按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
enjoying his wife's discomfiture。 〃He speaks French and Spanish；
and you oughter hear the kid roll off the lingo he's got from him。
He's got style； and knows how to dress； and you ought to see the
kid bow and scrape； and how he carries himself。 Now； Van Loo
wasn't exactly my style； and I reckon I don't hanker after him
much； but he served my purpose。〃
〃And this man knows〃she said； with a shudder。
〃He knows Steptoe and the boy； but he don't know Horncastle nor
YOU。 Don't you be skeert。 He's the last man in the world who
would hanker to see me or the kid again； or would dare to say that
he ever had！ Lord！ I'd like to see his fastidious mug if me and
Eddy walked in upon him and his high…toned mother and sister some
arternoon。〃 He threw himself back and laughed a derisive；
spasmodic； choking laugh； which was so far from being genial that
it even seemed to indicate a lively appreciation of pain in others
rather than of pleasure in himself。 He had often laughed at her in
the same way。
〃And where is he now？〃 she said； with a compressed lip。
〃At school。 Where； I don't tell you。 You know why。 But he's
looked after by me； and dd well looked after； too。〃
She hesitated； composed her face with an effort； parted her lips；
and looked out of the window into the gathering darkness。 Then
after a moment she said slowly； yet with a certain precision：
〃And his mother？ Do you ever talk to him of HER？ Doesdoes he
ever speak of ME？〃
〃What do you think？〃 he said comfortably； changing his position in
the chair； and trying to read her face in the shadow。 〃Come； now。
You don't know； eh？ Wellno！ NO！ You understand。 No！ He's MY
friendMINE！ He's stood by me through thick and thin。 Run at my
heels when everybody else fled me。 Dodged vigilance committees
with me； laid out in the brush with me with his hand in mine when
the sheriff's deputies were huntin' me； shut his jaw close when； if
he squealed； he'd have been called another victim of the brute
Horncastle； and been as petted and canoodled as you。〃
It would have been difficult for any one but the woman who knew the
man before her to have separated his brutish delight in paining her
from another feeling she had never dreamt him capable of；an
intense and fierce pride in his affection for his child。 And it
was the more hopeless to her that it was not the mere sentiment of
reciprocation； but the material instinct of paternity in its most
animal form。 And it seemed horrible to her that the only outcome
of what had been her own wild； youthful passion for this brute was
this love for the flesh of her flesh； for she was more and more
conscious as he spoke that her yearning for the boy was the
yearning of an equally dumb and unreasoning maternity。 They had
met again as animalsin fear； contempt； and anger of each other；
but the animal had triumphed in both。
When she spoke again it was as the woman of the world；the woman
who had laughed two years ago at the irrepressible Barker。 〃It's a
new thing；〃 she said； languidly turning her rings on her fingers；
〃to see you in the role of a doting father。 And may I ask how long
you have had this amiable weakness； and how long it is to last？〃
To her surprise and the keen retaliating delight of her sex； a
conscious flush covered his face to the crisp edges of his black
and matted beard。 For a moment she hoped that he had lied。 But；
to her greater surprise； he stammered in equal frankness： 〃It's
growed upon me for the last five yearsever since I was alone with
him。〃 He stopped； cleared his throat； and then； standing up before
her； said in his former voice； but with a more settled and intense
deliberation： 〃You wanter know how long it will last； do ye？ Well；
you know your special friend； Jim Stacythe big millionairethe
great Jim of the Stock Exchangethe man that pinches the money
market of Californy between his finger and thumb and makes it
squeal in New Yorkthe man who shakes the stock market when he
sneezes？ Well； it will go on until that man is a beggar； until he
has to borrow a dime for his breakfast； and slump out of his lunch
with a cent's worth of rat poison or a bullet in his head！ It'll
go on until his old partnerthat softy George Barkercomes to the
bottom of his dd fool luck and is a penny…a…liner for the
papers and a hanger…round at free lunches； and his scatter…brained
wife runs away with another man！ It'll go on until the high…toned
