part 1-第18部分

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but　I'm　not　any　more。　　Swedes　are　kind　of　common；　but　I



think　it's　better　to　be　SOMETHING。〃







　　　　　〃It　surely　is！　　How　tall　you　are　getting。　　You　come　above



my　shoulder　now。〃







　　　　　〃I'll　keep　on　growing；　don't　you　think？　　I　particularly



want　to　be　tall。　　Yes；　I　guess　I　must　go　home。　　I　wish



there'd　be　a　fire。〃







　　　　　〃A　fire？〃







　　　　　〃Yes；　so　the　fire…bell　would　ring　and　the　roundhouse



whistle　would　blow；　and　everybody　would　come　running



out。　　Sometime　I'm　going　to　ring　the　fire…bell　myself　and



stir　them　all　up。〃







　　　　　〃You'd　be　arrested。〃



















　　　　　〃Well；　that　would　be　better　than　going　to　bed。〃







　　　　　〃I'll　have　to　lend　you　some　more　books。〃







　　　　　Thea　shook　herself　impatiently。　　〃I　can't　read　every



night。〃







　　　　　Dr。　Archie　gave　one　of　his　low；　sympathetic　chuckles　as



he　opened　the　gate　for　her。　　〃You're　beginning　to　grow　up；



that's　what's　the　matter　with　you。　　I'll　have　to　keep　an　eye



on　you。　　Now　you'll　have　to　say　good…night　to　the　moon。〃







　　　　　〃No；　I　won't。　　I　sleep　on　the　floor　now；　right　in　the　moon…



light。　　My　window　comes　down　to　the　floor；　and　I　can　look



at　the　sky　all　night。〃







　　　　　She　shot　round　the　house　to　the　kitchen　door；　and　Dr。



Archie　watched　her　disappear　with　a　sigh。　　He　thought　of



the　hard；　mean；　frizzy　little　woman　who　kept　his　house



for　him；　once　the　belle　of　a　Michigan　town；　now　dry　and



withered　up　at　thirty。　　〃If　I　had　a　daughter　like　Thea　to



watch；〃　he　reflected；　〃I　wouldn't　mind　anything。　　I　won…



der　if　all　of　my　life's　going　to　be　a　mistake　just　because　I



made　a　big　one　then？　　Hardly　seems　fair。〃







　　　　　Howard　Archie　was　〃respected〃　rather　than　popular　in



Moonstone。　　Everyone　recognized　that　he　was　a　good



physician；　and　a　progressive　Western　town　likes　to　be　able



to　point　to　a　handsome；　well…set…up；　well…dressed　man



among　its　citizens。　　But　a　great　many　people　thought



Archie　〃distant；〃　and　they　were　right。　　He　had　the　uneasy



manner　of　a　man　who　is　not　among　his　own　kind；　and　who



has　not　seen　enough　of　the　world　to　feel　that　all　people　are



in　some　sense　his　own　kind。　　He　knew　that　every　one　was



curious　about　his　wife；　that　she　played　a　sort　of　character



part　in　Moonstone；　and　that　people　made　fun　of　her；　not



very　delicately。　　Her　own　friendsmost　of　them　women



who　were　distasteful　to　Archieliked　to　ask　her　to　con…



tribute　to　church　charities；　just　to　see　how　mean　she　could



be。　　The　little；　lop…sided　cake　at　the　church　supper；　the



cheapest　pincushion；　the　skimpiest　apron　at　the　bazaar；



were　always　Mrs。　Archie's　contribution。



















　　　　　All　this　hurt　the　doctor's　pride。　　But　if　there　was　one



thing　he　had　learned；　it　was　that　there　was　no　changing



Belle's　nature。　　He　had　married　a　mean　woman；　and　he



must　accept　the　consequences。　　Even　in　Colorado　he



would　have　had　no　pretext　for　divorce；　and；　to　do　him　jus…



tice；　he　had　never　thought　of　such　a　thing。　　The　tenets　of



the　Presbyterian　Church　in　which　he　had　grown　up；　though



