PART I Two 2

II
Mrs. Welman said to her niece:
“I’m very glad, Elinor, about you and Roddy.”
Elinor smiled at her.
“I thought you would be, Aunt Laura.”
The older woman said, after a moment’s hesitation¹:
“You do—care about him, Elinor?”
Elinor’s delicate brows lifted.
“Of course.”
Laura Welman said quickly:
“You must forgive me, dear. You know, you’re very reserved. It’s very difficult to know whatyou’re thinking or feeling. When you were both much younger I thought you were perhapsbeginning to care for Roddy—too much….”
Again Elinor’s delicate brows were raised.
“Too much?”
The older woman nodded.
“Yes. It’s not wise to care too much. Sometimes a very young girl does do just that… I was gladwhen you went abroad to Germany to finish. Then, when you came back, you seemed quiteindifferent to him—and, well, I was sorry for that, too! I’m a tiresome² old woman, difficult tosatisfy! But I’ve always fancied that you had, perhaps, rather an intense nature—that kind oftemperament runs in our family. It isn’t a very happy one for its possessors… But, as I say, whenyou came back from abroad so indifferent to Roddy, I was sorry about that, because I had alwayshoped you two would come together. And now you have, and so everything is all right! And youdo really care for him?”
Elinor said gravely:
“I care for Roddy enough and not too much.”
Mrs. Welman nodded approval.
“I think, then, you’ll be happy. Roddy needs love—but he doesn’t like violent emotion. He’dshy off from possessiveness.”
Elinor said with feeling:
“You know Roddy very well!”
Mrs. Welman said:
“If Roddy cares for you just a little more than you care for him—well, that’s all to the good.”
Elinor said sharply:
“Aunt Agatha’s Advice column. ‘Keep your boyfriend guessing! Don’t let him be too sure ofyou!’”
Laura Welman said sharply:
“Are you unhappy, child? Is anything wrong?”
“No, no, nothing.”
Laura Welman said:
“You just thought I was being rather—cheap? My dear, you’re young and sensitive. Life, I’mafraid, is rather cheap….”
Elinor said with some slight bitterness:
“I suppose it is.”
Laura Welman said:
“My child—you are unhappy? What is it?”
“Nothing—absolutely nothing.” She got up and went to the window. Half turning, she said:
“Aunt Laura, tell me, honestly, do you think love is ever a happy thing?”
Mrs. Welman’s face became grave.
“In the sense you mean, Elinor—no, probably not… To care passionately³ for another humancreature brings always more sorrow than joy; but all the same, Elinor, one would not be withoutthat experience. Anyone who has never really loved has never really lived….”
The girl nodded.
She said:
“Yes—you understand—you’ve known what it’s like—”
She turned suddenly, a questioning look in her eyes:
“Aunt Laura—”
The door opened and red-haired Nurse O’Brien came in.
She said in a sprightly⁴ manner:
“Mrs. Welman, here’s Doctor come to see you.”

1 hesitation   

n.犹豫，踌躇

参考例句：

• After a long hesitation, he told the truth at last.踌躇了半天，他终于直说了。
• There was a certain hesitation in her manner.她的态度有些犹豫不决。

2 tiresome   

adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的

参考例句：

• His doubts and hesitations were tiresome.他的疑惑和犹豫令人厌烦。
• He was tiresome in contending for the value of his own labors.他老为他自己劳动的价值而争强斗胜，令人生厌。

3 passionately   

ad.热烈地，激烈地

参考例句：

• She could hate as passionately as she could love. 她能恨得咬牙切齿，也能爱得一往情深。
• He was passionately addicted to pop music. 他酷爱流行音乐。

4 sprightly   

adj.愉快的，活泼的

参考例句：

• She is as sprightly as a woman half her age.她跟比她年轻一半的妇女一样活泼。
• He's surprisingly sprightly for an old man.他这把年纪了，还这么精神，真了不起。