Chapter 7

 "Dark childeen, what is wrong with you? What is wrong? There was a wing in my heart until I saw you coming."

 

"Nurse Ellen, there 's a man dead at the abbey. I saw him die, with my two eyes."

 

"O alanna veg! Is it any one we know? It isn't the master, is it, or Sir Maurice?"

 

"No, Nurse Ellen, no! It's no one I know. I was sitting reading by Mother's grave, and a wee red fox, a wee hunted fox, ran up to me for help. And then the man came jumping the wall, and his horse reared and he was killed. I never saw him before, but we know him, Nurse Ellen. I know we do."

 

"Why dotey child? Why do you say so?"

 

"He saw me and he took me for Mother, Nurse Ellen. He called, 'Reynardine!'"

 

"Was he a dour¹, black man, child of grace? Would you be afraid of him, and he alive?"

 

"Yes, that's he, Nurse Ellen. Who is it we know?"

 

"It's no one we know, a lanna. No one at all."

 

"But he called, 'Reynardine!'"

 

"You only think so, dark childeen, you trembling there and standing² by your mother's grave. A trick your mind played you, machree dheelish. He was no one you know, or nothing to you. Only a strange man was it, a strange bad man."

1 dour   

adj.冷酷的，严厉的；（岩石）嶙峋的；顽强不屈

参考例句：

• They were exposed to dour resistance.他们遭受到顽强的抵抗。
• She always pretends to be dour,in fact,she's not.她总表现的不爱讲话，事实却相反。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。