SCHOOL AND SCHOOLS[1]
I
Old Jerome Warren lived in a hundred-thousand dollar house in East Fifteenth Street. He was so rich that he could allow himself to walk to his office for his health.
His wife was dead and he had no children. But his wife`s niece Barbara lived in his house. He also had an adopted son, - the son of old friend – named Gilbert. Gilbert was an artist and had a studio a little way from[2] old Jerome`s house.
Gilbert and Barbara were friends. People hoped that some day they would marry[3] and spend the old man`s money together. But here I have to introduce some difficulties.[4]
Thirty years ago when old Jerome was young, he had a brother named Dick. Dick went West hoping to find gold. Nothing was heard of him[5] for many years. Then one day old Jerome got a letter from his brother. It was clear that the man who wrote it was very ill. In fact Dick wrote that he was dying and was writing with great difficulty. In his letter he asked his brother to take care of Nevada, his nineteen-year old daughter, the only child he had.[6] He was going to send her to Jerome at once. Old Jerome could not say “no” to his dying brother. So he said “yes”.
Old Jerome, Barbara and Gilbert met Nevada Warren at the station.
She was not a very big girl, but strong and good-looking.
“I`m sure we shall be the best of friends,” said Barbara, kissing Nevada.
“I hope so,” said Nevada.
“Dear little niece,” said old Jerome, “you are welcome[7] to my house. It is your house now.”
II
When we hear about any difficulties between one man and two women, or one woman and two men, - we call such situations – triangles. Very soon Nevada, Barbara and Gilbert formed such a triangle. And Barbara formed the hypotenuse of this triangle.[8]
One morning old Jerome sat a long time after breakfast, reading his newspaper. A servant brought in a note for Miss Nevada.
“A messenger has brought it,” she said. “He is waiting for the answer”.
Nevada took the letter. She knew it was from Gilbert before she opened it because of[9] the little gold palette in the left-hand corner of the envelope. All of Gilbert`s envelopes had such palettes. Nevada opened the envelope and looked at the note attentively. She looked at it for some time and then went up to her uncle.
“Uncle Jerome,” she said. “Is Gilbert a nice boy?”
“Oh, yes, of cause, he is,” said old Jerome, who was very fond of both Gilbert and Nevada[10]. “He is a very nice boy. I raised[11] him myself. Why do you ask?”
“Are you sure, uncle Jerome, that Gilbert will never write anything that is not nice?”[12]
“Of cause I am, my dear,” said old Jerome. “I am sure that Gilbert cannot write anything that is not nice. But I don`t understand why you ask me that.”
“Read this note and see for yourself,” said Nevada. “Do you think that everything in it is all right? I don`t know much about city people and their manners. That`s why I am asking you.”
Old Jerome took Gilbert`s note and looked at it attentively. He read it twice, and then a third time.
“Why,[13] child,” he said at last, “I was sure of the boy and I have not made mistake. There is nothing bad in the note. He only asks you and Barbara to be ready at four o`clock this afternoon for an automobile drive. I don`t see anything bad in it. I hope you will have a good time.”[14]
“Will it be all right to go?”[15] asked Nevada.
“Yes, yes, yes, child, of cause. Why not? Go and have a good time!”
“Will you come with us, uncle?” said Nevada.
“I? No, no, no! I`ve gone once in a car that Gilbert was driving. Never again! But never mind me![16] You and Barbara go. Yes, yes. But I will not. No, no, no, no!”
Nevada run to the door and said to the servant:
“Of cause, we`ll go! I`m sure Miss Barbara will be glad to go too. Tell the messenger-boy to tell Mr. Warren that we will go.”
“I`m sorry, Nevada my dear,” said the old man, “but are you not going to send Gilbert a note? Only line or two.”
“No,” said Nevada, “it will take me too much time[17] to write a note, and the boy is waiting for an answer. Gilbert will understand, I`m sure. I have never ridden in automobile in my life, but, uncle, I used to paddle a canoe down Little Devil River[18] and it was not easy!”
III
Two months passed.
Barbara was sitting in the study of her uncle`s house.
