Daughter of a struggling suburban5 solicitor6, Rita Esden, at the age of seventeen, from a delicate and rather commonplace child began to develop into a singularly pretty girl of an elusive7 and fascinating type of beauty, almost ethereal in her dainty coloring, and possessed8 of large and remarkably9 fine eyes, together with a wealth of copper-red hair, a crown which seemed too heavy for her slender neck to support. Her father viewed her increasing charms and ever-growing list of admirers with the gloomy apprehension11 of a disappointed man who had come to look upon each gift of the gods as a new sorrow cunningly disguised. Her mother, on the contrary, fanned the girl's natural vanity and ambition with a success which rarely attended the enterprises of this foolish old woman, and Rita proving to be endowed with a moderately good voice, a stage career was determined12 upon without reference to the contrary wishes of Mr. Esden.
Following the usual brief “training” which is counted sufficient for an aspirant13 to musical comedy honors, Rita, by the prefixing of two letters to her name, set out to conquer the play-going world as Rita Dresden.
Two years of hard work and disappointment served to dispel14 the girl's illusions. She learned to appreciate at its true value that masculine admiration15 which, in an unusual degree, she had the power to excite. Those of her admirers who were in a position to assist her professionally were only prepared to use their influence upon terms which she was unprepared to accept. Those whose intentions were strictly16 creditable, by some malignancy of fate, possessed no influence whatever. She came to regard herself as a peculiarly unlucky girl, being ignorant of the fact that Fortune, an impish hierophant, imposes identical tests upon every candidate who aspires17 to the throne of a limelight princess.
Matters stood thus when a new suitor appeared in the person of Sir Lucien Pyne. When his card was brought up to Rita, her heart leaped because of a mingled18 emotion of triumph and fear which the sight of the baronet's name had occasioned. He was a director of the syndicate in whose production she was playing—a man referred to with awe19 by every girl in the company as having it in his power to make or mar10 a professional reputation. Not that he took any active part in the affairs of the concern; on the contrary, he was an aristocrat20 who held himself aloof21 from all matters smacking22 of commerce, but at the same time one who invested his money shrewdly. Sir Lucien's protegee of today was London's idol23 of tomorrow, and even before Rita had spoken to him she had fought and won a spiritual battle between her true self and that vain, admiration-loving Rita Dresden who favored capitulation.
She knew that Sir Lucien's card represented a signpost at the cross-roads where many a girl, pretty but not exceptionally talented, had hesitated with beating heart. It was no longer a question of remaining a member of the chorus (and understudy for a small part) or of accepting promotion24 to “lead” in a new production; it was that of accepting whatever Sir Lucien chose to offer—or of retiring from the profession so far as this powerful syndicate was concerned.
Such was the reputation enjoyed at this time by Sir Lucien Pyne among those who had every opportunity of forming an accurate opinion.
Nevertheless, Rita was determined not to succumb25 without a struggle. She did not count herself untalented nor a girl to be lightly valued, and Sir Lucien might prove to be less black than rumor26 had painted him. As presently appeared, both in her judgment27 of herself and in that of Sir Lucien, she was at least partially28 correct. He was very courteous29, very respectful, and highly attentive30.
Her less favored companions smiled significantly when the familiar Rolls-Royce appeared at the stage door night after night, never doubting that Rita Dresden was chosen to “star” in the forthcoming production, but, with rare exceptions, frankly31 envying her this good fortune.
Rita made no attempt to disillusion32 them, recognizing that it must fail. She was resigned to being misjudged. If she could achieve success at that price, success would have been purchased cheaply.
That Sir Lucien was deeply infatuated she was not slow to discover, and with an address perfected by experience and a determination to avoid the easy path inherited from a father whose scrupulous33 honesty had ruined his professional prospects34, she set to work to win esteem35 as well as admiration.
Sir Lucien was first surprised, then piqued36, and finally interested by such unusual tactics. The second phase was the dangerous one for Rita, and during a certain luncheon37 at Romanos her fate hung in the balance. Sir Lucien realized that he was in peril38 of losing his head over this tantalizingly39 pretty girl who gracefully40 kept him at a distance, fencing with an adroitness41 which was baffling, and Sir Lucien Pyne had set out with no intention of doing anything so preposterous42 as falling in love. Keenly intuitive, Rita scented43 danger and made a bold move. Carelessly rolling a bread-crumb along the cloth:
“I am giving up the stage when the run finishes,” she said.
“Indeed,” replied Sir Lucien imperturbably44. “Why?”
“I am tired of stage life. I have been invited to go and live with my uncle in New York and have decided45 to accept. You see”—she bestowed46 upon him a swift glance of her brilliant eyes—“men in the theatrical47 world are not all like you. Real friends, I mean. It isn't very nice, sometimes.”
