part 6-第7章

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　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　IV











　　　　　ONE　bright　morning　late　in　February　Dr。　Archie　was



breakfasting　comfortably　at　the　Waldorf。　　He　had　got



into　Jersey　City　on　an　early　train；　and　a　red；　windy　sunrise



over　the　North　River　had　given　him　a　good　appetite。　　He



consulted　the　morning　paper　while　he　drank　his　coffee　and



saw　that　〃Lohengrin〃　was　to　be　sung　at　the　opera　that



evening。　　In　the　list　of　the　artists　who　would　appear　was



the　name　〃Kronborg。〃　　Such　abruptness　rather　startled



him。　　〃Kronborg〃：　it　was　impressive　and　yet；　somehow；



disrespectful；　somewhat　rude　and　brazen；　on　the　back　page



of　the　morning　paper。　　After　breakfast　he　went　to　the　hotel



ticket　office　and　asked　the　girl　if　she　could　give　him　some…



thing　for　〃Lohengrin；〃　〃near　the　front。〃　　His　manner　was



a　trifle　awkward　and　he　wondered　whether　the　girl　noticed



it。　　Even　if　she　did；　of　course；　she　could　scarcely　suspect。



Before　the　ticket　stand　he　saw　a　bunch　of　blue　posters



announcing　the　opera　casts　for　the　week。　　There　was



〃Lohengrin；〃　and　under　it　he　saw：











　　　　　　　　ELSA　VON　BRABANT　。　。　。　。　Thea　Kronborg。











　　　　　That　looked　better。　　The　girl　gave　him　a　ticket　for　a　seat



which　she　said　was　excellent。　　He　paid　for　it　and　went　out



to　the　cabstand。　　He　mentioned　to　the　driver　a　number　on



Riverside　Drive　and　got　into　a　taxi。　　It　would　not；　of



course；　be　the　right　thing　to　call　upon　Thea　when　she　was



going　to　sing　in　the　evening。　　He　knew　that　much；　thank



goodness！　　Fred　Ottenburg　had　hinted　to　him　that；　more



than　almost　anything　else；　that　would　put　one　in　wrong。







　　　　　When　he　reached　the　number　to　which　he　directed　his



letters；　he　dismissed　the　cab　and　got　out　for　a　walk。　　The















house　in　which　Thea　lived　was　as　impersonal　as　the



Waldorf；　and　quite　as　large。　　It　was　above　116th　Street；



where　the　Drive　narrows；　and　in　front　of　it　the　shelving



bank　dropped　to　the　North　River。　　As　Archie　strolled　about



the　paths　which　traversed　this　slope；　below　the　street　level；



the　fourteen　stories　of　the　apartment　hotel　rose　above　him



like　a　perpendicular　cliff。　　He　had　no　idea　on　which　floor



Thea　lived；　but　he　reflected；　as　his　eye　ran　over　the　many



windows；　that　the　outlook　would　be　fine　from　any　floor。



The　forbidding　hugeness　of　the　house　made　him　feel　as　if



he　had　expected　to　meet　Thea　in　a　crowd　and　had　missed



her。　　He　did　not　really　believe　that　she　was　hidden　away



behind　any　of　those　glittering　windows；　or　that　he　was　to



hear　her　this　evening。　　His　walk　was　curiously　uninspiring



and　unsuggestive。　　Presently　remembering　that　Ottenburg



had　encouraged　him　to　study　his　lesson；　he　went　down　to



the　opera　house　and　bought　a　libretto。　　He　had　even　brought



his　old　〃Adler's　German　and　English〃　in　his　trunk；　and



after　luncheon　he　settled　down　in　his　gilded　suite　at　the



Waldorf　with　a　big　cigar　and　the　text　of　〃Lohengrin。〃







　　　　　The　opera　was　announced　for　seven…forty…five；　but　at



half…past　seven　Archie　took　his　seat　in　the　right　front　of　the



orchestra　circle。　　He　had　never　been　inside　the　Metropoli…



tan　Opera　House　before；　and　the　height　of　the　audience



room；　the　rich　color；　and　the　sweep　of　the　balconies　were



not　without　their　effect　upon　him。　　He　watched　the　house



fill　with　a　growing　feeling　of　expectation。　　When　the　steel



curtain　rose　and　the　men　of　the　orchestra　took　their　places；



he　felt　distinctly　nervous。　　The　burst　of　applause　which



greeted　the　conductor　keyed　him　still　higher。　　He　found



that　he　had　taken　off　his　gloves　and　twisted　them　to　a



string。　　When　the　lights　went　down　and　the　violins　began



the　overture；　the　place　looked　larger　than　ever；　a　great　pit；



