Carrie walked with an air equal to that of Mrs. Vance, andaccepted the seat which the head waiter provided for her. Shewas keenly aware of all the little things that were done--thelittle genuflections and attentions of the waiters and headwaiter which Americans pay for. The air with which the latterpulled out each chair, and the wave of the hand with which hemotioned them to be seated, were worth several dollars inthemselves.。, "Oh, are you?" said Carrie, taking another glance at thenewcomer.
"There," he said tenderly, "now see if you can't rest a little."He could have kissed her for her compliance. He took his seatbeside her and thought a moment.。,
The train was again in rapid motion. Hurstwood changed thesubject.。, Carrie heard this with genuine sorrow. She had enjoyed Mrs.Vance's companionship so much. There was no one else in thehouse whom she knew. Again she would be all alone.
"All right," he said, "but you'll hear me out, won't you? Afterall you have said about loving me, you might hear me. I don'twant to do you any harm. I'll give you the money to go back withwhen you go. I merely want to tell you, Carrie. You can't stopme from loving you, whatever you may think."。,
"Let's go to the matinee this afternoon," said Mrs. Vance, whohad stepped across into Carrie's flat one morning, still arrayedin a soft pink dressing-gown, which she had donned upon rising.Hurstwood and Vance had gone their separate ways nearly an hourbefore.。, One day Carrie's bell rang and the servant, who was in thekitchen, pressed the button which caused the front door of thegeneral entrance on the ground floor to be electricallyunlatched. When Carrie waited at her own door on the third floorto see who it might be coming up to call on her, Mrs. Vanceappeared.
"Oh, I do want to see Nat Goodwin," said Mrs. Vance. "I do thinkhe is the jolliest actor. The papers say this is such a goodplay."。, If the occupants of both flats answered to the whistle of thejanitor at the same time, they would stand face to face when theyopened the dumb-waiter doors. One morning, when Carrie went toremove her paper, the newcomer, a handsome brunette of perhapstwenty-three years of age, was there for a like purpose. She wasin a night-robe and dressing-gown, with her hair very muchtousled, but she looked so pretty and good-natured that Carrieinstantly conceived a liking for her. The newcomer did no morethan smile shamefacedly, but it was sufficient. Carrie felt thatshe would like to know her, and a similar feeling stirred in themind of the other, who admired Carrie's innocent face.
When Hurstwood came, Carrie was moody. She was sitting, rockingand thinking, and did not care to have her enticing imaginationsbroken in upon; so she said little or nothing.。,
Carrie noticed this, and in scanning it the price of springchicken carried her back to that other bill of fare and fardifferent occasion when, for the first time, she sat with Drouetin a good restaurant in Chicago. It was only momentary--a sadnote as out of an old song--and then it was gone. But in thatflash was seen the other Carrie--poor, hungry, drifting at herwits' ends, and all Chicago a cold and closed world, from whichshe only wandered because she could not find work.。,
"No; I've tried. The only thing I can see, if I want to improve,is to get hold of a place of my own."。, Each day he could read in the evening papers of the doings withinthis walled city. In the notices of passengers for Europe heread the names of eminent frequenters of his old resort. In thetheatrical column appeared, from time to time, announcements ofthe latest successes of men he had known. He knew that they wereat their old gayeties. Pullmans were hauling them to and froabout the land, papers were greeting them with interestingmentions, the elegant lobbies of hotels and the glow of polisheddining-rooms were keeping them close within the walled city. Menwhom he had known, men whom he had tipped glasses with--rich men,and he was forgotten! Who was Mr. Wheeler? What was the WarrenStreet resort? Bah!