april hopes-第10部分

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！



However　this　might　be；　there　was　no　question　but　there　was　now　less　money
than　there　had　been；　and　a　great　deal　less。　　The　investments　had　not
turned　out　as　they　promised；　not　only　had　dividends　been　passed；　but
there　had　been　permanent　shrinkages。　　What　was　once　an　amiable　competency
from　the　pooling　of　their　joint　resources　had　dwindled　to　a　sum　that
needed　a　careful　eye　both　to　the　income　and　the　outgo。　　Alice's　becoming
a　young　lady　had　increased　their　expenses　by　the　suddenly　mounting　cost
of　her　dresses；　and　of　the　dresses　which　her　mother　must　now　buy　for　the
different　role　she　had　to　sustain　in　society。　　They　began　to　ask
themselves　what　it　was　for；　and　to　question　whether；　if　she　could　not
marry　a　noble　Englishman；　Alice　had　not　better　marry　a　good　American。

Even　with　Mrs。　Pasmer　this　question　was　tacit；　and　it　need　not　be
explained　to　any　one　who　knows　our　life　that　in　her　most　worldly　dreams
she　intended　at　the　bottom　of　her　heart　that　her　daughter　should　marry
for　love。　　It　is　the　rule　that　Americans　marry　for　love；　and　the　very
rare　exception　that　they　marry　for　anything　else；　and　if　our　divorce
courts　are　so　busy　in　spite　of　this　fact；　it　is　perhaps　because　the
Americans　also　unmarry　for　love；　or　perhaps　because　love　is　not　so
sufficient　in　matters　of　the　heart　as　has　been　represented　in　the
literature　of　people　who　have　not　been　able　to　give　it　so　fair　a　trial。
But　whether　it　is　all　in　all　in　marriage；　or　only　a　very　marked
essential；　it　is　certain　that　Mrs。　Pasmer　expected　her　daughter's
marriage　to　involve　it。　　She　would　have　shrunk　from　intimating　anything
else　to　her　as　from　a　gross　indecency；　and　she　could　not　possibly；　by　any
finest　insinuation；　have　made　her　a　partner　in　her　design　for　her
happiness。　　That；　so　far　as　Alice　was　concerned；　was　a　thing　which　was　to
fall　to　her　as　from　heaven；　for　this　also　is　part　of　the　American　plan。
We　are　the　children　of　the　poets；　the　devotees　of　the　romancers；　so　far
as　that　goes；　and　however　material　and　practical　we　are　in　other　things；
in　this　we　are　a　republic　of　shepherds　and　shepherdesses；　and　we　live　in
a　golden　age；　which　if　it　sometimes　seems　an　age　of　inconvertible　paper；
is　certainly　so　through　no　want　of　faith　in　us。

Though　the　Pasmers　said　that　they　ought　to　go　home　for　Alice's　sake；　they
both　understood　that　they　were　going　home　experimentally；　and　not　with
the　intention　of　laying　their　bones　in　their　native　soil；　unless　they
liked　it；　or　found　they　could　afford　it。　　Mrs。　Pasmer　had　no　illusions　in
regard　to　it。　　She　had　learned　from　her　former　visits　home　that　it　was
frightfully　expensive；　and；　during　the　fifteen　years　which　they　had　spent
chiefly　abroad；　she　had　observed　the　decay　of　that　distinction　which
formerly　attended　returning　sojourners　from　Europe。　　She　had　seen　them
cease　gradually　from　the　romantic　reverence　which　once　clothed　them；　and
decline　through　a　gathering　indifference　into　something　like　slight　and
compassion；　as　people　who　have　not　been　able　to　make　their　place　or　hold
their　own　at　home；　and　she　had　taught　herself　so　well　how　to　pocket　the
superiority　natural　to　the　Europeanised　American　before　arriving　at
consciousness　of　this　disesteem；　that　she　paid　a　ready　tribute　to　people
who　had　always　stayed　at　home。

In　fact　Mrs。　Pasmer　was　a　flatterer；　and　it　cannot　be　claimed　for　her
that　she　flattered　adroitly　always。　　But　adroitness　in　flattery　is　not
necessary　for　its　successful　use。　　There　is　no　morsel　of　it　too　gross　for
the　condor　gullet　and　the　ostrich　stomach　of　human　vanity；　there　is　no
society　in　which　it　does　not　give　the　utterer　instant　honour　and
acceptance　in　greater　or　less　degree。　　Mrs。　Pasmer；　who　was　very　good…
natured；　employed　it　because　she　liked　it　herself；　and　knowing　how
absolutely　worthless　it　was　from　her　own　tongue；　prized　it　from　others。
She　could　have　rested　perfectly　safe　without　it　in　her　social　position；
which　she　found　unchanged　by　years　of　absence。　　She　had　not　been　a
Hibbins　for　nothing；　and　she　was　not　a　Pasmer　for　nothing；　though　why　she
should　have　been　either　for　something　it　would　not　be　easy　to　say。

But　while　confessing　the　foibles　of　Mrs。　Pasmer；　it　would　not　be　fair　to
omit　from　the　tale　of　her　many　virtues　the　final　conscientiousness　of　her
openly　involuted　character。　　Not　to　mention　other　things；　she　instituted
and　practised　economies　as　alien　to　her　nature　as　to　her　husband's；　and
in　their　narrowing　affairs　she　kept　him　out　of　debt。　　She　was　prudent；
she　was　alert；　and　while　presenting　to　the　world　all　the　outward　effect
of　a　butterfly；　she　possessed　some　of　the　best　qualities　of　the　bee。

