the kentons-第38章

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affection；　as　lovable　as　that　sort　of　selfishness　can　make　people。　　They
were　very　united　and　good　to　one　another。　　Lottie　herself；　except　in　her
most　lurid　moments；　was　good　to　her　brother　and　sister；　and　almost
invariably　kind　to　her　parents。　　She　would　not；　Breckon　saw；　have　brooked
much　meddling　with　her　flirtations　from　them；　but　as　they　did　not　offer
to　meddle；　she　had　no　occasion　to　grumble　on　that　score。　　She　grumbled
when　they　asked　her　to　do　things　for　Ellen；　but　she　did　them；　and　though
she　never　did　them　without　grumbling；　she　sometimes　did　them　without
being　asked。　　She　was　really　very　watchful　of　Ellen　when　it　would　least
have　been　expected；　and　sometimes　she　was　sweet。　　She　never　was　sweet
with　Boyne；　but　she　was　often　his　friend；　though　this　did　not　keep　her
from　turning　upon　him　at　the　first　chance　to　give　him　a　little　dig；　or　a
large　one；　for　that　matter。　　As　for　Boyne；　he　was　a　mass　of　helpless
sweetness；　though　he　did　not　know　it；　and　sometimes　took　himself　for　an
iceberg　when　he　was　merely　an　ice…cream　of　heroic　mould。　　He　was　as
helplessly　sweet　with　Lottie　as　with　any　one；　and　if　he　suffered　keenly
from　her　treacheries；　and　seized　every　occasion　to　repay　them　in　kind；
it　was　clearly　a　matter　of　conscience　with　him；　and　always　for　the　good。　
Their　father　and　mother　treated　their　squabbles　very　wisely；　Breckon
thought。　　They　ignored　them　as　much　as　possible；　and　they　recognized　them
without　attempting　to　do　that　justice　between　them　which　would　have
rankled　in　both　their　breasts。

To　a　spectator　who　had　been　critical　at　first；　Mr。　and　Mrs。　Kenton　seemed
an　exemplary　father　and　mother　with　Ellen　as　well　as　with　their　other
children。　　It　is　easy　to　be　exemplary　with　a　sick　girl；　but　they
increasingly　affected　Breckon　as　exemplary　with　Ellen。　　He　fancied　that
they　acted　upon　each　other　beneficially　towards　her。　　At　first　he　had
foreboded　some　tiresome　boasting　from　the　father's　tenderness；　and　some
weak　indulgence　of　the　daughter's　whims　from　her　mother；　but　there　was
either　never　any　ground　for　this；　or　else　Mrs。　Kenton；　in　keeping　her
husband　from　boasting；　had　been　obliged　in　mere　consistency　to　set　a
guard　upon　her　own　fondness。

It　was　not　that。　　Ellen；　he　was　more　and　more　decided；　would　have　abused
the　weakness　of　either；　if　there　was　anything　more　angelic　than　her
patience；　it　was　her　wish　to　be　a　comfort　to　them；　and；　between　the
caprices　of　her　invalidism；　to　be　a　service。　　It　was　pathetic　to　see　her
remembering　to　do　things　for　them　which　Boyne　and　Lottie　had　forgotten；
or　plainly　shirked　doing；　and　to　keep　the　fact　out　of　sight。　　She　really
kept　it　out　of　sight　with　them；　and　if　she　did　not　hide　it　from　so　close
an　observer　as　Breckon；　that　was　more　his　fault　than　hers。　　When　her
father　first　launched　out　in　her　praise；　or　the　praise　of　her　reading；
the　young　man　had　dreaded　a　rustic　prig；　yet　she　had　never　been　a　prig；
but　simply　glad　of　what　book　she　had　known；　and　meekly　submissive　to　his
knowledge　if　not　his　taste。　　He　owned　that　she　had　a　right　to　her　taste；
which　he　found　almost　always　good；　and　accounted　for　as　instinctive　in
the　absence　of　an　imaginable　culture　in　her　imaginable　ambient。　　So　far
as　he　had　glimpses　of　this；　he　found　it　so　different　from　anything　he　had
known　that　the　modest　adequacy　of　Mrs。　Kenton　in　the　political
experiences　of　modern　Europe；　as　well　as　the　clear　judgments　of　Kenton
himself　in　matters　sometimes　beyond　Breekon　himself；　mystified　him　no
less　than　Ellen's　taste。

