Chapter 19 Chapter Twelve (Part 1)

Every month Meggie dutifully wrote a letter to Fee, Bob, and the rest of the brothers, all about North Queensland, discreetly and with a good sense of humour, without revealing anything about her and Luke. Discord.This is also a kind of self-esteem.All that Drogheda learned was that the Muellers were friends of Luke's, and she was boarding with him because Luke was working a lot.When she wrote about the couple, she read with genuine love for them, so no one in Drogheda had much to worry about, except that they were quite sad that she never came home to see them.Yet how could she tell them how miserable it was that she had no money to visit the house and was married to Luke O'Neill?

Now and then she mustered up the courage to put in a sentence or two and ask casually about Father Ralph, and Bob rarely remembered to write down what little he had heard about the Bishop from Fee.So, there will be a letter that talks about him throughout. "He came one day out of the blue, Meggie," Bob's letter read. "He looked a little distraught and downcast. I must say he was upset because he didn't see you here. He Going crazy because we didn't tell him about you and Luke. But when mom said you'd be thinking about it and didn't want us to tell him, he shut up and didn't say a word I did. But I think he misses you more than any of us. But I think it's only natural because you spend more time with him than we do. I think he always sees you as His little sister. He was walking up and down as if he couldn't believe you were gone all of a sudden, poor chap. We didn't show him any pictures either, it's ridiculous that you didn't take any wedding pictures at all; until asked I hadn't noticed it at all until I looked at the picture. He asked if you had any children. I said I don't think so. You have no children, Meggie? How long has it been since you were married? It's been two years, right? It must be, because it's July now. Time flies, isn't it? I hope you'll have some kids soon, because I think the bishop will be happy to hear that. I offer to Give him your address and he says no, and that it's no use giving him an address, because he's going to Athens, Greece, for a while, with the archbishop he works for. The archbishop's name is some Dago ①'s name, I've never been able to remember. Can you imagine, Meggie, that they flew there? It's absolutely true! Anyway, as soon as he finds out you're not with him on Drogheda, he'll He stayed for a short time, just rode a horse or two, and said mass for us every day. He left after 6 days here."

① A derogatory term for a light-skinned Italian, or a Spanish, Portuguese, etc. -- Annotation Meggie put the letter down.He got it, he got it!He finally knows.What would he think?How sad would he feel?Why did he force her to do this?This doesn't make things any better.She didn't love Luke and never would love Luke.He was nothing but a stand-in, a man who would give her children very similar in appearance to the children she would have had with Ralph de Bricassart.Ah, God, what a mess. Di Contini-Verches preferred to live in a secular hotel than in the rooms provided for him by the Athenian Orthodox mansion.Sometimes, his mission is very subtle.Discussions with the prelates of the Greek Orthodox Church are long overdue, and the Holy See has a preference for the Greek Orthodox and the Russian Orthodox that is impossible for Protestants.The Orthodox Churches are, after all, schisms, not paganism; their bishops, like those of Rome, can be traced uninterruptedly to St. Peter. …

① One of the twelve disciples of Jesus, see "The Bible Book of Peter". -- Annotation The archbishop knew that the mission assigned to him was a diplomatic test, laying the groundwork for greater affairs in Rome.Once again his gift for languages ​​pays dividends, as his fluent Greek balances his favorability.They flew him all the way back to Australia. It would be inconceivable that he could do without Father de Bricassart.Over the years he had come to rely more and more on that amazing man.This man is Mazarin, a real Mazarin; His Excellency the Archbishop admires Cardinal Mazarin far more than Cardinal Richelieu, so the contrast is a matter of great honor .His theology tended to be conservative, as did his morals; his mind was quick and sharp.There's no telling what's on his mind from his face, and he has a knack for pleasing the people he's with, whether he likes them or hates them, agrees with them or disagrees with them .He is not a sycophant, but a diplomat.If someone regularly brought him to the attention of those in the Vatican hierarchy, his rise to popularity could be expected.This will please Monsieur di Contini-Verches, who does not want to lose touch with de Bricassart.

