当前位置:首页 > 经典读物 > The Shuttlel
第1章
作者:Frances Hodgson Burnett | 字数:11306 字

CHAPTERI

THEWEAVINGOFTHESHUTTLE

NomanknewwhentheShuttlebeganitsslowandheavyweavingfromshoretoshore,thatitwasheldandguidedbythegreathandofFate。Fatealonesawthemeaningofthewebitwove,themightofit,anditsplaceinthemakingofaworld’shistory。Menthoughtbutlittleofeitherweborweaving,callingthembyothernamesandlighterones,forthetimeunconsciousofthestrengthofthethreadthrownacrossthousandsofmilesofleaping,heaving,greyorblueocean。

FateandLifeplannedtheweaving,anditseemedmerecircumstancewhichguidedtheShuttletoandfrobetweentwoworldsdividedbyagulfbroaderanddeeperthanthethousandsofmilesofsalt,fiercesea——thegulfofabitterquarreldeepenedbyhatredandthesheddingofbrothers’

blood。BetweenthetwoworldsofEastandWesttherewasnowilltodrawnearer。Eachheldapart。Thosewhohadrebelledagainstthatwhichtheirsoulscalledtyranny,havingstruggledmadlyandshedbloodintearingthemselvesfree,turnedsternbacksupontheirunconqueredenemies,brokeallcordsthatboundthemtothepast,flingingofftiesofname,kinshipandrank,beginningwithfiercedisdainanewlife。

Thosewho,beingrebelledagainst,foundtherebelstoopassionateintheirdeterminationandtoodesperateintheirdefenceoftheirstrongholdstobelessthanunconquerable,sailedbackhaughtilytotheworldwhichseemedsofarthegreaterpower。Plungingintonewbattles,theyaddednewconquestsandsplendourtotheirland,lookingbackwithsomethingofcontempttothehalf—savageWestlefttobuilditsowncivilisationwithoutotheraidthanthestrengthofitsownstrongrighthandandstrongunculturedbrain。

Butwhilethetwoworldsheldapart,theShuttle,weavingslowlyinthegreathandofFate,drewthemcloserandheldthemfirm,eachofthemallunknowingformanyayear,thatwhathadatfirstbeenmerethreadsofgossamer,wasformingawebwhosestrengthintimenonecouldcompute,whoseseverancecouldbeaccomplishedbutbytragedyandconvulsion。

Theweavingwasbutinitsearlyandslow—movingyearswhenthisstoryopens。SteamerscrossedandrecrossedtheAtlantic,buttheyaccomplishedthejourneyatleisureandwithheavyrollingsandallsuchdiscomfortsassmallcraftcanafford。Theirstateroomsanddeckswerenotcrowdedwithpeopletowhomthevoyagewasamereincident——inmanycasesayearlyone。"Acrossing"inthosedayswasanevent。

Itwasplannedseriously,longthoughtof,discussedandre—

discussed,withandamongthevariousmembersofthefamilytowhichthevoyagerbelonged。Acertainboldness,borderingonrecklessness,wasalmosttobepresupposedintheindividualwho,turninghisbackuponNewYork,Philadelphia,Boston,andlikecities,turnedhisfacetowards"Europe。"

InthosedayswhentheShuttlewoveatleisure,amandidnotlightlyrunovertoLondon,orParis,orBerlin,hegravelywentto"Europe。"

Thejourneybeinglikelytobemadeonceinalifetime,thetraveller’sintentionwastoseeasmuchaspossible,tovisitasmanycitiescathedrals,ruins,galleries,ashistimeandpursewouldallow。PeoplewhocouldspeakwithanydegreeoffamiliarityofHydePark,theChampsElysees,thePincio,hadgainedacertaindignity。Theabilitytotouchwithanintimatebearinguponsuchlocalitieswasaraisondeplusforbeingaskedouttoteaortodinner。Topossessphotographsandrelicswastobeofinterest,tohaveseenEuropeancelebritiesevenatadistance,tohavewanderedabouttheoutsideofpoets’gardensandphilosophers’houses,wastobeentitledtorespect。TheperiodwasafarcryfromthetimewhentheShuttle,havingshottoandfro,fasterandfaster,weekbyweek,monthbymonth,weavingnewthreadsintoitswebeachyear,haswovenwarpandwoofuntiltheybindfarshoretoshore。

