He had made such agreements confident that he should ultimately control the Wooddrop furnaces; when, doubling his resources, he would soon free himself from conditions imposed on him by an early lack of funds. Now it was at least problematic whether he would ever extend his power to include the older man's domain7. His marriage with Gisela had only further separated them, hardening John Wooddrop's resolve that Hulings should never fire a hearth8 of his, a determination strengthened by the rebuilding of Wooddrop's furnaces for a stone-coal heat.
The widespread land speculation9, together with the variability of currency, now began seriously to depress the country, and, more especially, Alexander Hulings. He went to Philadelphia, to Washington, for conferences; but returned to his mansion10 and Gisela in an increasing somberness of mood. All the expedients11 suggested, the legalizing of foreign gold and silver, the gradual elimination12 of the smaller state-bank notes, an extra coinage, one after another failed in their purpose of stabilization13; an acute panic was threatened.
Alexander was almost as spare of political comments to his wife as he was of business discussion. That, too, he thought, did not become the female poise14. At times, bitter and brief, he condemned15 the Administration; during dinner he all but startled a servant into dropping a platter by the unexpected violence of a period hurled16 at the successful attempts to destroy the national bank. And when, as—he declared—a result of that, the state institutions refused specie payment, and a flood of rapidly depreciating17 paper struck at the base of commerce, Alexander gloomily informed Gisela that the country was being sold for a barrel of hard cider.
He had, with difficulty, a while before secured what had appeared to be an advantageous6 order from Virginia; and, after extraordinary effort, he had delivered the iron. But during the lapsing18 weeks, when the state banks refused to circulate gold, the rate of exchange for paper money fell so far that he lost all his calculated profit, and a quarter of the labor19 as well. The money of other states depreciated20 in Pennsylvania a third. In addition to these things Alexander commenced to have trouble with his workmen—wages, too, had diminished, but their hours increased. Hulings, like other commercial operators, issued printed money of his own, good at the company store, useful in the immediate21 vicinity of Tubal Cain, but valueless at any distance. Cryble, as he had anticipated, recounted the triumph of John Wood-drop.
"The old man can't be beat!" he asserted. "We've got a nice little business here. Tailed on to Wooddrop's, we should do good; but you are running it into an iron wall. You ain't content with enough."
Cryble was apparently unconscious of the dangerous glitter that had come into Hulings' gaze. Alexander listened quietly until the other had finished, and then curtly22 released him from all connection, any obligation to himself. James Cryble was undisturbed.
"I was thinking myself about a move," he declared. "This concern is pointed23 bull-headed on to destruction! You're a sort of peacock," he further told Hulings; "you can't do much besides spread and admire your own feathers. But you'll get learned."
Alexander made no reply, and the other shortly after disappeared from his horizon. Cryble, he thought contemptuously, a man of routine, had no more salience than one of the thousands of identical iron pigs run from Glory Furnace. There commenced now a period of toil24 more bitter, more relentless25, than his first experience in the valleys; by constant effort he was able to keep just ahead of the unprofitable labor for the Columbus Railroad. The number of workmen grew constantly smaller, vaguely26 contaminated by the unsettled period, while his necessity increased. Again and again he longed to strip off his coat and superfluous27 linen28 and join the men working the metal in the hearths29; he would have felt better if he could have had actual part in rolling and stamping the pig beds, or even in dumping materials into the furnace stack.
In the fever of Alexander Hulings' impatience30 and concern, the manufacture of his iron seemed to require months between the crude ore and the finished bars and blooms. He detected a growing impotence among laborers31, and told them of it with an unsparing, lashing32 tongue. A general hatred33 of him again flashed into being; but it was still accompanied by a respect amounting to fear.
He was approached, at a climax34 of misfortune, by representatives of the railroad. They sat, their solid faces rimmed35 in whiskers, and smooth fingers playing with portentous36 seals, in his office, while one of their number expounded37 their presence.
"It's only reasonable, Hulings," he stated suavely38, "that one man can't stand up against present conditions. Big concerns all along the coast have gone to wreck39. You are an exceptional man, one we would be glad to have in our Company; and that, briefly40, is what we have come to persuade you to do—to merge41 your activities here into the railroad; to get on the locomotive with us.
"Long ago you were shrewd enough to see that steam transportation was the coming power; and now—though for the moment we seem overextended—your judgment42 has been approved. It only remains43 for you to ratify44 your perspicacity45 and definitely join us. We can, I think, offer you something in full keeping with your ability—a vice46 presidency47 of the reorganized company and a substantial personal interest."
