The hands of this woman hung nerveless outside the arms of her chair, and her head, as if too heavy to hold up, lay back upon its cushions. A dress of white cambric, very full and flowing, hindered any judgment11 as to the proportions of her figure, and the bust12 was concealed13 by the folds of a scarf crossed on the bosom14 and negligently15 knotted. If the light had not thrown into relief her face, which she seemed to show in preference to the rest of her person, it would still have been impossible to escape riveting16 the attention exclusively upon it. Its expression of stupefaction, which was cold and rigid17 despite hot tears that were rolling from her eyes, would have struck the most thoughtless mind. Nothing is more terrible to behold18 than excessive grief that is rarely allowed to break forth19, of which traces were left on this woman’s face like lava20 congealed21 about a crater22. She might have been a dying mother compelled to leave her children in abysmal23 depths of wretchedness, unable to bequeath them to any human protector.
The countenance24 of this lady, then about forty years of age and not nearly so far from handsome as she had been in her youth, bore none of the characteristics of a Flemish woman. Her thick black hair fell in heavy curls upon her shoulders and about her cheeks. The forehead, very prominent, and narrow at the temples, was yellow in tint25, but beneath it sparkled two black eyes that were capable of emitting flames. Her face, altogether Spanish, dark skinned, with little color and pitted by the small-pox, attracted the eye by the beauty of its oval, whose outline, though slightly impaired27 by time, preserved a finished elegance28 and dignity, and regained29 at times its full perfection when some effort of the soul restored its pristine30 purity. The most noticeable feature in this strong face was the nose, aquiline31 as the beak32 of an eagle, and so sharply curved at the middle as to give the idea of an interior malformation; yet there was an air of indescribable delicacy33 about it, and the partition between the nostrils34 was so thin that a rosy35 light shone through it. Though the lips, which were large and curved, betrayed the pride of noble birth, their expression was one of kindliness36 and natural courtesy.
The beauty of this vigorous yet feminine face might indeed be questioned, but the face itself commanded attention. Short, deformed38, and lame26, this woman remained all the longer unmarried because the world obstinately39 refused to credit her with gifts of mind. Yet there were men who were deeply stirred by the passionate40 ardor41 of that face and its tokens of ineffable42 tenderness, and who remained under a charm that was seemingly irreconcilable43 with such personal defects.
She was very like her grandfather, the Duke of Casa-Real, a grandee44 of Spain. At this moment, when we first see her, the charm which in earlier days despotically grasped the soul of poets and lovers of poesy now emanated45 from that head with greater vigor37 than at any former period of her life, spending itself, as it were, upon the void, and expressing a nature of all-powerful fascination46 over men, though it was at the same time powerless over destiny.
When her eyes turned from the glass globes, where they were gazing at the fish they saw not, she raised them with a despairing action, as if to invoke47 the skies. Her sufferings seemed of a kind that are told to God alone. The silence was unbroken save for the chirp48 of crickets and the shrill49 whirr of a few locusts50, coming from the little garden then hotter than an oven, and the dull sound of silver and plates, and the moving of chairs in the adjoining room, where a servant was preparing to serve the dinner.
At this moment, the distressed51 woman roused herself from her abstraction and listened attentively52; she took her handkerchief, wiped away her tears, attempted to smile, and so resolutely54 effaced55 the expression of pain that was stamped on every feature that she presently seemed in the state of happy indifference56 which comes with a life exempt57 from care. Whether it were that the habit of living in this house to which infirmities confined her enabled her to perceive certain natural effects that are imperceptible to the senses of others, but which persons under the influence of excessive feeling are keen to discover, or whether Nature, in compensation for her physical defects, had given her more delicate sensations than better organized beings — it is certain that this woman had heard the steps of a man in a gallery built above the kitchens and the servants’ hall, by which the front house communicated with the “back-quarter.” The steps grew more distinct. Soon, without possessing the power of this ardent59 creature to abolish space and meet her other self, even a stranger would have heard the foot-fall of a man upon the staircase which led down from the gallery to the parlor.
