Chapter 31

A PET OF GOOD FORTUNE: BROADWAY FLAUNTS ITS JOYS

The effect of the city and his own situation on Hurstwood was paralleled in the case of Carrie, who accepted the things fortune provided with the most genial good-nature. New York, despite her first expression of disapproval, soon interested her exceedingly. Its clear atmosphere, more populous thoroughfares, and peculiar indifference struck her forcibly. She had never seen such a little flat as hers, and yet it soon enlisted her affection. The new furniture made an excellent showing, the sideboard which Hurstwood himself arranged gleamed brightly. The furniture for each room was appropriate, and in the so-called parlour, or front room, was installed a piano, because Carrie said she would like to learn to play. She kept a servant and developed rapidly in household tactics and information. For the first time in her life she felt settled, and somewhat justified in the eyes of society as she conceived of it. Her thoughts were merry and innocent enough. For a long while she concerned herself over the arrangement of New York flats, and wondered at ten families living in one building and all remaining strange and indifferent to each other. She also marvelled at the whistles of the hundreds of vessels in the harbour -- the long, low cries of the Sound steamers and ferry-boats when fog was on. The mere fact that these things spoke from the sea made them wonderful. She looked much at what she could see of the Hudson from her west windows and of the great city building up rapidly on either hand. It was much to ponder over, and sufficed to entertain her for more than a year without becoming stale.

For another thing, Hurstwood was exceedingly interesting in his affection for her. Troubled as he was, he never exposed his difficulties to her. He carried himself with the same self-important air, took his new state with easy familiarity, and rejoiced in Carrie's proclivities and successes. Each evening he arrived promptly to dinner, and found the little dining-room a most inviting spectacle. In a way, the smallness of the room added to its luxury. It looked full and replete. The white-covered table was arrayed with pretty dishes and lighted with a four-armed candelabra, each light of which was topped with a red shade. Between Carrie and the girl the steaks and chops came out all right, and canned goods did the rest for a while. Carrie studied the art of making biscuit, and soon reached the stage where she could show a plate of light, palatable morsels for her labour.

In this manner the second, third, and fourth months passed. Winter came, and with it a feeling that indoors was best, so that the attending of theatres was not much talked of. Hurstwood made great efforts to meet all expenditures without a show of feeling one way or the other. He pretended that he was reinvesting his money in strengthening the business for greater ends in the future. He contented himself with a very moderate allowance of personal apparel, and rarely suggested anything for Carrie. Thus the first winter passed.

In the second year, the business which Hurstwood managed did increase somewhat. He got out of it regularly the $150 per month which he had anticipated. Unfortunately, by this time Carrie had reached certain conclusions, and he had scraped up a few acquaintances.

Being of a passive and receptive rather than an active and aggressive nature, Carrie accepted the situation. Her state seemed satisfactory enough. Once in a while they would go to a theatre together, occasionally in season to the beaches and different points about the city, but they picked up no acquaintances. Hurstwood naturally abandoned his show of fine manners with her and modified his attitude to one of easy familiarity. There were no misunderstandings, no apparent differences of opinion. In fact, without money or visiting friends, he led a life which could neither arouse jealousy nor comment. Carrie rather sympathised with his efforts and thought nothing upon her lack of entertainment such as she had enjoyed in Chicago. New York as a corporate entity and her flat temporarily seemed sufficient.

However, as Hurstwood's business increased, he, as stated, began to pick up acquaintances. He also began to allow himself more clothes. He convinced himself that his home life was very precious to him, but allowed that he could occasionally stay away from dinner. The first time he did this he sent a message saying that he would be detained. Carrie ate alone, and wished that it might not happen again. The second time, also, he sent word, but at the last moment. The third time he forgot entirely and explained afterwards. These events were months apart, each.

"Where were you, George?" asked Carrie, after the first absence.

"Tied up at the office," he said genially. "There were some accounts I had to straighten."

"I'm sorry you couldn't get home," she said kindly. "I was fixing to have such a nice dinner."

The second time he gave a similar excuse, but the third time the feeling about it in Carrie's mind was a little bit out of the ordinary.

"I couldn't get home," he said, when he came in later in the evening, "I was so busy."