Alexander attended the speaker half absently, though he realized that probably he had arrived at the crisis of his life, his career; his attention was rapt away by dreams, memories. He saw himself again, saturated48 with sweat and grime, sitting with Conrad Wishon against the little house where they slept, and planning his empire of iron; he thought again, even further back, of the slough49 of anguish50 from which he had won free, and persistently51, woven through the entire texture52, was his vision of iron and of pride. He had sworn to himself that he would build success from the metal for which he had such a personal affinity53; that he would be known as the great Ironmaster of Pennsylvania; and that unsubstantial ideal, tottering54 now on the edge of calamity55, was still more potent56, more persuasive57, than the concrete and definite promises of safety, prosperity, the implied threat, of the established power before him.
He had an objective comprehension of the peril58 of his position, his negligible funds and decreasing credit, the men with accounts clamoring for settlement, he thought absurdly of a tessellated floor he had lately laid in his vestibule; the mingled59 aggression60 and uncertainty61 on every hand; but his subjective62 self rose up and dominated him. Louder than any warning was the cry, the necessity, for the vindication63 of the triumphant64 Alexander Hu-lings, perpetually rising higher. To surrender his iron now, to enter, a mere65 individual, however elevated, into a corporation, was to confess himself defeated, to tear down all the radiant images from which he had derived66 his reason for being.
Hulings thought momentarily of Gisela; he had, it might be, no right to involve her blindly in a downfall of the extent that now confronted him. However, he relentlessly67 repressed this consideration, together with a vague idea of discussing with her their—his—position. His was the judgment, the responsibility, that sustained them; she was only an ornament68, the singer of little airs in the evening; the decoration, in embroidery69 and gilt70 flowers, of his table.
He thanked the speaker adequately and firmly voiced his refusal of the offer.
"I am an iron man," he stated in partial explanation; "as that I must sink or swim."
"Iron," another commented dryly, "is not noted71 for its floating properties."
"I am disappointed, Hulings," the first speaker acknowledged; "yes, and surprised. Of course we are not ignorant of the condition here; and you must also know that the company would like to control your furnaces. We have offered you the palm, and you must be willing to meet the consequences of your refusal. As I said, we'd like to have you too—energetic and capable; for, as the Bible reads, 'He that is not for me———'"
When they had gone, driving in a local surrey back to the canal, Alexander Hulings secured his hat and, dismissing his carriage, walked slowly down to Tubal Cain Forge. An increasing roar and uprush of sooty smoke and sparks marked the activity within; the water poured dripping under the water wheel, through the channel he had cleared, those long years back, with bleeding hands; strange men stood at the shed opening; but the stream and its banks were exactly as he had first seen them.
His life seemed to have swung in a circle from that former day to now—from dilemma72 to dilemma. What, after all, did he have, except an increasing weariness of years, that he had lacked then? He thought, with a grim smile, that he might find in his safe nine hundred dollars. All his other possessions suddenly took on an unsubstantial aspect; they were his; they existed; yet they eluded73 his realization74, brought him none of the satisfaction of an object, a fact, solidly grasped.
His name, as he had planned, had grown considerable in men's ears, its murmur75 rose like an incense76 to his pride; yet, underneath77, it gave him no satisfaction. It gave him no satisfaction because it carried no conviction of security, no personal corroboration78 of the mere sound.
What, he now saw, he had struggled to establish was a good opinion in his own eyes, that actually he was a strong man; the outer response, upon which he had been intent, was unimportant compared with the other. And in the latter he had not moved forward a step; if he had widened his sphere he had tacitly accepted heavier responsibilities—undischarged. A flicker79 hammered on a resonant80 limb, just as it had long ago. How vast, eternal, life was! Conrad Wishon, with his great arched chest and knotted arms, had gone into obliterating81 earth.
Death was preferable to ruin, to the concerted gibes82 of little men, the forgetfulness of big; once, looking at his greying countenance83 in a mirror, he had realized that it would be easier for him to die than fail. Then, with a sudden twisting of his thoughts, his mind rested on Gisela, his wife. He told himself, with justifiable84 pride, that she had been content with him; Gisela was not an ordinary woman, she had not married him for a cheap and material reason, and whatever admiration85 she had had in the beginning he had been able to preserve. Alexander Hulings was certain of that; he saw it in a hundred little acts of her daily living. She thought he was a big man, a successful man; he had not permitted a whisper of his difficulties to fret86 her serenity87, and, by heaven, he thought with a sharp return of his native vigor88, she never should hear of them; he would stifle89 them quietly, alone, one by one.
