Chapter 18 Chapter Eleven (Part 2)

In the morning, they took the local bus to Hammerhawk.The old Ford had no glass windows and could only hold 12 people.Meggie felt better because, when she only let Luke kiss her breasts, he spared her, and he seemed to like that as much as he liked the horrible thing.When she wanted a child, she was very anxious, but she lacked courage.Maybe, she already has a child in this way, and she doesn't need to worry about it anymore, unless she wants to have another child.She looked around with twinkling eyes as the car rattled along the red, dirty road. This part of the country was so different from Kiri that it was breathless.She had to admit that there was a grandeur and beauty here that Kiri didn't have.You can tell at a glance that there is no shortage of water here.The soil was a vivid blood red, and the sugar cane in the fallow furrows was the exact opposite of the color of the soil: 15 or 20 inches long, lusciously green, dangling on purplish stalks as thick as Luke's arm. leaves.Luke said enthusiastically that no sugar cane anywhere in the world grows as tall and contains as much sugar as here, and its yield is the highest known.The bright red soil layer is more than 100 feet thick, the soil is rich in many nutrients, especially considering the rainfall, the sugar cane must grow extremely well.And, nowhere else in the world do white men be hired to harvest.These white guys are driven and desperate to make money.

"Looks like you're pretty good at street talk, Luke," said Meggie wryly. He glanced sideways at her, surprised, but he held back and said nothing, because the bus had pulled over and it was time for them to get off. Black Millhawk was a large white house on top of a hill surrounded by coconut trees, banana trees, and shorter, beautiful palm trees.Its splayed, fan-like leaves resembled a peacock's tail; a 40-foot-tall bamboo grove sheltered the most vexing northwest monsoon; Supported by 15 foot stakes. Luke carried her case, and Meggie scrambled, panting, along the red dirt road beside him.She was still wearing her regular shoes and stockings, and her hat was buckled limply on her head.The sugar cane king was not at home, but when they climbed up the stairs, his wife was ushered into the porch outside on two crutches.She was all smiles; as soon as Meggie saw that kindly kind face, she felt better at once.

"Come in, come in!" she said with a thick Australian accent. Meggie had expected to hear a German accent, so now she felt immense relief.Luke put down the suitcase, shook hands with the lady after she freed her right hand from the crutches, and then hurried down the steps to hurry back to the car.Arne Swainson was to take him out of the inn at ten o'clock. "What's your name, Mrs. O'Neill?" "Meggie." "Oh good name. My name is Annie and I'd rather you call me Annie. It's been a lonely one since my daughter left me a month ago. It's not easy finding a good housekeeper though, so I'll take care of it myself Do it. It's just Ludy and I to take care of here, we have no children. I hope you'd like to live with us, Meggie."

"I'm sure it will, Müller--Mrs. Anne." "I'll show you your room. Can you handle this box? I'm afraid I'm not very good at carrying things." Like the rest of the house, it was modestly furnished, but it was the only room in the house that had a view unobstructed by the windbreak.This room shares a verandah with the living room.The grounded living room, with its rattan furniture and lack of drapes and such fabrics, seemed empty to Meggie. "It's too hot to wear velvet or chintz here," Anne explained. "We only use rattan furniture, and wear as little as we can see. I'll have to teach you, or you won't live. You're wearing too much."

She herself was wearing a sleeveless blouse with a very low open collar and very short shorts, under which her poor twisted legs faltered.Before convincing Luke to buy her new clothes, Meggie had to ask Annie to borrow them, and she found similar ones in no time, and she had to explain that she had no money, which was a shame.However, such a humiliation could at least relieve her from the dilemma of not wearing short clothes. "Well, you must look better in my shorts than I do," said Annie.She continued to deliver her breezy grand discourse.The road will get you firewood, you don't need to chop or drag the firewood up the steps yourself.I wish we could have electric stoves like those around Denny; the government is so slow.Maybe the wires will reach Hammerhawk next year, but until then I'm afraid I'll have to use this horrible old stove.But you wait, Meggie!As long as they provide electricity, we have electric stoves, electric lights and refrigerators. "

①The abbreviation of Dunloe--Annotation "I'm used to living without these things." "Yes. But where you come from, it's dry in the heat. It's much worse here, and I'm only afraid your health will suffer. It's often the case with women who were not born here and moved here; blood Some influences. You know, our place is on the same latitude as Bombay in the south and Rangoon in the north; no man or beast can acclimate to this place except by native birth." She smiled. "Oh, it's great to have you here! You and I are going to have a great time! Do you like to read? Rudy and I are bookworms."

