Chapter 17 Chapter Eleven (Part 1)

Luke bought Meggie a diamond engagement ring.The ring is modest but beautiful, with two quarter-carat diamonds set in a pair of white gold heart-shaped settings. On August 25, at noon, the wedding announcement ceremony was held in the Church of the Holy Cross.Immediately after the ceremony, a family dinner was held at the Imperial Hotel.Mrs. Smith, Minnie and Kate were, of course, also invited to the banquet.And Meggie insisted that she couldn't see the point of Jens and Patsy coming from 600 miles away for a ceremony they didn't really understand, and they were left behind in Sydney.She had received their congratulatory letters; Jens's was long and boyishly written, while Patsy's consisted of "Good Luck."They knew Luke, of course, and they had ridden with him through the Drogheda pastures on holidays.

Meggie's insistence on keeping the wedding as small as possible had greatly grieved Mrs. Smith, who had hoped for days of flags, drums, and revelry when Drogheda's only girl married.But Meggie went so far as not to even wear her wedding dress; she would wear everyday clothes and a modest hat when she married, which would later double as her travel outfit. "Honey, I've decided where to take you on your honeymoon," Luke said, sliding into a chair across from her on Sunday, after they had agreed on their wedding plans. "where?" "North Queensland. When you were at the tailor, I talked to some guys in the Empire Bar. They told me that if a man is strong and hard working, he can make money in that sugarcane country." money's."

"What are you doing?" "Harvesting sugar cane." "Harvesting sugar cane? That's hard work." "No, you're wrong. Coolies aren't as tall as white harvesters and can't do the job. Besides, you know as well as I do that Australian law prohibits the importation of black or yellow people for drudgery or wages." A job better than the whites, so as not to take the bread out of the mouths of the Australians. Now, there is a shortage of reapers, and the pay is good. There are not many tall men who can cut sugar cane. But, I can do that job Can't beat me!"

"That means you want us to make a home in North Queensland, Luke?" "right." Over his shoulder, through the huge set of windows, she gazed at Drogheda: the devil gums, the inner circle of the house, the endless stretches of woods beyond.Don't live in Drogheda!To some place where Bishop Ralph would never find her, never to see him again, following inexorably the stranger who sat across from her, who might never come back. . . . Gray eyes stared at Luke's animated, impatient face.Her eyes became more beautiful, but they were obviously full of pain.He just felt it, she didn't shed tears, her lips or the corners of her mouth pulled down.But whatever Meggie was sad about, he didn't care, because he didn't intend for her to become so important in his life that he still had to worry about her.It was admitted that for a man who had tried to marry Dot MacPherson, getting Meggie was an extra advantage.But her pleasing body and docile nature made Luke's innermost being wary.No woman, not even one as beautiful as Meggie, could have power over him.

So he settled down and talked about the main idea in his heart straight to the point.Sometimes, you have to play tricks, but in this case, playing tricks is worse than going straight. "I'm old-fashioned, Meghann," he said. She stared at him, puzzled. "Really?" she asked, but her voice said: what does it matter? "Yes," he said. "I believe that when a man and a woman get married, all the woman's property should go to the man. It's the same way as the dowry in the old days. I know you have a small amount of money, and now I tell you, when you get married You'll have to sign it and turn it over to me when you're still single. It's only fair and reasonable to let you know what's going on in my mind and decide what you're going to do with it while you're still single."

It never occurred to Meggie that she would keep the money.She simply assumed that once she married, the money would be Luke's, not hers.All Australian women, except the highly educated and of the highest rank, have been brought up to consider themselves more or less the property of their men.And Meggie in particular knew this firsthand.Daddy always dominated Fee and his kids.Since his death, Fay has regarded Bob as his successor, and has been omnipotent.Men own money, houses, wives and children.Meggie never questioned his power. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "Luke, I don't know what to sign. I think that once we're married, my things will automatically go to you."

"That used to be the case, but when those stupid fools in Canberra gave women the suffrage, it abolished the rule. Meghan, I want everything to be fair between us, so now I ask You explain what will happen." She laughed. "Okay, Luke, I don't care." She acted like an old-fashioned wife; never gave a dowry so well before. "How much money do you have?" he asked. "At the moment, there are 14,000 pounds. I can still get 2,000 a year." He whistled. "Fourteen thousand pounds! Ouch! That's a lot of money, Meghan. Better let me look after it for you. Next week we can go to the bank manager and remind me Every income is also accurately written in my name. I will not touch a penny, you know, it will be used to buy pastures in the future. For the next few years, we will both have a hard time. One game, and save every penny you make. Okay?"

