Editor in China requesting help with translation

Lee · 17 Dec 2013, 15:25 · from 2013-December.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee)
Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2013 10:25:59 -0500
Subject: (urth) Editor in China requesting help with translation
Message-ID: <BLU175-W2288827547AA4C1059BB95CFDB0 at phx.gbl>

>I carried them to her, and she said my beard had shot up like them, and I
>should be bluer of cheek than the run of common men, and the next day
>begged my pardon for it, saying I was that already.

IIRC, the "she" is Thecla speaking to Severian while imprisoned. I can't 
see why she would beg for pardon for saying he wasn't yet pale enough.

Thecla struggled between dismissing Severian as a boy toy and truly caring
about him. So I am with the majority in thinking the "blue" refers to beard
shadow and this is an example in which she fears she had implied he was not 
yet a man and hopes to make up for it.

>confirm the outcome of a love affair by putting the elector of one suit atop
> the patroness of another

My first thought on seeing the word "suit" in the context of a love affair
is the idea of seeking a hand in marriage, as in "suitor".

Perhaps it is a bit of that, but I prefer the primary meaning as interpreted
by Gwern as tarot card reading as it relates both to putting a suit upon a suit 
and confirming a love affair outcome through fortune telling.

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