The Blue Castle | Progressive Translation Books for Swedish A1 Learners

The Blue Castle | Progressive Translation Books for Swedish A1 Learners

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CHAPTERI
Ifithadnotrainedon
en
a
certainMaymorningValancyStirling’swhole
liv
life
wouldhavebeenentirely
annorlunda
different
.
Shewouldhavegone,
med
with
therestofherclan,toAuntWellington’sengagementpicnic
och
and
Dr.Trentwouldhave
åkt
gone
toMontreal.
Butitdidrain
och
and
youshallhearwhat
hände
happened
toherbecauseof
det
it
.
Valancywakenedearly,in
den
the
lifeless,hopelesshourjustprecedingdawn.
She
hade
had
notsleptverywell.
Onedoesnot
sover
sleep
well,sometimes,whenoneistwenty-nineonthemorrow,
och
and
unmarried,inacommunity
och
and
connectionwheretheunmarriedaresimplythose
som
who
havefailedtogetaman.
Deerwood
och
and
theStirlingshadlong
sedan
since
relegatedValancytohopeless
gammal
old
maidenhood.
ButValancyherself
hade
had
neverquiterelinquishedacertainpitiful,shamed,little
hopp
hope
thatRomancewouldcomeher
väg
way
yet—never,untilthiswet,horriblemorning,
när
when
shewakenedtothe
faktum
fact
thatshewastwenty-nine
och
and
unsoughtbyanyman.
Ay,
där
there
laythesting.
Valancydidnotmindso
mycket
much
beinganoldmaid.
After
allt
all
,shethought,beingan
gammal
old
maidcouldn’tpossiblybeasdreadfulasbeing
gift
married
toanUncleWellington
eller
or
anUncleBenjamin,oreven
en
an
UncleHerbert.
Whathurtherwasthatshehad
aldrig
never
hadachancetobe
något
anything
butanoldmaid.
Ingen
No
manhadeverdesired
henne
her
.
Thetearscameintohereyesasshe
låg
lay
therealoneinthefaintlygreyingdarkness.
Shedarednot
låta
let
herselfcryashardasshe
ville
wanted
to,fortworeasons.
Shewas
rädd
afraid
thatcryingmightbringonanotherattackof
att
that
painaroundtheheart.
Shehadhad
en
a
spellofitaftershehadgotintobed—ratherworsethan
någon
any
shehadhadyet.
Och
And
shewasafraidher
mor
mother
wouldnoticeherredeyesatbreakfast
och
and
keepatherwith
minut
minute
,persistent,mosquito-likequestionsregardingthecausethereof.
“Suppose,”
tänkte
thought
Valancywithaghastlygrin,“I
svarade
answered
withtheplaintruth,‘IamcryingbecauseIcannotgetmarried.’
Hur
How
horrifiedMotherwouldbe—thoughsheisashamed
varje
every
dayofherlifeofher
gamla
old
maiddaughter.”
Butofcourseappearances
bör
should
bekeptup.
“Itisnot,”Valancy
kunde
could
hearhermother’sprim,dictatorialvoiceasserting,“itisnotmaidenlyto
tänka
think
aboutmen.”
Thethoughtofhermother’sexpressionmadeValancylaugh—forshe
hade
had
asenseofhumour
ingen
nobody
inherclansuspected.
For
som
that
matter,therewereagood
många
many
thingsaboutValancythat
ingen
nobody
suspected.
Butherlaughterwas
mycket
very
superficialandpresentlyshe
låg
lay
there,ahuddled,futile
liten
little
figure,listeningtotherainpouring
ner
down
outsideandwatching,with
en
a
sickdistaste,thechill,merciless
ljus
light
creepingintoherugly,sordid
rum
room
.
Sheknewtheuglinessofthat
rummet
room
byheart—knewitand
hatade
hated
it.
Theyellow-paintedfloor,
med
with
onehideous,“hooked”rugbythe
sängen
bed
,withagrotesque,“hooked”
hund
dog
onit,alwaysgrinningather
när
when
sheawoke;
thefaded,dark-redpaper;
theceilingdiscolouredby
gamla
old
leaksandcrossedbycracks;
den
the
narrow,pinchedlittlewashstand;
thebrown-paperlambrequin
med
with
purplerosesonit;
thespotted
gamla
old
looking-glasswiththecrackacrossit,proppedupontheinadequatedressing-table;
thejarofancientpotpourri
gjorde
made
byhermotherinhermythicalhoneymoon;
den
the
shell-coveredbox,withoneburstcorner,
som
which
CousinStickleshadmadeinherequallymythicalgirlhood;
thebeadedpincushion
med
with
halfitsbeadfringegone;
den
the
onestiff,yellowchair;
det
the
fadedoldmotto,“Gonebutnotforgotten,”
arbetade
worked
incolouredyarnsaboutGreat-grand-motherStirling’sgrim
gamla
old
face;
theoldphotographsofancientrelatives
länge
long
banishedfromtheroomsbelow.