She nodded. "Okay, Luke." The wedding almost fell through due to a trivial oversight by Luke.He is not a Catholic.When Father Watty discovered this, he threw up his hands in horror. "Good God, Luke, why didn't you tell me sooner? Really, for God's sake, we're going to do everything we can to convert and baptize you before the wedding!" Luke stared at Father Warty, dumbfounded. "Who ever said anything about conversion, Father? Neither of us, and we're having a good time, though, if you're worried, you can take me for whoever you want. But you can't take me for a Catholic! "

Their defenses were futile; Luke simply didn't accept the idea of ​​conversion. "I've never been against Catholicism or the Irish Free State, but I think it would be hard for a Catholic to get along in Ireland. But I'm an Orangeman, and I'm not an apostate. Suppose I'm a Catholic and you want I am a Methodist, and my answer is the same. I object to being a traitor, and I will not become a Catholic. Therefore, Father, you must treat me differently from your parishioners, that's all." ① Christianity (Protestant) Wesley New Church is an independent church formed after the independence of the United States, and members of the Wesleyan sect in the United States broke away from the Anglican Church. -- Annotation

"Then you cannot marry!" "Why not? I don't think the Vicar of the Church of England, or Harry Goff, the lawyer, would object to our marriage if you didn't want us to marry." Fei smiled unhappily!She thought of those unfortunate accidents that had happened between her and Paddy and a priest.And she calmed down that conflict. "But, Luke, I have to get married in church!" Meggie protested in horror. "If not, I'm going to live with my sins on my back!" "Well, for all I know, it's better to live in sin than to be apostate," Luke said, and sometimes he was a man of inexplicable contradictions; like trying to get Meggie's money. A reckless, stubborn temper made him unwilling to give up half a step.

