CHAPTERI。
HANDICAPPED
OnemayusetheOldManoftheSea,Forapartnerorpatron,ButhelplessandhaplessisheWhoisridden,inextricably,Byafondoldmer—matron。
TheWardenhousewasmoreimpressiveinappearancethanitsneighbors。
Ithad\"grounds,\"insteadofayardorgarden;ithadwidepillaredporchesand\"galleries,\"showingsouthernantecedents;moreover,ithadacupola,givingdatetothebuilding,andproofofthecontinuingambitionsofthebuilders。
Thestatelymansionwascoveredwithheavyfloweringvines,alsowithheavymortgages。Mrs。RoscoeWardenandherfourdaughtersreposedpeacefullyunderthevines,whileRoscoeWarden,Jr。,struggleddesperatelyunderthemortgages。
Aslender,languidladywasMrs。Warden,wearingherthinbutstillbrownhairin\"water—waves\"overapalehighforehead。Shewassittingonacouchonthebroad,rose—shadedporch,surroundedbybillowingmassesofvari—coloredworsted。Itwasherdelighttopurchaseskeinonskeinofsoft,bright—huedwool,cutitallupintoshortlengths,tiethemtogetheragainincontrastingcolors,andthencrochetthishashedrainbowintoafghansofstartlingaspect。Californiadoesnotcallforafghanstoanygreatextent,but\"theymakesuchacceptablepresents,\"
Mrs。Wardendeclared,tothosewhoquestionedthepurposeofherwork;
andshecontinuedtosendthemoff,onChristmases,birthdays,andminorweddings,inastreamofpillowybundles。Astheywereaccepted,theymusthavebeenacceptable,andthestreamflowedon。
Aroundher,amongthegayblossomsandgayerwools,satherfourdaughters,variouslyintent。Themother,apoeticsoul,hadnamedthemmusicallyandwithdulcetrhymes:MadelineandAdelinewerethetwoeldest,CoralineandDoralinethetwoyoungest。Ithadnotoccurredtoheruntiltoolatethatthosemelodiousterminationsmadeitimpossibletocallonedaughterwithoutcallingtwo,andthat\"Lina\"calledthemall。
\"Mis’Immerjin,\"saidasoftvoiceinthedoorway,\"derepos’tivelyain’tnobutterindehousefersupper。\"
\"Nobutter?\"saidMrs。Warden,incredulously。\"Why,Sukey,I’msurewehadatubsentuplast——lastTuesday!\"
\"AweekagoTuesday,morelikely,mother,\"suggestedDora。
\"Nonsense,Dora!Itwasthisweek,wasn’tit,girls?\"Themotherappealedtothemquiteearnestly,asifthedateofthattub’sdeliverywouldfurnishforththesupper—table;butnoneoftheyoungladiessaveDorahadevenacontradictiontooffer。
\"YouknowInevernoticethings,\"saidtheartisticCora;and\"thede—lines,\"astheiryoungersisterscalledthem,saidnothing。
\"Imightborrowsomeo’Mis’Bell?\"suggestedSukey;\"dat’snearer’n’
desto’。\"
\"Yes,do,Sukey,\"hermistressagreed。\"Itissohot。Butwhathaveyoudonewiththattubful?\"
\"Why,someItukbacktoMis’BellforwhatIborreredbefo’——I’malwaysmostcarefultomakereturnforwhatIborrers——andyo’know,Mis’
Warden,datwafflesandsweetpotatersandcohnbreaddeydotakebutter;tosaynothin’o’themlittlecakesyoualllikessowell——_an’_
defriedchicken,_an’_——\"
\"Nevermind,Sukey;yougoandpresentmycomplimentstoMrs。Bell,andaskherforsome;andbesureyoureturnitpromptly。Now,girls,don’tletmeforgettotellRosstosendupanothertub。\"
\"Wecan’tseemtorememberanybetterthanyoucan,mother,\"saidAdeline,dreamily。\"Thosedetailsaresoutterlyuninteresting。\"
\"IshouldthinkitwasSukey’sbusinesstotellhim,\"saidMadelinewithdecision;whilethe\"a—lines\"keptsilencethistime。
\"There!Sukey’sgone!\"Mrs。Wardensuddenlyremarked,watchingthestoutfiguremovingheavilyawayunderthepeppertrees。\"AndImeanttohaveaskedhertomakemeaglassofshrub!Dora,dear,yourunandgetitformother。\"
Doralaiddownherwork,nottooregretfully,andstartedoff。
\"Thatchildisthemostpracticalofanyofyou,\"saidhermother;whichstatementwastacitlyaccepted。Itwasnotextravagantpraise。
Dorapokedaboutintherefrigeratorforabitofice。Shehonoideaofthehighcostoficeinthatregion——itcamefrom\"thestore,\"likealltheirprovisions。Itdidnotoccurtoherthatfishandmilkandmelonsmadeapoorcombinationinflavor;orthattheclammy,sub—offensivesmellwasnotthenaturalandnecessaryodorofrefrigerators。Neitherdidshethinkthatasunnycornerofthebackporchnearthechimney,thoughconvenient,wasanill—selectedspotforarefrigerator。Shecouldn’tfindtheice—pick,soputabigpieceoficeinatowelandbrokeitontheedgeofthesink;replacedthelargestfragment,usedwhatshewanted,andlefttheresttofilterslowlydownthroughamassofgreaseandtea—leaves;foundtheraspberryvinegar,andmadeaverysatisfactorybeveragewhichhermotherreceivedwithgratefulaffection。
\"Thankyou,mydarling,\"shesaid。\"Iwishyou’dmadeapitcherful。\"
\"Whydidn’tyou,Do?\"hersistersdemanded。
