　candles。　　But　these　excursions

were　a　nothing　to　Sally's。　His　dream　life　was　a　glowing　and　continuous

and　persistent　excitement；　and　he　kept　every　part　of　it　fresh　and

sparkling　by　frequent　changes；　the　religious　part　along　with　the　rest。　

He　worked　his　religions　hard；　and　changed　them　with　his　shirt。



The　liberal　spendings　of　the　Fosters　upon　their　fancies　began

early　in　their　prosperities；　and　grew　in　prodigality　step　by　step

with　their　advancing　fortunes。　　In　time　they　became　truly　enormous。　

Aleck　built　a　university　or　two　per　Sunday；　also　a　hospital　or　two；

also　a　Rowton　hotel　or　so；　also　a　batch　of　churches；　now　and　then

a　cathedral；　and　once；　with　untimely　and　ill…chosen　playfulness；

Sally　said；　〃It　was　a　cold　day　when　she　didn't　ship　a　cargo　of

missionaries　to　persuade　unreflecting　Chinamen　to　trade　off　twenty…four

carat　Confucianism　for　counterfeit　Christianity。〃



This　rude　and　unfeeling　language　hurt　Aleck　to　the　heart；　and　she

went　from　the　presence　crying。　　That　spectacle　went　to　his　own　heart；

and　in　his　pain　and　shame　he　would　have　given　worlds　to　have

those　unkind　words　back。　　She　had　uttered　no　syllable　of　reproach

and　that　cut　him。　　Not　one　suggestion　that　he　look　at　his　own　record

and　she　could　have　made；　oh；　so　many；　and　such　blistering　ones！　

Her　generous　silence　brought　a　swift　revenge；　for　it　turned　his

thoughts　upon　himself；　it　summoned　before　him　a　spectral　procession；

a　moving　vision　of　his　life　as　he　had　been　leading　it　these　past

few　years　of　limitless　prosperity；　and　as　he　sat　there　reviewing

it　his　cheeks　burned　and　his　soul　was　steeped　in　humiliation。　

Look　at　her　lifehow　fair　it　was；　and　tending　ever　upward；　and　look

at　his　ownhow　frivolous；　how　charged　with　mean　vanities；　how　selfish；

how　empty；　how　ignoble！　　And　its　trendnever　upward；　but　downward；

ever　downward！



He　instituted　comparisons　between　her　record　and　his　own。　　He　had　found

fault　with　herso　he　musedHE！　　And　what　could　he　say　for　himself？　

When　she　built　her　first　church　what　was　he　doing？　　Gathering　other

blas'e　multimillionaires　into　a　Poker　Club；　defiling　his　own　palace

with　it；　losing　hundreds　of　thousands　to　it　at　every　sitting；

and　sillily　vain　of　the　admiring　notoriety　it　made　for　him。　

When　she　was　building　her　first　university；　what　was　he　doing？　

Polluting　himself　with　a　gay　and　dissipated　secret　life　in　the

company　of　other　fast　bloods；　multimillionaires　in　money　and　paupers

in　character。　　When　she　was　building　her　first　foundling　asylum；

what　was　he　doing？　　Alas！　　When　she　was　projecting　her　noble　Society

for　the　Purifying　of　the　Sex；　what　was　he　doing？　　Ah；　what；　indeed！　

When　she　and　the　W。　C。　T。　U。　and　the　Woman　with　the　Hatchet；

moving　with　resistless　march；　were　sweeping　the　fatal　bottle　from

the　land；　what　was　he　doing？　　Getting　drunk　three　times　a　day。　

When　she；　builder　of　a　hundred　cathedrals；　was　being　gratefully

welcomed　and　blest　in　papal　Rome　and　decorated　with　the　Golden　Rose

which　she　had　so　honorably　earned；　what　was　he　doing？　　Breaking　the

bank　at　Monte　Carlo。



He　stopped。　　He　could　go　no　farther；　he　could　not　bear　the　rest。　

He　rose　up；　with　a　great　resolution　upon　his　lips：　　this　secret

life　should　be　revealing；　and　confessed；　no　longer　would　he　live

it　clandestinely；　he　would　go　and　tell　her　All。



And　that　is　what　he　did。　　He　told　her　All；　and　wept　upon

her　bosom；　wept；　and　moaned；　and　begged　for　her　forgiveness。　

It　was　a　profound　shock；　and　she　staggered　under　the　blow；　but　he

was　her　own；　the　core　of　her　heart；　the　blessing　of　her　eyes；

her　all　in　all；　she　could　deny　him　nothing；　and　she　forgave　him。　

She　felt　that　he　could　never　again　be　quite　to　her　what　he　had

been　before；　she　knew　that　he　could　only　repent；　and　not　reform；

yet　all　morally　defaced　and　decayed　as　he　was；　was　he　not　her　own；

her　very　own；　the　idol　of　her　deathless　worship？　　She　said　she

was　his　serf；　his　slave；　and　she　opened　her　yearning　heart　and　took

him　in。







CHAPTER　VII