sister carrie

Chapter 53 (1)

Chapter 31 A Man of Good Luck: Triumphant Broadway (1)
What the city, and his own situation, had done to Hurstwood, the same had been done to Carrie.Whatever fate gave her, she always accepted it with a good temper.For New York, although she was a little disapproving at first, she soon became very interested.The fresh air, the bustling streets, and the unique mutual indifference all made a deep impression on her.Her own little apartment, which she had never seen before, soon won her favor.The new furniture looked fine, and the tableware, which Hurstwood himself had arranged, gleamed.The furniture in each room is also well matched.In the so-called drawing room, that is, in the front room, there was a piano, because Carrie had said she would learn to play it.

She hired a maid, and soon acquired a skill and knowledge of domestic affairs.For the first time in her life, she felt that everything was well settled, and that from the eyes of the society she understood would recognize her rightful place.She spent a long time arranging her apartment in New York, wondering what to do with ten families living in the same building, always strangers and indifferent to each other.The hooting of a thousand ships in the harbor that took her breath away--the long, muffled honk of a steamer steaming through Long Island Sound when the fog came up.The mere fact that these things called out from the sea amazed her.From the west window she had a sweeping view of the Hudson River and the great cities that were rapidly building up on both sides.This is really enough for her to think about, and enough for her to watch, at least for more than a year without being boring.

Another thing about Hurstwood that is very interesting is his affection for her.Although he had many troubles, he never confessed his difficulties to her.With the same air of seeming self-importance, he took his new situation indifferently, and took pleasure in Carrie's habits of temper and her affairs.He always came back on time for supper every evening, and he regarded the little dining-room as the sweetest place to be.Although the room is small, it looks very luxurious.It gives a feeling of fullness and perfection.Beautiful dishes were displayed on tables covered with white tablecloths, and four-pronged sconces were lit, each with a red shade.Good steaks, pork chops, and refills from the cans, thanks to the combined efforts of Carrie and the maid.Carrie had studied the technique of Rao's biscuit, and soon reached the stage where she could serve the fruit of her labors--a plate of delicate and delicious food.

This is how the second month, the third month, and the fourth month were spent.Winter came, and with it people felt that it was better to be indoors, so there was less talk of going to the theater.Hurstwood took pains to manage the household expenses without showing the slightest bit of displeasure or annoyance.He pretended to be reinvesting his money in order to strengthen the business for greater profits in the future.He spent very sparingly on his own clothes.As for Carrie, he added very little.This is how the first winter was spent.

By the second year, Hurstwood was running a business with increased profitability.He often earns 150 yuan a month, which is what he originally counted on.Unfortunately, by this time Carrie had her own opinion on some matters, and he had made a handful of acquaintances, reluctantly.

Carrie is by nature a passive and submissive type, rather than an active, aggressive type, and adopts an accepting attitude towards her current situation.She still seems quite satisfied with her current position.Every once in a while, they would go to the theater together to see plays, and occasionally go to the seaside or around the city to have fun during festivals and seasons.But they didn't make any friends.Hurstwood, of course, had ceased to be courteous and considerate to her in his demeanor, and had adopted casual intimacy.There was no misunderstanding between the two, and there was not much difference of opinion.In fact, without money, without friends, he lived such a life that he aroused neither envy nor discussion.Carrie was still quite sympathetic to his various endeavors, and did not mind that she was not entertained as much as she had been in Chicago.New York as a whole, together with the apartment she temporarily rented, seemed to be satisfactory enough.

However, Hurstwood's business has increased.As mentioned above, he began to make a few acquaintances.He also added some clothes.He thought his family life was very dear to him, but he also thought it was okay not to come home for dinner now and then.The first time he returned a letter, explaining that he was delayed by something.Carrie ate alone, and hoped this would never happen again.I still sent a letter the second time, but it was a temporary greeting.The third time he forgot all about it and only explained it afterwards.There was a gap of several months between these events.