\"You’retoolate,\"saidDora,huntingforherneedleandthenforherthimble,andthenforhertwist;\"butthere’smoreinthekitchen。\"
\"I’drathergowithoutthangointothekitchen,\"saidAdeline;\"Idodespiseakitchen。\"Andthisseemedtobethegeneralsentiment;fornoonemoved。
\"Mymotheralwayslikedraspberryshrub,\"saidMrs。Warden;\"andyourAuntLeicester,andyourRaymondcousins。\"
Mrs。Wardenhadawidefamilycircle,manybelovedrelatives,\"connections\"ofwhomshewasdulyproudand\"kin\"insuchwideningramificationsthatevenhercarefullyreareddaughterslosttrackofthem。
\"Youyoungpeopledon’tseemtocareaboutyourcousinsatall!\"pursuedtheirmother,somewhatseverely,settingherglassontherailing,fromwhenceitwaspresentlyknockedoffandbroken。
\"That’sthefifth!\"remarkedDora,underbreath。
\"Whyshouldwe,Ma?\"inquiredCora。\"We’veneverseenoneofthem——exceptMadamWeatherstone!\"
\"We’llneverforget_her!\"_saidMadeline,withdelicatedecision,layingdownthesilknecktieshewasknittingforRoscoe。\"What_beautiful_mannersshehad!\"
\"Howrichisshe,mother?Doyouknow?\"askedDora。
\"RichenoughtodosomethingforRoscoe,I’msure,ifshehadaproperfamilyspirit,\"repliedMrs。Warden。\"Hermotherwasowncousintomygrandmother——oneoftheVirginiaPaddingtons。Orshemightdosomethingforyougirls。\"
\"Iwishshewould!\"Adelinemurmured,softly,herlargeeyesturnedtothehorizon,herhandsinherlapoverthehandkerchiefshewasmarkingforRoscoe。
\"Don’tbeungrateful,Adeline,\"saidhermother,firmly。\"Youhaveagoodhomeandagoodbrother;nogirleverhadabetter。\"
\"Butthereisneveranythinggoingon,\"brokeinCoraline,inatoneofcomplaint;\"noparties,nogoingawayforvacations,noanything。\"
\"Now,Cora,don’tbediscontented!YoumustnotaddastrawtodearRoscoe’sburdens,\"saidhermother。
\"Ofcoursenot,mother;Iwouldn’tfortheworld。Ineversawherbutthatonce;andshewasn’tverycordial。But,asyousay,shemightdo_something。_Shemightinviteustovisither。\"
\"Ifsheevercomesbackagain,I’mgoingtoreciteforher,\"said,Dora,firmly。
Hermothergazedfondlyonheryoungest。\"Iwishyoucould,dear,\"sheagreed。\"I’msureyouhavetalent;andMadamWeatherstonewouldrecognizeit。AndAdeline’smusictoo。AndCora’sart。Iamveryproudofmygirls。\"
Corasatwherethelightfellwelluponherwork。Shewasilluminatingavolumeofpoems,paintingflowersonthemargins,inappropriateplaces——forRoscoe。
\"Iwonderifhe’llcareforit?\"shesaid,layingdownherbrushandholdingthebookatarm’slengthtogettheeffect。
\"Ofcoursehewill!\"answeredhermother,warmly。\"Itisnotonlythebeautyofit,buttheaffection!Howareyougettingon,Dora?\"
Dorawaslaboringatataskalmostbeyondherfourteenyears,consistingofanegligeeshirtofoutingflannel,uponthebreastofwhichshewasembroideringalarge,intricatedesign——forRoscoe。Shewasanambitiouschild,butapttotireintheexecutionofherlargeprojects。
\"Iguessit’llbedone,\"shesaid,alittlewearily。\"Whatareyougoingtogivehim,mother?\"
\"Anotherbath—robe;hisoldoneissoworn。Andnothingistoogoodformyboy。\"
\"He’scoming,\"saidAdeline,whowasstilllookingdowntheroad;andtheyallconcealedtheirbirthdayworkinhaste。
Atall,straightyoungfellow,withanairofsuddenly—facedmaturityuponhim,openedthegateunderthepeppertreesandcametowardthem。
Hehadthefinelymoldedfeaturesweseeinportraitsofhandsomeancestors,seemingtocallforcurlinghairalittlelongish,andarichprofusionofruffledshirt。Buthishairwassternlyshort,hisshirtseverelyplain,hisproudlycarriedheadspokeofeffortratherthanofeaseinitsattitude。
Doraskippedtomeethim,Coradescendedadecoroussteportwo。
MadelineandAdeline,arminarm,methimatthepiazzaedge,hismotherliftedherface。
\"Well,mother,dear!\"Affectionatelyhestoopedandkissedher,andsheheldhishandandstrokeditlovingly。Thesistersgatheredaboutwithteasingaffection,Dorapokinginhiscoat—pocketforthestickcandyherfatheralwaysusedtobringher,andherbrotherstillremembered。
\"Aren’tyouhomeearly,dear?\"askedMrs。Warden。
\"Yes;Ihadalittleheadache\"——hepassedhishandoverhisforehead——\"andJoecanrunthestoretillaftersupper,anyhow。\"Theyflewtogethimcamphor,cologne,amenthol—pencil。Doradraggedforththewickerlounge。Hewaslaidoutcarefullyandfannedandfussedovertillhismotherdrovethemallaway。
\"Now,justrest,\"shesaid。\"It’sanhourtosuppertimeyet!\"Andshecoveredhimwithherlatestcompletedafghan,gatheringupandcarryingawaytheincompleteoneanditstumultuousconstituents。
Hewasgladofthequiet,thefresh,sweetair,thesmellofflowersinsteadofthesmellofmolassesandcheese,soapandsulphurmatches。