Det
There
wereonlytwopictures
som
that
werenotofrelatives.
One,an
gammal
old
chromoofapuppy
sitter
sitting
onarainydoorstep.
Thatpicture
alltid
always
madeValancyunhappy.
Thatforlorn
lilla
little
dogcrouchedonthedoorstepinthedrivingrain!
Varför
Why
didn’tsomeoneopenthe
dörren
door
andlethimin?
Den
The
otherpicturewasafaded,passe-partoutedengravingofQueenLouise
kommer
coming
downastairway,whichAuntWellington
hade
had
lavishlygivenheronhertenthbirthday.
Fornineteenyearsshe
hade
had
lookedatitand
hatat
hated
it,beautiful,smug,self-satisfiedQueenLouise.
Men
But
sheneverdareddestroyit
eller
or
removeit.
MotherandCousinStickleswould
ha
have
beenaghast,or,asValancyirreverentlyexpresseditinherthoughts,would
ha
have
hadafit.
Every
rum
room
inthehousewasugly,ofcourse.
Men
But
downstairsappearanceswerekept
upp
up
somewhat.
Therewasno
pengar
money
forroomsnobodyeversaw.
Valancy
ibland
sometimes
feltthatshecould
ha
have
donesomethingforher
rum
room
herself,evenwithoutmoney,
om
if
shewerepermitted.
Buther
mor
mother
hadnegativedeverytimidsuggestion
och
and
Valancydidnotpersist.
Valancy
aldrig
never
persisted.
Shewasafraidto.
Her
mor
mother
couldnotbrookopposition.
Mrs.Stirlingwouldsulkfordays
om
if
offended,withtheairsof
en
an
insultedduchess.
TheonlythingValancy
gillade
liked
aboutherroomwasthatshe
kunde
could
bealonethereat
natten
night
tocryifshe
ville
wanted
to.
But,afterall,whatdidit
roll
matter
ifaroom,whichyouusedfor
något
nothing
exceptsleepinganddressing
i
in
,wereugly?
Valancywas
aldrig
never
permittedtostayaloneinher
rum
room
foranyotherpurpose.
Människor
People
whowantedtobealone,soMrs.FrederickStirling
och
and
CousinSticklesbelieved,could
bara
only
wanttobealoneforsomesinisterpurpose.
Men
But
herroomintheBlueCastlewas
allt
everything
aroomshouldbe.
Valancy,socowed
och
and
subduedandoverriddenandsnubbedin
verkliga
real
life,waswontto
låta
let
herselfgorathersplendidlyinherday-dreams.
Ingen
Nobody
intheStirlingclan,
eller
or
itsramifications,suspectedthis,
minst
least
ofallhermother
och
and
CousinStickles.
Theynever
visste
knew
thatValancyhadtwohomes—theugly
röda
red
brickboxofa
hem
home
,onElmStreet,andtheBlueCastleinSpain.
Valancy
hade
had
livedspirituallyintheBlueCastleeversinceshe
kunde
could
remember.
Shehadbeen
ett
a
verytinychildwhenshe
fann
found
herselfpossessedofit.
Alltid
Always
,whensheshuthereyes,she
kunde
could
seeitplainly,withitsturrets
och
and
bannersonthepine-cladmountainheight,wrappedinitsfaint,blueloveliness,
mot
against
thesunsetskiesof
ett
a
fairandunknownland.
Allt
Everything
wonderfulandbeautifulwasinthatcastle.
Jewels
som
that
queensmighthaveworn;
robesofmoonlight
och
and
fire;
couchesofroses
och
and
gold;
longflightsofshallowmarblesteps,
med
with
great,whiteurns,and
med
with
slender,mist-cladmaidensgoing
upp
up
anddownthem;
courts,marble-pillared,
där
where
shimmeringfountainsfellandnightingales
sjöng
sang
amongthemyrtles;
hallsofmirrors
som
that
reflectedonlyhandsomeknights
och
and
lovelywomen—herselftheloveliestof
alla
all
,forwhoseglancemen
dog
died
.