"Hey, end this stupid argument!" Fee said, not to Luke, but to the Priest. "Do as Paddy and I did, and end this argument! If Father Thomas won't defile his church, he can marry you at the rectory!" Everyone stared at her in astonishment, but this was indeed a wonderful move.Father Watkin relented and agreed to marry them at the rectory, though he refused to bless the wedding ring. The church's partial approval made Meggie feel that she had committed a sin, but not so badly that she would go to hell.The ingenious old Anne, the housekeeper of the rectory, tried her best to decorate Father Handy's study as church-like as possible, with several large vases of flowers and many brass candlesticks.But it was an unpleasant ceremony, and it was exasperated to make it seem that he had performed it only to avoid the embarrassment of a secular wedding elsewhere.There was neither wedding mass nor blessing. Anyway, it's over.Meggie became Mrs. Luke O'Neill.So far, it has been a little late from the original time of reaching North Queensland and honeymoon.Luke refused to spend Saturday nights at the hotel because he had to catch the Sunday postal train from Gondvidi to Brisbane; this train ran only once a week on Saturday nights.The postal train will take them to Brisbane in time for the express train to Cairns on Monday. The trains of Gondwidi were so overcrowded that there was no place where one could be undisturbed. They sat all night because there were no sleeping cars on this train.Hour after hour, the train ran erratically, whiningly.Whenever the locomotive driver thought it was time to get himself a tin pot of tea, or let a flock of sheep stroll along the track, or argue with another driver, the train stopped endlessly. "I don't understand why they pronounce Gong's Vidi as Gan's Vidi, but they don't want to spell it that way?" Mejixian asked very bored.They waited in the badly green waiting room painted by the regime, with black benches.This is the only place in Condwidi that is open on Sundays.Poor Meggie, she's nervous and uneasy. "How would I know?" Luke sighed, he didn't want to talk, he just wanted to sign a contract for work quickly.As it was Sunday, they could not get even a cup of tea; and it was not until Monday morning, when the mail arrived and Lisbane had breakfast, that they had an opportunity to satisfy their rumbling stomachs and quench their thirst.After Lisbane is South Brisbane station.They walked slowly across the city to Roma Street Station and caught a train to Cairns.Here, Meggie discovered that Luke had booked two second-class hardboard seats. "Luke, we're not short on money!" she said wearily and exasperatedly. "I've got a hundred pounds from Bob in my purse, in case you forget to draw some money in the bank. Why don't you buy a first-class berth ticket?" He looked down at her in surprise. "But it's only three days and three nights' journey to Dunloe! We're both young and healthy, why should we pay for sleepers! You can't die in a train, Meghan! You see, You're marrying a regular, seasoned workman, not a goddamn sheep rancher. It's time!" So Meggie slumped down on a seat by the window that Luke had snatched for him, resting her trembling chin with her hand, and looked out the window; that way, Luke wouldn't find her eyes filled with tears .He was talking to her like an irresponsible child, and she began to wonder if he really thought of her that way.A feeling of rebellion arose in her, but it only showed slightly; her strong sense of pride could not bear such an unreasonable reproach.She was, however, she thought to herself, the man's wife, and perhaps he was not used to this new situation.Gotta give him time.They were going to live together, and she was going to cook for him, mend his clothes, take care of him, bear him children, and be his good wife.See how Dad appreciates Mom, how he worships her.Gotta give Luke time. They were going to a town called Dunloe, just fifty miles from Cairns at the northern end of the railway along the Queensland coast.They bounced back and forth for thousands of miles on narrow-gauge railroads 3 feet 6 inches wide.Every seat in the car was occupied, and there was no opportunity to lie down or stretch.Although the villages in this place were much denser and more colorful than those in the Kiri area, she could not arouse her interest in this place. Her head hurts and she can't eat.The heat was unbearable, worse than any one in Kiri.Her lovely pink wedding dress was filthy with soot blowing in through the window, her skin was clammy with perspiration that could not evaporate; and more disturbing than her physical discomfort, she almost Is hating Luke.Evidently the travel had not fatigued or made him uncomfortable at all; he sat there at his leisure, chatting with two men who were going to Cadwell.He was just standing up, not minding glancing in her direction as he leaned over her curled body to the window.He tossed a rolled-up newspaper at the ragged men with steel hammers who stood beside the tracks, eager to learn about the events of the day.he shouted: "Newspaper! Newspaper!" "It's the trackman who maintains the railway," he explained as he sat down again.This is the first time he has done this. He seemed to think that she felt as happy and at ease with the journey as he did, and that she was fascinated by the coastal plain that flew by.Yet she stared at the plain as if she hadn't seen it.She hated the plain until she had actually set foot on it. At Cardwell, the two men got out of the car.Luke crossed the road in front of the