Even the guests noted2 her heightened color; and Vivian Deane, watching her narrowly from across the table, wondered what brought the brightness to her eyes.
She looked at Eugene Mallard with intense interest. Surely there was no corresponding gladness in his eyes. Indeed, he looked unusually careworn3.
"I will soon find out what has happened," said Vivian, with a pang4 of bitter jealousy5.
A little later Vivian sought Ida in her boudoir.
"It has commenced to rain," she said, "and I am at a loss to know what to do with myself. The Staples6 girls have gone to their rooms to rest, and their mother wearies me talking about Christian7 charity. The gentlemen have repaired to the smoking-room, and so I have sought you."
[155]
"You are very welcome," said Ida. "I will do my best to amuse you."
As she looked at Vivian, she said to herself:
"How foolish I have been to imagine that this brilliant, beautiful girl should care for a man who belonged to another girl."
Vivian had a very fascinating way when among women, and now she exerted herself to please Eugene Mallard's young wife as she had never exerted herself to please any one before.
"What a very cozy8 boudoir you have, Ida!" she said. "It is like a casket for some precious jewel. How considerate your husband was to have it furnished to suit your rich dark beauty. I used to think that nothing was pretty except white and gold or blue and white."
"That is only natural," returned Ida. "You are a pronounced blonde, you know."
"Then you do not agree with me that there is a possibility of blondes liking9 rich dark surroundings?"
"No; I should not fancy so," returned Ida, "except that blondes usually fall in love with dark men."
Vivian flushed a vivid scarlet10, which Ida did not see, for at that moment Vivian's face was turned from her.
"Yes, that is very true," returned Vivian, making an effort to control her emotion.
In her case, Vivian knew that the old saying was at fault. The strong, passionate11 love of her heart had gone out to Eugene Mallard, and he was fair. He was her ideal of manly12 beauty. The faces of other men appeared quite insignificant13 when compared to his. She was anxious to turn the conversation into another channel.
"I have often thought, amid all this gayety, how lonely you must be at times without some girl friend to talk matters over with you," said Vivian.
"You are quite right," said Ida, eagerly. "I do need a girl friend, some one of my own age, to whom I could open my heart."
Vivian glided14 up to her and threw her arms about her neck.
[156]
"Let me be that friend," she whispered, eagerly.
The young wife looked at her wistfully; her cheeks flushed.
"I shall be only too glad, Vivian," Ida said.
"If she had heard that I was in love with her husband, I must first throw her off the track," thought Vivian.
"I am going to tell you a secret," she murmured, aloud; "but you must not reveal it to any one, I have had a strange love affair, Ida."
She felt the young wife start, her figure tremble; she saw the lovely face grow pale. But not appearing to notice her agitation15, she went on:
"My hero is as dark as a Spanish knight16. I met him recently. It was a case of love at first sight. He proposed to me within a fortnight. But my relatives do not like him, wealthy, handsome, courteous17 though he is. They have forbidden him the house, yet I think in time they will overcome their objections."
She could plainly see how her fictitious18 story relieved the young wife. The color came back to Ida's cheeks, the light to her eyes. She threw her arms impulsively19 about Vivian, and kissed her fair, lovely, treacherous20 face.
"You are indeed to be envied, Vivian," she said, earnestly. "To love and be loved is the greatest happiness God can give any one. I hope, for your sake, that your lover may win his way to the hearts of your relatives. But you know that the course of true love never did run smoothly21."
"My lover is a great friend of your husband's, and perhaps he has told you about it?"
"No," said Ida. "I assure you that Mr. Mallard has not spoken to me on the subject," and she looked very discomforted.
"I am sure your husband must have received a letter from my lover and hidden it away somewhere. Won't you be so kind as to look thoroughly22 through his desk, and see?" asked Vivian.
Ida drew back in alarm.
[157]
"Oh, I could do not do what you ask. Mr. Mallard's rooms are in another part of the house," Ida answered, thoughtlessly.
Ida now realized the importance of the admission she had thoughtlessly made. But she could not recall her words—it was too late.
Vivian looked astounded23. This was a state of affairs of which she had never dreamed. Her idea had been to find some pretext24 to look through Eugene Mallard's desk, and to abstract all the notes she had written to him.
