Virginia presented him to the banker.
“Our irreconcilable2 foe3, Mr. Waldron!”
The millionaire merely touched his hat with the barest suggestion of a military salute4 and Vassar bowed. It was not until they were seated in the car that Waldron spoke5—the same cold smile about his lips.
“I’ve wanted to meet you for a long time, Mr. Vassar—”
“I’m surprised to hear that,” was the light reply. “Our views could hardly be the same on any subject within my scope of knowledge—”
Waldron smiled patronizingly.
“Anyhow, let us hope that we’ll get together today—”
“We must,” Virginia responded.
The one thing Vassar couldn’t endure was patronage6. The tone Waldron assumed was offensive beyond endurance. If he tried it again the young leader had made up his mind to find an excuse, stop the car and go back to his office.
To his relief the man of money made no further attempt at conversation, save for an occasional whispered order to his liveried chauffeur7. Vassar’s eyes rested on the military cut of this chauffeur’s clothes with new resentment8. The gilded9 coat of arms on the door of the tonneau had not escaped him as he took his seat beside Virginia. Nor was the lordly manner in which the new master of men condescended10 to talk with his servant at the wheel lost on the young leader of democracy.
He wondered what Virginia Holland could see in such a man. He refused utterly11 to believe that she could love him. Elemental brute12 strength and stark13 physical courage he undoubtedly14 possessed15. The solid mass of his bull neck and the cold brilliance16 of his gray eyes left no doubt on that score.
There could be but one explanation of her association with Waldron. He had generously loosed his purse strings17 and given her cause the unlimited18 credit needed under modern conditions to conduct a great political movement. No one could blame her for that. It was good politics.
All the same he would give a good deal just now to know whether she cared for the man. He must yield the devil his due. Waldron was the type of domineering brute that appealed to many women. He wondered if Virginia Holland had felt the spell of his commanding character.
For the hundredth time he asked himself the question why should he care. There was the rub. Devil take it, he did care. He had never been so foolishly happy in his life as in the hours he had spent by this girl’s side. It infuriated him to think how easy had been his conquest. But yesterday he had scorned her name. They had met and talked a few hours and he had become her lackey20. At her bidding he was now on his way to the house of the man he hated.
He caught himself grinning for sheer joy to find himself seated close beside her in the smooth gliding21 car of his enemy. He could have enjoyed this wonderful ride had they been alone.
The afternoon was one of glorious beauty. The rains of the first days of July had swept the city clean. The sun had broken the clouds into billowing banks of snow-white against the dazzling azure22 of the skies. A brisk inspiriting breeze swept in from the sea and rippled23 the waters of the North River into little white lines of foam24. The trees along the Drive flashed in splendor25.
The temptation was all but resistless to touch her hand. He started with terror at the crazy thought. She was anything but an Amazon, but he could see her pitching him headforemost into the road for daring the impertinence. He glanced at her furtively26, alarmed lest she had read his thoughts.
Well, there was no help for it now. He was in for a fight for his life with this demure27, quiet, dangerous little woman, who could sit calmly by his side mistress of her thoughts and no doubt perfectly28 conscious of her power over his.
Anyhow she was worth a fight. It was worth any man’s best to win the heart of such a woman and to make her his own. Could any man really do it? Of course he could! With the next breath he doubted it, and trembled at the happiness he felt bubbling in his soul when he felt the nearness of her exquisite29 figure.
“Why so grave, Mr. Congressman30?” she asked banteringly.
“To tell you the truth, I’m scared,” he answered in low tones.
“Of the great man in front?” she whispered.
Vassar’s jaw31 closed with decision.
“Far from it, I assure you!”
“You’re not afraid of an automobile?”
“One more guess—”
“You couldn’t be afraid of little me?” she asked demurely32.
“Yesterday I would have said no with a very loud emphasis. I’m free to confess the more I’ve seen of you the more I dread33 your opposition—”
She laughed in his face with a deliberate provoking challenge.
“Now that’s unkind of you! I expected a much more gallant34 answer from a tall handsome apostle of romance and chivalry35.”
“Perhaps I was afraid you’d laugh at me—”
“No. I hold that the age of true chivalry is only dawning—the age in which man will honor woman by recognizing her as worthy36 to be his pal37 and best friend as well as his toy.”
There was something so genuine to the appeal of her personality that the man who intellectually disagreed with her philosophy yet found himself in foolish accord with every demand she made.
Vassar was silent a moment, and glanced at her to see if she were chaffing or sparring to uncover his defenses.
He was about to say too much—to confess too much and do it clumsily in the presence of the man he hated when the machine suddenly swung toward the cliff, swept up to a massive iron gate and stopped.
The chauffeur sounded his horn and an old man dressed in the peasant costume of the lodge-keeper of a feudal39 estate of Central Europe emerged from the cottage built into the walls of the cliff and opened the gates without a word. He bowed humbly40 to the lord of the manor41. Waldron nodded carelessly.
