part 6-第12章

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〃It's　noble　music；　Fred；　from　the　first　measure。　　There's



nothing　lovelier　than　the　WONNIGER　HAUSRATH。　　It's　all　such



comprehensive　sort　of　musicfateful。　　Of　course；　FRICKA



KNOWS；〃　Thea　ended　quietly。







　　　　　Fred　sighed。　　〃There；　you've　spoiled　my　itinerary。



Now　I'll　have　to　come　back；　of　course。　　Archie；　you'd　bet…



ter　get　busy　about　seats　to…morrow。〃







　　　　　〃I　can　get　you　box　seats；　somewhere。　　I　know　nobody



here；　and　I　never　ask　for　any。〃　　Thea　began　hunting　among



her　wraps。　　〃Oh；　how　funny！　　I've　only　these　short　woolen



gloves；　and　no　sleeves。　　Put　on　my　coat　first。　　Those　Eng…



lish　people　can't　make　out　where　you　got　your　lady；　she's



so　made　up　of　contradictions。〃　　She　rose　laughing　and



plunged　her　arms　into　the　coat　Dr。　Archie　held　for　her。　　As



she　settled　herself　into　it　and　buttoned　it　under　her　chin；



she　gave　him　an　old　signal　with　her　eyelid。　　〃I'd　like　to



sing　another　part　to…night。　　This　is　the　sort　of　evening　I



fancy；　when　there's　something　to　do。　　Let　me　see：　I　have　to



sing　in　‘Trovatore'　Wednesday　night；　and　there　are　re…



hearsals　for　the　‘Ring'　every　day　this　week。　　Consider　me



dead　until　Saturday；　Dr。　Archie。　　I　invite　you　both　to　dine



with　me　on　Saturday　night；　the　day　after　‘Rheingold。'



