A DISTINGUISHED GUEST

I am willing to acknowledge that until lately, when I was privileged to entertain a cat under my roof for a fortnight, my knowledge of these noble beings was only academic.  I had read what the poets have to say about them—Wordsworth and Swinburne, Cowper and Gray; I knew that “cat” was the only word in the English language that had a vocative, “puss”; I knew that Southey mourned that his kitten should ever attain¹ to cathood, that the Egyptians were very fond of cats and that Lord Roberts is not.  Then I had seen cats in the street, and admired the spirit with which a homeless cat with no visible means of subsistence would put shame into the heart of a well-fed terrier.  Lying awake by night I had heard their barbaric song ringing like a challenge in the ears of civilisation², and had p. 175wondered whether some unknown Strauss might not revolutionise the music of the future by aid of their passionate³ harmonies.  But I had never moved in their society, and therefore I would not understand them.  In those days I should probably have thought that the recent message of the Postmaster-General to the Press, to the effect that cats of the old General Post Office had been found comfortable homes, was trivial.  And I remember with shame that I watched the malevolent⁴ antics of the caricature of a cat that appears in the “Blue Bird” without indignation.

I do not propose to give the events of the fortnight in detail, but rather to summarise⁵ them for the benefit of others who, like myself, may be called upon unexpectedly to entertain a feline⁶ guest.  The name of my visitor was Kim, though I am told that most cats are called William Pitt, after the statesman.  He was a short-haired tabby cat, some eighteen months old, and a fine, large fellow for his age.  While he was with me he usually wore a white waistcoat, and there was a white mark on his face, as if some p. 176milk had been spilled there when he was a kitten.  His eyes were very large and of the colour of stage sunlight, and they haunted me from the moment when I raised the lid of the hamper⁷ in which he arrived.  They were always significant and always inscrutable, but I could not help staring into them in the hope of discovering their meaning.  I think he knew they fascinated me, for he would keep them wide open and full of secrets for hours at a time.

I had been informed that his name was Kim because he was the little friend of all the world, but at the first I found him reticent⁸ and of an independent disposition⁹.  I had always believed that cats purred when you stroked them, but when I stroked him he would endure it in silence for a minute and then retire to a corner of the room and make an elaborate and, under the circumstances, uncomplimentary toilet.  In my inexperience I was afraid that he had taken a dislike to me, but one evening, after he had been with me three days, he climbed into my lap and went to sleep.  My pipe was on the mantelpiece, and as Kim weighed p. 177over twelve pounds my legs grew very cramped¹⁰; but I knew better than to disturb him, and he slept very comfortably till two in the morning.  He repeated this compliment on several occasions, but when I lifted him into my lap he always got off immediately, and made me feel that I had been ill-treating him.  His choice of sleeping-places was strange.  If I was reading, he waited till I laid the book down on the table and then fell asleep on top of it.  When I was writing and he had grown weary of turning his head from side to side to follow the birdlike flight of the pen to the ink-pot, he loved to settle himself down on the wet manuscript and blink drowsily¹¹ at my embarrassment¹².  Once when I ventured to lift him off he sulked under the table all the afternoon, and I did not repeat the experiment.  He seemed to be a very sensitive cat.

Of course he was too old to play with me, but he had famous games by himself with corks¹³ and pieces of paper.  Sooner or later he would drive these under one of the bookcases, and would sit down and mew p. 178plaintively until I went and raked them out for him.  Then he would get up and walk away as if such toys were beneath his dignity.  The one fault I found in his character was this constant emphasis of an inferiority that I was quite willing to confess.  A generous cat would have realised that I was trying to do my best, and would have pardoned my hundred errors of judgment¹⁵.  Kim never wearied of putting me in my place, and turned a scornful tail to my heartfelt apologies.  When he was dozing¹⁶ in the evening on the hearthrug he was very angry if any one put coals on the fire, even though he had been warned beforehand of what was about to happen.  He would look at me with an air of noble reproach and stalk away to the window, where, perched on the back of a window-seat, he would stay for hours, patiently observant of the sounds and smells of the night.

