"I don't know." He laid a hand reassuringly3 over that which trembled on his forearm. "The police, possibly."
"Police!" she iterated, aghast. "What makes you think—?"
"A man tried to stop me at the door," he answered quickly. "I got in before he could. When he tried the knocker, a bobby came along and stopped him. The latter may have been watching the house since then,—it'd be only his duty to keep an eye on it; and Heaven knows we raised a racket, coming head-first down those stairs! Now we are up against it," he added brightly.
But the girl was tugging4 at his hand. "Come!" she begged breathlessly. "Come! There is a way! Before they break in—"
"But this man—?" Kirkwood hung back, troubled.
"They—the police are sure to find and care for him."
"So they will." He chuckled5, "And serve him right! He'd have choked me to death, with all the good will in the world!"
"Oh, do hurry!"
Turning, she sped light-footed down the staircase to the lower hall, he at her elbow. Here the uproar6 was loudest—deep enough to drown whatever sounds might have been made by two pairs of flying feet. For all that they fled on tiptoe, stealthily, guilty shadows in the night; and at the newel-post swung back into the unbroken blackness which shrouded7 the fastnesses backward of the dwelling8. A sudden access of fury on the part of the alarmist at the knocker, spurred them on with quaking hearts. In half a dozen strides, Kirkwood, guided only by instinct and the frou-frou of the girl's skirts as she ran invisible before him, stumbled on the uppermost steps of a steep staircase; only a hand-rail saved him, and that at the last moment. He stopped short, shocked into caution. From below came a contrite9 whisper: "I'm so sorry! I should have warned you."
He pulled himself together, glaring wildly at nothing. "It's all right—"
"You're not hurt, truly? Oh, do come quickly."
She waited for him at the bottom of the flight;—happily for him, for he was all at sea.
"Here—your hand—let me guide you. This darkness is dreadful ..."
He found her hand, somehow, and tucked his into it, confidingly10, and not without an uncertain thrill of satisfaction.
"Come!" she panted. "Come! If they break in—"
Stifled11 by apprehension12, her voice failed her.
They went forward, now less impetuously, for it was very black; and the knocker had fallen still.
"No fear of that," he remarked after a time. "They wouldn't dare break in."
A fluttering whisper answered him: "I don't know. We dare risk nothing."
They seemed to explore, to penetrate13 acres of labyrinthine14 chambers15 and passages, delving16 deep into the bowels17 of the earth, like rabbits burrowing18 in a warren, hounded by beagles.
Above stairs the hush19 continued unbroken; as if the dumb Genius of the Place had cast a spell of silence on the knocker, or else, outraged20, had smitten21 the noisy disturber with a palsy.
The girl seemed to know her way; whether guided by familiarity or by intuition, she led on without hesitation22, Kirkwood blundering in her wake, between confusion of impression, and dawning dismay conscious of but one tangible23 thing, to which he clung as to his hope of salvation24: those firm, friendly fingers that clasped his own.
It was as if they wandered on for an hour; probably from start to finish their flight took up three minutes, no more. Eventually the girl stopped, releasing his hand. He could hear her syncopated breathing before him, and gathered that something was wrong. He took a step forward.
"What is it?"
Her full voice broke out of the obscurity startlingly close, in his very ear.
"The door—the bolts—I can't budge25 them."
"Let me ..."
He pressed forward, brushing her shoulder. She did not draw away, but willingly yielded place to his hands at the fastenings; and what had proved impossible to her, to his strong fingers was a matter of comparative ease. Yet, not entirely26 consciously, he was not quick. As he tugged27 at the bolts he was poignantly28 sensitive to the subtle warmth of her at his side; he could hear her soft dry sobs29 of excitement and suspense30, punctuating31 the quiet; and was frightened, absolutely, by an impulse, too strong for ridicule32, to take her in his arms and comfort her with the assurance that, whatever her trouble, he would stand by her and protect her.... It were futile33 to try to laugh it off; he gave over the endeavor. Even at this critical moment he found himself repeating over and over to his heart the question: "Can this be love? Can this be love? ..."
