Everything went smoothly1. The Vicar had coached himself, by wifely tuition and much private repetition, into a certain familiarity with the Wedding Service in English, but would still have been more at home with it in French.
The church was more crowded than it had been within the memory of woman. Margaret looked charming, and Miss Penny absolutely pretty. Charles Svendt could hardly take his eyes off her, and caught himself wondering what the dooce she had done to herself since last night. For, by Jove! she's as pretty almost as Margaret herself—he said to himself.
And if Jeremiah Pixley could have seen his son, in fatherly fashion give away the bride that should have been his, he would without doubt have had fits—if the first one had not been of such a character as to obviate2 the necessity for any additional ones.
The habitants, old and young, had made holiday, donned their best as if it were Sunday, and crowded the church as if it were all the Sundays of the year rolled into one.
The Vicar had serious thoughts of improving so unique an occasion, but wisely decided3 to confine himself to the intricacies of the English language as displayed in The Form of the Solemnisation of Matrimony.
Mrs. Vicar presided at the harmonium, which had been specially4 tuned5 for the occasion, and the choir6 enjoyed to the full their privileges of position and observation and made ample use of them.
And when his friends knelt before the chancel rail,—to the exceeding scandal of the Vicar and Mrs. Vicar and the choir and all who saw, and to the vast enjoyment7 of Miss Penny and Charles Svendt and all the other youngsters in the place,—Punch walked solemnly up the aisle8 and stood behind them, with slow-swinging tail and a look of anticipation9 on his gravely interested face, while outside, Scamp, in the hands of some enterprising stickler10 for forms and ceremonies, rent the air with sharp cries of disappointment.
But John Graeme's soul, uplifted mightily11 within him at this glorious consummation of his hopes, and ranging high among the stars, saw none of these things. He held Margaret's hand in his, and looked into her radiant and blushing face, and vowed12 mighty13 vows14 for her happiness, and thanked God fervently15 for bringing this great thing to pass.
And Margaret's eye caught the marble slab16, placed in the side wall of the chancel by the late Seigneur who built it, and prayed in her heart that the temple of their two lives might equally be builded—"to the Glory of God and with much care."
点击收听单词发音
1 smoothly | |
adv.平滑地,顺利地,流利地,流畅地 | |
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2 obviate | |
v.除去,排除,避免,预防 | |
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3 decided | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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4 specially | |
adv.特定地;特殊地;明确地 | |
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5 tuned | |
adj.调谐的,已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 );调整;(给收音机、电视等)调谐;使协调 | |
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6 choir | |
n.唱诗班,唱诗班的席位,合唱团,舞蹈团;v.合唱 | |
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7 enjoyment | |
n.乐趣;享有;享用 | |
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8 aisle | |
n.(教堂、教室、戏院等里的)过道,通道 | |
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9 anticipation | |
n.预期,预料,期望 | |
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10 stickler | |
n.坚持细节之人 | |
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11 mightily | |
ad.强烈地;非常地 | |
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12 vowed | |
起誓,发誓(vow的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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13 mighty | |
adj.强有力的;巨大的 | |
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14 vows | |
誓言( vow的名词复数 ); 郑重宣布,许愿 | |
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15 fervently | |
adv.热烈地,热情地,强烈地 | |
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16 slab | |
n.平板,厚的切片;v.切成厚板,以平板盖上 | |
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