第9章
加入书架 A- A+
点击下载App,搜索"Sister Carrie",免费读到尾

  Carrietimidlywaited,standing。Therewerechairs,butnoone,motionedhertobeseated。Theindividualtowhomthemanager,hadbeentalkingwentawayquitecrestfallen。Thatluminary,gazedearnestlyatsomepapersbeforehim,asiftheywereofthe,greatestconcern。

  “Didyouseethatinthe’Herald’thismorningaboutNatGoodwin,Harris?”

  “No,“saidthepersonaddressed。”Whatwasit?”

  “MadequiteacurtainaddressatHooley’slastnight。Better,lookitup。”

  Harrisreachedovertoatableandbegantolookforthe,“Herald。”

  “Whatisit?”saidthemanagertoCarrie,apparentlynoticingher,forthefirsttime。Hethoughthewasgoingtobeheldupfor,freetickets。

  Carriesummonedupallhercourage,whichwaslittleatbest。

  Sherealisedthatshewasanovice,andfeltasifarebuffwere,certain。Ofthisshewassosurethatsheonlywishednowto,pretendshehadcalledforadvice。

  “Canyoutellmehowtogoaboutgettingonthestage?”

  Itwasthebestwayafteralltohavegoneaboutthematter。She,wasinteresting,inamanner,totheoccupantofthechair,and,thesimplicityofherrequestandattitudetookhisfancy。He,smiled,asdidtheothersintheroom,who,however,madesome,slightefforttoconcealtheirhumour。

  “Idon’tknow,“heanswered,lookingherbrazenlyover。”Have,youeverhadanyexperienceuponthestage?”

  “Alittle,“answeredCarrie。”Ihavetakenpartinamateur,performances。”

  Shethoughtshehadtomakesomesortofshowinginorderto,retainhisinterest。

  “Neverstudiedforthestage?”hesaid,puttingonanair,intendedasmuchtoimpresshisfriendswithhisdiscretionas,Carrie。

  “No,sir。”

  “Well,Idon’tknow,“heanswered,tippinglazilybackinhis,chairwhileshestoodbeforehim。”Whatmakesyouwanttogeton,thestage?”

  Shefeltabashedattheman’sdaring,butcouldonlysmilein,answertohisengagingsmirk,andsay:

  “Ineedtomakealiving。”

  “Oh,“heanswered,rathertakenbyhertrimappearance,and,feelingasifhemightscrapeupanacquaintancewithher。

  “That’sagoodreason,isn’tit?Well,Chicagoisnotagood,placeforwhatyouwanttodo。YououghttobeinNewYork。

  There’smorechancethere。Youcouldhardlyexpecttoget,startedouthere。”Carriesmiledgenially,gratefulthathe,shouldcondescendtoadviseherevensomuch。Henoticedthe,smile,andputaslightlydifferentconstructiononit。He,thoughthesawaneasychanceforalittleflirtation。

  “Sitdown,“hesaid,pullingachairforwardfromthesideofhis,deskanddroppinghisvoicesothatthetwomenintheroom,shouldnothear。Thosetwogaveeachotherthesuggestionofa,wink。

  “Well,I’llbegoing,Barney,“saidone,breakingawayandso,addressingthemanager。”Seeyouthisafternoon。”

  “Allright,“saidthemanager。

  Theremainingindividualtookupapaperasiftoread。

  “Didyouhaveanyideawhatsortofpartyouwouldliketoget?”

  askedthemanagersoftly。

  “Oh,no,“saidCarrie。”Iwouldtakeanythingtobeginwith。”

  “Isee,“hesaid。”Doyoulivehereinthecity?”

  “Yes,sir。”

  Themanagersmiledmostblandly。

  “Haveyouevertriedtogetinasachorusgirl?”heasked,assumingamoreconfidentialair。

  Carriebegantofeelthattherewassomethingexuberantand,unnaturalinhismanner。

  “No,“shesaid。

  “That’sthewaymostgirlsbegin,“hewenton,“whogoonthe,stage。It’sagoodwaytogetexperience。”

  Hewasturningonheraglanceofthecompanionableand,persuasivemanner。

  “Ididn’tknowthat,“saidCarrie。

  “It’sadifficultthing,“hewenton,“butthere’salwaysa,chance,youknow。”Then,asifhesuddenlyremembered,hepulled,outhiswatchandconsultedit。”I’veanappointmentattwo,“he,said,“andI’vegottogotolunchnow。Wouldyoucaretocome,anddinewithme?Wecantalkitoverthere。”

  “Oh,no,“saidCarrie,thewholemotiveofthemanflashingon,heratonce。”Ihaveanengagementmyself。”

  “That’stoobad,“hesaid,realisingthathehadbeenalittle,beforehandinhisofferandthatCarriewasabouttogoaway。

  “Comeinlater。Imayknowofsomething。”

  “Thankyou,“sheanswered,withsometrepidationandwentout。

  “Shewasgood-looking,wasn’tshe?”saidthemanager’scompanion,whohadnotcaughtallthedetailsofthegamehehadplayed。

  “Yes,inaway,“saidtheother,soretothinkthegamehadbeen,lost。”She’dnevermakeanactress,though。Justanotherchorus,girl——that’sall。”

  Thislittleexperiencenearlydestroyedherambitiontocallupon,themanagerattheChicagoOperaHouse,butshedecidedtodoso,afteratime。Hewasofamoresedateturnofmind。Hesaidat,oncethattherewasnoopeningofanysort,andseemedto,considerhersearchfoolish。

  “Chicagoisnoplacetogetastart,“hesaid。”Yououghttobe,inNewYork。”

  Stillshepersisted,andwenttoMcVickar’s,whereshecouldnot,findanyone。”TheOldHomestead“wasrunningthere,butthe,persontowhomshewasreferredwasnottobefound。

  Theselittleexpeditionstookuphertimeuntilquitefour,o’clock,whenshewaswearyenoughtogohome。Shefeltasif,sheoughttocontinueandinquireelsewhere,buttheresultsso,farweretoodispiriting。ShetookthecarandarrivedatOgden,Placeinthree-quartersofanhour,butdecidedtorideontothe,WestSidebranchofthePost-office,whereshewasaccustomedto,receiveHurstwood’sletters。Therewasonetherenow,written,Saturday,whichshetoreopenandreadwithmingledfeelings。

  Therewassomuchwarmthinitandsuchtensecomplaintather,havingfailedtomeethim,andhersubsequentsilence,thatshe,ratherpitiedtheman。Thathelovedherwasevidentenough。

  Thathehadwishedanddaredtodoso,marriedashewas,wasthe,evil。Shefeltasifthethingdeservedananswer,and,consequentlydecidedthatshewouldwriteandlethimknowthat,sheknewofhismarriedstateandwasjustlyincensedathis,deception。Shewouldtellhimthatitwasalloverbetweenthem。

  Atherroom,thewordingofthismissiveoccupiedherforsome,time,forshefelltothetaskatonce。Itwasmostdifficult。

  “YoudonotneedtohavemeexplainwhyIdidnotmeetyou,“she,wroteinpart。”Howcouldyoudeceivemeso?Youcannotexpect,metohaveanythingmoretodowithyou。Iwouldn’tunderany,circumstances。Oh,howcouldyouactso?”sheaddedinaburst,offeeling。”Youhavecausedmemoremiserythanyoucanthink。

  Ihopeyouwillgetoveryourinfatuationforme。Wemustnot,meetanymore。Good-bye。”

  Shetooktheletterthenextmorning,andatthecornerdropped,itreluctantlyintotheletter-box,stilluncertainastowhether,sheshoulddosoornot。Thenshetookthecarandwentdown,town。

  Thiswasthedullseasonwiththedepartmentstores,butshewas,listenedtowithmoreconsiderationthanwasusuallyaccordedto,youngwomenapplicants,owingtoherneatandattractive,appearance。Shewasaskedthesameoldquestionswithwhichshe,wasalreadyfamiliar。

  “Whatcanyoudo?Haveyoueverworkedinaretailstorebefore?

