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April Hopes


by William Dean Howells






From his place on the floor of the Hemenway Gymnasium Mr。 Elbridge G。
Mavering looked on at the Class Day gaiety with the advantage which his
stature; gave him over most people there。  Hundreds of these were pretty
girls; in a great variety of charming costumes; such as the eclecticism
of modern fashion permits; and all sorts of ingenious compromises between
walking dress and ball dress。  It struck him that the young men on whose
arms they hung; in promenading around the long oval within the crowd of
stationary spectators; were very much younger than students used to be;
whether they wore the dress…coats of the Seniors or the cut…away of the
Juniors and Sophomores; and the young girls themselves did not look so
old as he remembered them in his day。  There vas a band playing
somewhere; and the galleries were well filled with spectators seated at
their ease; and intent on the party…coloured turmoil of the floor; where
from time to time the younger promenaders broke away from the ranks into
a waltz; and after some turns drifted back; smiling and controlling their
quick breath; and resumed their promenade。  The place was intensely
light; in the candour of a summer day which had no reserves; and the
brilliancy was not broken by the simple decorations。  Ropes of wild
laurel twisted up the pine posts of the aisles; and swung in festoons
overhead; masses of tropical plants in pots were set along between the
posts on one side of the room; and on the other were the lunch tables;
where a great many people were standing about; eating chicken and salmon
salads; or strawberries and ice…cream; and drinking claret…cup。  From the
whole rose that blended odour of viands; of flowers; of stuff's; of
toilet perfumes; which is the characteristic expression of; all social
festivities; and which exhilarates or depressesaccording as one is new
or old to it。

Elbridge Mavering kept looking at the faces of the young men as if he
expected to see a certain one; then he turned his eyes patiently upon。
the faces around him。  He had been introduced to a good many persons; but
he had come to that time of life when an introduction; unless charged
with some special interest; only adds the pain of doubt to the wearisome
encounter of unfamiliar people; and he had unconsciously put on the
severity of a man who finds himself without acquaintance where others are
meeting friends; when a small man; with a neatly trimmed reddish…grey
beard and prominent eyes; stepped in front of him; and saluted him with
the 〃Hello; Mavering!〃 of a contemporary。

His face; after a moment of question; relaxed into joyful recognition。
〃Why; John Munt! is that you?〃 he said; and he took into his large moist
palm the dry little hand of his friend; while they both broke out into
the incoherencies of people meeting after a long time。  Mr。 Mavering
spoke in it voice soft yet firm; and with a certain thickness of tongue;
which gave a boyish charm to his slow; utterance; and Mr。 Munt used the
sort of bronchial snuffle sometimes cultivated among us as a chest tone。
But they were cut short in their intersecting questions and exclamations
by the presence of the lady who detached herself from Mr。 Munt's arm as
if to leave him the freer for his hand…shaking。

〃Oh!〃 he said; suddenly recurring to her; 〃let me introduce you to Mrs。
Pasmer; Mr。 Mavering;〃 and the latter made a bow that creased his
waistcoat at about the height of Mrs。 Pasmer's pretty little nose。

His waistcoat had the curve which waistcoats often describe at his age;
and his heavy shoulders were thrown well back to balance this curve。  His
coat hung carelessly open; the Panama hat in his hand suggested a certain
habitual informality of dress; but his smoothly shaven large handsome
face; with its jaws slowly ruminant upon nothing; intimated the
consequence of a man accustomed to supremacy in a subordinate place。

Mrs。 Pasmer looked up to acknowledge the introduction with a sort of
pseudo…respectfulness which it would be hard otherwise to describe。
Whether she divined or not that she was in the presence of a magnate of
some sort; she was rather superfluously demure in the first two or three
things she said; and was all sympathy and interest in the meeting of
these old friends。  They declared that they had not seen each other for
twenty years; or; at any rate; not since '59。  She listened while they
disputed about the exact date; and looked from time to time at Mr。 Munt;
as if for some explanation of Mr。 Mavering; but Munt himself; when she
saw him last; had only just begun to commend himself to society; which
had since so fully accepted him; and she had so suddenly; the moment
before; found her self hand in glove with him that she might well have
appealed to a third person for some explanation of Munt。  But she was not
a woman to be troubled much by this momentary mystification; and she was
not embarrassed at all when Munt said; as if it had all been pre…
arranged; 〃Well; now; Mrs。 Pasmer; if you'll let me leave you with Mr。
Mavering a moment; I'll go off and bring that unnatural child to you; no
use dragging you round through this crowd longer。〃

He made a gesture intended; in the American manner; to be at once polite
and jocose; and was gone; leaving Mrs。 Pasmer a little surprised; and Mr。
Mavering in some misgiving; which he tried to overcome pressing his jaws
together two or three times without speaking。  She had no trouble in
getting in the first remark。  〃Isn't all this charming; Mr。 Mavering?〃
She spoke in a deep low voice; with a caressing manner; and stood looking
up; at Mr。 Mavering with one shoulder shrugged and the other drooped; and
a tasteful composition of her fan and hands and handkerchief at her
waist。

〃Yes; ma'am; it is;〃 said Mr。 Mavering。  He seemed to say ma'am to her
with a public or official accent; which sent Mrs。 Primer's mind
fluttering forth to poise briefly at such conjectures as; 〃Congressman
from a country district? judge of the Common Pleas? bank president?
railroad superintendent? leading physician in a large town?
no; Mr。 Munt said Mister;〃 and then to return to her pretty blue eyes;
and to centre there in that pseudo…respectful attention under the arch of
her neat brows and her soberly crinkled grey…threaded brown hair and her
very appropriate bonnet。  A bonnet; she said; was much more than half the
battle after forty; and it was now quite after forty with Mrs。 Pasmer;
but she was very well dressed otherwise。  Mr。 Mavering went on to say;
with a deliberation that seemed an element of his unknown dignity;
whatever it might be; 〃A number of the young fellows together can give a
much finer spread; and make more of the day; in a place like this; than
we used to do in our rooms。〃

〃Ah; then you're a Harvard man too!〃 said Mrs。 Primer to herself; with
surprise; which she kept to herself; and she said to Mavering: 〃Oh yes;
indeed!  It's altogether better。  Aren't they nice looking fellows?〃 she
said; putting up her glass to look at the promenaders。

〃Yes;〃 Mr。 Mavering assented。  〃I suppose;〃 he added; out of the
consciousness of his own relation to the affair〃I suppose you've a son
somewhere here?〃

〃Oh dear; no!〃 cried Mrs。 Primer; with a mingling; superhuman; but for
her of ironical deprecation and derision。  〃Only a daughter; Mr。
Mavering。〃

At this feat of Mrs。 Pasmer's; Mr。 Mavering looked at her with question
as to her precise intention; and ended by repeating; hopelessly; 〃Only a
daughter?〃

〃Yes;〃 said Mrs。 Pasmer; with a sigh of the same irony; 〃only a poor;
despised young girl; Mr。 Mavering。〃

〃You speak;〃 said Mr。 Mavering; beginning to catch on a little; 〃as if it
were a misfortune;〃 and his; dignity broke up into a smile that had its
queer fascination。

〃Why; isn't it?〃 asked Mrs。 Pasmer。

〃Well; I shouldn't have thought so。〃

〃Then you don't believe that all that old…fashioned chivalry and devotion
have gone out?  You don't think the young men are all spoiled nowadays;
and expect the young ladies to offer them attentions?〃

〃No;〃 said Mr。 Mavering slowly; as if recovering from the shock of the
novel idea

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