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由于门厅内一移动东西或有人喊叫就会产生一种非同一般的回声，玛丽·卡森便从高背椅上移到了书桌旁；她把一张羊皮纸拉到面前，用钢笑在墨水池里蘸了蘸，开始写信。信是一气呵成的，甚至用不着费工夫停下来考虑一个逗号的位置。最近五年来，她已经在脑子里苦心盘算着每一个复杂的词组，直到它完全精确。她没用多长时间便写好了信，一共写了两页，第二页恰好空出四分之一。但是，在写完最后一个句子后，她在椅子里坐了片刻。这张带折叠盖的写字台靠着一扇大窗子，所以只要她一转脸就能看到外面的草坪。外面的笑声引得她转过头去。起初她还觉得没什么，随后便勃然大怒起来。他和她那股着迷劲儿真是该死！
拉尔夫神父教会了梅吉骑马。在这位教士给她纠正骑姿之前，作为一个乡下姑娘的梅吉，从来没有跨上过马背。贫穷的村野之家的女孩子们没有骑过马，这可真是怪事。骑马对于农村的富家年轻女子来说，是一种消遣，城市里也差不多。哦，象梅吉这样家庭背景的姑娘们能够赶轻便马车和一匹迟钝的马，甚至能开拖拉机，有时能开小汽车，但是，她们都极少骑马。让一个女孩骑上马背，开支是很大的。
拉尔夫神父曾把两双富有弹性的短靴和斜纹骑马袜从基里带到克利里家厨房的嘈杂的桌上。帕迪吃完饭后正在看闲书。他抬起眼来，略有些吃惊。
"哦，你带什么东西来了，神父？"他问道。
"梅吉的骑装。"
"什么？"帕迪声震屋宇地说道。
"什么？"梅吉嗫嚅着说道。
"梅吉的骑装。老实说，帕迪，你是个天字第一号的白痴！你继承了新南威尔士最大最富的牧场，可是你却从来没让你的独生女骑过马！她要是能和卡迈克尔小姐、霍普顿小姐和安东妮·金太太这样的女骑手平起平坐。你觉得怎么样？梅吉必须学会骑马，学会跨在马鞍上，你听见了吗？我知道你很忙，所以我打算亲自教梅吉，你喜欢还是不喜欢，随你的便。要是碰巧影响了她干家务事，这实在是毫无办法的事。菲要设法每个星期给梅吉减少几个小时的工作，就是这样。"
帕迪有一件事是决不去做的，那就是与教士争执。于是，梅吉立刻就开始学骑马了。她渴望得到这个机会已经有好几年了。有一次，她战战兢兢地冒险请求她父亲允许她骑马，可是第二天早晨他就忘了个一千二净，她再也没有请求过。
Mary Carson shifted herself from her wing chair to her desk, drew a sheet of parchment forward, dipped her pen in the standish, and began to write. There was no hesitation1, not so much as a pause to consider the positioning of a comma. For the last five years she had worked out every intricate phrase in her mind, until it was absolutely word perfect. It did not take her long to finish; there were two sheets of paper, the second one with a good quarter of it blank. But for a moment, the last sentence complete, she sat on in her chair. The roll-top desk stood alongside one of the big windows, so that by simply turning her head she could look out across the lawns. A laugh from outside made her do so, idly at first, then in stiffening2 rage. God damn him and his obsession3! Father Ralph had taught Meggie to ride; daughter of a country family, she had never sat astride a horse until the priest remedied the deficiency. For oddly enough, the daughters of poor country families did not often ride. Riding was a pastime for the rich young women of country and city alike. Oh, girls of Meggie's background could drive buggies and teams of heavy horses, even tractors and sometimes cars, but rarely did they ride. It cost too much to mount a daughter.
Father Ralph had brought elastic-sided ankle boots and twill jodhpurs from Gilly and plumped them down on the Cleary kitchen table noisily. Paddy had looked up from his after-dinner book, mildly surprised. "Well, what have you got there, Father?" he asked. "Riding clothes for Meggie."
"Riding clothes for Meggie. Honestly, Paddy, you're a first-class idiot! Heir to the biggest, richest station in New South Wales, and you've never let your only daughter sit a horse! How do you think she's going to take her place alongside Miss Carmichael, Miss Hopeton and Mrs. Anthony King, equestriennes all? Meggie's got to learn to ride, sidesaddle as well as astride, do you hear? I realize you're busy, so I'm going to teach Meggie myself, and you can like it or lump it. If it happens to interfere6 with her duties in the house, too bad. For a few hours each week Fee is just going to have to manage minus Meggie, and that's that."
One thing Paddy couldn't do was argue with a priest; Meggie learned to ride forthwith. For years she had longed for the chance, had once timidly ventured to ask her father might she, but he had forgotten the next moment and she never asked again,
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1
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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2
stiffening
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| n. (使衣服等)变硬的材料, 硬化 动词stiffen的现在分词形式 | |
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3
obsession
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| n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感) | |
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bellowed
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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squeaked
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| v.短促地尖叫( squeak的过去式和过去分词 )；吱吱叫；告密；充当告密者 | |
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interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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