Whenever some errand brought the signora to his room she always stayed a long while chatting by the door. Mostly about his cousin, “che bella,” said Signora Papi. Once Miss Jahrman had paid him a visit alone and once she came with Miss Winge, each time to invite him to tea. When Signora Papi at last discovered that she prevented him from working, she broke off the conversation and left. Helge leaned back in his chair, resting his neck on his folded hands. He thought of his room at home, beside the kitchen, where he could hear his mother and sister talking about him, being anxious about him or disapproving4 of him. He heard every word, as probably they meant him to do. Every day out here was a precious gift. He had peace at last and could work, work.
He spent the afternoons in libraries and museums. As often as he could do so without inflicting5 his company too much upon them, he went to late tea with the two girl artists at Via Vantaggio. As a rule they were both in; sometimes there were other visitors. Heggen and Ahlin were nearly always there.[67] Twice he found Miss Winge alone, and once Francesca. They were always in Jenny’s room, which was cosy6 and warm, although the windows stood wide open until the last rays of light had faded. The stove glowed and sparkled, and the kettle on the spirit-lamp was singing. He knew every article in the room now—the drawings and photographs on the walls, the flower vases, the blue tea-set, the bookshelf by the bed, and the easel with Francesca’s portrait. The room was always a little untidy; the table by the window was littered with tubes and paint-boxes, sketch-books and sheets of drawing-paper; Jenny kicked brushes and painting rags under it as she was laying the tea. There was often a litter of needlework or half-darned stockings on the sofa to be put away before sitting down to butter the biscuits. A spirit-lamp and toilet trifles were frequently left lying about and had to be removed.
While these preparations were going on, Gram would sit by the stove and talk to Francesca, but sometimes Cesca would take it into her head to be domesticated7 and let Jenny be lazy. Jenny begged to be spared, but Cesca hustled8 about like a whirlwind, putting all the stray articles where Jenny could not find them afterwards, and ended up by putting drawing-pins into pictures that would not hang straight, or curled themselves on the wall, using her shoe as a hammer.
Gram could not understand Miss Jahrman at all. She was always nice and friendly to him, but never as intimate and confidential9 as on the day they had walked to Ponte Molle. Sometimes she was strangely absent; she seemed not to grasp what he said, although she answered kindly10 enough. Once or twice he thought he bored her. If he asked how she was, she hardly answered, and when he mentioned her picture with the cypresses11 she said sweetly: “You must not be offended, Mr. Gram, but I don’t care to speak of my work before it is finished. Not now anyway.”
He noticed that Ahlin did not like him, and this egged him[68] on. The Swede, then, considered him a rival? He was under the impression that Francesca had of late been less friendly with Ahlin.
When he was by himself Helge turned over in his mind what he was going to say to Francesca—in his imagination he held long conversations with her. He longed for a talk like the one they had that day at Ponte Molle; he wanted to tell her all about himself, but when he saw her he felt nervous and awkward. He did not know how to lead the conversation on to what he wanted to say, and he was afraid of being pressing or tactless; afraid to do anything that made her like him less. She noticed his embarrassment12, and came to the rescue with chatter13 and laughter, and made it easy for him to joke and laugh with her. He was grateful for the moment; she filled the pauses with small talk and helped him along when he made a start, but when he came home and thought it all over, he was disappointed. Their conversation had again been about all sorts of amusing trifles, nothing more.
When he was alone with Jenny Winge they always talked seriously—about solid things, so to speak. Sometimes he was slightly bored with these discussions on abstract matters, but more often he liked to talk to her, because the conversation frequently turned from general matters to things concerning himself. Gradually he got into the way of telling her a great deal about himself—about his work, the difficulties he encountered in life and those in himself. He noticed that Jenny avoided talking about Francesca Jahrman with him, but not that she scarcely ever talked about herself.
It did not occur to him that the reason why he could not talk to Francesca as he talked to Jenny was that he wanted to appear far more important, confident, and strong to her than he really believed himself to be.
On Christmas Eve they all went to the club, and afterwards to the midnight mass at S. Luigi de Franchesi. Helge found it[69] very impressive. The church was in semi-darkness, in spite of the lighted chandeliers; they hung so high that their blaze of light was lost. The altar was one solitary14 wall of light from the flashing golden flames of hundreds of wax candles, and the subdued15 sound of the organ and the singing of the choir16 floated through the church. He sat beside a lovely young Italian woman, who took a rosary of lapis lazuli from a velvet17 case and prayed fervently18. Gradually Francesca began to mutter more and more audibly. She was sitting beside Jenny in front of him.
“Let’s go, Jenny. You don’t think this gives you any sort of real Christmas feeling, do you? It’s like an ordinary concert, and a bad one at that. Listen to that man singing now—absolutely no expression. His voice is absolutely done. Ugh!”
“Hush, Cesca! Remember you are in church.”
“Church! It’s a concert, I tell you—didn’t we have to get tickets and a program? I can’t stand it. I shall lose my temper soon.”
“We’ll go after this if you like, but do keep quiet while we are here.”