Even　with　the　growth　of　his　respect　for　their　intelligence　and　his　love
of　their　kindliness；　he　had　not　been　able　to　keep　a　certain　patronage
from　mingling；　and　it　was　not　till　they　evinced　not　only　entire　ability；
but　an　apparent　wish　to　get　on　without　his　approval；　without　his
acquaintance　even；　that　he　had　conceived　a　just　sense　of　them。　　The　like
is　apt　to　happen　with　the　best　of　us；　when　we　are　also　the　finest；　and
Breckon　was　not　singular　in　coming　to　a　due　consciousness　of　something
valuable　only　in　the　hour　of　its　loss。　　He　did　not　know　that　the　loss　was
only　apparent。　　He　knew　that　he　had　made　a　distinct　sacrifice　for　these
people；　and　that；　when　he　had　prepared　himself　to　befriend　them　little
short　of　self…devotion；　they　showed　themselves　indifferent；　and　almost
repellent。　　In　the　revulsion　of　feeling；　when　Ellen　gave　him　her　mother's
message；　and　frankly　offered　him　reparation　on　behalf　of　her　whole
family；　he　may　have　overdone　his　gratitude；　but　he　did　not　overdo　it　to
her　perception。　　They　walked　up　and　down　the　promenade　of　the　Amstel；　in
the　watery　North　Sea　moon；　while　bells　after　bells　noted　the　hour
unheeded；　and　when　they　parted　for　the　night　it　was　with　an　involuntary
pressure　of　hands；　from　which　she　suddenly　pulled　hers；　and　ran　down　the
corridor　of　her　state…room　and　Lottie's。

He　stood　watching　the　narrow　space　in　which　she　had　vanished；　and
thinking　how　gentle　she　was；　and　how　she　had　contrived　somehow　to　make
him　feel　that　now　it　was　she　who　had　been　consoling　him；　and　trying　to
interest　him　and　amuse　him。　　He　had　not　realized　that　before；　he　had　been
used　to　interesting　and　amusing　her；　but　he　could　not　resent　it；　he　could
not　resent　the　implication　of　superiority；　if　such　a　thing　were　possible；
which　her　kindness　conveyed。　　The　question　with　Breckon　was　whether　she
had　walked　with　him　so　long　because　she　wished；　in　the　hour；　to　make　up
as　fully　as　possible　for　the　day's　neglect；　or　because　she　had　liked　to
walk　up　and　down　with　him。　　It　was　a　question　he　found　keeping　itself
poignantly；　yet　pleasantly；　in　his　mind；　after　he　had　got　into　his　berth
under　the　solidly　slumberous　Boyne；　and　inclining　now　to　one　solution　and
now　to　the　other；　with　a　delicate　oscillation　that　was　charming。

The　Amstel　took　her　time　to　get　into　Rotterdam；　and　when　her　passengers
had　gone　ashore　the　next　forenoon　the　train　that　carried　Breckon　to　The
Hague　in　the　same　compartment　with　the　Kentons　was　in　no　greater　hurry。　
It　arrived　with　a　deliberation　which　kept　it　from　carrying　them　on　to
Amsterdam　before　they　knew　it；　and　Mrs。　Kenton　had　time　to　place　such
parts　of　the　wars　in　the　Rise　of　the　Dutch　Republic　as　she　could　attach
to　the　names　of　the　stations　and　the　general　features　of　the　landscape。　
Boyne　was　occupied　with　improvements　for　the　windmills　and　the　canal…
boats；　which　did　not　seem　to　him　of　the　quality　of　the　Michigan
aerometers；　or　the　craft　with　which　he　was　familiar　on　the　Hudson　River
and　on　the　canal　that　passed　through　Tuskingum。　　Lottie；　with　respect　to
the　canals；　offered　the　frank　observation　that　they　smelt；　and　in
recognizing　a　fact　which　travel　almost　universally　ignores　in　Holland；
she　watched　her　chance　of　popping　up　the　window　between　herself　and
Boyne；　which　Boyne　put　down　with　mounting　rage。　　The　agriculture　which
triumphed　everywhere　on　the　little　halfacre　plots　lifted　fifteen　inches
above　the　waters　of　the　environing　ditches；　and　the　black　and　white
cattle　everywhere　attesting　the　immemorial　Dutch　ideal　of　a　cow；　were
what　at　first　occupied　Kenton；　and　he　was　tardily　won　from　them　to　the
question　of　fighting　over　a　country　like　that。　　It　was　a　concession　to
his　wife's　impassioned　interest　in　the　overthrow　of　the　Spaniards　in　a
landscape　which　had　evidently　not　changed　since。　　She　said　it　was　hard　to
realize　that　Holland　was　not　still　a　republic；　and　she　was　not　very
patient　with　Breckon's　defence　of　the　monarchy　on　the　ground　that　the
young　Queen　was　a　very　pretty　girl。

〃And　she　is　only　sixteen；〃　Boyne　urged。

〃Then　she　is　two　years　too　old　for　you；〃　said　Lottie。

〃No　such　thing！〃　　Boyne　retorted。　　〃I　was　fifteen　in　June。〃

〃Dear　me！　　I　should　never　have　thought　it；〃　said　his　sister。

Ellen　seemed　hardly　to　look　out　of　the　window　at　anything　directly；　but
when　her　father　bade　her　see　this　thing　and　that；　it　seemed　that　she　had
seen　it　already。　　She　said　at　last；　with　a　quiet　sigh；　〃I　never　want　to
go　away。〃

She　had　been　a　little　shy　of　Breckon　the　whole　morning；　and　had　kept　him
asking　himself　whether　she　was　sorry　she　had　walked　so　long　with　him　the
night　before；　or；　having　offered　him　due　reparation　for　her　family；　she
was　again　dropping　him