Meggie's face lit up. "Oh, I love reading!" "Wonderful! You'll be so content that you won't miss your beautiful husband." Meggie didn't answer.Miss Luke?Is he good looking?She thought she would be very happy if she never saw him again.In addition to him being her husband, the law stipulates that she must live with him.She had entered into this life willingly, and had no one to blame but herself.Maybe, when you earn enough money.The West Queensland ranch became a reality, and it was time for Luke to live with her, set up a family.Get to know each other and respect each other as guests.

He's not a bad guy, or doesn't seem like a bad guy, it's just that he's been single for a long time and doesn't know how to live with another person.He was a simple-minded man, relentlessly pursuing a single goal.Never back.What he wants is a concrete thing, even if it is a dream; through unremitting efforts and hard sacrifices, he will definitely get real rewards.For that, people have to respect him.She never thought for a moment that he would spend money to make her live in luxury and comfort, and he meant what he said.Money will stay in the bank. The trouble is, he doesn't have time.Also unwilling to understand a woman.He didn't seem to know that women were different, wanting what he didn't need just as much as she didn't need what he needed.Oh, this could be bad.He would have put her to work perhaps more ruthlessly and less thoughtfully than Anne Mueller.On this mountaintop, she would not suffer any harm.Oh, but it's so different here from Drogheda!

When they had finished their tour of the house, they stood together on the verandah of the living room, looking out at Hemmelhawk.The thought just now came to my mind suddenly.The large area of ​​sugarcane cannot be called a paddock, because it is small in scope and can be seen at a glance, swaying with the wind, flourishing, shining continuously, showing the emerald green washed by the rain.The sugar-cane fields meandered along a long slope to the banks of a great, jungle-like river, much wider than the Barwin.Beyond the river, sugarcane fields reappeared, an unpleasant mix of green and purple cane stalks, well-cultivated fields on one side reaching the foot of a mountain, and then a jungle.In the distance, behind this mountain, there are other mountain peaks, showing lavender in the distance. The blue sky is more magnificent and far-reaching than Kiri, and there are clusters of thick clouds drifting across. The whole tone is full of vitality and very warm. .

"That's Bartley Freer," said Anne, pointing to the solitary peak. "6,000 feet above sea level. They say it's rich in tin, but it can't be mined because of the thick jungle." With the stifling, slow blowing wind came a strong, sickening stench that Meggie's sense of smell hadn't been idle since she got off the train.This smell is like a smell of decay, but it is not exactly like it, with an unbearable sweet smell, pervading everywhere, almost palpable, no matter how hard the wind blows, it seems that it can't make this smell The odor is reduced. "You're smelling molasses," said Annie, noticing Meggie's nose moving.She lit a machine-made Adez cigarette.

"It smells disgusting." "I know, that's why I smoke. At some point, though, you get used to it, though most of the smell never goes away. Day after day, it's always molasses here." "What's that building with the black chimney by the river?" "That's the factory. That's the processing of sugarcane into raw sugar. What's left, the dry residue with the sugar left over, is called bagasse. The raw sugar and bagasse are sent south to Sydney for further purification. From From raw sugar they extract molasses, molasses, brown sugar, white sugar, golden juice, and running glucose. Bagasse is used to make building fiberboard like maisonette. Nothing goes to waste, not a bit It would be wasted. That's why growing sugar cane is still such a lucrative business in this recession." ① This is a trade name for a fiberboard used as an insulator. -- Annotation At 