  Areyouexperienced?”

  AtTheFair,SeeandCompany’s,andallthegreatstoresitwas,muchthesame。Itwasthedullseason,shemightcomeina,littlelater,possiblytheywouldliketohaveher。

  Whenshearrivedatthehouseattheendoftheday,wearyand,disheartened,shediscoveredthatDrouethadbeenthere。His,umbrellaandlightovercoatweregone。Shethoughtshemissed,otherthings,butcouldnotbesure。Everythinghadnotbeen,taken。

  Sohisgoingwascrystallisingintostaying。Whatwasshetodo,now?Evidentlyshewouldbefacingtheworldinthesameoldway,withinadayortwo。Herclotheswouldgetpoor。Sheputher,twohandstogetherinhercustomaryexpressivewayandpressed,herfingers。Largetearsgatheredinhereyesandbrokehot,acrosshercheeks。Shewasalone,verymuchalone。

  Drouetreallyhadcalled,butitwaswithaverydifferentmind,fromthatwhichCarriehadimagined。Heexpectedtofindher,to,justifyhisreturnbyclaimingthathecametogettheremaining,portionofhiswardrobe,andbeforehegotawayagaintopatchup,apeace。

  Accordingly,whenhearrived,hewasdisappointedtofindCarrie,out。Hetrifledabout,hopingthatshewassomewhereinthe,neighbourhoodandwouldsoonreturn。Heconstantlylistened,expectingtohearherfootonthestair。

  Whenhedidso,itwashisintentiontomakebelievethathehad,justcomeinandwasdisturbedatbeingcaught。Thenhewould,explainhisneedofhisclothesandfindouthowthingsstood。

  Waitashedid,however,Carriedidnotcome。Frompottering,aroundamongthedrawers,inmomentaryexpectationofherarrival,hechangedtolookingoutofthewindow,andfromthattoresting,himselfintherocking-chair。StillnoCarrie。Hebegantogrow,restlessandlitacigar。Afterthathewalkedthefloor。Then,helookedoutofthewindowandsawcloudsgathering。He,rememberedanappointmentatthree。Hebegantothinkthatit,wouldbeuselesstowait,andgotholdofhisumbrellaandlight,coat,intendingtotakethesethings,anyway。Itwouldscare,her,hehoped。To-morrowhewouldcomebackfortheothers。He,wouldfindouthowthingsstood。

  Ashestartedtogohefelttrulysorrythathehadmissedher。

  Therewasalittlepictureofheronthewall,showingher,arrayedinthelittlejackethehadfirstboughther——herfacea,littlemorewistfulthanhehadseenitlately。Hewasreally,touchedbyit,andlookedintotheeyesofitwitharatherrare,feelingforhim。

  “Youdidn’tdomeright,Cad,“hesaid,asifhewereaddressing,herintheflesh。

  Thenhewenttothedoor,tookagoodlookaroundandwentout。

  ChapterXXVII

  WHENWATERSENGULFUSWEREACHFORASTAR

  Itwaswhenhereturnedfromhisdisturbedstrollaboutthe,streets,afterreceivingthedecisivenotefromMcGregor,James,andHay,thatHurstwoodfoundtheletterCarriehadwrittenhim,thatmorning。Hethrilledintenselyashenotedthehandwriting,andrapidlytoreitopen。

  “Then,“hethought,“shelovesmeorshewouldnothavewritten,tomeatall。”

  Hewasslightlydepressedatthetenorofthenoteforthefirst,fewminutes,butsoonrecovered。”Shewouldn’twriteatallif,shedidn’tcareforme。”

  Thiswashisoneresourceagainstthedepressionwhichheldhim。

  Hecouldextractlittlefromthewordingoftheletter,butthe,spirithethoughtheknew。

  Therewasreallysomethingexceedinglyhuman——ifnotpathetic——in,hisbeingthusrelievedbyaclearlywordedreproof。Hewhohad,forsolongremainedsatisfiedwithhimselfnowlookedoutsideof,himselfforcomfort——andtosuchasource。Themysticcordsof,affection!Howtheybindusall。

  Thecolourcametohischeeks。Forthemomentheforgotthe,letterfromMcGregor,JamesandHay。Ifhecouldonlyhave,Carrie,perhapshecouldgetoutofthewholeentanglement——

  perhapsitwouldnotmatter。Hewouldn’tcarewhathiswifedid,withherselfifonlyhemightnotloseCarrie。Hestoodupand,walkedabout,dreaminghisdelightfuldreamofalifecontinued,withthislovelypossessorofhisheart。

  Itwasnotlong,however,beforetheoldworrywasbackfor,consideration,andwithitwhatweariness!Hethoughtofthe,morrowandthesuit。Hehaddonenothing,andherewasthe,afternoonslippingaway。Itwasnowaquarteroffour。Atfive,theattorneyswouldhavegonehome。Hestillhadthemorrow,untilnoon。Evenashethought,thelastfifteenminutespassed,awayanditwasfive。Thenheabandonedthethoughtofseeing,themanymorethatdayandturnedtoCarrie。

  Itistobeobservedthatthemandidnotjustifyhimselfto,himself。Hewasnottroublingaboutthat。Hiswholethoughtwas,thepossibilityofpersuadingCarrie。Nothingwaswronginthat。

  Helovedherdearly。Theirmutualhappinessdependeduponit。

  WouldthatDrouetwereonlyaway!

  Whilehewasthinkingthuselatedly,herememberedthathewanted,somecleanlineninthemorning。

  Thishepurchased,togetherwithahalf-dozenties,andwentto,thePalmerHouse。AsheenteredhethoughthesawDrouet,ascendingthestairswithakey。SurelynotDrouet!Thenhe,thought,perhapstheyhadchangedtheirabodetemporarily。He,wentstraightuptothedesk。

  “IsMr。Drouetstoppinghere?”heaskedoftheclerk。

  “Ithinkheis,“saidthelatter,consultinghisprivateregistry,list。”Yes。”

  “Isthatso?”exclaimedHurstwood,otherwiseconcealinghis,astonishment。”Alone?”headded。

  “Yes,“saidtheclerk。

  Hurstwoodturnedawayandsethislipssoasbesttoexpressand,concealhisfeelings。

  “How’sthat?”hethought。”They’vehadarow。”

  Hehastenedtohisroomwithrisingspiritsandchangedhis,linen。Ashedidso,hemadeuphismindthatifCarriewas,alone,orifshehadgonetoanotherplace,itbehoovedhimto,findout。Hedecidedtocallatonce。

  “IknowwhatI’lldo,“hethought。”I’llgotothedoorandask,ifMr。Drouetisathome。Thatwillbringoutwhetherheis,thereornotandwhereCarrieis。”

  Hewasalmostmovedtosomemusculardisplayashethoughtofit。

  Hedecidedtogoimmediatelyaftersupper。

  Oncomingdownfromhisroomatsix,helookedcarefullyaboutto,seeifDrouetwaspresentandthenwentouttolunch。Hecould,scarcelyeat,however,hewassoanxioustobeabouthiserrand。

  BeforestartinghethoughtitwelltodiscoverwhereDrouetwould,be,andreturnedtohishotel。

  “HasMr。Drouetgoneout?”heaskedoftheclerk。

  “No,“answeredthelatter,“he’sinhisroom。Doyouwishto,sendupacard?”

