part 2-第3部分

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said　to　Mrs。　Lorch；　〃no　pictures　of　the　composers　at　all。〃







　　　　　Both　the　widows　were　kind　to　her；　but　Thea　liked　the



mother　better。　　Old　Mrs。　Lorch　was　fat　and　jolly；　with　a



red　face；　always　shining　as　if　she　had　just　come　from　the















stove；　bright　little　eyes；　and　hair　of　several　colors。　　Her



own　hair　was　one　cast　of　iron…gray；　her　switch　another；



and　her　false　front　still　another。　　Her　clothes　always　smelled



of　savory　cooking；　except　when　she　was　dressed　for　church



or　KAFFEEKLATSCH；　and　then　she　smelled　of　bay　rum　or　of



the　lemon…verbena　sprig　which　she　tucked　inside　her　puffy



black　kid　glove。　　Her　cooking　justified　all　that　Mr。　Larsen



had　said　of　it；　and　Thea　had　never　been　so　well　nourished



before。







　　　　　The　daughter；　Mrs。　Andersen；Irene；　her　mother



called　her；was　a　different　sort　of　woman　altogether。



She　was　perhaps　forty　years　old；　angular；　big…boned；　with



large；　thin　features；　light…blue　eyes；　and　dry；　yellow　hair；



the　bang　tightly　frizzed。　　She　was　pale；　anaemic；　and　senti…



mental。　　She　had　married　the　youngest　son　of　a　rich；　arro…



gant　Swedish　family　who　were　lumber　merchants　in　St。



Paul。　　There　she　dwelt　during　her　married　life。　　Oscar



Andersen　was　a　strong；　full…blooded　fellow　who　had　counted



on　a　long　life　and　had　been　rather　careless　about　his　busi…



ness　affairs。　　He　was　killed　by　the　explosion　of　a　steam



boiler　in　the　mills；　and　his　brothers　managed　to　prove　that



he　had　very　little　stock　in　the　big　business。　　They　had



strongly　disapproved　of　his　marriage　and　they　agreed



among　themselves　that　they　were　entirely　justified　in　de…



frauding　his　widow；　who；　they　said；　〃would　only　marry



again　and　give　some　fellow　a　good　thing　of　it。〃　　Mrs。　Ander…



sen　would　not　go　to　law　with　the　family　that　had　always



snubbed　and　wounded　hershe　felt　the　humiliation　of　be…



ing　thrust　out　more　than　she　felt　her　impoverishment；　so



she　went　back　to　Chicago　to　live　with　her　widowed　mother



on　an　income　of　five　hundred　a　year。　　This　experience　had



given　her　sentimental　nature　an　incurable　hurt。　　Something



withered　away　in　her。　　Her　head　had　a　downward　droop；



her　step　was　soft　and　apologetic；　even　in　her　mother's



house；　and　her　smile　had　the　sickly；　uncertain　flicker　that



so　often　comes　from　a　secret　humiliation。　　She　was　affable















and　yet　shrinking；　like　one　who　has　come　down　in　the



world；　who　has　known　better　clothes；　better　carpets；　bet…



ter　people；　brighter　hopes。　　Her　husband　was　buried　in　the



Andersen　lot　in　St。　Paul；　with　a　locked　iron　fence　around



it。　　She　had　to　go　to　his　eldest　brother　for　the　key　when　she



went　to　say　good…bye　to　his　grave。　　She　clung　to　the　Swedish



Church　because　it　had　been　her　husband's　church。







　　　　　As　her　mother　had　no　room　for　her　household　belongings；



Mrs。　Andersen　had　brought　home　with　her　only　her　bed…



room　set；　which　now　furnished　her　own　room　at　Mrs。



Lorch's。　　There　she　spent　most　of　her　time；　doing　fancy…



work　or　writing　letters　to　sympathizing　German　friends



