CHAPTER XVIII IN FATHER MALONEY’S GARDEN

Father Maloney was pottering in his garden. I use the word pottering advisedly, since assuredly the cutting off of a dead rose here and there can hardly be termed work.

 

It was a minute place, this garden of his, a mere¹ pocket handkerchief of a garden, yet every conceivable flower possible to bloom in a garden bloomed in it according to the season. At the moment it was ablaze² with African marigolds, escoltia, asters, salvias, stocks, summer chrysanthemums³, and all the rest of the August flowers, fragrant⁴ with the scent⁵ of roses, heliotrope⁶, carnations⁷, and mignonette.

 

In the centre of the garden was a tiny square of grass, smooth and trim. A gravel⁸ path surrounded it; beyond it were the many-coloured flower borders backgrounded by a close-clipped yew⁹ hedge. You could see over the hedge to the lane [Pg 146]on the one side, and the field on the other. The field sloped upwards¹⁰ to a sparse¹¹ wood, carpeted with primroses¹² and bluebells¹³ in the springtime. Later there was a lordly array of foxgloves on its margin¹⁴, stately purple fellows, standing¹⁵ straight against the trees.

 

Beyond the lane and the wild-rose hedge, which bordered it on the further side, you had a glimpse of the sea. Its voice was never absent from the garden. In its softly sighing moods it lay as an under-note to the fragrant scents¹⁶, and the humming of the insects. In its sterner moods it dominated the little place, filled it with a note of sadness. And always there was that strange bitter-sweetness in its sound.

 

Father Maloney was conscious of it now. He looked up from the rosebush towards the distant shimmering¹⁷ strip of blue.

 

“’Tis like the far-off voice of a multitude longing¹⁸ for peace yet unknowing of their desire,” he said, “it is that.” And there was pain in his old eyes.

 

Then he looked round the garden.

 

“Sure, ’tis happy I’ve been here; and now—” he sighed. “The fella is no Catholic at all, they [Pg 147]say. But if he were it would not be the same thing, it would not.”

 

He cut off a couple more roses, and pocketed them. Later Anastasia would empty his pockets of the dead leaves. Also she would suggest—more as a command than a suggestion—that there were plenty of baskets in the house if he wanted to be cutting off withered¹⁹ roses and suchlike. To which Father Maloney would make his usual shame-faced reply:

 

“Sure, and a basket slipped my mind entirely²⁰, it did.”

 

Whereupon Anastasia would sniff²¹. By force of habit she had gained a certain air of command, which most assuredly he did not permit to many.

 

“She’s an example to all of us, is Lady Mary,” said Father Maloney, pursuing his reflections. “It’s more than I would do to invite the fella to the house. It’s not uncharitable towards him, I am, but he’d not put his foot across my threshold till I’d cleared out. No; it’s not uncharitable I am, but I’ll have a job to be civil to him I’m thinking.”

 

He stuffed a handful of dead roses into his pocket, and sat down on a rustic-seat.

 

[Pg 148]

 

It was three of the afternoon. It was still; it was very hot. If I have often mentioned heat in the course of this chronicle, I must crave²² for indulgence. An almost unprecedented²³ summer was reigning²⁴ over this England of ours. Morning after morning you woke to blue skies and golden sunshine; night after night you slept beneath clear heavens star-sprinkled. Day and night the earth sang the Benedicite; and men, I fancy, echoed the blessings²⁵. In spite of the inclusive terms of the hymn²⁶, it is infinitely²⁷ easier to respond to it in sunshine and starlight, than in fog and darkness.

 

Father Maloney sat facing the lane and the distant strip of sea. Two poplars in the field across the lane rose spirelike against the blue sky. Bees droned around him among the flowers; butterflies flitted from blossom to blossom. Every now and again a bird twittered and then was silent. Their song was over for the year. Only the robin²⁸ would ring later its sweet sad lament²⁹.

 

Through the open kitchen window he heard the clink of plates, telling of Anastasia busy within. At intervals³⁰ she hummed in a thin cracked voice:

 

[Pg 149]

 

“Salve Regina, Mater Misericordiæ, vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra salve,...”

 

You could have recorded each of the Church’s seasons by Anastasia’s humming of the antiphons of Our Lady. At first Father Maloney had suffered the humming with what patience he might. It now affected³¹ him no more than the droning of the bees in his garden.

