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29.

We rolled down the long drive, past Granny’s white stag ponies¹ through the golf course, past thegreen where the Queen Mother once scored a hole in one, past the policeman in his little hut (crispsalute) and over a couple of speed bumps, then over a small stone bridge and onto a quiet countrylane.

Pa, driving, squinted² through the windscreen. Splendid evening, isn’t it?

Balmoral. Summer. 2001.

We went up a steep hill, past the whisky distillery, along a blowy lane and down betweensheep fields, which were overrun by rabbits. That is, those lucky enough to escape us. We’d shot abunch earlier that day. After a few minutes we turned onto a dusty track, drove four hundredmeters to a deer fence. I hopped³ out, opened the padlocked gate. Now, at last, because we were onremote private roads, I was allowed to drive. I jumped behind the wheel, hit the accelerator, putinto practice all those driving lessons from Pa through the years, often seated on his lap. I steeredus through the purple heather into the deepest folds of that immense Scottish moorland. Ahead,like an old friend, stood Lochnagar, splotchy with snow.

We came to the last wooden bridge, the tires making that soothing⁴ lullaby I always associatedwith Scotland. Da dong, da dong…da dong, da dong. Just below us, a burn seethed⁵ after recentheavy rain up top. The air was thick with midges. Through the trees, in the last moments ofdaylight, we could faintly make out huge stags peering at us. Now we arrived in a great clearing,an old stone hunting lodge⁶ to the right, the cold stream running down to the river through thewood on our left, and there she was. Inchnabobart!

We ran inside the lodge. The warm kitchen! The old fireplace! I fell onto the fender, with itsworn red cushion, and inhaled⁷ the smell of that huge pyramid of silver birch firewood stackedbeside it. If there’s a smell more intoxicating⁸ or inviting⁹ than silver birch, I don’t know what itcould be. Grandpa, who’d set off half an hour before us, was already tending his grill¹⁰ at the backof the lodge. He stood amid a thick cloud of smoke, tears streaming from his eyes. He wore a flatcap, which he took off now and then to mop his brow or smack¹¹ a fly. As the fillets of venisonsizzled he turned them with a huge pair of tongs¹², then put on a loop of Cumberland sausages.

Normally I’d beg him to make a pot of his specialty¹³, spaghetti Bolognese. This night, for somereason, I didn’t.

Granny’s specialty was the salad dressing¹⁴. She’d whisked a large batch¹⁵. Then she lit thecandles down the long table and we all sat on wooden chairs with creaky straw seats. Often wehad a guest for these dinners, some famous or eminent¹⁶ personage. Many times I’d discussed thetemperature of the meat or the coolness of the evening with a prime minister or bishop¹⁷. But tonightit was just family.

My great-grandmother arrived. I jumped up, offered her my hand. I always offered her myhand—Pa had drummed it into me—but that night I could see Gan-Gan really needed the extrahelp. She’d just celebrated¹⁸ her 101st birthday and was looking frail¹⁹.

Still natty²⁰, however. She wore blue, I recall, all blue. Blue cardigan, blue tartan skirt, blue hat.

Blue was her favorite color.

She asked for a martini. Moments later, someone handed her an ice-cold tumbler filled withgin. I watched her take a sip²¹, expertly avoiding the lemon floating along the top, and on an impulseI decided²² to join her. I’d never had a cocktail²³ in front of my family, so this would be an event. Abit of rebellion.

Empty rebellion, it turned out. No one cared. No one noticed. Except Gan-Gan. She perked²⁴ upfor a moment at the sight of me playing grown-up, gin and tonic²⁵ in hand.

I sat beside her. Our conversation started out as lively banter²⁶, then evolved, gradually settlinginto something deeper. A connection. Gan- Gan was really speaking to me that night, reallylistening. I couldn’t quite believe it. I wondered why. Was it the gin? Was it the four inches I’dgrown since last summer? At six foot I was now one of the tallest members of the family.

Combined with Gan-Gan’s shrinkage, I towered over her.

I wish I could recall specifically what we talked about. I wish I’d asked more questions, andjotted down her answers. She’d been the War Queen. She’d lived at Buckingham Palace whileHitler’s bombs rained from the skies. (Nine direct hits on the Palace.) She’d dined with Churchill,wartime Churchill. She’d once possessed²⁷ a Churchillian eloquence²⁸ of her own. She was famousfor saying that, no matter how bad things got, she’d never, ever leave England, and people lovedher for it. I loved her for it. I loved my country, and the idea of declaring you’d never leave struckme as wonderful.

She was, of course, infamous²⁹ for saying other things. She came from a different era, enjoyedbeing Queen in a way that looked unseemly to some. I saw none of that. She was my Gan-Gan.