But it was at mealtimes that he made me realise most the strength of his individuality.  I had imagined that all cats were fond of milk, but Kim quickly disillusioned¹⁷ me, and it was as the result of a series of experiments p. 179that I discovered that he would only drink new milk raised to a certain temperature, and not then if he thought I was watching him.  For the first twenty-four hours after he arrived he would eat nothing, though I tried to tempt¹⁸ him with chicken, sardines¹⁹, and fillet of sole.  Once or twice he gave a little plaintive¹⁴ mew, but for the most part he succeeded in giving me the impression of a brave heart enduring the pangs²¹ of a consuming hunger with noble fortitude²².  At the end of that period, when he had reduced me to despair, he relieved himself and me by stealing a haddock.  After that the task of feeding him was comparatively easy.  I would prepare him a dinner and pretend to eat it myself with great enjoyment²³; then I would leave the room as if I had suddenly remembered an appointment.  When I returned the plate would be empty—that is, as empty as a cat’s dignity will allow him to leave a plate, and a few delicate impressions of Kim’s paws on the tablecloth²⁴ would tell me that all was well.  The irritating motive²⁵ that underlay²⁶ this graceless mannerism²⁷ was clear to me.  He would not be p. 180beholden to me for so much as a sardine²⁰, and he was willing to steal all his meals so long as he could remain independent.  I think, too, that it amused him to undermine my moral character by making me deceitful.

Incidentally, a cookery-book for cats is badly needed.  Unlike dogs, they are gourmets²⁸ rather than gourmands²⁹, and their appetites seem to languish³⁰ if they do not have a continual change of fare.  They have subtle palates; Kim liked gorgonzola cheese and curried³¹ rabbit, but he would not eat chicken in any form.  I found anchovy³² sauce very useful to make a meal savoury that Kim had not thought palatable³³ enough to steal, and the wise host will hold this condiment³⁴ in reserve for such occasions.  There is no relying on their likes or dislikes; they will eat something with avidity one day and reject it with infinite distaste the next.

On the whole it was a busy fortnight, and it was not without a certain relief that I said farewell to my emotional guest and sent him back to his owner.  Designedly, as I believe, he had succeeded in making me painfully self-conscious, so that I could not do p. 181anything without being led to feel that in some way I was sinning against the laws of hospitality.  It was pleasant to realise that my life was once more my own, and that I was free from the critical inspection³⁵ of those significant, inscrutable eyes.  I have commented on the independence of his character; it would be unjust if I failed to mention the one exception.  One night I was awakened³⁶ by a soft paw, a paw innocent of all claws, patting me gently on the cheek, and in the dark I was aware of Kim sitting on my pillow.  I supposed that he was lonely and put up my hand to stroke him.  Then for once in a way the proudest of sentient³⁷ beings was pleased to drop the mask of his pride and purr loudly and without restraint.  In the morning he treated me with exaggerated coldness, but I was not cheated into believing that his friendliness³⁸ had been a dream.  There are possibilities about Kim; and I believe that if he were to stop with me for two years we should come to a very tolerable understanding.

1 attain   

vt.达到，获得，完成

参考例句：

• I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。
• His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。

2 civilisation   

n.文明，文化，开化，教化

参考例句：

• Energy and ideas are the twin bases of our civilisation.能源和思想是我们文明的两大基石。
• This opera is one of the cultural totems of Western civilisation.这部歌剧是西方文明的文化标志物之一。

3 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

4 malevolent   

adj.有恶意的，恶毒的

参考例句：

• Why are they so malevolent to me?他们为什么对我如此恶毒？
• We must thwart his malevolent schemes.我们决不能让他的恶毒阴谋得逞。

5 summarise   

vt.概括，总结

参考例句：

• I will summarise what I have done.我将概述我所做的事情。
• Of course,no one article can summarise the complexities of china today.当然，没有哪一篇文章能概括出中国今日的复杂性。

