part 2-第1部分

快捷操作: 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! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！







　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　PART　II



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　THE　SONG　OF　THE　LARK







　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　I





　　　　　THEA　and　Dr。　Archie　had　been　gone　from　Moonstone



four　days。　　On　the　afternoon　of　the　nineteenth　of　Octo…



ber　they　were　in　a　street…car；　riding　through　the　depressing；



unkept　wastes　of　North　Chicago；　on　their　way　to　call　upon



the　Reverend　Lars　Larsen；　a　friend　to　whom　Mr。　Kron…



borg　had　written。　　Thea　was　still　staying　at　the　rooms　of



the　Young　Women's　Christian　Association；　and　was　miser…



able　and　homesick　there。　　The　housekeeper　watched　her　in



a　way　that　made　her　uncomfortable。　　Things　had　not　gone



very　well；　so　far。　　The　noise　and　confusion　of　a　big　city



tired　and　disheartened　her。　　She　had　not　had　her　trunk　sent



to　the　Christian　Association　rooms　because　she　did　not



want　to　double　cartage　charges；　and　now　she　was　running



up　a　bill　for　storage　on　it。　　The　contents　of　her　gray　tele…



scope　were　becoming　untidy；　and　it　seemed　impossible　to



keep　one's　face　and　hands　clean　in　Chicago。　　She　felt　as　if



she　were　still　on　the　train；　traveling　without　enough



clothes　to　keep　clean。　　She　wanted　another　nightgown；



and　it　did　not　occur　to　her　that　she　could　buy　one。　　There



were　other　clothes　in　her　trunk　that　she　needed　very　much；



and　she　seemed　no　nearer　a　place　to　stay　than　when



she　arrived　in　the　rain；　on　that　first　disillusioning　morning。







　　　　　Dr。　Archie　had　gone　at　once　to　his　friend　Hartley　Evans；



the　throat　specialist；　and　had　asked　him　to　tell　him　of　a　good



piano　teacher　and　direct　him　to　a　good　boarding…house。



Dr。　Evans　said　he　could　easily　tell　him　who　was　the　best



piano　teacher　in　Chicago；　but　that　most　students'　board…















ing…houses　were　〃abominable　places；　where　girls　got　poor



food　for　body　and　mind。〃　　He　gave　Dr。　Archie　several　ad…



dresses；　however；　and　the　doctor　went　to　look　the　places



over。　　He　left　Thea　in　her　room；　for　she　seemed　tired　and



was　not　at　all　like　herself。　　His　inspection　of　boarding…



houses　was　not　encouraging。　　The　only　place　that　seemed



to　him　at　all　desirable　was　full；　and　the　mistress　of　the



house　could　not　give　Thea　a　room　in　which　she　could　have



a　piano。　　She　said　Thea　might　use　the　piano　in　her　parlor；



but　when　Dr。　Archie　went　to　look　at　the　parlor　he　found



a　girl　talking　to　a　young　man　on　one　of　the　corner　sofas。



Learning　that　the　boarders　received　all　their　callers　there；



he　gave　up　that　house；　too；　as　hopeless。







　　　　　So　when　they　set　out　to　make　the　acquaintance　of　Mr。



Larsen　on　the　afternoon　he　had　appointed；　the　question



of　a　lodging　was　still　undecided。　　The　Swedish　Reform



Church　was　in　a　sloughy；　weedy　district；　near　a　group　of



factories。　　The　church　itself　was　a　very　neat　little　building。



The　parsonage；　next　door；　looked　clean　and　comfortable；



and　there　was　a　well…kept　yard　about　it；　with　a　picket



fence。　　Thea　saw　several　little　children　playing　under　a