Could it be love at an hour's acquaintance? Absurd! But he could not laugh—nor render himself insensible to the suggestion.
He found that he had drawn34 the bolts. The girl tugged and rattled35 at the knob. Reluctantly the door opened inwards. Beyond its threshold stretched ten feet or more of covered passageway, whose entrance framed an oblong glimmering36 with light. A draught37 of fresh air smote38 their faces. Behind them a door banged.
"Where does this open?"
"On the mews," she informed him.
"The mews!" He stared in consternation39 at the pallid40 oval that stood for her face. "The mews! But you, in your evening gown, and I—"
"There's no other way. We must chance it. Are you afraid?"
Afraid? ... He stepped aside. She slipped by him and on. He closed the door, carefully removing the key and locking it on the outside; then joined the girl at the entrance to the mews, where they paused perforce, she as much disconcerted as he, his primary objection momentarily waxing in force as they surveyed the conditions circumscribing42 their escape.
Quadrant Mews was busily engaged in enjoying itself. Night had fallen sultry and humid, and the walls and doorsteps were well fringed and clustered with representatives of that class of London's population which infests43 mews through habit, taste, or force of circumstance.
On the stoops men sprawled44 at easy length, discussing short, foul45 cutties loaded with that rank and odoriferous compound which, under the name and in the fame of tobacco, is widely retailed46 at tuppence the ounce. Their women-folk more commonly squatted47 on the thresholds, cheerfully squabbling; from opposing second-story windows, two leaned perilously48 forth49, slanging one another across the square briskly in the purest billingsgate; and were impartially50 applauded from below by an audience whose appreciation51 seemed faintly tinged52 with envy. Squawking and yelling children swarmed53 over the flags and rude cobblestones that paved the ways. Like incense54, heavy and pungent55, the rich effluvia of stable-yards swirled56 in air made visible by its faint burden of mist.
Over against the entrance wherein Kirkwood and the girl lurked58, confounded by the problem of escaping undetected through this vivacious59 scene, a stable-door stood wide, exposing a dimly illumined interior. Before it waited a four-wheeler, horse already hitched60 in between the shafts61, while its driver, a man of leisurely62 turn of mind, made lingering inspection63 of straps64 and buckles65, and, while Kirkwood watched him, turned attention to the carriage lamps.
The match which he raked spiritedly down his thigh66, flared67 ruddily; the succeeding paler glow of the lamp threw into relief a heavy beefy mask, with shining bosses for cheeks and nose and chin; through narrow slits68 two cunning eyes glittered like dull gems69. Kirkwood appraised70 him with attention, as one in whose gross carcass was embodied71 their only hope of unannoyed return to the streets and normal surroundings of their world. The difficulty lay in attracting the man's attention and engaging him without arousing his suspicions or bringing the population about their ears. Though he hesitated long, no favorable opportunity presented itself; and in time the Jehu approached the box with the ostensible72 purpose of mounting and driving off. In this critical situation the American, forced to recognize that boldness must mark his course, took the girl's fate and his own in his hands, and with a quick word to his companion, stepped out of hiding.
The cabby had a foot upon the step when Kirkwood tapped his shoulder.
"My man—"
"Lor, lumme!" cried the fellow in amaze, pivoting74 on his heel. Cupidity75 and quick understanding enlivened the eyes which in two glances looked Kirkwood up and down, comprehending at once both his badly rumpled77 hat and patent-leather shoes. "S'help me,"—thickly,—"where'd you drop from, guvner?"
"That's my affair," said Kirkwood briskly. "Are you engaged?"
"If you mykes yerself my fare," returned the cabby shrewdly, "I ham."
"Ten shillings, then, if you get us out of here in one minute and to—say—Hyde Park Corner in fifteen."
"Us?" demanded the fellow aggressively.
Kirkwood motioned toward the passageway. "There's a lady with me—there. Quick now!"
