part 2-第2部分

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which　a　man　was　not　all　the　time　pitted　against　other　men



who　were　willing　to　work　themselves　to　death。　　His　father



stubbornly　opposed　Lars's　plan；　but　after　keeping　the　boy



at　home　for　a　year　and　finding　how　useless　he　was　on　the



farm；　he　sent　him　to　a　theological　seminaryas　much　to



conceal　his　laziness　from　the　neighbors　as　because　he　did



not　know　what　else　to　do　with　him。







　　　　　Larsen；　like　Peter　Kronborg；　got　on　well　in　the　ministry；



because　he　got　on　well　with　the　women。　　His　English　was



no　worse　than　that　of　most　young　preachers　of　American



parentage；　and　he　made　the　most　of　his　skill　with　the　vio…



lin。　　He　was　supposed　to　exert　a　very　desirable　influence



over　young　people　and　to　stimulate　their　interest　in　church



work。　　He　married　an　American　girl；　and　when　his　father















died　he　got　his　share　of　the　propertywhich　was　very



considerable。　　He　invested　his　money　carefully　and　was



that　rare　thing；　a　preacher　of　independent　means。　　His



white；　well…kept　hands　were　his　result；the　evidence　that



he　had　worked　out　his　life　successfully　in　the　way　that



pleased　him。　　His　Kansas　brothers　hated　the　sight　of　his



hands。







　　　　　Larsen　liked　all　the　softer　things　of　life；in　so　far　as　he



knew　about　them。　　He　slept　late　in　the　morning；　was　fussy



about　his　food；　and　read　a　great　many　novels；　preferring



sentimental　ones。　　He　did　not　smoke；　but　he　ate　a　great



deal　of　candy　〃for　his　throat；〃　and　always　kept　a　box　of



chocolate　drops　in　the　upper　right…hand　drawer　of　his　desk。



He　always　bought　season　tickets　for　the　symphony　con…



certs；　and　he　played　his　violin　for　women's　culture　clubs。



He　did　not　wear　cuffs；　except　on　Sunday；　because　he　be…



lieved　that　a　free　wrist　facilitated　his　violin　practice。



When　he　drilled　his　choir　he　always　held　his　hand　with　the



little　and　index　fingers　curved　higher　than　the　other　two；



like　a　noted　German　conductor　he　had　seen。　　On　the　whole；



the　Reverend　Larsen　was　not　an　insincere　man；　he　merely



spent　his　life　resting　and　playing；　to　make　up　for　the　time



his　forebears　had　wasted　grubbing　in　the　earth。　　He　was



simple…hearted　and　kind；　he　enjoyed　his　candy　and　his



children　and　his　sacred　cantatas。　　He　could　work　energet…



ically　at　almost　any　form　of　play。







　　　　　Dr。　Archie　was　deep　in　〃The　Lament　of　Mary　Mag…



dalen；〃　when　Mr。　Larsen　and　Thea　came　back　to　the



study。　　From　the　minister's　expression　he　judged　that



Thea　had　succeeded　in　interesting　him。







　　　　　Mr。　Larsen　seemed　to　have　forgotten　his　hostility　to…



ward　him；　and　addressed　him　frankly　as　soon　as　he　entered。



He　stood　holding　his　violin；　and　as　Thea　sat　down　he



pointed　to　her　with　his　bow：







　　　　　〃I　have　just　been　telling　Miss　Kronborg　that　though　I



cannot　promise　her　anything　permanent；　I　might　give　her















something　for　the　next　few　months。　　My　soprano　is　a　young



married　woman　and　is　temporarily　indisposed。　　She　would



be　glad　to　be　excused　from　her　duties　for　a　while。　　I　like



Miss　Kronborg's　singing　very　much；　and　I　think　she　would



benefit　by　the　instruction　in　my　choir。　　Singing　here　might



very　well　lead　to　something　else。　　We　pay　our　soprano　only



eight　dollars　a　Sunday；　but　she　always　gets　ten　dollars　for



singing　at　funerals。　　Miss　Kronborg　has　a　sympathetic



voice；　and　I　think　there　would　be　a　good　deal　of　demand　for



her　at　funerals。　　Several　American　churches　apply　to　me



for　a　soloist　on　such　occasions；　and　I　could　help　her　to



pick　up　quite　a　little　money　that　way。〃







　　　　　This　sounded　lugubrious　to　Dr。　Archie；　who　had　a　physi…



cian's　dislike　of　funerals；　but　he　tried　to　accept　the　sug…



gestion　cordially。







　　　　　〃Miss　Kronborg　tells　me　she　is　having　some　trouble



getting　located；〃　Mr。　Larsen　went　on　with　animation；



still　holding　his　violin。　　〃I　would　advise　her　to　keep　away



from　boarding…houses　altogether。　　Among　my　parishioners



there　are　two　German　women；　a　mother　and　daughter。



The　daughter　is　a　Swede　by　marriage；　and　clings　to　the



Swedish　Church。　　They　live　near　here；　and　they　rent　some



of　their　rooms。　　They　have　now　a　large　room　vacant；　and



have　asked　me　to　recommend　some　one。　　They　have　never



taken　boarders；　but　Mrs。　Lorch；　the　mother；　is　a　good



cook；at　least；　I　am　always　glad　to　take　supper　with



her；and　I　think　I　could　persuade　her　to　let　this　young



woman　partake　of　the　family　table。　　The　daughter；　Mrs。



Andersen；　is　musical；　too；　and　sings　in　the　Mozart　Society。



I　think　they　might　like　to　have　a　music　student　in　the



house。　　You　speak　German；　I　suppose？〃　he　turned　to



Thea。