The idea of death, self-inflicted, a flaccid surrender, receded90 before the flood of his returning pride, confidence. Age, he felt, had not impaired91 him; if his importance was now but a shell, he would fill it with the iron of actuality; he would place himself and Gisela for ever beyond the threats of accident and circumstance.
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1
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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proprietor
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| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
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nominal
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| adj.名义上的；(金额、租金)微不足道的 | |
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supplementary
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| adj.补充的，附加的 | |
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rebates
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| n.退还款( rebate的名词复数 )；回扣；返还（退还的部份货价）；折扣 | |
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advantageous
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| adj.有利的；有帮助的 | |
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domain
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| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
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hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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expedients
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| n.应急有效的，权宜之计的( expedient的名词复数 ) | |
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elimination
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| n.排除，消除，消灭 | |
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Stabilization
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| 稳定化 | |
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poise
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| vt./vi. 平衡，保持平衡；n.泰然自若，自信 | |
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condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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depreciating
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| v.贬值，跌价，减价( depreciate的现在分词 )；贬低，蔑视，轻视 | |
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lapsing
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| v.退步( lapse的现在分词 )；陷入；倒退；丧失 | |
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labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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depreciated
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| v.贬值，跌价，减价( depreciate的过去式和过去分词 )；贬低，蔑视，轻视 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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curtly
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| adv.简短地 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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relentless
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| adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的 | |
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vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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superfluous
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| adj.过多的，过剩的，多余的 | |
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linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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hearths
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| 壁炉前的地板，炉床，壁炉边( hearth的名词复数 ) | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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laborers
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| n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工 | |
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32
lashing
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| n.鞭打；痛斥；大量；许多v.鞭打( lash的现在分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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34
climax
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| n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点 | |
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rimmed
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| adj.有边缘的，有框的v.沿…边缘滚动；给…镶边 | |
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portentous
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| adj.不祥的，可怕的，装腔作势的 | |
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expounded
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| 论述，详细讲解( expound的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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38
suavely
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39
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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41
merge
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| v.(使)结合，(使)合并，(使)合为一体 | |
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42
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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44
ratify
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| v.批准，认可，追认 | |
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45
perspicacity
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| n. 敏锐, 聪明, 洞察力 | |
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46
vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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47
presidency
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| n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期) | |
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48
saturated
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| a.饱和的，充满的 | |
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49
slough
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| v.蜕皮，脱落，抛弃 | |
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50
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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51
persistently
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| ad.坚持地；固执地 | |
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52
texture
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| n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理 | |
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53
affinity
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| n.亲和力，密切关系 | |
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54
tottering
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| adj.蹒跚的，动摇的v.走得或动得不稳( totter的现在分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠 | |
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55
calamity
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| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
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56
potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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57
persuasive
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| adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的 | |
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58
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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59
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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aggression
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| n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害 | |
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61
uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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62
subjective
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| a.主观(上)的，个人的 | |
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vindication
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| n.洗冤，证实 | |
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64
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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66
derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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relentlessly
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| adv.不屈不挠地；残酷地；不间断 | |
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68
ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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69
embroidery
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| n.绣花，刺绣；绣制品 | |
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70
gilt
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| adj.镀金的；n.金边证券 | |
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71
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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dilemma
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| n.困境，进退两难的局面 | |
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eluded
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| v.（尤指机敏地）避开( elude的过去式和过去分词 )；逃避；躲避；使达不到 | |
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74
realization
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| n.实现；认识到，深刻了解 | |
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75
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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76
incense
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| v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气 | |
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77
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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corroboration
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| n.进一步的证实，进一步的证据 | |
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flicker
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| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
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80
resonant
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| adj.(声音)洪亮的，共鸣的 | |
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81
obliterating
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| v.除去( obliterate的现在分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭 | |
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82
gibes
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| vi.嘲笑，嘲弄（gibe的第三人称单数形式） | |
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83
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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84
justifiable
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| adj.有理由的，无可非议的 | |
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85
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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86
fret
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| v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损 | |
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87
serenity
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| n.宁静，沉着，晴朗 | |
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88
vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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stifle
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| vt.使窒息；闷死；扼杀；抑止，阻止 | |
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90
receded
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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91
impaired
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| adj.受损的；出毛病的；有（身体或智力）缺陷的v.损害，削弱( impair的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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