With　his　senatorial　presence；　his　distinction　of　person　and　manner；　Mr。
Pasmer　was　inveterately　selfish　in　that　province　of　small　personal　things
where　his　wife　left　him　unmolested。　　In　what　related　to　his　own　comfort
and　convenience　he　was　undisputed　lord　of　himself。　　It　was　she　who
ordered　their　comings　and　goings；　and　decided　in　which　hemisphere　they
should　sojourn　from　time　to　time；　and　in　what　city；　street；　and　house；
but　always　with　the　understanding　that　the　kitchen　and　all　the　domestic
appointments　were　to　her　husband's　mind。　　He　was　sensitive　to　degrees　of
heat　and　cold；　and　luxurious　in　the　matter　of　lighting；　and　he　had　a　fine
nose　for　plumbing。　　If　he　had　not　occupied　himself　so　much　with　these
details；　he　was　the　sort　of　man　to　have　thought　Mrs。　Pasmer；　with　her
buzz　of　activities　and　pretences；　rather　a　tedious　little　woman。　　He　had
some　delicate　tastes；　if　not　refined　interests；　and　was　expensively　fond
of　certain　sorts　of　bric…a…brac：　he　spent　a　great　deal　of　time　in　packing
and　unpacking　it；　and　he　had　cases　stored　in　Rome　and　London　and　Paris；
it　had　been　one　of　his　motives　in　consenting　to　come　home　that　he　might
get　them　out；　and　set　up　the　various　objects　of　bronze　and　porcelain　in
cabinets。　　He　had　no　vices；　unless　absolute　idleness　ensuing
uninterruptedly　upon　a　remotely　demonstrated　unfitness　for　business　can
be　called　a　vice。　　Like　other　people　who　have　always　been　idle；　he　did
not　consider　his　idleness　a　vice。　　He　rather　plumed　himself　upon　it；　for
the　man　who　has　done　nothing　all　his　life　naturally　looks　down　upon
people　who　have　done　or　are　doing　something。　　In　Europe　he　had　not　all
the　advantage　of　this　superiority　which　such　a　man　has　here；　he　was　often
thrown　with　other　idle　people；　who　had　been　useless　for　so　many
generations　that　they　had　almost　ceased　to　have　any　consciousness　of　it。
In　their　presence　Pasmer　felt　that　his　uselessness　had　not　that　passive
elegance　which　only　ancestral　uselessness　can　give；　that　it　was　positive；
and　to　that　degree　vulgar。

A　life　like　this　was　not　one　which　would　probably　involve　great　passions
or　affections；　and　it　would　be　hard　to　describe　exactly　the　feeling　with
which　he　regarded　his　daughter。　　He　liked　her；　of　course；　and　he　had
naturally　expected　certain　things　of　her；　as　a　ladylike　intelligence；
behaviour；　and　appearance；　but　he　had　never　shown　any　great　tenderness
for　her；　or　even　pride　in　her。　　She　had　never　given　him　any　displeasure；
however；　and　he　had　not　shared　his　wife's　question　of　mind　at　a　temporary
phase　of　Alice's　development　when　she　showed　a　decided　inclination　for　a
religious　life。　　He　had　apparently　not　observed　that　the　girl　had　a
pensive　temperament　in　spite　of　the　effect　of　worldly　splendour　which　her
mother　contrived　for　her；　and　that　this　pensiveness　occasionally　deepened
to　gloom。　　He　had　certainly　never　seen　that　in　a　way　of　her　own　she　was
very　romantic。　　Mrs。　Pasmer　had　seen　it；　with　amusement　sometimes；　and
sometimes　with　anxiety；　but　always　with　the　courage　to　believe　that　she
could　cope　with　it　when　it　was　necessary。

Whenever　it　was　necessary　she　had　all　the　moral　courage　she　wanted；　it
seemed　as　if　she　could　have　it　or　not　as　she　liked；　and　in　coming　home
she　had　taken　a　flat　instead　of　a　house；　though　she　had　not　talked　with
her　friends　three　minutes　without　perceiving　that　the　moment　when　flats
had　promised　to　assert　their　social　equality　with　houses　in　Boston　was
past　for　ever。　　There　were；　of　course；　cases　in　which　there　could　be　no
question　of　them；　but　for　the　most　part　they　were　plainly　regarded　as
makeshifts；　the　resorts　of　people　of　small　means；　or　the　defiances　or
errors　of　people　who　had　lived　too　much　abroad。　　They　stamped　their
occupants　as　of　transitory　and　fluctuant　character；　good　people　might
live　in　them；　and　did；　as　good　people　sometimes　boarded；　but　they　could
not　be　regarded　as　forming　a　social　base；　except　in　rare　instances。　　They
presented　peculiar　difficulties　in　calling；　and　for　any　sort　of
entertainment　they　were　toonot　public；　perhaps；　butevident。

In　spite　of　these　objections　Mrs。　Pasmer　took　a　flat　in　the　Cavendish；
and　she　took　it　furnished　from　people　who　were　going　abroad　for　a　year。




X。

Mrs。　Pasmer　stood　at　the　drawing…room　window　of　this　apartment；　the
morning　after　her　call　upon　Mrs。　Saintsbury；　looking　out　on　the　passage
of　an　express…wagon　load　of　trunks　through　Cavendish　Square；　and
commenting　the　fact　with　the　tacit　reflection　that　it　was　quite　time　she
should　be　getting　away　from　Boston　too；　when　her　daughter；　who　was
looking　ou