CHAPTERI
Ifithadnot
llovido
rainedonacertainMaymañana
morningValancyStirling’swholelifesido
wouldhavebeenentirelydifferent.She
ido
wouldhavegone,withtheresto
restofherclan,toTía
AuntWellington’sengagementpicnicandDr.Trentido
wouldhavegonetoMontreal.Pero
Butitdidrainandyoushallescucharás
hearwhathappenedtoherbecauseofit.Valancywakened
temprano
early,inthelifeless,hopelesshourjusto
justprecedingdawn.Shehadnot
dormido
sleptverywell.Onedoesnot
duerme
sleepwell,sometimes,whenoneistwenty-nineonlos
themorrow,andunmarried,inacomunidad
communityandconnectionwheretheunmarriedaresimplyaquellos
thosewhohavefailedtoconseguir
getaman.Deerwoodand
los
theStirlingshadlongsincerelegatedValancytosin esperanza
hopelessoldmaidenhood.ButValancyherselfhad
nunca
neverquiterelinquishedacertainlamentable
pitiful,shamed,littlehopethatRomanceera
wouldcomeherwayyet—never,untilesta
thiswet,horriblemorning,whenshewakenedtothehecho
factthatshewastwenty-niney
andunsoughtbyanyman.Ay,therelay
el
thesting.Valancydidnot
importaba
mindsomuchbeinganolddoncella
maid.Afterall,shethought,beinganold
doncella
maidcouldn’tpossiblybeasterrible
dreadfulasbeingmarriedtoanUncleWellingtono
oranUncleBenjamin,orincluso
evenanUncleHerbert.What
lastimó
hurtherwasthatshehadnunca
neverhadachancetobeanythingbutanolddoncella
maid.Nomanhadever
deseado
desiredher.Thetearscameintohereyesasshe
yacía
laytherealoneinthefaintlygreyingoscuridad
darkness.Shedarednotletherself
llorar
cryashardasshequería
wantedto,fortworeasons.Shewas
miedo
afraidthatcryingmightbringonotro
anotherattackofthatpainalrededor
aroundtheheart.Shehadhad
un
aspellofitaftershehadgotintobed—ratherpeor
worsethananyshehadhadtodavía
yet.Andshewasafraidher
madre
motherwouldnoticeherredeyesatdesayuno
breakfastandkeepathercon
withminute,persistent,mosquito-likequestionsregardingthecausa
causethereof.“Suppose,”thoughtValancy
con
withaghastlygrin,“Irespondí
answeredwiththeplaintruth,‘Iamllorando
cryingbecauseIcannotgetmarried.’HowhorrifiedMadre
Motherwouldbe—thoughsheisashamedtodos
everydayofherlifeofherolddoncella
maiddaughter.”Butofcourseappearances
deben
shouldbekeptup.“Itisnot,”Valancy
podía
couldhearhermother’sprim,dictatorialvoz
voiceasserting,“itisnotmaidenlytopensar
thinkaboutmen.”Thethoughtofhermother’s
expresión
expressionmadeValancylaugh—forshetenía
hadasenseofhumournadie
nobodyinherclansuspected.Forthatmatter,therewereagoodmanythings
sobre
aboutValancythatnobodysuspected.Pero
Butherlaughterwasverysuperficial
superficialandpresentlyshelayallí
there,ahuddled,futilelittlefigura
figure,listeningtotherainpouringdownafuera
outsideandwatching,withasickdistaste,la
thechill,mercilesslightcreepingintoherugly,sordidhabitación
room.Sheknewtheuglinessof
esa
thatroombyheart—knewity
andhatedit.Theyellow-painted
suelo
floor,withonehideous,“hooked”alfombra
rugbythebed,withagrotesco
grotesque,“hooked”dogonit,siempre
alwaysgrinningatherwhenshedespertaba
awoke;thefaded,dark-redpaper;
el
theceilingdiscolouredbyoldleaksy
andcrossedbycracks;thenarrow,pinchedlittlewashstand;
el
thebrown-paperlambrequinwithpurplerosas
rosesonit;thespotted
viejo
oldlooking-glasswiththecrackacrossit,proppedupontheinadecuada
inadequatedressing-table;thejarof
antiguo
ancientpotpourrimadebyhermadre
motherinhermythicalhoneymoon;la
theshell-coveredbox,withoneburstesquina
corner,whichCousinStickleshadhecho
madeinherequallymythicalgirlhood;thebeadedpincushion
con
withhalfitsbeadfringegone;la
theonestiff,yellowchair;the
desvanecido
fadedoldmotto,“Gonebutnotforgotten,”trabajado
workedincolouredyarnsaboutGreat-grand-motherStirling’ssombrío
grimoldface;theoldphotographsofancientrelatives
tiempo
longbanishedfromtheroomsabajo
below.Therewereonlytwopicturesthatwerenotofrelatives.