She was alone. Uncle Jerome and Nevada had gone to the theatre. Barbara had not wanted to go. She wanted to stay at home. I`ve told you before that Barbara was the hypotenuse of the triangle. It usually takes a hypotenuse a long time to discover that it is the longest side of the triangle. But at last Barbara began to understand that the beautiful Western Witch was getting a lasso on the young man she herself wanted.
Barbara set at the writing table holding a letter in her hand. The letter was not addressed to her. It was addressed to Nevada Warren. In the left-hand corner of the envelope was Gilbert`s gold palette. The letter had been brought at nine o`clock, after Nevada had left. What was in the letter? Barbara could not guess. But, oh, how she wanted to know!
She could not open the envelope by means of stream,[19] or by any other method. She was a lady and ladies do not do such things. We all know that. She had held the envelope up to strong light in order to[20] read the lines. But no – she could not read a word.
At eleven-thirty old Jerome and Nevada returned from the theatre. Old Jerome was tired and went to bed at once. Nevada came into the study where Barbara was still sitting. She sat down in an armchair trying to unbutton her long gloves. She began telling Barbara about the play she had just seen.
“Here is a letter for you, dear,” said Barbara. “It came just after you had gone.”
“Who is it from?”[21] asked Nevada struggling with a button on her glove.
“I don`t know,” said Barbara with a smile. “I think it is from Gilbert because the envelope has a little gold palette in the corner. You can see it for yourself.”[22]
“What he can write to me about?” said Nevada.
“We are all alike,”[23] said Barbara. “All women try to guess what is in a letter before they open it. So they study the envelope. And it is not of great help.[24] Open it and read it, dear. Here it is!” She was going to throw the letter to Nevada but the girl said: “I can`t take this gloves off. It is always so difficult. Oh, Barbara, open the envelope and read the letter, please!”
“Why, dear, the letter is for you! How can you ask other people to read Gilbert`s letters?”
Nevada raised her beautiful blue eyes from her gloves and said:
“Nobody writes me anything that everybody can`t read. Read it, Barbara! Maybe Gilbert wants to take us for a drive again tomorrow.”
“All right, dear,” said Barbara, “I`ll read it if you like!”
She opened the envelope and quickly read the letter. Then she read it again and looked at Nevada who was still looking at her gloves.
Suddenly she smiled. “Nevada,” she said, “Why did you ask me to read this letter? I am sure it was written for your eyes only, and not for mine!”
Nevada forgot her gloves for a moment.
“Read it aloud,” she said, “you have already read it, so you can read it again. If Mr. Warren has written something bad to me, - everybody should know it.”[25]
“Well,” said Barbara, “this is what the letter says: ‘Dearest Nevada, come to my studio at twelve o’clock to-night. Do not be late. I shall be waiting for you!’”
Barbara rose and gave the letter to Nevada.
“I`m very sorry that I have read it,” she said. “It isn`t like Gilbert.[26] There must be some mistake.[27] I don`t understand how he could write such a letter. I hope he will explain everything. Let`s forget it. And now I must go to bed. Good night.”
IV
Nevada looked at her watch. It said a quarter to twelve. She went out of the room and run quietly to the front door. She went out into the snowstorm. Gilbert Warren`s studio was only a little way from old Jerome`s house. The snow lay a foot deep[28] in the street and she walked with difficulty.
“Hello, little girl,” a policeman called to her, “it`s too late for such a little girl to be out.”[29]
Nevada took no notice of him and went on.
There was a light in Gilbert`s window. He was waiting for her. She knew his window because she had been in his studio before, with Barbara and Uncle Jerome.
On the eighth floor she found room 89 and knocked at the door. Gilbert opened the door. He had a pencil in his hand and a pipe in his mouth. The pipe fell to the floor.
“Am I late?” asked Nevada. “I came as quickly as I could. Uncle and I have been to the theatre this evening. Here I am,[30] Gilbert!”
Gilbert was standing in the door with his mouth open.
“You asked me to come,” said Nevada simply, “and I came. You said so in your latter. Why did you send for me?”
