CHAPTER VI TWO WEEKS LATER

I wint to the Alluyunce to-day for the first time alone. Minnie sed she was after being worn out wid kaping me frum accipting the woorthliss places offered by the pathrons of the Alluyunce. “Ye shud have enuff spunk¹ yersilf by now” ses she. “Don’t be saft. Raymimber ladies is your natrel inimies and beests of prey² on poor hilpless sarvant girls.”
Miss Flimflam spyed me as soon as I intered, and tuk me by the arm just as I was going to the room upstares.
“I’m glad” ses she corjully, “youve cum alone. Your frind was a inkubust” ses she. “Now cum rite⁴ along wid me. Theres a swate little lady wants a girl just like you” ses she, “and shes willing to pay you well and treet you” ses she, shmiling, “like a lady.”
Wid that she leeds me acrost the room to wan⁵ of the sofies, and pushes out wid her foot wan of thim camp stules for the girls to sit upon.
“Good marning mam” ses I, lifting up me eyes modestly, and then I give sooch a joomp the dummed stool dubbles up under me and down I cum wid a boomp on the flure. For there sitting looking at me, very much surprysed and horty is Miss Claire hersilf. She smiled a bit whin I picked mesilf up, and ses I:
“Why, miss, the site of your pretty face just about flabbergasted me. How are you?” ses I.
“Quite well, thank you” ses she, very stiffly.
“And your mother?”
“—er mother is pretty well” ses she.
“Your father.”
“Papa is—er—about the same” ses she.
“Mr. Johnny?”
“Still dy-et-ing, Delia.”
“And Mr. James——”
“James——well, Delia, nun⁶ of us are very well. James ses he has intygischun.”
“And what is that?” I inquires cooryissly
“—er—a sort of pane⁷ in the—er—stummick” ses she.
“Is it billy ake yure meening?”
She blushes, and ses:
“I suppose so.”
“Who do be doing the cooking?” I arsks.
“Well—er—I tried. Delia don’t you dare to larf” ses she indignantly.
“Larf!” ses I, “Why Lor bless your hart darlint, I’d more likely be weeping for the unhappy family.”
She leened tords me, Wid her horchure quite gone, and looking as meek⁸ and swate as a kitten in thrubble.
“Delia” ses she, “Ive had elivin girls in since you left” ses she.
“You poor lamb!”
She puts on that weedling voyce she has whin bothering me to let her make mussy foodge in me frying pans:
“Delia” ses she, “w-wudnt you like to cum back?”
I shuk me hed. Then she set back, her horchure cuming back agin.
“O well” ses she, “theres hundreds of uther girls.”
“Yes” ses I “the same as the elivin yourve had.”
“Delia” ses she wid pashion “for pity sake do come back. I did thry to do my best but its like attempting to pleese a family of porkypines since you left and O! those awful craychures that came after you left. Why wan of thim” ses she indignantly “was want to tak the soyled table linen—aven the lace doylies—for dish cloths.”
“My God! miss” ses I “you don’t meen them buties you made yersilf?”
“Yes indade,” ses she turning her face away.
“Miss Claire” ses I.
“Yes Delia” ses she quickly, turning round in a bounce.
“Nothing” ses I, angry wid mesilf for me meekness⁹.
“Delia” ses she despritly, “we’ve tuk a place in the cuntry. We must have a girl. Its dredful to think of being widout one. O Delia, do please cum wid us.”
“No-o—Miss—” ses I a bit tremendulussly.
“I’ll—I’ll—give you that old—er—its not relly old—black taffita jacket of mine” ses she.
I skuk me hed.
“—and the skurt wid the box plates” ses she “and you can have that tucked shemysett—you no, the one you do up so luvly.”
“No Miss Claire” ses I firmly, getting up. “I’m for uther wark than gineral housewark.” She got up also, and her voyce sounds a bit shakey.
“Very well Delia” ses she. “Its hard on me——so much trubble——” Thin her blue eyes run over, and she walked away, wiping thim wid her handkychiff. I seen her go out the dure. I filt a sinking at me hart. Minnie Carnavan was forgotten, and like the gump she ses I am I made a grand dash fur the dure, wid all the Miss Flimflams of the Alluyunce, and the ladies thimsilves gaping¹⁰ after me in horrow. I seen Miss Claire half a block away, and I run after her puffing¹¹:
“Miss Claire! Darlint! Miss Claire!” I called after her. She turned about and guve me wan look. Then she made a like grand dash as mesilf. Her parrysol flew out of her hand, also her rist bag.
 