swing；　and　wondered　why　ministers　always　had　so　many。



When　they　rang　at　the　parsonage　door；　a　capable…looking



Swedish　servant　girl　answered　the　bell　and　told　them　that



Mr。　Larsen's　study　was　in　the　church；　and　that　he　was



waiting　for　them　there。







　　　　　Mr。　Larsen　received　them　very　cordially。　　The　furniture



in　his　study　was　so　new　and　the　pictures　were　so　heavily



framed；　that　Thea　thought　it　looked　more　like　the　wait…



ing…room　of　the　fashionable　Denver　dentist　to　whom　Dr。



Archie　had　taken　her　that　summer；　than　like　a　preacher's



study。　　There　were　even　flowers　in　a　glass　vase　on　the



desk。　　Mr。　Larsen　was　a　small；　plump　man；　with　a　short；



yellow　beard；　very　white　teeth；　and　a　little　turned…up　nose



on　which　he　wore　gold…rimmed　eye…glasses。　　He　looked



about　thirty…five；　but　he　was　growing　bald；　and　his　thin；















hair　was　parted　above　his　left　ear　and　brought　up　over



the　bare　spot　on　the　top　of　his　head。　　He　looked　cheerful



and　agreeable。　　He　wore　a　blue　coat　and　no　cuffs。







　　　　　After　Dr。　Archie　and　Thea　sat　down　on　a　slippery　leather



couch；　the　minister　asked　for　an　outline　of　Thea's　plans。



Dr。　Archie　explained　that　she　meant　to　study　piano　with



Andor　Harsanyi；　that　they　had　already　seen　him；　that



Thea　had　played　for　him　and　he　said　he　would　be　glad　to



teach　her。







　　　　　Mr。　Larsen　lifted　his　pale　eyebrows　and　rubbed　his



plump　white　hands　together。　　〃But　he　is　a　concert　pianist



already。　　He　will　be　very　expensive。〃







　　　　　〃That's　why　Miss　Kronborg　wants　to　get　a　church　posi…



tion　if　possible。　　She　has　not　money　enough　to　see　her



through　the　winter。　　There's　no　use　her　coming　all　the　way



from　Colorado　and　studying　with　a　second…rate　teacher。



My　friends　here　tell　me　Harsanyi　is　the　best。〃







　　　　　〃Oh；　very　likely！　　I　have　heard　him　play　with　Thomas。



You　Western　people　do　things　on　a　big　scale。　　There　are



half　a　dozen　teachers　that　I　should　think　　However；　you



know　what　you　want。〃　　Mr。　Larsen　showed　his　contempt



for　such　extravagant　standards　by　a　shrug。　　He　felt　that



Dr。　Archie　was　trying　to　impress　him。　　He　had　succeeded；



indeed；　in　bringing　out　the　doctor's　stiffest　manner。　　Mr。



Larsen　went　on　to　explain　that　he　managed　the　music　in



his　church　himself；　and　drilled　his　choir；　though　the　tenor



was　the　official　choirmaster。　　Unfortunately　there　were　no



vacancies　in　his　choir　just　now。　　He　had　his　four　voices；



very　good　ones。　　He　looked　away　from　Dr。　Archie　and



glanced　at　Thea。　　She　looked　troubled；　even　a　little　fright…



ened　when　he　said　this；　and　drew　in　her　lower　lip。　　She；　cer…



tainly；　was　not　pretentious；　if　her　protector　was。　　He　con…



tinued　to　study　her。　　She　was　sitting　on　the　lounge；　her



knees　far　apart；　her　gloved　hands　lying　stiffly　in　her　lap；



like　a　country　girl。　　Her　turban；　which　seemed　a　little　too　big



for　her；　had　got　tilted　in　the　wind；it　was　always　windy















in　that　part　of　Chicago；and　she　looked　tired。　　She　wore



no　veil；　and　her　hair；　too；　was　the　worse　for　the　wind　and



dust。　　When　he　said　he　had　all　the　voices　he　required；　he



noticed　that　her　gloved　hands　shut　tightly。　　Mr。　Larsen