  “No,I’llcallaroundlater,“answeredHurstwood,andstrolled,out。

  HetookaMadisoncarandwentdirecttoOgdenPlacethistime,walkingboldlyuptothedoor。Thechambermaidansweredhis,knock。

  “IsMr。Drouetin?”saidHurstwoodblandly。

  “Heisoutofthecity,“saidthegirl,whohadheardCarrietell,thistoMrs。Hale。

  “IsMrs。Drouetin?”

  “No,shehasgonetothetheatre。”

  “Isthatso?”saidHurstwood,considerablytakenback;then,as,ifburdenedwithsomethingimportant,“Youdon’tknowtowhich,theatre?”

  Thegirlreallyhadnoideawhereshehadgone,butnotliking,Hurstwood,andwishingtocausehimtrouble,answered:“Yes,Hooley’s。”

  “Thankyou,“returnedthemanager,and,tippinghishatslightly,wentaway。

  “I’lllookinatHooley’s,“thoughthe,butasamatteroffact,hedidnot。Beforehehadreachedthecentralportionofthe,cityhethoughtthewholematteroveranddecideditwouldbe,useless。AsmuchashelongedtoseeCarrie,heknewshewould,bewithsomeoneanddidnotwishtointrudewithhispleathere。

  Alittlelaterhemightdoso——inthemorning。Onlyinthe,morninghehadthelawyerquestionbeforehim。

  Thislittlepilgrimagethrewquiteawetblanketuponhisrising,spirits。Hewassoondownagaintohisoldworry,andreached,theresortanxioustofindrelief。Quiteacompanyofgentlemen,weremakingtheplacelivelywiththeirconversation。Agroupof,CookCountypoliticianswereconferringaboutaroundcherry-wood,tableintherearportionoftheroom。Severalyoungmerrymakers,werechatteringatthebarbeforemakingabelatedvisittothe,theatre。Ashabbily-genteelindividual,witharednoseandan,oldhighhat,wassippingaquietglassofalealoneatoneend,ofthebar。Hurstwoodnoddedtothepoliticiansandwentinto,hisoffice。

  Aboutteno’clockafriendofhis,Mr。FrankL。Taintor,alocal,sportandracingman,droppedin,andseeingHurstwoodalonein,hisofficecametothedoor。

  “Hello,George!”heexclaimed。

  “Howareyou,Frank?”saidHurstwood,somewhatrelievedbythe,sightofhim。”Sitdown,“andhemotionedhimtooneofthe,chairsinthelittleroom。

  “What’sthematter,George?”askedTaintor。”Youlookalittle,glum。Haven’tlostatthetrack,haveyou?”

  “I’mnotfeelingverywellto-night。Ihadaslightcoldthe,otherday。”

  “Takewhiskey,George,“saidTaintor。”Yououghttoknowthat。”

  Hurstwoodsmiled。

  Whiletheywerestillconferringthere,severalotherof,Hurstwood’sfriendsentered,andnotlongaftereleven,the,theatresbeingout,someactorsbegantodropin——amongthemsome,notabilities。

  Thenbeganoneofthosepointlesssocialconversationssocommon,inAmericanresortswherethewould-begildedattempttoruboff,giltfromthosewhohaveitinabundance。IfHurstwoodhadone,leaning,itwastowardnotabilities。Heconsideredthat,if,anywhere,hebelongedamongthem。Hewastooproudtotoady,too,keennottostrictlyobservetheplaneheoccupiedwhenthere,werethosepresentwhodidnotappreciatehim,but,insituations,likethepresent,wherehecouldshineasagentlemanandbe,receivedwithoutequivocationasafriendandequalamongmenof,knownability,hewasmostdelighted。Itwasonsuchoccasions,ifever,thathewould“takesomething。”,Whenthesocialflavour,wasstrongenoughhewouldevenunbendtotheextentofdrinking,glassforglasswithhisassociates,punctiliouslyobservinghis,turntopayasifhewereanoutsiderliketheothers。Ifhe,everapproachedintoxication——orratherthatruddywarmthand,comfortablenesswhichprecedesthemoreslovenstate——itwaswhen,individualssuchastheseweregatheredabouthim,whenhewas,oneofacircleofchattingcelebrities。To-night,disturbedas,washisstate,hewasratherrelievedtofindcompany,andnow,thatnotabilitiesweregathered,helaidasidehistroublesfor,thenonce,andjoinedinrightheartily。

  Itwasnotlongbeforetheimbibingbegantotell。Storiesbegan,tocropup——thoseever-enduring,drollstorieswhichformthe,majorportionoftheconversationamongAmericanmenundersuch,circumstances。

  Twelveo’clockarrived,thehourforclosing,andwithitthe,companytookleave。Hurstwoodshookhandswiththemmost,cordially。Hewasveryroseatephysically。Hehadarrivedat,thatstatewherehismind,thoughclear,was,nevertheless,warm,initsfancies。Hefeltasifhistroubleswerenotvery,serious。Goingintohisoffice,hebegantoturnovercertain,accounts,awaitingthedepartureofthebartendersandthe,cashier,whosoonleft。

  Itwasthemanager’sduty,aswellashiscustom,afterallwere,gonetoseethateverythingwassafelyclosedupforthenight。

  Asarule,nomoneyexceptthecashtakeninafterbankinghours,waskeptabouttheplace,andthatwaslockedinthesafebythe,cashier,who,withtheowners,wasjointkeeperofthesecret,combination,but,nevertheless,Hurstwoodnightlytookthe,precautiontotrythecashdrawersandthesafeinordertosee,thattheyweretightlyclosed。Thenhewouldlockhisownlittle,officeandsettheproperlightburningnearthesafe,after,whichhewouldtakehisdeparture。

  Neverinhisexperiencehadhefoundanythingoutoforder,but,to-night,aftershuttingdownhisdesk,hecameoutandtriedthe,safe。Hiswaywastogiveasharppull。Thistimethedoor,responded。Hewasslightlysurprisedatthat,andlookingin,foundthemoneycasesasleftfortheday,apparently,unprotected。Hisfirstthoughtwas,ofcourse,toinspectthe,drawersandshutthedoor。

  “I’llspeaktoMayhewaboutthisto-morrow,“hethought。

  Thelatterhadcertainlyimaginedupongoingoutahalf-hour,beforethathehadturnedtheknobonthedoorsoastospring,thelock。Hehadneverfailedtodosobefore。Butto-night,Mayhewhadotherthoughts。Hehadbeenrevolvingtheproblemof,abusinessofhisown。

  “I’lllookinhere,“thoughtthemanager,pullingoutthemoney,drawers。Hedidnotknowwhyhewishedtolookinthere。Itwas,quiteasuperfluousaction,whichanothertimemightnothave,happenedatall。

  Ashedidso,alayerofbills,inparcelsofathousand,suchas,banksissue,caughthiseye。Hecouldnottellhowmuchthey,represented,butpausedtoviewthem。Thenhepulledoutthe,secondofthecashdrawers。Inthatwerethereceiptsofthe,day。

  “Ididn’tknowFitzgeraldandMoyeverleftanymoneythisway,“

  hismindsaidtoitself。”Theymusthaveforgottenit。”

  Helookedattheotherdrawerandpausedagain。

  “Countthem,“saidavoiceinhisear。

  Heputhishandintothefirstoftheboxesandliftedthestack,lettingtheseparateparcelsfall。Theywerebillsoffiftyand,onehundreddollarsdoneinpackagesofathousand。Hethought,hecountedtensuch。

  “Whydon’tIshutthesafe?”hismindsaidtoitself,lingering。

  “Whatmakesmepausehere?”

