[Pg 126]
Marion vibrated between laughter and tears as she listened to my tale. Did I try to extenuate8 my conduct, or gloss9 over my unspeakable stupidity? No; I castigated10 myself unsparingly. I anticipated the worst that might be said, and said it with superlative fervor11. Only thus could I hope to avert12 the useless, humiliating process of having my mistakes pointed13 out in detail; only thus could I evoke14 the sweet human sympathy I craved15, and divert my wife's indignation toward that adroit16 old swindler, John Waydean. She was visibly affected17 by my self-accusation, and I began to breathe more freely. She seemed to be in no haste to interrupt with a word of reproach, or to say that she told me so, or to hope the experience would be a lesson to me. I had begun to reflect that, after all, I wasn't a bad sort of fellow and that man was made to err3, when suddenly she burst into tears.
"Marion," I cried, aghast, "I'm an idiot, but there's no use crying over——"
"No," she moaned—"no—use."
"It's my fault," I urged, in despair, "but[Pg 127] if it were yours, I'm—I'm blamed if I'd cry!"
"It is—my fault," she gasped18, with a fresh relapse.
In a flash I jumped to the conclusion that she was overcome with remorse19 for having told the butcher that I knew all about cattle. I saw that it really was her fault, after all, but this was not the time to say so.
"Not at all," I assured her, with soothing20 generosity21. "You must not blame yourself—you didn't realize the awkward position you placed me in."
"No—use," she repeated, unheeding. "To think that—I—should be so—taken in!"
"You taken in?" I cried. "It was I. Who—what—to—oh——"
The words died away in my throat as Marion uncovered her face. Not a word did she say, but her look was insufferable.
"I didn't," I protested hotly; "I never said I knew all about cattle when"——
I stopped, disconcerted by the expressive22 interrogatory turn to the corners of[Pg 128] her mouth. If she had said, in words, that I had convicted myself by my denial, I could have argued the point, but this silent denunciation was distracting. I stared for a moment with uncomprehending hauteur23, then strode from the room, trying to make my back view appear like that of a man who might possibly escape being mangled24 by a train or dying of heart failure until his wife had an opportunity to apologize for her heartless conduct. This device had never failed; it didn't this time. I was reaching for my hat in the hall when Marion called me. I looked back, virtuously25 impassive, but I could not suppress my joy when I saw in her face, not a sorrowful willingness to forgive me this time, but loving toleration. What mattered forty dollars, or even forty cows, if I might once more be restored to favor?
It was in all sincerity26 that I assured her that I would profit by my experience, for it did not seem possible that I could ever again meet a cow on terms of mental superiority, and yet, in a few days, time and my elastic27 temperament28 had such a mellowing[Pg 129] influence that I lost all sensitiveness on the subject; indeed, after pledging the butcher to secrecy29, I found myself telling Andy Taylor with the gusto of an onlooker30. And later, when we had, through the good offices of the butcher, found a suitable cow that wasn't dry, I became able to appreciate the humor of the situation with quite an impersonal31 relish32. Our new cow was not a graceful33 animal, like Ariadne, but she was easy to milk and docile34, and, as Marion said, Paul could never be impaled35 on her horns, for she hadn't any.
I would not willingly have missed the pleasure of owning a cow, nor the satisfaction of being able to milk her, but I did not try to disguise from Marion the fact that it was hard work; indeed, the harder I work, the more I like her to be aware of it. Solicitude36 is cheering to me, so when, at first, she used to stand beside me and express a fear that I might hurt my back or burst a blood-vessel, I worked enthusiastically; but later, when attending to our cow became a part of the inevitable37 daily routine, and when I milked in solitude38, I got very tired and[Pg 130] thought morbid39 thoughts about hired men and other farm accessories that were not.
