第 10 节
作者:理性的思索      更新:2024-09-11 20:30      字数:9322
  udy。  If you; miss; were a stunning New York girl; and saw every  day that a brown; ingenuous Western witch was getting hobbles and a  lasso on the young man you wanted for yourself; you; too; would lose  taste for the oxidized…silver setting of a musical comedy。
  Barbara sat by the quartered…oak library table。  Her right arm rested  upon the table; and her dextral fingers nervously manipulated a sealed  letter。  The letter was addressed to Nevada Warren; and in the upper  left…hand corner of the envelope was Gilbert's little gold palette。   It had been delivered at nine o'clock; after Nevada had left。
  Barbara would have given her pearl necklace to know what the letter  contained; but she could not open and read it by the aid of steam; or  a pen…handle; or a hair…pin; or any of the generally approved methods;  because her position in society forbade such an act。  She had tried to  read some of the lines of the letter by holding the envelope up to a  strong light and pressing it hard against the paper; but Gilbert had  too good a taste in stationery to make that possible。
  At eleven…thirty the theatre…goers returned。  it was a delicious  winter night。  Even so far as from the cab to the door they were  powdered thickly with the big flakes downpouring diagonally from the  cast。  Old Jerome growled good…naturedly about villanous cab service  and blockaded streets。  Nevada; colored like a rose; with sapphire  eyes; babbled of the stormy nights in the mountains around dad's  cabin。  During all these wintry apostrophes; Barbara; cold at heart;  sawed woodthe only appropriate thing she could think of to do。
  Old Jerome went immediately up…stairs to hot…water…bottles and  quinine。  Nevada fluttered into the study; the only cheerfully lighted  room; subsided into an arm…chair; and; while at the interminable task  of unbuttoning her elbow gloves; gave oral testimony as to the  demerits of the 〃show。〃
  〃Yes; I think Mr。  Fields is really amusingsometimes;〃 said Barbara。   〃Here is a letter for you; dear; that came by special delivery just  after you had gone。〃
  〃Who is it from?〃 asked Nevada; tugging at a button。
  〃Well; really;〃 said Barbara; with a smile; 〃I can only guess。  The  envelope has that queer little thing in one corner that Gilbert calls  a palette; but which looks to me rather like a gilt heart on a school… girl's valentine。〃
  〃I wonder what he's writing to me about〃 remarked Nevada; listlessly。
  〃We're all alike;〃 said Barbara; 〃all women。  We try to find out what  is in a letter by studying the postmark。  As a last resort we use  scissors; and read it from the bottom upward。  Here it is。〃
  She made a motion as if to toss the letter across the table to Nevada。
  〃Great catamounts!〃 exclaimed Nevada。  〃These centre…fire buttons are  a nuisance。  I'd rather wear buckskins。  Oh; Barbara; please shuck the  hide off that letter and read it。  It'll be midnight before I get  these gloves off!〃
  〃Why; dear; you don't want me to open Gilbert's letter to you?  It's  for you; and you wouldn't wish any one else to read it; of course!〃
  Nevada raised her steady; calm; sapphire eyes from her gloves。
  〃Nobody writes me anything that everybody mightn't read;〃 she said。   〃Go on; Barbara。  Maybe Gilbert wants us to go out in his car again  to…morrow。〃
  Curiosity can do more things than kill a cat; and if emotions; well  recognized as feminine; are inimical to feline life; then jealousy  would soon leave the whole world catless。  Barbara opened the letter;  with an indulgent; slightly bored air。
  〃Well; dear;〃 said she; 〃I'll read it if you want me to。〃
  She slit the envelope; and read the missive with swift…travelling  eyes; read it again; and cast a quick; shrewd glance at Nevada; who;  for the time; seemed to consider gloves as the world of her interest;  and letters from rising artists as no more than messages from Mars。
  For a quarter of a minute Barbara looked at Nevada with a strange  steadfastness; and then a smile so small that it widened her mouth  only the sixteenth part of an inch; and narrowed her eyes no more than  a twentieth; flashed like an inspired thought across her face。
  Since the beginning no woman has been a mystery to another woman   Swift as light travels; each penetrates the heart and mind of another;  sifts her sister's words of their cunningest disguises; reads her most  hidden desires; and plucks the sophistry from her wiliest talk like  hairs from a comb; twiddling them sardonically between her thumb and  fingers before letting them float away on the breezes of fundamental  doubt。  Long ago Eve's son rang the door…bell of the family residence  in Paradise Park; bearing a strange lady on his arm; whom he  introduced。  Eve took her daughter…in…law aside and lifted a classic  eyebrow。
