Part 4 Yann's First Wedding Chapter 5

One rainy evening they were sitting side by side near the hearth¹, andGranny Moan was asleep opposite them. The fire flames, dancing overthe branches on the hearth, projected their magnified shadows on thebeams overhead.

　　They spoke² to one another in that low voice of all lovers. But uponthis particular evening their conversation was now and again broken bylong troubled silence. He, in particular, said very little and loweredhis head with a faint smile, avoiding Gaud's inquiring eyes. For shehad been pressing him with questions all the evening concerning thatmystery that he positively³ would not divulge⁴; and this time he felthimself cornered. She was too quick for him, and had fully⁵ made up hermind to learn; no possible shifts could get him out of telling hernow.

　　"Was it any bad tales told about me?" she asked.

　　He tried to answer "yes," and faltered⁶: "Oh! there was always plentyof rubbish babbled⁷ in Paimpol and Ploubazlanec."She asked what, but he could not answer her; so then she thought ofsomething else. "Was it about my style of dress, Yann?"Yes, of course, that had had something to do with it; at one time shehad dressed too grandly to be the wife of a simple fisherman. But hewas obliged to acknowledge that that was not all.

　　"Was it because at that time we passed for very rich people, and youwere afraid of being refused?""Oh, no! not that." He said this with such simple confidence that Gaudwas amused.

　　Then fell another silence, during which the moaning of the sea-windswas heard outside. Looking attentively⁸ at him, a fresh idea struckher, and her expression changed.

　　"If not anything of that sort, Yann, /what/ was it?" demanded she,suddenly, looking at him fair in the eyes, with the irresistiblequestioning look of one who guesses the truth, and could dispense⁹ withconfirmation.

　　He turned aside, laughing outright¹⁰.

　　So at last she had, indeed, guessed aright; he never could give her areal reason, because there was none to give. He had simply "played themule" (as Sylvestre had said long ago). But everybody had teased himso much about that Gaud, his parents, Sylvestre, his Iceland mates,and even Gaud herself. Hence he had stubbornly said "no," but knewwell enough in the bottom of his heart that when nobody thought anymore about the hollow mystery it would become "yes."So it was on account of Yann's childishness that Gaud had beenlanguishing, forsaken¹¹ for two long years, and had longed to die.

　　At first Yann laughed, but now he looked at Gaud with kind eyes,questioning deeply. Would she forgive him? He felt such remorse¹² forhaving made her suffer. Would she forgive him?

　　"It's my temper that does it, Gaud," said he. "At home with my folks,it's the same thing. Sometimes, when I'm stubborn, I remain a wholeweek angered against them, without speaking to anybody. Yet you knowhow I love them, and I always end by doing what they wish, like a boy.

　　If you think that I was happy to live unmarried, you're mistaken. No,it couldn't have lasted anyway, Gaud, you may be sure."Of course, she forgave him. As she felt the soft tears fall, she knewthey were the outflow of her last pangs¹³ vanishing before Yann'sconfession. Besides, the present never would have been so happywithout all her suffering; that being over, she was almost pleased athaving gone through that time of trial.

　　Everything was finally cleared up between them, in a very unexpectedthough complete manner; there remained no clouds between their souls.

　　He drew her towards him, and they remained some time with their cheekspressed close, requiring no further explanations. So chaste¹⁴ was theirembrace, that the old grandam suddenly awaking, they remained beforeher as they were without any confusion or embarrassment¹⁵.

1 hearth   

n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面

参考例句：

• She came and sat in a chair before the hearth.她走过来，在炉子前面的椅子上坐下。
• She comes to the hearth,and switches on the electric light there.她走到壁炉那里，打开电灯。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

4 divulge   

v.泄漏(秘密等)；宣布，公布

参考例句：

• They refused to divulge where they had hidden the money.他们拒绝说出他们把钱藏在什么地方。
• He swore never to divulge the secret.他立誓决不泄露秘密。

5 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

6 faltered   

（嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃

参考例句：

• He faltered out a few words. 他支吾地说出了几句。
• "Er - but he has such a longhead!" the man faltered. 他不好意思似的嚅嗫着：“这孩子脑袋真长。”

7 babbled   

v.喋喋不休( babble的过去式和过去分词 )；作潺潺声（如流水）；含糊不清地说话；泄漏秘密

参考例句：

• He babbled the secret out to his friends. 他失口把秘密泄漏给朋友了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She babbled a few words to him. 她对他说了几句不知所云的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 attentively   

adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神

参考例句：

• She listened attentively while I poured out my problems. 我倾吐心中的烦恼时，她一直在注意听。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She listened attentively and set down every word he said. 她专心听着，把他说的话一字不漏地记下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 dispense   

vt.分配，分发；配(药)，发(药)；实施

参考例句：

• Let us dispense the food.咱们来分发这食物。
• The charity has been given a large sum of money to dispense as it sees fit.这个慈善机构获得一大笔钱，可自行适当分配。

10 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

11 Forsaken   

adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词

参考例句：

• He was forsaken by his friends. 他被朋友们背弃了。
• He has forsaken his wife and children. 他遗弃了他的妻子和孩子。

12 remorse   

n.痛恨，悔恨，自责

参考例句：

• She had no remorse about what she had said.她对所说的话不后悔。
• He has shown no remorse for his actions.他对自己的行为没有任何悔恨之意。

13 pangs   

突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛

参考例句：

• She felt sudden pangs of regret. 她突然感到痛悔不已。
• With touching pathos he described the pangs of hunger. 他以极具感伤力的笔触描述了饥饿的痛苦。

14 chaste   

adj.贞洁的；有道德的；善良的；简朴的

参考例句：

• Comparatively speaking,I like chaste poetry better.相比较而言，我更喜欢朴实无华的诗。
• Tess was a chaste young girl.苔丝是一个善良的少女。

15 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。