第15章

"Youhavenothingtodotoyourhair，"Mrs。Harsanyisaidkindly，asTheaturnedtothemirror。"Howeverithappenstolie，it’salwayspretty。IadmireitasmuchasTanyadoes。"

Theaglancedawkwardlyawayfromherandlookedstern，butMrs。Harsanyiknewthatshewaspleased。Theywentintotheliving—room，behindthestudio，wherethetwochildrenwereplayingonthebigrugbeforethecoalgrate。Andor，theboy，wassix，asturdy，handsomechild，andthelittlegirlwasfour。ShecametrippingtomeetThea，lookinglikealittledollinherwhitenetdress——hermothermadeallherclothes。Theapickedherupandhuggedher。Mrs。Harsanyiexcusedherselfandwenttothedining—room。Shekeptonlyonemaidanddidagooddealofthehouseworkherself，besidescookingherhusband’sfavoritedishesforhim。Shewasstillunderthirty，aslender，gracefulwoman，gracious，intelligent，andcapable。Sheadaptedherselftocircumstanceswithawell—bredeasewhichsolvedmanyofherhusband’sdifficulties，andkepthim，ashesaid，fromfeelingcheapanddownattheheel。

Nomusicianeverhadabetterwife。Unfortunatelyherbeautywasofaveryfrailandimpressionablekind，andshewasbeginningtoloseit。Herfacewastoothinnow，andtherewereoftendarkcirclesunderhereyes。

Leftalonewiththechildren，TheasatdownonTanya’slittlechair——shewouldratherhavesatonthefloor，butwasafraidofrumplingherdress——andhelpedthemplay"cars"withAndor’sironrailwayset。Sheshowedhim

newwaystolayhistracksandhowtomakeswitches，setuphisNoah’sarkvillageforstationsandpackedtheani—

malsintheopencoalcarstosendthemtothestockyards。

TheyworkedouttheirshipmentsorealisticallythatwhenAndorputthetwolittlereindeerintothestockcar，Tanyasnatchedthemoutandbegantocry，sayingshewasn’tgoingtohavealltheiranimalskilled。

Harsanyicamein，jadedandtired，andaskedTheatogoonwithhergame，ashewasnotequaltotalkingmuchbeforedinner。Hesatdownandmadepretenseofglancingattheeveningpaper，buthesoondroppedit。Aftertherailroadbegantogrowtiresome，Theawentwiththechild—

rentotheloungeinthecorner，andplayedforthemthegamewithwhichsheusedtoamuseThorforhoursto—

getherbehindtheparlorstoveathome，makingshadowpicturesagainstthewallwithherhands。Herfingerswereverysupple，andshecouldmakeaduckandacowandasheepandafoxandarabbitandevenanelephant。Har—

sanyi，fromhislowchair，watchedthem，smiling。Theboywasonhisknees，jumpingupanddownwiththeexcite—

mentofguessingthebeasts，andTanyasatwithherfeettuckedunderherandclappedherfraillittlehands。Thea’sprofile，inthelamplight，teasedhisfancy。Wherehadheseenaheadlikeitbefore？

Whendinnerwasannounced，littleAndortookThea’shandandwalkedtothedining—roomwithher。Thechil—

drenalwayshaddinnerwiththeirparentsandbehavedverynicelyattable。"Mamma，"saidAndorseriouslyasheclimbedintohischairandtuckedhisnapkinintothecollarofhisblouse，"MissKronborg’shandsareeverykindofanimalthereis。"

Hisfatherlaughed。"Iwishsomebodywouldsaythataboutmyhands，Andor。"

WhenTheadinedattheHarsanyisbefore，shenoticedthattherewasanintensesuspensefromthemomenttheytooktheirplacesatthetableuntilthemasterofthehouse

hadtastedthesoup。Hehadatheorythatifthesoupwentwell，thedinnerwouldgowell；butifthesoupwaspoor，allwaslost。To—nighthetastedhissoupandsmiled，andMrs。HarsanyisatmoreeasilyinherchairandturnedherattentiontoThea。Thealovedtheirdinnertable，be—

causeitwaslightedbycandlesinsilvercandle—sticks，andshehadneverseenatablesolightedanywhereelse。