in　St。　Paul；　surrounded　by　keepsakes　and　photographs　of



the　burly　Oscar　Andersen。　　Thea；　when　she　was　admitted



to　this　room；　and　shown　these　photographs；　found　her…



self　wondering；　like　the　Andersen　family；　why　such　a　lusty；



gay…looking　fellow　ever　thought　he　wanted　this　pallid；



long…cheeked　woman；　whose　manner　was　always　that　of



withdrawing；　and　who　must　have　been　rather　thin…blooded



even　as　a　girl。







　　　　　Mrs。　Andersen　was　certainly　a　depressing　person。　　It



sometimes　annoyed　Thea　very　much　to　hear　her　insinuat…



ing　knock　on　the　door；　her　flurried　explanation　of　why　she



had　come；　as　she　backed　toward　the　stairs。　　Mrs。　Andersen



admired　Thea　greatly。　　She　thought　it　a　distinction　to　be



even　a　〃temporary　soprano〃Thea　called　herself　so　quite



seriouslyin　the　Swedish　Church。　　She　also　thought　it



distinguished　to　be　a　pupil　of　Harsanyi's。　　She　considered



Thea　very　handsome；　very　Swedish；　very　talented。　　She



fluttered　about　the　upper　floor　when　Thea　was　practicing。



In　short；　she　tried　to　make　a　heroine　of　her；　just　as　Tillie



Kronborg　had　always　done；　and　Thea　was　conscious　of



something　of　the　sort。　　When　she　was　working　and　heard



Mrs。　Andersen　tip…toeing　past　her　door；　she　used　to　shrug



her　shoulders　and　wonder　whether　she　was　always　to　have



a　Tillie　diving　furtively　about　her　in　some　disguise　or　other。



















　　　　　At　the　dressmaker's　Mrs。　Andersen　recalled　Tillie　even



more　painfully。　　After　her　first　Sunday　in　Mr。　Larsen's



choir；　Thea　saw　that　she　must　have　a　proper　dress　for



morning　service。　　Her　Moonstone　party　dress　might　do　to



wear　in　the　evening；　but　she　must　have　one　frock　that　could



stand　the　light　of　day。　　She；　of　course；　knew　nothing　about



Chicago　dressmakers；　so　she　let　Mrs。　Andersen　take　her　to



a　German　woman　whom　she　recommended　warmly。　　The



German　dressmaker　was　excitable　and　dramatic。　　Concert



dresses；　she　said；　were　her　specialty。　　In　her　fitting…room



there　were　photographs　of　singers　in　the　dresses　she　had



made　them　for　this　or　that　SANGERFEST。　　She　and　Mrs。　An…



dersen　together　achieved　a　costume　which　would　have



warmed　Tillie　Kronborg's　heart。　　It　was　clearly　intended



for　a　woman　of　forty；　with　violent　tastes。　　There　seemed　to



be　a　piece　of　every　known　fabric　in　it　somewhere。　　When



it　came　home；　and　was　spread　out　on　her　huge　bed；　Thea



looked　it　over　and　told　herself　candidly　that　it　was　〃a



horror。〃　　However；　her　money　was　gone；　and　there　was



nothing　to　do　but　make　the　best　of　the　dress。　　She　never



wore　it　except；　as　she　said；　〃to　sing　in；〃　as　if　it　were　an



unbecoming　uniform。　　When　Mrs。　Lorch　and　Irene　told　her



that　she　〃looked　like　a　little　bird…of…Paradise　in　it；〃　Thea



shut　her　teeth　and　repeated　to　herself　words　she　had



learned　from　Joe　Giddy　and　Spanish　Johnny。







　　　　　In　these　two　good　women　Thea　found　faithful　friends；



and　in　their　house　she　found　the　quiet　and　peace　which



helped　her　to　support　the　great　experiences　of　that　winter。



























　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　III











　　　　　ANDOR　HARSANYI　had　never　had　a　pupil　in　the



