第16章
加入书架 A- A+
点击下载App,搜索"The Rise of Silas Lapham",免费读到尾

  Itendedintheirbuyingabookofetiquette,whichsettledthequestionadverselytoawhitewaistcoat。

  Theauthor,however,afterbeingveryexplicitintellingthemnottoeatwiththeirknives,andaboveallnottopicktheirteethwiththeirforks,——athingwhichhesaidnoladyorgentlemaneverdid,——wasstillfarfromdecidedastothekindofcravatColonelLaphamoughttowear:shakenonotherpoints,Laphamhadbeguntowaveralsoconcerningtheblackcravat。AstothequestionofglovesfortheColonel,whichsuddenlyflasheduponhimoneevening,itappearednevertohaveenteredthethoughtsoftheetiquetteman,asLaphamcalledhim。

  Otherauthorsonthesamesubjectwereequallysilent,andIrenecouldonlyrememberhavingheard,insomevaguesortofway,thatgentlemendidnotwearglovessomuchanymore。

  DropsofperspirationgatheredonLapham’sforeheadintheanxietyofthedebate;hegroaned,andhesworealittleinthecompromiseprofanitywhichheused。

  \"Ideclare,\"saidPenelope,whereshesatpurblindlysewingonabitofdressforIrene,\"theColonel’sclothesareasmuchtroubleasanybody’s。Whydon’tyougotoJordan&Marsh’sandorderoneoftheimporteddressesforyourself,father?\"Thatgavethemallthereliefofalaughoverit,theColoneljoininginpiteously。

  HehadanawfullongingtofindoutfromCoreyhowheoughttogo。Heformulatedandrepeatedovertohimselfanapparentlycarelessquestion,suchas,\"Oh,bytheway,Corey,wheredoyougetyourgloves?\"Thiswouldnaturallyleadtosometalkonthesubject,whichwould,ifproperlymanaged,clearupthewholetrouble。ButLaphamfoundthathewouldratherdiethanaskthisquestion,oranyquestionthatwouldbringupthedinneragain。

  Coreydidnotrecurtoit,andLaphamavoidedthematterwithpositivefierceness。HeshunnedtalkingwithCoreyatall,andsufferedingrimsilence。

  Onenight,beforetheyfellasleep,hiswifesaidtohim,\"Iwasreadinginoneofthosebooksto—day,andIdon’tbelievebutwhatwe’vemadeamistakeifPenholdsoutthatshewon’tgo。\"

  \"Why?\"demandedLapham,inthedismaywhichbesethimateveryfreshrecurrencetothesubject。

  \"Thebooksaysthatit’sveryimpolitenottoansweradinnerinvitationpromptly。Well,we’vedonethatallright,——atfirstIdidn’tknowbutwhatwehadbeenalittletooquick,maybe,——butthenitsaysifyou’renotgoing,thatit’stheheightofrudenessnottoletthemknowatonce,sothattheycanfillyourplaceatthetable。\"

  TheColonelwassilentforawhile。\"Well,I’mdumned,\"

  hesaidfinally,\"ifthereseemstobeanyendtothisthing。

  Ifitwastodooveragain,I’dsaynoforallofus。\"

  \"I’vewishedahundredtimestheyhadn’taskedus;

  butit’stoolatetothinkaboutthatnow。Thequestionis,whatarewegoingtodoaboutPenelope?\"

  \"Oh,Iguessshe’llgo,atthelastmoment。\"

  \"Shesaysshewon’t。ShetookaprejudiceagainstMrs。Coreythatday,andshecan’tseemtogetoverit。\"

  \"Well,then,hadn’tyoubetterwriteinthemorning,assoonasyou’reup,thatsheain’tcoming?\"

  Mrs。Laphamsighedhelplessly。\"Ishouldn’tknowhowtogetitin。It’ssolatenow;Idon’tseehowIcouldhavetheface。\"

  \"Well,then,she’sgottogo,that’sall。\"

  \"She’ssetshewon’t。\"

  \"AndI’msetsheshall,\"saidLaphamwiththeloudobstinacyofamanwhosewomenalwayshavetheirway。

