a death in the desert-第3部分

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been　to　New　York；　and　that's　a　great　deal。　　But　how　we　are　losing



time！　　Do　tell　me　about　New　York；　Charley　says　you're　just　on　from



there。　　How　does　it　look　and　taste　and　smell　just　now？　　I　think　a



whiff　of　the　Jersey　ferry　would　be　as　flagons　of　cod…liver　oil　to



me。　　Who　conspicuously　walks　the　Rialto　now；　and　what　does　he　or



she　wear？　　Are　the　trees　still　green　in　Madison　Square；　or　have



they　grown　brown　and　dusty？　　Does　the　chaste　Diana　on　the　Garden



Theatre　still　keep　her　vestal　vows　through　all　the　exasperating



changes　of　weather？　　Who　has　your　brother's　old　studio　now；　and



what　misguided　aspirants　practice　their　scales　in　the　rookeries



about　Carnegie　Hall？　　What　do　people　go　to　see　at　the　theaters；



and　what　do　they　eat　and　drink　there　in　the　world　nowadays？　　You



see；　I'm　homesick　for　it　all；　from　the　Battery　to　Riverside。　　Oh；



let　me　die　in　Harlem！〃　　She　was　interrupted　by　a　violent　attack



of　coughing；　and　Everett；　embarrassed　by　her　discomfort；　plunged



into　gossip　about　the　professional　people　he　had　met　in　town



during　the　summer　and　the　musical　outlook　for　the　winter。　　He　was



diagraming　with　his　pencil；　on　the　back　of　an　old　envelope　he



found　in　his　pocket；　some　new　mechanical　device　to　be



used　at　the　Metropolitan　in　the　production　of　the　Rheingold；



when　he　became　conscious　that　she　was　looking　at　him　intently；　and



that　he　was　talking　to　the　four　walls。







Katharine　was　lying　back　among　the　pillows；　watching　him



through　half…closed　eyes；　as　a　painter　looks　at　a　picture。　　He



finished　his　explanation　vaguely　enough　and　put　the　envelope　back



in　his　pocket。　　As　he　did　so　she　said；　quietly：　〃How　wonderfully



like　Adriance　you　are！〃　and　he　felt　as　though　a　crisis　of　some



sort　had　been　met　and　tided　over。







He　laughed；　looking　up　at　her　with　a　touch　of　pride　in　his



eyes　that　made　them　seem　quite　boyish。　　〃Yes；　isn't　it　absurd？



It's　almost　as　awkward　as　looking　like　Napoleonbut；　after　all；



there　are　some　advantages。　　It　has　made　some　of　his　friends　like



me；　and　I　hope　it　will　make　you。〃







Katharine　smiled　and　gave　him　a　quick；　meaning　glance　from



under　her　lashes。　　〃Oh；　it　did　that　long　ago。　　What　a　haughty；



reserved　youth　you　were　then；　and　how　you　used　to　stare　at　people



and　then　blush　and　look　cross　if　they　paid　you　back　in　your　own



coin。　　Do　you　remember　that　night　when　you　took　me　home　from　a



rehearsal　and　scarcely　spoke　a　word　to　me？〃







〃It　was　the　silence　of　admiration；〃　protested　Everett；　〃very



crude　and　boyish；　but　very　sincere　and　not　a　little　painful。　



Perhaps　you　suspected　something　of　the　sort？　　I　remember　you　saw



fit　to　be　very　grown…up　and　worldly。







〃I　believe　I　suspected　a　pose；　the　one　that　college　boys



usually　affect　with　singers'an　earthen　vessel　in　love　with　a



star；'　you　know。　　But　it　rather　surprised　me　in　you；　for　you　must



have　seen　a　good　deal　of　your　brother's　pupils。　　Or　had　you　an



omnivorous　capacity；　and　elasticity　that　always　met　the



occasion？〃







〃Don't　ask　a　man　to　confess　the　follies　of　his　youth；〃　said



