Chapter 27 Chapter Seventeen (Part 1)

Before Emperor Hirohito's representatives signed Japan's official instrument of surrender, Kiranbo's people believed that the war was finally over. The news came on September 2, 1945, which happened to be the sixth anniversary of the war's start.It was an extremely painful six years.So many places have been filled that will never be filled, Dominic O'Rourke's son Raleigh, Horry Hobburton's son John, Eden Carmichael's son Komat .Ross McQueen's youngest son, Angus, can no longer walk, and Anthony King's son, David, can walk but can no longer see where he goes.Paddy Cleary's son Patsy will never have children.There are also some people whose wounds are invisible to naked eyes, but their scars are equally deep; its laughing.At the beginning of the war, could they have imagined that this war would be protracted and pay such a heavy price?

Killambo isn't a particularly superstitious place, but on Sunday, September 2, even the most cynical of residents shuddered.Because, on this day the war ended, the longest drought in Australian history also ended on the same day.There hadn't been a useful rain in nearly a decade, yet the sky was covered in clouds thousands of feet that day.Dark clouds overwhelmed the top, and the rain broke through, pouring 12 inches of rain on parched land.Maybe an inch of rain isn't enough to relieve the drought, and it doesn't help afterward, but a few inches of rain means grass. Meggie, Fee, Bob, Jack, Hughie, and Patsy stood on the porch, watching the heavy rain in the night, inhaling the overwhelming aroma of rainwater falling on the scorched and cracked soil.Horses, sheep, cows, and pigs pawed their legs on the thickening ground, letting the rain wash over their shivering bodies; most of them had not been born since the last time a rain like this drenched the world of.In the cemetery, the rain washed away the dust and made everything white, washed the dust off the outstretched wings of the bland Botticelli angel.There was a wave in the creek, and the roar of the flood was matched by the whipping of the rainstorm.Rain, rain, rain!It is like a boon that has long been in the hands of one great, mysterious hand, finally bestowed on the world.This blessed, amazing rain.Because rain means grass, and grass is life.

The light green fluffy grass appeared, and the small leaves pointed directly at the blue sky, split forked, and ran upwards. As the grass blades grew, they gradually turned dark green; Silver beige knee-deep Drogheda grass.The viewing field in the house looks like a wheat field, with the breeze blowing and the grass waves undulating.In the garden of the manor, hundreds of flowers are competing for beauty and bursting into buds. After nine years of dust, the devil gum suddenly turned blue and light green again.Although the many water tanks that Michael Carson had installed in a frenzy were still sufficient to maintain the gardens of the estate, the dust that had settled on every leaf and petal over the past nine years made them look dull and lifeless.And a long-standing legend has been verified: Drogheda does have enough water to survive a ten-year drought, but only enough for the estate.

Bob, Jack, Hughie, and Patsy were back in the paddocks to see how they could get the animals thriving again as quickly as possible; Fee opened a brand new bottle of black ink and screwed the cap on the red ink viciously. Meggie knew her life on the pommel was coming to an end, because it wouldn't be long before Jens would be home and the men would be looking for work instead. ①In accounting, red ink indicates a deficit in which expenditure is greater than income. -- Annotation. Nine years later there were very few sheep and cattle left, only the best stock that was penned and hand-fed at all times, the best of the best stock, the best rams and bulls.Bob went to the top of the Western Hills, which sits to the east, where he bought ewes in some of the less drought-stricken areas.Jens returned home, adding eight more people to Drogheda's payroll.Meggie saddled up and backed away.

Shortly after this, Meggie received a letter from Luke.This was the second letter she had received since she left him. "I guess," he wrote. "I won't be working in the cane fields for a few more years from now. My old back hurts a bit these days, but I can still work as well as the best of them, mowing eight Ton or nine. We have a dozen other teams cutting cane for me and Arne, good guys. Money is easy money, Europe needs sugar, hope we can make it as soon as possible. I make over 5000 a year Pounds, nearly all saved. Meggie, it won't be long before I get a landowner near Keanunah. Maybe, after I've got everything in order, you'll want to come back to me. What you want Did I give you the baby? It's funny how women put their hearts into their children. I think that's what really breaks us up, right? Tell me how your day is going, Drogheda How's the drought going, your Luke."

