But Julia, although some glimmerings of life’s realities were beginning to penetrate7 the serene8 unconsciousness of childhood (enough to induce in her a certain reserve of speech), was far too rushed and bewildered to comprehend more than one-hundredth part of what she heard and saw—the novels and plays she was too tired in her few solitary9 moments to open. Shopping, fitting, luncheons10, dinners, the afternoon gatherings11, the theatre, the constant buzz of conversation about politics and scandal, kept the surface of her mind agitated12 and left the depths untouched. Even Nigel, in spite of his ardent13 eyes and tender notes, she barely separated from Bridgit and Ishbel, merely conscious that she liked the three better than any one on earth except her mother. If she thought of France at all, it was to experience a sensation of momentary15 gratitude16 to the person that had given her this brilliant experience; although, after she began to rehearse daily for the presentation, curtsying before a row of dummies17 until she ached, backing out with her train over her arm, the correct smile on her face, the correct measure of respect and dignity in her mien18, she was disposed to wish herself back on Nevis.
Had it not been for the immense respectability of the duke, and his personal friendship with his sovereign, the application to present the wife of Harold France at the court of St. James might have received scant19 consideration. He was even under the ban of the royal arbiter20 eligantiarum. But there was no question of refusing the pointed21 request of the duke, whom the queen regarded as a model of all the virtues22 in a degenerate23 age; and Mrs. Edis was also remembered with favor. The Lady Arabella Torrence, a sister of the duke, was selected to present the bride, and at six o’clock on a raw May morning Julia was aroused by the hair-dresser, and, after an hour’s torture, went to sleep again on a chair with her feathered head swathed in tulle.
The respite24 was brief. At nine o’clock two women from the great dressmaking establishment patronized by Mrs. Winstone came to array the victim in a train that filled up the entire room.
A cup of strong coffee revived Julia’s flagging spirits and vitality25, and she fancied herself mightily26 when, draped, and sewn, and squeezed, and pinched, she was free at last to admire her reflection in the long mirror. Her gown was pure white, of course, the front of the round skirt covered with tulle and sown with seed pearls, the train of a stiff thick brocade, which would be sent on the morrow to be made into an evening wrap, just as the round frock was to do duty for her first party. Such was the private economy of the presentation costume. The duke had lent her the family pearls, and they depended to her waist and clasped her head. Her skin was as white as her gown and her hair and lips were vivid touches of color. Julia smiled at her reflection, then trembled as she gathered up the train, so much more alarming than the “property” stuff she had used at rehearsals27.
Word had come that Lady Arabella was waiting, and cheered by compliments from her aunt and from Bridgit and Ishbel, who rushed in for a moment, she descended28 to the family coach and sat herself beside her formidable relative.
Lady Arabella was a tall bony big woman, with the large hands and feet which are supposed to be the prerogative29 of the plebeian30, an early Victorian coiffure, and an imposing31 skeleton religiously exhibited so far as decency32 permitted and fashion expected, whenever a court function demanded this sacrifice on the part of a loyal subject who suffered from chronic33 hay fever. She had a deep bass34 voice, a bristling35 beard, and approved of nothing modern. “When the queen was young and gave the tone to Society” was a phrase constantly on her lips. She had felt it incumbent36 upon herself to give the distracted Julia a series of lectures on deportment, particularly on her behavior during the sacred hour of presentation, and had improved the opportunity to let fall many edifying37 remarks upon the duties of a wife, the shocking manner in which the women of the present generation neglected their husbands. Although she disapproved38 of her nephew in so far as she understood him, she subtly conveyed to his wife that to be the choice of the future head of the house of France was an overpowering honor.
At first she had terrified Julia, then bored her, finally, as the great day approached, loomed39 as a rock of strength. Nothing, at least, could frighten her, and she was so big and so conspicuously40 hideous41 that it was conceivably possible to shrink behind her.
But there was a preliminary ordeal42 of which she had heard nothing, a grateful callousing43 of the nerves before making a bow to a mere14 sovereign.
