Epilogue

Epilogue
Sir Stafford Nye wrote out a telegraph message for the third time.
ZP 354 XB 91 DEP S.Y.
HAVE ARRANGED FOR MARRIAGE CEREMONY TO BE PERFORMED ON THURSDAY OF NEXTWEEK AT ST CHRISTOPHERS IN THE VALE LOWER STAUNTON 2.30 PM STOP ORDINARYCHURCH OF ENGLAND SERVICE IF R.C . OR GREEK ORTHODOX DESIRED PLEASE WIRE IN-STRUCTIONS STOP WHERE ARE YOU AND WHAT NAME DO YOU WISH TO USE FOR MAR-RIAGE CEREMONY STOP NAUGHTY NIECE OF MINE FIVE YEARS OLD AND HIGHLY DIS-OBEDIENT WISHES TO ATTEND AS BRIDESMAID RATHER SWEET REALLY NAME OF SYBILSTOP LOCAL HONEYMOON¹ AS I THINK WE HAVE TRAVELLED ENOUGH LATELY STOPSIGNED PASSENGER TO FRANKFURT .
TO STAFFORD NYE BXY42698
ACCEPT SYBIL AS BRIDESMAID SUGGEST GREAT AUNT MATILDA AS MATRON OF HONOURSTOP ALSO ACCEPT PROPOSAL OF MARRIAGE THOUGH NOT OFFICIALLY MADE STOP C OFE QUITE SATISFACTORY ALSO HONEYMOON ARRANGEMENTS STOP INSIST PANDA SHOULDALSO BE PRESENT STOP NO GOOD SAYING WHERE I AM AS I SHANT BE WHEN THISREACHES YOU STOP SIGNED MARY ANN
‘Do I look all right?’ asked Stafford Nye nervously², twisting his head tolook in the glass.
He was having a dress rehearsal³ of his wedding clothes.
‘No worse than any other bridegroom,’ said Lady Matilda. ‘They’re al-ways nervous. Not like brides who are usually quite blatantly⁴ exultant⁵.’
‘Suppose she doesn’t come?’
‘She’ll come.’
‘I feel–I feel–rather queer inside.’
‘That’s because you would have a second helping⁶ of p?té de foie gras.
You’ve just got bridegroom’s nerves. Don’t fuss so much, Staffy. You’ll beall right on the night– I mean you’ll be all right when you get to thechurch–’
‘That reminds me–’
‘You haven’t forgotten to buy the ring?’
‘No, no, it’s just I forgot to tell you that I’ve got a present for you, AuntMatilda.’
‘That’s very nice of you, dear boy.’
‘You said the organist had gone–’
‘Yes, thank goodness.’
‘I’ve brought you a new organist.’
‘Really, Staffy, what an extraordinary idea! Where did you get him?’
‘Bavaria–he sings like an angel–’
‘We don’t need him to sing. He’ll have to play the organ.’
‘He can do that too–he’s a very talented musician.’
‘Why does he want to leave Bavaria and come to England?’
‘His mother died.’
‘Oh dear, that’s what happened to our organist. Organists’ mothers seemto be very delicate. Will he require mothering? I’m not very good at it.’
‘I dare say some grandmothering or great-grandmothering would do.’
The door was suddenly flung open and an angelic-looking child in pinkpyjamas, powdered with rosebuds⁷, made a dramatic entrance–and said indulcet tones as of one expecting a rapturous welcome–‘It’s me.’
‘Sybil, why aren’t you in bed?’
‘Things aren’t very pleasant in the nursery–’
‘That means you’ve been a naughty girl, and Nannie isn’t pleased withyou. What did you do?’
Sybil looked at the ceiling and began to giggle⁸.
‘It was a caterpillar–a furry⁹ one. I put it on her and it went down here.’
Sybil’s finger indicated a spot in the middle of her chest which in dress-making parlance¹⁰ is referred to as ‘the cleavage’.
‘I don’t wonder Nannie was cross–ugh,’ said Lady Matilda.
Nannie entered at this moment, said that Miss Sybil was over-excited,wouldn’t say her prayers, and wouldn’t go to bed.
Sybil crept to Lady Matilda’s side.
‘I want to say my prayers with you, Tilda–’
‘Very well–but then you go straight to bed.’
‘Oh yes, Tilda.’
Sybil dropped on her knees, clasped her hands, and uttered various pe-culiar noises which seemed to be a necessary preliminary to approachingthe Almighty¹¹ in prayer. She sighed, groaned¹², grunted¹³, gave a final ca-tarrhal snort, and launched herself:
‘Please God bless Daddy and Mummy in Singapore, and Aunt Tilda, andUncle Staffy, and Amy and Cook and Ellen, and Thomas, and all the dogs,and my Pony¹⁴ Grizzle, and Margaret and Diana my best friends, and Joan,the last of my friends, and make me a good girl for Jesus’ sake, Amen. Andplease God make Nannie nice.’
Sybil rose to her feet, exchanged glances with Nannie with the assur-ance of having won a victory, said goodnight and disappeared.
‘Someone must have told her about Benvo,’ said Lady Matilda. ‘By theway, Staffy, who’s going to be your best man?’
‘Forgot all about it–Have I got to have one?’
‘It’s usual.’
Sir Stafford Nye picked up a small furry animal.
‘Panda shall be my best man–please Sybil–please Mary Ann–And whynot? Panda’s been in it from the beginning–ever since Frankfurt…’

