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- Теодор Драйзер
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- Стр. 269/332
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Imagine
a
dining-room
in
one
of
the
principal
hotels
of
New
York
,
the
hour
midnight
,
after
an
evening
at
the
opera
,
to
which
Cowperwood
,
as
host
,
had
invited
Berenice
,
Lieutenant
Braxmar
,
and
Mrs.
Carter
.
He
was
now
playing
the
role
of
disinterested
host
and
avuncular
mentor
.
His
attitude
toward
Berenice
,
meditating
,
as
he
was
,
a
course
which
should
be
destructive
to
Braxmar
,
was
gentle
,
courteous
,
serenely
thoughtful
.
Like
a
true
Mephistopheles
he
was
waiting
,
surveying
Mrs.
Carter
and
Berenice
,
who
were
seated
in
front
chairs
clad
in
such
exotic
draperies
as
opera-goers
affect
--
Mrs.
Carter
in
pale-lemon
silk
and
diamonds
;
Berenice
in
purple
and
old-rose
,
with
a
jeweled
comb
in
her
hair
.
The
Lieutenant
in
his
dazzling
uniform
smiled
and
talked
blandly
,
complimented
the
singers
,
whispered
pleasant
nothings
to
Berenice
,
descanted
at
odd
moments
to
Cowperwood
on
naval
personages
who
happened
to
be
present
.
Coming
out
of
the
opera
and
driving
through
blowy
,
windy
streets
to
the
Waldorf
,
they
took
the
table
reserved
for
them
,
and
Cowperwood
,
after
consulting
with
regard
to
the
dishes
and
ordering
the
wine
,
went
back
reminiscently
to
the
music
,
which
had
been
"
La
Boheme
.
"
The
death
of
Mimi
and
the
grief
of
Rodolph
,
as
voiced
by
the
splendid
melodies
of
Puccini
,
interested
him
.
"
That
makeshift
studio
world
may
have
no
connection
with
the
genuine
professional
artist
,
but
it
's
very
representative
of
life
,
"
he
remarked
.
"
I
do
n't
know
,
I
'm
sure
,
"
said
Braxmar
,
seriously
.
"
All
I
know
of
Bohemia
is
what
I
have
read
in
books
--
Trilby
,
for
instance
,
and
--
"
He
could
think
of
no
other
,
and
stopped
.
"
I
suppose
it
is
that
way
in
Paris
.
"
He
looked
at
Berenice
for
confirmation
and
to
win
a
smile
.
Owing
to
her
mobile
and
sympathetic
disposition
,
she
had
during
the
opera
been
swept
from
period
to
period
by
surges
of
beauty
too
gay
or
pathetic
for
words
,
but
clearly
comprehended
of
the
spirit
.
Once
when
she
had
been
lost
in
dreamy
contemplation
,
her
hands
folded
on
her
knees
,
her
eyes
fixed
on
the
stage
,
both
Braxmar
and
Cowperwood
had
studied
her
parted
lips
and
fine
profile
with
common
impulses
of
emotion
and
enthusiasm
.
Realizing
after
the
mood
was
gone
that
they
had
been
watching
her
,
Berenice
had
continued
the
pose
for
a
moment
,
then
had
waked
as
from
a
dream
with
a
sigh
.
This
incident
now
came
back
to
her
as
well
as
her
feeling
in
regard
to
the
opera
generally
.
"
It
is
very
beautiful
,
"
she
said
;
"
I
do
not
know
what
to
say
.
People
are
like
that
,
of
course
.
It
is
so
much
better
than
just
dull
comfort
.
Life
is
really
finest
when
it
's
tragic
,
anyhow
.
"
She
looked
at
Cowperwood
,
who
was
studying
her
;
then
at
Braxmar
,
who
saw
himself
for
the
moment
on
the
captain
's
bridge
of
a
battle-ship
commanding
in
time
of
action
.
To
Cowperwood
came
back
many
of
his
principal
moments
of
difficulty
.
Surely
his
life
had
been
sufficiently
dramatic
to
satisfy
her
.