Allthatsupportedher
genom
through
theboredomofherdayswasthe
hoppet
hope
ofgoingonadreamspreeat
natten
night
.
Most,ifnotall,oftheStirlingswould
ha
have
diedofhorroriftheyhad
vetat
known
halfthethingsValancy
gjorde
did
inherBlueCastle.
Foronethingshe
hade
had
quiteafewloversinit.
Oh,
bara
only
oneatatime.
En
One
whowooedherwithalltheromanticardouroftheageofchivalry
och
and
wonherafterlongdevotion
och
and
manydeedsofderring-do,
och
and
wasweddedtoher
med
with
pompandcircumstanceinthe
stora
great
,banner-hungchapeloftheBlueCastle.
Attwelve,
denna
this
loverwasafairlad
med
with
goldencurlsandheavenlyblueeyes.
Atfifteen,hewastall
och
and
darkandpale,but
fortfarande
still
necessarilyhandsome.
Attwenty,hewasascetic,dreamy,spiritual.
Attwenty-five,he
hade
had
aclean-cutjaw,slightlygrim,
och
and
afacestrongandruggedrather
än
than
handsome.
Valancynevergrewolder
än
than
twenty-fiveinherBlueCastle,
men
but
recently—veryrecently—herherohadhadreddish,tawny
hår
hair
,atwistedsmileand
ett
a
mysteriouspast.
Idon’t
säger
say
Valancydeliberatelymurderedtheseloversassheoutgrew
dem
them
.
Onesimplyfadedawayasanother
kom
came
.
Thingsareveryconvenientin
detta
this
respectinBlueCastles.
Men
But
,onthismorningofherdayoffate,Valancy
kunde
could
notfindthekeyofherBlueCastle.
Realitypressedonher
för
too
hardly,barkingatherheels
som
like
amaddeninglittledog.
Shewastwenty-nine,lonely,undesired,ill-favoured—the
enda
only
homelygirlinahandsomeclan,with
ingen
no
pastandnofuture.
As
långt
far
asshecouldlook
tillbaka
back
,lifewasdrabandcolourless,withnot
en
one
singlecrimsonorpurplespotanywhere.
As
långt
far
asshecouldlookforwarditseemedcertaintobe
precis
just
thesameuntilshewas
ingenting
nothing
butasolitary,littlewitheredleafclingingtoawintrybough.
Det
The
momentwhenawomanrealisesthatshe
har
has
nothingtolivefor—neither
kärlek
love
,duty,purposenorhope—holdsforher
det
the
bitternessofdeath.
“AndI
bara
just
havetogoon
leva
living
becauseIcan’tstop.
I
kanske
may
havetoliveeightyyears,”
tänkte
thought
Valancy,inakindofpanic.
“We’re
alla
all
horriblylong-lived.
Itsickensmeto
tänka
think
ofit.”
Shewasgladitwasraining—orrather,shewasdrearilysatisfied
att
that
itwasraining.
Therewouldbe
inte
no
picnicthatday.
Thisannualpicnic,wherebyAunt
och
and
UncleWellington—onealwaysthoughtoftheminthatsuccession—inevitablycelebratedtheirengagementat
en
a
picnicthirtyyearsbefore,
hade
had
been,oflateyears,
en
a
veritablenightmaretoValancy.
By
en
an
impishcoincidenceitwasthe
samma
same
dayasherbirthday
och
and
,aftershehadpassedtwenty-five,
ingen
nobody
letherforgetit.
Mycket
Much
asshehatedgoingtothepicnic,itwould
aldrig
never
haveoccurredtohertorebel
mot
against
it.
Thereseemedtobe
något
nothing
oftherevolutionaryinhernature.
Och
And
sheknewexactlywhateveryonewould
säga
say
toheratthepicnic.
Farbror
Uncle
Wellington,whomshedisliked
och
and
despisedeventhoughhe
hade
had
fulfilledthehighestStirlingaspiration,“marryingmoney,”would
säga
say
toherinapig’swhisper,“Notthinkingofgettingmarried
än
yet
,mydear?”
andthen
go
offintothebellowoflaughter
med
with
whichheinvariablyconcludedhisdullremarks.
AuntWellington,ofwhomValancy
stod
stood
inabjectawe,would
berätta
tell
heraboutOlive’snewchiffondress
och
and
Cecil’slastdevotedletter.
