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64.

I was an uncle. Willy and Kate had welcomed their first child, George, and he was beautiful. Icouldn’t wait to teach him about rugby and Rorke’s Drift, flying and corridor cricket—and maybegive him a few pointers about how to survive life in the fishbowl.

Reporters, however, used this joyous¹ occasion as an opportunity to ask me… if I wasmiserable.

What?

The baby had moved me one link down the chain of succession, making me fourth from thethrone instead of third. So reporters said, Bad luck, eh?

You must be joking.

There must be some misgivings².

Couldn’t be happier.

A half-truth.

I was delighted for Willy and Kate, and I was indifferent to my place in the order ofsuccession.

But nothing to do with either thing, I wasn’t anywhere close to happy.

 

1 joyous   

adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的

参考例句：

• The lively dance heightened the joyous atmosphere of the scene.轻快的舞蹈给这场戏渲染了欢乐气氛。
• They conveyed the joyous news to us soon.他们把这一佳音很快地传递给我们。

2 misgivings   

n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧

参考例句：

• I had grave misgivings about making the trip. 对于这次旅行我有过极大的顾虑。
• Don't be overtaken by misgivings and fear. Just go full stream ahead! 不要瞻前顾后， 畏首畏尾。甩开膀子干吧！ 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》