Therewerealwaysflowers，too。To—nighttherewasalittleorangetree，withorangesonit，thatoneofHarsanyi’spupilshadsenthimatThanksgivingtime。AfterHarsanyihadfinishedhissoupandaglassofredHungarianwine，helosthisfaggedlookandbecamecordialandwitty。HepersuadedTheatodrinkalittlewineto—night。Thefirsttimeshedinedwiththem，whenheurgedhertotastetheglassofsherrybesideherplate，sheastonishedthembytellingthemthatshe"neverdrank。"

Harsanyiwasthenamanofthirty—two。Hewastohaveaverybrilliantcareer，buthedidnotknowitthen。

TheodoreThomaswasperhapstheonlymaninChicagowhofeltthatHarsanyimighthaveagreatfuture。Har—

sanyibelongedtothesofterSlavictype，andwasmorelikeaPolethanaHungarian。Hewastall，slender，active，withsloping，gracefulshouldersandlongarms。Hisheadwasveryfine，stronglyanddelicatelymodelled，and，asTheaputit，"soindependent。"Alockofhisthickbrownhairusuallyhungoverhisforehead。Hiseyewaswonderful；

fulloflightandfirewhenhewasinterested，softandthoughtfulwhenhewastiredormelancholy。Themean—

ingandpoweroftwoveryfineeyesmustallhavegoneintothisone——therightone，fortunately，theonenexthisaudiencewhenheplayed。Hebelievedthattheglasseyewhichgaveonesideofhisfacesuchadull，blindlook，hadruinedhiscareer，orratherhadmadeacareerimpos—

sibleforhim。Harsanyilosthiseyewhenhewastwelveyearsold，inaPennsylvaniaminingtownwhereexplo—

siveshappenedtobekepttooneartheframeshanties

inwhichthecompanypackednewlyarrivedHungarianfamilies。

Hisfatherwasamusicianandagoodone，buthehadcruellyover—workedtheboy；keepinghimatthepianoforsixhoursadayandmakinghimplayincafesanddancehallsforhalfthenight。Andorranawayandcrossedtheoceanwithanuncle，whosmuggledhimthroughtheportasoneofhisownmanychildren。TheexplosioninwhichAndorwashurtkilledascoreofpeople，andhewasthoughtluckytogetoffwithaneye。Hestillhadaclip—

pingfromaPittsburgpaper，givingalistofthedeadandinjured。Heappearedas"Harsanyi，Andor，lefteyeandslightinjuriesaboutthehead。"ThatwashisfirstAmerican"notice"；andhekeptit。Heheldnogrudgeagainstthecoalcompany；heunderstoodthattheacci—

dentwasmerelyoneofthethingsthatareboundtohap—

peninthegeneralscrambleofAmericanlife，whereeveryonecomestograbandtakeshischance。

Whiletheywereeatingdessert，TheaaskedHarsanyiifshecouldchangeherTuesdaylessonfromafternoontomorning。"Ihavetobeatachoirrehearsalintheafter—

noon，togetreadyfortheChristmasmusic，andIexpectitwilllastuntillate。"

Harsanyiputdownhisforkandlookedup。"Achoirrehearsal？Yousinginachurch？"

"Yes。AlittleSwedishchurch，overontheNorthside。"

"Whydidyounottellus？"

"Oh，I’monlyatemporary。Theregularsopranoisnotwell。"

"Howlonghaveyoubeensingingthere？"

"EversinceIcame。Ihadtogetapositionofsomekind，"Theaexplained，flushing，"andthepreachertookmeon。Herunsthechoirhimself。Heknewmyfather，andIguesshetookmetooblige。"

Harsanyitappedthetableclothwiththeendsofhis

fingers。"Butwhydidyounevertellus？Whyareyousoreticentwithus？"

Thealookedshylyathimfromunderherbrows。"Well，it’scertainlynotveryinteresting。It’sonlyalittlechurch。

Ionlydoitforbusinessreasons。"

"Whatdoyoumean？Don’tyouliketosing？Don’tyousingwell？"

"Ilikeitwellenough，but，ofcourse，Idon’tknowany—

thingaboutsinging。Iguessthat’swhyIneversaidany—

thingaboutit。Anybodythat’sgotavoicecansinginalittlechurchlikethat。"