One,an
viejo
oldchromoofapuppysentado
sittingonarainydoorstep.Ese
ThatpicturealwaysmadeValancyinfeliz
unhappy.Thatforlornlittledogcrouchedon
la
thedoorstepinthedrivinglluvia
rain!Whydidn’tsomeone
abrió
openthedoorandlethimin?The
otro
otherpicturewasafaded,passe-partoutedengravingofReina
QueenLouisecomingdownastairway,whichTía
AuntWellingtonhadlavishlygivenheronherdécimo
tenthbirthday.Fornineteenyearsshe
había
hadlookedatitandodiado
hatedit,beautiful,smug,self-satisfiedReina
QueenLouise.Butshenever
atrevió
dareddestroyitorremoveit.Madre
MotherandCousinStickleswouldhavebeenaghast,o
or,asValancyirreverentlyexpresseditinherthoughts,wouldhavehadun
afit.Everyroominthe
casa
housewasugly,ofcourse.Pero
Butdownstairsappearanceswerekeptupsomewhat.Therewas
no
nomoneyforroomsnobodyevervisto
saw.Valancysometimesfeltthatshe
podría
couldhavedonesomethingforherhabitación
roomherself,evenwithoutmoney,si
ifshewerepermitted.Buther
madre
motherhadnegativedeverytimidsuggestiony
andValancydidnotpersist.Valancy
nunca
neverpersisted.Shewasafraidto.
Her
madre
mothercouldnotbrookopposition.Mrs.Stirlingwouldsulkfordays
si
ifoffended,withtheairsofuna
aninsultedduchess.Theonly
lo
thingValancylikedaboutherhabitación
roomwasthatshecouldbealonethereatnoche
nighttocryifshequería
wantedto.But,afterall,whatdiditmatter
si
ifaroom,whichyouusabas
usedfornothingexceptsleepingy
anddressingin,wereugly?Valancywas
nunca
neverpermittedtostayaloneinherhabitación
roomforanyotherpurpose.Gente
Peoplewhowantedtobealone,soMrs.FrederickStirlingy
andCousinSticklesbelieved,couldsólo
onlywanttobealoneforsomesiniestro
sinisterpurpose.Butherroomin
el
theBlueCastlewaseverythinguna
aroomshouldbe.Valancy,socowed
y
andsubduedandoverriddenandsnubbedinreal
reallife,waswonttoletherselfir
gorathersplendidlyinherday-dreams.Nadie
NobodyintheStirlingclan,o
oritsramifications,suspectedthis,menos
leastofallhermothery
andCousinStickles.Theynever
supieron
knewthatValancyhadtwohomes—theuglyrojo
redbrickboxofacasa
home,onElmStreet,andtheAzul
BlueCastleinSpain.Valancy
había
hadlivedspirituallyintheAzul
BlueCastleeversinceshepodía
couldremember.Shehadbeen
una
averytinychildwhensheencontró
foundherselfpossessedofit.Siempre
Always,whensheshuthereyes,shepodía
couldseeitplainly,withitsturretsy
andbannersonthepine-cladmontaña
mountainheight,wrappedinitsdébil
faint,blueloveliness,againsttheatardecer
sunsetskiesofafairy
andunknownland.Everythingwonderful
y
andbeautifulwasinthatcastillo
castle.Jewelsthatqueensmight
haber
haveworn;robesofmoonlight
y
andfire;couchesofroses
y
andgold;longflightsofshallow
mármol
marblesteps,withgreat,whiteurns,y
andwithslender,mist-cladmaidensgoingupy
anddownthem;courts,marble-pillared,
donde
whereshimmeringfountainsfellandnightingalescantaban
sangamongthemyrtles;hallsofmirrorsthat
reflejaban
reflectedonlyhandsomeknightsandlovelywomen—herselftheloveliestoftodas
all,forwhoseglancemenmorían
died.Allthatsupportedher
por
throughtheboredomofherdayswasla
thehopeofgoingonuna
adreamspreeatnight.Mayoría
Most,ifnotall,oftheStirlingswouldhavemuerto
diedofhorroriftheyhadsabido
knownhalfthethingsValancyhizo
didinherBlueCastle.Foronethingshe
tenía
hadquiteafewloversinit.Oh,
sólo
