american tragedy

Chapter 41 (2)
Chapter 29 (2)
Immediately, his infatuation with Rita dissipated, not to mention Zela and Dillard.Hmph! It's absolutely not worth it by the standards of this society to mix with people who are far below him (a member of the Griffith family) and interfere with his relationship with this prominent family! Now The timely delivery of this letter speaks for itself.Thankfully—good luck!—he had been standing his ground, so he hadn't been drawn into it.So, there is no trouble now, so you can slowly withdraw from Dilat's relationship.However, from now on, for his own sake, he may have to do so.Uncle has already reminded him that he can say whatever he wants, just don't mix with these people, that's not acceptable, and it will hinder his future.He was starting to stop thinking about Rita and going on trips.On the contrary, he began to think about the life of the Griffiths family again, which fascinating places they would go to play, which people with status and status they would meet, and so on.Thinking of this, he suddenly realized that he must have an evening dress, or at least a casual dress for parties.The next morning, after getting Kamena's permission, he left work early at eleven o'clock and went back to get off work at one o'clock.In two hours, using his savings, he bought a jacket, a pair of trousers, a pair of black leather shoes, and a white silk scarf.With these things, he felt more at ease.You must leave a good impression on people.

From then until Sunday evening, he didn't want to see Rita, Dillard, or Zela anymore, and all he could think about was this chance.It was very important to him to be able to visit such a beautiful and expensive place.

But he is also very clear that the only obstacle in this matter is probably that Gilbert Griffiths.No matter where he is, as long as he sees him, he always stares at him with a pair of indifferent eyes.Is he there? Maybe.If he is really there, I'm afraid he will put on the airs of his boss again, which makes him feel his inferior status.And Clyde sometimes admitted that he could do it.And if he--Clyde--was cocky in front of this illustrious family, Gilbert would surely find fault with him in the factory and punish him.For example, he could only let his father listen to those words that were not good for him.As for him, if he stayed in this shabby sinking room without giving him a chance, he would have no hope at all.Once here, he ran into this Gilbert, who was almost identical in appearance, but who had no reason to be against him, which really made him unlucky.

But despite his worries, he decided to take advantage of this rare opportunity.On Sunday he was at the Griffiths' house at six o'clock.Because he had to face such a test, he was very nervous.He came to the gate, which was a large arched iron gate, and inside it was a wide but winding brick passage, which led to the inner door.He was a little scared, but he still pulled the latch on the big iron door.As he walked in, he always felt that he might become the object of sharp and cold eyes.And perhaps Mr. Samuel, or Gilbert, or one of the two sisters, was watching him from behind a heavily curtained window.In the ground-floor house, some lights stream through the windows, soft and inviting.

Soon, this state of mind disappeared.For a servant opened the door, took his coat, and invited him into the large and stately drawing-room of the house.Clyde had seen the Green-Davidson Hotel and the United Club, but he still thought the room was gorgeous and beautiful, with its rich carpets and drapes and all.A fire was burning in a tall fireplace.There are several benches and tables in front of the fireplace.There were also several bright lamps, a tall clock, and a large table.There was no one else in the room.Just as Clyde was anxiously looking around, Elizabeth's voice came from behind.There is a large staircase behind this room, leading directly down from the upper floor.I saw a gentle, thin woman with a face that was no longer pretty coming down the stairs and coming towards him.She walks with energy and is very easygoing.

"It's my nephew," she said with a smile.

"Yes," Clyde replied, looking serious with nervousness. "I'm Clyde Griffiths."

"Nice to meet you, and welcome to your house," said Mrs. Griffiths.His tone was a bit reserved, which was the natural result of many years of association with prominent figures in high society. "My baby is coming soon. Bella is still out and Gilbert is out, but I think they should be back soon. My husband is resting and I think he should be up and be down soon , you sit down first." She pointed to a big bench in the middle. "On a normal Sunday night, we're usually just family for dinner, so I thought it would be great if you could come and chat with us. By the way, do you like Lycurgus?"

She was seated on a large bench in front of the fireplace, and Clyde sat some distance away, out of respect for her.

"Yes, I like it," he said, putting on a smile to make himself more likable and to impress her. "Of course, there's a lot of places I haven't been to. But from what I've been to so far, I love this place. And it's the most beautiful street I've ever seen," he enthused, " The houses are so big and the yards are so beautiful.”

"That's right. The whole of Lycurgus thinks Wickie Avenue is the glamorous place," she said, smiling.She had never been able to boast enough of the glory and lofty position of her family in this most radiant spot.She and her husband had worked so long to have a home on this street. "Everyone has this feeling when they see this street. This street has been opened up when Lycurgus was still a small village. It has only become so beautiful in the last 15 years."

"Oh, yes, you must tell me about your parents. We've never met, you know. I always hear about them from my husband, about his brother," She corrected herself, "I don't think he's ever seen your mother either. Is your father okay?"

"He's fine," he replied. "My mom is fine, too. They live in Denver now. We lived in Kansas for a while, but they've been living there for the past three years. I got a letter from my mom the other day saying everything's okay. it is good."