1 honeymoon   

n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月

参考例句：

• While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
• The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。

2 nervously   

adv.神情激动地，不安地

参考例句：

• He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇，努力忍着不哭出来。
• He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。

3 rehearsal   

n.排练，排演；练习

参考例句：

• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
• You can sharpen your skills with rehearsal.排练可以让技巧更加纯熟。

4 blatantly   

ad.公开地

参考例句：

• Safety guidelines had been blatantly ignored. 安全规章被公然置之不顾。
• They walked grandly through the lobby, blatantly arm in arm, pretending they were not defeated. 他们大大方方地穿过门厅，故意炫耀地挎着胳膊，假装他们没有被打败。

5 exultant   

adj.欢腾的，狂欢的，大喜的

参考例句：

• The exultant crowds were dancing in the streets.欢欣的人群在大街上跳起了舞。
• He was exultant that she was still so much in his power.他仍然能轻而易举地摆布她，对此他欣喜若狂。

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

7 rosebuds   

蔷薇花蕾，妙龄少女，初入社交界的少女( rosebud的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. 花开堪折直须折。
• Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. 有花堪折直须折，莫待花无空折枝。

8 giggle   

n.痴笑，咯咯地笑；v.咯咯地笑着说

参考例句：

• Both girls began to giggle.两个女孩都咯咯地笑了起来。
• All that giggle and whisper is too much for me.我受不了那些咯咯的笑声和交头接耳的样子。

9 furry   

adj.毛皮的；似毛皮的；毛皮制的

参考例句：

• This furry material will make a warm coat for the winter.这件毛皮料在冬天会是一件保暖的大衣。
• Mugsy is a big furry brown dog,who wiggles when she is happy.马格斯是一只棕色大长毛狗，当她高兴得时候她会摇尾巴。

10 parlance   

n.说法；语调

参考例句：

• The term "meta directory" came into industry parlance two years ago.两年前，商业界开始用“元目录”这个术语。
• The phrase is common diplomatic parlance for spying.这种说法是指代间谍行为的常用外交辞令。

11 almighty   

adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的

参考例句：

• Those rebels did not really challenge Gods almighty power.这些叛徒没有对上帝的全能力量表示怀疑。
• It's almighty cold outside.外面冷得要命。

12 groaned   

v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦

参考例句：

• He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。
• The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 grunted   

（猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说

参考例句：

• She just grunted, not deigning to look up from the page. 她只咕哝了一声，继续看书，不屑抬起头来看一眼。
• She grunted some incomprehensible reply. 她咕噜着回答了些令人费解的话。

14 pony   

adj.小型的；n.小马

参考例句：

• His father gave him a pony as a Christmas present.他父亲给了他一匹小马驹作为圣诞礼物。
• They made him pony up the money he owed.他们逼他还债。