Up out of the south, from lower Broadway and the sweatshop purlieus of union Square, defiled3 an unending procession of surface cars, without exception dark with massed humanity. Pausing momentarily before the corner where the girl was waiting (as if mockingly submitting themselves to the appraisal4 of her alert eyes) one after another received the signal of the switchman beyond the northern crossing and ground sluggishly5 on. Not one but was crowded to the guards, affording the girl no excuse for leaving her position.
She waited on, her growing impatience as imperceptible as her fatigue6: neither of them discernible to those many transient stares which she received with a semblance7 of blank indifference8 that was, in reality, not devoid9 of consciousness. Youth will not be overlooked; reinforced by an abounding10 vitality11, such as hers, it becomes imperious. This girl was as pretty as she was poor, and as young.
Judged by her appearance, she might have been anywhere between sixteen and twenty years of age. She was, in fact, something over eighteen, and at heart more nearly a child than this age might be taken to imply—more a child than any who knew her suspected. She herself suspected it least of all.
She looked what she liked to believe herself, a young woman of considerable experience with life. Simple, and even cheap, her garments still owned a certain distinction which she would without hesitation12 have termed "stylish": a quality of smartness which somehow contrived13 not incongruously to associate with inferior materials. Her shirtwaist was of opaque14 linen15, pleated, and while not laundry-fresh was still presentable; her skirt fitted her hips16 snugly17, and fell in graceful18 lines to a point something short of her low tan shoes, showing stockings of a texture19 at once coarse and sheer; to her hat, an ordinary straw simply trimmed with a band and chou of ribbon, she had lent some little factitious character by deftly20 twisting it a trifle out of the prevailing21 shape. Over one arm she carried a coat of the same material as her skirt, and in her hand a well-worn handbag of imitation leather, rather too large, and decorated with a monogram22 of two initials in German silver. The initials were J-T: her name was Joan Thursby.
Uniform with a thousand sisters of the shop-counters, she was yet mysteriously different. Men looked twice in passing; after passing some turned to look again.
Her face, tinted23 by the glow of the western sky, was by no means poor in native colour: a shade thin, its regular features held a promise, vague, fugitive24, and provoking. Her hair was a brown which hardly escaped being ruddy, and her skin matched it, lacking alike the dusky warmth of the brune and the purity of the blonde. She was neither tall nor short, but seemed misleadingly smaller than she was in fact, thanks to the slightness of a body more stupidly nourished than under-nourished or immature25. Her eyes were brown and large, and they were very beautiful indeed when divorced from the vacancy26 of weary thinking.
It was only in this look of the unthinking toiler28 that unconsciously she confessed her immense fatigue. Her features were relaxed into lines and contours of apathy29. She seemed neither to think nor even to be capable of much sustained thought. Yet she was thinking, and that very intensely if unconsciously. Her mind was not only active but was one of considerable latent capacity: something which she did not in the least suspect; indeed, it had never occurred to Joan to debate her mental limitations. Her thoughts were as a rule more emotional than psychical30: as now, when she was intensely preoccupied31 with pondering how she was to explain at home the loss of her position, and what would be said to her, and how she would feel when all had been said ... and what she would then do....
Daylight was slowly fading. Though it was only half-after six of an evening in June, the sun was already invisible, smudged out by a portentous32 bank of purplish cloud whose profile was edged with fire-of-gold against a sky of tarnished33 blue—a sky that seemed dimmed with the sweat of day-long heat and toil27. The city air was close and moveless, and the cloud-bank was lifting very slowly from behind the Jersey34 hills; it might be several hours before the promised storm would break and bring relief to a parched35 and weary people.
At length despairing of her desire, the girl moved out to the middle of the street and boarded the next open car of the Lexington Avenue line.
She was able to find standing36-room only between two seats toward the rear, where smoking was permitted. She stood just inside the running-board, grasping the back of the forward seat. Her hand rested between the shoulders of two men. She was the only woman in that section. Behind her were ten masculine knees in a row, before her five masculine heads: ten men crowding the two transverse benches, some smoking, all stolidly37 absorbed in newspapers and indifferent to the intrusion of a woman. None dreamed of offering the girl a seat; nor did she find this anything remarkable38, in whom use had bred the habit of accepting without question such everyday phenomena39. If she was weary, so were the men; if she desired the consideration due her sex, then must she enfranchise40 herself from the sexless struggle for a living wage....