The sound of that step would have startled the most heedless being into thought; it was impossible to hear it coolly. A precipitate60, headlong step produces fear. When a man springs forward and cries, “Fire!” his feet speak as loudly as his voice. If this be so, then a contrary gait ought not to cause less powerful emotion. The slow approach, the dragging step of the coming man might have irritated an unreflecting spectator; but an observer, or a nervous person, would undoubtedly61 have felt something akin3 to terror at the measured tread of feet that seemed devoid62 of life, and under which the stairs creaked loudly, as though two iron weights were striking them alternately. The mind recognized at once either the heavy, undecided step of an old man or the majestic63 tread of a great thinker bearing the worlds with him.
When the man had reached the lowest stair, and had planted both feet upon the tiled floor with a hesitating, uncertain movement, he stood still for a moment on the wide landing which led on one side to the servants’ hall, and on the other to the parlor through a door concealed in the panelling of that room — as was another door, leading from the parlor to the dining-room. At this moment a slight shudder64, like the sensation caused by an electric spark, shook the woman seated in the armchair; then a soft smile brightened her lips, and her face, moved by the expectation of a pleasure, shone like that of an Italian Madonna. She suddenly gained strength to drive her terrors back into the depths of her heart. Then she turned her face to the panel of the wall which she knew was about to open, and which in fact was now pushed in with such brusque violence that the poor woman herself seemed jarred by the shock.
Balthazar Claes suddenly appeared, made a few steps forward, did not look at the woman, or if he looked at her did not see her, and stood erect65 in the middle of the parlor, leaning his half-bowed head on his right hand. A sharp pang66 to which the woman could not accustom67 herself, although it was daily renewed, wrung68 her heart, dispelled69 her smile, contracted the sallow forehead between the eyebrows70, indenting71 that line which the frequent expression of excessive feeling scores so deeply; her eyes filled with tears, but she wiped them quickly as she looked at Balthazar.
It was impossible not to be deeply impressed by this head of the family of Claes. When young, he must have resembled the noble family martyr72 who had threatened to be another Artevelde to Charles V.; but as he stood there at this moment, he seemed over sixty years of age, though he was only fifty; and this premature73 old age had destroyed the honorable likeness74. His tall figure was slightly bent75 — either because his labors76, whatever they were, obliged him to stoop, or that the spinal77 column was curved by the weight of his head. He had a broad chest and square shoulders, but the lower parts of his body were lank78 and wasted, though nervous; and this discrepancy79 in a physical organization evidently once perfect puzzled the mind which endeavored to explain this anomalous80 figure by some possible singularities of the man’s life.
His thick blond hair, ill cared-for, fell over his shoulders in the Dutch fashion, and its very disorder81 was in keeping with the general eccentricity82 of his person. His broad brow showed certain protuberances which Gall58 identifies with poetic83 genius. His clear and full blue eyes had the brusque vivacity84 which may be noticed in searchers for occult causes. The nose, probably perfect in early life, was now elongated85, and the nostrils seemed to have gradually opened wider from an involuntary tension of the olfactory86 muscles. The cheek-bones were very prominent, which made the cheeks themselves, already withered87, seem more sunken; his mouth, full of sweetness, was squeezed in between the nose and a short chin, which projected sharply. The shape of the face, however, was long rather than oval, and the scientific doctrine88 which sees in every human face a likeness to an animal would have found its confirmation89 in that of Balthazar Claes, which bore a strong resemblance to a horse’s head. The skin clung closely to the bones, as though some inward fire were incessantly90 drying its juices. Sometimes, when he gazed into space, as if to see the realization91 of his hopes, it almost seemed as though the flames that devoured92 his soul were issuing from his nostrils.
The inspired feelings that animate93 great men shone forth on the pale face furrowed94 with wrinkles, on the brow haggard with care like that of an old monarch95, but above all they gleamed in the sparkling eye, whose fires were fed by chastity imposed by the tyranny of ideas and by the inward consecration96 of a great intellect. The cavernous eyes seemed to have sunk in their orbits through midnight vigils and the terrible reaction of hopes destroyed, yet ceaselessly reborn. The zealous97 fanaticism98 inspired by an art or a science was evident in this man; it betrayed itself in the strange, persistent99 abstraction of his mind expressed by his dress and bearing, which were in keeping with the anomalous peculiarities100 of his person.