Demorest； the last of those three little tin gods of Heavy Tree
Hill； will have to climb down； and will know what I feel and what
he's made me feel； and will wish himself in hell before he ever
made the big strike on Heavy Tree！ That's me！ You hear me！ I'm
shoutin'！ It'll last till then！ It may be next week； next month；
next year。 But it'll come。 And when it does come you'll see me
and Eddy just waltzin' in and takin' the chief seats in the
synagogue！ And you'll have a free pass to the show！〃
Either he was too intoxicated with his vengeful vision； or the
shadows of the room had deepened； but he did not see the quick
flush that had risen to his wife's face with this allusion to
Barker； nor the after…settling of her handsome features into a
dogged determination equal to his own。 His blind fury against the
three partners did not touch her curiosity； she was only struck
with the evident depth of his emotion。 He had never been a
braggart； his hostility had always been lazy and cynical。
Remembering this； she had a faint stirring of respect for the
undoubted courage and consciousness of strength shown in this wild
but single…handed crusade against wealth and power； rather；
perhaps； it seemed to her to condone her own weakness in her
youthful and inexplicable passion for him。 No wonder she had
submitted。
〃Then you have nothing more to tell me？〃 she said after a pause；
rising and going towards the mantel。
〃You needn't light up for me；〃 he returned； rising also。 〃I am
going。 Unless；〃 he added； with his coarse laugh； 〃you think it
wouldn't look well for Mrs。 Horncastle to have been sitting in the
dark witha stranger！〃 He paused as she contemptuously put down
the candlestick and threw the unlit match into the grate。 〃No；
I've nothing more to tell。 He's a fancy…looking pup。 You'd take
him for twenty…one； though he's only sixteenclean…limbed and
perfectbut for one thing〃 He stopped。 He met her quick look
of interrogation； however； with a lowering silence that；
nevertheless； changed again as he surveyed her erect figure by the
faint light of the window with a sardonic smile。 〃He favors you； I
think； and in all but one thing； too。〃
〃And that？〃 she queried coldly； as he seemed to hesitate。
〃He ain't ashamed of ME；〃 he returned； with a laugh。
The door closed behind him； she heard his heavy step descend the
creaking stairs； he was gone。 She went to the window and threw it
open； as if to get rid of the atmosphere charged with his
presence；a presence still so potent that she now knew that for
the last five minutes she had been； to her horror； struggling
against its magnetism。 She even recoiled now at the thought of her
child； as if； in these new confidences over it； it had revived the
old intimacy in this link of their common flesh。 She looked down
from her window on the square shoulders； thick throat； and crisp
matted hair of her husband as he vanished in the darkness； and drew
a breath of freedom；a freedom not so much from him as from her
own weakness that he was bearing away with him into the exonerating
night。
She shut the window and sank down in her chair again； but in the
encompassing and compassionate obscurity of the room。 And this was
the man she had loved and for whom she had wrecked her young life！
Or WAS it love？ and； if NOT； how was she better than he？ Worse；
for he was more loyal to that passion that had brought them
together and its responsibilities than she was。 She had suffered
the perils and pangs of maternity； and yet had only the mere animal
yearning for her offspring； while he had taken over the toil and
duty； and even the devotion； of parentage himself。 But then she
remembered also how he had fascinated hera simple schoolgirlby
his sheer domineering strength； and how the objections of her
parents to this coarse and common man had forced her into a
clandestine intimacy that ended in her complete subjection to him。
She remembered the birth of an infant whose concealment from her
parents and friends was compassed by his low cunning； she
remembered the late atonement of marriage preferred by the man she
had already begun to loathe and fear； and who she now believed was
eager only for her inheritance。 She remembered her abject
compliance through the greater fear of the world； the stormy scenes
that followed their ill…omened union； her final abandonment of her
husband； and the efforts of her friends and family