Cecil’s Disdain for Country Life and Sir Harry
Once out of earshot, Cecil denounces Sir Harry as a “hopeless vulgarian” who stands for all that is bad in country life—in London he would merely belong to a brainless club, but in the country he acts the little god with his gentility, patronage, and sham aesthetics, deceiving everyone, even Lucy’s mother. Lucy, though discouraged, admits it is quite true and wonders whether it matters so very much. Cecil insists it matters supremely, expressing hope that Sir Harry will be saddled with a tenant so vulgar he will notice it. Lucy and Cecil agree to forget him, though the scene has exposed the widening gap between Cecil’s ideals and the lived rural world Lucy inhabits.
第九章
Chapter IX follows Lucy and Cecil as they walk together through the countryside near Summer Street. Their outing reveals tensions in their engagement: Lucy fears Cecil’s disapproval of her close friends, particularly Freddy, while Cecil grows oddly irritable when Lucy steers them toward roads rather than woods. A conversation about indoor versus outdoor imagery leads Cecil to a “cult of the open air,” and at a small pool Lucy calls the Sacred Lake, she reminisces about her childhood there with Freddy and Charlotte. Cecil, working up courage in the secluded setting, asks to kiss Lucy for the first time; the kiss itself becomes an awkward and disappointing encounter because of his self-consciousness and his pince-nez. As they walk away in silence, Lucy brings up Mr. Emerson by name in what is, unbeknownst to Cecil, the most intimate exchange they have yet shared.
The original text of this work is in the public domain. This page focuses on a guided summary article, reading notes, selected quotes, and visual learning materials for educational purposes.