Still the man did not move. "Ten bob," he bargained; "an' you runnin' awye with th' stuffy78 ol' gent's fair darter? Come now, guvner, is it gen'rous? Myke it a quid an'—"
"A pound then. Will you hurry?"
By way of answer the fellow scrambled79 hastily up to the box and snatched at the reins80. "Ck! Gee-e hup!" he cried sonorously81.
By now the mews had wakened to the fact of the presence of a "toff" in its midst. His light topcoat and silk hat-rendered him as conspicuous82 as a red Indian in war-paint would have been on Rotten Row. A cry of surprise was raised, and drowned in a volley of ribald inquiry83 and chaff84.
Fortunately, the cabby was instant to rein57 in skilfully85 before the passageway, and Kirkwood had the door open before the four-wheeler stopped. The girl, hugging her cloak about her, broke cover (whereat the hue86 and cry redoubled), and sprang into the body of the vehicle. Kirkwood followed, shutting the door. As the cab lurched forward he leaned over and drew down the window-shade, shielding the girl from half a hundred prying87 eyes. At the same time they gathered momentum88, banging swiftly, if loudly out of the mews.
An urchin89, leaping on the step to spy in Kirkwood's window, fell off, yelping90, as the driver's whiplash curled about his shanks.
The gloom of the tunnel inclosed them briefly91 ere the lights of the Hog-in-the-Pound flashed by and the wheels began to roll more easily. Kirkwood drew back with a sigh of relief.
"Thank God!" he said softly.
The girl had no words.
Worried by her silence, solicitous92 lest, the strain ended, she might be on the point of fainting, he let up the shade and lowered the window at her side.
She seemed to have collapsed93 in her corner. Against the dark upholstery her hair shone like pale gold in the half-light; her eyes were closed and she held a handkerchief to her lips; the other hand lay limp.
"Miss Calendar?"
She started, and something bulky fell from the seat and thumped94 heavily on the floor. Kirkwood bent95 to pick it up, and so for the first time was made aware that she had brought with her a small black gladstone bag of considerable weight. As he placed it on the forward seat their eyes met.
"I didn't know—" he began.
"It was to get that," she hastened to explain, "that my father sent me ..."
"Yes," he assented96 in a tone indicating his complete comprehension. "I trust ..." he added vaguely97, and neglected to complete the observation, losing himself in a maze73 of conjecture98 not wholly agreeable. This was a new phase of the adventure. He eyed the bag uneasily. What did it contain? How did he know ...?
Hastily he abandoned that line of thought. He had no right to infer anything whatever, who had thrust himself uninvited into her concerns—uninvited, that was to say, in the second instance, having been once definitely given his congé. Inevitably99, however, a thousand unanswerable questions pestered100 him; just as, at each fresh facet101 of mystery disclosed by the sequence of the adventure, his bewilderment deepened.
The girl stirred restlessly. "I have been thinking," she volunteered in a troubled tone, "that there is absolutely no way I know of, to thank you properly."
"It is enough if I've been useful," he rose in gallantry to the emergency.
"That," she commented, "was very prettily102 said. But then I have never known any one more kind and courteous103 and—and considerate, than you." There was no savor104 of flattery in the simple and direct statement; indeed, she was looking away from him, out of the window, and her face was serious with thought; she seemed to be speaking of, rather than to, Kirkwood. "And I have been wondering," she continued with unaffected candor105, "what you must be thinking of me."
"I? ... What should I think of you, Miss Calendar?"
With the air of a weary child she laid her head against the cushions again, face to him, and watched him through lowered lashes106, unsmiling.
"You might be thinking that an explanation is due you. Even the way we were brought together was extraordinary, Mr. Kirkwood. You must be very generous, as generous as you have shown yourself brave, not to require some sort of an explanation of me."
"I don't see it that way."
"I do ... You have made me like you very much, Mr. Kirkwood."
He shot her a covert107 glance—causelessly, for her naiveté was flawless. With a feeling of some slight awe108 he understood this—a sensation of sincere reverence109 for the unspoiled, candid110, child's heart and mind that were hers. "I'm glad," he said simply; "very glad, if that's the case, and presupposing I deserve it. Personally," he laughed, "I seem to myself to have been rather forward."
