Chapter 64

    Braced¹ and heartened by that easy encounter, she picked up speed and began to look deliberately² atthe neighborhood surrounding her. She was shocked to see how small the big things were: theboulder by the edge of the road she once couldn't see over was a sitting-on rock. Paths leading tohouses weren't miles long. Dogs didn't even reach her knees. Letters cut into beeches³ and oaks bygiants were eye level now.

　　She would have known it anywhere. The post and scrap-lumber fence was gray now, not white, butshe would have known it anywhere. The stone porch sitting in a skirt of ivy⁴, pale yellow curtains atthe windows; the laid brick path to the front door and wood planks⁵ leading around to the back,passing under the windows where she had stood on tiptoe to see above the sill. Denver was aboutto do it again, when she realized how silly it would be to be found once more staring into the parlorof Mrs. Lady Jones. The pleasure she felt at having found the house dissolved, suddenly, in doubt.

　　Suppose she didn't live there anymore? Or remember her former student after all this time? Whatwould she say? Denver shivered inside, wiped the perspiration⁶ from her forehead and knocked.

　　Lady Jones went to the door expecting raisins⁷. A child, probably, from the softness of the knock,sent by its mother with the raisins she needed if her contribution to the supper was to be worth thetrouble. There would be any number of plain cakes, potato pies. She had reluctantly volunteered her own special creation, but said she didn't have raisins, so raisins is what the president saidwould be provided — early enough so there would be no excuses. Mrs. Jones, dreading⁸ the fatigueof beating batter⁹, had been hoping she had forgotten. Her bake oven had been cold all week —getting it to the right temperature would be awful. Since her husband died and her eyes grew dim,she had let up-to-snuff housekeeping fall away. She was of two minds about baking something forthe church. On the one hand, she wanted to remind everybody of what she was able to do in thecooking line; on the other, she didn't want to have to. When she heard the tapping at the door, shesighed and went to it hoping the raisins had at least been cleaned.

　　She was older, of course, and dressed like a chippy, but the girl was immediately recognizable toLady Jones. Everybody's child was in that face: the nickel-round eyes, bold yet mistrustful; thelarge powerful teeth between dark sculptured lips that did not cover them. Some vulnerability layacross the bridge of the nose, above the cheeks. And then the skin. Flawless, economical — justenough of it to cover the bone and not a bit more. She must be eighteen or nineteen by now,thought Lady Jones, looking at the face young enough to be twelve. Heavy eyebrows¹⁰, thick babylashes and the unmistakable love call that shimmered¹¹ around children until they learned better.

　　"Why, Denver," she said. "Look at you."Lady Jones had to take her by the hand and pull her in, because the smile seemed all the girl couldmanage. Other people said this child was simple, but Lady Jones never believed it. Having taughther, watched her eat up a page, a rule, a figure, she knew better. When suddenly she had stoppedcoming, Lady Jones thought it was the nickel. She approached the ignorant grandmother one dayon the road, a woods preacher who mended shoes, to tell her it was all right if the money wasowed. The woman said that wasn't it; the child was deaf, and deaf Lady Jones thought she still wasuntil she offered her a seat and Denver heard that.

　　"It's nice of you to come see me. What brings you?"Denver didn't answer.

1 braced   

adj.拉牢的v.支住( brace的过去式和过去分词 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来

参考例句：

• They braced up the old house with balks of timber. 他们用梁木加固旧房子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The house has a wooden frame which is braced with brick. 这幢房子是木结构的砖瓦房。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

3 beeches   

n.山毛榉( beech的名词复数 )；山毛榉木材

参考例句：

• The beeches, oaks and chestnuts all belong to the same family. 山毛榉树、橡树和栗子树属于同科树种。 来自互联网
• There are many beeches in this wood. 这片树林里有许多山毛榉。 来自互联网

4 ivy   

n.常青藤，常春藤

参考例句：

• Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。
• The wall is covered all over with ivy.墙上爬满了常春藤。

5 planks   

（厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点

参考例句：

• The house was built solidly of rough wooden planks. 这房子是用粗木板牢固地建造的。
• We sawed the log into planks. 我们把木头锯成了木板。

6 perspiration   

n.汗水；出汗

参考例句：

• It is so hot that my clothes are wet with perspiration.天太热了，我的衣服被汗水湿透了。
• The perspiration was running down my back.汗从我背上淌下来。

7 raisins   

n.葡萄干( raisin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These raisins come from Xinjiang,they taste delicious. 这些葡萄干产自新疆，味道很甜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mother put some raisins in the cake. 母亲在糕饼中放了一些葡萄干。 来自辞典例句

8 dreading   

v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She was dreading having to broach the subject of money to her father. 她正在为不得不向父亲提出钱的事犯愁。
• This was the moment he had been dreading. 这是他一直最担心的时刻。

9 batter   

v.接连重击；磨损；n.牛奶面糊；击球员

参考例句：

• The batter skied to the center fielder.击球手打出一个高飞球到中外野手。
• Put a small quantity of sugar into the batter.在面糊里放少量的糖。

10 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

11 shimmered   

v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The sea shimmered in the sunlight. 阳光下海水闪烁着微光。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A heat haze shimmered above the fields. 田野上方微微闪烁着一层热气。 来自《简明英汉词典》