Sir Lucien deliberately48 lighted a cigarette. If Rita was bluffing50, he mused51, she had the pluck to make good her bluff49. And if she did so? He dropped the extinguished match upon a plate. Did he care? He glanced at the girl, who was smiling at an acquaintance on the other side of the room. Fortune's wheel spins upon a needle point. By an artistic52 performance occupying less than two minutes, but suggesting that Rita possessed qualities which one day might spell success, she had decided her fate. Her heart was beating like a hammer in her breast, but she preserved an attitude of easy indifference53. Without for a moment believing in the American uncle, Sir Lucien did believe, correctly, that Rita Dresden was about to elude54 him. He realized, too, that he was infinitely55 more interested than he had ever been hitherto, and more interested than he had intended to become.
This seemingly trivial conversation was a turning point, and twelve months later Rita Dresden was playing the title role in The Maid of the Masque. Sir Lucien had discovered himself to be really in love with her, and he might quite possibly have offered her marriage even if a dangerous rival had not appeared to goad56 him to that desperate leap—for so he regarded it. Monte Irvin, although considerably57 Rita's senior, had much to commend him in the eyes of the girl—and in the eyes of her mother, who still retained a curious influence over her daughter. He was much more wealthy than Pyne, and although the latter was a baronet, Irvin was certain to be knighted ere long, so that Rita would secure the appendage58 of “Lady” in either case. Also, his reputation promised a more reliable husband than Sir Lucien could be expected to make. Moreover, Rita liked him, whereas she had never sincerely liked and trusted Sir Lucien. And there was a final reason—of which Mrs. Esden knew nothing.
On the first night that Rita had been entrusted59 with a part of any consequence—and this was shortly after the conversation at Romanos—she had discovered herself to be in a state of hopeless panic. All her scheming and fencing would have availed her nothing if she were to break down at the critical moment. It was an eventuality which Sir Lucien had foreseen, and he seized the opportunity at once of securing a new hold upon the girl and of rendering60 her more pliable61 than he had hitherto found her to be. At this time the idea of marriage had not presented itself to Sir Lucien.
Some hours before the performance he detected her condition of abject62 fright... and from his waistcoat pocket he took a little gold snuff-box.
At first the girl declined to follow advice which instinctively64 she distrusted, and Sir Lucien was too clever to urge it upon her. But he glanced casually65 at his wrist-watch—and poor Rita shuddered66. The gold box was hidden again in the baronet's pocket.
To analyze67 the process which thereupon took place in Rita's mind would be a barren task, since its result was a foregone conclusion. Daring ambition rather than any merely abstract virtue69 was the keynote of her character. She had rebuffed the advances of Sir Lucien as she had rebuffed others, primarily because her aim in life was set higher than mere68 success in light comedy. This she counted but a means to a more desirable end—a wealthy marriage. To the achievement of such an alliance the presence of an accepted lover would be an obstacle; and true love Rita Dresden had never known. Yet, short of this final sacrifice which some women so lightly made, there were few scruples70 which she was not prepared to discard in furtherance of her designs. Her morality, then, was diplomatic, for the vice63 of ambition may sometimes make for virtue.
Rita's vivacious71 beauty and perfect self-possession on the fateful night earned her a permanent place in stageland: Rita Dresden became a “star.” She had won a long and hard-fought battle; but in avoiding one master she had abandoned herself to another.
The triumph of her debut72 left her strangely exhausted73. She dreaded74 the coming of the second night almost as keenly as she had dreaded the ordeal75 of the first. She struggled, poor victim, and only increased her terrors. Not until the clock showed her that in twenty minutes she must make her first entrance did she succumb. But Sir Lucien's gold snuff-box lay upon her dressing-table—and she was trembling. When at last she heard the sustained note of the oboe in the orchestra giving the pitch to the answering violins, she raised the jewelled lid of the box.
So she entered upon the path which leads down to destruction, and since to conjure76 with the drug which pharmacists know as methylbenzoyl ecgonine is to raise the demon77 Insomnia78, ere long she found herself exploring strange by-paths in quest of sleep.
By the time that she was entrusted with the leading part in The Maid of the Masque, she herself did not recognize how tenacious79 was the hold which this fatal habit had secured upon her. In the company of Sir Lucien Pyne she met other devotees, and for a time came to regard her unnatural80 mode of existence as something inseparable from the Bohemian life. To the horrible side of it she was blind.
It was her meeting with Monte Irvin during the run of this successful play which first awakened81 a dawning comprehension; not because she ascribed his admiration to her artificial vivacity82, but because she realized the strength of the link subsisting83 between herself and Sir Lucien. She liked and respected Irvin, and as a result began to view her conduct from a new standpoint. His life was so entirely84 open and free from reproach while part of her own was dark and secret. She conceived a desire to be done with that dark and secret life.
This was a shadow-land over which Sir Lucien Pyne presided, and which must be kept hidden from Monte Irvin; and it was not until she thus contemplated85 cutting herself adrift from it all that she perceived the Gordian knot which bound her to the drug coterie86. How far, yet how smoothly87, by all but imperceptible stages she had glided88 down the stream since that night when the gold box had lain upon her dressing-table! Kazmah's drug store in Bond Street had few secrets for her; or so she believed. She knew that the establishment of the strange, immobile Egyptian was a source from which drugs could always be obtained; she knew that the dream-reading business served some double purpose; but she did not know the identity of Kazmah.
