An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser

complainingly at her daughter.

Nevertheless Bella was no more abashed that she was

irritated by this. On the contrary she knew her mother and

knew that she was fond of her; also that she was intrigued

by her physical charm as well as her assured local social

success as much as was her father, who considered her

perfection itself and could be swayed by her least, as well

as her much practised, smile.

“Not old enough, not old enough,” commented Bella

reproachfully. “Will you listen? I’ll be eighteen in July. I’d like

to know when you and Papa are going to think I’m old

enough to go anywhere without you both. Wherever you

two go, I have to go, and wherever I want to go, you two

have to go, too.”

“Bella,” censured her mother. Then after a moment’s

silence, in which her daughter stood there impatiently, she

added, “Of course, what else would you have us do? When

you are twenty-one or two, if you are not married by then, it

will be time enough to think of going off by yourself. But at

your age, you shouldn’t be thinking of any such thing.” Bella

cocked her pretty head, for at the moment the side door

downstairs was thrown open, and Gilbert Griffiths, the only

son of this family and who very much in face and build, if

not in manner or lack of force, resembled Clyde, his

western cousin, entered and ascended.

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223

He was at this time a vigorous, self-centered and vain youth

of twenty-three who, in contrast with his two sisters,

seemed much sterner and far more practical. Also, probably

much more intelligent and aggressive in a business way—a

field in which neither of the two girls took the slightest

interest. He was brisk in manner and impatient. He

considered that his social position was perfectly secure, and

was utterly scornful of anything but commercial success.

Yet despite this he was really deeply interested in the

movements of the local society, of which he considered

himself and his family the most important part. Always

conscious of the dignity and social standing of his family in

this community, he regulated his action and speech

accordingly. Ordinarily he struck the passing observer as

rather sharp and arrogant, neither as youthful or as playful

as his years might have warranted. Still he was young,

attractive and interesting. He had a sharp, if not brilliant,

tongue in his head—a gift at times for making crisp and

cynical remarks. On account of his family and position he

was considered also the most desirable of all the young

eligible bachelors in Lycurgus. Nevertheless he was so

much interested in himself that he scarcely found room in

his cosmos for a keen and really intelligent understanding

of anyone else.

Hearing him ascend from below and enter his room, which

was at the rear of the house next to hers, Bella at once left

her mother’s room, and coming to the door, called: “Oh, Gil,

can I come in?”

“Sure.” He was whistling briskly and already, in view of

some entertainment somewhere, preparing to change to

evening clothes.

“Where are you going?”

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224

“Nowhere, for dinner. To the Wynants afterwards.”

“Oh, Constance to be sure.”

“No, not Constance, to be sure. Where do you get that

stuff?”

“As though I didn’t know.”

“Lay off. Is that what you came in here for?”

“No, that isn’t what I came in here for. What do you think?

The Finchleys are going to build a place up at Twelfth Lake

next summer, right on the lake, next to the Phants, and Mr.

Finchley’s going to buy Stuart a thirty-foot launch and build

a boathouse with a sun-parlor right over the water to hold it.

Won’t that be swell, huh?”

“Don’t say ‘swell.’ And don’t say ‘huh.’ Can’t you learn to cut

out the slang? You talk like a factory girl. Is that all they

teach you over at that school?”

“Listen to who’s talking about cutting out slang. How about

yourself? You set a fine example around here, I notice.”

“Well, I’m five years older than you are. Besides I’m a man.

You don’t notice Myra using any of that stuff.”

“Oh, Myra. But don’t let’s talk about that. Only think of that

new house they’re going to build and the fine time they’re

going to have up there next summer. Don’t you wish we

could move up there, too? We could if we wanted to—if

Papa and Mamma would agree to it.”

“Oh, I don’t know that it would be so wonderful,” replied her

brother, who was really very much interested just the same.

“There are other places besides Twelfth Lake.”

“Who said there weren’t? But not for the people that we

know around here. Where else do the best people from

Albany and Utica go but there now, I’d like to know. It’s

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225

going to become a regular center, Sondra says, with all the

finest houses along the west shore. Just the same, the

Cranstons, the Lamberts, and the Harriets are going to

move up there pretty soon, too,” Bella added most definitely

and defiantly. “That won’t leave so many out at Greenwood

Lake, nor the very best people, either, even if the Anthonys

and Nicholsons do stay here.”

“Who says the Cranstons are going up there?” asked

Gilbert, now very much interested.

“Why, Sondra!”

“Who told her?”

“Bertine.”

“Gee, they’re getting gayer and gayer,” commented her

brother oddly and a little enviously. “Pretty soon Lycurgus’ll

be too small to hold ’em.” He jerked at a bow tie he was

attempting to center and grimaced oddly as his tight

neckband pinched him slightly.

For although Gilbert had recently entered into the collar and

shirt industry with his father as general supervisor of

manufacturing, and with every prospect of managing and

controlling the entire business eventually, still he was

jealous of young Grant Cranston, a youth of his own age,

very appealing and attractive physically, who was really

more daring with and more attractive to the girls of the

younger set. Cranston seemed to be satisfied that it was

possible to combine a certain amount of social pleasure

with working for his father with which Gilbert did not agree.

In fact, young Griffiths would have preferred, had it been

possible, so to charge young Cranston with looseness, only

thus far the latter had managed to keep himself well within

the bounds of sobriety. And the Cranston Wickwire

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226

Company was plainly forging ahead as one of the leading

industries of Lycurgus.

“Well,” he added, after a moment, “they’re spreading out

faster than I would if I had their business. They’re not the

richest people in the world, either.” Just the same he was

thinking that, unlike himself and his parents, the Cranstons

were really more daring if not socially more avid of life. He

envied them.

“And what’s more,” added Bella interestedly, “the Finchleys

are to have a dance floor over the boathouse. And Sondra

says that Stuart was hoping that you would come up there

and spend a lot of time this summer.”

“Oh, did he?” replied Gilbert, a little enviously and

sarcastically. “You mean he said he was hoping you would

come up and spend a lot of time. I’ll be working this

summer.”

“He didn’t say anything of the kind, smarty. Besides it

wouldn’t hurt us any if we did go up there. There’s nothing

much out at Greenwood any more that I can see. A lot of

old hen parties.”

“Is that so? Mother would like to hear that.”

“And you’ll tell her, of course.”

“Oh, no, I won’t either. But I don’t think we’re going to follow

the Finchleys or the Cranstons up to Twelfth Lake just yet,

either. You can go up there if you want, if Dad’ll let you.

“Just then the lower door clicked again, and Bella, forgetting

her quarrel with her brother, ran down to greet her father.

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227

Chapter 2

THE head of the Lycurgus branch of the Griffiths, as

contrasted with the father of the Kansas City family, was

most arresting. Unlike his shorter and more confused

brother of the Door of Hope, whom he had not even seen

for thirty years, he was a little above the average in height,

very well-knit, although comparatively slender, shrewd of

eye, and incisive both as to manner and speech. Long used

to contending for himself, and having come by effort as well

as results to know that he was above the average in

acumen and commercial ability, he was inclined at times to

be a bit intolerant of those who were not. He was not

ungenerous or unpleasant in manner, but always striving to

maintain a calm and judicial air. And he told himself by way

of excuse for his mannerisms that he was merely accepting

himself at the value that others placed upon him and all