The Blue Castle | Progressive Translation Books for Norwegian A1-B2 Students

The Blue Castle | Progressive Translation Books for Norwegian A1-B2 Students

This progressive translation technique brings multiple benefits to language learners. It lets you choose the difficulty level that matches your abilities, making sure the material is challenging but not too difficult. By focusing on understanding words in context, this method boosts your comprehension skills. While direct translations are slightly hidden to promote guessing from context, you can always check unfamiliar words. This approach makes learning a new language both engaging and accessible, offering the right mix of difficulty and encouragement. Embark on a journey through translated classics and enjoy the process of learning through reading.

CHAPTERI
Ifithadnotrainedon
en
a
certainMaymorningValancyStirling’swhole
livet
life
wouldhavebeenentirely
annerledes
different
.
Shewouldhavegone,
med
with
therestofher
klan
clan
,toAuntWellington’sengagementpicnic
og
and
Dr.TrentwouldhavegonetoMontreal.
Men
But
itdidrainandyoushall
høre
hear
whathappenedtoherbecauseof
det
it
.
Valancywakenedearly,in
den
the
lifeless,hopelesshourjustpreceding
daggry
dawn
.
Shehadnotslept
veldig
very
well.
Onedoesnot
sover
sleep
well,sometimes,whenoneistwenty-nineonthemorrow,
og
and
unmarried,inacommunity
og
and
connectionwheretheunmarriedaresimplythose
som
who
havefailedtogeta
mann
man
.
DeerwoodandtheStirlings
hadde
had
longsincerelegatedValancyto
håpløs
hopeless
oldmaidenhood.
ButValancyherself
hadde
had
neverquiterelinquishedacertain
ynkelig
pitiful
,shamed,littlehopethatRomance
ville
would
comeherwayyet—never,until
denne
this
wet,horriblemorning,whenshewakenedtothe
faktum
fact
thatshewastwenty-nine
og
and
unsoughtbyanyman.
Ay,
det
there
laythesting.
Valancydidnotmindso
mye
much
beinganoldmaid.
After
alt
all
,shethought,beingan
gammel
old
maidcouldn’tpossiblybeas
forferdelig
dreadful
asbeingmarriedto
en
an
UncleWellingtonoran
Onkel
Uncle
Benjamin,orevenan
Onkel
Uncle
Herbert.
Whathurtherwasthatshehad
aldri
never
hadachancetobe
noe
anything
butanoldmaid.
Ingen
No
manhadeverdesired
henne
her
.
Thetearscameintohereyesasshe
lay
therealoneinthefaintlygreying
mørket
darkness
.
Shedarednotletherself
gråte
cry
ashardasshe
ønsket
wanted
to,fortworeasons.
Shewas
redd
afraid
thatcryingmightbringonanother
angrep
attack
ofthatpainaround
den
the
heart.
Shehadhad
en
a
spellofitaftershehadgotintobed—rather
verre
worse
thananyshehadhad
ennå
yet
.
Andshewasafraidher
mor
mother
wouldnoticeherredeyesat
frokost
breakfast
andkeepather
med
with
minute,persistent,mosquito-likequestionsregardingthe
årsaken
cause
thereof.
“Suppose,”thoughtValancy
med
with
aghastlygrin,“I
svarte
answered
withtheplaintruth,‘Iam
gråter
crying
becauseIcannotgetmarried.’
Hvor
How
horrifiedMotherwouldbe—thoughsheisashamed
hver
every
dayofherlifeofher
gamle
old
maiddaughter.”
Butof
selvfølgelig
course
appearancesshouldbekept
opp
up
.
“Itisnot,”Valancy
kunne
could
hearhermother’sprim,dictatorial
stemme
voice
asserting,“itisnotmaidenlyto
tenke
think
aboutmen.”
Thethoughtofhermother’s
uttrykk
expression
madeValancylaugh—forshe
hadde
had
asenseofhumour
ingen
nobody
inherclansuspected.
Forthat
saken
matter
,therewereagood
mange
many
thingsaboutValancythat
ingen
nobody
suspected.
