There were letters for her at the bureau, one from her brother, full of athletics and biology; one from her mother, delightful as only her mother's letters could be. She had read in it of the crocuses which had been bought for yellow and were coming up puce, of the new parlour-maid, who had watered the ferns with essence of lemonade, of the semi-detached cottages which were ruining Summer Street, and breaking the heart of Sir Harry Otway. 書桌上有給她的信件，一封來自她的兄弟，滿篇的體育和生物；一封來自她的母親，書信內(nèi)容興高采烈似乎只有她母親的信件內(nèi)容才能這樣興高采烈。從書信里她了解到：買來的那株黃色的藏紅花已經(jīng)長出黃褐色的膜質(zhì)包被，新來的客廳女仆用檸檬汁澆灌家里的蕨類，那座半獨立式小屋“破壞”了夏街也讓Harry Otway先生心碎。