The Blue Castle | Progressively Translated Dutch A1-B2 Books

The Blue Castle | Progressively Translated Dutch A1-B2 Books

Embrace the benefits of this cutting-edge translation method, offering a tailored learning experience by letting you select the difficulty level that fits you best. It improves your comprehension by urging you to deduce meanings from context, reducing the need for constant translation. While some translations are intentionally masked to encourage guessing, it's always acceptable to check unfamiliar words. This method strikes the perfect balance between challenge and accessibility, making language learning both effective and enjoyable. Immerse yourself in these translated classics and uncover the pleasure of learning through literary exploration.

CHAPTERI
Ifit
had
had
notrainedonacertain
Mei
May
morningValancyStirling’swhole
leven
life
wouldhavebeenentirelydifferent.
She
zou
would
havegone,withthe
rest
rest
ofherclan,to
Tante
Aunt
Wellington’sengagementpicnicandDr.Trent
zou
would
havegonetoMontreal.
Maar
But
itdidrainandyoushall
horen
hear
whathappenedtoherbecauseof
het
it
.
Valancywakenedearly,inthe
levenloze
lifeless
,hopelesshourjustpreceding
dageraad
dawn
.
Shehadnotsleptvery
goed
well
.
Onedoesnotsleep
goed
well
,sometimes,whenoneistwenty-nineon
de
the
morrow,andunmarried,ina
gemeenschap
community
andconnectionwheretheunmarriedare
simpelweg
simply
thosewhohavefailedto
krijgen
get
aman.
Deerwoodand
de
the
StirlingshadlongsincerelegatedValancytohopeless
oude
old
maidenhood.
ButValancyherself
had
had
neverquiterelinquishedacertainpitiful,shamed,
kleine
little
hopethatRomancewouldcomeherwayyet—never,until
deze
this
wet,horriblemorning,whenshewakenedto
het
the
factthatshewastwenty-nine
en
and
unsoughtbyanyman.
Ay,
daar
there
laythesting.
Valancydidnotmindsomuchbeing
een
an
oldmaid.
Afterall,she
dacht
thought
,beinganoldmaidcouldn’tpossiblybeas
verschrikkelijk
dreadful
asbeingmarriedto
een
an
UncleWellingtonoran
Oom
Uncle
Benjamin,orevenan
Oom
Uncle
Herbert.
Whathurtherwas
dat
that
shehadneverhada
kans
chance
tobeanythingbutan
oude
old
maid.
Nomanhadever
verlangd
desired
her.
Thetearscameintohereyesasshe
lag
lay
therealoneinthefaintlygreying
duisternis
darkness
.
Shedarednotletherself
huilen
cry
ashardasshe
wilde
wanted
to,fortworeasons.
Shewas
bang
afraid
thatcryingmightbringonanother
aanval
attack
ofthatpainaround
het
the
heart.
Shehadhadaspellofit
nadat
after
shehadgotintobed—rather
erger
worse
thananyshehadhadyet.
En
And
shewasafraidher
moeder
mother
wouldnoticeherredeyesat
ontbijt
breakfast
andkeepather
met
with
minute,persistent,mosquito-likequestionsregardingthe
oorzaak
cause
thereof.
“Suppose,”thoughtValancy
met
with
aghastlygrin,“Ianswered
met
with
theplaintruth,‘Iam
huil
crying
becauseIcannotgetmarried.’
Hoe
How
horrifiedMotherwouldbe—thoughsheisashamed
elke
every
dayofherlifeofher
oude
old
maiddaughter.”
Butof
natuurlijk
course
appearancesshouldbekeptup.
“Itisnot,”Valancy
kon
could
hearhermother’sprim,dictatorial
stem
voice
asserting,“itisnotmaidenlytothinkaboutmen.”
De
The
thoughtofhermother’s
uitdrukking
expression
madeValancylaugh—forshe
had
had
asenseofhumour
niemand
nobody
inherclansuspected.
For
die
that
matter,therewereagood
veel
many
thingsaboutValancythat
niemand
nobody
suspected.