6-foot-2, Arne Swainson was as tall as Luke and just as handsome.His naked body, dark brown from year-round exposure to the sun, was covered in thick, blond curls; the fine Swedish features matched Luke's so well that it was easy to see How much Scandinavian blood runs in the veins of the Scots and Irish. Luke had already shed his chaps and white shirt and put on shorts.He and Arne boarded an old wheezing Model T utility truck and set off for the gang who were cutting sugar cane near Gondy.The thrift store bike he had with him was on the carriage with his case.He longed to get to work. ①The abbreviation of Gong's Vidi. -- Annotation Those people had been cutting sugarcane since early in the morning, and when Luke followed Arne in the direction of the shed, they didn't even look up.The overalls worn when cutting sugarcane are shorts, boots, thick wool socks and a canvas cap.Luke narrowed his eyes, staring at those who were toiling.It was a strange sight.They were black with grime from head to toe, sweat streaked pink on their chests, swollen arms and backs. "It's the soot and manure on the cane," Arne explained. "Before harvesting, we have to burn the cane." He stooped to pick up two tools, one for Luke, and one for himself. "It's a cane knife," he said, holding up his machete. "He cuts sugar cane with this. It's easy to do if you know how to use it." He grinned and demonstrated, making the knife seem much easier to use than it seemed. Luke looked at the dull thing in his hand, which was very different from the West Indian sugar cane machete.Instead of tapering into a point, it widens into a large triangle; it has two bladed ends, one of which has a repulsive hook, like a rooster's hind paw. "West Indian machetes are too small for North Queensland sugarcane," Arne said, stopping his demonstration. "You'll find that it's a usable guy, and good luck keeping it sharp." He made his way to his section, leaving Luke standing there indecisively for a moment.Then he shrugged his shoulders and got to work.In a few minutes he understood why they let it be used by slaves and people who were too simple-minded to know that there were other, easier ways of earning a living; Sexual humor thought.Bending, chopping, straightening, holding on to the unmanageable, top-heavy bundle of cane, pulling it head-up, chopping off the leaves, methodically stacking it, and cutting another bunch of cane stalks .Bend over, chop, split the leaf, put it on that piece... Many poisonous vermin grow with the cane: rats, bandicoots, cockroaches, toads, spiders, mosquitoes, wasps, flies and bees.There are all kinds of things that bite and sting.Therefore, the sugarcane workers have to burn the sugarcane first, preferring to trample the green and vibrant sugarcane dregs, and be dirty by the burnt crops while working.Even so, they were bitten, stung, and cut.If Luke hadn't been wearing a pair of boots, his feet would be worse than his hands.But none of the cane workers wore gloves.Gloves slow you down, and time is money in this business.Also, gloves are too feminine. At sunset, Arne called the work to a close and came over to see how Luke was doing. "Hey, buddy!" he yelled, patting Luke on the back. "Five tons, not bad for the first day!" The way back to the shed was not far, but the tropical night came so quickly, and when they got to the shed, it was already dark. Before entering the shed, they stripped naked, took a shower together, and then wrapped their towels around Around the waist, they entered the work shed in groups.No matter which sugarcane worker is on duty this week, and no matter what kind of food he is good at, the food on the table is already full.Today it was steak, potatoes, warm bread and pudding rolls with jam.The men swarmed up and devoured the last crumbs greedily. Along the longhouses of corrugated iron, there are two rows of iron beds facing each other; these people curse the sugar cane and sigh in a fancy way of saying that even a cattle driver will praise.Naked, they fell heavily on the unbleached