The Blue Castle | Progressive Translation Books for Italian A1 Learners

The Blue Castle | Progressive Translation Books for Italian A1 Learners

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CHAPTERI
Ifit
avesse
had
notrainedonacertain
Maggio
May
morningValancyStirling’swhole
vita
life
wouldhavebeenentirelydifferent.
She
sarebbe
would
havegone,withthe
resto
rest
ofherclan,toAuntWellington’sengagementpicnic
e
and
Dr.Trentwouldhave
andato
gone
toMontreal.
Butitdidrain
e
and
youshallhearwhat
successo
happened
toherbecauseofit.
Valancywakenedearly,inthelifeless,hopelesshourjustprecedingdawn.
She
aveva
had
notsleptverywell.
Onedoesnot
dorme
sleep
well,sometimes,whenoneistwenty-nineonthemorrow,
e
and
unmarried,inacommunity
e
and
connectionwheretheunmarriedaresimplythose
che
who
havefailedtogeta
uomo
man
.
DeerwoodandtheStirlings
avevano
had
longsincerelegatedValancytohopelessoldmaidenhood.
Ma
But
Valancyherselfhadneverquiterelinquished
una
a
certainpitiful,shamed,little
speranza
hope
thatRomancewouldcomeherwayyet—never,until
questa
this
wet,horriblemorning,whenshewakenedtothe
fatto
fact
thatshewastwenty-nine
e
and
unsoughtbyanyman.
Ay,therelay
il
the
sting.
Valancydidnotmindsomuchbeing
una
an
oldmaid.
Afterall,she
pensò
thought
,beinganoldmaidcouldn’tpossiblybeasdreadfulasbeingmarriedto
una
an
UncleWellingtonoran
Zio
Uncle
Benjamin,orevenan
Zio
Uncle
Herbert.
Whathurtherwas
che
that
shehadneverhadachancetobeanythingbutanoldmaid.
Nessun
No
manhadeverdesiredher.
Le
The
tearscameintohereyesasshelaytherealonein
le
the
faintlygreyingdarkness.
Shedarednotletherselfcryashardasshewanted
per
to
,fortworeasons.
Shewasafraid
che
that
cryingmightbringonanotherattackof
che
that
painaroundtheheart.
Shehadhad
un
a
spellofitaftershehadgotintobed—ratherworsethan
qualsiasi
any
shehadhadyet.
E
And
shewasafraidher
madre
mother
wouldnoticeherredeyesatbreakfast
e
and
keepatherwithminute,persistent,mosquito-likequestionsregardingthe
causa
cause
thereof.
“Suppose,”thoughtValancywith
un
a
ghastlygrin,“Iansweredwith
la
the
plaintruth,‘Iamcrying
perché
because
Icannotgetmarried.’
Come
How
horrifiedMotherwouldbe—thoughsheisashamed
ogni
every
dayofherlifeofheroldmaiddaughter.”
Ma
But
ofcourseappearancesshouldbekeptup.
“Itisnot,”Valancycould
sentire
hear
hermother’sprim,dictatorialvoiceasserting,“itisnotmaidenlyto
pensare
think
aboutmen.”
Thethoughtofhermother’sexpression
faceva
made
Valancylaugh—forshehad
un
a
senseofhumournobodyinherclansuspected.
For
che
that
matter,therewereagood
molte
many
thingsaboutValancythat
nessuno
nobody
suspected.
Butherlaughterwasverysuperficial
e
and
presentlyshelaythere,ahuddled,futilelittlefigure,
ascoltando
listening
totherainpouringdown
fuori
outside
andwatching,witha
malato
sick
distaste,thechill,merciless
luce
light
creepingintoherugly,sordidroom.
Sheknewtheuglinessofthatroombyheart—knewit
e
and
hatedit.
Theyellow-paintedfloor,withonehideous,“hooked”rugbythe
letto
bed
,withagrotesque,“hooked”
cane
dog
onit,alwaysgrinningather
quando
when
sheawoke;
thefaded,dark-redpaper;
il
the
ceilingdiscolouredbyoldleaks
e
and
crossedbycracks;
thenarrow,pinched
piccolo
little
washstand;
thebrown-paperlambrequin
di
with
purplerosesonit;
thespotted
vecchio
old
looking-glasswiththecrackacrossit,proppedupontheinadequatedressing-table;
il
the
jarofancientpotpourri
fatto
made
byhermotherinhermythicalhoneymoon;
la
the
shell-coveredbox,withoneburstcorner,
che
which
CousinStickleshadmadeinherequallymythicalgirlhood;
thebeadedpincushion
di
with
halfitsbeadfringegone;
theonestiff,yellowchair;
il
the
fadedoldmotto,“Gone
ma
but
notforgotten,”workedincolouredyarnsaboutGreat-grand-motherStirling’sgrim
vecchio
old
face;
theoldphotographsofancientrelativeslongbanishedfrom
le
the
roomsbelow.