Itwasincomparativelyearlydaysthatthefirstthreadwefollowwaswovenintotheweb。Manysuchhavebeenwovensinceandhaveaddedgreaterstrengththananyothers,twiningthecordofsexandhome—buildingandrace—founding。

Butthiswasaslightandweakone,beingonlythethreadofthelifeofoneofReubenVanderpoel’sdaughters——theprettylittlesimpleonewhosenamewasRosalie。

Theywere——theVanderpoels——oftheAmericanswhosefortuneswereaportionofthehistoryoftheircountry。Thebuildingofthesefortuneshadbeenapartof,orhadcreatedepochsandcrises。Theirmillionscouldscarcelyberegardedasprivateproperty。Newspapersbandiedthemabout,sotospeak,employingthemasfactorsinargument,usingthemasfiguresofspeech,incorporatingthemintomethodsofcalculation。Literaturetoucheduponthem,moralsystemsconsideredthem,storiesfortheyoungtreatedthemgravelyasillustrative。

ThefirstReubenVanderpoel,whoinearlydaysofdangerhadtradedwithsavagesforthepeltsofwildanimals,wasthelaudedheroofstoriesofthriftandenterprise。Throughouthishard—workinglifehehadbeenirresistiblyimpelledtoactionbyanabsolutegeniusofcommerce,expressingitselfattheoutsetbytheexhibitionofcourageinmereexchangeandbarter。Analertpowertoperceivethepotentialvalueofthingsandthepossiblemalleabilityofmenandcircumstances,hadstoodhiminmarvellousgoodstead。Hehadboughtatlowpricesthingswhichintheeyesofthelessdiscerningwereworthless,but,havingobtainedpossessionofsuchthings,thelessdiscerninghadalmostinvariablyawakenedtothefactthat,inhishands,valuesincreased,andmethodsofremunerativedisposition,beingsought,werefound。Nothingremainedunutilisable。Thepractical,sordid,uneducatedlittlemandevelopedthepowertocreatedemandforhisownsupplies。Ifhewasbetrayedintoanerror,hequicklyretrievedit。Hecouldliveuponnothingandconsequentlycouldtravelanywhereinsearchofsuchthingsashedesired。Hecouldbarelyreadandwrite,andcouldnotspell,buthewasdaringandastute。Hisuntaughtbrainwasthatofafinancier,hisbloodburnedwiththefeverofbutonedesire——thedesiretoaccumulate。Moneyexpressedtohisnature,notexpenditure,butinvestmentinsuchsmallorlargepropertiesascouldberesoldatprofitinthenearorfarfuture。Thefutureheldfascinationsforhim。Heboughtnothingforhisownpleasureorcomfort,nothingwhichcouldnotbesoldorbarteredagain。Hemarriedawomanwhowasatrader’sdaughterandsharedhispassionforgain。ShewasofNorthofEnglandblood,herfatherhavingbeenahard—fistedsmalltradesmaninanunimportanttown,whohadbeendaringenoughtoemigratewhenemigrationmeantthefacingofunknowndangersinahalf—savageland。ShehadexcitedReubenVanderpoel’sadmirationbytakingoffherpetticoatonebitterwinter’sdaytosellittoasquawinexchangeforanornamentforwhichshechancedtoknowanothersquawwouldpaywithaskinofvalue。ThefirstMrs。Vanderpoelwasaswonderfulasherhusband。Theywerebothwonderful。Theywerethefoundersofthefortunewhichacenturyandahalflaterwasthedelight——infactthepiecederesistance——ofNewYorksocietyreporters,itsenormitybeingrestatedinroundfigureswhenablankspacemustbefilledup。Themethodofstatementlentitselftoinfinitevarietyandwasalwaysinterestingtoaparticularclass,someelementsofwhichfeltitencouragingtobeassuredthatsomuchmoneycouldbeapersonalpossession,someelementsfeelingthefactanadditionalargumenttobeusedagainsttheinfamyofmonopoly。