least　like　Thea　Kronborg。　　He　had　never　had　one



more　intelligent；　and　he　had　never　had　one　so　ignorant。



When　Thea　sat　down　to　take　her　first　lesson　from　him；　she



had　never　heard　a　work　by　Beethoven　or　a　composition



by　Chopin。　　She　knew　their　names　vaguely。　　Wunsch　had



been　a　musician　once；　long　before　he　wandered　into　Moon…



stone；　but　when　Thea　awoke　his　interest　there　was　not



much　left　of　him。　　From　him　Thea　had　learned　something



about　the　works　of　Gluck　and　Bach；　and　he　used　to　play　her



some　of　the　compositions　of　Schumann。　　In　his　trunk　he　had



a　mutilated　score　of　the　F　sharp　minor　sonata；　which　he　had



heard　Clara　Schumann　play　at　a　festival　in　Leipsic。　　Though



his　powers　of　execution　were　at　such　a　low　ebb；　he　used　to



play　at　this　sonata　for　his　pupil　and　managed　to　give　her



some　idea　of　its　beauty。　　When　Wunsch　was　a　young　man；



it　was　still　daring　to　like　Schumann；　enthusiasm　for　his



work　was　considered　an　expression　of　youthful　wayward…



ness。　　Perhaps　that　was　why　Wunsch　remembered　him　best。



Thea　studied　some　of　the　KINDERSZENEN　with　him；　as　well



as　some　little　sonatas　by　Mozart　and　Clementi。　　But　for



the　most　part　Wunsch　stuck　to　Czerny　and　Hummel。







　　　　　Harsanyi　found　in　Thea　a　pupil　with　sure；　strong　hands；



one　who　read　rapidly　and　intelligently；　who　had；　he　felt；　a



richly　gifted　nature。　　But　she　had　been　given　no　direction；



and　her　ardor　was　unawakened。　　She　had　never　heard　a



symphony　orchestra。　　The　literature　of　the　piano　was　an



undiscovered　world　to　her。　　He　wondered　how　she　had　been



able　to　work　so　hard　when　she　knew　so　little　of　what　she



was　working　toward。　　She　had　been　taught　according　to　the



old　Stuttgart　method；　stiff　back；　stiff　elbows；　a　very　formal















position　of　the　hands。　　The　best　thing　about　her　prepara…



tion　was　that　she　had　developed　an　unusual　power　of　work。



He　noticed　at　once　her　way　of　charging　at　difficulties。　　She



ran　to　meet　them　as　if　they　were　foes　she　had　long　been



seeking；　seized　them　as　if　they　were　destined　for　her　and



she　for　them。　　Whatever　she　did　well；　she　took　for　granted。



Her　eagerness　aroused　all　the　young　Hungarian's　chivalry。



Instinctively　one　went　to　the　rescue　of　a　creature　who　had



so　much　to　overcome　and　who　struggled　so　hard。　　He　used



to　tell　his　wife　that　Miss　Kronborg's　hour　took　more　out　of



him　than　half　a　dozen　other　lessons。　　He　usually　kept　her



long　over　time；　he　changed　her　lessons　about　so　that　he



could　do　so；　and　often　gave　her　time　at　the　end　of　the　day；



when　he　could　talk　to　her　afterward　and　play　for　her　a



little　from　what　he　happened　to　be　studying。　　It　was　always



interesting　to　play　for　her。　　Sometimes　she　was　so　silent



that　he　wondered；　when　she　left　him；　whether　she　had　got



anything　out　of　it。　　But　a　week　later；　two　weeks　later；　she



would　give　back　his　idea　again　in　a　way　that　set　him



vibrating。







　　　　　All　this　was　very　well　for　Harsanyi；　an　interesting　varia…



tion　in　the　routine　of　teaching。　　But　for　Thea　Kronborg；



that　winter　was　almost　beyond　enduring。　　She　always　re…



membered　it　as　the　happiest　and　wildest　and　saddest　of　her



life。　　T