"No; only kind and a gentleman."
"But—please!" he protested.
"Oh, but I mean it, every word! Why shouldn't I? In a little while, ten minutes, half an hour, we shall have seen the last of each other. Why should I not tell you how I appreciate all that you have unselfishly done for me?"
"If you put it that way,—I'm sure I don't know; beyond that it embarrasses me horribly to have you overestimate111 me so. If any courage has been shown this night, it is yours ... But I'm forgetting again." He thought to divert her. "Where shall I tell the cabby to go this time, Miss Calendar?"
"Craven Street, please," said the girl, and added a house number. "I am to meet my father there, with this,"—indicating the gladstone bag.
Kirkwood thrust head and shoulders out the window and instructed the cabby accordingly; but his ruse113 had been ineffectual, as he found when he sat back again. Quite composedly the girl took up the thread of conversation where it had been broken off.
"It's rather hard to keep silence, when you've been so good. I don't want you to think me less generous than yourself, but, truly, I can tell you nothing." She sighed a trace resentfully; or so he thought. "There is little enough in this—this wretched affair, that I understand myself; and that little, I may not tell ... I want you to know that."
"I understand, Miss Calendar."
"There's one thing I may say, however. I have done nothing wrong to-night, I believe," she added quickly.
"I've never for an instant questioned that," he returned with a qualm of shame; for what he said was not true.
"Thank you ..."
The four-wheeler swung out of Oxford114 Street into Charing115 Cross Road. Kirkwood noted116 the fact with a feeling of some relief that their ride was to be so short; like many of his fellow-sufferers from "the artistic117 temperament," he was acutely disconcerted by spoken words of praise and gratitude118; Miss Calendar, unintentionally enough, had succeeded only in rendering119 him self-conscious and ill at ease.
Nor had she fully41 relieved her mind, nor voiced all that perturbed120 her. "There's one thing more," she said presently: "my father. I—I hope you will think charitably of him."
"Indeed, I've no reason or right to think otherwise."
"I was afraid—afraid his actions might have seemed peculiar121, to-night ..."
"There are lots of things I don't understand, Miss Calendar. Some day, perhaps, it will all clear up,—this trouble of yours. At least, one supposes it is trouble, of some sort. And then you will tell me the whole story.... Won't you?" Kirkwood insisted.
"I'm afraid not," she said, with a smile of shadowed sadness. "We are to say good night in a moment or two, and—it will be good-by as well. It's unlikely that we shall ever meet again."
"I refuse positively122 to take such a gloomy view of the case!"
She shook her head, laughing with him, but with shy regret. "It's so, none the less. We are leaving London this very night, my father and I—leaving England, for that matter."
"Leaving England?" he echoed. "You're not by any chance bound for America, are you?"
"I ... can't tell you."
"But you can tell me this: are you booked on the Minneapolis?"
"No—o; it is a—quite another boat."
"Of course!" he commented savagely123. "It wouldn't be me to have any sort of luck!"
She made no reply beyond a low laugh. He stared gloomily out of his window, noting indifferently that they were passing the National Gallery. On their left Trafalgar Square stretched, broad and bare, a wilderness124 of sooty stone with an air of mutely tolerating its incongruous fountains. Through Charing Cross roared a tide-rip of motor-busses and hackney carriages.
Glumly125 the young man foresaw the passing of his abbreviated126 romance; their destination was near at hand. Brentwick had been right, to some extent, at least; it was quite true that the curtain had been rung up that very night, upon Kirkwood's Romance; unhappily, as Brentwick had not foreseen, it was immediately to be rung down.
The cab rolled soberly into the Strand127.
"Since we are to say good-by so very soon," suggested Kirkwood, "may I ask a parting favor, Miss Calendar?"
She regarded him with friendly eyes. "You have every right," she affirmed gently.
"Then please to tell me frankly128: are you going into any further danger?"