It is odd that the butcher's aggravating40 habit of leaving our gate open should have resulted in Marion's suggesting that we should hire William Wedder, the one available man exactly suited to our requirements. Also, I afterwards reminded Marion, if it had not been for what she called my negligence41 in not removing the gate-semaphore when winter set in, William's observant eye would not have detected anything unusual in the appearance of the place. I recalled, too, that I had several times been prevented from taking down the sign-board by the impossibility of finding the hammer and the wrench42 at the same time; not only that, but when both tools were to hand I had a strange instinct against making use of them for that purpose. Marion smilingly admitted that it was extraordinary; she suggested that perhaps I was influenced by the same instinct that led me to leave the Venetian shutters43 on the window frames all winter, instead of taking them off in the fall and[Pg 131] putting them on again in the spring. However, I was proud enough of the success of my invention to be content to see the obtrusive44 request "PLEASE CLOSE THIS GATE" swing uselessly in the wintry winds, while the gate itself stood open, half buried in the snowdrift that formed around it after every storm. If the gate were closed, the request retreated into obscurity behind a post, but when it was opened the board swung across the roadway, so that a person driving in or out would have to duck his head to avoid it. The butcher, for whose especial benefit I had taken all this trouble, regarded the device with gloomy suspicion when I showed him how it worked. Instead of admiring my ingenuity45, he insinuated46 that it would be the means of frightening his horses, so I insisted upon his driving in and out several times until they showed complete unconcern. He appeared depressed47 by the thought that he could never again pretend that he forgot to close the gate, and although I secretly sympathized with him in his repugnance48 to taking unnecessary trouble, I was [Pg 132]determined to break him off the habit of leaving the gate open.
Thus it happened that William Wedder, tramping along the road with a red bundle swung over his shoulder, against a blustering49 March wind, spied something that caused him to stop and think, to lay his stick and bundle in the hollow of a snowdrift, smooth out his face to a becoming gravity, and wend his way up to the house.
It was several hours later in the day when I, returning from the city, halted in the same spot and stared in amazement50. The semaphore had vanished, the gate, standing51 open for months, imbedded in several feet of snow and ice, was now closed, a way being neatly52 cleared for its movement. I opened it and the warning notice shot out over my head, in perfect working order. I walked up to the house, puzzled but gratified, trying to conjecture53 how and why Marion had prepared this surprise. She opened the door, struggling to conceal her laughter at my countenance54.
"How ever did"—I began.
"Hush55! Come into the sitting-room,"[Pg 133] she said mysteriously. "There's a man in the kitchen!"
"A man!" I exclaimed, in agitation56. I had warned Marion never to admit a tramp in my absence, and somehow I leaped to the conclusion that she had been imposed upon by a hardened villain57. It was a relief to think she was no longer alone.
She nodded. "Not an ordinary tramp," she said. "He's the dearest, funniest little old man, with pink cheeks like a baby's, and so clean looking. When he'd had his dinner"——
"You gave him his dinner?"
"Certainly I did. You don't suppose I sold it to him? Oh, you needn't look so stern; I'll tell you how it happened. I was just taking my pies out of the oven about eleven o'clock when he knocked at the door and said he'd like to borrow a shovel58 for a few minutes. About half an hour later I remembered he hadn't brought it back, and when I looked out of the front window there was the top of his head bobbing up and down at the gate. I got on my things in a hurry and went out to see what he was[Pg 134] doing, and he was scraping the ice so hard with his back turned to me that I had to shout three times before he heard."
"'What's that for?' I called out. 'For you, ma'am,' he answered, turning round with the oddest look. 'For me?' I said. 'Why, I never asked you to dig out our gate.' 'No, ma'am,' he said, 'but when I seen that there sign hung out, I thought to myself that some widow with small children lived here, and it wouldn't be much of a job to dig out her gate. Then when you come to the door I seen I was mistaken, but I thought I'd do it anyway, for it wasn't your fault that you was so young and—and——'"
I smiled.
"No, I didn't pay him," she protested, the becoming flush on her cheeks deepening. "I offered him a quarter, but he wouldn't take it, so I knew he wasn't trying to flatter me, and I made him come up to the house to get some dinner when he got the gate closed. You should have seen his face when the semaphore went behind the gate-post. He was so delighted that he[Pg 135] opened and shut the gate several times to see it work, exclaiming, 'My, my! ain't he got a head! Don't that work beautiful!'"
"I suppose you did right to give the poor old chap some dinner," I observed, with a complacent59 smile.
"When he came into the kitchen," she continued, "he said the smell of hot raspberry pies was the most appetizing smell in the whole world. He said his aunt used to make them when he was a boy, and once he stole a whole one and ate it, and ever since when he tries to feel sorry the remembrance of the delightful60 sensation in his insides overpowers his conscience and makes him feel glad. Of course I gave him one for dinner, and I told him he might have another if he wished, but he declared that one was enough—that no mortal could stand more than a certain amount of bliss61. Just fancy, Henry; he says his aunt's pies weren't a circumstance to mine!"