ThefirstReubenVanderpoeltransmittedtohissonhisaccumulationsandhisfeverforgain。Hehadbutonechild。

ThesecondReubenbuiltuponthefoundationsthisaffordedhim,afortuneasmuchlargerthanthefirstastherapidgrowthandincreasingcapabilitiesofthecountrygavehimenlargingopportunitiestoacquire。Itwasnolongernecessarytodealwithsavages:hispowerswerecalledupontocopewiththoseofwhitemenwhocametoanewcountrytostruggleforlivelihoodandfortune。Somewereshrewd,someweredesperate,someweredishonest。Butshrewdnessneveroutwitted,desperationneverovercame,dishonestyneverdeceivedthesecondReubenVanderpoel。Eachcharacteristicendedbyadaptingitselftohisownpurposesandqualities,andasaresultofeachitwashewhoinanybusinesstransactionwasthegainer。

ItwasthecommonsayingthattheVanderpoelswerepossessedofamoney—makingspell。Theirspelllayintheirentirementalandphysicalabsorptioninoneidea。TheirpeculiaritywasnotsomuchthattheywishedtoberichasthatNatureitselfimpelledthemtocollectwealthastheload—stonedrawstowardsitiron。Havingpossessednothing,theybecamerich,havingbecomerichtheybecamericher,havingfoundedtheirfortunesonsmallschemes,theyincreasedthembyenormousones。Intimetheyattainedthatomnipotenceofwealthwhichitwouldseemnocircumstancecancontrolorlimit。ThefirstReubenVanderpoelcouldnotspell,thesecondcould,thethirdwasaswelleducatedasamancouldbewhosesoleprofessionismoney—making。Hischildrenweretaughtallthatexpensiveteachersandexpensiveopportunitiescouldteachthem。AfterthesecondgenerationthemeagreandmercantilephysicaltypeoftheVanderpoelsimproveduponitself。Femininegoodlooksappearedandweremadethemostof。TheVanderpoelelementinvestedevengoodlookstoanadvantage。ThefourthReubenVanderpoelhadnosonandtwodaughters。Theywerebroughtupinabrown—stonemansionbuiltuponafashionableNewYorkthoroughfareroaringwithtraffic。TothefarthestpointoftheRockyMountainsthenumberofdollarsthis"mansion"(itwasalwayscalledso)hadcost,wasknown。TheremayhaveexistedPuebloIndianswhohadheardrumoursofthepriceofit。Alltheshop—keepersandfarmersintheUnitedStateshadreadnewspaperdescriptionsofitsfurnishingsandknewthevalueofthebrocadewhichhunginthebedroomsandboudoirsoftheMissesVanderpoel。

ItwasafactmuchcherishedthatMissRosalie’sbathwasofCarraramarble,andtogoodsoulsactivelyengagedindoingtheirownwashinginsmallNewEnglandorWesterntowns,itwasadistinctluxurytobeawarethatthewaterintheCarraramarblebathwasperfumedwithFlorentineIris。

Circumstancessuchastheseseemedtobecomepersonalpossessionsandeventolightensomewhattheburdenoftoil。

RosalieVanderpoelmarriedanEnglishmanoftitle,andpartofthestoryofhermarriedlifeformsmyprologue。Herswasoftheearlyinternationalmarriages,andtherepublicanmindhadnotyetadjusteditselftoallthatsuchalliancesmightimply。

Itwasyetingenuous,imaginativeandconfidinginsuchmatters。AbaronetcyandamanorhousereigningoveranoldEnglishvillageandovervillagersinpossiblesmockfrocks,presentedelementsofpicturesquedignitytopeoplewhoseintimacywithsuchallurementshadbeenlimitedbythenovelsofMrs。Oliphantandotherwriters。Themostordinarylittleanecdotesinwhichvicarages,gamekeepers,anddowagersfigured,wereexcitingintheseearlydays。"SirNigelAnstruthers,"whenengraveduponavisitingcard,woreanairofdistinctionalmoststartling。SirNigelhimselfwasnotaspicturesqueashisname,thoughhewasnotentirelywithoutattraction,whenforreasonsofhisownhechosetoaimatagreeablenessofbearing。Hewasamanwithagoodfigureandagoodvoice,andbutforaheavinessoffeaturetheresultofobjectionableliving,mighthavegiventheimpressionofbeingbetterlookingthanhereallywas。NewYorklaidamusedandatthesametime,charmedstressuponthefactthathespokewithan"Englishaccent。"Hisenunciationwasinfactclearcutandtreateditsvowelswell。Hewasamanwhoobservedwithanairofaccustomedpunctiliousnesssuchsocialrulesandcourtesiesashedeemeditexpedienttoconsider。AnastuteworldlinghadremarkedthathewasatoncemoreceremoniousandmorecasualinhismannerthanmenbredinAmerica。