station to the fish and potatoes shop and brought back a bag wrapped in new newspaper. "My dear Meghan, they say that you have to taste the fish from Cadwell to know its beauty. It is the best fish in the world. Here, have some. This is your first bite. Authentic Queenslander food. Let me tell you, there's no better place than Queenslander." Meggie glanced at the creamy, greasy chunks of fish, covered her mouth with her handkerchief, and hurried to the toilet.He waited in the passage, and after a while she came out, pale and trembling. "What's the matter? Are you feeling sick?" "As soon as we left Vidy in Gon, I didn't feel well." "My God! Why didn't you tell me?" "Why didn't you notice?" "It seems to me that you are all right." "How far is it?" she relented and asked. "Three to six hours, maybe a bit longer, maybe a bit shorter. They don't really run on a schedule in this part of the world. Now that the guys are gone, there's a lot of space, you lie down and put your feet up on my lap." "Oh, don't talk to me like a child!" she snapped. "If only they had gotten off at Bundaberg two days earlier!" "Come on, Meghan, get your spirits up! We're almost there. Dunloe after Turry and Innisfail." It was nearly evening—they stepped off the train.Meggie grabbed Luke's arm hard, she was arrogant and refused to admit that she could no longer walk normally.He inquired from the station master about an inn for the workers, and then he picked up their suitcases and walked to the street outside the station.Meggie followed him, staggering like a drunk. "Just go to the end of the street on the other side," he reassured. "It's the white two-story building." Although their room was small, it was filled with lots of Victorian furniture.It looked a bit crowded, but to Meggie it was Sai Heaven.She fell over on the edge of the double bed. "Honey, lie down before dinner. I'll go outside and look for a signpost." He said, and sauntered out of the room, looking as fresh and at ease as they had been on the morning of their wedding.It was Saturday, and today is Wednesday evening; five full days in a noisy car choked by paper and soot. The bed rocked monotonously as the rattling train wheels passed the junction of the tracks, but Meggie threw herself happily on the pillow and fell asleep with her head covered. Someone took off her shoes and stockings and put a sheet over her; Meggie woke up with a start, opened her eyes and looked around.Luke was sitting on the window ledge, with one leg crossed, smoking a cigarette.As soon as she moved, he turned around, looked at her, and smiled. "What a bride you are! I'm here looking forward to my honeymoon and my wife has been asleep for about two days! I was a little worried when I couldn't wake you up. But, The owner of the shop said that train travel and this humidity can make a woman like this. He said, just let you sleep through the fatigue. How do you feel now?" She sat up stiffly, stretched her arms, and yawned. "I feel better, thank you. Oh, Luke! I know I'm young and strong, but I'm a woman! I can't be physically tortured like you are." He came over, sat on the edge of the bed, and stroked her arm in a rather touching and regretful gesture. "I'm sorry, Meghan. I'm so sorry. I didn't realize you were a woman. Not used to having a wife around, that's all. Are you mad, darling?" "I'm hungry. Didn't you realize it's been a week since you last ate?" "Then why don't you take a shower and put on a new suit and go out and see Dunloe?" Next door to the inn was a Chinese restaurant, where Luke gave Meggie a taste of oriental food for the first time in her life.She was so hungry that she would find anything delicious, but this kind of food was particularly delicious.She also didn't care whether the dish was made of mouse tails, shark fins or chicken and duck belly.There was such a rumor in Killambo that there was only one Greek restaurant that sold steak and chips.Luke had brought several two-quarts of beer from the store and insisted on her having a drink, even though she didn't like beer. ① One quart, the British system is 1.136 liters, and the US system is 0.946 liters. -- Annotation "Drink some water first and you'll be fine," he suggested. "Beer doesn't make you weak." After dinner he took her arm and strutted about Dunloe as if he owned it; Luke, on the other hand, was a born Queenslander and Dunloe was such a nice place!Its appearance and character are very different from the towns in the West.Maybe it's about the same size as Kiri, but walk down a major street and never see that sprawling building.Dunloe is a neatly built square town, with all the shops and houses painted white instead of brown.The windows are fitted with vertical wooden transoms, presumably for ventilation; where possible the roof has been omitted.Take the movie theater, for example, with a screen, walls with transom windows, and rows of boat canvas tables and chairs, but no roof at all. The town is surrounded by a veritable jungle.Grape vines and creepers tangled everywhere—on stakes, on roofs, and on walls.Trees grow casually in the middle of the road, or houses are built around the woods, or trees grow out of the house.It is simply impossible to tell which came first, the trees or the dwellings of the people.The overwhelming impression is that everything is growing uncontrollably and vigorously.The coconut palms were taller and taller than the devil's gums on Drogheda, their leaves swaying against the deep, blinding blue sky; here and there, it seemed to Meggie, there were strong flashes of