sheets, pulled the mosquito nets from the iron rings, and soon fell asleep.Under the gauze tent, lay a vague figure. Arne called Luke down. "Let me see your hands." He inspected the bloody cuts, blisters, and stings. "Put bluebells first and then this ointment. If you take my advice, you'll rub your hands and body with coconut oil every night. You're born with big hands, so if your back can take it You'll be a good sugarcane worker at this kind of work. You'll be able to work it out in a week, and it won't hurt so much." Every muscle in Luke's muscular body ached in varying degrees: he felt nothing but crucifixion pain all over his body.Both hands were smeared with ointment, wrapped up, and stretched out on the bed allotted to him.He pulled down the mosquito net and closed his eyes in the ground surrounded by suffocating little holes.He had imagined what he would inevitably have to endure, and he would never want to waste his essence on Meggie; deep in his mind.She had become a withered, superfluous, unwelcome figure, sidelined; he knew he would do nothing for her while he was cutting the cane. Just as prophesied, he came out after a week of tempering and met Arne's highest requirement for this group of people, with a daily harvest of 8 tons.Afterwards, he was determined to overtake Arne.He wanted the lion's share of the money, and perhaps a partner.But what he most wanted to see was Arne's demeanor when instructing him as he did to everyone else.Arne was a bit of a genius, he was the best sugarcane worker in Queensland, which probably meant he was the best sugarcane worker in the world.When they went into town on Saturday night, the local men were endlessly buying Arne rum and beer, and the local women thronged around him like a flock of hummingbirds.There are many similarities between Arne and Luke.They are both vain and flattered by women's praise and admiration, but that's about it.They gave those women nothing, they gave everything to sugar cane. For Luke, the job had a wonderful yet painful feeling, as if he'd been waiting for it all his life.In this kind of work that is beyond the reach of ordinary human beings, the rhythm with religious rituals and bending, straightening, and bending again have a certain mysterious meaning.To be able to do this kind of work, he thought, watching Arne demonstrate it to him, would make him a leader among the finest ranks of manual laborers in the world; he could be proud of himself wherever he went, Because he knew that almost all the people he met couldn't bear to work in the sugarcane field for a day.The King of England was no better than he, and would have been full of praise for him if he had known him.He could look upon doctors, lawyers, pen-players, and bosses with pity and contempt.White people hungry for money have to cut the sugar cane - and it's a great cause. He is willing to sit on the edge of the iron bed, savoring the soreness and swelling of the protruding muscles on his arms, looking at the palms covered with calluses and scars, and the brown and graceful legs.he laughed.A man who can do it, a man who not only can take it but loves it, is really a man.He wondered if the King of England could understand this. It was four weeks before Meggie saw Luke.Every Sunday she dusted her sticky nose with powder, put on a pretty silk dress--though she no longer suffered from long shirts and trousers--and waited. her husband.And he never came.Annie and Ludy Muller said nothing.Every Sunday, when night fell suddenly, like a curtain falling suddenly on a brightly lit and empty stage, they could only watch her joy slowly build up.Not because she needed him, exactly, but because he was hers, or she was his, whichever was most appropriate.Think about it, when she was waiting for him day after day, week after week, and caring about him all the time, he didn't think of her.Thinking of this, one can't help being filled with anger, frustration, bitterness, shame and sadness.She was disgusted, as was the two nights at Denny's Inn.It was at least the