And　Fred　must　leave　early；　for　I　want　to　talk　to　you　alone。



You've　been　here　nearly　a　week；　and　I　haven't　had　a　seri…



ous　word　with　you。　　TAK　FOR　MAD；　Fred；　as　the　Norwegians



say。〃



























　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　VIII











　　　　　THE　〃Ring　of　the　Niebelungs〃　was　to　be　given　at　the



Metropolitan　on　four　successive　Friday　afternoons。



After　the　first　of　these　performances；　Fred　Ottenburg　went



home　with　Landry　for　tea。　　Landry　was　one　of　the　few　pub…



lic　entertainers　who　own　real　estate　in　New　York。　　He　lived



in　a　little　three…story　brick　house　on　Jane　Street；　in　Green…



wich　Village；　which　had　been　left　to　him　by　the　same　aunt



who　paid　for　his　musical　education。







　　　　　Landry　was　born；　and　spent　the　first　fifteen　years　of



his　life；　on　a　rocky　Connecticut　farm　not　far　from　Cos　Cob。



His　father　was　an　ignorant；　violent　man；　a　bungling　farmer



and　a　brutal　husband。　　The　farmhouse；　dilapidated　and



damp；　stood　in　a　hollow　beside　a　marshy　pond。　　Oliver　had



worked　hard　while　he　lived　at　home；　although　he　was　never



clean　or　warm　in　winter　and　had　wretched　food　all　the　year



round。　　His　spare；　dry　figure；　his　prominent　larynx；　and　the



peculiar　red　of　his　face　and　hands　belonged　to　the　chore…



boy　he　had　never　outgrown。　　It　was　as　if　the　farm；　knowing



he　would　escape　from　it　as　early　as　he　could；　had　ground　its



mark　on　him　deep。　　When　he　was　fifteen　Oliver　ran　away



and　went　to　live　with　his　Catholic　aunt；　on　Jane　Street；



whom　his　mother　was　never　allowed　to　visit。　　The　priest　of



St。　Joseph's　Parish　discovered　that　he　had　a　voice。







　　　　　Landry　had　an　affection　for　the　house　on　Jane　Street；



where　he　had　first　learned　what　cleanliness　and　order　and



courtesy　were。　　When　his　aunt　died　he　had　the　place　done



over；　got　an　Irish　housekeeper；　and　lived　there　with　a　great



many　beautiful　things　he　had　collected。　　His　living　ex…



penses　were　never　large；　but　he　could　not　restrain　himself



from　buying　graceful　and　useless　objects。　　He　was　a　collec…



tor　for　much　the　same　reason　that　he　was　a　Catholic；　and















he　was　a　Catholic　chiefly　because　his　father　used　to　sit



in　the　kitchen　and　read　aloud　to　his　hired　men　disgusting



〃exposures〃　of　the　Roman　Church；　enjoying　equally　the



hideous　stories　and　the　outrage　to　his　wife's　feelings。







　　　　　At　first　Landry　bought　books；　then　rugs；　drawings；



china。　　He　had　a　beautiful　collection　of　old　French　and



Spanish　fans。　　He　kept　them　in　an　escritoire　he　had　brought



from　Spain；　but　there　were　always　a　few　of　them　lying



about　in　his　sitting…room。







　　　　　While　Landry　and　his　guest　were　waiting　for　the　tea　to



be　brought；　Ottenburg　took　up　one　of　these　fans　from　the



low　marble　mantel…shelf　and　opened　it　in　the　firelight。　　One



side　was　painted　with　a　pearly　sky　and　floating　clouds。



On　the　other　was　a　formal　garden　where　an　elegant　shep…



herdess　with　a　mask　and　crook　was　fleeing　on　high　heels



from　a　satin…coated　shepherd。







　　　　　〃You　ought　not　to　keep　these　things　about；　like　this；



Oliver。　　The　dust　from　your　grate　must　get　at　them。〃







　　　　　〃It　does；　but　I　get　them　to　enjoy　them；　not　to　have



them。　　They're　pleasant　to　glance　at　and　to　play　with　at



odd　times　like　this；　when　one　is　waiting　for　tea　or　some…



thing。〃







　　　　　Fred　smiled。　　The　idea　of　Landry　stretched　out　before　his



fire　playing　with　his　fans；　amused　him。　　Mrs。　McGinnis



brought　the　tea　and　put　it　before　the　hearth：　old　teacups



that　were　velvety　to　the　touch　and　a　pot…bellied　silver



cream　pitcher　of　an　Early　Georgian　pattern；　which　was



always　brought；　though　Landry　took　rum。







　　　　　Fred　drank　his　tea　walking　about；　examining　Landry's



sumptuous　writing…table　in　the　alcove　and　the　Boucher



drawing　in　red　chalk　over　the　mantel。　　〃I　don't　see　how



you　can　stand　this　place　without　a　heroine。　　It　would　give



me　a　raging　thirst　for　gallantries。〃







　　　　　Landry　was　helping　himself　to　a　second　cup　of　tea。



〃Works　quite　the　other　way　with　me。　　It　consoles　me　for



the　lack　of　her。　　It's　just　feminine　enough　to　be　pleasant　to















return　to。　　Not　any　more　tea？　　Then　sit　down　and　play　for



me。　　I'm　always　playing　for　other　people；　and　I　never　have



a　chance　to　sit　here　quietly　and　listen。〃







　　　　　Ottenburg　opened　the　piano　and　began　softly　to　boom



forth　the　shadowy　introduction　to　the　opera　they　had　just



heard。　　〃Will　that　do？〃　he　asked　jokingly。　　〃I　can't　seem



