CHAPTERI
Ifithadnotrainedon
một
acertainMaymorningValancyStirling’swholecuộc sống
lifewouldhavebeenentirelykhác
different.Shewouldhavegone,
với
withtherestofherclan,toDì
AuntWellington’sengagementpicnicandDr.TrentwouldhavegonetoMontreal.Nhưng
Butitdidrainandyoushallnghe
hearwhathappenedtohervì
becauseofit.Valancywakened
sớm
early,inthelifeless,hopelessgiờ
hourjustprecedingdawn.Shehadnotslept
rất
verywell.Onedoesnot
ngủ
sleepwell,sometimes,whenoneistwenty-nineonthemorrow,và
andunmarried,inacommunityvà
andconnectionwheretheunmarriedarechỉ đơn giản
simplythosewhohavefailedtogetangười đàn ông
man.DeerwoodandtheStirlingshad
lâu
longsincerelegatedValancytohopelessgià
oldmaidenhood.ButValancyherselfhad
chưa bao giờ
neverquiterelinquishedacertainpitiful,shamed,nhỏ
littlehopethatRomancewouldcomeherwayyet—never,untilnày
thiswet,horriblemorning,whenshewakenedtothethực tế
factthatshewastwenty-ninevà
andunsoughtbyanyman.Ay,
đó
therelaythesting.Valancydidnot
tâm
mindsomuchbeingangià
oldmaid.Afterall,shethought,being
một
anoldmaidcouldn’tpossiblybeasdreadfulasbeingkết hôn
marriedtoanUncleWellingtonhoặc
oranUncleBenjamin,orthậm chí
evenanUncleHerbert.Whathurtherwasthatshehad
chưa bao giờ
neverhadachancetobeanythingbutangià
oldmaid.Nomanhadeverdesiredher.
Thetearscameintohereyesasshelaythere
mình
aloneinthefaintlygreyingbóng tối
darkness.Shedarednotletherself
khóc
cryashardasshewantedđể
to,fortworeasons.Shewas
sợ
afraidthatcryingmightbringonanotherattackofrằng
thatpainaroundtheheart.Shehadhad
một
aspellofitaftershehadgotintobed—rathertệ
worsethananyshehadhadyet.Và
Andshewasafraidhermẹ
motherwouldnoticeherredeyesatbreakfastvà
andkeepatherwithphút
minute,persistent,mosquito-likequestionsregardingthenguyên nhân
causethereof.“Suppose,”thoughtValancy
với
withaghastlygrin,“Iansweredvới
withtheplaintruth,‘Iamcryingvì
becauseIcannotgetmarried.’HowhorrifiedMẹ
Motherwouldbe—thoughsheisxấu hổ
ashamedeverydayofhercuộc sống
lifeofheroldmaiddaughter.”Nhưng
Butofcourseappearancesshouldbekeptup.“Itisnot,”Valancycould
nghe
hearhermother’sprim,dictatorialgiọng nói
voiceasserting,“itisnotmaidenlytothinkvề
aboutmen.”Thethoughtofhermother’s
biểu
expressionmadeValancylaugh—forshehadmột
asenseofhumournobodyinherclansuspected.Forthat
vấn đề
matter,therewereagoodmanythingsvề
aboutValancythatnobodysuspected.Nhưng
Butherlaughterwasverysuperficialvà
andpresentlyshelaythere,một
ahuddled,futilelittlefigure,listeningtothemưa
rainpouringdownoutsideandwatching,với
withasickdistaste,thelạnh
chill,mercilesslightcreepingintoherxấu xí
ugly,sordidroom.Sheknewtheuglinessofthat
phòng
roombyheart—knewitandhatedit.Theyellow-painted
sàn
floor,withonehideous,“hooked”thảm
rugbythebed,withagrotesque,“hooked”chó
dogonit,alwaysgrinningatherkhi
whensheawoke;thefaded,dark-red
giấy
paper;theceilingdiscolouredby
cũ
oldleaksandcrossedbycracks;the
hẹp
narrow,pinchedlittlewashstand;thebrown-paperlambrequin
với
withpurplerosesonit;thespotted
cũ
oldlooking-glasswiththecrackacrossnó
it,proppedupontheinadequatedressing-table;the
bình
jarofancientpotpourrimadebyhermẹ
motherinhermythicalhoneymoon;theshell-covered
hộp
box,withoneburstcorner,mà
whichCousinStickleshadmadeinherequallymythicalgirlhood;thebeadedpincushion
với
withhalfitsbeadfringegone;theone
cứng
stiff,yellowchair;thefadedoldmotto,“Gone
nhưng
butnotforgotten,”workedincolouredyarnsvề
aboutGreat-grand-motherStirling’sgrimoldface;những
theoldphotographsofancientrelativeslâu
longbanishedfromtheroomsbelow.Có
Therewereonlytwopicturesthatwerenotofrelatives.One,an
già
oldchromoofapuppysittingonamưa
rainydoorstep.ThatpicturealwaysmadeValancyunhappy.