Buttheheadachedidnotstop,northeworrythatcausedit。Helovedhismother,helovedhissisters,helovedtheirhome,buthedidnotlovethegrocerybusinesswhichhadfallensounexpectedlyuponhimathisfather’sdeath,northeloadofdebtwhichfellwithit。
Thattheyneedneverhavehadsolargea\"place\"to\"keepup\"didnotoccurtohim。Hehadlivedtheremostofhislife,anditwashome。
Thattheexpensesofrunningthehouseholdwerethreetimeswhattheyneededtobe,hedidnotknow。Hisfatherhadnotquestionedtheirstyleofliving,nordidhe。Thatafamilyoffivewomenmight,betweenthem,dotheworkofthehouse,hedidnotevenconsider。
Mrs。Warden’shealthwasnevergood,andsinceherhusband’sdeathshehadmadedailyuseofmanyafghansonthemanyloungesofthehouse。
Madelinewas\"delicate,\"andAdelinewas\"frail\";Corawas\"nervous,\"
Dorawas\"onlyachild。\"SoblackSukeyandherhusbandJonahdidtheworkoftheplace,sofarasitwasdone;andMrs。Wardenhelditamiracleofmanagementthatshecould\"dowithoneservant,\"andtheheightofwomanlydevotiononherdaughters’partthattheydustedtheparlorandarrangedtheflowers。
Roscoeshuthiseyesandtriedtorest,buthisproblembesethimruthlessly。Therewasthestore——theironeandonlysourceofincome。
Therewasthehouse,asteady,largeexpense。Therewerefivewomentoclotheandkeepcontented,besidehimself。Therewastheunappeasabledemandofthemortgage——andtherewasDiantha。
WhenMr。Wardendied,somefouryearspreviously,Roscoewasaladofabouttwenty,justhomefromcollege,fullofdreamsofgreatservicetotheworldinscience,expectingtogobackforhisdoctor’sdegreenextyear。Insteadofwhichtheoldermanhadsuddenlydroppedbeneaththeburdenhehadcarriedwithsuchvisiblehappinessandpride,suchunknownanxietyandstrainingeffort;andtheyoungeronehadtostepintotheharnessonthespot。
Hewasbrave,capable,whollyloyaltohismotherandsisters,rearedinthetraditionsofolderdaysastoaman’sdutytowardwomen。Inhisfirstgriefforhisfather,andthereadypridewithwhichheundertooktofillhisplace,hehadnotintheleastestimatedtheweightofcarehewastocarry,northetimethathemustcarryit。Ayear,ayearortwo,afewyears,hetoldhimself,astheypassed,andhewouldmakemoremoney;thegirls,ofcourse,wouldmarry;hecould\"retire\"intimeandtakeuphisscientificworkagain。Then——therewasDiantha。
Whenhefoundhelovedthisyoungneighboroftheirs,andthatshelovedhim,thefirstflushofhappinessmadealllifelookeasier。Theyhadbeenengagedsixmonths——anditwasbeginningtodawnupontheyoungmanthatitmightbesixyears——orsixteenyears——beforehecouldmarry。
Hecouldnotsellthebusiness——andifhecould,heknewofnobetterwaytotakecareofhisfamily。Thegirlsdidnotmarry,andevenwhentheydid,hehadfiguredthisouttoadrearycertainty,hewouldstillnotbefree。Topaythemortgagesoff,andkeepupthehouse,evenwithouthissisters,wouldrequireallthemoneythestorewouldbringinforsomesixyearsahead。Theyoungmansethisteethhardandturnedhisheadsharplytowardtheroad。
AndtherewasDiantha。
Shestoodatthegateandsmiledathim。Hesprangtohisfeet,headachelessforthemoment,andjoinedher。Mrs。Warden,fromtheloungebyherbedroomwindow,sawthemmoveofftogether,andsighed。
\"PoorRoscoe!\"shesaidtoherself。\"Itisveryhardforhim。Buthecarrieshisdifficultiesnobly。Heisasontobeproudof。\"Andsheweptalittle。
Dianthaslippedherhandinhisofferedarm——heclaspeditwarmlywithhis,andtheywalkedalongtogether。
\"Youwon’tcomeinandseemotherandthegirls?\"
\"No,thankyou;notthistime。Imustgethomeandgetsupper。
Besides,I’dratherseejustyou。\"
Hefeltitapitythatthereweresomanyhousesalongtheroadhere,butsqueezedherhand,anyhow。
Shelookedathimkeenly。\"Headache?\"sheasked。
\"Yes;it’snothing;it’sgonealready。\"
\"Worry?\"sheasked。
\"Yes,Isupposeitis,\"heanswered。\"ButIoughtnottoworry。I’vegotagoodhome,agoodmother,goodsisters,and——you!\"Andhetookadvantageofahighhedgeandanemptylotoneithersideofthem。
Dianthareturnedhiskissaffectionatelyenough,butseemedpreoccupied,andwalkedinsilencetillheaskedherwhatshewasthinkingabout。
\"Aboutyou,ofcourse,\"sheanswered,brightly。\"TherearethingsIwanttosay;andyet——Ioughtnotto。\"
\"Youcansayanythingonearthtome,\"heanswered。
\"Youaretwenty—four,\"shebegan,musingly。
\"Admittedatonce。\"
\"AndI’mtwenty—oneandahalf。\"
\"That’snosuchawfulrevelation,surely!\"
\"Andwe’vebeenengagedeversincemybirthday,\"thegirlpursued。
\"Allthesearefacts,dearest。\"
\"Now,Ross,willyoubeperfectlyfrankwithme?MayIaskyouan——animpertinentquestion?\"
