Cecil’s Kiss Dissatisfaction and Lucy’s Mention of Emerson
After their one silent salutation at the pool, they leave and Cecil waits for Lucy to make some remark that will reveal her inmost thoughts. At last she speaks with fitting gravity, saying “Emerson was the name, not Harris,” referring to the old man she had told him about earlier, the one Mr. Eager was so unkind to. Cecil, who cannot know it, has just been given the most intimate conversation they have ever had.
第九章 : Lucy As a Work of Art
Chapter IX opens in the days after Lucy Honeychurch and Cecil Vyse announce their engagement, tracing their social interactions, Cecil’s growing frustration with local country society and their neighbors, a walk through the local woods, and an awkward romantic encounter that exposes underlying tensions in their relationship.
The Garden Party
Mrs. Honeychurch hosts a small neighborhood garden party to introduce Cecil to local society and show off her daughter’s respectable fiancé. Cecil initially makes a strong impression, appearing distinguished as he interacts with guests, until a spilled cup of coffee ruins Lucy’s dress, forcing her and her mother to leave Cecil alone with a group of stuffy local dowagers.
Cecil’s Irritation Over Public Congratulations
When Lucy and her mother return from tending to Lucy’s stained dress, Cecil is in a foul mood, and on the drive home he rants about the unsolicited public congratulations they received at the party. He insists an engagement is a private matter that should not be treated as a public occasion for strangers to offer vulgar, unwanted sentiment, dismissing the well-meaning congratulations from local older women as intrusive and inappropriate.
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