Many had waited for the last drawing-room because it would be the smartest, others because it was a bore, to be deferred44 as long as possible; many had been in Italy or on the Riviera; others had been put on the list by a power higher than their own wills. From whatever combination of causes the procession of slowly moving carriages was as long as the tail of a comet, and at times, particularly while the gorgeous coaches of the ambassadors were driving smartly down the Mall, came to a dead halt. It was then that the sovereign people had their innings.
They lined the streets surrounding the Palace in serried45 ranks. Not even the American crowd loves a “show” as the British does, Socialists46 and all. Their ancestors have gaped47 at gilded48 coaches and gorgeous robes and sparkling jewels for centuries, and if the day ever comes when they shall have exchanged these amiable49 pageants50 of their betters for a full stomach, who shall dare predict that they will be entirely51 satisfied?
What awe52 they may have inherited had long since disappeared. They crowded up against the procession of carriages, devouring53 with their curious good-natured eyes the splendid gowns and jewels, the glimpses of bare shoulders, and the beauty or bones of women apparently54 insensible of their existence.
For a time Julia clutched nervously55 at the pearls beneath her cloak, and shrank from that sea of eyes under hats of an indescribable commonness.
“My eye, ain’t her hair red!” exclaimed one young woman, with unmistakable reference. “And a little paint wouldn’t ’urt her.”
“Paint? That there’s high-toned pallor—”
“Pearl powder—”
“Oh, I sy, wot for do they let bibies like that marry when they don’t have to? I call it a shime.”
“Right you are!”
One girl, with a violent color and black frizzled hair that stood out quite eight inches from three parts of her face, thrust her head through the open window of the coach.
“Don’t you mind wot they sy,” she said consolingly. “They’re that nonsensical they can’t ’elp chaffing. And you’re the prettiest and the most haristocratic of the whole lot—I’ve been all up and down the line. And it ain’t powder! My word, but your complexion’s grand!”
She withdrew without waiting for an answer. Julia turned to Lady Arabella, who, throughout the ordeal, had sat as upright as if corseted in iron, and with her long haughty56 profile turned unflinchingly to the mob. So, it must be conceded, stupid as she was in her pride, would she have sat if they had threatened her life. As Julia asked her timidly (in effect) if the most aristocratic function of the year was always treated like a travelling circus, Lady Arabella answered, without flickering57 an eyelash: “Always, and fortunately for us. The lower classes love to see us on parade, and the more we give them of this sort of thing, the longer we shall keep their loyalty58. Moreover, it serves the purpose—this drawing-room procession, in particular—of bringing us in close touch with the people, serves to demonstrate that we are real mortals, not the ridiculous creatures in the sort of novels they read. I always endeavor to look a symbol. I hope you will learn to do the same in time, for the lower classes are secretly proud of us and like us to play our part. You are drooping59. Sit up and present your profile.”
“What’s the use of a profile without a backbone60?” said Julia, wearily. “I’m so tired.”
“You must rise above mere physical fatigue,” said the old dame61, severely62. “People in our class keep our backbones63 for our bedrooms. When you are inclined to complain, think of the poor royalties64, who stand for hours. And don’t finger your pearls. You are supposed to have been born with them about your neck.”
Julia’s sense of humor was not yet fully65 awake, but her new relative’s words were tonic66 as well as reassuring67; she sat erect68, but turned her eyes round her profile to regard this strange lower class of London, of which she had heard much but seen nothing until to-day. They were an ugly lot; beauty would seem to be the prerogative of aristocracy in England, possibly because it is well fed; they wore rough ready-made frocks, or, where finery was attempted, feathers and ribbons inferior to anything Julia had ever seen on the negroes of Nevis; and many of the hats looked as if they might be used as nightcaps to protect the elaborate masses of frizzled hair. Julia, brought up on the soundest aristocratic principles, saw in this gaping69 good-natured crowd but a broad and solid foundation for the historic institution above.
The coach finally rolled through the gates of Buckingham Palace. For an hour longer she stood, her slippers70 pinching until her native independence of character almost induced her to kick them off. But she was so tired after a month of London, an almost sleepless71 night, and the excitements of an already long day, that her brain worked toward no such simple solution, and before her moment came she ached from head to foot. The scene became a blur72 of vast rooms, of tall women, very thin or very fat, with diamond tiaras above set faces, and trains of every color over their arms, of girls that shifted from one foot to the other and breathed audibly their wish that it were over. One by one they disappeared. There was a sharp emphatic73 whisper from Lady Arabella. Julia started and set her teeth. “Mind you don’t sit down like that daughter of the American ambassador,” whispered the same fierce nervous voice. “Remember all that you have rehearsed.”