Butherlaughterwas
veldig
very
superficialandpresentlyshe
lay
there,ahuddled,futile
liten
little
figure,listeningtothe
regnet
rain
pouringdownoutsideand
se
watching
,withasickdistaste,
den
the
chill,mercilesslightcreepingintoherugly,sordid
rom
room
.
Sheknewtheuglinessofthat
rommet
room
byheart—knewitand
hatet
hated
it.
Theyellow-paintedfloor,
med
with
onehideous,“hooked”rugbythe
sengen
bed
,withagrotesque,“hooked”
hund
dog
onit,alwaysgrinningather
når
when
sheawoke;
thefaded,dark-redpaper;
the
taket
ceiling
discolouredbyoldleaks
og
and
crossedbycracks;
the
smale
narrow
,pinchedlittlewashstand;
thebrown-paperlambrequin
med
with
purplerosesonit;
thespotted
gamle
old
looking-glasswiththecrack
over
across
it,proppedupontheinadequatedressing-table;
thejarof
gammel
ancient
potpourrimadebyher
mor
mother
inhermythicalhoneymoon;
theshell-covered
boksen
box
,withoneburstcorner,
som
which
CousinStickleshadmadeinher
like
equally
mythicalgirlhood;
thebeadedpincushion
med
with
halfitsbeadfringegone;
den
the
onestiff,yellowchair;
thefaded
gamle
old
motto,“Gonebutnotforgotten,”
jobbet
worked
incolouredyarnsaboutGreat-grand-motherStirling’sgrim
gamle
old
face;
theoldphotographsofancientrelatives
lenge
long
banishedfromtherooms
nedenfor
below
.
Therewereonlytwopicturesthatwerenotofrelatives.
One,an
gammel
old
chromoofapuppy
sitter
sitting
onarainydoorstep.
Det
That
picturealwaysmadeValancy
ulykkelig
unhappy
.
Thatforlornlittledogcrouchedon
den
the
doorstepinthedriving
regnet
rain
!
Whydidn’tsomeone
åpnet
open
thedoorandlethimin?
The
andre
other
picturewasafaded,passe-partoutedengravingof
Dronning
Queen
Louisecomingdowna
trapp
stairway
,whichAuntWellingtonhadlavishly
gitt
given
heronhertenth
bursdag
birthday
.
Fornineteenyearsshe
hadde
had
lookedatitand
hatet
hated
it,beautiful,smug,self-satisfied
Dronning
Queen
Louise.
Butshenever
våget
dared
destroyitorremove
det
it
.
MotherandCousinStickles
ville
would
havebeenaghast,or,asValancyirreverently
uttrykt
expressed
itinherthoughts,
ville
would
havehadafit.
Everyroominthe
huset
house
wasugly,ofcourse.
Men
But
downstairsappearanceswerekept
opp
up
somewhat.
Therewasno
penger
money
forroomsnobodyever
saw
.
Valancysometimesfeltthatshe
kunne
could
havedonesomethingforher
rommet
room
herself,evenwithoutmoney,
hvis
if
shewerepermitted.
Buther
mor
mother
hadnegativedeverytimid
forslag
suggestion
andValancydidnot
vedvarte
persist
.
Valancyneverpersisted.
Shewas
redd
afraid
to.
Hermothercouldnotbrook
motstand
opposition
.
Mrs.Stirlingwouldsulkfordays
hvis
if
offended,withtheairsof
en
an
insultedduchess.
TheonlythingValancy
likte
liked
aboutherroomwasthatshe
kunne
could
bealonethereat
natten
night
tocryifshe
ville
wanted
to.
But,afterall,whatdiditmatter
hvis
if
aroom,whichyou
brukte
used
fornothingexceptsleeping
og
and
dressingin,wereugly?
Valancywas
aldri
never
permittedtostayaloneinher
rommet
room
foranyotherpurpose.
Folk
People
whowantedtobe
alene
alone
,soMrs.FrederickStirling
og
and
CousinSticklesbelieved,could
bare
only
wanttobealonefor
noen
some
sinisterpurpose.
