Claude Merrill was a glove salesman in a Boston fancy-goods store. The calling itself is undoubtedly4 respectable, and it is quite conceivable that a man can sell gloves and still be a man; but Claude Merrill was a manikin. He inhabited a very narrow space behind a very short counter, but to him it seemed the earth and the fullness thereof.
When, irreproachably5 neat and even exquisite6 in dress, he gave a Napoleonic glance at his array of glove-boxes to see if the female assistant had put them in proper order for the day, when, with that wonderful eye for detail that had wafted7 him to his present height of power, he pounced8 upon the powder-sprinklers and found them, as he expected, empty; when, with masterly judgment, he had made up and ticketed a basket of misfits and odd sizes to attract the eyes of women who were their human counterparts, he felt himself bursting with the pride and pomp of circumstance. His cambric handkerchief adjusted in his coat with the monogram9 corner well displayed, a last touch to the carefully trained lock on his forehead, and he was ready for his customers.
“Six, did you say, miss? I should have thought five and three quarters—Attend to that gentleman, Miss Dix, please; I am very busy.”
“Six-and-a-half gray sue'de? Here they are, an exquisite shade. Shall I try them on? The right hand, if you will. Perhaps you'd better remove your elegant ring; I should n't like to have anything catch in the setting.”
“Miss Dix! Six-and-a-half black glace'—upper shelf, third box—for this lady. She's in a hurry. We shall see you often after this, I hope, madam.”
“No; we don't keep silk or lisle gloves. We have no call for them; our customers prefer kid.”
Oh, but he was in his element, was Claude Merrill; though the glamour10 that surrounded him in the minds of the Edgewood girls did not emanate11 wholly from his finicky little person: something of it was the glamour that belonged to Boston,—remote, fashionable, gay, rich, almost inaccessible12 Boston, which none could see without the expenditure13 of five or six dollars in railway fare, with the added extravagance of a night in a hotel, if one would explore it thoroughly14 and come home possessed15 of all its illimitable treasures of wisdom and experience.
When Claude came to Edgewood for a Sunday, or to spend a vacation with his aunt, he brought with him something of the magic of a metropolis16. Suddenly, to Rose's eye, Stephen looked larger and clumsier, his shoes were not the proper sort, his clothes were ordinary, his neckties were years behind the fashion. Stephen's dancing, compared with Claude's, was as the deliberate motion of an ox to the hopping17 of a neat little robin18. When Claude took a girl's hand in the “grand right-and-left,” it was as if he were about to try on a delicate glove; the manner in which he “held his lady” in the polka or schottische made her seem a queen. Mite19 Shapley was so affected20 by it that when Rufus attempted to encircle her for the mazurka she exclaimed, “Don't act as if you were spearing logs, Rufus!”
Of the two men, Stephen had more to say, but Claude said more. He was thought brilliant in conversation; but what wonder, when one considered his advantages and his dazzling experiences! He had customers who were worth their thousands; ladies whose fingers never touched dish-water; ladies who would n't buy a glove of anybody else if they went bare-handed to the grave. He lived with his sister Maude Arthurlena in a house where there were twenty-two other boarders who could be seated at meals all at the same time, so immense was the dining-room. He ate his dinner at a restaurant daily, and expended21 twenty-five cents for it without blenching22. He went to the theater once a week, and was often accompanied by “lady friends” who were “elegant dressers.”
In a moment of wrath23 Stephen had called him a “counter-jumper,” but it was a libel. So short and rough a means of exit from his place of power was wholly beneath Claude's dignity. It was with a “Pardon me, Miss Dix,” that, the noon hour having arrived, he squeezed by that slave and victim, and raising the hinged board that separated his kingdom from that of the ribbon department, passed out of the store, hat in hand, serene24 in the consciousness that though other clerks might nibble25 luncheon26 from a brown paper bag, he would speedily be indulging in an expensive repast; and Miss Dix knew it, and it was a part of his almost invincible27 attraction for her.
It seemed flying in the face of Providence28 to decline the attentions of such a gorgeous butterfly of fashion simply because one was engaged to marry another man at some distant day.
All Edgewood femininity united in saying that there never was such a perfect gentleman as Claude Merrill; and during the time when his popularity was at its height Rose lost sight of the fact that Stephen could have furnished the stuff for a dozen Claudes and have had enough left for an ordinary man besides.
April gave place to May, and a veil hung between the lovers,—an intangible, gossamer-like thing, not to be seen with the naked eye, but, oh! so plainly to be felt. Rose hid herself thankfully behind it, while Stephen had not courage to lift a corner. She had twice been seen driving with Claude Merrill—that Stephen knew; but she had explained that there were errands to be done, that her grandfather had taken the horse, and that Mr. Merrill's escort had been both opportune29 and convenient for these practical reasons. Claude was everywhere present, the center of attraction, the observed of all observers. He was irresistible30, contagious31, almost epidemic32. Rose was now gay, now silent; now affectionate, now distant, now coquettish; in fine, everything that was capricious, mysterious, agitating33, incomprehensible.
One morning Alcestis Crambry went to the post-office for Stephen and brought him back the newspapers and letters. He had hung about the River Farm so much that Stephen finally gave him bed and food in exchange for numberless small errands. Rufus was temporarily confined in a dark room with some strange pain and trouble in his eyes, and Alcestis proved of use in many ways. He had always been Rose's slave, and had often brought messages and notes from the Brier Neighborhood, so that when Stephen saw a folded note among the papers his heart gave a throb34 of anticipation35.
The note was brief, and when he had glanced through it he said: “This is not mine, Alcestis; it belongs to Miss Rose. Go straight back and give it to her as you were told; and another time keep your wits about you, or I'll send you back to Killick.”