he　had　long　ceased　to　believe　in　them；　still　influenced　his



conduct　and　his　conception　of　propriety。　　To　him　there　was



something　vulgar　about　divorce。　　A　divorced　man　was　a



disgraced　man；　at　least；　he　had　exhibited　his　hurt；　and　made



it　a　matter　for　common　gossip。　　Respectability　was　so



necessary　to　Archie　that　he　was　willing　to　pay　a　high　price



for　it。　　As　long　as　he　could　keep　up　a　decent　exterior；　he



could　manage　to　get　on；　and　if　he　could　have　concealed



his　wife's　littleness　from　all　his　friends；　he　would　scarcely



have　complained。　　He　was　more　afraid　of　pity　than　he　was



of　any　unhappiness。　　Had　there　been　another　woman　for



whom　he　cared　greatly；　he　might　have　had　plenty　of　cour…



age；　but　he　was　not　likely　to　meet　such　a　woman　in　Moon…



stone。







　　　　　There　was　a　puzzling　timidity　in　Archie's　make…up。　　The



thing　that　held　his　shoulders　stiff；　that　made　him　resort　to　a



mirthless　little　laugh　when　he　was　talking　to　dull　people；



that　made　him　sometimes　stumble　over　rugs　and　carpets；



had　its　counterpart　in　his　mind。　　He　had　not　the　courage



to　be　an　honest　thinker。　　He　could　comfort　himself　by　eva…



sions　and　compromises。　　He　consoled　himself　for　his　own



marriage　by　telling　himself　that　other　people's　were　not



much　better。　　In　his　work　he　saw　pretty　deeply　into　marital



relations　in　Moonstone；　and　he　could　honestly　say　that



there　were　not　many　of　his　friends　whom　he　envied。　　Their



wives　seemed　to　suit　them　well　enough；　but　they　would



never　have　suited　him。







　　　　　Although　Dr。　Archie　could　not　bring　himself　to　regard



marriage　merely　as　a　social　contract；　but　looked　upon　it　as















somehow　made　sacred　by　a　church　in　which　he　did　not　be…



lieve；as　a　physician　he　knew　that　a　young　man　whose



marriage　is　merely　nominal　must　yet　go　on　living　his　life。



When　he　went　to　Denver　or　to　Chicago；　he　drifted　about　in



careless　company　where　gayety　and　good…humor　can　be



bought；　not　because　he　had　any　taste　for　such　society；　but



because　he　honestly　believed　that　anything　was　better



than　divorce。　　He　often　told　himself　that　〃hanging　and



wiving　go　by　destiny。〃　　If　wiving　went　badly　with　a　man；



and　it　did　oftener　than　not；then　he　must　do　the　best



he　could　to　keep　up　appearances　and　help　the　tradition



of　domestic　happiness　along。　　The　Moonstone　gossips；　as…



sembled　in　Mrs。　Smiley's　millinery　and　notion　store；　often



discussed　Dr。　Archie's　politeness　to　his　wife；　and　his　pleas…



ant　manner　of　speaking　about　her。　　〃Nobody　has　ever　got



a　thing　out　of　him　yet；〃　they　agreed。　　And　it　was　certainly



not　because　no　one　had　ever　tried。







　　　　　When　he　was　down　in　Denver；　feeling　a　little　jolly；



Archie　could　forget　how　unhappy　he　was　at　home；　and　could



even　make　himself　believe　that　he　missed　his　wife。　　He



always　bought　her　presents；　and　would　have　liked　to　send



her　flowers　if　she　had　not　repeatedly　told　him　never　to　send



her　anything　but　bulbs；which　did　not　appeal　to　him　in



his　expansive　moments。　　At　the　Denver　Athletic　Club　ban…



quets；　or　at　dinner　with　his　colleagues　at　the　Brown　Palace