Butherlaughterwas
heel
very
superficialandpresentlyshe
lag
lay
there,ahuddled,futilelittle
figuur
figure
,listeningtotherainpouringdown
buiten
outside
andwatching,withasickdistaste,thechill,
meedogenloze
merciless
lightcreepingintoherugly,
smerige
sordid
room.
Sheknewtheuglinessof
die
that
roombyheart—knewit
en
and
hatedit.
Theyellow-painted
vloer
floor
,withonehideous,“hooked”
tapijt
rug
bythebed,witha
groteske
grotesque
,“hooked”dogonit,
altijd
always
grinningatherwhensheawoke;
het
the
faded,dark-redpaper;
the
plafond
ceiling
discolouredbyoldleaks
en
and
crossedbycracks;
the
smalle
narrow
,pinchedlittlewashstand;
thebrown-paperlambrequin
met
with
purplerosesonit;
de
the
spottedoldlooking-glasswith
de
the
crackacrossit,proppedupon
de
the
inadequatedressing-table;
thejarof
oude
ancient
potpourrimadebyher
moeder
mother
inhermythicalhoneymoon;
de
the
shell-coveredbox,withone
gebarsten
burst
corner,whichCousinStickles
had
had
madeinherequallymythicalgirlhood;
thebeadedpincushion
met
with
halfitsbeadfringegone;
de
the
onestiff,yellowchair;
het
the
fadedoldmotto,“Gonebutnotforgotten,”
werkte
worked
incolouredyarnsaboutGreat-grand-motherStirling’sgrim
oude
old
face;
theoldphotographsofancientrelatives
lang
long
banishedfromtherooms
beneden
below
.
Therewereonlytwopictures
die
that
werenotofrelatives.
One,an
oude
old
chromoofapuppy
zit
sitting
onarainydoorstep.
Die
That
picturealwaysmadeValancyunhappy.
Die
That
forlornlittledogcrouchedon
de
the
doorstepinthedriving
regen
rain
!
Whydidn’tsomeone
geopend
open
thedoorandlethimin?
De
The
otherpicturewasa
vervaagde
faded
,passe-partoutedengravingofQueenLouisecomingdown
een
a
stairway,whichAuntWellington
had
had
lavishlygivenheronher
tiende
tenth
birthday.
Fornineteenyearsshe
had
had
lookedatitand
gehaat
hated
it,beautiful,smug,self-satisfied
Koningin
Queen
Louise.
Butshenever
durfde
dared
destroyitorremove
het
it
.
MotherandCousinStickles
zouden
would
havebeenaghast,or,asValancyirreverentlyexpresseditinherthoughts,
zouden
would
havehadafit.
Elke
Every
roominthehousewas
lelijk
ugly
,ofcourse.
Butdownstairsappearanceswerekeptupsomewhat.
Er
There
wasnomoneyforrooms
niemand
nobody
eversaw.
Valancysometimes
gevoel
felt
thatshecouldhave
doen
done
somethingforherroomherself,
zelfs
even
withoutmoney,ifshewere
toegestaan
permitted
.
Buthermotherhadnegatived
elke
every
timidsuggestionandValancydidnot
volharden
persist
.
Valancyneverpersisted.
Shewas
bang
afraid
to.
Hermothercouldnotbrookopposition.
Mrs.Stirling
zou
would
sulkfordaysifoffended,
met
with
theairsofaninsulted
hertogin
duchess
.
TheonlythingValancylikedabouther
kamer
room
wasthatshecouldbealonethereatnightto
huilen
cry
ifshewantedto.
Maar
But
,afterall,whatdiditmatter
als
if
aroom,whichyou
gebruikte
used
fornothingexceptsleeping
en
and
dressingin,wereugly?
Valancywas
nooit
never
permittedtostayaloneinher
kamer
room
foranyotherpurpose.
Mensen
People
whowantedtobealone,soMrs.FrederickStirling
en
and
CousinSticklesbelieved,couldonly
willen
want
tobealoneforsome
sinistere
sinister
purpose.
Butherroomin
het
the
BlueCastlewaseverything
een
a
roomshouldbe.
