april hopes-第74章
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〃One thing: it's decided us to be off for Fortress Monroe at last。 We
shall go by the boat to…morrow; if my aunt's better。〃
〃To…morrow?〃 said Dan。 〃What's to become of me when you're gone?〃
〃Oh; we shall not take the whole population with us;〃 suggested Miss
Anderson。
〃I wish you would take me。 I told Mrs。 Brinkley I would come while she
was there; but I'm afraid I can't get off。 Lafflin is developing into all
sorts of strange propositions。〃
〃I think you'd better look out for that man;〃 said Miss Anderson。
〃Oh; I do nothing without consulting my father。 But I shall miss you。〃
〃Thank you;〃 said the girl gravely。
〃I don't mean in a business capacity only。〃
They both laughed; and Dan looked about the room; which he found was a
private hotel parlour; softened to a more domestic effect by the signs of
its prolonged occupation by two refined women。 On a table stood a leather
photograph envelope with three cabinet pictures in it。 Along the top lay
a spray of withered forceythia。 Dan's wandering eyes rested on it。 Miss
Anderson went and softly closed the door opening into the next room。
〃I was afraid our talking might disturb my aunt;〃 she said; and on her way
back to him she picked up the photograph case and brought it to the light。
〃These are my father and mother。 We live at Yonkers; but I'm with my aunt
a good deal of the time in towneven when I'm at home。〃 She laughed at
her own contradictory statement; and put the case back without explaining
the third figurea figure in uniform。 Dan conjectured a military
brother; or from her indifference perhaps a militia brother; and
then forgot about him。 But the partial Yonkers residence accounted for
traits of unconventionality in Miss Anderson which he had not been able to
reconcile with the notion of an exclusively New York breeding。 He felt
the relief; the sympathy; the certainty of intelligence which every person
whose life has been partly spent in the country feels at finding that a
suspected cockney has also had the outlook into nature and simplicity。
On the Yonkers basis they became more intimate; more personal; and Dan
told her about Ponkwasset Falls and his mother and sisters; he told her
about his father; and she said she should like to see his father; she
thought he must be like her father。
〃All at once; and for no reason that he could think of afterward; except;
perhaps; the desire to see the case with her eyes; he began to tell her of
his affair with Alice; and how and why it was broken off; he told the
whole truth in regard to that; and did not spare himself。
She listened without once speaking; but without apparent surprise at the
confidence; though she may have felt surprised。 At times she looked as if
her thoughts were away from what he was saying。
He ended with; 〃I'm sure I don't know why I've told you all this。 But I
wanted you to know about me。 The worst。〃
Miss Anderson said; looking down; 〃I always thought she was a very
conscientious giyl。〃 Then after a pause; in which she seemed to be
overcoming an embarrassment in being obliged to speak of another in such a
conviction; 〃I think she was very moybid。 She was like ever so many New
England giyls that I've met。 They seem to want some excuse for suffering;
and they must suffer even if it's through somebody else。 I don't know;
they're romantic; New England giyls are; they have too many ideals。〃
Dan felt a balm in this; he too had noticed a superfluity of ideals in
Alice; he had borne the burden of realising some of them; they all seemed
to relate in objectionable degree to his perfectionation。 So he said
gloomily; 〃She was very good。 And I was to blame。〃
〃Oh yes!〃 said Miss Anderson; catching her breath in a queer way; 〃she
seyved you right。〃
She rose abruptly; as if she heard her aunt speak; and Dan perceived that
he had been making a long call。
He went away dazed and dissatisfied; he knew now that he ought not to have
told Miss Anderson about his affair; unless he meant more by his
confidence than he really didunless he meant to follow it up。
He took leave of her; and asked her to make his adieux to her aunt; but
the next day he came down to the boat to see them off。 It seemed to him
that their interview had ended too hastily; he felt sore and restless over
it; he hoped that something more conclusive might happen。 But at the boat
Miss Anderson and her aunt were inseparable。 Miss Van Hook said she hoped
they should soon see him at the Hygeia; and he replied that he was not
sure that he should be able to come after all。
Miss Anderson called something after him as he turned from them to go
ashore。 He ran back eagerly to know what it was。 〃 Better lookout for
that Mr。 Lafflin of yours;〃 she repeated。
〃Oh! oh yes;〃 he said; indefinitely disappointed。 〃I shall keep a sharp
eye on him。〃 He was disappointed; but he could not have said what he had
hoped or expected her to say。 He was humbled before himself for having
told Miss Anderson about his affair with Alice; and had wished she would
say something that he might scramble back to his self…esteem upon。 He had
told her all that partly from mere weakness; from his longing for the
sympathy which he was always so ready to give; and partly from the
willingness to pose before her as a broken heart; to dazzle her by the
irony and persiflage with which he could treat such a tragical matter; but
he could not feel that he had succeeded。 The sum of her comment had been
that Alice had served him right。 He did not know whether she really
believed that or merely said it to punish him for some reason; but he
could never let it be the last word。 He tingled as he turned to wave his
handkerchief to her on the boat; with the suspicion that she was laughing
at him; and he could not console himself with any hero of a novel who had
got himself into just such a box。 There were always circumstances;
incidents; mitigations; that kept the hero still a hero; and ennobled the
box into an unjust prison cell。
L。
On the long sunny piazza of the Hygeia Mrs。 Brinkley and Miss Van Hook sat
and talked in a community of interest which they had not discovered during
the summer before at Campobello; and with an equality of hearing which the
sound of the waves washing almost at their feet established between them。
In this pleasant noise Miss Van Hook heard as well as any one; and Mrs。
Brinkley gradually realised that it was the trouble of having to lift her
voice that had kept her from cultivating a very agreeable acquaintance
before。 The ladies sat in a secluded corner; wearing light wraps that
they had often found comfortable at Campobello in August; and from time to
time attested to each other their astonishment that they needed no more at
Old Point in early April。
They did this not only as a just tribute to the amiable climate; but as a
relief from the topic which had been absorbing them; and to which they
constantly returned。
〃No;〃 said Mrs。 Brinkley; with a sort of finality; 〃I think it is the best
thing that could possibly have happened to him。 He is bearing it in a
very manly way; but I fancy he has felt it deeply; poor fellow。 He's
never been in Boston since; and I don't believe he'd come here if he'd any
idea how many Boston people there were in the hotelwe swarm! It would
be very painful to him。〃
〃Yes;〃 said Miss Van Hook; 〃young people seem to feel those things。〃
〃Of course he's going to get over it。 That's what young people do too。
At his age he can't help being caught with every pretty face and every
pretty figure; even in the midst of his woe; and it's only a question of
time till he seizes some pretty hand and gets drawn out of it altogether。〃
〃I think that would be the case with my niece; too;〃 said Miss Van Hook;
〃if she wasn't kept in it by a sense of loyalty。 I don't believe she
really dares much for Lieutenant Willing any more; but he sees no society
where he's stationed; of course; and his constancy is aa rebuke and a
aan incentive to her。 They were engaged a long time ago just after he
left West Pointand we've always been in hopes that he would be removed
to some post where he co