Everett；　smiling　a　little　sadly；　〃I　am　sensitive　about　some　of



them　even　now。　　But　I　was　not　so　sophisticated　as　you　imagined。　



I　saw　my　brother's　pupils　come　and　go；　but　that　was　about　all。　



Sometimes　I　was　called　on　to　play　accompaniments；　or　to　fill　out



a　vacancy　at　a　rehearsal；　or　to　order　a　carriage　for　an



infuriated　soprano　who　had　thrown　up　her　part。　　But　they　never



spent　any　time　on　me；　unless　it　was　to　notice　the　resemblance　you



speak　of。〃







〃Yes〃；　observed　Katharine；　thoughtfully；　〃I　noticed　it　then；



too；　but　it　has　grown　as　you　have　grown　older。　　That　is　rather



strange；　when　you　have　lived　such　different　lives。　　It's　not



merely　an　ordinary　family　likeness　of　feature；　you　know；　but　a



sort　of　interchangeable　individuality；　the　suggestion　of　the



other　man's　personality　in　your　face　like　an　air　transposed　to



another　key。　　But　I'm　not　attempting　to　define　it；　it's　beyond



me；　something　altogether　unusual　and　a　triflewell；　uncanny；〃



she　finished；　laughing。







〃I　remember；〃　Everett　said　seriously；　twirling　the　pencil



between　his　fingers　and　looking；　as　he　sat　with　his　head　thrown



back；　out　under　the　red　window　blind　which　was　raised　just　a



little；　and　as　it　swung　back　and　forth　in　the　wind　revealed　the



glaring　panorama　of　the　deserta　blinding　stretch　of　yellow；



flat　as　the　sea　in　dead　calm；　splotched　here　and　there　with　deep



purple　shadows；　and；　beyond；　the　ragged…blue　outline　of　the



mountains　and　the　peaks　of　snow；　white　as　the　white　clouds〃I



remember；　when　I　was　a　little　fellow　I　used　to　be　very　sensitive



about　it。　I　don't　think　it　exactly　displeased　me；　or　that　I　would



have　had　it　otherwise　if　I　could；　but　it　seemed　to　me　like　a



birthmark；　or　something　not　to　be　lightly　spoken　of。　　People　were



naturally　always　fonder　of　Ad　than　of　me；　and　I　used　to　feel　the



chill　of　reflected　light　pretty　often。　　It　came　into　even　my



relations　with　my　mother。　　Ad　went　abroad　to　study　when　he　was



absurdly　young；　you　know；　and　mother　was　all　broken　up　over　it。　



She　did　her　whole　duty　by　each　of　us；　but　it　was　sort　of



generally　understood　among　us　that　she'd　have　made　burnt



offerings　of　us　all　for　Ad　any　day。　　I　was　a　little　fellow　then；



and　when　she　sat　alone　on　the　porch　in　the　summer　dusk　she　used



sometimes　to　call　me　to　her　and　turn　my　face　up　in　the　light　that



streamed　out　through　the　shutters　and　kiss　me；　and　then　I　always



knew　she　was　thinking　of　Adriance。〃







〃Poor　little　chap；〃　said　Katharine；　and　her　tone　was　a



trifle　huskier　than　usual。　　〃How　fond　people　have　always　been　of



Adriance！　　Now　tell　me　the　latest　news　of　him。　　I　haven't　heard；



except　through　the　press；　for　a　year　or　more。　　He　was　in　Algeria



then；　in　the　valley　of　the　Chelif；　riding　horseback　night　and　day



in　an　Arabian　costume；　and　in　his　usual　enthusiastic　fashion　he



had　quite　made　up　his　mind　to　adopt　the　Mohammedan　faith



and　become　as　nearly　an　Arab　as　possible。　　How　many　countries　and



faiths　has　be　adopted；　I　wonder？　　Probably　he　was　playing　Arab　to



himself　all　the　time。　　I　remember　he　was　a　sixteenth…century　duke



in　Florence　once　for　weeks　together。〃