Valancy,socowed
en
and
subduedandoverriddenandsnubbedin
echte
real
life,waswontto
laten
let
herselfgorathersplendidlyinherday-dreams.
Niemand
Nobody
intheStirlingclan,
of
or
itsramifications,suspectedthis,leastofallher
moeder
mother
andCousinStickles.
They
nooit
never
knewthatValancyhad
twee
two
homes—theuglyredbrick
doos
box
ofahome,onElm
Street
Street
,andtheBlueCastleinSpain.
Valancyhad
leefde
lived
spirituallyintheBlue
Kasteel
Castle
eversinceshecould
herinneren
remember
.
Shehadbeena
heel
very
tinychildwhenshefoundherself
bezeten
possessed
ofit.
Always,whenshe
sloot
shut
hereyes,shecould
zien
see
itplainly,withitsturrets
en
and
bannersonthepine-cladmountainheight,
gewikkeld
wrapped
initsfaint,blueloveliness,
tegen
against
thesunsetskiesof
een
a
fairandunknownland.
Alles
Everything
wonderfulandbeautifulwasin
dat
that
castle.
Jewelsthatqueensmight
hebben
have
worn;
robesofmoonlight
en
and
fire;
couchesofroses
en
and
gold;
longflightsof
ondiepe
shallow
marblesteps,withgreat,
witte
white
urns,andwithslender,mist-cladmaidensgoingup
en
and
downthem;
courts,marble-pillared,
waar
where
shimmeringfountainsfellandnightingales
zongen
sang
amongthemyrtles;
hallsofmirrors
die
that
reflectedonlyhandsomeknights
en
and
lovelywomen—herselftheloveliestofall,for
wiens
whose
glancemendied.
Allthatsupportedher
door
through
theboredomofherdayswasthe
hoop
hope
ofgoingonadreamspreeatnight.
Meeste
Most
,ifnotall,of
de
the
Stirlingswouldhavediedof
verschrikking
horror
iftheyhadknown
helft
half
thethingsValancydidinher
Blauwe
Blue
Castle.
Foronethingshe
had
had
quiteafewloversinit.
Oh,onlyoneata
keer
time
.
Onewhowooedher
met
with
alltheromanticardourofthe
tijdperk
age
ofchivalryandwonher
na
after
longdevotionandmanydeedsofderring-do,
en
and
wasweddedtoher
met
with
pompandcircumstanceinthe
grote
great
,banner-hungchapelofthe
Blauwe
Blue
Castle.
Attwelve,this
minnaar
lover
wasafairlad
met
with
goldencurlsandheavenly
blauwe
blue
eyes.
Atfifteen,hewas
lang
tall
anddarkandpale,
maar
but
stillnecessarilyhandsome.
Attwenty,hewasascetic,
dromerig
dreamy
,spiritual.
Attwenty-five,he
had
had
aclean-cutjaw,slightly
grimmig
grim
,andafacestrong
en
and
ruggedratherthanhandsome.
Valancy
nooit
never
grewolderthantwenty-fiveinher
Blauwe
Blue
Castle,butrecently—veryrecently—her
held
hero
hadhadreddish,tawnyhair,
een
a
twistedsmileanda
mysterieus
mysterious
past.
Idon’tsayValancy
opzettelijk
deliberately
murderedtheseloversassheoutgrewthem.
Ene
One
simplyfadedawayas
andere
another
came.
Thingsareveryconvenientin
dit
this
respectinBlueCastles.
Maar
But
,onthismorningofher
dag
day
offate,Valancycouldnot
vinden
find
thekeyofher
Blauwe
Blue
Castle.
Realitypressedonher
te
too
hardly,barkingather
hielen
heels
likeamaddeninglittle
hond
dog
.
Shewastwenty-nine,lonely,undesired,ill-favoured—the
enige
only
homelygirlina
knappe
handsome
clan,withnopast
en
and
nofuture.
Asfarasshe
kon
could
lookback,lifewasdrab
en
and
colourless,withnotonesinglecrimson
of
or
purplespotanywhere.