Valancywould
hade
have
tolookaspleased
och
and
interestedasifthedress
och
and
letterhadbeenhersorelseAuntWellingtonwouldbeoffended.
Och
And
Valancyhadlongagodecided
att
that
shewouldratheroffend
Gud
God
thanAuntWellington,because
Gud
God
mightforgiveherbutAuntWellington
aldrig
never
would.
AuntAlberta,enormouslyfat,
med
with
anamiablehabitof
alltid
always
referringtoherhusbandas“he,”asifhewere
den
the
onlymalecreaturein
den
the
world,whocouldnever
glömma
forget
thatshehadbeena
stor
great
beautyinheryouth,wouldcondole
med
with
Valancyonhersallowskin—.
“Idon’t
vet
know
whyallthegirlsof
idag
today
aresosunburned.
WhenIwasa
flicka
girl
myskinwasroses
och
and
cream.
Iwascounted
den
the
prettiestgirlinCanada,mydear.”
Kanske
Perhaps
UncleHerbertwouldn’tsayanything—or
kanske
perhaps
hewouldremarkjocularly,“Howfatyou’regetting,Doss!”
Och
And
theneverybodywouldlaughover
den
the
excessivelyhumorousideaof
stackars
poor
,scrawnylittleDossgettingfat.
Handsome,solemn
Farbror
Uncle
James,whomValancydisliked
men
but
respectedbecausehewasreputedtobe
mycket
very
cleverandwasthereforetheclanoracle—brainsbeingnone
för
too
plentifulintheStirlingconnection—would
förmodligen
probably
remarkwiththeowl-likesarcasmthat
hade
had
wonhimhisreputation,“Isupposeyou’rebusy
med
with
yourhope-chestthesedays?”
Och
And
UncleBenjaminwouldask
några
some
ofhisabominableconundrums,
mellan
between
wheezychuckles,andanswerthemhimself.
“Whatisthedifference
mellan
between
Dossandamouse?
“Themouse
vill
wishes
toharmthecheese
och
and
Dosswishestocharmthehe’s.”
Valancy
hade
had
heardhimaskthatriddlefiftytimes
och
and
everytimeshewantedtothrow
något
something
athim.
Butshe
aldrig
never
did.
Inthefirstplace,
det
the
Stirlingssimplydidnotthrowthings;
in
det
the
secondplace,UncleBenjaminwas
en
a
wealthyandchildlessoldwidower
och
and
Valancyhadbeenbroughtupin
det
the
fearandadmonitionofhis
pengar
money
.
Ifsheoffendedhimhewould
skära
cut
heroutofhiswill—supposingshewerein
det
it
.
Valancydidnotwanttobecutoutof
Farbror
Uncle
Benjamin’swill.
Shehadbeenpoorallher
liv
life
andknewthegallingbitternessofit.
Sosheenduredhisriddles
och
and
evensmiledtorturedlittlesmiles
över
over
them.
AuntIsabel,downright
och
and
disagreeableasaneastwind,wouldcriticiseherinsomeway—Valancy
kunde
could
notpredictjusthow,forAuntIsabel
aldrig
never
repeatedacriticism—shefound
något
something
newwithwhichtojabyou
varje
every
time.
AuntIsabelpridedherselfonsayingwhatshe
tyckte
thought
,butdidn’tlikeitso
bra
well
whenotherpeoplesaidwhatthey
tyckte
thought
toher.
Valancynever
sa
said
whatshethought.
CousinGeorgiana—named
efter
after
hergreat-great-grand-mother,whohadbeennamed
efter
after
GeorgetheFourth—wouldrecountdolorously
den
the
namesofallrelatives
och
and
friendswhohaddied
sedan
since
thelastpicnicandwonder“whichofus
kommer
will
bethefirstto
go
next.”
Oppressivelycompetent,AuntMildredwould
tala
talk
endlesslyofherhusband
och
and
herodiousprodigiesofbabiestoValancy,
eftersom
because
Valancywouldbethe
enda
only
oneshecouldfindtoputup
med
with
it.
Forthesame
anledning
reason
,CousinGladys—reallyFirstCousinGladysonceremoved,accordingto
det
the
strictwayinwhich
det
the
Stirlingstabulatedrelationship—atall,thin
dam
lady
whoadmittedshehad
en
a
sensitivedisposition,woulddescribeminutely
det
the
torturesofherneuritis.