Fee went to the outer shell, where Meggie was sitting, letter in hand, looking wistfully at the lush green lawn of the manor. "How is Luke?" "It's the same as before, Ma. Nothing's changed. Still working in that goddam cane field for a while, trying to get somewhere around Keanunah someday." "Do you think he would really do that?" "I think so, someday." "Meggie, are you going to stay with him?" "I won't go in a million years." Fee sat down in a wicker chair next to her daughter, turning it around so she could see Meggie clearly.In the distance, men were shouting and hammering: the exterior and upper windows of the estate were finally fitted with fine wire mesh to keep flies out.For many years, Fee has stubbornly insisted on not letting go.No matter how many flies there are, the design of the house must not be spoiled by these ugly screens.However, the longer the drought lasted, the more rampant the flies became, and it was not until two stars before Fee gave in.She hired a contractor to put barbed wire around every building on the ranch, not just the manor itself, but all the workers' houses and sheds.

Even though there had been a machine here since 1915 called a "donkey" by the stockmen, she would not run electricity in the shearing shed. Didn't Drogheda need those soft lights?I'm afraid not.But here's a new gas stove, using tank gas ordered, and a dozen or so kerosene fridges, and Australia's industry hasn't had a peaceful start yet, but new equipment will come eventually. "Meggie, why don't you divorce Luke and remarry?" Fee asked suddenly. "Enoch's going to marry you right away; he's never seen anyone else." Meggie's lovely eyes looked at her mother in bewilderment. "God, Mom, I believe you're actually talking to me like a woman to another woman!"

Fee didn't smile, which she rarely did. "Well, if you're not a woman by now, you never will be. I'm entitled to say that about you. I must be getting old and too wordy." Meggie laughed, and was delighted with so many things about her mother, desperate to spoil the new fun. "It's raining, Ma. It must be raining. Me, isn't it nice to see that Drogheda is a prairie again, and the lawns around the estate are green?" "Yeah, that's right. But you sidetracked my question. Why don't you divorce Luke and remarry?" "It's against the canons."

"Stupid talk!" Fee said loudly, but kindly. "Your half is mine, and I'm not Catholic. Don't tell me that, Meggie. Divorce Luke if you really want to get married." "Yes, I think I'd like to marry. But I don't want to. I'm happy here on Drogheda with my kids." There was a giggle that sounded like hers from the nearby brambles, and the column of overhanging trees hid the laugher. "Listen! There he is, Dane! You know what? He's old enough to ride a horse like me." She leaned forward. "Dane! What are you doing? Come out now!"

He crawled out from the place where the branches and leaves were densest, his hands were covered with black soil, and his mouth was covered with suspicious black mud. "Mom! Do you think soil smells good? It's so good, Mom, really!" He walked over and stood in front of her. At the age of seven, he was considered tall, with a slender figure, a graceful and strong body, and a delicate and handsome face. Justine appeared, came and stood by his side.She was also tall, but more skinny than slender, with freckles all over her face.It was hard to see her face under the brown spots, but the dreadful eyes were still as pale as a baby's; and among the freckles, it was difficult to see the sandy eyebrows and eyelashes that were too light, mischievous. Curly hair like Paddy's was wildly red around his face.No one would call her a pretty girl, but no one would forget her, not only because of her eyes, but also because of her very strong features.Stern, forthright, determined, and intelligent, eight-year-old Justine was considered by everyone to be as small as a baby.There was only one person she was particularly close to: Dane.She still dotes on him, still regards him as her property.

