第32章

类别:其他 作者:Willa Cather字数:9796更新时间:19/01/07 15:03:41
\"Init?\"Fredstartedup。\"MyGod,haven’tyouseenherthisblessednight?——whenshe’dhavekickedanyothermandowntheelevatorshaft,ifIknowher。Leavemesomething;atleastwhatIcanpaymyfivebucksfor。\" \"Seemstomeyougetagooddealforyourfivebucks,\" saidArchieruefully。\"Andthat,afterall,iswhatshecaresabout,——whatpeopleget。\" Fredlitacigarette,tookapuffortwo,andthenthrewitaway。Hewasloungingbackinhischair,andhisfacewaspaleanddrawnhardbythatmoodofintenseconcentrationwhichlurksunderthesunnyshallowsofthevineyard。Inhisvoicetherewasalongerperspectivethanusual,aslightremoteness。\"Yousee,Archie,it’sallverysimple,anatu— raldevelopment。It’sexactlywhatMahlersaidbackthereinthebeginning,whenshesangWOGLINDE。It’stheidea,thebasicidea,pulsingbehindeverybarshesings。Shesimplifiesacharacterdowntothemusicalideait’sbuilton,andmakeseverythingconformtothat。Thepeoplewhochatteraboutherbeingagreatactressdon’tseemtogetthenotionofwhereSHEgetsthenotion。Itallgoesbacktoheroriginalendowment,hertremendousmusicaltalent。 Insteadofinventingalotofbusinessandexpedientstosuggestcharacter,sheknowsthethingattheroot,andletsthemusicalpatterntakecareofher。Thescorepoursherintoallthoselovelypostures,makesthelightandshadowgooverherface,liftsheranddropsher。Sheliesonit,the waysheusedtolieontheRhinemusic。Talkaboutrhythm!\" Thedoctorfrowneddubiouslyasathirdbottlemadeitsappearanceabovethecloth。\"Aren’tyougoinginratherstrong?\" Fredlaughed。\"No,I’mbecomingtoosober。Youseethisisbreakfastnow;kindofweddingbreakfast。Ifeelratherweddingish。Idon’tmind。Youknow,\"hewentonasthewinegurgledout,\"Iwasthinkingto—nightwhentheysprungtheweddingmusic,howanyfoolcanhavethatstuffplayedoverhimwhenhewalksuptheaislewithsomedough—facedlittlehussywho’shookedhim。Butitisn’teveryfellowwhocansee——well,whatwesawto— night。Therearecompensationsinlife,Dr。HowardArchie,thoughtheycomeindisguise。Didyounoticeherwhenshecamedownthestairs?Wonderwhereshegetsthatbright— and—morningstarlook?Carriestothelastrowofthefamilycircle。Imovedaboutalloverthehouse。I’lltellyouasecret,Archie:thatcarryingpowerwasoneofthefirstthingsthatputmewise。NoticeditdownthereinArizona,intheopen。That,Isaid,belongsonlytothebigones。\"Fredgotupandbegantomoverhythmicallyabouttheroom,hishandsinhispockets。Thedoctorwasaston— ishedathiseaseandsteadiness,fortherewereslightlapsesinhisspeech。\"Yousee,Archie,ELSAisn’tapartthat’sparticularlysuitedtoThea’svoiceatall,asIseehervoice。 It’sover—lyricalforher。Shemakesit,butthere’snothinginitthatfitsherlikeaglove,except,maybe,thatlongduetinthethirdact。There,ofcourse,\"——heheldouthishandsasifheweremeasuringsomething,——\"weknowexactlywhereweare。Butwaituntiltheygiveherachanceatsomethingthatliesproperlyinhervoice,andyou’llseemerosierthanIamto—night。\" Archiesmoothedthetableclothwithhishand。\"IamsureIdon’twanttoseeyouanyrosier,Fred。\" Ottenburgthrewbackhisheadandlaughed。\"It’sen— thusiasm,doctor。It’snotthewine。I’vegotasmuchin— flatedasthisforadozentrashythings:brewers’dinnersandpoliticalorgies。You,too,haveyourextravagances,Archie。AndwhatIlikebestinyouisthisparticularenthusiasm,whichisnotatallpracticalorsensible,whichisdownrightQuixotic。Youarenotaltogetherwhatyouseem,andyouhaveyourreservations。Livingamongthewolves,youhavenotbecomeone。LUPIBUSVIVENDINON LUPUSSUM。