onlyoneatatime.Onewhowooedher
con
withalltheromanticardouroftheageofchivalryy
andwonherafterlongdevoción
devotionandmanydeedsofderring-do,y
andwasweddedtohercon
withpompandcircumstanceinthegran
great,banner-hungchapeloftheAzul
BlueCastle.Attwelve,this
amante
loverwasafairladcon
withgoldencurlsandheavenlyblueeyes.Atfifteen,hewastall
y
anddarkandpale,buttodavía
stillnecessarilyhandsome.Attwenty,hewasascetic,
soñador
dreamy,spiritual.Attwenty-five,he
tenía
hadaclean-cutjaw,slightlygrim,y
andafacestrongandrobusto
ruggedratherthanhandsome.Valancy
nunca
nevergrewolderthantwenty-fiveinherAzul
BlueCastle,butrecently—veryrecently—herhéroe
herohadhadreddish,tawnycabello
hair,atwistedsmileandamisterioso
mysteriouspast.Idon’tsayValancy
deliberadamente
deliberatelymurderedtheseloversassheoutgrewthem.Uno
Onesimplyfadedawayasotro
anothercame.Thingsareveryconvenientin
este
thisrespectinBlueCastles.Pero
But,onthismorningofherdía
dayoffate,Valancycouldnotencontrar
findthekeyofherAzul
BlueCastle.Realitypressedonher
demasiado
toohardly,barkingatherheelscomo
likeamaddeninglittledog.Shewastwenty-nine,lonely,undesired,ill-favoured—the
única
onlyhomelygirlinaguapo
handsomeclan,withnopastandno
nofuture.Asfarasshe
podía
couldlookback,lifewasdraby
andcolourless,withnotonesinglecarmesí
crimsonorpurplespotanywhere.Asfarasshe
podía
couldlookforwarditseemedseguro
certaintobejustthemismo
sameuntilshewasnothingbutuna
asolitary,littlewitheredleafclingingtouna
awintrybough.Themomentwhen
una
awomanrealisesthatshetiene
hasnothingtolivefor—neitheramor
love,duty,purposenorhope—holdsforhertheamargura
bitternessofdeath.“AndI
sólo
justhavetogoonviviendo
livingbecauseIcan’tstop.I
puede
mayhavetoliveeightyyears,”pensó
thoughtValancy,inakindofpánico
panic.“We’reallhorriblylong-lived.
Itsickensmeto
pensar
thinkofit.”Shewasgladitwasraining—orrather,shewasdrearilysatisfiedthatitwas
lloviendo
raining.Therewouldbeno
picnic
picnicthatday.Thisannual
picnic
picnic,wherebyAuntandUncleWellington—onesiempre
alwaysthoughtoftheminesa
thatsuccession—inevitablycelebratedtheirengagementatapicnic
picnicthirtyyearsbefore,hadbeen,oflateyears,averitablepesadilla
nightmaretoValancy.Byanimpish
coincidencia
coincidenceitwasthesamedía
dayasherbirthdayand,aftershehabía
hadpassedtwenty-five,nobodyletherforgetit.Muchasshe
odiara
hatedgoingtothepicnic,itir
wouldneverhaveoccurredtohertorebelarse
rebelagainstit.Thereseemedtobe
nada
nothingoftherevolutionaryinhernaturaleza
nature.Andsheknewexactlywhat
todos
everyonewouldsaytoheratel
thepicnic.UncleWellington,whomshedisliked
y
anddespisedeventhoughhehabía
hadfulfilledthehighestStirlingaspiration,“marryingmoney,”woulddecía
saytoherinapig’ssusurro
whisper,“Notthinkingofgettingmarriedyet,mydear?”y
andthengooffintothebellowofrisa
laughterwithwhichheinvariablyconcluyó
concludedhisdullremarks.AuntWellington,ofwhomValancystoodinabjectawe,wouldtellheraboutOlive’s
nuevo
newchiffondressandCecil’súltima
lastdevotedletter.Valancywouldhavetolookaspleased
y
andinterestedasifthevestido
dressandletterhadbeenherso
orelseAuntWellingtonwouldbeofendería
offended.AndValancyhadlong
hace
agodecidedthatshewouldratherofender
offendGodthanAuntWellington,porque
becauseGodmightforgiveherpero