This led to many conflicts of desire between her and her mother.It was an unbearable blow to Justine when Meggie hung up her saddle and returned to motherhood.For one thing, Ever since Justine was sure she was right about everything, she seemed to have no desire to need a mother.She was a little girl who needed neither a confidant nor enthusiastic approval.What she cared about was that Meggie was almost a distraction from her happy time with Dane.She got on much better with her grandmother, who was just the kind of person Justine wholeheartedly admired, who kept her distance and found it fun to be a little bit tricky with someone. "I told him not to eat dirt," Justine said. "Well, it won't kill him, Justine, but it won't do him any good either." Meggie turned to her son. "Dain, why are you eating dirt?" He thought about it seriously. "It's there, so I eat it. If it doesn't do me any good, why does it taste good? It tastes so good." "Not necessarily," Justine interrupted proudly. "I assure you, Dane, it really is. Some of the best tasting things are the most poisonous." "Give me an example!" he said sharply. "Molasses!" she said triumphantly. Dane once found a jar of molasses in Mrs. Smith's pantry, ate a lot of it, and then got sick of it.He acknowledged the sarcasm; but retorted it. "I'm still alive and well, so it's not that poisonous." "That's just because you vomited. If you didn't vomit, you'd be dead." It was indisputable that he was as tall as his sister, and so, with his friendly arm in hers, he strolled across the lawn to their little house.The little house was built by their uncle among the low-hanging pepper trees.The bee peaks across the way from this place are quite dangerous for adults, but it turns out that they are not dangerous for children.Bee and them live in peace.The children said that the pepper tree is the best tree in all the villages.Their smell is dry and fragrant, and the trees are covered with small grape-like clusters of pink flowers, which when pressed by the hand turn into crunchy, pungent powder flakes. "Dane and Justine are so different and yet get along so well together," Meggie said. "I've always been amazed by that. I don't remember ever seeing them fight, though Dane always avoids arguments with someone as strong and stubborn as Justine, which I just don't understand." However, Fei was thinking about something else in her heart. "Jesus, he looks just like his father," she said, watching as Dane ducked into the lowest front pepper tree and out of sight. Meggie felt a chill running down her body, a reaction she hadn't been able to resist hearing people say about it for years.Of course, this is nothing more than her own guilt.People always point to Luke's.Why not?Luke O'Neill was basically like Ralph de Bricassart, but when people talked about Dane's resemblance to his father, she tried to hide it, but she still couldn't do it naturally. She managed to draw in a casual breath. "Do you think so, Mom?" She waggled her feet nonchalantly. "I don't see it at all myself. Dane's nature and attitude towards life are nothing like Luke's." Fee laughed.The laugh came from the nose, but it was a real laugh.Her lifeless, cataracted eyes, dull with age, rested on Meggie's startled face, looking stern and ironic. "Do you take me for a fool, Meggie? I don't mean Luke O'Neill. I mean, Dane is a Ralph de Brixarte." heavy.Her feet seemed to be filled with lead, and fell on the Spanish tile floor.The lead-filled body is sinking, and the lead-filled heart is heavy in the chest.Struggling to throb.Jump, damn it, jump!You have to dance for my son. "What, Mom?" Her voice was also leaden. "What, Ma, what strange things did you say, Father Ralph de Bricassart?" "How many names do you know? Luke O'Neill would never have had that child. He was Ralph de Bricassart's son. When he was born, the moment I took him, Just know." "Then—why didn't you say anything? Why did you wait until he was seven to make