It was hot, but Father Ralph didn't mind the dry Athens air after the Sydney temperature.In his usual boots, breeches, and cassock, he trotted up the stone-faced ramp to the Acropolis, past the frowning Properon, past Nerexum, down the slippery sloping Stone steps ascended to the Parthenon, and descended to the far wall. ①In the old Greek capital. -- Annotation ②A temple dedicated to the goddess Athena. -- Annotation The wind ruffled his frosty black curls at the temples, and he stood looking across the white city at the lush hills and the clear blue-green Aegean Sea.Directly below him lay the Plaka with its café roofs and bohemian quarters, with a side view of a rock amphitheater.In the distance, there are Roman columns, Crusader fortresses and Venetian castles, but there are no traces left by the Turks at all.What fascinating people these Greeks were.They hated so much the people who had ruled them for 700 years that once they were free, not a single mosque or a minaret remained.It is so old and full of rich heritage.When Dericistine covered these cornerstones with marble, when Rome was already a village, the Normans were still blood-drinking barbarians.

Only now, twenty thousand miles away, could he think of Meggie without crying.Even so, before he had time to control his emotions, the mountains in the distance were blurred for a moment.Since he asked her to do this, how could he blame her?He understood at once why she was determined not to tell him, she didn't want him to meet her new husband, or make him a part of her new life.Of course, it had been in his mind that whoever she married, if she didn't live with that person on Drogheda, she would live in Gillanbo and continue to live where he could be safe with her; Concerned, there is no danger.But now, once he thinks about it, he understands that this is her ultimate wish.Yes, she was planning to leave, and as long as she was with this Luke O'Neill, she would not come back.Bob said they were saving money and buying a property in West Queensland.The news was tantamount to a death knell.Meggie planned on never coming back.What worries him is that she wants to die there forever.

But are you happy?Meggie?Is he nice to you?Do you love this Luke O'Neal?What was he like that made you transfer your feelings from me to him?Is he just an ordinary shepherd that you actually like him more than Enoch Davis or Liam O'Rourke or Alastair McQueen?Is it because I don't know him so I can't make a comparison?Meggie, are you using this to torture me, to get revenge on me?But why don't you have children yet?That man roams around the state like a bum and lets you live with friends.What exactly is going on?No wonder you don't have kids, it's because he hasn't been with you very long.Meggie, why is that?Why are you marrying this Luke O'Neill?

① Greek politician, (before 495?--before 429). -- Annotation He turned around, walked down from the Acropolis, and walked on the busy streets of Athens.He wandered in the open-air market near Via Evlipido; here the crowds, the huge baskets of fish and vegetables that smelt in the sun, and the filigree slippers hanging there one by one stopped him.Women were teasing him, making shameless, naked flirtations with him, a cultural tradition far removed from his own Puritan upbringing.Their shameless admiration was so lustful (he could think of no better word for it) that it embarrassed him terribly; of.

The hotel is located next to Okinia Square, very luxurious and expensive.Archbishop di Contini-Verches was sitting brooding in a chair by the balcony window; when Bishop Ralph entered he turned his head and smiled. "Just in time, Ralph. I want to pray." "I suppose everything is in order? Is there any complication, sir?" "No such thing. Today I received a letter from Cardinal Montevodi, conveying the meaning of His Majesty the Pope." Bishop Ralph felt his shoulders tense, and the skin around his ears tingled for no apparent reason. "Please tell me."

"As soon as these talks are over--and they are over--we shall leave for Rome. There I shall be bestowed with a cardinal's bonnet and continue my work in Rome under the direct supervision of His Majesty the Pope. work." "and I?" "You will be the Archbishop de Brie and return to Australia to succeed me as papal legate." The aching skin around the ear became red and hot, and his head was dizzy with shock.He, a non-Italian, was honored by the papal legate!This is unheard of!Oh, but by it he would be Cardinal de Bricassart! "Of course, you will first be trained in Rome and given instructions. It will take six months, during which time I will be with you and introduce you to those friends of mine. I want them to know you, because I put Will come when you send to the Vatican to help me with my work, Ralph."

