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tales of trail and town-第19部分

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dear; and we'll have a long talk。〃  Helen pointed out hesitatingly

that she was practically a guest of the de Laines。  〃Ah; well;

that's true; my dear; then you may bring one of them with you。〃



Helen went to the luncheon; but was unaccompanied。  She had a long

talk with the dowager。  〃I am not rich; my dear; like your friends;

and cannot afford to pay ten napoleons for a song。  Like you I have

seen 'better days。'  But this is no place for you; child; and if

you can bear with an old woman's company for a while I think I can

find you something to do。〃  That evening Helen left for England

with the duchess; a piece of 〃ingratitude; indelicacy; and

shameless snobbery;〃 which Miss de Laine was never weary of

dilating upon。  〃And to think I introduced her; though she was a

professional!〃



        。        。        。        。        。        。



It was three years after。  Paris; reviving under the republic; had

forgotten Helen and the American colony; and the American colony;

emigrating to more congenial courts; had forgotten Paris。



It was a bleak day of English summer when Helen; standing by the

window of the breakfast…room at Hamley Court; and looking over the

wonderful lawn; kept perennially green by humid English skies;

heard the practical; masculine voice of the duchess in her ear at

the same moment that she felt the gentle womanly touch of her hand

on her shoulder。



〃We are going to luncheon at Moreland Hall to…day; my dear。〃



〃Why; we were there only last week!〃 said Helen。



〃Undoubtedly;〃 returned the duchess dryly; 〃and we may luncheon

there next week and the next following。  And;〃 she added; looking

into her companion's gray eyes; 〃it rests with YOU to stay there if

you choose。〃



Helen stared at her protector。



〃My dear;〃 continued the duchess; slipping her arm around Helen's

waist; 〃Sir James has honored MEas became my relations to YOU

with his confidences。  As you haven't given me YOURS I suppose you

have none; and that I am telling you news when I say that Sir James

wishes to marry you。〃



The unmistakable astonishment in the girl's eye satisfied the

duchess even before her voice。



〃But he scarcely knows me or anything of me!〃 said the young girl

quickly。



〃On the contrary; my dear; he knows EVERYTHING about you。  I have

been particular in telling him all I knowand some things even YOU

don't know and couldn't tell him。  For instance; that you are a

very nice person。  Come; my dear; don't look so stupefied; or I

shall really think there's something in it that I don't know。  It's

not a laughing nor a crying matter yetat present it's only

luncheon again with a civil man who has three daughters and a place

in the county。  Don't make the mistake; however; of refusing him

before he offerswhatever you do afterwards。〃



〃But〃stammered Helen。



〃Butyou are going to say that you don't love him and have never

thought of him as a husband;〃 interrupted the duchess; 〃I read it

in your face;and it's a very proper thing to say。〃



〃It is so unexpected;〃 urged Helen。



〃Everything is unexpected from a man in these matters;〃 said the

duchess。  〃We women are the only ones that are prepared。〃



〃But;〃 persisted Helen; 〃if I don't want to marry at all?〃



〃I should say; then; that it is a sign that you ought; if you were

eager; my dear; I should certainly dissuade you。〃  She paused; and

then drawing Helen closer to her; said; with a certain masculine

tenderness; 〃As long as I live; dear; you know that you have a home

here。  But I am an old woman living on the smallest of settlements。

Death is as inevitable to me as marriage should be to you。〃



Nevertheless; they did not renew the conversation; and later

received the greetings of their host at Moreland Hall with a

simplicity and frankness that were; however; perfectly natural and

unaffected in both women。  Sir James;a tall; well…preserved man

of middle age; with the unmistakable bearing of long years of

recognized and unchallenged position;however; exhibited on this

occasion that slight consciousness of weakness and susceptibility

to ridicule which is apt to indicate the invasion of the tender

passion in the heart of the average Briton。  His duty as host

towards the elder woman of superior rank; however; covered his

embarrassment; and for a moment left Helen quite undisturbed to

gaze again upon the treasures of the long drawing…room of Moreland

Hall with which she was already familiar。  There were the half…

dozen old masters; whose respectability had been as recognized

through centuries as their owner's ancestors; there were the

ancestors themselves;wigged; ruffled; and white…handed; by

Vandyke; Lely; Romney; and Gainsborough; there were the uniform;

expressionless ancestresses in stiff brocade or short…waisted;