  Foranswertherecamethestrangestwords:

  “Didyoueverhavetenthousanddollarsinreadymoney?”

  Lo,themanagerrememberedthathehadneverhadsomuch。All,hispropertyhadbeenslowlyaccumulated,andnowhiswifeowned,that。Hewasworthmorethanfortythousand,alltold——butshe,wouldgetthat。

  Hepuzzledashethoughtofthesethings,thenpushedinthe,drawersandclosedthedoor,pausingwithhishandupontheknob,whichmightsoeasilylockitallbeyondtemptation。Stillhe,paused。Finallyhewenttothewindowsandpulleddownthe,curtains。Thenhetriedthedoor,whichhehadpreviously,locked。Whatwasthisthing,makinghimsuspicious?Whydidhe,wishtomoveaboutsoquietly。Hecamebacktotheendofthe,counterasiftoresthisarmandthink。Thenhewentand,unlockedhislittleofficedoorandturnedonthelight。Healso,openedhisdesk,sittingdownbeforeit,onlytothinkstrange,thoughts。

  “Thesafeisopen,“saidavoice。”Thereisjusttheleast,littlecrackinit。Thelockhasnotbeensprung。”

  Themanagerflounderedamongajumbleofthoughts。Nowallthe,entanglementofthedaycameback。Alsothethoughtthathere,wasasolution。Thatmoneywoulddoit。Ifhehadthatand,Carrie。Heroseupandstoodstock-still,lookingatthefloor。

  “Whataboutit?”hismindasked,andforanswerheputhishand,slowlyupandscratchedhishead。

  Themanagerwasnofooltobeledblindlyawaybysuchanerrant,propositionasthis,buthissituationwaspeculiar。Winewasin,hisveins。Ithadcreptupintohisheadandgivenhimawarm,viewofthesituation。Italsocolouredthepossibilitiesoften,thousandforhim。Hecouldseegreatopportunitieswiththat。

  HecouldgetCarrie。Oh,yes,hecould!Hecouldgetridofhis,wife。Thatletter,too,waswaitingdiscussionto-morrow,morning。Hewouldnotneedtoanswerthat。Hewentbacktothe,safeandputhishandontheknob。Thenhepulledthedooropen,andtookthedrawerwiththemoneyquiteout。

  Withitonceoutandbeforehim,itseemedafoolishthingto,thinkaboutleavingit。Certainlyitwould。Why,hecouldlive,quietlywithCarrieforyears。

  Lord!whatwasthat?Forthefirsttimehewastense,asifa,sternhandhadbeenlaiduponhisshoulder。Helookedfearfully,around。Notasoulwaspresent。Notasound。Someonewas,shufflingbyonthesidewalk。Hetooktheboxandthemoneyand,putitbackinthesafe。Thenhepartlyclosedthedooragain。

  Tothosewhohaveneverwaveredinconscience,thepredicamentof,theindividualwhosemindislessstronglyconstitutedandwho,tremblesinthebalancebetweendutyanddesireisscarcely,appreciable,unlessgraphicallyportrayed。Thosewhohavenever,heardthatsolemnvoiceoftheghostlyclockwhichtickswith,awfuldistinctness,“thoushalt,““thoushaltnot,““thoushalt,“

  “thoushaltnot,“areinnopositiontojudge。Notalonein,sensitive,highlyorganisednaturesissuchamentalconflict,possible。Thedullestspecimenofhumanity,whendrawnbydesire,towardevil,isrecalledbyasenseofright,whichis,proportionateinpowerandstrengthtohiseviltendency。We,mustrememberthatitmaynotbeaknowledgeofright,forno,knowledgeofrightispredicatedoftheanimal’sinstinctive,recoilatevil。Menarestillledbyinstinctbeforetheyare,regulatedbyknowledge。Itisinstinctwhichrecallsthe,criminal——itisinstinctwherehighlyorganisedreasoningis,absentwhichgivesthecriminalhisfeelingofdanger,hisfear,ofwrong。

  Ateveryfirstadventure,then,intosomeuntriedevil,themind,wavers。Theclockofthoughtticksoutitswishanditsdenial。

  Tothosewhohaveneverexperiencedsuchamentaldilemma,the,followingwillappealonthesimplegroundofrevelation。

  WhenHurstwoodputthemoneyback,hisnatureagainresumedits,easeanddaring。Noonehadobservedhim。Hewasquitealone。

  Noonecouldtellwhathewishedtodo。Hecouldworkthisthing,outforhimself。

  Theimbibationoftheeveninghadnotyetwornoff。Moistaswas,hisbrow,trembleasdidhishandonceafterthenamelessfright,hewasstillflushedwiththefumesofliquor。Hescarcely,noticedthatthetimewaspassing。Hewentoverhissituation,onceagain,hiseyealwaysseeingthemoneyinalump,hismind,alwaysseeingwhatitwoulddo。Hestrolledintohislittle,room,thentothedoor,thentothesafeagain。Heputhishand,ontheknobandopenedit。Therewasthemoney!Surelynoharm,couldcomefromlookingatit!

  Hetookoutthedraweragainandliftedthebills。Theywereso,smooth,socompact,soportable。Howlittletheymade,after,all。Hedecidedhewouldtakethem。Yes,hewould。Hewould,puttheminhispocket。Thenhelookedatthatandsawthey,wouldnotgothere。Hishandsatchel!Tobesure,hishand,satchel。Theywouldgointhat——allofitwould。Noonewould,thinkanythingofiteither。Hewentintothelittleofficeand,tookitfromtheshelfinthecorner。Nowhesetituponhis,deskandwentouttowardthesafe。Forsomereasonhedidnot,wanttofillitoutinthebigroom。

  Firsthebroughtthebillsandthentheloosereceiptsofthe,day。Hewouldtakeitall。Heputtheemptydrawersbackand,pushedtheirondooralmostto,thenstoodbesideitmeditating。

  Thewaveringofamindundersuchcircumstancesisanalmost,inexplicablething,andyetitisabsolutelytrue。Hurstwood,couldnotbringhimselftoactdefinitely。Hewantedtothink,aboutit——toponderoverit,todecidewhetheritwerebest。He,wasdrawnbysuchakeendesireforCarrie,drivenbysucha,stateofturmoilinhisownaffairsthathethoughtconstantlyit,wouldbebest,andyethewavered。Hedidnotknowwhatevil,mightresultfromittohim——howsoonhemightcometogrief。

  Thetrueethicsofthesituationneveronceoccurredtohim,and,neverwouldhave,underanycircumstances。

  Afterhehadallthemoneyinthehandbag,arevulsionoffeeling,seizedhim。Hewouldnotdoit——no!Thinkofwhatascandalit,wouldmake。Thepolice!Theywouldbeafterhim。Hewouldhave,tofly,andwhere?Oh,theterrorofbeingafugitivefrom,justice!Hetookoutthetwoboxesandputallthemoneyback。

  Inhisexcitementheforgotwhathewasdoing,andputthesums,inthewrongboxes。Ashepushedthedoorto,hethoughthe,remembereddoingitwrongandopenedthedooragain。Therewere,thetwoboxesmixed。

  Hetookthemoutandstraightenedthematter,butnowtheterror,hadgone。Whybeafraid?