"Ifyouinvitehimtodinner,"thewordingsaid,"orifyoudie,ormarry,ormeetwithanaccident,hisnotesofcondolenceorcongratulationarepromptandcivil,buttheactualtruthisthathecaresnothingwhateveraboutyouoryourrelations,andifyoudon’tpleasehimhedoesnothesitatetosulkorbeastonishinglyrude,whichlastanAmericandoesnotallowhimselftobe,asarule。"

BymanypeopleSirNigelwasnotanalysed,butaccepted。

HewasoftheearlyEnglishwhocametoNewYork,andwasanoveltyofinterest,withhisbackgroundofManorHouseandvillageandoldfamilyname。Hewasverymuchtalkedofatvivaciousladies’luncheonparties,hewasverymuchtalkedtoatequallyvivaciousafternoonteas。Atdinnerpartieshewasfurtivelywatchedagooddeal,butafterdinnerwhenhesatwiththemenovertheirwine,hewasnotpopular。

Hewasnotperhapsexactlydisliked,butmenwhosechiefinterestatthatperiodlayinstocksandrailroads,didnotfindconversationeasywithamanwhosesoleoccupationhadbeentheshootingofbirdsandthehuntingoffoxes,whenhewasnotabsolutelyloiteringaboutLondon,withhistimeonhishands。Thestorieshetold——andtheywerefew——werechieflyanecdoteswhosepointsgainedtheirhumourbythefactthatamanwasacomicallybadshotorbadriderandeitherpepperedagamekeeperorwasthrownintoaditchwhenhishorsewentoverahedge,andsuchrelationsdidnotincreaseinthepoignancyoftheirinterestbybeingfilteredthroughbrainsaccustomedtoapplyingtheirpowerstoproblemsofspeculationandcommerce。HewasnotsodullbutthatheperceivedthisatanearlystageofhisvisittoNewYork,whichwasprobablythereasonoftheinfrequencyofhisstories。

Heonhissidewasnaturallynotquicktorisetothehumourofa"bigdeal"orabigblundermadeonWallStreet——ortothewitofjokesconcerningthem。Uponthewholehewouldhavebeengladtohaveunderstoodsuchmattersmoreclearly。Hiscircumstancesweresuchashadatlastforcedhimtocontemplatetheworldofmoney—makerswithsomethingofanannoyedrespect。"Thesefellows"whohadneithertitlesnorestatestokeepupcouldmakemoney。He,asheacknowledgeddisgustedlytohimself,wasmuchworsethanabeggar。TherewasStornhamCourtinastateofruin——

theestategoingtothedogs,thefarmhousestumblingtopiecesandhe,sotospeak,withoutasixpencetoblesshimselfwith,andheadoverheelsindebt。Englishmenoftherankwhichinbygonetimeshadnotassociateditselfwithtradehadbegunatleasttotriflewithit——toconsideritspotentialitiesasfactorspossiblytobemadeusefulbythearistocracy。Countesseshadnotyetspiritedlyopenedmilliners’

shops,norbeltedEarlsadornedthestage,butcertainnoblemenhaddalliedwithbeerandcoquettedwithstocks。OneofthefirstcommercialdevelopmentshadbeenthediscoveryofAmerica——particularlyofNewYork——asaplacewhereifonecouldmakeupone’smindtotheplunge,onemightmarryone’ssonsprofitably。Attheoutsetitpresentedafieldsopromisingastoleadtorashnessandindiscretiononthepartofpersonsnotgiventoanalysisofcharacterandinconsequencerelyingtooserenelyuponaningenuousnesswhichratherspeedilyrevealedthatithaditslimits。Ingenuousnesscombiningitselfwithremarkablealertnessofperceptiononoccasion,isratherAmericanthanEnglish,andis,therefore,totheEnglishmind,misleading。