Therewere
solo
only
twopicturesthatwerenotofrelatives.
One,an
vecchio
old
chromoofapuppy
seduto
sitting
onarainydoorstep.
Thatpicture
sempre
always
madeValancyunhappy.
Thatforlornlittledogcrouchedonthedoorstepinthedrivingrain!
Whydidn’tsomeone
aperto
open
thedoorandlethimin?
Theotherpicturewasafaded,passe-partoutedengravingofQueenLouisecomingdownastairway,
che
which
AuntWellingtonhadlavishlygivenheronhertenthbirthday.
Fornineteenyearsshehadlookedatit
e
and
hatedit,beautiful,smug,self-satisfiedQueenLouise.
Ma
But
sheneverdareddestroyit
o
or
removeit.
MotherandCousinStickleswouldhavebeenaghast,
o
or
,asValancyirreverentlyexpresseditinherthoughts,wouldhavehad
un
a
fit.
Everyroominthe
casa
house
wasugly,ofcourse.
Ma
But
downstairsappearanceswerekeptupsomewhat.
Therewas
non
no
moneyforroomsnobodyever
visto
saw
.
Valancysometimesfeltthatshecould
avrebbe
have
donesomethingforherroomherself,even
senza
without
money,ifshewerepermitted.
Ma
But
hermotherhadnegatived
ogni
every
timidsuggestionandValancydidnotpersist.
Valancyneverpersisted.
Shewasafraid
di
to
.
Hermothercouldnotbrookopposition.
Mrs.Stirlingwouldsulkfordays
se
if
offended,withtheairsof
una
an
insultedduchess.
Theonly
cosa
thing
Valancylikedaboutherroomwas
che
that
shecouldbealonethereat
notte
night
tocryifshewantedto.
Ma
But
,afterall,whatdiditmatter
se
if
aroom,whichyouusedfornothingexcept
dormire
sleeping
anddressingin,wereugly?
Valancywasneverpermittedtostayaloneinherroomfor
qualsiasi
any
otherpurpose.
Peoplewhowantedtobealone,soMrs.FrederickStirling
e
and
CousinSticklesbelieved,couldonlywanttobealoneforsomesinisterpurpose.
Ma
But
herroomintheBlueCastlewas
tutto
everything
aroomshouldbe.
Valancy,socowed
e
and
subduedandoverriddenandsnubbedin
reale
real
life,waswonttoletherself
andare
go
rathersplendidlyinherday-dreams.
Nessuno
Nobody
intheStirlingclan,
o
or
itsramifications,suspectedthis,
meno
least
ofallhermother
e
and
CousinStickles.
Theynever
sapevano
knew
thatValancyhadtwohomes—theuglyredbrickboxof
una
a
home,onElmStreet,
e
and
theBlueCastleinSpain.
Valancy
aveva
had
livedspirituallyintheBlueCastleeversinceshecould
ricordare
remember
.
Shehadbeenaverytinychild
quando
when
shefoundherselfpossessedof
esso
it
.
Always,whensheshuthereyes,shecould
vedeva
see
itplainly,withitsturrets
e
and
bannersonthepine-cladmountainheight,wrappedinitsfaint,blueloveliness,
contro
against
thesunsetskiesof
una
a
fairandunknownland.
Tutto
Everything
wonderfulandbeautifulwasin
che
that
castle.
Jewelsthatqueens
potuto
might
haveworn;
robesofmoonlight
e
and
fire;
couchesofroses
e
and
gold;
longflightsofshallowmarblesteps,withgreat,whiteurns,
e
and
withslender,mist-cladmaidensgoingup
e
and
downthem;
courts,marble-pillared,
dove
where
shimmeringfountainsfellandnightingalessangamongthemyrtles;
hallsofmirrors
che
that
reflectedonlyhandsomeknights
e
and
lovelywomen—herselftheloveliestof
tutte
all
,forwhoseglancemen
morivano
died
.
