"You must brace6 up, Flora," she said; "you haven't half dusted the legs of the table! I don't want Mr. Maitland to think we are not good housekeepers7, just because we are 'New Women,' you and I!" But Flora did not[Pg 190] brighten. She had telephoned the "reg'ler invitation to the movies" before leaving Payton Street, but the "friend" had only said (she told Frederica) "he'd see 'bout8 it. He'll write to me, and I'll git it Monday," she said. But it was evident that she had very little hope of an acceptance.
All that pleasant, hazy9 Sunday Frederica followed the old, old example of her grandmother, the cave-dweller, and decked her little shelter. She went into the woods and brought back an armful of maple10 leaves and, with Flora's melancholy11 assistance, fastened them against the walls and over the doors, hiding, to some extent, the frieze12 of fans and the yellow pennons of the Cause. She even took down the muslin curtains and washed and ironed them herself, and put them up again, crisp and dainty. The little room bloomed with her joy. When she sat down to "polish" her article she kept jumping up every few minutes to move a bowl of flowers, or put an extra book on the mantelpiece.
"I wonder," she thought, "if he can read the titles from that morris chair?" She had decided13 in what chair he was to sit. She tried the visual possibilities of the chair herself and, by screwing up her eyes, found she could just make out the appallingly14 learned names on the backs of some of the books. "That will show him what I'm up to!" she said.
It was the old Life Purpose—the eternal invitation! The bird preens15 itself, the flower pours its perfume, the girl's cheek curves like a shell. A man can almost always see the beckoning16 of that rosy17 curve, or of a little curl nestling at the back of a white neck, or of soft, shy eyes;[Pg 191] for so, in all the ages, Life has invited. But it has never beckoned18 with a German treatise19!
Frederica, giving Zip a lump of sugar and making a solitary20 cup of tea for herself, did not know that she was beckoning....
When, at five o'clock, a motor came chugging along the road, and Arthur Weston opened the door and demanded tea, he, at least, felt the invitation—which was not for him. The white curtains, the open piano, the warmth and fragrance21 and pleasantness, and, most of all, Frederica, sitting on a little stool by the fire, her face sparkling with welcome. Everything was beckoning!
Standing22 up, warming his hands at the fire while Fred ran out to the kitchen to make fresh tea for him, the caller read the names of the books lined up in a row between the lighted candles on the mantelpiece, and whistled.
"Is this your light reading?" he said, as she came back with the cream-pitcher. "For Heaven's sake, lay in some funny papers for the simple male mind!" Then he pulled Zip's ears, took his tea, and said he wished he could ever get enough sugar.
"I saw Maitland on Thursday," he said, reaching for another lump.
"Yes, he is on deck," Fred said.
Her man of business made a hopeless, laughing gesture, as if he gave up trying to solve a puzzle. "Are they engaged, or aren't they?" he said to himself. Her way of speaking of the cub23 was certainly as indifferent as it well could be! "But that doesn't prove anything," he thought, drearily24.
[Pg 192]
He stayed a long time; he had a feeling that his call was a sort of last chapter. "In about a week I'll get one of those confounded engagement letters," he told himself. He settled down in the morris chair—the chair in which Howard was to sit the next evening—and started her talking. He did not need to make any replies. Once Frederica "got going" on her own affairs he could watch her in lazy, tender silence.... How soon it would be over—this watching and listening! How soon his plaything would be transformed into a happy, self-absorbed, quite uninteresting wife and mother! For Fred Maitland, he was cynically25 aware, would cease to interest him, because she would cease to be preposterous26; she would be normal. Of course Fred Payton would always be a darling memory; she would never leave his heart. His heart ached at the thought of its own emptiness if he should try to turn Fred Payton out just because Fred Maitland was another man's wife. No, he would not even try to forget his wild, sweet, silly Freddy! She should always remain as, back somewhere in his memory, Kate remained, dark-browed and cruel. The Kate of to-day, whose presence in his heart would be an impropriety, was not even an individual to him! But the old Kate was his. He wondered if Fred would ever become as vague to him as Mrs. Kate——.... "What is her name! Oh, yes—Bailey. When I heard she'd married him, I didn't sleep for two nights; and now I can hardly remember his name! 'Men have died, and worms have eaten them—' ... Fred, almost all the houses out here are boarded up. I only saw a light in one house."
