sister carrie

Chapter 23 (1)

Chapter 13 His certificate of trust was accepted: mixed feelings of surprise and surprise (1)
It had not been two days since the scene in which Carrie and Hurstwood had performed in the drawing room of the Ogton apartment, when he appeared there again.He couldn't stop thinking about her.Her tolerant attitude fueled his enthusiasm for her to some extent.He believed that he must win her favor, and immediately.

His interest in her—not to mention infatuation—was rooted in something deeper than mere lust.The emotional flowers that have been withering on a dry and barren soil for many years are now blooming again.Perhaps Carrie represented a higher class than the women who had attracted him in the past.Since his marriage, he has never had a love affair.After that, time and the experience of the world taught him a lesson, how hasty and how wrong his original judgment was.Every time he thought about it, he would tell himself that if life could repeat itself, he would never marry that woman.At the same time, his experience with women in general had diminished his respect for them.He takes a critical attitude, based on much experience and with good reason.

Almost all the women he knew belonged to one type - selfish, ignorant, just good-looking.The wives of his friends did not interest him to glance at them.His own wife had developed a cold, commonplace nature which was unpleasing to him.As for the lower world, where monsters crawled about (and he knew a lot about it), the knowledge of this lower world hardened his heart.He has a skeptical attitude towards most women-just look at the role of beauty and clothing.He looked at these coldly.At the same time, he was not so foolish as not to know that a good woman deserved his respect.Personally, he is not trying to analyze the miracle of a virgin.He would take off his hat to her, and shut up the frivolous and wicked before her,--like a lowly casino owner would bow his head before the nuns of the Order of Charity, and give willingly to charity.As for why he did this, he didn't bother to think too much.

A man in his situation, who has experienced a difficult past that has no meaning for a long time, once he meets a young, unsophisticated and innocent soul, it is very easy to stay out of it, because his own Knowing that she is far away from him, or close, intoxicated by the person he has discovered, and complacent.People of this type usually have to go through a tortuous process before they can get close to such a girl.There is nothing they can do, and they do not know how to please a young girl, unless they can discover the virtues in a good woman who has unfortunately fallen into a trap.If a fly unfortunately gets caught in a spider's web, the spider will come forward and negotiate business on its terms.Therefore, when young girls wander into the noisy city, when they are brought into the circle of hooligans and vagabonds, even on the outermost fringe, they come out and use their seduction man's way.

Hurstwood had been invited by Drouet to see a woman of rich dress and figure.He went in, thinking he'd have a brisk night of revelry, and never bother to ask where the newcomer was.Instead, he met this woman whose youthful beauty captivated him.There was nothing in Carrie's gentle glances of the calculation of a common mistress.There was nothing of a high-class whore in that shy look.He concluded at a glance that he had misunderstood, that some difficulty had thrust the unfortunate man before him, and his interest was all the more heightened.So sympathy arose, but it was also mixed with selfishness.He wanted to win Carrie, because he thought it would be better for her to have her fate tied to him than with Drouet.In all the experiences of his life, he has never been so jealous of others as he is now of this salesman.

Carrie was certainly better than Drouet, just as he was better in spirit than she.She had just come here with the breath of the country, and the light of the country was still shining in her eyes.There is no guile here, no greed.In her body, these two characteristics are a little bit glued together through heredity, but that is just a budding.Her heart is still full of wonder and desire, and she has not yet developed into greed.She was still looking around at the labyrinth of the big city around her without really understanding it.Hurstwood felt the charm of youth.With her present, he felt a sense of freshness, as if he had stepped out of the hot summer sun and enjoyed the cool breath of early spring.

After the scene mentioned above, Carrie was alone, with no one to talk to, and lost her thoughts, and then she was really tired, so she put these aside and didn't think about it.She thought she owed Drouet something.When she was in trouble, it seemed like it was yesterday that he helped her like this.She is considerate to him.She admitted that he was good-looking and generous.In fact, she couldn't even recall his self-centeredness in his absence.But it was impossible for her to feel that influence which lasted long enough to bind her to him forever more than any other.As a matter of fact, there was never any basis for such an idea, not even in Drouet's mind.

The truth is that this handsome salesman, with his frivolous manner and volatile emotions, dooms any lasting relationship to failure.He lived his life laughing and laughing, thinking that he could please everyone, that wherever he went, there would be admiration, and that it was only for his happiness that everything would never change.Nor did he feel much grief when some familiar faces disappeared from his presence, or when someone's door was closed to him.He was too young and too proud of himself.He will remain so young until he dies.

As for Hurstwood, he was full of thoughts and admiration for Carrie.He had no definite plans concerning her, but he was determined to get her to admit her affection for him.In her downcast eyes, in her wandering glance, in her vacillating manner, he thought he saw signs of enthusiasm.He wanted to stand by her side and let her press her hand on his—he wanted to figure out what her next step would be—how she would express her affection for him next step.Such anxious enthusiasm had not been seen in him for many years.He was again a young man in feeling—a knight in action.

In his position, there are many opportunities to go out at night.He is dedicated to his work, and his bosses have full trust in him when it comes to arranging working hours.He can go out whenever he likes, because he is known to be committed to his job as a manager, no matter what hours he uses.His manner, artifice, and smart dress gave the tavern an air, and that was what mattered.At the same time he has long experience which enables him to exercise excellent judgment in purchasing goods.Hotel clerks and assistants can dismiss or come in one by one or several together, as long as he is there, regular customers will not pay attention to these personnel changes.He gave it the air the regular patrons were accustomed to.The result is that he can arrange his working hours at will, pick the afternoon today, pick the night tomorrow, as he likes, but as usual, he will come back at eleven or twelve o'clock to take care of the last one or two hours of business and closing chores.

"George, you have to be careful. Before you go home every night, you have to arrange everything. You don't go until all the personnel are gone." Moai said to him once.In this regard, during his many years of service, he has not once neglected.The proprietors had not been in the store for many years after five o'clock in the afternoon, and their manager always carried out their requests as faithfully as if they were always there to supervise the execution.

On this Friday afternoon, not two days before his visit, he resolved to see Carrie.He couldn't wait any longer.

"Edance," he said to the head barman, "if anyone comes, say I'll be back at four or five."

He hurried to Madison Street, hitched a cab, and within half an hour was at Orrington's.

Carrie wanted to go for a walk, and put on a light gray woolen jacket and a fashionable double-breasted waistcoat.She had taken out her hat and gloves, and was fastening a white lace cravat around her neck, when the maid told her that Mr. Hurstwood wanted to see her.

At this she was taken aback for a moment, but she told the maid that she would come down at once and make haste to dress herself.

Carrie could not tell herself at the moment whether she liked or disliked the manager waiting to see her.She was a little tense, and her cheeks quivered a little, but that was not so much from fear or favor as from confusion.She didn't want to guess what the conversation was going to be about.She felt, however, that she must be cautious, for Hurstwood had an inexplicable crush on her.Then she tied the tie finally and went downstairs.

The amorous manager himself was a little nervous, conscious of the mission he was on this trip.He believes that he must take strong action this time.However, his timidity returned when he heard Carrie's steps descending the stairs.His determination and sharpness weakened a little, because he was not sure what she would think of him after all.

(End of this chapter)