The Dead. Джеймс Джойс

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СКАЧАТЬ ran over the headings of his speech: Irish hospitality, sad memories, the Three Graces, Paris, the quotation from Browning. He repeated to himself a phrase he had written in his review: “One feels that one is listening to a thought-tormented music.” Miss Ivors had praised the review. Was she sincere? Had she really any life of her own behind all her propagandism? There had never been any ill-feeling between them until that night. It unnerved him to think that she would be at the supper-table, looking up at him while he spoke with her critical quizzing eyes. Perhaps she would not be sorry to see him fail in his speech. An idea came into his mind and gave him courage. He would say, alluding to Aunt Kate and Aunt Julia: “Ladies and Gentlemen, the generation which is now on the wane among us may have had its faults but for my part I think it had certain qualities of hospitality, of humour, of humanity, which the new and very serious and hypereducated generation that is growing up around us seems to me to lack.” Very good: that was one for Miss Ivors. What did he care that his aunts were only two ignorant old women?

      A murmur in the room attracted his attention. Mr Browne was advancing from the door, gallantly escorting Aunt Julia, who leaned upon his arm, smiling and hanging her head. An irregular musketry of applause escorted her also as far as the piano and then, as Mary Jane seated herself on the stool, and Aunt Julia, no longer smiling, half turned so as to pitch her voice fairly into the room, gradually ceased. Gabriel recognised the prelude. It was that of an old song of Aunt Julia's-Arrayed for the Bridal. Her voice, strong and clear in tone, attacked with great spirit the runs which embellish the air and though she sang very rapidly she did not miss even the smallest of the grace notes. To follow the voice, without looking at the singer's face, was to feel and share the excitement of swift and secure flight. Gabriel applauded loudly with all the others at the close of the song and loud applause was borne in from the invisible supper-table. It sounded so genuine that a little colour struggled into Aunt Julia's face as she bent to replace in the music-stand the old leather-bound songbook that had her initials on the cover. Freddy Malins, who had listened with his head perched sideways to hear her better, was still applauding when everyone else had ceased and talking animatedly to his mother who nodded her head gravely and slowly in acquiescence. At last, when he could clap no more, he stood up suddenly and hurried across the room to Aunt Julia whose hand he seized and held in both his hands, shaking it when words failed him or the catch in his voice proved too much for him.

      “I was just telling my mother,” he said, “I never heard you sing so well, never. No, I never heard your voice so good as it is tonight. Now! Would you believe that now? That's the truth. Upon my word and honour that's the truth. I never heard your voice sound so fresh and so… so clear and fresh, never.”

      Aunt Julia smiled broadly and murmured something about compliments as she released her hand from his grasp. Mr Browne extended his open hand towards her and said to those who were near him in the manner of a showman introducing a prodigy to an audience:

      “Miss Julia Morkan, my latest discovery!”

      He was laughing very heartily at this himself when Freddy Malins turned to him and said:

      “Well, Browne, if you're serious you might make a worse discovery. All I can say is I never heard her sing half so well as long as I am coming here. And that's the honest truth.”

      “Neither did I,” said Mr Browne. “I think her voice has greatly improved.”

      Aunt Julia shrugged her shoulders and said with meek pride:

      “Thirty years ago I hadn't a bad voice as voices go.”

      “I often told Julia,” said Aunt Kate emphatically, “that she was simply thrown away in that choir. But she never would be said by me.”

      She turned as if to appeal to the good sense of the others against a refractory child while Aunt Julia gazed in front of her, a vague smile of reminiscence playing on her face.

      “No,” continued Aunt Kate, “she wouldn't be said or led by anyone, slaving there in that choir night and day, night and day. Six o'clock on Christmas morning! And all for what?”

      “Well, isn't it for the honour of God, Aunt Kate?” asked Mary Jane, twisting round on the piano-stool and smiling.

      Aunt Kate turned fiercely on her niece and said:

      “I know all about the honour of God, Mary Jane, but I think it's not at all honourable for the pope to turn out the women out of the choirs that have slaved there all their lives and put little whipper-snappers of boys over their heads. I suppose it is for the good of the Church if the pope does it. But it's not just, Mary Jane, and it's not right.”

      She had worked herself into a passion and would have continued in defence of her sister for it was a sore subject with her but Mary Jane, seeing that all the dancers had come back, intervened pacifically:

      “Now, Aunt Kate, you're giving scandal to Mr Browne who is of the other persuasion.”

      Aunt Kate turned to Mr Browne, who was grinning at this allusion to his religion, and said hastily:

      “O, I don't question the pope's being right. I'm only a stupid old woman and I wouldn't presume to do such a thing. But there's such a thing as common everyday politeness and gratitude. And if I were in Julia's place I'd tell that Father Healey straight up to his face…”

      “And besides, Aunt Kate,” said Mary Jane, “we really are all hungry and when we are hungry we are all very quarrelsome.”

      “And when we are thirsty we are also quarrelsome,” added Mr Browne.

      “So that we had better go to supper,” said Mary Jane, “and finish the discussion afterwards.”

      On the landing outside the drawing-room Gabriel found his wife and Mary Jane trying to persuade Miss Ivors to stay for supper. But Miss Ivors, who had put on her hat and was buttoning her cloak, would not stay. She did not feel in the least hungry and she had already overstayed her time.

      “But only for ten minutes, Molly,” said Mrs Conroy. “That won't delay you.”

      “To take a pick itself,” said Mary Jane, “after all your dancing.”

      “I really couldn't,” said Miss Ivors.

      “I am afraid you didn't enjoy yourself at all,” said Mary Jane hopelessly.

      “Ever so much, I assure you,” said Miss Ivors, “but you really must let me run off now.”

      “But how can you get home?” asked Mrs Conroy.

      “O, it's only two steps up the quay.”

      Gabriel hesitated a moment and said:

      “If you will allow me, Miss Ivors, I'll see you home if you are really obliged to go.”

      But Miss Ivors broke away from them.

      “I won't hear of it,” she cried. “For goodness' sake go in to your suppers and don't mind me. I'm quite well able to take care of myself.”

      “Well, you're the comical girl, Molly,” said Mrs Conroy frankly.

      “Beannacht libh,” cried Miss Ivors, with a laugh, as she ran down the staircase.

      Mary Jane gazed after her, a moody puzzled expression on her face, while Mrs Conroy leaned over the banisters to listen for the hall-door. Gabriel asked himself was he the cause of her abrupt departure. But she did not seem to be in ill humour: she had gone away laughing. He stared blankly СКАЧАТЬ