"I'm here all the time, so you needn't bawl2!" came in resigned tones from under the shade of a large fuchsia. "You're enough to wake the dead, Chumps! What is it you want now! It's too hot to go a walk till after tea. I'm trying to get ten minutes peace and quiet!"
Hereward, otherwise "Chumps," put his feet together in the second position, flung out his arms in what was intended to be a graceful3 attitude, and made a mock bow worthy4 of the cinema stage.
"Have them by all means, Madam!" he replied in mincing5 accents. "Your humble6 servant has no wish to disturb your ladyship's elegant repose7. He offers a thousand apologies for his unceremonious entrance into your august presence, and implores8 you to condescend——Ow! Stop it, you brute9!"
Hereward's burst of eloquence10 was brought to an abrupt11 end by the violent onslaught of a fox-terrier puppy which flung itself upon him and began to worry his ankles with delighted yelps12 of appreciation13.
"Stop it! Keep off, I tell you! I won't be chewed to ribbons!" he protested, dodging14 the attacks of the playful but all too sharp teeth, and catching15 the little dog by the piece of tarred rope that formed its collar. "Here, you'll get throttled16 in a minute if you don't mend your manners."
"Give him to his auntie, bless his heart!" laughed Ingred, extending welcoming arms to the fat specimen17 of puppyhood, and rolling him about on her knee. "Oh, he did make you dance! You looked so funny! There, precious! Don't chump auntie's fingers. Go bye-byes now. Snuggle down on auntie's dress, and——"
"If you've quite finished talking idiotic18 nonsense to that little beast," interrupted Hereward sarcastically19, "you'll perhaps kindly20 oblige me by mentioning whether you're coming or not!"
"Not coming anywhere—too hot!" grunted21 Ingred, resettling her cushion under the fuchsia bush.
"Right you are! Please yourself and you'll please me! Though I should have thought the run to Chatcombe——"
Ingred sprang to her feet, dropping the puppy unceremoniously.
"You don't mean to say Egbert's finished mending the motor bike? You abominable22 boy! Why couldn't you tell me so before?"
"You never gave me the chance—just said off-hand you wouldn't go anywhere. Yes, the engine's running like a daisy, and the sidecar's on, and Egbert's fussing to be off. If you really change your mind and want to go——"
But by this time Ingred was round the corner of the house; so, shaking a philosophic23 head at the ways of girls in general, her brother gathered a gooseberry or two en route, and followed her in the direction of the stable-yard.
The Saxons were spending their summer holidays at a farm near the seaside, and for the first time in four long years the whole family was reunited. Mr. Saxon, Egbert, and Athelstane had only just been demobilized, and had hardly yet settled down to civilian24 life. They had joined the rest of the party at Lynstones before returning to their native town of Grovebury. The six weeks by the sea seemed a kind of oasis25 between the anxious period of the war that was past and gone, and the new epoch26 that stretched ahead in the future. To Ingred they were halcyon27 days. To have her father and brothers safely back, and for the family to be together in the midst of such beautiful scenery, was sufficient for utter enjoyment28. She did not wish her mind to venture outside the charmed circle of the holidays. Beyond, when she thought about it all, lay a nebulous prospect29, in the center of which school loomed30 large.
On this particular hot August afternoon, Ingred welcomed an excursion in the sidecar. She had not felt inclined to walk down the white path under the blazing sun to the glaring beach, but it was another matter to spin along the high road till, as the fairy tales put it, her hair whistled in the wind. Egbert was anxious to set off, so Hereward took his place on the luggage-carrier, and, after some back-firing, the three started forth31. It was a glorious run over moorland country, with glimpses of the sea on the one hand, and craggy tors on the other, and round them billowy masses of heather, broken here and there by runnels of peat-stained water. If Egbert exceeded the speed-limit, he certainly had the excuse of a clear road before him; there were no hedges to hide advancing cars, neither was there any possibility of whisking round a corner to find a hay-cart blocking the way. In the course of an hour they had covered a considerable number of miles, and found themselves whirling down the tremendous hill that led to the seaside town of Chatcombe.
Arrived in the main street they left the motorcycle at a garage, and strolled on to the promenade32, joining the crowd of holiday-makers who were sauntering along in the heat, or sitting on the benches watching the children digging in the sand below. Much to Ingred's astonishment33 she was suddenly hailed by her name, and, turning, found herself greeted with enthusiasm by a schoolfellow.
"Ingred! What a surprise!"
"Avis! Who'd have thought of seeing you?"
"Are you staying here?"
"No, only over for the afternoon."
