THERE IS A PLACE AT WHICH THREE ROADS MEET, SACRED TO THAT MYSTERIOUS GODDESS CALLED DIANA ON EARTH, LUNA, OR THE MOON, IN HEAVEN, OR HECATE IN THE INFERNAL REGIONS. AT THIS PLACE PAUSE THE VIRGINS2 PERMITTED TO TAKE THEIR CHOICE OF THE THREE ROADS. FEW GIVE THEIR PREFERENCE TO THAT WHICH IS VOWED3 TO THE GODDESS IN HER NAME OF DIANA: THAT ROAD, COLD AND BARREN, IS CLOTHED BY NO ROSES AND MYRTLES. ROSES AND MYRTLES VEIL THE ENTRANCE TO BOTH THE OTHERS, AND IN BOTH THE OTHERS HYMEN HAS MUCH THE SAME GAY-LOOKING TEMPLES. BUT WHICH OF THOSE TWO LEADS TO THE CELESTIAL4 LUNA, OR WHICH OF THEM CONDUCTS TO THE INFERNAL HECATE, NOT ONE NYMPH IN FIFTY DIVINES. IF THY HEART SHOULD MISGIVE5 THEE, O NYMPH!—IF, THOUGH CLOUD VEIL THE PATH TO THE MOON, AND SUNSHINE GILD6 THAT TO PALE HECATETHINE INSTINCT RECOILS7 FROM THE SUNSHINE, WHILE THOU DAREST NOT ADVENTURE THE CLOUD—THOU HAST STILL A CHOICE LEFT—THOU HAST STILL THE SAFE ROAD OF DIANA. HECATE, O NYMPH, IS THE GODDESS OF GHOSTS. IF THOU TAKEST HER PATH, LOOK NOT BACK, FOR THE GHOSTS ARE BEHIND THEE. ..
When we slowly recover from the tumult8 and passion of some violent distress9, a peculiar10 stillness falls upon the Mind, and the atmosphere around it becomes in that stillness appallingly11 clear. We knew not, while wrestling with our woe12, the extent of its ravages13. As a land the day after a flood, as a field the day after a battle, is the sight of our own sorrow, when we no longer have to steer14 its raging, but to endure the destruction it has made. Distinct before Caroline Montfort's vision stretched the waste of her misery15—the Past, the Present, the Future, all seemed to blend in one single Desolation. A strange thing it is how all time will converge16 itself, as it were, into the burning-glass of a moment! There runs a popular superstition17 that it is thus, in the instant of death; that our whole existence crowds itself on the glazing18 eye—a panorama19 of all we have done on earth just as the soul restores to the earth its garment. Certes, there are hours in our being, long before the last and dreaded20 one, when this phenomenon comes to warn us that, if memory were always active, time would be never gone. Rose before this woman—who, whatever the justice of Darrell's bitter reproaches, had a nature lovely enough to justify21 his anguish22 at her loss—the image of herself at that turning point of life, when the morning mists are dimmed on our way, yet when a path chosen is a fate decided23. Yes; she had excuses, not urged to the judge who sentenced, nor estimated to their full extent by the stern equity24 with which, amidst suffering and wrath25, he had desired to weigh her cause.
Caroline's mother, Mrs. Lindsay, was one of those parents who acquire an extraordinary influence over their children by the union of caressing26 manners with obstinate27 resolves. She never lost control of her temper nor hold on her object. A slight, delicate, languid creature too, who would be sure to go into a consumption if unkindly crossed. With much strong common sense, much knowledge of human nature, egotistical, worldly, scheming, heartless, but withal so pleasing, so gentle, so bewitchingly despotic, that it was like living with an electrobiologist, who unnerves you by a look to knock you down with a feather. In only one great purpose of her life had Mrs. Lyndsay failed. When Darrell, rich by the rewards of his profession and the bequest28 of his namesake, had entered Parliament, and risen into that repute which confers solid and brilliant station, Mrs. Lyndsay conceived the idea of appropriating to herself his honours and his wealth by a second Hymen. Having so long been domesticated29 in his house during the life of Mrs. Darrell, an intimacy30 as of near relations had been established between them. Her soft manners attached to her his children; and after Mrs. Darrell's death rendered it necessary that she should find a home of her own, she had an excuse, in Matilda's affection for her and for Caroline, to be more frequently before Darrell's eyes, and consulted by him yet more frequently, than when actually a resident in his house. To her Darrell confided31 the proposal which had been made to him by the old Marchioness of Montfort, for an alliance between her young grandson and his sole surviving child. Wealthy as was the House of Vipont, it was amongst its traditional maxims32 that wealth wastes if not perpetually recruited. Every third generation, at farthest, it was the duty of that house to marry an heiress. Darrell's daughter, just seventeen, not yet brought out, would be an heiress, if he pleased to make her so, second to none whom the research of the Marchioness had detected within the drawing- rooms and nurseries of the three kingdoms. The proposal of the venerable peeress was at first very naturally gratifying to Darrell. It was an euthanasia for the old knightly33 race to die into a House that was an institution in the empire, and revive phoenix-like in a line of peers, who might perpetuate34 the name of the heiress whose quarterings they would annex35 to their own, and sign themselves "Darrell Montfort." Said Darrell inly, "On the whole, such a marriage would have pleased my poor father." It did not please Mrs. Lyndsay. The bulk of Darrell's fortune thus settled away, he himself would be a very different match for Mrs. Lyndsay; nor was it to her convenience that Matilda should be thus hastily disposed of, and the strongest link of connection between Fulham and Carlton Gardens severed36. Mrs. Lyndsay had one golden rule, which I respectfully point out to ladies who covet39 popularity and power: she never spoke40 ill of any one whom she wished to injure. She did not, therefore, speak ill of the Marquess to Darrell, but she so praised him that her praise alarmed. She ought to know the young peer well; she was a good deal with the Marchioness, who liked her pretty manners. Till then, Darrell had only noticed this green Head of the Viponts as a neat- looking Head, too modest to open its lips. But he now examined the Head with anxious deliberation, and finding it of the poorest possible kind of wood, with a heart to match, Guy Darrell had the audacity41 to reject, though with great courtesy, the idea of grafting42 the last plant of his line on a stem so pithless. Though, like men who are at once very affectionate and very busy, he saw few faults in his children, or indeed in any one he really loved, till the fault was forced on him, he could not but be aware that Matilda's sole chance of becoming a happy and safe wife was in uniting herself with such a husband as would at once win her confidence and command her respect. He trembled when he thought of her as the wife of a man whose rank would expose her to all fashionable temptations, and whose character would leave her without a guide or protector.