Two of the most insidious89 drugs familiar to modern pharmacy90 were wooing her to slavery, and there was no strong hand to hold her back. Even the presence of her mother might have offered some slight deterrent91 at this stage of Rita's descent, but the girl had quitted her suburban home as soon as her salary had rendered her sufficiently92 independent to do so, and had established herself in a small but elegant flat situated93 in the heart of theatreland.
But if she had walked blindly into the clutches of cocaine94 and veronal, her subsequent experiments with chandu were prompted by indefensible curiosity, and a false vanity which urged her to do everything that was “done” by the ultra-smart and vicious set of which she had become a member.
Her first introduction to opium-smoking was made under the auspices95 of an American comedian96 then appearing in London, an old devotee of the poppy, and it took place shortly after Sir Lucien Pyne had proposed marriage to Rita. This proposal she had not rejected outright97; she had pleaded time for consideration. Monte Irvin was away, and Rita secretly hoped that on his return he would declare himself. Meanwhile she indulged in every new craze which became fashionable among her associates. A chandu party took place at the American's flat in Duke Street, and Rita, who had been invited, and who had consented to go with Sir Lucien Pyne, met there for the first time the woman variously known as “Lola” and “Mrs. Sin.”
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1
investigators
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| n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 ) | |
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horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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prudish
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| adj.装淑女样子的，装规矩的，过分规矩的；adv.过分拘谨地 | |
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compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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suburban
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| adj.城郊的，在郊区的 | |
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solicitor
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| n.初级律师，事务律师 | |
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elusive
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| adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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mar
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| vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟 | |
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apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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aspirant
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| n.热望者；adj.渴望的 | |
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dispel
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| vt.驱走，驱散，消除 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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aspires
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| v.渴望，追求( aspire的第三人称单数 ) | |
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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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awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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aristocrat
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| n.贵族，有贵族气派的人，上层人物 | |
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aloof
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| adj.远离的；冷淡的，漠不关心的 | |
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smacking
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| 活泼的，发出响声的，精力充沛的 | |
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idol
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| n.偶像，红人，宠儿 | |
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promotion
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| n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传 | |
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succumb
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| v.屈服，屈从；死 | |
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rumor
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| n.谣言，谣传，传说 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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disillusion
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| vt.使不再抱幻想，使理想破灭 | |
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scrupulous
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| adj.审慎的，小心翼翼的，完全的，纯粹的 | |
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prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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esteem
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| n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作 | |
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piqued
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| v.伤害…的自尊心( pique的过去式和过去分词 )；激起（好奇心） | |
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luncheon
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| n.午宴，午餐，便宴 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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tantalizingly
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| adv.…得令人着急，…到令人着急的程度 | |
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gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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adroitness
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42
preposterous
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| adj.荒谬的，可笑的 | |
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43
scented
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| adj.有香味的；洒香水的；有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词) | |
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imperturbably
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| adv.泰然地，镇静地，平静地 | |
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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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bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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theatrical
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| adj.剧场的，演戏的；做戏似的，做作的 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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bluffing
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| n. 威吓，唬人 动词bluff的现在分词形式 | |
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51
mused
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| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
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artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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54
elude
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| v.躲避，困惑 | |
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55
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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56
goad
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| n.刺棒，刺痛物；激励；vt.激励，刺激 | |
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considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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appendage
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| n.附加物 | |
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entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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rendering
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| n.表现，描写 | |
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pliable
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| adj.易受影响的；易弯的；柔顺的，易驾驭的 | |
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abject
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| adj.极可怜的，卑屈的 | |
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vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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casually
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| adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地 | |
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shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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67
analyze
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| vt.分析，解析 (=analyse) | |
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68
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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scruples
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| n.良心上的不安( scruple的名词复数 )；顾虑，顾忌v.感到于心不安，有顾忌( scruple的第三人称单数 ) | |
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vivacious
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| adj.活泼的，快活的 | |
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debut
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| n.首次演出，初次露面 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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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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ordeal
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| n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验 | |
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conjure
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| v.恳求，祈求；变魔术，变戏法 | |
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demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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insomnia
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| n.失眠，失眠症 | |
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tenacious
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| adj.顽强的，固执的，记忆力强的，粘的 | |
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80
unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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81
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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82
vivacity
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| n.快活，活泼，精神充沛 | |
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subsisting
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| v.（靠很少的钱或食物）维持生活，生存下去( subsist的现在分词 ) | |
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84
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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85
contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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86
coterie
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| n.(有共同兴趣的)小团体，小圈子 | |
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87
smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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88
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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89
insidious
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| adj.阴险的，隐匿的，暗中为害的，（疾病）不知不觉之间加剧 | |
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90
pharmacy
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| n.药房，药剂学，制药业，配药业，一批备用药品 | |
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91
deterrent
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| n.阻碍物，制止物；adj.威慑的，遏制的 | |
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92
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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93
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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94
cocaine
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| n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂） | |
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95
auspices
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| n.资助，赞助 | |
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96
comedian
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| n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员 | |
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97
outright
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| adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的 | |
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