On his feet, straddling Mulready's insentient body, he confronted Calendar and Stryker. The face of the latter was a sickly green, the gift of his fright. The former seemed coldly composed, already recovering from his surprise and bringing his wits to bear upon the new factor which had been so unceremoniously injected into the situation.
Straddling Mulready's body, he confronted Calendar and Stryker.
Standing1, but leaning heavily upon a hand that rested flat on the table, in the other he likewise held a revolver, which he had apparently2 drawn3 in self-defense, at the crisis of Mulready's frenzy4. Its muzzle5 was deflected6. He looked Kirkwood over with a cool gray eye, the color gradually returning to his fat, clean-shaven cheeks, replacing the pardonable pallor which had momentarily rested thereon.
As for Kirkwood, he had covered the fat adventurer before he knew it. Stryker, who had been standing immediately in the rear of Calendar, immediately cowered7 and cringed to find himself in the line of fire.
Of the three conscious men in the brigantine's cabin, Calendar was probably the least confused or excited. Stryker was palpably unmanned. Kirkwood was tingling8 with a sense of mastery, but collected and rapidly revolving9 the combinations for the reversed conditions which had been brought about by Mulready's drunken folly10. His elation11 was apparent in his shining, boyish eyes, as well as in the bright color that glowed in his cheeks. When he decided12 to speak it was with rapid enunciation13, but clearly and concisely14.
"Calendar," he began, "if a single shot is fired about this vessel15 the river police will be buzzing round your ears in a brace16 of shakes."
The fat adventurer nodded assent17, his eyes contracting.
"Very well!" continued Kirkwood brusquely. "You must know that I have personally nothing to fear from the police; if arrested, I wouldn't be detained a day. On the other hand, you ... Hand me that pistol, Calendar, butt19 first, please. Look sharp, my man! If you don't..."
He left the ellipsis20 to be filled in by the corpulent blackguard's intelligence. The latter, gray eyes still intent on the younger man's face, wavered, plainly impressed, but still wondering.
"Quick! I'm not patient to-night..."
No longer was Calendar of two minds. In the face of Kirkwood's attitude there was but one course to be followed: that of obedience21. Calendar surrendered an untenable position as gracefully22 as could be wished.
"I guess you know what you mean by this," he said, tendering the weapon as per instructions; "I'm doggoned if I do.... You'll allow a certain latitude23 in consideration of my relief; I can't say we were anticipating this—ah—Heaven-sent visitation."
Accepting the revolver with his left hand and settling his forefinger24 on the trigger, Kirkwood beamed with pure enjoyment25. He found the deference26 of the older man, tempered though it was by his indomitable swagger, refreshing27 in the extreme.
"A little appreciation28 isn't exactly out of place, come to think of it," he commented, adding, with an eye for the captain: "Stryker, you bold, bad butterfly, have you got a gun concealed29 about your unclean person?"
The captain shook visibly with contrition30. "No, Mr. Kirkwood," he managed to reply in a voice singularly lacking in his wonted bluster31.
"Say 'sir'!" suggested Kirkwood.
"No, Mr. Kirkwood, sir," amended32 Stryker eagerly.
"Now come round here and let's have a look at you. Please stay where you are, Calendar.... Why, Captain, you're shivering from head to foot! Not ill are you, you wag? Step over to the table there, Stryker, and turn out your pockets; turn 'em inside out and let's see what you carry in the way of offensive artillery33. And, Stryker, don't be rash; don't do anything you'd be sorry for afterwards."
"No fear of that," mumbled34 the captain, meekly35 shambling toward the table, and, in his anxiety to give no cause for unpleasantness, beginning to empty his pockets on the way.
"Don't forget the 'sir,' Stryker. And, Stryker, if you happen to think of anything in the line of one of your merry quips or jests, don't strain yourself holding in; get it right off your chest, and you'll feel better."