"Couldn't you have sent me word?" asked Carrie.

"I meant to," he said, "but you know I forgot it until it was too late to do any good."

"And I had such a good dinner!" said Carrie.

Now, it so happened that from his observations of Carrie he began to imagine that she was of the thoroughly domestic type of mind. He really thought, after a year, that her chief expression in life was finding its natural channel in household duties. Notwithstanding the fact that he had observed her act in Chicago, and that during the past year he had only seen her limited in her relations to her flat and him by conditions which he made, and that she had not gained any friends or associates, he drew this peculiar conclusion. With it came a feeling of satisfaction in having a wife who could thus be content, and this satisfaction worked its natural result. That is, since he imagined he saw her satisfied, he felt called upon to give only that which contributed to such satisfaction. He supplied the furniture, the decorations, the food, and the necessary clothing. Thoughts of entertaining her, leading her out into the shine and show of life, grew less and less. He felt attracted to the outer world, but did not think she would care to go along. Once he went to the theatre alone. Another time he joined a couple of his new friends at an evening game of poker. Since his money-feathers were beginning to grow again he felt like sprucing about. All this, however, in a much less imposing way than had been his wont in Chicago. He avoided the gay places where he would be apt to meet those who had known him.

Now, Carrie began to feel this in various sensory ways. She was not the kind to be seriously disturbed by his actions. Not loving him greatly, she could not be jealous in a disturbing way. In fact, she was not jealous at all. Hurstwood was pleased with her placid manner, when he should have duly considered it. When he did not come home it did not seem anything like a terrible thing to her. She gave him credit for having the usual allurements of men -- people to talk to, places to stop, friends to consult with. She was perfectly willing that he should enjoy himself in his way, but she did not care to be neglected herself. Her state still seemed fairly reasonable, however. All she did observe was that Hurstwood was somewhat different.

Some time in the second year of their residence in Seventy-eighth Street the flat across the hall from Carrie became vacant, and into it moved a very handsome young woman and her husband, with both of whom Carrie afterwards became acquainted. This was brought about solely by the arrangement of the flats, which were united in one place, as it were, by the dumb-waiter. This useful elevator, by which fuel, groceries, and the like were sent up from the basement, and garbage and waste sent down, was used by both residents on one floor; that is, a small door opened into it from each flat.

If the occupants of both flats answered to the whistle of the janitor at the same time, they would stand face to face when they opened the dumb-waiter doors. One morning, when Carrie went to remove her paper, the newcomer, a handsome brunette of perhaps twenty-three years of age, was there for a like purpose. She was in a night-robe and dressing-gown, with her hair very much tousled, but she looked so pretty and good-natured that Carrie instantly conceived a liking for her. The newcomer did no more than smile shamefacedly, but it was sufficient. Carrie felt that she would like to know her, and a similar feeling stirred in the mind of the other, who admired Carrie's innocent face.

"That's a real pretty woman who has moved in next door," said Carrie to Hurstwood at the breakfast table.

"Who are they?" asked Hurstwood.

"I don't know," said Carrie. "The name on the bell is Vance. Some one over there plays beautifully. I guess it must be she."

"Well, you never can tell what sort of people you're living next to in this town, can you?" said Hurstwood, expressing the customary New York opinion about neighbours.

"Just think," said Carrie, "I have been in this house with nine other families for over a year and I don't know a soul. These people have been here over a month, and I haven't seen any one before this morning."

"It's just as well," said Hurstwood. "You never know who you're going to get in with. Some of these people are pretty bad company."

"I expect so," said Carrie, agreeably.

The conversation turned to other things, and Carrie thought no more upon the subject until a day or two later, when, going out to market, she encountered Mrs. Vance coming in. The latter recognised her and nodded, for which Carrie returned a smile. This settled the probability of acquaintanceship. If there had been no faint recognition on this occasion, there would have been no future association.

Carrie saw no more of Mrs. Vance for several weeks, but she heard her play through the thin walls which divided the front rooms of the flats, and was pleased by the merry selection of pieces and the brilliance of their rendition. She could play only moderately herself, and such variety as Mrs. Vance exercised bordered, for Carrie, upon the verge of great art. Everything she had seen and heard thus far -- the merest scraps and shadows -- indicated that these people were, in a measure, refined and in comfortable circumstances. So Carrie was ready for any extension of the friendship which might follow.

