原文
"I know you'll think me dreadfully foolish," she said. "I AM foolish
. . . and I'm ashamed of it when I'm found out, but never unless I AM
found out. I'm not expecting anybody . . . I was just pretending I was.
You see, I was so lonely. I love company . . . that is, the right kind
of company.. .but so few people ever come here because it is so far out
of the way. Charlotta the Fourth was lonely too. So I just pretended I
was going to have a tea party. I cooked for it . . . and decorated the
table for it.. . and set it with my mother's wedding china . . . and I
dressed up for it." Diana secretly thought Miss Lavendar quite as
peculiar as report had pictured her. The idea of a woman of forty-five
playing at having a tea party, just as if she were a little girl! But
Anne of the shining eyes exclaimed joyfuly, "Oh, do YOU imagine things
too?"
That "too" revealed a kindred spirit to Miss Lavendar.
語彙など
- dreadfully:すごく
- foolish:愚かな
- ashamed:恥じて
- pretend:〜のふりをする
- lonely:寂しい
- company:友達,訪問者
- out of the way:辺鄙な所に
- wedding china:結婚祝いの陶磁器
- dress up:おしゃれする,正装する
- peculiar:風変わりな
- picture:描写する
- exclaim:叫ぶ
- joyfully:うれしそうに
- reveal:明かす
- kindred spirit:気の合う人