 

For twenty minutes, half an hour, perhaps, he sat motionless, his thoughts very far away. Suddenly he came back to the present. He was conscious, in some subtle fashion, that he was not alone. It was a moment or so before the consciousness found articulation³² in his brain. He looked up. The garden was as empty of any human presence but his own as it had been hitherto.

 

He turned.

 

In the field, on the other side of the yew hedge, a tall man was standing. He was big, he was loose-limbed, he was red-headed. His face, squarish and short-chinned, had a somewhat doggy expression. He was looking at the flowers, seemingly unconscious, for the moment at all events, of the presence of the owner of the garden.

 

Father Maloney coughed. The stranger’s eyes [Pg 150]left the flowers, and turned towards Father Maloney.

 

“I was looking at the flowers,” quoth he, and a trifle shame-facedly, after the manner of a schoolboy caught in some venial³³ offence.

 

“You’re welcome,” said Father Maloney genially³⁴. “Looking is free to all.” And then a sudden idea struck him, and he stiffened³⁵ imperceptibly, or perhaps he fancied it was imperceptibly, for the stranger spoke³⁶.

 

“I’ll be off,” said he. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

 

A little odd shadow had passed over his face, the expression of a child who has been snubbed. It sat oddly, and a trifle pathetically on him. He turned, limping slightly.

 

“It’s not disturbing me at all you are,” said Father Maloney quickly. The honour of his hospitality had been pricked³⁷. The merest touch will suffice for an Irishman.

 

And then he looked at the stranger again. There was an odd commotion³⁸ stirring in his heart, something that baffled him in its interpretation³⁹.

 

“Glory be to God, what’s come over me,” [Pg 151]he muttered inwardly. Aloud he said, and the words surprised himself, “Will you be coming in, and having a look around. There’s a wicket gate in yonder corner.”

1 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

2 ablaze   

adj.着火的，燃烧的；闪耀的，灯火辉煌的

参考例句：

• The main street was ablaze with lights in the evening.晚上，那条主要街道灯火辉煌。
• Forests are sometimes set ablaze by lightning.森林有时因雷击而起火。

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 fragrant   

adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的

参考例句：

• The Fragrant Hills are exceptionally beautiful in late autumn.深秋的香山格外美丽。
• The air was fragrant with lavender.空气中弥漫薰衣草香。

5 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。

6 heliotrope   

n.天芥菜；淡紫色

参考例句：

• So Laurie played and Jo listened,with her nose luxuriously buried in heliotrope and tea roses.这样劳瑞便弹了起来，裘把自己的鼻子惬意地埋在无芥菜和庚申蔷薇花簇中倾听着。
• The dragon of eternity sustains the faceted heliotrope crystal of life.永恒不朽的飞龙支撑着寓意着生命的淡紫色多面水晶。

7 carnations   

n.麝香石竹，康乃馨( carnation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You should also include some carnations to emphasize your underlying meaning.\" 另外要配上石竹花来加重这涵意的力量。” 来自汉英文学 - 围城
• Five men per ha. were required for rose production, 6 or 7 men for carnations. 种植玫瑰每公顷需5个男劳力，香石竹需6、7个男劳力。 来自辞典例句

8 gravel   

n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石

参考例句：

• We bought six bags of gravel for the garden path.我们购买了六袋碎石用来铺花园的小路。
• More gravel is needed to fill the hollow in the drive.需要更多的砾石来填平车道上的坑洼。

9 yew   

n.紫杉属树木

参考例句：

• The leaves of yew trees are poisonous to cattle.紫杉树叶会令牛中毒。
• All parts of the yew tree are poisonous,including the berries.紫杉的各个部分都有毒，包括浆果。

10 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

11 sparse   

adj.稀疏的，稀稀落落的，薄的

参考例句：

• The teacher's house is in the suburb where the houses are sparse.老师的家在郊区，那里稀稀拉拉有几处房子。
• The sparse vegetation will only feed a small population of animals.稀疏的植物只够喂养少量的动物。

12 primroses   

n.报春花( primrose的名词复数 )；淡黄色；追求享乐（招至恶果）

参考例句：

• Wild flowers such as orchids and primroses are becoming rare. 兰花和报春花这类野花越来越稀少了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The primroses were bollming; spring was in evidence. 迎春花开了，春天显然已经到了。 来自互联网