to　get　it　out　of　my　head。〃







　　　　　〃Oh；　excellently！　　Thea　told　me　it　was　quite　wonderful；



the　way　you　can　do　Wagner　scores　on　the　piano。　　So　few



people　can　give　one　any　idea　of　the　music。　　Go　ahead；　as



long　as　you　like。　　I　can　smoke；　too。〃　　Landry　flattened　him…



self　out　on　his　cushions　and　abandoned　himself　to　ease　with



the　circumstance　of　one　who　has　never　grown　quite　accus…



tomed　to　ease。







　　　　　Ottenburg　played　on；　as　he　happened　to　remember。　　He



understood　now　why　Thea　wished　him　to　hear　her　in



〃Rheingold。〃　　It　had　been　clear　to　him　as　soon　as　FRICKA



rose　from　sleep　and　looked　out　over　the　young　world；



stretching　one　white　arm　toward　the　new　Gotterburg



shining　on　the　heights。　　〃WOTAN！　　GEMAHL！　ERWACHE！〃　　She



was　pure　Scandinavian；　this　FRICKA：　〃Swedish　summer〃！



he　remembered　old　Mr。　Nathanmeyer's　phrase。　　She　had



wished　him　to　see　her　because　she　had　a　distinct　kind　of



loveliness　for　this　part；　a　shining　beauty　like　the　light　of



sunset　on　distant　sails。　　She　seemed　to　take　on　the　look



of　immortal　loveliness；　the　youth　of　the　golden　apples；　the



shining　body　and　the　shining　mind。　　FRICKA　had　been　a



jealous　spouse　to　him　for　so　long　that　he　had　forgot　she



meant　wisdom　before　she　meant　domestic　order；　and　that；



in　any　event；　she　was　always　a　goddess。　　The　FRICKA　of



that　afternoon　was　so　clear　and　sunny；　so　nobly　conceived；



that　she　made　a　whole　atmosphere　about　herself　and　quite



redeemed　from　shabbiness　the　helplessness　and　unscrupu…



lousness　of　the　gods。　　Her　reproaches　to　WOTAN　were　the



pleadings　of　a　tempered　mind；　a　consistent　sense　of　beauty。



In　the　long　silences　of　her　part；　her　shining　presence　was　a















visible　complement　to　the　discussion　of　the　orchestra。　　As



the　themes　which　were　to　help　in　weaving　the　drama　to　its



end　first　came　vaguely　upon　the　ear；　one　saw　their　import



and　tendency　in　the　face　of　this　clearest…visioned　of　the



gods。







　　　　　In　the　scene　between　FRICKA　and　WOTAN；　Ottenburg



stopped。　　〃I　can't　seem　to　get　the　voices；　in　there。〃







　　　　　Landry　chuckled。　　〃Don't　try。　　I　know　it　well　enough。



I　expect　I've　been　over　that　with　her　a　thousand　times。　　I



was　playing　for　her　almost　every　day　when　she　was　first



working　on　it。　　When　she　begins　with　a　part　she's　hard　to



work　with：　so　slow　you'd　think　she　was　stupid　if　you　didn't



know　her。　　Of　course　she　blames　it　all　on　her　accompanist。



It　goes　on　like　that　for　weeks　sometimes。　　This　did。　　She



kept　shaking　her　head　and　staring　and　looking　gloomy。



All　at　once；　she　got　her　lineit　usually　comes　suddenly；



after　stretches　of　not　getting　anywhere　at　alland　after



that　it　kept　changing　and　clearing。　　As　she　worked　her　voice



into　it；　it　got　more　and　more　of　that　‘gold'　quality　that



makes　her　FRICKA　so　different。〃







　　　　　Fred　began　FRICKA'S　first　aria　again。　　〃It's　certainly



different。　　Curious　how　she　does　it。　　Such　a　beautiful　idea；



out　of　a　part　that's　always　been　so　ungrateful。　　She's　a



lovely　thing；　but　she　was　never　so　beautiful　as　that；　really。



Nobody　is。〃　　He　repeated　the　loveliest　phrase。　　〃How　does



she　manage　it；　Landry？　　You've　worked　with　her。〃







　　　　　Landry　drew　cherishingly　on　the　last　cigarette　he　meant



to　permit　himself　before　singing。　　〃Oh；　it's　a　question　of　a



big　personalityand　all　that　goes　with　it。　　Brains；　of



course。　　Imagination；　of　course。　　But　the　important　thing



is　that　she　was　born　full　of　color；　with　a　rich　personality。



That's　a　gift　of　the　gods；　like　a　fine　nose。　　You　have　it；　or



you　haven't。　　Against　it；　intelligence　and　musicianship



and　habits　of　industry　don't　count　at　all。　　Singers　are　a



conventional　race。　　When　Thea　was　studying　in　Berlin　the



other　girls　were　mortally　afraid　of　her。　　She　has　a　pretty















rough　hand　with　women；　dull　ones；　and　she　could　be　rude；



too！　　The　girls　used　to　call　her　DIE　WOLFIN。〃







　　　　　Fred　thrust　his　hands　into　his　pockets　and　leaned　back



against　the　piano。　　〃Of　course；　even　a　stupid　woman



could　get　effects　with　such　machinery：　such　a　voice　and



body　and　face。　　But　they　couldn't　possibly　belong　to　a



stupid　woman；　could　they？〃







　　　　　Landry　shook　his　head。　　〃It's　personality；　that's　as　near



as　you　can　come　to　it。　　That's　what　constitutes　real　equip…



ment。　　What　she　does　is　interesting　because　she　does　it。



Even　the　things　she　discards　are　suggestive。　　I　regret　some



of　them。　　Her　conceptions　are　colored　in　so　many　different



ways。　　You've　h