\" Thedoctorseemedembarrassed。\"Iwasjustthinkinghowtiredshelooked,pluckedofallherfinefeathers,whilewegetallthefun。Insteadofsittingherecarousing,weoughttogosolemnlytobed。\" \"Igetyouridea。\"Ottenburgcrossedtothewindowandthrewitopen。\"Finenightoutside;ahagofamoonjustsetting。Itbeginstosmelllikemorning。Afterall,Archie,thinkofthelonelyandrathersolemnhourswe’vespentwaitingforallthis,whileshe’sbeen——reveling。\" Archieliftedhisbrows。\"Isomehowdidn’tgettheideato—nightthatsherevelsmuch。\" \"Idon’tmeanthissortofthing。\"Fredturnedtowardthelightandstoodwithhisbacktothewindow。\"That,\" withanodtowardthewine—cooler,\"isonlyacheapimita— tion,thatanypoorstiff—fingeredfoolcanbuyandfeelhisshellgrowthinner。Buttakeitfromme,nomatterwhatshepays,orhowmuchshemayseefittolieaboutit,thereal,themasterrevelishers。\"Heleanedbackagainstthewindowsillandcrossedhisarms。\"Anybodywithallthatvoiceandallthattalentandallthatbeauty,hasherhour。 Herhour,\"hewentondeliberately,\"whenshecansay,’thereitis,atlast,WIEIMTRAUMICH—— \"`AsinmydreamIdreamedit,Asinmywillitwas。’\" Hestoodsilentamoment,twistingtheflowerfromhiscoatbythestemandstaringattheblankwallwithhag— gardabstraction。\"EvenIcansayto—night,Archie,\"hebroughtoutslowly,\"`AsinmydreamIdreamedit,Asinmywillitwas。’ Now,doctor,youmayleaveme。I’mbeautifullydrunk,butnotwithanythingthatevergrewinFrance。\" Thedoctorrose。Fredtossedhisfloweroutofthewin— dowbehindhimandcametowardthedoor。\"Isay,\"hecalled,\"haveyouadatewithanybody?\" Thedoctorpaused,hishandontheknob。\"WithThea,youmean?Yes。I’mtogotoheratfourthisafternoon—— ifyouhaven’tparalyzedme。\" \"Well,youwon’teatme,willyou,ifIbreakinandsendupmycard?She’llprobablyturnmedowncold,butthatwon’thurtmyfeelings。Ifsheducksme,youtellherforme,thattospitemenowshe’dhavetocutoffmorethanshecanspare。Good—night,Archie。\" VI ITwaslateonthemorningafterthenightshesangELSA,whenTheaKronborgstirreduneasilyinherbed。Theroomwasdarkenedbytwosetsofwindowshades,andthedayoutsidewasthickandcloudy。Sheturnedandtriedtorecaptureunconsciousness,knowingthatshewouldnotbeabletodoso。Shedreadedwakingstaleanddisap— pointedafteragreateffort。Thefirstthingthatcamewasalwaysthesenseofthefutilityofsuchendeavor,andoftheabsurdityoftryingtoohard。Uptoacertainpoint,sayeightydegrees,artisticendeavorcouldbefatandcomfortable,methodicalandprudent。Butifyouwentfurtherthanthat,ifyoudrewyourselfuptowardninetydegrees,youpartedwithyourdefensesandleftyourselfexposedtomischance。Thelegendwasthatinthoseupperreachesyoumightbedivine;butyouweremuchlikeliertoberidiculous。Yourpublicwantedjustabouteightydegrees;ifyougaveitmoreitblewitsnoseandputacrimpinyou。Inthemorning,especially,itseemedtoherveryprobablethatwhateverstruggledabovethegoodaveragewasnotquitesound。Certainlyverylittleofthatsuperfluousardor,whichcostsodear,evergotacrossthefootlights。Thesemisgivingswaitedtopounceuponherwhenshewakened。Theyhoveredaboutherbedlikevultures。 Shereachedunderherpillowforherhandkerchief,with— outopeninghereyes。Shehadashadowymemorythattherewastobesomethingunusual,thatthisdayheldmoredisquietingpossibilitiesthandayscommonlyheld。Therewassomethingshedreaded;whatwasit?Oh,yes,Dr。 Archiewastocomeatfour。 ArealitylikeDr。