Harsanyilaughedsoftly——alittlescornfully，Theathought。"Soyouhaveavoice，haveyou？"

Theahesitated，lookedintentlyatthecandlesandthenatHarsanyi。"Yes，"shesaidfirmly；"Ihavegotsome，anyway。"

"Goodgirl，"saidMrs。Harsanyi，noddingandsmilingatThea。"Youmustletushearyousingafterdinner。"

Thisremarkseeminglyclosedthesubject，andwhenthecoffeewasbroughttheybegantotalkofotherthings。

HarsanyiaskedTheahowshehappenedtoknowsomuchaboutthewayinwhichfreighttrainsareoperated，andshetriedtogivehimsomeideaofhowthepeopleinlittledeserttownslivebytherailwayandordertheirlivesbythecomingandgoingofthetrains。Whentheyleftthedining—

roomthechildrenweresenttobedandMrs。HarsanyitookTheaintothestudio。Sheandherhusbandusuallysatthereintheevening。

AlthoughtheirapartmentseemedsoeleganttoThea，itwassmallandcramped。Thestudiowastheonlyspaciousroom。TheHarsanyiswerepoor，anditwasduetoMrs。

Harsanyi’sgoodmanagementthattheirlives，eveninhardtimes，movedalongwithdignityandorder。Shehadlongagofoundoutthatbillsordebtsofanykindfrightenedherhusbandandcrippledhisworkingpower。

Hesaidtheywerelikebarsonthewindows，andshutout

thefuture；theymeantthatjustsomanyhundreddollars’

worthofhislifewasdebilitatedandexhaustedbeforehegottoit。SoMrs。Harsanyisawtoitthattheyneverowedanything。Harsanyiwasnotextravagant，thoughhewassometimescarelessaboutmoney。Quietandorderandhiswife’sgoodtastewerethethingsthatmeantmosttohim。Afterthese，goodfood，goodcigars，alittlegoodwine。Heworehisclothesuntiltheywereshabby，untilhiswifehadtoaskthetailortocometothehouseandmea—

surehimfornewones。Hisnecktiessheusuallymadeher—

self，andwhenshewasinshopsshealwayskepthereyeopenforsilksinverydullorpaleshades，graysandolives，warmblacksandbrowns。

WhentheywentintothestudioMrs。HarsanyitookupherembroideryandTheasatdownbesideheronalowstool，herhandsclaspedaboutherknees。Whilehiswifeandhispupiltalked，HarsanyisankintoaCHAISELONGUEinwhichhesometimessnatchedafewmoments’restbetweenhislessons，andsmoked。Hesatwelloutofthecircleofthelamplight，hisfeettothefire。Hisfeetwereslenderandwellshaped，alwayselegantlyshod。Muchofthegraceofhismovementswasduetothefactthathisfeetwerealmostassureandflexibleashishands。Helistenedtothecon—

versationwithamusement。Headmiredhiswife’stactandkindnesswithcrudeyoungpeople；shetaughtthemsomuchwithoutseemingtobeinstructing。Whentheclockstrucknine，Theasaidshemustbegoinghome。

Harsanyiroseandflungawayhiscigarette。"Notyet。

Wehavejustbeguntheevening。Nowyouaregoingtosingforus。Ihavebeenwaitingforyoutorecoverfromdinner。Come，whatshallitbe？"hecrossedtothepiano。

Thealaughedandshookherhead，lockingherelbowsstilltighteraboutherknees。"Thankyou，Mr。Harsanyi，butifyoureallymakemesing，I’llaccompanymyself。

Youcouldn’tstandittoplaythesortofthingsIhavetosing。"

AsHarsanyistillpointedtothechairatthepiano，sheleftherstoolandwenttoit，whilehereturnedtohisCHAISE

LONGUE。Thealookedatthekeyboarduneasilyforamo—

ment，thenshebegan"Come，yeDisconsolate，"thehymnWunschhadalwayslikedtohearhersing。Mrs。Harsanyiglancedquestioninglyatherhusband，buthewaslookingintentlyatthetoesofhisboots，shadinghisforeheadwithhislongwhitehand。WhenTheafinishedthehymnshedidnotturnaround，butimmediatelybegan"TheNinetyandNine。"Mrs。Harsanyikepttryingtocatchherhus—

band’seye；buthischinonlysankloweronhiscollar。

"TherewereninetyandninethatsafelylayIntheshelterofthefold，Butonewasoutonthehillsaway，Farofffromthegatesofgold。"