“New Year’s night last year was quite different,” said Francesca. “I went to Gesu. They had the Te Deum; it was very beautiful. I knelt beside an old peasant from the Campagna and a young girl; she looked ill—but oh, so pretty! Everybody sang; the old man knew the whole Te Deum by heart. It was very solemn.”
“Ave Maria.” Francesca sniffed20. “Can’t you hear how indifferent she is to what she sings—exactly like a gramophone? I cannot bear to hear that kind of music ill-treated.”
“Ave Maria,” said a Dane walking beside her—“I remember[70] how beautifully it was sung by a young Norwegian lady—a Miss Eck.”
“Berit Eck. Do you know her, Mr. Hjerrild?”
“She was in Copenhagen two years ago studying under Ellen Beck. I knew her quite well. Do you know her?”
“My sister knew her,” said Francesca. “I think you met my sister Borghild in Berlin. Do you like Miss Eck—or Mrs. Hermann as she is now?”
“She was a very nice girl—and good-looking. Extraordinarily21 gifted, too, I think.”
Francesca and Hjerrild lagged behind.
Heggen, Ahlin, and Gram were to accompany the ladies home and have supper. Francesca had got a big parcel from home, and the table was laid with Norwegian Christmas fare, decorated with daisies from the Campagna and candles in seven-branched candlesticks.
Francesca came in last and brought the Dane with her.
“Wasn’t it nice, Jenny, of Mr. Hjerrild to come too?”
There were butter and cheese, cold game and brawn22 and ham on the table, as well as drinks for the men. Francesca sat by Hjerrild, and when the conversation became more animated23 and general she turned to speak to him.
“Do you know the pianist, Mr. Hermann, who married Miss Eck?”
“Yes; I know him very well. I lived at the same boarding-house with him in Copenhagen, and I saw him in Berlin on my way here.”
“What do you think of him?”
“He is a handsome fellow, tremendously talented. He gave me some of his latest compositions—very original, I call them. I like him very much.”
“Have you got them here? May I have a look at them? I should like to try them on the piano at the club. I knew him years ago,” said Francesca.
[71]
“Oh yes. I remember now, he has a photo of you. He would not say who it was.”
“Yes,” said Francesca inaudibly; “I think I gave him a photo once.”
“All the same, he is too much of a bully25 for me,” said Hjerrild, “unpardonably rude, but perhaps that is why he is irresistible26 to women. Rather too plebeian27 for my taste.”
“That was exactly what ...”—she searched for the right words—“what I admired in him was that he had made his way from the bottom of the ladder to where he now stands—such a struggle must necessarily make one brutal28, it seems to me. Don’t you think that a great deal—almost anything—can be excused from that point of view?”
“Nonsense, Cesca,” said Heggen suddenly. “Hans Hermann was discovered when he was thirteen, and has been helped along ever since.”
“Yes, but to have to accept help always, to have to thank other people for everything and always be afraid of being ignored, neglected, reminded of being—as Hjerrild just said—of plebeian origin.”
“I might say the same about myself—the last, I mean.”
“No, you cannot, Gunnar. I’m sure you have always been superior to your surroundings. When you came among people of higher social standing2 than the one you were born to, you were superior even there. You were cleverer; you had greater knowledge and a finer mind. You could always feel strong in the consciousness of having done it all yourself. You were never obliged to thank people that you knew looked down upon you because of your low birth, who snobbishly29 supported a talent which they did not understand, and who were inferior, though believing they stood above you. You did not have to thank people you could not feel grateful to. No, Gunnar, you cannot speak of the feelings of a man of the people,[72] because you have never had them—you don’t know what they are.”
“A man who accepts the kind of help you speak of from people he cannot be grateful to is decidedly a plebeian, it seems to me.”
“Oh, but can’t you understand that one does such a thing when one knows one has talent—perhaps genius—that craves30 to be developed? It seems to me that you, who call yourself a democrat31, should not speak like that about lower-class individuals.”
“A man who respects his talent does not want to see it prostituted. As to being a democrat—social democracy is the craving32 for justice, and justice claims that men of his type should be subjugated33, pressed down to the very bottom of the community, chained and forgotten. The real, legitimate34 lower class must be thoroughly35 subdued.”
“There is no other for grown-up people. I don’t take into account those blue-eyed, childish souls who believe that everybody is good and that all evil is the fault of the community. If every one were good, the community would be a paradise, but the vulgar souls spoil it. You find them in every grade of life. If they are masters, they are cruel and brutal; if they are servants, they are servile and cringing—and stupid. I have found them among the socialists37 too, for that matter—well, Hermann calls himself a socialist38. If they find hands stretched out to lift them up, they grasp them—and stamp on them afterwards. If they see a troop marching past, they join it to get part of the booty, but loyalty39 and fellowship they have none. They laugh secretly at the aim, the ideal, and they hate justice, for they know that if it were to prevail they would come off badly.
“All those who are afraid of justice I call legitimately40 lower-class,[73] and they should be fought without mercy. If they have any power with the poor and weak, they frighten and tyrannize them till they too become the same. If they are poor and weak themselves, they give up the struggle, and make their way by begging and flattering—or plundering41 if they have an opportunity.