\"Youmayaskmeanyquestionyoulike;itcouldn’tbeimpertinent。\"
\"You’llbescandalised,Iknow——but——well,heregoes。WhatwouldyouthinkifMadeline——oranyofthegirls——shouldgoawaytowork?\"
Helookedatherlovingly,butwithalittlesmileonhisfirmmouth。
\"Ishouldn’tallowit,\"hesaid。
\"O——allowit?Iaskedyouwhatyou’dthink。\"
\"Ishouldthinkitwasadisgracetothefamily,andadirectreproachtome,\"beanswered。\"Butit’snousetalkingaboutthat。Noneofthegirlshaveanysuchfoolishnotion。AndIwouldn’tpermititiftheyhad。\"
Dianthasmiled。\"Isupposeyouneverwouldpermityourwifetowork?\"
\"Mywidowmighthaveto——notmywife。\"Heheldhisfineheadatriflehigher,andherhandachedforamoment。
\"Wouldn’tyouletmework——tohelpyou,Ross?\"
\"Mydearestgirl,you’vegotsomethingfarharderthanthattodoforme,andthat’swait。\"
Hisfacedarkenedagain,andhepassedhishandoverhisforehead。
\"SometimesIfeelasifIoughtnottoholdyouatall!\"heburstout,bitterly。\"Yououghttobefreetomarryabetterman。\"
\"Therearen’tany!\"saidDiantha,shakingherheadslowlyfromsidetoside。\"Andiftherewere——millions——Iwouldn’tmarryanyof’em。I
love_you,\"_shefirmlyconcluded。
\"Thenwe’lljust_wait,\"_saidhe,settinghisteethontheword,asifhewouldcrushit。\"Itwon’tbehardwithyoutohelp。You’rebetterworthitthanRachaelandLeahtogether。\"Theywalkedafewstepssilently。
\"Buthowaboutscience?\"sheaskedhim。
\"Idon’tletmyselfthinkofit。I’lltakethatuplater。We’reyoungenough,bothofus,towaitforourhappiness。\"
\"Andhaveyouanyidea——wemightaswellfacetheworst——howmanyyearsdoyouthinkthatwillbe,dearest?\"
Hewasalittleannoyedatherpersistence。Also,thoughhewouldnotadmitthethought,itdidnotseemquitethethingforhertoask。A
womanshouldnotseektoodefiniteaperiodofwaiting。Sheoughttotrust——tojustwaitongeneralprinciples。
\"IcanfaceathingbetterifIknowjustwhatI’mfacing,\"saidthegirl,quietly,\"andI’dwaitforyou,ifIhadto,allmylife。Willitbetwentyyears,doyouthink?\"
Helookedrelieved。\"Why,no,indeed,darling。Itoughtn’ttobeattheoutsidemorethanfive。Orsix,\"headded,honestthoughreluctant。
\"Yousee,fatherhadnotimetosettleanything;therewereoutstandingaccounts,andthefuneralexpenses,andthemortgages。Butthebusinessisgood;andIcancarryit;Icanbuilditup。\"Heshookhisbroadshouldersdeterminedly。\"Ishouldthinkitmightbewithinfive,perhapsevenless。Goodthingshappensometimes——suchasyou,myheart’sdelight。\"
Theywereathergatenow,andshestoodalittlewhiletosaygood—night。Astepinsidetherewasaseat,walledinbyevergreen,roofedoverbythewideacaciaboughs。Manyalonggood—nighthadtheyexchangedthere,underthelarge,brilliantCaliforniamoon。Theysatthere,silent,now。
Diantha’sheartwasfullofloveforhim,andprideandconfidenceinhim;butitwasfullofotherfeelings,too,whichhecouldnotfathom。
Histroublewasclearertoherthantohim;asheavytobear。Tohermind,trainedinalltheminutiaeofdomesticeconomy,theWardenfamilylivedincarelesswastefulness。Thatfivewomen——forDorawasolderthanshehadbeenwhenshebegantodohousework——shouldrequireservants,seemedtothisNewEngland—borngirlmerelazinessandpride。
Thattwovotingwomenovertwentyshouldpreferbeingsupportedbytheirbrothertosupportingthemselves,shecondemnedevenmoresharply。
Moreover,shefeltwellassuredthatwithadifferentfamilyto\"support,\"Mr。Wardenwouldneverhavebrokendownsosuddenlyandirrecoverably。Eventhatfuneral——herfacehardenedasshethoughtoftheconspicuous\"lot,\"thecontinualflowers,themonument(notwhollypaidforyet,thatmonument,thoughthisshedidnotknow)——allthatexpendituretodohonortothemantheyhadworkedtodeath(thusbrutallyDianthaputit)wasprobablyenoughtoputofftheirhappinessforawholeyear。
Sheroseatlast,herhandstillheldinhis。\"I’msorry,butI’vegottogetsupper,dear,\"shesaid,\"andyoumustgo。Good—nightforthepresent;you’llberoundbyandby?\"
\"Yes,foralittlewhile,afterwecloseup,\"saidhe,andtookhimselfoff,nottoosuddenly,walkingstraightandproudwhilehereveswereonhim,throwingherakissfromthecorner;buthissteplaggingandhisheadachesettlingdownuponhimagainashenearedthelargehousewiththecupola。
Dianthawatchedhimoutofsight,turnedandmarchedupthepathtoherowndoor,herlipssettight,herwell—shapedheadasstraightlyheldashis。\"It’sashame,acruel,burningshame!\"shetoldherselfrebelliously。\"Amanofhisability。Why,hecoulddoanything,inhisownwork!Andheloveditso!
\"Tokeepagrocerystore——
\"\"Andnothingtoshowforallthatsplendideffort!
\"Theydon’tdoathing?Theyjust_live_——and’keephouse!’Allthosewomen!