The car, swerving41 into Twenty-third Street, plunged42 on to and turned north on Lexington Avenue. Thereafter its progress consisted of a series of frantic43 leaps from street-corner to street-corner. When it was in motion, there was a grateful rush of air; when at pause, the heat was stifling44 and the fumes45 of cigarettes, pipes, and cheap cigars blended to manufacture a mephitic reek46. A slight sweat dewed the face of the girl, and her colour faded to pallor. Her feet and legs were aching, her back ached with much lifting of boxes to and from shelves, her head ached—chiefly because of the inevitable47 malnutrition48 of a shop-girl's lunch.
From time to time more passengers were taken on; a lesser49 number alighted: Joan found herself obliged to edge farther in between the rank of knees and the rigid50 back of the forward seat. By the time the car crossed Forty-second Street, she was at the inside guard-rail: ten persons, half of them standing, were occupying a space meant for five.
It was then, or only a trifle later, that she became conscious of the knee which the man behind her was purposely pressing against her. Then for a minute or two she was let alone. But she was sick with apprehension51....
She stood it as long as she could. Then abruptly52 she twisted round and faced her persecutor53.
Before her eyes, half blinded by rage and disgust, his face swam like the mask of an incubus—a blur54 of red flesh fixed55 in an insolent56 smirk57.
She was dimly aware of curious glances lifting to the sound of her tremulous voice:
"Must I leave this car? Or will you let me alone?"
There was the pause of an instant; then she had her answer in a tone of truculent58 contempt:
"Ah, wha's the matter with you, anyhow?"
She choked, stammering59, and looked round in despair. But the man at her elbow was grinning with open amusement, and another, seated beside her tormentor60, was pretending to notice nothing, his nose buried in a newspaper.
"If y'u don't like the goin', sister, why doncha get off 'n' walk?"
This from him who had compelled that frantic protest.
With a lurch61, the car stopped; and as it did so the girl turned impulsively62, grasped the guard-rail, swung her lithe63 body between it and the floor of the car, and dropped to the cobbles between the tracks. She staggered a foot or two away, followed by an indistinguishable taunt64 amid derisive65 laughter. Fortunately there was no car bearing down on the southbound track to endanger her; while that which she had left flung away as, recovering, she ran to the sidewalk.
She began to trudge66 northward67. The first street lamp she encountered told her she had alighted at Forty-seventh Street, and had another mile and a half to walk. But with all her weariness, she no longer thought of riding; it was impossible ... she could never escape annoyance68 ... men just wouldn't let her alone....
Men!...
Shuddering69 imperceptibly, her eyes hot with tears of shame and indignation, she walked rapidly, anxious to gain the refuge of her home, to be secure, for a time at least, from Man....
They called themselves Men! She despised them all—all! Beasts!... What had she ever done?... It wasn't as if this was the first time: they were always plaguing her: hardly a day passed.... Well, anyway, never a week.... It wasn't her fault if she was pretty: she never even so much as looked at them: but they kept on staring ... nudging.... She didn't believe there was a decent fellow living ... except, of course, That One....
He was different; at least, he had been, somehow: like a perfect gentleman. He had come between her and a gang of tormentors, had knocked one down and thrown the rest into confusion with a lively play of fists, and then, whisking Joan into a convenient taxicab, had taken her to the corner nearest her home—never so much as asking her name, or if he might call.... She had expected him to—like in a book; but he didn't, nor had he (likewise contrary to her expectations) at any time thereafter been known to haunt her neighbourhood. To her the affair was like a dream of chivalry70: she remembered him as very handsome (probably far more handsome than he really was) and different, with grand clothes and manners (the man had helped her out of the cab and lifted his hat in parting): all in all, vastly unlike any of the fellows whose rude attentions she somewhat loftily permitted in the streets after supper or at the home of some other girl.
That One remained her dream-lord of romance. And in her heart of hearts she was sure that some day their paths would cross again. But it had all happened so long ago that she had grown a little faint with waiting.
So, smothering71 her indignation with roseate fancies, she plodded72 her weary way to Seventy-sixth Street; where, turning eastward73, she presently ascended74 a squat75 brown-stone stoop, entered the dingy76 vestibule of a dingier77 tenement78, pressed the button below a mail-box labelled "Thursby," waited till the latch79 clicked its spasmodic welcome, and then began her weary climb to the topmost floor.
