Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Turning a blind eye: one party's influence declines

Carrie was in great spirits and spirits in her room that evening. Excited by their mutual love, she was eagerly awaiting, with all her wonderful imaginations, their Sunday evening rendezvous. They had engaged her to go downtown and He met. Although they didn't feel the need for special secrecy, the arrangement came down to secrecy. Mrs. Hale saw her return from her upstairs window. "Well," she thought, "her husband's away, and she's going for a drive with other men. He ought to be careful about her." As a matter of fact, Mrs. Hale was not alone in her opinion of the matter. The flat maid who opened the door for Hurstwood also had an opinion. She did not have much affection for Carrie, whom she found aloof and difficult. On the contrary, she liked Drouet very much. , he was jovial and easy-going, joking with her now and then, and offering a little attention, which was his custom with all women. Hurstwood had an air of reticence and fussiness, and he was not as capable of courting this tight-fitting woman as Drouet was. The corset maid's favorite. She wondered how he came so diligently, and wondered that Mrs. Drouet should go out with the man when Mr. It spread quietly from apartment to apartment. That's how gossip usually spreads.

Carrie, now that she no longer refused Hurstwood's love, but confessed her own, was no longer concerned about the rightness of her attitude, and for the time being she had almost forgotten Drouet. She thought only of her. How respectable and dignified her lover was, how passionate and desperate his love was. She did almost nothing that evening but recalled the details of that afternoon. For the first time in her life all her sympathy was excited, Her character took on a new light. The latent initiative in her began to emerge, and she began to consider her situation more practically. She now seemed to see a ray of light in her predicament: Hurstwood seemed to be leading her towards The power of the path of decency. There was no evil in her affection for Hurstwood. From their recent developments, she imagined that Hurstwood would save her from the dishonorable life she was in. She did not know that Hurstwood would She would say something to her, but she only regarded his love as a beautiful thing, so she imagined better and nobler results of their affection.

Hurstwood, however, was only interested in having fun, and had no intention of taking responsibility. He did not think that what he was doing would cause him family troubles. Nor was his personal liberty restricted. Carrie's love only added to his life, an extra pleasure, and he wanted to enjoy it. He had fun with her, but the rest of his life remained Everything will remain the same without any impact. He dined with Carrie on Sunday evening at a restaurant he had chosen on East Adam Road. After dinner they took a cab to a fun night-club on High Taglu Road near Thirty-ninth Street. During the courtship, he soon realized that Carrie expected more from him than he had intended. She kept a careful distance from him, and refused to let him save anything but the tender expressions of love between first lovers. Nothing out of place. Hurstwood saw that she was not the sort of girl that was easy to come by, and deferred his eager wooing.

Since he had previously pretended to believe she was married, he found that he must continue to pretend. He saw that he was still a little short of success, but how far he did not know. As they were returning to Odenplatz in a cab, he asked: "When can I see you next time?" "I don't know," she answered, not knowing herself. "How would you like to come to the mall on Tuesday?" he suggested. She shook her head. "Not so often," she replied. "I think so," he went on, "I'll write to you at the West End Post Office. Will you be out on Tuesday?"

Carrie agreed. According to his greeting, the carriage stopped a door away from the apartment. "Good night," he said in a low voice, as the carriage started up again. Just when their relationship was going well, Drouet came back very unhappily. Hurstwood was sitting in his pretty little office next afternoon, when he saw Drouet come in. "Hello, Charlie," he called affectionately, "are you back?" "Yes," came Drouet, smiling, and stood at the door of the office, looking in. Hurstwood stood up. "Hey," he said, looking at the salesman, "you look as good as ever, don't you?"

They started talking about the people they knew and what happened. "Have you been home?" asked Hurstwood at last. "Not yet, but I'm thinking of going back," said Drouet. "I thought of that little girl of yours," said Hurstwood. "So I went to see her. I don't think you want her to be alone." "You are quite right," agreed Drouet. "How is she?" "Very well," said Hurstwood, "but miss you very much. You'd better go back at once, and make her happy." "I'll go now," said Drouet, smiling.

"I'd like you two to come over on Wednesday and go to a play with me," said Hurstwood at parting. "Thanks, man," said his friend, "I'll ask Carrie and get back to you." They parted very warmly. "What a nice fellow," thought Drouet, turning away toward Madison Street. "Drouet's a nice fellow," said Hurstwood to himself, as he turned back into the office, "but he's not good enough for Carrie." Thinking of Carrie, his heart was filled with joy, and he was thinking of how he could win over the salesman and win Carrie over.

As usual, when Drouet saw Carrie, he took her in his arms. But she tremblingly resisted his kisses. "You know what?" he said, "I've had a good run." "Really? How's that business with the Laclaus people you told me about last time?" "Well, it was good. I sold him a whole lot. There was a guy there too, representing Bestain, a real hook-nosed Jew. But he didn't do any business, and I totally compared him." As he unbuttoned his collar and studs to wash and change, he added details of the news on the road. Carrie could not help listening to his vivid description with relish.

"I'll tell you," he said, "I've amazed the people in the office. I've sold more this season than any traveling salesman in our firm. In La Claus alone I've It sold for 3,000 yuan." He dipped his head in a basin of water, wiped his neck and ears with his hands, and puffed to clear his nose. Carrie watched him, her mind full of thoughts, recalling the past, and remembering what she was doing now. His opinion. He wiped his face and went on: "I'm going to get a raise in June. I've got them so much business they can afford it. Don't you forget, I'm sure I'll get a raise."

