sister carrie

Chapter 50 (2)

Chapter 29 The Comfort of the Journey: Small Boats at Sea (2)
After returning to the hotel, he was eager to see the morning newspaper, but was afraid to read it.He wanted to know how far the news of his crime had spread.So he told Carrie that he would be here in a moment, and then he went to look and read the papers.There were no familiar or suspicious faces nearby.But he didn't like reading newspapers in the corridor, so he found the upstairs hall, sat down at the window, and read the newspapers.Little was published about his crimes, but they were published, a few "few lines" in all, in miscellaneous cables about murders, car accidents, weddings, and other news.Every minute spent in this remote safe place made him feel more deeply that he had made a big mistake.If I had known earlier, I would have found a better way out.

He dropped the papers before returning to his room, thinking that this would save them from falling into Carrie's hands.

"Ah, how are you feeling?" he asked her.She was concentrating on looking out the window.

"Oh, yes," she replied.

He came over and was about to have a talk with her when there was a knock on the door.

"Perhaps something from my purchases has come," said Carrie.

Hurstwood opened the door, and there stood the man he had deeply suspected.

"You're Mr. Hurstwood, aren't you?" said the man, with an air of shrewd self-confidence.

"Yes," said Hurstwood calmly.He was familiar with such people, so his usual indifference was restored.People like this are the most popular lower class people in tourist places.He went out and closed the door.

"Well, you know what I'm here for, don't you?" the man said confidently.

"I can guess," whispered Hurstwood.

"Well, are you intending to hide that money?"

"It's my business," said Hurstwood coldly.

"You can't do it, and you know it," said the detective, looking him coldly.

"Look here, man," said Hurstwood with mastery, "you don't know anything about these kinds of cases, and I can't explain them to you. I'll do what I set my mind to." Do it, no outsiders need to intervene. You go ahead."

"Well, listen to me, it's no use talking in that tone," said the man, "when you're in the hands of the police. We can give you as much trouble as we like. You're here You didn’t register your real name, you didn’t bring your wife with you, and the newspaper didn’t know you were here. You’d better be sensible.”

"What do I want to know?" asked Hurstwood.

"Are you going to return that money, or are you not going to return it?"

Hurstwood hesitated, looking down at the floor.

"It's no use explaining it to you," he said afterward, "and you don't have to ask me. I'm no fool, you know. I know what you can and can't do. If you're happy If you don't, it can cause a lot of trouble. I understand that, but it won't do anything to get the money. Now, I have made up my mind on what to do. I have given Fitzgerald and Moore Ay wrote, so I can't say anything more. You can wait until there's news from them."

As he spoke, he left the door and walked down the corridor so that Carrie could not hear him.They were now at the end of the corridor leading to the hall.

"You won't hand that over?" said the man.

This remark repelled Hurstwood.A rush of hot blood rushed straight to his head.Many thoughts came to mind, he is not a thief, he does not want the money.As long as he could explain it to Vrzigerald and Moai, maybe it would be business as usual.

"Listen," he said, "it's no use what I say. I respect your rights, of course, but I've got to deal with people who understand."

"Well, you can't leave Canada with this," the man said.

"I don't want to leave," Hurstwood said. "Once I've made my arrangements, there's nothing stopping me."

He turned and the detective watched him closely.It seemed an overwhelming thing.Still walking on, he went into the room.

"Who's that?" asked Carrie.

"A friend from Chicago."

The whole conversation was a serious blow.To do this, after all the troubles of the past week, was exceedingly depressing to Hurstwood, and a great moral shock.What hurt him most was the fact that he was being pursued as a thief.He began to feel that the injustice of society lies in seeing only one side of things - often only one point in a long tragedy.The newspapers all noticed only one thing, and that was that he had withdrawn the money.As for the ins and outs of the matter, he ignored it indifferently, and was completely ignorant of the various complicated circumstances leading to this matter.He was accused of not being understood.

On this very day, while staying with Carrie in his hotel room, he decided to return the money.He was going to write to Fitzgerald and Moai, explain everything, send it back by registered mail, and maybe they'd forgive him, maybe they'd send him back.He had lied and said he was going to write them a letter, and now he was going to do it, and then he was going to leave the city.

For a full hour he pondered the plausible set of accounts of the entanglement, and he tried to tell them about his wife, but it was impossible.In the end he narrowed down the whole story to this statement: After entertaining some friends, his head was light-headed, and he found that the safe was not closed properly. He took out the money, but inadvertently, it was locked.He was terribly annoyed by this move.He was sorry for causing them so much trouble.As best he could, he returned the money—most of it.He will return the rest of the money as soon as possible.Is there any possibility of him returning to work? He just hinted at it.

This person's flustered state of mind can be seen from the frame of thought of this letter.He forgot for a moment: Even if he was given the original position, it would be such a painful thing.He forgot: it was he himself who had cut himself, severed his connection with the past.Even if he tries to reconnect himself with the past, there will always be traces of the cutting and healing.He was always forgetting things--his wife, Carrie, his need for money, his situation, and other things--so he couldn't think clearly.However, he sent the letter anyway, intending to wait for a reply before sending the money back.

At the same time, he and Carrie took a calm attitude to the present situation and enjoyed as much fun as possible.