such a crazy, baseless accusation?" Fee stretched out her legs and crossed her feet gracefully. "I'm old at last, Meggie. I don't get hit hard anymore by the vicissitudes of life. Old age is a blessing. It's a joy to see Drogheda come back to life, so I feel better about it. These For the first time in years, I want to talk." "Well, I gotta say, when you decide to talk, you should really know what to talk about! Mother, you're absolutely wrong to say such a thing. It's not true!" said Meggie in despair, I was not sure whether my mother was going to continue to torture her or sympathize with her. Suddenly Fee reached out and put her hand on Meggie's lap, and she was smiling -- not complaining, not contempt, but a kind of incomprehensible sympathy, "Don't lie to me, Meggie." .You can lie to anyone in the world, but don't lie to me. Nothing will convince me that Luke O'Neill is the father of the boy. I'm not a fool. I have eyes. There is no Luke in him. No, because there really can't be. He's the figure of that priest. Look at his hands, the way his hairline forms a V on his forehead, the shape of his face and the shape of his eyebrows and mouth, even the way he walks. All poses are like Ralph de Bricassart; Meggie, like Ralph de Bricassart." Meggie gave in, and now she sat relaxed, a position that suggested she was greatly relieved. "And the indifference in the eyes. That's what I notice most myself. Is it that noticeable? You all know that, Ma?" "Of course not," Fee said firmly. "One doesn't notice anything but the color of the eyes, the shape of the nose, the whole build. These do look like Luke. I know that because I've watched you and Ralph de Brixart for many years. He had to drink his own bitters and drink whiskey and you had to run away, so when it comes to divorce it doesn't make sense for you to say it's against the law. You've longed to break rules worse than divorce. Immorality, Meggie, that's what you are. Immorality!" Her voice was slightly severe. "But he's a stubborn man. All he wants is to be a priest; you're sadly a second. Oh, idiot! It doesn't do him any good, does it? Before something happens." —It's just a matter of time." At the corner of the verandah, someone was banging a hammer, swearing non-stop.Fee flinched, trembling all over. "Good God, I'll be thankful if they've got the gauze in place!" she resumed. "Did you think you could trick me into it when you married Luke when you couldn't marry Ralph de Bricassart? I figured it out. You wanted him to be the groom, not the priest of ceremonies ...and later, when he came back to Drogheda before going to Athens, you weren't here, and I knew he'd come to you sooner or later. He was wandering around like a lost teenager at the Easter celebrations in Sydney Meggie, marrying Luke was the smartest thing you could have done. As long as Ralph knew you were after him, he didn't want you; Showing a deformed look of not eating and not letting others eat. Of course, he is sure that his attachment to you is as pure as snow, but the truth is, he needs you. In a sense, you are He's essential. No other woman has had that power before, and I don't think there ever will be. Strange," said Fee, with genuine bewilderment. "I've never been sure what he saw in you. But I think mothers are always a little bit blind to their daughters until they're too old to envy young people, and Justine is just as good to you." as you are to me." She leaned back in her chair, rocking slightly, her eyes half closed, but she was looking at Meggie like a scientist looking at a specimen. "Whatever he has set his eyes on you," she went on, "is that he has set his sights on you since the first time he saw you, and that fascination has always fascinated him. The most difficult thing he has to face is that you are Grown up. But when he came here and found you gone and married, he took it seriously. Poor Ralph! He had no choice but to look for you: and he did Found you, right? I knew it