One day Carrie's bell rang and the servant, who was in the kitchen, pressed the button which caused the front door of the general entrance on the ground floor to be electrically unlatched. When Carrie waited at her own door on the third floor to see who it might be coming up to call on her, Mrs. Vance appeared.

"I hope you'll excuse me," she said. "I went out a while ago and forgot my outside key, so I thought I'd ring your bell."

This was a common trick of other residents of the building, whenever they had forgotten their outside keys. They did not apologise for it, however.

"Certainly," said Carrie. "I'm glad you did. I do the same thing sometimes."

"Isn't it just delightful weather?" said Mrs. Vance, pausing for a moment.

Thus, after a few more preliminaries, this visiting acquaintance was well launched, and in the young Mrs. Vance Carrie found an agreeable companion.

On several occasions Carrie visited her and was visited. Both flats were good to look upon, though that of the Vances tended somewhat more to the luxurious.

"I want you to come over this evening and meet my husband," said Mrs. Vance, not long after their intimacy began. "He wants to meet you. You play cards, don't you?"

"A little," said Carrie.

"Well, we'll have a game of cards. If your husband comes home bring him over."

"He's not coming to dinner to-night," said Carrie.

"Well, when he does come we'll call him in."

Carrie acquiesced, and that evening met the portly Vance, an individual a few years younger than Hurstwood, and who owed his seemingly comfortable matrimonial state much more to his money than to his good looks. He thought well of Carrie upon the first glance and laid himself out to be genial, teaching her a new game of cards and talking to her about New York and its pleasures. Mrs. Vance played some upon the piano, and at last Hurstwood came.

"I am very glad to meet you," he said to Mrs. Vance when Carrie introduced him, showing much of the old grace which had captivated Carrie.

"Did you think your wife had run away?" said Mr. Vance, extending his hand upon introduction.

"I didn't know but what she might have found a better husband," said Hurstwood.

He now turned his attention to Mrs. Vance, and in a flash Carrie saw again what she for some time had sub-consciously missed in Hurstwood -- the adroitness and flattery of which he was capable. She also saw that she was not well dressed -- not nearly as well dressed -- as Mrs. Vance. These were not vague ideas any longer. Her situation was cleared up for her. She felt that her life was becoming stale, and therein she felt cause for gloom. The old helpful, urging melancholy was restored. The desirous Carrie was whispered to concerning her possibilities.

There were no immediate results to this awakening, for Carrie had little power of initiative; but, nevertheless, she seemed ever capable of getting herself into the tide of change where she would be easily borne along. Hurstwood noticed nothing. He had been unconscious of the marked contrasts which Carrie had observed. He did not even detect the shade of melancholy which settled in her eyes. Worst of all, she now began to feel the loneliness of the flat and seek the company of Mrs. Vance, who liked her exceedingly.

"Let's go to the matinee this afternoon," said Mrs. Vance, who had stepped across into Carrie's flat one morning, still arrayed in a soft pink dressing-gown, which she had donned upon rising. Hurstwood and Vance had gone their separate ways nearly an hour before.

"All right," said Carrie, noticing the air of the petted and well-groomed woman in Mrs. Vance's general appearance. She looked as though she was dearly loved and her every wish gratified. "What shall we see?"

"Oh, I do want to see Nat Goodwin," said Mrs. Vance. "I do think he is the jolliest actor. The papers say this is such a good play."

"What time will we have to start?" asked Carrie.

"Let's go at one and walk down Broadway from Thirty-fourth Street," said Mrs. Vance. "It's such an interesting walk. He's at the Madison Square."

"I'll be glad to go," said Carrie. "How much will we have to pay for seats?"

"Not more than a dollar," said Mrs. Vance.