\"Sixyears?Likelytobesixty!ButI’mnotgoingtowait!\"
WHATDIANTHADID
CHAPTERII。
ANUNNATURALDAUGHTER
Thebroodingbirdfulfillshertask,Orshe—bearleanandbrown;
Allparentbeastsseedutytrue,Allparentbeaststheirdutydo,WearetheonlykindthatasksFordutyupsidedown。
Thestiff—rayedwindmillstoodlikeatallmechanicalflower,turningslowlyinthelightafternoonwind;itsfaintregularmetallicsqueakprickedthedrysilencewearingly。Rampantfuchsias,red—jewelled,heavy,ranupitsframework,withcrowdingheliotropeandnasturtiums。
Thickstragglingroseshungoverthekitchenwindows,andarowofdustyeucalyptustreesrustledtheirstiffleaves,andgaveanineffectualshadetothehouse。
Itwasoneofthosesmallframehousescommontothenortheasternstates,whichmustbedeartotheheartsoftheirdwellers。Fornootherreason,surely,wouldthecoldgreysteep—roofedlittleboxesberepeatedsofaithfullyinthebroadglowofasemi—tropicallandscape。
Therewasanattemptata\"lawn,\"thepetambitionofthetransplantedeasterner;andafurtherattemptat\"flower—beds,\"whichmerelyservedasasortofspringboardtotheirfar—reachingproducts。
Theparlor,behindtheclosedblinds,wasasNewEnglandparlorsare;
minusthehintofcosinessgivenbyevenafirelessstove;thelittlebedroomsbakedundertheroof;onlythekitchenspokeofhumanliving,andthelivingitportrayedwasnot,tosaytheleast,joyous。Itwasclean,cleanwithacleannessthatspokeofconscientiouslaborandunremittingcare。Thezincmatunderthebigcook—stovewasscouredtoadullglimmer,whilethatswartaltaritselfshonedarklyfromitsdailyrubbing。
Therewasnodustnorsmellofdust;nogreasespots,nolitteranywhere。Buttheplaceborenoatmosphereofcontentedpride,asdoesaDutch,GermanorFrenchkitchen,itspokeofLabor,EconomyandDuty——underrestriction。
InthedeadquietoftheafternoonDianthaandhermothersattheresewing。Thesunpoureddownthroughthedanglingeucalyptusleaves。
Thedryair,richwithflowerodors,flowedsoftlyin,pushingthewhitesashcurtainsasteadyinchortwo。Ee—errr!——Ee—errr!——camethefaintwhineofthewindmill。
Totheolderwomanrockinginhersmallsplintchairbytherose—drapedwindow,herthoughtsdwellingonlongdarkgreengrass,theshadeofelms,andcowsknee—deepinriver—shallows;thiswasCalifornia——hot,arid,tediousinendlesssunlight——aplaceofexile。
Totheyounger,thelongseamoftheturnedsheetpinnedtightlytoherknee,herneedleflyingfirmlyandsteadily,andherthoughtsfullofpouringmoonlightthroughacaciaboughsandRoss’smurmuredwords,itwasCalifornia——rich,warm,fullofsweetbloomandfruit,ofboundlessvitality,promise,andpower——home!
Mrs。Belldrewalongwearysigh,andlaiddownherworkforamoment。
\"Whydon’tyoustopitMotherdear?There’ssurelynohurryaboutthesethings。\"
\"No——notparticularly,\"hermotheranswered,\"butthere’splentyelsetodo。\"Andshewentonwiththelongneathemming。Dianthadidthe\"overandoverseam\"upthemiddle。
\"What_do_youdoitforanyway,Mother——Ialwayshatedthisjob——andyoudon’tseemtolikeit。\"
\"Theywearalmosttwiceaslong,child,youknow。Themiddlegetswornandtheedgesdon’t。Nowthey’rereversed。Astolikingit——\"Shegavealittlesmile,asmilethatwastootiredtobesarcastic,butwhichcertainlydidnotindicatepleasure。
\"Whatkindofworkdoyoulikebest——really?\"herdaughterinquiredsuddenly,afterasilentmomentortwo。
\"Why——Idon’tknow,\"saidhermother。\"Ineverthoughtofit。Inevertriedanybutteaching。Ididn’tlikethat。NeitherdidyourAuntEsther,butshe’sstillteaching。\"
\"Didn’tyoulikeanyofit?\"pursuedDiantha。
\"Ilikedarithmeticbest。Ialwayslovedarithmetic,whenIwenttoschool——usedtostandhighestinthat。\"
\"Andwhatpartofhouseworkdoyoulikebest?\"thegirlpersisted。
Mrs。Bellsmiledagain,wanly。\"SeemstomesometimesasifIcouldn’ttellsometimeswhatpartIlikeleast!\"sheanswered。Thenwithsuddenheat——\"OmyChild!Don’tyoumarrytillRosscanaffordatleastonegirlforyou!\"
Dianthaputhersmall,stronghandsbehindherheadandleanedbackinherchair。\"We’llhavetowaitsometimeforthatIfancy,\"shesaid。
\"But,Mother,thereisonepartyoulike——keepingaccounts!Ineversawanythinglikethewayyoumanagethemoney,andIbelieveyou’vegoteverybillsinceyonweremarried。\"
\"Yes——Idoloveaccounts,\"Mrs。Belladmitted。\"AndIcankeeprunofthings。I’veoftenthoughtyourFather’dhavedonebetterifhe’dletmerunthatendofhisbusiness。\"
Dianthagaveafiercelittlelaugh。Sheadmiredherfatherinsomeways,enjoyedhiminsomeways,lovedhimasachilddoesifnotill—treated;butshelovedhermotherwithasortofpassionatepitymixedwithpride;feelingalwaysnoblerpowerinherthanhadeverhadafairchancetogrow。Itseemedtoheraninterminabledulltragedy;
thisgraceful,eager,black—eyedwoman,spendingwhattothegirlwasliterallyalifetime,intheconscientiousperformanceofdutiesshedidnotlove。
Sheknewhermother’sideaofduty,knewtheclearhead,thesteadywill,theactiveintelligenceholdingherrelentlesslytothetask;thechafeandfretofseeingherhusbandconstantlyattemptingagainstherjudgment,andfailingforlackofthehelphescorned。Youngasshewas,sherealizedthatthenervousbreakdownoftheselateryearswaswhollyduetothatcommonmiseryof\"thesquaremanintheroundhole。\"
Shefoldedherfinishedsheetinaccuratelinesandlaiditaway——takinghermother’salso。\"Nowyousitstillforonce,Motherdear,readorliedown。Don’tyoustirtillsupper’sready。\"
Andfrompantrytotableshestepped,swiftlyandlightly,settingoutwhatwasneeded,greasedherpansandsetthembeforeher,andproceededtomakebiscuit。
Hermotherwatchedheradmiringly。\"Howeasyyoudoit!\"shesaid。\"I
nevercouldmakebreadwithoutgettingflouralloverme。Youdon’tspillaspeck!\"
Dianthasmiled。\"Ioughttodoiteasilybythistime。Father’sgottohavehotbreadforsupper——orthinkshehas!——andI’vemade’em——everynightwhenIwasathomeforthistenyearsback!\"
\"Iguessyouhave,\"saidMrs。Bellproudly。\"Youwereonlyelevenwhenyoumadeyourfirstbatch。Icanrememberjustaswell!Ihadoneofmybadheadachesthatnight——anditdidseemasifIcouldn’tsitup!
