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！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
man and about forty…five。 No doubt he has older sisters and brothers。 But
if he has not； his mother can hardly be less than sixty…five； and he has
probably been married for several years。 He might easily have a daughter
coming out； next winter； and a son at Harvard or Yale； and if their
grandmother's hair is not grey； that is quite as unnatural as her speculating
in monopolised eggs in this way at her age。 She must be a very unladylike
person。'〃
〃Ethel； I saw； was excited。 Therefore I made no more point of her
theories concerning the appearance and family circle of old Mrs。 Beverly。
But in justice to myself I felt obliged to remind her； first； that I was
investing； not speculating； and second； that it was Mr。 Beverly's advice I
was following； and not that of his mother。 'Had he not spoken of her；' I
said； 'I should have remained unaware of her existence。'〃
〃'She is at the bottom of it all the same；' said Ethel。 'Everything you
have bought has been because she bought it。'〃
〃'That is not quite the right way to put it；' I replied。 'I was willing to
buy these securities because Mr。 Beverly thought so highly of them that he
felt justified in'〃
〃'There is no use；' interrupted Ethel； 'in our going round this circle as if
we were a pair of squirrels。 I do not ask you to hate that woman for my
19
… Page 20…
MOTHER
sake； but I cannot change my own feeling。 Do you remember； Richard；
about the City of Philippi Sewer Bonds？ You did not want to buy them at
first。 You told me yourself that you thought new towns in Texas were apt
to buzz suddenly and then die because all the people hurried away to some
newer town and left the houses and stores standing empty。 But Mr。
Beverly's mother got some； and all your hesitation fled。 And now I see that
the Gulf； Galveston； and Little Rock is going to build a branch that may
make Philippi a perfectly evaporated town。 If you sold these bonds to…day；
how much would you lose？'〃
〃I did not enjoy telling Ethel how much； but I had to。 'Only fifteen
thousand dollars；' I said。〃
〃'Only！' said Ethel。 'Well； I hope his mother will lose a great deal more
than that。'〃
〃It is seldom that Ethel taps her foot； but she had begun to tap it now；
and this inclined me to avoid any attempt at a soothing reply； in the hope
that silence might prove still more soothing； and that thus we might get
away from old Mrs。 Beverly。〃
〃'She cannot possibly be less than sixty…five；' Ethel presently
announced。 'And she is far more likely to be seventy。'〃
〃I thought it best to agree to any age that Ethel chose to give the old
lady。〃
〃'Do you suppose；' Ethel continued； 'that she does it by telephone？'〃
〃'My dearest；' I responded； 'he must do it all for her； of course； you
know。'〃
〃'I doubt that very much； Richard。 And she strikes me as being the sort
of character for whom a mere telephone would not be enough excitement。
The nerves of those people require more and more stimulants to give them
any sensation at all。 I believe that she sits in his private office and watches
the ticker。'〃
〃'Why not give her a ticker in her bedroom while you are about it；
Ethel？' I suggested。〃
〃But Ethel could not smile。 'I think that is perfectly probable；' she
answered。 And then； 'Oh； Richard； isn't it mean！' At this I took her hand；
20
… Page 21…
MOTHER
and shebut again I abstain from dwelling upon those circumstances of
the engaged which are familiar to you all。〃
〃The change of May into June； and the change of June into July； did
not mellow Ethel's bitter feelings。 I remember the day after Petunias
defaulted on their interest that she exclaimed； 'I hope I shall never meet
her！' We always called Mr。 Beverly's mother 'she' now。 'For if I were to
meet her；' continued Ethel； 'I feel I should say something that I should
regret。 Oh； Richard； I suppose we shall have to give up that house on Park
Avenue！'〃
〃I put a cheerful and even insular face on the matter； for I could not
bear to see Ethel so depressed。 But it was hard work for me。 Some few of
my investments were evidently good； but it always seemed as if it was into
these that I had happened to put not much money； while the bulk of my
fortune was entangled in the others。 Besides the usual Midsummer
faintness that overtakes the stock market； my own specialties were a good
deal more than faint。 On the 20th of August I took the afternoon train to
spend my two weeks' holiday at Lenox； and during much of the journey I
gazed at the Wall Street edition of the afternoon paper that I had purchased
as I came through the Grand Central Station。 Ethel and I read it in the
evening。〃
〃'I wonder what she's buying now？' said Ethel； vindictively。〃
〃'Well； I can't help feeling sorry for her；' I answered； with as much of a
smile as I could produce。〃
〃'That is so unnecessary； Richard！ She can easily afford to gratify her
gambling instinct。'〃
〃'There you go； Ethel； inventing millions for her just as you invented
grandchildren。'〃
〃'Not at all。 Unless she constantly had money lying idle； she could not
take these continual plunges。 She is an old woman with few expenses； and
she lives well within her income。 You would hear of her entertaining if it
was otherwise。 So instead of conservatively investing her surplus； she
makes ducks and drakes of it in her son's office。 Is he at Hyde Park now？'
Hyde Park was where the old Beverly country seat had always been。〃
21
… Page 22…
MOTHER
〃'No；' I answered。 'He went to Europe early last month。'〃
〃'Very likely he took her with him。 She is probably at Monte Carlo。'〃
〃'Scarcely in August； I fancy。 And I'll tell you what； Ethel。 I have been
counting it up。 She has lost twenty…four thousand dollars in the Standard
Egg alone。 It takes a good deal of surplus to stand that。'〃
〃'Serve her right；' said Ethel 'And I would say so to her face。'〃
〃September brought freshness to the stock market but not to me。 Mr。
Beverly； like the well…to…do man that he was； remained away in Europe
until October should require his presence as a guiding hand in the office。
Thus was I left without his buoyant consolation in the face of my
investments。〃
〃Petunias were being adjusted on a four per cent basis； Dutchess and
Columbia Traction was holding its own； I could not complain of
Amalgamated Electric； though it was now lower than when I had bought it；
while had I sold it on that Wednesday in May when Ethel begged me；
before the increased dividend turned out a mistake； I should have made
money。 But Philippi Sewers were threatened； Pasteurised Feeders had
been numb since June； Pollyopolis Heat； Light； Power； Paving； Pressing；
and Packing was going to pass its quarterly dividend； and Standard Egg
had gone down from 63 to 7 1/8。 My million dollars on paper now was
worth in reality less than a quarter of that sum； and although we could still
make both ends meet fairly well in some place where you wouldn't want to
live； like Philadelphia； in New York we should drop into a pinched and
dwarfed obscurity。〃
〃I must say now； and I shall never forget； that Ethel during these
gloomy weeks behaved much better than I did。 The grayer the outlook
became； the more words of hope and sense she seemed to find She
reminded me that； after all my Uncle Godfrey's legacy had been a thing
unlooked for； something out of my scheme of life that I had my youth； my
salary and my writing； and that she would wait till she was as old at Mr。
Beverly's mother。〃
〃It was the thought of that lady which brought from Ethel the only
note of complaint she uttered in my presence during that whole dreary
22
… Page 23…