“Please take these letters and have them registered at the post-office,” his mother said to Edgar in the hall, while the baron was outside ordering a cab. Edgar, remembering that until then his mother had sent the hotel boys on her errands, was suspicious. Were they hatching something against him? He hesitated.
“Where will you wait for me?”
“Here.”
“For sure?”
“Yes.”
“Now be sure to. Don’t leave before I come back. You’ll wait right here in the hall, won’t you?” In the consciousness of his superiority he had adopted a commanding tone with his mother. Many things had changed since the day before yesterday.
“I am going to the post-office to register these letters. My mother is waiting for me. Please do not go until I come back.”
The baron hastened past him.
“All right. We’ll wait.”
Edgar ran at top speed to the post-office, where he had to wait while a man ahead of him asked a dozen silly questions. Finally his turn came, and at last he was free to run back to the hotel, which he reached just in time to see the couple driving off. He turned rigid6 with anger, and had the impulse to pick up a stone and throw it at them. So they had escaped him after all, but by what a mean, contemptible7 lie! He had discovered the day before that his mother lied, but that she could so wantonly disregard a definite, expressed promise, shattered his last remnant of confidence. He could not understand life at all any more, now that he realized that the words which he had thought clothed a reality were nothing more than bursting bubbles. But what a dreadful secret it must be that drove grown-up people to such lengths, to lie to him, a child, and to steal away like criminals! In the books he had read, men deceived and murdered one another for money, power, empire, but what was the motive8 here? What were his mother and the baron after? Why did they hide from him? What were they, with their lies, trying to conceal9? He racked his brain for answers to the riddle10. Vaguely11 he divined that this secret was the bolt which, when unlocked, opened the door to let out childhood, and to master it meant to be grown up, to be a man at last. Oh, to know what it was! But he could no longer think clearly. His rage at their having escaped him was like a fire that sent scorching12 smoke into his eyes and kept him from seeing.
He ran to the woods and in the nick of time reached a quiet dark spot, where no one could see him, and burst into tears.
“Liars! Dogs! Mean—mean—mean!”
He felt he must scream the words out to relieve himself of his frenzy14. All the pent-up rage, impatience15, annoyance16, curiosity, impotence, and the sense of betrayal of the last few days, which he had suppressed in the fond belief that he was an adult and must behave like an adult, now gushed17 from him in a fit of weeping and sobbing18. It was the final crying spell of his childhood. For the last time he was giving in to the bliss19 of weeping like a woman. In that moment of uncontrolled fury his tears washed away his whole childhood, trust, love, credulity, respect.
The lad who returned to the hotel was different from the child that had left it. He was cool and level-headed. He went first to his room and washed his face carefully so that the two should not enjoy the triumph of seeing the traces of his tears. Then he planned his strategy and waited patiently, without the least agitation20.
There happened to be a good many guests in the hall when the carriage pulled up at the door. Two gentlemen were playing chess, a few others were reading their papers, and a group of ladies sat together talking. Edgar sat among them quietly, a trifle pale, with wavering glances. When his mother and the baron appeared in the doorway21, rather embarrassed at encountering him so soon, and began to stammer22 out their excuses prepared in advance, he confronted them calmly, and said to the baron in a tone of challenge:
“I have something to say to you, sir.”
“Very well, later, a little later.”
Edgar, pitching his voice louder and enunciating every word clearly and distinctly, said, so that everyone in the hall could hear:
“Edgar!” cried his mother, feeling all glances upon her, and swooped24 down on him. But Edgar, realizing that she wanted to shout him down, screamed at the top of his voice:
“I say again, in front of everybody, you lied, you lied disgracefully. It was a dirty trick.”
The baron went white, the people stared, some laughed. The mother clutched the boy, who was quivering with excitement, and stammered25 out hoarsely26:
“Go right up to your room, or I’ll give you a beating right here in front of everybody.”
But Edgar had already calmed down. He regretted he had been so violent and was discontented with himself that he had not coolly challenged the baron as he had intended to do. But his anger had been stronger than his will. He turned and walked to the staircase leisurely27, with an air of perfect composure.
“You must excuse him,” the mother still went on, stammering28, confused by the rather wicked glances fixed29 upon her, “he’s a nervous child, you know.”
She was afraid of nothing so much as a scandal, and she knew she must assume innocence30. Instead, therefore, of taking to instant flight, she went up to the desk and asked for her mail and made several other inquiries32 before rustling33 up the stairs as though nothing had happened. But behind her, she was quite conscious, she had left a wake of whispered comment and suppressed giggling34. On the first landing she hesitated, the rest of the steps she mounted more slowly. She was always unequal to a serious situation and was afraid of the inevitable35 explanation with Edgar. She was guilty, she could not deny that, and she dreaded36 the child’s curious gaze, which paralyzed her and filled her with uncertainty37. In her timidity she decided38 to try gentleness, because in a battle the excited child, she knew, was the stronger.
She turned the knob gently. Edgar was sitting there quiet and cool, his eyes, turned upon her at her entrance, not even betraying curiosity. He seemed to be very sure of himself.
“Edgar,” she began, in the motherliest of tones, “what got into you? I was ashamed of you. How can one be so ill-bred, especially a child to a grown-up person? You must ask the baron’s pardon at once.”
“I will not.”
As he spoke Edgar was looking out of the window, and his words might have been meant for the trees. His sureness was beginning to astonish his mother.
“Edgar, what’s the matter with you? You’re so different from what you were. You used to be a good, sensible child with whom a person could reason. And all at once you act as though the devil had got into you. What have you got against the baron? You liked him so much at first. He was so nice to you.”