The banker’s medieval castle, perched on the highest hill on upper Manhattan, was one of the sights of the metropolis42. Vassar lifted his eyes and caught the majestic43 lines of the granite44 tower thrusting its grim embattlements into the skies. An ocean-going yacht lay at her anchor in the river like a huge swan with folded wings. The Italian boathouse which he had built at the water’s edge was connected with his castle by an underground passage bored through the granite cliff into a hall cut out of the stone a hundred feet beneath the foundations of the structure above. A swift elevator connected this hall with the house.
The machine shot gracefully45 up the steep winding46 roadway and stopped beneath the vaulted47 porte-cochère.
Liveried flunkies hurried down the stone landing to greet their master and his guests. There was nothing for them to do but open the door of the tonneau with obsequious48 bows.
“Will you kindly49 make our prisoner as comfortable as possible, Miss Holland,” Waldron said in his even metallic50 voice, “while I give some orders outside. You’ll find the library at your disposal.”
“Thank you,” Virginia answered, mounting the steps without further ceremony.
A feeling of resentment swept John Vassar. How dare this bully51 assume such familiarity with Virginia Holland! She had met him as a patron of the cause of woman’s suffrage52. One would think he had the right to her soul and body by the way he asked her to act as the hostess of his establishment. The thought that enraged53 him was that the banker was so cocksure of himself, his position. No robber baron54 of the Middle Ages could have felt more irresponsible in the exercise of his power. The consciousness of this power oozed55 from the fat pores of Waldron’s skin. He exuded56 the idea as he breathed.
Vassar’s first impression on entering the great house confirmed his idea of the man’s character. The whole conception of the place rested squarely on the royal splendors57 of the Old World. The lines of the huge building were a combination of two famous castles of medieval France, both the homes of kings. The great hall was an exact copy in form and decoration of the throne room of Napoleon in the palace at Versailles.
His library walls above the bookcases bristled58 with arms and armor. Anything more utterly undemocratic could not have been found in the centers of Europe.
The atmosphere of the place was stifling59.
Vassar turned to Virginia with a movement of impatience60.
“You like this?” he asked.
“I think it very imposing,” was the diplomatic answer.
“So do I,” he snapped, “and that’s why I loathe61 it. Such ostentation62 in a democracy whose life is just beginning can mean but one thing. The man who built this castle to crown the highest hill of a city is capable of building a throne in the East Room of the White House if the time ever comes that he dares—”
Virginia shook her head good-humoredly.
“I’m afraid you’re prejudiced against our patron saint.”
“No,” Vassar answered steadily63, “I’m not prejudiced. I hate him with the hatred64 that is uncompromising—that’s all. There’s not room for the two things for which we stand in this republic. One of us must live, the other die.”
“I suppose a woman doesn’t look on such a house as this with your eyes,” she answered smiling.
“No, that’s just it—you don’t—and it’s one of the reasons why I’m afraid of you—”
Vassar turned to examine the collection of chain armor at the end of the room without waiting for her answer. He was in a bad humor. The place had gotten on his nerves.
When he returned again, regretting his curt65 speech, she was standing66 at the entrance talking in low tones to Waldron. His footstep had made no sound on the cushion of oriental rugs which covered the inlaid marble floor.
Without so much as a look his way she passed Waldron and left the library.
The banker walked briskly toward Vassar and waved his short, heavy arm toward a chair.
“Won’t you sit down, sir?” he asked coldly.
With mechanical precision he opened a jeweled cigarette box and extended it.
“Thanks,” Vassar answered carelessly, “I have a cigar.”
He struck a match on his heel, lit the cigar and seated himself leisurely67.
Waldron sat down opposite and began his attack without delay.
“Miss Holland has just informed me that you are unalterably opposed to woman’s suffrage?”
“Until I see it differently, I am,” was the tense reply.
“I take it then that it will be a waste of words for us to discuss that question?”
“Yes—and before we waste words on any other question I must ask whom you represent in this conference concerning my career?”
“I’ll tell you with pleasure,” was the quick answer. “I am perhaps the largest contributor to the cause of woman’s suffrage—”
“Do you believe in it?” Vassar interrupted sharply.
Waldron weighed his answer and spoke with metallic emphasis.
“Whether I do or do not is beside the mark for the moment. You have settled that issue between us, and my views are of no importance. I am pressing for a woman’s victory for a more important reason than my faith in her ballot68 or my lack of faith in its ultimate effects. The immediate69 result of women’s vote will be to make war remote. My big purpose is to prevent this nation from sinking into the abyss of militarism in which Europe now flounders—”
“In other words,” Vassar broke in, “you mean to prevent this country from preparing to defend herself from the power of Imperial Europe?”