"The old flatterer!" I exclaimed.
"You didn't say that when he praised your semaphore," cried Marion, with resentment62.
[Pg 136]
I hadn't intended any reflection on the quality of her pies, but it was some little time before she could understand that I really thought them to be infinitely superior to my mother's.
"After dinner," she went on, "he said he wasn't in a hurry, so he'd just cut up some wood and do the stable work until you came home, for he wanted to see you."
My curiosity was aroused, also my suspicions, for my wife's manner was distinctly ingratiating. That might mean either that she had some new project of her own in the background to submit to me, or that she was about to tack63 off in another direction in regard to one of mine, as she had done in the case of the cow.
"About my semaphore?" I inquired warily64.
"So he said," she replied, with a tantalizing65 laugh. "He wants to—to—handle the county right!"
My heart thumped66; my brain seemed to turn a somersault. If Marion had not been swaying to and fro with her [Pg 137]handkerchief covering her face as she struggled with her mirth I could not have concealed67 my exultation68. Months before, the success of my device had led me to think of having it patented under the name of "The Eureka Non-Automatic Gate-Closing Attachment," but Marion had nipped my project in the bud. The butcher, too, when I asked his opinion, had chilled my enthusiasm by declaring that if my gate-attachment proved salable69 in this locality he would move to some other. Of course, that was before he had become expert in keeping his head out of the way of the sign-board, and while he still wore a strip of court plaster on the bridge of his nose.
Now my judgment70 was vindicated71. A man could surely sell one hundred semaphores at five dollars each in one county; ten counties would enable me to buy Waydean; ten more would pay for a train load of implements72, as in my day dream of long ago; another ten would stock the farm with domestic animals; tens of hundreds of counties still remained to furnish the means for nebulous philanthropic schemes.
[Pg 138]
Did I breathe hard, grow flushed or pale with excitement, or do anything to indicate that it was the moment of my triumph? No, I didn't. For one thing, I was sure Marion was keeping something from me; otherwise, why should it seem so funny to her? Until I understood what she meant, I must appear calm, even bored.
"Well," I said, stifling73 a yawn, "I'll go and send him off. I wouldn't be bothered selling county rights; besides, the semaphore isn't patented."
Marion looked puzzled. "Wait," she said hurriedly, "till I tell——"
"I'll get rid of him first," I said, with determination, "and then you can tell me the rest."
"But he's not to be sent off," she insisted. "Sit down, and I'll tell you everything. He's looking for a place."
"A place!" I exclaimed, beginning to see light. "What has that got to do with us? When I proposed hiring a man you said we couldn't afford to hire more than a quarter or an eighth of a man."
"Exactly. And this old man wants a[Pg 139] place where he need work only two or three hours a day. He won't take any wages, but he'd like to have the reading of our books and newspapers. He says he hasn't any use for money as long as he has 'good readin' and nice vittles.'"
I smiled at the persuasive74 eagerness of her tone. She was evidently bent75 upon hiring this peculiar76 old man, but she had expected me to make the proposal so that she could gracefully77 accede78 to it. There would be certain advantages, I concluded, accruing79 to the possession of even the fractional part of a hired man. For instance, I would at once be relieved of the stable work and the milking of Mary Jane. Then spring was coming on, and I would be able to enjoy the luxury of watching him toiling80 in the vegetable garden under Marion's supervision81. Furthermore, my birthday would arrive with the first green grass, and there were indications that I would be presented with a lawn-mower.
"Well, what did you tell him?" I asked, trying to look judicial82.
"I said that of course it was a matter for[Pg 140] you to decide and I couldn't say anything about it."
I could not repress a gleam of ironical83 amusement. She was absolutely truthful84, yet it was a convention of hers that my word was law, and that I was the autocrat85 of the household. It was a postulate86 I dared not dispute.
"Yes, of course," I admitted, in response to her frigid87, inquiring glance. "I'll—I'll think it over. In the meantime I'll have a look at him."
"Well, you'd better decide,—that is, I'm quite, quite willing to give the poor old man a trial."
