第22章

类别:其他 作者:Willa Cather字数:9739更新时间:19/01/07 15:03:41
Mrs。Nathanmeyerrangforherownmaid。\"Selmawilltakeyouupstairs,MissKronborg,andyouwillfindsomedressesonthebed。Tryseveralofthem,andtaketheoneyoulikebest。Selmawillhelpyou。Shehasagreatdealoftaste。Whenyouaredressed,comedownandletusgooversomeofyoursongswithMr。Ottenburg。\" AfterTheawentawaywiththemaid,OttenburgcameuptoMrs。Nathanmeyerandstoodbesideher,restinghishandonthehighbackofherchair。 \"Well,GNADIGEFRAU,doyoulikeher?\" \"Ithinkso。Ilikedherwhenshetalkedtofather。Shewillalwaysgetonbetterwithmen。\" Ottenburgleanedoverherchair。\"Prophetess!DoyouseewhatImeant?\" \"Aboutherbeauty?Shehasgreatpossibilities,butyoucannevertellaboutthoseNorthernwomen。Theylooksostrong,buttheyareeasilybattered。Thefacefallssoearlyunderthosewidecheek—bones。Asingleidea——hateor greed,orevenlove——cantearthemtoshreds。Sheisnineteen?Well,intenyearsshemayhavequitearegalbeauty,orshemayhaveaheavy,discontentedface,alldugoutinchannels。Thatwilldependuponthekindofideassheliveswith。\" \"Orthekindofpeople?\"Ottenburgsuggested。 TheoldJewessfoldedherarmsoverhermassivechest,drewbackhershoulders,andlookedupattheyoungman。 \"Withthathardglintinhereye?Thepeoplewon’tmat— termuch,Ifancy。Theywillcomeandgo。Sheisverymuchinterestedinherself——assheshouldbe。\" Ottenburgfrowned。\"Waituntilyouhearhersing。Hereyesaredifferentthen。Thatgleamthatcomesinthemiscurious,isn’tit?Asyousay,it’simpersonal。\" Theobjectofthisdiscussioncamein,smiling。Shehadchosenneitherthebluenortheyellowgown,butapalerose—color,withsilverbutterflies。Mrs。Nathanmeyerliftedherlorgnetteandstudiedherassheapproached。Shecaughtthecharacteristicthingsatonce:thefree,strongwalk,thecalmcarriageofthehead,themilkywhitenessofthegirl’sarmsandshoulders。 \"Yes,thatcolorisgoodforyou,\"shesaidapprovingly。 \"Theyellowoneprobablykilledyourhair?Yes;thisdoesverywellindeed,soweneedthinknomoreaboutit。\" TheaglancedquestioninglyatOttenburg。Hesmiledandbowed,seemedperfectlysatisfied。Heaskedhertostandintheelbowofthepiano,infrontofhim,insteadofbehindhimasshehadbeentaughttodo。 \"Yes,\"saidthehostesswithfeeling。\"Thatotherposi— tionisbarbarous。\" Theasanganariafrom`Gioconda,’somesongsbySchu— mannwhichshehadstudiedwithHarsanyi,andthe\"TAK FORDITROD,\"whichOttenburgliked。 \"Thatyoumustdoagain,\"hedeclaredwhentheyfin— ishedthissong。\"Youdiditmuchbettertheotherday。 Youaccenteditmore,likeadanceoragalop。Howdidyoudoit?\" Thealaughed,glancingsidewiseatMrs。Nathanmeyer。 \"Youwantitrough—house,doyou?Bowerslikesmetosingitmoreseriously,butitalwaysmakesmethinkaboutastorymygrandmotherusedtotell。\" Fredpointedtothechairbehindher。\"Won’tyourestamomentandtellusaboutit?Ithoughtyouhadsomenotionaboutitwhenyoufirstsangitforme。\" Theasatdown。\"InNorwaymygrandmotherknewagirlwhowasawfullyinlovewithayoungfellow。Shewentintoserviceonabigdairyfarmtomakeenoughmoneyforheroutfit。TheyweremarriedatChristmas— time,andeverybodywasglad,becausethey’dbeensigh— ingaroundabouteachotherforsolong。Thatverysum— mer,thedaybeforeSt。John’sDay,herhusbandcaughthercarryingonwithanotherfarm—hand。Thenextnightallthefarmpeoplehadabonfireandabigdanceuponthemountain,andeverybodywasdancingandsinging。I guesstheywereallalittledrunk,fortheygottoseeinghowneartheycouldmakethegirlsdancetotheedgeofthecliff。