She was born three years before the aeroplane was invented yet still played the bongo drums onher hundredth birthday. Now she took my hand as if I were a knight³⁰ home from the wars, andspoke to me with love and humor and, that night, that magic night, respect.

I wish I’d asked about her husband, King George VI, who died young. Or her brother-in-law,King Edward VIII, whom she’d apparently³¹ loathed³². He gave up his crown for love. Gan-Ganbelieved in love, but nothing transcended³³ the Crown. She also reportedly despised the woman he’dchosen.

I wish I’d asked about her distant ancestors in Glamis, home to Macbeth.

She’d seen so much, knew so much, there was so much to be learned from her, but I justwasn’t mature enough, despite the growth spurt³⁴, or brave enough, despite the gin.

I did, however, make her laugh. Normally that was Pa’s job; he had a knack³⁵ for finding Gan-Gan’s funny bone. He loved her as much as he loved anybody in the world, perhaps more. I recallhim glancing over several times and looking pleased that I was getting such good giggles³⁶ out ofhis favorite person.

At one point I told Gan-Gan about Ali G, the character played by Sacha Baron³⁷ Cohen. I taughther to say Booyakasha, showing her how to flick³⁸ her fingers the way Sacha did. She couldn’t graspit, she had no idea what I was talking about, but she had such fun trying to flick and say the word.

With every repetition of that word, Booyakasha, she’d shriek³⁹, which would make everyone elsesmile. It tickled⁴⁰ me, thrilled me. It made me feel…a part of things.

This was my family, in which I, for one night at least, had a distinctive⁴¹ role.

And that role, for once, wasn’t the Naughty One.

 

1 ponies   

矮种马，小型马( pony的名词复数 )； ￡25 25 英镑

参考例句：

• They drove the ponies into a corral. 他们把矮种马赶进了畜栏。
• She has a mania for ponies. 她特别喜欢小马。

2 squinted   

斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看

参考例句：

• Pulling his rifle to his shoulder he squinted along the barrel. 他把枪顶肩，眯起眼睛瞄准。
• I squinted through the keyhole. 我从锁眼窥看。

3 hopped   

跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花

参考例句：

• He hopped onto a car and wanted to drive to town. 他跳上汽车想开向市区。
• He hopped into a car and drove to town. 他跳进汽车，向市区开去。

4 soothing   

adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的

参考例句：

• Put on some nice soothing music.播放一些柔和舒缓的音乐。
• His casual, relaxed manner was very soothing.他随意而放松的举动让人很快便平静下来。

5 seethed   

（液体）沸腾( seethe的过去式和过去分词 )； 激动，大怒； 强压怒火； 生闷气(~with sth|~ at sth)

参考例句：

• She seethed silently in the corner. 她在角落里默默地生闷气。
• He seethed with rage as the train left without him. 他误了火车，怒火中烧。

6 lodge   

v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆

参考例句：

• Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
• I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

7 inhaled   

v.吸入( inhale的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. 她合上双眼，深深吸了一口气。
• Janet inhaled sharply when she saw him. 珍妮特看到他时猛地吸了口气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 intoxicating   

a. 醉人的,使人兴奋的

参考例句：

• Power can be intoxicating. 权力能让人得意忘形。
• On summer evenings the flowers gave forth an almost intoxicating scent. 夏日的傍晚，鲜花散发出醉人的芳香。

9 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

10 grill   

n.烤架，铁格子，烤肉；v.烧，烤，严加盘问

参考例句：

• Put it under the grill for a minute to brown the top.放在烤架下烤一分钟把上面烤成金黄色。
• I'll grill you some mutton.我来给你烤一些羊肉吃。

11 smack   

vt.拍，打，掴；咂嘴；vi.含有…意味；n.拍

参考例句：

• She gave him a smack on the face.她打了他一个嘴巴。
• I gave the fly a smack with the magazine.我用杂志拍了一下苍蝇。

12 tongs   

n.钳；夹子

参考例句：

• She used tongs to put some more coal on the fire.她用火钳再夹一些煤放进炉子里。
• He picked up the hot metal with a pair of tongs.他用一把钳子夹起这块热金属。

13 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

14 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

15 batch   

n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量

参考例句：

• The first batch of cakes was burnt.第一炉蛋糕烤焦了。
• I have a batch of letters to answer.我有一批信要回复。

16 eminent   

adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的

参考例句：

• We are expecting the arrival of an eminent scientist.我们正期待一位著名科学家的来访。
• He is an eminent citizen of China.他是一个杰出的中国公民。

