第8章 III(2)

Natty， precise， well-brushed， conscious of being rather small amongst the long English， the lank Americans， the rotund Germans， and the obese Russian Jewesses， I should stand there， tapping a cigarette on the outside of my case， surveying for a moment the world in the sunlight. But a day was to come when Iwas never to do it again alone. You can imagine， therefore， what the coming of the Ashburnhams meant to me. I have forgotten the aspect of many things， but I shall never forget the aspect of the dining-room of the Hotel Excelsior on that evening--and on so many other evenings. Whole castles have vanished from my memory， whole cities that I have never visited again， but that white room， festooned with papier-maché fruits and flowers； the tall windows； the many tables； the black screen round the door with three golden cranes flying upward on each panel； the palm-tree in the centre of the room； the swish of the waiter's feet；the cold expensive elegance； the mien of the diners as they came in every evening--their air of earnestness as if they must go through a meal prescribed by the Kur authorities and their air of sobriety as if they must seek not by any means to enjoy their meals--those things I shall not easily forget. And then， one evening， in the twilight， I saw Edward Ashburnham lounge round the screen into the room. The head waiter， a man with a face all grey--in what subterranean nooks or corners do people cultivate those absolutely grey complexions？--went with the timorous patronage of these creatures towards him and held out a grey ear to be whispered into. It was generally a disagreeable ordeal for newcomers but Edward Ashburnham bore it like an Englishman and a gentleman. I could see his lips form a word of three syllables--remember I had nothing in the world to do but to notice these niceties--and immediately I knew that he must be Edward Ashburnham， Captain， Fourteenth Hussars， of Branshaw House， Branshaw Teleragh. I knew it because every evening just before dinner， whilst I waited in the hall， I used， by the courtesy of Monsieur Schontz， the proprietor， to inspect the little police reports that each guest was expected to sign upon taking a room.

The head waiter piloted him immediately to a vacant table， three away from my own--the table that the Grenfalls of Falls River， N.J.， had just vacated. It struck me that that was not a very nice table for the newcomers， since the sunlight， low though it was， shone straight down upon it， and the same idea seemed to come at the same moment into Captain Ashburnham's head. His face hitherto had， in the wonderful English fashion， expressed nothing whatever. Nothing. There was in it neither joy nor despair； neither hope nor fear； neither boredom nor satisfaction. He seemed to perceive no soul in that crowded room； he might have been walking in a jungle. I never came across such a perfect expression before and I never shall again. It was insolence and not insolence；it was modesty and not modesty. His hair was fair， extraordinarily ordered in a wave， running from the left temple to the right； his face was a light brick-red， perfectly uniform in tint up to the roots of the hair itself； his yellow moustache was as stiff as a toothbrush and I verily believe that he had his black smoking jacket thickened a little over the shoulder-blades so as to give himself the air of the slightest possible stoop. It would be like him to do that； that was the sort of thing he thought about. Martingales， Chiffney bits， boots； where you got the best soap， the best brandy， the name of the chap who rode a plater down the Khyber cliffs； the spreading power of number three shot before a charge of number four powder . . . by heavens， I hardly ever heard him talk of anything else. Not in all the years that I knew him did I hear him talk of anything but these subjects. Oh， yes， once he told me that I could buy my special shade of blue ties cheaper from a firm in Burlington Arcade than from my own people in New York. And Ihave bought my ties from that firm ever since. Otherwise I should not remember the name of the Burlington Arcade. I wonder what it looks like. I have never seen it. I imagine it to be two immense rows of pillars， like those of the Forum at Rome， with Edward Ashburnham striding down between them. But it probably isn't--the least like that. Once also he advised me to buy Caledonian Deferred， since they were due to rise. And I did buy them and they did rise. But of how he got the knowledge I haven't the faintest idea. It seemed to drop out of the blue sky.

And that was absolutely all that I knew of him until a month ago--that and the profusion of his cases， all of pigskin and stamped with his initials， E. F. A. There were gun cases， and collar cases， and shirt cases， and letter cases and cases each containing four bottles of medicine； and hat cases and helmet cases. It must have needed a whole herd of the Gadarene swine to make up his outfit. And， if I ever penetrated into his private room it would be to see him standing， with his coat and waistcoat off and the immensely long line of his perfectly elegant trousers from waist to boot heel. And he would have a slightly reflective air and he would be just opening one kind of case and just closing another.

Good God， what did they all see in him？ for I swear there was all there was of him， inside and out； though they said he was a good soldier. Yet， Leonora adored him with a passion that was like an agony， and hated him with an agony that was as bitter as the sea.

How could he arouse anything like a sentiment， in anybody？

What did he even talk to them about--when they were under four eyes？ --Ah， well， suddenly， as if by a flash of inspiration， I know.