  Whilethemoneywasinhishandthelockclicked。Ithadsprung!

  Didhedoit?Hegrabbedattheknobandpulledvigorously。It,hadclosed。Heavens!hewasinforitnow,sureenough。

  Themomentherealisedthatthesafewaslockedforasurety,the,sweatburstoutuponhisbrowandhetrembledviolently。He,lookedabouthimanddecidedinstantly。Therewasnodelaying,now。

  “SupposingIdolayitonthetop,“hesaid,“andgoaway,they’llknowwhotookit。I’mthelasttocloseup。Besides,otherthingswillhappen。”

  Atoncehebecamethemanofaction。

  “Imustgetoutofthis,“hethought。

  Hehurriedintohislittleroom,tookdownhislightovercoatand,hat,lockedhisdesk,andgrabbedthesatchel。Thenheturned,outallbutonelightandopenedthedoor。Hetriedtoputon,hisoldassuredair,butitwasalmostgone。Hewasrepenting,rapidly。

  “IwishIhadn’tdonethat,“hesaid。”Thatwasamistake。”

  Hewalkedsteadilydownthestreet,greetinganightwatchman,whomheknewwhowastryingdoors。Hemustgetoutofthecity,andthatquickly。

  “Iwonderhowthetrainsrun?”hethought。

  Instantlyhepulledouthiswatchandlooked。Itwasnearly,half-pastone。

  Atthefirstdrugstorehestopped,seeingalong-distance,telephoneboothinside。Itwasafamousdrugstore,andcontained,oneofthefirstprivatetelephoneboothsevererected。

  “Iwanttouseyour’phoneaminute,“hesaidtothenightclerk。

  Thelatternodded。

  “Giveme1643,“hecalledtoCentral,afterlookingupthe,MichiganCentraldepotnumber。Soonhegottheticketagent。

  “HowdothetrainsleavehereforDetroit?”heasked。

  Themanexplainedthehours。

  “Nomoreto-night?”

  “Nothingwithasleeper。Yes,thereis,too,“headded。”There,isamailtrainoutofhereatthreeo’clock。”

  “Allright,“saidHurstwood。”Whattimedoesthatgetto,Detroit?”

  Hewasthinkingifhecouldonlygetthereandcrosstheriver,intoCanada,hecouldtakehistimeaboutgettingtoMontreal。

  Hewasrelievedtolearnthatitwouldreachtherebynoon。

  “Mayhewwon’topenthesafetillnine,“hethought。”Theycan’t,getonmytrackbeforenoon。”

  ThenhethoughtofCarrie。Withwhatspeedmusthegether,if,hegotheratall。Shewouldhavetocomealong。Hejumpedinto,thenearestcabstandingby。

  “ToOgdenPlace,“hesaidsharply。”I’llgiveyouadollarmore,ifyoumakegoodtime。”

  Thecabbybeathishorseintoasortofimitationgallopwhich,wasfairlyfast,however。OnthewayHurstwoodthoughtwhatto,do。Reachingthenumber,hehurriedupthestepsanddidnot,sparethebellinwakingtheservant。

  “IsMrs。Drouetin?”heasked。

  “Yes,“saidtheastonishedgirl。

  “Tellhertodressandcometothedooratonce。Herhusbandis,inthehospital,injured,andwantstoseeher。”

  Theservantgirlhurriedupstairs,convincedbytheman’s,strainedandemphaticmanner。

  “What!”saidCarrie,lightingthegasandsearchingforher,clothes。

  “Mr。Drouetishurtandinthehospital。Hewantstoseeyou。

  Thecab’sdownstairs。”

  Carriedressedveryrapidly,andsoonappearedbelow,forgetting,everythingsavethenecessities。

  “Drouetishurt,“saidHurstwoodquickly。”Hewantstoseeyou。

  Comequickly。”

  Carriewassobewilderedthatsheswallowedthewholestory。

  “Getin,“saidHurstwood,helpingherandjumpingafter。

  Thecabbybegantoturnthehorsearound。

  “MichiganCentraldepot,“hesaid,standingupandspeakingso,lowthatCarriecouldnothear,“asfastasyoucango。”

  ChapterXXVIII

  APILGRIM,ANOUTLAW——THESPIRITDETAINED

  ThecabhadnottravelledashortblockbeforeCarrie,settling,herselfandthoroughlywakinginthenightatmosphere,asked:

  “What’sthematterwithhim?Ishehurtbadly?”

  “Itisn’tanythingveryserious,“Hurstwoodsaidsolemnly。He,wasverymuchdisturbedoverhisownsituation,andnowthathe,hadCarriewithhim,heonlywantedtogetsafelyoutofreachof,thelaw。Thereforehewasinnomoodforanythingsavesuch,wordsaswouldfurtherhisplansdistinctly。

  Carriedidnotforgetthattherewassomethingtobesettled,betweenherandHurstwood,butthethoughtwasignoredinher,agitation。Theonethingwastofinishthisstrangepilgrimage。

  “Whereishe?”

  “WayoutontheSouthSide,“saidHurstwood。”We’llhavetotake,thetrain。It’sthequickestway。”

  Carriesaidnothing,andthehorsegambolledon。Theweirdness,ofthecitybynightheldherattention。Shelookedatthelong,recedingrowsoflampsandstudiedthedark,silenthouses。

  “Howdidhehurthimself?”sheasked——meaningwhatwasthenature,ofhisinjuries。Hurstwoodunderstood。Hehatedtolieanymore,thannecessary,andyethewantednoprotestsuntilhewasoutof,danger。

  “Idon’tknowexactly,“hesaid。”Theyjustcalledmeuptogo,andgetyouandbringyouout。Theysaidtherewasn’tanyneed,foralarm,butthatIshouldn’tfailtobringyou。”

  Theman’sseriousmannerconvincedCarrie,andshebecamesilent,wondering。

  Hurstwoodexaminedhiswatchandurgedthemantohurry。Forone,insodelicateapositionhewasexceedinglycool。Hecouldonly,thinkofhowneedfulitwastomakethetrainandgetquietly,away。Carrieseemedquitetractable,andhecongratulated,himself。

  Induetimetheyreachedthedepot,andafterhelpingherouthe,handedthemanafive-dollarbillandhurriedon。

  “Youwaithere,“hesaidtoCarrie,whentheyreachedthe,waiting-room,“whileIgetthetickets。”

  “HaveImuchtimetocatchthattrainforDetroit?”heaskedof,theagent。

  “Fourminutes,“saidthelatter。

  Hepaidfortwoticketsascircumspectlyaspossible。

  “Isitfar?”saidCarrie,ashehurriedback。

  “Notvery,“hesaid。”Wemustgetrightin。”

  Hepushedherbeforehimatthegate,stoodbetweenherandthe,ticketmanwhilethelatterpunchedtheirtickets,sothatshe,couldnotsee,andthenhurriedafter。

  Therewasalonglineofexpressandpassengercarsandoneor,twocommondaycoaches。Asthetrainhadonlyrecentlybeenmade,upandfewpassengerswereexpected,therewereonlyoneortwo,brakemenwaiting。Theyenteredthereardaycoachandsatdown。

  Almostimmediately,“Allaboard,“resoundedfaintlyfromthe,outside,andthetrainstarted。

  Carriebegantothinkitwasalittlebitcurious——thisgoingto,adepot——butsaidnothing。Thewholeincidentwassooutofthe,naturalthatshedidnotattachtoomuchweighttoanythingshe,imagined。

  “Howhaveyoubeen?”askedHurstwoodgently,forhenowbreathed,easier。

  “Verywell,“saidCarrie,whowassodisturbedthatshecouldnot,bringaproperattitudetobearinthematter。Shewasstill,nervoustoreachDrouetandseewhatcouldbethematter。

  Hurstwoodcontemplatedherandfeltthis。Hewasnotdisturbed,thatitshouldbeso。Hedidnottroublebecauseshewasmoved,sympatheticallyinthematter。Itwasoneofthequalitiesin,herwhichpleasedhimexceedingly。Hewasonlythinkinghowhe,shouldexplain。Eventhiswasnotthemostseriousthinginhis,mind,however。Hisowndeedandpresentflightwerethegreat,shadowswhichweigheduponhim。

  “WhatafoolIwastodothat,“hesaidoverandover。”Whata,mistake!”