Atfirstyoungersons,who"gavetrouble"totheirfamilies,weresentout。Theirnames,theirbackgroundsofcastlesormanors,relativesofdistinction,Londonseasons,foxhunting,BuckinghamPalaceandGoodwoodRaces,formedapicturesqueallurement。Thatthecastlesandmanorswouldbelongtotheirelderbrothers,thattherelativesofdistinctiondidnotencourageintimacywithswarmsoftheyoungerbranchesoftheirfamilies;thatLondonseasons,hunting,andracingwerefortheireldersandbetters,werefactsnotrealisedinalltheirimportancebytherepublicanmind。Inthecourseoftimetheywererealisedtothefull,butinRosalieVanderpoel’snineteenthyeartheycoveredwhatwasatthattimealmostunknownterritory。OnemayrestassuredSirNigelAnstrutherssaidnothingwhatsoeverinNewYorkofaninterviewhehadhadbeforesailingwithanintenselydisagreeablegreat—aunt,whowasthewifeofaBishop。Shewasahorribleoldwomanwithabroadface,bluntfeaturesandaraucousvoice,whosetonesaddedacriditytoherobservationswhenshewasindulginginherfavouritepastimeofinterferingwiththebusinessofheracquaintancesandrelations。

"IdonotknowwhatyouaregoingchasingofftoAmericafor,Nigel,"shecommented。"Youcan’tafforditanditisperfectlyridiculousofyoutotakeituponyourselftotravelforpleasureasifyouwereamanofmeansinsteadofbeinginsuchastateofpocketthatMariatellsmeyoucannotpayyourtailor。NeithertheBishopnorIcandoanythingforyouandIhopeyoudon’texpectit。AllIcanhopeisthatyouknowyourselfwhatyouaregoingtoAmericainsearchof,andthatitissomethingmorepracticalthanbuffaloes。

YouhadbetterstopinNewYork。Thosebigshopkeepers’

daughtersareenormouslyrich,theysay,andtheyareimmenselypleasedbyattentionsfrommenofyourclass。Theysaythey’llmarryanythingifithasanauntoragrandmotherwithatitle。YoucanmentiontheMarchioness,youknow。Youneednotrefertothefactthatshethoughtyourfatherablackguardandyourmotheraninterloper,andthatyouhaveneverbeeninvitedtoBroadmeresinceyouwereborn。YoucanrefercasuallytomeandtotheBishopandtothePalace,too。APalace——evenaBishop’s——oughttogoalongwaywithAmericans。Theywillthinkitissomethingroyal。"Sheendedherremarkswithoneofhermostinsultingsnortsoflaughter,andSirNigelbecamedarkredandlookedasifhewouldliketoknockherdown。

Itwasnot,however,hersentimentswhichwereparticularlyrevoltingtohim。Ifshehadexpressedtheminamannermoreflatteringtohimselfhewouldhavefeltthattherewasagooddealtobesaidforthem。Infact,hehadputthesamethingtohimselfsometimepreviously,and,insumminguptheAmericanmatter,hadreachedcertainthriftydecisions。

Theimpulsetoknockherdownsurgedwithinhimsolelybecausehehadabrutallybadtemperwhenhisvanitywasinsulted,andhewasfuriousatherimpudenceinspeakingtohimasifhewereavillageroutofworkwhomshewasatlibertytobullyandlecture。

"Forawomanwhoissupposedtohavebeenbornofgentlepeople,"hesaidtohismotherafterwards,"AuntMarianisthemostvulgaroldbeastIhaveeverbeheld。Shehasthetasteofafemalecostermonger。"Whichwasentirelytrue,butitmightbeaddedthathisownwasnobetterandhispointsofviewandmoralswhollycoincidedwithhistaste。

