Mrs. Betty soon succeeded in winning a place for herself in the hearts of her parishioners, and those who called to look over her "clothes," and see if she was going to "put on airs" as a city woman, called again because they really liked her. She returned the calls with equal interest, and soon had her part of the parish organization well in hand.
Maxwell's choice was, in fact, heartily1 approved--except by Virginia Bascom and the Senior Warden2. The former took the opportunity to leave cards on an afternoon when all Durford was busily welcoming Betty at a tea; and was "not at home" when Betty duly returned the call. Virginia was also careful not to "see" either Betty or her husband if, by any chance, they passed her when in town.
Of all of which manoeuvres Betty and Donald remained apparently3 sublimely4 unconscious.
As a means of making some return for the good-hearted generosity5 and hospitality of the inhabitants, represented by the furniture at the rectory and many tea-parties under various roof-trees, Mrs. Maxwell persuaded her husband that they should give a parish party.
So invitations were issued broadcast, and Mrs. Burke was asked to scan the lists, lest anyone be omitted. China sufficient for the occasion was supplemented by Hepsey Burke and Jonathan Jackson, and Nickey laid his invaluable6 services under contribution to fetch and carry--organizing a corps7 of helpers.
The whole adult village,--at least the feminine portion of it,--young and old, presented themselves at the party, dressed in their best bibs and tuckers, amusing themselves outdoors at various improvised8 games, under the genial9 generalship of their host; and regaling themselves within at the tea-tables presided over by Mrs. Betty, whose pride it was to have prepared with her own hands,--assisted by the indefatigable10 Hepsey,--all the cakes and preserves and other confections provided for the occasion. The whole party was one whole-hearted, simply convivial11 gathering--with but a single note to mar12 it; and who knows whether the rector, and still less the rector's wife, would have noticed it, but for Hepsey Burke's subsequent "boiling over?"
When the games and feast were at full swing, Virginia Bascom's loud-voiced automobile13 drove up, and the door-bell pealed14. The guests ceased chattering15 and the little maid, hired for the occasion, hurried from the tea-cups to answer the haughty16 summons. Through the silence in the tea-room, produced by the overpowering clatter17 of the bell, the voice of the little maid,--quite too familiar for the proper formality of the occasion, in Virginia's opinion,--was heard to pipe out cheerily:
"Come right in, Miss Virginia; the folks has eat most all the victuals18--but I guess Mrs. Maxwell'll find ye some."
"Please announce 'Miss Virginia Bascom'," droned the lady, ignoring the untoward19 levity20 of the now cowering21 maid, and followed her to the door of the room full of guests, where she paused impressively.
"Mrs. Bascom," called the confused maid, through the solemn silence, as all eyes turned towards the door, "here's,--this is,--I mean Miss Virginia says Miss Virginia Maxwell----" After which confusing and somewhat embarrassing announcement the maid summarily fled to the kitchen, and left Virginia to her own devices.
Betty at once came forward, and quite ignoring the error, smiled a pleasant welcome.
"Miss Bascom, it is very nice to know you at last. We have been so unlucky, have we not?"
Virginia advanced rustling22, and gave Betty a frigid23 finger-tip, held shoulder-high, and cast a collective stare at hostess and guests through her lorgnette, bowing to Maxwell and ignoring his proffered24 handshake.
There was an awkward pause. For once even Betty-the-self-possessed was at a loss for the necessary tactics.
A hearty25 voice soon filled the empty spaces: "Hello there, Ginty; I always did say those auto's was a poor imitation of a street-car; when they get balky and leave you sticking in the road-side and make you behind-time, you can't so much as get your fare back and walk. None but royalty26, duchesses, and the four-hundred can afford to risk losing their cup o' tea in them things."
There was a general laugh at Hepsey's sally, and conversation again resumed its busy buzzing, and Virginia was obliged to realize that her entry had been something of a frost.
She spent some minutes drawing off her gloves, sipped27 twice at a cup of tea, and nibbled28 once at a cake; spent several more minutes getting her hands back into her gloves, fixed29 a good-by smile on her face, murmured some unintelligible30 words to her hostess, and departed, annoyed to realize that the engine of the awaiting car--kept running to emphasize her comet-like passage through so mixed an assembly--had become quite inaudible to the company.