ButyourFather’sgottohavehisbiscuitwhetherorno。Andyousaid,’NowMotheryoulierightstillonthatsofaandletmedoit!Ican!’
Andyoucould!——youdid!Theywerebettern’minethatfirsttime——andyourFatherpraised’em——andyou’vebeenatiteversince。\"
\"Yes,\"saidDiantha,withadeepernoteoffeelingthanhermothercaught,\"I’vebeenatiteversince!\"
\"Exceptwhenyouwereteachingschool,\"pursuedhermother。
\"ExceptwhenItaughtschoolatMedville,\"Dianthacorrected。\"WhenI
taughthereImade’emjustthesame。\"
\"Soyoudid,\"agreedhermother。\"Soyoudid!Nomatterhowtiredyouwere——youwouldn’tadmitit。Youalwayswerethebestchild!\"
\"IfIwastireditwasnotofmakingbiscuitsanyhow。Iwastiredenoughofteachingschoolthough。I’vegotsomethingtotellyou,presently,Mother。\"
Shecoveredthebiscuitswithalightclothandsetthemontheshelfoverthestove;thenpokedamongthegreasewoodrootstofindwhatshewantedandstartedafire。\"Why_don’t_yougetanoilstove?Oragasoline?Itwouldbealoteasier。\"
\"Yes,\"hermotheragreed。\"I’vewantedonefortwentyyears;butyouknowyourFatherwon’thaveoneinthehouse。Hesaysthey’redangerous。Whatareyougoingtotellme,dear?IdohopeyouandRosshaven’tquarrelled。\"
\"Noindeedwehaven’t,Mother。Rossissplendid。Only——\"
\"Onlywhat,Dinah?\"
\"Onlyhe’ssotiedup!\"saidthegirl,brushingeverychipfromthehearth。\"He’sperfectlyhelplessthere,withthatmotherofhis——andthosefoursisters。\"
\"Rossisagoodson,\"saidMrs。Bell,\"andagoodbrother。Ineversawabetter。He’scertainlydoinghisduty。Nowifhisfather’dlivedyoutwocouldhavegotmarriedbythistimemaybe,thoughyou’retooyoungyet。\"
Dianthawashedandputawaythedishesshehadused,sawthatthepantrywasinitsusualdelicateorder,andproceededtosetthetable,withlightstepsandnoclatterofdishes。
\"I’mtwenty—one,\"shesaid。
\"Yes,you’retwenty—one,\"hermotherallowed。\"Itdon’tseempossible,butyouare。Myfirstbaby!\"shelookedatherproudly\"IfRosshastowaitforallthosegirlstomarry——andtopayhisfather’sdebts——I’llbeoldenough,\"saidDianthagrimly。
Hermotherwatchedherquickassuredmovementswithadmiration,andlistenedwithkeensympathy。\"Iknowit’shard,dearchild。You’veonlybeenengagedsixmonths——anditlooksasifitmightbesomeyearsbeforeRoss’llbeabletomarry。He’sgotanawfulloadforaboytocarryalone。\"
\"Ishouldsayhehad!\"Dianthaburstforth。\"Fivehelplesswomen!——orthreewomen,andtwogirls。ThoughCora’sasoldasIwaswhenIbegantoteach。Andnotoneof’emwillliftafingertoearnherownliving。\"
\"Theyweren’tbroughtupthatway,\"saidMrs。Bell。\"Theirmotherdon’tapproveofit。Shethinksthehomeistheplaceforawoman——andsodoesRoss——andsodoI,\"sheaddedratherfaintly。
Dianthaputherpanofwhitepuff—ballsintotheoven,slicedaquantityofsmokedbeefinthinshavings,andmadewhitesauceforit,talkingthewhileasiftheseactswereautomatic。\"Idon’tagreewithMrs。
Wardenonthatpoint,norwithRoss,norwithyou,Mother,\"shesaid,\"WhatI’vegottotellyouisthis——I’mgoingawayfromhome。Towork。\"
Mrs。Bellstoppedrocking,stoppedfanning,andregardedherdaughterwithwidefrightenedeyes。
\"WhyDiantha!\"shesaid。\"WhyDiantha!Youwouldn’tgoandleaveyourMother!\"
Dianthadrewadeepbreathandstoodforamomentlookingatthefeeblelittlewomaninthechair。Thenshewenttoher,kneltdownandhuggedherclose——close。
\"It’snotbecauseIdon’tloveyou,Mother。It’sbecauseIdo。Andit’snotbecauseIdon’tloveRosseither:——it’sbecauseI_do。_Iwanttotakecareofyou,Mother,andmakelifeeasierforyouaslongasyoulive。Iwanttohelphim——tohelpcarrythatawfulload——andI’mgoing——to——do——it!\"
Shestooduphastily,forastepsoundedonthebackporch。Itwasonlyhersister,whohurriedin,putadishonthetable,kissedhermotherandtookanotherrocking—chair。
\"Ijustranin,\"saidshe,\"tobringthoseberries。Aren’ttheybeauties?Thebaby’sasleep。Geraldhasn’tgotinyet。Supper’sallready,andIcanseehimcomingtimeenoughtorunback。Why,Mother!