butAuntWellingtonneverwould.Tía
AuntAlberta,enormouslyfat,withanamiablehábito
habitofalwaysreferringtohermarido
husbandas“he,”asifheweretheúnica
onlymalecreatureinthemundo
world,whocouldneverforgetthatshehabía
hadbeenagreatbeautyinherjuventud
youth,wouldcondolewithValancyonhersallowpiel
skin—.“Idon’tknowwhy
todas
allthegirlsoftodayaresosunburned.Cuando
WhenIwasagirlmypiel
skinwasrosesandcream.Iwas
contaban
countedtheprettiestgirlinCanada,mydear.”Tal vez
PerhapsUncleHerbertwouldn’tsayanything—ortal vez
perhapshewouldremarkjocularly,“Howgordo
fatyou’regetting,Doss!”Andthen
todo el mundo
everybodywouldlaughovertheexcessivelyhumorousidea
ideaofpoor,scrawnylittleDossgettingfat.Guapo
Handsome,solemnUncleJames,whomValancydislikedpero
butrespectedbecausehewasreputedtobemuy
verycleverandwasthereforetheclan
clanoracle—brainsbeingnonetooplentifulintheStirlingconnection—wouldprobablemente
probablyremarkwiththeowl-likesarcasmo
sarcasmthathadwonhimhisreputation,“Isupongo
supposeyou’rebusywithyourhope-chestestos
thesedays?”AndUncleBenjaminwould
preguntaba
asksomeofhisabominableconundrums,entre
betweenwheezychuckles,andanswerthemhimself.“Whatis
la
thedifferencebetweenDossandun
amouse?“Themousewishesto
dañar
harmthecheeseandDossdesea
wishestocharmthehe’s.”Valancy
había
hadheardhimaskthatacertijo
riddlefiftytimesandeverytimeshequería
wantedtothrowsomethingathim.Pero
Butsheneverdid.In
los
thefirstplace,theStirlingssimplydidnotlanzaban
throwthings;inthesecond
lugar
place,UncleBenjaminwasawealthyy
andchildlessoldwidowerandValancyhabía
hadbeenbroughtupinthetemor
fearandadmonitionofhisdinero
money.Ifsheoffendedhimhewould
cortaría
cutheroutofhiswill—supposingshewereinit.Valancydidnot
quería
wanttobecutoutofUncleBenjamin’swill.She
había
hadbeenpoorallhervida
lifeandknewthegallingamargura
bitternessofit.Soshe
soportó
enduredhisriddlesandevensonrió
smiledtorturedlittlesmilesoverellos
them.AuntIsabel,downrightanddisagreeableasan
este
eastwind,wouldcriticiseherinsomeway—Valancypodía
couldnotpredictjusthow,forTía
AuntIsabelneverrepeatedacriticism—sheencontraba
foundsomethingnewwithwhichtojabyoucada
everytime.AuntIsabelpridedherselfonsayingwhatshethought,
pero
butdidn’tlikeitsowellcuando
whenotherpeoplesaidwhattheythoughttoher.Valancy
nunca
neversaidwhatshethought.Prima
CousinGeorgiana—namedafterhergreat-great-grand-mother,whohabían
hadbeennamedafterGeorgetheFourth—wouldrecountdolorouslythenamesoftodos
allrelativesandfriendswhohabían
haddiedsincethelastpicnic
picnicandwonder“whichofuswillbetheprimero
firsttogonext.”Oppressively
competente
competent,AuntMildredwouldtalkendlesslyofhermarido
husbandandherodiousprodigiesofbabiestoValancy,porque
becauseValancywouldbetheonlyoneshepudiera
couldfindtoputupwithit.Forthesame
razón
reason,CousinGladys—reallyFirstCousinGladysuna vez
onceremoved,accordingtothestrictforma
wayinwhichtheStirlingstabulatedrelationship—atall,delgada
thinladywhoadmittedshetenía
hadasensitivedisposition,woulddescribiría
describeminutelythetorturesofherneuritis.Y
AndOlive,thewondergirlofthewholeStirlingclan
clan,whohadeverythingValancytenía
hadnot—beauty,popularity,love,—wouldshowoffherbelleza
beautyandpresumeonherpopularidad