  Mrs。Laphamwasnotsupportedbythesturdinessofhisproclamation。

  ButshedidnotknowhowtodowhatsheknewsheoughttodoaboutPenelope,andsheletmattersdrift。

  Afterall,thechildhadarighttostayathomeifshedidnotwishtogo。ThatwaswhatMrs。Laphamfelt,andwhatshesaidtoherhusbandnextmorning,biddinghimletPenelopealone,unlessshechoseherselftogo。

  Shesaiditwastoolatenowtodoanything,andshemustmakethebestexcuseshecouldwhenshesawMrs。Corey。

  ShebegantowishthatIreneandherfatherwouldgoandexcusehertoo。Shecouldnothelpsayingthis,andthensheandLaphamhadsomeunpleasantwords。

  \"Lookhere!\"hecried。\"Whowantedtogoinforthesepeopleinthefirstplace?Didn’tyoucomehomefullof’emlastyear,andwantmetosellouthereandmovesomewhereselsebecauseitdidn’tseemtosuit’em?Andnowyouwanttoputitallonme!Iain’tgoingtostandit。\"

  \"Hush!\"saidhiswife。\"Doyouwanttoraisethehouse?I

  didn’tputitonyou,asyousay。Youtookitonyourself。

  Eversincethatfellowhappenedtocomeintothenewhousethatday,you’vebeenperfectlycrazytogetinwiththem。

  Andnowyou’resoafraidyoushalldosomethingwrongbefore’em,youdon’thardlydaretosayyourlife’syourown。

  Ideclare,ifyoupestermeanymoreaboutthosegloves,SilasLapham,Iwon’tgo。\"

  \"DoyousupposeIwanttogoonmyownaccount?\"

  hedemandedfuriously。

  \"No,\"sheadmitted。\"OfcourseIdon’t。Iknowverywellthatyou’redoingitforIrene;but,forgoodnessgracious’sake,don’tworryourlivesout,andmakeyourselfaperfectlaughing—stockbeforethechildren。\"

  Withthismodifiedconcessionfromher,thequarrelclosedinsullensilenceonLapham’spart。Thenightbeforethedinnercame,andthequestionofhisgloveswasstillunsettled,andinafairwaytoremainso。

  Hehadboughtapair,soastobeonthesafeside,perspiringincompanywiththeyoungladywhosoldthem,andwhohelpedhimtrythemonattheshop;hisnailswerestillfullofthepowderwhichshehadplentifullypepperedintotheminordertoovercometheresistanceofhisbluntfingers。Buthewasuncertainwhetherheshouldwearthem。Theyhadfoundabookatlastthatsaidtheladiesremovedtheirglovesonsittingdownattable,butitsaidnothingaboutgentlemen’sgloves。Helefthiswifewhereshestoodhalfhook—and—eyedatherglassinhernewdress,andwentdowntohisowndenbeyondtheparlour。

  BeforeheshuthisdoorhocaughtaglimpseofIrenetrailingupanddownbeforethelongmirrorinHERnewdress,followedbytheseamstressonherknees;thewomanhadhermouthfullofpins,andfromtimetotimeshemadeIrenestoptillshecouldputoneofthepinsintohertrain;

  Penelopesatinacornercriticisingandcounselling。

  ItmadeLaphamsick,andhedespisedhimselfandallhisbroodforthetroubletheyweretaking。Butanotherglancegavehimasightoftheyounggirl’sfaceinthemirror,beautifulandradiantwithhappiness,andhisheartmeltedagainwithpaternaltendernessandpride。

  ItwasgoingtobeagreatpleasuretoIrene,andLaphamfeltthatshewasboundtocutoutanythingthere。