first time she was with him then; now, she finds herself actually wishing she had bitten her tongue off instead of screaming in pain.Of course, that was the way it was, and the way she suffered bored him with her and spoiled his pleasure.She had been angry with him for his indifference to her pain, but now she regretted it, and in the end she felt it was all her own fault. On the fourth Sunday, she made no effort to dress up, just walked around the kitchen barefoot in shorts and a sweater, and made Ludy and Annie a hot breakfast; Food out of step with the weather.She turned away from the sizzling pan of bacon when footsteps sounded on the back steps; for a moment she just stared blankly at the tall, hairy man standing in the doorway.Luke?is this lukeIt was as if he was carved out of rock, not a human being.But the statue crossed the kitchen, smacked her, and sat down on the table.She cracked eggs into the pan and added slices of bacon. Anne Muller came in, smiling modestly, but angry with him in her heart.What's wrong with this bad boy, leaving his new wife aside for so long? "I'm so glad to see you remember that you had a wife," she said. "Go out on the porch and sit down with Ludy and me and have breakfast. Luke, help Meggie with the bacon and eggs. I can manage to get the bread stand out with my teeth." Ludwig Müller was born in Australia, but he has obvious German heritage: due to the inevitable beer drinking and sun exposure, the skin is thick and red; the square face, a head of white hair, light blue Baltic eyes.He and his wife liked Meggie very much and were lucky to have her serving them.Ludy, especially, was pleased to see that Anne was happier than ever since the girl's blond hair flashed in the house. " "How about cutting cane, Luke?" he asked as he poured eggs and bacon onto his plate. "Would you believe me if I said I liked the job?" Luke laughed, pouring a good deal of food onto his plate. Lu Di's shrewd eyes stopped on that pretty face, and he nodded. "Well, believe me. I think you have the right temperament and body. This job makes you feel stronger than other men, can outperform them." Although Lu Di was chained to the sugar cane field he inherited, far from academic He was out of the world and had no chance of socializing with other people, but he was an avid researcher of human character.He had read many tomes bound in parchment with names like Freud, Jung, Huxley, and Russell printed on the spine. ① Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), Austrian psychiatrist, founded psychoanalysis. -- Annotation ② Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961), Swiss psychologist, founder of analytical psychology. -- Annotation ③Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895); a famous British biologist. -- Annotation ④ Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), British philosopher, mathematician, logician. -- Annotation "I'm beginning to think that you're not going to see Meggie at all," said Anne.With a brush, she spread a little ghee on the toast.It's the only way they have cream in this place, but it's better than nothing. "Well, Arne and I have settled for a bit of work on Sunday too. We're going to Ingham to-morrow." "That means poor Meggie won't see you very often." "Meggie understands. It won't last more than two or three years, and we're going to be out for the summer. By then, Arne says, he can get me a job at the Colonial Sugar Company in Sydney, I might take Meggie with me." "Luke, why do you have to work so hard?" Annie asked. "I'm saving up to buy a property near Keanunah in the west. Didn't Meg mention it?" "I'm afraid our Meggie isn't very good at talking personal things, so tell us, Luke." The three listeners sat watching him, the brown, resolute faces glowing, the blue eyes sparkling; and since he had arrived before breakfast, Meggie had spoken to none of them.He talked endlessly of the wondrous country of the Borders, of the plains, of the great gray birds that sauntered gracefully over the dust on Keanuna's