His large, hairy hands were dirty, and the nails, which were very long, had deep black lines at their extremities102. His shoes were not cleaned and the shoe-strings were missing. Of all that Flemish household, the master alone took the strange liberty of being slovenly103. His black cloth trousers were covered with stains, his waistcoat was unbuttoned, his cravat104 awry105, his greenish coat ripped at the seams — completing an array of signs, great and small, which in any other man would have betokened106 a poverty begotten107 of vice108, but which in Balthazar Claes was the negligence109 of genius.
Vice and Genius too often produce the same effects; and this misleads the common mind. What is genius but a long excess which squanders110 time and wealth and physical powers, and leads more rapidly to a hospital than the worst of passions? Men even seem to have more respect for vices111 than for genius, since to the latter they refuse credit. The profits accruing112 from the hidden labors of the brain are so remote that the social world fears to square accounts with the man of learning in his lifetime, preferring to get rid of its obligations by not forgiving his misfortunes or his poverty.
If, in spite of this inveterate113 forgetfulness of the present, Balthazar Claes had abandoned his mysterious abstractions, if some sweet and companionable meaning had revisited that thoughtful countenance, if the fixed eyes had lost their rigid strain and shone with feeling, if he had ever looked humanly about him and returned to the real life of common things, it would indeed have been difficult not to do involuntary homage114 to the winning beauty of his face and the gracious soul that would then have shone from it. As it was, all who looked at him regretted that the man belonged no more to the world at large, and said to one another: “He must have been very handsome in his youth.” A vulgar error! Never was Balthazar Claes’s appearance more poetic than at this moment. Lavater, had he seen him, would fain have studied that head so full of patience, of Flemish loyalty115, and pure morality — where all was broad and noble, and passion seemed calm because it was strong.
The conduct of this man could not be otherwise than pure; his word was sacred, his friendships seemed undeviating, his self-devotedness complete: and yet the will to employ those qualities in patriotic117 service, for the world or for the family, was directed, fatally, elsewhere. This citizen, bound to guard the welfare of a household, to manage property, to guide his children towards a noble future, was living outside the line of his duty and his affections, in communion with an attendant spirit. A priest might have thought him inspired by the word of God; an artist would have hailed him as a great master; an enthusiast118 would have taken him for a seer of the Swedenborgian faith.
At the present moment, the dilapidated, uncouth119, and ruined clothes that he wore contrasted strangely with the graceful120 elegance of the woman who was sadly admiring him. Deformed persons who have intellect, or nobility of soul, show an exquisite121 taste in their apparel. Either they dress simply, convinced that their charm is wholly moral, or they make others forget their imperfections by an elegance of detail which diverts the eye and occupies the mind. Not only did this woman possess a noble soul, but she loved Balthazar Claes with that instinct of the woman which gives a foretaste of the communion of angels. Brought up in one of the most illustrious families of Belgium, she would have learned good taste had she not possessed122 it; and now, taught by the desire of constantly pleasing the man she loved, she knew how to clothe herself admirably, and without producing incongruity123 between her elegance and the defects of her conformation. The bust, however, was defective124 in the shoulders only, one of which was noticeably much larger than the other.
She looked out of the window into the court-yard, then towards the garden, as if to make sure she was alone with Balthazar, and presently said, in a gentle voice and with a look full of a Flemish woman’s submissiveness — for between these two love had long since driven out the pride of her Spanish nature:—
“Balthazar, are you so very busy? this is the thirty-third Sunday since you have been to mass or vespers.”
Claes did not answer; his wife bowed her head, clasped her hands, and waited: she knew that his silence meant neither contempt nor indifference, only a tyrannous preoccupation. Balthazar was one of those beings who preserve deep in their souls and after long years all their youthful delicacy of feeling; he would have thought it criminal to wound by so much as a word a woman weighed down by the sense of physical disfigurement. No man knew better than he that a look, a word, suffices to blot125 out years of happiness, and is the more cruel because it contrasts with the unfailing tenderness of the past: our nature leads us to suffer more from one discord126 in our happiness than pleasure coming in the midst of trouble can bring us joy.
Presently Balthazar appeared to waken; he looked quickly about him, and said —
“Vespers? Ah, yes! the children are at vespers.”
He made a few steps forward, and looked into the garden, where magnificent tulips were growing on all sides; then he suddenly stopped short as if brought up against a wall, and cried out —
“Why should they not combine within a given time?”
