CHAPTER XXXIII. THE STORY GIRL GOES

 The morning dawned, rosy¹ and clear and frosty. Everybody was up early, for the travellers must leave in time to catch the nine o’clock train. The horse was harnessed and Uncle Alec was waiting by the door. Aunt Janet was crying, but everybody else was making a valiant² effort not to. The Awkward Man and Mrs. Dale came to see the last of their favourite. Mrs. Dale had brought her a glorious sheaf of chrysanthemums³, and the Awkward Man gave her, quite gracefully⁴, another little, old, limp book from his library.

 

“Read it when you are sad or happy or lonely or discouraged or hopeful,” he said gravely.

 

“He has really improved very much since he got married,” whispered Felicity to me.

 

Sara Stanley wore a smart new travelling suit and a blue felt hat with a white feather. She looked so horribly grown up in it that we felt as if she were lost to us already.

 

Sara Ray had vowed⁵ tearfully the night before that she would be up in the morning to say farewell. But at this juncture⁶ Judy Pineau appeared to say that Sara, with her usual luck, had a sore throat, and that her mother consequently would not permit her to come. So Sara had written her parting words in a three-cornered pink note.

 

  “My OWN DARLING FRIEND:—WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS my feelings over not

  being able to go up this morning to say good-bye to one I so

  FONDLY ADORE.  When I think that I cannot SEE YOU AGAIN my heart

  is almost TOO FULL FOR UTTERANCE⁷.  But mother says I cannot and I

  MUST OBEY.  But I will be present IN SPIRIT.  It just BREAKS MY

  HEART that you are going SO FAR AWAY.  You have always been SO

  KIND to me and never hurt my feelings AS SOME DO and I shall miss

  you SO MUCH.  But I earnestly HOPE AND PRAY that you will be HAPPY

  AND PROSPEROUS wherever YOUR LOT IS CAST and not be seasick⁸ on THE

  GREAT OCEAN.  I hope you will find time AMONG YOUR MANY DUTIES to

  write me a letter ONCE IN A WHILE.  I shall ALWAYS REMEMBER YOU

  and please remember me.  I hope we WILL MEET AGAIN sometime, but

  if not may we meet in A FAR BETTER WORLD where there are no SAD

  PARTINGS.

 

  “Your true and loving friend,

 

                                           “SARA RAY”

 

“Poor little Sara,” said the Story Girl, with a queer catch in her voice, as she slipped the tear-blotted note into her pocket. “She isn’t a bad little soul, and I’m sorry I couldn’t see her once more, though maybe it’s just as well for she’d have to cry and set us all off. I WON’T cry. Felicity, don’t you dare. Oh, you dear, darling people, I love you all so much and I’ll go on loving you always.”

 

“Mind you write us every week at the very least,” said Felicity, winking⁹ furiously.

 

“Blair, Blair, watch over the child well,” said Aunt Janet. “Remember, she has no mother.”

 

The Story Girl ran over to the buggy and climbed in. Uncle Blair followed her. Her arms were full of Mrs. Dale’s chrysanthemums, held close up to her face, and her beautiful eyes shone softly at us over them. No good-byes were said, as she wished. We all smiled bravely and waved our hands as they drove out of the lane and down the moist red road into the shadows of the fir wood in the valley. But we still stood there, for we knew we should see the Story Girl once more. Beyond the fir wood was an open curve in the road and she had promised to wave a last farewell as they passed around it.

 

We watched the curve in silence, standing¹⁰ in a sorrowful little group in the sunshine of the autumn morning. The delight of the world had been ours on the golden road. It had enticed¹¹ us with daisies and rewarded us with roses. Blossom and lyric¹² had waited on our wishes. Thoughts, careless and sweet, had visited us. Laughter had been our comrade and fearless Hope our guide. But now the shadow of change was over it.

 

“There she is,” cried Felicity.

 

The Story Girl stood up and waved her chrysanthemums at us. We waved wildly back until the buggy had driven around the curve. Then we went slowly and silently back to the house. The Story Girl was gone.

1 rosy   

adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的

参考例句：

• She got a new job and her life looks rosy.她找到一份新工作，生活看上去很美好。
• She always takes a rosy view of life.她总是对生活持乐观态度。

2 valiant   

adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人

参考例句：

• He had the fame of being very valiant.他的勇敢是出名的。
• Despite valiant efforts by the finance minister,inflation rose to 36%.尽管财政部部长采取了一系列果决措施，通货膨胀率还是涨到了36%。

3 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》

4 gracefully   

ad.大大方方地；优美地

参考例句：

• She sank gracefully down onto a cushion at his feet. 她优雅地坐到他脚旁的垫子上。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line. 新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

5 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

6 juncture   

n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头

参考例句：

• The project is situated at the juncture of the new and old urban districts.该项目位于新老城区交界处。
• It is very difficult at this juncture to predict the company's future.此时很难预料公司的前景。

7 utterance   

n.用言语表达，话语，言语

参考例句：

• This utterance of his was greeted with bursts of uproarious laughter.他的讲话引起阵阵哄然大笑。
• My voice cleaves to my throat,and sob chokes my utterance.我的噪子哽咽，泣不成声。

8 seasick   

adj.晕船的

参考例句：

• When I get seasick,I throw up my food.我一晕船就呕吐。
• He got seasick during the voyage.在航行中他晕船。

9 winking   

n.瞬眼，目语v.使眼色( wink的现在分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮

参考例句：

• Anyone can do it; it's as easy as winking. 这谁都办得到，简直易如反掌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The stars were winking in the clear sky. 星星在明亮的天空中闪烁。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

11 enticed   

诱惑，怂恿( entice的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He enticed his former employer into another dice game. 他挑逗他原来的老板再赌一次掷骰子。
• Consumers are courted, enticed, and implored by sellers of goods and services. 消费者受到商品和劳务出售者奉承，劝诱和央求。

12 lyric   

n.抒情诗，歌词；adj.抒情的

参考例句：

• This is a good example of Shelley's lyric poetry.这首诗是雪莱抒情诗的范例。
• His earlier work announced a lyric talent of the first order.他的早期作品显露了一流的抒情才华。