A man, who was taking his afternoon exercise alone, and who had accidentally fallen into line directly behind this couple, kept that position purposely, turning as they turned, and, without seeming to do so, observing them narrowly, for the reason that the woman was uncommonly4 beautiful.
This man—Albert Noel by name—was an artist by instinct and habit, though a lawyer by profession. He painted pictures for love and practised law for money, or conventionality, or to please his mother and sisters, or from some reason which, however indefinite, had been strong enough to predominate over the longing5 he had always had to go to Paris, live in the Latin Quarter, and be simply and honestly what his taste dictated6. Few people, perhaps, suspected his Bohemian proclivities7; for he lived an extremely conventional life, was the idol8 of his mother and sisters, and, being well born, well-off, and sufficiently9 good-looking, was regarded as an excellent match matrimonially. In spite of this fact he had never been known to be seriously in love; though, being a quiet man, this experience might have befallen him without the knowledge of his friends. He was coming home from Europe now, reluctantly and with regret; but, since he had a profession, it must be attended to.
He observed the tall young woman who walked in front of him on her husband’s arm (some instinct told him that it was her husband) from an artist’s standpoint only. It had occurred to him that here was a remarkable10 model for a picture. He furtively11 studied the lines of her figure, which was clad in a long, tight-fighting cloak, trimmed with fur, and the contour and color of the knot of brown hair, whose living lustre12 shone richly between the dull fur that bordered her collar and her hat. Every moment the study fascinated him more, as he followed and turned, as they turned. Suddenly it struck him that perhaps his interest in the pair ahead of him might, in spite of him, be observed; and so, rather reluctantly, he took a seat in one of several empty chairs at the steamer’s stern. Here he could still observe them, at intervals13, as they came and went. They spoke14 to no one, not even to each other, though he was convinced they were newly married. Both of them looked very young.
After a few turns the lady complained of being tired, and proposed they should sit down. Her companion assented15 by a nod, and they took the seats next to Noel. She spoke English, but with much hesitation16 and with a strong foreign accent. The man was silent still, as they seated themselves and wrapped their rugs about them; for in spite of the full blaze of the sinking sun it was very cold. Noel also kept still, looking and listening. He was a little back of them, and only her pure profile was visible to him. The man’s profile, which was also a handsome one, he could see beyond hers.
For a long time there was silence. The wind grew keener. The tarpaulin17 which covered the white life-boat near by trembled from end to end, as if the thing hid were alive and shivering. The sea-gulls that followed the boat fluttered and dipped about in the cold air. The sun, a great gold ball, was sinking rapidly in a mist of pink and yellow light. The wide stretch of water underneath18 it was a heavy iron black, except where, near the ship, it was dashed into green-white foam19. Noel looked at the face of the woman near him, and, seeing a sudden light of interest in her eyes, followed their glance to where a school of dolphins was rising and plunging20 in the cold sea water. He heard her call her companion’s attention to them by a quick exclamation21; but he made no answer, scarcely showing that he heard.
Noel became aware that the face before him was not only beautiful, but sad. There were no lines upon it of either care or sorrow, but both were written in the eyes. These were very remarkable,—almost gold in color, and shaded by thick lashes22, darker even than her dark brown hair. They were large, well-opened, heavy-lidded; and no wonder was it that, when he had seen all this, he began to desire to meet their gaze, that he might thereby23 know them thoroughly24.
The sun sank. People began to complain of the increasing cold, and gather up wraps and books and move away; but still the man and woman sat there silent, and Noel did the same. The distant sky was tinted25 now with colors as delicate as the flowers of spring,—pink and cream and lilac, softening26 to a rich line of deep purple at the horizon. A slight sigh escaped the woman’s lips; and then, as if recollecting27 herself, she sat upright, and looked about at the objects near her. Her glance passed across Noel, and was arrested with a certain amusement on the little cannon28 lashed29 to the side of the deck, which in its cover of white tarpaulin had evidently given her some diverting thought. Then in the most hesitating, laboriously30 constructed English, Noel heard her telling her companion what it had made her think of. By using a little imagination with what he heard and saw, he arrived at her meaning. She was attempting to say that it looked like a child on all fours, trying to frighten its companion by throwing a table-cloth over its head. There it was complete,—the head, the hands and feet, the bulky body. Noel caught her meaning, and smiled involuntarily. It was really wonderfully like. He controlled his features instantly, however; and, as her gaze was fixed31 upon her husband, she did not see him. But her childish idea had awakened32 no response in the husband. He simply asked her meaning over again, and seemed unable to comprehend it, and not sufficiently interested to make much effort. The few words he uttered proved that [Pg 11]English was his native tongue. One would have said he had the ability, but not the inclination33, to talk, while with her the contrary was true. Noel, now that he found that she was alive to her immediate34 surroundings, got up and moved away. He went and looked out at the sea-gulls; but all the time he was seeing her eyes, and comparing them to topaz, to amber35, to a dozen things, but without feeling that he had matched, even in his imagination, their peculiar36 and beautiful color.
It was the first day out; and he liked to think that he could occasionally look at this face for a week to come, and when he got to shore he would paint her. He had a studio in the suburbs, to which he often went and to which his mother and sisters had never been invited. It was often a delight to him to think of its freedom and seclusion37.
He was acutely jarred upon, as he stood alone at the deck rail, by the approach of a man who had a club acquaintance with him at home, which he had shown a disposition38 to magnify since coming aboard the steamer. He was not a man for whose talk Noel cared at any time, but he felt a distinct rebellion against it just now. This feeling was swiftly put to flight, however, by the fact that on his way to him the new-comer passed and bowed to the beautiful girl, receiving in return a bow and a smile. The bow was gracious, the smile charming, lighting39 for an instant the gravity of her calm face, and showing perfect teeth.