Ole——hewasthegirl’shusband——seemedthejolliestandthedrunkestofanybody。Hedancedhiswifenearerandnearertheedgeoftherock,andhiswifebegantoscreamsothattheothersstoppeddancingandthemusicstopped;butOlewentrightonsinging,andhedancedherovertheedgeofthecliffandtheyfellhundredsoffeetandwereallsmashedtopieces。\" Ottenburgturnedbacktothepiano。\"That’stheidea! Now,comeMissThea。Letitgo!\" Theatookherplace。Shelaughedanddrewherselfupoutofhercorsets,threwhershouldershighandletthemdropagain。Shehadneversunginalowdressbefore,andshefounditcomfortable。Ottenburgjerkedhisheadandtheybeganthesong。Theaccompanimentsoundedmorethaneverlikethethumpingandscrapingofheavyfeet。 Whentheystopped,theyheardasympathetictappingattheendoftheroom。OldMr。Nathanmeyerhadcometothedoorandwassittingbackintheshadow,justinsidethelibrary,applaudingwithhiscane。Theathrewhimabrightsmile。Hecontinuedtositthere,hisslipperedfootonalowchair,hiscanebetweenhisfingers,andsheglancedathimfromtimetotime。Thedoorwaymadeaframeforhim,andhelookedlikeamaninapicture,withthelong,shadowyroombehindhim。 Mrs。Nathanmeyersummonedthemaidagain。\"Selmawillpackthatgowninaboxforyou,andyoucantakeithomeinMr。Ottenburg’scarriage。\" Theaturnedtofollowthemaid,buthesitated。\"ShallIweargloves?\"sheasked,turningagaintoMrs。Nathan— meyer。 \"No,Ithinknot。Yourarmsaregood,andyouwillfeelfreerwithout。Youwillneedlightslippers,pink——orwhite,ifyouhavethem,willdoquiteaswell。\" TheawentupstairswiththemaidandMrs。Nathan— meyerrose,tookOttenburg’sarm,andwalkedtowardherhusband。\"That’sthefirstrealvoiceIhaveheardinChicago,\"shesaiddecidedly。\"Idon’tcountthatstupidPriestwoman。Whatdoyousay,father?\" Mr。Nathanmeyershookhiswhiteheadandsmiledsoftly,asifhewerethinkingaboutsomethingveryagree— able。\"SVENSKSOMMAR,\"hemurmured。\"SheislikeaSwedishsummer。IspentnearlyayeartherewhenIwasayoungman,\"heexplainedtoOttenburg。 WhenOttenburggotTheaandherbigboxintothecar— riage,itoccurredtohimthatshemustbehungry,aftersingingsomuch。Whenheaskedher,sheadmittedthatshewasveryhungry,indeed。 Hetookouthiswatch。\"Wouldyoumindstoppingsomewherewithme?It’sonlyeleven。\" \"Mind?Ofcourse,Iwouldn’tmind。Iwasn’tbroughtuplikethat。Icantakecareofmyself。\" Ottenburglaughed。\"AndIcantakecareofmyself,sowecandolotsofjollythingstogether。\"Heopenedthecarriagedoorandspoketothedriver。\"I’mstuckonthewayyousingthatGriegsong,\"hedeclared。 WhenTheagotintobedthatnightshetoldherselfthatthiswasthehappiesteveningshehadhadinChicago。ShehadenjoyedtheNathanmeyersandtheirgrandhouse,hernewdress,andOttenburg,herfirstrealcarriageride,andthegoodsupperwhenshewassohungry。AndOttenburgWASjolly!Hemadeyouwanttocomebackathim。Youweren’talwaysbeingcaughtupandmystified。Whenyoustartedinwithhim,youwent;youcutthebreeze,asRayusedtosay。Hehadsomegoinhim。 PhilipFrederickOttenburgwasthethirdsonofthegreatbrewer。HismotherwasKatarinaFurst,thedaughterandheiressofabrewingbusinessolderandricherthanOttoOttenburg’s。Asayoungwomanshehadbeenacon— spicuousfigureinGerman—AmericansocietyinNewYork,andnotuntouchedbyscandal。Shewasahandsome,head— stronggirl,arebelliousandviolentforceinaprovincialsociety。Shewasbrutallysentimentalandheavilyro— mantic。Herfreespeech,herContinentalideas,andherproclivityforchampioningnewcauses,evenwhenshedidnotknowmuchaboutthem,madeheranobjectofsuspicion。