when you got home, before Dane was born. Once you got Ralph de Bricassart, there was no need to stay with Luke down." "Yes," sighed Meggie, "Ralph has found me. But there's nothing to solve for us, is there? I know he'd never give up his God willingly. That's why , I am determined to have the only part of him I can have. That is his child, that is Dane." "It's like hearing an echo," Fee said, laughing harshly. "You may be like me when you say things like that." "Frank?" The chair creaked harshly. Fei stood up, paced a few steps on the tiled floor, and then walked back, staring closely at her daughter. "Oh, oh! Meggie, tit for tat, isn't it? How long has it been, you know?" "Since I was a little girl. Since Frank ran away." "His father was a married man, much older than me, and a prominent politician. If I had told you his name, you would have given it up. There are people all over New Zealand named after him." Maybe a town or two. But for the sake of illustration, I'll call him Pakha. Maori means white, but that's fine. Now he's dead, of course. I There is a bit of Maori in him, but Frank's father is half Maori. You can see that in Frank because he got it from both of us. Oh, but I love that man! Maybe it's the appeal of our bloodline, I can't tell. He's beautiful. Tall, with dark hair, and the brightest eyes. He's everything Paddy wasn't -- cultured, very sophisticated, extremely charming .I love him madly. And, I think, I'll never love another. I've been so addicted to this delusion for so long that I've thrown it away too late, too late!" Her voice changed.She turned and looked at the garden. "I'm responsible for many things, Meggie, trust me." ① Aboriginal people in Australia. -- Annotation "So that's why you love Frank more than us," said Meggie. "I suppose so, since he's Pakha's son and the rest belong to Paddy," she sat down, making a strange, mournful sound. "So, history repeated itself. I'll tell you, I smiled to myself when I saw Dane." "Mom, you are an amazing woman!" "Me?" The chair creaked, and she leaned forward. "Meggie, let me whisper a little secret to you. It doesn't matter whether it's amazing or ordinary, anyway, I'm an unfortunate woman. Whether it's because of this or that, anyway, from the day I met Parkha, I Misfortunes started. Basically my fault. I love him, but what he did to me would never happen to any other woman. So there was Frank... I was all about Frank, ignoring Forget you guys, ignore Paddy, he's the best guy I've ever met! It's just that I don't get it. I keep comparing him to Pakha all the time. Oh, I'm grateful for him, except for sending out his There's no other way than being a good guy..." She shrugged. "Oh, it's all old talk. What I'm trying to say is, that's wrong. Meggie, you understand that, don't you?" "No, I don't understand. In my opinion, the Church is wrong. Just look at her priests to conclude that." "Funny how we always think of the church as women. Meggie, you stole a woman's man, just like me." "Ralph has absolutely no allegiance to any woman but me. Mother, the Church isn't a woman. It's a thing, an institution." "Don't bother defending you in front of me. I get it all. At the time, I thought, as you do, that divorce was out of the question for him. He was the first in his family to reach political heights." One of the characters; he had to choose between me and his family. How can a man resist that grand opportunity? Like your Ralph chose the Church, right? So I was like, I Don't care. I'm going to get what I can from him, and I'm going to get his kids eventually, for me to love." But Meggie was suddenly annoyed at her mother's pity for her, at her conclusion that such trouble was self-inflicted.So she said, "Mum, I'm a lot smarter than you. No one can tell anything from my son's name, not even Luke." Fee hissed through her teeth. "Bah! Oh, that's unreliable, Meggie! You're trying to be honest, aren't you? Well, my father paid off my husband by naming