原文
"He has. And he has never so much as mentioned marriage to me. And I
don't believe he ever will now. I've never said a word to a mortal about
it, but it seems to me I've just got to talk it out with some one at
last or go crazy. John Douglas begun to go with me twenty years ago,
before mother died. Well, he kept coming and coming, and after a spell I
begun making quilts and things; but he never said anything about getting
married, only just kept coming and coming. There wasn't anything I could
do. Mother died when we'd been going together for eight years. I thought
he maybe would speak out then, seeing as I was left alone in the world.
He was real kind and feeling, and did everything he could for me, but
he never said marry. And that's the way it has been going on ever since.
People blame ME for it. They say I won't marry him because his mother is
so sickly and I don't want the bother of waiting on her. Why, I'd LOVE
to wait on John's mother! But I let them think so. I'd rather they'd
blame me than pity me! It's so dreadful humiliating that John won't ask
me. And WHY won't he? Seems to me if I only knew his reason I wouldn't
mind it so much."
語彙など
- not so much as do:〜さえしない
- mortal:死すべき者
- go crazy:気が狂う
- spell:しばらくの間
- quilt:キルト
- ever since:それ以来
- wait on:〜の世話をする
- humiliating:屈辱的な