Allthatsupportedher
attraverso
through
theboredomofherdayswas
la
the
hopeofgoingon
un
a
dreamspreeatnight.
Maggior parte
Most
,ifnotall,of
la
the
Stirlingswouldhavediedofhorror
se
if
theyhadknownhalf
la
the
thingsValancydidinherBlueCastle.
Forone
cosa
thing
shehadquiteafewloversin
esso
it
.
Oh,onlyoneata
volta
time
.
Onewhowooedherwith
tutto
all
theromanticardouroftheageofchivalry
e
and
wonherafterlongdevotion
e
and
manydeedsofderring-do,
e
and
wasweddedtoherwithpomp
e
and
circumstanceinthegreat,banner-hungchapeloftheBlueCastle.
Attwelve,
questo
this
loverwasafairladwithgoldencurls
e
and
heavenlyblueeyes.
Atfifteen,hewastall
e
and
darkandpale,but
ancora
still
necessarilyhandsome.
Attwenty,hewasascetic,dreamy,spiritual.
Attwenty-five,he
aveva
had
aclean-cutjaw,slightlygrim,
e
and
afacestrongandruggedrather
che
than
handsome.
Valancynevergrewolderthantwenty-fiveinherBlueCastle,
ma
but
recently—veryrecently—herherohadhadreddish,tawny
capelli
hair
,atwistedsmileand
un
a
mysteriouspast.
Idon’t
dico
say
Valancydeliberatelymurderedtheseloversassheoutgrew
li
them
.
Onesimplyfadedawayasanothercame.
Thingsareveryconvenientin
questo
this
respectinBlueCastles.
Ma
But
,onthismorningofher
giorno
day
offate,Valancycouldnot
trovare
find
thekeyofherBlueCastle.
Realitypressedonhertoohardly,barkingatherheels
come
like
amaddeninglittledog.
Shewastwenty-nine,lonely,undesired,ill-favoured—theonlyhomely
ragazza
girl
inahandsomeclan,withno
passato
past
andnofuture.
Asfarasshecould
guardare
look
back,lifewasdrab
e
and
colourless,withnotonesinglecrimson
o
or
purplespotanywhere.
Asfarasshecould
guardare
look
forwarditseemedcertaintobejustthe
stesso
same
untilshewasnothingbut
un
a
solitary,littlewitheredleafclingingto
un
a
wintrybough.
Themomentwhen
una
a
womanrealisesthatshehas
nulla
nothing
tolivefor—neitherlove,duty,purposenorhope—holdsforher
il
the
bitternessofdeath.
“AndIjusthavetogoon
vivere
living
becauseIcan’tstop.
Imayhaveto
vivere
live
eightyyears,”thoughtValancy,in
una
a
kindofpanic.
“We’re
tutti
all
horriblylong-lived.
Itsickensmetothinkofit.”
Shewasgladitwasraining—orrather,shewasdrearilysatisfied
che
that
itwasraining.
Therewouldbenopicnicthat
giorno
day
.
Thisannualpicnic,wherebyAunt
e
and
UncleWellington—onealwaysthoughtoftheminthatsuccession—inevitablycelebratedtheirengagementat
un
a
picnicthirtyyearsbefore,hadbeen,oflateyears,
un
a
veritablenightmaretoValancy.
By
una
an
impishcoincidenceitwasthe
stesso
same
dayasherbirthday
e
and
,aftershehadpassedtwenty-five,
nessuno
nobody
letherforgetit.
Quanto
Much
asshehatedgoingto
le
the
picnic,itwouldneverhaveoccurredtohertorebelagainstit.
Ci
There
seemedtobenothingoftherevolutionaryinhernature.
E
And
sheknewexactlywhateveryonewould
detto
say
toheratthepicnic.
Zio
Uncle
Wellington,whomshedisliked
e
and
despisedeventhoughhe
aveva
had
fulfilledthehighestStirlingaspiration,“marryingmoney,”would
diceva
say
toherinapig’swhisper,“Not
pensando
thinking
ofgettingmarriedyet,mydear?”
e
and
thengooffinto
le
the
bellowoflaughterwith
cui
which
heinvariablyconcludedhisdullremarks.
AuntWellington,ofwhomValancystoodinabjectawe,wouldtellheraboutOlive’s
nuovo
new
chiffondressandCecil’slastdevotedletter.
