Frye was at the piano now, in Schwankovsky’s place, his head bowed over
the keys, his eyes shut, playing a blues. Anne and Glenn were dancing to
it. But Hugh did not go in. He stood, struck into wonder by a wholly new
aspect he was suddenly vouchsafed of his brother and sister. They were
not his little brother—his little sister. No. The weird, heart-rending
“blues” had turned them into a type—into its own note, its wail. They
were figurines—pale—beautiful with grief.... Aristocratic, narrow heads
held high.... Their chiseled faces Benda masks. Every motion of foot and
leg and the wandlike bodies was heart-rending with passion and grief’s
restraint....
Perhaps love had turned Hugh clairvoyant. Perhaps acute happiness does
that sometimes. But whatever the cause of the illumination of his
sympathy, he realized Glenn and Anne as noble, beautiful. And for one
flashing instant he saw, typified in them, the pain of Youth itself.
He did no more about the key, but turned back to the car, awed and
quieted. He did not understand precisely what had happened to him by
this quickening in his soul of the power of insight. And above all he
was not conscious of any concrete reason there might be in those two
particular lives for his compassion. All that he knew definitely was
that he had looked with naked eyes on the fortitude of youth.... He
himself had never been so clear-cut as were Anne and Glenn. He had hoped
and pretended his youth away. Glenn and Anne would go on dancing through
their youth, dancing over its pains and anguishes, wand-held, reserved,
with intricate steps.... Their eyes open.... Perfectly
self-conscious.... But dancing still—with all the discipline of a
patterned art.
The minute he was in the car beside Ariel he forgot them. The big house
and all it held was blotted out in shadow at their backs, and their path
cut itself ahead through moonlight. But neither spoke. Ariel sat well
over at her own side of the wide seat. Hugh watched the road and guided
the wheel. As they neared their avenue it never entered Hugh’s head to
suggest, “Let’s go on, up the river.” Although the road was a wide path
of sheer moonlight, and the silvered river raced at their shoulders like
an Angel of Lovers. For he knew that Ariel’s heart held one intention—to
get to Grandam. From the minute when, at dinner, Schwankovsky had drawn
attention to her ring (except for the swift bright period of the dance),
this had been true. So he raced the roadster in under the dark arch and
up the moon-laced wood road through the glimmering birches and beeches,
around the silvery-dark curves to the door. There he spoke the first
words that had been uttered since they were alone together:
“I won’t drive the car around yet, but go up to see Grandam with you,
Ariel.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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