reflected　that　she　was　not；　after　all；　responsible　for　the　lofty



manner　of　her　father's　physician；　that　she　was　not　even



responsible　for　her　father；　whom　he　remembered　as　a　tire…



some　fellow。　　As　he　watched　her　tired；　worried　face；　he　felt



sorry　for　her。







　　　　　〃All　the　same；　I　would　like　to　try　your　voice；〃　he　said；



turning　pointedly　away　from　her　companion。　　〃I　am　inter…



ested　in　voices。　　Can　you　sing　to　the　violin？〃







　　　　　〃I　guess　so；〃　Thea　replied　dully。　　〃I　don't　know。　　I



never　tried。〃







　　　　　Mr。　Larsen　took　his　violin　out　of　the　case　and　began　to



tighten　the　keys。　　〃We　might　go　into　the　lecture…room　and



see　how　it　goes。　　I　can't　tell　much　about　a　voice　by　the



organ。　　The　violin　is　really　the　proper　instrument　to　try



a　voice。〃　　He　opened　a　door　at　the　back　of　his　study；　pushed



Thea　gently　through　it；　and　looking　over　his　shoulder　to



Dr。　Archie　said；　〃Excuse　us；　sir。　　We　will　be　back　soon。〃







　　　　　Dr。　Archie　chuckled。　　All　preachers　were　alike；　officious



and　on　their　dignity；　liked　to　deal　with　women　and　girls；



but　not　with　men。　　He　took　up　a　thin　volume　from　the



minister's　desk。　　To　his　amusement　it　proved　to　be　a　book



of　〃Devotional　and　Kindred　Poems；　by　Mrs。　Aurelia　S。



Larsen。〃　　He　looked　them　over；　thinking　that　the　world



changed　very　little。　　He　could　remember　when　the　wife　of



his　father's　minister　had　published　a　volume　of　verses；



which　all　the　church　members　had　to　buy　and　all　the　chil…



dren　were　encouraged　to　read。　　His　grandfather　had　made



a　face　at　the　book　and　said；　〃Puir　body！〃　　Both　ladies



seemed　to　have　chosen　the　same　subjects；　too：　Jephthah's



Daughter；　Rizpah；　David's　Lament　for　Absalom；　etc。　　The



doctor　found　the　book　very　amusing。







　　　　　The　Reverend　Lars　Larsen　was　a　reactionary　Swede。















His　father　came　to　Iowa　in　the　sixties；　married　a　Swedish



girl　who　was　ambitious；　like　himself；　and　they　moved　to



Kansas　and　took　up　land　under　the　Homestead　Act。　　After



that；　they　bought　land　and　leased　it　from　the　Government；



acquired　land　in　every　possible　way。　　They　worked　like



horses；　both　of　them；　indeed；　they　would　never　have　used



any　horse…flesh　they　owned　as　they　used　themselves。　　They



reared　a　large　family　and　worked　their　sons　and　daughters



as　mercilessly　as　they　worked　themselves；　all　of　them　but



Lars。　　Lars　was　the　fourth　son；　and　he　was　born　lazy。　　He



seemed　to　bear　the　mark　of　overstrain　on　the　part　of　his



parents。　　Even　in　his　cradle　he　was　an　example　of　physical



inertia；　anything　to　lie　still。　　When　he　was　a　growing　boy



his　mother　had　to　drag　him　out　of　bed　every　morning；



and　he　had　to　be　driven　to　his　chores。　　At　school　he　had　a



model　〃attendance　record；〃　because　he　found　getting　his



lessons　easier　than　farm　work。　　He　was　the　only　one　of　the



family　who　went　through　the　high　school；　and　by　the　time



he　graduated　he　had　already　made　up　his　mind　to　study



for　the　ministry；　because　it　seemed　to　him　the　least　labori…



ous　of　all　callings。　　In　so　far　as　he　could　see；　it　was　the　only



business　in　which　there　was　practically　no　competition；　in



which　a　man　was　not　all　the　time　pitted　against　other　men



who　were　willing　to　work　them