only road, of the thousands of galloping kangaroos, Hot and dry sun. "Soon, a large piece of land in that place will be my property one day. Meg has put some money into it, and the rest of the space we won't have to work on for four or five years. If It wouldn't be sooner if I was content with getting a barren piece of land, but since I've seen how much money can be made cutting sugar cane, I'm tempted to spend some time cutting and get a real decent piece of land. Land." He leaned forward, holding his teacup in a large, scarred hand. "Did you know? One day I almost surpassed Arne's record. In one day, I cut 11 tons!" Rudy whistled in admiration, and they began to discuss various records of cutting sugar cane.Meggie sipped her cup of strong black coffee.Oh Luke!At first, it took two or three years, and now it has been four or five years. Who knows how many years it will be when he mentions this period of time next time.Luke loved the job, no one could misunderstand that.So, when that time comes, will he give up?For this reason, can she sit and wait to find out the truth?The Muellers were very good-natured, and she was far from overworked.But if she had to live with her husband, Drogheda was the ideal place.During her month's stay at Hammerhawk, she never really felt better for a single day; she didn't want to eat, and she was plagued by bouts of painful diarrhea that seemed to be haunted by narcolepsy.Not used to anything but the tastiest.A vague discomfort frightened her. After breakfast, Luke helped her with the dishes, then took her on a tour of the nearest sugarcane field.He went on and on about cane, how it was harvested, and how good it was to work in the open field; what kind of fellows Arne's gang were; Much better than shearing. They turned back and climbed the hill again.Luke led her into a cool hole between the two pillars at the bottom of the house. Anne built a greenhouse outside the hole, erected some terracotta pipes of different lengths and thicknesses, and filled the pipes with soil. Plant some creeping, overhanging things.There were orchids of every color, algae, exotic creepers and bushes, the ground was soft and smelled of sawdust; wire baskets filled with ferns hung from joists overhead , orchids, or moonflowers; the sunshade kudzu growing from the cracks in the bark covered the foundation piles; a group of colorful and colorful begonias was planted at the bottom of these pipes.Meggie liked being invisible here.It was the only thing in Haymelduck that she liked more than Drogheda.Drogheda had no hope of growing so much in such a small area, simply because there was not enough humidity in the air. "Is this place lovely, Luke? Maybe you think you can rent me a place to live in after two or three years here? I long to have a place like this for myself." "Why would you want to live in a house by yourself? This isn't Gilly, Meg; it's not a safe place for a woman to live alone. You're much better off here, believe me. Aren't you happy here?" "I think that's what the joy of living in someone else's home is all about." "Well, Meg, before we go West, you must be satisfied with where you are. We can't save money by renting a house and letting you live in leisure. Do you hear me?" "Got it, Luke." He was terribly annoyed that when he took her under the house he didn't do what he wanted to do, which was to kiss her.He just casually slapped her on the butt a few times, which didn't do her much harm.Then he walked down the road to the tree where his bicycle was parked.He would rather pedal 20 miles to see her than pay for a rail-road train, or a bus; that is, he would have to pedal 20 miles back. "Poor little fellow!" said Annie to Ludy. "I really wish I could kill him to relieve my hatred!" January came and went, the slowest month of the year for the cane harvesters, but Luke had no need to worry.He had once whispered to Meggie that he was going to take her to Sydney, but instead he didn't take her and went to Sydney with Arne.Arne is a bachelor with an aunt on Rosier Street