The latter departed, and at one o'clock reappeared, stunningly arrayed in a dark-blue walking dress, with a nobby hat to match. Carrie had gotten herself up charmingly enough, but this woman pained her by contrast. She seemed to have so many dainty little things which Carrie had not. There were trinkets of gold, an elegant green leather purse set with her initials, a fancy handkerchief, exceedingly rich in design, and the like. Carrie felt that she needed more and better clothes to compare with this woman, and that any one looking at the two would pick Mrs. Vance for her raiment alone. It was a trying, though rather unjust thought, for Carrie had now developed an equally pleasing figure, and had grown in comeliness until she was a thoroughly attractive type of her colour of beauty. There was some difference in the clothing of the two, both of quality and age, but this difference was not especially noticeable. It served, however, to augment Carrie's dissatisfaction with her state.

The walk down Broadway, then as now, was one of the remarkable features of the city. There gathered, before the matinee and afterwards, not only all the pretty women who love a showy parade, but the men who love to gaze upon and admire them. It was a very imposing procession of pretty faces and fine clothes. Women appeared in their very best hats, shoes, and gloves, and walked arm in arm on their way to the fine shops or theatres strung along from Fourteenth to Thirty-fourth streets. Equally the men paraded with the very latest they could afford. A tailor might have secured hints on suit measurements, a shoemaker on proper lasts and colours, a hatter on hats. It was literally true that if a lover of fine clothes secured a new suit, it was sure to have its first airing on Broadway. So true and well understood was this fact, that several years later a popular song, detailing this and other facts concerning the afternoon parade on matinee days, and entitled "What Right Has He on Broadway?" was published, and had quite a vogue about the music-halls of the city.

In all her stay in the city, Carrie had never heard of this showy parade; had never even been on Broadway when it was taking place. On the other hand, it was a familiar thing to Mrs. Vance, who not only knew of it as an entity, but had often been in it, going purposely to see and be seen, to create a stir with her beauty and dispel any tendency to fall short in dressiness by contrasting herself with the beauty and fashion of the town.

Carrie stepped along easily enough after they got out of the car at Thirty-fourth Street, but soon fixed her eyes upon the lovely company which swarmed by and with them as they proceeded. She noticed suddenly that Mrs. Vance's manner had rather stiffened under the gaze of handsome men and elegantly dressed ladies, whose glances were not modified by any rules of propriety. To stare seemed the proper and natural thing. Carrie found herself stared at and ogled. Men in flawless top-coats, high hats, and silver-headed walking sticks elbowed near and looked too often into conscious eyes. Ladies rustled by in dresses of stiff cloth, shedding affected smiles and perfume. Carrie noticed among them the sprinkling of goodness and the heavy percentage of vice. The rouged and powdered cheeks and lips, the scented hair, the large, misty, and languorous eye, were common enough. With a start she awoke to find that she was in fashion's crowd, on parade in a show place -- and such a show place! Jewellers' windows gleamed along the path with remarkable frequency. Florist shops, furriers, haberdashers, confectioners -- all followed in rapid succession. The street was full of coaches. Pompous doormen in immense coats, shiny brass belts and buttons, waited in front of expensive salesrooms. Coachmen in tan boots, white tights, and blue jackets waited obsequiously for the mistresses of carriages who were shopping inside. The whole street bore the flavour of riches and show, and Carrie felt that she was not of it. She could not, for the life of her, assume the attitude and smartness of Mrs. Vance, who, in her beauty, was all assurance. She could only imagine that it must be evident to many that she was the less handsomely dressed of the two. It cut her to the quick, and she resolved that she would not come here again until she looked better. At the same time she longed to feel the delight of parading here as an equal. Ah, then she would be happy!

第三十一章

命运的宠儿：百老汇大街的花花世界

这个城市和他自己的处境影响着赫斯渥，也同样影响着嘉莉，她总是带着一颗极其善良的心接受命运的安排。纽约这地方，虽然她最初表示过不喜欢，但很快就使她十分感兴趣了。这里的空气清新，街道更加宽阔，还有人们之间那特有的互不关心，这一切都给她留下了深刻的印象。她从未见过像她住的这么小的公寓，可是很快就喜欢上了它。新家具显得非常豪华，赫斯渥亲手布置的餐具柜闪闪发亮。每个房间的家具都很相宜，在所谓的客厅或者前房间里还安放了一架钢琴，因为嘉莉说她想学钢琴。她还雇用了一个女仆，而且自己在家务的料理和知识方面也进步很快。她生平第一次感到有了归宿，自认为在社会上人们的心目中取得了一定的合法地位。她的想法既愉快又天真。有很长一段时间，她一心只顾着布置纽约的住房，对一幢楼里同住十户人家，大家却形同陌路，互不关心，感到十分奇怪。使她惊异的还有港湾内那几百条船的汽笛声--有雾的时候，驶过长岛海峡的汽轮和渡船发出的漫长而低沉的汽笛声。这些声音来自大海，就凭这一点，它们就很奇妙。她常常从西面的窗口眺望赫德森河以及河两岸迅速建设起来的大都市的景色。可琢磨的东西很多，足够她欣赏个一年半载也不会感到乏味。