Archie,pokingupoutofthepast,re— mindedoneofdisappointmentsandlosses,ofafreedomthatwasnomore:remindedherofblue,goldenmorningslongago,whensheusedtowakenwithaburstofjoyatrecoveringherpreciousselfandherpreciousworld;whensheneverlayonherpillowsateleveno’clocklikesome— thingthewaveshadwashedup。Afterall,whyhadhecome?Ithadbeensolong,andsomuchhadhappened。 Thethingsshehadlost,hewouldmissreadilyenough。 Whatshehadgained,hewouldscarcelyperceive。He,andallthatherecalled,livedforherasmemories。Insleep,andinhoursofillnessorexhaustion,shewentbacktothemandheldthemtoherheart。Buttheywerebetterasmemories。Theyhadnothingtodowiththestrugglethatmadeupheractuallife。Shefeltdrearilythatshewasnotflexibleenoughtobethepersonheroldfriendexpectedhertobe,thepersonsheherselfwishedtobewithhim。 Theareachedforthebellandrangtwice,——asignaltohermaidtoorderherbreakfast。Sheroseandranupthewindowshadesandturnedonthewaterinherbathroom,glancingintothemirrorapprehensivelyasshepassedit。 Herbathusuallycheeredher,evenonlowmorningslikethis。Herwhitebathroom,almostaslargeashersleeping— room,sheregardedasarefuge。Whensheturnedthekeybehindher,sheleftcareandvexationontheothersideofthedoor。Neitherhermaidnorthemanagementnorherlettersnorheraccompanistcouldgetathernow。 Whenshepinnedherbraidsaboutherhead,droppedhernightgownandsteppedouttobeginherSwedishmove— ments,shewasanaturalcreatureagain,anditwassothatshelikedherselfbest。Sheslidintothetubwithanticipa— tionandsplashedandtumbledaboutagooddeal。What— everelseshehurried,sheneverhurriedherbath。Sheusedherbrushesandspongesandsoapsliketoys,fairlyplayinginthewater。Herownbodywasalwaysacheer— ingsighttoher。Whenshewascareworn,whenhermind feltoldandtired,thefreshnessofherphysicalself,herlong,firmlines,thesmoothnessofherskin,reassuredher。 Thismorning,becauseofawakenedmemories,shelookedatherselfmorecarefullythanusual,andwasnotdiscour— aged。Whileshewasinthetubshebegantowhistlesoftlythetenoraria,\"AH!FUYEZ,DOUCEIMAGE,\"somehowappropriatetothebath。Afteranoisymomentunderthecoldshower,shesteppedoutontherugflushedandglow— ing,threwherarmsaboveherhead,androseonhertoes,keepingtheelevationaslongasshecould。Whenshedroppedbackonherheelsandbegantorubherselfwiththetowels,shetookuptheariaagain,andfeltquiteinthehumorforseeingDr。Archie。Aftershehadreturnedtoherbed,themaidbroughtherlettersandthemorningpaperswithherbreakfast。 \"TelephoneMr。Landryandaskhimifhecancomeathalf—pastthree,Theresa,andorderteatobebroughtupatfive。\" WhenHowardArchiewasadmittedtoThea’sapart— mentthatafternoon,hewasshownintothemusic—roombackofthelittlereceptionroom。Theawassittinginadavenportbehindthepiano,talkingtoayoungmanwhomshelaterintroducedasherfriendMr。Landry。Assherose,andcametomeethim,Archiefeltadeeprelief,asuddenthankfulness。Shenolongerlookedclippedandplucked,ordazedandfleeing。 Dr。Archieneglectedtotakeaccountoftheyoungmantowhomhewaspresented。HekeptThea’shandsandheldherwherehemether,takinginthelight,livelysweepofherhair,hercleargreeneyesandherthroatthatcameupstronganddazzlinglywhitefromhergreenvelvetgown。 Thechinwasaslovelyasever,thecheeksassmooth。 Allthelinesoflastnighthaddisappeared。Onlyattheoutercornersofhereyes,betweentheeyeandthetemple,werethefaintestindicationsofafutureattack——mere kittenscratchesthatplayfullyhintedwhereonedaythecatwouldclawher。Hestudiedherwithoutanyembar— rassment。Lastnighteverythinghadbeenawkward;butnow,asheheldherhands,akindofharmonycamebetweenthem,areestablishmentofconfidence。 \"Afterall,Thea,——inspiteofall,Istillknowyou,\"hemurmured。 Shetookhisarmandledhimuptotheyoungmanwhowasstandingbesidethepiano。\"Mr。Landryknowsallaboutyou,Dr。Archie。Hehasknownaboutyouformanyyears。\"Whilethetwomenshookhandsshestoodbetweenthem,drawingthemtogetherbyherpresenceandherglances。\"WhenIfirstwenttoGermany,Landrywasstudyingthere。HeusedtobegoodenoughtoworkwithmewhenIcouldnotaffordtohaveanaccompanistformorethantwohoursaday。Wegotintothewayofwork— ingtogether。Heisasinger,too,andhashisowncareertolookafter,buthestillmanagestogivemesometime。I wantyoutobefriends。\"Shesmiledfromonetotheother。 Therooms,Archienoticed,fulloflastnight’sflowers,werefurnishedinlightcolors,thehotelbleaknessofthemalittlesoftenedbyamagnificentSteinwaypiano,whitebookshelvesfullofbooksandscores,somedrawingsofballetdancers,andtheverydeepsofabehindthepiano。 \"Ofcourse,\"Archieaskedapologetically,\"youhaveseenthepapers?\" \"Verycordial,aren’tthey?TheyevidentlydidnotexpectasmuchasIdid。ELSAisnotreallyinmyvoice。 Icansingthemusic,butIhavetogoafterit。\" \"Thatisexactly,\"thedoctorcameoutboldly,\"whatFredOttenburgsaidthismorning。\" Theyhadremainedstanding,thethreeofthem,bythepiano,wherethegrayafternoonlightwasstrongest。Theaturnedtothedoctorwithinterest。\"IsFredintown? Theywerefromhim,then——someflowersthatcamelast nightwithoutacard。\"Sheindicatedthewhitelilacsonthewindowsill。\"Yes,hewouldknow,certainly,\"shesaidthoughtfully。\"Whydon’twesitdown?Therewillbesometeaforyouinaminute,Landry。He’sverydepend— entuponit,\"disapprovinglytoArchie。\"Nowtellme,Doctor,didyoureallyhaveagoodtimelastnight,orwereyouuncomfortable?DidyoufeelasifIweretryingtoholdmyhatonbymyeyebrows?\" Hesmiled。\"Ihadallkindsofatime。ButIhadnofeel— ingofthatsort。Icouldn’tbequitesurethatitwasyouatall。ThatwaswhyIcameupherelastnight。IfeltasifI’dlostyou。\" Sheleanedtowardhimandbrushedhissleevereassur— ingly。\"ThenIdidn’tgiveyouanimpressionofpainfulstruggle?LandrywassingingatWeberandFields’lastnight。Hedidn’tgetinuntiltheperformancewashalfover。ButIseetheTRIBUNEmanfeltthatIwasworkingprettyhard。Didyouseethatnotice,Oliver?\" Dr。Archielookedcloselyatthered—headedyoungmanforthefirsttime,andmethislivelybrowneyes,fullofadroll,confidingsortofhumor。Mr。Landrywasnotpre— possessing。Hewasundersizedandclumsilymade,withared,shinyfaceandasharplittlenosethatlookedasifithadbeenwhittledoutofwoodandwasalwaysintheair,onthescentofsomething。Yetitwasthisqueerlittlebeak,withhiseyes,thatmadehiscountenanceanythingofafaceatall。Fromadistancehelookedlikethegrocery— man’sdeliveryboyinasmalltown。Hisdressseemedanacknowledgmentofhisgrotesqueness:ashortcoat,likealittleboys’roundabout,andavestfantasticallyspriggedanddotted,overalavendershirt。 Atthesoundofamuffledbuzz,Mr。Landrysprangup。 \"MayIanswerthetelephoneforyou?\"Hewenttothewriting—tableandtookupthereceiver。\"Mr。Ottenburgisdownstairs,\"hesaid,turningtoTheaandholdingthemouthpieceagainsthiscoat。 \"Tellhimtocomeup,\"sherepliedwithouthesitation。 \"Howlongareyougoingtobeintown,Dr。Archie?\" \"Oh,severalweeks,ifyou’llletmestay。Iwon’thangaroundandbeaburdentoyou,butIwanttotrytogeteducateduptoyou,thoughIexpectit’slatetobegin。\" Thearoseandtouchedhimlightlyontheshoulder。 \"Well,you’llneverbeanyyounger,willyou?