Och
And
Olive,thewondergirlofthe
hela
whole
Stirlingclan,whohad
allt
everything
Valancyhadnot—beauty,popularity,love,—would
visa
show
offherbeautyandpresumeonherpopularity
och
and
flauntherdiamondinsigniaof
kärlek
love
inValancy’sdazzled,enviouseyes.
Det
There
wouldbenoneofall
här
this
today.
Andtherewouldbe
inte
no
packingupofteaspoons.
Thepackingupwas
alltid
always
leftforValancyandCousinStickles.
Och
And
once,sixyearsago,
en
a
silverteaspoonfromAuntWellington’sweddingset
hade
had
beenlost.
Valancynever
hörde
heard
thelastofthatsilverteaspoon.
ItsghostappearedBanquo-likeat
varje
every
subsequentfamilyfeast.
Oh,
ja
yes
,Valancyknewexactlywhatthepicnicwouldbelike
och
and
sheblessedtherainthat
hade
had
savedherfromit.
Det
There
wouldbenopicnicthis
år
year
.
IfAuntWellingtoncouldnotcelebrateon
den
the
sacreddayitselfshewould
ha
have
nocelebrationatall.
Tack
Thank
whatevergodstherewereforthat.
Eftersom
Since
therewouldbenopicnic,Valancymade
upp
up
hermindthat,iftherain
höll
held
upintheafternoon,shewould
go
uptothelibrary
och
and
getanotherofJohnFoster’sbooks.
Valancywas
aldrig
never
allowedtoreadnovels,
men
but
JohnFoster’sbookswerenotnovels.
Theywere“naturebooks”—sothelibrarian
berättade
told
Mrs.FrederickStirling—“allaboutthewoods
och
and
birdsandbugsandthingslikethat,youknow.”
SoValancywasallowedto
läsa
read
them—underprotest,foritwasonlytooevidentthatsheenjoyedthemtoo
mycket
much
.
Itwaspermissible,evenlaudable,to
läsa
read
toimproveyourmind
och
and
yourreligion,buta
bok
book
thatwasenjoyablewasdangerous.
Valancydidnot
visste
know
whetherhermindwasbeingimproved
eller
or
not;
butshefeltvaguely
att
that
ifshehadcomeacrossJohnFoster’sbooksyears
sedan
ago
lifemighthavebeena
annorlunda
different
thingforher.
Theyseemedtohertoyieldglimpsesof
en
a
worldintowhichshe
kanske
might
oncehaveentered,thoughthe
dörren
door
wasforeverbarredtoher
nu
now
.
Itwasonlywithinthe
senaste
last
yearthatJohnFoster’sbooks
hade
had
beenintheDeerwoodlibrary,thoughthelibrarian
berättade
told
Valancythathehadbeen
en
a
well-knownwriterforseveralyears.
“Wheredoeshelive?”
Valancy
hade
had
asked.
“Nobodyknows.
Fromhisbookshe
måste
must
beaCanadian,but
ingen
no
moreinformationcanbe
måste
had
.
Hispublisherswon’tsay
ett
a
word.
QuitelikelyJohnFosteris
en
a
nomdeplume.
Hisbooksaresopopularwecan’t
behålla
keep
theminatall,thoughI
verkligen
really
can’tseewhatpeople
hittar
find
inthemtoraveover.”
“I
tycker
think
they’rewonderful,”saidValancy,timidly.
“Oh—well—”
Miss
Miss
ClarksonsmiledinapatronisingfashionthatrelegatedValancy’sopinionstolimbo,“Ican’t
säga
say
Icaremuchforbugsmyself.
Men
But
certainlyFosterseemsto
veta
know
allthereisto
veta
know
aboutthem.”
Valancydidn’t
visste
know
whethershecaredmuchforbugs
heller
either
.
ItwasnotJohnFoster’suncannyknowledgeofwildcreatures
och
and
insectlifethatenthralled
henne
her
.
Shecouldhardlysaywhatitwas—sometantalisinglureofamystery
aldrig
never
revealed—somehintofa
stor
great
secretjustalittlefurtheron—somefaint,elusiveechooflovely,forgottenthings—JohnFoster’smagicwasindefinable.
Ja
Yes
,shewouldgeta
ny
new
Fosterbook.
Itwas
en
a
monthsinceshehadThistleHarvest,sosurely
Mamma
Mother
couldnotobject.
Valancy
hade
had
readitfourtimes—she
kände
knew
wholepassagesoffbyheart.