"We've rooms at Beach View over there. Come along and have some tea with us, and your brothers too. Yes, indeed you must! Mother will be delighted to see you all. I shan't let you say no!"
Borne away by her hospitable34 friend, Ingred presently found herself sitting on a seat in the front garden of a tall boarding-house facing the sea, and while Egbert and Hereward discussed motor-cycling with Avis's father, the two girls enjoyed a confidential35 chat together.
"Only a few days now," sighed Avis, "then we've got to leave all this and go home. How long are you staying at Lynstones, Ingred?"
"A fortnight more, but don't talk of going home. I want the holidays to last forever!"
"So do I, but they won't. School begins on the twenty-first of September. It will be rather sport to go to the new buildings at last, won't it? By the by, now the war's over, and we've all got our own again, I suppose you're going back to Rotherwood, aren't you?"
"I suppose so, when it's ready."
"But surely the Red Cross cleared out ages ago, and the whole place has been done up? I saw the paperhangers there in June."
"Oh, yes!" Ingred's voice was a little strained.
"You'll be so glad to be living there again," continued Avis. "I always envied you that lovely house. You must have hated lending it as a hospital. I expect when you're back you'll be giving all sorts of delightful36 parties, won't you? At least that's what the girls at school were saying."
"It's rather early to make plans," temporized37 Ingred.
"Oh, of course! But Jess and Francie said you'd a gorgeous floor for dancing. I do think a fancy-dress dance is about the best fun on earth. The next time I get an invitation, I'm going as a Quaker maiden38, in a gray dress and the duckiest little white cap. Don't you think it would suit me? With your dark hair you ought to be something Eastern. I can just imagine you acting39 hostess in a shimmery40 sort of white-and-gold costume. Do promise to wear white-and-gold!"
"All right," laughed Ingred.
"It's so delightful that the war's over, and we can begin to have parties again, like we used to do. Beatrice Jackson told me she should never forget that Carnival41 dance she went to at Rotherwood five years ago, and all the lanterns and fairy lamps. Some of the other girls talk about it yet. Hullo, that's the gong! Come indoors, and we'll have tea."
Ingred was very quiet as she went back in the sidecar that evening, though Hereward, sitting on the luggage-carrier, was in high spirits, and fired off jokes at her the whole time. The fact was she was thinking deeply. Certain problems, which she had hitherto cast carelessly away, now obtruded42 themselves so definitely that they must at last be faced. The process, albeit43 necessary, was not altogether a pleasant one.
To understand Ingred's perplexities we must give a brief account of the fortunes of her family up to the time this story begins. Mr. Saxon was an architect, who had made a good connection in the town of Grovebury. Here he had designed and built for himself a very beautiful house, and had liberally entertained his own and his children's friends. When war broke out, he had been amongst the first to volunteer for his country's service, and, as a further act of patriotism44, he and his wife had decided45 to offer the use of "Rotherwood" for a Red Cross Hospital. The three boys were then at school, Egbert and Athelstane at Winchester, and Hereward at a preparatory school; so, storing the furniture, Mrs. Saxon moved into rooms with Quenrede and Ingred, who were attending the girls' college in Grovebury as day boarders. For the whole period of the war this arrangement had continued; Rotherwood was given over to the wounded soldiers, and Mrs. Saxon herself worked as one of their most devoted46 nurses.
In course of time Egbert and Athelstane had also joined the army, and with three of her menkind at the front, their mother had been more than ever glad to fill up at the hospital the hours when her girls were absent from her at school. Then came the Armistice47, and the blessed knowledge that, though not yet home again, the dear ones were no longer in danger. By April the Red Cross had finished its work in Grovebury; the remaining patients regretfully departed, the wards48 were dismantled49 of their beds, and Rotherwood was handed back to its rightful owners.
Naturally it needed much renovation50 and decorating before it was again fit for a private residence, and paperers and painters had been busy there for many weeks. They had only just removed the ladders by the middle of July.
It was nearly August before Mr. Saxon, Egbert, and Athelstane were finally demobilized, and they had gone straight to Lynstones to join the rest of the family at the farmhouse51 rooms. What was to happen after the delirious52 joy of the holiday was over, Ingred did not know. She had several times mentioned to her mother the prospect of their return to Rotherwood, but Mrs. Saxon had always evaded53 the subject, saying: "Wait till Daddy comes back!" and the welcoming of their three heroes had seemed a matter of such paramount54 importance that in comparison with it even the question of their beloved Rotherwood might stand aside.