"Such an insult!" stormed the lady, as she returned home in high dudgeon. "I might have been a nobody, the way they treated me. Dad shall hear of this; and I'll see that he puts them where they belong. The impudence31! And after his t-treating me s-s-so!" she wept with chagrin32, and malice33 that betokened34 no good to the rector and his little wife.
Even so, it is doubtful if the host and hostess would have permitted themselves to notice the supercilious35 rudeness of the leader of Durford "Society," had Hepsey been able to curb36 her indignation.
As she and Betty and the little maid, assisted by Donald and Nickey and his helpers, were clearing up the fragments that remained of the entertainment, Hepsey broke forth37:
"If I don't set that young woman down in her place where she belongs before I've done, I've missed my guess: 'Please announce Miss Virginia Bascom,' indeed! If that isn't sauce, I'm the goose."
"Oh never mind, Mrs. Burke," soothed38 Betty in a low voice; "she'll soon realize that we're doing things in good old country style, and haven't brought any city ways with us to Durford. I dare say she thought----"
"Thought nothin'!" replied the exasperated39 Hepsey. "I'll thought her, with her high looks and her proud stomach, as the psalmist says. I'd like--oh, wouldn't I just like to send up a nice little basket of these left-over victuals to Ginty, 'with Mrs. Maxwell's regards.'"
She laughed heartily, but Betty was determined40 not to let herself dwell on anything so trivial, and soon, by way of changing the subject, she was putting Nickey up to the idea of forming a boy-scout corps, which, as she added, could present the village with a thoroughly41 versatile42 organization, both useful and ornamental43.
"Gee," remarked Nickey, who quickly saw himself captaining a body of likely young blades, "that'd be some lively corpse44, believe me. When can we start in, Mrs. Maxwell?"
"You must ask Mr. Maxwell all about that, Nickey," she laughed.
"But not now," interposed his mother. "You come along with me this minute, and let Mr. Maxwell have a bit of peace; I know how he just loves these teas. Good night, all!" she called as she departed with her son under her wing.
"Donald! Wasn't it all fun--and weren't they all splendid?" Betty glowed.
"More fun than a barrel of Bascoms--monkeys, I mean," he corrected himself, laughing at Betty's shocked expression.
收听单词发音 |
1
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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warden
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| n.监察员，监狱长，看守人，监护人 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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sublimely
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| 高尚地，卓越地 | |
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generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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invaluable
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| adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的 | |
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corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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improvised
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| a.即席而作的,即兴的 | |
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genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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indefatigable
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| adj.不知疲倦的，不屈不挠的 | |
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convivial
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| adj.狂欢的，欢乐的 | |
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mar
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| vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟 | |
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automobile
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| n.汽车，机动车 | |
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pealed
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| v.（使）（钟等）鸣响，（雷等）发出隆隆声( peal的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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victuals
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| n.食物；食品 | |
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untoward
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| adj.不利的，不幸的，困难重重的 | |
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levity
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| n.轻率，轻浮，不稳定，多变 | |
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cowering
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| v.畏缩，抖缩( cower的现在分词 ) | |
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rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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frigid
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| adj.寒冷的，凛冽的；冷淡的；拘禁的 | |
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proffered
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| v.提供，贡献，提出( proffer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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royalty
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| n.皇家，皇族 | |
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sipped
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| v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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nibbled
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| v.啃，一点一点地咬（吃）( nibble的过去式和过去分词 )；啃出（洞），一点一点咬出（洞）；慢慢减少；小口咬 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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unintelligible
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| adj.无法了解的，难解的，莫明其妙的 | |
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impudence
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| n.厚颜无耻；冒失；无礼 | |
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chagrin
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| n.懊恼；气愤；委屈 | |
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malice
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| n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋 | |
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betokened
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| v.预示，表示( betoken的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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supercilious
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| adj.目中无人的，高傲的；adv.高傲地；n.高傲 | |
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curb
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| n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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soothed
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| v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦 | |
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exasperated
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| adj.恼怒的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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versatile
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| adj.通用的，万用的；多才多艺的，多方面的 | |
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ornamental
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| adj.装饰的；作装饰用的；n.装饰品；观赏植物 | |
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corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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