另外，赫斯渥对她的痴情也使她大为着迷。他虽然心里很烦恼，却从不向她诉苦。他风度依旧，神气十足，从容不迫地对付新的处境，为嘉莉的癖好和成就感到高兴。每天晚上他都准时回家吃饭，觉得家里的小餐室可爱之极。在某种程度上，房间窄小反倒显得更加华丽。它看上去应有尽有。铺着白色台布的餐桌上摆着精美的盘子，点着四叉灯台，每盏灯上安着一只红色灯罩。嘉莉和女仆一起烧的牛排和猪排都很不错，有时也吃吃罐头食品。嘉莉学着做饼干，不久就能自己忙乎出一盘松软可口的小点心来。

就这样度过了第二、第三和第四个月。冬天来了，随之便觉得待在家里最好，因此也不大谈起看戏的事。赫斯渥尽力支付一切费用，丝毫不露声色。他假装正在把钱用来再投资，扩大生意，以便将来有更多的收入。他乐于尽量节省自己的衣服费用，也难得提出为嘉莉添置些什么。第一个冬天就这样过去了。

第二年，赫斯渥经营的生意在收入上真的有所增加。他能每月固定地拿到他预计的１５０块钱。不幸的是，这时嘉莉已经得出了一些结论，而他也结交了几个朋友。

嘉莉天性被动、容忍，而不是主动、进取，因此她安于现状。她的处境似乎还很令她满意。有时候，他们会一起去看看戏，偶尔也会应时令去海边以及纽约各处玩玩，但他们没有结交朋友。赫斯渥对她的态度自然不再是彬彬有礼，而是一种随便的亲密态度。没有误会，没有明显的意见分岐。事实上，没有钱，也没有朋友来拜访，他过一种既不会引起嫉妒也不会招惹非议的生活。嘉莉很同情他的努力，也不去想自己缺少的在芝加哥时所享受的那种娱乐生活。纽约，作为一个整体，和她的公寓似乎暂时还令人心满意足。

然而，如上所述，随着赫斯渥生意的兴隆，他开始结交朋友。他也开始为自己添置衣服。他自认为家庭生活对他十分珍贵，但又认为他偶尔不回家吃晚饭也是可以的。他第一次不回家吃饭时，让人带信说他有事耽搁了。嘉莉一个人吃了饭，希望不会再发生同样的事情。第二次，他也让人带了话，但是已临近开饭的时间。第三次，他干脆全忘了，事后才解释了一番。这类事情，每隔几个月就会有一次。

“你去哪里了，乔治？”他第一次没回来吃饭以后，嘉莉问。

“在店里走不开，”他亲切地说，"我得整理一些帐目。”“很遗憾，你不能回家，”她和气地说，“我准备了这么丰盛的晚饭。”第二次，他找了个同样的借口，但是第三次，嘉莉心里觉得这事有点反常了。