“Did you read my letter?” asked Gilbert.
“No, I didn`t,” said Nevada. “Barbara read it to me. Your letter said: ‘Come to my studio at twelve o`clock to-night. Do not be late. I shall be waiting for you.’ I thought you were ill. But you look quite well.”
“Aha,” cried Gilbert. “I`ll tell you why I asked you to come, Nevada. I wanted to ask you to marry me… at once… to-night! That is why I asked you come. Will you?”
“Of cause I will,” answered Nevada. “You knew long ago that I would marry you! I am sure, you knew it. And it will be nice to be married in a snowstorm at night. In fact I don`t like rich wedding ceremonies in a church full of guests.”
“Wait a minute,” said Gilbert, “I want to do a little `phoning.”[31] He went to his bedroom and closed the door behind him. Then he began to telephone.
“Is that you, Jack? Wake up, I need you at once. I am going to be married right away![32] So I want two witnesses. Wake up and bring your sister too. You must! Nevada is here waiting. We are both waiting for you! What? You will? Good, old boy![33] I knew you were a good friend.”
Gilbert returned to the room where Nevada was waiting. He said: “I had to telephone Jack Peyton, an old friend of mine. I asked him and his sister to be our witnesses. They had promised to be here at a quarter to twelve. But they are late. I have ‘phoned them to hurry. They will be here in a few minutes. Oh, Nevada, I am the happiest man in the world. Nevada, dear, what did you do with the letter I sent you this evening?”
“I have it with me,” said Nevada and gave him the letter.
Gilbert took the letter out of the envelope and looked at it attentively. Then he looked at Nevada thoughtfully.
“Where you angry with me because I asked you to come to my studio at midnight?” he asked.
“Why, no,” said Nevada. “How could I be angry if you needed me? Out West,[34] when a friend sends for you and asks you to hurry – you get there first and talk about it after.[35] And we are not afraid of snowstorm.”
“Nevada,” said Gilbert, Jack and his sister will be here in a few minutes. I shall try to finв a raincoat for you to put on. It will take me some time, so you can look through the evening paper on the table. There is an article on the front page. It`s about your section of the West. I know it will interest you.”
He went to his bedroom and returned in a minute or two. Nevada was not reading when he came in. she had not moved. She looked at him nervously.
“I was going to tell you something,” she said, “before you… before we… before You must know that Father never sent me to school. I have never learned to read or write… So if you…”
At this very moment[36] the door opened and Jack and his sister came in.
V
When Mr. and Mrs. Warren were riding home after the wedding ceremony, Gilbert said:
“Nevada, do you want to know what I really wrote in the letter you received last night?”
“Yes, of cause,” said Nevada, “what was it?”
“Word for word,[37] it was this,” said her husband: “My dear Miss Warren, you were right about the name of that flower yesterday. It was a hydrangea, and not a lilac, as I thought.”
“All right,” said Nevada. “But let`s forget it. The joke is on Barbara, anyway.”[38]
[3] People hoped that some day they would marry – окружающие надеялись, что когда-нибудь они поженятся
[4] I have to introduce some difficulties – Я должен представить некоторые затруднения (зд. Я вынужден рассказать о некоторых затруднительных обстоятельствах)
[10] Was very fond of both Gilbert and Nevada – очень любил и Гилберта и Неваду (to be fond of – любить кого-либо или что-либо)
[12] Gilbert will never write anything that is not nice – Гилберт не может написать что-нибудь неподходящее, нехорошее
[17] It will take me too much time – это займет у меня слишком много времени
[18] I used to paddle a canoe down Little Devil River – я не раз спускалась на каноэ по Чёртовой Речке
[21] Who is it from? – от кого оно (письмо)? В английском вопросительном предложении предлог обычно ставится в конце: What can he write to me about? – О чём он мог мне написать?
[35] You get there first and talk about it after – сначала спешишь к нему, а уж в разговоры пускаешься потом
[38] The joke is on Barbara, anyway. – Шутка получилась над самой Барбарой (сама над собой и подшутила)
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