For seats like these beyond the western main,

And shuddering still to face the distant deep,



Returned and wept, and still returned to weep.'

Oliver Goldsmith.



It is almost over, our Irish holiday, so full of delicious, fruitful

experiences; of pleasures we have made and shared, and of other



people's miseries and hardships we could not relieve. Almost over!

Soon we shall be in Dublin, and then on to London to meet



Francesca's father; soon be deciding whether she will be married at

the house of their friend the American ambassador, or in her own



country, where she has really had no home since the death of her

mother.



The ceremony over, Mr. Monroe will start again for Cairo or

Constantinople, Stockholm or St. Petersburg; for he is of late years



a determined wanderer, whose fatherly affection is chiefly shown in

liberal allowances, in pride of his daughter's beauty and many



conquests, in conscientious letter-writing, and in frequent calls

upon her between his long journeys. It is because of these paternal



predilections that we are so glad Francesca's heart has resisted all

the shot and shell directed against it from the batteries of a dozen



gay worldlings and yielded so quietly and so completely to Ronald

Macdonald's loyal and tender affection.



At tea-time day before yesterday, Salemina suggested that Francesca

and I find the heart of Aunt David's labyrinth, the which she had



discovered in a less than ten minutes' search that morning, leaving

her Gaelic primer behind her that we might bring it back as a proof



of our success. You have heard in Pearla's Celtic fairy tale the

outcome of this little expedition, and now know that Ronald



Macdonald and Himself planned the joyful surprise for us, and by

means of Salemina's aid carried it out triumphantly.



Ronald crossing to Ireland from Glasgow, and Himself from Liverpool,

had met in Dublin, and travelled post-haste to the Shamrock Inn in



Devorgilla, where they communicated with Salemina and begged her

assistance in their plot.



I was looking forward to my husband's arrival within a week, but

Ronald had said not a word of his intended visit; so that Salemina



was properlynervous lest some one of us should collapse out of

sheer joy at the unexpected meeting.



I have been both quietly and wildly happy many times in my life, but

I think yesterday was the most perfect day in all my chain of years.



Not that in this long separation I have been dull, or sad, or

lonely. How could I be? Dull, with two dear, bright, sunny letters



every week, letters throbbing with manly tenderness, letters

breathing the sure, steadfast, protecting care that a strong man



gives to the woman he has chosen. Sad, with my heart brimming over

with sweet memories and sweeter prophecies, and all its tiny



crevices so filled with love that discontent can find no entrance

there! Lonely, when the vision of the beloved is so poignantly real



in absence that his bodily presence adds only a final touch to joy!

Dull, or sad, when in these soft days of spring and early summer I



have harboured a new feeling of companionship and oneness with

Nature, a fresh joy in all her bounteousresource and plenitude of



life, a renewed sense of kinship with her mysterious awakenings!

The heavenly greenness and promise of the outer world seem but a



reflection of the hopes and dreams that irradiate my own inner

consciousness.



My art, dearly as I loved it, dearly as I love it still, never gave

me these strange, unspeakable joys with their delicatemargin of



pain. Where are my ambitions, my visions of lonely triumphs, my

imperative need of self-expression, my ennobling glimpses of the



unattainable, my companionship with the shadows in which an artist's

life is so rich? Are they vanished altogether? I think not; only



changed in the twinkling of an eye, merged in something higher

still, carried over, linked on, transformed, transmuted, by Love the



alchemist, who, not content with joys already bestowed, whispers

secret promises of raptures yet to come.



