surreptitious
done something in a secretive, low-key fashion
idleness
laziness or indolence
sacred
holy
alluring
mysteriously attractive
allegory
a story, poem, or picture which can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning
agapanthus
any of several African plants (genus Agapanthus) of the lily family cultivated for their umbels of showy blue, purple, or white flowers (m-w.com)
paraffin
kerosene
perambulator
a baby carriage
loath
reluctant
palpably
conspicuously
mortified
highly embarrassed
askew
off to the side, crooked
diminutive
very small
exultation
a feeling of intense happiness
borehole
a well
sluice
a channel or stream for water
seeping
liquid slowly leaking out of something
proboscis
nose
surmounted
on top of, or climbed on top of something
frowzy
uncared for, dull