Butherroominthe
Blå
Blue
Castlewaseverythingaroom
burde
should
be.
Valancy,socowed
og
and
subduedandoverriddenandsnubbedin
virkelige
real
life,waswontto
la
let
herselfgorathersplendidlyinherday-dreams.
Ingen
Nobody
intheStirlingclan,
eller
or
itsramifications,suspectedthis,
minst
least
ofallhermother
og
and
CousinStickles.
Theynever
visste
knew
thatValancyhadtwohomes—theugly
røde
red
brickboxofa
hjem
home
,onElmStreet,andthe
Blå
Blue
CastleinSpain.
Valancy
hadde
had
livedspirituallyinthe
Blå
Blue
Castleeversinceshe
kunne
could
remember.
Shehadbeen
et
a
verytinychildwhenshe
fant
found
herselfpossessedofit.
Alltid
Always
,whensheshuthereyes,she
kunne
could
seeitplainly,withitsturrets
og
and
bannersonthepine-cladmountainheight,wrappedinits
svake
faint
,blueloveliness,againstthesunsetskiesof
en
a
fairandunknownland.
Alt
Everything
wonderfulandbeautifulwasin
det
that
castle.
Jewelsthatqueens
kan
might
haveworn;
robesof
måneskinn
moonlight
andfire;
couchesofroses
og
and
gold;
longflightsof
grunt
shallow
marblesteps,withgreat,whiteurns,
og
and
withslender,mist-cladmaidens
går
going
upanddownthem;
courts,marble-pillared,
hvor
where
shimmeringfountainsfellandnightingales
sang
sang
amongthemyrtles;
hallsofmirrors
som
that
reflectedonlyhandsomeknights
og
and
lovelywomen—herselftheloveliestof
alle
all
,forwhoseglancemen
døde
died
.
Allthatsupportedher
gjennom
through
theboredomofherdayswasthe
håpet
hope
ofgoingona
drøm
dream
spreeatnight.
Most,
hvis
if
notall,oftheStirlings
ville
would
havediedofhorror
hvis
if
theyhadknownhalfthethingsValancy
gjorde
did
inherBlueCastle.
Foronethingshe
hadde
had
quiteafewloversin
det
it
.
Oh,onlyoneata
gangen
time
.
Onewhowooedher
med
with
alltheromanticardourof
den
the
ageofchivalryand
vant
won
herafterlongdevotion
og
and
manydeedsofderring-do,
og
and
wasweddedtoher
med
with
pompandcircumstancein
den
the
great,banner-hungchapelof
den
the
BlueCastle.
Attwelve,
denne
this
loverwasafair
gutt
lad
withgoldencurlsand
himmelske
heavenly
blueeyes.
Atfifteen,hewas
høy
tall
anddarkandpale,
men
but
stillnecessarilyhandsome.
Attwenty,hewasascetic,
drømmende
dreamy
,spiritual.
Attwenty-five,he
hadde
had
aclean-cutjaw,slightly
grim
grim
,andafacestrong
og
and
ruggedratherthanhandsome.
Valancy
aldri
never
grewolderthantwenty-fiveinherBlueCastle,
men
but
recently—veryrecently—herherohadhadreddish,tawny
hår
hair
,atwistedsmileanda
mystisk
mysterious
past.
Idon’tsayValancy
vilje
deliberately
murderedtheseloversassheoutgrew
dem
them
.
Onesimplyfadedawayasanother
kom
came
.
Thingsareveryconvenientin
denne
this
respectinBlueCastles.
Men
But
,onthismorningofher
dag
day
offate,Valancycouldnot
finne
find
thekeyofherBlueCastle.
Virkeligheten
Reality
pressedonhertoohardly,barkingatherheels
som
like
amaddeninglittledog.
Shewastwenty-nine,
ensom
lonely
,undesired,ill-favoured—theonlyhomely
jenta
girl
inahandsomeclan,with
ingen
no
pastandnofuture.
As
langt
far
asshecouldlook
tilbake
back
,lifewasdrabandcolourless,
med
with
notonesinglecrimson
eller
or
purplespotanywhere.
