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- Теодор Драйзер
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- Стр. 268/332
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Yet
who
could
it
be
?
She
had
been
charmed
by
Braxmar
,
but
her
keen
,
analytic
intelligence
required
some
one
harder
,
more
vivid
,
more
ruthless
,
some
one
who
would
appeal
to
her
as
an
immense
force
.
Yet
she
must
be
conservative
,
she
must
play
what
cards
she
had
to
win
.
During
his
summer
visit
at
Narragansett
Cowperwood
had
not
been
long
disturbed
by
the
presence
of
Braxmar
,
for
,
having
received
special
orders
,
the
latter
was
compelled
to
hurry
away
to
Hampton
Roads
.
But
the
following
November
,
forsaking
temporarily
his
difficult
affairs
in
Chicago
for
New
York
and
the
Carter
apartment
in
Central
Park
South
,
Cowperwood
again
encountered
the
Lieutenant
,
who
arrived
one
evening
brilliantly
arrayed
in
full
official
regalia
in
order
to
escort
Berenice
to
a
ball
.
A
high
military
cap
surmounting
his
handsome
face
,
his
epaulets
gleaming
in
gold
,
the
lapels
of
his
cape
thrown
back
to
reveal
a
handsome
red
silken
lining
,
his
sword
clanking
by
his
side
,
he
seemed
a
veritable
singing
flame
of
youth
.
Cowperwood
,
caught
in
the
drift
of
circumstance
--
age
,
unsuitableness
,
the
flaring
counter-attractions
of
romance
and
vigor
--
fairly
writhed
in
pain
.
Berenice
was
so
beautiful
in
a
storm
of
diaphanous
clinging
garments
.
He
stared
at
them
from
an
adjacent
room
,
where
he
pretended
to
be
reading
,
and
sighed
.
Alas
,
how
was
his
cunning
and
foresight
--
even
his
--
to
overcome
the
drift
of
life
itself
?
How
was
he
to
make
himself
appealing
to
youth
?
Braxmar
had
the
years
,
the
color
,
the
bearing
.
Berenice
seemed
to-night
,
as
she
prepared
to
leave
,
to
be
fairly
seething
with
youth
,
hope
,
gaiety
.
He
arose
after
a
few
moments
and
,
giving
business
as
an
excuse
,
hurried
away
.
But
it
was
only
to
sit
in
his
own
rooms
in
a
neighboring
hotel
and
meditate
.
The
logic
of
the
ordinary
man
under
such
circumstances
,
compounded
of
the
age-old
notions
of
chivalry
,
self-sacrifice
,
duty
to
higher
impulses
,
and
the
like
,
would
have
been
to
step
aside
in
favor
of
youth
,
to
give
convention
its
day
,
and
retire
in
favor
of
morality
and
virtue
.
Cowperwood
saw
things
in
no
such
moralistic
or
altruistic
light
.
"
I
satisfy
myself
,
"
had
ever
been
his
motto
,
and
under
that
,
however
much
he
might
sympathize
with
Berenice
in
love
or
with
love
itself
,
he
was
not
content
to
withdraw
until
he
was
sure
that
the
end
of
hope
for
him
had
really
come
.
There
had
been
moments
between
him
and
Berenice
--
little
approximations
toward
intimacy
--
which
had
led
him
to
believe
that
by
no
means
was
she
seriously
opposed
to
him
.
At
the
same
time
this
business
of
the
Lieutenant
,
so
Mrs.
Carter
confided
to
him
a
little
later
,
was
not
to
be
regarded
lightly
.
While
Berenice
might
not
care
so
much
,
obviously
Braxmar
did
.
"
Ever
since
he
has
been
away
he
has
been
storming
her
with
letters
,
"
she
remarked
to
Cowperwood
,
one
afternoon
.
"
I
do
n't
think
he
is
the
kind
that
can
be
made
to
take
no
for
an
answer
.
"
A
very
successful
kind
,
"
commented
Cowperwood
,
dryly
.
Mrs.
Carter
was
eager
for
advice
in
the
matter
.
Braxmar
was
a
man
of
parts
.
She
knew
his
connections
.
He
would
inherit
at
least
six
hundred
thousand
dollars
at
his
father
's
death
,
if
not
more
.
What
about
her
Louisville
record
?
Supposing
that
should
come
out
later
?
Would
it
not
be
wise
for
Berenice
to
marry
,
and
have
the
danger
over
with
?
"
It
is
a
problem
,
is
n't
it
?
"
observed
Cowperwood
,
calmly
.
"
Are
you
sure
she
's
in
love
?
"
"
Oh
,
I
would
n't
say
that
,
but
such
things
so
easily
turn
into
love
.
I
have
never
believed
that
Berenice
could
be
swept
off
her
feet
by
any
one
--
she
is
so
thoughtful
--
but
she
knows
she
has
her
own
way
to
make
in
the
world
,
and
Mr.
Braxmar
is
certainly
eligible
.
I
know
his
cousins
,
the
Clifford
Porters
,
very
well
.
"
Cowperwood
knitted
his
brows
.
He
was
sick
to
his
soul
with
this
worry
over
Berenice
.
He
felt
that
he
must
have
her
,
even
at
the
cost
of
inflicting
upon
her
a
serious
social
injury
.
Better
that
she
should
surmount
it
with
him
than
escape
it
with
another
.
It
so
happened
,
however
,
that
the
final
grim
necessity
of
acting
on
any
such
idea
was
spared
him
.