  Inhissobersenses,hecouldscarcelyrealisethatthethinghad,beendone。Hecouldnotbegintofeelthathewasafugitive,fromjustice。Hehadoftenreadofsuchthings,andhadthought,theymustbeterrible,butnowthatthethingwasuponhim,he,onlysatandlookedintothepast。Thefuturewasathingwhich,concernedtheCanadianline。Hewantedtoreachthat。Asfor,theresthesurveyedhisactionsfortheevening,andcounted,thempartsofagreatmistake。

  “Still,“hesaid,“whatcouldIhavedone?”

  Thenhewoulddecidetomakethebestofit,andwouldbeginto,dosobystartingthewholeinquiryoveragain。Itwasa,fruitless,harassinground,andlefthiminaqueermoodtodeal,withthepropositionhehadinthepresenceofCarrie。

  Thetrainclackedthroughtheyardsalongthelakefront,andran,ratherslowlytoTwenty-fourthStreet。Brakesandsignalswere,visiblewithout。Theenginegaveshortcallswithitswhistle,andfrequentlythebellrang。Severalbrakemencamethrough,bearinglanterns。Theywerelockingthevestibulesandputting,thecarsinorderforalongrun。

  Presentlyitbegantogainspeed,andCarriesawthesilent,streetsflashingbyinrapidsuccession。Theenginealsobegan,itswhistle-callsoffourparts,withwhichitsignalleddanger,toimportantcrossings。

  “Isitveryfar?”askedCarrie。

  “Notsovery,“saidHurstwood。Hecouldhardlyrepressasmile,athersimplicity。Hewantedtoexplainandconciliateher,but,healsowantedtobewelloutofChicago。

  Inthelapseofanotherhalf-houritbecameapparenttoCarrie,thatitwasquitearuntowhereverhewastakingher,anyhow。

  “IsitinChicago?”sheaskednervously。Theywerenowfar,beyondthecitylimits,andthetrainwasscuddingacrossthe,Indianalineatagreatrate。

  “No,“hesaid,“notwherewearegoing。”

  Therewassomethinginthewayhesaidthiswhicharousedherin,aninstant。

  Herprettybrowbegantocontract。

  “WearegoingtoseeCharlie,aren’twe?”sheasked。

  Hefeltthatthetimewasup。Anexplanationmightaswellcome,nowaslater。Therefore,heshookhisheadinthemostgentle,negative。

  “What?”saidCarrie。Shewasnonplussedatthepossibilityof,theerrandbeingdifferentfromwhatshehadthought。

  Heonlylookedatherinthemostkindlyandmollifyingway。

  “Well,whereareyoutakingme,then?”sheasked,hervoice,showingthequalityoffright。

  “I’lltellyou,Carrie,ifyou’llbequiet。Iwantyoutocome,alongwithmetoanothercity,“

  “Oh,“saidCarrie,hervoicerisingintoaweakcry。”Letme,off。Idon’twanttogowithyou。”

  Shewasquiteappalledattheman’saudacity。Thiswassomething,whichhadneverforamomententeredherhead。Heronethought,nowwastogetoffandaway。Ifonlytheflyingtraincouldbe,stopped,theterribletrickwouldbeamended。

  Shearoseandtriedtopushoutintotheaisle——anywhere。She,knewshehadtodosomething。Hurstwoodlaidagentlehandon,her。

  “Sitstill,Carrie,“hesaid。”Sitstill。Itwon’tdoyouany,goodtogetuphere。ListentomeandI’lltellyouwhatI’ll,do。Waitamoment。”

  Shewaspushingathisknees,butheonlypulledherback。No,onesawthislittlealtercation,forveryfewpersonswereinthe,car,andtheywereattemptingtodoze。

  “Iwon’t,“saidCarrie,whowas,nevertheless,complyingagainst,herwill。”Letmego,“shesaid。”Howdareyou?”andlarge,tearsbegantogatherinhereyes。

  Hurstwoodwasnowfullyarousedtotheimmediatedifficulty,and,ceasedtothinkofhisownsituation。Hemustdosomethingwith,thisgirl,orshewouldcausehimtrouble。Hetriedtheartof,persuasionwithallhispowersaroused。

  “Lookherenow,Carrie,“hesaid,“youmustn’tactthisway。I

  didn’tmeantohurtyourfeelings。Idon’twanttodoanything,tomakeyoufeelbad。”

  “Oh,“sobbedCarrie,“oh,oh——oo——o!”

  “There,there,“hesaid,“youmustn’tcry。Won’tyoulistento,me?Listentomeaminute,andI’lltellyouwhyIcametodo,thisthing。Icouldn’thelpit。IassureyouIcouldn’t。Won’t,youlisten?”

  Hersobsdisturbedhimsothathewasquitesureshedidnothear,awordhesaid。

  “Won’tyoulisten?”heasked。

  “No,Iwon’t,“saidCarrie,flashingup。”Iwantyoutotakeme,outofthis,orI’lltelltheconductor。Iwon’tgowithyou。

  It’sashame,“andagainsobsoffrightcutoffherdesirefor,expression。

  Hurstwoodlistenedwithsomeastonishment。Hefeltthatshehad,justcauseforfeelingasshedid,andyethewishedthathe,couldstraightenthisthingoutquickly。Shortlytheconductor,wouldcomethroughforthetickets。Hewantednonoise,no,troubleofanykind。Beforeeverythinghemustmakeherquiet。

  “Youcouldn’tgetoutuntilthetrainstopsagain,“said,Hurstwood。”Itwon’tbeverylonguntilwereachanother,station。Youcangetoutthenifyouwantto。Iwon’tstopyou。

  AllIwantyoutodoistolistenamoment。You’llletmetell,you,won’tyou?”

