Prologue（2）

II
In a small room on the first floor, Ann Shapland, Miss Bulstrode’s secretary, was typing withspeed and efficiency. Ann was a nice-looking young woman of thirty-five, with hair that fitted herlike a black satin cap. She could be attractive when she wanted to be but life had taught her thatefficiency and competence¹ often paid better results and avoided painful complications. At themoment she was concentrating on being everything that a secretary to the headmistress of afamous girls’ school should be.
From time to time, as she inserted a fresh sheet in her machine, she looked out of the windowand registered interest in the arrivals.
“Goodness!” said Ann to herself, awed², “I didn’t know there were so many chauffeurs³ left inEngland!”
Then she smiled in spite of herself, as a majestic⁵ Rolls moved away and a very small Austin ofbattered age drove up. A harassed-looking father emerged from it with a daughter who looked farcalmer than he did.
As he paused uncertainly, Miss Vansittart emerged from the house and took charge.
“Major Hargreaves? And this is Alison? Do come into the house. I’d like you to see Alison’sroom for yourself. I—”
Ann grinned and began to type again.
“Good old Vansittart, the glorified⁶ understudy,” she said to herself. “She can copy all theBulstrode’s tricks. In fact she’s word perfect!”
An enormous and almost incredibly opulent Cadillac, painted in two tones, raspberry fool andazure blue, swept (with difficulty owing to its length) into the drive and drew up behind Major theHon. Alistair Hargreaves’ ancient Austin.
The chauffeur⁴ sprang to open the door, an immense bearded, dark-skinned man, wearing aflowing aba, stepped out, a Parisian fashion plate followed and then a slim dark girl.
That’s probably Princess Whatshername herself, thought Ann. Can’t imagine her in schooluniform, but I suppose the miracle will be apparent tomorrow….
Both Miss Vansittart and Miss Chadwick appeared on this occasion.
“They’ll be taken to the Presence,” decided⁷ Ann.
Then she thought that, strangely enough, one didn’t quite like making jokes about MissBulstrode. Miss Bulstrode was Someone.
“So you’d better mind your P.s and Q.s, my girl,” she said to herself, “and finish these letterswithout making any mistakes.”
Not that Ann was in the habit of making mistakes. She could take her pick of secretarial posts.
She had been P.A. to the chief executive of an oil company, private secretary to Sir MervynTodhunter, renowned⁸ alike for his erudition, his irritability⁹ and the illegibility¹⁰ of his handwriting.
She numbered two Cabinet Ministers and an important Civil Servant among her employers. But onthe whole, her work had always lain amongst men. She wondered how she was going to likebeing, as she put it herself, completely submerged in women. Well—it was all experience! Andthere was always Dennis! Faithful Dennis returning from Malaya, from Burma, from various partsof the world, always the same, devoted¹¹, asking her once again to marry him. Dear Dennis! But itwould be very dull to be married to Dennis.
She would miss the company of men in the near future. All these schoolmistressy characters—not a man about the place, except a gardener of about eighty.
But here Ann got a surprise. Looking out of the window, she saw there was a man clipping thehedge just beyond the drive—clearly a gardener but a long way from eighty. Young, dark, good-looking. Ann wondered about him—there had been some talk of getting extra labour—but thiswas no yokel¹². Oh well, nowadays people did every kind of job. Some young man trying to gettogether some money for some project or other, or indeed just to keep body and soul together. Buthe was cutting the hedge in a very expert manner. Presumably he was a real gardener after all!
“He looks,” said Ann to herself, “he looks as though he might be amusing….”
Only one more letter to do, she was pleased to note, and then she might stroll round thegarden….

1 competence   

n.能力，胜任，称职

参考例句：

• This mess is a poor reflection on his competence.这种混乱情况说明他难当此任。
• These are matters within the competence of the court.这些是法院权限以内的事。

2 awed   

adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The audience was awed into silence by her stunning performance. 观众席上鸦雀无声，人们对他出色的表演感到惊叹。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I was awed by the huge gorilla. 那只大猩猩使我惊惧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 chauffeurs   

n.受雇于人的汽车司机( chauffeur的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Rich car buyers in China prefer to be driven by chauffeurs. 中国富裕的汽车购买者喜欢配备私人司机。 来自互联网
• Chauffeurs need to have good driving skills and know the roads well. 司机需要有好的驾驶技术并且对道路很熟悉。 来自互联网

4 chauffeur   

n.(受雇于私人或公司的)司机；v.为…开车

参考例句：

• The chauffeur handed the old lady from the car.这个司机搀扶这个老太太下汽车。
• She went out herself and spoke to the chauffeur.她亲自走出去跟汽车司机说话。

5 majestic   

adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的

参考例句：

• In the distance rose the majestic Alps.远处耸立着雄伟的阿尔卑斯山。
• He looks majestic in uniform.他穿上军装显得很威风。

6 glorified   

美其名的，变荣耀的

参考例句：

• The restaurant was no more than a glorified fast-food cafe. 这地方美其名曰餐馆，其实只不过是个快餐店而已。
• The author glorified the life of the peasants. 那个作者赞美了农民的生活。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

9 irritability   

n.易怒

参考例句：

• It was the almost furtive restlessness and irritability that had possessed him. 那是一种一直纠缠着他的隐秘的不安和烦恼。
• All organisms have irritability while alive. 所有生物体活着时都有应激性。

10 illegibility   

n.不清不楚，不可辨认，模糊

参考例句：

• The illegibility mathematics is used for evaluating water quality. 将模糊数学应用于水质评价中。 来自互联网
• Foreign students accepted at an American school will receive a document called a Certificate of illegibility(Eligibility). 被美国学校接受的外国留学生将会收到一份被称为资格证书的文件。 来自互联网

11 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

12 yokel   

n.乡下人；农夫

参考例句：

• The clothes make him look like a yokel.这件衣服让他看起来像个乡巴佬。
• George is not an ordinary yokel.乔治不是一个普通的粗人。