"Your Excellency, I have nothing to hate for you! This extraordinary opportunity is entirely dependent on your efforts." "Ralph, God has given me wisdom enough to see a man when he is low enough! Now, let us kneel and pray. God is very merciful." His rosary and prayer book lay on the table beside him, and Bishop Ralph reached for the rosary with a trembling hand, knocking the prayer book to the floor.The book opened when it was halfway down.The Archbishop, who was nearer to the book, picked it up and looked with wonder at a brown, gauzy thing that had once been a rose. "Brilliant! Why do you keep this? Is it a keepsake for your home, or your mother?" Those eyes, aware of all deceit and affectation, looked straight at him, and it was too late to hide. own feelings or fears. "No," he grimaced. "I don't want to honor my mother." "But it must mean so much to you that you've tucked it so lovingly among the pages of your most precious book. What does it say?" "A love as pure as I have for God, Vittorio, which will bring nothing but honor to this book." "I can deduce that, because I know you. But does this love endanger your devotion to the Church?" "No, for the sake of the Church, I reject her, and I will always reject her. I have left her a thousand miles away, and I will never return." "Well, I finally understand the sadness! Dear Ralph, it's not as bad as you think, really, it's not. You'll do a lot of good for a lot of people in your life, and you'll be hurt by a lot of people. The love of her heart. There are memories as old and fragrant as this flower in her heart, and she will never dream again. For you have kept your love in this rose." "I don't think she will understand at all." "Oh, yes. If you love her that much, she's like an understanding woman. Besides, you must forget her, and throw away this long-held keepsake." "There have been times when I've asked people to get off my mail van to see her, and I've stopped myself." The bishop rose leisurely from his chair, went to kneel beside his friend.This handsome man was one of the few whom he loved, except to whom God and the Church were inseparable. "You're not going to leave the church, Ralph, you know that. You belong to the church. You always have been. You always will be. This mission is a real mission for you. Now Let us pray, and for the rest of my life I will add the Rosary to my prayers. The merciful God has sent us many sorrows and pains as we move toward eternal life. We must learn to live with it, I endured as much as you." At the end of August, Meggie got a letter from Luke.It stated that he had been admitted to Townswell Hospital with Weill's disease, but that he was in no danger and would be discharged shortly. ①This is a kind of leptospirosis discovered by German doctor Adolf Weil. The symptoms are chills, fever, and muscle pain. -- Annotation "So it doesn't look like we'll have to wait until the end of the year for our holidays, Meg. I can't get back to working in the cane till I'm quite used to it, and I'm sure the best thing to do is to take a decent holiday. So Well, I'll go and take you in about a week or so. We'll go to Lake Ichaim on the Atherton Plateau for two or three weeks, till I'm strong enough to go back to work. Meggie couldn't believe it, didn't know if she would go with him, and now the opportunity offered itself.Although it takes much longer to heal the pain of the mind than the wounds of the body, the torment at Dunney's Inn during the secret moon has almost faded away, and she has lost the power to frighten her. Less books, now that she understands a lot, that time was largely due to her and Luke's ignorance.Oh good God, may this vacation bring a child!Annie wouldn't mind having a baby around, she liked it, and Ludy would too, they'd told her that hundreds of times, and hoped Luke would stay a little longer at least once to change his wife's attitude. A sterile, loveless way of life. They were delighted when she told them what the letter contained, but privately they were skeptical. "An egg is an egg after all, and that mean guy will find a reason not to take her," Anne said to Ludy. Luke borrowed a car from somewhere and picked Meggie up early in the morning, looking very thin, with a wrinkled and sallow face, as if he had fallen into trouble.Startled, Meggie handed him the box, climbed into the car, and sat next to him. "Luke, what's the matter with Will's disease? You say you're in no danger, but it looks to me like you're really sick." "Oh, it's just some kind of jaundice, and most of the cane workers get it sooner or later. It's caught by the rats in the cane fields, and a cut or an inflammation can catch us. I'm in good health, so I'm not too sick compared to other people with the disease. A quack says I'll be refreshed soon." They drove up into a wooded gorge, the road leading inland.There is a river below, the river roars and rolls, and somewhere on the upper right side of the oblique road, a very spectacular waterfall flies down, directly into the river.They drove through a wet, glistening