Kirkwood chuckled36, in high conceit37 with himself, watching Calendar out of the corner of his eye, but with his attention centered on the infinitely38 diverting spectacle afforded by Stryker, whose predacious hands were trembling violently as, one by one, they brought to light the articles of which he had despoiled39 his erstwhile victim.
"Come, come, Stryker! Surely you can think of something witty40, surely you haven't exhausted41 the possibilities of that almanac joke! Couldn't you ring another variation on the lunatic wheeze42? Don't hesitate out of consideration for me, Captain; I'm joke proof—perhaps you've noticed?"
Stryker turned upon him an expression at once ludicrous, piteous and hateful. "That's all, sir," he snarled43, displaying his empty palms in token of his absolute tractability44.
"Good enough. Now right about face—quick! Your back's prettier than your face, and besides, I want to know whether your hip-pockets are empty. I've heard it's the habit of you gentry45 to pack guns in your clothes.... None? That's all right, then. Now roost on the transom, over there in the corner, Stryker, and don't move. Don't let me hear a word from you. Understand?"
Submissively the captain retired46 to the indicated spot. Kirkwood turned to Calendar; of whose attitude, however, he had not been for an instant unmindful.
"Won't you sit down, Mr. Calendar?" he suggested pleasantly. "Forgive me for keeping you waiting."
For his own part, as the adventurer dropped passively into his chair, Kirkwood stepped over Mulready and advanced to the middle of the cabin, at the same time thrusting Calendar's revolver into his own coat pocket. The other, Mulready's, he nursed significantly with both hands, while he stood temporarily quiet, surveying the fleshy face of the prime factor in the intrigue47.
A quaint48, grim smile played about the American's lips, a smile a little contemptuous, more than a little inscrutable. In its light Calendar grew restive49 and lost something of his assurance. His feet shifted uneasily beneath the table and his dark eyes wavered, evading50 Kirkwood's. At length he seemed to find the suspense51 unendurable.
"Well?" he demanded testily52. "What d'you want of me?"
"I was just wondering at you, Calendar. In the last few days you've given me enough cause to wonder, as you'll admit."
The adventurer plucked up spirit, deluded53 by Kirkwood's pacific tone. "I wonder at you, Mr. Kirkwood," he retorted. "It was good of you to save my life and—"
"I'm not so sure of that! Perhaps it had been more humane—"
Calendar owned the touch with a wry54 grimace55. "But I'm damned if I understand this high-handed attitude of yours!" he concluded heatedly.
"Don't you?" Kirkwood's humor became less apparent, the smile sobering. "You will," he told the man, adding abruptly56: "Calendar, where's your daughter?"
The restless eyes sought the companionway.
"Dorothy," the man lied spontaneously, without a tremor57, "is with friends in England. Why? Did you want to see her?"
"I rather expected to."
"Well, I thought it best to leave her home, after all."
"I'm glad to hear she's in safe hands," commented Kirkwood.
The adventurer's glance analyzed58 his face. "Ah," he said slowly, "I see. You followed me on Dorothy's account, Mr. Kirkwood?"
"Partly; partly on my own. Let me put it to you fairly. When you forced yourself upon me, back there in London, you offered me some sort of employment; when I rejected it, you used me to your advantage for the furtherance of your purposes (which I confess I don't understand), and made me miss my steamer. Naturally, when I found myself penniless and friendless in a strange country, I thought again of your offer; and tried to find you, to accept it."
"Despite the fact that you're an honest man, Kirkwood?" The fat lips twitched59 with premature60 enjoyment.
"I'm a desperate man to-night, whatever I may have been yesterday." The young man's tone was both earnest and convincing. "I think I've shown that by my pertinacity61 in hunting you down."
"Well—yes." Calendar's thick fingers caressed62 his lips, trying to hide the dawning smile.
"Is that offer still open?"
His nonchalance63 completely restored by the very na?veté of the proposition, Calendar laughed openly and with a trace of irony64. The episode seemed to be turning out better than he had anticipated. Gently his mottled fat fingers played about his mouth and chins as he looked Kirkwood up and down.
