Chapter 13 Chapter Twelve

But by Sunday noon, she wasn't so happy.She wished she had had some foresight earlier, and found an excuse to go to Rabo Town for lunch or something, so as to stay away from this place where big things were about to break out.She had always hated explosive events, real or figurative.People who can hide themselves in big paper bags and then jump out to scare people have always kept Lucy at a respectful distance.The news that will pop up after lunch today is even more explosive, and the backlash against this news will be far-reaching and unpredictable.She hoped vaguely that Handa would change her mind, that the chatter around the grades list might be more powerful than her own opinion.But without any encouraging actions and words, this hope is nothing but an unformed embryo.She clearly remembered that the wavering of Handa's confidence in Ruth did not mean that she thought Innes was the best candidate.The most probable hope was that Handa might write to the directors of Alinga to tell them that there were currently no ideal graduates for the honorable position, but that would not save Innes from the mourning of disappointment.No, she must avoid Sunday lunch at Lay's College and return after the storm has passed.Even in Rabo Town, you have to find someone you can visit.

Don't look at the luxurious villas and fake things in Huaxiang in the suburbs. Between this group of people and the cinders of the township, there is always a group of people who are similar to themselves.For example, there is always a doctor.Unless all doctors have logins - she can make up a doctor friend. If she had thought of it beforehand, she could have invited Dr. Knight to lunch, at least Dr. Knight owed her a favor.Maybe she could take a sandwich and just walk out and come back at bedtime. Now, she is sitting by the window in the studio, waiting for the staff to gather first, and then go to the dining room together.Watching the students come out of church, she wondered if she would be brave and determined enough to ask Miss Jolie to make her a sandwich, or just walk out of the school without saying a word—even on a Sunday, anyway. No one dies of starvation in the English countryside.Like Diderot said, there's always towns everywhere.

Diderot was the first to come back from church, old-fashioned, elegant and stylish.Lucy leaned forward and said, "Congratulations, you have a great insight into the clavicle." She had looked at the student's grades last night when she went to bed. "Yeah, I freaked out myself," said Walnut Sao, "my grandmother would be delighted. 'Excellent' Sounds good, don't you think} I showed off to my cousin, but he said it was inappropriate.In the UK, you should wait for someone to congratulate you on your achievement. " "That's right," Lucy agreed sadly, "and the worst part is that only a few people come to ask you if you've succeeded.

There are countless people who are not showing their talents in the British Empire. " "It's not the British Empire," said Diderot, "he—my cousin said it didn't matter if it was north of the Tavi River. You know, it's the border between England and Scotland. Bragging, not in Berwick." "I'd like to see Rick," said Lucy. "By the way, he finds you quite charming." "I? " "I kept talking about you. The whole final break, we were talking about you." "Oh, you went to the theater, didn't you?" "He took me there."

"So, do you like it or not?" I applauded secretly in my heart for this man who took walnut to do something she didn't want to do. "Oh, as they say, it's all right. Posing can be fun sometimes. If it's a ballet it's even better. That guy's a failed dancer." "Edward Addie?" "Yes." Her mind seemed to be diverted. "The English always wear the same hat," she remarked, "higher in the back and lower in front." With that irrelevant remark, she went around to the other side of the house, leaving Lucy alone wondering whether she was referring to last night's audience or to Dax who appeared down the aisle. Feeling it.Dax's formal Sunday hat was of course better than the one she usually wore at school, and beneath the shallow brim the comically pony face looked younger than usual.She doffed her hat ostentatiously when she saw Lucy, expressing her relief at seeing Lucy come alive after the festivities of the previous night.It seemed that for the first time in her whole school days she hadn't eaten five slices of bread with jam for breakfast.

"Gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins," she noted, "so I had to confess this morning. I went to the nearest Baptist church." "Do you feel pardoned now?" "If you don't mention it, I don't think so. Anyway, we had a good chat." Lucy took it as a shamed soul awaiting ritual redemption. "Still quite friendly, as far as I know." "Extreme friendliness. The priest's admonition begins with propping one hand on the elbow and saying, 'Well, my friend, it's a beautiful day.' Everyone who comes and goes shakes each other's hands. Their hymns are like Military song," she said, thinking of the benefits of the Baptist church.She thought for a while, and then said: "There's a lot of Portsmouth brethren on Labeau Road—"

"Plymouth." "What Plymouth?" "I suppose you mean the brothers from Plymouth." "Yes, I knew it had something to do with the Navy. And I'm from Portsmouth (Portsmouth is a famous naval port.——Translator's Note). Well, I want to spot check them next Sunday. Do you think they should Will it be the Navy, or something?" Miss Ping didn't think so, Dax waved her hat and said goodbye, and went around to the other side of the room. Groups of students came back from off-campus worship one after another.Some waved, some shouted, some smiled, and greeted each other in their own way.Even Ruth, as she passed, shouted cheerfully, "Good morning, Miss Ping!" Beau and Innes, almost the last to arrive, walked slowly, with ease and composure.They went to the window and stopped, looking up at Lucy.

"Heretic!" Boa smiled at her. They were sorry to miss last night's party, they said, but there must be other celebrations. "I'm going to hold a celebration party after the results show." Bao'er said, "You will come, right?" "I'd be happy to take part. How was the drama last night?" "Fortunately, it could be worse. We're sitting behind Colin Barry." "Who is Colin Barry?" "An All-England hockey icon." "Then it must be a great credit to Othello." "Makes halftime a lot more fun."

"Don't you want to see Othello?" "No! We want to see Emma Allen's new movie, Burning Fence, and we're dying to see it. The title sounds warm and true, and I believe it must be just a healthy forest fire.But my parents thought of an evening event as going to a play and buying a box of chocolates at halftime.We just don't want to let them down. " "Did they enjoy the show?" "Oh, they love it. Just talk about the play the whole dinner." "The two of you are really a good pair, and everyone else looks like heretics." Lucy said with emotion.

"Come to drink tea with the seniors in the afternoon." Bao'er said. Lucy hurriedly said that she was going out for tea in the afternoon. Bao'er looked at Lucy's guilty face amusedly, but Innes said seriously: "We should have invited you earlier. You won't leave before the results are shown?" "Unless it is absolutely necessary." "Then shall we have afternoon tea with the seniors next Sunday?" "Thank you. If I were still here, I would definitely be honored to participate." "I took a lesson in etiquette," Boa said.

