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Lady Baltimore-Part4_Owen Wister(1860-1938)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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true Kings Port honor, and does not in the least--is his renouncing her

on account of the phosphates--the bad news, I mean. They could live on



what he has--not at all in her way, though--and besides, after once

offering his genuine, ardent, foolish love--for it was genuine enough at



the time--John would never--"

She stopped; but I took her up. "Did I understand you to say that his



love was genuine at the lime?"

"Oh, he thinks it is now--insists it is now! That is just precisely what



would make him--do you not see?--stick to his colors all the closer."

"Goodness!" I murmured." What a predicament!"



But my hostess nodded easily. "Oh, no. You will see. They will all see."

I rose to take my leave; my visit, indeed, had been, for very interest,



prolonged beyond the limits of formality--my hostess had attended quite

thoroughly to my being entertained. And at this point the other, the more



severe and elderly lady, made her contribution to my entertainment. She

had kept silence, I now felt sure, because gossip was neither her habit



nor to her liking. Possibly she may have also felt that her displeasure

had been too manifest; at any rate, she spoke out of her silence in cold,



yet rich, symmetrical tones.

"This, I understand, is your first visit to Kings Port?"



I told her that it was.

She laid down her exquisiteembroidery. "It has been thought a place



worth seeing. There is no town of such historic interest at the North."

Standing by my chair, I assured her that I did not think there could be.



"I heard you allude to my half-sister-in-law, Mrs. Weguelin St. Michael.

It was at the house where she now lives that the famous Miss Beaufain (as



she was then) put the Earl of Mainridge in his place, at the reception

which her father gave the English visitor in 1840. The Earl conducted



himself as so many Englishmen seem to think they can in this country; and

on her asking him how he liked America, he replied, very well, except for



the people, who were so vulgar.

"'What can you expect?' said Miss Beaufain; 'we're descended from the



English.'"

"But I suppose you will tell me that your Northern beauties can easily



outmatch such wit."

I hastened to disclaim any such pretension; and having expressed my



appreciation of the anecdote, I moved to the door as the stately lady

resumed her embroidery.



My hostess had a last word for me. "Do not let the cake worry you."

Outside the handsome old iron gate I looked at my watch and found that



for this day I could spend no more time upon visiting.

IV: THE GIRL BEHIND THE COUNTER--I



I fear--no; to say one "fears" that one has stepped aside from the narrow

path of duty, when one knows perfectly well that one has done so, is a



ridiculous half-dodging of the truth; let me dismiss from my service such

a cowardly circumlocution, and squarely say that I neglected the Cowpens



during certain days which now followed. Nay, more; I totally deserted

them. Although I feel quite sure that to discover one is a real king's



descendant must bring an exultation of no mean order to the heart,

there's no exultationwhatever in failing to discover this, day after



day. Mine is a nature which demands results, or at any rate signs of

results coming sooner or later. Even the most abandoned fisherman



requires a bite now and then; but my fishing for Fannings had not yet

brought me one single nibble--and I gave up the sad sport for a while.



The beautiful weather took me out of doors over the land, and also over

the water, for I am a great lover of sailing; and I found a little



cat-boat and a little negro, both of which suited me very well. I spent

many delightful hours in their company among the deeps and shallows of



these fair Southern waters.

And indoors, also, I made most agreeable use of my time, in spite of one



disappointment when, on the day following my visit to the ladies, I re-

turned full of expectancy to lunch at the Woman's exchange, the girl



behind the counter was not there. I found in her stead, it is true, a

most polite lady, who provided me with chocolate and sandwiches that were



just as good as their predecessors; but she was of advanced years, and

little inclined to light conversation. Beyond telling me that Miss Eliza



La Heu was indisposed, but not gravely so, and that she was not likely to

be long away from her post of duty, this lady furnished me with scant



information.

Now I desired a great deal of information. To learn of an imminent



wedding where the bridegroom attends to the cake, and is suspected of




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