The Marquess, who obeyed his grandmother from habit, and who had lethargically43 sanctioned her proposals to Darrell, evinced the liveliest emotion he had ever yet betrayed when he learned that his hand was rejected. And if it were possible for him to carry so small a sentiment aspique into so large a passion as hate, from that moment he aggrandised his nature into hatred45. He would have given half his lands to have spited Guy Darrell. Mrs. Lyndsay took care to be at hand to console him, and the Marchioness was grateful to her for taking that trouble some task upon herself. And in the course of their conversation Mrs. Lyndsay contrived46 to drop into his mind the egg of a project which she took a later occasion to hatch under her plumes47 of down. "There is but one kind of wife, my dear Montfort, who could increase your importance: you should marry a beauty; next to royalty48 ranks beauty." The Head nodded, and seemed to ruminate49 for some moments, and then /apropos des bottes/, it let fall this mysterious monosyllable, "Shoes." By what process of ratiocination50 the Head had thus arrived at the feet, it is not for me to conjecture51. All I know is that, from that moment, Mrs. Lyndsay bestowed52 as much thought upon Caroline's chaussure as if, like Cinderella, Caroline's whole destiny in this world hung upon her slipper54. With the feelings and the schemes that have been thus intimated, this sensible lady's mortification55 may well be conceived when she was startled by Darrell's proposal, not to herself, but to her daughter. Her egotism was profoundly shocked, her worldliness cruelly thwarted56. With Guy Darrell for her own spouse57, the Marquess of Montfort for her daughter's, Mrs. Lyndsay would have been indeed a considerable personage in the world. But to lose Darrell for herself, and the Marquess altogether—the idea was intolerable! Yet, since to have refused at once for her portionless daughter a man in so high a position, and to whom her own obligations were so great, was impossible, she adopted a policy, admirable for the craft of its conception and the dexterity58 of its execution. In exacting59 the condition of a year's delay, she made her motives61 appear so loftily disinterested62, so magnanimously friendly! She could never forgive herself if he—he—the greatest, the best of men, was again rendered unhappy in marriage by her imprudence (hers, who owed to him her all!) —yes, imprudent indeed, to have thrown right in his way a pretty coquettish girl ("for Caroline is coquettish, Mr. Darrell; most girls so pretty are at that silly age"). In short, she carried her point against all the eloquence64 Darrell could employ, and covered her designs by the semblance65 of the most delicate scruples66, and the sacrifice of worldly advantages to the prudence63 which belongs to high principle and affectionate caution.
And what were Caroline's real sentiments for Guy Darrell? She understood them-now on looking back. She saw herself as she was then—as she had stood under the beech-tree, when the heavenly pity that was at the core of her nature—when the venerating67, grateful affection that had grown with her growth made her yearn68 to be a solace69 and a joy to that grand and solitary70 life. Love him! Oh certainly she loved him, devotedly71, fondly; but it was with the love of a child. She had not awakened73 then to the love of woman. Removed from his presence, suddenly thrown into the great world—yes, Darrell had sketched74 the picture with a stern, but not altogether an untruthful hand. He had not, however, fairly estimated the inevitable75 influence which a mother such as Mrs. Lyndsay would exercise over a girl so wholly inexperienced—so guileless, so unsuspecting, and so filially devoted72. He could not appreciate—no man can—the mightiness76 of female cunning. He could not see how mesh77 upon mesh the soft Mrs. Lyndsay (pretty woman with pretty manners) wove her web round the "cousins," until Caroline, who at first had thought of the silent fair- haired young man only as the Head of her House, pleased with attentions that kept aloof78 admirers of whom she thought Guy Darrell might be more reasonably jealous, was appalled79 to hear her mother tell her that she was either the most heartless of coquettes, or poor Montfort was the most ill-used of men. But at this time Jasper Losely, under his name of Hammond, brought his wife from the French town at which they had been residing, since their marriage, to see Mrs. Lyndsay and Caroline at Paris, and implore80 their influence to obtain a reconciliation81 with her father. Matilda soon learned from Mrs. Lyndsay, who affected82 the most enchanting83 candour, the nature of the engagement between Caroline and Darrell. She communicated the information to Jasper, who viewed it with very natural alarm. By reconciliation with Guy Darrell, Jasper understood something solid and practical—not a mere84 sentimental85 pardon, added to that paltry86 stipend87 of L700 a-year which he had just obtained— but the restoration to all her rights and expectancies88 of the heiress he had supposed himself to marry. He had by no means relinquished89 the belief that sooner or later Darrell would listen to the Voice of Nature, and settle all his fortune on his only child. But then for the Voice of Nature to have fair play, it was clear that there should be no other child to plead for. And if Darrell were to marry again and to have sons, what a dreadful dilemma90 it would be for the Voice of Nature! Jasper was not long in discovering that Caroline's engagement was not less unwelcome to Mrs. Lyndsay than to himself, and that she was disposed to connive91 at any means by which it might be annulled92. Matilda was first employed to weaken the bond it was so desirable to sever37. Matilda did not reproach, but she wept. She was sure now that she should he an outcast—her children beggars. Mrs. Lyndsay worked up this complaint with adroitest skill. Was Caroline sure that it was not most dishonourable—most treacherous—to rob her own earliest friend of the patrimony93 that would otherwise return to Matilda with Darrell's pardon? This idea became exquisitely94 painful to the high-spirited Caroline, but it could not counterpoise the conviction of the greater pain she should occasion to the breast that so confided in her faith, if that faith were broken. Step by step the intrigue95 against the absent one proceeded. Mrs. Lyndsay thoroughly96 understood the art of insinuating97 doubts. Guy Darrell, a man of the world, a cold-blooded lawyer, a busy politician, he break his heart for a girl! No, it was only the young, and especially the young when not remarkably98 clever, who broke their hearts for such trifles. Montfort, indeed—there was a man whose heart could be broken!