The manager of a first-class theatre. The walls had been panelled (at cost
Price) by a good decorator and on them hung engravings of theatrical pictures
By Zoffany and de Wilde. The armchairs were large and comfortable. Michael
Sat in a heavily carved Chippendale chair, a reproduction but made by a well-
Known firm, and his Chippendale table, with heavy ball and claw feet, was
Immensely solid. On it stood in a massive silver frame a photograph of herself
And to balance it a photograph of Roger, their son.
Between these was a magnificent silver ink-stand ( :
; ink ) that she had herself
given him ( : ) on one of his birthdays (
// ) and behind it a rack in red morocco (
// ), heavily gilt ( ), in
which he kept his private paper ( ;
private , ) in case ( : ) he wanted to
write a letter in his own hand (//
). The paper bore the address, Siddons Theatre (
, -; to bear (bore, borne) ,
, ), and the envelope his crest ( ),
a boar's head with the motto underneath ( ; boar
, , ): Nemo me impune lacessit (= Nobody can offend me
without impunity: . ). A bunch of yellow
tulips in a silver bowl (: ,
), which he had got ( ) through winning the theatrical golf
tournament (: ; to win
, , ) three times running ( ),
showed Margery's care (/ / : ).
Julia gave her a reflective glance ( :
reflective , , , glance
). Notwithstanding her cropped peroxide hair ( //
; to crop . , ) and
her heavily-painted lips ( ) she had the neutral look
( : ) that marks the perfect secretary
( : ).
magnificent [mxg'nIfIs(q)nt] underneath ["Andq'ni:T]
tournament
|
neutral ['nju:trql]
Between these was a magnificent silver ink-stand that she had herself given