  HewasvexedwithPenelopethatshewasnotgoingtoo;

  hewouldhavelikedtohavethosepeoplehearhertalk。

  Heheldhisdooralittleopen,andlistenedtothethingsshewas\"gettingoff\"theretoIrene。HeshowedthathefeltreallyhurtanddisappointedaboutPenelope,andthegirl’smothermadeherconsolehimthenexteveningbeforetheyalldroveawaywithouther。\"Youtrytolookonthebrightsideofit,father。Iguessyou’llseethatit’sbestIdidn’tgowhenyougetthere。Ireneneedn’topenherlips,andtheycanallseehowprettysheis;

  buttheywouldn’tknowhowsmartIwasunlessItalked,andmaybethentheywouldn’t。\"

  Thisthrustatherfather’ssimplevanityinhermadehimlaugh;andthentheydroveaway,andPenelopeshutthedoor,andwentupstairswithherlipsfirmlyshuttinginasob。

  XIV。

  THECoreyswereoneofthefewoldfamilieswholingeredinBellinghamPlace,thehandsome,quietoldstreetwhichthesympatheticobservermustgrievetoseeabandonedtoboarding—houses。Thedwellingsarestatelyandtall,andthewholeplacewearsanairofaristocraticseclusion,whichMrs。Corey’sfathermightwellhavethoughtassuredwhenheleftherhishousethereathisdeath。ItisoneoftwoevidentlydesignedbythesamearchitectwhobuiltsomehousesinacharacteristictasteonBeaconStreetoppositetheCommon。Ithasawoodenportico,withslenderflutedcolumns,whichhavealwaysbeenpaintedwhite,andwhich,withthedelicatemouldingsofthecornice,formthesoleandsufficientdecorationofthestreetfront;

  nothingcouldbesimpler,andnothingcouldbebetter。

  Within,thearchitecthasagainindulgedhispreferencefortheclassic;theroofofthevestibule,wideandlow,restsonmarblecolumns,slimandflutedlikethewoodencolumnswithout,andanamplestaircaseclimbsinagraceful,easycurvefromthetesselatedpavement。

  SomecarvedVenetianscrignistretchedalongthewall;

  aruglayatthefootofthestairs;butotherwisethesimpleadequacyofthearchitecturalintentionhadbeenrespected,andtheplacelookedbaretotheeyesoftheLaphamswhentheyentered。TheCoreyshadoncekeptaman,butwhenyoungCoreybeganhisretrenchmentsthemanhadyieldedtotheneatmaidwhoshowedtheColonelintothereception—roomandaskedtheladiestowalkuptwoflights。

  HehadhischargesfromIrenenottoenterthedrawing—

  roomwithouthermother,andhespentfiveminutesingettingonhisgloves,forhehaddesperatelyresolvedtowearthematlast。Whenhehadthemon,andlethislargefistshangdownoneitherside,theylooked,inthesaffrontintwhichtheshop—girlsaidhisglovesshouldbeof,likecanvasedhams。Heperspiredwithdoubtasheclimbedthestairs,andwhilehewaitedonthelandingforMrs。LaphamandIrenetocomedownfromabovebeforegoingintothedrawing—room,hestoodstaringathishands,nowopenandnowshut,andbreathinghard。

  Heheardquiettalkingbeyondtheportierewithin,andpresentlyTomCoreycameout。

  \"Ah,ColonelLapham!Verygladtoseeyou。\"

  Laphamshookhandswithhimandgasped,\"WaitingforMis’Lapham,\"toaccountforhispresence。

  Hehadnotbeenabletobuttonhisrightglove,andhenowbegan,withasmuchindifferenceashecouldassume,topullthembothoff,forhesawthatCoreyworenone。

  Bythetimehehadstuffedthemintothepocketofhiscoat—skirthiswifeanddaughterdescended。

  Coreywelcomedthemverycordiallytoo,butlookedalittlemystified。Mrs。LaphamknewthathewassilentlyinquiringforPenelope,andshedidnotknowwhethersheoughttoexcusehertohimfirstornot。Shesaidnothing,andafteraglancetowardtheregionswherePenelopemightconjecturablybelingering,heheldasidetheportierefortheLaphamstopass,andenteredtheroomwiththem。

  Mrs。Laphamhaddecidedagainstlow—necksonherownresponsibility,andhadentrenchedherselfinthesafetyofablacksilk,inwhichshelookedveryhandsome。Ireneworeadressofoneofthoseshadeswhichonlyawomanoranartistcandecidetobegreenorblue,andwhichtoothereyeslooksbothorneither,accordingtotheirdegreesofignorance。