“我没法回家，”那天晚上回来的时候，他说，“我太忙了。”“难道你不能给我捎个信吗？”嘉莉问。

“我是想这样做的，”他说，“可是你知道，我忘了，等我想起来时，已经太晚了，捎信也没用了。”“可惜了我这么好的一顿晚饭！”嘉莉说。

正是这个时候，通过对嘉莉的观察，他开始认为她的性情属于那种地地道道的家庭主妇型。这一年之后，他真地以为她主要的生活内容在料理家务上得到了自然的表现。尽管他在芝加哥看过她的演出，而在过去的一年中，他看到她由于受到他造成的条件的限制，只是与这套公寓和他打交道，没有结交任何朋友或伙伴，但他还是得出了这个奇怪的结论。随之而来的是对娶了这么一位知足的太太感到心满意足，而这种心满意足又产生其必然的后果。这就是，既然他认为她满足了，就觉得他的职责只是提供能使她这样满足的东西。他提供了家具、装修、食品以及必要的衣物。而要给她娱乐，要带她到外边阳光灿烂富丽堂皇的生活中去之类的想法却越来越少。外面的世界吸引着他，但是他没有想到她也愿意一起去闯荡。有一次，他一个人去看戏。另一次，他和两个新朋友晚上在一起打牌。他在经济上又开始羽毛丰满了，因而他又打扮得漂漂亮亮地出入公共场所。只是这一切远不及他在芝加哥时那么招遥他避而不去那些容易碰到他过去的熟人的娱乐场所。

这时，通过各种感官印象，嘉莉开始感觉到了这一点。她不是那种会被他的行为弄得心烦意乱的人。她并不十分爱他，也就不会因嫉妒而不安。实际上，她一点儿也不嫉妒。对她这种心平气和的态度，赫斯渥感到很高兴，而他本来还应该对此适当地加以考虑的。当他不回家的时候，她也不觉得是件什么大不了的事情。她认为他应该享有男人们通常的乐趣--和人聊聊天，找个地方休息一下，或与朋友商量商量问题。虽然她很愿意他能这样自得其乐，但她不喜欢自己被冷落。不过，她的处境似乎还过得去。她真正察觉到的，是赫斯渥有些不同了。

他们在七十八街住的第二年的某个时候，嘉莉家对面的那套公寓空了出来，搬进来一个非常漂亮的年轻女人和她的丈夫。嘉莉后来结识了这一对人。这完全是公寓的结构促成的。两套公寓之间有一处是由升降送货机连在一起的。这个实用的电梯把燃料、食品之类的东西从楼底送上来，又把垃圾和废物送下去。电梯由同一层楼的两户人家公用，也就是说，每家都有一扇小门通向它。

倘若住在两套公寓里的人同时应门房的哨声而出，打开电梯小门时，他们就会面对面地站着。一天早晨，当嘉莉去拿报纸时，那个新搬来的人，一个大约２３岁的肤色浅黑的漂亮女人，也在那里拿报纸。她穿着睡袍，披着晨衣，头发很乱，但是看上去很可爱、很友善，嘉莉立刻对她有了好感。新搬来的人只是害羞地笑了一笑，但是这就够了。嘉莉觉得自己很想结识她，而对方的心里也产生了同样的想法，她欣赏嘉莉那张天真的脸。

“隔壁搬进来的女人真是个大美人，”嘉莉在早餐桌上对赫斯渥说。

“他们是什么人？”赫斯渥问。

“我不知道，”嘉莉答道。“门铃上的姓氏是万斯。他们家里有人钢琴弹得很好。我猜一定是她。”“哦，在这个城市里，你永远搞不清邻居是什么样的人，对吧？”赫斯渥说，表达了纽约人对邻居的通常看法。

“想想看，”嘉莉说，“我在这幢房子里和另外九户人家一起住了一年多，可是我一个人都不认识。这家人搬到这里已有一个多月了，可是在今天早晨之前，我谁也没见过。”“这样也好，”赫斯渥说，“你根本不知道你会认识些什么样的人。他们中的有些人可不是什么好东西。”“我也这么想，"嘉莉附和着说。

谈话换了别的话题，嘉莉就没再想这件事了。直到一两天后，她出去上市场的时候，遇见万斯太太从外面进来。后者认出了她，点了点头。嘉莉也报以一笑。这样就有了相识的可能。

要是这一次一点都没认出来，就不会有以后的交往了。

以后的几个星期里，嘉莉再也没有见过万斯太太。但是透过两家前房间之间的薄薄的隔墙，她听到她弹琴，很喜欢她选的那些愉快的曲子及其精彩的演奏。她自己只能弹弹一般的曲子，在她听来，万斯太太演奏的丰富多采的乐曲，已经接近伟大的艺术了。至今她所耳闻目睹的一切--仅仅只是些零碎的印象--表明这家人颇有些高雅，而且生活富裕。因此对今后可能发展的友谊，嘉莉已经作好了准备。