Harsanyilookedather，thenbackatthefire。

"Rejoice，fortheShepherdhasfoundhissheep。"

Theaturnedonthechairandgrinned。"That’saboutenough，isn’tit？Thatsonggotmemyjob。Thepreachersaiditwassympathetic，"shemincedtheword，remember—

ingMr。Larsen’smanner。

Harsanyidrewhimselfupinhischair，restinghiselbowsonthelowarms。"Yes？Thatisbettersuitedtoyourvoice。Youruppertonesaregood，aboveG。Imustteachyousomesongs。Don’tyouknowanything——pleasant？"

Theashookherheadruefully。"I’mafraidIdon’t。Letmesee——Perhaps，"sheturnedtothepianoandputherhandsonthekeys。"IusedtosingthisforMr。Wunschalongwhileago。It’sforcontralto，butI’lltryit。"Shefrownedatthekeyboardamoment，playedthefewin—

troductorymeasures，andbegan"ACH，ICHHABESIEVERLOREN，"

Shehadnotsungitforalongtime，anditcamebacklikeanoldfriendship。Whenshefinished，Harsanyisprangfromhischairanddroppedlightlyuponhistoes，akindof

ENTRE—CHATthathesometimesexecutedwhenheformedasuddenresolution，orwhenhewasabouttofollowapureintuition，againstreason。Hiswifesaidthatwhenhegavethatspringhewasshotfromthebowofhisancestors，andnowwhenhelefthischairinthatmannersheknewhewasintenselyinterested。Hewentquicklytothepiano。

"Singthatagain。Thereisnothingthematterwithyourlowvoice，mygirl。Iwillplayforyou。Letyourvoiceout。"Withoutlookingatherhebegantheaccom—

paniment。Theadrewbackhershoulders，relaxedtheminstinctively，andsang。

Whenshefinishedthearia，Harsanyibeckonedhernearer。"SingAH——AHforme，asIindicate。"Hekepthisrighthandonthekeyboardandputhislefttoherthroat，placingthetipsofhisdelicatefingersoverherlarynx。"Again，——untilyourbreathisgone。——Trillbetweenthetwotones，always；good！Again；excellent！——

Nowup，——staythere。EandF。Notsogood，isit？Fisalwaysahardone。——Now，trythehalf—tone。——That’sright，nothingdifficultaboutit。——Now，pianissimo，AH——

AH。Now，swellit，AH——AH。——Again，followmyhand。——

Now，carryitdown。——Anybodyevertellyouanythingaboutyourbreathing？"

"Mr。LarsensaysIhaveanunusuallylongbreath，"

Thearepliedwithspirit。

Harsanyismiled。"Soyouhave，soyouhave。ThatwaswhatImeant。Now，oncemore；carryitupandthendown，AH——AH。"Heputhishandbacktoherthroatandsatwithhisheadbent，hisoneeyeclosed。Helovedtohearabigvoicethrobinarelaxed，naturalthroat，andhewasthinkingthatnoonehadeverfeltthisvoicevibratebefore。ItwaslikeawildbirdthathadflownintohisstudioonMiddletonStreetfromgoodnessknewhowfar！

Nooneknewthatithadcome，oreventhatitexisted；

leastofallthestrange，crudegirlinwhosethroatitbeatitspassionatewings。Whatasimplethingitwas，here—

flected；whyhadheneverguesseditbefore？Everythingaboutherindicatedit，——thebigmouth，thewidejawandchin，thestrongwhiteteeth，thedeeplaugh。Themachinewassosimpleandstrong，seemedtobesoeasilyoperated。

Shesangfromthebottomofherself。Herbreathcamefromdownwhereherlaughcamefrom，thedeeplaughwhichMrs。Harsanyihadoncecalled"thelaughofthepeople。"