  Ifitwasmorelikeaballdressthanadinnerdress,thatmightbeexcusedtotheexquisiteeffect。Shetrailed,adelicatesplendour,acrossthecarpetinhermother’ssombrewake,andtheconsciousnessofsuccessbroughtavividsmiletoherface。Lapham,pallidwithanxietylestheshouldsomehowdisgracehimself,givingthankstoGodthatheshouldhavebeensparedtheshameofwearinggloveswherenooneelsedid,butatthesametimedespairingthatCoreyshouldhaveseenhiminthem,hadanunwontedaspectofalmostpatheticrefinement。

  Mrs。Coreyexchangedaquickglanceofsurpriseandreliefwithherhusbandasshestartedacrosstheroomtomeetherguests,andinhergratitudetothemforbeingsoirreproachable,shethrewintohermannerawarmththatpeopledidnotalwaysfindthere。\"GeneralLapham?\"

  shesaid,shakinghandsinquicksuccessionwithMrs。LaphamandIrene,andnowaddressingherselftohim。

  \"No,ma’am,onlyColonel,\"saidthehonestman,buttheladydidnothearhim。ShewasintroducingherhusbandtoLapham’swifeanddaughter,andBromfieldCoreywasalreadyshakinghishandandsayinghewasverygladtoseehimagain,whilehekepthisartisticeyeonIrene,andapparentlycouldnottakeitoff。LilyCoreygavetheLaphamladiesagreetingwhichwasphysicallyratherthansociallycold,andNannystoodholdingIrene’shandinbothofhersamoment,andtakinginherbeautyandherstylewithagenerousadmirationwhichshecouldafford,forshewasherselffaultlesslydressedinthequiettasteofhercity,andlookingverypretty。

  TheintervalwaslongenoughtoleteverymanpresentconfidehissenseofIrene’sbeautytoeveryother;

  andthen,asthepartywassmall,Mrs。Coreymadeeverybodyacquainted。WhenLaphamhadnotquiteunderstood,heheldtheperson’shand,and,leaningurbanelyforward,inquired,\"Whatname?\"Hedidthatbecauseagreatmantowhomhehadbeenpresentedontheplatformatapublicmeetinghaddonesotohim,andheknewitmustberight。

  Alittlelullensuedupontheintroductions,andMrs。CoreysaidquietlytoMrs。Lapham,\"CanIsendanyonetobeofusetoMissLapham?\"asifPenelopemustbeinthedressing—room。

  Mrs。Laphamturnedfire—red,andthegracefulformsinwhichshehadbeenintendingtoexcuseherdaughter’sabsencewentoutofherhead。\"Sheisn’tupstairs,\"shesaid,atherbluntest,ascountrypeoplearewhenembarrassed。

  \"Shedidn’tfeeljustlikecomingto—night。Idon’tknowasshe’sfeelingverywell。\"

  Mrs。Coreyemittedaverysmall\"O!\"——verysmall,verycold,——whichbegantogrowlargerandhotterandtoburnintoMrs。Lapham’ssoulbeforeMrs。Coreycouldadd,\"I’mverysorry。It’snothingserious,Ihope?\"

  RobertChase,thepainter,hadnotcome,andMrs。JamesBellinghamwasnotthere,sothatthetablereallybalancedbetterwithoutPenelope;butMrs。Laphamcouldnotknowthis,anddidnotdeservetoknowit。Mrs。Coreyglancedroundtheroom,asiftotakeaccountofherguests,andsaidtoherhusband,\"Ithinkweareallhere,then,\"

  andhecameforwardandgavehisarmtoMrs。Lapham。

  Sheperceivedthenthatintheirdeterminationnottobethefirsttocometheyhadbeenthelast,andmusthavekepttheotherswaitingforthem。