一天，嘉莉家的门铃响了，在厨房里的仆人按动电钮，打开了一楼总出入口的前门。嘉莉等在三楼自己家的门口，看是谁来拜访她。上来的是万斯太太。

“请你原谅，”她说，“我刚才出去时忘了带大门的钥匙，所以就想到按你家的门铃。”这幢楼的别的住户，每逢出门忘了带大门钥匙的时候，大家都这么做。只是谁也不为此而道歉。

“没关系，”嘉莉说，“我很高兴你按我家的门铃。我有时也这么做。”“今天天气真好，是吗？”万斯太太说，停留了一会儿。

这样，又经过几次初步的接触，便正式开始了相互的交往。嘉莉发现年轻的万斯太太是个令人愉快的朋友。

有几次，嘉莉到她家去串门，也在自己家里招待了她。两家的公寓看上去都不错，不过万斯家布置得更加豪华。

“我想请你今天晚上过来，见见我的丈夫，”她们开始熟悉后不久，万斯太太说。“他想见见你。你会打牌，对吗？”“会一点儿，”嘉莉说。

“那好，我们来打打牌。要是你丈夫回家的话，带他一起过来。”“他今晚不回来吃饭，”嘉莉说。

“那么，等他回来时，我们来叫他。”

嘉莉答应了，那天晚上见到了大腹便便的万斯。他比赫斯渥小几岁。他那看似美满的婚姻，多半是因为他有钱，而不是因为他有副好长相。他第一眼看到嘉莉，就对她产生了好感。

他刻意表现得很和气，教她玩一种新牌，和她谈到纽约及其各种娱乐。万斯太太在钢琴上弹了几首曲子。最后赫斯渥来了。

“我很高兴见到你，”当嘉莉介绍他时，他对万斯太太说，大大显示了曾经使嘉莉着迷的往日的风度。

“你是不是以为你的太太逃走了？”万斯先生在介绍时伸出手来说。

“我还以为她可能找到了一个更好的丈夫，”赫斯渥说。

这时，他把注意力转向了万斯太太，刹那间，嘉莉又看见了有段时间她下意识地感到在赫斯渥的身上不复存在的东西--他所擅长的随机应变和阿谀奉承。她还发现自己穿得不够体面，比起万斯太太来差得太远。这些已不再是模糊的想法。她看清了自己的处境。她觉得生活越来越乏味，而且为此感到忧愁。昔日那种助人向前，激人向上的忧郁感又回来了。

那个充满向往的嘉莉在悄悄地提醒她，该考虑自己的前途了。

这种觉醒并没有立即产生什么结果，因为嘉莉缺少主动精神。但是尽管如此，她似乎总是很能适应变化的潮流，擅于投身其中，随波逐流。赫斯渥什么也没有觉察到。他没有感觉到嘉莉注意到的鲜明的对比。他甚至连她那忧郁的眼神都没觉察到。最糟糕的是，她现在开始觉得家里寂寞，要找非常喜欢她的万斯太太作伴。

“我们今天下午去看场戏吧，”一天早晨，万斯太太走进嘉莉家说，身上还穿着起床时穿的一件柔软的粉色晨衣。赫斯渥和万斯大约一小时前就各上其路了。

“好啊，”嘉莉说，注意到万斯太太的外表总是带着那种得欢受宠且爱好打扮的女人的神气。她看上去似乎很受宠爱而且有求必应。“我们去看什么戏呢？”“喔，我很想去看纳特·古德温的演出，”万斯太太说。“我看他的确是个最逗人的演员。报纸说那是一出很好的戏。”“那我们什么时候动身？”嘉莉问。

“我们一点钟动身，从三十四街出去，沿百老汇大街往南走，”万斯太太说。“这样走去很有意思，他在麦迪逊广场演出。”“我很乐意去，”嘉莉说。“戏票要多少钱？”“不到１块钱，”万斯太太说。