Arelaxedthroat，avoicethatlayonthebreath，thathadneverbeenforcedoffthebreath；itroseandfellintheair—columnlikethelittleballswhichareputtoshineinthejetofafountain。Thevoicedidnotthinasitwentup；

theuppertoneswereasfullandrichasthelower，pro—

ducedinthesamewayandasunconsciously，onlywithdeeperbreath。

AtlastHarsanyithrewbackhisheadandrose。"Youmustbetired，MissKronborg。"

Whenshereplied，shestartledhim；hehadforgottenhowhardandfullofbursherspeakingvoicewas。"No，"shesaid，"singingnevertiresme。"

Harsanyipushedbackhishairwithanervoushand。

"Idon’tknowmuchaboutthevoice，butIshalltakelibertiesandteachyousomegoodsongs。Ithinkyouhaveaveryinterestingvoice。"

"I’mgladifyoulikeit。Good—night，Mr。Harsanyi。"

TheawentwithMrs。Harsanyitogetherwraps。

WhenMrs。Harsanyicamebacktoherhusband，shefoundhimwalkingrestlesslyupanddowntheroom。

"Don’tyouthinkhervoicewonderful，dear？"sheasked。

"Iscarcelyknowwhattothink。AllIreallyknowaboutthatgirlisthatshetiresmetodeath。Wemustnothaveheroften。IfIdidnothavemylivingtomake，then——"

hedroppedintoachairandclosedhiseyes。"HowtiredIam。Whatavoice！"

IV

AFTERthateveningThea’sworkwithHarsanyichangedsomewhat。Heinsistedthatsheshouldstudysomesongswithhim，andafteralmosteverylessonhegaveuphalfanhourofhisowntimetopracticingthemwithher。Hedidnotpretendtoknowmuchaboutvoiceproduction，butsofar，hethought，shehadacquirednoreallyinjurioushabits。Ahealthyandpowerfulorganhadfounditsownmethod，whichwasnotabadone。Hewishedtofindoutagooddealbeforeherecommendedavocalteacher。HenevertoldTheawhathethoughtabouthervoice，andmadehergeneralignoranceofanythingworthsinginghispretextforthetroublehetook。Thatwasinthebeginning。Afterthefirstfewlessonshisownpleasureandherswerepretextenough。Thesingingcameattheendofthelessonhour，andtheybothtreateditasaformofrelaxation。

Harsanyididnotsaymucheventohiswifeabouthisdiscovery。Hebroodeduponitinacuriousway。Hefoundthattheseunscientificsinginglessonsstimulatedhiminhisownstudy。AfterMissKronborglefthimheoftenlaydowninhisstudioforanhourbeforedinner，withhisheadfullofmusicalideas，withaneffervescenceinhisbrainwhichhehadsometimeslostforweekstogetherun—

derthegrindofteaching。HehadnevergotsomuchbackforhimselffromanypupilashedidfromMissKronborg。

Fromthefirstshehadstimulatedhim；somethinginherpersonalityinvariablyaffectedhim。Nowthathewasfeelinghiswaytowardhervoice，hefoundhermorein—

terestingthaneverbefore。Sheliftedthetediumofthewinterforhim，gavehimcuriousfanciesandreveries。

Musically，shewassympathetictohim。Whyallthiswas

true，heneveraskedhimself。Hehadlearnedthatonemusttakewhereandwhenonecanthemysteriousmentalir—

ritantthatrousesone’simagination；thatitisnottobehadbyorder。Sheoftenweariedhim，butsheneverboredhim。Underhercrudenessandbrusquehardness，hefelttherewasanaturequitedifferent，ofwhichhenevergotsomuchasahintexceptwhenshewasatthepiano，orwhenshesang。Itwastowardthishiddencreaturethathewastrying，forhisownpleasure，tofindhisway。Inshort，HarsanyilookedforwardtohishourwithTheaforthesamereasonthatpoorWunschhadsometimesdreadedhis；becauseshestirredhimmorethananythingshedidcouldadequatelyexplain。

OneafternoonHarsanyi，afterthelesson，wasstandingbythewindowputtingsomecollodiononacrackedfinger，andTheawasatthepianotryingover"DieLorelei"

whichhehadgivenherlastweektopractice。Itwasscarcelyasongwhichasingingmasterwouldhavegivenher，buthehadhisownreasons。Howshesangitmatteredonlytohimandtoher。Hewasplayinghisowngamenow，withoutinterference；hesuspectedthathecouldnotdosoalways。

