american tragedy

Chapter 53

Chapter 219
Along the way, both Roberta and Clyde were glad to be unnoticed.On the car back from Fonda, they met no acquaintances.Grace was already asleep when they arrived at the Newtons' house, and she made a few vague and casual questions, asking if Roberta's sister was all right, and if she had been to the Beards or Tribez Mills. , (Roberta said she was in Homer all day.) She herself was going to Tribez Mills to visit her parents and so on recently, and she turned over and fell asleep after speaking.

But Miss Opal Phyllis and Miss Oliver Pope were sitting at supper the next day, and they made a few kind words as soon as Roberta came in, which kept Roberta from stepping down. .

"Ah, the people who went to the Starlight Playground are back! Miss Alden, it's fun to dance there! We saw you, but you didn't see us." Before Roberta had time to think about how to answer, Phyllis Then the lady went on, "We would have liked you to have looked at us, but you only have eyes for him—you're a pretty good dancer."

Roberta didn't know the two of them very well, and she didn't have the ability to turn around after the truth was exposed. She blushed and couldn't say a word.Grace was sitting across from her, staring at her, as if saying, "Ah, that's the thing, dancing with a man!" George Newton, who was sitting at the other end of the table, also looked back at her.

Roberta felt compelled to explain, and said: "Yes, I was there for a while. My sister had some friends, and I went with them." She was stubborn, and thought that if she wanted to go to Starlight Playground, why can't she go? The Newtons, Grace, whoever it is, has no right to question her, she spends her own money but she knows her lie has been exposed on the spot, and it's all her fault for sending someone under the fence. Every movement was stuck.Miss Pope asked curiously again: "I don't think he's from Lycurgus, I've never seen him."

"Of course not," replied Roberta coldly.She knew that Grace must be very disgusted with her going to social activities behind her back.She wanted to stand up immediately and leave the room, but she tried to calm down and looked at everyone present.If she continued to be questioned, she was ready to invent a name or two, saying that she was a friend of her brother-in-law in Homer.Or just say nothing at all, why did she have to say it?

Afterwards, she realized that it was all for nothing.Grace went into the room and scolded her: "Didn't you say you've been staying at your sister's house?"

"So what?" said Roberta angrily, without a hint of pleading.She had expected Grace to reprimand her according to a set of moral values, but what she didn't know was that Grace was angry because Roberta was hiding from her and alienating her.

"Well, you don't have to think about where you're going, just lie to me about whoever you want to see. I don't want to go with you, and I don't want to know where you've been or with whom. But I want you to To the point: Don't lie and deceive people. Don't get me into a situation where I have to lie with you."

She was greatly stimulated and saddened to death.Roberta also knew that there was only one way out of this embarrassing situation, and that was to move out.Grace is a person who lives on others, as long as she is with her, she has to tell her everything she thinks.But could you tell her about Clyde? She might expose them and ruin them.So she replied, "You can think what you like, and I don't want to tell anyone anything."

Grace knew that Roberta would not see her anymore, so she got up and walked out of the room.Roberta can't live here anymore, the people here are too narrow, they can't tolerate her ambiguous relationship with Clyde, but how can she lose him? If she wants to maintain their relationship, she can only move place.

It takes courage to move. You don’t know anyone, you have no relatives, and you have to find them first.Then I have to write to my mother and sister to explain, but she can't live anymore anyway.For Grace, Mr. Newton, and especially Mrs. Newton, like the Puritans and Quakers of earlier times, seem to have discovered a great sin committed by a "brother" or "sister" in the church.She went out to dance secretly, with a young man. What happened, and what did it have to do with this return? She couldn't explain it clearly.Roberta thought that they would definitely spy on her actions in the future, so that she would rarely have the chance to meet Clyde again.Therefore, she thought about it for two days and two nights, and discussed it with Clyde again, and decided to restore her free status and move to a house that no one knew or watched.So she asked for a day off to inquire about places in the southeastern part of the city that she thought she would not have contact with the Newton family, and found a place she liked.It was an old brick house on Elm Street, owned by a couple of furniture merchants, with two daughters, one working and one studying.The vacant room was behind the front porch on the ground floor, and it was a point of great importance to her to meet Clyde.

Judging from the conversation of the housewife, Mrs. Gilpin, this family is not as strict as the Newton family, and likes to inquire about other people's private affairs.Mrs. Gilpin was in her fifties and not very sharp.She told Roberta that she didn't want to take in boarding tenants because they had enough income to cover their expenses, but mainly because the house was isolated from the others and they didn't use it much, so she decided to rent it out, and her husband agreed.She also hoped that the lodgers would be working girls like Roberta, who would eat with them.She didn't ask questions about her family, but just looked at her with interest, and she didn't seem to have a bad impression.Roberta speculated that there might not be the same set of rules as the Newtons.

But she still couldn't make up her mind, because there was always an ominous feeling about sneaking around like this.She had a falling out with Grace and the Newtons, but she knew she was working here because of Grace.If mom and sister heard about it, would they blame her?

However, she was reluctant to leave Clyde?

Can not give up.She paid a deposit, agreed to move within a few days, and went to work.After dinner she raised the matter with the Newtons, explaining that her brother and sister were probably coming and she wanted to make preparations earlier.

Both the Newtons and Grace also believed that it was because of her new friends, so they agreed to her moving out.She had indulged in adventures they disapproved of, led astray by thoughts of pleasure.

After Roberta moved, she didn't know whether she was right or wrong.This is only more convenient when communicating with Clyde, but it is difficult to guarantee that there will be no accidents in the future.

To comfort her conscience, she sent a letter to her mother and sister, telling them why she had moved from the Newtons, and that Grace was now unbearably bossy and selfish.However, she has a room now, and the place to live is very good, please rest assured.If they wanted to come and see her, there was a place to stay, and the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Gilpin, were nice enough to introduce them.

But she vaguely felt that the love that had developed between her and Clyde was playing with fire.Therefore, when she looked at the room, she thought that the most important thing was the relationship between this room and the rest of the rooms. She knew clearly how dangerous the path she was walking on was.

(End of this chapter)