“No, the ideal is a community governed by upper-class individuals, for they never fight for themselves; they know their own endless resources, and they give with open hands to those who are poorer. They endeavour to bring light and air to every possibility for good and beauty in the inferior souls—those who are neither this nor that; good when they can afford it, bad when the proletariat forces them to be so. The power should be in the hands of those who feel the responsibility for every good impulse that is killed.”
“You are wrong about Hans Hermann,” said Cesca quietly. “It was not for his own sake alone that he rebelled against social injustice42. He, too, spoke43 of the good impulses that were wasted. When we walked about in the east end and saw the pale little children, he said he would like to set fire to the ugly, sad, crowded barracks where they lived.”
“Mere talk. If the rent had been paid to him....”
“For shame, Gunnar!” said Cesca impetuously.
“All the same he would not have been a socialist if he had been born rich—but still a true proletarian.”
“Are you sure you would have been a socialist yourself,” said Cesca, “if you had been born a count, for instance?”
“Mr. Heggen is a count,” said Hjerrild, laughing, “of many airy castles.”
Heggen sat silent for a minute. “I have never felt I was born poor,” he said, speaking as if to himself.
“As to Hermann’s love for children,” said Hjerrild, “there was not much of it for his own child. And the way he treated[74] his wife was disgraceful. He begged and pleaded till he got her, but when she was going to have the baby, she had to beg and implore44 him to marry her.”
“Have they got a little boy?” whispered Francesca.
“Yes; he arrived after they had been married six weeks, just the day I left Berlin. When they had been married a month Hermann left her and went to Dresden. I don’t see why they did not marry before, as they had agreed to divorce anyhow. She wanted it.”
“How disgraceful,” said Jenny, who had been listening to the conversation. “To marry with the intention to divorce!”
“Well,” said Hjerrild, smiling. “When people know each other in and out, and know they cannot get on, what else is there to do?”
“Not marry at all, of course.”
“Naturally. Free love is much better, but she had to marry. She is going to give concerts in Christiania in the autumn and try to get pupils. She could not do it, having the child, unless she had been married.”
“Perhaps not, but it is hateful all the same. I have no sympathy with free love, if it means that people should take up with each other although they presume they will tire of one another. It seems to me that even to break an ordinary platonic45 engagement is a slight stain on the one who breaks it. But if one has been unfortunate enough to make a mistake, and then goes through the marriage ceremony for the sake of what people say, it is a blasphemy46 to stand there and make a promise that one has agreed beforehand not to keep.”
By dawn the visitors left. Heggen stayed a second after the others had gone. Jenny opened the balcony doors to let out the smoke. The sky was grey, with a pale, reddish light appearing above the housetops. Heggen went up to her:
“Thanks so much. We’ve had a pleasant Christmas. What are you thinking of?”
[75]
“That it is Christmas morning. I wonder if they got my parcel at home in time.”
“I daresay they did. You sent it on the eleventh, didn’t you?”
“I did. It was always so nice on Christmas morning to go in and look at the tree and the presents in daylight—but I was young then,” she added, smiling. “They say there’s been lots of snow this winter. I suppose the children are tobogganing in the mountains today.”
“Yes, probably,” said Heggen. “You are getting cold. Good-night, and thanks again.”
“Good-night, and a happy Christmas to you, Gunnar.”
They shook hands. She stayed by the window a little while after he had gone.
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收听单词发音
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1
lodgings
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| n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍 | |
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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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lodgers
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| n.房客，租住者( lodger的名词复数 ) | |
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disapproving
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| adj.不满的，反对的v.不赞成( disapprove的现在分词 ) | |
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inflicting
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的现在分词 ) | |
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6
cosy
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| adj.温暖而舒适的，安逸的 | |
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domesticated
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| adj.喜欢家庭生活的；（指动物）被驯养了的v.驯化( domesticate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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hustled
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| 催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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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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cypresses
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| n.柏属植物，柏树( cypress的名词复数 ) | |
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12
embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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13
chatter
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| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
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14
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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16
choir
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| n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱 | |
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17
velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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18
fervently
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| adv.热烈地，热情地，强烈地 | |
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aisle
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| n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道 | |
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20
sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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extraordinarily
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| adv.格外地；极端地 | |
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brawn
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| n.体力 | |
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animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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26
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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plebeian
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| adj.粗俗的；平民的；n.平民；庶民 | |
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brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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snobbishly
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30
craves
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| 渴望，热望( crave的第三人称单数 )； 恳求，请求 | |
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democrat
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| n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员 | |
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craving
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| n.渴望,热望 | |
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33
subjugated
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| v.征服，降伏( subjugate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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legitimate
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| adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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socialists
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| 社会主义者( socialist的名词复数 ) | |
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38
socialist
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| n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的 | |
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39
loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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40
legitimately
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| ad.合法地；正当地，合理地 | |
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41
plundering
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| 掠夺，抢劫( plunder的现在分词 ) | |
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42
injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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43
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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44
implore
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| vt.乞求，恳求，哀求 | |
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45
platonic
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| adj.精神的；柏拉图（哲学）的 | |
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46
blasphemy
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| n.亵渎，渎神 | |
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