"And is that the only boon129 you crave112 at my hands, Mr. Kirkwood?"
"Without impertinence ..."
For a little time, waiting for him to conclude his vague phrase, she watched him in an expectant silence. But the man was diffident to a degree—At length, somewhat unconsciously, "I think not," she answered. "No; there will be no danger awaiting me at Mrs. Hallam's. You need not fear for me any more—Thank you."
He lifted his brows at the unfamiliar130 name. "Mrs. Hallam—?"
"I am going to her house in Craven Street."
"Your father is to meet you there?"—persistently.
"He promised to."
"But if he shouldn't?"
"Why—" Her eyes clouded; she pursed her lips over the conjectural131 annoyance132. "Why, in that event, I suppose—It would be very embarrassing. You see, I don't know Mrs. Hallam; I don't know that she expects me, unless my father is already there. They are old friends—I could drive round for a while and come back, I suppose."
But she made it plain that the prospect133 did not please her.
"Won't you let me ask if Mr. Calender is there, before you get out, then? I don't like to be dismissed," he laughed; "and, you know, you shouldn't go wandering round all alone."
The cab drew up. Kirkwood put a hand on the door and awaited her will.
"It—it would be very kind ... I hate to impose upon you."
He turned the knob and got out. "If you'll wait one moment," he said superfluously134, as he closed the door.
Pausing only to verify the number, he sprang up the steps and found the bell-button.
It was a modest little residence, in nothing more remarkable135 than its neighbors, unless it was for a certain air of extra grooming136: the area railing was sleek137 with fresh black paint; the doorstep looked the better for vigorous stoning; the door itself was immaculate, its brasses138 shining lustrous139 against red-lacquered woodwork. A soft glow filled the fanlight. Overhead the drawing-room windows shone with a cozy140, warm radiance.
The door opened, framing the figure of a maid sketched141 broadly in masses of somber142 black and dead white.
"Can you tell me, is Mr. Calendar here?"
The servant's eyes left his face, looked past him at the waiting cab, and returned.
"I'm not sure, sir. If you will please step in."
Kirkwood hesitated briefly, then acceded143. The maid closed the door.
"What name shall I say, sir?"
"Mr. Kirkwood."
"If you will please to wait one moment, sir—"
He was left in the entry hall, the servant hurrying to the staircase and up. Three minutes elapsed; he was on the point of returning to the girl, when the maid reappeared.
"Mrs. Hallam says, will you kindly144 step up-stairs, sir."
Disgruntled, he followed her; at the head of the stairs she bowed him into the drawing-room and again left him to his own resources.
Nervous, annoyed, he paced the floor from wall to wall, his footfalls silenced by heavy rugs. As the delay was prolonged he began to fume145 with impatience146, wondering, half regretting that he had left the girl outside, definitely sorry that he had failed to name his errand more explicitly147 to the maid. At another time, in another mood, he might have accorded more appreciation to the charm of the apartment, which, betraying the feminine touch in every detail of arrangement and furnishing, was very handsome in an unconventional way. But he was quite heedless of externals.
Wearied, he deposited himself sulkily in an armchair by the hearth148.
From a boudoir on the same floor there came murmurs149 of two voices, a man's and a woman's. The latter laughed prettily.
"Oh, any time!" snorted the American. "Any time you're through with your confounded flirtation150, Mr. George B. Calendar!"
The voices rose, approaching. "Good night," said the woman gaily151; "farewell and—good luck go with you!"
"Thank you. Good night," replied the man more conservatively.
Kirkwood rose, expectant.
There was a swish of draperies, and a moment later he was acknowledging the totally unlooked-for entrance of the mistress of the house. He had thought to see Calendar, presuming him to be the man closeted with Mrs. Hallam; but, whoever that had been, he did not accompany the woman. Indeed, as she advanced from the doorway152, Kirkwood could hear the man's footsteps on the stairs.