"I'm sorry," he replied, "that it isn't—now. You're too late, Kirkwood; I've made other arrangements."
"Too bad." Kirkwood's eyes narrowed. "You force me to harsher measures, Calendar."
Genuinely diverted, the adventurer laughed a second time, tipping back in his chair, his huge frame shaking with ponderous65 enjoyment. "Don't do anything you'd be sorry for," he parroted, sarcastical, the young man's recent admonition to the captain.
"No fear, Calendar. I'm just going to use my advantage, which you won't dispute,"—the pistol described an eloquent66 circle, gleaming in the lamplight—"to levy67 on you a little legitimate68 blackmail69. Don't be alarmed; I shan't hit you any harder than I have to."
"What?" stammered70 Calendar, astonished. "What in hell are you driving at?"
"Recompense for my time and trouble. You've cost me a pretty penny, first and last, with your nasty little conspiracy—whatever it's all about. Now, needing the money, I purpose getting some of it back. I shan't precisely72 rob you, but this is a hold-up, all right.... Stryker," reproachfully, "I don't see my pearl pin."
"I got it 'ere," responded the sailor hastily, fumbling73 with his tie.
"Give it me, then." Kirkwood held out his hand and received the trinket. Then, moving over to the table, the young man, while abating74 nothing of his watchfulness75, sorted out his belongings76 from the mass of odds77 and ends Stryker had disgorged. The tale of them was complete; the captain had obeyed him faithfully. Kirkwood looked up, pleased.
"Now see here, Calendar; this collection of truck that I was robbed of by this resurrected Joe Miller78 here, cost me upwards79 of a hundred and fifty. I'm going to sell it to you at a bargain—say fifty dollars, two hundred and fifty francs."
"The juice you are!" Calendar's eyes opened wide, partly in admiration80. "D'you realize that this is next door to highway robbery, my young friend?"
"High-seas piracy71, if you prefer," assented81 Kirkwood with entire equanimity82. "I'm going to have the money, and you're going to give it up. The transaction by any name would smell no sweeter, Calendar. Come—fork over!"
"And if I refuse?"
"I wouldn't refuse, if I were you."
"Why not?"
"The consequences would be too painful."
"You mean you'd puncture83 me with that gun?"
"Not unless you attack or attempt to follow me. I mean to say that the Belgian police are notoriously a most efficient body, and that I'll make it my duty and pleasure to introduce 'em to you, if you refuse. But you won't," Kirkwood added soothingly84, "will you, Calendar?"
"No." The adventurer had become suddenly thoughtful. "No, I won't. 'Glad to oblige you."
He tilted86 his chair still farther back, straightening out his elephantine legs, inserted one fat hand into his trouser pocket and with some difficulty extracted a combined bill-fold and coin-purse, at once heavy with gold and bulky with notes. Moistening thumb and forefinger, "How'll you have it?" he inquired with a lift of his cunning eyes; and when Kirkwood had advised him, slowly counted out four fifty-franc notes, placed them near the edge of the table, and weighted them with five ten-franc pieces. And, "'That all?" he asked, replacing the pocket-book.
"That will be about all. I leave you presently to your unholy devices, you and that gay dog, over there." The captain squirmed, reddening. "Just by way of precaution, however, I'll ask you to wait in here till I'm off." Kirkwood stepped backwards87 to the door of the captain's room, opened it and removed the key from the inside. "Please take Mulready in with you," he continued. "By the time you get out, I'll be clear of Antwerp. Please don't think of refusing me,—I really mean it!"
The latter clause came sharply as Calendar seemed to hesitate, his weary, wary88 eyes glimmering89 with doubt. Kirkwood, watching him as a cat her prey90, intercepted91 a lightning-swift sidelong glance that shifted from his face to the port lockers93, forward. But the fat adventurer was evidently to a considerable degree deluded by the very child-like simplicity94 of Kirkwood's attitude. If the possibility that his altercation95 with Mulready had been overheard, crossed his mind, Calendar had little choice other than to accept the chance. Either way he moved, the risk was great; if he refused to be locked in the captain's room, there was the danger of the police, to which Kirkwood had convincingly drawn attention; if he accepted the temporary imprisonment96, he took a risk with the gladstone bag. On the other hand, he had estimated Kirkwood's honesty as thorough-going, from their first interview; he had appraised97 him as a gentleman and a man of honor. And he did not believe the young man knew, after all ... Perplexed98, at length he chose the smoother way, and with an indulgent lifting of eyebrows99 and fat shoulders, rose and waddled100 over to Mulready.