6 feline   

adj.猫科的

参考例句：

• As a result,humans have learned to respect feline independence.结果是人们已经学会尊重猫的独立性。
• The awakening was almost feline in its stealthiness.这种醒觉，简直和猫的脚步一样地轻悄。

7 hamper   

vt.妨碍，束缚，限制；n.(有盖的)大篮子

参考例句：

• There are some apples in a picnic hamper.在野餐用的大篮子里有许多苹果。
• The emergence of such problems seriously hamper the development of enterprises.这些问题的出现严重阻碍了企业的发展。

8 reticent   

adj.沉默寡言的；言不如意的

参考例句：

• He was reticent about his opinion.他有保留意见。
• He was extremely reticent about his personal life.他对自己的个人生活讳莫如深。

9 disposition   

n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署

参考例句：

• He has made a good disposition of his property.他已对财产作了妥善处理。
• He has a cheerful disposition.他性情开朗。

10 cramped   

a.狭窄的

参考例句：

• The house was terribly small and cramped, but the agent described it as a bijou residence. 房子十分狭小拥挤，但经纪人却把它说成是小巧别致的住宅。
• working in cramped conditions 在拥挤的环境里工作

11 drowsily   

adv.睡地，懒洋洋地，昏昏欲睡地

参考例句：

• She turned drowsily on her side, a slow creeping blackness enveloping her mind. 她半睡半醒地翻了个身，一片缓缓蠕动的黑暗渐渐将她的心包围起来。 来自飘（部分）
• I felt asleep drowsily before I knew it. 不知过了多久，我曚扙地睡着了。 来自互联网

12 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

13 corks   

n.脐梅衣；软木( cork的名词复数 )；软木塞

参考例句：

• Champagne corks were popping throughout the celebrations. 庆祝会上开香槟酒瓶塞的砰砰声不绝於耳。 来自辞典例句
• Champagne corks popped, and on lace tablecloths seven-course dinners were laid. 桌上铺着带装饰图案的网织的桌布，上面是七道菜的晚餐。 来自飘（部分）

14 plaintive   

adj.可怜的，伤心的

参考例句：

• Her voice was small and plaintive.她的声音微弱而哀伤。
• Somewhere in the audience an old woman's voice began plaintive wail.观众席里，一位老太太伤心地哭起来。

15 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

16 dozing   

v.打瞌睡,假寐 n.瞌睡

参考例句：

• The economy shows no signs of faltering. 经济没有衰退的迹象。
• He never falters in his determination. 他的决心从不动摇。

17 disillusioned   

a.不再抱幻想的，大失所望的，幻想破灭的

参考例句：

• I soon became disillusioned with the job. 我不久便对这个工作不再抱幻想了。
• Many people who are disillusioned in reality assimilate life to a dream. 许多对现实失望的人把人生比作一场梦。

18 tempt   

vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣

参考例句：

• Nothing could tempt him to such a course of action.什么都不能诱使他去那样做。
• The fact that she had become wealthy did not tempt her to alter her frugal way of life.她有钱了，可这丝毫没能让她改变节俭的生活习惯。

19 sardines   

n. 沙丁鱼

参考例句：

• The young of some kinds of herring are canned as sardines. 有些种类的鲱鱼幼鱼可制成罐头。
• Sardines can be eaten fresh but are often preserved in tins. 沙丁鱼可以吃新鲜的，但常常是装听的。

20 sardine   

n.[C]沙丁鱼

参考例句：

• Every bus arrives and leaves packed as fully as a sardine tin.每辆开来和开走的公共汽车都塞得像沙丁鱼罐头一样拥挤。
• As we chatted,a brightly painted sardine boat dropped anchor.我们正在聊着，只见一条颜色鲜艳的捕捞沙丁鱼的船抛了锚。

21 pangs   

突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛

参考例句：

• She felt sudden pangs of regret. 她突然感到痛悔不已。
• With touching pathos he described the pangs of hunger. 他以极具感伤力的笔触描述了饥饿的痛苦。

22 fortitude   

n.坚忍不拔；刚毅

参考例句：

• His dauntless fortitude makes him absolutely fearless.他不屈不挠的坚韧让他绝无恐惧。
• He bore the pain with great fortitude.他以极大的毅力忍受了痛苦。