At noon the sun came out, and through the open window a ray of gold shone.The sparrows were twittering, the air was full of laughter and singing, and Hurstwood could not take his eyes off Carrie.In all the troubles, she seems to be the only ray of sunshine.Oh, if only she would love him with all her heart--if she would throw her arms around him with joy, as she did in the parks of Chicago--how happy he would be! He would be made up.It would show that he hadn't lost it all.Then he wouldn't care about anything.

"Carrie," he said, rising quickly to her feet, "you'll be staying with me from now on, won't you?"

She looked at him questioningly, but when the look on his face fell on her with all its might, she melted.Now it was love, hot, intense love...love strengthened by hardship.She couldn't help smiling.

"From now on, let me be your most important person," he said, "don't worry me anymore, I will be true to you, we are going to New York, get a nice room. I'm going back Do business, and we'll be happy. You're going to be my man, aren't you?"

Carrie listened gravely.She didn't have much enthusiasm in her heart, but as things went on and this person was by her side, this created the appearance of love.She felt a little sorry for him--a tinge of apology born of a feeling of admiration not so long ago.As for true love, she never had it for him.Had she been able to analyze her feelings, she would have come to these conclusions.But the affection that his intense feeling stirred in her broke the barrier between them.

"You'll stay with me, won't you?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, nodding.

He hugged her, kissed her lips, kissed her cheek.

"But you must marry me," she said.

"I'm going to get the certificate today," he replied.

"How to get the law?" she asked.

"A different name," he replied, "I want a new name and a new life. From now on, I will be called Murdoch."

"Oh, don't take that name," said Carrie.

"Why not?" he said.

"I don't like the name."

"Well, what's my name then?" he asked.

"Oh, any name, just don't take that name."

He thought for a while, still holding her in his arms, and then said:
"What about Wheeler?"

"All right," said Carrie.

"Call Wheeler then," he said. "I'll pick up my certificate this afternoon."

They were officiated by a Baptist minister, the first clergyman they found who could officiate for them.

Later, a reply came from the shop in Chicago, a letter dictated by Mr. Moai.He was appalled at Hurstwood's conduct; he regretted it so much.If the money can be sent back, they are not going to sue him, because they really mean no harm to him.As for his return, or their restoration to his former place, they were not quite sure what the outcome would be.They had to think about it and write to him later, it might take some time and so on.

The gist of the letter was that there was no hope, and that they were going to get that money back with as little trouble as possible.Hurstwood read the letter and knew it was hopeless.He decided to give [-] yuan to the person they were going to send and leave [-] yuan for himself.He sent a telegram agreeing.On the same day, a representative sent came to him at the hotel and he explained him.The rep gave him a receipt, and he told Carrie to pack her bags.He was a little frustrated at first with this latest move, but finally pulled himself together.He was afraid that, even then, he might still be arrested and sent back, so he tried to hide his whereabouts, but it was difficult to do.He took Carrie's luggage to the station, where an expedited shipment to New York was made.No one seemed to be watching him, but he set off at night anyway.What he's very worried about is not being at the first stop after crossing or having law enforcement waiting there at a New York station.

Carrie, ignorant of his theft and his fears, was delighted to arrive in New York in the morning.The green hills meandered around the broad chest of the Hudson River, and the train ran along the banks. The beauty of the scenery attracted her attention.She had heard of the Hudson River, the great New York City, and now she looked out of the window, marveling at it all.

As the train turned east at Spotonduville, along the east bank of the Hudson River, Hurstwood alerted her anxiously that they were approaching the outskirts of New York.From her experience in Chicago, she had expected to see long trains of cars -- paved roads -- and now noticed the difference.A few boats on the Harlan River, and more on the East River, tugged at a chord in her young heart.This is the first step into the sea, followed by a flat street lined with brick five-story buildings, and then the train rushed into the tunnel.

"Central Terminal here," called the steward, after the train had been traveling for a few minutes in darkness and smoke, and the sun was shining again.Hurstwood rose to his feet, and seized his little luggage.He was extremely nervous.He waited at the door with Carrie and got out.No one came to him.But when he came out of the exit into the street, he still looked around in a panic.He was so nervous that he even forgot about Carrie.She fell behind, wondering how he only cared about himself.As he passed the center of the station, the tension reached a crescendo.After that, he began to relax.In a moment he was on the sidewalk.No one else but the coachman greeted him.He turned with a heavy sigh of relief, and only then did he think of Carrie.

"I thought you were going to leave me," she said.

"I'm trying to remember which way to take to the Kilsey Hotel."

Carrie did not hear him clearly, she was very interested in the busy scene.

"How big is New York?" she asked.

"Oh, a million, maybe more," said Hurstwood.

He looked around and called for a cab, but with a different attitude when he called.

For the first time in all these years, the thought flashed through his mind that petty money has to be counted, and this is an unpleasant thing.

He decided not to delay, to stay in the hotel first, and then rent a few rooms.He told this to Carrie, and she agreed.

"We'll look for it today, if you'll agree," she said.

Suddenly, he remembered what had happened to him in Mondrian.In some of the more famous hotels he was sure to run into Chicago acquaintances.He stood up and said to the coachman:

"To the Belfort Hotel," he said, knowing that few of his acquaintances would go there, and sat down.

"Where's the uptown?" asked Carrie.She didn't think that the five-story buildings on both sides belonged to her family.

"It's everywhere," said Hurstwood.He is very familiar with New York, "There are no lawns in New York, these are residential.

"Well, then, I don't like it," said Carrie.She was beginning to have some opinions of her own.

(End of this chapter)