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有从比班-比班来的多米尼克·奥罗克;从比尔-比尔来的霍里·霍伯顿,以及其他几十位来宾。
他们之中大都是当地信奉天主教的新兴家族,能够以盎格鲁-撒克逊姓氏炫耀一番的家族是很少的。来宾中的爱尔兰人、苏格兰人和威尔士人差不多相等。不,倘若天主教徒在苏格兰或威尔士的话,他们既没有指望在那个国家中取得统治地位,也得不到世居其他的新教徒的同情。但是,在这里,在基兰博周围数千英里方圆的地区,他们这些贵族是可以公然蔑视英国贵族的,他们是他们所能看到的一切的主人。德罗海达这片最大的产业比些欧洲公园的面积还要大。小心呀,摩纳哥的王侯们,列支敦士登的君主们!玛丽·卡森是他们中间的佼佼者。他们在打扮入时的悉尼乐团的伴奏下,随着华尔兹舞曲飞快地旋转着,或站在一边、随孩子们去跳查尔斯顿舞,大嚼着龙虾馅饼和冻生牡蛎,畅饮着保存了15年的法国香槟和保存了20年的苏格兰淡麦芽酒。如果让他们说心里话,他们倒宁愿吃烤羊腿或腌牛肉,宁愿喝廉价酒、烈性的邦达伯格产的兰姆酒或成桶的格拉夫顿苦啤酒。但是,体味一下生活中更美好的东西也不错,这正是他们所追求的。
是的,他们中间的大部分人都遇上了歉收年。好年景的时候,他们小心翼翼地将经过检验的羊毛收藏起来,以防恶劣气候的袭击,因为谁也无法预言是否要下雨。但是,气候不错已有一段时候了,而且在基里花销也很小。哦,一旦降生在大西北的黑壤平原上,世界上就再也没有一个地方能比得上这地方了。他们并不恋旧,不想重返故国去朝圣。澳大利亚因为是个信奉天主教的国家而倍遭歧视,但是除了这种宗教信仰的歧视之外,他们没有任何不顺心的事,大西北就是他们的家乡。
再说,今天晚上的开销也都是由玛丽·卡森包下来的。花这笔钱对她来说算不上一回事。据说,她连英国的王位都能买下。
Dominic O'Rourke from Dibban-Dibban, Horry Hopeton from Beel-Beel; and dozens more.
They were almost to the last family present Catholic, and few sported Anglo-Saxon names; there was about an equal distribution of Irish, Scottish and Welsh. No, they could not hope for home rule in the old country, nor, if Catholic in Scotland or Wales, for much sympathy from the Protestant indigenes. But here in the thousands of square miles around Gillanbone they were lords to thumb their noses at British lords, masters of all they surveyed; Drogheda, the biggest property, was greater in area than several European principalities. Monegasque princelings, Liechtensteinian dukes, be- ware1! Mary Carson was greater. So they whirled in waltzes to the sleek2 Sydney band and stood back indulgently to watch their children dance the Charleston, ate the lobster3 patties and the chilled raw oysters4, drank the fifteen-year-old French champagne5 and the twelve-year-old single-malt Scotch6. If the truth were known, they would rather have eaten roast leg of lamb or corned beef, and much preferred to drink cheap, very potent7 Bundaberg rum or Grafton bitter from the barrel. But it was nice to know the better things of life were theirs for the asking.
Yes, there were lean years, many of them. The wool checks were carefully hoarded8 in the good years to guard against the depredations9 of the bad, for no one could predict the rain. But it was a good period, had been for some time, and there was little to spend the money on in Gilly. Oh, once born to the black soil plains of the Great Northwest there was no place on earth like it. They made no nostalgic pilgrimages back to the old country; it had done nothing for them save discriminate10 against them for their religious convictions, where Australia was too Catholic a country to discriminate. And the Great Northwest was home.
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1 ware | |
n.(常用复数)商品,货物 | |
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2 sleek | |
adj.光滑的,井然有序的;v.使光滑,梳拢 | |
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3 lobster | |
n.龙虾,龙虾肉 | |
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4 oysters | |
牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 ) | |
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5 champagne | |
n.香槟酒;微黄色 | |
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6 scotch | |
n.伤口,刻痕;苏格兰威士忌酒;v.粉碎,消灭,阻止;adj.苏格兰(人)的 | |
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7 potent | |
adj.强有力的,有权势的;有效力的 | |
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8 hoarded | |
v.积蓄并储藏(某物)( hoard的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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9 depredations | |
n.劫掠,毁坏( depredation的名词复数 ) | |
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10 discriminate | |
v.区别,辨别,区分;有区别地对待 | |
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11 rumor | |
n.谣言,谣传,传说 | |
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