第 9 节
作者:
点绛唇 更新:2021-02-19 01:05 字数:9321
heart burn with indignation against those who were cheerily sacrificing the whole community to their desire for profits and dividends and graft; public and private。 But there was also a great deal of humorof rather a sardonic kind; but still seeing the fantastic side of this grand game of swindle。
Two paragraphs made an especial impression on her:
‘‘Remsen City is no worseand no betterthan other American cities。 It's typical。 But we who live here needn't worry about the rest of the country。 The thing for us to do is to CLEAN UP AT HOME。''
‘‘We are more careful than any paper in this town about verifying every statement we make; before we make it。 If we should publish a single statement about anyone that was false even in part we would be suppressed。 The judges; the bosses; the owners of the big blood…sucking public service corporations; the whole ruling class; are eager to put us out of existence。 Don't forget this fact when you hear the New Day called a lying; demagogical sheet。''
With the paper beside her on the rustic bench; she fell to dreamingnot of a brighter and better world; of a wiser and freer race; but of Victor Dorn; the personality that had unaided become such a power in Remsen City; the personality that sparkled and glowed in the interesting pages of the New Day; that made its sentences read as if they were spoken into your very ears by an earnest; honest voice issuing from a fascinating; humor…loving; intensely human and natural person before your very eyes。 But it was not round Victor Dorn's brain that her imagination played。
‘‘After all;'' thought she; ‘‘Napoleon wasn't much over five feet。 Most of the big men have been little men。 Of course; there were Alexanderand Washington and Lincoln; buthow silly to bother about a few inches of height; more or less! And he wasn't really SHORT。 Let me seehow high did he come on Davy when Davy was standing near him? Above his shoulder and Davy's six feet two or three。 He's at least as tall as I amanyhow; in my ordinary heels。''
She was attracted by both the personalities she discovered in the little journal。 She believed she could tell them apart。 About some of the articles; the shorter ones; she was doubtful。 But in those of any length she could feel that difference which enables one to distinguish the piano touch of a player in another room whether it is male or female。 Presently she was searching for an excuse for scraping acquaintance with this pair of pariahspariahs so far as her world was concerned。 And soon she found it。 The New Day was taking subscriptions for a fund to send sick children and their mothers to the country for a vacation from the dirt and heat of the tenementsfor Remsen City; proud though it was and boastful of its prosperity; housed most of its inhabitants in slumsthough of course that low sort of people oughtn't really to be countedexcept for purposes of swelling census figures and to do all the rough and dirty work necessary to keep civilization going。
She would subscribe to this worthy charityand would take her subscription; herself。 Settledeasily and well settled。 She did not involve herself; or commit herself in any way。 Besides; those who might find out and might think she had overstepped the bounds would excuse her on the ground that she had not been back at home long and did not realize what she was doing。
What should she wear?
Her instinct was for an elaborate toileta descent in stateor such state as the extremely limited resources of Martin Hastings' stables would permit。 The traps he had ordered for her had not yet come; she had been glad to accept David Hull's offer of a lift the night before。 Still; without a carriage or a motor she could make quite an impression with a Paris walking dress and hat; properly supported by fashionable accessories of the toilet。
Good sense and good taste forbade these promptings of nature。 No; she would dress most simplyin her very plainest thingstaking care to maintain all her advantages of face and figure。 If she overwhelmed Dorn and Miss Gordon; she would defeat her own purposewould not become acquainted with them。
In the end she rejected both courses and decided for the riding costume。 The reason she gave for this decision the reason she gave herselfwas that the riding costume would invest the call with an air of accident; of impulse。 The real reason。
It may be that some feminine reader can guess why she chose the most startling; the most gracefully becoming; the most artlessly physical apparel in her wardrobe。
She said nothing to her father at lunch about her plans。 Why should she speak of them? He might oppose; also; she might change her mind。 After lunch she set out on her usual ride; galloping away into the hillsbut she had put twenty…five dollars in bills in her trousers pocket。 She rode until she felt that her color was at its best; and then she made for towna swift; direct ride; her heart beating high as if she were upon a most daring and fateful adventure。 And; as a matter of fact; never in her life had she done anything that so intensely interested her。 She felt that she was for the first time slackening rein upon those unconventional instincts; of unknown strength and purpose; which had been making her restless with their vague stirrings。
‘‘How silly of me!'' she thought。 ‘‘I'm doing a commonplace; rather common thingand I'm trying to make it seem a daring; romantic adventure。 I MUST be hard up for excitement!''