—whose happiness could be blasted! Dear Guy Darrell had been only moved, in his proposals, by generosity99. "Something, my dear child, in your own artless words and manner, that made him fancy he had won your affections unknown to yourself!—an idea that he was bound as a gentleman to speak out! Just like him. He has that spirit of chivalry100. But my belief is, that he is quite aware by this time how foolish such a marriage would be, and would thank you heartily101 if, at the year's end, he found himself free, and you happily disposed of elsewhere," &c., &c. The drama advanced. Mrs. Lyndsay evinced decided pulmonary symptoms. Her hectic102 cough returned; she could not sleep; her days were numbered—a secret grief. Caroline implored103 frankness, and, clasped to her mother's bosom104, and compassionately105 bedewed with tears, those hints were dropped into her ear which, though so worded as to show the most indulgent forbearance to Darrell, and rather as if in compassion106 for his weakness than in abhorrence107 of his perfidy108, made Caroline start with the indignation of revolted purity and outraged109 pride. "Were this true, all would be indeed at an end between us! But it is not true. Let it be proved."
"But, my dear, dear child, I could not stir in a matter so delicate. I could not aid in breaking off a marriage so much to your worldly advantage, unless you could promise that, in rejecting Mr. Darrell, you would accept your cousin. In my wretched state of health, the anxious thought of leaving you in the world literally111 penniless would kill me at once."
"Oh, if Guy Darrell be false (but that is impossible)! do with me all you will; to obey and please you would be the only comfort left to me."
Thus was all prepared for the final denouement112. Mrs. Lyndsay had not gone so far without a reliance on the means to accomplish her object, and for these means she had stooped to be indebted to the more practical villany of Matilda's husband.
Jasper, in this visit to Paris, had first formed the connection which completed the wickedness of his perverted114 nature, with that dark adventuress who has flitted shadow-like through part of this varying narrative115. Gabrielle Desmarets was then in her youth, notorious only for the ruin she had inflicted116 on admiring victims, and the superb luxury with which she rioted on their plunder117. Captivated by the personal advantages for which Jasper then was preeminently conspicuous119, she willingly associated her fortunes with his own. Gabrielle was one of those incarnations of evil which no city but Paris can accomplish with the same epicurean refinement120, and vitiate into the same cynical121 corruption122. She was exceedingly witty123, sharply astute124, capable of acting60 any part, carrying out any plot; and when it pleased her to simulate the decorous and immaculate gentlewoman, she might have deceived the most experienced roue. Jasper presented this Artiste to his unsuspecting wife as a widow of rank, who was about to visit London, and who might be enabled to see Mr. Darrell, and intercede125 on their behalf. Matilda fell readily into the snare126; the Frenchwoman went to London, with assumed name and title, and with servants completely in her confidence. And such (as the reader knows already) was that eloquent127 baroness128 who had pleaded to Darrell the cause of his penitent129 daughter! No doubt the wily Parisienne had calculated on the effect of her arts and her charms, to decoy him into at least a passing forgetfulness of his faith to another. But if she could not succeed there, it might equally achieve the object in view to obtain the credit of that success. Accordingly, she wrote to one of her friends at Paris letters stating that she had found a very rich admirer in a celebrated130 English statesman, to whom she was indebted for her establishment, &c.; and alluding131, in very witty and satirical terms, to his matrimonial engagement with the young English beauty at Paris, who was then creating such a sensation—an engagement of which she represented her admirer to be heartily sick, and extremely repentant132. Without mentioning names, her descriptions were unmistakable. Jasper, of course, presented to Mrs. Lyndsay those letters (which, he said, the person to whom they were addressed had communicated to one of her own gay friends), and suggested that their evidence against Darrell would be complete in Miss Lyndsay's eyes if some one, whose veracity133 Caroline could not dispute, could corroborate134 the assertions of the letters; it would be quite enough to do so if Mr. Darrell were even seen entering or leaving the house of a person whose mode of life was so notorious. Mrs. Lyndsay, who, with her consummate135 craft, saved her dignity by affected blindness to the artifices136 at which she connived138, declared that, in a matter of inquiry139 which involved the private character of a man so eminent118, and to whom she owed so much, she would not trust his name to the gossip of others. She herself would go to London. She knew that odious140, but too fascinating, Gabrielle by sight (as every one did who went to the opera or drove in the Bois de Boulogne). Jasper undertook that the Parisienne should show herself at her balcony at a certain day at a certain hour, and that at that hour Darrell should call and be admitted; and Mrs. Lyndsay allowed that that evidence would suffice. Sensible of the power over Caroline that she would derive141 if, with her habits of languor142 and her delicate health, she could say that she had undertaken such a journey to be convinced with her own eyes of a charge which, if true, would influence her daughter's conduct and destiny—Mrs. Lyndsay did go to London—did see Gabrielle Desmarets at her balcony—did see Darrell enter the house; and on her return to Paris did, armed with this testimony143, and with the letters that led to it, so work upon her daughter's mind, that the next day the Marquess of Montfort was accepted. But the year of Darrell's probation144 was nearly expired; all delay would be dangerous—all explanations would be fatal, and must be forestalled145. Nor could a long courtship be kept secret; Darrell might hear of it, and come over at once; and the Marquess's ambitious kinsfolk would not fail to interfere146 if the news of his intended marriage with a portionless cousin reached their ears. Lord Montfort, who was awed147 by Carr, and extremely afraid of his grandmother, was not less anxious for secrecy148 and expedition than Mrs. Lyndsay herself.