Asfarasshe
kon
could
lookforwarditseemed
zeker
certain
tobejustthe
hetzelfde
same
untilshewasnothingbut
een
a
solitary,littlewitheredleafclingingto
een
a
wintrybough.
Themomentwhen
een
a
womanrealisesthatshe
heeft
has
nothingtolivefor—neither
liefde
love
,duty,purposenorhope—holdsforherthe
bitterheid
bitterness
ofdeath.
“AndI
gewoon
just
havetogoonliving
omdat
because
Ican’tstop.
Imayhaveto
leven
live
eightyyears,”thoughtValancy,in
een
a
kindofpanic.
“We’reall
verschrikkelijk
horribly
long-lived.
Itsickensmeto
denken
think
ofit.”
Shewas
blij
glad
itwasraining—orrather,shewasdrearilysatisfied
dat
that
itwasraining.
There
zou
would
benopicnicthat
dag
day
.
Thisannualpicnic,whereby
Tante
Aunt
andUncleWellington—onealways
dacht
thought
oftheminthatsuccession—inevitably
vierden
celebrated
theirengagementata
picknick
picnic
thirtyyearsbefore,hadbeen,oflateyears,
een
a
veritablenightmaretoValancy.
By
een
an
impishcoincidenceitwasthe
dezelfde
same
dayasherbirthday
en
and
,aftershehadpassedtwenty-five,
niemand
nobody
letherforgetit.
Muchasshe
haatte
hated
goingtothepicnic,it
zou
would
neverhaveoccurredtohertorebelagainstit.
Er
There
seemedtobenothingof
het
the
revolutionaryinhernature.
En
And
sheknewexactlywhateveryone
zou
would
saytoherat
de
the
picnic.
UncleWellington,whomshedisliked
en
and
despisedeventhoughhe
had
had
fulfilledthehighestStirlingaspiration,“marryingmoney,”
zou
would
saytoherin
een
a
pig’swhisper,“Notthinkingofgetting
trouwen
married
yet,mydear?”
andthen
gaan
go
offintothebellowof
lachen
laughter
withwhichheinvariablyconcludedhis
saai
dull
remarks.
AuntWellington,ofwhomValancy
stond
stood
inabjectawe,would
vertellen
tell
heraboutOlive’snewchiffon
jurk
dress
andCecil’slastdevoted
brief
letter
.
Valancywouldhavetolookaspleased
en
and
interestedasifthe
jurk
dress
andletterhadbeenhersorelse
Tante
Aunt
Wellingtonwouldbeoffended.
En
And
Valancyhadlongago
besloten
decided
thatshewouldrather
beledigen
offend
GodthanAuntWellington,
want
because
Godmightforgiveher
maar
but
AuntWellingtonneverwould.
Tante
Aunt
Alberta,enormouslyfat,withanamiable
gewoonte
habit
ofalwaysreferringtoherhusbandas“he,”asifhewerethe
enige
only
malecreatureinthe
wereld
world
,whocouldneverforgetthatshehadbeena
grote
great
beautyinheryouth,
zou
would
condolewithValancyonhersallow
huid
skin—
.
“Idon’tknowwhy
alle
all
thegirlsoftodayaresosunburned.
Toen
When
Iwasagirlmy
huid
skin
wasrosesandcream.
Iwascounted
het
the
prettiestgirlinCanada,mydear.”
Misschien
Perhaps
UncleHerbertwouldn’tsayanything—or
misschien
perhaps
hewouldremarkjocularly,“Howfatyou’regetting,Doss!”
En
And
theneverybodywouldlaughover
het
the
excessivelyhumorousideaof
arme
poor
,scrawnylittleDossgettingfat.
Handsome,
plechtige
solemn
UncleJames,whomValancydisliked
maar
but
respectedbecausehewasreputedtobe
erg
very
cleverandwasthereforethe
clan
clan
oracle—brainsbeingnonetooplentifulintheStirlingconnection—would
waarschijnlijk
probably
remarkwiththeowl-like
sarcasme
sarcasm
thathadwonhimhis
reputatie
reputation
,“Isupposeyou’rebusy
met
with
yourhope-chestthesedays?”