“Yes, because he wanted to make your acquaintance.”
“Nonsense. How can you think anything like that?"
“He’s a liar13. He’s false through and through. Whatever he does is calculated and common. He wanted to get to know you, so he made friends with me and promised me a dog. I don’t know what he promised you, or why he’s so friendly with you, but he wants something of you, too, mamma, positively40 he does. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be so polite and friendly. He’s a bad man. He lies. Just take a good look at him once, and see how false his eyes are. Oh, I hate him!”
“Edgar, how can you talk like that!” She was confused and did not know what to reply. The feeling stirred in her that the child was right.
“Yes, he’s a bad man, you can’t make me believe he isn’t. You must see he is. Why is he afraid of me? Why does he try to keep out of my way? Because he knows I can see through him and his badness."
“How can you talk like that?” she kept protesting feebly. Her brain seemed to have dried up.
All of a sudden a great fear came upon her, whether of the baron or the boy, she knew not. Edgar saw that his warning was taking effect, and he was lured41 on to win her over to his side and have a comrade in his hate and hostility42 toward the baron. He went over to her gently, put his arms about her, and said in a voice flattering with the excitement quivering in it:
“Mamma, you yourself must have noticed that it isn’t anything good that he wants. He’s made you quite different. You’re the one that’s changed, not I. He set you against me just to have you to himself. I’m sure he means to deceive you. I don’t know what he promised you, but whatever it is, he doesn’t intend to keep his promise. You ought to be careful of him. A man who will lie to one person will lie to another person, too. He’s a bad, bad man. You mustn’t trust him.”
Edgar’s voice, soft and almost tearful, seemed to speak out of her own heart. Since the day before an uncomfortable feeling had been rising in her which told her the same, with growing emphasis. But she was ashamed to tell her own child he was right, and she took refuge, as so many do when under the stress of overwhelming feeling, in rude rejoinder. She straightened herself up.
“Children don’t understand such things. You have no right to mix into such matters. You must behave yourself. That’s all.”
“Very well. I have warned you.”
“Then you won’t ask the baron’s pardon?”
“No.”
They stood confronting each other, and the mother knew her authority was at stake.
“Then you will stay up here and eat by yourself, and you won’t be allowed to come to table and sit with us until you have asked his pardon. I’ll teach you manners. You won’t budge44 from this room until I give you permission to, do you hear?”
Edgar smiled. That cunning smile seemed to be part of his lips now. Inwardly he was angry at himself. How foolish to have let his heart run away with him again and to have tried to warn her, the liar.
His mother rustled45 out without giving him another glance. That caustic46 gaze of his frightened her. The child had become an absolute annoyance to her since she realized that he had his eyes open and said the very things she did not want to know or hear. It was uncanny to have an inner voice, her conscience, dissevered from herself, incorporated in her child, going about as her child, warning her and making fun of her. Until then the child had stayed alongside of her life, as an ornament47, a toy, a thing to love and have confidence in, now and then perhaps a burden, but always something that floated along in the same current as her own life, keeping even pace with it. For the first time this something reared itself up and opposed her will. A feeling akin31 to hate mingled48 itself in her thoughts of her child now. And yet, as she was descending49 the stairs, a little tired, childish voice came from her own breast, saying, “You ought to be careful of him.”
On one of the landings was a mirror. The gleam of it struck her eyes, and she paused to scrutinize50 herself questioningly. She looked deeper and deeper into her own face until the lips of her image parted in a light smile and formed themselves as if to utter a dangerous word. The voice within her was still speaking, but she threw back her shoulders as though to shake off all those invisible thoughts gave her reflection in the glass a bright glance, caught up her skirt, and descended51 the rest of the stairs with the determined52 manner of a player who has tossed his last coin down on the table.
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1
baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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2
pertinacity
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| n.执拗，顽固 | |
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evasion
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| n.逃避，偷漏(税) | |
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4
yoke
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| n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶 | |
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5
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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6
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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7
contemptible
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| adj.可鄙的，可轻视的，卑劣的 | |
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8
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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10
riddle
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| n.谜，谜语，粗筛；vt.解谜，给…出谜，筛，检查，鉴定，非难，充满于；vi.出谜 | |
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11
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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12
scorching
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| adj. 灼热的 | |
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13
liar
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| n.说谎的人 | |
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frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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15
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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16
annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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17
gushed
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| v.喷，涌( gush的过去式和过去分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话 | |
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18
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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19
bliss
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| n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福 | |
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20
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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21
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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stammer
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| n.结巴，口吃；v.结结巴巴地说 | |
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23
villain
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| n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因 | |
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24
swooped
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| 俯冲，猛冲( swoop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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25
stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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26
hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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28
stammering
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的现在分词 ) | |
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29
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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innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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akin
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| adj.同族的，类似的 | |
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32
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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33
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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34
giggling
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| v.咯咯地笑( giggle的现在分词 ) | |
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35
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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36
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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39
Flared
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| adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词 | |
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40
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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41
lured
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| 吸引，引诱（lure的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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42
hostility
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| n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争 | |
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43
congealed
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| v.使凝结，冻结( congeal的过去式和过去分词 )；（指血）凝结 | |
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44
budge
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| v.移动一点儿；改变立场 | |
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45
rustled
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| v.发出沙沙的声音( rustle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
caustic
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| adj.刻薄的，腐蚀性的 | |
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47
ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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48
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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49
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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50
scrutinize
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| n.详细检查，细读 | |
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51
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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52
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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