NaturallyRosalieVanderpoelknewnothingofthissideofthematter。Shehadbeenapetted,butterflychild,whohadbeenprettyandadmiredandindulgedfromherinfancy;shehadgrownupintoapetted,butterflygirl,prettyandadmiredandsurroundedbyinordinateluxury。Herworldhadbeenmadeupofgood—natured,lavishfriendsandrelations,whoenjoyedthemselvesandfeltadelightinhergirlishtoilettesandtriumphs。Shehadspentheroneseasonofbelledominbeingwhirledfromfestivitytofestivity,indancinginroomsfestoonedwiththousandsofdollars’worthofflowers,inlunchingordiningattablesloadedwithrosesandvioletsandorchids,fromwhichballroomsorfeastsshehadborneawaywonderful"favours"andgifts,whoseprices,beingrecordedinthenewspapers,causedathrillofdelightorenvytopassovertheland。Shewasaslimlittlecreature,withquantitiesoflightfeatheryhairlikeaFrenchdoll’s。Shehadsmallhandsandsmallfeetandasmallwaist——asmallbrainalso,itmustbeadmitted,butshewasaninnocent,sweet—temperedgirlwithachildlikesimplenessofmind。Infine,shewasexactlythegirltofindSirNigel’sdomineeringtemperamentatonceimposingandattractive,solongasitwascloakedbytheceremoniesofexternalgoodbreeding。

HersisterBettina,whowasstillachild,wasofastrongerandlesssusceptiblenature。Betty——ateight——hadlonglegsandasquarebutdelicatesmallface。Herwell—openedsteel—

blueeyeswerenoticeableforratherextravagantink—blacklashesandastraightyoungstarewhichseemedtoaccuseifnottocondemn。Shewasbeingeducatedataruinouslyexpensiveschoolwithanumberofotherinordinatelyrichlittlegirls,whowerealltoowonderfullydressedandtoolavishlysuppliedwithpocketmoney。Theschoolconsidereditselfespeciallyrefinedandselect,butwasinfactinterestinglyvulgar。

Theinordinatelyrichlittlegirls,whohadmostofthemprettyandspiritualorprettyandpiquantfaces,ateagreatmanybonbonsandchatteredagreatdealinhighunmodulatedvoicesaboutthepartiestheirsistersandotherrelativeswenttoandthedressestheywore。Someofthemwerenicelittlesouls,whointhefuturewouldemergefromtheirchrysalisstateenchantingwomen,buttheyusedcolloquialismsfreely,andhadaningenuoushabitofreferringtothepricesofthings。BettinaVanderpoel,whowastherichestandcleverestandmostpromisinglyhandsomeamongthem,wascolloquialtoslanginess,butshehadadeep,mellow,childvoiceandanamazingcarriage。

ShecouldnotendureSirNigelAnstruthers,and,beinganAmericanchild,didnothesitatetoexpressherselfwithforce,ifwithsomecrudeness。"He’sahatefulthing,"shesaid,"Iloathehim。He’sstuckupandhethinksyouareafraidofhimandhelikesit。"

SirNigelhadknownonlyEnglishchildren,littlegirlswholivedinthatdiscreetcorneroftheirparents’townorcountryhousesknownas"theschoolroom,"apparentlyemergingonlyfordailywalkswithgovernesses;girlswithlonghairandboysinlittlehighhatsandwithfaceswhichseemedcuriouslymadetomatchthem。Bothboysandgirlsweredecentlykeptoutofthewayandnotintheleastdweltonexceptwhenbroughtoutforinspectionduringtheholidaysandtakentothepantomime。

SirNigelhadnotrealisedthatanAmericanchildwasanabsolutefactortobecountedwith,anda"youngster"whoenteredthedrawing—roomwhenshechoseandjoinedfearlesslyinadultconversationwasanelementheconsideredannoying。

ItwasquitetruethatBettinatalkedtoomuchandtooreadilyattimes,butithadnotbeenexplainedtoherthattheopinionsofeightyearsarenotalwaysofabsorbinginteresttothemature。ItwasalsotruethatSirNigelwasagreatfoolforinterferingwithwhatwasclearlynoaffairofhisinsuchamanneraswouldhavemadehimanenemyevenhadnotthechild’sinstinctarrayedheragainsthimattheoutset。