"Oh, all right," he conceded with deep toleration in his tone for the idiosyncrasies of youth. "It's all the same to me, beau." He laughed a nervous laugh. "Come along and lend us a hand, Stryker."
The latter glanced timidly at Kirkwood, his eyes pleading for leave to move; which Kirkwood accorded with an imperative101 nod and a fine flourish of the revolver. Promptly102 the captain, sprang to Calendar's assistance; and between the two of them, the one taking Mulready's head, the other his feet, they lugged103 him quickly into the stuffy104 little state-room. Kirkwood, watching and following to the threshold, inserted the key.
"One word more," he counseled, a hand on the knob. "Don't forget I've warned you what'll happen if you try to break even with me."
"Never fear, little one!" Calendar's laugh was nervously105 cheerful. "The Lord knows you're welcome."
"Thank you 'most to death," responded Kirkwood politely. "Good-by—and good-by to you, Stryker. 'Glad to have humored your desire to meet me soon again."
Kirkwood, turning the key in the lock, withdrew it and dropped it on the cabin table; at the same time he swept into his pocket the money he had extorted106 of Calendar. Then he paused an instant, listening; from the captain's room came a sound of murmurs107 and scuffling. He debated what they were about in there—but time pressed. Not improbably they, were crowding for place at the keyhole, he reflected, as he crossed to the port locker92 forward.
He had its lid up in a twinkling, and in another had lifted out the well-remembered black gladstone bag.
This seems to have been his first compound larceny108.
As if stimulated109 by some such reflection he sprang for the companionway, dropping the lid of the locker with a bang which must have been excruciatingly edifying110 to the men in the captain's room. Whatever their emotions, the bang was mocked by a mighty111 kick, shaking the door; which, Kirkwood reflected, opened outward and was held only by the frailest112 kind of a lock: it would not hold long.
Spurred onward113 by a storm of curses, Stryker's voice chanting infuriated cacophony114 with Calendar's, Kirkwood leapt up the companionway even as the second tremendous kick threatened to shatter the panels. Heart in mouth, a chill shiver of guilt115 running up and down his spine116, he gained the deck, cast loose the painter, drew in his rowboat, and dropped over the side; then, the gladstone bag nestling between his feet, sat down and bent117 to the oars118.
And doubts assailed119 him, pressing close upon the ebb120 of his excitement—doubts and fears innumerable.
There was no longer a distinction to be drawn between himself and Calendar; no more could he esteem121 himself a better and more honest man than that accomplished122 swindler. He was not advised as to the Belgian code, but English law, he understood, made no allowance for the good intent of those caught in possession of stolen property; though he was acting18 with the most honorable motives123 in the world, the law, if he came within its cognizance, would undoubtedly124 place him on Calendar's plane and judge him by the same standard. To all intents and purposes he was a thief, and thief he would remain until the gladstone bag with its contents should be restored to its rightful owner.
Voluntarily, then, he had stepped from the ranks of the hunters to those of the hunted. He now feared police interference as abjectly125 as did Calendar and his set of rogues126; and Kirkwood felt wholly warranted in assuming that the adventurer, with his keen intelligence, would not handicap himself by ignoring this point. Indeed, if he were to be judged by what Kirkwood had inferred of his character, Calendar would let nothing whatever hinder him, neither fear of bodily hurt nor danger of apprehension127 at the hands of the police, from making a determined128 and savage129 play to regain130 possession of his booty.
Well! (Kirkwood set his mouth savagely) Calendar should have a run for his money!
