#original_high_speech Hello, dear all! Here I present you with | The High Speech
#original_high_speech
Hello, dear all! Here I present you with another extract of elegant English from The Forsyte Saga. It comes from Volume 1 'The Man of Property', Part II, Chapter VIII 'Dance at Roger's'. And a supportive glossary comes with it to help you expand the reaches of your word stock.
May you enjoy it!
Supportive glossary:
chaperone – спутник или спутница
eddy – водоворот
scarce – редкий
to plead – упрашивать
callow – малоопытный
wallflower – девушка без кавалера
to murmur – бормотать
to pluck – обрывать, дёргать
dandified – франтовской, щёголеватый
slack – свободная, неприлегающая часть
breeches – брюки
jackanape – нахал
conceit – тщеславие
self-forgetfulness – самоотречение
After this the stream came fast; chaperones silting up along the wall facing the entrance, the volatile element swelling the eddy in the larger room.
Men were scarce, and wallflowers wore their peculiar, pathetic expression, a patient, sourish smile which seemed to say: "Oh, no! don't mistake me, I know you are not coming up to me. I can hardly expect that!" And Francie would plead with one of her lovers, or with some callow youth: "Now, to please me, do let me introduce you to Miss Pink; such a nice girl, really!" and she would bring him up, and say: "Miss Pink – Mr. Gathercole. Can you spare him a dance?" Then Miss Pink, smiling her forced smile, colouring a little, answered: "Oh! I think so!" and screening her empty card, wrote on it the name of Gathercole, spelling it passionately in the district that he proposed, about the second extra.
But when the youth had murmured that it was hot, and passed, she relapsed into her attitude of hopeless expectation, into her patient, sourish smile.
Mothers, slowly fanning their faces, watched their daughters, and in their eyes could be read all the story of those daughters' fortunes. As for themselves, to sit hour after hour, dead tired, silent, or talking spasmodically – what did it matter, so long as the girls were having a good time! But to see them neglected and passed by! Ah! they smiled, but their eyes stabbed like the eyes of an offended swan; they longed to pluck young Gathercole by the slack of his dandified breeches, and drag him to their daughters – the jackanapes!
And all the cruelties and hardness of life, its pathos and unequal chances, its conceit, self-forgetfulness, and patience, were presented on the battle-field of this Kensington ball-room.