Shewasalwaysgoingabroadtoseekoutin— tellectualaffinities,andwasoneofthegroupofyoungwomenwhofollowedWagneraboutinhisoldage,keep— ingatarespectfuldistance,butreceivingnowandthenagraciousacknowledgmentthatheappreciatedtheirhomage。Whenthecomposerdied,Katarina,thenama— tronwithafamily,tooktoherbedandsawnooneforaweek。 AfterhavingbeenengagedtoanAmericanactor,aWelshsocialistagitator,andaGermanarmyofficer,FrauleinFurstatlastplacedherselfandhergreatbrewery interestsintothetrustworthyhandsofOttoOttenburg,whohadbeenhersuitoreversincehewasaclerk,learninghisbusinessinherfather’soffice。 Herfirsttwosonswereexactlyliketheirfather。Evenaschildrentheywereindustrious,earnestlittletradesmen。 AsFrauOttenburgsaid,\"shehadtowaitforherFred,butshegothimatlast,\"thefirstmanwhohadaltogetherpleasedher。FrederickenteredHarvardwhenhewaseighteen。WhenhismotherwenttoBostontovisithim,shenotonlygothimeverythinghewishedfor,butshemadehandsomeandoftenembarrassingpresentstoallhisfriends。ShegavedinnersandsupperpartiesfortheGleeClub,madethecrewbreaktraining,andwasagen— erallydisturbinginfluence。InhisthirdyearFredlefttheuniversitybecauseofaseriousescapadewhichhadsome— whathamperedhislifeeversince。Hewentatonceintohisfather’sbusiness,where,inhisownway,hehadmadehimselfveryuseful。 FredOttenburgwasnowtwenty—eight,andpeoplecouldonlysayofhimthathehadbeenlesshurtbyhismother’sindulgencethanmostboyswouldhavebeen。Hehadneverwantedanythingthathecouldnothaveit,andhemighthavehadagreatmanythingsthathehadneverwanted。 Hewasextravagant,butnotprodigal。Heturnedmostofthemoneyhismothergavehimintothebusiness,andlivedonhisgeneroussalary。 Fredhadneverbeenboredforawholedayinhislife。 WhenhewasinChicagoorSt。Louis,hewenttoball— games,prize—fights,andhorse—races。WhenhewasinGermany,hewenttoconcertsandtotheopera。Hebelongedtoalonglistofsporting—clubsandhunting— clubs,andwasagoodboxer。Hehadsomanynaturalintereststhathehadnoaffectations。AtHarvardhekeptawayfromtheaestheticcirclethathadalreadydiscoveredFrancisThompson。HelikednopoetrybutGermanpoetry。 Physicalenergywasthethinghewasfulltothebrimof, andmusicwasoneofitsnaturalformsofexpression。Hehadahealthyloveofsportandart,ofeatinganddrink— ing。WhenhewasinGermany,hescarcelyknewwherethesoupendedandthesymphonybegan。 V MARCHbeganbadlyforThea。Shehadacoldduringthefirstweek,andaftershegotthroughherchurchdutiesonSundayshehadtogotobedwithtonsilitis。Shewasstillintheboarding—houseatwhichyoungOttenburghadcalledwhenhetookhertoseeMrs。Nathanmeyer。 Shehadstayedontherebecauseherroom,althoughitwasinconvenientandverysmall,wasatthecornerofthehouseandgotthesunlight。 SincesheleftMrs。Lorch,thiswasthefirstplacewhereshehadgotawayfromanorthlight。Herroomshadallbeenasdampandmouldyastheyweredark,withdeepfoundationsofdirtunderthecarpets,anddirtywalls。Inherpresentroomtherewasnorunningwaterandnoclothescloset,andshehadtohavethedressermovedouttomakeroomforherpiano。Butthereweretwowindows,oneonthesouthandoneonthewest,alightwall—paperwithmorning—gloryvines,andontheflooracleanmatting。 Thelandladyhadtriedtomaketheroomlookcheerful,becauseitwashardtolet。ItwassosmallthatTheacouldkeepitcleanherself,aftertheHunhaddoneherworst。 Shehungherdressesonthedoorunderasheet,usedthewashstandforadresser,sleptonacot,andopenedboththewindowswhenshepracticed。