Thus, then, Mrs. Lyndsay triumphed, and while her daughter was still under the influence of an excitement which clouded her judgment149, and stung her into rashness of action as an escape from the torment150 of reflection—thus were solemnised Caroline's unhappy and splendid nuptials151. The Marquess hired a villa113 in the delightful152 precincts of Fontainebleau for his honeymoon153; that moon was still young when the Marquess said to himself, "I don't find that it produces honey." When he had first been attracted towards Caroline, she was all life and joy—too much of a child to pine for Darrell's absence, while credulously154 confident of their future union—her spirits naturally wild and lively, and the world, opening at her feet, so novel and so brilliant. This fresh gaiety had amused the Marquess—he felt cheated when he found it gone. Caroline might be gentle, docile155, submissive; but those virtues156, though of higher quality than glad animal spirits, are not so entertaining. His own exceeding sterility157 of mind and feeling was not apparent till in the /tetes-a-tetes/ of conjugal158 life. A good-looking young man, with a thoroughbred air, who rides well, dances well, and holds his tongue, may, in all mixed societies, pass for a shy youth of sensitive genius! But when he is your companion for life, and all to yourself, and you find that, when he does talk, he has neither an idea nor a sentiment—alas159! alas for you, young bride, if you have ever known the charm of intellect, or the sweetness of sympathy. But it was not for Caroline to complain; struggling against her own weight of sorrow, she had no immediate160 perception of her companion's vapidity161. It was he, poor man, who complained. He just detected enough of her superiority of intelligence to suspect that he was humiliated162, while sure that he was bored. An incident converted his growing indifference163 into permanent dislike not many days after their marriage.
Lord Montfort, sauntering into Caroline's room, found her insensible on the floor—an open letter by her side. Summoning her maid to her assistance, he took the marital164 privilege of reading the letter which had apparently165 caused her swoon. It was from Matilda, and written in a state of maddened excitement. Matilda had little enough of what is called heart; but she had an intense selfishness, which, in point of suffering, supplies the place of a heart. It was not because she could not feel for the wrongs of another that she could not feel anguish for her own. Arabella was avenged166. The cold-blooded snake that had stung her met the fang167 of the cobra-capella. Matilda had learned from some anonymous168 correspondent (probably a rival of Gabrielle's) of Jasper's liaison169 with that adventuress. But half recovered from her confinement170, she had risen from her bed—hurried to Paris (for the pleasures of which her husband had left her)—seen this wretched Gabrielle—recognised in her the false baroness to whom Jasper had presented her—to whom, by Jasper's dictation, she had written such affectionate letters—whom she had employed to plead her cause to her father;—seen Gabrielle—seen her at her own luxurious171 apartment, Jasper at home there—burst into vehement172 wrath-roused up the cobra-capella; and on declaring she would separate from her husband, go back to her father, tell her wrongs, appeal to his mercy, Gabrielle caimly replied: "Do so, and I will take care that your father shall know that your plea for his pardon through Madame la Baronne was a scheme to blacken his name, and to frustrate173 his marriage. Do not think that he will suppose you did not connive at a project so sly; he must know you too well, pretty innocent." No match for Gabrielle Desmarets, Matilda flung from the house, leaving Jasper whistling an air from Figaro; returned alone to the French town from which she now wrote to Caroline, pouring out her wrongs, and, without seeming sensible that Caroline had been wronged too, expressing her fear that her father might believe her an accomplice174 in Jasper's plot, and refuse her the means to live apart from the wretch110; upon whom she heaped every epithet175 that just indignation could suggest to a feeble mind. The latter part of the letter, blurred176 and blotted177, was incoherent, almost raving178. In fact Matilda was then seized by the mortal illness which hurried her to her grave. To the Marquess much of this letter was extremely uninteresting —much of it quite incomprehensible. He could not see why it should so overpoweringly affect his wife. Only those passages which denounced a scheme to frustrate some marriage meditated179 by Mr. Darrell made him somewhat uneasy, and appeared to him to demand an explanation. But Caroline, in the anguish to which she awakened, forestalled his inquiries180. To her but two thoughts were present—how she had wronged Darrell—how ungrateful and faithless she must seem to him; and in the impulse of her remorse181, and in the childlike candour of her soul, artlessly, ingenuously182, she poured out her feelings to the husband she had taken as counsellor and guide, as if seeking to guard all her sorrow for the past from a sentiment that might render her less loyal to the responsibilities which linked her future to another's. A man of sense would have hailed in so noble a confidence (however it might have pained him for the time) a guarantee for the happiness and security of his whole existence. He would have seen how distinct from that ardent183 love which in Caroline's new relation of life would have bordered upon guilt184 and been cautious as guilt against disclosing its secrets, was the infantine, venerating affection she had felt for a man so far removed from her by years and the development of intellect—an affection which a young husband, trusted with every thought, every feeling, might reasonably hope to eclipse. A little forbearance, a little of delicate and generous tenderness, at that moment, would have secured to Lord Montfort the warm devotion of a grateful heart, in which the grief that overflowed185 was not for the irreplaceable loss of an earlier lover, but the repentant shame for wrong and treachery to a confiding186 friend.