They stood on the gravel and looked up at her, smiling.This is what they looked like in Lucy's mind later.Standing in the sun, leisurely, confidently believe in the justice of the world, and rely on each other.No doubt or injury can come close.It is natural to believe that the warm gravel road under your feet is the eternal land, not the impasse leading to destruction. They were woken by the prep bell five minutes before the meal.As they were leaving, Miss Luc entered the room, and Lucy had never seen such a stern look on her face. "I don't know why I'm still here," she said. "If I had thought earlier, I would never have come to this farce that God can't save." Lucy replied that it was what she had been thinking too. "I don't think Miss He Ju said anything to change her mind?" "Not as far as I know, and I'm afraid that's not going to happen." "Unfortunately, we didn't all dine out. If Miss He Ju announced Miss Ruth's name at the staff table alone, then they would at least believe that we were not involved in this poor performance." "If I didn't have to register the going out list before eleven o'clock, I would like to leave now, but I really don't have the courage." "Then maybe we can make a small gesture and let them know we don't agree with the matter." All she cares about is showing up at lunch and acquiescing to the decision, Lucy thought, while I just wanted to be like a child and escape the unpleasant atmosphere.Not for the first time, Lucy wished she had a more admirable character. Mrs. Rev was dressed in cocoa-colored silk that reflected a metallic blue in the light, making her look more like a tropical dragonfly than usual.Of course, it's partly because of the light cast from those headlamp-like eyes that it's like examining insects up close.Thin body and big eyes, both angular and elegant.The Madame seemed to have recovered from a momentary rage, with contempt for humanity, and maliciously enjoying the situation. "I've never been to anything like this," she said. "I can't wait to see today's performance." "You are such a cruel person." Although Miss Luke said so, her tone was devoid of any emotion, as if she was too depressed to care about anything. "Didn't you try to change her mind?" "Oh, yes, I fought her with the power of darkness. Fighting hard. It can be said earnestly and powerfully, both as a demonstration and a lesson. Who is that character in the myth who was punished for rolling a boulder up a mountain for a lifetime? How amazing that the fascination of the myth is still so applicable. I doubt that a ballet with a theme of punishment would help. Like cleaning the stables or something. Maybe with Bach's music, although from a choreographic point of view, Bach is not very inspiring.Of course, if his music is really used, many people will definitely stand up and curse. "Please, will you stop, please?" Miss Luc said, "we're about to acquiesce to a heinous act, and you're thinking about your choreography!" "My dear Kailin, you are too serious. You should learn to accept life as it is, and clarify yourself when you are powerless to change the facts. There is a Chinese saying: Submissive. It is in line with your painful statement , we're about to acquiesce in a heinous act. True. But in the height of human intelligence, we're nothing more than secondary to the whole thing. For example, seeing how little Innes reacts to the shock. It's bound to be quite fun. Was it a fatal shock for her, or did it provoke her into action, or even a totally incomprehensible reaction in the agony?" "You bloody metaphors! You know you don't know what to say. We're going to witness other people being brutalized. As far as I know, there's no philosophy in China or elsewhere that encourages people to do that." "Atrocities?" Fu Ruo followed her mother, "Who will be raped?" "Innes," Miss Luc said dryly. Mrs. Getassen's round Mrs. Noah's face was marked with confusion.She scans the faces, as if hoping to find some reassurance, some suggestion to make things work out.She walked up to Lucy who was sitting by the window, nodded hurriedly to say good morning, and asked in German, "Do you know about the headmaster's decision? My daughter is very angry, very angry. Ever since she was a little girl, we I've never seen her so angry. It's a bad decision, don't you think?" "Yes, I'm afraid I think so too." "Miss He Ju is a good woman. I admire her very much. But when a good woman makes a wrong decision, the consequences will be worse and more serious than the mistakes made by a bad woman. It's a pity." Lucy agreed and expressed regret. The door opened and Handa came in, Miss Wagga following nervously beside her. Handa looked composed, more dignified than usual (or perhaps the occasion required it), but Miss Varger looked around the group with a soothing smile on her face, as if asking everyone to stick together and look on the bright side of things .Their opposing expressions frustrated her.So she cast a distressed look at Mrs. Rever--Miss Varger was usually the only one in her favour.But Mrs. Leaver's mocking eyes were fixed on Handa. Handa said good morning to everyone (she had breakfast in her room this morning), and she must have carefully timed her entry into the studio, because before she finished saying good morning, the bell rang in the distance The urging made everyone get up and have no time to chat. "It's time for us to go down to eat." Handa said and took the lead to go out. Mrs. Rev took a glance at Miss Luc, deeply admired by this scene, and then went out. "There's no good dinner," said Mademoiselle Luc, as they came downstairs with Lucy.There was silence waiting for them in the dining room, and there seemed to be a hint of anticipation in the atmosphere, driven by Lucy's high imagination. Of course, students are always more excited at meal time than during class.Sese's rapid-talking voice seemed thicker than his loud roaring.When Handa was chewing her main course and waiting for the pudding for dessert, she told Miss Varger to send a message to Boa, asking the students to make their own. The students were careful for a while, but it didn't take long for the chatter and laughter to rise again. "They are still excited about the end of the exam." Handa said fondly, telling the students to continue. Although she never spoke at mealtimes, it was the only thing she said aloud.From time to time, Miss Vargue tried hard to express some ordinary opinions, looking hopefully at the silent faces at the table, just like a puppy picking up a bone and laying it at the feet of its master. Tail wagging.Miss Varger would be the executioner of the innocent, like the knife of the guillotine, and she too found her situation and silently begged for mercy.Oh, for heaven's sake, she seemed to be saying: I'm just an innocent underclass gym teacher who fell into a trap, and it's not my fault I'm in her camp.What the hell do you want me to do? — want me to tell her to announce the damned news herself? Lucy felt sorry for Miss Varger, though she wanted to scream at her devotion.Be quiet, she really wants to say: be quiet, in this situation, only quiet is the best way. Finally, Handa folded her napkin and looked around the table to make sure that her faculty members had finished eating before she stood up.The staff stood up together, and all the students stood up in unison with rare agility. Obviously, everyone was looking forward to this moment.Lucy couldn't help but look back at them, rows of bright expectant faces, with eager smiles, as if they would cheer loudly as soon as they were called. Handa turned and walked towards the door, followed by the faculty members one by one. Miss Wagga told the group of joyful students the information she was told to convey. "Miss He Ju asked Miss Ruth to talk in the office after lunch."