Shefeltlesswalledinthanshehadintheotherhouses。 Wednesdaywasherthirddayinbed。Themedicalstu— dentwholivedinthehousehadbeenintoseeher,hadleftsometabletsandafoamygargle,andtoldherthatshecouldprobablygobacktoworkonMonday。Theland— ladystuckherheadinonceaday,butTheadidnoten— couragehervisits。TheHungarianchambermaidbroughthersoupandtoast。Shemadeasloppypretenseofput— tingtheroominorder,butshewassuchadirtycrea— turethatTheawouldnotlethertouchhercot;shegotupeverymorningandturnedthemattressandmadethebedherself。Theexertionmadeherfeelmiserablyill,butatleastshecouldliestillcontentedlyforalongwhileafterward。Shehatedthepoisonedfeelinginherthroat,andnomatterhowoftenshegargledshefeltuncleananddisgusting。Still,ifshehadtobeill,shewasalmostgladthatshehadacontagiousillness。Otherwiseshewouldhavebeenatthemercyofthepeopleinthehouse。Sheknewthattheydislikedher,yetnowthatshewasill,theytookituponthemselvestotapatherdoor,sendhermes— sages,books,evenamiserableflowerortwo。Theaknewthattheirsympathywasanexpressionofself—righteous— ness,andshehatedthemforit。Thedivinitystudent,whowasalwayswhisperingsoftthingstoher,senther\"TheKreutzerSonata。\" Themedicalstudenthadbeenkindtoher:heknewthatshedidnotwanttopayadoctor。Hisgarglehadhelpedher,andhegaveherthingstomakehersleepatnight。Buthehadbeenacheat,too。Hehadexceededhisrights。Shehadnosorenessinherchest,andhadtoldhimsoclearly。 Allthisthumpingofherback,andlisteningtoherbreath— ing,wasdonetosatisfypersonalcuriosity。Shehadwatchedhimwithacontemptuoussmile。Shewastoosicktocare; ifitamusedhim——Shemadehimwashhishandsbeforehetouchedher;hewasneververyclean。Allthesame,itwoundedherandmadeherfeelthattheworldwasaprettydisgustingplace。\"TheKreutzerSonata\"didnotmakeherfeelanymorecheerful。Shethrewitasidewithhatred。Shecouldnotbelieveitwaswrittenbythesamemanwhowrotethenovelthathadthrilledher。 Hercotwasbesidethesouthwindow,andonWednesdayafternoonshelaythinkingabouttheHarsanyis,aboutoldMr。Nathanmeyer,andabouthowshewasmissingFredOttenburg’svisitstothestudio。Thatwasmuchtheworst thingaboutbeingsick。Ifsheweregoingtothestudioeveryday,shemightbehavingpleasantencounterswithFred。Hewasalwaysrunningaway,Bowerssaid,andhemightbeplanningtogoawayassoonasMrs。Nathan— meyer’seveningswereover。Andhereshewaslosingallthistime! AfterawhilesheheardtheHun’sclumsytrotinthehall,andthenapoundonthedoor。Marycamein,makingherusualuncouthsounds,carryingalongboxandabigbasket。 Theasatupinbedandtoreoffthestringsandpaper。Thebasketwasfulloffruit,withabigHawaiianpineappleinthemiddle,andintheboxtherewerelayersofpinkroseswithlong,woodystemsanddark—greenleaves。Theyfilledtheroomwithacoolsmellthatmadeanotherairtobreathe。 Marystoodwithherapronfullofpaperandcardboard。 WhenshesawTheatakeanenvelopeoutfromundertheflowers,sheutteredanexclamation,pointedtotheroses,andthentothebosomofherowndress,ontheleftside。 Thealaughedandnodded。SheunderstoodthatMaryas— sociatedthecolorwithOttenburg’sBOUTONNIERE。Shepointedtothewaterpitcher,——shehadnothingelsebigenoughtoholdtheflowers,——andmadeMaryputitonthewindowsillbesideher。 AfterMarywasgoneThealockedthedoor。Whenthelandladyknocked,shepretendedthatshewasasleep。Shelaystillallafternoonandwithdrowsyeyeswatchedtherosesopen。Theywerethefirsthothouseflowersshehadeverhad。