popularityandflauntherdiamondinsigniaofamor
loveinValancy’sdazzled,enviouseyes.Therewouldbe
nada
noneofallthistoday.Y
Andtherewouldbenopackingupofteaspoons.Thepackingupwas
siempre
alwaysleftforValancyandPrimo
CousinStickles.Andonce,sixyears
hace
ago,asilverteaspoonfromTía
AuntWellington’sweddingsethadbeenperdido
lost.Valancyneverheardthe
último
lastofthatsilverteaspoon.Its
fantasma
ghostappearedBanquo-likeateverysubsequentfamiliar
familyfeast.Oh,yes,Valancy
sabía
knewexactlywhatthepicnicsería
wouldbelikeandshebendijo
blessedtherainthathadsalvado
savedherfromit.Therewouldbe
no
nopicnicthisyear.If
Tía
AuntWellingtoncouldnotcelebrateonthesacreddía
dayitselfshewouldhaveno
nocelebrationatall.Thankwhatevergodstherewerefor
eso
that.Sincetherewouldbe
no
nopicnic,Valancymadeuphermindthat,si
iftherainheldupinthetarde
afternoon,shewouldgouptothebiblioteca
libraryandgetanotherofJohnFoster’sbooks.Valancywas
nunca
neverallowedtoreadnovels,pero
butJohnFoster’sbookswerenotnovels.Theywere“naturebooks”—sothe
bibliotecario
librariantoldMrs.FrederickStirling—“allsobre
aboutthewoodsandbirdsy
andbugsandthingslikethat,youknow.”SoValancywas
permitió
allowedtoreadthem—underprotest,foritwasonlydemasiado
tooevidentthatsheenjoyedthemdemasiado
toomuch.Itwaspermissible,
incluso
evenlaudable,toreadtomejorar
improveyourmindandyourreligión
religion,butabookthatwasenjoyablewaspeligroso
dangerous.Valancydidnotknow
si
whetherhermindwasbeingimprovedo
ornot;butshefelt
vagamente
vaguelythatifshehadcomeacrossJohnFoster’sbooksyearshace
agolifemighthavebeenadiferente
differentthingforher.They
parecían
seemedtohertoyieldvislumbres
glimpsesofaworldintowhichshepodría
mightoncehaveentered,thoughthepuerta
doorwasforeverbarredtoherahora
now.Itwasonlywithinthe
último
lastyearthatJohnFoster’sbookshadbeenintheDeerwoodbiblioteca
library,thoughthelibrariantoldValancythathehadbeenun
awell-knownwriterforseveralyears.“Wheredoeshelive?”
Valancy
había
hadasked.“Nobodyknows.
Fromhisbookshe
debe
mustbeaCanadian,butno
nomoreinformationcanbetener
had.Hispublisherswon’tsay
una
aword.QuitelikelyJohn
Foster
Fosterisanomdeplume.Hisbooksaresopopularwecan’tkeeptheminatall,
aunque
thoughIreallycan’tseewhatgente
peoplefindinthemtoraveover.”“Ithinkthey’rewonderful,”
dijo
saidValancy,timidly.“Oh—well—”
MissClarkson
sonrió
smiledinapatronisingfashionthatrelegatedValancy’sopinionstolimbo,“Ican’tdecir
sayIcaremuchforbugsmyself.Pero
ButcertainlyFosterseemstosaber
knowallthereistosaber
knowaboutthem.”Valancydidn’t
sabía
knowwhethershecaredmuchforbugstampoco
either.ItwasnotJohnFoster’suncanny
conocimiento
knowledgeofwildcreaturesandinsectvida
lifethatenthralledher.She
podía
couldhardlysaywhatitwas—sometantalisinglureofun
amysteryneverrevealed—somehintofun
agreatsecretjustapoco
littlefurtheron—somefaint,elusiveeco
echooflovely,forgottenthings—JohnFoster’smagia
magicwasindefinable.Yes,shewould
obtendría
getanewFosterbook.Itwas
un
amonthsinceshehadThistleCosecha
Harvest,sosurelyMothercouldnotobjetar
object.Valancyhadreadit
cuatro
fourtimes—sheknewwholepassagesoffbyheart.And—she
casi
almostthoughtshewouldgoy
andseeDr.Trentaboutese
thatqueerpainaroundthecorazón
heart.Ithadcomeratheroften
últimamente
lately,andthepalpitationswerevolviendo