For the present he could compliment himself with the knowledge that he had outwitted the rogues, had lifted the jewels and probably two-thirds of their armament; he had also the start, the knowledge of their criminal guilt and intent, and his own plans, to comfort him. As for the latter, he did not believe that Calendar would immediately fathom131 them; so he took heart of grace and tugged132 at the oars with a will, pulling directly for the city and permitting the current to drift him down-stream at its pleasure. There could be no more inexcusable folly than to return to the Quai Steen landing and (possibly) the arms of the despoiled boat-owner.
At first he could hear crash after splintering crash sounding dully muffled133 from the cabin of the Alethea: a veritable devil's tattoo134 beaten out by the feet of the prisoners. Evidently the fastening was serving him better than he had dared hope. But as the black rushing waters widened between boat and brigantine, the clamor aboard the latter subsided135, indicating that Calendar and Stryker had broken out or been released by the crew. In ignorance as to whether he were seen or being pursued, Kirkwood pulled on, winning in under the shadow of the quais and permitting the boat to drift down to a lonely landing on the edge of the dockyard quarter of Antwerp.
Here alighting, he made the boat fast and, soothing85 his conscience with a surmise136 that its owner would find it there in the morning, strode swiftly over to the train line that runs along the embankment, swung aboard an adventitious137 car and broke his first ten-franc piece in order to pay his fare.
The car made a leisurely138 progress up past the old Steen castle and the Quai landing, Kirkwood sitting quietly, the gladstone bag under his hand, a searching gaze sweeping139 the waterside. No sign of the adventurers rewarded him, but it was now all chance, all hazard. He had no more heart for confidence.
They passed the H?tel du Commerce. Kirkwood stared up at its windows, wondering....
A little farther on, a disengaged fiacre, its driver alert for possible fares, turned a corner into the esplanade. At sight of it Kirkwood, inspired, hopped140 nimbly off the tram-car and signaled the cabby. The latter pulled up and Kirkwood started to charge him with instructions; something which he did haltingly, hampered141 by a slight haziness142 of purpose. While thus engaged, and at rest in the stark143 glare of the street-lamps, with no chance of concealing144 himself, he was aware of a rising tumult145 in the direction of the landing, and glancing round, discovered a number of people running toward him. With no time to wonder whether or no he was really the object of the hue-and-cry, he tossed the driver three silver francs.
"Gare Centrale!" he cried. "And drive like the devil!"
Diving into the fiacre he shut the door and stuck his head out of the window, taking observations. A ragged146 fringe of silly rabble147 was bearing down upon them, with one or two gendarmes148 in the forefront, and a giant, who might or might not be Stryker, a close second. Furthermore, another cab seemed to have been requisitioned for the chase. His heart misgave149 him momentarily; but his driver had taken him at his word and generosity150, and in a breath the fiacre had turned the corner on two wheels, and the glittering reaches of the embankment, drive and promenade151, were blotted152 out, as if smudged with lamp-black, by the obscurity of a narrow and tortuous153 side street.
He drew in his head the better to preserve his brains against further emergencies.
After a block or two Kirkwood picked up the gladstone bag, gently opened the door, and put a foot on the step, pausing to look back. The other cab was pelting154 after him with all the enthusiasm of a hound on a fresh trail. He reflected that this mad progress through the thoroughfares of a civilized155 city would not long endure without police intervention156. So he waited, watching his opportunity. The fiacre hurtled onward, the driver leaning forward from his box to urge the horse with lash157 of whip and tongue, entirely158 unconscious of his fare's intentions.
Between two streets the mouth of a narrow and darksome byway flashed into view. Kirkwood threw wide the door, and leaped, trusting to the night to hide his stratagem159, to luck to save his limbs. Neither failed him; in a twinkling he was on all fours in the mouth of the alley160, and as he picked himself up, the second fiacre passed, Calendar himself poking161 a round bald poll out of the window to incite162 his driver's cupidity163 with promises of redoubled fare.
