Here are explanations for the difficult words and phrases from the story you provided.
It wouldn’t be fair of her to ask him to understand
This phrase means that she felt her reason for leaving was so personal and unrelated to him that it would be an unfair burden to place on him. She believes her decision is something he couldn't possibly comprehend, and trying to explain it would only cause him confusion or pain, which she wants to avoid. She is protecting him from a truth she thinks he doesn't need to know.
Due in court
This is a legal phrase that means the person has a scheduled court appearance. Lon is a lawyer, and he has to be in a courtroom at a specific time to represent a client or participate in a legal proceeding.
Routine conversation, nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing to make him suspicious.
This explains the character's relief after talking to her fiancé, Lon. A routine conversation is a normal, everyday talk. Nothing out of the ordinary means that there was no surprise or anything unusual in their conversation. The character is deliberately trying to act normal to avoid making Lon suspicious, meaning she doesn't want him to think that something is wrong or that she is hiding something. This highlights her anxiety about her secret trip.
The first waves of wounded young soldiers were coming home
This is a powerful image describing the impact of the war. "Waves" here is a metaphor for a large, continuous flow of people. The phrase refers to the first large groups of soldiers returning from the war who have been injured in combat. This emphasizes the grim reality she was dealing with while volunteering at the hospital.
Caste system of the South
A caste system is a rigid social hierarchy where a person's social status is determined by birth. While the American South doesn't have a formal, legal caste system like some other parts of the world, this phrase is used to describe the strong social divisions and expectations that existed in the region, especially among the upper classes. It suggests that a person's value was heavily judged by their family name, wealth, and social standing. The narrator is explaining that in her social circle, and for Lon, these factors were extremely important when it came to choosing a marriage partner.
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