Đó
Thatforlornlittledogcrouchedonthedoorstepinthedrivingmưa
rain!Whydidn’tsomeoneopenthe
cửa
doorandlethimin?The
kia
otherpicturewasafaded,passe-partoutedengravingofNữ hoàng
QueenLouisecomingdownacầu thang
stairway,whichAuntWellingtonhadlavishlygivenheronhertenthbirthday.Fornineteenyearsshehadlookedatit
và
andhatedit,beautiful,smug,self-satisfiedNữ hoàng
QueenLouise.Butsheneverdared
phá hủy
destroyitorremoveit.Mẹ
MotherandCousinStickleswouldhavebeenaghast,hoặc
or,asValancyirreverentlyexpresseditinherthoughts,wouldhavehadmột
afit.Everyroominthe
nhà
housewasugly,ofcourse.Nhưng
Butdownstairsappearanceswerekeptupsomewhat.Có
Therewasnomoneyforroomsai
nobodyeversaw.Valancysometimesfeltthatshecouldhavedonesomethingforher
phòng
roomherself,evenwithoutmoney,nếu
ifshewerepermitted.Buther
mẹ
motherhadnegativedeverytimidgợi ý
suggestionandValancydidnotpersist.Valancy
không bao giờ
neverpersisted.Shewasafraidto.
Her
mẹ
mothercouldnotbrookopposition.Mrs.Stirlingwouldsulkfordays
nếu
ifoffended,withtheairsofmột
aninsultedduchess.Theonly
điều
thingValancylikedaboutherphòng
roomwasthatshecouldbemình
alonethereatnighttokhóc
cryifshewantedto.Nhưng
But,afterall,whatdiditquan trọng
matterifaroom,whichyousử dụng
usedfornothingexceptsleepingvà
anddressingin,wereugly?Valancywas
không bao giờ
neverpermittedtostayaloneinherphòng
roomforanyotherpurpose.Peoplewhowantedtobe
mình
alone,soMrs.FrederickStirlingvà
andCousinSticklesbelieved,couldchỉ
onlywanttobealoneformột
somesinisterpurpose.Buther
phòng
roomintheBlueCastlewaseverythingmột
aroomshouldbe.Valancy,socowed
và
andsubduedandoverriddenandsnubbedinrealcuộc sống
life,waswonttoletherselfđi
gorathersplendidlyinherday-dreams.Ai
NobodyintheStirlingclan,hoặc
oritsramifications,suspectedthis,ít
leastofallhermothervà
andCousinStickles.Theyneverknew
rằng
thatValancyhadtwohomes—thexấu xí
uglyredbrickboxofmột
ahome,onElmStreet,và
andtheBlueCastleinSpain.Valancyhadlivedspirituallyinthe
Xanh
BlueCastleeversinceshecouldnhớ
remember.Shehadbeena
rất
verytinychildwhenshefoundherselfpossessedofnó
it.Always,whensheshuthereyes,shecouldseeit
rõ ràng
plainly,withitsturretsandbannersonthepine-cladnúi
mountainheight,wrappedinitsfaint,xanh
blueloveliness,againstthesunsetskiesofmột
afairandunknownland.Everything
tuyệt vời
wonderfulandbeautifulwasinđó
thatcastle.Jewelsthatqueensmighthaveworn;
robesofmoonlight
và
andfire;couchesofroses
và
andgold;longflightsof
nông
shallowmarblesteps,withgreat,trắng
whiteurns,andwithslender,mist-cladmaidensgoinglên
upanddownthem;courts,marble-pillared,
nơi
whereshimmeringfountainsfellandnightingalessanggiữa
amongthemyrtles;hallsofmirrorsthatreflected
chỉ
onlyhandsomeknightsandlovelywomen—herselfnhững
theloveliestofall,forwhoseglancemendied.Tất cả
Allthatsupportedherthroughnhững
theboredomofherdayswasnhững
thehopeofgoingonmột
adreamspreeatnight.Hầu hết
Most,ifnotall,ofnhững
theStirlingswouldhavediedofhorrornếu
iftheyhadknownhalfnhững
thethingsValancydidinherBlue
BlueCastle.Foronethingshehad
khá
quiteafewloversinđó
it.Oh,onlyoneata
lần
time.Onewhowooedher
với
withalltheromanticardouroftheageofchivalryvà
andwonherafterlongdevotionvà
andmanydeedsofderring-do,và
andwasweddedtohervới
withpompandcircumstanceinthelớn
great,banner-hungchapeloftheXanh
BlueCastle.Attwelve,this
yêu
loverwasafairladvới
withgoldencurlsandheavenlyxanh
blueeyes.Atfifteen,hewas
cao
tallanddarkandpale,nhưng
butstillnecessarilyhandsome.Attwenty,hewasascetic,dreamy,spiritual.