"YouAmericanyoungstersaretoocheeky,"hesaidononeoftheoccasionswhenBettyhadtalkedtoomuch。"IfyouweremysisterandlivedatStornhamCourt,youwouldbelearninglessonsintheschoolroomandwearingapinafore。

NobodyeversawmysisterEmilywhenshewasyourage。"

"Well,I’mnotyoursisterEmily,"retortedBetty,"andIguessI’mgladofit。"

Itwasratherimpudentofher,butitmustbeconfessedthatshewasnotinfrequentlyratherimpudentinarudelittle—girlway,butshewasserenelyunconsciousofthefact。

SirNigelflusheddarklyandlaughedashort,unpleasantlaugh。IfshehadbeenhissisterEmilyshewouldhavefaredillatthemoment,forhisvillainoustemperwouldhavegotthebetterofhim。

"I`guess’thatImaybecongratulatedtoo,"hesneered。

"IfIwasgoingtobeanybody’ssisterEmily,"saidBetty,excitedalittlebythesenseofthefray,"Ishouldn’twanttobeyours。"

"NowBetty,don’tbehateful,"interposedRosalie,laughing,andherlaughwasnervous。"There’sMinaThalbergcomingupthefrontsteps。Goandmeether。"

Rosalie,poorgirl,alwaysfoundherselfnervouswhenSirNigelandBettywereintheroomtogether。SheinstinctivelyrecognisedtheirantagonismandwasafraidBettywoulddosomethinganEnglishbaronetwouldthinkvulgar。HersimplebraincouldnothaveexplainedtoherwhyitwasthatsheknewSirNigeloftenthoughtNewYorkersvulgar。Shewas,however,quiteawareofthisbutimperfectlyconcealedfact,andfeltatimiddesiretobeexplanatory。

WhenBettinamarchedoutoftheroomwithherextraordinarycarriagefinelymanifest,Rosy’slittlelaughwaspropitiatory。

"Youmustn’tmindher,"shesaid。"She’sarealsplendidlittlething,butshe’sgotaquicktemper。It’salloverinaminute。"

"Theywouldn’tstandthatsortofthinginEngland,"

saidSirNigel。"She’sdeucedlyspoiled,youknow。"

Hedetestedthechild。Hedislikedallchildren,butthisoneawakenedinhimmorethanmeredislike。ThefactwasthatthoughBettyherselfwaswhollyunconsciousofthesubtletruth,theasyetundevelopedintellectwhichlatermadeherabrilliantandcaptivatingpersonality,vaguelysawhimashewas,anunscrupulous,sordidbrute,asremorselessanadventurerandswindlerinhisspecialline,asifhehadbeenengagedindrawingfalsechequesandarranginghugejewelrobberies,insteadofplanningtoentrapintoadisadvantageousmarriageagirlwhosegentlenessandfortunecouldbeusedbyablackguardofreputablename。Themanwascold—

bloodedenoughtoseethathergentleweaknesswasofvaluebecauseitcouldbebullied,hermoneywastobecountedonbecauseitcouldbespentonhimselfandhisdegeneratevicesandonhisrackedandruinednameandestate,whichmustberebuiltandrestockedatanearlydatebysomeoneorother,lesttheytumbledintoignominiouscollapsewhichcouldnotbeconcealed。Bettinaoftheaccusingeyesdidnotknowthatinthedepthofheryetcrudeyoungbeing,instinctwassummingupforherthepotentialitiesofanunusuallyfinespecimenoftheBritishblackguard,butthiswasneverthelesstheinterestingtruth。WhenlatershewastoldthathersisterhadbecomeengagedtoSirNigelAnstruthers,aflameofcolourflashedoverherface,shestaredsilentlyamoment,thenbitherlipandburstintotears。

"Well,Bett,"exclaimedRosalie,"youarethequeerestthingIeversaw。"

Bettina’stearswereanoutburst,notaflow。Shesweptthemawaypassionatelywithhersmallhandkerchief。

"He’lldosomethingawfultoyou,"shesaid。"He’llnearlykillyou。Iknowhewill。I’dratherbedeadmyself。"