“‘Very well, Delia,’ ses she. ‘It’s hard on me ...
so much trouble!’”
“O Delia—you duck” ses she, and kissed me wid a smack¹², hugging and squazing me manewile.
There cum three yung doods marching down the Avenoo, and as Miss Claire taks me in her arms the bauld yung chaps stud still and looked at us and shmiled. Thin one bint down and keerfully picked up the parrysol and wiped it wid the sleeve of his foine gray coat. As me and Miss Claire extrycate ourselves he offers it to her wid a bow. She toorned red as a peeney and her bloo eyes guv one luk up at the dood, then drapped demoorly:
“Thanks” ses she, “Thanks agin” ses she, as he likewise returns her rist-bag. He lifted up his hat, waited a bit for more thanks, and thin marched aff, shmiling like his face wud bust³. She smiles too, and ses I, boorsting:
“A roomance, Miss Claire! Be all the saints in hivin and airth, ye’ve luked into the eyes of your hoosband.”
“Nonsense” ses she, laffing, “you’re the same old silly sintimental Delia. Cum home deer.”

1 spunk   

n.勇气，胆量

参考例句：

• After his death,the soldier was cited for spunk.那位士兵死后因作战勇敢而受到表彰。
• I admired her independence and her spunk.我敬佩她的独立精神和勇气。

2 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

3 bust   

vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部

参考例句：

• I dropped my camera on the pavement and bust it. 我把照相机掉在人行道上摔坏了。
• She has worked up a lump of clay into a bust.她把一块黏土精心制作成一个半身像。

4 rite   

n.典礼，惯例，习俗

参考例句：

• This festival descends from a religious rite.这个节日起源于宗教仪式。
• Most traditional societies have transition rites at puberty.大多数传统社会都为青春期的孩子举行成人礼。

5 wan   

(wide area network)广域网

参考例句：

• The shared connection can be an Ethernet,wireless LAN,or wireless WAN connection.提供共享的网络连接可以是以太网、无线局域网或无线广域网。

6 nun   

n.修女，尼姑

参考例句：

• I can't believe that the famous singer has become a nun.我无法相信那个著名的歌星已做了修女。
• She shaved her head and became a nun.她削发为尼。

7 pane   

n.窗格玻璃，长方块

参考例句：

• He broke this pane of glass.他打破了这块窗玻璃。
• Their breath bloomed the frosty pane.他们呼出的水气，在冰冷的窗玻璃上形成一层雾。

8 meek   

adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的

参考例句：

• He expects his wife to be meek and submissive.他期望妻子温顺而且听他摆布。
• The little girl is as meek as a lamb.那个小姑娘像羔羊一般温顺。

9 meekness   

n.温顺，柔和

参考例句：

• Amy sewed with outward meekness and inward rebellion till dusk. 阿密阳奉阴违地一直缝到黄昏。 来自辞典例句
• 'I am pretty well, I thank you,' answered Mr. Lorry, with meekness; 'how are you?' “很好，谢谢，”罗瑞先生回答，态度温驯，“你好么？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

10 gaping   

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

参考例句：

• Ahead of them was a gaping abyss. 他们前面是一个巨大的深渊。
• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 puffing   

v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧

参考例句：

• He was puffing hard when he jumped on to the bus. 他跳上公共汽车时喘息不已。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My father sat puffing contentedly on his pipe. 父亲坐着心满意足地抽着烟斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 smack   

vt.拍，打，掴；咂嘴；vi.含有…意味；n.拍

参考例句：

• She gave him a smack on the face.她打了他一个嘴巴。
• I gave the fly a smack with the magazine.我用杂志拍了一下苍蝇。