  Laphamhadneverseenpeoplegodowntodinnerarm—in—

  armbefore,butheknewthathiswifewasdistinguishedinbeingtakenoutbythehost,andhewaitedinjealousimpatiencetoseeifTomCoreywouldofferhisarmtoIrene。

  HegaveittothatbiggirltheycalledMissKingsbury,andthehandsomeoldfellowwhomMrs。CoreyhadintroducedashercousintookIreneout。LaphamwasstartledfromthemisgivinginwhichthislefthimbyMrs。Corey’spassingherhandthroughhisarm,andhemadeasuddenmovementforward,butfelthimselfgentlyrestrained。

  Theywentoutthelastofall;hedidnotknowwhy,buthesubmitted,andwhentheysatdownhesawthatIrene,althoughshehadcomeinwiththatMr。Bellingham,wasseatedbesideyoungCorey,afterall。

  Hefetchedalongsighofreliefwhenhesankintohischairandfelthimselfsafefromerrorifhekeptasharplookoutanddidonlywhattheothersdid。

  Bellinghamhadcertainhabitswhichhepermittedhimself,andoneofthesewastuckingthecornerofhisnapkinintohiscollar;heconfessedhimselfanuncertainshotwithaspoon,anddefendedhispracticeonthegroundofneatnessandcommon—sense。Laphamputhisnapkinintohiscollartoo,andthen,seeingthatnoonebutBellinghamdidit,becamealarmedandtookitoutagainslyly。

  Heneverhadwineonhistableathome,andonprinciplehewasaprohibitionist;butnowhedidnotknowjustwhattodoabouttheglassesattherightofhisplate。

  Hehadanotiontoturnthemalldown,ashehadreadofawell—knownpolitician’sdoingatapublicdinner,toshowthathedidnottakewine;but,aftertwiddlingwithoneofthemamoment,heletthembe,foritseemedtohimthatwouldbealittletooconspicuous,andhefeltthateveryonewaslooking。Helettheservantfillthemall,andhedrankoutofeach,nottoappearodd。

  Later,heobservedthattheyoungladieswerenottakingwine,andhewasgladtoseethatIrenehadrefusedit,andthatMrs。Laphamwaslettingitstanduntasted。

  Hedidnotknowbutheoughttodeclinesomeofthedishes,oratleastleavemostofsomeonhisplate,buthewasnotabletodecide;hetookeverythingandateeverything。

  HenoticedthatMrs。Coreyseemedtotakenomoretroubleaboutthedinnerthananybody,andMr。Coreyratherless;

  hewastalkingbusilytoMrs。Lapham,andLaphamcaughtawordhereandtherethatconvincedhimshewasholdingherown。HewasgettingonfamouslyhimselfwithMrs。Corey,whohadbegunwithhimabouthisnewhouse;

  hewastellingherallaboutit,andgivingherhisideas。

  Theirconversationnaturallyincludedhisarchitectacrossthetable;Laphamhadbeendelightedandsecretlysurprisedtofindthefellowthere;andatsomethingSeymoursaidthetalkspreadsuddenly,andtheprettyhousehewasbuildingforColonelLaphambecamethegeneraltheme。

  YoungCoreytestifiedtoitsloveliness,andthearchitectsaidlaughinglythatifhehadbeenabletomakeanicethingofit,heowedittothepracticalsympathyofhisclient。

  \"Practicalsympathyisgood,\"saidBromfieldCorey;

  and,slantinghisheadconfidentiallytoMrs。Lapham,headded,\"Doeshebleedyourhusband,Mrs。Lapham?He’saterriblefellowforappropriations!\"

  Mrs。Laphamlaughed,reddeningconsciously,andsaidsheguessedtheColonelknewhowtotakecareofhimself。

  ThisstruckLapham,thendraininghisglassofsauterne,aswonderfullydiscreetinhiswife。BromfieldCoreyleanedbackinhischairamoment。\"Well,afterall,youcan’tsay,withallyourmodernfussaboutit,thatyoudomuchbetternowthantheoldfellowswhobuiltsuchhousesasthis。\"