“Ah, Miller40! that you? How’re you coming on?” said Noel, with a sudden access of cordiality, making a place for the new-comer at his side.
“All right, thanks, considering it’s the first day out. That’s generally the biggest bore, because you know there are six or seven more just like it to follow. Pretty girl that, ain’t it?”
“Mrs. Dallas, according to her new name.”
“And that is her husband?”
“That is her husband. He’s not a bad-looking fellow, either; but you don’t look as if you approved him.”
“I?” said Noel. “Why shouldn’t I? He seems a good-looking fellow enough. Do you know her?”
“Yes, I know her. Everybody knew her at Baden. It was not very hard to do.”
“What do you mean?” said Noel, looking at him suddenly very straight and hard.
“Oh, I simply mean that her father, who seems a rather bad type of adventurer, gave free access to her acquaintance to any man who might turn out to be marriageable. He introduced me to her as soon as he saw I had been attracted by her looks, and I used to talk to her a good deal. Her mother, it seems, died in her childhood; and she was put to school at a convent, where she remained until she was eighteen. Her father then brought her home, and began assiduously his efforts to marry her off. It was plain that she hampered42 him a good deal, but he had a sort of sense of duty which he seemed to fulfil to his own satisfaction by rushing her about from one watering-place to another, and facilitating her acquaintance with the young men at each.”
“And what was the girl thinking of to allow it?” said Noel.
“The girl was absolutely blind to it,—as ignorant of the world as a little nun43, and apparently44 quite pleased with her father, who was avowedly45 a new acquisition. She must have had good teaching at her convent; for she sings splendidly and is a pretty fair linguist46, too. I tried her in English, however, and found her so uncertain that my somewhat limited conversation with her was carried on in French. My French is nothing to boast of, but it’s better than her English.”
“What is she?”
“An Italian, with a Swedish mother. She seems awfully47 foot-loose, somehow, poor thing; and I hope the marriage which her father suddenly contrived48 between her and this young American will turn out well for her. He’s an odd sort of fellow to me, somehow.”
“Where does he come from?”
“I don’t know,—some misty49 place in the West somewhere, I believe. I tried to talk with him a dozen times, but I never got so little out of a man in my life.”
“Was he so deep or merely forbidding?”
“Neither. He was good-tempered enough, and would answer questions; but he seemed to have nothing to give out. He is a quiet man and inoffensive, but somehow queer.”
“Does he play cards?”
“Not at all.”
“Seem to have money?”
“Yes, as far as I could judge, he appears to have enough to do as he chooses and go where he pleases, though I should say he was not extravagant50. He seems to care too little for things.”
“He cares for her, it’s to be supposed.”
“Yes. He could hardly help that, and yet he showed very little emotion in his courting days. I used to see them walking together or sitting on the piazza51 for hours, and they seemed a strangely silent pair under the circumstances. I got some key to that mystery, however, when I found that he doesn’t know a word of French or Italian; and I had already discovered her limitations in English.”
“Why, good heavens! how can she know the man then? It is not possible. And he may turn out to be anything! Do you think her father could have forced her into this marriage against her will?”
“No, I’m sure he did not. I thought of that, but I’m certain it isn’t so. I think she was in love with the man, as she understood it, in her convent-bred sort of way. He’s good-looking and has a certain gentleness of manner. It may be dulness, but it’s what women like. I think her father, though he felt her a great burden, wanted to do the best he could for her, without too much trouble. He saw plainly the dangers she was surrounded by, and was glad to get her married to a quiet young American, who had no vices52 and would probably be kind to her. He told me he wanted her to marry an American, because they made the best husbands. Look at them now. It is always the same thing,—either silence or that difficult sort of talk. She has to do the most of it, you see, and in English. He literally53 knows not a word in any other tongue.”
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1
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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regularity
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| n.规律性，规则性；匀称，整齐 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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uncommonly
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| adv. 稀罕(极，非常) | |
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longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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dictated
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| v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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proclivities
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| n.倾向，癖性( proclivity的名词复数 ) | |
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idol
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| n.偶像，红人，宠儿 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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furtively
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| adv. 偷偷地, 暗中地 | |
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lustre
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| n.光亮，光泽；荣誉 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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14
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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assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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tarpaulin
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| n.涂油防水布，防水衣，防水帽 | |
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underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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plunging
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| adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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lashes
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| n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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tinted
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| adj. 带色彩的 动词tint的过去式和过去分词 | |
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softening
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| 变软，软化 | |
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recollecting
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| v.记起，想起( recollect的现在分词 ) | |
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cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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laboriously
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| adv.艰苦地；费力地；辛勤地；（文体等）佶屈聱牙地 | |
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31
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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32
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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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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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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amber
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| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
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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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seclusion
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| n.隐遁，隔离 | |
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disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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miller
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| n.磨坊主 | |
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concur
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| v.同意，意见一致，互助，同时发生 | |
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hampered
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| 妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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nun
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| n.修女，尼姑 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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avowedly
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| adv.公然地 | |
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linguist
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| n.语言学家；精通数种外国语言者 | |
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47
awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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48
contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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49
misty
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| adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的 | |
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50
extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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51
piazza
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| n.广场；走廊 | |
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52
vices
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| 缺陷( vice的名词复数 )； 恶习； 不道德行为； 台钳 | |
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53
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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