Julia, terrified to her marrow74, did as opera singers do in moments of distress75; she “fell back on technique.” Afterward76 she remembered vaguely77 making a succession of curtsies to a long row of dazzling crowns, but no effort of memory ever recalled the features beneath. She received the train flung over her arm and backed out without disgracing herself, but also without a thrill of that joy which a loyal subject is supposed to feel when in the presence of his sovereign for the first time.
“Not bad,” said Lady Arabella, graciously, as after many more moments, they entered their carriage. But Julia was yawning. When she reached the house in Tilney Street, she went to bed and refused to get up for twenty-four hours.
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1
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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tact
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| n.机敏，圆滑，得体 | |
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acumen
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| n.敏锐，聪明 | |
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thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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dissenters
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| n.持异议者，持不同意见者( dissenter的名词复数 ) | |
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7
penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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8
serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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10
luncheons
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| n.午餐，午宴( luncheon的名词复数 ) | |
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11
gatherings
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| 聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集 | |
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12
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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13
ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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14
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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15
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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16
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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17
dummies
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| n.仿制品( dummy的名词复数 )；橡皮奶头；笨蛋；假传球 | |
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18
mien
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| n.风采；态度 | |
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19
scant
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| adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略 | |
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20
arbiter
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| n.仲裁人，公断人 | |
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21
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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22
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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23
degenerate
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| v.退步，堕落；adj.退步的，堕落的；n.堕落者 | |
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24
respite
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| n.休息，中止，暂缓 | |
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25
vitality
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| n.活力，生命力，效力 | |
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26
mightily
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| ad.强烈地；非常地 | |
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rehearsals
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| n.练习( rehearsal的名词复数 )；排练；复述；重复 | |
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28
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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29
prerogative
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| n.特权 | |
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30
plebeian
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| adj.粗俗的；平民的；n.平民；庶民 | |
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31
imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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32
decency
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| n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重 | |
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33
chronic
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| adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的 | |
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34
bass
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| n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴 | |
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35
bristling
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| a.竖立的 | |
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36
incumbent
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| adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的 | |
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37
edifying
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| adj.有教训意味的，教训性的，有益的v.开导，启发( edify的现在分词 ) | |
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38
disapproved
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| v.不赞成( disapprove的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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39
loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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40
conspicuously
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| ad.明显地，惹人注目地 | |
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41
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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42
ordeal
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| n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验 | |
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43
callousing
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| v.（使）硬结，（使）起茧( callous的现在分词 )；（使）冷酷无情 | |
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44
deferred
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| adj.延期的，缓召的v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从 | |
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45
serried
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| adj.拥挤的；密集的 | |
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46
socialists
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| 社会主义者( socialist的名词复数 ) | |
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47
gaped
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| v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的过去式和过去分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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48
gilded
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| a.镀金的，富有的 | |
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49
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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50
pageants
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| n.盛装的游行( pageant的名词复数 )；穿古代服装的游行；再现历史场景的娱乐活动；盛会 | |
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51
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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52
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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53
devouring
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| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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54
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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55
nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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56
haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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57
flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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58
loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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59
drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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60
backbone
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| n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气 | |
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61
dame
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| n.女士 | |
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62
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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backbones
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| n.骨干( backbone的名词复数 )；脊骨；骨气；脊骨状物 | |
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64
royalties
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| 特许权使用费 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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66
tonic
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| n./adj.滋补品，补药，强身的，健体的 | |
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67
reassuring
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| a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的 | |
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68
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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69
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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70
slippers
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| n. 拖鞋 | |
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71
sleepless
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| adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的 | |
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72
blur
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| n.模糊不清的事物；vt.使模糊，使看不清楚 | |
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73
emphatic
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| adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的 | |
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74
marrow
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| n.骨髓；精华；活力 | |
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75
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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76
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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