What’sthematter?You’recrying!\"
\"AmI?\"askedMrs。Bellweakly;wipinghereyesinadazedway。
\"WhatareyoudoingtoMother,Diantha?\"demandedyoungMrs。Peters。
\"Blessme!Ithoughtyouandsheneverhadanydifferences!Iwasalwaystheblacksheep,whenIwasathome。Maybethat’swhyIleftsoearly!\"
Shelookedveryprettyandcomplacent,thisyoungmatronandmotherofnineteen;andpattedtheolderwoman’shandaffectionately,demanding,\"Come——what’sthetrouble?\"
\"Youmightaswellknownowaslater,\"saidhersister。\"Ihavedecidedtoleavehome,that’sall。\"
\"Toleavehome!\"Mrs。Peterssatupstraightandstaredather。\"Toleavehome!——AndMother!\"
\"Well?\"saidDiantha,whilethetearsroseandranoverfromhermother’seyes。\"Well,whynot?Youlefthome——andMother——beforeyouwereeighteen。\"
\"That’sdifferent!\"saidhersistersharply。\"Ilefttobemarried,——tohaveahomeofmyown。AndbesidesIhaven’tgonefar!IcanseeMothereveryday。\"
\"That’sonereasonIcangonowbetterthanlateron,\"Dianthasaid。
\"Youareclosebyincaseofanytrouble。\"
\"Whatonearthareyougoingfor?Rossisn’treadytomarryyet,ishe?\"
\"No——norlikelytobeforyears。That’sanotherreasonI’mgoing。\"
\"Butwhat_for,_forgoodnesssake。\"
\"Toearnmoney——foronething。\"
\"Can’tyouearnmoneyenoughbyteaching?\"theMotherbrokeineagerly。
\"Iknowyouhaven’tgotthesameplacethisfall——butyoucangetanothereasyenough。\"
Dianthashookherhead。\"No,Mother,I’vehadenoughofthat。I’vetaughtforfouryears。Idon’tlikeit,Idon’tdowell,anditexhaustsmehorribly。AndIshouldnevergetbeyondathousandorfifteenhundreddollarsayearifItaughtforalifetime。\"
\"Well,Ideclare!\"saidhersister。\"Whatdoyou_expect_toget?I
shouldthinkfifteenhundreddollarsayearwasenoughforanywoman!\"
Dianthapeeredintotheovenandturnedherbiscuitpanaround。
\"Andyou’remeaningtoleavehomejusttomakemoney,areyou?\"
\"Whynot?\"saidDianthafirmly。\"Hendersondid——whenhewaseighteen。
Noneofyoublamedhim。\"
\"Idon’tseewhatthat’sgottodowithit,\"hermotherventured。
\"Henderson’saboy,andboyshavetogo,ofcourse。Amotherexpectsthat。Butagirl——Why,Diantha!HowcanIgetalongwithoutyou!Withmyhealth!\"
\"Ishouldthinkyou’dbeashamedofyourselftothinkofsuchathing!\"
saidyoungMrs。Peters。
Aslowstepsoundedoutside,andanelderlyman,tall,slouching,carelesslydressed,entered,stumblingalittleovertherag—matatthedoor。
\"Fatherhasn’tgotusedtothatruginfourteenyears!\"saidhisyoungestdaughterlaughingly。\"AndMotherwillstraightenitoutafterhim!I’mbringingGeralduponbetterprinciples。Youshouldjustseehimwaitonme!\"
\"Amanshouldbemasterinhisownhousehold,\"Mr。Bellproclaimed,raisingadrippingfacefromthebasinandlookingaroundforthetowel——whichhiswifehandedhim。
\"Youwon’thavemuchhouseholdtobemasterofpresently,\"saidMrs。
Petersprovokingly。\"Halfofit’sgoingtoleave。\"
Mr。Bellcameoutofhistowelandlookedfromonetotheotherforsomeexplanationofthisattemptedjoke,\"Whatnonsenseareyoutalking?\"hedemanded。
\"Ithinkit’snonsensemyself,\"saidtheprettyyoungwoman——herhandonthedoorknob。\"Butyou’dbetterenjoythosebiscuitsofDi’swhileyoucan——youwon’tgetmanymore!There’sGerald——goodnight!\"Andoffsheran。
Dianthasettheplatefulonthetable,puffy,brown,andcrisplycrusted。\"Supper’sready,\"shesaid。\"Dositdown,Mother,\"andsheheldthechairforher。\"Minnie’squiteright,Father,thoughImeantnottotellyoutillyou’dhadsupper。Iamgoingawaytowork。\"
Mr。Bellregardedhisdaughterwithastern,slowstare;notsomuchsurprisedasannoyedbyanuntimelyjesting。Heateahotbiscuitintwoun—Fletcherizedmouthfuls,andputmoresugarinhislargecupoftea。\"You’vegotyourMotherallworkedupwithyournonsense,\"saidhe。\"Whatareyoutalkingaboutanyway?\"
Dianthamethiseyesunflinchingly。Hewasatalloldman,stillhandsomeandimpressiveinappearance,hadbeentheheadofhisownhouseholdbeyondquestion,eversincehewaslefttheonlysonofanidolizingmother。Buthehadneversucceededinbeingtheheadofanythingelse。RepeatedfailuresintheoldNewEnglandhomehadresultedinhisruthlesslysellingallthepropertythere;andbringinghisdelicatewifeandthreeyoungchildrentoCalifornia。Vainwereherprotestsandobjections。Itwoulddohergood——bestplaceintheworldforchildren——goodfornervouscomplaintstoo。Awife’sdutywastofollowherhusband,ofcourse。Shehadfollowed,willynilly;anditwasgoodforthechildren——therewasnodoubtofthat。
Mr。Bellhadprofitedlittlebyhisventure。Theyhadtheranch,theflowersandfruitandamplelivingofthatrichsoil;buthehadfailedinoranges,failedinraisins,failedinprunes,andwasnowfailinginwealth—promisinghens。