En
And
UncleBenjaminwouldasksomeofhis
afschuwelijke
abominable
conundrums,betweenwheezychuckles,
en
and
answerthemhimself.
“Whatis
het
the
differencebetweenDossand
een
a
mouse?
“Themousewishesto
schaden
harm
thecheeseandDoss
wil
wishes
tocharmthehe’s.”
Valancy
had
had
heardhimaskthat
raadsel
riddle
fiftytimesandevery
keer
time
shewantedtothrow
iets
something
athim.
Butshe
nooit
never
did.
Inthefirst
plaats
place
,theStirlingssimplydidnot
gooien
throw
things;
inthesecond
plaats
place
,UncleBenjaminwasa
rijke
wealthy
andchildlessoldwidower
en
and
Valancyhadbeenbroughtupin
de
the
fearandadmonitionofhis
geld
money
.
Ifsheoffendedhimhe
zou
would
cutheroutofhiswill—supposingshewereinit.
Valancydidnot
wilde
want
tobecutoutof
Oom
Uncle
Benjamin’swill.
Shehadbeenpoorallher
leven
life
andknewthegalling
bitterheid
bitterness
ofit.
Soshe
verdroeg
endured
hisriddlesandevensmiledtortured
kleine
little
smilesoverthem.
AuntIsabel,
ronduit
downright
anddisagreeableasaneast
wind
wind
,wouldcriticiseherinsomeway—Valancy
kon
could
notpredictjusthow,for
Tante
Aunt
Isabelneverrepeatedacriticism—she
vond
found
somethingnewwithwhichtojabyou
elke
every
time.
AuntIsabelpridedherselfon
zei
saying
whatshethought,butdidn’tlikeitsowellwhen
andere
other
peoplesaidwhattheythoughtto
haar
her
.
Valancyneversaidwhatshe
dacht
thought
.
CousinGeorgiana—namedafterhergreat-great-grand-mother,whohadbeennamedafterGeorge
de
the
Fourth—wouldrecountdolorouslythenamesof
alle
all
relativesandfriendswhohad
gestorven
died
sincethelastpicnic
en
and
wonder“whichofus
zal
will
bethefirsttogonext.”
Oppressivelycompetent,
Tante
Aunt
Mildredwouldtalkendlesslyofher
man
husband
andherodiousprodigiesofbabiestoValancy,
omdat
because
Valancywouldbethe
enige
only
oneshecouldfindtoputupwithit.
For
de
the
samereason,CousinGladys—reallyFirst
Neef
Cousin
Gladysonceremoved,accordingto
de
the
strictwayinwhich
de
the
Stirlingstabulatedrelationship—atall,
dunne
thin
ladywhoadmittedshe
had
had
asensitivedisposition,would
beschrijven
describe
minutelythetorturesofherneuritis.
En
And
Olive,thewondergirlofthe
hele
whole
Stirlingclan,whohad
alles
everything
Valancyhadnot—beauty,popularity,love,—would
laten zien
show
offherbeautyandpresumeonher
populariteit
popularity
andflauntherdiamondinsigniaof
liefde
love
inValancy’sdazzled,enviouseyes.
Er
There
wouldbenoneofall
dit
this
today.
Andtherewouldbe
geen
no
packingupofteaspoons.
Het
The
packingupwasalwaysleftforValancy
en
and
CousinStickles.
Andonce,
zes
six
yearsago,asilverteaspoonfrom
Tante
Aunt
Wellington’sweddingsethadbeen
verloren
lost
.
Valancyneverheardthe
laatste
last
ofthatsilverteaspoon.
Its
geest
ghost
appearedBanquo-likeateverysubsequentfamilyfeast.
Oh,
ja
yes
,Valancyknewexactlywhat
de
the
picnicwouldbelike
en
and
sheblessedtherain
die
that
hadsavedherfromit.
Er
There
wouldbenopicnic
dit
this
year.
IfAuntWellington
kon
could
notcelebrateonthe
heilige
sacred
dayitselfshewould
hebben
have
nocelebrationatall.