who owns a house within walking distance of the Colonial Sugar Company (no trolley fare, saves money.) That fort-like building on top of the hill A well-connected sugarcane worker could find work within the high concrete walls of the property.Luke and Arne trim sugar bags there and spend their free time swimming or surfboarding. Meggie, who stayed at Dunloe with the Muellers, toiled through the monsoons all through the rainy season.The dry season runs from March to November, but it's not that dry in this part of the continent.However, compared to the rainy season, you can finally see Landa.During the rainy season, there is always rain in the sky, not all day long, but stop and go.When the rainstorm is intermittent, the earth evaporates water vapor. From the sugarcane fields, from the soil, from the dense forest, and from the high mountains, white water vapor rises in continuous and winding circles. As time passed, Meggie became more and more homesick.She now understands that North Queensland will never be her home.To take one example, she was totally unaccustomed to the tropics, probably because she had spent most of her life in arid regions.She hated this lonely life, this life without friends, this cold feeling.She loathes this life of insects and amphibians plentiful, tormented every night by gigantic toads, tarantulas, cockroaches, and rats, and seems unable to drive them out of the house no matter what.She is terrified of them.They are so big, so presumptuous, and so hungry.The thing she hated the most was "Dunnie", which was not only the local name for the toilet, but also a nickname for the place name of Dunloe.The local common people took great pleasure in the title and used it endlessly as a double entendre.But Denny's "Dunney" is a distasteful thing to say about a hole in the ground in this hot climate, with people getting typhoid and enteritis.Denny's "Dunnie" either dug a hole in the ground, or kept a tarred little stinking iron bucket that, when full, spawned a disgusting maggot and parasite.This kind of iron bucket is removed once a week and replaced with an empty bucket, but once a week is not enough. Meggie resented the nonchalant acceptance of this sort of thing by casual locals; living in North Queensland hadn't made her comfortable with it.Yet she thought sadly that she might be here for the rest of her life, or at least until Luke was too old for him.As much as she longed to dream of Drogheda, her pride was equally strong.It made it impossible for her to admit to her family that her husband ignored her; she told herself very sadly that admitting this would be tantamount to admitting to a life sentence. The months passed, and then the year came to an end, and time flies, and it is almost the end of the second year.It was only because of the unremitting love of the Muellers that Meggie settled down in Hemierhock, and that Didu was able to overcome this dilemma.She had written to Bob asking how life was going at home.And asked him to call back to answer.But poor Meggie couldn't tell the family straight up about how Luke had left her with nothing.The day she told them this was the day she would leave Luke, never to return to him.However, she has not yet made up her mind to take this move.All of these things intertwine to keep her from leaving Luke, namely: the threat of a marriage vow, the prospect of perhaps having a child someday, Luke's status as husband and master of her destiny, and something that comes out of her personality. Her nature: that stubborn, unyielding self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, thinking that the formation of this situation is no less than Luke's fault.If she hadn't been at fault for something, perhaps Luke's behavior would have been very different. One has seen him six times in her 18-month uprooted life.She used to think--she didn't realize that such things smacked of homosexuality--that Luke was supposed to marry Arne, because he undoubtedly lived with Arne and liked his mates better.They entered into full-fledged