The Saxons were a particularly united family, tremendously proud of one another, and interested in each other's doings. Their name bespoke55 their old English origin, which (except in the case of Ingred) was further vouched56 for by their blue eyes, fair skins, and flaxen hair. Egbert and Athelstane were strapping57 young fellows of six feet, and thirteen-year-old Hereward was taller already than Ingred. Quenrede, immensely proud of her quaint58 Saxon name, and not at all pleased that the family generally shortened it to Queenie, had just left school, and had turned up her long fair pigtail, put on a grown-up and rather condescending59 manner, powdered the tip of her classic little nose, and was extremely particular about the cut of her skirts and the fit of her suède shoes. It was a grievance60 to Quenrede that, as she expressed it, she had "missed the war." She had longed to go out to France and drive an ambulance, or to whirl over English roads on a motorcycle, buying up hay for the Government, or to assist in training horses, or to help in some other patriotic61 job of an equally interesting and exciting character.
"It's too bad that just when I'm old enough all the jolly things are closed to women!" she groused62. "If Mother had only let me leave school a year ago, I'd at least have had three months' fun. Life's going to be very slow now. There's nothing sporty to do at all!"
Ingred, the youngest but one, and fifteen on her last birthday, was the only dark member of the fair Saxon family. At present she was not nearly so good-looking as pretty Quenrede; her mouth was a trifle heavy and her cheeks lacked color; but her eyes had depths that were not seen in her sister's, and her thick brown hair fell far below her waist. She would gladly have exchanged it for the lint-white locks of Hereward.
"Queenie was always chosen for a fairy at school plays," she grumbled63, "and they never would have me, though her dresses would have come in for me so beautifully. I don't see why some fairies shouldn't have dark hair! And it was just as bad when we acted The Merchant of Venice. Miss Carter gave 'Portia' to Francie Hall, and made me take 'Jessica,' and Francie was a perfect stick, and spoilt the whole thing! Next time, I declare I'll bargain to wear a golden wig64, and see what happens."
Ingred had been educated at Grovebury College since the morning when, a fat little person of five, she had taken her place in the Kindergarten. She and Quenrede had always been favorites in the school. In pre-war days they had been allowed to give delightful parties at Rotherwood to their form-mates, and though that had not been possible during the last five years, everybody knew that their beautiful home had been lent to the Red Cross, and admired their patriotism in thus giving it for the service of the nation. From Avis's remarks that afternoon it was evident that the girls at the college expected the Saxons to return immediately to Rotherwood, and were looking forward to being invited to entertainments there during the coming autumn and winter. Ingred had contrived65 to parry her friend's interested questions, but she felt the time had come when she must be prepared to give some definite answer to those who inquired about their future plans. She managed to catch her mother alone next morning for a quiet chat.
"Mumsie, dear," she began. "I've been wanting to ask you this—are we going back to Rotherwood after the holidays?"
Mrs. Saxon folded up her sewing, put her thimble and scissors away in her work-basket, and leaned her elbow on the arm of the garden seat as if prepared for conversation.
"And I've been wanting to talk to you about this, Ingred. Shall you be very disappointed when I tell you 'No'?"
"Oh, Muvvie!" Ingred's tone was agonized66.
"It can't be helped, little woman! It can't indeed! I think you're old enough now to understand if I explain. You know this war has hit a great many people very hard. There has been a sort of general financial see-saw; some have made large fortunes, but others have lost them. We come in the latter list. When your father went out to France, he had to leave his profession to take care of itself, and other architects have stepped in and gained the commissions that used to come to his office. It may take him a long while to pull his connection together again, and the time of waiting will be one of much anxiety for him. Then, most of our investments, which used to pay such good dividends67, are worth hardly anything now, and only bring us in a pittance68 compared with former years. Instead of being rich people, we shall have to be very careful indeed to make ends meet. To return to Rotherwood is utterly69 out of the question, and with the price of everything doubled and trebled, and our income in the inverse70 ratio, it is impossible to keep up so big an establishment nowadays."
"Where are we going to live, then?" asked Ingred in a strangled voice.
"At the bungalow71 that Daddy built on the moors72. Fortunately the tenant73 was leaving, and we had not let it to any one else. In present circumstances it will suit us very well. Athelstane is to be entered in the medical school at Birkshaw; he can ride over every day on the motor-bicycle. We had hoped to send him to study in London, but that's only one of the many plans that have 'gane agley'."
"Are Hereward and I to go in to Grovebury every day?"