  Carrieseemednottolisten。Sheonlyturnedherheadtowardthe,window,whereoutsideallwasblack。Thetrainwasspeedingwith,steadygraceacrossthefieldsandthroughpatchesofwood。The,longwhistlescamewithsad,musicaleffectasthelonely,woodlandcrossingswereapproached。

  Nowtheconductorenteredthecarandtookuptheoneortwo,faresthathadbeenaddedatChicago。HeapproachedHurstwood,whohandedoutthetickets。Poisedasshewastoact,Carrie,madenomove。Shedidnotlookabout。

  WhentheconductorhadgoneagainHurstwoodfeltrelieved。

  “You’reangryatmebecauseIdeceivedyou,“hesaid。”Ididn’t,meanto,Carrie。AsIliveIdidn’t。Icouldn’thelpit。I

  couldn’tstayawayfromyouafterthefirsttimeIsawyou。”

  Hewasignoringthelastdeceptionassomethingthatmightgoby,theboard。Hewantedtoconvinceherthathiswifecouldno,longerbeafactorintheirrelationship。Themoneyhehad,stolenhetriedtoshutoutofhismind。

  “Don’ttalktome,“saidCarrie,“Ihateyou。Iwantyoutogo,awayfromme。Iamgoingtogetoutattheverynextstation。”

  Shewasinatrembleofexcitementandoppositionasshespoke。

  “Allright,“hesaid,“butyou’llhearmeout,won’tyou?After,allyouhavesaidaboutlovingme,youmighthearme。Idon’t,wanttodoyouanyharm。I’llgiveyouthemoneytogobackwith,whenyougo。Imerelywanttotellyou,Carrie。Youcan’tstop,mefromlovingyou,whateveryoumaythink。”

  Helookedathertenderly,butreceivednoreply。

  “YouthinkIhavedeceivedyoubadly,butIhaven’t。Ididn’tdo,itwillingly。I’mthroughwithmywife。Shehasn’tanyclaims,onme。I’llneverseeheranymore。That’swhyI’mhereto-

  night。That’swhyIcameandgotyou。”

  “YousaidCharliewashurt,“saidCarrie,savagely。”You,deceivedme。You’vebeendeceivingmeallthetime,andnowyou,wanttoforcemetorunawaywithyou。”

  Shewassoexcitedthatshegotupandtriedtogetbyhimagain。

  Helether,andshetookanotherseat。Thenhefollowed。

  “Don’trunawayfromme,Carrie,“hesaidgently。”Letme,explain。IfyouwillonlyhearmeoutyouwillseewhereI

  stand。Itellyoumywifeisnothingtome。Shehasn’tbeen,anythingforyearsorIwouldn’thaveevercomenearyou。I’m,goingtogetadivorcejustassoonasIcan。I’llneverseeher,again。I’mdonewithallthat。You’retheonlypersonIwant。

  IfIcanhaveyouIwon’teverthinkofanotherwomanagain。”

  Carrieheardallthisinaveryruffledstate。Itsounded,sincereenough,however,despiteallhehaddone。Therewasa,tensenessinHurstwood’svoiceandmannerwhichcouldbuthave,someeffect。Shedidnotwantanythingtodowithhim。Hewas,married,hehaddeceivedheronce,andnowagain,andshethought,himterrible。Stillthereissomethinginsuchdaringandpower,whichisfascinatingtoawoman,especiallyifshecanbemadeto,feelthatitisallpromptedbyloveofher。

  Theprogressofthetrainwashavingagreatdealtodowiththe,solutionofthisdifficultsituation。Thespeedingwheelsand,disappearingcountryputChicagofartherandfartherbehind。

  Carriecouldfeelthatshewasbeingbornealongdistanceoff——

  thattheenginewasmakinganalmostthroughruntosomedistant,city。Shefeltattimesasifshecouldcryoutandmakesucha,rowthatsomeonewouldcometoheraid;atothertimesitseemed,analmostuselessthing——sofarwasshefromanyaid,nomatter,whatshedid。AllthewhileHurstwoodwasendeavouringto,formulatehispleainsuchawaythatitwouldstrikehomeand,bringherintosympathywithhim。

  “IwassimplyputwhereIdidn’tknowwhatelsetodo。”

  Carriedeignednosuggestionofhearingthis。

  “WhenIsayyouwouldn’tcomeunlessIcouldmarryyou,Idecided,toputeverythingelsebehindmeandgetyoutocomeawaywith,me。I’mgoingoffnowtoanothercity。IwanttogotoMontreal,forawhile,andthenanywhereyouwantto。We’llgoandlivein,NewYork,ifyousay。”

  “I’llnothaveanythingtodowithyou,“saidCarrie。”Iwantto,getoffthistrain。Wherearewegoing?”

  “ToDetroit,“saidHurstwood。

  “Oh!”saidCarrie,inaburstofanguish。Sodistantand,definiteapointseemedtoincreasethedifficulty。

  “Won’tyoucomealongwithme?”hesaid,asiftherewasgreat,dangerthatshewouldnot。”Youwon’tneedtodoanythingbut,travelwithme。I’llnottroubleyouinanyway。Youcansee,MontrealandNewYork,andthenifyoudon’twanttostayyoucan,goback。Itwillbebetterthantryingtogobackto-night。”

  ThefirstgleamoffairnessshoneinthispropositionforCarrie。

  Itseemedaplausiblethingtodo,muchasshefearedhis,oppositionifshetriedtocarryitout。MontrealandNewYork!

  Evennowshewasspeedingtowardthosegreat,strangelands,and,couldseethemifsheliked。Shethought,butmadenosign。

  Hurstwoodthoughthesawashadeofcomplianceinthis。He,redoubledhisardour。

  “Think,“hesaid,“whatI’vegivenup。Ican’tgobackto,Chicagoanymore。I’vegottostayawayandlivealonenow,if,youdon’tcomewithme。Youwon’tgobackonmeentirely,will,you,Carrie?”

  “Idon’twantyoutotalktome,“sheansweredforcibly。

  Hurstwoodkeptsilentforawhile。

  Carriefeltthetraintobeslowingdown。Itwasthemomentto,actifshewastoactatall。Shestirreduneasily。

  “Don’tthinkofgoing,Carrie,“hesaid。”Ifyouevercaredfor,meatall,comealongandlet’sstartright。I’lldowhatever,yousay。I’llmarryyou,orI’llletyougoback。Giveyourself,timetothinkitover。Iwouldn’thavewantedyoutocomeifI

  hadn’tlovedyou。Itellyou,Carrie,beforeGod,Ican’tlive,withoutyou。Iwon’t!”

  Therewasthetensityoffiercenessintheman’spleawhich,appealeddeeplytohersympathies。Itwasadissolvingfire,whichwasactuatinghimnow。Hewaslovinghertoointenselyto,thinkofgivingherupinthis,hishourofdistress。He,clutchedherhandnervouslyandpresseditwithalltheforceof,anappeal。

  Thetrainwasnowallbutstopped。Itwasrunningbysomecars,onasidetrack。Everythingoutsidewasdarkanddreary。Afew,sprinklesonthewindowbegantoindicatethatitwasraining。

  Carriehunginaquandary,balancingbetweendecisionand,helplessness。Nowthetrainstopped,andshewaslisteningto,hisplea。Theenginebackedafewfeetandallwasstill。

  Shewavered,totallyunabletomakeamove。Minuteafterminute,slippedbyandstillshehesitated,hepleading。

  “WillyouletmecomebackifIwantto?”sheasked,asifshe,nowhadtheupperhandandhercompanionwasutterlysubdued。

  “Ofcourse,“heanswered,“youknowIwill。”

  Carrieonlylistenedasonewhohasgrantedatemporaryamnesty。

  Shebegantofeelasifthematterwereinherhandsentirely。

  Thetrainwasagaininrapidmotion。Hurstwoodchangedthe,subject。

  “Aren’tyouverytired?”hesaid。

  “No,“sheanswered。

  “Won’tyouletmegetyouaberthinthesleeper?”