Whenshefinishedthesong，shelookedbackoverhershoulderathimandspokethoughtfully。"Thatwasn’tright，attheend，wasit？"

"No，thatshouldbeanopen，flowingtone，somethinglikethis，"——hewavedhisfingersrapidlyintheair。"Yougettheidea？"

"No，Idon’t。Seemsaqueerending，aftertherest。"

Harsanyicorkedhislittlebottleanddroppeditintothepocketofhisvelvetcoat。"Whyso？Shipwreckscomeandgo，MARCHENcomeandgo，buttheriverkeepsrighton。

Thereyouhaveyouropen，flowingtone。"

Thealookedintentlyatthemusic。"Isee，"shesaiddully。"Oh，Isee！"sherepeatedquicklyandturnedtohimaglowingcountenance。"Itistheriver。——Oh，yes，Igetitnow！"Shelookedathimbutlongenoughtocatch

hisglance，thenturnedtothepianoagain。Harsanyiwasneverquitesurewherethelightcamefromwhenherfacesuddenlyflashedoutathiminthatway。Hereyesweretoosmalltoaccountforit，thoughtheyglitteredlikegreeniceinthesun。Atsuchmomentsherhairwasyellower，herskinwhiter，hercheekspinker，asifalamphadsuddenlybeenturnedupinsideofher。Shewentatthesongagain：

"ICHWEISSNICHT，WASSOLLESBEDEUTEN，DASICHSOTRAURIGBIN。"

Akindofhappinessvibratedinhervoice。Harsanyino—

ticedhowmuchandhowunhesitatinglyshechangedherdeliveryofthewholesong，thefirstpartaswellasthelast。

Hehadoftennoticedthatshecouldnotthinkathingoutinpassages。Untilshesawitasawhole，shewanderedlikeablindmansurroundedbytorments。Aftersheoncehadher"revelation，"aftershegottheideathattoher——notalwaystohim——explainedeverything，thenshewentfor—

wardrapidly。Butshewasnotalwayseasytohelp。Shewassometimesimpervioustosuggestion；shewouldstareathimasifsheweredeafandignoreeverythinghetoldhertodo。Then，allatonce，somethingwouldhappeninherbrainandshewouldbegintodoallthathehadbeenforweekstellinghertodo，withoutrealizingthathehadevertoldher。

To—nightTheaforgotHarsanyiandhisfinger。Shefinishedthesongonlytobeginitwithfreshenthusiasm。

"UNDDASHATMITIHREMSINGEN

DIELORELEIGETHAN。"

ShesattheresingingituntilthedarkeningroomwassofloodedwithitthatHarsanyithrewopenawindow。

"Youreallymuststopit，MissKronborg。Ishan’tbeabletogetitoutofmyheadto—night。"

Thealaughedtolerantlyasshebegantogatheruphermusic。"Why，Ithoughtyouhadgone，Mr。Harsanyi。I

likethatsong。"

ThateveningatdinnerHarsanyisatlookingintentlyintoaglassofheavyyellowwine；boringintoit，indeed，withhisoneeye，whenhisfacesuddenlybrokeintoasmile。

"Whatisit，Andor？"hiswifeasked。

Hesmiledagain，thistimeather，andtookupthenut—

crackersandaBrazilnut。"Doyouknow，"hesaidinatonesointimateandconfidentialthathemighthavebeenspeakingtohimself，——"doyouknow，IliketoseeMissKronborggetholdofanidea。Inspiteofbeingsotalented，she’snotquick。Butwhenshedoesgetanidea，itfillsheruptotheeyes。ShehadmyroomsoreekingofasongthisafternoonthatIcouldn’tstaythere。"

Mrs。Harsanyilookedupquickly，"`DieLorelei，’youmean？Onecouldn’tthinkofanythingelseanywhereinthehouse。Ithoughtshewaspossessed。Butdon’tyouthinkhervoiceiswonderfulsometimes？"

Harsanyitastedhiswineslowly。"Mydear，I’vetoldyoubeforethatIdon’tknowwhatIthinkaboutMissKronborg，exceptthatI’mgladtherearenottwoofher。