Frank and calling me Drive away, and I'll bet you'd never know! But how did you know?" "That's my business." "Meggie, you're going to pay. Believe me, you're going to pay. You're no better than me. I lost Frank in the worst way a mother can; I can't even see him , and I long to see him...you wait! You'll lose Dane." "If I had my way, I wouldn't lose it. You lost Frank because he didn't get along with Da. But I can tie him up on Drogheda. I'm already working on him as a stockman , what do you think? He'll be all right on Drogheda." "What about Daddy? Where's Stuart? Nowhere is safe. You can't keep Dane here if he's going to go. Daddy can't restrain Frank. It's true. Frank can't be restrained. And If you think that you, a woman, can tie Ralph de Bricassart's son, you are miscalculating. It is reasonable, isn't it? If we connect their father If we can't tie it down, how can we hope to keep our son?" "The only way I can lose Dane is if you don't keep your mouth shut, Mother. I warn you, and I'll kill you first." "Don't worry, I am not worth the gallows. Your secret is safe with me; I am but an interested spectator. Yes, indeed, I am such a spectator." "Oh, Mom! What made you like that? Why would you want to give in like that?" Fee sighed. "Things that happened before you were born," she said wistfully. Meggie, however, shook her fist violently. "Oh no, you didn't because of those things. You didn't give up on going over that old business with me! Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit! Did you hear me, Mom? You've been addicted to it most of your life, like Like a fly rolling in molasses!" Fee smiled indulgently, genuinely pleased. "I used to think that having a daughter wasn't as important as having a son, but I was wrong. I admire you, Meggie, in a way you don't get that enjoyment from a son. Daughters are the same." People, and sons aren't, you know. They're just defenseless dolls that we put together and take apart at our leisure." Meggie watched intently. "You are so cruel. So tell me, where did we go wrong?" "Be born," Fee said. Men returned home by the thousands, throwing off their khaki uniforms and slouch hats for civilian clothes.Labor theory, still in power, has its eyes on industry on the western plains and some of the larger pastures nearby.At a time when people who have done their part for Australia need houses to house what they have, when the country needs further intensive farming of its land, it is not right that such vast lands belong to one family.There are 6 million people in a land as large as the United States, but only a small group of 6 million people have only a few surnames, but they occupy a vast land.The largest batch of industries must be further subdivided, and some fields must be given up to those veterans of the war. Buguira was reduced from 150,000 hectares to 70,000 hectares; two ex-soldiers each got 400,000 hectares from Martin King, 120,000 hectares from Shedna Hunishi, so Ross McQueen En lost 60,000 hectares and donated them to two other ex-soldiers.That's how it goes.Of course, the government compensated these ranchers, albeit at a lower price than the open market.This is distressing.Oh, this is distressing.No amount of debate will convince Canberra that a property as big as Bujera and Rudna Hunisch is going to be carved up, and since the Kiri region has many thriving farms of less than 50,000 hectares, no one will It goes without saying that this is not very needed. Most heartbreaking was the news that it seemed this time the ex-soldiers had to be placed.After World War I, most of the ranches underwent such a partial redistribution, but it was done poorly.The fledgling ranchers were untrained and inexperienced; gradually, the sheep ranchers bought back the stolen land from discouraged veterans at rock-bottom prices.This time, the government was prepared to train and educate the new settlers at its own expense. Nearly all the sheep farmers were fanatical