"So you've been in correspondence with her, haven't you? That's good," she smiled, and Clyde's appearance aroused her interest.She liked the way he looked--right--right enough to be on a big show.He does look a lot like her son.She was taken aback at first, and she liked him because he looked like her son.The only difference is probably that Clyde is taller and stronger than her son, and therefore looks more handsome, but she refuses to admit it.For her, although Gilbert sometimes loses his temper with her, which makes her very dissatisfied, after all, it can arouse the habitual and very real emotion deep in her heart.To her, Gilbert was an exuberant and aggressive man who believed in himself and his decisions to be better than anyone else.In comparison, Clyde is a bit weak, timid and indecisive.Her son's strong ability must be combined with her husband's talent and the character of some relatives in her family.Gilbert is very similar to these people, and as for why Clyde's ability is very low, it is probably because his parents are also relatively poor.

Mrs. Griffiths had decided that her son was better than Clyde, and she was about to continue asking about his brothers and sisters, when Samuel Griffiths came in, which threw her The conversation was interrupted.He looked at Clyde who had stood up from the bench again, and felt that his appearance was not bad, so he said, "You are here, um, I haven't seen you yet, they already Settled you down, right?"

"Yes, sir," Clyde replied.In front of such a big man, he was respectful and even bowed a little.

"Well, that's good. Sit down! They've got you set up, which is good. I heard them say you're working in the sinkhole down there. Not a good place, but it's not too bad to start with, Let’s start from the beginning. Sometimes, the most promising people can come out there.” He smiled slightly, and then said, “When you first came, I happened to be not here, otherwise, I would have a look at you.”

"I understand, sir," Clyde replied.He did not dare to sit down until Mr. Griffiths had settled down in a large chair beside the bench.And Mr. Griffiths even felt that Clyde was wearing an ordinary evening dress, a neat and stiff shirt, and a black tie, compared with the uniform he saw in Chicago last time. He was even more handsome than earlier, and what his son Gilbert said about him being unremarkable or insignificant did not seem to be true.However, he also understands that doing business requires a flexible mind and outstanding talent, and he also feels that Clyde has a lot of shortcomings in this regard, so he very much hopes that Clyde can be more active.In this way, the Griffith family will be more glorious, and maybe his son will like him more.

"Do you like the current job?" He asked reservedly.

"Well, sir, I can't say I like it very much," Clyde answered honestly. "I don't really care, though. I think learning from scratch is as important as any other job." He wanted to impress his uncle that he could do something better.Besides, that Gilbert was not present, which also gave him courage to say what he wanted to express.

"Yes, there should be such a spirit," added Samuel Griffiths with satisfaction, "although this is an unpleasant part of the craft, learning from scratch is the most basic of all crafts." You have to know that no matter how strong a person is, he must go through a period of time if he wants to get ahead in an industry."

After hearing this, Clyde felt a little disappointed, wondering how long he would stay in that dark place.

He was making calculations when Myra came running up.She was curious about him, not knowing what he looked like, and was delighted when she discovered that he was not as ugly as Gilbert described him to be.She saw from Clyde's eyes that he was looking for something, that he was a little flustered and uncertain, which immediately aroused her interest, and perhaps made her think of something in connection with her own character.Because she herself cannot be regarded as a very successful person in social aspects.

"This is your cousin, Clyde Griffiths, Myra," said Samuel casually as Clyde stood up. "My daughter," he continued, pointing to Clyde, "this is the young man I've been telling you about."

Clyde bowed again, then went to shake Myra's cold but tender hand.He felt that she treated him much better than others.

"Now that you're here, I really hope you enjoy this place," she said softly. "We all like it here, but I think it might mean less to you when you go to Chicago." She smiled.Facing these relatives whose status and status were much higher than his own, Clyde seemed a little at a loss and a little cautious.He just answered her with an innocuous "thank you" bluntly.He was about to sit back when the door opened suddenly and Gilbert Griffiths strode in.Before that, a car rang and stopped outside the east gate. "Right away, Dodge!" he yelled to the people in the car outside.Then he said to his family: "I'm sorry, I have something to do, I'll be right here." He ran up the back stairs.After a while, he came back again.The impassive face that had always troubled Clyde was directed at him.He's wearing a brightly colored, belted, striped casual jacket, which he wears while driving.In addition, he also wore a black leather hat and leather gloves, which looked like a soldier.He nodded to Clyde, looking awkward, and said, "Hello!" Then he put his hand on his father's shoulder and said, "Dad, Mom. I'm from Amsterdam and I'm going to find Constance and Jacqueline. There's something wrong with the Bridgemans. But I'll be back before dawn. I'm sorry I can't be with you tonight." He changed the subject. , "Dad, are you okay?"

"It's all right," his father replied, "but you're going to be late today, aren't you?"

"Oh, no," his son replied, as if Clyde didn't even exist. "I mean, if I'm not back by two o'clock, I'll stay in the dorm." He patted his father on the shoulder again.

"Don't drive too fast," his mother told him, "it's too dangerous."

"I know, ten miles an hour, Mom." He smiled at his mother.

Clyde, who was put aside, had long noticed his self-righteous demeanor when he said these words.It was no wonder that he was an eminent figure here as in the factory, and perhaps there was no one else he could respect here except his father.

(End of this chapter)