下载辰思小说免费APP
Well,youescapedthat,andyoumaythankGodforit.You\'vegotachance,thinkitover.
"Achance!"Irepeated,thoughIgatheredsomethingofhermeaning.
"Thinkitover,saidNancyagain.Andshesmiled.
"But——doyouwantmetoburymyselfindomesticity?"Idemanded,withoutgraspingthesignificanceofmywords.
"You\'llfindherreasonable,Ithink.You\'vegotachancenow,Hugh.
Don\'tspoilit."
SheturnedtoLeonardDickinson,whosatonherotherside
WhenwegothomeItriedtoconcealmyanxietyastoMaude\'simpressionsoftheevening.Ilitacigarette,andremarkedthatthedinnerhadbeenasuccess.
"DoyouknowwhatI\'vebeenwonderingallevening?"Maudeasked."Whyyoudidn\'tmarryNancyinsteadofme."
"Well,"Ireplied,"itjustdidn\'tcomeoff.AndNancywastellingmeatdinnerhowfortunateIwastohavemarriedyou."
Maudepassedthis.
"Ican\'tseewhysheacceptedHambletonDurrett.Itseemshorriblethatsuchawomanassheiscouldhavemarried——justformoney.
"Nancyhasanoddstreakinher,"Isaid."Butthenweallhaveoddstreaks.She\'sthebestfriendintheworld,whensheisyourfriend."
"I\'msureofit,"Maudeagreed,withalittlenoteofpenitence.
"Youenjoyedit,"Iventuredcautiously.
"Oh,yes,"sheagreed."Andeveryonewassonicetome——foryoursakeofcourse."
"Don\'tberidiculous!"Isaid."Ishan\'ttellyouwhatNancyandtheotherssaidaboutyou."
Maudehadthegiftofsilence.
"Whatabeautifulhouse!"shesighedpresently."Iknowyou\'llthinkmesilly,butsomuchluxuryasthatfrightensmealittle.InEngland,inthoseplaceswesaw,itseemednaturalenough,butinAmerica——!Andtheyallyourfriends——seemtotakeitasamatterofcourse."
"There\'snoreasonwhyweshouldn\'thavebeautifulthingsandwellserveddinners,too,ifwehavethemoneytopayforthem."
"Isupposenot,"sheagreed,absently.
XV.
Thatwintermanyotherentertainmentsweregiveninourhonour.ButtheconvictiongrewuponmethatMaudehadnoreallikingforthesocialsideoflife,thatsheacquiescedinitonlyonmyaccount.Thus,attheveryoutsetofourmarriedcareer,anirritantdeveloped:signsofit,indeed,wereapparentfromthefirst,whenwewerepreparingthehousewehadrentedforoccupancy.Hurryingawayfrommyofficeatoddtimestofurnitureanddepartmentstorestohelpdecidesuchmomentousquestionsascurtains,carpets,chairsandtablesIwouldoftenspythetall,uncompromisingfigureofSusanPetersstandingbesideMaude\'s,whileanobligingclerkspreadout,anxiously,rugsorwall-papersfortheirinspection.
"Whydon\'tyougetNancytohelpyou,too!"Iventuredtoaskheronce.
"Oursissuchalittlehouse——comparedtoNancy\'s,Hugh."
MyattitudetowardsSusanhadhithertoremainedundefined.ShewasTom\'swifeandTom\'saffair.Inspiteofhermarkeddisapprovalofthemoderntrendinbusinessandsociallife,——aprejudiceshehadcommunicatedtoTom,asabachelorIhadnotdislikedher;anditwascertainthattheseviewshadnotmitigatedTom\'sloyaltyandaffectionforme.Susanhadbeenmyfriend,ashadherbrotherPerry,andLucia,Perry\'swife:theymadenosecretofthefactthattheydeploredinmewhattheywerepleasedtocallplutocraticobsessions,norhadtheirdisapprovalalwaysbeenconfinedtobadinage.Nancy,too,theylookeduponasarenegade.