members of the Peasant Party and loathed the Labor government on principle, identifying it with blue-collar declasses, trade unionists, and irresponsible Marxist intellectuals in the industrial cities.Most poignant of all was the sight of the famous Labor Cleary family's astonishing Drogheda expanse and nothing to lose.Because the Catholic Church owns it, it is naturally exempt from being divided.Canberra heard the uproar but was unmoved.It was intolerable for the sheep farmers, who had always believed they were the most powerful lobby in the country, and those who held power in Canberra found the exercise of power less than comfortable.Australia is a fairly loose federation country, and the federation government actually has no power. Thus Drogheda continued to manage every single one of the million hectares like the giants of the Lilypat world. ①Lilliput in the novel written by the British writer Swift. -- Annotation The rains come and go, sometimes just right, sometimes too much, sometimes too little; but thankfully there has never been a drought like that again.The number of sheep has gradually increased, and the quality of wool has also improved compared to before the drought. Shearing sheep does not require special skills, and raising livestock is a matter of "attracting wealth and treasure".People talk of nearby rabbit farm Holden Riggau getting into an aggressive rivalry with his employer Max Fokina for the first prize of ram and ewe at the Easter celebrations in Sydney , The quality of wool began to rise, and then skyrocketed.Europe, America and Japan were hungry for every fine wool Australia could produce.The coarser wools of other countries are used for heavy fabrics, rugs, and blankets; only the long, mercerized fibers of Australia are used to make woolen fabrics of the finest, softest lawn to the touch.The wool produced in the southwestern Queensland of the Black Filled Plains of New South Wales is the best of this type of wool. It was as if, after all these ordeals, the due reward had come.Drogheda's earnings surged completely unexpectedly.Millions of pounds every year.Fee sat at her desk looking satisfied, and Bob added two more stockmen to the roster.If it weren't for this disaster avoidance, the conditions for grazing would have been ideal, but the harm of rabbits has not diminished from previous years. At the manor, life suddenly became pleasant.The wire mesh had kept the flower flies out of the Drogheda house; now that there were so many flies, their presence was so commonplace, they wondered how they had survived without them.People can now eat outside on porches and under swaying wisteria leaves on hot days. Frogs also love these barbed wire fences.They were little things, green with a faint shimmer of gold.They slowly crawled to the side of the barbed wire with their sticky feet, and stared at the eaters calmly.A frog would spring suddenly, grab a moth that was almost bigger than itself, and use inertia to regain its footing, revealing two-thirds of the moth flapping furiously in its overstuffed mouth.The length of time it took for a frog to completely swallow a moth was amused to Dane and Justine, who stared primly outside the barbed wire, swallowing a little bit of the moth every ten minutes.The moth lingered for a long time, and struggled now and then as the last part of the wing-tip was swallowed. "Oh! What an ending!" Dane giggled. "While half of you is being digested, the other half is still alive." Avid reading -- a Drogheda hobby -- gave O'Neill's two children a vast vocabulary at an early age.They are very intelligent, pay attention to everything, and are interested in everything.Life is basically pleasant for them.As they grew taller, they got thoroughbred ponies; they did their homework on Mrs. Smith's green kitchen table, they played in the little house under the pepper tree, they had pets of their own. There are cats and dogs, and even a beloved large variegated canary that