“Is he going mad?” thought the wife, much terrified.
To give greater interest to the present scene, which was called forth by the situation of their affairs, it is absolutely necessary to glance back at the past lives of Balthazar Claes and the granddaughter of the Duke of Casa-Real.
Towards the year 1783, Monsieur Balthazar Claes-Molina de Nourho, then twenty-two years of age, was what is called in France a fine man. He came to finish his education in Paris, where he acquired excellent manners in the society of Madame d’Egmont, Count Horn, the Prince of Aremberg, the Spanish ambassador, Helvetius, and other Frenchmen originally from Belgium, or coming lately thence, whose birth or wealth won them admittance among the great seigneurs who at that time gave the tone to social life. Young Claes found several relations and friends ready to launch him into the great world at the very moment when that world was about to fall. Like other young men, he was at first more attracted by glory and science than by the vanities of life. He frequented the society of scientific men, particularly Lavoisier, who at that time was better known to the world for his enormous fortune as a “fermier-general” than for his discoveries in chemistry — though later the great chemist was to eclipse the man of wealth.
Balthazar grew enamored of the science which Lavoisier cultivated, and became his devoted116 disciple127; but he was young, and handsome as Helvetius, and before long the Parisian women taught him to distil128 wit and love exclusively. Though he had studied chemistry with such ardor that Lavoisier commended him, he deserted129 science and his master for those mistresses of fashion and good taste from whom young men take finishing lessons in knowledge of life, and learn the usages of good society, which in Europe forms, as it were, one family.
The intoxicating130 dream of social success lasted but a short time. Balthazar left Paris, weary of a hollow existence which suited neither his ardent soul nor his loving heart. Domestic life, so calm, so tender, which the very name of Flanders recalled to him, seemed far more fitted to his character and to the aspirations131 of his heart. No gilded132 Parisian salon133 had effaced from his mind the harmonies of the panelled parlor and the little garden where his happy childhood had slipped away. A man must needs be without a home to remain in Paris — Paris, the city of cosmopolitans134, of men who wed7 the world, and clasp her with the arms of Science, Art, or Power.
The son of Flanders came back to Douai, like La Fontaine’s pigeon to its nest; he wept with joy as he re-entered the town on the day of the Gayant procession — Gayant, the superstitious135 luck of Douai, the glory of Flemish traditions, introduced there at the time the Claes family had emigrated from Ghent. The death of Balthazar’s father and mother had left the old mansion136 deserted, and the young man was occupied for a time in settling its affairs. His first grief over, he wished to marry; he needed the domestic happiness whose every religious aspect had fastened upon his mind. He even followed the family custom of seeking a wife in Ghent, or at Bruges, or Antwerp; but it happened that no woman whom he met there suited him. Undoubtedly, he had certain peculiar101 ideas as to marriage; from his youth he had been accused of never following the beaten track.
One day, at the house of a relation in Ghent, he heard a young lady, then living in Brussels, spoken of in a manner which gave rise to a long discussion. Some said that the beauty of Mademoiselle de Temninck was destroyed by the imperfections of her figure; others declared that she was perfect in spite of her defects. Balthazar’s old cousin, at whose house the discussion took place, assured his guests that, handsome or not, she had a soul that would make him marry her were he a marrying man; and he told how she had lately renounced137 her share of her parents’ property to enable her brother to make a marriage worthy138 of his name; thus preferring his happiness to her own, and sacrificing her future to his interests — for it was not to be supposed that Mademoiselle de Temninck would marry late in life and without property when, young and wealthy, she had met with no aspirant139.
A few days later, Balthazar Claes made the acquaintance of Mademoiselle de Temninck; with whom he fell deeply in love. At first, Josephine de Temninck thought herself the object of a mere140 caprice, and refused to listen to Monsieur Claes; but passion is contagious141; and to a poor girl who was lame and ill-made, the sense of inspiring love in a young and handsome man carries with it such strong seduction that she finally consented to allow him to woo her.
