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stories by modern american authors-第13章

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being met。



Rebecca shrank。



〃Nothing;〃 said she。



〃Then I wouldn't keep speaking in such a fashion。〃



Emma; returning from the closed door; said imperiously that it

ought to be fixed; it shut so hard。



〃It will shrink enough after we have had the fire a few days;〃

replied Caroline。  〃If anything is done to it it will be too small;

there will be a crack at the sill。〃



〃I think Henry ought to be ashamed of himself for talking as he did

to Edward;〃 said Mrs。 Brigham abruptly; but in an almost inaudible

voice。



〃Hush!〃 said Caroline; with a glance of actual fear at the closed

door。



〃Nobody can hear with the door shut。〃



〃He must have heard it shut; and〃



〃Well; I can say what I want to before he comes down; and I am not

afraid of him。〃



〃I don't know who is afraid of him!  What reason is there for

anybody to be afraid of Henry?〃 demanded Caroline。



Mrs。 Brigham trembled before her sister's look。  Rebecca gasped

again。  〃There isn't any reason; of course。  Why should there be?〃



〃I wouldn't speak so; then。  Somebody might overhear you and think

it was queer。  Miranda Joy is in the south parlor sewing; you

know。〃



〃I thought she went upstairs to stitch on the machine。〃



〃She did; but she has come down again。〃



〃Well; she can't hear。〃



〃I say again I think Henry ought to be ashamed of himself。  I

shouldn't think he'd ever get over it; having words with poor

Edward the very night before he died。  Edward was enough sight

better disposition than Henry; with all his faults。  I always

thought a great deal of poor Edward; myself。〃



Mrs。 Brigham passed a large fluff of handkerchief across her eyes;

Rebecca sobbed outright。



〃Rebecca;〃 said Caroline admonishingly; keeping her mouth stiff and

swallowing determinately。



〃I never heard him speak a cross word; unless he spoke cross to

Henry that last night。  I don't know; but he did from what Rebecca

overheard;〃 said Emma。



〃Not so much cross as sort of soft; and sweet; and aggravating;〃

sniffled Rebecca。



〃He never raised his voice;〃 said Caroline; 〃but he had his way。〃



〃He had a right to in this case。〃



〃Yes; he did。〃



〃He had as much of a right here as Henry;〃 sobbed Rebecca; 〃and now

he's gone; and he will never be in this home that poor father left

him and the rest of us again。〃



〃What do you really think ailed Edward?〃 asked Emma in hardly more

than a whisper。  She did not look at her sister。



Caroline sat down in a nearby armchair; and clutched the arms

convulsively until her thin knuckles whitened。



〃I told you;〃 said she。



Rebecca held her handkerchief over her mouth; and looked at them

above it with terrified; streaming eyes。



〃I know you said that he had terrible pains in his stomach; and had

spasms; but what do you think made him have them?〃



〃Henry called it gastric trouble。  You know Edward has always had

dyspepsia。〃



Mrs。 Brigham hesitated a moment。  〃Was there any talk of an

examination?〃 said she。



Then Caroline turned on her fiercely。



〃No;〃 said she in a terrible voice。  〃No。〃



The three sisters' souls seemed to meet on one common ground of

terrified understanding through their eyes。  The old…fashioned

latch of the door was heard to rattle; and a push from without made

the door shake ineffectually。  〃It's Henry;〃 Rebecca sighed rather

than whispered。  Mrs。 Brigham settled herself after a noiseless

rush across the floor into her rocking…chair again; and was swaying

back and forth with her head comfortably leaning back; when the

door at last yielded and Henry Glynn entered。  He cast a covertly

sharp; comprehensive glance at Mrs。 Brigham with her elaborate

calm; at Rebecca quietly huddled in the corner of the sofa with her

handkerchief to her face and only one small reddened ear as

attentive as a dog's uncovered and revealing her alertness for his

presence; at Caroline sitting with a strained composure in her

armchair by the stove。  She met his eyes quite firmly with a look

of inscrutable fear; and defiance of the fear and of him。



Henry Glynn looked more like this sister than the others。  Both had

the same hard delicacy of form and feature; both were tall and

almost emaciated; both had a sparse growth of gray blond hair far

back from high intellectual foreheads; both had an almost noble

aquilinity of feature。  They confronted each other with the

pitiless immovability of two statues in whose marble lineaments

emotions were fixed for all eternity。



Then Henry Glynn smiled and the smile transformed his face。  He

looked suddenly years younger; and an almost boyish recklessness

and irresolution appeared in his face。  He flung himself into a

chair with a gesture which was bewildering from its incongruity

with his general appearance。  He leaned his head back; flung one

leg over the other; and looked laughingly at Mrs。 Brigham。



〃I declare; Emma; you grow younger every year;〃 he said。



She flushed a little; and her placid mouth widened at the corners。

She was susceptible to praise。



〃Our thoughts to…day ought to belong to the one of us who will

NEVER grow older;〃 said Caroline in a hard voice。



Henry looked at her; still smiling。  〃Of course; we none of us

forget that;〃 said he; in a deep; gentle voice; 〃but we have to

speak to the living; Caroline; and I have not seen Emma for a long

time; and the living are as dear as the dead。〃



〃Not to me;〃 said Caroline。



She rose; and went abruptly out of the room again。  Rebecca also

rose and hurried after her; sobbing loudly。



Henry looked slowly after them。



〃Caroline is completely unstrung;〃 said he。  Mrs。 Brigham rocked。 A

confidence in him inspired by his manner was stealing over her。 Out

of that confidence she spoke quite easily and naturally。



〃His death was very sudden;〃 said she。



Henry's eyelids quivered slightly but his gaze was unswerving。



〃Yes;〃 said he; 〃it was very sudden。  He was sick only a few

hours。〃



〃What did you call it?〃



〃Gastric。〃



〃You did not think of an examination?〃



〃There was no need。  I am perfectly certain as to the cause of his

death。〃



Suddenly Mrs。 Brigham felt a creep as of some live horror over her

very soul。  Her flesh prickled with cold; before an inflection of

his voice。  She rose; tottering on weak knees。



〃Where are you going?〃 asked Henry in a strange; breathless voice。



Mrs。 Brigham said something incoherent about some sewing which she

had to do; some black for the funeral; and was out of the room。 She

went up to the front chamber which she occupied。  Caroline was

there。  She went close to her and took her hands; and the two

sisters looked at each other。



〃Don't speak; don't; I won't have it!〃 said Caroline finally in an

awful whisper。



〃I won't;〃 replied Emma。



That afternoon the three sisters were in the study; the large front

room on the ground fl
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