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1
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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2
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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defiled
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| v.玷污( defile的过去式和过去分词 )；污染；弄脏；纵列行进 | |
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appraisal
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| n.对…作出的评价；评价，鉴定，评估 | |
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sluggishly
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| adv.懒惰地；缓慢地 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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7
semblance
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| n.外貌，外表 | |
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8
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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9
devoid
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| adj.全无的，缺乏的 | |
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10
abounding
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| adj.丰富的，大量的v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的现在分词 ) | |
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11
vitality
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| n.活力，生命力，效力 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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13
contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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opaque
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| adj.不透光的；不反光的，不传导的；晦涩的 | |
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15
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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16
hips
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| abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的 | |
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17
snugly
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| adv.紧贴地；贴身地；暖和舒适地；安适地 | |
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18
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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19
texture
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| n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理 | |
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20
deftly
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| adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地 | |
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21
prevailing
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| adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的 | |
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22
monogram
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| n.字母组合 | |
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23
tinted
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| adj. 带色彩的 动词tint的过去式和过去分词 | |
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24
fugitive
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| adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者 | |
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immature
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| adj.未成熟的，发育未全的，未充分发展的 | |
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26
vacancy
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| n.（旅馆的）空位，空房，（职务的）空缺 | |
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27
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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toiler
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| 辛劳者，勤劳者 | |
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29
apathy
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| n.漠不关心，无动于衷；冷淡 | |
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30
psychical
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| adj.有关特异功能现象的；有关特异功能官能的；灵魂的；心灵的 | |
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31
preoccupied
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| adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式) | |
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32
portentous
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| adj.不祥的，可怕的，装腔作势的 | |
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33
tarnished
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| （通常指金属）（使）失去光泽，（使）变灰暗( tarnish的过去式和过去分词 )； 玷污，败坏 | |
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34
jersey
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| n.运动衫 | |
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35
parched
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| adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干 | |
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36
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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stolidly
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| adv.迟钝地，神经麻木地 | |
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38
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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39
phenomena
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| n.现象 | |
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40
enfranchise
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| v.给予选举权，解放 | |
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41
swerving
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| v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的现在分词 ) | |
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42
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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43
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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44
stifling
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| a.令人窒息的 | |
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45
fumes
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| n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体 | |
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46
reek
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| v.发出臭气；n.恶臭 | |
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47
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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48
malnutrition
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| n.营养不良 | |
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49
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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50
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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51
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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52
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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53
persecutor
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| n. 迫害者 | |
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54
blur
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| n.模糊不清的事物；vt.使模糊，使看不清楚 | |
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55
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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56
insolent
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| adj.傲慢的，无理的 | |
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57
smirk
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| n.得意地笑；v.傻笑；假笑着说 | |
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58
truculent
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| adj.野蛮的，粗野的 | |
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59
stammering
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的现在分词 ) | |
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60
tormentor
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| n. 使苦痛之人, 使苦恼之物, 侧幕 =tormenter | |
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61
lurch
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| n.突然向前或旁边倒；v.蹒跚而行 | |
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62
impulsively
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| adv.冲动地 | |
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63
lithe
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| adj.(指人、身体)柔软的，易弯的 | |
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64
taunt
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| n.辱骂，嘲弄；v.嘲弄 | |
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65
derisive
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| adj.嘲弄的 | |
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66
trudge
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| v.步履艰难地走；n.跋涉，费力艰难的步行 | |
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67
northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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68
annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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69
shuddering
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| v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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70
chivalry
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| n.骑士气概，侠义；（男人）对女人彬彬有礼，献殷勤 | |
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71
smothering
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的现在分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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72
plodded
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| v.沉重缓慢地走（路）( plod的过去式和过去分词 )；努力从事；沉闷地苦干；缓慢进行（尤指艰难枯燥的工作） | |
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73
eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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74
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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75
squat
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| v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的 | |
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76
dingy
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| adj.昏暗的，肮脏的 | |
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77
dingier
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| adj.暗淡的，乏味的( dingy的比较级 )；肮脏的 | |
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78
tenement
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| n.公寓；房屋 | |
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latch
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| n.门闩，窗闩；弹簧锁 | |
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