Valancywould
avrebbe
have
tolookaspleased
e
and
interestedasifthedress
e
and
letterhadbeenhers
o
or
elseAuntWellingtonwouldbeoffended.
E
And
Valancyhadlongagodecidedthatshewouldratheroffend
Dio
God
thanAuntWellington,because
Dio
God
mightforgiveherbutAuntWellingtonneverwould.
AuntAlberta,enormouslyfat,withanamiablehabitof
sempre
always
referringtoherhusbandas“he,”as
se
if
heweretheonlymalecreaturein
la
the
world,whocouldnever
dimenticare
forget
thatshehadbeena
grande
great
beautyinheryouth,wouldcondolewithValancyonhersallowskin—.
“Idon’t
so
know
whyallthegirlsof
oggi
today
aresosunburned.
WhenIwas
una
a
girlmyskinwasroses
e
and
cream.
Iwascounted
la
the
prettiestgirlinCanada,mydear.”
Forse
Perhaps
UncleHerbertwouldn’tsayanything—or
forse
perhaps
hewouldremarkjocularly,“Howfatyou’regetting,Doss!”
E
And
theneverybodywouldlaughovertheexcessivelyhumorousideaof
povero
poor
,scrawnylittleDossgettingfat.
Handsome,solemn
Zio
Uncle
James,whomValancydisliked
ma
but
respectedbecausehewasreputedtobeveryclever
e
and
wasthereforetheclanoracle—brainsbeingnonetooplentifulintheStirlingconnection—would
probabilmente
probably
remarkwiththeowl-likesarcasm
che
that
hadwonhimhisreputation,“Isupposeyou’rebusywithyourhope-chestthesedays?”
E
And
UncleBenjaminwouldask
alcuni
some
ofhisabominableconundrums,
tra
between
wheezychuckles,andanswerthemhimself.
“Whatis
la
the
differencebetweenDossand
un
a
mouse?
“Themousewishestoharm
il
the
cheeseandDosswishestocharm
il
the
he’s.”
Valancyhadheardhim
chiedere
ask
thatriddlefiftytimes
e
and
everytimeshewantedtothrow
qualcosa
something
athim.
Butshenever
fatto
did
.
Inthefirstplace,theStirlingssimplydidnotthrowthings;
inthesecond
luogo
place
,UncleBenjaminwasawealthy
e
and
childlessoldwidowerandValancyhadbeenbroughtupinthefear
e
and
admonitionofhismoney.
Se
If
sheoffendedhimhe
fosse
would
cutheroutofhiswill—supposingshewereinit.
Valancydidnotwanttobe
tagliato
cut
outofUncleBenjamin’swill.
Shehadbeenpoorallher
vita
life
andknewthegallingbitternessofit.
Sosheenduredhisriddles
e
and
evensmiledtorturedlittlesmiles
su
over
them.
AuntIsabel,downright
e
and
disagreeableasaneastwind,wouldcriticiseherin
qualche
some
way—Valancycouldnotpredictjusthow,forAuntIsabelneverrepeatedacriticism—she
trovava
found
somethingnewwithwhichtojabyou
ogni
every
time.
AuntIsabelpridedherselfonsayingwhatshethought,
ma
but
didn’tlikeitsowell
quando
when
otherpeoplesaidwhattheythoughttoher.
Valancynever
detto
said
whatshethought.
CousinGeorgiana—namedafterhergreat-great-grand-mother,who
aveva
had
beennamedafterGeorgetheFourth—wouldrecountdolorouslythenamesof
tutti
all
relativesandfriendswho
aveva
had
diedsincethelastpicnic
e
and
wonder“whichofus
sarà
will
bethefirstto
andare
go
next.”
Oppressivelycompetent,AuntMildredwould
parlava
talk
endlesslyofherhusband
e
and
herodiousprodigiesofbabiestoValancy,
perché
because
Valancywouldbetheonlyoneshecould
trovare
find
toputupwithit.
Forthe
stesso
same
reason,CousinGladys—reallyFirstCousinGladys
volta
once
removed,accordingtothestrict
modo
way
inwhichtheStirlingstabulatedrelationship—atall,thin
signora
lady
whoadmittedshehad
una
a
sensitivedisposition,woulddescribeminutelythetorturesofherneuritis.
