CHAPTER 30

In the linen¹-room at the end of the corridor Miss Canfield was busy with supplies for Suite² A. She stood on a chair in front of a great cupboard; and her shoulders were lost in the depths of the cupboard.... A sound behind her caused her to withdraw her head.

 

Julian Medfield, standing³ in the door, looked at her.

 

"What is the matter?" she said quickly. She got down from the chair.

 

"I thought I should find you," replied the youth.

 

"Did you want me?"

 

"Yes."

 

"What has happened?"

 

He watched her smilingly. "I didn't say anything had happened.... I said I wanted you."

 

The color mounted swiftly and she turned to the pile of linen on the table and gathered[Pg 214] it up. "I am rather busy this morning," she said quietly. "I thought you meant your father needed something."

 

"No—he doesn't need anything, I guess. They told me in the office, that you wanted me—they said you had left word for me. They made a mistake, perhaps." He spoke⁴ half teasingly and she lifted her chin.

 

"That was your father," she replied. "He didn't want to miss you." She sorted out the sheets impersonally⁵. She had not looked at him after the first flurried minute.

 

"Do you want me to go away?" he said quietly.

 

She looked up, startled. "Why?"

 

"I didn't know."

 

Her fingers returned to their work. "I think your father is awake," she said in a businesslike tone. "I will go and see." She placed the linen in the cupboard and closed the door and locked it.

 

His hand made a little gesture. "Would you please——"

 

She waited.

 

"I can't say anything if you look like that!" he said whimsically.

 

[Pg 215]

 

She moved from him to the window. "There isn't any need to—say anything!"

 

The reddish hair was lighted up against the window as he had seen it before, and he watched it.

 

"That's the way I feel!" he said softly.

 

"How do you feel?" She wheeled about and looked at him.

 

"As if there wasn't any need to say things. As if——"

 

She had turned back to the window. He went toward her.

 

"You've known all along!" he said.

 

He addressed the little locks gathered up under her cap.

 

He was quite near to her now.

 

"You knew—the first day I came—when I saw you—in father's room," he declared to the little locks of hair. "Didn't you?"

 

There was no reply.

 

"And every time I've seen you since!" he said exultingly⁶. "And now that I've got you alone for a minute—you pretend——"

 

"I'm not pretending!" The shoulders shrugged⁷ a little.

 

"And turn your back on me," he added quietly.

 

[Pg 216]

 

"It's very thoughtless!" she said, speaking to the window. "You make it awkward for me.... I hoped you would have sense enough—not to say anything!"

 

"I haven't any sense," said the young man. "And you have so much.... That's why I like you. I fell in love with your sense—the first day!"

 

She had turned and faced him now. "Of course you don't care!" she said indignantly. "It is just a joke to you—to come, interfering⁸ with my work——"

 

"I didn't mean to stop you!" He glanced helplessly at the linen-cupboard.

 

"I mean my nursing!" she said with dignity. "I can't take care of your father if you're looking at me—and saying foolish things—all the time!"

 

He reached out a hand. "I'm not saying foolish things," he said quietly. "And you know it——"

 

A little bell buzzed somewhere and she lifted her head. "He's ringing—" she said quickly. "It's his bell! I'll have to go!"

 

Then she waited.

 

And he took her hands and looked down at[Pg 217] them, and bent⁹ and kissed them gently, and watched the little color come dancing into her face.

 

"Pretending you didn't care!" he said.

 

He crushed the two hands hard and she cried out and drew them away—and lifted them to her face and began to cry into them—little hard sobs¹⁰ that shook her. And he held her close and patted the troubled shoulder.

 

"There, there!" he said. His voice was very young and happy and surprised.

 

And she looked up and smiled—a queer little reddened smile—under her crooked¹¹ cap.

 

The bell tinkled—and rang a long shrill¹² burr.

 

"I shall have to go! I know I look like a fright!" She reached to the cap.

 

"You look dear!" said the young man exultantly¹³.

 

But she was gone and he was speaking only to the white wainscoted panels of the linen-room and to the sunlight flooding in.

 

1 linen   

n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的

参考例句：

• The worker is starching the linen.这名工人正在给亚麻布上浆。
• Fine linen and cotton fabrics were known as well as wool.精细的亚麻织品和棉织品像羊毛一样闻名遐迩。

2 suite   

n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员

参考例句：

• She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
• That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。

3 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。

4 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。

5 impersonally   

ad.非人称地

参考例句：

• "No." The answer was both reticent and impersonally sad. “不。”这回答既简短，又含有一种无以名状的悲戚。 来自名作英译部分
• The tenet is to service our clients fairly, equally, impersonally and reasonably. 公司宗旨是公正、公平、客观、合理地为客户服务。

6 exultingly   

兴高采烈地，得意地

参考例句：

• It was exultingly easy. 这容易得让人雀跃。
• I gave him a cup of tea while the rest exultingly drinking aquavit. 当别人继续兴高采烈地喝着白兰地的时候，我随手为那位朋友端去了一杯热茶。

7 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 interfering   

adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词

参考例句：

• He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事！
• I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预，让我自己拿主意。

9 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

10 sobs   

啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She was struggling to suppress her sobs. 她拼命不让自己哭出来。
• She burst into a convulsive sobs. 她突然抽泣起来。

11 crooked   

adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him.他弯了弯手指，示意我们到他那儿去。
• You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。

12 shrill   

adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫

参考例句：

• Whistles began to shrill outside the barn.哨声开始在谷仓外面尖叫。
• The shrill ringing of a bell broke up the card game on the cutter.刺耳的铃声打散了小汽艇的牌局。

13 exultantly   

adv.狂欢地，欢欣鼓舞地

参考例句：

• They listened exultantly to the sounds from outside. 她们欢欣鼓舞地倾听着外面的声音。 来自辞典例句
• He rose exultantly from their profane surprise. 他得意非凡地站起身来，也不管众人怎样惊奇诅咒。 来自辞典例句