　　　　　〃Oh；　no；　a　few　words。　　I　don't　know　the　grammar；〃　she



murmured。







　　　　　Dr。　Archie　noticed　that　her　eyes　looked　alive　again；　not



frozen　as　they　had　looked　all　morning。　　〃If　this　fellow　can















help　her；　it's　not　for　me　to　be　stand…offish；〃　he　said　to　him…



self。







　　　　　〃Do　you　think　you　would　like　to　stay　in　such　a　quiet



place；　with　old…fashioned　people？〃　Mr。　Larsen　asked。　　〃I



shouldn't　think　you　could　find　a　better　place　to　work；　if



that's　what　you　want。〃







　　　　　〃I　think　mother　would　like　to　have　me　with　people　like



that；〃　Thea　replied。　　〃And　I'd　be　glad　to　settle　down　most



anywhere。　　I'm　losing　time。〃







　　　　　〃Very　well；　there's　no　time　like　the　present。　　Let　us　go



to　see　Mrs。　Lorch　and　Mrs。　Andersen。〃







　　　　　The　minister　put　his　violin　in　its　case　and　caught　up　a



black…and…white　checked　traveling…cap　that　he　wore　when



he　rode　his　high　Columbia　wheel。　　The　three　left　the　church



together。



























　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　II











　　　　　SO　Thea　did　not　go　to　a　boarding…house　after　all。　　When



Dr。　Archie　left　Chicago　she　was　comfortably　settled



with　Mrs。　Lorch；　and　her　happy　reunion　with　her　trunk



somewhat　consoled　her　for　his　departure。







　　　　　Mrs。　Lorch　and　her　daughter　lived　half　a　mile　from　the



Swedish　Reform　Church；　in　an　old　square　frame　house；



with　a　porch　supported　by　frail　pillars；　set　in　a　damp　yard



full　of　big　lilac　bushes。　　The　house；　which　had　been　left　over



from　country　times；　needed　paint　badly；　and　looked　gloomy



and　despondent　among　its　smart　Queen　Anne　neighbors。



There　was　a　big　back　yard　with　two　rows　of　apple　trees



and　a　grape　arbor；　and　a　warped　walk；　two　planks　wide；



which　led　to　the　coal　bins　at　the　back　of　the　lot。　　Thea's



room　was　on　the　second　floor；　overlooking　this　back　yard；



and　she　understood　that　in　the　winter　she　must　carry　up



her　own　coal　and　kindling　from　the　bin。　　There　was　no　fur…



nace　in　the　house；　no　running　water　except　in　the　kitchen；



and　that　was　why　the　room　rent　was　small。　　All　the　rooms



were　heated　by　stoves；　and　the　lodgers　pumped　the　water



they　needed　from　the　cistern　under　the　porch；　or　from　the



well　at　the　entrance　of　the　grape　arbor。　　Old　Mrs。　Lorch



could　never　bring　herself　to　have　costly　improvements



made　in　her　house；　indeed　she　had　very　little　money。　　She



preferred　to　keep　the　house　just　as　her　husband　built　it；



and　she　thought　her　way　of　living　good　enough　for　plain



people。







　　　　　Thea's　room　was　large　enough　to　admit　a　rented　upright



piano　without　crowding。　　It　was；　the　widowed　daughter



said；　〃a　double　room　that　had　always　before　been　occupied



by　two　gentlemen〃；　the　piano　now　took　the　place　of　a



second　occupant。　　There　was　an　ingrain　carpet　on　the　floor；















green　ivy　leaves　on　a　red　ground；　and　clumsy；　old…fashioned



walnut　furniture。　　The　bed　was　very　wide；　and　the　mat…



tress　thin　and　hard。　　Over　the　fat　pillows　were　〃shams〃



embroidered　in　Turkey　red；　each　with　a　flowering



scrollone　with　〃Gute'　Nacht；〃　the　other　with　〃Guten



Morgen。〃　　The　dresser　was　so　big　that　Thea　wondered



how　it　had　ever　been　got　into　the　house　and　up　the　narrow



stairs。　　Besides　an　old　horsehair　armchair；　there　were　two



low　plush　〃spring…rockers；〃　against　the　massive　pedestals



of　which　one　was　always　stumbling　in　the　dark。　　Thea　sat



in　the　dark　a　good　deal　those　first　weeks；　and　sometimes



a　painful　bump　against　one　of　those　brutally　immovable



pedestals　roused　her　temper　and　pulled　her　out　of　a　heavy



hour。　　The　wall…paper　was　brownish　yellow；　with　blue



flowers。　　When　it　was　put　on；　the　carpet；　certainly；　had



not　been　consulted。　　There　was　only　one　picture　on　the



wall　when　Thea　moved　in：　a　large　colored　print　of　a



brightly　lighted　church　in　a　snow…storm；　on　Christmas



Eve；　with　greens　hanging　about　the　stone　doorway　and



arched　windows。　　There　was　something　warm　and　home；



like　about　this　picture；　and　Thea　grew　fond　of　it。　　One



day；　on　her　way　into　town　to　take　her　lesson；　she　stopped



at　a　bookstore　and　bought　a　photograph　of　the　Naples



bust　of　Julius　Caesar。　　This　she　had　framed；　and　hung　it　on



the　big　bare　wall　behind　her　stove。　　It　was　a　curious　choice；



but　she　was　at　the　age　when　people　do　inexplicable



things。　　She　had　been　interested　in　Caesar's　〃Commen…



taries〃　when　she　left　school　to　begin　teaching；　and　she



loved　to　read　about　great　generals；　but　these　facts　would



scarcely　explain　her　wanting　that　grim　bald　head　to　share



her　daily　existence。　　It　seemed　a　strange　freak；　when　she



bought　so　few　things；　and　when　she　had；　as　Mrs。　Andersen



said　to　Mrs。　Lorch；　〃no　pictures　of　the　c