13 bluebells   

n.圆叶风铃草( bluebell的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He pressed her down upon the grass, among the fallen bluebells. 他把她压倒在草地上，压倒在掉落满地的风信子花上。 来自英汉文学
• The bluebells had cascaded on to the ground. 风信子掉到了地上。 来自辞典例句

14 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

15 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。

16 scents   

n.香水( scent的名词复数 )；气味；（动物的）臭迹；（尤指狗的）嗅觉

参考例句：

• The air was fragrant with scents from the sea and the hills. 空气中荡漾着山和海的芬芳气息。
• The winds came down with scents of the grass and wild flowers. 微风送来阵阵青草和野花的香气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 shimmering   

v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The sea was shimmering in the sunlight. 阳光下海水波光闪烁。
• The colours are delicate and shimmering. 这些颜色柔和且闪烁微光。 来自辞典例句

18 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

19 withered   

adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The grass had withered in the warm sun. 这些草在温暖的阳光下枯死了。
• The leaves of this tree have become dry and withered. 这棵树下的叶子干枯了。

20 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

21 sniff   

vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视

参考例句：

• The police used dogs to sniff out the criminals in their hiding - place.警察使用警犬查出了罪犯的藏身地点。
• When Munchie meets a dog on the beach, they sniff each other for a while.当麦奇在海滩上碰到另一条狗的时候，他们会彼此嗅一会儿。

22 crave   

vt.渴望得到，迫切需要，恳求，请求

参考例句：

• Many young children crave attention.许多小孩子渴望得到关心。
• You may be craving for some fresh air.你可能很想呼吸呼吸新鲜空气。

23 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

24 reigning   

adj.统治的，起支配作用的

参考例句：

• The sky was dark, stars were twinkling high above, night was reigning, and everything was sunk in silken silence. 天很黑，星很繁，夜阑人静。
• Led by Huang Chao, they brought down the reigning house after 300 years' rule. 在黄巢的带领下，他们推翻了统治了三百年的王朝。

25 blessings   

n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福

参考例句：

• Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马，焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

26 hymn   

n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌

参考例句：

• They sang a hymn of praise to God.他们唱着圣歌，赞美上帝。
• The choir has sung only two verses of the last hymn.合唱团只唱了最后一首赞美诗的两个段落。

27 infinitely   

adv.无限地，无穷地

参考例句：

• There is an infinitely bright future ahead of us.我们有无限光明的前途。
• The universe is infinitely large.宇宙是无限大的。

28 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

29 lament   

n.悲叹，悔恨，恸哭；v.哀悼，悔恨，悲叹

参考例句：

• Her face showed lament.她的脸上露出悲伤的样子。
• We lament the dead.我们哀悼死者。

30 intervals   

n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息

参考例句：

• The forecast said there would be sunny intervals and showers. 预报间晴，有阵雨。
• Meetings take place at fortnightly intervals. 每两周开一次会。

31 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

32 articulation   

n.（清楚的）发音；清晰度，咬合

参考例句：

• His articulation is poor.他发音不清楚。
• She spoke with a lazy articulation.她说话慢吞吞的。

33 venial   

adj.可宽恕的；轻微的

参考例句：

• The venial sins are relatively minor and more easily forgiven.可宽恕的罪都是比较微小且易被原谅的。
• Her poverty had been a venial fault for two gallant gentlemen.她的贫穷对那两位殷勤的绅士而言，只是一个微不足道的缺点。

34 genially   

adv.亲切地，和蔼地；快活地

参考例句：

• The white church peeps out genially from behind the huts scattered on the river bank. 一座白色教堂从散布在岸上的那些小木房后面殷勤地探出头来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• "Well, It'seems strange to see you way up here,'said Mr. Kenny genially. “咳，真没想到会在这么远的地方见到你，"肯尼先生亲切地说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

35 stiffened   

加强的

参考例句：

• He leaned towards her and she stiffened at this invasion of her personal space. 他向她俯过身去，这种侵犯她个人空间的举动让她绷紧了身子。
• She stiffened with fear. 她吓呆了。

36 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。

37 pricked   

刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛

参考例句：

• The cook pricked a few holes in the pastry. 厨师在馅饼上戳了几个洞。
• He was pricked by his conscience. 他受到良心的谴责。

38 commotion   

n.骚动，动乱

参考例句：

• They made a commotion by yelling at each other in the theatre.他们在剧院里相互争吵，引起了一阵骚乱。
• Suddenly the whole street was in commotion.突然间，整条街道变得一片混乱。

39 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。