E
And
Olive,thewondergirlofthewholeStirlingclan,
che
who
hadeverythingValancyhadnot—beauty,popularity,love,—would
mostrato
show
offherbeautyandpresumeonherpopularity
e
and
flauntherdiamondinsigniaof
amore
love
inValancy’sdazzled,enviouseyes.
Ci
There
wouldbenoneof
tutto
all
thistoday.
Andtherewouldbe
non
no
packingupofteaspoons.
Le
The
packingupwasalways
lasciate
left
forValancyandCousinStickles.
E
And
once,sixyearsago,asilverteaspoonfromAuntWellington’swedding
set
set
hadbeenlost.
Valancynever
sentito
heard
thelastofthatsilverteaspoon.
ItsghostappearedBanquo-likeat
ogni
every
subsequentfamilyfeast.
Oh,
yes
,Valancyknewexactlywhatthepicnicwouldbe
come
like
andsheblessedtherain
che
that
hadsavedherfromit.
Ci
There
wouldbenopicnicthisyear.
Se
If
AuntWellingtoncouldnotcelebrateonthesacred
giorno
day
itselfshewouldhave
non
no
celebrationatall.
Thankwhatevergodstherewerefor
che
that
.
Sincetherewouldbenopicnic,Valancymadeuphermind
che
that
,iftherainheldupin
la
the
afternoon,shewouldgoupto
la
the
libraryandgetanotherofJohnFoster’sbooks.
Valancywasneverallowedto
leggere
read
novels,butJohnFoster’sbookswerenotnovels.
Theywere“naturebooks”—so
il
the
librariantoldMrs.FrederickStirling—“allabout
il
the
woodsandbirdsandbugs
e
and
thingslikethat,youknow.”
SoValancywasallowedtoreadthem—underprotest,foritwasonlytooevident
che
that
sheenjoyedthemtoomuch.
Itwaspermissible,evenlaudable,to
leggere
read
toimproveyourmind
e
and
yourreligion,buta
libro
book
thatwasenjoyablewasdangerous.
Valancydidnot
sapeva
know
whetherhermindwasbeingimproved
o
or
not;
butshefeltvaguely
che
that
ifshehadcomeacrossJohnFoster’sbooksyears
fa
ago
lifemighthavebeen
una
a
differentthingforher.
Theyseemedtohertoyieldglimpsesofa
mondo
world
intowhichshemight
volta
once
haveentered,thoughthe
porta
door
wasforeverbarredtoher
ora
now
.
Itwasonlywithinthelastyear
che
that
JohnFoster’sbookshadbeenintheDeerwoodlibrary,
anche se
though
thelibrariantoldValancy
che
that
hehadbeenawell-knownwriterforseveralyears.
“Wheredoeshelive?”
Valancyhad
chiesto
asked
.
“Nobodyknows.
Fromhisbookshe
deve
must
beaCanadian,but
non
no
moreinformationcanbe
avere
had
.
Hispublisherswon’tsay
una
a
word.
QuitelikelyJohnFosteris
un
a
nomdeplume.
Hisbooksaresopopularwecan’tkeeptheminatall,
anche se
though
Ireallycan’tseewhatpeople
trovi
find
inthemtoraveover.”
“Ithinkthey’rewonderful,”
disse
said
Valancy,timidly.
“Oh—well—”
MissClarksonsmiledinapatronisingfashion
che
that
relegatedValancy’sopinionstolimbo,“Ican’t
dire
say
Icaremuchforbugsmyself.
Ma
But
certainlyFosterseemsto
sapere
know
allthereisto
sapere
know
aboutthem.”
Valancydidn’t
sapeva
know
whethershecaredmuchforbugseither.
ItwasnotJohnFoster’suncannyknowledgeofwildcreatures
e
and
insectlifethatenthralledher.
Shecouldhardly
dire
say
whatitwas—sometantalisinglureof
un
a
mysteryneverrevealed—somehintof
un
a
greatsecretjustalittlefurtheron—somefaint,elusiveechooflovely,
dimenticate
forgotten
things—JohnFoster’smagicwasindefinable.
Yes,shewouldget
un
a
newFosterbook.
Itwas
un
a
monthsinceshehadThistleHarvest,sosurely
Madre
Mother
couldnotobject.
Valancyhadreadit
quattro
four
times—sheknewwholepassagesoffbyheart.
And—she
quasi
almost
thoughtshewouldgo
e
and
seeDr.Trentaboutthatqueerpain
intorno
around
theheart.