Hotel；　he　sometimes　spoke　sentimentally　about　〃little



Mrs。　Archie；〃　and　he　always　drank　the　toast　〃to　our　wives；



God　bless　them！〃　with　gusto。







　　　　　The　determining　factor　about　Dr。　Archie　was　that　he



was　romantic。　　He　had　married　Belle　White　because　he　was



romantictoo　romantic　to　know　anything　about　women；



except　what　he　wished　them　to　be；　or　to　repulse　a　pretty



girl　who　had　set　her　cap　for　him。　　At　medical　school；　though



he　was　a　rather　wild　boy　in　behavior；　he　had　always　dis…



liked　coarse　jokes　and　vulgar　stories。　　In　his　old　Flint's



Physiology　there　was　still　a　poem　he　had　pasted　there　when















he　was　a　student；　some　verses　by　Dr。　Oliver　Wendell



Holmes　about　the　ideals　of　the　medical　profession。　　After



so　much　and　such　disillusioning　experience　with　it；　he　still



had　a　romantic　feeling　about　the　human　body；　a　sense　that



finer　things　dwelt　in　it　than　could　be　explained　by　anatomy。



He　never　jested　about　birth　or　death　or　marriage；　and　did



not　like　to　hear　other　doctors　do　it。　　He　was　a　good　nurse；



and　had　a　reverence　for　the　bodies　of　women　and　children。



When　he　was　tending　them；　one　saw　him　at　his　best。　　Then



his　constraint　and　self…consciousness　fell　away　from　him。



He　was　easy；　gentle；　competent；　master　of　himself　and　of



other　people。　　Then　the　idealist　in　him　was　not　afraid　of



being　discovered　and　ridiculed。







　　　　　In　his　tastes；　too；　the　doctor　was　romantic。　　Though　he



read　Balzac　all　the　year　through；　he　still　enjoyed　the



Waverley　Novels　as　much　as　when　he　had　first　come　upon



them；　in　thick　leather…bound　volumes；　in　his　grandfather's



library。　　He　nearly　always　read　Scott　on　Christmas　and



holidays；　because　it　brought　back　the　pleasures　of　his　boy…



hood　so　vividly。　　He　liked　Scott's　women。　　Constance　de



Beverley　and　the　minstrel　girl　in　〃The　Fair　Maid　of



Perth；〃　not　the　Duchesse　de　Langeais；　were　his　heroines。



But　better　than　anything　that　ever　got　from　the　heart　of



a　man　into　printer's　ink；　he　loved　the　poetry　of　Robert



Burns。　　〃Death　and　Dr。　Hornbook〃　and　〃The　Jolly　Beg…



gars；〃　Burns's　〃Reply　to　his　Tailor；〃　he　often　read　aloud　to



himself　in　his　office；　late　at　night；　after　a　glass　of　hot　toddy。



He　used　to　read　〃Tam　o'Shanter〃　to　Thea　Kronborg；　and



he　got　her　some　of　the　songs；　set　to　the　old　airs　for　which



they　were　written。　　He　loved　to　hear　her　sing　them。　　Some…



times　when　she　sang；　〃Oh；　wert　thou　in　the　cauld　blast；〃



the　doctor　and　even　Mr。　Kronborg　joined　in。　　Thea　never



minded　if　people　could　not　sing；　she　directed　them　with



her　head　and　somehow　carried　them　along。　　When　her



father　got　off　the　pitch　she　let　her　own　voice　out　and



covered　him。































　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　XIII











　　　　　At　the　beginning　of　June；　when　school　closed；　Thea　had



told　Wunsch　that　she　didn't　know　how　much　prac…



ticing　she　could　get　in　this　summer　because　Thor　had　his



worst　teeth　still　to　cut。







　　　　　〃My　God！　all　last　summer　he　was　doing　that！〃　Wunsch



exclaimed　furiously。







　　　　　〃I　know；　but　it　takes　them　two　years；　and　Thor　is　slow；〃



Th