Toward the middle of the afternoon she dropped from her horse before the office of the New Day and gave a boy the bridle。 ‘‘I'll be back in a minute;'' she explained。 It was a two…story frame building; dingy and in disrepair。 On the street floor was a grocery。 Access to the New Day was by a rickety stairway。 As she ascended this; making a great noise on its unsteady boards with her boots; she began to feel cheap and foolish。 She recalled what Hull had said in the carriage。 ‘‘No doubt;'' replied she; ‘‘I'd feel much the same way if I were going to see Jesus Christa carpenter's son; sitting in some hovel; talking with his friends the fishermen and camel driversnot to speak of the women。''
The New Day occupied two small roomsan editorial work room; and a printing work room behind it。 Jane Hastings; in the doorway at the head of the stairs; was seeing all there was to see。 In the editorial room were two tableskitchen tables; littered with papers and journals; as was the floor; also。 At the table directly opposite the door no one was sitting ‘‘Victor Dorn's desk;'' Jane decided。 At the table by the open window sat a girl; bent over her writing。 Jane saw that the figure was below; probably much below; the medium height for woman; that it was slight and strong; that it was clad in a simple; clean gray linen dress。 The girl's black hair; drawn into a plain but distinctly graceful knot; was of that dense and wavy thickness which is a characteristic and a beauty of the Hebrew race。 The skin at the nape of her neck; on her hands; on her arms bare to the elbows was of a beautiful dead…whitethe skin that so admirably compliments dead…black hair。
Before disturbing this busy writer Jane glanced round。 There was nothing to detain her in the view of the busy printing plant in the room beyond。 But on the walls of the room before her were four pictures lithographs; cheap; not framed; held in place by a tack at each corner。 There was Washingtonthen Lincolnthen a copy of Leonardo's Jesus in the Last Supper frescoand a fourth face; bearded; powerful; imperious; yet wonderfully kind and good humored a face she did not know。 Pointing her riding stick at it she said:
‘‘And who is that?''
With a quick but not in the least a startled movement the girl at the table straightened her form; turned in her chair; saying; as she did so; without having seen the pointing stick:
‘‘That is MarxKarl Marx。''
Jane was so astonished by the face she was now seeingthe face of the girlthat she did not hear the reply。 The girl's hair and skin had reminded her of what Martha had told her about the Jewish; or half…Jewish; origin of Selma Gordon。 Thus; she assumed that she would see a frankly Jewish face。 Instead; the face looking at her from beneath the wealth of thick black hair; carelessly parted near the centre; was Russianwas Cossackstrange and primeval; intense; dark; as superbly alive as one of those exuberant tropical flowers that seem to cry out the mad joy of life。 Only; those flowers suggest the evanescent; the flame burning so fiercely that it must soon burn out; while this Russian girl declared that life was eternal。 You could not think of her as sick; as old; as anything but young and vigorous and vivid; as full of energy as a healthy baby that kicks its dresses into rags and wears out the strength of its strapping nurse。 Her nose was as straight as Jane's own particularly fine example of nose。 Her dark gray eyes; beneath long; slender; coal black lines of brow; were brimming with life and with fun。 She had a wide; frank; scarlet mouth; her teeth were small and sharp and regular; and of the strong and healthy shade of white。 She had a very small; but a very resolute chin。 With another quick; free movement