It would need a volume to paint the love of a young girl humbly142 submissive to the verdict of a world that calls her plain, while she feels within herself the irresistible143 charm which comes of sensibility and true feeling. It involves fierce jealousy144 of happiness, freaks of cruel vengeance145 against some fancied rival who wins a glance — emotions, terrors, unknown to the majority of women, and which ought, therefore, to be more than indicated. The doubt, the dramatic doubt of love, is the keynote of this analysis, where certain souls will find once more the lost, but unforgotten, poetry of their early struggles; the passionate exaltations of the heart which the face must not betray; the fear that we may not be understood, and the boundless146 joy of being so; the hesitations147 of the soul which recoils148 upon itself, and the magnetic propulsions which give to the eyes an infinitude of shades; the promptings to suicide caused by a word, dispelled by an intonation149; trembling glances which veil an inward daring; sudden desires to speak and act that are paralyzed by their own violence; the secret eloquence150 of common phrases spoken in a quivering voice; the mysterious workings of that pristine modesty151 of soul and that divine discernment which lead to hidden generosities152, and give so exquisite a flavor to silent devotion; in short, all the loveliness of young love, and the weaknesses of its power.
Mademoiselle Josephine de Temninck was coquettish from nobility of soul. The sense of her obvious imperfections made her as difficult to win as the handsomest of women. The fear of some day displeasing153 the eye roused her pride, destroyed her trustfulness, and gave her the courage to hide in the depths of her heart that dawning happiness which other women delight in making known by their manners — wearing it proudly, like a coronet. The more love urged her towards Balthazar, the less she dared to express her feelings. The glance, the gesture, the question and answer as it were of a pretty woman, so flattering to the man she loves, would they not be in her case mere humiliating speculation154? A beautiful woman can be her natural self — the world overlooks her little follies155 or her clumsiness; whereas a single criticising glance checks the noblest expression on the lips of an ugly woman, adds to the ill-grace of her gesture, gives timidity to her eyes and awkwardness to her whole bearing. She knows too well that to her alone the world condones156 no faults; she is denied the right to repair them; indeed, the chance to do so is never given. This necessity of being perfect and on her guard at every moment, must surely chill her faculties157 and numb158 their exercise? Such a woman can exist only in an atmosphere of angelic forbearance. Where are the hearts from which forbearance comes with no alloy159 of bitter and stinging pity.
These thoughts, to which the codes of social life had accustomed her, and the sort of consideration more wounding than insult shown to her by the world — a consideration which increases a misfortune by making it apparent — oppressed Mademoiselle de Temninck with a constant sense of embarrassment160, which drove back into her soul its happiest expression, and chilled and stiffened161 her attitudes, her speech, her looks. Loving and beloved, she dared to be eloquent162 or beautiful only when alone. Unhappy and oppressed in the broad daylight of life, she might have been enchanting163 could she have expanded in the shadow. Often, to test the love thus offered to her, and at the risk of losing it, she refused to wear the draperies that concealed some portion of her defects, and her Spanish eyes grew entrancing when they saw that Balthazar thought her beautiful as before.
Nevertheless, even so, distrust soiled the rare moments when she yielded herself to happiness. She asked herself if Claes were not seeking a domestic slave — one who would necessarily keep the house? whether he had himself no secret imperfection which obliged him to be satisfied with a poor, deformed girl? Such perpetual misgivings164 gave a priceless value to the few short hours during which she trusted the sincerity165 and the permanence of a love which was to avenge166 her on the world. Sometimes she provoked hazardous167 discussions, and probed the inner consciousness of her lover by exaggerating her defects. At such times she often wrung from Balthazar truths that were far from flattering; but she loved the embarrassment into which he fell when she had led him to say that what he loved in a woman was a noble soul and the devotion which made each day of life a constant happiness; and that after a few years of married life the handsomest of women was no more to a husband than the ugliest. After gathering168 up what there was of truth in all such paradoxes169 tending to reduce the value of beauty, Balthazar would suddenly perceive the ungraciousness of his remarks, and show the goodness of his heart by the delicate transitions of thought with which he proved to Mademoiselle de Temninck that she was perfect in his eyes.
The spirit of devotion which, it may be, is the crown of love in a woman, was not lacking in this young girl, who had always despaired of being loved; at first, the prospect170 of a struggle in which feeling and sentiment would triumph over actual beauty tempted53 her; then, she fancied a grandeur171 in giving herself to a man in whose love she did not believe; finally, she was forced to admit that happiness, however short its duration might be, was too precious to resign.