She remembered one or two which she had written in which she had poured out her love for him in a mad fashion, and she would not like any one to come across them.
But here she had unearthed25 a startling surprise. Eugene Mallard's rooms were in another part of the house. Then they were indeed estranged26. She must find out the secret that lay between them.
"I am so sorry to have unearthed so sad a secret," cried the false friend, winding27 her arms more tightly about Ida, and turning her face away, that the young wife might not observe the look of triumph in it. "But every life has its sorrow, and perhaps it was meant that I should comfort you. If you are wearing out your heart longing28 for the sympathy of a true friend, oh, dear Ida, please do confide29 in me, and let me help you!"
The words had such a ring of sympathy in them that it was no wonder the young wife believed her. She was young and unversed in the ways of the world, or this beautiful false friend could not have deceived her so.
"Oh, Vivian, I am unhappy," she sobbed30, "surely the most unhappy girl the sun ever shone on! I must make a confidant of some one—tell some one my troubles, or I shall die. My—my husband does not love me!"
"Does not love you!" repeated Vivian. "Then why on earth did he marry you?"
[158]
The hapless young wife could find no answer to that question; her head drooped31, and her lips were dumb.
"I am so glad you told me this," said Vivian; and it was strange that Ida did not notice the ring of triumph in the voice of her false friend as she said: "I will do my best to bring you two together. I do not ask which one is at fault. Both can not be entirely32 blameless."
"There is a shadow between us which never can be lifted," sobbed the young wife, putting her head on Vivian's shoulder. "There is love on only one side," went on Ida, despairingly. "He is indifferent to me, and—and he will grow to hate me."
"Forgive me, please, if I have been so engrossed33 in my own love affair that I did not notice anything was amiss between my old friend Eugene and his fair young bride."
"I almost dread34 to think of the future," moaned the young wife. "There are times when I give myself up to wondering over the strange problems of life, and I ask myself why I, who should be happy, find the world so dark and dreary35."
"You must be very patient," said Vivian, "and above all things, let me warn you against being the first to make overtures36 for a reconciliation37."
"Oh, I am so very, very glad that I have had this talk with you," sobbed Ida, "for during the past week I had come to the conclusion that the very first time I found my husband in the library, I would go up to him, and say; 'This kind of life is killing38 me. It would be better far for you to plunge39 a knife in my breast and kill me. Either take me to your heart, either make me your wife in fact as well as name, or send me out into the coldness and bitterness of the world. I can endure this no longer. Your friends crowd about me, thinking I am the happiest person in the world, while I am the most miserable40. I must go from here, because I have learned to love you, my husband, with all my heart and soul. You may be surprised to hear this from me, but it is the truth. I love you as no one else ever will.[159] You may live for years, flattered and happy, but no love like mine will ever come to you again. Although you married me, yet you do not love me, and never will. Always remember that the wife who is leaving you loves you with all her heart. I would not tell you this now, but that I know in this world we may never meet again.'"
Her voice died away in a whisper as she uttered the last word, and the false friend who had determined41 to part husband and wife said she had learned just in time what was necessary to prevent a reconciliation between Ida and her husband.
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1
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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careworn
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| adj.疲倦的，饱经忧患的 | |
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pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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staples
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| n.（某国的）主要产品( staple的名词复数 )；钉书钉；U 形钉；主要部份v.用钉书钉钉住( staple的第三人称单数 ) | |
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7
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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8
cozy
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| adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的 | |
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liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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11
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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12
manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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13
insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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15
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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16
knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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18
fictitious
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| adj.虚构的，假设的；空头的 | |
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impulsively
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| adv.冲动地 | |
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treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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astounded
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| v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶 | |
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pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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unearthed
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| 出土的（考古） | |
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estranged
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| adj.疏远的，分离的 | |
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winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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28
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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confide
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| v.向某人吐露秘密 | |
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30
sobbed
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| 哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说 | |
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31
drooped
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| 弯曲或下垂，发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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engrossed
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| adj.全神贯注的 | |
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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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dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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overtures
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| n.主动的表示，提议；（向某人做出的）友好表示、姿态或提议( overture的名词复数 )；（歌剧、芭蕾舞、音乐剧等的）序曲，前奏曲 | |
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37
reconciliation
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| n.和解，和谐，一致 | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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39
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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40
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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