As
langt
far
asshecouldlook
fremover
forward
itseemedcertaintobe
akkurat
just
thesameuntilshewas
ingenting
nothing
butasolitary,littlewithered
blad
leaf
clingingtoawintrybough.
The
øyeblikket
moment
whenawomanrealisesthatshe
har
has
nothingtolivefor—neither
kjærlighet
love
,duty,purposenorhope—holdsforherthebitternessof
døden
death
.
“AndIjusthavetogoon
leve
living
becauseIcan’tstop.
I
kan
may
havetoliveeightyyears,”
tenkte
thought
Valancy,inakindof
panikk
panic
.
“We’reallhorriblylong-lived.
Itsickensmeto
tenke
think
ofit.”
Shewas
glad
glad
itwasraining—orrather,shewasdrearily
fornøyd
satisfied
thatitwasraining.
There
ville
would
benopicnicthat
dagen
day
.
Thisannualpicnic,whereby
Tante
Aunt
andUncleWellington—onealways
tenkte
thought
oftheminthatsuccession—inevitably
feiret
celebrated
theirengagementata
piknik
picnic
thirtyyearsbefore,hadbeen,of
sene
late
years,averitablenightmaretoValancy.
By
en
an
impishcoincidenceitwasthe
samme
same
dayasherbirthday
og
and
,aftershehadpassedtwenty-five,
ingen
nobody
letherforgetit.
Mye
Much
asshehatedgoingtothe
piknik
picnic
,itwouldneverhave
oppstått
occurred
tohertorebel
mot
against
it.
Thereseemedtobe
noe
nothing
oftherevolutionaryinher
natur
nature
.
Andsheknewexactlywhateveryone
ville
would
saytoheratthe
piknik
picnic
.
UncleWellington,whomshe
mislikte
disliked
anddespisedeventhoughhe
hadde
had
fulfilledthehighestStirlingaspiration,“marryingmoney,”
ville
would
saytoherin
en
a
pig’swhisper,“Notthinkingofgetting
gifte
married
yet,mydear?”
andthen
go
offintothebellowof
latter
laughter
withwhichheinvariablyconcludedhisdullremarks.
Tante
Aunt
Wellington,ofwhomValancystoodinabject
ærefrykt
awe
,wouldtellheraboutOlive’s
nye
new
chiffondressandCecil’s
siste
last
devotedletter.
Valancywould
ha
have
tolookaspleased
og
and
interestedasifthedress
og
and
letterhadbeenhers
eller
or
elseAuntWellingtonwouldbe
fornærmet
offended
.
AndValancyhadlong
siden
ago
decidedthatshewould
heller
rather
offendGodthanAuntWellington,
fordi
because
Godmightforgiveher
men
but
AuntWellingtonneverwould.
Tante
Aunt
Alberta,enormouslyfat,withanamiable
vane
habit
ofalwaysreferringtoher
ektemann
husband
as“he,”asifhewere
den
the
onlymalecreaturein
den
the
world,whocouldnever
glemme
forget
thatshehadbeena
stor
great
beautyinheryouth,
ville
would
condolewithValancyonhersallow
hud
skin—
.
“Idon’tknowwhy
alle
all
thegirlsoftodayaresosunburned.
Da
When
Iwasagirlmy
hud
skin
wasrosesandcream.
Iwascounted
den
the
prettiestgirlinCanada,mydear.”
Kanskje
Perhaps
UncleHerbertwouldn’tsayanything—or
kanskje
perhaps
hewouldremarkjocularly,“How
fett
fat
you’regetting,Doss!”
Andthen
alle
everybody
wouldlaughovertheexcessivelyhumorous
ideen
idea
ofpoor,scrawnylittleDoss
blir
getting
fat.
Handsome,solemnUncleJames,whomValancydisliked
men
but
respectedbecausehewasreputedtobe
veldig
very
cleverandwasthereforethe
klanen
clan
oracle—brainsbeingnonetooplentifulintheStirlingconnection—would
sannsynligvis
probably
remarkwiththeowl-like
sarkasme
sarcasm
thathadwonhimhis
rykte
reputation
,“Isupposeyou’rebusy
med
with
yourhope-chestthesedays?”