[Pg 193]
"I was telling you of the woman's movement in Sweden," she said, affronted27.
"I'd like to see a woman's movement back to town from this cottage! You really ought not to be out here at night, just you and Flora. That one house which is open will be closed pretty soon, I suppose?"
"To-morrow," she teased him. "And Flora and I are such fragile flowers, it's dreadful to think of our losing the protection of Mr. and Mrs. Monks28! He is a paralytic29, and she weighs two hundred and twenty-five pounds."
"You'll move in town to-morrow, won't you?" he said, really disturbed.
She had to admit that she expected to. "Not that I'm nervous, but Howard Maitland is coming here to supper to-morrow night, and I'm going to make him take us back in his car because I've got such a lot of stuff to carry home."
"Oh," he said, blankly. "He's coming out to supper?" He stared into the fire for a while; then he got on his feet. "I must start," he said, and stood looking down at her. "Fred," he said, suddenly—in the uncertain firelight his face seemed to quiver—"you're a good fellow. And if your husband, when you get him, isn't the finest thing that ever happened, I'll punch his head!"
His voice was so moved that she, sitting on her little stool, close to the hearth30, looked up at him, quickly. "Why, he's fond of me!" she thought. Her own deep experience made her heart open into generous acceptance of any human affection. She jumped up and put both[Pg 194] impulsive31 hands into his. "You are the dearest friend I have!" she said; then hesitated, laughed—and kissed him.
Her lips against his cheek were softly cool, like the touch of flowers. Nothing that she had ever said or done removed her more completely from the possibility of passion. He was able, however, to make a grandfatherly rejoinder to the effect that he had dandled her on his knee when she was a brat—which was not strictly32 true, for he had had no inclination33 to dandle the gawky fourteen-year-old Freddy Payton on knees that were bent34 before the cruel Kate. He put a friendly—but shrinking—hand on her shoulder as she went with him to the front door, and a minute later waved good night from his car. As he drove home in a bothering white fog from the lake, he was very unhappy. "It hurts more than I supposed it could," he told himself. "I don't like this kind of 'amusement!' Damn it, I wish she hadn't kissed me."
As for Frederica, going back into the cottage, her eyes were very kind. "He's an old dear to bother with me; I'm awfully35 fond of him." Then she forgot him. "Twenty-four hours more," she was thinking, "and Howard will be here!" Twenty-four hours seemed a long time! She was glad when the moment came to blow out the candles and look into the other room to say good night; ("only twenty hours now!").
Flora, at the kitchen table, was listlessly shuffling36 a pack of cards by the light of a little kerosene-lamp; as Fred entered, she dropped her head in her hands and sighed. Frederica sighed, too. "I suppose I've got to[Pg 195] cheer her up," she thought, resignedly. "What's the matter?" she said, kindly37.
"Nothin'."
"Come in the other room and I'll play for you."
Flora shook a dreary38 head. Fred, with a shrug39 of impatience40, sat down at the other end of the table. The fire in the stove was out and the kitchen was cold and damp; except for the lisping wash of the lake and the faint fall of Flora's cards, everything was very still. Fred watched the cards for a moment without speaking, then abruptly41 brushed them all aside and clapped her warm young hand on Flora's thin wrist. The movement made the lamp flicker42, and on the opposite wall two shadowy heads nodded at each other.
"Now, Flora," she said, "we'll have this out! What is the matter?"
"I tell you, Miss Freddy, there ain't nothin' the matter."
"There is! You're awfully depressed43."
"I'm used to that."
"But why? Come now, you've got to tell me!"
Flora dropped her head on her arms and began to cry.
"Flora! Flora! What shall I do with you? You are so silly!"