"This is Mr. Kirkwood?" The note of inquiry in the well-trained voice—a very alluring153 voice and one pleasant to listen to, he thought—made it seem as though she had asked, point-blank, "Who is Mr. Kirkwood?"
He bowed, discovering himself in the presence of an extraordinarily154 handsome and interesting woman; a woman of years which as yet had not told upon her, of experience that had not availed to harden her, at least in so far as her exterior155 charm of personality was involved; a woman, in brief, who bore close inspection well, despite an elusive156 effect of maturity157, not without its attraction for men. Kirkwood was impressed that it would be very easy to learn to like Mrs. Hallam more than well—with her approval.
Although he had not anticipated it, he was not at all surprised to recognize in her the woman who, if he were not mistaken, had slipped to Calendar that warning in the dining-room of the Pless. Kirkwood's state of mind had come to be such, through his experiences of the past few hours, that he would have accepted anything, however preposterous158, as a commonplace happening. But for that matter there was nothing particularly astonishing in this rencontre.
"I am Mrs. Hallam. You were asking for Mr. Calendar?"
"He was to have been here at this hour, I believe," said Kirkwood.
"Yes?" There was just the right inflection of surprise in her carefully controlled tone.
He became aware of an undercurrent of feeling; that the woman was estimating him shrewdly with her fine direct eyes. He returned her regard with admiring interest; they were gray-green eyes, deep-set but large, a little shallow, a little changeable, calling to mind the sea on a windy, cloudy day.
Below stairs a door slammed.
"I am not a detective, Mrs. Hallam," announced the young man suddenly. "Mr. Calendar required a service of me this evening; I am here in natural consequence. If it was Mr. Calendar who left this house just now, I am wasting time."
"It was not Mr. Calendar." The fine-lined brows arched in surprise, real or pretended, at his first blurted159 words, and relaxed; amused, the woman laughed deliciously. "But I am expecting him any moment; he was to have been here half an hour since.... Won't you wait?"
She indicated, with a gracious gesture, a chair, and took for herself one end of a davenport. "I'm sure he won't be long, now."
"Thank you, I will return, if I may." Kirkwood moved toward the door.
"But there's no necessity—" She seemed insistent160 on detaining him, possibly because she questioned his motive161, possibly for her own divertisement.
Kirkwood deprecated his refusal with a smile. "The truth is, Miss Calendar is waiting in a cab, outside. I—"
"Dorothy Calendar!" Mrs. Hallam rose alertly. "But why should she wait there? To be sure, we've never met; but I have known her father for many years." Her eyes held steadfast162 to his face; shallow, flawed by her every thought, like the sea by a cat's-paw he found them altogether inscrutable; yet received an impression that their owner was now unable to account for him.
She swung about quickly, preceding him to the door and down the stairs. "I am sure Dorothy will come in to wait, if I ask her," she told Kirkwood in a high sweet voice. "I'm so anxious to know her. It's quite absurd, really, of her—to stand on ceremony with me, when her father made an appointment here. I'll run out and ask—"
Mrs. Hallam's slim white fingers turned latch163 and knob, opening the street door, and her voice died away as she stepped out into the night. For a moment, to Kirkwood, tagging after her with an uncomfortable sense of having somehow done the wrong thing, her figure—full fair shoulders and arms rising out of the glittering dinner gown—cut a gorgeous silhouette164 against the darkness. Then, with a sudden, imperative165 gesture, she half turned towards him.
"But," she exclaimed, perplexed166, gazing to right and left, "but the cab, Mr. Kirkwood?"
He was on the stoop a second later. Standing76 beside her, he stared blankly.
To the left the Strand roared, the stream of its night-life in high spate167; on the right lay the Embankment, comparatively silent and deserted168, if brilliant with its high-swung lights. Between the two, quiet Craven Street ran, short and narrow, and wholly innocent of any form of equipage.