archway between cliffs and waterfalls, where strange lights and phantoms flickered.The air got cooler the higher they climbed; it was so refreshing that Meggie ignored the feeling the refreshing cold air made her feel. The jungle slanted across their eyes, so dense that no one dared to go into it.The luxuriant vines climbed from one crown to another, tangled and twisted, boundless, like a huge piece of green velvet covering the forest, hanging down heavily, and the trunks were almost invisible.Under the shade, Meggie saw indistinctly the breathtaking flowers and butterflies; the great wheel-like web, with the beautiful, large, patch-like spider sitting motionless in the center: it was unbelievable. The fungus grows on the trunks covered with bitter medicine; the birds have long red or yellowish tail hairs. Lake Ichaim is on the top of the plateau, and the unspoilt scenery is pristine and pleasant. Before night fell, they walked to the Youlang in front of the boarding house and looked at the quiet lake.Meggie wanted to see those giant fruit-eating bats called flying foxes.They circled like vanguards of destruction, and thousands of them rushed down to the place where the food was found.They are monstrously large and repulsive, yet extremely timid and very gentle.Seeing them flying over the sky and covering the sky and covering the sky with their wings beating rhythmically in a dark mass is really a bit frightening.Meggie never missed watching them on the verandah at Blackmillhawk. It was such a joy.Lying in a soft, cool bed, you don't need to lie down in one place until it is soaked in sweat and then carefully change it to a new place. The old place will never dry out anyway.Luke took a small flat, brown package from his case, and from it took out a handful of small round things, and arranged them in a row by the table. Meggie reached for one and looked at it carefully. "What is this?" she asked inexplicably. "Condoms." He forgot about his decision not to tell her two years ago that he was using contraception. "I'll put it on myself before I get into your place. Otherwise, I might make a baby, and we can't afford it until we get our own." He was naked Sitting upright on the edge of the bed, he was very thin, with protruding ribs and patella.But his blue eyes were shining, and he reached out and took her hand that held the condom. "Come on, Meg, come on! I reckon for another five thousand pounds we'll be able to buy one of the finest estates west of Chartresburg." "Then you've got the money," she said in a very calm voice. "I can write to Father de Bricassart and ask him to lend us the money. He will not accuse us of our personal interests." "You mustn't do that!" he said angrily. "Go to hell with it, Meg, where's your pride? We're going to get what we have by working, not borrowing! I never owed anybody a penny in my life, and I don't now." Going to start this one." She barely listened to what he was saying, glaring at him through the dim red light.She had never been so angry in her life!Liars, liars, selfish people!How dare he do this to her, play tricks on her, keep her from having children, try to convince her it's because he wants to be a rancher!He would enjoy himself, with Arne Swainson and sugarcane. She suppressed her anger quietly, which surprised even her.She turned her attention to the little rubber band in her hand. "Tell me what these condoms are and how they're preventing me from having a baby." He came up and pressed against her, and their bodies pressed against each other, making her tremble; he thought it was excitement, she knew it was disgust. "Don't you know anything, Meg?" "Yes," she lied.In any case, it was true about the use of condoms; she couldn't recall seeing text mentioning them anywhere. His hands caressed her breasts, making her feel itchy. "Look, when I come, I shoot something - I don't know what - and if I get in there with nothing on, it stays in there. When it stays there When there is enough, or stays there, a child is formed." So, as expected!He put it on like a sausage with a membrane!Liar hand! He turned off the light, flung her on the bed, and without much effort, he fumbled into his pregnancy-prevention... The liar!But how can you outsmart him? Two years had passed since he had had the time and energy to do it.Oh, and with a woman it was wonderful, exciting, like eating forbidden fruit, and he didn't feel at all that he was married to Meg; It made no difference whether it was a little girl, or leaning against the wall of the shearing shed with cocky Miss Carmichael.Meggie's tits were so attractive.Her breasts looked so firm when she sat on him.He likes it that way, he wants to have fun with her tits... Aha, my good sir, I will punish you!Just wait and see, Luke O'Neill!Although it makes me miserable, I will have my baby! Luke recovered quickly from the heat and humidity of the coastal plain.He ate well and regained his weight to a level where he could return to his old job.His skin gradually changed from a sickly yellow to its old