Attwenty-five,hehad
một
aclean-cutjaw,slightlygrim,và
andafacestrongandgồ ghề
ruggedratherthanhandsome.Valancy
không bao giờ
nevergrewolderthantwenty-fiveinherXanh
BlueCastle,butrecently—veryrecently—herherohadhadreddish,tawnytóc
hair,atwistedsmileandmột
amysteriouspast.Idon’t
nói
sayValancydeliberatelymurderedtheseloversassheoutgrewhọ
them.Onesimplyfadedawayasanothercame.
Thingsare
rất
veryconvenientinthisrespectinBlue
BlueCastles.But,onthismorningofherdayoffate,Valancycouldnotfindthekeyofher
Xanh
BlueCastle.Realitypressedonher
quá
toohardly,barkingatherheelsnhư
likeamaddeninglittledog.Shewastwenty-nine,lonely,undesired,ill-favoured—the
duy nhất
onlyhomelygirlinahandsomeclan,withkhông
nopastandnofuture.Asfarasshecould
nhìn
lookback,lifewasdrabvà
andcolourless,withnotoneduy nhất
singlecrimsonorpurplespotbất cứ nơi nào
anywhere.Asfarasshecould
nhìn
lookforwarditseemedcertaintobechỉ
justthesameuntilshewasgì
nothingbutasolitary,littlewitheredlá
leafclingingtoawintrybough.The
khoảnh khắc
momentwhenawomanrealisesrằng
thatshehasnothingtosống
livefor—neitherlove,duty,purposenorhope—holdsforherthebitternessofdeath.“AndIjusthavetogoon
sống
livingbecauseIcan’tstop.I
có thể
mayhavetoliveeightyyears,”thoughtValancy,inmột
akindofpanic.“We’re
tất cả
allhorriblylong-lived.Itsickensmetothinkofit.”
Shewas
vui
gladitwasraining—orrather,shewasdrearilyhài lòng
satisfiedthatitwasraining.Therewouldbe
không
nopicnicthatday.This
năm
annualpicnic,wherebyAuntandChú
UncleWellington—onealwaysthoughtoftheminđó
thatsuccession—inevitablycelebratedtheirengagementatmột
apicnicthirtyyearsbefore,hadbeen,oflateyears,một
averitablenightmaretoValancy.By
một
animpishcoincidenceitwasthecùng
samedayasherbirthdayvà
and,aftershehadpassedtwenty-five,ai
nobodyletherforgetit.Muchasshehatedgoingtothepicnic,itwould
không bao giờ
neverhaveoccurredtohertorebelchống lại
againstit.Thereseemedtobe
gì
nothingoftherevolutionaryinhernature.Và
Andsheknewexactlywhateveryonewouldnói
saytoheratthepicnic.Chú
UncleWellington,whomshedislikedvà
anddespisedeventhoughhehadfulfilledthehighestStirlingaspiration,“marryingmoney,”wouldnói
saytoherinapig’swhisper,“Notthinkingofgettingkết hôn
marriedyet,mydear?”andthen
đi
gooffintothebellowofcười
laughterwithwhichheinvariablyconcludedhisdullremarks.Dì
AuntWellington,ofwhomValancystoodinabjectawe,wouldtellhervề
aboutOlive’snewchiffondressvà
andCecil’slastdevotedletter.Valancywouldhavetolookaspleased
và
andinterestedasiftheváy
dressandletterhadbeenhersorelseDì
AuntWellingtonwouldbeoffended.Và
AndValancyhadlongagodecidedrằng
thatshewouldratheroffendChúa
GodthanAuntWellington,becauseChúa
GodmightforgiveherbutDì
AuntWellingtonneverwould.AuntAlberta,enormously
béo
fat,withanamiablehabitofluôn luôn
alwaysreferringtoherhusbandas“he,”asifheweretheduy nhất
onlymalecreatureintheworld,người
whocouldneverforgetthatshehadbeenalớn
greatbeautyinheryouth,wouldcondolevới
withValancyonhersallowda
skin—.“Idon’tknowwhy
tất cả
allthegirlsoftodayaresosunburned.Khi
WhenIwasagirlmyda
skinwasrosesandcream.IwascountedtheprettiestgirlinCanada,mydear.”