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growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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vibrant
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| adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的 | |
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reassuringly
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| ad.安心，可靠 | |
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tugging
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| n.牵引感v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的现在分词 ) | |
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chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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shrouded
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| v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密 | |
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dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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contrite
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| adj.悔悟了的，后悔的，痛悔的 | |
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confidingly
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| adv.信任地 | |
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stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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labyrinthine
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| adj.如迷宫的；复杂的 | |
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chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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delving
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| v.深入探究，钻研( delve的现在分词 ) | |
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bowels
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| n.肠，内脏，内部；肠( bowel的名词复数 )；内部，最深处 | |
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burrowing
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| v.挖掘（洞穴），挖洞( burrow的现在分词 )；翻寻 | |
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hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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outraged
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| a.震惊的，义愤填膺的 | |
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smitten
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| 猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去分词 ) | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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tangible
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| adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的 | |
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salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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25
budge
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| v.移动一点儿；改变立场 | |
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26
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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27
tugged
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| v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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poignantly
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sobs
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| 啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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30
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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31
punctuating
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| v.（在文字中）加标点符号，加标点( punctuate的现在分词 )；不时打断某事物 | |
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32
ridicule
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| v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄 | |
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33
futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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34
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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35
rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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36
glimmering
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| n.微光，隐约的一瞥adj.薄弱地发光的v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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37
draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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38
smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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39
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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40
pallid
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| adj.苍白的，呆板的 | |
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41
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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42
circumscribing
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| v.在…周围划线( circumscribe的现在分词 )；划定…范围；限制；限定 | |
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43
infests
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| n.害虫、野兽大批出没于( infest的名词复数 )；遍布于v.害虫、野兽大批出没于( infest的第三人称单数 )；遍布于 | |
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44
sprawled
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| v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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45
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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46
retailed
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| vt.零售（retail的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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47
squatted
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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48
perilously
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| adv.充满危险地，危机四伏地 | |
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49
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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50
impartially
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| adv.公平地，无私地 | |
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51
appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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52
tinged
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| v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
swarmed
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| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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54
incense
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| v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气 | |
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55
pungent
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| adj.（气味、味道）刺激性的，辛辣的；尖锐的 | |
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56
swirled
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| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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57
rein
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| n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治 | |
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58
lurked
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| vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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59
vivacious
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| adj.活泼的，快活的 | |
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60
hitched
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| （免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的过去式和过去分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上 | |
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61
shafts
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| n.轴( shaft的名词复数 )；（箭、高尔夫球棒等的）杆；通风井；一阵（疼痛、害怕等） | |
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62
leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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63
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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64
straps
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| n.带子( strap的名词复数 )；挎带；肩带；背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 )；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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65
buckles
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| 搭扣，扣环( buckle的名词复数 ) | |
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66
thigh
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| n.大腿；股骨 | |
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67
Flared
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| adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词 | |
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68
slits
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| n.狭长的口子，裂缝( slit的名词复数 )v.切开，撕开( slit的第三人称单数 )；在…上开狭长口子 | |
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69
gems
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| growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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70
appraised
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| v.估价( appraise的过去式和过去分词 )；估计；估量；评价 | |
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71
embodied
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| v.表现( embody的过去式和过去分词 )；象征；包括；包含 | |
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72
ostensible
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| adj.(指理由)表面的，假装的 | |
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73
maze
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| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
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74
pivoting
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| n.绕轴旋转，绕公共法线旋转v.（似）在枢轴上转动( pivot的现在分词 )；把…放在枢轴上；以…为核心，围绕（主旨）展开 | |
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75
cupidity
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| n.贪心，贪财 | |
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76
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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77
rumpled
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| v.弄皱，使凌乱( rumple的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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78
stuffy
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| adj.不透气的，闷热的 | |
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79
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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80
reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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81
sonorously
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| adv.圆润低沉地；感人地；堂皇地；朗朗地 | |
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82
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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83
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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84
chaff
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| v.取笑，嘲笑；n.谷壳 | |
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85
skilfully