\" \"I’mnotsosureaboutthat,\"thedoctorrepliedgal— lantly。 ThemaidappearedatthedoorandannouncedMr。Fred— erickOttenburg。Fredcamein,verymuchgotup,thedoctorreflected,ashewatchedhimbendingoverThea’shand。Hewasstillpaleandlookedsomewhatchastened,andthelockofhairthathungdownoverhisforeheadwasdistinctlymoist。Buthisblackafternooncoat,hisgraytieandgaiterswereofacorrectnessthatDr。Archiecouldneverattainforalltheeffortsofhisfaithfulslave,VanDeusen,theDenverhaberdasher。Tobeproperlyuptothosetricks,thedoctorsupposed,youhadtolearnthemyoung。IfheweretobuyasilkhatthatwasthetwinofOttenburg’s,itwouldbeshaggyinaweek,andhecouldnevercarryitasFredheldhis。 OttenburghadgreetedTheainGerman,andassherepliedinthesamelanguage,ArchiejoinedMr。Landryatthewindow。\"YouknowMr。Ottenburg,hetellsme?\" Mr。Landry’seyestwinkled。\"Yes,Iregularlyfollowhimabout,whenhe’sintown。Iwould,evenifhedidn’tsendmesuchwonderfulChristmaspresents:Russianvodkabythehalf—dozen!\" Theacalledtothem,\"Come,Mr。Ottenburgiscallingonallofus。Here’sthetea。\" Themaidopenedthedoorandtwowaitersfromdown— stairsappearedwithcoveredtrays。Thetea—tablewasintheparlor。TheadrewOttenburgwithherandwenttoinspectit。\"Where’stherum?Oh,yes,inthatthing! Everythingseemstobehere,butsendupsomecurrant preservesandcreamcheeseforMr。Ottenburg。Andinaboutfifteenminutes,bringsomefreshtoast。That’sall,thankyou。\" Forthenextfewminutestherewasaclatterofteacupsandresponsesaboutsugar。\"Landryalwaystakesrum。 I’mgladtherestofyoudon’t。I’msureit’sbad。\"Theapouredtheteastandingandgotthroughwithitasquicklyaspossible,asifitwerearefreshmentsnatchedbetweentrains。Thetea—tableandthelittleroominwhichitstoodseemedtobeoutofscalewithherlongstep,herlongreach,andtheenergyofhermovements。Dr。Archie,standingnearher,waspleasantlyawareoftheanimationofherfigure。Undertheclingingvelvet,herbodyseemedin— dependentandunsubdued。 Theydrifted,withtheirplatesandcups,backtothemusic—room。WhenTheafollowedthem,Ottenburgputdownhisteasuddenly。\"Aren’tyoutakinganything? Pleaseletme。\"Hestartedbacktothetable。 \"No,thankyou,nothing。I’mgoingtorunoverthatariaforyoupresently,toconvinceyouthatIcandoit。 Howdidtheduetgo,withSchlag?\" ShewasstandinginthedoorwayandFredcameuptoher:\"Thatyou’llneverdoanybetter。You’veworkedyourvoiceintoitperfectly。EveryNUANCE——wonder— ful!\" \"Thinkso?\"Shegavehimasidelongglanceandspokewithacertaingruffshynesswhichdidnotdeceiveanybody,andwasnotmeanttodeceive。Thetonewasequivalentto\"Keepitup。Ilikeit,butI’mawkwardwithit。\" Fredheldherbythedooranddidkeepitup,furiously,forfullfiveminutes。Shetookitwithsomeconfusion,seem— ingallthewhiletobehesitating,tobearrestedinhercourseandtryingtopasshim。Butshedidnotreallytrytopass,andhercolordeepened。FredspokeinGerman,andArchiecaughtfromheranoccasionalJA?SO?mut— teredratherthanspoken。 WhentheyrejoinedLandryandDr。Archie,Fredtookuphisteaagain。\"Iseeyou’resingingVENUSSaturdaynight。WilltheyneverletyouhaveachanceatELIZABETH?\" Sheshruggedhershoulders。\"Nothere。Therearesomanysingershere,andtheytryusoutinsuchastingyway。 Thinkofit,lastyearIcameoverinOctober,anditwasthefirstofDecemberbeforeIwentonatall!I’moftensorryIleftDresden。\" \"Still,\"Fredargued,\"Dresdenislimited。\" \"Justso,andI’vebeguntosighforthoseverylimita— tions。InNewYorkeverythingisimpersonal。Youraudi— enceneverknowsitsownmind,anditsmindisnevertwicethesame。