partnerships and wandered up and down a thousand miles of coast looking for work harvesting sugar cane, as if life consisted of work.When Luke came to visit her, he didn't intend any frivolity at all, just sat around with Ludy and Annie and gossiped for an hour or two, took his wife for a walk, and gave her a sign After a friendly kiss, he turned around and left again. The three of them, Ludy, Anne, and Meggie, spent all their spare time reading.Halehawke had a much larger library, a much wider range of books, and a much wider range of things about men and women than the few shelves in Drogheda.When Meggie was studying, she learned a lot. One Sunday in June 1936, Luke returned with Arne.They are beaming.To really please Meggie, they said, they were going to take her to an informal party. 澳大利亚总的发展趋势是使各个种族集团渐趋分散，使之成为纯粹的澳大利亚人，但住在北昆士兰半岛的各个不同的民族却不愿顺乎这个大趋势，他们强烈地倾向于保留自己的传统；这个半岛人口的大多数是由这四种人组成的：中国人，意大利人，德国人和苏格兰-爱尔兰人。当苏格兰人举行集会的时候，数英里之内的每一个苏格兰人都要赶来参加的。 让梅吉大吃一惊的是，卢克和阿恩穿上了褶迭短裙①。她摒着呼吸，一边看，一边心里想，这服装简直是太漂亮了。具有男子气的男人没有比穿褶迭短裙更富于男子气概了。当迈开匀称的大步走起来时，短裙就摆动起来。身后的折褶频频波动，而前面的紧身褡却一动不动；前面的毛皮袋护着腰，在齐膝的折边下，那健壮优美的腿上穿着钻石格的紧身长袜和带扣的鞋。天气太热，无法穿方格花呢披衣和短上衣；他们穿起了白衬衫，前面乍敞到胸膛，袖子挽到肘弯之上。 ①这是苏格兰高地的男子和苏格兰兵团的士兵穿的一种服装，通常是用格子呢做成的。 -- Annotation "说来说去，这是一个什么集会啊？"等他们打扮停当，她便问道。 "是盖尔人的集会，一次盛大的社交聚会。" "你们为什么要穿上褶迭短裙呢？" "除非这样，不然不让我们进去的，我们太熟悉布里斯班和凯恩斯之间的这种聚会了。" "是吗？我以为你们一定是不常去这种聚会的，此外，我也不明白卢克怎么舍得买一件短裙。不是这样吗，阿恩？" "一个男人必须得有某些娱乐才成。"卢克有点儿招架不住地说道。 聚会是在一间象谷仓似的棚屋里举行的。这棚屋已经歪歪斜斜、摇摇欲坠了，它坐落在邓洛伊河口附近的一片稀烂的红树沼泽地上。哦，这是什么样的一片杂味扑鼻的乡村啊！梅吉绝望地想道。她抽动着鼻子，然而，又飘来了一股说不出来的、令人作呕的气味。这里有糖浆味、霉味、"邓尼"味，现在又是一股红树味。所有这睦海滨的腐臭气全都混成了一种味儿。 果然不假，每一个到棚屋来的男人都穿着短裙；当他们走进来的时候，梅吉四下看着；她理解到，当雌孔雀目瞪口呆地望着它那生气勃勃、华丽绚烂的配偶时，自己该是多么寒碜，女人们相形大为失色，几乎近于不存在。晚会随后的几项进程只能使人觉得这种对比更加鲜明。 在大屋的一端，有一个摇摇晃晃的台子，上面站着两名穿着图案复杂、淡蓝底色安德森花格呢的风笛手，吹奏着一曲亲切的苏格兰双人舞曲，与舞步十分吻合。他们那黄里带红的头发竖了起来，涨红的脸上，汗如雨下。 只有少数几对舞伴在跳舞，会场的中心似乎是在那些笑语喧声、传杯递盏地酣饮着地道的苏格兰威士忌酒的男人那里。梅吉和几个女人缩在一个角落里，觉得这样神魂颠倒地看着，就心满意足了。滴有一个女人穿办格兰高地民族的格子呢衣服，因为苏格兰妇女确实是不穿这种短裙的，她们只被花呢披衣。天气太热，她们无法在肩头披上这种又厚又大的料子。于是，女人们便邋邋遢遢地穿着北昆士兰州的棉布衣服，在男人在短裙面前，这种衣服显得皱皱巴巴，无精打彩，只得退避三舍了。这里有盂西斯部族那耀眼的红色和白色，麦克利奥德邻族那个人为之神爽的黑色和黄色，斯坎尼部族那种像玻璃格窗似的蓝色和红色织物，有奥基尔盛部族那生动活泼的复杂图案，有麦克弗森部族那可爱的红色、灰色和黑色。卢克穿的是一套麦克尼尔部族的服装，阿恩穿是的苏格兰地居民的那种詹姆士一世时期的格子花呢服装。真是美不胜收！ 卢克和阿恩对此显然非常熟悉，而且甚得其乐。那么，他们经常是不带着她到这儿来了？是什么使他们想到今晚带她来呢？她叹了一口气，靠在墙上。其他的女人莫名其妙地望着她，尤其注意她手指上套着的结婚戒指。卢克和阵思成了女人们赞赏的对象，而她成了女人们嫉妒的对象。倘若我告诉她们，"那黑黑的高个子是我的丈夫，在过去的八个月中只看望了我两次，看我的时候，根本就没有想到要同床睡觉，不知道她们会说些什么？人们望着他们俩，这一对服饰花哨的苏格兰高地的花花公子！他们俩口音中没有线毫苏格兰方言，只是装腔作势，因为他们知道他穿上短裙之后显得十分动人，而且他们乐意成为人所注目的中心。你们这一对衣冠鲜明的骗子！你们太热衷于自己想得到的东西，太需要来自其他任何人的爱了。 半夜时分，女人们默默地沿墙站着，风笛手们嘹呖地吹起了"开伯·费德"舞曲，狂热的跳舞开始了。在梅吉后来的生活中，不管什么时候听到风笛声，都会使她回想起这间棚屋。甚至连那转动的短裙也能使人长相思。这声音和情景，充满朝气的生活和活力，象在梦中似地搅成了一团，也就是说这是一种如此沁人心脾的、如此令人神迷心醉的记忆，这记忆将永远不会消失。 那些穿着麦克多纳德部族的斯利特短裙的男人在地板上跳起了对剑舞。他们把胳臂高举过头，双手象芭蕾舞演员那样轻拂着，显得十分危险。就好象那剑最终会刺进他们的胸膛似的，他们在刀光剑影之间往来穿梭。 一声又高又尖的喊声压过发轻盈颤抖的风笛声，两把长剑架了起来，屋里所有的男人都旋转着跳起舞来，胳臂忽而挽起，忽而松开，短裙张开了。他们跳着苏格兰双人舞，斯特拉斯贝舞①，福令舞②大伙全部在跳着，脚踏在木板地上的声音在椽间回响着，鞋上的扣带闪着光，每次变换队形时，总有人一仰脑袋，发出那种尖叫。这种大叫大嚷，引得其他人了亮开兴高采烈的嗓门叫喊起来。与此同时，女人们则观看着，忘记了一切。 ①一种苏格兰舞蹈。 -- Annotation ②苏格兰高地流行的一种奔放的舞蹈。 -- Annotation 拉近凌晨4点钟的时候，聚会散伙了。棚外并不是一派严寒的布莱尔·阿多尔①或斯凯岛②，而是热带之夜的浓烈的空气，星光闪烁的空临的穹窿中挂着一轮昏黄的大月亮，空气里弥漫着瘴气和红树的恶臭。然而，当阿恩驾着那辆气喘如牛的老福特汽车离开时，梅吉最后听到是逐渐远去的悲哀的歌曲《森林里的鲜花》。人们用这支歌送狂欢者们回家、家？家在哪里啊？ ①苏格兰地名。 -- Annotation ②苏格兰地名。 -- Annotation "喂，你喜欢这个聚会吗？"卢克问道。 "要是我也跳舞的话，就更喜欢了。"她答道。 "什么，在这种聚会上？算了吧。梅格！只有男人们才被认为能跳舞，所以，要是让你们跳舞的话，那么我们对你们女人就太好了。" "在我看来，似乎只有男人可能做许多事情，尤其是好事或享乐的事。" "哦，原谅我！"卢克硬邦邦地说道。"我所想的。是你也许愿稍微改换一下生活，这就是我为什么要带你来的缘故，你要知道，我不是非带你来不可的！要是你不快活的话，我不会再带你来了。" "不管怎么说，也许你没有任何这样做的打算，"梅吉说。"把我带进你的生活并不是一件好事。刚才那几个小时中，我明白了许多东西。但是，我认为人并不打算把这些东西教给我。卢克，要想唬弄我更难了。事实上，我对你，对我所过的日子，对一切，已经厌倦了！" "嘘--"他感到震惊地嘘着。"我们不能索居独处！" "那就开始索居独处！"她怒气冲冲地顶道。"我什么时候能有机会单独和你多呆一会儿呢？" 阿恩在黑米尔霍克山脚下停下了汽车，同情地对卢克咧嘴一笑。"去吧，老弟。"他说。"和她一块儿上去，我在这儿等你。别急。" "我就是这个意思，卢克！"他们一走到阿恩听不到的地方，梅吉便说道。"逼人太甚，兔子也会蹬两脚的，你听见了吗？我知道，我答应过要服从你，可你也答应过爱我，保护我，所以咱们俩都是说谎者！我想回家，回德罗海达去！" 他想到了她那一年2000镑的进项，以及这笔钱将不会挂在他的名下了。 "哦，梅格！"他无计可施地说道。"喂，心上人儿，我保证，不会永远这样的！今年夏天我带你一块儿到悉尼去，奥尼尔说一句顶一句！阿恩姑妈的房子里有一个套间空闲着，咱们可以在那里住三个月，愉快地度一段时光！忍耐，忍耐，让我在甘蔗地再干上年把，然后咱们就买下自己的产业，安家立业，嗯？" 日光照在他的脸上；他看上去显得很诚恳，心烦意乱，焦急如焚，追悔莫及。和拉尔夫·德尔里克萨特十分相象。 梅吉缓和了下来，因为她仍然想得到他的孩子。"好吧，"她说。"再等一年。可是，我可记着你带我去悉尼的诺言呢，卢克，记住！"