  〃The Land of Nod;〃 said the bride; languidly flirting the leaf of a  palm。  ''I suppose you've been there; of course?〃
  〃Not lately;〃 said Eve; absolutely unstaggered。  〃Don't you think the  apple…sauce they serve over there is execrable?  I rather like that  mulberry…leaf tunic effect; dear; but; of course; the real fig goods  are not to be had over there。  Come over behind this lilac…bush while  the gentlemen split a celery tonic。  I think the caterpillar…holes  have made your dress open a little in the back。〃
  So; then and thereaccording to the recordswas the alliance formed  by the only two who's…who ladies in the world。  Then it was agreed  that woman should forever remain as clear as a pane of glass…though  glass was yet to be discovered…to other women; and that she should  palm herself off on man as a mystery。
  Barbara seemed to hesitate。
  〃Really; Nevada;〃 she said; with a little show of embarrassment; 〃you  shouldn't have insisted on my opening this。  I…I'm sure it wasn't  meant for any one else to know。〃
  Nevada forgot her gloves for a moment。
  〃Then read it aloud;〃 she said。  〃Since you've already read it; what's  the difference?  If Mr。  Warren has written to me something that any  one else oughtn't to know; that is all the more reason why everybody  should know it。〃
  〃Well;〃 said Barbara; 〃this is what it says:
  'Dearest NevadaCome to my studio at twelve o'clock to…night。  Do not  fail。'〃  Barbara rose and dropped the note in Nevada's lap。  〃I'm  awfully sorry;〃 she said; 〃that I knew。  It isn't like Gilbert。  There  must be some mistake。  Just consider that I am ignorant of it; will  you; dear? I must go up…stairs now; I have such a headache。  I'm sure  I don't understand the note。  Perhaps Gilbert has been dining too  well; and will explain。  Good night!〃
  IV
  Nevada tiptoed to the hall; and heard Barbara's door close upstairs。   The bronze clock in the study told the hour of twelve was fifteen  minutes away。  She ran swiftly to the front door; and let herself out  into the snow…storm。  Gilbert Warren's studio was six squares away。
  By aerial ferry the white; silent forces of the storm attacked the  city from beyond the sullen East River。  Already the snow lay a foot  deep on the pavements; the drifts heaping themselves like scaling… ladders against the walls of the besieged town。  The Avenue was as  quiet as a street in Pompeii。  Cabs now and then skimmed past like  white…winged gulls over a moonlit ocean; and less frequent motor…cars… …sustaining the comparisonhissed through the foaming waves like  submarine boats on their jocund; perilous journeys。
  Nevada plunged like a wind…driven storm…petrel on her way。  She looked  up at the ragged sierras of cloud…capped buildings that rose above the  streets; shaded by the night lights and the congealed vapors to gray;  drab; ashen; lavender; dun; and cerulean tints。  They were so like the  wintry mountains of her Western home that she felt a satisfaction such  as the hundred…thousand…dollar house had seldom brought her。
  A policeman caused her to waver on a corner; just by his eye and  weight。
  〃Hello; Mabel!〃 said he。  〃Kind of late for you to be out; ain't it?〃
  〃II am just going to the drug store;〃 said Nevada; hurrying past  him。
  The excuse serves as a passport for the most sophisticated。  Does it  prove that woman never progresses; or that she sprang from Adam's rib;  full…fledged in intellect and wiles?
  Turning eastward; the direct blast cut down Nevada's speed one…half。   She made zigzag tracks in the snow; but she was as tough as a pinon  sapling; and bowed to it as gracefully。  Suddenly the studio…building  loomed before her; a familiar landmark; like a cliff above some well… remembered canon。  The haunt of business and its hostile neighbor;  art; was darkened and silent。  The elevator stopped at ten。
  Up eight flights of Stygian stairs Nevada climbed; and rapped firmly  at the door numbered 〃89。〃  She had been there many times before; with  Barbara and Uncle Jerome。
  Gilbert opened the door。  He had a crayon pencil in one hand; a green  shade over his eyes; and a pipe in his mouth。  The pipe dropped to the  floor。
  〃Am I late?〃 asked Nevada。  〃I came as quick as I could。  Uncle and me  were at the theatre this evening。  Here I am; Gilbert!〃
  Gilbert did a Pygmalion…and…Galatea act。  He changed from a statue of  stupefaction to a young man with a problem to tackle。  He admitted  Nevada; got