shadowy　and　solemn。　　The　whole　atmosphere；　he　reflected；



was　somehow　more　serious　than　he　had　anticipated。







　　　　　After　the　curtains　were　drawn　back　upon　the　scene　beside















the　Scheldt；　he　got　readily　into　the　swing　of　the　story。　　He



was　so　much　interested　in　the　bass　who　sang　KING　HENRY



that　he　had　almost　forgotten　for　what　he　was　waiting　so



nervously；　when　the　HERALD　began　in　stentorian　tones　to



summon　ELSA　VON　BRABANT。　　Then　he　began　to　realize　that



he　was　rather　frightened。　　There　was　a　flutter　of　white　at



the　back　of　the　stage；　and　women　began　to　come　in：　two；



four；　six；　eight；　but　not　the　right　one。　　It　flashed　across



him　that　this　was　something　like　buck…fever；　the　paralyz…



ing　moment　that　comes　upon　a　man　when　his　first　elk



looks　at　him　through　the　bushes；　under　its　great　antlers；



the　moment　when　a　man's　mind　is　so　full　of　shooting　that



he　forgets　the　gun　in　his　hand　until　the　buck　nods　adieu　to



him　from　a　distant　hill。







　　　　　All　at　once；　before　the　buck　had　left　him；　she　was　there。



Yes；　unquestionably　it　was　she。　　Her　eyes　were　downcast；



but　the　head；　the　cheeks；　the　chinthere　could　be　no



mistake；　she　advanced　slowly；　as　if　she　were　walking　in



her　sleep。　　Some　one　spoke　to　her；　she　only　inclined　her



head。　　He　spoke　again；　and　she　bowed　her　head　still　lower。



Archie　had　forgotten　his　libretto；　and　he　had　not　counted



upon　these　long　pauses。　　He　had　expected　her　to　appear



and　sing　and　reassure　him。　　They　seemed　to　be　waiting　for



her。　　Did　she　ever　forget？　　Why　in　thunder　didn't　she



She　made　a　sound；　a　faint　one。　　The　people　on　the　stage



whispered　together　and　seemed　confounded。　　His　nervous…



ness　was　absurd。　　She　must　have　done　this　often　before；



she　knew　her　bearings。　　She　made　another　sound；　but　he



could　make　nothing　of　it。　　Then　the　King　sang　to　her；　and



Archie　began　to　remember　where　they　were　in　the　story。



She　came　to　the　front　of　the　stage；　lifted　her　eyes　for　the



first　time；　clasped　her　hands　and　began；　〃EINSAM　IN　TRUBEN



TAGEN。〃







　　　　　Yes；　it　was　exactly　like　buck…fever。　　Her　face　was　there；



toward　the　house　now；　before　his　eyes；　and　he　positively



could　not　see　it。　　She　was　singing；　at　last；　and　he　positively















could　not　hear　her。　　He　was　conscious　of　nothing　but　an



uncomfortable　dread　and　a　sense　of　crushing　disappoint…



ment。　　He　had；　after　all；　missed　her。　　Whatever　was　there；



she　was　not　therefor　him。







　　　　　The　King　interrupted　her。　　She　began　again；　〃IN　LICHTER



WAFFEN　SCHEINE。〃　　Archie　did　not　know　when　his　buck…



fever　passed；　but　presently　he　found　that　he　was　sitting



quietly　in　a　darkened　house；　not　listening　to　but　dreaming



upon　a　river　of　silver　sound。　　He　felt　apart　from　the　others；



drifting　alone　on　the　melody；　as　if　he　had　been　alone　with　it



for　a　long　while　and　had　known　it　all　before。　　His　power　of



attention　was　not　great　just　then；　but　in　so　far　as　it　went



he　seemed　to　be　looking　through　an　exalted　calmness　at　a



beautiful　woman　from　far　away；　from　another　sort　of　life



and　feeling　and　understanding　than　his　own；　who　had　in　her



face　something　he　had　known　long　ago；　much　brightened



and　beautified。　　As　a　lad　he　used　to　believe　that　the　faces



of　people　who　died　were　like　that　in　the　next　world；　the



same　faces；　but　shining　with　the　light　of　a　new　understand…



ing。　　No；　Ottenburg　had　not　prepared　him！







　　　　　What　he　felt　was　admiration　and　estrangement。　　The



homely　reunion；　that　he　had　somehow　expected；　now



seemed　foolish。　　Instead　of　feeling　proud　that　he　knew　her



better　than　all　these　people　about　him；　he　felt　chagrined



at　his　own　ingenuousness。　　For　he　did　not　know　her　better。



This　woman　he　had　never　known；　s