Kirkwood mopped his dripping forehead and whistled low with dismay; it seemed that from that instant on it was to be a vendetta164 with a vengeance165. Calendar, as he had foreseen, was stopping at nothing.
At a dog trot166 he sped down the alley to the next street, on which he turned back—more sedately—toward the river, debouching on the esplanade just one block from the H?tel du Commerce. As he swung past the serried167 tables of a café, whatever fears he had harbored were banished168 by the discovery that the excitement occasioned by the chase had already subsided. Beneath the garish169 awnings170 the crowd was laughing and chattering171, eating and sipping172 its bock with complete unconcern, heedless altogether of the haggard and shabby young man carrying a black hand-bag, with the black Shade of Care for company and a blacker threat of disaster dogging his footsteps. Without attracting any attention whatever, indeed, he mingled173 with the strolling crowds, making his way toward the H?tel du Commerce. Yet he was not at all at ease; his uneasy conscience invested the gladstone bag with a magnetic attraction for the public eye. To carry it unconcealed in his hand furnished him with a sensation as disturbing as though its worn black sides had been stenciled174 STOLEN! in letters of flame. He felt it rendered him a cynosure175 of public interest, an object of suspicion to the wide cold world, that the gaze which lit upon the bag traveled to his face only to espy176 thereon the brand of guilt.
For ease of mind, presently, he turned into a convenient shop and spent ten invaluable177 francs for a hand satchel178 big enough to hold the gladstone bag.
With more courage, now that he had the hateful thing under cover, he found and entered the H?tel du Commerce.
In the little closet which served for an office, over a desk visibly groaning179 with the weight of an enormous and grimy registry book, a sleepy, fat, bland180 and good-natured woman of the Belgian bourgeoisie presided, a benign181 and drowsy182 divinity of even-tempered courtesy. To his misleading inquiry183 for Monsieur Calendar she returned a cheerful permission to seek that gentleman for himself.
"Three flights, M'sieu', in the front; suite184 seventeen it is. M'sieu' does not mind walking up?" she inquired.
M'sieu' did not in the least, though by no strain of the imagination could it, be truthfully said that he walked up those steep and redolent stairways of the H?tel du Commerce d'Anvers. More literally185, he flew with winged feet, spurning186 each third padded step with a force that raised a tiny cloud of fine white dust from the carpeting.
Breathless, at last he paused at the top of the third flight. His heart was hammering, his pulses drumming like wild things; there was a queer constriction187 in his throat, a fire of hope in his heart alternating with the ice of doubt. Suppose she were not there! What if he were mistaken, what if he had misunderstood, what if Mulready and Calendar had referred to another lodging-house?
Pausing, he gripped the balustrade fiercely, forcing his self-control, forcing himself to reflect that the girl (presuming, for the sake of argument, he were presently to find her) could not be expected to understand how ardently188 he had discounted this moment of meeting, or how strangely it affected189 him. Indeed, he himself was more than a little disturbed by the latter phenomenon, though he was no longer blind to its cause. But he was not to let her see the evidences of his agitation190, lest she be frightened.
Slowly schooling191 himself to assume a masque of illuding self-possession and composure, he passed down the corridor to the door whose panels wore the painted legend, 17; and there knocked.
Believing that he overheard from within a sudden startled exclamation192, he smiled patiently, tolerant of her surprise.
Burning with impatience193 as with a fever, he endured a long minute's wait.
Misgivings194 were prompting him to knock again and summon her by name, when he heard footfalls on the other side of the door, followed by a click of the lock. The door was opened grudgingly195, a bare six inches.
Of the alarmed expression in the eyes that stared into his, he took no account. His face lengthened196 a little as he stood there, dumb, panting, staring; and his heart sank, down, deep down into a gulf197 of disappointment, weighted sorely with chagrin198.
Then, of the two the first to recover countenance199, he doffed200 his cap and bowed.
"Good evening, Mrs. Hallam," he said with a rueful smile.