Had I been of a different mind from Marion, I could scarcely have resisted William Wedder's persuasive arguments, and when I had talked with him for a few minutes I did not wonder that she had succumbed89 to his fascinating eloquence90. I knew his praise of my semaphore must be flattery, and yet—I liked it. I felt sure from his manner, his appearance and his conversation that he was merely masquerading as a hired man, but I wanted to see him play[Pg 141] the part, although he looked more like a well-to-do retired91 farmer taking a holiday than a man who needed to travel about looking for work. He did not present credentials92, but I ignored the question of references, which seemed quite unnecessary in view of his obvious respectability. He knew how to do farm work, he assured me; he was handy with tools, understood gardening, and could churn and make butter as well as milk the cow. As to terms, he would not take money, but he would be more than satisfied if he had his board and plenty of reading matter. In the slack time in midsummer,—his smooth-shaven jolly face grew solemn as he spoke,—perhaps, if it wouldn't be too much to ask, and if he needed a new suit of clothes, I might let him have just a township right to sell my gate-closer.
I fixed93 my curious gaze upon his rigid88 features. I knew instinctively94 that his earnest solemnity was assumed; I knew by experience that nothing was so effective in baffling any attempt to play off as a steady concentrated stare. His eyes drooped[Pg 142] slightly; he studied the names on the drawers of the spice-cabinet attentively95; too attentively.
"William," I said, with deliberate, unbending determination, "I have avoided asking you embarrassing questions, but I must know the truth about this semaphore business before I decide whether to engage you or not. What prompted you to dig out my gate?"
I saw a faint flicker96 of almost contemptuous amusement in his face. "Why," he replied, as if he wondered at my asking such a simple question, "I seen that there notice up, of course."
"I want to know the truth," I repeated slowly, and this time I was almost startled by the perfection with which I imitated Marion's inflexible97 intonation98.
His face assumed a pained and yet forgiving expression, and he regarded the hair broom with intense interest. I waited, as Marion had once waited for me, with the air of being willing to wait until he had time to compute99 the number of hairs it contained, and I tried to intimate silently[Pg 143] that my waiting could have but one result. This specialty100 of Marion's was more difficult, but I succeeded, for William suddenly laughed and looked me full in the face with engaging candor101.
"Well, sir," he said, as if he found a difficulty in making the confession102, "I didn't like to say so at first, but I thought—ha, ha!—it'd be a darn good joke on you."
I smiled appreciatively. William had done well; indeed I could not have done better myself, but I recognized a hollowness in his laugh. I waited with silent expectancy104, as one of Paul's chickens might wait after receiving a grain of corn from his store.
He paused, looked a little blank, gulped105, then with the air of one who reluctantly parts with his last coin, he added: "Besides, I wanted to see how the semaphore worked."
I shook my head, sighed, looked at him pityingly, for I saw the misguided man had persuaded himself it was the truth, and I divined, I know not how, that he was mistaken. I tried to recall what Marion would[Pg 144] have said at this juncture106, and I said it; indeed, I said it so effectively that I wished Marion had been within earshot. If my voice had not been an octave lower than hers I might have doubted that it was mine.
William's peach-tinted cheeks flushed crimson107; he wiped his brow with his red bandanna108. "I ain't been cornered like this," he exclaimed, "since my miss—" He checked the utterance109 with an abrupt110 cough, and continued in a low soliloquizing tone, "Now I come to think of it, the wind was blowin' pretty fresh and jest when I come opposite the gate I caught a whiff that set me thinkin'."
"A whiff?" I asked, in surprise.
"Hot—raspberry—pies," he explained, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
I was completely satisfied and engaged him on the spot, sending him to milk at once. He had scarcely departed when the door into the dining-room opened and Marion appeared. I saw from her face that she had been listening to the conversation, and that indignation and amusement struggled for mastery.
[Pg 145]
"You wr-r-etch!" she ejaculated.
I said nothing. I was master of the situation, and I knew it was one of the times when she could imagine more provoking insinuations than I could put into words.
"What are you laughing at?" she cried indignantly.
"I was just thinking—" I began, then I paused dramatically.
"Thinking what?" she demanded.
"That William Wedder is either a married man or a widower111."
I had intended her to ask me why, and I had the answer ready, but it was the wrong question she propounded112.