Waldron searched his opponent for a moment of intense silence and slowly answered:
“If you care to put it that way—yes. I represent the combined forces of peace and sanity70 in this nation. We have determined71 that America shall not be cursed by the military caste. We are determined that our country shall not follow in the mad blind race of the Old World in building armaments with which to murder our fellow men. I have made no secret of my purpose and I am going to win. I am going to defeat your bill to place our army and navy on the footing of war-cursed Europe—”
“My bill does not propose to establish a military caste,” Vassar protested. “It only demands a trained citizen soldiery for adequate defense38, armed and ready to enter the field, an effective wall of patriotic72 fire if we are assailed73. I ask a navy that will be absolutely sure to sink the fleet of any power that may attack us. I do not ask that this fleet shall be in constant commission, only that it shall be built and ready for service.”
“Your demand is preposterous,” Waldron coldly answered. “You ask for a bond issue of $500,000,000 for naval74 purposes only—”
“Anything less will be inadequate75. We are behind the world in guns, behind the world in aircraft, behind the world in submarines. We invented the aeroplane. We invented the machine gun. We invented the iron-clad. We invented the submarine. We must lead the world in these arms of defense—not follow, the last lame19 duck in the march! An inadequate navy no matter how great its size is worse than none. It will merely lead us into trouble and murder our defenders76. War is now a merciless science. Skill, not physical courage, wins. The machine has become the master of the world—”
“Please!” Waldron cried with hand uplifted in a gesture of impatience. “I know your speech by heart. It’s old. It doesn’t interest me. Come to the point. If you’ll agree as chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs to modify your bill to train and arm a million citizen soldiers, and reduce your naval programme to two battleships, four cruisers, twenty-four submarines and twenty-four aeroplanes, we can come to terms—”
Vassar rose, fixed77 his opponent with a searching look and said:
“I’ll see you in hell first—”
“All right,” Waldron snapped. “I’m going to wipe you off the map. There’ll be a new chairman of your Committee when Congress meets in December—”
Vassar held his enemy with a steady gaze.
“You haven’t enough dirty money to buy my district, Waldron,” he answered. “We’re a humble78 people on the East Side, but I’ll show you that there are some things in this town that are not for sale—”
A smile of contempt played about the banker’s cold lips as he rose.
“I’ll be there when you make the demonstration,” he responded with careful emphasis.
“You’ll excuse me now?” Vassar said politely.
“Certainly. My car will drop you at any address you name.”
“Thank you, I prefer the subway.”
“As you like,” the metallic voice clicked.
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收听单词发音
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1
automobile
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| n.汽车，机动车 | |
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2
irreconcilable
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| adj.（指人）难和解的，势不两立的 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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patronage
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| n.赞助，支援，援助；光顾，捧场 | |
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chauffeur
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| n.(受雇于私人或公司的)司机；v.为…开车 | |
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resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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gilded
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| a.镀金的，富有的 | |
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condescended
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| 屈尊，俯就( condescend的过去式和过去分词 )； 故意表示和蔼可亲 | |
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11
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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stark
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| adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地 | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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15
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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brilliance
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| n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智 | |
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strings
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| n.弦 | |
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unlimited
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| adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的 | |
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19
lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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lackey
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| n.侍从；跟班 | |
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gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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22
azure
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| adj.天蓝色的，蔚蓝色的 | |
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rippled
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| 使泛起涟漪（ripple的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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25
splendor
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| n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌 | |
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furtively
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| adv. 偷偷地, 暗中地 | |
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demure
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| adj.严肃的；端庄的 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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Congressman
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| n.（美）国会议员 | |
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jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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demurely
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| adv.装成端庄地，认真地 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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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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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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pal
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| n.朋友，伙伴，同志；vi.结为友 | |
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defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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feudal
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| adj.封建的，封地的，领地的 | |
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humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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manor
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| n.庄园，领地 | |
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metropolis
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| n.首府；大城市 | |
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majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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vaulted
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| adj.拱状的 | |
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48
obsequious
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| adj.谄媚的，奉承的，顺从的 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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51
bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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52
suffrage
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| n.投票，选举权，参政权 | |
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53
enraged
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| 使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤 | |
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54
baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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55
oozed
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| v.（浓液等）慢慢地冒出，渗出( ooze的过去式和过去分词 )；使（液体）缓缓流出；（浓液）渗出，慢慢流出 | |
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56
exuded
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| v.缓慢流出，渗出，分泌出( exude的过去式和过去分词 )；流露出对（某物）的神态或感情 | |
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splendors
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| n.华丽( splendor的名词复数 )；壮丽；光辉；显赫 | |
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58
bristled
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| adj. 直立的，多刺毛的 动词bristle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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stifling
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| a.令人窒息的 | |
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60
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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61
loathe
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| v.厌恶，嫌恶 | |
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ostentation
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| n.夸耀，卖弄 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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curt
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| adj.简短的，草率的 | |
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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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leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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ballot
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| n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票 | |
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69
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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70
sanity
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| n.心智健全，神智正常，判断正确 | |
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71
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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72
patriotic
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| adj.爱国的，有爱国心的 | |
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73
assailed
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| v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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74
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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75
inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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76
defenders
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| n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者 | |
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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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78
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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