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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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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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deflected
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| 偏离的 | |
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cowered
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| v.畏缩，抖缩( cower的过去式 ) | |
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tingling
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| v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 ) | |
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revolving
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| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
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folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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elation
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| n.兴高采烈，洋洋得意 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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enunciation
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| n.清晰的发音；表明，宣言；口齿 | |
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concisely
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| adv.简明地 | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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brace
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| n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备 | |
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assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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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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butt
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ellipsis
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obedience
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gracefully
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latitude
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| n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区 | |
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forefinger
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enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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deference
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| n.尊重，顺从；敬意 | |
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refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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29
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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30
contrition
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| n.悔罪，痛悔 | |
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31
bluster
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| v.猛刮；怒冲冲的说；n.吓唬，怒号；狂风声 | |
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32
Amended
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| adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词 | |
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33
artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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34
mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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35
meekly
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| adv.温顺地，逆来顺受地 | |
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36
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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37
conceit
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| n.自负，自高自大 | |
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38
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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39
despoiled
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| v.掠夺，抢劫( despoil的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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40
witty
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| adj.机智的，风趣的 | |
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41
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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42
wheeze
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| n.喘息声，气喘声；v.喘息着说 | |
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43
snarled
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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44
tractability
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| 温顺，易处理，易加工的东西 | |
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45
gentry
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| n.绅士阶级，上层阶级 | |
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46
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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47
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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48
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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49
restive
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| adj.不安宁的，不安静的 | |
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50
evading
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| 逃避( evade的现在分词 )； 避开； 回避； 想不出 | |
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51
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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52
testily
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| adv. 易怒地, 暴躁地 | |
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53
deluded
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| v.欺骗，哄骗( delude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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54
wry
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| adj.讽刺的；扭曲的 | |
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55
grimace
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| v.做鬼脸，面部歪扭 | |
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56
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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57
tremor
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| n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震 | |
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58
analyzed
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| v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析 | |
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59
twitched
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| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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60
premature
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| adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的 | |
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61
pertinacity
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| n.执拗，顽固 | |
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62
caressed
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| 爱抚或抚摸…( caress的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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63
nonchalance
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| n.冷淡，漠不关心 | |
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64
irony
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| n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄 | |
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65
ponderous
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| adj.沉重的，笨重的，(文章)冗长的 | |
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66
eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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67
levy
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| n.征收税或其他款项，征收额 | |
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68
legitimate
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| adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法 | |
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69
blackmail
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| n.讹诈，敲诈，勒索，胁迫，恫吓 | |
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70
stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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71
piracy
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| n.海盗行为，剽窃，著作权侵害 | |
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72
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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73
fumbling
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| n. 摸索,漏接 v. 摸索,摸弄,笨拙的处理 | |
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74
abating
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| 减少( abate的现在分词 )； 减去； 降价； 撤消（诉讼） | |
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75
watchfulness
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| 警惕，留心； 警觉（性） | |
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76
belongings
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| n.私人物品，私人财物 | |
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77
odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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78
miller
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| n.磨坊主 | |
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79
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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80
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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81
assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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82
equanimity
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| n.沉着，镇定 | |
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83
puncture
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| n.刺孔，穿孔；v.刺穿，刺破 | |
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84
soothingly
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| adv.抚慰地，安慰地；镇痛地 | |
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85
soothing
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| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
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86
tilted
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| v. 倾斜的 | |
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87
backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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88
wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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89
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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90
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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91
intercepted
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| 拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻 | |
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92
locker
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| n.更衣箱，储物柜，冷藏室，上锁的人 | |
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93
lockers
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| n.寄物柜( locker的名词复数 ) | |
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94
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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95
altercation
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| n.争吵，争论 | |
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96
imprisonment
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| n.关押，监禁，坐牢 | |
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97
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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98
perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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99
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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100
waddled
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| v.（像鸭子一样）摇摇摆摆地走( waddle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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101
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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102
