CHAPTER XXXII. OUR LAST EVENING TOGETHER

 IT was the evening before the day on which the Story Girl and Uncle Blair were to leave us, and we were keeping our last tryst¹ together in the orchard² where we had spent so many happy hours. We had made a pilgrimage to all the old haunts—the hill field, the spruce wood, the dairy, Grandfather King’s willow³, the Pulpit Stone, Pat’s grave, and Uncle Stephen’s Walk; and now we foregathered in the sere⁴ grasses about the old well and feasted on the little jam turnovers⁵ Felicity had made that day specially⁶ for the occasion.

 

“I wonder if we’ll ever all be together again,” sighed Cecily.

 

“I wonder when I’ll get jam turnovers like this again,” said the Story Girl, trying to be gay but not making much of a success of it.

 

“If Paris wasn’t so far away I could send you a box of nice things now and then,” said Felicity forlornly, “but I suppose there’s no use thinking of that. Dear knows what they’ll give you to eat over there.”

 

“Oh, the French have the reputation of being the best cooks in the world,” rejoined the Story Girl, “but I know they can’t beat your jam turnovers and plum puffs⁷, Felicity. Many a time I’ll be hankering after them.”

 

“If we ever do meet again you’ll be grown up,” said Felicity gloomily.

 

“Well, you won’t have stood still yourselves, you know.”

 

“No, but that’s just the worst of it. We’ll all be different and everything will be changed.”

 

“Just think,” said Cecily, “last New Year’s Eve we were wondering what would happen this year; and what a lot of things have happened that we never expected. Oh, dear!”

 

“If things never happened life would be pretty dull,” said the Story Girl briskly. “Oh, don’t look so dismal⁸, all of you.”

 

“It’s hard to be cheerful when everybody’s going away,” sighed Cecily.

 

“Well, let’s pretend to be, anyway,” insisted the Story Girl. “Don’t let’s think of parting. Let’s think instead of how much we’ve laughed this last year or so. I’m sure I shall never forget this dear old place. We’ve had so many good times here.”

 

“And some bad times, too,” reminded Felix.

 

“Remember when Dan et the bad berries last summer?”

 

“And the time we were so scared over that bell ringing in the house,” grinned Peter.

 

“And the Judgment⁹ Day,” added Dan.

 

“And the time Paddy was bewitched,” suggested Sara Ray.

 

“And when Peter was dying of the measles,” said Felicity.

 

“And the time Jimmy Patterson was lost,” said Dan. “Gee-whiz, but that scared me out of a year’s growth.”

 

“Do you remember the time we took the magic seed,” grinned Peter.

 

“Weren’t we silly?” said Felicity. “I really can never look Billy Robinson in the face when I meet him. I’m always sure he’s laughing at me in his sleeve.”

 

“It’s Billy Robinson who ought to be ashamed when he meets you or any of us,” commented Cecily severely¹⁰. “I’d rather be cheated than cheat other people.”

 

“Do you mind the time we bought God’s picture?” asked Peter.

 

“I wonder if it’s where we buried it yet,” speculated Felix.

 

“I put a stone over it, just as we did over Pat,” said Cecily.

 

“I wish I could forget what God looks like,” sighed Sara Ray. “I can’t forget it—and I can’t forget what the bad place is like either, ever since Peter preached that sermon on it.”

 

“When you get to be a real minister you’ll have to preach that sermon over again, Peter,” grinned Dan.

 

“My Aunt Jane used to say that people needed a sermon on that place once in a while,” retorted Peter seriously.

 

“Do you mind the night I et the cucumbers and milk to make me dream?” said Cecily.

 

And therewith we hunted out our old dream books to read them again, and, forgetful of coming partings, laughed over them till the old orchard echoed to our mirth. When we had finished we stood in a circle around the well and pledged “eternal friendship” in a cup of its unrivalled water.

 

Then we joined hands and sang “Auld Lang Syne¹¹.” Sara Ray cried bitterly in lieu of singing.

 

“Look here,” said the Story Girl, as we turned to leave the old orchard, “I want to ask a favour of you all. Don’t say good-bye to me tomorrow morning.”

 

“Why not?” demanded Felicity in astonishment¹².

 

“Because it’s such a hopeless sort of word. Don’t let’s SAY it at all. Just see me off with a wave of your hands. It won’t seem half so bad then. And don’t any of you cry if you can help it. I want to remember you all smiling.”

 

We went out of the old orchard where the autumn night wind was beginning to make its weird¹³ music in the russet boughs¹⁴, and shut the little gate behind us. Our revels¹⁵ there were ended.

1 tryst   

n.约会；v.与…幽会

参考例句：

• It has been said that art is a tryst,for in the joy of it maker and beholder meet.有人说艺术是一种幽会，因为艺术家和欣赏者可在幽会的乐趣中相遇在一起。
• Poor Mr. Sanford didn't stand a chance of keeping his tryst secret.可怜的桑福德根本不可能会守住自己幽会的秘密。

2 orchard   

n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场

参考例句：

• My orchard is bearing well this year.今年我的果园果实累累。
• Each bamboo house was surrounded by a thriving orchard.每座竹楼周围都是茂密的果园。

3 willow   

n.柳树

参考例句：

• The river was sparsely lined with willow trees.河边疏疏落落有几棵柳树。
• The willow's shadow falls on the lake.垂柳的影子倒映在湖面上。

4 sere   

adj.干枯的；n.演替系列

参考例句：

• The desert was edged with sere vegetation.沙漠周围零星地长着一些干枯的植被。
• A sere on uncovered rock is a lithosere.在光秃岩石上的演替系列是岩生演替系列。

5 turnovers   

n.营业额( turnover的名词复数 )；失误（篮球术语）；职工流动率；（商店的）货物周转率

参考例句：

• However, one other thing we continue to have issues with are turnovers. 然而，另外一件我们仍然存在的问题就是失误。 来自互联网
• The Shanghai team took advantage of a slew of Jiangxi turnovers. 上海队利用江西队的频繁失球占了上风。 来自互联网

6 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

7 puffs   

n.吸( puff的名词复数 )；（烟斗或香烟的）一吸；一缕（烟、蒸汽等）；（呼吸或风的）呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧

参考例句：

• We sat exchanging puffs from that wild pipe of his. 我们坐在那里，轮番抽着他那支野里野气的烟斗。 来自辞典例句
• Puffs of steam and smoke came from the engine. 一股股蒸汽和烟雾从那火车头里冒出来。 来自辞典例句

8 dismal   

adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的

参考例句：

• That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。
• My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。

9 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

10 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

11 syne   

adv.自彼时至此时，曾经

参考例句：

• The meeting ended up with the singing of Auld Lang Syne.大会以唱《友谊地久天长》结束。
• We will take a cup of kindness yet for auld lang syne.让我们为了过去的好时光干一杯友谊的酒。

12 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。

13 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

14 boughs   

大树枝( bough的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The green boughs glittered with all their pearls of dew. 绿枝上闪烁着露珠的光彩。
• A breeze sighed in the higher boughs. 微风在高高的树枝上叹息着。

15 revels   

n.作乐( revel的名词复数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉v.作乐( revel的第三人称单数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉

参考例句：

• Christmas revels with feasting and dancing were common in England. 圣诞节的狂欢歌舞在英国是很常见的。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Dickens openly revels in the book's rich physical detail and high-hearted conflict. 狄更斯对该书中丰富多彩的具体细节描写和勇敢的争斗公开表示欣赏。 来自辞典例句