"I hope you get what you want," said Carrie. "We'll be married when my little real estate business is done," he said with seriousness, as he stood before the looking-glass and combed his hair. "I don't believe you're going to marry me, Charlie," said Carrie bitterly. Hurstwood's latest vows had given her courage to say so. "No, of course I'm going to marry you...I'm going to marry you...Why do you think so?" He had stopped grooming before the looking-glass, and was now coming towards her. Carrie felt for the first time that she should avoid him.

"But you've been talking so long," she said, looking up at him with her pretty face. "Yes, but I mean it. But we'll have money to live as I want. When I get a raise, things will be all right, and we'll be married. Don't worry, you little girl." " He patted her reassuringly on the shoulder to reassure her. But Carrie felt that her hopes were so remote. She could see very clearly that this guy who just wanted to get away with it had no intention of marrying her. He wants to delay things, because he likes the current unfettered way of life, and he doesn't want to be bound by the law. Compared with him, Hurstwood seemed dependable and sincere, and there was no prevarication or carelessness in his manner. He sympathized with her, and made her see her own true worth. He needed her, and Drouet cared nothing. "Well, you won't," she murmured, with a hint of triumph in her tone, but more of resignation, "you never will." "Then you just wait and see." He finished the subject, "I must marry you." Carrie looked at him, feeling relieved. She had been looking for a reason to clear her conscience, and now she had it. Look at his light, irresponsible manner, ignoring her legitimate request for marriage. He He will only try his best to express that he wants to marry her, and this is the way he fulfills his promise. "You know," he began again, when he thought he had satisfactorily settled the subject of marriage, "I saw Hurstwood today. He asked us to go to the theater with him." Carrie was startled at his mention of Hurstwood. But she soon recovered her composure, and did not attract Drouet's attention. "When?" she asked with affected indifference. "Wednesday. Shall we go?" "Go as you please," she answered. Her manner was so cold that it almost aroused suspicion. Drouet, too, had noticed a peculiarity in her mood, but he attributed it to the unhappiness which had been caused by the talk of marriage just now. "He said he came to see you once." "Yes," said Carrie, "he came on Sunday night." "Really?" said Drouet; "from his tone, I thought he had come a week ago." "He came last week, too," said Carrie. She wondered what her two lovers were talking about, and was quite at a loss, lest her answer might cause some trouble. "Oh, so he came twice?" asked Drouet, beginning to look perplexed. "Yes," said Carrie, with innocent innocence. She knew now that Hurstwood must have mentioned only one visit. Drouet fancied that he must have misunderstood what his friend said. He did not take the matter to heart, and did not feel its seriousness. "What did he say?" he asked slightly curiously. "He said he came because he was afraid I would be lonely by myself. You haven't been to him for so long, and he doesn't know how you are." "George is a fine fellow," said Drouet, pleased with the manager's interest in him. "Get your hands together, and we'll go out to supper." Hurstwood waited for Drouet to leave, and hastened to write to Carrie: "Dearest and dearest: when he was gone, I told him I had come to see you. I didn't say it several times, but he probably thought it was only once. Tell me what you said to him. When you get this letter, send me Send me a letter. Darling, I must see you. Please tell me if I can come to the corner of Jackson and Suropton at two o'clock on Wednesday afternoon. I must speak to you before we meet at the theater." Carrie went to the West End Post Office on Tuesday morning, got the letter, and wrote an answer immediately. "I said you came twice," she wrote, "and he didn't seem to mind. If nothing interrupted, I'd go to Sarop Street. I seem to be getting worse now. I know I It's wrong to do that now." When they met at the agreed time, Hurstwood told her not to worry about it. "Don't worry about it, my dear," said he; "we'll arrange it when he's next out on business. We'll settle the matter, and you won't have to lie any more." Though he did not say so, Carrie was very excited at the thought of his imminent intention of marrying her. She proposed that they should keep the present position as long as possible until Drouet left. "As before, don't show too much interest in me," Hurstwood advised Carrie, referring to the evening at the theatre. "Then don't you stare at me like that," she reminded him, thinking of the charm of his eyes. "Promise not to stare at you." He held her hand tightly as they parted, and gazed at her again with the same gaze she had warned him against. "Look, here you go again," she said, nodding playfully with a finger. "It's not time to go to the theater at night yet. The beauty makes him more intoxicated than wine. At the theatre, too, things turned out very favorably for Hurstwood. If he had been in Carrie's favor before, he was all the more so now. His manners were all the more charming because they were appreciated. Carrie noted with delight. Drouet was almost forgotten by watching his every move. Poor Drouet went on talking as if he were the host. Hurstwood was very clever. He did not show any emotion at all. If there was anything different about him, it was that he cared more for his old friend than he did before. He was not the usual favorite In the present game, if he feels that his opponent has been unfairly treated, he is not mean enough to add some spirit to the injustice. mockery on. It's just that there is a scene in the play that seems to be mocking Drouet, but it's also Drouet's own fault. A scene from "The Engagement" is being played on the stage, in which the wife lets her lover seduce her while her husband is away. "That's what he deserved," said Drouet, at the end of the scene, though the wife had done her best to atone. "I have no pity for such a bum-headed fellow." "It's hard to say such a thing, though," said Hurstwood mildly, "and he may think he's right." "Well, if a man wants to keep his wife, he ought to be more concerned about her." They had already left the drawing room, and emerged through the well-dressed crowd at the entrance of the theatre. "If you please, sir," said a voice beside Hurstwood, "would you give me some money for a place to spend the night?" Hurstwood and Carrie were having a good time talking. "Indeed, sir, I haven't even a place to spend the night." The beggar was a man of about thirty, with a thin, haggard face, and an air of misery. Drouet saw it first. He handed him a dime, and a pang of sympathy came over him. Hurstwood scarcely noticed the matter. It was something that Carrie forgot about in an instant.