Có lẽ
PerhapsUncleHerbertwouldn’tsayanything—orcó lẽ
perhapshewouldremarkjocularly,“Howbéo
fatyou’regetting,Doss!”Andtheneverybodywould
cười
laughovertheexcessivelyhumorousý tưởng
ideaofpoor,scrawnylittleDossgettingbéo
fat.Handsome,solemnUncleJames,whomValancydisliked
nhưng
butrespectedbecausehewasreputedtoberất
verycleverandwasthereforetheclanoracle—brainsbeingkhông
nonetooplentifulintheStirlingconnection—wouldprobablyremarkvới
withtheowl-likesarcasmthathadwonhimhisreputation,“Isupposeyou’rebusyvới
withyourhope-chestthesedays?”Và
AndUncleBenjaminwouldaskmột
someofhisabominableconundrums,giữa
betweenwheezychuckles,andanswerthemhimself.“Whatisthe
sự khác biệt
differencebetweenDossandamouse?“The
chuột
mousewishestoharmthecheesevà
andDosswishestocharmthehe’s.”Valancyhadheardhim
hỏi
askthatriddlefiftytimesvà
andeverytimeshewantedtoném
throwsomethingathim.Butshe
không bao giờ
neverdid.Inthefirstplace,theStirlings
chỉ đơn giản
simplydidnotthrowthings;inthe
thứ hai
secondplace,UncleBenjaminwasmột
awealthyandchildlessoldwidowervà
andValancyhadbeenbroughtupinthefearvà
andadmonitionofhismoney.Nếu
Ifsheoffendedhimhewouldcắt
cutheroutofhiswill—supposingshewereinđó
it.Valancydidnotwanttobecutoutof
Chú
UncleBenjamin’swill.Shehadbeen
nghèo
poorallherlifeandknewthegallingbitternessofnó
it.Sosheenduredhisriddles
và
andevensmiledtorturedlittlesmilesoverhọ
them.AuntIsabel,downrightanddisagreeableasan
đông
eastwind,wouldcriticiseherinsomeway—Valancycouldnotdự đoán
predictjusthow,forAuntIsabelkhông bao giờ
neverrepeatedacriticism—shefoundsomethingmới
newwithwhichtojabyoumỗi
everytime.AuntIsabelpridedherselfonsayingwhatshethought,
nhưng
butdidn’tlikeitsowellkhi
whenotherpeoplesaidwhattheythoughttoher.Valancy
không bao giờ
neversaidwhatshethought.CousinGeorgiana—namedafterhergreat-great-grand-mother,whohadbeennamedafterGeorge
các
theFourth—wouldrecountdolorouslythenamesoftất cả
allrelativesandfriendswhohaddiedtừ
sincethelastpicnicandtự hỏi
wonder“whichofuswillbecác
thefirsttogonext.”Oppressivelycompetent,AuntMildredwouldtalkendlesslyofher
chồng
husbandandherodiousprodigiesofbabiestoValancy,becauseValancywouldbenhững
theonlyoneshecouldfindtoputupvới
withit.Forthesame
lý do
reason,CousinGladys—reallyFirstCousinGladystừng
onceremoved,accordingtothenghiêm ngặt
strictwayinwhichtheStirlingstabulatedrelationship—acao
tall,thinladywhoadmittedshehadmột