Og
And
UncleBenjaminwouldask
noen
some
ofhisabominableconundrums,
mellom
between
wheezychuckles,andanswerthemhimself.
“Whatisthe
forskjellen
difference
betweenDossanda
mus
mouse
?
“Themousewishesto
skade
harm
thecheeseandDosswishesto
sjarmere
charm
thehe’s.”
Valancyhadheardhim
spørre
ask
thatriddlefiftytimes
og
and
everytimeshewantedto
kaste
throw
somethingathim.
Butshe
aldri
never
did.
Inthefirstplace,theStirlings
bare
simply
didnotthrowthings;
inthe
andre
second
place,UncleBenjaminwas
en
a
wealthyandchildlessold
enkemann
widower
andValancyhadbeenbroughtupinthe
frykt
fear
andadmonitionofhis
penger
money
.
Ifsheoffendedhimhe
ville
would
cutheroutofhiswill—supposingshewerein
det
it
.
Valancydidnotwanttobe
kuttet
cut
outofUncleBenjamin’s
ville
will
.
Shehadbeenpoorallher
liv
life
andknewthegalling
bitterhet
bitterness
ofit.
Soshe
utholdt
endured
hisriddlesandevensmiled
torturert
tortured
littlesmilesoverthem.
Tante
Aunt
Isabel,downrightanddisagreeableasaneastwind,
ville
would
criticiseherinsomeway—Valancy
kunne
could
notpredictjusthow,for
Tante
Aunt
Isabelneverrepeatedacriticism—she
fant
found
somethingnewwithwhichtojabyou
hver
every
time.
AuntIsabelpridedherselfonsayingwhatshe
tenkte
thought
,butdidn’tlikeitso
godt
well
whenotherpeoplesaidwhatthey
tenkte
thought
toher.
Valancynever
sa
said
whatshethought.
CousinGeorgiana—named
etter
after
hergreat-great-grand-mother,whohadbeennamed
etter
after
GeorgetheFourth—wouldrecountdolorouslythenamesof
alle
all
relativesandfriendswho
hadde
had
diedsincethelastpicnic
og
and
wonder“whichofus
vil
will
bethefirstto
go
next.”
Oppressivelycompetent,AuntMildred
ville
would
talkendlesslyofher
ektemann
husband
andherodiousprodigiesofbabiestoValancy,
fordi
because
Valancywouldbethe
eneste
only
oneshecouldfindtoput
opp
up
withit.
Forthe
samme
same
reason,CousinGladys—reallyFirst
Fetter
Cousin
Gladysonceremoved,accordingto
den
the
strictwayinwhich
den
the
Stirlingstabulatedrelationship—atall,
tynn
thin
ladywhoadmittedshe
hadde
had
asensitivedisposition,would
beskrive
describe
minutelythetorturesofherneuritis.
Og
And
Olive,thewondergirlof
den
the
wholeStirlingclan,who
hadde
had
everythingValancyhadnot—beauty,
popularitet
popularity
,love,—wouldshowoffher
skjønnhet
beauty
andpresumeonher
popularitet
popularity
andflauntherdiamondinsigniaof
kjærlighet
love
inValancy’sdazzled,enviouseyes.
Det
There
wouldbenoneofall
dette
this
today.
Andtherewouldbenopacking
opp
up
ofteaspoons.
Thepackingupwas
alltid
always
leftforValancyand
Fetter
Cousin
Stickles.
Andonce,sixyears
siden
ago
,asilverteaspoonfrom
Tante
Aunt
Wellington’sweddingsethadbeen
tapt
lost
.
Valancyneverheardthe
siste
last
ofthatsilverteaspoon.
Its
spøkelse
ghost
appearedBanquo-likeateverysubsequent
familie
family
feast.
Oh,yes,Valancy
visste
knew
exactlywhatthepicnic
ville
would
belikeandshe
velsignet
blessed
therainthathadsavedherfromit.
