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Lady Baltimore-Part2_Owen Wister(1860-1938)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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weddings; at any rate, swift, sudden delicacy of feeling prevented her



explaining any more to him, for she saw how it was: his means were too

humble for the approved kind of wedding cake! She was too young, too



unskilled yet in the world's ways, to rise above her embarrassment; and so

she stood blushing at him behind the counter, while he stood blushing at



her in front of it.

At length he succeeded in speaking. "That's all, I believe.



Good-morning."

At his hastily departing back she, too, murmured: "Good-morning."



Before I knew it I had screamed out loudly from my table: "But he hasn't

told you the day he wants it for!"



Before she knew it she had flown to the door--my cry had set her going,

as if I had touched a spring--and there he was at the door himself,



rushing back. He, too, had remembered. It was almost a collision, and

nothing but their good Southern breeding, the way they took it, saved it



from being like a rowdy farce.

"I know," he said simply and immediately. "I am sorry to be so careless.



It's for the twenty-seventh."

She was writing it down in the order-book. "Very well. That is Wednesday



of next week. You have given us more time than we need." She put

complete, impersonal business into her tone; and this time he marched off



in good order, leaving peace in the Woman's Exchange.

No, not peace; quiet, merely; the girl at the counter now proceeded to



grow indignant with me. We were alone together, we two; no young man, or

any other business, occupied her or protected me. But if you suppose that



she made war, or expressed rage by speaking, that is not it at all. From

her counter in front to my table at the back she made her displeasure



felt; she was inaudibly crushing; she did not do it even with her eye,

she managed it--well, with her neck, somehow, and by the way she made her



nose look in profile. Aunt Carola would have embraced her--and I should

have liked to do so myself. She could not stand the idea of my having,



after all these days of official reserve that she had placed between us,

startled her into that rush to the door annihilated her dignity at a



blow. So did I finish my sandwiches beneath her invisible but eloquent

fire. What affair of mine was the cake? And what sort of impertinent,



meddlesome person was I, shrieking out my suggestions to people with whom

I had no acquaintance? These were the things that her nose and her neck



said to me the whole length of the Exchange. I had nothing but my own

weakness to thank; it was my interest in weddings that did it, made me



forget my decorum, the public place, myself, everything, and plunge in.

And I became more and more delighted over it as the girl continued to



crush me. My day had been dull, my researches had not brought me a whit

nearer royal blood; I looked at my little bill-of-fare, and then I



stepped forward to the counter, adventurous, but polite.

"I should like a slice, if you please, of Lady Baltimore," I said with



extreme formality.

I thought she was going to burst; but after an interesting second she



replied, "Certainly," in her fit Regular Exchange tone; only, I thought

it trembled a little.



I returned to the table and she brought me the cake, and I had my first

felicitous meeting with Lady Baltimore. Oh, my goodness! Did you ever



taste it? It's all soft, and it's in layers, and it has nuts--but I can't

write any more about it; my mouth waters too much.



Delighted surprise caused me once more to speak aloud, and with my mouth

full. "But, dear me, this Is delicious!



A choking ripple of laughter came from the counter. "It's I who make

them," said the girl. "I thank you for the unintentional compliment."



Then she walked straight back to my table. "I can't help it," she said,

laughing still, and her delightful, insolent nose well up; "how can I



behave myself when a man goes on as you do?" A nice white curly dog

followed her, and she stroked his ears.



"Your behavior is very agreeable to me," I remarked.

"You'll allow me to say that you're not invited to criticise it. I was



decidedly put out with you for making me ridiculous. But you have admired

my cake with such enthusiasm that you are forgiven. And--may I hope that



you are getting on famously with the battle of Cowpens?"

I stared. "I'm frankly very much astonished that you should know about



that!"

"Oh, you're just known all about in Kings Port."



I wish that our miserablealphabet could in some way render the soft




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