Bedank
Thank
whatevergodstherewerefor
die
that
.
Sincetherewouldbe
geen
no
picnic,Valancymadeuphermind
dat
that
,iftherainheldupin
de
the
afternoon,shewouldgoupto
de
the
libraryandgetanotherofJohnFoster’s
boek
books
.
Valancywasneverallowedto
lezen
read
novels,butJohnFoster’s
boeken
books
werenotnovels.
Theywere“naturebooks”—sothe
bibliothecaris
librarian
toldMrs.FrederickStirling—“all
over
about
thewoodsandbirds
en
and
bugsandthingslikethat,youknow.”
SoValancywasallowedto
lezen
read
them—underprotest,foritwasonlytoo
duidelijk
evident
thatsheenjoyedthemtoo
veel
much
.
Itwaspermissible,evenlaudable,to
lezen
read
toimproveyourmind
en
and
yourreligion,buta
boek
book
thatwasenjoyablewas
gevaarlijk
dangerous
.
Valancydidnotknowwhetherher
geest
mind
wasbeingimprovedornot;
maar
but
shefeltvaguelythat
als
if
shehadcomeacrossJohnFoster’s
boeken
books
yearsagolifemight
had
have
beenadifferentthingfor
haar
her
.
Theyseemedtohertoyieldglimpsesof
een
a
worldintowhichshemightoncehave
geven
entered
,thoughthedoorwasforeverbarredtoher
nu
now
.
Itwasonlywithinthe
laatste
last
yearthatJohnFoster’s
boeken
books
hadbeenintheDeerwood
bibliotheek
library
,thoughthelibrariantoldValancy
dat
that
hehadbeenawell-known
schrijver
writer
forseveralyears.
“Wheredoeshelive?”
Valancy
had
had
asked.
“Nobodyknows.
Fromhis
boeken
books
hemustbeaCanadian,
maar
but
nomoreinformationcanbehad.
Hispublisherswon’t
zeggen
say
aword.
QuitelikelyJohn
Foster
Foster
isanomdeplume.
His
boeken
books
aresopopularwecan’t
houden
keep
theminatall,thoughI
echt
really
can’tseewhatpeople
vinden
find
inthemtoraveover.”
“Ithinkthey’rewonderful,”
zei
said
Valancy,timidly.
“Oh—well—”
MissClarkson
glimlachte
smiled
inapatronisingfashionthatrelegatedValancy’sopinionstolimbo,“Ican’t
zeggen
say
Icaremuchforbugsmyself.
Maar
But
certainlyFosterseemsto
weten
know
allthereisto
weten
know
aboutthem.”
Valancydidn’t
wist
know
whethershecaredmuchforbugseither.
ItwasnotJohnFoster’suncanny
kennis
knowledge
ofwildcreaturesandinsectlife
dat
that
enthralledher.
Shecould
nauwelijks
hardly
saywhatitwas—sometantalising
lokmiddel
lure
ofamysteryneverrevealed—some
hint
hint
ofagreatsecret
net
just
alittlefurtheron—some
zwakke
faint
,elusiveechooflovely,
vergeten
forgotten
things—JohnFoster’smagicwasindefinable.
Ja
Yes
,shewouldgeta
nieuw
new
Fosterbook.
Itwas
een
a
monthsinceshehadThistleHarvest,so
zeker
surely
Mothercouldnotobject.
Valancy
had
had
readitfourtimes—she
kende
knew
wholepassagesoffbyheart.
And—she
bijna
almost
thoughtshewouldgo
en
and
seeDr.Trentaboutthatqueer
pijn
pain
aroundtheheart.
Ithad
gekomen
come
ratheroftenlately,andthepalpitationswere
werden
becoming
annoying,nottospeakofanoccasional
duizelig
dizzy
momentandaqueershortnessofbreath.
Maar
But
couldshegotoseehim
zonder
without
tellinganyone?
Itwas
een
a
mostdaringthought.
Noneof
de
the
Stirlingseverconsulteda
dokter
doctor
withoutholdingafamilycouncil
en
and
gettingUncleJames’approval.