万斯太太回去了。到了１点钟又来了。穿着一身深蓝色便于步行的衣服，漂亮极了，还配有一顶时髦的帽子。嘉莉把自己打扮得也够迷人的。但相形之下，这个女人让嘉莉感到痛心。看来她有很多精致的小玩意儿，嘉莉却没有。她有各种小金饰物，一只印有她的姓名缩写的精美的绿皮包，一块图案十分花哨的时髦手帕和一些类似的其它东西。嘉莉觉得自己需要更多更好的衣服才能和这个女人媲美。谁看见她俩都会单凭服饰就选择万斯太太的。这种想法十分恼人，尽管不甚公正，因为嘉莉现在有着同样楚楚动人的身材，出落得越发标致，已经是个绝顶可爱的她那种类型的美人了。两人的衣着，在质量上和新旧上都有些差别，但这些差别并不十分明显。然而，这却增加了嘉莉对自己处境的不满。

漫步百老汇大街，在当时也和现在一样，是这个城市引人注目的特色之一。在日戏开场前和散场后，这里不仅聚集着那些爱卖弄风姿的漂亮女人，还有那些爱看女人、爱欣赏女人的男人。这是一支由漂亮的脸蛋和华丽的衣着组成的队伍，十分壮观。女人们穿戴着自己最好的帽子、鞋子和手套，一路上手挽着手，漫步于那些从十四街到三十四街沿街都是的华丽的商店或戏院。同样，男人们也穿着自己所能买得起的最时新的服装招摇过市。在这里，裁缝可以得到裁剪服装的启发，鞋匠可以了解流行的款式和颜色，帽匠可以知道帽子的行情。如果说一个讲究穿着的人买了一套新装，第一次穿出来一定是在百老汇大街上，这可是一点不假。这个事实千真万确，众所周知。因此，几年之后，还发行了一首流行歌曲，详细地谈到了这一点以及有关上演日戏的下午那种炫耀的场面的其它情况。

歌名叫《他有什么权利待在百老汇大街上？》，歌曲发行后，在纽约的音乐厅里非常风行。

在这个城市待了这么久，嘉莉还从未听说过如此炫耀的场面。当有这种场面出现的时候，她也没去过百老汇大街。然而，对万斯太太来说，这已是家常便饭了。她不仅了解它的全部，而且经常置身其中，特意去看人和被人看，以自己的美貌去引起轰动，将自己与这个城市的时髦的美人相比照，以免在穿着讲究上有任何落伍的趋势。

她们在三十四街下了有轨电车之后，嘉莉颇为自在地朝前走着。可是没过一会儿，她就盯着那些成群地从她们身边走过或是和她们同行的美人们看了起来。她突然发觉万斯太太在众目睽睽之下很有些局促了，那些英俊的男人和穿着高雅的太太们，用肆无忌惮的目光盯着她看，毫无礼貌可言。盯着人看似乎成了正当而自然的事。嘉莉发现也有人在盯着她看，向她送秋波。身穿精美的大衣，头戴大礼帽，手持银头拐杖的男人擦肩而过，而且常常盯着看她那双敏感的眼睛。衣着笔挺的太太们沙沙作响地走过，一路作着笑脸，散发着香味儿。嘉莉注意到她们中间没几个善良之辈，绝大多数都是邪恶之种。

这中间多的是红唇、白面、香发以及迷茫懒散的大眼睛。她蓦地一惊，发现自己正置身于时髦的人群中，在这个炫耀的地方展示自己，而且是如此壮观的地方！珠宝店明亮的橱窗沿途可见。鲜花店、皮草行、男子服饰用品店、糖果店，一家挨着一家。

遍街都是马车。神气十足的看门人，身着宽大的外套，配着闪闪发光的铜钮扣和铜腰带，侍立在高档商店的门前。穿着棕色长统靴、白色紧身裤和蓝色上衣的马车夫，巴结地等候着在店里买东西的女主人。整条大街都是一派富丽堂皇的景象，嘉莉觉得自己并不属于这里。无论如何，她也作不出万斯太太那种姿态和风度来，万斯太太因为自己漂亮，总是信心十足。她所能想到的只是，大家一定会看得很清楚，在她们两人之间，她的打扮较差。这刺痛了她的心。她打定主意，除非打扮得更漂亮些，否则她不再上这里来了。然而同时，她又渴望着能享受一下以同等的身价来这里出出风头的乐趣。啊，那样她就会很幸福了。