Det
There
wouldbenopicnicthis
år
year
.
IfAuntWellingtoncouldnot
feire
celebrate
onthesacreddayitselfshe
ville
would
havenocelebrationatall.
Takk
Thank
whatevergodstherewereforthat.
Siden
Since
therewouldbeno
piknik
picnic
,Valancymadeupher
sinn
mind
that,iftherain
holdt
held
upintheafternoon,she
ville
would
gouptothe
biblioteket
library
andgetanotherofJohnFoster’sbooks.
Valancywas
aldri
never
allowedtoreadnovels,
men
but
JohnFoster’sbookswerenotnovels.
Theywere“naturebooks”—sothelibrarian
fortalte
told
Mrs.FrederickStirling—“allaboutthewoods
og
and
birdsandbugsandthingslikethat,youknow.”
SoValancywas
tillatt
allowed
toreadthem—underprotest,foritwas
bare
only
tooevidentthatsheenjoyedthemtoo
mye
much
.
Itwaspermissible,evenlaudable,to
lese
read
toimproveyourmind
og
and
yourreligion,buta
bok
book
thatwasenjoyablewas
farlig
dangerous
.
Valancydidnotknow
om
whether
hermindwasbeing
forbedret
improved
ornot;
butshefelt
vagt
vaguely
thatifshehadcome
over
across
JohnFoster’sbooksyears
siden
ago
lifemighthavebeen
en
a
differentthingforher.
They
syntes
seemed
tohertoyieldglimpsesof
en
a
worldintowhichshe
kunne
might
oncehaveentered,thoughthe
døren
door
wasforeverbarredtoher
now
.
Itwasonlywithinthe
siste
last
yearthatJohnFoster’sbooks
hadde
had
beenintheDeerwoodlibrary,
om
though
thelibrariantoldValancythathe
hadde
had
beenawell-knownwriterfor
flere
several
years.
“Wheredoeshelive?”
Valancy
hadde
had
asked.
“Nobodyknows.
Fromhisbookshe
must
beaCanadian,but
ingen
no
moreinformationcanbehad.
Hispublisherswon’t
si
say
aword.
QuitelikelyJohn
Foster
Foster
isanomdeplume.
Hisbooksareso
populære
popular
wecan’tkeeptheminatall,
om
though
Ireallycan’tseewhat
folk
people
findinthemto
rave
rave
over.”
“Ithinkthey’rewonderful,”
sa
said
Valancy,timidly.
“Oh—well—”
MissClarkson
smilte
smiled
inapatronisingfashionthatrelegatedValancy’sopinionstolimbo,“Ican’t
si
say
Icaremuchforbugsmyself.
Men
But
certainlyFosterseemsto
vite
know
allthereisto
vite
know
aboutthem.”
Valancydidn’t
visste
know
whethershecaredmuchforbugseither.
ItwasnotJohnFoster’suncanny
kunnskap
knowledge
ofwildcreaturesandinsectlifethatenthralled
henne
her
.
Shecouldhardlysaywhatitwas—sometantalisinglureofa
mysterium
mystery
neverrevealed—somehintofa
stor
great
secretjustalittle
lenger
further
on—somefaint,elusiveechoof
vakre
lovely
,forgottenthings—JohnFoster’smagicwasindefinable.
Ja
Yes
,shewouldgeta
ny
new
Fosterbook.
Itwas
en
a
monthsinceshehadThistle
Harvest
Harvest
,sosurelyMothercouldnotobject.
Valancy
hadde
had
readitfourtimes—she
visste
knew
wholepassagesoffby
hjertet
heart
.
And—shealmostthoughtshe
ville
would
goandseeDr.Trent
om
about
thatqueerpainaround
den
the
heart.
Ithadcome
ganske
rather
oftenlately,andthepalpitationswere
bli
becoming
annoying,nottospeakofan
sporadisk
occasional
dizzymomentandaqueershortnessofbreath.
Men
But
couldshegoto
se
see
himwithouttellinganyone?
Itwas
en
a
mostdaringthought.
NoneoftheStirlingsever
konsultert
consulted
adoctorwithoutholdinga
familie
family
councilandgettingUncleJames’approval.
