part 6-第6部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！









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；　she　had　somehow　de…



voured　his　little　friend；　as　the　wolf　ate　up　Red　Ridinghood。



Beautiful；　radiant；　tender　as　she　was；　she　chilled　his　old



affection；　that　sort　of　feeling　was　not　appropriate。　　She



seemed　much；　much　farther　away　from　him　than　she　had



seemed　all　those　years　when　she　was　in　Germany。　　The



ocean　he　could　cross；　but　there　was　something　here　he



could　not　cross。　　There　was　a　moment；　when　she　turned　to



the　King　and　smiled　that　rare；　sunrise　smile　of　her　child…



hood；　when　he　thought　she　was　coming　back　to　him。　　After



the　HERALD'S　second　call　for　her　champion；　when　she　knelt















in　her　impassioned　prayer；　there　was　again　something



familiar；　a　kind　of　wild　wonder　that　she　had　had　the　power



to　call　up　long　ago。　　But　she　merely　reminded　him　of　Thea；



this　was　not　the　girl　herself。







　　　　　After　the　tenor　came　on；　the　doctor　ceased　trying　to



make　the　woman　before　him　fit　into　any　of　his　cherished



recollections。　　He　took　her；　in　so　far　as　he　could；　for　what



she　was　then　and　there。　　When　the　knight　raised　the



kneeling　girl　and　put　his　mailed　hand　on　her　hair；　when　she



lifted　to　him　a　face　full　of　worship　and　passionate　humility；



Archie　gave　up　his　last　reservation。　　He　knew　no　more



about　her　than　did　the　hundreds　around　him；　who　sat　in



the　shadow　and　looked　on；　as　he　looked；　some　with　more



understanding；　some　with　less。　　He　knew　as　much　about



ORTRUDE　or　LOHENGRIN　as　he　knew　about　ELSAmore；　be…



cause　she　went　further　than　they；　she　sustained　the　leg…



endary　beauty　of　her　conception　more　consistently。　　Even



he　could　see　that。　　Attitudes；　movements；　her　face；　her



white　arms　and　fingers；　everything　was　suffused　with　a



rosy　tenderness；　a　warm　humility；　a　gracious　and　yet



to　himwholly　estranging　beauty。







　　　　　During　the　balcony　singing　in　the　second　act　the　doctor's



thoughts　were　as　far　away　from　Moonstone　as　the　singer's



doubtless　were。　　He　had　begun；　indeed；　to　feel　the　exhila…



ration　of　getting　free　from　personalities；　of　being　released



from　his　own　past　as　well　as　from　Thea　Kronborg's。　　It　was



very　much；　he　told　himself；　like　a　military　funeral；　exalting



and　impersonal。　　Something　old　died　in　one；　and　out　of　it



something　new　was　born。　　During　the　duet　with　ORTRUDE；



and　the　splendors　of　the　wedding　processional；　this　new



feeling　grew　and　grew。　　At　the　end　of　the　act　there　were



many　curtain　calls　and　ELSA　acknowledged　them；　brilliant；



gracious；　spirited；　with　her　far…breaking　smile；　but　on　the



whole　she　was　harder　and　more　self…contained　before　the



curtain　than　she　was　in　the　scene　behind　it。　　Archie　did　his



part　in　the　applause　that　greeted　her；　but　it　was　the　new















and　wonderful　he　applauded；　not　the　old　and　dear。　　His



personal；　proprietary　pride　in　her　was　frozen　out。







　　　　　He　walked　about　the　house　during　the　ENTR'ACTE；　and　here



and　there　among　the　people　in　the　foyer　he　caught　the



name　〃Kronborg。〃　　On　the　staircase；　in　front　of　the　coffee…



room；　a　long…haired　youth　with　a　fat　face　was　discoursing



to　a　group　of　old　women　about　〃die　Kronborg。〃　　Dr。　Archie



gathered　that　he　had　crossed　on　the　boat　with　her。







　　　　　After　the　performance　was　over；　Archie　took　a　taxi　and



started　for　Riverside　Drive。　　He　meant　to　see　it　through



to…night。　　When　he　entered　the　reception　hall　of　the　hotel



before　which　he　had　strolled　that　morning；　the　hall　porter



challenged　him。　　He　said　he　was　waiting　for　Miss　Kronborg。



The　porter　looked　at　him　suspiciously　and　asked　whether



he　had　an　appointment。　　He　answered　brazenly　that　he



had。　　He　was　not　used　to　being　questioned　by　hall　boys。



Archie　sa