becomingannoying,nottospeakofanocasional
occasionaldizzymomentandaqueershortnessofbreath.Pero
Butcouldshegotoseehimsin
withouttellinganyone?Itwas
un
amostdaringthought.NoneoftheStirlingsever
consultó
consultedadoctorwithoutholdingun
afamilycouncilandgettingUncleJames’aprobación
approval.Then,theywenttoDr.Ambrose
Marsh
MarshofPortLawrence,whohabía
hadmarriedSecondCousinAdelaideStirling.Pero
ButValancydislikedDr.AmbroseMarsh
Marsh.And,besides,shecouldnot
llegar
gettoPortLawrence,fifteenmilesdistancia
away,withoutbeingtakenthere.Shedidnot
quería
wantanyonetoknowabouthercorazón
heart.Therewouldbesuch
un
afussmadeandeverymemberofthefamilia
familywouldcomedownandhablarían
talkitoverandadvisehery
andcautionherandwarnhery
andtellherhorribletalesofgreat-auntsy
andcousinsfortytimesremovedwhohabían
hadbeen“justlikethat”y
and“droppeddeadwithoutamoment’sadvertencia
warning,mydear.”AuntIsabelwould
recordaría
rememberthatshehadalwaysdicho
saidDosslookedlikeachica
girlwhowouldhavehearttrouble—“sopinchedy
andpeakedalways”;andUncleWellingtonwould
tomaría
takeitasapersonalinsulto
insult,when“noStirlingeverhadheartenfermedad
diseasebefore”;andGeorgianawouldforebodein
perfectamente
perfectlyaudibleasidesthat“poor,querido
dearlittleDossisn’tlongforeste
thisworld,I’mafraid”;and
Prima
CousinGladyswouldsay,“Why,mycorazón
hearthasbeenlikethatforyears,”inatono
tonethatimpliednooneelsehadanynegocio
businesseventohaveacorazón
heart;andOlive—Olivewouldmerelylook
hermosa
beautifulandsuperioranddisgustinglyhealthy,assi
iftosay,“Whyalleste
thisfussoverafadedsuperfluitylikeDosscuando
whenyouhaveme?”Valancy
sentía
feltthatshecouldn’ttellnadie
anybodyunlessshehadto.She
sentía
feltquitesuretherewasnada
nothingatallseriouslywrongcon
withherheartandnonecesidad
needofallthepotherthatwouldensuesi
ifshementionedit.Shewould
sólo
justslipupquietlyandver
seeDr.Trentthatverydía
day.Asforhisbill,shehadthetwohundreddollarsthather
padre
fatherhadputinthebanco
bankforherthedayshewasnació
born.Shewasneverallowedto
usar
useeventheinterestofesto
this,butshewouldsecretlytakeoutsuficiente
enoughtopayDr.Trent.Dr.
Trentwasagruff,outspoken,absent-mindedoldfellow,
pero
buthewasarecognisedautoridad
authorityonheartdisease,evensi
ifhewereonlyageneral
generalpractitionerinout-of-the-worldDeerwood.Dr.Trentwasoverseventy
y
andtherehadbeenrumoursthathemeanttoretirarse
retiresoon.NoneoftheStirling
clan
clanhadevergonetohimdesde
sincehehadtoldCousinGladys,diez
tenyearsbefore,thatherneuritiswastoda
allimaginaryandthatshedisfrutaba
enjoyedit.Youcouldn’tpatronisea
doctor
doctorwhoinsultedyourfirst-cousin-once-removedlikethat—nottomencionar
mentionthathewasaPresbyteriancuando
whenalltheStirlingswenttotheAnglicaniglesia
church.CHAPTERII
WhenCousinStickles
llamó
knockedatherdoor,Valancysabía
knewitwashalf-pastseveny
andshemustgetup.Aslongasshe
podía
couldremember,CousinStickleshadgolpeado
knockedatherdoorathalf-pastsiete
seven.CousinSticklesandMrs.FrederickStirling
habían
hadbeenupsinceseven,pero
butValancywasallowedtolieabedhalfanhourlongerbecauseofafamiliar
familytraditionthatshewasdelicate.Valancygotup,
aunque
thoughshehatedgettingupmás
morethismorningthanevershehadantes
before.