  \"Ah,\"saidthearchitect,\"nobodycandobetterthanwell。

  Yourhouseisinperfecttaste;youknowI’vealwaysadmiredit;andIdon’tthinkit’satalltheworseforbeingold—fashioned。Whatwe’vedoneislargelytogobackofthehideousstylethatragedaftertheyforgothowtomakethissortofhouse。ButIthinkwemayclaimabetterfeelingforstructure。Weusebettermaterial,andmorewisely;andbyandbyweshallworkoutsomethingmorecharacteristicandoriginal。\"

  \"Withyourchocolatesandolives,andyourclutterofbric—a—brac?\"

  \"Allthat’sbad,ofcourse,butIdon’tmeanthat。Idon’twishtomakeyouenviousofColonelLapham,andmodestypreventsmysaying,thathishouseisprettier,——thoughImayhavemyconvictions,——butit’sbetterbuilt。

  Allthenewhousesarebetterbuilt。Now,yourhouse————\"

  \"Mrs。Corey’shouse,\"interruptedthehost,withaburlesquehasteindisclaimingresponsibilityforitthatmadethemalllaugh。\"MyancestralhallsareinSalem,andI’mtoldyoucouldn’tdriveanailintotheirtimbers;

  infact,Idon’tknowthatyouwouldwanttodoit。\"

  \"Ishouldconsideritaspeciesofsacrilege,\"

  answeredSeymour,\"andIshallbefarfrompressingthepointIwasgoingtomakeagainstahouseofMrs。Corey’s。\"

  ThiswonSeymourtheeasylaugh,andLaphamsilentlywonderedthatthefellownevergotoffanyofthosethingstohim。

  \"Well,\"saidCorey,\"youarchitectsandthemusiciansarethetrueandonlyartisticcreators。Alltherestofus,sculptors,painters,novelists,andtailors,dealwithformsthatwehavebeforeus;wetrytoimitate,wetrytorepresent。Butyoutwosortsofartistscreateform。Ifyourepresent,youfail。Somehoworotheryoudoevolvethecameloutofyourinnerconsciousness\"

  \"Iwillnotdenythesoftimpeachment,\"saidthearchitect,withamodestair。

  \"Idaresay。Andyou’llownthatit’sveryhandsomeofmetosaythis,afteryourunjustifiableattackonMrs。Corey’sproperty。\"

  BromfieldCoreyaddressedhimselfagaintoMrs。Lapham,andthetalksubdivideditselfasbefore。Itlapsedsoentirelyawayfromthesubjectjustinhand,thatLaphamwasleftwithratheragoodidea,ashethoughtit,toperishinhismind,forwantofachancetoexpressit。

  TheonlythinglikearecurrencetowhattheyhadbeensayingwasBromfieldCorey’swarningMrs。Lapham,insomeconnectionthatLaphamlost,againstMissKingsbury。

  \"She’sworse,\"hewassaying,\"whenitcomestoappropriationsthanSeymourhimself。Dependuponit,Mrs。Lapham,shewillgiveyounopeaceofyourmind,nowshe’smetyou,fromthisout。Hertendermerciesarecruel;

  andIleaveyoutosupplythecontentfromyourownscripturalknowledge。Bewareofher,andallherworks。

  Shecallsthemworksofcharity;butheavenknowswhethertheyare。Itdon’tstandtoreasonthatshegivesthepoorALLthemoneyshegetsoutofpeople。

  Ihavemyownbelief\"——hegaveitinawhisperforthewholetabletohear——\"thatshespendsitforchampagneandcigars。\"

  Laphamdidnotknowaboutthatkindoftalking;butMissKingsburyseemedtoenjoythefunasmuchasanybody,andhelaughedwiththerest。

  \"Youshallbeaskedtotheverynextdebauchofthecommittee,Mr。Corey;thenyouwon’tdareexposeus,\"

  saidMissKingsbury。

  \"Iwonderyouhaven’tbeendownuponCoreytogototheChardonStreethomeandtalkwithyourindigentItaliansintheirnativetongue,\"saidCharlesBellingham。

  \"IsawintheTranscripttheothernightthatyouwantedsomeoneforthework。\"

