The crowded room was thick with tobacco smoke. A hundred men or so, garbed2 in furs and warm-colored wools, lined the walls and looked on. But the mumble3 of their general conversation destroyed the spectacular feature of the scene and gave to it the geniality4 of common comradeship. For all its bizarre appearance, it was very like the living-room of the home when the members of the household come together after the work of the day. Kerosene5 lamps and tallow candles glimmered6 feebly in the murky7 atmosphere, while large stoves roared their red-hot and white-hot cheer.
On the floor a score of couples pulsed rhythmically8 to the swinging waltz-time music. Starched9 shirts and frock coats were not. The men wore their wolf- and beaver-skin caps, with the gay-tasselled ear-flaps flying free, while on their feet were the moose-skin moccasins and walrus-hide muclucs of the north. Here and there a woman was in moccasins, though the majority danced in frail10 ball-room slippers11 of silk and satin. At one end of the hall a great open doorway12 gave glimpse of another large room where the crowd was even denser13. From this room, in the lulls14 in the music, came the pop of corks15 and the clink of glasses, and as an undertone the steady click and clatter16 of chips and roulette balls.
The small door at the rear opened, and a woman, befurred and muffled17, came in on a wave of frost. The cold rushed in with her to the warmth, taking form in a misty18 cloud which hung close to the floor, hiding the feet of the dancers, and writhing19 and twisting until vanquished20 by the heat.
"A veritable frost queen, my Lucile," Colonel Trethaway addressed her.
She tossed her head and laughed, and, as she removed her capes21 and street-moccasins, chatted with him gayly. But of Corliss, though he stood within a yard of her, she took no notice. Half a dozen dancing men were waiting patiently at a little distance till she should have done with the colonel. The piano and violin played the opening bars of a schottische, and she turned to go; but a sudden impulse made Corliss step up to her. It was wholly unpremeditated; he had not dreamed of doing it.
"I am very sorry," he said.
Her eyes flashed angrily as she turned upon him.
"I mean it," he repeated, holding out his hand. "I am very sorry. I was a brute22 and a coward. Will you forgive me?"
She hesitated, and, with the wisdom bought of experience, searched him for the ulterior motive23. Then, her face softened24, and she took his hand. A warm mist dimmed her eyes.
"Thank you," she said.
But the waiting men had grown impatient, and she was whirled away in the arms of a handsome young fellow, conspicuous25 in a cap of yellow Siberian wolf-skin. Corliss came back to his companion, feeling unaccountably good and marvelling26 at what he had done.
"It's a damned shame." The colonel's eye still followed Lucile, and Vance understood. "Corliss, I've lived my threescore, and lived them well, and do you know, woman is a greater mystery than ever. Look at them, look at them all!" He embraced the whole scene with his eyes. "Butterflies, bits of light and song and laughter, dancing, dancing down the last tail-reach of hell. Not only Lucile, but the rest of them. Look at May, there, with the brow of a Madonna and the tongue of a gutter-devil. And Myrtle—for all the world one of Gainsborough's old English beauties stepped down from the canvas to riot out the century in Dawson's dance-halls. And Laura, there, wouldn't she make a mother? Can't you see the child in the curve of her arm against her breast! They're the best of the boiling, I know,—a new country always gathers the best,—but there's something wrong, Corliss, something wrong. The heats of life have passed with me, and my vision is truer, surer. It seems a new Christ must arise and preach a new salvation—economic or sociologic—in these latter days, it matters not, so long as it is preached. The world has need of it."
The room was wont27 to be swept by sudden tides, and notably28 between the dances, when the revellers ebbed30 through the great doorway to where corks popped and glasses tinkled31. Colonel Trethaway and Corliss followed out on the next ebb29 to the bar, where fifty men and women were lined up. They found themselves next to Lucile and the fellow in the yellow wolf-skin cap. He was undeniably handsome, and his looks were enhanced by a warm overplus of blood in the cheeks and a certain mellow32 fire in the eyes. He was not technically33 drunk, for he had himself in perfect physical control; but his was the soul-exhilaration which comes of the juice of the grape. His voice was raised the least bit and joyous34, and his tongue made quick and witty—just in the unstable35 condition when vices36 and virtues37 are prone38 to extravagant39 expression.
As he raised his glass, the man next to him accidentally jostled his arm. He shook the wine from his sleeve and spoke40 his mind. It was not a nice word, but one customarily calculated to rouse the fighting blood. And the other man's blood roused, for his fist landed under the wolf-skin cap with force sufficient to drive its owner back against Corliss. The insulted man followed up his attack swiftly. The women slipped away, leaving a free field for the men, some of whom were for crowding in, and some for giving room and fair play.