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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103
lugged
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| vt.用力拖拉（lug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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104
stuffy
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| adj.不透气的，闷热的 | |
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105
nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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106
extorted
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| v.敲诈( extort的过去式和过去分词 )；曲解 | |
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107
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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108
larceny
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| n.盗窃（罪） | |
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109
stimulated
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| a.刺激的 | |
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110
edifying
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| adj.有教训意味的，教训性的，有益的v.开导，启发( edify的现在分词 ) | |
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111
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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112
frailest
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| 脆弱的( frail的最高级 )； 易损的； 易碎的 | |
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113
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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114
cacophony
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| n.刺耳的声音 | |
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115
guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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116
spine
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| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
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117
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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118
oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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119
assailed
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| v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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120
ebb
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| vi.衰退，减退；n.处于低潮，处于衰退状态 | |
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121
esteem
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| n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作 | |
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122
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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123
motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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124
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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125
abjectly
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| 凄惨地； 绝望地； 糟透地； 悲惨地 | |
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126
rogues
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| n.流氓( rogue的名词复数 )；无赖；调皮捣蛋的人；离群的野兽 | |
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127
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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128
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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129
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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130
regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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131
fathom
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| v.领悟，彻底了解 | |
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132
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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133
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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134
tattoo
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| n.纹身，(皮肤上的)刺花纹；vt.刺花纹于 | |
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135
subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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136
surmise
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| v./n.猜想，推测 | |
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137
adventitious
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| adj.偶然的 | |
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138
leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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139
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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140
hopped
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| 跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花 | |
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141
hampered
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| 妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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142
haziness
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| 有薄雾，模糊； 朦胧之性质或状态； 零能见度 | |
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143
stark
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| adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地 | |
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144
concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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145
tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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146
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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147
rabble
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| n.乌合之众，暴民；下等人 | |
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148
gendarmes
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| n.宪兵，警官( gendarme的名词复数 ) | |
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149
misgave
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| v.使（某人的情绪、精神等）疑虑，担忧，害怕( misgive的过去式 ) | |
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150
generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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151
promenade
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| n./v.散步 | |
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152
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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153
tortuous
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| adj.弯弯曲曲的，蜿蜒的 | |
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154
pelting
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| 微不足道的，无价值的，盛怒的 | |
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155
civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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156
intervention
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| n.介入，干涉，干预 | |
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157
lash
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| v.系牢；鞭打；猛烈抨击；n.鞭打；眼睫毛 | |
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158
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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stratagem
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| n.诡计，计谋 | |
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160
alley
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| n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路 | |
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161
poking
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| n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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incite
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| v.引起，激动，煽动 | |
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cupidity
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| n.贪心，贪财 | |
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164
vendetta
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| n.世仇，宿怨 | |
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vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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166
trot
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| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
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serried
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| adj.拥挤的；密集的 | |
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banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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garish
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| adj.华丽而俗气的，华而不实的 | |
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awnings
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| 篷帐布 | |
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171
chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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172
sipping
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| v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的现在分词 ) | |
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mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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stenciled
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| v.用模板印（文字或图案）( stencil的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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cynosure
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| n.焦点 | |
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espy
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| v.（从远处等）突然看到 | |
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177
invaluable
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| adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的 | |
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satchel
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| n.(皮或帆布的)书包 | |
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179
groaning
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| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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180
bland
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| adj.淡而无味的，温和的，无刺激性的 | |
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benign
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| adj.善良的，慈祥的；良性的，无危险的 | |
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drowsy
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| adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的 | |
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inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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185
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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186
spurning
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| v.一脚踢开，拒绝接受( spurn的现在分词 ) | |
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constriction
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| 压缩； 紧压的感觉； 束紧； 压缩物 | |
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ardently
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| adv.热心地，热烈地 | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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schooling
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| n.教育；正规学校教育 | |
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exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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misgivings
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧 | |
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grudgingly
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196
lengthened
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| （时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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198
chagrin
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| n.懊恼；气愤；委屈 | |
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199
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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doffed
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| v.脱去，（尤指）脱帽( doff的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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