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- Фрэнк Норрис
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- Спрут: Калифорнийская история
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- Стр. 373/416
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Under
foot
,
the
carpet
had
all
the
softness
of
texture
of
grass
;
skins
(
one
of
them
of
an
enormous
polar
bear
)
and
rugs
of
silk
velvet
were
spread
upon
the
floor
.
A
Renaissance
cabinet
of
ebony
,
many
feet
taller
than
Presley
’
s
head
,
and
inlaid
with
ivory
and
silver
,
occupied
one
corner
of
the
room
,
while
in
its
centre
stood
a
vast
table
of
Flemish
oak
,
black
,
heavy
as
iron
,
massive
.
A
faint
odour
of
sandalwood
pervaded
the
air
.
From
the
conservatory
near
-
by
,
came
the
splashing
of
a
fountain
.
A
row
of
electric
bulbs
let
into
the
frieze
of
the
walls
between
the
golden
capitals
,
and
burning
dimly
behind
hemispheres
of
clouded
glass
,
threw
a
subdued
light
over
the
whole
scene
.
Mrs
.
Gerard
came
forward
.
“
This
is
Mr
.
Presley
,
of
course
,
our
new
poet
of
whom
we
are
all
so
proud
.
I
was
so
afraid
you
would
be
unable
to
come
.
You
have
given
me
a
real
pleasure
in
allowing
me
to
welcome
you
here
.
”
The
footman
appeared
at
her
elbow
.
“
Dinner
is
served
,
madame
,
”
he
announced
.
When
Mrs
.
Hooven
had
left
the
boarding
-
house
on
Castro
Street
,
she
had
taken
up
a
position
on
a
neighbouring
corner
,
to
wait
for
Minna
’
s
reappearance
.
Little
Hilda
,
at
this
time
hardly
more
than
six
years
of
age
,
was
with
her
,
holding
to
her
hand
.
Mrs
.
Hooven
was
by
no
means
an
old
woman
,
but
hard
work
had
aged
her
.
She
no
longer
had
any
claim
to
good
looks
.
She
no
longer
took
much
interest
in
her
personal
appearance
.
At
the
time
of
her
eviction
from
the
Castro
Street
boarding
-
house
,
she
wore
a
faded
black
bonnet
,
garnished
with
faded
artificial
flowers
of
dirty
pink
.
A
plaid
shawl
was
about
her
shoulders
.
But
this
day
of
misfortune
had
set
Mrs
.
Hooven
adrift
in
even
worse
condition
than
her
daughter
.
Her
purse
,
containing
a
miserable
handful
of
dimes
and
nickels
,
was
in
her
trunk
,
and
her
trunk
was
in
the
hands
of
the
landlady
.
Minna
had
been
allowed
such
reprieve
as
her
thirty
-
five
cents
would
purchase
.
The
destitution
of
Mrs
.
Hooven
and
her
little
girl
had
begun
from
the
very
moment
of
her
eviction
.
While
she
waited
for
Minna
,
watching
every
street
car
and
every
approaching
pedestrian
,
a
policeman
appeared
,
asked
what
she
did
,
and
,
receiving
no
satisfactory
reply
,
promptly
moved
her
on
.
Minna
had
had
little
assurance
in
facing
the
life
struggle
of
the
city
.
Mrs
.
Hooven
had
absolutely
none
.
In
her
,
grief
,
distress
,
the
pinch
of
poverty
,
and
,
above
all
,
the
nameless
fear
of
the
turbulent
,
fierce
life
of
the
streets
,
had
produced
a
numbness
,
an
embruted
,
sodden
,
silent
,
speechless
condition
of
dazed
mind
,
and
clogged
,
unintelligent
speech
.
She
was
dumb
,
bewildered
,
stupid
,
animated
but
by
a
single
impulse
.
She
clung
to
life
,
and
to
the
life
of
her
little
daughter
Hilda
,
with
the
blind
tenacity
of
purpose
of
a
drowning
cat
.