17 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

18 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

19 frail   

adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的

参考例句：

• Mrs. Warner is already 96 and too frail to live by herself.华纳太太已经九十六岁了，身体虚弱，不便独居。
• She lay in bed looking particularly frail.她躺在床上，看上去特别虚弱。

20 natty   

adj.整洁的，漂亮的

参考例句：

• Cliff was a natty dresser.克利夫是讲究衣着整洁美观的人。
• Please keep this office natty and use the binaries provided.请保持办公室整洁，使用所提供的垃圾箱。

21 sip   

v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量

参考例句：

• She took a sip of the cocktail.她啜饮一口鸡尾酒。
• Elizabeth took a sip of the hot coffee.伊丽莎白呷了一口热咖啡。

22 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。

23 cocktail   

n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物

参考例句：

• We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。
• At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。

24 perked   

（使）活跃( perk的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）增值； 使更有趣

参考例句：

• The recent demand for houses has perked up the prices. 最近对住房的需求使房价上涨了。
• You've perked up since this morning. 你今天上午精神就好多了。

25 tonic   

n./adj.滋补品，补药，强身的，健体的

参考例句：

• It will be marketed as a tonic for the elderly.这将作为老年人滋补品在市场上销售。
• Sea air is Nature's best tonic for mind and body.海上的空气是大自然赋予的对人们身心的最佳补品。

26 banter   

n.嘲弄，戏谑；v.取笑，逗弄，开玩笑

参考例句：

• The actress exchanged banter with reporters.女演员与记者相互开玩笑。
• She engages in friendly banter with her customers.她常和顾客逗乐。

27 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

28 eloquence   

n.雄辩；口才，修辞

参考例句：

• I am afraid my eloquence did not avail against the facts.恐怕我的雄辩也无补于事实了。
• The people were charmed by his eloquence.人们被他的口才迷住了。

29 infamous   

adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的

参考例句：

• He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.他因反对女性主义而声名狼藉。
• I was shocked by her infamous behaviour.她的无耻行径令我震惊。

30 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

31 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

32 loathed   

v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的过去式和过去分词 )；极不喜欢

参考例句：

• Baker loathed going to this red-haired young pup for supplies. 面包师傅不喜欢去这个红头发的自负的傻小子那里拿原料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Therefore, above all things else, he loathed his miserable self! 因此，他厌恶不幸的自我尤胜其它！ 来自英汉文学 - 红字

33 transcended   

超出或超越（经验、信念、描写能力等）的范围( transcend的过去式和过去分词 )； 优于或胜过…

参考例句：

• He wanted assurance that he had transcended what was inherently ambiguous. 他要证明，他已经超越了本来就是混淆不清的事情。
• It transcended site to speak to universal human concerns. 它超越了场所的局限，表达了人类共同的心声。

34 spurt   

v.喷出；突然进发；突然兴隆

参考例句：

• He put in a spurt at the beginning of the eighth lap.他进入第八圈时便开始冲刺。
• After a silence, Molly let her anger spurt out.沉默了一会儿，莫莉的怒气便迸发了出来。

35 knack   

n.诀窍，做事情的灵巧的，便利的方法

参考例句：

• He has a knack of teaching arithmetic.他教算术有诀窍。
• Making omelettes isn't difficult,but there's a knack to it.做煎蛋饼并不难，但有窍门。

36 giggles   

n.咯咯的笑( giggle的名词复数 )；傻笑；玩笑；the giggles 止不住的格格笑v.咯咯地笑( giggle的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Her nervous giggles annoyed me. 她神经质的傻笑把我惹火了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I had to rush to the loo to avoid an attack of hysterical giggles. 我不得不冲向卫生间，以免遭到别人的疯狂嘲笑。 来自辞典例句

37 baron   

n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王

参考例句：

• Henry Ford was an automobile baron.亨利·福特是一位汽车业巨头。
• The baron lived in a strong castle.男爵住在一座坚固的城堡中。

38 flick   

n.快速的轻打，轻打声，弹开；v.轻弹，轻轻拂去，忽然摇动

参考例句：

• He gave a flick of the whip.他轻抽一下鞭子。
• By a flick of his whip,he drove the fly from the horse's head.他用鞭子轻抽了一下，将马头上的苍蝇驱走。

39 shriek   

v./n.尖叫，叫喊

参考例句：

• Suddenly he began to shriek loudly.突然他开始大声尖叫起来。
• People sometimes shriek because of terror,anger,or pain.人们有时会因为恐惧，气愤或疼痛而尖叫。

40 tickled   

（使）发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）愉快，逗乐

参考例句：

• We were tickled pink to see our friends on television. 在电视中看到我们的一些朋友，我们高兴极了。
• I tickled the baby's feet and made her laugh. 我胳肢孩子的脚，使她发笑。

41 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。