〃Oh；　that's　Adriance；〃　chuckled　Everett。　　〃He　is　himself



barely　long　enough　to　write　checks　and　be　measured　for　his



clothes。　　I　didn't　hear　from　him　while　he　was　an　Arab；　I　missed



that。〃







〃He　was　writing　an　Algerian　suite　for　the　piano　then；　it



must　be　in　the　publisher's　hands　by　this　time。　　I　have　been　too



ill　to　answer　his　letter；　and　have　lost　touch　with　him。〃







Everett　drew　a　letter　from　his　pocket。　　〃This　came　about　a



month　ago。　　It's　chiefly　about　his　new　opera；　which　is　to　be



brought　out　in　London　next　winter。　　Read　it　at　your　leisure。〃







〃I　think　I　shall　keep　it　as　a　hostage；　so　that　I　may　be　sure



you　will　come　again。　　Now　I　want　you　to　play　for　me。　　Whatever



you　like；　but　if　there　is　anything　new　in　the　world；　in　mercy　let



me　hear　it。　　For　nine　months　I　have　heard　nothing　but　'The



Baggage　Coach　Ahead'　and　'She　Is　My　Baby's　Mother。'〃







He　sat　down　at　the　piano；　and　Katharine　sat　near　him；



absorbed　in　his　remarkable　physical　likeness　to　his　brother　and



trying　to　discover　in　just　what　it　consisted。　　She　told　herself



that　it　was　very　much　as　though　a　sculptor's　finished　work　had



been　rudely　copied　in　wood。　　He　was　of　a　larger　build　than



Adriance；　and　his　shoulders　were　broad　and　heavy；　while　those　of



his　brother　were　slender　and　rather　girlish。　　His　face　was　of　the



same　oval　mold；　but　it　was　gray　and　darkened　about　the　mouth　by



continual　shaving。　　His　eyes　were　of　the　same　inconstant　April



color；　but　they　were　reflective　and　rather　dull；　while　Adriance's



were　always　points　of　highlight；　and　always　meaning　another　thing



than　the　thing　they　meant　yesterday。　　But　it　was　hard　to　see　why



this　earnest　man　should　so　continually　suggest　that　lyric；



youthful　face　that　was　as　gay　as　his　was　grave。　　For　Adriance；



though　he　was　ten　years　the　elder；　and　though　his　hair　was



streaked　with　silver；　had　the　face　of　a　boy　of　twenty；　so　mobile



that　it　told　his　thoughts　before　he　could　put　them　into　words。



A　contralto；　famous　for　the　extravagance　of　her　vocal



methods　and　of　her　affections；　had　once　said　to　him　that　the



shepherd　boys　who　sang　in　the　Vale　of　Tempe　must　certainly　have



looked　like　young　Hilgarde；　and　the　comparison　had　been



appropriated　by　a　hundred　shyer　women　who　preferred　to　quote。











As　Everett　sat　smoking　on　the　veranda　of　the　InterOcean



House　that　night；　he　was　a　victim　to　random　recollections。　　His



infatuation　for　Katharine　Gaylord；　visionary　as　it　was；　had　been



the　most　serious　of　his　boyish　love　affairs；　and　had　long



disturbed　his　bachelor　dreams。　　He　was　painfully　timid　in



everything　relating　to　the　emotions；　and　his　hurt　had　withdrawn



him　from　the　society　of　women。　　The　fact　that　it　was　all　so　done



and　dead　and　far　behind　him；　and　that　the　woman　had　lived　her



life　out　since　then；　gave　him　an　oppressive　sense　of　age　and



loss。　　He　bethought　himself　of　something　he　had　read　about



〃sitting　by　the　hearth　and　remembering　the　faces　of　women　without



desire；〃　and　felt　himself　an　octogenarian。







He　remembered　how　bitter　and　morose　he　had　grown　during　his



stay　at　his　brother's　studio　when　Katharine　Gaylord　was　working



there；　and　how　he　had　wounded　Ad