The green isle looked its fairest for our wanderers. Just as a

• conquer [´kɔŋkə] v.征服；克服；抑制 (初中英语单词)


• unlike [,ʌn´laik] a.不同的 prep.不象… (初中英语单词)


• midnight [´midnait] n.午夜；漆黑 (初中英语单词)


• maiden [´meidn] n.少女 a.未婚的 (初中英语单词)


• invader [in´veidə] n.入侵者；侵袭物 (初中英语单词)


• victory [´viktəri] n.胜利，战胜 (初中英语单词)


• slender [´slendə] a.细长的；微薄的 (初中英语单词)


• delicate [´delikət] a.精美的；微妙的 (初中英语单词)


• blossom [´blɔsəm] n.花；开花期 vi.开花 (初中英语单词)


• princess [,prin´ses] n.公主；王妃；亲王夫人 (初中英语单词)


• shield [ʃi:ld] n.盾牌；防御 v.保护 (初中英语单词)


• enormous [i´nɔ:məs] a.巨大地，很，极 (初中英语单词)


• ignorant [´ignərənt] a.无知的，愚昧的 (初中英语单词)


• substitute [´sʌbstitju:t] n.代理人 v.代替，取代 (初中英语单词)


• modest [´mɔdist] a.谦虚的；朴素的 (初中英语单词)


• firmly [´fə:mli] ad.坚固地，稳定地 (初中英语单词)


• upward [´ʌpwəd] a.&ad.向上(的)；以上 (初中英语单词)


• prince [´prins] n.王子；亲王；君主 (初中英语单词)


• instant [´instənt] a.立即的 n.紧迫；瞬间 (初中英语单词)


• scarlet [´skɑ:lit] n.猩红色 a.猩红的 (初中英语单词)


• eternal [i´tə:nəl] a.永远的；永恒的 (初中英语单词)


• bishop [´biʃəp] n.主教 (初中英语单词)


• proudly [´praudli] ad.骄傲地；傲慢地 (初中英语单词)


• farewell [feə´wel] int.再见 n.&a.告别 (初中英语单词)


• western [´westən] a.西的；西方的 (初中英语单词)


• holiday [´hɔlidi] n.假日，假期，节日 (初中英语单词)


• delicious [di´liʃəs] a.美味的，可口的 (初中英语单词)


• relieve [ri´li:v] v.救济，援救；减轻 (初中英语单词)


• ambassador [æm´bæsədə] n.大使 (初中英语单词)


• ceremony [´seriməni] n.典礼；礼仪；客气 (初中英语单词)


• affection [ə´fekʃən] n.友爱；慈爱 (初中英语单词)


• chiefly [´tʃi:fli] ad.主要地；尤其 (初中英语单词)


• frequent [´fri:kwənt] a.常见的，频繁的 (初中英语单词)


• yesterday [´jestədi] n.&ad.昨天；前不久 (初中英语单词)


• expedition [,ekspi´diʃən] n.远征；探险；迅速 (初中英语单词)


• arrival [ə´raivəl] n.到达；到达的人(物) (初中英语单词)


• properly [´prɔpəli] ad.适当地；严格地 (初中英语单词)


• nervous [´nə:vəs] a.神经的；神经过敏的 (初中英语单词)


• lonely [´ləunli] a.孤独的；无人烟的 (初中英语单词)


• vision [´viʒən] n.视觉；想象力；幻影 (初中英语单词)


• beloved [bi´lʌvd] a.为….所爱的 n.爱人 (初中英语单词)


• absence [´æbsəns] n.不在，缺席；缺乏 (初中英语单词)


• resource [ri´zɔ:s] n.手段；智谋 (初中英语单词)


• mysterious [mi´stiəriəs] a.神秘的；难以理解的 (初中英语单词)


• altogether [,ɔ:ltə´geðə] ad.完全；总而言之 (初中英语单词)


• secretly [´si:kritli] ad.秘密地；隐蔽地 (高中英语单词)


• strawberry [´strɔ:bəri] n.草莓 (高中英语单词)


• sweeping [´swi:piŋ] a.掠过的 n.扫除；清除 (高中英语单词)


• quicken [´kwikən] v.加快；加速；鼓舞 (高中英语单词)


• learned [´lə:nid] a.有学问的，博学的 (高中英语单词)