The wolf-skin cap did not put up a fight or try to meet the wrath41 he had invoked42, but, with his hands shielding his face, strove to retreat. The crowd called upon him to stand up and fight. He nerved himself to the attempt, but weakened as the man closed in on him, and dodged43 away.
"Let him alone. He deserves it," the colonel called to Vance as he showed signs of interfering44. "He won't fight. If he did, I think I could almost forgive him."
"But I can't see him pummelled," Vance objected. "If he would only stand up, it wouldn't seem so brutal45."
The blood was streaming from his nose and from a slight cut over one eye, when Corliss sprang between. He attempted to hold the two men apart, but pressing too hard against the truculent46 individual, overbalanced him and threw him to the floor. Every man has friends in a bar-room fight, and before Vance knew what was taking place he was staggered by a blow from a chum of the man he had downed. Del Bishop47, who had edged in, let drive promptly48 at the man who had attacked his employer, and the fight became general. The crowd took sides on the moment and went at it.
Colonel Trethaway forgot that the heats of life had passed, and swinging a three-legged stool, danced nimbly into the fray49. A couple of mounted police, on liberty, joined him, and with half a dozen others safeguarded the man with the wolf-skin cap.
Fierce though it was, and noisy, it was purely50 a local disturbance51. At the far end of the bar the barkeepers still dispensed52 drinks, and in the next room the music was on and the dancers afoot. The gamblers continued their play, and at only the near tables did they evince any interest in the affair.
"Knock'm down an' drag'm out!" Del Bishop grinned, as he fought for a brief space shoulder to shoulder with Corliss.
Corliss grinned back, met the rush of a stalwart dog-driver with a clinch53, and came down on top of him among the stamping feet. He was drawn54 close, and felt the fellow's teeth sinking into his ear. Like a flash, he surveyed his whole future and saw himself going one-eared through life, and in the same dash, as though inspired, his thumbs flew to the man's eyes and pressed heavily on the balls. Men fell over him and trampled55 upon him, but it all seemed very dim and far away. He only knew, as he pressed with his thumbs, that the man's teeth wavered reluctantly. He added a little pressure (a little more, and the man would have been eyeless), and the teeth slackened and slipped their grip.
After that, as he crawled out of the fringe of the melee56 and came to his feet by the side of the bar, all distaste for fighting left him. He had found that he was very much like other men after all, and the imminent57 loss of part of his anatomy58 had scraped off twenty years of culture. Gambling59 without stakes is an insipid60 amusement, and Corliss discovered, likewise, that the warm blood which rises from hygienic gymnasium work is something quite different from that which pounds hotly along when thew matches thew and flesh impacts on flesh and the stake is life and limb. As he dragged himself to his feet by means of the bar-rail, he saw a man in a squirrel-skin parka lift a beer-mug to hurl61 at Trethaway, a couple of paces off. And the fingers, which were more used to test-tubes and water colors, doubled into a hard fist which smote62 the mug-thrower cleanly on the point of the jaw63. The man merely dropped the glass and himself on the floor. Vance was dazed for the moment, then he realized that he had knocked the man unconscious,—the first in his life,—and a pang64 of delight thrilled through him.
Colonel Trethaway thanked him with a look, and shouted, "Get on the outside! Work to the door, Corliss! Work to the door!"
Quite a struggle took place before the storm-doors could be thrown open; but the colonel, still attached to the three-legged stool, effectually dissipated the opposition65, and the Opera House disgorged its turbulent contents into the street. This accomplished66, hostilities67 ceased, after the manner of such fights, and the crowd scattered68. The two policemen went back to keep order, accompanied by the rest of the allies, while Corliss and the colonel, followed by the Wolf-Skin Cap and Del Bishop, proceeded up the street.
"Blood and sweat! Blood and sweat!" Colonel Trethaway exulted69. "Talk about putting the vim70 into one! Why, I'm twenty years younger if I'm a day! Corliss, your hand. I congratulate you, I do, I heartily71 do. Candidly72, I didn't think it was in you. You're a surprise, sir, a surprise!"
"And a surprise to myself," Corliss answered. The reaction had set in, and he was feeling sick and faint. "And you, also, are a surprise. The way you handled that stool—"
"Yes, now! I flatter myself I did fairly well with it. Did you see—well, look at that!" He held up the weapon in question, still tightly clutched, and joined in the laugh against himself.
"Whom have I to thank, gentlemen?"