color.There is no brown-gray land here.Every kind of tree seemed to have a lot of flowers--purple, orange, bright red, light pink, bright blue, snow white. There are many Chinese here. They wear black silk trousers, black and white shoes, white socks, and shirts with mandarin jacket collars, with a pigtail trailing behind them.Men and women looked so much alike that Meggie found it very difficult to tell who was male and who was female.The economic lifeline of the entire town seems to be in the hands of the Chinese.There is a department store here that is more stocked than any store in Kiri.The name of the store is a Chinese name, and the signboard reads: Awang Department Store. All the houses were built on high wooden foundations, like the headman's house in Drogheda.This, Luke explained, was to maximize the amount of ambient air available and to keep the building free of termites for a year after it was built.At the top of each pile there is a sheet of tin with folded-down edges; termites cannot bend their bodies in the middle, so that they cannot climb over the tin panel and into the wood of the house itself.Of course, they made use of the stakes to their heart's content, but when a stake rotted it could be removed and a new one replaced.This method is convenient and less expensive than building a new house.Most of the gardens are like jungles, with bamboo and palms, as if the inhabitants had given up on keeping the plants organized. Those men and women disgusted her.When she went to dinner and walks with Luke, she put on high heels, long silk stockings, a long satin blouse and a light, belted half-sleeve silk coat, as was customary.She wore a big straw hat on her head and gloves on her hands.What annoyed her most of all was the uncomfortable feeling that she was not dressed properly because of the way people were staring at her! The men were barefoot and backless, most of them topless, wearing nothing but khaki shorts in khaki; the few who covered their chests wore athletic vests instead of shirts.Women are worse.A few wore only sloppy cotton clothes, evidently omitting their undergarments entirely.They wore no long shirts and sloppy sandals on their feet.But most women wore short shirts with bare feet, sleeveless shirts that unsightlyly covered breasts.Dunloe is a civilized town.Not a poor beach.But here, native white residents are shamelessly naked.Walking around, the Chinese dress better. There were hundreds of bicycles everywhere; few cars, no horses in sight.Yeah, quite different from Kiri.It's hot here, unbearably hot.They pass a thermometer that reads, unbelievably, only 90 degrees Fahrenheit; Kiri, at 115 degrees, seems much cooler than here.Meggie felt as if she was moving around in solidified gas, and when she breathed, her lungs filled with water. "Luke, I can't stand it! Please. Let's go back, shall we?" She was out of breath before she had gone a mile. "If you want to go back, go back. You think the humidity is overwhelming. Regardless of winter and summer, the humidity here is rarely lower than 90 percent, and the temperature is rarely lower than 85 degrees or higher than 95 degrees. The seasons change very much. Not significantly, but during the summer heat, the monsoon can increase the humidity by 100%. "It rains in summer, but doesn't it rain in winter?" "It rains all year round. The monsoon is always here, and when it's not there, it's the southeast. The southeast also brings a lot of rain. Dunloe gets between 100 inches and 300 inches of rain a year." Three hundred inches of rain a year!People would be overjoyed if the gods would shower poor Kiri with 50 inches of rain, but here, 2,000 miles from Kiri, it's as much as 300 inches. "Isn't it cool at night too?" Meggie asked when they were at the inn; the hot Kiri nights were bearable again compared to this steam bath. "Not too cool. You'll get used to it." He opened the door to their room, turned and stood there, letting her in. "I'm going to the bar for a beer, but I'll be back in an hour and a half. That should be more than enough time for you." Startled, she glanced hastily at his face. "Yes, Luke." Dunloe was at 17 degrees south latitude, so night fell suddenly; one minute the sun seemed to be just setting, the next minute the night was thick and dark, but hands were gone.The weather is warm.By the time Luke returned, Meggie had turned off the lights and was lying on the bed with the sheet pulled under her chin.He reached out with a smile, pulled the sheet off her, and threw it on the floor. "It's hot enough, honey! We don't need sheets. She could hear him walking around, and could faintly see his figure undressing. "I put your pajamas on the dresser," she said softly. "Pyjamas? One day or another? I know they're surprised at the idea of ​​men not wearing pajamas in Gilly, but here's Dunloe! Are you really in pajamas?" "yes." "Then take it off, the damn thing is just a liability anyway." Meggie managed fumblingly to remove the fine muslin nightgown which Mrs. Smith had kindly embroidered for her wedding night.Thankfully, it was dark in the room and he couldn't see her.He was right, it was much cooler to lie naked with the breeze blowing in through the open transom against her whole body.But it was a bit of a letdown to think of another hot body in bed with her. The springs on the bed creaked; Meggie jumped when she felt damp skin against her arm.He turned sideways, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her.At first she lay obediently, trying not to think about the open mouth and the