But it is in vain to ask from any man that which is not in him! Lord Montfort listened with sullen187, stolid188 displeasure. That Caroline should feel the slightest pain at any cause which had cancelled her engagement to that odious Darrell, and had raised her to the rank of his Marchioness, was a crime in his eyes never to be expiated189. He considered, not without reason, that Mrs. Lyndsay had shamefully190 deceived him; and fully38 believed that she had been an accomplice with Jasper in that artifice137 which he was quite gentleman enough to consider placed those who had planned it out of the pale of his acquaintance. And when Caroline, who had been weeping too vehemently191 to read her lord's countenance192, came to a close, Lord Montfort took up his hat and said: "I beg never to hear again of this lawyer and his very disreputable family connections. As you say, you and your mother have behaved very ill to him; but you don't seem to understand that you have behaved much worse to me. As to condescending193 to write to him, and enter into explanations how you came to be Lady Montfort, it would be so lowering to me that I would never forgive it—never. I would just as soon that you run away at once;—sooner. As for Mrs. Lyndsay, I shall forbid her entering my house. When you have done crying, order your things to be packed up. I shall return to England to-morrow."
That was perhaps the longest speech Lord Montfort ever addressed to his wife; perhaps it was also the rudest. From that time he regarded her as some Spaniard of ancient days might regard a guest on whom he was compelled to bestow53 the rights of hospitality—to whom he gave a seat at his board, a chair at his hearth194, but for whom he entertained a profound aversion, and kept at invincible195 distance, with all the ceremony of dignified196 dislike. Once only during her wedded197 life Caroline again saw Darrell. It was immediately on her return to England, and little more than a month after her marriage. It was the day on which Parliament had been prorogued198 preparatory to its dissolution—the last Parliament of which Guy Darrell was a member. Lady Montfort's carriage was detained in the throng199 with which the ceremonial had filled the streets, and Darrell passed it on horseback. It was but one look in that one moment; and the look never ceased to haunt her—a look of such stern disdain200, but also of such deep despair. No language can exaggerate the eloquence which there is in a human countenance, when a great and tortured spirit speaks out from it accusingly to a soul that comprehends. The crushed heart, the ravaged201 existence, were bared before her in that glance, as clearly as to a wanderer through the night are the rents of the precipice202 in the flash of the lightning. So they encountered—so, without a word, they parted. To him that moment decided the flight from active life to which his hopeless thoughts had of late been wooing the jaded203, weary man. In safety to his very conscience, he would not risk the certainty thus to encounter one whom it convulsed his whole being to remember was another's wife. In that highest and narrowest sphere of the great London world to which Guy Darrell's political distinction condemned204 his social life, it was impossible but that he should be brought frequently into collision with Lord Montfort, the Head of a House with which Darrell himself was connected—the most powerful patrician205 of the party of which Darrell was so conspicuous a chief. Could he escape Lady Montfort's presence, her name at least would be continually in his ears. From that fatal beauty he could no more hide than from the sun.
This thought, and the terror it occasioned him, completed his resolve on the instant. The next day he was in the groves206 of Fawley, and amazed the world by dating from that retreat a farewell address to his constituents207. A few days after, the news of his daughter's death reached him; and as that event became known it accounted to many for his retirement208 for a while from public life.
But to Caroline Montfort, and to her alone, the secret of a career blasted, a fame renounced209, was unmistakably revealed. For a time she was tortured, in every society she entered, by speculation210 and gossip which brought before her the memory of his genius, the accusing sound of his name. But him who withdraws from the world, the world soon forgets; and by degrees Darrell became as little spoken of as the dead.
Mrs. Lyndsay had never, during her schemes on Lord Montfort, abandoned her own original design on Darrell. And when, to her infinite amaze and mortification, Lord Montfort, before the first month of his marriage expired, took care, in the fewest possible words, to dispel211 her dream of governing the House, and residing in the houses of Vipont, as the lawful212 agent during the life-long minority to which she had condemned both the submissive Caroline and the lethargic44 Marquess, she hastened by letter to exculpate213 herself to Darrell—laid, of course, all the blame on Caroline. Alas! had not she always warned him that Caroline was not worthy214 of him? —him, the greatest, the best of men, &c., &c. Darrell replied by a single cut of his trenchant215 sarcasm—sarcasm which shore through her cushion of down and her veil of gauze like the sword of Saladin. The old Marchioness turned her back upon Mrs. Lyndsay. Lady Selina was crushingly civil. The pretty woman with pretty manners, no better off for all the misery she had occasioned, went to Rome, caught cold, and having no one to nurse her as Caroline had done, fell at last into a real consumption, and faded out of the world elegantly and spitefully, as fades a rose that still leaves its thorns behind it.