"Hereward can manage it all right, but I shall arrange for you to be a weekly boarder at the new hostel74. You can come home from Friday to Monday. Now, don't cry about it, childie!" as a big tear splashed down Ingred's dress. "After all, we've much to be thankful for. If we had lost Father, or Egbert, or Athelstane out in France we might indeed grieve. So long as we have each other we've got the best thing in life, and we must all cling together as a family, and help one another on. Cheer up!"
"It will be simply h—h—h—hateful to go back to school this term, and not live at R—r—r—rotherwood!" sobbed75 Ingred.
Her mother patted the dark head that rested against her knee.
"Poor little woman! Remember it's just as hard for all the rest of us. We've each got a burden to carry at present. Suppose we see who can be pluckiest over it. We're fighting fortune now, instead of the Hun, and we must show her a brave face. Won't you march with the family regiment76, and keep the colors flying?"
"I'll try," said Ingred, scrubbing her eyes with her pocket-handkerchief.
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1
obstructing
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| 阻塞( obstruct的现在分词 )； 堵塞； 阻碍； 阻止 | |
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bawl
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| v.大喊大叫，大声地喊，咆哮 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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mincing
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| adj.矫饰的；v.切碎；切碎 | |
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humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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implores
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| 恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的第三人称单数 ) | |
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brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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yelps
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| n.（因痛苦、气愤、兴奋等的）短而尖的叫声( yelp的名词复数 )v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的第三人称单数 ) | |
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appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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dodging
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| n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避 | |
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catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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throttled
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| v.扼杀( throttle的过去式和过去分词 )；勒死；使窒息；压制 | |
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specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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idiotic
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| adj.白痴的 | |
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sarcastically
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| adv.挖苦地，讽刺地 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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22
abominable
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| adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的 | |
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philosophic
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| adj.哲学的，贤明的 | |
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civilian
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| adj.平民的，民用的，民众的 | |
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oasis
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| n.（沙漠中的）绿洲，宜人的地方 | |
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epoch
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| n.(新)时代；历元 | |
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halcyon
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| n.平静的，愉快的 | |
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enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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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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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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promenade
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| n./v.散步 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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temporized
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| v.敷衍( temporize的过去式和过去分词 )；拖延；顺应时势；暂时同意 | |
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maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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shimmery
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| adj.微微发亮的 | |
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carnival
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| n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演 | |
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obtruded
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| v.强行向前，强行，强迫( obtrude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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albeit
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| conj.即使；纵使；虽然 | |
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patriotism
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| n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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armistice
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| n.休战，停战协定 | |
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wards
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| 区( ward的名词复数 )； 病房； 受监护的未成年者； 被人照顾或控制的状态 | |
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dismantled
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| 拆开( dismantle的过去式和过去分词 )； 拆卸； 废除； 取消 | |
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renovation
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| n.革新，整修 | |
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farmhouse
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| n.农场住宅（尤指主要住房） | |
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delirious
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| adj.不省人事的，神智昏迷的 | |
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evaded
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| 逃避( evade的过去式和过去分词 )； 避开； 回避； 想不出 | |
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paramount
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| a.最重要的，最高权力的 | |
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bespoke
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| adj.（产品）订做的；专做订货的v.预定( bespeak的过去式 )；订（货）；证明；预先请求 | |
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56
vouched
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| v.保证( vouch的过去式和过去分词 )；担保；确定；确定地说 | |
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57
strapping
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| adj. 魁伟的, 身材高大健壮的 n. 皮绳或皮带的材料, 裹伤胶带, 皮鞭 动词strap的现在分词形式 | |
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58
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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condescending
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| adj.谦逊的,故意屈尊的 | |
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grievance
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| n.怨愤，气恼，委屈 | |
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patriotic
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| adj.爱国的，有爱国心的 | |
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groused
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| v.抱怨，发牢骚( grouse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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wig
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| n.假发 | |
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65
contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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66
agonized
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| v.使（极度）痛苦，折磨( agonize的过去式和过去分词 )；苦斗；苦苦思索；感到极度痛苦 | |
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67
dividends
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| 红利( dividend的名词复数 )； 股息； 被除数； （足球彩票的）彩金 | |
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68
pittance
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| n.微薄的薪水，少量 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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inverse
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| adj.相反的，倒转的，反转的；n.相反之物；v.倒转 | |
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71
bungalow
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| n.平房，周围有阳台的木造小平房 | |
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72
moors
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| v.停泊，系泊（船只）( moor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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tenant
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| n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用 | |
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hostel
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| n.（学生）宿舍，招待所 | |
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75
sobbed
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| 哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说 | |
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regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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