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part 2-第4部分

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that winter was almost beyond enduring。  She always re…



membered it as the happiest and wildest and saddest of her



life。  Things came too fast for her; she had not had enough



preparation。  There were times when she came home from



her lesson and lay upon her bed hating Wunsch and her



family; hating a world that had let her grow up so ignorant;



when she wished that she could die then and there; and be



born over again to begin anew。  She said something of this



kind once to her teacher; in the midst of a bitter struggle。



Harsanyi turned the light of his wonderful eye upon her



poor fellow; he had but one; though that was set in such a



handsome headand said slowly: 〃Every artist makes



himself born。  It is very much harder than the other time;



and longer。  Your mother did not bring anything into the















world to play piano。  That you must bring into the world



yourself。〃







     This comforted Thea temporarily; for it seemed to give



her a chance。  But a great deal of the time she was com…



fortless。  Her letters to Dr。 Archie were brief and business…



like。  She was not apt to chatter much; even in the stim…



ulating company of people she liked; and to chatter on



paper was simply impossible for her。  If she tried to write



him anything definite about her work; she immediately



scratched it out as being only partially true; or not true at



all。  Nothing that she could say about her studies seemed



unqualifiedly true; once she put it down on paper。







     Late one afternoon; when she was thoroughly tired and



wanted to struggle on into the dusk; Harsanyi; tired too;



threw up his hands and laughed at her。  〃Not to…day; Miss



Kronborg。  That sonata will keep; it won't run away。



Even if you and I should not waken up to…morrow; it will



be there。〃







     Thea turned to him fiercely。  〃No; it isn't here unless



I have itnot for me;〃 she cried passionately。  〃Only



what I hold in my two hands is there for me!〃







     Harsanyi made no reply。  He took a deep breath and



sat down again。  〃The second movement now; quietly;



with the shoulders relaxed。〃







     There were hours; too; of great exaltation; when she was



at her best and became a part of what she was doing and



ceased to exist in any other sense。  There were other times



when she was so shattered by ideas that she could do noth…



ing worth while; when they trampled over her like an army



and she felt as if she were bleeding to death under them。



She sometimes came home from a late lesson so exhausted



that she could eat no supper。  If she tried to eat; she was



ill afterward。  She used to throw herself upon the bed and



lie there in the dark; not thinking; not feeling; but evapo…



rating。  That same night; perhaps; she would waken up



rested and calm; and as she went over her work in her mind;















the passages seemed to become something of themselves;



to take a sort of pattern in the darkness。  She had never



learned to work away from the piano until she came to



Harsanyi; and it helped her more than anything had ever



helped her before。







     She almost never worked now with the sunny; happy



contentment that had filled the hours when she worked



with Wunsch〃like a fat horse turning a sorgum mill;〃



she said bitterly to herself。  Then; by sticking to it; she



could always do what she set out to do。  Now; every…



thing that she really wanted was impossible; a CANTABILE



like Harsanyi's; for instance; instead of her own cloudy



tone。  No use telling her she might have it in ten years。



She wanted it now。  She wondered how she had ever found



other things interesting: books; 〃Anna Karenina〃all



that seemed so unreal and on the outside of things。  She



was not born a musician; she decided; there was no other



way of explaining it。







     Sometimes she got so nervous at the piano that she left



it; and snatching up her hat and cape went out and walked;



hurrying through the streets like Christian fleeing from



the City of Destruction。  And while she walked she cried。



There was scarcely a street in the neighborhood that she



had not cried up and down before that winter was over。



The thing that used to lie under her cheek; that sat so



warmly over her heart when she glided away from the sand



hills that autumn morning; was far from her。  She had come



to Chicago to be with it; and it had deserted her; leaving



in its place a painful longing; an unresigned despair。











     Harsanyi knew that his interesting pupil〃the sav…



age blonde;〃 one of his male students called herwas



sometimes very unhappy。  He saw in her discontent a



curious definition of character。  He would have said that



a girl with so much musical feeling; so intelligent; with good



training of eye and hand; would; when thus suddenly in…















troduced to the great literature of the piano; have found



boundless happiness。  But he soon learned that she was



not able to forget her own poverty in the richness of the



world he opened to her。  Often when he played to her;