walks gracefully on the thong and says yes when its name is called.Their favorite is a pink little piggy, smart like a dog, named Iggy Pig. Far from the hustle and bustle of the city, they seldom got sick, never had a cold or flu, and Meggie was terrified of polio, diphtheria, and a sickness from nowhere that could kill a child.So, no matter what the vaccine is, they get it.It is a satisfying life, full of physical exuberance and spiritual excitement. When Dane was 10 and Justine 11, they were sent to boarding school in Sydney.According to tradition, Dane went to Rivermew School and Justine to King Copper School.When Meggie put them on the plane for the first time, watching their pale but brave little faces looking out the cabin window, waving handkerchiefs, they had never left home before.她极想和他们一起去，亲眼看着他们住进新居。但是，反对的意见如此强烈，她屈服了。从菲到詹斯和帕西，人人都说让他们自己行事要好得多。 "不要溺爱他们，"菲严厉地说道。 但是，当DD-3型飞机扬起一团尘雾，摇摇晃晃地飞上了闪光的天空时，她确实觉得自己就像变了个人。失去戴恩使她的心碎了，而想到失去朱丝婷则很淡摸。对于戴恩，她在感情上没有什么矛盾的地方，他所表现出来的欢快、平和的天性和那公认的爱，就像呼吸那样自然。可朱丝婷却是个既可爱又可怕的怪物。人们不由得不爱她，因为她身上有许多可爱之处：她的力量、正直、自信--许许多多东西。麻烦在于，她既不容易像戴恩那样接受爱，也没有梅吉所需要的那种渴望爱的情感。她不平易近人，也不爱开玩笑；她有一种拒人于千里之外的可悲的习惯，而且似乎主要对她母亲是这样的。梅吉在她身上发现了许多令人恼火的、与卢克相同的地方。不过，朱丝婷至少不是一个守财奴。这可真是谢天谢地啊。 一条兴旺的航线就意味着孩子们所有的假期，哪怕是最短的假期，都可以在德罗海达度过。但是，经过初期的判断之后，发现两个孩子都喜欢上学。回过一次德罗海达之后，戴恩总是想家、可是朱丝婷却喜欢呆在悉尼，就好像她一直住在那里似的。在德罗海达度假的时候，她总是渴望回到那座城市去。里佛缪教会学校是是个令人神往的地方。不管是在教室里，还是在操场上，戴恩都是一个非同凡响的学生。另一方面，金科帕尔修女院学校肯定是一个毫无乐趣的地方；像朱丝婷那样目光锐利、伶牙利齿的人是不会受到喜爱的。她比戴恩高一个年级，也许两个人中，她是个更好一些的学生，但只是在课堂上。 1952年8月4日的《悉尼先驱晨报》非常有趣。一整页头版只登了一幅照片，通常这一版都是登一些文学性的短文和重大事件，发表当日趣闻轶事的。而那天的照片是拉尔夫·德·布里克萨特的英俊的肖像。 拉尔夫·拉乌尔·德·布里克萨特红衣主教从1919年7月以新任命的教士赴澳直到1938年3月去梵蒂冈为止，曾长期地、杰出地将罗马天主教廷与澳大利亚联系在一起。 德·布里克萨特红衣主教于1893年9月23日生于爱尔兰共和国，是一个血统可以追溯到拉诺夫·德·布里克萨特的家庭的次子。这个家族是随征服者威廉一世的队伍到了英国来的。根据传统，德·布里克萨特红衣主教加入了教会。他在17岁时进入神学院，受委任派至澳大利亚。最初几个月，他在温尼穆拉的迪奥西斯为前主教迈克尔·克莱比服务。 1920年6月，他调至新南威尔土州西北的基兰博当牧师。嗣后被任命为神父，继续留任基兰博，直至1928年11月。从那时起，他成了克卢尼·达克大主教阁下的私人秘书。最后又任教皇使节，迪·康提尼-弗莫斯红衣主教阁下的私人秘书。当迪·康提尼-弗契斯红衣主教调往罗马，在梵蒂冈从事他那引人注目的生涯时，德·布里克萨特主教被擢升为大主教，并作为教皇使节从雅典返回澳大利亚。他担任梵蒂冈的这项重要职务，直到1938年调往罗马；从那时起，他在罗马天主教廷的中心统治集团中的上升是引人注目的。他现年58岁。据悉是决定教皇政策的少数几个有活动能力的人之一。 一名《悉尼先驱晨报》的代表和德·布里克萨特红衣主教以前在基兰博地区的一些教区居民进行了交谈。人们还清楚地记得他，并且怀着钟爱的心情。这个富庶的牧羊区由于其坚定的宗教信仰而素为罗马教廷所重视。 德·布里克萨特神父创立了"圣十字丛林文学藏书协会"，基兰博的律师哈里·高夫先生说："尤其在当时，这是一项著名的服务。已故玛丽·卡森夫人首先慷慨捐助，在她去世之后，由红衣主教本人揖助。他从来没有忘记过我们和我们的需要。" "德·布里克萨特神父是我生平所见过的最英俊的人，"目前新南威尔士最大、最鼎盛的牧场德罗海达的老前辈，菲奥娜·克利里太太说。"在基里期间，他是他的教区居民的一个巨大的精神支柱，特别是对我们德罗海达人。正如你所知道的，这个地方是属于天主教会的。在洪水泛滥期间，他曾帮助我们转移牲畜；在火灾期间，他赶来援助我们，尽管只是为了埋葬我们的死者。事实上，从各方面来说他都是一位杰出的人，比我所遇上的任何一个人都有魅力。人们可以看出，他是注定要做大事情的人。虽然他离开我们已经有20多年了，可是我们却清楚地记得他。是的，我想，说基里附近有人依然十分怀念他，这不是假话。" 战急期间，德·布里克萨特大主教忠诚地、坚贞不渝地为教皇服务。由于对陆军元帅阿尔伯特·凯瑟林施加影响，在意大利已成为德国的敌人之后，仍然使凯瑟林元帅做出决定，使罗马保持不设防城市的地位。因此，拉尔夫大主教备受赞扬。与此同时，徒劳地要求同样特权的佛罗伦萨市则损失了许多宝物。这些宝物只是由于德国人战败才得以复还。战后时期，德·布里克萨特红衣主教立即帮助成千上万名颠沛流离的人在新的国家中找到了收容处，尤其热情地支持澳大利亚的移民事务。 梅吉把报纸递还给了菲，冲着她的母亲苦笑着。 "正像我对《先驱报》记者说过的那样，人们得向他表示祝贺。他们没有发表这话，是吧？尽管他们几乎逐字逐句地发表了你那一小段词。你的话多刺人呐！我终于知道朱丝婷是从哪里继承下这个特点的了。我怀疑有多少人能读懂你说的那番话字里行间的意思！" "不管怎么样，要是他看到的话，他会懂的。" "我不知道。他是不是还记得咱们？"梅吉叹息道。 "毫无疑问。他毕竟还是抽空亲自支配德罗海达的事务呀。梅吉，他当然记得我们。他怎么能忘掉呢？" "真的，我曾经忘掉过德罗海达，我们正处在赚钱的顶峰，对吧？他一定很高兴。在拍卖的时候，咱们的羊毛一磅顶一磅，今年德罗海达的羊毛股票一定使金矿都相形见绌。人们都说羊毛如金呢。光是剪小羊的毛，就超过400万镑了。" "梅吉，不要冷嘲热讽，这和你不相配。"菲说道；这些天来，她对梅吉流露出了尊重和钟爱的神态，尽管常常使梅吉略感到羞惭。"咱们干得够好的了，不是吗？别忘了，无论好歹，咱们每年都是赚钱的。难道他没有给鲍勃10万镑，给我们每个人5万镑作为奖金吗？要是他明天把我们赶出德罗海达的话，即使是今天这种飞涨的地价，我们也买得起布吉拉了。而他给了你的孩子多少钱呢！成千上万的呀？对他要公平一些。" "可是我的孩子却不知道，也不会发现的。戴恩和朱丝婷将会长大成人，以为他们必须得自己去闯世界，用不着受亲爱的拉尔夫·德·布里克萨特的恩惠。想不到他的第二姓是拉乌尔！极富于诺曼底味儿，是吗？" 菲站了起来，走到火边，把《先驱报》的头版扔进了火焰中。拉尔夫·拉乌尔·德·布里克萨特红衣主教冲着她战栗着，眨着眼，随后便消失了。 "梅吉，要是他回来的话，你会怎么办呢？" 梅吉嗤之以鼻。"可能性微乎其微！" "也许会的。"菲莫测高深地说道。 11月，他回来了。极秘密地回来了，任何人都不知道。他亲自开着一辆阿斯顿·马丁牌赛车。从悉尼一路而来。澳大利亚的新闻界丝毫风声也没得到，所以，在德罗海达谁也没有想到他会来。当汽车停在房子一侧的砾石的地面上时候，四周静荡荡的空无一人。显然，谁都没有听见他的到来，因为没人从外廊里走出来。 从基里来的一路上，他身上的每一个细胞都充满了感情、呼吸着丛林、绵羊、和在晨光下不停地闪动着干草的气息。袋鼠和鸸鹋，白鹦鹉和大晰蜴，成千上万的昆虫嗡嗡叫着，盘旋着；蚂蚁排着队穿过道路寻找糖浆；到处都是矮矮胖胖的绵羊。他是这样热爱这个地方，不知为什么，这和他所热爱的一切都是如此水乳交融；过去的那些年月似乎根本不能将这一切从他心头抹去。 只有防蝇网和以前不一样了，不过，他注意到大宅面向通往基里那条道路的廊子没有像其他地方那样被挡起来。朝着这个方向的只有洞开的窗户，他觉得很有意思。当然啦，她是对的。一大片纱网会破坏这座可爱的乔治时期房屋正面的造型。这些魔鬼桉高寿几何了？一定是80年前从边疆地区移植来的。那枝叶亢张地紫茉莉藤是一团摇曳不定的黄铜色和紫红色。