Then,they
gingen
went
toDr.AmbroseMarshofPortLawrence,
die
who
hadmarriedSecondCousinAdelaideStirling.
Maar
But
ValancydislikedDr.Ambrose
Marsh
Marsh
.
And,besides,shecouldnotgettoPortLawrence,fifteenmilesaway,
zonder
without
beingtakenthere.
Shedidnot
wilde
want
anyonetoknowabouther
hart
heart
.
Therewouldbesuch
een
a
fussmadeandevery
lid
member
ofthefamilywould
komen
come
downandtalkitover
en
and
adviseherandcautionher
en
and
warnherandtellher
vreselijke
horrible
talesofgreat-auntsandcousinsfortytimes
verwijderd
removed
whohadbeen“justlikethat”
en
and
“droppeddeadwithoutamoment’s
waarschuwen
warning
,mydear.”
AuntIsabel
zou
would
rememberthatshehad
altijd
always
saidDosslookedlike
een
a
girlwhowouldhavehearttrouble—“sopinched
en
and
peakedalways”;
andUncleWellington
zou
would
takeitasa
persoonlijke
personal
insult,when“noStirlingeverhadheartdiseasebefore”;
en
and
Georgianawouldforebodein
perfect
perfectly
audibleasidesthat“poor,
lieve
dear
littleDossisn’tlongfor
deze
this
world,I’mafraid”;
andCousinGladys
zou
would
say,“Why,myheart
had
has
beenlikethatforyears,”inatonethat
impliceerde
implied
nooneelsehadanybusinessevento
had
have
aheart;
andOlive—Olive
zou
would
merelylookbeautifulandsuperior
en
and
disgustinglyhealthy,asifto
zeggen
say
,“Whyallthisfuss
over
over
afadedsuperfluitylikeDosswhenyouhaveme?”
Valancyfelt
dat
that
shecouldn’ttellanybodyunlessshehadto.
She
voelde
felt
quitesuretherewasnothingat
al
all
seriouslywrongwithher
hart
heart
andnoneedof
al
all
thepotherthatwouldensue
als
if
shementionedit.
She
zou
would
justslipupquietlyandseeDr.Trent
die
that
veryday.
Asforhisbill,she
had
had
thetwohundreddollarsthather
vader
father
hadputinthe
bank
bank
forherthedayshewas
geboren
born
.
Shewasneverallowedto
gebruiken
use
eventheinterestofthis,
maar
but
shewouldsecretlytake
uit
out
enoughtopayDr.Trent.
Dr.
Trentwas
een
a
gruff,outspoken,absent-mindedold
kerel
fellow
,buthewasa
erkende
recognised
authorityonheartdisease,
zelfs
even
ifhewereonly
een
a
generalpractitionerinout-of-the-worldDeerwood.
Dr.Trentwasoverseventy
en
and
therehadbeenrumours
dat
that
hemeanttoretire
binnenkort
soon
.
NoneoftheStirling
clan
clan
hadevergonetohim
sinds
since
hehadtoldCousinGladys,
tien
ten
yearsbefore,thatherneuritiswasall
denkbeeldig
imaginary
andthatsheenjoyedit.
Youcouldn’tpatronisea
dokter
doctor
whoinsultedyourfirst-cousin-once-removedlikethat—nottomentionthathewasaPresbyterian
toen
when
alltheStirlingswentto
de
the
Anglicanchurch.
CHAPTERII
Toen
When
CousinSticklesknockedather
deur
door
,Valancyknewitwashalf-past
zeven
seven
andshemustgetup.
Aslongasshe
kon
could
remember,CousinStickleshad
geklopt
knocked
atherdoorathalf-past
zeven
seven
.
CousinSticklesandMrs.FrederickStirlinghadbeenup
sinds
since
seven,butValancywasallowedto
liggen
lie
abedhalfanhourlongerbecauseofafamilytradition
dat
that
shewasdelicate.
Valancygotup,thoughshehatedgettingupmorethismorning
dan
than
evershehadbefore.