Part 5 The Second Wedding Chapter 2

The summer passed sadly, being hot and uneventful. She watchedanxiously for the first yellowed leaves, and the first gathering¹ ofthe swallows, and blooming of the chrysanthemums². She wrote to Yannseveral times by the boats bound for Rykawyk, and by the governmentcruisers, but one never can be sure of such letters reaching theirdestination.

　　Towards the end of July, she received a letter from him, however. Hetold her that his health was good, that the fishing season promised tobe excellent, and that he already had 1500 fish for his share. Frombeginning to end, it was written in the simple conventional way of allthese Icelanders' home letters. Men educated like Yann completelyignore how to write the thousand things they think, feel, or fancy.

　　Being more cultivated than he, Gaud could understand this, and readbetween the lines that deep affection that was unexpressed. Severaltimes in the four-paged letter, he called her by the title of "wife,"as if happy in repeating the word. And the address above: "/A MadameMarguerite Gaos, maison Moan, en Ploubazlanec/"--she was "MadameMarguerite Gaos" since so short a time.

　　She worked hard during these summer months. The ladies of Paimpol had,at first, hardly believed in her talent as an amateur dressmaker,saying her hands were too fine-ladyish; but they soon perceived thatshe excelled in making dresses that were very nice-fitting, so she hadbecome almost a famous dressmaker.

　　She spent all her earnings³ in embellishing⁴ their home against hisreturn. The wardrobe and old-shelved beds were all done up afresh,waxed over, and bright new fastenings put on; she had put a pane⁵ ofglass into their little window towards the sea, and hung up a pair ofcurtains; and she had bought a new counterpane for the winter, withnew chairs and table.

　　She had kept the money untouched that her Yann had left her, carefullyput by in a small Chinese box, to show him when he returned. Duringthe summer evenings, by the fading light, she sat out before thecottage door with Granny Moan, whose head was much better in the warmweather, and knitted a fine new blue wool jersey⁶ for her Yann; roundthe collar and cuffs⁷ were wonderful open-work embroideries⁸. GrannyYvonne had been a very clever knitter in her day, and now she taughtall she knew to Gaud. The work took a great deal of wool; for it hadto be a large jersey to fit Yann.

　　But soon, especially in the evenings, the shortening of the days couldbe perceived. Some plants, which had put forth⁹ all their blossoms inJuly, began to look yellow and dying, and the violet scabious by thewayside bloomed for the second time, smaller now, and longer-stalked;the last days of August drew nigh, and the first return-ship fromIceland hove in sight one evening at the cape¹⁰ of Pors-Even. The feastof the returners began.

　　Every one pressed in a crowd on the cliff to welcome it. Which one wasit?

　　It was the /Samuel-Azenide/, always the first to return.

　　"Surely," said Yann's old father, "the /Leopoldine/ won't be long now;I know how 'tis out yonder: when one of 'em begins to start homeward,the others can't hang back in any peace."

1 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

2 chrysanthemums   

n.菊花( chrysanthemum的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The cold weather had most deleterious consequences among the chrysanthemums. 寒冷的天气对菊花产生了极有害的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The chrysanthemums are in bloom; some are red and some yellow. 菊花开了， 有红的，有黄的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

4 embellishing   

v.美化( embellish的现在分词 )；装饰；修饰；润色

参考例句：

• He kept embellishing it in his mind, building up the laughs. 他在心里不断地为它添油加醋，增加笑料。 来自辞典例句
• Bumper's each angle is embellishing the small air vent, manifested complete bikes's width to increase. 保险杠的每个角都点缀着小的通风孔，体现了整车的宽度增加。 来自互联网

5 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。

6 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

7 cuffs   

n.袖口( cuff的名词复数 )v.掌打，拳打( cuff的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• a collar and cuffs of white lace 带白色蕾丝花边的衣领和袖口
• The cuffs of his shirt were fraying. 他衬衣的袖口磨破了。

8 embroideries   

刺绣( embroidery的名词复数 )； 刺绣品； 刺绣法

参考例句：

• Some of the embroideries are in bold, bright colours; others are quietly elegant. 刺绣品有的鲜艳，有的淡雅。
• These embroideries permitted Annabel and Midge to play their game in the luxury of peaceful consciences. 这样加以润饰，就使安娜博尔和米吉在做这个游戏时心安理得，毫无内疚。

9 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

10 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。