They had come to a pause at the corner, and the man they had rescued was holding out his hand.
"My name is St. Vincent," he went on, "and—"
"St. Vincent, Gregory St. Vincent—"
Bishop's fist shot out, and Gregory St. Vincent pitched heavily into the snow. The colonel instinctively74 raised the stool, then helped Corliss to hold the pocket-miner back.
"Are you crazy, man?" Vance demanded.
"The skunk75! I wish I'd hit 'm harder!" was the response. Then, "Oh, that's all right. Let go o' me. I won't hit 'm again. Let go o' me, I'm goin' home. Good-night."
As they helped St. Vincent to his feet, Vance could have sworn he heard the colonel giggling76. And he confessed to it later, as he explained, "It was so curious and unexpected." But he made amends77 by taking it upon himself to see St. Vincent home.
"But why did you hit him?" Corliss asked, unavailingly, for the fourth time after he had got into his cabin.
"What'd you stop me for, anyway? I wish I'd hit 'm twice as hard!"
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1
potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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garbed
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| v.（尤指某类人穿的特定）服装，衣服，制服( garb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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mumble
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| n./v.喃喃而语，咕哝 | |
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geniality
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| n.和蔼，诚恳；愉快 | |
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kerosene
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| n.(kerosine)煤油，火油 | |
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glimmered
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| v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7
murky
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| adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗 | |
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rhythmically
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| adv.有节奏地 | |
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starched
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| adj.浆硬的，硬挺的，拘泥刻板的v.把（衣服、床单等）浆一浆( starch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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10
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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11
slippers
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| n. 拖鞋 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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13
denser
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| adj. 不易看透的, 密集的, 浓厚的, 愚钝的 | |
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14
lulls
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| n.间歇期（lull的复数形式）vt.使镇静，使安静（lull的第三人称单数形式） | |
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15
corks
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| n.脐梅衣；软木( cork的名词复数 )；软木塞 | |
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16
clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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17
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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18
misty
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| adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的 | |
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writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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vanquished
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| v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制 | |
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21
capes
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| 碎谷； 斗篷( cape的名词复数 )； 披肩； 海角； 岬 | |
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22
brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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24
softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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25
conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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26
marvelling
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| v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的现在分词 ) | |
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wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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notably
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| adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地 | |
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ebb
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| vi.衰退，减退；n.处于低潮，处于衰退状态 | |
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30
ebbed
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| （指潮水）退( ebb的过去式和过去分词 )； 落； 减少； 衰落 | |
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31
tinkled
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| （使）发出丁当声，（使）发铃铃声( tinkle的过去式和过去分词 )； 叮当响着发出，铃铃响着报出 | |
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32
mellow
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| adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟 | |
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technically
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| adv.专门地，技术上地 | |
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joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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unstable
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| adj.不稳定的，易变的 | |
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36
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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virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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38
prone
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| adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的 | |
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39
extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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40
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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41
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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42
invoked
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| v.援引( invoke的过去式和过去分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求 | |
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43
dodged
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| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
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44
interfering
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| adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词 | |
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45
brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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46
truculent
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| adj.野蛮的，粗野的 | |
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47
bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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48
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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49
fray
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| v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗 | |
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50
purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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51
disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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52
dispensed
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| v.分配( dispense的过去式和过去分词 )；施与；配（药） | |
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53
clinch
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| v.敲弯，钉牢；确定；扭住对方 [参]clench | |
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54
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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55
trampled
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| 踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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56
melee
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| n.混战；混战的人群 | |
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57
imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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58
anatomy
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| n.解剖学，解剖；功能，结构，组织 | |
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59
gambling
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| n.赌博；投机 | |
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60
insipid
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| adj.无味的，枯燥乏味的，单调的 | |
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61
hurl
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| vt.猛投，力掷，声叫骂 | |
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62
smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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63
jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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64
pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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65
opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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66
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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67
hostilities
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| n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事 | |
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68
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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69
exulted
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| 狂喜，欢跃( exult的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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70
vim
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| n.精力，活力 | |
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71
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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72
candidly
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| adv.坦率地，直率而诚恳地 | |
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73
queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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74
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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75
skunk
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| n.臭鼬，黄鼠狼；v.使惨败，使得零分；烂醉如泥 | |
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76
giggling
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| v.咯咯地笑( giggle的现在分词 ) | |
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77
amends
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| n. 赔偿 | |
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78
gritted
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| v.以沙砾覆盖（某物），撒沙砾于( grit的过去式和过去分词 )；咬紧牙关 | |
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