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第5章 别瞪我

　　During all this time--a period rapidly approaching three years--Hurstwood had been moving along in an even path. There was noapparent slope downward, and distinctly none upward, so far asthe casual observer might have seen. But psychologically therewas a change, which was marked enough to suggest the future verydistinctly indeed. This was in the mere matter of the halt hiscareer had received when he departed from Chicago. A man'sfortune or material progress is very much the same as his bodilygrowth. Either he is growing stronger, healthier, wiser, as theyouth approaching manhood, or he is growing weaker, older, lessincisive mentally, as the man approaching old age. There are noother states. Frequently there is a period between the cessationof youthful accretion and the setting in, in the case of themiddle-aged man, of the tendency toward decay when the twoprocesses are almost perfectly balanced and there is little doingin either direction. Given time enough, however, the balancebecomes a sagging to

　　"I don't know; I guess so, if they'll take me."

　　"What for?"

　　Again he resorted to the Bowery lodging-house, brooding overwhere to look. From this it was but a step to beggary.

　　Hurstwood nodded his head.

　　Minnie made no objection to this, and Carrie put on her hat andwent below.

　　The upshot of this was that the change was eventually effected;not without great gloom on the part of Carrie. It reallyaffected her more seriously than anything that had yet happened.She began to look upon Hurstwood wholly as a man, and not as alover or husband. She felt thoroughly bound to him as a wife,and that her lot was cast with his, whatever it might be; but shebegan to see that he was gloomy and taciturn, not a young,strong, and buoyant man. He looked a little bit old to her aboutthe eyes and mouth now, and there were other things which placedhim in his true rank, so far as her estimation was concerned.She began to feel that she had made a mistake. Incidentally, shealso began to recall the fact that he had practically forced herto flee with him.

　　"So I did," said Carrie simply. "I went for a walk."

　　Carrie smiled under his irresistible flood of geniality.