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- Колин Маккалоу
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- Стр. 165/535
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A
sheet
of
dappled
grey
occupied
its
dust
,
galahs
picking
for
insects
or
grubs
,
but
as
they
heard
her
coming
they
took
to
the
air
en
masse
.
It
was
like
being
inundated
by
a
magenta-pink
wave
;
breasts
and
underwings
soared
above
her
head
,
the
grey
turned
magically
to
rich
pink
.
If
I
had
to
leave
Drogheda
tomorrow
,
she
thought
,
never
again
to
come
back
,
in
my
dreams
I
'd
live
Drogheda
in
a
wash
of
pink
galah
undersides
...
It
must
be
getting
very
dry
farther
out
;
the
kangas
are
coming
in
,
more
and
more
of
them
...
A
great
mob
of
kangaroos
,
maybe
two
thousand
strong
,
was
startled
out
of
its
placid
grazing
by
the
galahs
and
took
off
into
the
distance
in
long
,
graceful
leaps
which
swallowed
the
leagues
faster
than
any
other
animal
save
the
emu
.
Horses
could
n't
keep
up
with
them
.
In
between
these
delightful
bouts
of
nature-studying
she
thought
of
Ralph
,
as
always
.
Privately
Meggie
had
never
catalogued
what
she
felt
for
him
as
a
schoolgirl
crush
,
simply
called
it
love
,
as
they
did
in
books
.
Her
symptoms
and
feelings
were
no
different
from
those
of
an
Ethel
M.
Dell
heroine
.
Nor
did
it
seem
fair
that
a
barrier
as
artificial
as
his
priesthood
could
stand
between
her
and
what
she
wanted
of
him
,
which
was
to
have
him
as
her
husband
.
To
live
with
him
as
Daddy
did
with
Mum
,
in
such
harmony
he
would
adore
her
the
way
Daddy
did
Mum
.
It
had
never
seemed
to
Meggie
that
her
mother
did
very
much
to
earn
her
father
's
adoration
,
yet
worship
her
he
did
.
So
Ralph
would
soon
see
that
to
live
with
her
was
far
better
than
living
on
his
own
;
for
it
had
not
dawned
upon
her
that
Ralph
's
priesthood
was
something
he
could
not
abandon
under
any
circumstances
.
Yes
,
she
knew
it
was
forbidden
to
have
a
priest
as
husband
or
lover
,
but
she
had
got
into
the
habit
of
getting
around
it
by
stripping
Ralph
of
his
religious
office
.
Her
formal
education
in
Catholicism
had
never
advanced
to
discussions
of
the
nature
of
priestly
vows
,
and
she
was
not
herself
in
need
of
religion
,
so
did
n't
pursue
it
voluntarily
.
Obtaining
no
satisfaction
from
praying
,
Meggie
obeyed
the
laws
of
the
Church
simply
because
not
to
do
so
meant
burning
in
Hell
throughout
eternity
.
In
her
present
daydream
she
rambled
through
the
bliss
of
living
with
him
and
sleeping
with
him
,
as
Daddy
did
with
Mum
.
Then
the
thought
of
his
nearness
excited
her
,
made
her
shift
in
the
saddle
restlessly
;
she
translated
it
into
a
deluge
of
kisses
,
having
no
other
criterion
.
Riding
the
paddocks
had
n't
advanced
her
sexual
education
at
all
,
for
the
mere
sniff
of
a
dog
in
the
far
distance
drove
all
desire
to
mate
out
of
any
animal
's
mind
,
and
as
on
all
stations
,
indiscriminate
mating
was
not
allowed
.
When
the
rams
were
sent
among
the
ewes
of
a
particular
paddock
,
Meggie
was
dispatched
elsewhere
,
and
the
sight
of
one
dog
humping
another
was
simply
the
signal
to
flick
the
pair
with
her
whip
,
stop
their
"
playing
.
"
Perhaps
no
human
being
is
equipped
to
judge
which
is
worse
;
inchoate
longing
with
its
attendant
restlessness
and
irritability
,
or
specific
desire
with
its
willful
drive
to
achieve
the
desire
.
Poor
Meggie
longed
,
quite
what
for
she
did
n't
know
,
but
the
basic
pull
was
there
,
and
it
dragged
her
inexorably
in
the
direction
of
Ralph
de
Bricassart
.
So
she
dreamed
of
him
,
yearned
for
him
,
wanted
him
;
and
mourned
,
that
in
spite
of
his
declared
love
for
her
she
meant
so
little
to
him
that
he
never
came
to
see
her
.
Into
the
middle
of
her
thoughts
rode
Paddy
,
heading
for
the
homestead
on
the
same
course
as
she
was
;
smiling
,
she
reined
in
the
chestnut
mare
and
waited
for
him
to
catch
up
.
"
What
a
nice
surprise
,
"
said
Paddy
,
walking
his
old
roan
beside
his
daughter
's
middle-aged
mare
.
"
Yes
,
it
is
,
"
she
said
.
"
Is
it
dry
farther
out
?
"
"
A
bit
worse
than
this
,
I
think
.
Lord
,
I
've
never
seen
so
many
kangas
!
It
must
be
bone
dry
out
Milparinka
way
.
Martin
King
was
talking
of
a
big
shoot
,
but
I
do
n't
see
how
an
army
of
machine
guns
could
reduce
the
number
of
kangas
by
enough
to
see
the
difference
.
"