• victorious [vik´tɔ:riəs] a.得胜的，胜利的 (高中英语单词)


• apparently [ə´pærəntli] ad.显然，表面上地 (高中英语单词)


• inspiration [,inspi´reiʃən] n.鼓舞；灵感；启发 (高中英语单词)


• customary [´kʌstəməri] a.通常的；惯例的 (高中英语单词)


• mantle [´mæntl] n.斗蓬 v.覆盖；笼罩 (高中英语单词)


• hanging [´hæŋiŋ] n.绞刑 a.悬挂着的 (高中英语单词)


• peacock [´pi:kɔk] n.(雄)孔雀 vi.炫耀 (高中英语单词)


• brightness [´braitnis] n.光明；快乐 (高中英语单词)


• threshold [´θreʃhəuld] n.门槛；入门；开端 (高中英语单词)


• joyful [´dʒɔifəl] a.高兴的，充满快乐的 (高中英语单词)


• ireland [´aiələnd] n.爱尔兰 (高中英语单词)


• collapse [kə´læps] vi.&n.崩溃；病倒；衰败 (高中英语单词)


• unexpected [ʌniks´pektid] a.突然的；意外的 (高中英语单词)


• separation [,sepə´reiʃən] n.分离；分开；分居 (高中英语单词)


• tenderness [´tendənis] n.娇嫩；柔软；温柔 (高中英语单词)


• discontent [´diskən´tent] n.&a.不满(平)(的) (高中英语单词)


• companionship [kəm´pæniənʃip] n.伴侣关系；友谊 (高中英语单词)


• heavenly [´hevənli] a.天的，天空的 (高中英语单词)


• margin [´mɑ:dʒin] n.边缘；空白；余地 (高中英语单词)


• speedily [´spi:dili] ad.迅速地 (英语四级单词)


• mouthful [´mauθful] n.一口；少量 (英语四级单词)


• entice [in´tais] vt.诱惑；怂恿 (英语四级单词)


• nought [nɔ:t] n.=naught (英语四级单词)


• setting [´setiŋ] n.安装；排字；布景 (英语四级单词)


• blindly [blaindli] ad.盲目地；没头脑地 (英语四级单词)


• befell [bi´fel] befall的过去式 (英语四级单词)


• fondly [´fɔndli] ad.喜爱地；愚蠢地 (英语四级单词)


• conscientious [,kɔnʃi´enʃəs] a.认真的；谨慎的 (英语四级单词)


• glasgow [´glɑ:sgəu] n.格拉斯哥 (英语四级单词)


• bodily [´bɔdili] a.身体的 ad.亲自 (英语四级单词)


• dearly [´diəli] ad.深深地(爱等)；昂贵 (英语四级单词)


• magical [´mædʒikəl] a.有魔术的，神奇的 (英语六级单词)


• glossy [´glɔsi] a.光滑的，有光泽的 (英语六级单词)


• dauntless [´dɔ:ntlis] a.无畏的；不屈不挠的 (英语六级单词)


• swiftness [´swiftnis] n.迅速，敏捷 (英语六级单词)


• far-reaching [fɑ:´ri:tʃiŋ] a.影响远大的；深远的 (英语六级单词)


• taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)


• labyrinth [´læbərinθ] 迷宫；错综复杂之事件 (英语六级单词)


• festive [´festiv] a.喜庆的，欢乐的 (英语六级单词)


• departed [di´pɑ:tid] a.已往的；已故的 (英语六级单词)


• dublin [´dʌblin] n.都柏林 (英语六级单词)


• wanderer [´wɔndərə] n.流浪者 (英语六级单词)


• steadfast [´stedfɑ:st, -fæst] a.坚定的，不动摇的 (英语六级单词)


• bounteous [´bauntiəs] a.宽宏大量的；丰富的 (英语六级单词)


• unspeakable [ʌn´spi:kəbl] a.不能以言语表达的 (英语六级单词)