Chapter 15. — Our Wedding

She woke up thinking of her marriage, and Life called to her as the birds call to one another at waking morn. The virgin¹ angels smiled down tearfully upon her, but the mothers of Heaven blessed her and God made her queen in the kingdom of one man.

In the last week of May we were married — in the little chapel³ on the Port Road, where for so many years Lucy had knelt to pray in her sweet, untroubled maiden⁴ days.

She said that after all the time she had been going there, it would be very mean for her to be married anywhere else, and with the love that I saw in her eyes I could refuse her nothing. So I agreed at once, and accordingly it was the noisy Pitchfellow who read — or rather shouted — the marriage service over us.

I quite think the reverend gentleman must have had a real bonzer time, and he just swelled⁵ over with the importance of it all.

The little chapel was packed full with the notabilities of the city, and in the address that he gave us Pitchfellow shouted to his heart’s content. The voice that breathed o’er Eden was indeed a strident one on this occasion, and I can recall now the amazement⁶ on the faces of some of the congregation when Pitchfellow let himself fairly go.

Old Brickett was intensely proud of all the noise he made, and kept on looking round to see how the people were taking it. I am sure it must have been quite a novelty to them.

Lucy was pretty as any bride could be, and I could conceive of nothing sweeter or more entrancing than the gentle face which peeped out shyly from under the bridal veil.

The service was soon over, but the city authorities gave a reception in our honor at the Town Hall, and it was fully² two hours later, before the car set out for Victor Harbor.

It was in the falling dusk that we reached home.

What can any man write of his honeymoon⁷?

O Youth! — O Love! — O Paradise! In all life’s happenings can there be anything more hallowed than those first memories of wedded⁸ days.

The Plumbing⁹ absolute of the deeps of joy. The full fierce realization¹⁰ of all those hopes and longings¹¹ that at all times have been at once the goad¹² and ecstacy of humankind. The fulfilment of love’s dream. The heady draught¹³ of love’s desire. The trust, the sweetness and the surrender of the bride. The giving up of everything to the man she loves. The fevered placing in his keeping of all that innocence¹⁴ and honour she can never give to anyone again. The whole sacredness and mystery of it all.

Surely, never, never, in a man’s life can he climb again so nearly to the great white summit of all earthly joy.

1 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

2 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

3 chapel   

n.小教堂，殡仪馆

参考例句：

• The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
• She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。

4 maiden   

n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的

参考例句：

• The prince fell in love with a fair young maiden.王子爱上了一位年轻美丽的少女。
• The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow.这架飞机明天首航。

5 swelled   

增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情）

参考例句：

• The infection swelled his hand. 由于感染，他的手肿了起来。
• After the heavy rain the river swelled. 大雨过后，河水猛涨。

6 amazement   

n.惊奇，惊讶

参考例句：

• All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
• He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。

7 honeymoon   

n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月

参考例句：

• While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
• The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。

8 wedded   

adj.正式结婚的；渴望…的，执著于…的v.嫁，娶，（与…）结婚( wed的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She's wedded to her job. 她专心致志于工作。
• I was invited over by the newly wedded couple for a meal. 我被那对新婚夫妇请去吃饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 plumbing   

n.水管装置；水暖工的工作；管道工程v.用铅锤测量（plumb的现在分词）；探究

参考例句：

• She spent her life plumbing the mysteries of the human psyche. 她毕生探索人类心灵的奥秘。
• They're going to have to put in new plumbing. 他们将需要安装新的水管。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 realization   

n.实现；认识到，深刻了解

参考例句：

• We shall gladly lend every effort in our power toward its realization.我们将乐意为它的实现而竭尽全力。
• He came to the realization that he would never make a good teacher.他逐渐认识到自己永远不会成为好老师。

11 longings   

渴望，盼望( longing的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ah, those foolish days of noble longings and of noble strivings! 啊，那些充满高贵憧憬和高尚奋斗的傻乎乎的时光！
• I paint you and fashion you ever with my love longings. 我永远用爱恋的渴想来描画你。

12 goad   

n.刺棒，刺痛物；激励；vt.激励，刺激

参考例句：

• The opposition is trying to goad the government into calling an election.在野反对党正努力激起政府提出选举。
• The writer said he needed some goad because he was indolent.这个作家说他需要刺激，因为他很懒惰。

13 draught   

n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计

参考例句：

• He emptied his glass at one draught.他将杯中物一饮而尽。
• It's a pity the room has no north window and you don't get a draught.可惜这房间没北窗，没有过堂风。

14 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。