ButMrs。Bell,thoughanineffectualhousekeeper,didnotfailinthechildren。Theyhadgrownupbigandvigorous,sturdy,handsomecreatures,especiallythetwoyoungerones。Dianthawasgood—lookingenough。RoscoeWardenthoughtherdivinelybeautiful。Butheryoungstrengthhadbeenheavilytaxedfromchildhoodinthatcomplexprocessknownas\"helpingmother。\"Asalittlechildshehadbeenofconstantserviceincaringforthebabies;andearlydevelopedsuchcompetenceinthevariousartsofhouseworkasfilledhermotherwithfondpride,andevenwrungfromherfathersomegrudgingrecognition。Thathedidnotvalueitmorewasbecauseheexpectedsuchcompetenceinwomen,allwomen;itwastheirnaturalfieldofability,theirdutyaswivesandmothers。Alsoasdaughters。Iftheyfailedinitthatwasbyillnessorperversity。Iftheysucceeded——thatwasamatterofcourse。
HeateanotherofDiantha’sexcellentbiscuits,hisgreyish—redwhiskersslowlywagging;andcontinuedtoeyeherdisapprovingly。Shesaidnothing,buttriedtoeat;andtriedstillhardertomakeherheartgoquietly,hercheekskeepcool,andhereyesdry。Mrs。Bellalsostrovetokeepacheerfulcountenance;urgedfooduponherfamily;eventriedtoopensometopicofconversation;buthergentlewordstrailedoffintounnoticedsilence。
Mr。Bellateuntilhewassatisfiedandbetookhimselftoacomfortablechairbythelamp,whereheunfoldedthesmartlocalpaperandlithispipe。\"Whenyou’vegotthroughwiththedishes,Diantha,\"hesaidcoldly,\"I’llhearaboutthispropositionofyours。\"
Dianthaclearedthetable,loweredtheleaves,setitbackagainstthewall,spreadingtheturkey—redclothuponit。Shewashedthedishes,——herkettlelongsinceboiling,scaldedthem,wipedthem,setthemintheirplaces;washedoutthetowels,wipedthepanandhungitup,swiftly,accurately,andwithaquietnessthatwouldhaveseemedincredibletoanymistressofheavy—footedservants。Thenwithheightenedcolorandfirm—setmouth,shetookherplacebythelamplittableandsatstill。
Hermotherwaspatientlydarninglargesockswithmanyholes——akindofworkshespeciallydisliked。\"You’llhavetogetsomenewsocks,Father,\"sheventured,\"theseareprettywellgone。\"
\"Othey’lldoagoodwhileyet,\"hereplied,notlookingatthem。\"I
likeyourembroidery,mydear。\"
Thatpleasedher。Shedidnotliketoembroider,butshedidliketobepraised。
Dianthatooksomesocksandsettowork,red—checkedandexcited,butsilentyet。Hermother’sneedletrembledirregularlyunderandover,andatearortwosliddownhercheeks。
FinallyMr。Belllaiddownhisfinishedpaperandhisemptiedpipeandsaid,\"Nowthen。Outwithit。\"
Thiswasnotafelicitiousopening。Itisreallyastonishinghowlittlediplomacyparentsexhibit,howdifficulttheymakeitfortheyoungtointroduceaproposition。Therewasnothingforitbutabaldstatement,soDianthamadeitbaldly。
\"Ihavedecidedtoleavehomeandgotowork,\"shesaid。
\"Don’tyouhaveworkenoughtodoathome?\"heinquired,withthesameairofquizzicalsuperioritywhichhadalwaysannoyedhersointensely,evenasalittlechild。
Shewouldcutshortthisformofdiscussion:\"Iamgoingawaytoearnmyliving。Ihavegivenupschool—teaching——Idon’tlikeit,and,thereisn’tmoneyenoughinit。Ihaveplans——whichwillspeakforthemselveslater。\"
\"So,\"saidMr。Bell,\"Plansallmade,eh?Isupposeyou’veconsideredyourMotherintheseplans?\"
\"Ihave,\"saidhisdaughter。\"ItislargelyonheraccountthatI’mgoing。\"
\"Youthinkit’llbegoodforyourMother’shealthtoloseyourassistance,doyou?\"
\"Iknowshe’llmissme;butIhaven’tlefttheworkonhershoulders。I
amgoingtopayforagirl——todotheworkI’vedone。Itwon’tcostyouanymore,Father;andyou’llsavesome——forshe’lldothewashingtoo。
Youdidn’tobjecttoHenderson’sgoing——ateighteen。Youdidn’tobjecttoMinnie’sgoing——atseventeen。Whyshouldyouobjecttomygoing——attwenty—one。\"
\"Ihaven’tobjected——sofar,\"repliedherfather。\"Haveyourplansalsoallowedfortheaffectionanddutyyouoweyourparents?\"
\"Ihavedonemyduty——aswellasIknowhow,\"sheanswered。\"NowIamtwenty—one,andself—supporting——andhavearighttogo。\"
\"Oyes。Youhavearight——alegalright——ifthat’swhatyoubaseyourideaofachild’sdutyon!Andwhileyou’retalkingofrights——howaboutaparent’srights?Howaboutcommongratitude!Howaboutwhatyouowetome——forallthecareandpainsandcostit’sbeentobringyouup。Achild’saratherexpensiveinvestmentthesedays。\"
Dianthaflushed。shehadexpectedthis,andyetitstruckherlikeablow。Itwasnotthefirsttimeshehadheardit——thisclaimoffilialobligation。