brown, and the lure of the eager, responsive Meggie on his sleeping bed persuaded him to extend his initial two-week vacation to three weeks, and then a fourth. Week, is not too difficult.But, towards the end of the month, he started to object. "No more excuses, Meg. I'm as strong as ever. We sit high on the top of the world and spend like kings and queens, but Arne needs me." "Luke, don't you want to reconsider? If you really want to, I can buy you the ranch right now." Of course, he didn't want to admit it, but the temptation of sugarcane to him, the strange hobby of some men who absolutely need to work, was already deeply rooted in him.As long as Luke still has that youthful power in him, he will remain loyal to the cane.The only thing Meggie could hope for was to force him to change his mind and give him a child, an heir to the estate around Keanunah So she went back to Hammerhawk, waiting and hoping.Come on, come on, come on, let's have a baby!A child will solve everything, what a joy it is to have a child, as it should be.When she told Annie and Ludy about it, they were overjoyed.Especially Lu Di -- he turned out to be a rare figure, and he actually made extremely exquisite children's clothes and embroidery, as well as two handicrafts.Meggie had never had time to master such a craft.So, Meggie and Anne tidyed up the nursery together while he turned the ornate fabric up and down in his impossibly hard hands. The only trouble was, the baby was not in the right position.Meggie didn't know if it was the heat, or her bad mood.Morning sickness in pregnant women continues throughout the day and goes on for a long time when the vomiting should stop.Although she was already underweight, she began to suffer from generalized edema, and the sphygmomanometer reached the point where Dr. Smith was concerned.At first he suggested that she should be admitted to hospital in Cairns for the remainder of her pregnancy.However, as she had neither husband nor friends, he decided after much consideration that it would be better for her to stay with Rudy and Anne, and let them take care of her.However, in the last three weeks of her pregnancy, she had to go to Cairns. "Do what you can to get her husband back to take care of her!" he yelled at Ludy. Meggie wrote immediately to tell Luke that she was pregnant, full of feminine confidence, and Luke would be wild with enthusiasm once the unexpected became an undeniable fact.But Luke's reply shattered that illusion.He was furious.What he thought was that if he became a father, it would mean that he would have two more mouths to eat, not anything else.It was a bitter pill for Meggie to swallow, but she swallowed it; there was nothing else she could do.Now, the impending child bound them as tightly as her pride. But she was unhappy, helpless, completely deprived of love: even the baby did not love her, did not want to be conceived or born by her.She could feel the baby inside her, the feeble little thing that would not grow up, and if she had endured the 2,000-mile train ride home she would have gone by, but Dr. Smith shook his head resolutely.A week's train ride in this feeble state would have killed the baby.For all Meggie's disappointment and frustration, she wasn't stupid enough to do anything to hurt the baby.As time went on, however, the passion and longing to have someone of her own to look after faded and shattered; the heavier the burden-like child sank, the more resentful she became. Dr. Smith said she had to be transferred to Cairns earlier; he wasn't sure if Meggie would survive giving birth at Dunloe.There is only one small clinic here.Her blood pressure is difficult to deal with, and the edema is still there.He spoke of blood poisoning and convulsions, and a long list of other medical terms, which scared Anne and Rudy into agreeing, though they were desperate to see the baby born in Hammerhawk. By the end of May, there were only four weeks until delivery, four weeks before Meggie was free from this intolerable burden, this tiresome child.She was learning to hate this baby, this life she wanted so much before she realized it was going to cause trouble.Why did she assume that Luke would want this baby once its existence became a reality?Since we were married, there has been no attitude or behavior that suggests he would. It's time!To admit that it was a catastrophe, throw away her foolish pride and salvage what she could from the ruin.The reason for their marriage is completely opposite to the opposite!He was for her money, and she was trying to keep Ralph de Bricassart while evading him.Love cannot be artificial, and only love can help her and Luke Keyan encounter great difficulties in their respective goals and desires. It was queer that she didn't seem to hate Luke at all, but hated Ralph de Bricassart more and more often.At the end of the day, though, Ralph was much kinder and fairer to her than Luke was.Not once did he egg her on to imagine him as any character.Except priests and friends.Not even on those two occasions when he had kissed her