Thecoolfragrancetheyreleasedwassoothing,andasthepinkpetalscurledback,theyweretheonlythingsbetweenherandthegraysky。Shelayonherside,puttingtheroomandtheboarding—housebehindher。Fredknewwhereallthepleasantthingsintheworldwere,shere— flected,andknewtheroadtothem。Hehadkeystoalltheniceplacesinhispocket,andseemedtojinglethemfromtimetotime。Andthen,hewasyoung;andherfriendshadalwaysbeenold。Hermindwentbackoverthem。They hadallbeenteachers;wonderfullykind,butstillteachers。 RayKennedy,sheknew,hadwantedtomarryher,buthewasthemostprotectingandteacher—likeofthemall。 Shemovedimpatientlyinhercotandthrewherbraidsawayfromherhotneck,overherpillow。\"Idon’twanthimforateacher,\"shethought,frowningpetulantlyoutofthewindow。\"I’vehadsuchastringofthem。Iwanthimforasweetheart。\" VI \"THEA,\"saidFredOttenburgonedrizzlyafternooninApril,whiletheysatwaitingfortheirteaatarestau— rantinthePullmanBuilding,overlookingthelake,\"whatareyougoingtodothissummer?\" \"Idon’tknow。Work,Isuppose。\" \"WithBowers,youmean?EvenBowersgoesfishingforamonth。Chicago’snoplacetowork,inthesummer。 Haven’tyoumadeanyplans?\" Theashruggedhershoulders。\"Nousehavinganyplanswhenyouhaven’tanymoney。Theyareunbecoming。\" \"Aren’tyougoinghome?\" Sheshookherhead。\"No。Itwon’tbecomfortabletheretillI’vegotsomethingtoshowformyself。I’mnotgettingonatall,youknow。Thisyearhasbeenmostlywasted。\" \"You’restale;that’swhat’sthematterwithyou。Andjustnowyou’redeadtired。You’lltalkmorerationallyafteryou’vehadsometea。Restyourthroatuntilitcomes。\"Theyweresittingbyawindow。AsOttenburglookedatherinthegraylight,herememberedwhatMrs。 NathanmeyerhadsaidabouttheSwedishface\"breakingearly。\"Theawasasgrayastheweather。Herskinlookedsick。Herhair,too,thoughonadampdayitcurledcharm— inglyaboutherface,lookedpale。 Fredbeckonedthewaiterandincreasedhisorderforfood。 Theadidnothearhim。Shewasstaringoutofthewindow,downattheroofoftheArtInstituteandthegreenlions,drippingintherain。Thelakewasallrollingmist,withasoftshimmerofrobin’s—eggblueinthegray。Alumberboat,withtwoverytallmasts,wasemerginggauntandblackoutofthefog。WhentheteacameTheaatehungrily,andFredwatchedher。Hethoughthereyesbecamealittle lessbleak。Thekettlesangcheerfullyoverthespiritlamp,andsheseemedtoconcentrateherattentionuponthatpleasantsound。Shekeptlookingtowarditlistlesslyandindulgently,inawaythatgavehimarealizationofherloneliness。Fredlitacigaretteandsmokedthoughtfully。 HeandTheawerealoneinthequiet,duskyroomfullofwhitetables。InthosedaysChicagopeopleneverstoppedfortea。\"Come,\"hesaidatlast,\"whatwouldyoudothissummer,ifyoucoulddowhateveryouwished?\" \"I’dgoalongwayfromhere!West,Ithink。MaybeI couldgetsomeofmyspringback。Allthiscold,cloudyweather,\"——shelookedoutatthelakeandshivered,—— \"Idon’tknow,itdoesthingstome,\"sheendedabruptly。 Frednodded。\"Iknow。You’vebeengoingdowneversinceyouhadtonsilitis。I’veseenit。Whatyouneedistositinthesunandbakeforthreemonths。You’vegottherightidea。IrememberoncewhenwewerehavingdinnersomewhereyoukeptaskingmeabouttheCliff—Dwellerruins。Dotheystillinterestyou?\" \"Ofcoursetheydo。I’vealwayswantedtogodownthere——longbeforeIevergotinforthis。\" \"Idon’tthinkItoldyou,butmyfatherownsawholecanyonfullofCliff—Dwellerruins。HehasabigworthlessranchdowninArizona,nearaNavajoreservation,andthere’sacanyonontheplacetheycallPantherCanyon,chockfullofthatsortofthing。