Caroline's nature grew developed and exalted216 by the responsibilities she had accepted, and by the purity of her grief. She submitted, as a just retribution, to the solitude217 and humiliation218 of her wedded lot; she earnestly, virtuously219 strove to banish220 from her heart every sentiment that could recall to her more of Darrell than the remorse of having darkened a life that had been to her childhood so benignant, and to her youth so confiding. As we have seen her, at the mention of Darrell's name—at the allusion221 to his griefs—fly to the side of her ungenial lord, though he was to her but as the owner of the name she bore,—so it was the saving impulse of a delicate, watchful222 conscience that kept her as honest in thought as she was irreproachable223 in conduct. But vainly, in summoning her intellect to the relief of her heart—vainly had she sought to find in the world friendships, companionships, that might eclipse the memory of the mind so lofty in its antique mould—so tender in its depths of unsuspected sweetness—which had been withdrawn224 from her existence before she could fully comprehend its rarity, or appreciate its worth.
At last she became free once more; and then she had dared thoroughly to examine into her own heart, and into the nature of that hold which the image of Darrell still retained on its remembrances. And precisely225 because she was convinced that she had succeeded in preserving her old childish affection for him free from the growth into that warm love which would have been guilt if so encouraged, she felt the more free to volunteer the atonement which might permit her to dedicate herself to his remaining years. Thus, one day, after a conversation with Alban Morley, in which Alban had spoken of Darrell as the friend, almost the virtual guardian226, of her infancy227; and, alluding to a few lines just received from him, brought vividly228 before Caroline the picture of Darrell's melancholy229 wanderings and blighted230 life,—thus had she, on the impulse of the moment, written the letter which had reached Darrell at Malta. In it she referred but indirectly231 to the deceit that had been practised on herself —far too delicate to retail232 a scandal which she felt to be an insult to his dignity, in which, too, the deceiving parties were his daughter's husband and her own mother. No doubt every true woman can understand why she thus wrote to Darrell, and every true man can equally comprehend why that letter failed in its object, and was returned to her in scorn. Hers was the yearning233 of meek234, passionless affection, and his the rebuke235 of sensitive, embittered236 indignant love.
But now, as all her past, with its interior life, glided237 before her, by a grief the most intolerable she had yet known, the woman became aware that it was no longer penitence238 for the injured friend—it was despair for the lover she had lost. In that stormy interview, out of all the confused and struggling elements of her life—long self-reproach, LOVE—the love of woman—had flashed suddenly, luminously239, as the love of youth at first sight. Strange—but the very disparity of years seemed gone! She, the matured, sorrowful woman, was so much nearer to the man, still young in heart and little changed in person, than the gay girl of seventeen had been to the grave friend of forty! Strange, but those vehement reproaches had wakened emotions deeper in the core of the wild mortal breast than all that early chivalrous240 homage241 which had exalted her into the ideal of dreaming poets. Strange, strange, strange! But where there is nothing strange, THERE—is there ever love?
And with this revelation of her own altered heart, came the clearer and fresher insight into the nature and character of the man she loved. Hitherto she had recognised but his virtues—now she beheld242 his failings! beholding243 them as if virtues, loved him more; and, loving him, more despaired. She recognised that all-pervading indomitable pride, which, interwoven with his sense of honour, became relentless244 as it was unrevengeful. She comprehended now that, the more he loved her, the less he would forgive; and, recalling the unexpected gentleness of his farewell words, she felt that in his promised blessing245 lay the sentence that annihilated246 every hope.
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1
retrospect
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| n.回顾，追溯；v.回顾，回想，追溯 | |
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2
virgins
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| 处女，童男( virgin的名词复数 )； 童贞玛利亚（耶稣之母） | |
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3
vowed
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| 起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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4
celestial
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| adj.天体的；天上的 | |
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misgive
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| v.使担心 | |
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6
gild
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| vt.给…镀金，把…漆成金色，使呈金色 | |
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7
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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tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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10
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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11
appallingly
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| 毛骨悚然地 | |
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woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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ravages
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| 劫掠后的残迹，破坏的结果，毁坏后的残迹 | |
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14
steer
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| vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶 | |
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15
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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16
converge
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| vi.会合；聚集，集中；(思想、观点等)趋近 | |
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17
superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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18
glazing
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| n.玻璃装配业；玻璃窗；上釉；上光v.装玻璃( glaze的现在分词 )；上釉于，上光；（目光）变得呆滞无神 | |
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19
panorama
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| n.全景，全景画，全景摄影，全景照片[装置] | |
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20
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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21
justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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22
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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23
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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24
equity
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| n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票 | |
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25
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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26
caressing
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| 爱抚的，表现爱情的，亲切的 | |
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27
obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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28
bequest
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| n.遗赠；遗产，遗物 | |
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29
domesticated
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| adj.喜欢家庭生活的；（指动物）被驯养了的v.驯化( domesticate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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30
intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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31
confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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32
maxims
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| n.格言，座右铭( maxim的名词复数 ) | |
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33
knightly
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| adj. 骑士般的 adv. 骑士般地 | |
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34
perpetuate
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| v.使永存，使永记不忘 | |
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35
annex
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| vt.兼并，吞并；n.附属建筑物 | |
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36
severed
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| v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂 | |
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37
sever
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| v.切开，割开；断绝，中断 | |
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38
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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39
covet
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| vt.垂涎；贪图(尤指属于他人的东西) | |
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40
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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41
audacity
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| n.大胆，卤莽，无礼 | |
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42
grafting
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| 嫁接法，移植法 | |
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43
lethargically
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44
lethargic
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| adj.昏睡的，懒洋洋的 | |
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45
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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46
contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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47
plumes
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| 羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物 | |
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48
royalty
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| n.皇家，皇族 | |
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49
ruminate
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| v.反刍；沉思 | |
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50
ratiocination
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| n.推理；推断 | |
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51
conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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52
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
bestow
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| v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费 | |
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54
slipper
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| n.拖鞋 | |
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55
mortification
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| n.耻辱，屈辱 | |
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56
thwarted
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| 阻挠( thwart的过去式和过去分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过 | |
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57
spouse
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| n.配偶(指夫或妻) | |
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58
dexterity
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| n.(手的)灵巧，灵活 | |
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59
exacting
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| adj.苛求的，要求严格的 | |
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60
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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61
motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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62
disinterested
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| adj.不关心的，不感兴趣的 | |
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63
prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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64
eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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65
semblance
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| n.外貌，外表 | |