and she had already lost her mind. Then why are you so mad at him?Why hate Ralph, but not Luke?This can only be blamed on her own timidity and lack of courage.She felt intense, heart-rending resentment for his resolute refusal at a time when she was madly in love with him and wanted him.She can only be blamed for the stupid impulse that led her to marry Luke O'Neill.It was a betrayal of herself and Ralph.If she could never marry him, sleep with him, bear him children, it didn't matter: if he didn't want her--he didn't want her--it didn't matter.The fact remains that she wants him, and she shouldn't settle for less at all. But it doesn't help to know you're wrong.She was still married to Luke O'Neill, and she was still pregnant with Luke O'Neill's child.How could she be happy remembering that it was his baby when Luke O'Neill didn't want it?Poor little thing.At least when it was born, it deserved its share of love and should be able to feel such love.It's just... What would she not give to Ralph de Bricassart's child?But this is impossible and will never be achieved.He served a religious order that insisted on having him all, even that part of him that was useless to it, his manhood.As a religious congregation, the church needs him to make sacrifices for power.This wastes him, stamps his being as non-being, to ensure that when he balks, he stays there forever.One day it will pay the price for its greed and insufficiency.One day there will be no more Ralph de Bricassart's, for at the cost of their manhood they will see enough of the useless sacrifice it requires of them ; anyway, is meaningless... She stood up abruptly and staggered toward the living room where Anne was sitting reading a secretly forbidden book, Norman Lindsay's The Red Pile.She evidently enjoyed every taboo word in it. "Annie, I think you will get your wish." Annie looked up absently. "What, dear?" "Please call Dr. Smith, I'm going to have this cold baby here right now. "Oh, my God! Go to the bedroom and lie down--it's not your bedroom, it's ours!" Cursing grotesque fortunes and inaccurate pregnancy calculations, Dr. Smith hurried out of Dunloe in his battered car, followed by the native midwife in black.He took all the equipment he could carry in his small clinic.It would do no good to bring her here; nor would he be able to deliver her in Hemelduck.Where she should be, though, is Cairns. "Did you notify her husband?" he asked, stomping up the front steps.The midwife followed behind him. "I sent a telegram. She's in my room; you have more freedom there, I think," said Anne. Anne staggered after him into her bedroom.Meggie was lying on the bed, eyes wide open, and except for the occasional twitch of her hands in a curled up body, there was no sign of pain.She turned her head and smiled at Annie, who saw the terror in her eyes. "I'm glad I didn't go to Cairns," she said. "My mother never gave birth in a hospital. Daddy said it was horrible when Hal was born. But she survived, and so will I, and we Cleary women don't die easily." A few hours later, the doctor and Anne met in the corridor. "It's been a long, hard time for this little woman. Having a baby for the first time is not easy, but this baby is in a bad position and she's just putting it off and not going anywhere. If she'd been in Cairns, A Caesarean can be done, but that's out of the question here. She has to push the baby out on her own." "Is she sane?" "Well, sober. Wonderful little thing, neither shouting nor complaining. The best people are often the worst, in my opinion. She kept asking me if Ralph was here, and I had to Made up all sorts of things to her. Her husband's name is Luke, I suppose?" "yes." "Hmm--! Oh, maybe that's why she's asking this Ralph, whoever he is. Luke's not a comforter, is he?" "Luke is a bad breed." Annie leaned forward and put her hands on the railing of the verandah.A taxi was coming from Denny's Road, turned a corner, and climbed the slope of Hammerhawk.Her good eyesight made out a dark-haired man sitting in the back seat of the car.She breathed a sigh of relief and shouted happily. "I can't believe what I'm seeing, but I think Luke finally remembered he has a wife!" "Annie, I'd better go back to her and let you deal with him. I won't mention anyone coming to her until I know if it's him. If it's him, give him a cup of tea." , save the bad words for a while. He needs to hear the bad words." The taxi stopped.让安妮大为吃惊的是，司机爬下车来，向后门走去，替他的乘客打开了门。经营邓尼仅有的一辆出租汽车的乔·卡斯梯哥赖思通常不是这样谦恭有礼的。 "黑米尔霍克到了，大人。"他深深地鞠了一躬，说道。 一个穿着长而飘逸的黑法衣的男人走下本来。腰间缠着一条紫红色的罗缎圣带。当他转过身来的时候，有那么一阵工夫，安妮糊涂了，以为卢克·奥尼尔和她玩了一个精心安排的鬼戏呢。随后，她看到这是一个完全不同的男人，足足比卢克大10岁。Oh my god!当那优雅的身影一步两级地登上台阶的时候，她想道，这是我所见到过的最漂亮的男人！是一位大主教，一点儿不错！一位天主教的大主教怎么会想起了象路迪和我这样一对老路德教①教徒呢？ ①是16世纪德国宗教改革运动的倡导者马丁·路德（1483-1546年）所创立的一个基督教新派--译注 "是穆勒太太吗？"他她双冷淡的蓝眼睛含着和善的微笑低头望着她，问道。他似乎已经看到了他将要见而尚未见到的什么东西，而已在极力控制着旧日的感情。 "是的，我是安妮·穆勒。" "我是拉尔夫·德·布里克萨特大主教，教皇陛下驻澳大利亚特使。我听说，有个卢克·奥尼尔太太和你们住在一起吧？" "是的，先生。"拉尔夫？拉尔夫？就是这个拉尔夫吗？ "我是她的一个老朋友、不知我是否能见到她？" "哦。我相信她一定很高兴的、大主教。"--不，不对，人们是不说大主教的，而是说大人，就象乔·卡斯梯歌赖恩那样--"在正常的情况下她会高兴的、可是眼下梅吉正在分娩，正难受着哪。"