Such hesitations, such struggles, giving the charm and the unexpectedness of passion to this noble creature, inspired Balthazar with a love that was well-nigh chivalric172.
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obliquely
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| adv.斜； 倾斜； 间接； 不光明正大 | |
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parlor
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| n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅 | |
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akin
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| adj.同族的，类似的 | |
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crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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sketched
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| v.草拟（sketch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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wed
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| v.娶，嫁，与…结婚 | |
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prostration
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| n. 平伏, 跪倒, 疲劳 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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luminous
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| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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bust
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| vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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negligently
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riveting
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rigid
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behold
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forth
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lava
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| n.熔岩，火山岩 | |
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congealed
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crater
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| n.火山口，弹坑 | |
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abysmal
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| adj.无底的，深不可测的，极深的；糟透的，极坏的；完全的 | |
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countenance
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tint
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lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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impaired
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| adj.受损的；出毛病的；有（身体或智力）缺陷的v.损害，削弱( impair的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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elegance
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| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
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regained
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pristine
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aquiline
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| adj.钩状的，鹰的 | |
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beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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nostrils
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rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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kindliness
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vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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38
deformed
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| adj.畸形的；变形的；丑的，破相了的 | |
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39
obstinately
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| ad.固执地，顽固地 | |
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40
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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41
ardor
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| n.热情，狂热 | |
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42
ineffable
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| adj.无法表达的，不可言喻的 | |
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43
irreconcilable
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| adj.（指人）难和解的，势不两立的 | |
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44
grandee
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| n.贵族；大公 | |
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45
emanated
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| v.从…处传出，传出( emanate的过去式和过去分词 )；产生，表现，显示 | |
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46
fascination
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| n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋 | |
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47
invoke
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| v.求助于(神、法律)；恳求，乞求 | |
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48
chirp
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| v.(尤指鸟)唧唧喳喳的叫 | |
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49
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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50
locusts
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| n.蝗虫( locust的名词复数 )；贪吃的人；破坏者；槐树 | |
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51
distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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52
attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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53
tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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54
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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55
effaced
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| v.擦掉( efface的过去式和过去分词 )；抹去；超越；使黯然失色 | |
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56
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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57
exempt
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| adj.免除的；v.使免除；n.免税者，被免除义务者 | |
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58
gall
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| v.使烦恼，使焦躁，难堪；n.磨难 | |
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59
ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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60
precipitate
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| adj.突如其来的；vt.使突然发生；n.沉淀物 | |
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61
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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62
devoid
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| adj.全无的，缺乏的 | |
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63
majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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64
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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65
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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66
pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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67
accustom
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| vt.使适应，使习惯 | |
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68
wrung
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| 绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 )； 握紧（尤指别人的手）； 把（湿衣服）拧干； 绞掉（水） | |
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69
dispelled
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| v.驱散，赶跑( dispel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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70
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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71
indenting
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| n.成穴的v.切割…使呈锯齿状( indent的现在分词 )；缩进排版 | |
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72
martyr
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| n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲 | |
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73
premature
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| adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的 | |
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74
likeness
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| n.相像，相似（之处） | |
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75
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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76
labors
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|
| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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77
spinal
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| adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的 | |
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78
lank
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| adj.瘦削的；稀疏的 | |
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79
discrepancy
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| n.不同；不符；差异；矛盾 | |
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80
anomalous
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| adj.反常的；不规则的 | |
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81
disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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82
eccentricity
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| n.古怪，反常，怪癖 | |
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83
poetic
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| adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的 | |
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84
vivacity
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| n.快活，活泼，精神充沛 | |
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85
elongated
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| v.延长，加长( elongate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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86
olfactory
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| adj.嗅觉的 | |
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87
withered
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|
| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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88
doctrine
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| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
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89
confirmation
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| n.证实，确认，批准 | |
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90
incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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91
realization
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| n.实现；认识到，深刻了解 | |
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92
devoured
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|
| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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93
animate
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| v.赋于生命，鼓励；adj.有生命的，有生气的 | |
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94
furrowed
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| v.犁田，开沟( furrow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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95
monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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96
consecration
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|
| n.供献，奉献，献祭仪式 | |
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97
zealous
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| adj.狂热的，热心的 | |
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98
fanaticism
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| n.狂热，盲信 | |
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99
persistent
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|
| adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的 | |
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100
peculiarities
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| n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪 | |
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101
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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102
extremities
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| n.端点( extremity的名词复数 )；尽头；手和足；极窘迫的境地 | |
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103
slovenly
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| adj.懒散的，不整齐的，邋遢的 | |
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104
cravat
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| n.领巾，领结；v.使穿有领结的服装，使结领结 | |
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105
awry
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| adj.扭曲的，错的 | |
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106
betokened
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| v.预示，表示( betoken的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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107
begotten
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| v.为…之生父( beget的过去分词 )；产生，引起 | |
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108
vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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109
negligence
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| n.疏忽，玩忽，粗心大意 | |
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110
squanders
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| v.（指钱，财产等）浪费，乱花( squander的第三人称单数 ) | |
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111
vices
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| 缺陷( vice的名词复数 )； 恶习； 不道德行为； 台钳 | |
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112
accruing
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| v.增加( accrue的现在分词 )；（通过自然增长）产生；获得；（使钱款、债务）积累 | |
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113
inveterate
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| adj.积习已深的，根深蒂固的 | |
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114
homage
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| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
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115
loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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116
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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117
patriotic
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| adj.爱国的，有爱国心的 | |
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118
enthusiast
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| n.热心人，热衷者 | |
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119
uncouth
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| adj.无教养的，粗鲁的 | |
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120
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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121
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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122
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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123
incongruity
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| n.不协调，不一致 | |
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124
defective
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| adj.有毛病的，有问题的，有瑕疵的 | |
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125
blot
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| vt.弄脏（用吸墨纸）吸干；n.污点，污渍 | |
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126
discord
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| n.不和，意见不合，争论，（音乐）不和谐 | |
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127
disciple
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| n.信徒，门徒，追随者 | |
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128
distil
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| vt.蒸馏；提取…的精华，精选出 | |
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129
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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130
intoxicating
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| a. 醉人的,使人兴奋的 | |
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131
aspirations
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| 强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音 | |
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132
gilded
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| a.镀金的，富有的 | |
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133
salon
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| n.[法]沙龙；客厅；营业性的高级服务室 | |
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134
cosmopolitans
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| 世界性的( cosmopolitan的名词复数 )； 全球各国的； 有各国人的； 受各国文化影响的 | |
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135
superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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136
mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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137
renounced
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| v.声明放弃( renounce的过去式和过去分词 )；宣布放弃；宣布与…决裂；宣布摒弃 | |
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138
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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139
aspirant
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| n.热望者；adj.渴望的 | |
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140
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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141
contagious
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| adj.传染性的，有感染力的 | |
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142
humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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143
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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144
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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145
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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146
boundless
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| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
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147
hesitations
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| n.犹豫( hesitation的名词复数 )；踌躇；犹豫（之事或行为）；口吃 | |
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148
recoils
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| n.（尤指枪炮的）反冲，后坐力( recoil的名词复数 )v.畏缩( recoil的第三人称单数 )；退缩；报应；返回 | |
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149
intonation
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| n.语调，声调；发声 | |
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150
eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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151
modesty
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| n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素 | |
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152
generosities
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| n.慷慨( generosity的名词复数 )；大方；宽容；慷慨或宽容的行为 | |
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153
displeasing
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| 不愉快的，令人发火的 | |
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154
speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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155
follies
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| 罪恶，时事讽刺剧； 愚蠢，蠢笨，愚蠢的行为、思想或做法( folly的名词复数 ) | |
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156
condones
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| v.容忍，宽恕，原谅( condone的第三人称单数 ) | |
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157
faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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158
numb
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| adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木 | |
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159
alloy
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| n.合金，(金属的)成色 | |
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160
embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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161
stiffened
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| 加强的 | |
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162
eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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163
enchanting
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| a.讨人喜欢的 | |
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164
misgivings
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧 | |
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165
sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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166
avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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167
hazardous
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| adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的 | |
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168
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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169
paradoxes
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| n.似非而是的隽语，看似矛盾而实际却可能正确的说法( paradox的名词复数 )；用于语言文学中的上述隽语；有矛盾特点的人[事物，情况] | |
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170
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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171
grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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172
chivalric
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| 有武士气概的，有武士风范的 | |
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