"A married man or a widower?" she repeated slowly; then her face became suddenly illumined with appreciative103 mirth. "Oh, I see! Because it was so hard to get at the exact truth?"
"Ye—es," I faltered113.
点击收听单词发音
1 conceal | |
v.隐藏,隐瞒,隐蔽 | |
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2 infinitely | |
adv.无限地,无穷地 | |
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3 err | |
vi.犯错误,出差错 | |
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4 compassion | |
n.同情,怜悯 | |
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5 virtues | |
美德( virtue的名词复数 ); 德行; 优点; 长处 | |
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6 seclusion | |
n.隐遁,隔离 | |
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7 artistic | |
adj.艺术(家)的,美术(家)的;善于艺术创作的 | |
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8 extenuate | |
v.减轻,使人原谅 | |
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9 gloss | |
n.光泽,光滑;虚饰;注释;vt.加光泽于;掩饰 | |
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10 castigated | |
v.严厉责骂、批评或惩罚(某人)( castigate的过去式 ) | |
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11 fervor | |
n.热诚;热心;炽热 | |
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12 avert | |
v.防止,避免;转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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13 pointed | |
adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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14 evoke | |
vt.唤起,引起,使人想起 | |
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15 craved | |
渴望,热望( crave的过去式 ); 恳求,请求 | |
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16 adroit | |
adj.熟练的,灵巧的 | |
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17 affected | |
adj.不自然的,假装的 | |
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18 gasped | |
v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 );喘息;倒抽气;很想要 | |
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19 remorse | |
n.痛恨,悔恨,自责 | |
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20 soothing | |
adj.慰藉的;使人宽心的;镇静的 | |
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21 generosity | |
n.大度,慷慨,慷慨的行为 | |
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22 expressive | |
adj.表现的,表达…的,富于表情的 | |
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23 hauteur | |
n.傲慢 | |
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24 mangled | |
vt.乱砍(mangle的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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25 virtuously | |
合乎道德地,善良地 | |
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26 sincerity | |
n.真诚,诚意;真实 | |
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27 elastic | |
n.橡皮圈,松紧带;adj.有弹性的;灵活的 | |
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28 temperament | |
n.气质,性格,性情 | |
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29 secrecy | |
n.秘密,保密,隐蔽 | |
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30 onlooker | |
n.旁观者,观众 | |
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31 impersonal | |
adj.无个人感情的,与个人无关的,非人称的 | |
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32 relish | |
n.滋味,享受,爱好,调味品;vt.加调味料,享受,品味;vi.有滋味 | |
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33 graceful | |
adj.优美的,优雅的;得体的 | |
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34 docile | |
adj.驯服的,易控制的,容易教的 | |
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35 impaled | |
钉在尖桩上( impale的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36 solicitude | |
n.焦虑 | |
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37 inevitable | |
adj.不可避免的,必然发生的 | |
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38 solitude | |
n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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39 morbid | |
adj.病的;致病的;病态的;可怕的 | |
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40 aggravating | |
adj.恼人的,讨厌的 | |
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41 negligence | |
n.疏忽,玩忽,粗心大意 | |
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42 wrench | |
v.猛拧;挣脱;使扭伤;n.扳手;痛苦,难受 | |
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43 shutters | |
百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 ); (照相机的)快门 | |
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44 obtrusive | |
adj.显眼的;冒失的 | |
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45 ingenuity | |
n.别出心裁;善于发明创造 | |
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46 insinuated | |
v.暗示( insinuate的过去式和过去分词 );巧妙或迂回地潜入;(使)缓慢进入;慢慢伸入 | |
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47 depressed | |
adj.沮丧的,抑郁的,不景气的,萧条的 | |
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48 repugnance | |
n.嫌恶 | |
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49 blustering | |
adj.狂风大作的,狂暴的v.外强中干的威吓( bluster的现在分词 );咆哮;(风)呼啸;狂吹 | |
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50 amazement | |
n.惊奇,惊讶 | |
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51 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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52 neatly | |
adv.整洁地,干净地,灵巧地,熟练地 | |
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53 conjecture | |
n./v.推测,猜测 | |
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54 countenance | |
n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同 | |
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55 hush | |
int.嘘,别出声;n.沉默,静寂;v.使安静 | |
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56 agitation | |
n.搅动;搅拌;鼓动,煽动 | |
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57 villain | |
n.反派演员,反面人物;恶棍;问题的起因 | |
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58 shovel | |