  Sheshookherhead,thoughforallherdistressandhistrickery,shewasbeginningtonoticewhatshehadalwaysfelt——his,thoughtfulness。

  “Oh,yes,“hesaid,“youwillfeelsomuchbetter。”

  Sheshookherhead。

  “Letmefixmycoatforyou,anyway,“andhearoseandarranged,hislightcoatinacomfortablepositiontoreceiveherhead。

  “There,“hesaidtenderly,“nowseeifyoucan’trestalittle。”

  Hecouldhavekissedherforhercompliance。Hetookhisseat,besideherandthoughtamoment。

  “Ibelievewe’reinforaheavyrain,“hesaid。

  “Soitlooks,“saidCarrie,whosenerveswerequietingunderthe,soundoftheraindrops,drivenbyagustywind,asthetrain,sweptonfranticallythroughtheshadowtoanewerworld。

  ThefactthathehadinameasuremollifiedCarriewasasource,ofsatisfactiontoHurstwood,butitfurnishedonlythemost,temporaryrelief。Nowthatheroppositionwasoutoftheway,he,hadallofhistimetodevotetotheconsiderationofhisown,error。

  Hisconditionwasbitterintheextreme,forhedidnotwantthe,miserablesumhehadstolen。Hedidnotwanttobeathief。

  Thatsumoranyothercouldnevercompensateforthestatewhich,hehadthusfoolishlydoffed。Itcouldnotgivehimbackhis,hostoffriends,hisname,hishouseandfamily,norCarrie,as,hehadmeanttohaveher。HewasshutoutfromChicago——fromhis,easy,comfortablestate。Hehadrobbedhimselfofhisdignity,hismerrymeetings,hispleasantevenings。Andforwhat?The,morehethoughtofitthemoreunbearableitbecame。Hebeganto,thinkthathewouldtryandrestorehimselftohisoldstate。He,wouldreturnthemiserablethievingsofthenightandexplain。

  PerhapsMoywouldunderstand。Perhapstheywouldforgivehimand,lethimcomeback。

  BynoontimethetrainrolledintoDetroitandhebegantofeel,exceedinglynervous。Thepolicemustbeonhistrackbynow。

  Theyhadprobablynotifiedallthepoliceofthebigcities,and,detectiveswouldbewatchingforhim。Herememberedinstancesin,whichdefaultershadbeencaptured。Consequently,hebreathed,heavilyandpaledsomewhat。Hishandsfeltasiftheymusthave,somethingtodo。Hesimulatedinterestinseveralsceneswithout,whichhedidnotfeel。Herepeatedlybeathisfootuponthe,floor。

  Carrienoticedhisagitation,butsaidnothing。Shehadnoidea,whatitmeantorthatitwasimportant。

  Hewonderednowwhyhehadnotaskedwhetherthistrainwenton,throughtoMontrealorsomeCanadianpoint。Perhapshecould,havesavedtime。Hejumpedupandsoughttheconductor。

  “DoesanypartofthistraingotoMontreal?”heasked。

  “Yes,thenextsleeperbackdoes。”

  Hewouldhaveaskedmore,butitdidnotseemwise,sohedecided,toinquireatthedepot。

  Thetrainrolledintotheyards,clangingandpuffing。

  “IthinkwehadbettergorightonthroughtoMontreal,“hesaid,toCarrie。”I’llseewhattheconnectionsarewhenwegetoff。”

  Hewasexceedinglynervous,butdidhisbesttoputonacalm,exterior。Carrieonlylookedathimwithlarge,troubledeyes。

  Shewasdriftingmentally,unabletosaytoherselfwhattodo。

  ThetrainstoppedandHurstwoodledthewayout。Helooked,warilyaroundhim,pretendingtolookafterCarrie。Seeing,nothingthatindicatedstudiedobservation,hemadehiswayto,theticketoffice。

  “ThenexttrainforMontrealleaveswhen?”heasked。

  “Intwentyminutes,“saidtheman。

  HeboughttwoticketsandPullmanberths。Thenhehastenedback,toCarrie。

  “Wegorightoutagain,“hesaid,scarcelynoticingthatCarrie,lookedtiredandweary。

  “IwishIwasoutofallthis,“sheexclaimedgloomily。

  “You’llfeelbetterwhenwereachMontreal,“hesaid。

  “Ihaven’tanearthlythingwithme,“saidCarrie;“notevena,handkerchief。”

  “Youcanbuyallyouwantassoonasyougetthere,dearest,“he,explained。”Youcancallinadressmaker。”

  Nowthecriercalledthetrainreadyandtheygoton。Hurstwood,breathedasighofreliefasitstarted。Therewasashortrun,totheriver,andtheretheywereferriedover。Theyhadbarely,pulledthetrainofftheferry-boatwhenhesettledbackwitha,sigh。

  “Itwon’tbesoverylongnow,“hesaid,rememberingherinhis,relief。”Wegettherethefirstthinginthemorning。”

  Carriescarcelydeignedtoreply。

  “I’llseeifthereisadining-car,“headded。”I’mhungry。”

  ChapterXXIX

  THESOLACEOFTRAVEL——THEBOATSOFTHESEA

  Totheuntravelled,territoryotherthantheirownfamiliarheath,isinvariablyfascinating。Nexttolove,itistheonething,whichsolacesanddelights。Thingsnewaretooimportanttobe,neglected,andmind,whichisamerereflectionofsensory,impressions,succumbstothefloodofobjects。Thusloversare,forgotten,sorrowslaidaside,deathhiddenfromview。Thereis,aworldofaccumulatedfeelingbackofthetritedramatic,expression——“Iamgoingaway。”

  AsCarrielookedoutupontheflyingsceneryshealmostforgot,thatshehadbeentrickedintothislongjourneyagainstherwill,andthatshewaswithoutthenecessaryapparelfortravelling。

  ShequiteforgotHurstwood’spresenceattimes,andlookedaway,tohomelyfarmhousesandcoseycottagesinvillageswith,wonderingeyes。Itwasaninterestingworldtoher。Herlife,hadjustbegun。Shedidnotfeelherselfdefeatedatall。

  Neitherwassheblastedinhope。Thegreatcityheldmuch。

  Possiblyshewouldcomeoutofbondageintofreedom——whoknows?

  Perhapsshewouldbehappy。Thesethoughtsraisedherabovethe,leveloferring。Shewassavedinthatshewashopeful。

  ThefollowingmorningthetrainpulledsafelyintoMontrealand,theysteppeddown,Hurstwoodgladtobeoutofdanger,Carrie,wonderingatthenovelatmosphereofthenortherncity。Long,before,Hurstwoodhadbeenhere,andnowherememberedthename,ofthehotelatwhichhehadstopped。Astheycameoutofthe,mainentranceofthedepothehearditcalledanewbyabusman。

  “We’llgorightupandgetrooms,“hesaid。

  Attheclerk’sofficeHurstwoodswungtheregisteraboutwhile,theclerkcameforward。Hewasthinkingwhatnamehewouldput,down。Withthelatterbeforehimhefoundnotimefor,hesitation。Anamehehadseenoutofthecarwindowcame,swiftlytohim。Itwaspleasingenough。Withaneasyhandhe,wrote,“G。W。Murdockandwife。”Itwasthelargestconcessionto,necessityhefeltlikemaking。Hisinitialshecouldnotspare。

  WhentheywereshowntheirroomCarriesawatoncethathehad,securedheralovelychamber。

  “Youhaveabaththere,“saidhe。”Nowyoucancleanupwhenyou,getready。”

  Carriewentoverandlookedoutthewindow,whileHurstwood,lookedathimselfintheglass。Hefeltdustyandunclean。He,hadnotrunk,nochangeoflinen,notevenahair-brush。

  “I’llringforsoapandtowels,“hesaid,“andsendyouupa,hair-brush。Thenyoucanbatheandgetreadyforbreakfast。

  I’llgoforashaveandcomebackandgetyou,andthenwe’llgo,outandlookforsomeclothesforyou。”

  Hesmiledgood-naturedlyashesaidthis。

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