Jennie Gerhardt - Драйзер Теодор (книги бесплатно без онлайн .txt) 📗

wife. Vesta was to be introduced as Jennie's daughter by her first

marriage, her husband, a Mr. Stover (her mother's maiden name), having

died immediately after the child's birth. Lester, of course, was the

stepfather. This particular neighbourhood was so far from the fashionable heart of Chicago that Lester did not expect to run into many of his

friends. He explained to Jennie the ordinary formalities of social

intercourse, so that when the first visitor called Jennie might be prepared to receive her. Within a fortnight this first visitor arrived in the person of Mrs. Jacob Stendahl, a woman of considerable importance in this

particular section. She lived five doors from Jennie—the houses of the

neighbourhood were all set in spacious lawns—and drove up in her

carriage, on her return from her shopping, one afternoon.

"Is Mrs. Kane in?" she asked of Jeannette, the new maid.

"I think so, mam," answered the girl. "Won't you let me have your card?"

The card was given and taken to Jennie, who looked at it curiously.

When Jennie came into the parlour Mrs. Stendahl, a tall dark, inquisitive-looking woman, greeted her most cordially.

"I thought I would take the liberty of intruding on you," she said most winningly. "I am one of your neighbours. I live on the other side of the street, some few doors up. Perhaps you have seen the house—the one

with the white stone gate-posts."

"Oh, yes indeed," replied Jennie. "I know it well. Mr. Kane and I were admiring it the first day we came out here."

"I know of your husband, of course, by reputation. My husband is

connected with the Wilkes Frog and Switch Company."

Jennie bowed her head. She knew that the latter concern must be

something important and profitable from the way in which Mrs. Stendahl

spoke of it.

"We have lived here quite a number of years, and I know how you must feel coming as a total stranger to a new section of the city. I hope you will find time to come in and see me some afternoon. I shall be most pleased.

My regular reception day is Thursday."

"Indeed I shall," answered Jennie, a little nervously, for the ordeal was a trying one. "I appreciate your goodness in calling. Mr. Kane is very busy as a rule, but when he is at home I am sure he would be most pleased to

meet you and your husband."

"You must both come over some evening," replied Mrs. Stendahl. "We lead a very quiet life. My husband is not much for social gatherings. But we enjoy our neighbourhood friends."

Jennie smiled her assurances of good-will. She accompanied Mrs.

Stendahl to the door, and shook hands with her. "I'm so glad to find you so charming," observed Mrs. Stendahl frankly.

"Oh, thank you," said Jennie flushing a little. "I'm sure I don't deserve so much praise."

"Well, now I will expect you some afternoon. Good-bye," and she waved a gracious farewell.

"That wasn't so bad," thought Jennie as she watched Mrs. Stendahl drive away. "She is very nice, I think. I'll tell Lester about her."

Among the other callers were a Mr. and Mrs. Carmichael Burke, a Mrs.

Hanson Field, and a Mrs. Timothy Ballinger—all of whom left cards, or

stayed to chat a few minutes. Jennie found herself taken quite seriously as a woman of importance, and she did her best to support the dignity of her position. And, indeed, she did exceptionally well. She was most

hospitable and gracious. She had a kindly smile and a manner wholly

natural; she succeeded in making a most favourable impression. She

explained to her guests that she had been living on the North Side until

recently, that HER HUSBAND, Mr. Kane, had long wanted to have a

home in Hyde Park, that her father and daughter were living here, and

that Lester was the child's stepfather. She said she hoped to repay all these nice attentions and to be a good neighbour.

Lester heard about these calls in the evening, for he did not care to meet these people. Jennie came to enjoy it in a mild way. She liked making

new friends, and she was hoping that something definite could be worked

out here which would make Lester look upon her as a good wife and an

ideal companion. Perhaps, some day, he might really want to marry her.

First impressions are not always permanent, as Jennie was soon to

discover. The neighbourhood had accepted her perhaps a little too hastily, and now rumours began to fly about. A Mrs. Sommerville, calling on

Mrs. Craig, one of Jennie's near neighbours, intimated that she knew who

Lester was—"oh, yes, indeed. You know, my dear," she went on, "his reputation is just a little—" she raised her eyebrows and her hand at the same time.

"You don't say!" commented her friend curiously. "He looks like such a staid, conservative person."

"Oh, no doubt, in a way, he is," went on Mrs. Sommerville. "His family is of the very best. There was some young woman he went with—so my

husband tells me. I don't know whether this is the one or not, but she was introduced as a Miss Gorwood, or some such name as that, when they

were living together as husband and wife on the North Side."

"Tst! Tst! Tst!" clicked Mrs. Craig with her tongue at this astonishing news. "You don't tell me! Come to think of it, it must be the same woman.

Her father's name is Gerhardt."

"Gerhardt!" exclaimed Mrs. Sommerville. "Yes, that's the name. It seems to me that there was some earlier scandal in connection with her—at least there was a child. Whether he married her afterward or not, I don't know.

Anyhow, I understand his family will not have anything to do with her."

"How very interesting!" exclaimed Mrs. Craig. "And to think he should have married her afterward, if he really did. I'm sure you can't tell with whom you're coming in contact these days, can you?"

"It's so true. Life does get badly mixed at times. She appears to be a charming woman."

"Delightful!" exclaimed Mrs. Craig. "Quite naive. I was really taken with her."

"Well, it may be," went on her guest, "that this isn't the same woman after all. I may be mistaken."

"Oh, I hardly think so. Gerhardt! She told me they had been living on the North Side."

"Then I'm sure it's the same person. How curious that you should speak of her!"

"It is, indeed," went on Mrs. Craig, who was speculating as to what her attitude toward Jennie should be in the future.

Other rumours came from other sources. There were people who had seen

Jennie and Lester out driving on the North Side, who had been introduced

to her as Miss Gerhardt, who knew what the Kane family thought. Of

course her present position, the handsome house, the wealth of Lester, the beauty of Vesta—all these things helped to soften the situation. She was

apparently too circumspect, too much the good wife and mother, too

really nice to be angry with; but she had a past, and that had to be taken into consideration.

An opening bolt of the coming storm fell upon Jennie one day when

Vesta, returning from school, suddenly asked: "Mamma, who was my

papa?"

"His name was Stover, dear," replied her mother, struck at once by the thought that there might have been some criticism—that some one must

have been saying something. "Why do you ask?"

"Where was I born?" continued Vesta, ignoring the last inquiry, and interested in clearing up her own identity.