Ioftengodowntheretohunt。HenryBiltmerandhiswifelivethereandkeepatidyplace。He’sanoldGermanwhoworkedinthebreweryuntilhelosthishealth。Nowherunsafewcattle。Henrylikestodomeafavor。I’vedoneafewforhim。\"FreddrownedhiscigaretteinhissaucerandstudiedThea’sexpression,whichwaswistfulandintent,enviousandad— miring。Hecontinuedwithsatisfaction:\"Ifyouwentdownthereandstayedwiththemfortwoorthreemonths,theywouldn’tletyoupayanything。ImightsendHenryanewgun,butevenIcouldn’tofferhimmoneyforputting upafriendofmine。I’llgetyoutransportation。Itwouldmakeanewgirlofyou。LetmewritetoHenry,andyoupackyourtrunk。That’sallthat’snecessary。Noredtapeaboutit。Whatdoyousay,Thea?\" Shebitherlip,andsighedasifshewerewakingup。 Fredcrumpledhisnapkinimpatiently。\"Well,isn’titeasyenough?\" \"That’sthetrouble;it’sTOOeasy。Doesn’tsoundprob— able。I’mnotusedtogettingthingsfornothing。\" Ottenburglaughed。\"Oh,ifthat’sall,I’llshowyouhowtobegin。Youwon’tgetthisfornothing,quite。I’llaskyoutoletmestopoffandseeyouonmywaytoCalifornia。 Perhapsbythattimeyouwillbegladtoseeme。BetterletmebreakthenewstoBowers。Icanmanagehim。Heneedsalittletransportationhimselfnowandthen。Youmustgetcorduroyriding—thingsandleatherleggings。 Thereareafewsnakesabout。Whydoyoukeepfrown— ing?\" \"Well,Idon’texactlyseewhyyoutakethetrouble。 Whatdoyougetoutofit?Youhaven’tlikedmesowellthelasttwoorthreeweeks。\" Freddroppedhisthirdcigaretteandlookedathiswatch。 \"Ifyoudon’tseethat,it’sbecauseyouneedatonic。I’llshowyouwhatI’llgetoutofit。NowI’mgoingtogetacabandtakeyouhome。Youaretootiredtowalkastep。 You’dbettergettobedassoonasyougetthere。Ofcourse,Idon’tlikeyousowellwhenyou’rehalfanaesthetizedallthetime。Whathaveyoubeendoingtoyourself?\" Thearose。\"Idon’tknow。Beingboredeatstheheartoutofme,Iguess。\"Shewalkedmeeklyinfrontofhimtotheelevator。Frednoticedforthehundredthtimehowvehementlyherbodyproclaimedherstateoffeeling。HerememberedhowremarkablybrilliantandbeautifulshehadbeenwhenshesangatMrs。Nathanmeyer’s:flushedandgleaming,roundandsupple,somethingthatcouldn’tbedimmedordowned。Andnowsheseemedamoving figureofdiscouragement。Theverywaitersglancedatherapprehensively。Itwasnotthatshemadeafuss,butherbackwasmostextraordinarilyvocal。Oneneverneededtoseeherfacetoknowwhatshewasfullofthatday。 Yetshewascertainlynotmercurial。Herfleshseemedtotakeamoodandto\"set,\"likeplaster。Asheputherintothecab,Fredreflectedoncemorethathe\"gaveherup。\" Hewouldattackherwhenhislancewasbrighter。 EndofPartIII PARTIV THEANCIENTPEOPLE I THESanFranciscoMountainliesinNorthernArizona,aboveFlagstaff,anditsblueslopesandsnowysummitenticetheeyeforahundredmilesacrossthedesert。AboutitsbaseliethepineforestsoftheNavajos,wherethegreatred—trunkedtreesliveouttheirpeacefulcenturiesinthatsparklingair。ThePINONSandscrubbeginonlywheretheforestends,wherethecountrybreaksintoopen,stonyclearingsandthesurfaceoftheearthcracksintodeepcan— yons。Thegreatpinesstandataconsiderabledistancefromeachother。Eachtreegrowsalone,murmursalone,thinksalone。Theydonotintrudeuponeachother。TheNavajosarenotmuchinthehabitofgivingorofaskinghelp。Theirlanguageisnotacommunicativeone,andtheyneverattemptaninterchangeofpersonalityinspeech。Overtheirforeststhereisthesameinexorablereserve。Eachtreehasitsexaltedpowertobear。