spoke with ostentation to the nurse. "Hello, Nurse. Are you bringing Francis to the party this evening? Mabel and I are coming. " And she was off again down the street in the direction of Mabel Warrens home, consciously alone and self-sufficient 3 in the long empty road Such a nice girl, "the nurse said. But Francis was silent, feeling again the jump-jump of his eart, realizing how soon the hour of the party would arrive. God had done nothing for him, and the minutes flew They flew too quickly to plan any evasion, or even to prepare his heart for the coming ordeal Panic nearly overcame him when, all unready, he found himself standing on the doorstep, with coat-collar turned up against a cold wind, and the nurse's electric torch making a short trail through the darkness. Behind him were the lights of the hall and the sound of a servant laying the table for dinner, which his mother and father would eat alone. He was nearly overcome by the desire to run back into the house and call out to his mother that he would not go to the party, that he dared not go. They could not make him go. He could almost hear himself saying those final words, breaking down for ever the barrier of ignorance which saved his mind from his parents knowledge. "Im afraid of going. I won't go I daren't go. They'll make me hide in the dark, and I'm afraid of the dark. I'll scream and scream and scream He could see the expression of amazement on his mother's face, and then the cold confidence of a grown-ups retort. "Dont be silly. You must go. We've accepted Mrs Henne-Falcon's But they couldn,'t make him go, hesitating on the doorstep while the nurse's feet crunched across the frost-covered grass to the gate, he knew that. He would answer: "You can say I'm ill. I wont go. I'm afraid of the dark And his mother: " Don't be silly. You know there's nothing to be afraid of in the dark, But he knew the falsity of that reasoning, he knew how they taught also that there was nothing to fear in death, and how fearfully they avoided the idea of it. But they couldnt make him go to the party. "I'll scream. I'll scream Francis, come along "He heard the nurse's voice across the dimly phosphorescent lawn and saw the yellow circle of her torch wheel from tree to shrub. " I'm coming "he called with despair he couldn't bring himself to lay barel6 his last secrets and end reserve between his mother and himself, for there was still in the last resort! a further appeal possible to Mrs Henne -Falcon. He comforted himself with that, as he advanced steadily across the hall, very small, towards her enormous bulk. His heart beat unevenly, but he had control now over his voice, as he said with meticulous accent, "Good evening, Mrs Henne- Falcon. It was very good of you to ask me to your party. With his strained face lifted towards the curve of her breasts, and his polite set speech, he was like an old withered man. As a twin he was in many ways an only child. To address Peter was to speak to his own image in a mirror, an image a little altered by a flaw in the glass, so as to throw back less a likeness of what he was than of what he wished to be. what he would be without his unreasoning fear of darkness, footsteps of strangers, the flight of bats in dusk -filled gardens Sweet child, said Mrs Henne-Falcon absent-mindedly, before, with a wave of her arms, as though the children were a flock of chickens, she whirled them into her set programme of 13 self-sufficient:妄自尊大的 14 for ever:.英式用法,同 forever 15 the barrier of ignorance which saved his mind from his parents' knowledge:父母的无知使得他们对弗朗西斯 的想法一无所知。 lay bare:暴露、揭露 17 in the last resort作为最后的一招。3 spoke with ostentation to the nurse. "Hello, Nurse. Are you bringing Francis to the party this evening? Mabel and I are coming." And she was off again down the street in the direction of Mabel Warren's home, consciously alone and self-sufficient13 in the long empty road. "Such a nice girl," the nurse said. But Francis was silent, feeling again the jump-jump of his heart, realizing how soon the hour of the party would arrive. God had done nothing for him, and the minutes flew. They flew too quickly to plan any evasion, or even to prepare his heart for the coming ordeal. Panic nearly overcame him when, all unready, he found himself standing on the doorstep, with coat- collar turned up against a cold wind, and the nurse's electric torch making a short trail through the darkness. Behind him were the lights of the hall and the sound of a servant laying the table for dinner, which his mother and father would eat alone. He was nearly overcome by the desire to run back into the house and call out to his mother that he would not go to the party, that he dared not go. They could not make him go. He could almost hear himself saying those final words, breaking down for ever14 the barrier of ignorance which saved his mind from his parents' knowledge.15 "I'm afraid of going. I won't go. I daren't go. They'll make me hide in the dark, and I'm afraid of the dark. I'll scream and scream and scream." He could see the expression of amazement on his mother's face, and then the cold confidence of a grown- up's retort. "Don't be silly. You must go. We've accepted Mrs Henne-Falcon's invitation." But they couldn't make him go; hesitating on the doorstep while the nurse's feet crunched across the frost-covered grass to the gate, he knew that. He would answer: "You can say I'm ill. I won't go. I'm afraid of the dark." And his mother: "Don't be silly. You know there's nothing to be afraid of in the dark." But he knew the falsity of that reasoning; he knew how they taught also that there was nothing to fear in death, and how fearfully they avoided the idea of it. But they couldn't make him go to the party. "I'll scream. I'll scream." "Francis, come along." He heard the nurse's voice across the dimly phosphorescent lawn and saw the yellow circle of her torch wheel from tree to shrub. "I'm coming," he called with despair; he couldn't bring himself to lay bare16 his last secrets and end reserve between his mother and himself, for there was still in the last resort17 a further appeal possible to Mrs Henne- Falcon. He comforted himself with that, as he advanced steadily across the hall, very small, towards her enormous bulk. His heart beat unevenly, but he had control now over his voice, as he said with meticulous accent, "Good evening, Mrs Henne-Falcon. It was very good of you to ask me to your party." With his strained face lifted towards the curve of her breasts, and his polite set speech, he was like an old withered man. As a twin he was in many ways an only child. To address Peter was to speak to his own image in a mirror, an image a little altered by a flaw in the glass, so as to throw back less a likeness of what he was than of what he wished to be, what he would be without his unreasoning fear of darkness, footsteps of strangers, the flight of bats in dusk-filled gardens. "Sweet child," said Mrs Henne-Falcon absent-mindedly, before, with a wave of her arms, as though the children were a flock of chickens, she whirled them into her set programme of 13 self-sufficient: 妄自尊大的。 14 for ever: 英式用法，同 forever。 15 the barrier of ignorance which saved his mind from his parents' knowledge: 父母的无知使得他们对弗朗西斯 的想法一无所知。 16 lay bare: 暴露、揭露。 17 in the last resort: 作为最后的一招