Iwasabletobeartheirreproacheswiththesuperiorgoodnaturethatspringsfromsuccess,topointoutwhytheAmericantraditiontowhichtheysofatuouslyclungwasathingsofthepast.Thehabitoftakingdinnerwiththematleastonceaweekhadcontinued,andtheirargumentsratheramusedme.Iftheychosetodwellinabackwateroutoftouchwiththecurrentofgreataffairs,thiswasamattertobedeplored,butIdidnotfeelstronglyenoughtoresentit.SolongasIremainedabachelortherelationshiphadnottroubledme,butnowthatIwasmarriedIbegantoconsiderwithsomealarmitspowertoaffectmywelfare.
IthadremainedforNancytoinformmethatIhadmarriedawomanwithamindofherown.IhadflatteredmyselfthatIshouldbeabletocontrolMaude,togovernherpredilections,andnowattheverybeginningofourmarriedlifeshewasshowingadisquietingtendencytochooseforherself.Tobesure,shehadfoundmyintimacywiththePetersesandBlackwoodsalreadyformed;butitwasanintimacyfromwhichIwasgrowingaway.Ishouldnothavequarrelledwithherifshehadnotdiscriminated:Nancymadeovertures,andMaudedrewback;Susanpresentedherself,andwithannoyingperversityandinanextraordinarilybrieftimeMaudehadbecomeherintimate.ItseemedtomethatshewasalwaysatSusan\'s,lunchingorplayingwiththechildren,whogrewdevotedtoher;orwithSusan,choosingcarpetsandclothes;whilemoreandmorefrequentlywedinedwiththePetersesandtheBlackwoods,ortheywithus.WithPerry\'swifeMaudewasscarcelylessintimatethanwithSusan.
ThiswasthemoresurprisingtomesinceLuciaBlackwoodwasadyed-in-
the-wool"intellectual,"agraduateofRadcliffe,thedaughterofaHarvardprofessor.PerryhadfalleninlovewithherduringhervisittoSusan.Luciawas,perhaps,themostinfluentialofthegroup;shescornedtheworld,sheheldstrongviewsonthehighereducationofwomen;shehadlongdiscardedorthodoxyforwhatmaybecalledaCambridgestoicismofsimplelivingandhighthinking;whileMaudewasastrictPresbyterian,andnotintheleastgiventotheories.When,somemonthsafterourhomecoming,Iventuredtowarnhergentlyofthedangersofconfiningone\'sselftoacoterie——especiallyoneofsuchnarrowviews——heranswerwasratherbewildering.
"Butisn\'tTomyourbestfriend?"sheasked.
Iadmittedthathewas.
"Andyoualwayswenttheresuchalotbeforeweweremarried."
This,too,wasundeniable."Atthesametime,"Ireplied,"Ihaveotherfriends.I\'mfondoftheBlackwoodsandthePeterses,I\'mnotadvocatingseeinglessofthem,buttheirpointofview,iftakenwithoutanyantidote,israthernarrowing.Weoughttoseeallkinds,"Isuggested,withafinerestraint.
"Youmean——moreworldlypeople,"shesaidwithherdisconcertingdirectness.
"Notnecessarilyworldly,"Istruggledon."Peoplewhoknowmoreoftheworld——yes,whounderstanditbetter."
Maudesighed.
"Idotry,Hugh,——Ireturntheircalls,——Idotrytobenicetothem.
ButsomehowIdon\'tseemtogetalongwiththemeasily——I\'mnotmyself,theymakemeshy.It\'sbecauseI\'mprovincial."
"Nonsense!"Iprotested,"you\'renotabitprovincial."Anditwastrue;
herdignityandself-possessionredeemedher.
Nancywasnotoncementioned.ButIthinkshewasinbothourminds
Sincemymarriage,too,IhadbeguntoresentalittletheattitudeofTomandSusanandtheBlackwoodsofhumorousyetaffectionatetole