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| adv. (美skillfully)熟练地 | |
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86
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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87
prying
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| adj.爱打听的v.打听，刺探（他人的私事）( pry的现在分词 )；撬开 | |
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88
momentum
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| n.动力，冲力，势头；动量 | |
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89
urchin
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| n.顽童；海胆 | |
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90
yelping
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| v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的现在分词 ) | |
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91
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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92
solicitous
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| adj.热切的，挂念的 | |
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93
collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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94
thumped
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| v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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95
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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96
assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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97
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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98
conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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99
inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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100
pestered
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| 使烦恼，纠缠( pester的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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101
facet
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| n.(问题等的)一个方面；(多面体的)面 | |
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102
prettily
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| adv.优美地；可爱地 | |
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103
courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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104
savor
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| vt.品尝，欣赏；n.味道，风味；情趣，趣味 | |
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105
candor
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| n.坦白，率真 | |
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106
lashes
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| n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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107
covert
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| adj.隐藏的；暗地里的 | |
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108
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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109
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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110
candid
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| adj.公正的，正直的；坦率的 | |
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111
overestimate
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| v.估计过高，过高评价 | |
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112
crave
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| vt.渴望得到，迫切需要，恳求，请求 | |
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113
ruse
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| n.诡计，计策；诡计 | |
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114
Oxford
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| n.牛津（英国城市） | |
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115
charing
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| n.炭化v.把…烧成炭，把…烧焦( char的现在分词 )；烧成炭，烧焦；做杂役女佣 | |
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116
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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117
artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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118
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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119
rendering
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| n.表现，描写 | |
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120
perturbed
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| adj.烦燥不安的v.使（某人）烦恼，不安( perturb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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121
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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122
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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123
savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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124
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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125
glumly
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| adv.忧郁地，闷闷不乐地；阴郁地 | |
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126
abbreviated
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| adj. 简短的，省略的 动词abbreviate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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127
strand
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| vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地） | |
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128
frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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129
boon
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| n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠 | |
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130
unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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131
conjectural
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| adj.推测的 | |
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132
annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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133
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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134
superfluously
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| 过分地； 过剩地 | |
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135
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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136
grooming
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| n. 修饰, 美容，（动物）梳理毛发 | |
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137
sleek
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| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
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138
brasses
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| n.黄铜( brass的名词复数 )；铜管乐器；钱；黄铜饰品（尤指马挽具上的黄铜圆片） | |
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139
lustrous
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| adj.有光泽的；光辉的 | |
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140
cozy
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| adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的 | |
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141
sketched
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| v.草拟（sketch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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142
somber
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| adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的 | |
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143
acceded
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| v.（正式）加入( accede的过去式和过去分词 )；答应；（通过财产的添附而）增加；开始任职 | |
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144
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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145
fume
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| n.(usu pl.)(浓烈或难闻的)烟，气，汽 | |
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146
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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explicitly
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| ad.明确地，显然地 | |
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148
hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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149
murmurs
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| n.低沉、连续而不清的声音( murmur的名词复数 )；低语声；怨言；嘀咕 | |
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150
flirtation
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| n.调情，调戏，挑逗 | |
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151
gaily
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| adv.欢乐地，高兴地 | |
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152
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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153
alluring
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| adj.吸引人的，迷人的 | |
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154
extraordinarily
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| adv.格外地；极端地 | |
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155
exterior
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| adj.外部的，外在的；表面的 | |
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elusive
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| adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的 | |
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157
maturity
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| n.成熟；完成；(支票、债券等)到期 | |
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158
preposterous
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| adj.荒谬的，可笑的 | |
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159
blurted
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| v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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160
insistent
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| adj.迫切的，坚持的 | |
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161
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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steadfast
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| adj.固定的，不变的，不动摇的；忠实的；坚贞不移的 | |
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163
latch
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| n.门闩，窗闩；弹簧锁 | |
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164
silhouette
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| n.黑色半身侧面影，影子，轮廓；v.描绘成侧面影，照出影子来，仅仅显出轮廓 | |
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165
imperative
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| n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的 | |
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166
perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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167
spate
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| n.泛滥，洪水，突然的一阵 | |
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168
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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