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the dwelling place of ligh-第23部分
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〃Have you seen this article about Mr。 Ditmar?〃 he asked。
〃About Mr。 Ditmar? No。〃
〃It's quite a send…off for the Colonel;〃 said Caldwell; who was wont at times
to use the title facetiously。 〃Listen; ‘One of the most notable figures in the
Textile industry of the United States; Claude Ditmar; Agent of the Chippering
Mill。'〃 Caldwell spread out the page and pointed to a picture。 〃There he is;
as large as life。〃
A little larger than life; Janet thought。 Ditmar was one of those men who; as
the expression goes; 〃take〃 well; a valuable asset in semi…public careers; and
as he stood in the sunlight on the steps of the building where they had 〃snap…
shotted〃 him he appeared even more massive; forceful; and preponderant than she
had known him。 Beholding him thus set forth and praised in a public print; he
seemed suddenly to have been distantly removed from her; to have reacquired at
a bound the dizzy importance he had possessed for her before she became his
stenographer。 She found it impossible to realize that this was the Ditmar who
had pursued and desired her; at times supplicating; apologetic; abject; and
again revealed by the light in his eyes and the trembling of his hand as the
sinister and ruthless predatory male from whomsince the revelation in her
sister Lise she had determined to flee; and whom she had persuaded herself she
despised。 He was a bigger man than she had thought; and as she read rapidly
down the column the fascination that crept over her was mingled with
disquieting doubt of her own powers: it was now difficult to believe she had
dominated or could ever dominate this self…sufficient; successful person; the
list of whose achievements and qualities was so alluringly set forth by an
interviewer who himself had fallen a victim。
The article carried the implication that the modern; practical; American
business man was the highest type as yet evolved by civilization: and Ditmar;
referred to as 〃a wizard of the textile industry;〃 was emphatically one who had
earned the gratitude of the grand old Commonwealth。 By the efforts of such
sons she continued to maintain her commanding position among her sister states。
Prominent among the qualities contributing to his success was openmindedness;
〃a willingness to be shown;〃 to scrap machinery when his competitors still
clung to older methods。 The Chippering Mill had never had a serious strike;
indication of an ability to deal with labour; and Mr。 Ditmar's views on labour
followed: if his people had a grievance; let them come to him; and settle it
between them。 No unions。 He had consistently refused to recognize them。
There was mention of the Bradlaugh order as being the largest commission ever
given to a single mill; a reference to the excitement and speculation it had
aroused in trade circles。 Claude Ditmar's ability to put it through was
unquestioned; one had only to look at him;tenacity; forcefulness;
executiveness were written all over him。。。。 In addition; the article contained
much material of an autobiographical nature that mustJanet thoughthave been
supplied by Ditmar himself; whose modesty had evidently shrunk from the cruder
self…eulogy of an interview。 But she recognized several characteristic
phrases。
Caldwell; watching her as she read; was suddenly fascinated。 During a trip
abroad; while still an undergraduate; he had once seen the face of an actress;
a really good Parisian actress; light up in that way; and it had revealed to
him; in a flash; the meaning of enthusiasm。 Now Janet became vivid for him。
There must be something unusual in a person whose feelings could be so intense;
whose emotions rang so true。 He was not unsophisticated。 He had sometimes
wondered why Ditmar had promoted her; though acknowledging her ability。 He
admired Ditmar; but had no illusions about him。 Harvard; and birth in a social
stratum where emphasis is superfluous; enabled him to smile at the reporter's
exuberance; and he was the more drawn toward her to see on Janet's flushed face
the hint of a smile as she looked up at him when she had finished。
〃The Colonel hypnotized that reporter;〃 he said; as he took the paper; and her
laugh; despite its little tremor; betrayed in her an unsuspected; humorous
sense of proportion。 〃Well; I'll take off my hat to him;〃 Caldwell went on。
〃He is a wonder; he's got the mill right up to capacity in a week。 He's agreed
to deliver those goods to the Bradlaughs by the first of April; you know; and
Holster; of the Clarendon; swears it can't be done; he says Ditmar's crazy。
Well; I stand to lose twenty…five dollars on him。〃
This loyalty pleased Janet; it had the strange effect of reviving loyalty in
her。 She liked this evidence of Dick Caldwell's confidence。 He was a self…
contained and industrious young man; with crisp curly hair; cordial and
friendly yet never intimate with the other employer; liked by thembut it was
tacitly understood his footing differed from theirs。 He was a cousin of the
Chipperings; and destined for rapid promotion。 He went away every Saturday; it