asensitivedisposition,woulddescribeminutelythetorturesofherneuritis.Và
AndOlive,thewondergirlofthewholeStirlingclan,người
whohadeverythingValancyhadnot—beauty,popularity,love,—wouldshowoffherbeautyvà
andpresumeonherpopularityvà
andflauntherdiamondinsigniaofloveinValancy’sdazzled,enviouseyes.Có
Therewouldbenoneofallnày
thistoday.Andtherewouldbe
không
nopackingupofteaspoons.ThepackingupwasalwaysleftforValancy
và
andCousinStickles.Andonce,
sáu
sixyearsago,asilverteaspoonfromDì
AuntWellington’sweddingsethadbeenlost.Valancy
không bao giờ
neverheardthelastofđó
thatsilverteaspoon.ItsghostappearedBanquo-likeat
mỗi
everysubsequentfamilyfeast.Oh,
vâng
yes,Valancyknewexactlywhatthepicnicwouldbenhư
likeandsheblessedthemưa
rainthathadsavedherfromnó
it.Therewouldbenopicnicthis
năm
year.IfAuntWellingtoncouldnotcelebrateonthe
thiêng liêng
sacreddayitselfshewouldcó
havenocelebrationatall.Cảm ơn
Thankwhatevergodstherewereforthat.Vì
Sincetherewouldbenopicnic,Valancymadelên
uphermindthat,ifthemưa
rainheldupintheafternoon,shewouldđi
gouptothelibraryvà
andgetanotherofJohnFoster’sbooks.Valancywas
không bao giờ
neverallowedtoreadnovels,nhưng
butJohnFoster’sbookswerenotnovels.Theywere“naturebooks”—so
những
thelibrariantoldMrs.FrederickStirling—“allvề
aboutthewoodsandbirdsvà
andbugsandthingslikeđó
that,youknow.”SoValancywasallowedto
đọc
readthem—underprotest,foritwaschỉ
onlytooevidentthatsheenjoyedthemquá
toomuch.Itwaspermissible,
thậm chí
evenlaudable,toreadtocải thiện
improveyourmindandyourtôn giáo
religion,butabookthatwasthú vị
enjoyablewasdangerous.Valancydidnot
biết
knowwhetherhermindwasbeingimprovedhay
ornot;butshefeltvaguely
rằng
thatifshehadcomeacrossJohnFoster’sbooksyearstrước
agolifemighthavebeenmột
adifferentthingforher.Theyseemedtohertoyieldglimpsesof
một
aworldintowhichshemighttừng
oncehaveentered,thoughthedoorwasforeverbarredtoherbây giờ
now.Itwasonlywithin
các
thelastyearthatJohnFoster’sbookshadbeenincác
theDeerwoodlibrary,thoughthelibrariantoldValancyrằng
thathehadbeenawell-knownvăn
writerforseveralyears.“Wheredoeshelive?”
Valancyhadasked.
“Nobodyknows.
Fromhisbookshe
phải
mustbeaCanadian,butkhông
nomoreinformationcanbehad.Hispublisherswon’t
nói
sayaword.QuitelikelyJohn
Foster
Fosterisanomdeplume.Hisbooksareso
phổ biến
popularwecan’tkeeptheminattất cả
all,thoughIreallycan’tseewhatpeoplefindinthemtorave
raveover.”“Ithinkthey’rewonderful,”saidValancy,timidly.