Then,they
gikk
went
toDr.AmbroseMarshof
Port
Port
Lawrence,whohadmarried
Andre
Second
CousinAdelaideStirling.
ButValancydislikedDr.Ambrose
Marsh
Marsh
.
And,besides,shecouldnotgetto
Port
Port
Lawrence,fifteenmilesaway,
uten
without
beingtakenthere.
She
vite
did
notwantanyoneto
vite
know
aboutherheart.
There
ville
would
besuchafuss
laget
made
andeverymemberofthefamily
ville
would
comedownandtalkit
over
over
andadviseherandcautionher
og
and
warnherandtellherhorribletalesofgreat-aunts
og
and
cousinsfortytimesremovedwho
hadde
had
been“justlikethat”
og
and
“droppeddeadwithoutamoment’swarning,mydear.”
Tante
Aunt
Isabelwouldrememberthatshehad
alltid
always
saidDosslookedlike
en
a
girlwhowouldhavehearttrouble—“sopinched
og
and
peakedalways”;
andUncleWellington
ville
would
takeitasa
personlig
personal
insult,when“noStirlingever
hadde
had
heartdiseasebefore”;
andGeorgiana
ville
would
forebodeinperfectlyaudibleasides
at
that
“poor,dearlittleDossisn’t
lenge
long
forthisworld,I’mafraid”;
og
and
CousinGladyswouldsay,“Why,my
hjerte
heart
hasbeenlikethatforyears,”ina
tone
tone
thatimpliednooneelsehad
noen
any
businesseventohavea
hjerte
heart
;
andOlive—Olivewouldmerely
se
look
beautifulandsuperioranddisgustingly
sunn
healthy
,asiftosay,“Whyall
denne
this
fussoverafadedsuperfluitylikeDoss
når
when
youhaveme?”
Valancyfelt
at
that
shecouldn’ttellanybodyunlessshehadto.
Shefelt
ganske
quite
suretherewasnothingat
alle
all
seriouslywrongwithher
hjertet
heart
andnoneedof
alle
all
thepotherthatwouldensue
hvis
if
shementionedit.
She
ville
would
justslipupquietly
og
and
seeDr.Trentthatvery
dag
day
.
Asforhisbill,she
hadde
had
thetwohundreddollarsthather
far
father
hadputinthe
banken
bank
forherthedayshewas
født
born
.
Shewasneverallowedto
bruke
use
eventheinterestof
dette
this
,butshewouldsecretly
ta
take
outenoughtopayDr.Trent.
Dr.
Trentwas
en
a
gruff,outspoken,absent-mindedoldfellow,
men
but
hewasarecognised
autoritet
authority
onheartdisease,even
om
if
hewereonlyageneralpractitionerinout-of-the-worldDeerwood.
Dr.Trentwas
over
over
seventyandtherehadbeenrumoursthathemeantto
pensjonere
retire
soon.
NoneoftheStirling
klanen
clan
hadevergonetohim
siden
since
hehadtoldCousinGladys,
ti
ten
yearsbefore,thatherneuritiswas
alt
all
imaginaryandthatsheenjoyedit.
Youcouldn’tpatronise
en
a
doctorwhoinsultedyourfirst-cousin-once-removedlikethat—notto
nevne
mention
thathewasaPresbyterian
da
when
alltheStirlingswentto
den
the
Anglicanchurch.
CHAPTERII
Da
When
CousinSticklesknockedather
døren
door
,Valancyknewitwashalf-past
syv
seven
andshemustget
opp
up
.
Aslongasshe
kunne
could
remember,CousinStickleshad
banket
knocked
atherdoorathalf-past
syv
seven
.
CousinSticklesandMrs.FrederickStirling
hadde
had
beenupsinceseven,
men
but
Valancywasallowedto
ligge
lie
abedhalfanhourlongerbecauseofa
familie
family
traditionthatshewas
delikat
delicate
.
Valancygotup,thoughshe
hatet
hated
gettingupmorethismorning
enn
than
evershehadbefore.