I’drathersingwherethepeoplearepig—headedandthrowcarrotsatyouifyoudon’tdoitthewaytheylikeit。Thehousehereissplendid,andthenightaudi— encesareexciting。Ihatethematinees;likesingingataKAFFEKLATSCH。\"Sheroseandturnedonthelights。 \"Ah!\"Fredexclaimed,\"whydoyoudothat?Thatisasignalthatteaisover。\"Hegotupanddrewouthisgloves。 \"Notatall。ShallyoubehereSaturdaynight?\"Shesatdownonthepianobenchandleanedherelbowbackonthekeyboard。\"NeckersingsELIZABETH。MakeDr。Archiego。Everythingshesingsisworthhearing。\" \"Butshe’sfailingso。ThelasttimeIheardhershehadnovoiceatall。SheISapoorvocalist!\" Theacuthimoff。\"She’sagreatartist,whethershe’sinvoiceornot,andshe’stheonlyonehere。Ifyouwantabigvoice,youcantakemyORTRUDEoflastnight;that’sbigenough,andvulgarenough。\" Fredlaughedandturnedaway,thistimewithdecision。 \"Idon’twanther!\"heprotestedenergetically。\"Ionlywantedtogetariseoutofyou。IlikeNecker’sELIZABETH wellenough。IlikeyourVENUSwellenough,too。\" \"It’sabeautifulpart,andit’softendreadfullysung。 It’sveryhardtosing,ofcourse。\" Ottenburgbentoverthehandsheheldouttohim。\"Foranuninvitedguest,I’vefaredverywell。Youwerenicetoletmecomeup。I’dhavebeenterriblycutupifyou’dsentmeaway。MayI?\"Hekissedherhandlightlyandbackedtowardthedoor,stillsmiling,andpromisingtokeepaneyeonArchie。\"Hecan’tbetrustedatall,Thea。 OneofthewaitersatMartin’sworkedaTourainianhareoffonhimatluncheonyesterday,forseventwenty—five。\" Theabrokeintoalaugh,thedeeponeherecognized。 \"Didhehavearibbonon,thishare?Didtheybringhiminagiltcage?\" \"No,\"——Archiespokeupforhimself,——\"theybroughthiminabrownsauce,whichwasverygood。Hedidn’ttasteverydifferentfromanyrabbit。\" \"Probablycamefromapush—cartontheEastSide。\" Thealookedatheroldfriendcommiseratingly。\"Yes,DO keepaneyeonhim,Fred。Ihadnoidea,\"shakingherhead。\"Yes,I’llbeobligedtoyou。\" \"Countonme!\"Theireyesmetinagaysmile,andFredbowedhimselfout。 VII ONSaturdaynightDr。ArchiewentwithFredOtten— burgtohear\"Tannhauser。\"TheahadarehearsalonSundayafternoon,butasshewasnotonthebillagainuntilWednesday,shepromisedtodinewithArchieandOttenburgonMonday,iftheycouldmakethedinnerearly。 AtalittleaftereightonMondayevening,thethreefriendsreturnedtoThea’sapartmentandseatedthem— selvesforanhourofquiettalk。 \"I’msorrywecouldn’thavehadLandrywithusto— night,\"Theasaid,\"buthe’sonatWeberandFields’everynightnow。Yououghttohearhim,Dr。Archie。HeoftensingstheoldScotchairsyouusedtolove。\" \"Whynotgodownthisevening?\"Fredsuggestedhope— fully,glancingathiswatch。\"Thatis,ifyou’dliketogo。 Icantelephoneandfindwhattimehecomeson。\" Theahesitated。\"No,Ithinknot。ItookalongwalkthisafternoonandI’mrathertired。IthinkIcangettosleepearlyandbesomuchahead。Idon’tmeanatonce,however,\"seeingDr。Archie’sdisappointedlook。\"Ial— waysliketohearLandry,\"sheadded。\"Heneverhadmuchvoice,andit’sworn,butthere’sasweetnessaboutit,andhesingswithsuchtaste。\" \"Yes,doesn’the?MayI?\"Fredtookouthiscigarettecase。\"Itreallydoesn’tbotheryourthroat?\" \"Alittledoesn’t。Butcigarsmokedoes。PoorDr。 Archie!Canyoudowithoneofthose?\" \"I’mlearningtolikethem,\"thedoctordeclared,takingonefromthecaseFredprofferedhim。 \"Landry’stheonlyfellowIknowinthiscountrywhocandothatsortofthing,\"Fredwenton。\"Likethebest Englishballadsingers。Hecansingevenpopularstuffbyhigherlights,asitwere。\"