  \"WedidthinkofMr。Corey,\"repliedMissKingsbury;

  \"butwereflectedthatheprobablywouldn’ttalkwiththematall;hewouldmakethemkeepstilltobesketched,andforgetallabouttheirwants。\"

  UponthetheorythatthiswasafairreturnforCorey’spleasantry,theotherslaughedagain。

  \"Thereisonecharity,\"saidCorey,pretendingsuperioritytoMissKingsbury’spoint,\"thatissodifficult,Iwonderithasn’toccurredtoaladyofyourcourageousinvention。\"

  \"Yes?\"saidMissKingsbury。\"Whatisthat?\"

  \"Theoccupation,bydeservingpoorofneathabits,ofallthebeautiful,airy,wholesomehousesthatstandemptythewholesummerlong,whiletheirownersareawayintheirlowlycotsbesidethesea。\"

  \"Yes,thatisterrible,\"repliedMissKingsbury,withquickearnestness,whilehereyesgrewmoist。

  \"Ihaveoftenthoughtofourgreat,coolhousesstandinguselesshere,andthethousandsofpoorcreaturesstiflingintheirholesanddens,andthelittlechildrendyingforwholesomeshelter。Howcruellyselfishweare!\"

  \"Thatisaverycomfortablesentiment,MissKingsbury,\"

  saidCorey,\"andmustmakeyoufeelalmostasifyouhadthrownopenNo。31tothewholeNorthEnd。

  ButIamseriousaboutthismatter。Ispendmysummersintown,andIoccupymyownhouse,sothatIcanspeakimpartiallyandintelligently;andItellyouthatinsomeofmywalksontheHillanddownontheBackBay,nothingbutthesurveillanceofthelocalpolicemanpreventsmyofferingpersonalviolencetothoselongrowsofclose—shuttered,handsome,brutallyinsensiblehouses。

  IfIwereapoorman,withasickchildpininginsomegarretorcellarattheNorthEnd,Ishouldbreakintooneofthem,andcampoutonthegrandpiano。\"

  \"Surely,Bromfield,\"saidhiswife,\"youdon’tconsiderwhathavocsuchpeoplewouldmakewiththefurnitureofanicehouse!\"

  \"Thatistrue,\"answeredCorey,withmeekconviction。

  \"Ineverthoughtofthat。\"

  \"Andifyouwereapoormanwithasickchild,Idoubtifyou’dhavesomuchheartforburglaryasyouhavenow,\"

  saidJamesBellingham。

  \"It’swonderfulhowpatienttheyare,\"saidtheminister。

  \"Thespectacleofthehopelesscomfortthehard—workingpoormanseesmustbehardtobear。\"

  Laphamwantedtospeakupandsaythathehadbeentherehimself,andknewhowsuchamanfelt。Hewantedtotellthemthatgenerallyapoormanwassatisfiedifhecouldmakebothendsmeet;thathedidn’tenvyanyonehisgoodluck,ifhehadearnedit,solongashewasn’trunningunderhimself。Butbeforehecouldgetthecouragetoaddressthewholetable,Sewelladded,\"Isupposehedon’talwaysthinkofit。\"

  \"ButsomedayheWILLthinkaboutit,\"saidCorey。

  \"Infact,weratherinvitehimtothinkaboutit,inthiscountry。\"

  \"Mybrother—in—law,\"saidCharlesBellingham,withtheprideamanfeelsinamentionablyremarkablebrother—in—law,\"hasnoendoffellowsatworkunderhimoutthereatOmaha,andhesaysit’sthefellowsfromcountrieswherethey’vebeenkeptfromthinkingaboutitthatarediscontented。

  TheAmericansnevermakeanytrouble。Theyseemtounderstandthatsolongaswegiveunlimitedopportunity,nobodyhasarighttocomplain。\"

  \"WhatdoyouhearfromLeslie?\"askedMrs。Corey,turningfromtheseprofitlessabstractionstoMrs。Bellingham。

  \"Youknow,\"saidthatladyinalowertone,\"thatthereisanotherbaby?\"

  \"No!Ihadn’theardofit!\"

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