Ithad
venuto
come
ratheroftenlately,and
le
the
palpitationswerebecomingannoying,notto
parlare
speak
ofanoccasionaldizzy
momento
moment
andaqueershortnessofbreath.
Ma
But
couldshegotoseehim
senza
without
tellinganyone?
Itwas
un
a
mostdaringthought.
NoneoftheStirlingseverconsulted
un
a
doctorwithoutholdinga
famiglia
family
councilandgettingUncleJames’approval.
Then,they
andarono
went
toDr.AmbroseMarshofPortLawrence,
che
who
hadmarriedSecondCousinAdelaideStirling.
Ma
But
ValancydislikedDr.AmbroseMarsh.
E
And
,besides,shecouldnot
arrivare
get
toPortLawrence,fifteenmilesaway,
senza
without
beingtakenthere.
Shedidnotwantanyoneto
sapesse
know
aboutherheart.
Therewouldbe
tale
such
afussmadeand
ogni
every
memberofthefamilywould
veniva
come
downandtalkitover
e
and
adviseherandcautionher
e
and
warnherandtellherhorribletalesofgreat-aunts
e
and
cousinsfortytimesremovedwhohadbeen“justlikethat”
e
and
“droppeddeadwithoutamoment’swarning,mydear.”
AuntIsabelwould
ricorderebbe
remember
thatshehadalways
detto
said
Dosslookedlikea
ragazza
girl
whowouldhavehearttrouble—“sopinched
e
and
peakedalways”;
andUncleWellingtonwould
preso
take
itasapersonalinsult,
quando
when
“noStirlingeverhadheartdiseasebefore”;
e
and
Georgianawouldforebodeinperfectlyaudibleasides
che
that
“poor,dearlittleDossisn’t
lungo
long
forthisworld,I’mafraid”;
e
and
CousinGladyswouldsay,“Why,my
cuore
heart
hasbeenlikethatforyears,”inatone
che
that
impliednooneelsehadanybusinessevento
avere
have
aheart;
andOlive—Olive
volesse
would
merelylookbeautifulandsuperior
e
and
disgustinglyhealthy,asifto
dire
say
,“Whyallthisfussover
una
a
fadedsuperfluitylikeDoss
quando
when
youhaveme?”
Valancy
sentiva
felt
thatshecouldn’ttell
nessuno
anybody
unlessshehadto.
She
sentiva
felt
quitesuretherewas
nulla
nothing
atallseriouslywrongwithher
cuore
heart
andnoneedof
tutto
all
thepotherthatwouldensue
se
if
shementionedit.
She
sarebbe
would
justslipupquietly
e
and
seeDr.Trentthatvery
giorno
day
.
Asforhisbill,she
aveva
had
thetwohundreddollars
che
that
herfatherhadputinthebankforherthe
giorno
day
shewasborn.
Shewasneverallowedto
usare
use
eventheinterestof
questo
this
,butshewouldsecretly
prendeva
take
outenoughtopayDr.Trent.
Dr.
Trentwas
un
a
gruff,outspoken,absent-mindedoldfellow,
ma
but
hewasarecognisedauthorityonheartdisease,even
se
if
hewereonlyageneralpractitionerinout-of-the-worldDeerwood.
Dr.Trentwas
oltre
over
seventyandtherehadbeenrumours
che
that
hemeanttoretire
presto
soon
.
NoneoftheStirlingclan
aveva
had
evergonetohimsincehe
aveva
had
toldCousinGladys,tenyears
prima
before
,thatherneuritiswasallimaginary
e
and
thatsheenjoyedit.
Youcouldn’tpatronisea
dottore
doctor
whoinsultedyourfirst-cousin-once-removedlikethat—nottomentionthathewasaPresbyterian
quando
when
alltheStirlingswentto
il
the
Anglicanchurch.
CHAPTERII
Quando
When
CousinSticklesknockedather
porta
door
,Valancyknewitwashalf-pastseven
e
and
shemustgetup.
Aslongasshecould
ricordare
remember
,CousinStickleshadknockedather
porta
door
athalf-pastseven.
CousinStickles
e
and
Mrs.FrederickStirlinghadbeenupsinceseven,
ma
but
Valancywasallowedtolieabedhalfanhourlongerbecauseofa
famiglia
family
traditionthatshewasdelicate.
Valancygotup,
anche se
though
shehatedgettingup
più
more
thismorningthanevershehad
prima
before
.