was known that he spent Sundays and holidays in delightful places; to return
reddened and tanned; and though he never spoke about these excursions; and put
on no airs of superiority; there was that in his manner and even in the cut of
his well…worn suits proclaiming him as belonging to a sphere not theirs; to a
category of fortunate beings whose stumbles are not fatal; who are sustained
from above。 Even Ditmar was not of these。
〃I've just been showing a lot of highbrows through the mill;〃 he told Janet。
〃They asked questions enough to swamp a professor of economics。〃
And Janet was suddenly impelled to ask:
〃Will you take me through sometime; Mr。 Caldwell?〃
〃You've never been through?〃 he exclaimed。 〃Why; we'll go now; if you can
spare the time。〃
Her face had become scarlet。
〃Don't tell Mr。 Ditmar;〃 she begged。 〃You seehe wanted to take me himself。〃
〃Not a word;〃 Caldwell promised as they left the office together and went
downstairs to the strong iron doors that led to the Cotton Department。 The
showing through of occasional visitors had grown rather tiresome; but now his
curiosity and interest were aroused; he was conscious of a keen stimulation
when he glanced at Janet's face。 Its illumination perplexed him。 The effect
was that of a picture obscurely hung and hitherto scarcely noticed on which the
light had suddenly been turned。 It glowed with a strange and disturbing
radiance。。。。
As for Janet; she was as one brought suddenly to the realization of a miracle
in whose presence she had lived for many years and never before suspected; the
miracle of machinery; of the triumph of man over nature。 In the brief space of
an hour she beheld the dirty bales flung off the freight cars on the sidings
transformed into delicate fabrics wound from the looms; cotton that only last
summer; perhaps; while she sat typewriting at her window; had been growing in
the fields of the South。 She had seen it torn by the balebreakers; blown into
the openers; loosened; cleansed; and dried; taken up by the lappers; pressed
into batting; and passed on to the carding machines; to emerge like a wisp of
white smoke in a sliver and coil automatically in a can。 Once more it was
flattened into a lap; given to a comber that felt out its fibres; removing with
superhuman precision those for the finer fabric too short; thrusting it forth
again in another filmy sliver ready for the drawing frames。 Six of these
gossamer ropes were taken up; and again six。 Then came the Blubbers and the
roving frames; twisting and winding; the while maintaining the most delicate of
tensions lest the rope break; running the strands together into a thread
constantly growing stronger and finer; until it was ready for spinning。
Caldwell stood close to her; shouting his explanations in her ear; while she
strained to follow them。 But she was bewildered and entranced by the
marvellous swiftness; accuracy and ease with which each of the complex
machines; fed by human hands; performed its function。 These human hands were
swift; too; as when they thrust the bobbins of roving on the ringspinning
frames to be twisted into yarn。 She saw a woman; in the space of an instant;
mend a broken thread。 Women and boys were here; doffer boys to lift off the
full bobbins of yarn with one hand and set on the empty bobbins with the other:
while skilled workmen; alert for the first sign of trouble; followed up and
down in its travels the long frame of the mule…spinner。 After the spinning;
the heavy spools of yarn were carried to a beam…warper; standing alone like a
huge spider's web; where hundreds of threads were stretched symmetrically and
wound evenly; side by side; on a large cylinder; forming the warp of the fabric
to be woven on the loom。 First; however; this warp must be stiffened or
〃slashed〃 in starch and tallow; dried over heated drums; and finally wound
around one great beam from which the multitude of threads are taken up; one by
one; and slipped through the eyes of the loom harnesses by women who sit all
day under the north windows overlooking the canalthe 〃drawers…in〃 of whom
Ditmar had spoken。 Then the harnesses are put on the loom; the threads
attached to the cylinder on which the cloth is to be wound。 The looms absorbed
and fascinated Janet above all else。 It seemed as if she would never tire of
watching the rhythmic rise and fall of the harnesses;each rapid movement
making a V in the warp; within the angle of which the tiny shuttles darted to
and fro; to and fro; carrying the thread that filled the cloth with a swiftness
so great the eye could scarcely follow it; to be caught on the other side when
the angle closed; and flung back; and back again! And in the elaborate
patterns not one; but several harnesses were used; each awaiting its turn for
the impulse bidding it rise and fall!。。。 Abruptly; as she gazed; one of the
machines halted; a weaver hurried up; searched the warp for the broken thread;
tied it; and started the loom again。
〃That's intelligent of it;〃 said Caldwell; in her ear。 But she could only nod
in reply。
The noise in the weaving rooms was deafeni
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