her face was the picture of restless misery。  She would sit



crouching forward; her elbows on her knees; her brows



drawn together and her gray…green eyes smaller than ever;



reduced to mere pin…points of cold; piercing light。  Some…



times; while she listened; she would swallow hard; two or



three times; and look nervously from left to right; drawing



her shoulders together。  〃Exactly;〃 he thought; 〃as if she



were being watched; or as if she were naked and heard



some one coming。〃







     On the other hand; when she came several times to see



Mrs。 Harsanyi and the two babies; she was like a little



girl; jolly and gay and eager to play with the children; who



loved her。  The little daughter; Tanya; liked to touch Miss



Kronborg's yellow hair and pat it; saying; 〃Dolly; dolly;〃



because it was of a color much oftener seen on dolls than on



people。  But if Harsanyi opened the piano and sat down to



play; Miss Kronborg gradually drew away from the chil…



dren; retreated to a corner and became sullen or troubled。



Mrs。 Harsanyi noticed this; also; and thought it very



strange behavior。







     Another thing that puzzled Harsanyi was Thea's ap…



parent lack of curiosity。  Several times he offered to give



her tickets to concerts; but she said she was too tired or



that it 〃knocked her out to be up late。〃  Harsanyi did not



know that she was singing in a choir; and had often to sing



at funerals; neither did he realize how much her work with



him stirred her and exhausted her。  Once; just as she was



leaving his studio; he called her back and told her he could



give her some tickets that had been sent him for Emma



Juch that evening。  Thea fingered the black wool on the



edge of her plush cape and replied; 〃Oh; thank you; Mr。



Harsanyi; but I have to wash my hair to…night。〃



















     Mrs。 Harsanyi liked Miss Kronborg thoroughly。  She



saw in her the making of a pupil who would reflect credit



upon Harsanyi。  She felt that the girl could be made to look



strikingly handsome; and that she had the kind of per…



sonality which takes hold of audiences。  Moreover; Miss



Kronborg was not in the least sentimental about her hus…



band。  Sometimes from the show pupils one had to endure



a good deal。  〃I like that girl;〃 she used to say; when



Harsanyi told her of one of Thea's GAUCHERIES。  〃She doesn't



sigh every time the wind blows。  With her one swallow



doesn't make a summer。〃







     Thea told them very little about herself。  She was not



naturally communicative; and she found it hard to feel



confidence in new people。  She did not know why; but she



could not talk to Harsanyi as she could to Dr。 Archie; or to



Johnny and Mrs。 Tellamantez。  With Mr。 Larsen she felt



more at home; and when she was walking she sometimes



stopped at his study to eat candy with him or to hear the



plot of the novel he happened to be reading。







     One evening toward the middle of December Thea was



to dine with the Harsanyis。  She arrived early; to have



time to play with the children before they went to bed。



Mrs。 Harsanyi took her into her own room and helped her



take off her country 〃fascinator〃 and her clumsy plush



cape。  Thea had bought this cape at a big department store



and had paid 16。50 for it。  As she had never paid more



than ten dollars for a coat before; that seemed to her a



large price。  It was very heavy and not very warm; orna…



mented with a showy pattern in black disks; and trimmed



around the collar and the edges with some kind of black



wool that 〃crocked〃 badly in snow or rain。  It was lined



with a cotton stuff called 〃farmer's satin。〃  Mrs。 Harsanyi



was one woman in a thousand。  As she lifted this cape from



Thea's shoulders and laid it on her white bed; she wished



that her husband did not have to charge pupils like this



one for their lessons。  Thea wore her Moonstone party















dress; white organdie; made with a 〃V〃 neck and elbow



sleeves; and a blue sash。  She looked very pretty in it; and



around her throat she had a string of pink coral and tiny



white shells that Ray once brought her from Los Angeles。



Mrs。 Harsanyi noticed that she wore high heavy shoes



which nee
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