“Oh—well—”
MissClarksonsmiledin
một
apatronisingfashionthatrelegatedValancy’sopinionstolimbo,“Ican’tnói
sayIcaremuchforbugsmyself.Nhưng
ButcertainlyFosterseemstobiết
knowallthereistobiết
knowaboutthem.”Valancydidn’t
biết
knowwhethershecaredmuchforbugseither.ItwasnotJohnFoster’suncanny
kiến thức
knowledgeofwildcreaturesandcôn trùng
insectlifethatenthralledher.Shecould
khó
hardlysaywhatitwas—sometantalisinglureofmột
amysteryneverrevealed—somehintofmột
agreatsecretjustachút
littlefurtheron—somefaint,elusiveechoofyêu
lovely,forgottenthings—JohnFoster’smagicwasindefinable.Vâng
Yes,shewouldgetamới
newFosterbook.Itwas
một
amonthsinceshehadThistleHarvest,sochắc chắn
surelyMothercouldnotobject.Valancyhad
đọc
readitfourtimes—sheknewwholepassagesoffbyheart.And—she
gần
almostthoughtshewouldgovà
andseeDr.Trentaboutrằng
thatqueerpainaroundtheheart.Ithadcome
khá
ratheroftenlately,andthepalpitationswerebecomingkhó chịu
annoying,nottospeakofanoccasionaldizzykhoảnh khắc
momentandaqueershortnessofthở
breath.Butcouldshegotoseehim
không
withouttellinganyone?Itwas
một
amostdaringthought.NoneoftheStirlingseverconsulted
một
adoctorwithoutholdingagia đình
familycouncilandgettingUncleJames’chấp thuận
approval.Then,theywenttoDr.Ambrose
Marsh
MarshofPortLawrence,whohadkết hôn
marriedSecondCousinAdelaideStirling.Nhưng
ButValancydislikedDr.AmbroseMarsh
Marsh.And,besides,shecouldnot
đưa
gettoPortLawrence,fifteenmilesxa
away,withoutbeingtakenthere.Shedidnot
muốn
wantanyonetoknowvề
aboutherheart.Therewouldbesuch
một
afussmadeandeverymemberofnhững
thefamilywouldcomedownvà
andtalkitoverandkhuyên
adviseherandcautionhervà
andwarnherandtellherhorribletalesofgreat-auntsvà
andcousinsfortytimesremovedngười
whohadbeen“justlikethat”và
and“droppeddeadwithoutamoment’swarning,mydear.”Dì
AuntIsabelwouldrememberthatshehadalwayssaidDosslookedlikemột
agirlwhowouldhavetim
hearttrouble—“sopinchedandpeakedalways”;và
andUncleWellingtonwouldtakeitasmột
apersonalinsult,when“noStirlingeverhadtim
heartdiseasebefore”;andGeorgianawouldforebodein
hoàn toàn
perfectlyaudibleasidesthat“poor,thân
dearlittleDossisn’tlongfornày
thisworld,I’mafraid”;andCousinGladyswould
nói
say,“Why,myhearthasbeennhư
likethatforyears,”inatonerằng
thatimpliednooneelsehadbất kỳ
anybusinesseventohaveaheart;và
andOlive—Olivewouldmerelylookđẹp
beautifulandsuperioranddisgustinglyhealthy,asiftonói
say,“Whyallthisfussovermột
afadedsuperfluitylikeDosskhi
whenyouhaveme?”Valancyfelt
rằng
thatshecouldn’ttellanybodytrừ khi
unlessshehadto.Shefelt
khá
quitesuretherewasnothingattất cả
allseriouslywrongwithherheartvà
andnoneedofallcác
thepotherthatwouldensuenếu
ifshementionedit.Shewouldjustslipup
lặng lẽ
quietlyandseeDr.Trentđó
thatveryday.Asforhis
hóa đơn
bill,shehadthetwotrăm
hundreddollarsthatherfatherhadđặt
putinthebankforherthengày
dayshewasborn.Shewas
không bao giờ
neverallowedtouseeventhelãi suất
interestofthis,butshewouldbí mật
secretlytakeoutenoughtopayDr.Trent.Dr.
Trentwas
một
agruff,outspoken,absent-mindedoldfellow,nhưng
buthewasarecognisedauthorityontim
heartdisease,evenifhewerechỉ
onlyageneralpractitionerinout-of-the-worldDeerwood.Dr.Trentwas
hơn
overseventyandtherehadbeenrumoursrằng
thathemeanttoretiresớm
soon.NoneoftheStirlingclanhadevergonetohim
từ
sincehehadtoldCousinGladys,mười
tenyearsbefore,thatherneuritiswastất cả
allimaginaryandthatsheenjoyednó
it.Youcouldn’tpatronisea
bác sĩ
doctorwhoinsultedyourfirst-cousin-once-removednhư
likethat—nottomentionthathewasmột
aPresbyterianwhenalltheStirlingswenttocác
theAnglicanchurch.CHAPTERII
Khi
WhenCousinSticklesknockedathercửa
door,Valancyknewitwashalf-pastbảy
sevenandshemustgetup.As
miễn
longasshecouldremember,CousinStickleshadknockedathercửa
doorathalf-pastseven.CousinStickles
và
andMrs.FrederickStirlinghadbeenupsincebảy
seven,butValancywasallowedtonằm
lieabedhalfanhourlongerbecauseofagia đình
familytraditionthatshewasdelicate.Valancygotup,thoughshehatedgettingupmore
đây
thismorningthanevershehadtrước
before.