The woman sat up and wiped her eyes. The little hysterical44 outburst evidently relieved her; she smiled, though her lips still trembled. "I was tellin' my fortune to see what kind of a letter I'd git to-morrow mornin' from my friend about goin' to the movies. I like 'em, but 'pears he ain't stuck on 'em. An'—an', I'm bettin' he'll say he[Pg 196] won't go. The cards make out I ain't goin' to have no luck."
"Nonsense! You've got too much sense to believe in cards."
"Miss Freddy, Mr. Maitland'll think the house real pretty the way you fixed45 up them leaves. Some of 'em is as handsome as if they was hand-painted!"
Fred preserved a grave face, and said yes, the leaves were lovely.
"An' he's comin' out to-morrow night?" Flora said, nodding her head. "Well, I guess you're happy." Her opaque46 black eyes gleamed with unshed tears. Frederica, rising, put an impulsive arm around her; Flora suddenly sobbed47 on her shoulder.
"Is it because your beau has been unkind?" Fred said. She used Flora's own vernacular48.
"I 'ain't never had a real beau. Oh, well, I don't care! I'm glad you got a beau, anyhow."
"I don't know that I have," Fred said, smiling. "But you'll get one some day." Under her friendly words was a good-natured contempt—Flora was so anxious for a "beau"!
"An' your gentleman'll come out here to-morrow night," Flora repeated,—it was as if she turned the knife in her own wound; "an' you and him'll set in the living-room. And you'll talk. And he'll talk. An' he'll ... kiss you."
"Oh," Fred said, laughing, "Mr. Maitland and I are not interested in that kind of thing! We are trying to give women the vote, and to make the world better—that's what we are going to talk about. And, Flora, remember,[Pg 197] you've got to give us an awfully good supper! Come, now! you're tired. You really must go to bed."
She laid a gently compelling hand on the frail49 shoulder, and Flora, sighing miserably50, took the lamp from its bracket and followed Miss Freddy up-stairs to the cubby-hole under the roof where she slept.
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1
flora
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| n.(某一地区的)植物群 | |
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2
postponed
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| vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发） | |
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3
obliterated
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| v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭 | |
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4
suffrage
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| n.投票，选举权，参政权 | |
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5
plaintive
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| adj.可怜的，伤心的 | |
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6
brace
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| n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备 | |
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7
housekeepers
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| n.（女）管家( housekeeper的名词复数 ) | |
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bout
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| n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛 | |
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9
hazy
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| adj.有薄雾的，朦胧的；不肯定的，模糊的 | |
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maple
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| n.槭树，枫树，槭木 | |
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11
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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12
frieze
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| n.(墙上的)横饰带，雕带 | |
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13
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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14
appallingly
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| 毛骨悚然地 | |
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15
preens
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| v.（鸟）用嘴整理（羽毛）( preen的第三人称单数 ) | |
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16
beckoning
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| adj.引诱人的，令人心动的v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的现在分词 ) | |
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17
rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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18
beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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19
treatise
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| n.专著；(专题)论文 | |
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20
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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21
fragrance
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| n.芬芳，香味，香气 | |
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22
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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23
cub
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| n.幼兽，年轻无经验的人 | |
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24
drearily
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| 沉寂地，厌倦地，可怕地 | |
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25
cynically
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| adv.爱嘲笑地，冷笑地 | |
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26
preposterous
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| adj.荒谬的，可笑的 | |
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27
affronted
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| adj.被侮辱的，被冒犯的v.勇敢地面对( affront的过去式和过去分词 )；相遇 | |
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28
monks
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| n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 ) | |
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29
paralytic
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| adj. 瘫痪的 n. 瘫痪病人 | |
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30
hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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31
impulsive
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| adj.冲动的，刺激的；有推动力的 | |
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32
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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33
inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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34
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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35
awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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36
shuffling
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| adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式 | |
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37
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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38
dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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39
shrug
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| v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等) | |
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40
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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41
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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42
flicker
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| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
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43
depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
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44
hysterical
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| adj.情绪异常激动的，歇斯底里般的 | |
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45
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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46
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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47
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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48
vernacular
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| adj.地方的，用地方语写成的；n.白话；行话；本国语；动植物的俗名 | |
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49
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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50
miserably
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| adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地 | |
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