"Where have you been, George?" asked Carrie.This is the first time I haven't come back.

"There's a delay in the store," he said pleasantly. "There are a few accounts that need to be settled."

"I'm sorry you didn't come home," she said kindly, "and I've got a good meal ready."

The second time he advanced the same reason, but on the third time Carrie was feeling a little differently.

"I can't come back," he said, late in the evening, "I'm too busy."

"Can't you write me a letter?" asked Carrie.

"That's what I thought about it," he said, "but, you know, I forgot and thought of it on the spur of the moment, but it was too late."

"I've got a lot of good meals ready!" said Carrie.

Now, as it happened, it seemed to him, from what he had observed, that Carrie was of the very domestic mind.After a whole year passed, he did think that her main interest in life found expression in domestic affairs quite naturally.Although he had seen what she did in Chicago, in the past year, he had only seen her scope of activities only in accordance with the conditions he provided, limited to this suite and only on his body.She had no friends or acquaintances.From this he came to the somewhat strange conclusion above.What followed was a sense of satisfaction that the wife he had married could be content in such a way, and his satisfaction had consequences.That is, since he thought she was content, he considered it his duty to confine himself to providing such satisfaction.He provided the furniture, the furnishings of the house, the food, and the necessary raiment.As for how to please her and take her out to see the world of flowers, I think less and less.He himself was more and more attracted to social life outside the family, but he didn't think she wanted to hang out with her either.Once he went to the theater by himself, and another time he played poker in the evening with some new friends.Now that he's plump again financially, he likes to dress up and go out in public.However, compared with the situation in Chicago, all of this is far from that grand.He always deliberately avoided any entertainment places where he might meet acquaintances.

Carrie began to feel some of these situations with her senses.She wasn't the type to be greatly disturbed by his behavior.Not that Carrie, who loved him deeply, could not be very jealous.In fact, she wasn't jealous at all.Hurstwood was heartily pleased to see her so calm when he himself felt due attention.When he didn't come home, she didn't think it was a big deal.She thought he deserved the usual pleasures of a man—talking to people, stopping somewhere, consulting with friends, and so on.She was perfectly happy to let him enjoy this kind of fun.However, it was not her pleasure to be treated indifferently to herself.Still, she seems to be doing just fine.All she noticed was that Hurstwood had changed somewhat.

Sometime during the second year of their residence at No. 70 Batiao Street, the apartment opposite Carrie's suite became vacant, and a beautiful young woman and her husband moved in. Carrie later got married to both of them. familiar.This is entirely due to the structure of these suites, each suite sharing a lift.This elevator is very useful. Fuel, vegetables, etc. are sent up from the ground floor, and garbage and waste products are sent down. Residents on the same floor share this elevator; each suite has a small door leading to the elevator.

As soon as the waiter blew the whistle, the owners of the two suites came at the same time, opened the small door of the elevator, and they would face each other.One morning, Carrie was throwing out the waste paper, and a new resident, a beautiful woman with a brunette complexion about 23 years old, also came to take out the trash.She was in nightgown and nightgown, and her hair was loose, but she looked so pretty and so kind that Carrie took an immediate liking to her.The newcomer just smiled timidly, that's all, but that was enough.Carrie thought that she would like to get acquainted with her, and he felt the same feeling, and she was very impressed by Carrie's innocent face.

"What a pretty woman who just 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 doorbell is Vance. Someone over there plays the piano beautifully. I reckon it must be her."

“Well, in this city, you have no way of knowing what your next-door neighbor is like,” Hurstwood said, referring to the usual New Yorker perception of next-door neighbors.

"Just think about it," said Carrie. "I've lived in the same building with nine families for a year, and I haven't known any of them. They've been here for more than a month, and I only saw them this morning." arrive."

"That's all right," said Hurstwood, "you don't know who you're dealing with. Some of them just happen to be bad guys."

"So do I," agreed Carrie.

(End of this chapter)