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66
scruples
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| n.良心上的不安( scruple的名词复数 )；顾虑，顾忌v.感到于心不安，有顾忌( scruple的第三人称单数 ) | |
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67
venerating
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| 敬重（某人或某事物），崇敬( venerate的现在分词 ) | |
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68
yearn
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| v.想念；怀念；渴望 | |
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69
solace
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| n.安慰；v.使快乐；vt.安慰(物)，缓和 | |
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70
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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71
devotedly
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| 专心地； 恩爱地； 忠实地； 一心一意地 | |
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72
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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73
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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74
sketched
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| v.草拟（sketch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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75
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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76
mightiness
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| n.强大 | |
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77
mesh
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| n.网孔，网丝，陷阱；vt.以网捕捉，啮合，匹配；vi.适合； [计算机]网络 | |
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78
aloof
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| adj.远离的；冷淡的，漠不关心的 | |
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79
appalled
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| v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的 | |
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80
implore
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| vt.乞求，恳求，哀求 | |
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81
reconciliation
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| n.和解，和谐，一致 | |
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82
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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83
enchanting
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| a.讨人喜欢的 | |
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84
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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85
sentimental
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| adj.多愁善感的，感伤的 | |
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86
paltry
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| adj.无价值的，微不足道的 | |
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87
stipend
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| n.薪贴；奖学金；养老金 | |
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88
expectancies
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| 期待，期望( expectancy的名词复数 ) | |
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89
relinquished
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| 交出，让给( relinquish的过去式和过去分词 )； 放弃 | |
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90
dilemma
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| n.困境，进退两难的局面 | |
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91
connive
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| v.纵容；密谋 | |
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92
annulled
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| v.宣告无效( annul的过去式和过去分词 )；取消；使消失；抹去 | |
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93
patrimony
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| n.世袭财产，继承物 | |
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94
exquisitely
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| adv.精致地；强烈地；剧烈地；异常地 | |
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95
intrigue
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| vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋 | |
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96
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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97
insinuating
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| adj.曲意巴结的，暗示的v.暗示( insinuate的现在分词 )；巧妙或迂回地潜入；（使）缓慢进入；慢慢伸入 | |
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98
remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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99
generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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100
chivalry
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| n.骑士气概，侠义；（男人）对女人彬彬有礼，献殷勤 | |
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101
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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102
hectic
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| adj.肺病的；消耗热的；发热的；闹哄哄的 | |
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103
implored
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| 恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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104
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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105
compassionately
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| adv.表示怜悯地，有同情心地 | |
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106
compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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107
abhorrence
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| n.憎恶；可憎恶的事 | |
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108
perfidy
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| n.背信弃义，不忠贞 | |
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109
outraged
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| a.震惊的，义愤填膺的 | |
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110
wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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111
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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112
denouement
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| n.结尾，结局 | |
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113
villa
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| n.别墅，城郊小屋 | |
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114
perverted
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| adj.不正当的v.滥用( pervert的过去式和过去分词 )；腐蚀；败坏；使堕落 | |
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115
narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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116
inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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117
plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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118
eminent
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| adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的 | |
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119
conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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120
refinement
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| n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼 | |
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121
cynical
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| adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的，不信世道向善的 | |
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122
corruption
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| n.腐败，堕落，贪污 | |
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123
witty
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| adj.机智的，风趣的 | |
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124
astute
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| adj.机敏的，精明的 | |
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125
intercede
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| vi.仲裁，说情 | |
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126
snare
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| n.陷阱，诱惑，圈套；（去除息肉或者肿瘤的）勒除器；响弦，小军鼓；vt.以陷阱捕获，诱惑 | |
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127
eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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128
baroness
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| n.男爵夫人，女男爵 | |
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129
penitent
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| adj.后悔的；n.后悔者；忏悔者 | |
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130
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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131
alluding
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| 提及，暗指( allude的现在分词 ) | |
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132
repentant
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| adj.对…感到悔恨的 | |
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133
veracity
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| n.诚实 | |
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134
corroborate
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| v.支持，证实，确定 | |
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135
consummate
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| adj.完美的；v.成婚；使完美 [反]baffle | |
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136
artifices
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| n.灵巧( artifice的名词复数 )；诡计；巧妙办法；虚伪行为 | |
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137
artifice
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| n.妙计，高明的手段；狡诈，诡计 | |
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138
connived
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| v.密谋 ( connive的过去式和过去分词 )；搞阴谋；默许；纵容 | |
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139
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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140
odious
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| adj.可憎的，讨厌的 | |
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141
derive
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| v.取得；导出；引申；来自；源自；出自 | |
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142
languor
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| n.无精力，倦怠 | |
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143
testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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144
probation
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| n.缓刑(期)，(以观后效的)察看；试用(期) | |
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145
forestalled
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| v.先发制人，预先阻止( forestall的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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146
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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147
awed
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| adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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148
secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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149
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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150
torment
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| n.折磨；令人痛苦的东西(人)；vt.折磨；纠缠 | |
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151
nuptials
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| n.婚礼；婚礼( nuptial的名词复数 ) | |
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152
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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153
honeymoon
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| n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月 | |
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154
credulously
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| adv.轻信地，易被瞒地 | |
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155
docile
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| adj.驯服的，易控制的，容易教的 | |
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156
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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157
sterility
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| n.不生育，不结果，贫瘠，消毒，无菌 | |
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158
