CHAPTER IV

SHE could not bring himself to speak to Rosalind about the woman in the alcove¹. He wanted to speak—to do away, once for all, with the strangeness and the spell she seemed to have cast about him, to speak of her casually² as that woman I saw the other day at Merwin’s; but he could not do it. It was as if he were afraid—or bashful. He had not felt like this since—not since he was in love—with Rosalind! He looked at the thought and turned it over slowly. He was not in love with the woman—certainly he was not in love with her! He would not know her again if he met her on the street.... Would he not! Suddenly he felt that he had known her always—longer than he had known Rosalind—longer than he had been alive! He found himself wondering about the world—how it was the world got into existence—what were men doing in it—and women—and his mind travelled out into space—great stars swung away mistily—what did it mean—all his world and stars?... Perhaps if he saw her again, just a few minutes, he would feel like himself again.... It was worth trying—and how he wanted—to—see her! Well, what of that? There was nothing wrong in being curious about a woman like that. If she had some uncanny power over him he might as well find it out—fight it!

 

He was respectable—he was a married man.... And what had Rosalind to do with it? Perhaps it was Rosalind. He should never quiet down till he knew. There was something in his blood. The next time he was passing Merwin’s he would go in....

 

He passed Merwin’s that afternoon—and went in. But she was not there. He sat a little while in the quiet of the place, looking across to the alcove where the woman had been. There was no one in it and the curtains were drawn³ back. Each time a stir came from the swinging doors or a dress rustled⁴ beside him he half turned and held his breath till it passed and took its place at one of the little tables or in an alcove. But the third alcove on the right remained empty. No quiet figure moved with soft grace and seated itself there... no one but Eldridge saw the figure—the gentle, bending line of the neck, the little droop⁵ of the face.... If only she would lift it or turn to him a minute.... And then the still, clear emptiness of the place swept between; the green curtains framed it, as if it were a picture, a little antechamber leading somewhere....

 

Eldridge shook himself and took his hat and went out. The doors swung silently behind him—he would never go in there again! He was a fool—a soft fool! Then he almost stopped in the crowd of the street.... And he knew suddenly that he would go back. He would go—again and again—he could not help himself. But he was not in love—he had been in love—with Rosalind—and it was not like this.... A policeman thrust out an arm and stopped him, and he waited for the traffic to stream past.... He was not in love—only curious about the woman; it teased⁶ him not to know who she was... and why he had been so sure that she was Rosalind. If he could see her again—just a minute—long enough to make sure, he would not care if he never saw her again. He was loyal, of course, to Rosalind, more loyal than he had ever been. It seemed curious how the woman had made him see Rosalind—all the plainness of her filled with something strange and sweet—like moonlight or a quiet place.

1 alcove   

n.凹室

参考例句：

• The bookcase fits neatly into the alcove.书架正好放得进壁凹。
• In the alcoves on either side of the fire were bookshelves.火炉两边的凹室里是书架。

2 casually   

adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地

参考例句：

• She remarked casually that she was changing her job.她当时漫不经心地说要换工作。
• I casually mentioned that I might be interested in working abroad.我不经意地提到我可能会对出国工作感兴趣。

3 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

4 rustled   

v.发出沙沙的声音( rustle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He rustled his papers. 他把试卷弄得沙沙地响。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Leaves rustled gently in the breeze. 树叶迎着微风沙沙作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 droop   

v.低垂，下垂；凋萎，萎靡

参考例句：

• The heavy snow made the branches droop.大雪使树枝垂下来。
• Don't let your spirits droop.不要萎靡不振。

6 teased   

v.取笑，戏弄( tease的过去式和过去分词 )；梳理（羊毛等）

参考例句：

• He took a screwdriver and teased out the remaining screws. 他拿出螺丝刀把其余的螺丝卸了下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I felt annoyance at being teased. 我恼恨别人取笑我。 来自《简明英汉词典》