protruding, savage tongue, but then she began to wriggle out.She didn't want to cling to that hot body, don't want to kiss, didn't want Luke.It was nothing like the night in the Rolls on the return from Rudner Hunish.She didn't seem to see the meaning of thinking about her in him at all.Part of him pressed against her thigh, and at the same time a hand - with thick, sharp nails - was inserted between her buttocks.Her fear turned to terror, but the strength and determination of his body overpowered her.He didn't realize her mood at all.Suddenly, he let go of her, sat up, seemed to be groping around himself, and pulled something down... Meggie was tired and sore, and the pain was unbearable when she moved.She dawdly turned around, with her back to Luke, and fell on the pillow, sobbing.She couldn't sleep, though Luke was sound asleep.Her trembling slight movements didn't even affect the rhythm of his breathing.He doesn't have that much trouble sleeping, he's honest, he doesn't snore, he doesn't turn back and forth.As she waited for dawn, she thought, if it was just about lying together, maybe she would find him a good company.Dawn came as swiftly and sadly as night; there was no rooster crowing, nor the other bleating, neighing, snorting, and barking of dogs that had awakened Drogheda.This may seem odd. Luke woke up, and he turned around.She felt that he was kissing her shoulder. She was so tired, longing for her homeland, forgetting her shyness, and not caring about covering her body. "Hey, Meghan, let's see you," he ordered, placing a hand on her hip. "Turn around, like an obedient little girl." Nothing urgent this morning.Meggie turned and lay there, cowering, staring at him blankly. "I don't like the name Meghann," she said, the only defense she could come up with. "I do wish you called me Meggie." "I don't like the name Meggie. But if you hate the name Meghan so much, I'll call you Meg." His eyes went up and down her body with fascination. "How good are your lines."  … "I've found you a job," said Luke, over breakfast in the inn's dining room. "What? Before I could get us a comfortable home, Luke? Before we even had a home?" "It's no use for us to rent a house, Meg. I'm going to cut sugarcane, and everything is arranged. The best gang of sugarcane workers in Queensland is led by a fellow named Arne Swinling, the sugarcane worker There are Swedes, Poles, and Irishmen in the gang. I met him when you fell asleep after the journey. He is a short man and would like to examine me. That is, I will live with them In the shed. We mow six days a week, from sunrise to sunset. Not only that, but we have to go up and down the coast, wherever there is work. How much I earn depends on how much I can mow. Sugarcane. If I cut it as well as Arne's gang, I'd make twenty pounds a week! Twenty pounds a week! Can you imagine what that is?" "Luke, are you trying to tell me we're not going to live together?" "Don't stay together, Meg! Those men won't let a woman stay in a shed. What's the use of you taking a house all by yourself? You'd better work too, for it's all for our ranch." Money." "But where do I live? What work can I do? There's no cattle here, either." "Yeah, what a pity. That's why I'm going to get you a live-in job, Meg, and you'll eat for free, so I won't have to pay to support you. You go to Hammerhawk as a maid." Steward, that's Ludwig Müller's place. He's the biggest sugarcane owner in the area, and his wife is sick and can't manage the house herself. I'll take you there tomorrow morning." "But when can I see you, Luke?" "Sunday. Rudy knows you're a married man, and he won't mind if you're away on Sunday." ① Ludwig's nickname. -- Annotation "Oh! Of course you've arranged things to your heart's content, haven't you?" "I think so. Oh, Meg, we're going to be rich! We're going to work hard and save every penny. We'll be able to buy ourselves one of the best pastures in West Queensland, and it won't be long, I Withdrawing £14,000 from Gilly's bank, £2,000 in interest in the first year, we're still making £13,000 a year. It won't be long, dear, I promise. For me And bear it in silence, eh? Now that the harder we work, the sooner you'll see your own kitchen, why hide in a rented house?" "If that's what you want," she said, looking down at her purse. "Luke, are you going to take my few hundred pounds?" "I put it in the bank, and you can't take it with you, Meg." "But you took everything! I'm broke! What shall I do with my money?" "Why do you want to spend money? You're going to Hammerhawk in the morning. And you don't need to spend anything there. I'll pay the inn bill. You know you're married to a workman." It's time, Meg. You are no longer a spendthrift, spoiled sheep rancher's daughter. Muller will deposit your wages directly in my bank account with my money. I No money yourself, Meg, you know that. Neither of us touches the money, because it's for our future, our pasture." "Okay, I get it. I'm a smart guy, Luke. But what if I'm pregnant?" For a moment he was going to tell her the truth that there would be no children until the ranch was a reality; but something in her face made him decide not to tell her. "Well, the boat will be straight when it reaches the bridge, okay? I'd rather not have children until I buy a ranch, so let's hope we don't have children." No home, no money, no kids, no husband to do that kind of stuff anymore.Meggie laughed.Luke leaned towards her and raised his teacup to say his congratulations. "Here's to the wish bag," he said. ① Common name for condom. -- Annotation