n.铁锨,铲子,一铲之量;v.铲,铲出 | |
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59 complacent | |
adj.自满的;自鸣得意的 | |
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60 delightful | |
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的 | |
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61 bliss | |
n.狂喜,福佑,天赐的福 | |
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62 resentment | |
n.怨愤,忿恨 | |
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63 tack | |
n.大头钉;假缝,粗缝 | |
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64 warily | |
adv.留心地 | |
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65 tantalizing | |
adj.逗人的;惹弄人的;撩人的;煽情的v.逗弄,引诱,折磨( tantalize的现在分词 ) | |
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66 thumped | |
v.重击, (指心脏)急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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67 concealed | |
a.隐藏的,隐蔽的 | |
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68 exultation | |
n.狂喜,得意 | |
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69 salable | |
adj.有销路的,适销的 | |
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70 judgment | |
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见 | |
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71 vindicated | |
v.澄清(某人/某事物)受到的责难或嫌疑( vindicate的过去式和过去分词 );表明或证明(所争辩的事物)属实、正当、有效等;维护 | |
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72 implements | |
n.工具( implement的名词复数 );家具;手段;[法律]履行(契约等)v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 );执行;贯彻;使生效 | |
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73 stifling | |
a.令人窒息的 | |
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74 persuasive | |
adj.有说服力的,能说得使人相信的 | |
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75 bent | |
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
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76 peculiar | |
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
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77 gracefully | |
ad.大大方方地;优美地 | |
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78 accede | |
v.应允,同意 | |
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79 accruing | |
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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80 toiling | |
长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 ); 艰难缓慢地移动,跋涉 | |
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81 supervision | |
n.监督,管理 | |
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82 judicial | |
adj.司法的,法庭的,审判的,明断的,公正的 | |
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83 ironical | |
adj.讽刺的,冷嘲的 | |
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84 truthful | |
adj.真实的,说实话的,诚实的 | |
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85 autocrat | |
n.独裁者;专横的人 | |
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86 postulate | |
n.假定,基本条件;vt.要求,假定 | |
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87 frigid | |
adj.寒冷的,凛冽的;冷淡的;拘禁的 | |
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88 rigid | |
adj.严格的,死板的;刚硬的,僵硬的 | |
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89 succumbed | |
不再抵抗(诱惑、疾病、攻击等)( succumb的过去式和过去分词 ); 屈从; 被压垮; 死 | |
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90 eloquence | |
n.雄辩;口才,修辞 | |
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91 retired | |
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的 | |
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92 credentials | |
n.证明,资格,证明书,证件 | |
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93 fixed | |
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 | |
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94 instinctively | |
adv.本能地 | |
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95 attentively | |
adv.聚精会神地;周到地;谛;凝神 | |
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96 flicker | |
vi./n.闪烁,摇曳,闪现 | |
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97 inflexible | |
adj.不可改变的,不受影响的,不屈服的 | |
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98 intonation | |
n.语调,声调;发声 | |
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99 compute | |
v./n.计算,估计 | |
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100 specialty | |
n.(speciality)特性,特质;专业,专长 | |
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101 candor | |
n.坦白,率真 | |
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102 confession | |
n.自白,供认,承认 | |
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103 appreciative | |
adj.有鉴赏力的,有眼力的;感激的 | |
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104 expectancy | |
n.期望,预期,(根据概率统计求得)预期数额 | |
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105 gulped | |
v.狼吞虎咽地吃,吞咽( gulp的过去式和过去分词 );大口地吸(气);哽住 | |
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106 juncture | |
n.时刻,关键时刻,紧要关头 | |
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107 crimson | |
n./adj.深(绯)红色(的);vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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108 bandanna | |
n.大手帕 | |
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109 utterance | |
n.用言语表达,话语,言语 | |
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110 abrupt | |
adj.突然的,意外的;唐突的,鲁莽的 | |
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111 widower | |
n.鳏夫 | |
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112 propounded | |
v.提出(问题、计划等)供考虑[讨论],提议( propound的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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113 faltered | |
(嗓音)颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 ); 支吾其词; 蹒跚; 摇晃 | |
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