23 enjoyment   

n.乐趣；享有；享用

参考例句：

• Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
• After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。

24 tablecloth   

n.桌布，台布

参考例句：

• He sat there ruminating and picking at the tablecloth.他坐在那儿沉思，轻轻地抚弄着桌布。
• She smoothed down a wrinkled tablecloth.她把起皱的桌布熨平了。

25 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

26 underlay   

v.位于或存在于（某物）之下( underlie的过去式 )；构成…的基础（或起因），引起n.衬垫物

参考例句：

• That would depend upon whether the germs of staunch comradeship underlay the temporary emotion. 这得看这番暂时的情感里，是否含有生死不渝友谊的萌芽。 来自辞典例句
• Sticking and stitching tongue overlay and tongue underlay Sticking 3㎜ reinforcement. 贴车舌上片与舌下片：贴3㎜补强带。 来自互联网

27 mannerism   

n.特殊习惯，怪癖

参考例句：

• He has this irritating mannerism of constantly scratching his nose.他老是挠鼻子，这个习惯真让人不舒服。
• Her British accent is just a mannerism picked up on her visit to London.她的英国口音是她访问伦敦学会的。

28 gourmets   

讲究吃喝的人，美食家( gourmet的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The food here satisfies gourmands rather than gourmets. 这里的食物可以管饱却不讲究品质。
• Here is another example: "Western gourmets are sold on Peking Duck." 这里再举一个例子：“西方美食家已对北京烤鸭极有兴趣。”

29 gourmands   

n.喜欢吃喝的人，贪吃的人( gourmand的名词复数 )；美食主义

参考例句：

• The food here satisfies gourmands rather than gourmets. 这里的食物可以管饱却不讲究品质。 来自辞典例句

30 languish   

vi.变得衰弱无力，失去活力，（植物等）凋萎

参考例句：

• Without the founder's drive and direction,the company gradually languished.没有了创始人的斗志与指引，公司逐渐走向没落。
• New products languish on the drawing board.新产品在计划阶段即告失败。

31 curried   

adj.加了咖喱（或咖喱粉的），用咖哩粉调理的

参考例句：

• She curried favor with the leader by contemptible means. 她用卑鄙的手段博取领导的欢心。 来自互联网
• Fresh ham, curried beef? 鲜火腿？咖喱牛肉？ 来自互联网

32 anchovy   

n.凤尾鱼

参考例句：

• Waters off the Peruvian coast become unusually warm,destroying the local anchovy fishing industry.由于异常的高温，秘鲁海岸的海水温度变化异常，影响了当地的凤尾鱼捕捞业。
• Anchovy together with sweet-peppergarlic,milk,chicken stock,and add cheese toasted.奶油状的搅打鸡蛋，放在涂有凤尾鱼糊的吐司面包上。

33 palatable   

adj.可口的，美味的；惬意的

参考例句：

• The truth is not always very palatable.事实真相并非尽如人意。
• This wine is palatable and not very expensive.这种酒味道不错，价钱也不算贵。

34 condiment   

n.调味品

参考例句：

• It has long been a precious condiment.它一直都是一种珍贵的调味料。
• Fish sauce is a traditional fermented condiment in coastal areas.鱼露是沿海地区的传统发酵调味品。

35 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

36 awakened   

v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到

参考例句：

• She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。
• The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》

37 sentient   

adj.有知觉的，知悉的；adv.有感觉能力地

参考例句：

• The living knew themselves just sentient puppets on God's stage.生还者认识到，他们不过是上帝的舞台上有知觉的木偶而已。
• It teaches us to love all sentient beings equally.它教导我们应该平等爱护一切众生。

38 friendliness   

n.友谊，亲切，亲密

参考例句：

• Behind the mask of friendliness,I know he really dislikes me.在友善的面具后面，我知道他其实并不喜欢我。
• His manner was a blend of friendliness and respect.他的态度友善且毕恭毕敬。