Alcestis Crambry's ideas on all subjects were extremely vague. Claude Merrill had given him a letter for Rose, but his notion was that anything that belonged to her belonged to Stephen, and the Waterman place was much nearer than the Wileys', particularly at dinner-time!
When the boy had slouched away, Stephen sat under the apple tree, now a mass of roseate bloom, and buried his face in his hands.
It was not precisely36 a love-letter that he had read, nevertheless it blackened the light of the sun for him. Claude asked Rose to meet him anywhere on the road to the station and to take a little walk, as he was leaving that afternoon and could not bear to say good-bye to her in the presence of her grandmother. “Under the circumstances,” he wrote, deeply underlining the words, “I cannot remain a moment longer in Edgewood, where I have been so happy and so miserable37!” He did not refer to the fact that the time limit on his return-ticket expired that day, for his dramatic instinct told him that such sordid38 matters have no place in heroics.
Stephen sat motionless under the tree for an hour, deciding on some plan of action. He had work at the little house, but he did not dare go there lest he should see the face of dead Love looking from the windows of the pink bedroom; dead Love, cold, sad, merciless. His cheeks burned as he thought of the marriage license39 and the gold ring hidden away upstairs in the drawer of his shaving stand. What a romantic fool he had been, to think he could hasten the glad day by a single moment! What a piece of boyish folly40 it had been, and how it shamed him in his own eyes!
When train time drew near he took his boat and paddled downstream. If for the Finland lover's reindeer41 there was but one path in all the world, and that the one that led to Her, so it was for Stephen's canoe, which, had it been set free on the river by day or by night, might have floated straight to Rose.
He landed at the usual place, a bit of sandy shore near the Wiley house, and walked drearily42 up the bank through the woods. Under the shade of the pines the white stars of the hepatica glistened43 and the pale anemones44 were coming into bloom. Partridge-berries glowed red under their glossy45 leaves, and clumps46 of violets sweetened the air. Squirrels chattered47, woodpeckers tapped, thrushes sang; but Stephen was blind and deaf to all the sweet harbingers of spring.
Just then he heard voices, realizing with a throb of delight that, at any rate, Rose had not left home to meet Claude, as he had asked her to do. Looking through the branches, he saw the two standing48 together, Mrs. Brooks's horse, with the offensive trunk in the back of the wagon49, being hitched50 to a tree near by. There was nothing in the tableau51 to stir Stephen to fury, but he read between the lines and suffered as he read—suffered and determined52 to sacrifice himself if he must, so that Rose could have what she wanted, this miserable apology for a man. He had never been the husband for Rose; she must take her place in a larger community, worthy53 of her beauty and charm.
Claude was talking and gesticulating ardently54. Rose's head was bent55 and the tears were rolling down her cheeks. Suddenly Claude raised his hat, and with a passionate56 gesture of renunciation walked swiftly to the wagon, and looking back once, drove off with the utmost speed of which the Brooks's horse was capable,—Rose waving him a farewell with one hand and wiping her eyes with the other.
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1
descends
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| v.下来( descend的第三人称单数 )；下去；下降；下斜 | |
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incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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3
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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irreproachably
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| adv.不可非难地，无过失地 | |
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6
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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wafted
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| v.吹送，飘送，（使）浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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pounced
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| v.突然袭击( pounce的过去式和过去分词 )；猛扑；一眼看出；抓住机会（进行抨击） | |
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9
monogram
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| n.字母组合 | |
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10
glamour
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| n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住 | |
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11
emanate
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| v.发自，来自，出自 | |
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inaccessible
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| adj.达不到的，难接近的 | |
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13
expenditure
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| n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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15
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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16
metropolis
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| n.首府；大城市 | |
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17
hopping
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| n. 跳跃 动词hop的现在分词形式 | |
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18
robin
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| n.知更鸟，红襟鸟 | |
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19
mite
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| n.极小的东西；小铜币 | |
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20
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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21
expended
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| v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 )；使用（钱等）做某事；用光；耗尽 | |
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22
blenching
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| v.（因惊吓而）退缩，惊悸( blench的现在分词 )；（使）变白，（使）变苍白 | |
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23
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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24
serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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nibble
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| n.轻咬，啃；v.一点点地咬，慢慢啃，吹毛求疵 | |
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luncheon
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| n.午宴，午餐，便宴 | |
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27
invincible
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| adj.不可征服的，难以制服的 | |
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28
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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29
opportune
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| adj.合适的，适当的 | |
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30
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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contagious
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| adj.传染性的，有感染力的 | |
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32
epidemic
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| n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的 | |
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33
agitating
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| 搅动( agitate的现在分词 )； 激怒； 使焦虑不安； （尤指为法律、社会状况的改变而）激烈争论 | |
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34
throb
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| v.震颤，颤动；(急速强烈地)跳动，搏动 | |
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35
anticipation
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| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
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36
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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37
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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sordid
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| adj.肮脏的，不干净的，卑鄙的，暗淡的 | |
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39
license
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| n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许 | |
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40
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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41
reindeer
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| n.驯鹿 | |
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42
drearily
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| 沉寂地，厌倦地，可怕地 | |
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43
glistened
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| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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44
anemones
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| n.银莲花( anemone的名词复数 )；海葵 | |
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45
glossy
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| adj.平滑的；有光泽的 | |
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46
clumps
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| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
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47
chattered
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| （人）喋喋不休( chatter的过去式 )； 唠叨； （牙齿）打战； （机器）震颤 | |
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48
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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49
wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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50
hitched
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| （免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的过去式和过去分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上 | |
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51
tableau
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| n.画面，活人画（舞台上活人扮的静态画面） | |
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52
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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53
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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54
ardently
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| adv.热心地，热烈地 | |
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55
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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56
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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