And—she
nästan
almost
thoughtshewouldgo
och
and
seeDr.Trentabout
att
that
queerpainaroundthe
hjärtat
heart
.
Ithadcomeratheroftenlately,
och
and
thepalpitationswerebecomingannoying,notto
tala
speak
ofanoccasionaldizzy
ögonblick
moment
andaqueershortnessofbreath.
But
kunde
could
shegotoseehimwithout
berätta
telling
anyone?
Itwas
en
a
mostdaringthought.
NoneoftheStirlingseverconsulteda
läkare
doctor
withoutholdingafamilycouncil
och
and
gettingUncleJames’approval.
Then,they
gick
went
toDr.AmbroseMarshofPortLawrence,
som
who
hadmarriedSecondCousinAdelaideStirling.
Men
But
ValancydislikedDr.AmbroseMarsh.
And,besides,she
kunde
could
notgettoPortLawrence,fifteenmiles
bort
away
,withoutbeingtakenthere.
Shedidnot
ville
want
anyonetoknowabouther
hjärta
heart
.
Therewouldbesuchafussmade
och
and
everymemberofthefamily
komma
would
comedownandtalkitover
och
and
adviseherandcautionher
och
and
warnherandtellherhorribletalesofgreat-aunts
och
and
cousinsfortytimesremovedwho
hade
had
been“justlikethat”
och
and
“droppeddeadwithoutamoment’swarning,mydear.”
AuntIsabel
komma
would
rememberthatshehad
alltid
always
saidDosslookedlike
en
a
girlwhowouldhavehearttrouble—“sopinched
och
and
peakedalways”;
andUncleWellingtonwould
ta
take
itasapersonalinsult,
när
when
“noStirlingeverhadheartdiseasebefore”;
och
and
Georgianawouldforebodeinperfectlyaudibleasides
att
that
“poor,dearlittleDossisn’t
lång
long
forthisworld,I’mafraid”;
och
and
CousinGladyswouldsay,“Why,my
hjärta
heart
hasbeenlikethatforyears,”inatonethatimplied
ingen
no
oneelsehadanybusiness
ens
even
tohaveaheart;
och
and
Olive—Olivewouldmerelylook
vacker
beautiful
andsuperioranddisgustinglyhealthy,as
om
if
tosay,“Whyall
här
this
fussoverafadedsuperfluitylikeDoss
när
when
youhaveme?”
Valancy
kände
felt
thatshecouldn’ttell
någon
anybody
unlessshehadto.
She
kände
felt
quitesuretherewas
något
nothing
atallseriouslywrong
med
with
herheartandno
behov
need
ofallthepotherthatwouldensue
om
if
shementionedit.
Shewould
bara
just
slipupquietlyand
se
see
Dr.Trentthatvery
dag
day
.
Asforhisbill,she
hade
had
thetwohundreddollarsthather
far
father
hadputinthebankforherthe
dag
day
shewasborn.
Shewas
aldrig
never
allowedtouseeven
det
the
interestofthis,butshewouldsecretly
tog
take
outenoughtopayDr.Trent.
Dr.
Trentwas
en
a
gruff,outspoken,absent-mindedoldfellow,
men
but
hewasarecognisedauthorityonheartdisease,
även
even
ifhewereonly
en
a
generalpractitionerinout-of-the-worldDeerwood.
Dr.Trentwas
över
over
seventyandtherehadbeenrumoursthathemeanttoretire
snart
soon
.
NoneoftheStirlingclan
hade
had
evergonetohim
sedan
since
hehadtoldCousinGladys,
tio
ten
yearsbefore,thatherneuritiswasallimaginary
och
and
thatsheenjoyedit.
Youcouldn’tpatronise
en
a
doctorwhoinsultedyourfirst-cousin-once-removedlikethat—nottomentionthathewas
en
a
PresbyterianwhenalltheStirlings
gick
went
totheAnglicanchurch.
CHAPTERII
När
When
CousinSticklesknockedather
dörr
door
,Valancyknewitwashalf-pastseven
och
and
shemustgetup.
As
länge
long
asshecouldremember,CousinStickles
hade
had
knockedatherdoorathalf-pastseven.
CousinStickles
och
and
Mrs.FrederickStirlinghadbeenup
sedan
since
seven,butValancywasallowedto
ligga
lie
abedhalfanhourlongerbecauseofafamilytraditionthatshewasdelicate.
Valancygot
upp
up
,thoughshehatedgetting
upp
up
morethismorningthanevershehadbefore.