clinging draperies; but all possessing that brilliant coloring

which the gray skies outside lacked; and which seemed to have

departed from the dresses of their descendants。  The American girl

had sometimes speculated upon what might have been the appearance

of the lime…tree walk; dotted with these gayly plumaged folk; and

wondered if the tyranny of environment had at last subdued their

brilliant colors。  And a new feeling touched her。  Like most of her

countrywomen; she was strongly affected by the furniture of life;

the thought that all that she saw there MIGHT BE HERS; that she

might yet stand in succession to these strange courtiers and

stranger shepherdesses; and; like them; look down from the canvas

upon the intruding foreigner; thrilled her for a moment with a

half…proud; half…passive sense of yielding to what seemed to be her

fate。  A narrow…eyed; stiff…haired Dutch maid of honor before whom

she was standing gazed at her with staring vacancy。  Suddenly she

started。  Before the portrait upon a fanciful easel stood a small

elaborately framed sketch in oils。  It was evidently some recently

imported treasure。  She had not seen it before。  As she moved

quickly forward; she recognized at a glance that it was Ostrander's

sketch from the Paris grenier。



The wall; the room; the park beyond; even the gray sky; seemed to

fade away before her。  She was standing once more at her attic

window looking across the roofs and chimney stacks upward to the

blue sky of Paris。  Through a gap in the roofs she could see the

chestnut…trees trilling in the little square; she could hear the

swallows twittering in the leaden troughs of the gutter before her;

the call of the chocolate vender or the cry of a gamin floated up

to her from the street below; or the latest song of the cafe

chantant was whistled by the blue…bloused workman on the

scaffolding hard by。  The breath of Paris; of youth; of blended

work and play; of ambition; of joyous freedom; again filled her and

mingled with the scent of the mignonette that used to stand on the

old window…ledge。



〃I am glad you like it。  I have only just put it up。〃



It was the voice of Sir Jamesa voice that had regained a little

of its naturalnessa calm; even lazy English voiceconfident from

the experience of years of respectful listeners。  Yet it somehow

jarred upon her nerves with its complacency and its utter

incongruousness to her feelings。  Nevertheless; the impulse to know

more about the sketch was the stronger。



〃Do you mean you have just bought it?〃 asked Helen。  〃It's not

English?〃



〃No;〃 said Sir James; gratified with his companion's interest。  〃I

bought it in Paris just after the Commune。〃



〃From the artist?〃 continued Helen; in a slightly constrained

voice。



〃No;〃 said Sir James; 〃although I knew the poor chap well enough。

You can easily see that he was once a painter of great promise。  I

rather think it was stolen from him while he was in hospital by

those incendiary wretches。  I recognized it; however; and bought

for a few francs from them what I would have paid HIM a thousand

for。〃



〃In hospital?〃 repeated Helen dazedly。



〃Yes;〃 said Sir James。  〃The fact is it was the ending of the usual

Bohemian artist's life。  Though in this case the man was a real

artist;and I believe; by the way; was a countryman of yours。〃



〃In hospital?〃 again repeated Helen。  〃Then he was poor?〃



〃Reckless; I should rather say; he threw himself into the fighting

before Paris and was badly wounded。  But it was all the result of

the usual love affairthe girl; they say; ran off with the usual

richer man。  At all events; it ruined him for painting; he never

did anything worth having afterwards。〃



〃And now?〃 said Helen in the same unmoved voice。



Sir James shrugged his shoulders。  〃He disappeared。  Probably he'll

turn up some day on the London pavementwith chalks。  That sketch;

by the way; was one that had always attracted me to his studio

though he never would part with it。  I rather fancy; don't you

know; that the girl had something to do with it。  It's a

wonderfully realistic sketch; don't you see; and I shouldn't wonder

if it was the girl herself who lived behind one of those queer

little windows in the roof there。〃



〃She did live there;〃 said Helen in a low voice。



Sir James uttered a vague laugh。  Helen looked around her。  The

duchess had quietly and unostentatiously passed into the library;

and in full view; though out of hearing; was examining; with her

glass to her eye; some books upon the shelves。



〃I mean;〃 said Helen; in a perfectly clear voice; 〃that the young

girl did NOT run away from the painter; and that he had neither the

right nor the cause to believe her faithless or attribute his

misfortunes to her。〃  She hesitated; not from any sense of her

indiscretion; but to recover from a momentary doubt if the girl

were really her own selfbut only for a moment。



〃Then you knew the painter; as I did?〃 he said in astonishment。



〃Not as YOU did;〃 responded Helen。  She drew nearer the picture;

and; pointi
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