conjugal
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| adj.婚姻的，婚姻性的 | |
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159
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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160
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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161
vapidity
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| n.乏味；无滋味；无生气；无趣 | |
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162
humiliated
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| 感到羞愧的 | |
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163
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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164
marital
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| adj.婚姻的，夫妻的 | |
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165
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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166
avenged
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| v.为…复仇，报…之仇( avenge的过去式和过去分词 )；为…报复 | |
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167
fang
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| n.尖牙，犬牙 | |
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168
anonymous
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| adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的 | |
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169
liaison
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| n.联系，（未婚男女间的）暖昧关系，私通 | |
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170
confinement
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| n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限 | |
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171
luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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172
vehement
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| adj.感情强烈的；热烈的；(人)有强烈感情的 | |
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173
frustrate
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| v.使失望；使沮丧；使厌烦 | |
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174
accomplice
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| n.从犯，帮凶，同谋 | |
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175
epithet
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| n.（用于褒贬人物等的）表述形容词，修饰语 | |
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176
blurred
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| v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离 | |
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177
blotted
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| 涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 )； （用吸墨纸）吸干 | |
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178
raving
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| adj.说胡话的；疯狂的，怒吼的；非常漂亮的；令人醉心[痴心]的v.胡言乱语(rave的现在分词)n.胡话；疯话adv.胡言乱语地；疯狂地 | |
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179
meditated
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| 深思，沉思，冥想( meditate的过去式和过去分词 )； 内心策划，考虑 | |
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180
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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181
remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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182
ingenuously
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| adv.率直地，正直地 | |
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183
ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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184
guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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185
overflowed
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| 溢出的 | |
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186
confiding
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|
| adj.相信人的，易于相信的v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的现在分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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187
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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188
stolid
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| adj.无动于衷的，感情麻木的 | |
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189
expiated
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| v.为（所犯罪过）接受惩罚，赎（罪）( expiate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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190
shamefully
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| 可耻地； 丢脸地； 不体面地； 羞耻地 | |
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191
vehemently
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| adv. 热烈地 | |
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192
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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193
condescending
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| adj.谦逊的,故意屈尊的 | |
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194
hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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195
invincible
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| adj.不可征服的，难以制服的 | |
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196
dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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197
wedded
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| adj.正式结婚的；渴望…的，执著于…的v.嫁，娶，（与…）结婚( wed的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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198
prorogued
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| v.使（议会）休会( prorogue的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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199
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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200
disdain
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| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
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201
ravaged
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| 毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫 | |
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202
precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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203
jaded
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| adj.精疲力竭的；厌倦的；（因过饱或过多而）腻烦的；迟钝的 | |
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204
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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205
patrician
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| adj.贵族的，显贵的；n.贵族；有教养的人；罗马帝国的地方官 | |
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206
groves
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| 树丛，小树林( grove的名词复数 ) | |
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207
constituents
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| n.选民( constituent的名词复数 )；成分；构成部分；要素 | |
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208
retirement
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| n.退休，退职 | |
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209
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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210
speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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211
dispel
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| vt.驱走，驱散，消除 | |
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212
lawful
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| adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的 | |
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213
exculpate
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| v.开脱，使无罪 | |
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214
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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215
trenchant
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| adj.尖刻的，清晰的 | |
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216
exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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217
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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218
humiliation
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| n.羞辱 | |
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219
virtuously
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| 合乎道德地，善良地 | |
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220
banish
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| vt.放逐，驱逐；消除，排除 | |
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221
allusion
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| n.暗示，间接提示 | |
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222
watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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223
irreproachable
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| adj.不可指责的，无过失的 | |
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224
withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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225
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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226
guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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227
infancy
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| n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期 | |
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228
vividly
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| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
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229
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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230
blighted
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| adj.枯萎的，摧毁的 | |
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231
indirectly
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| adv.间接地，不直接了当地 | |
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232
retail
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| v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格 | |
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233
yearning
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| a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的 | |
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234
meek
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| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
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235
rebuke
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| v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise | |
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236
embittered
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| v.使怨恨，激怒( embitter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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237
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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238
penitence
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| n.忏悔，赎罪；悔过 | |
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239
luminously
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| 发光的； 明亮的； 清楚的； 辉赫 | |
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240
chivalrous
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| adj.武士精神的；对女人彬彬有礼的 | |
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241
homage
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| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
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242
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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243
beholding
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| v.看，注视( behold的现在分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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244
relentless
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| adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的 | |
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blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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246
annihilated
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| v.（彻底）消灭( annihilate的过去式和过去分词 )；使无效；废止；彻底击溃 | |
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