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CHAPTER V PENCOED
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AS Heber’s appearance at her door in search of Catherine convinced Susannah that the girl had fled alone, she longed to rush after his rival and tell him of her discovery. She had not doubted that Catherine was with the shepherd. The moment she realised that there was still a chance of bringing Saunders and the truant1 together, her spirits, which had been dashed to the earth on finding the bird flown, rose again, and she cast about for some means of communicating with Charles. Her only anxiety was lest the two men should meet in the town and the shepherd learn how she had deceived him. She could but trust to chance to       [Pg 122]prevent that; and, had she known it, chance had proved kind, for Charles went straight to the Hand of Friendship, and, mounting his horse without a word to anybody, set his angry face homewards. In the course of the harassed2 evening which followed, Susannah made up her mind to write to him.

Most people thought it a curious thing that Susannah’s destiny seemed to have nothing better in store than attendance upon a half-crippled old man. But most people scarcely realise as a truth that, to the accomplishment3 of any end, no matter how obvious or how commonplace, there is required a procession of acquiescent4 circumstances which would make the observer giddy, could he see it. Any human being who meets a stranger in the road has only to think of the chain of chances—each of which has fulfilled itself—to be forged before that meeting can be brought about, and of the one link whose lack would be [Pg 123]the undoing5 of the whole. We speak of ‘the hour and the man’ as though they were the only ingredients of fate, and as if their simultaneous appearance were all that was needed. But the hour may come and the man with it, and some untoward6 arrangement of detail may triumph over both.

Everything had gone smoothly7 with Susannah but the one detail of her own temperament8. She had grasped life with both hands, caring no whit9 how much good others got out of it and thinking only of the passing day. She could not remember the time when masculine eyes had not followed her, and now, though her sun had passed its zenith, they followed her still. It was nearly three years since she had arrived to keep house for her uncle and so been thrown against her cousin Heber. Though few men had come to close quarters with her disturbing personality without feeling its influence, the shepherd, unlike others in [Pg 124]this as in most of his ways, had treated her with the plain friendliness10 he might have shown to a man. Perhaps it was this that made Susannah feel for him what she had never felt for the many who had courted her and whom she had looked upon as mere11 pleasant accessories of life.

She was not a woman given to recognising failure under any circumstances; where a man was concerned, never. Heber had touched her imagination—and she had more of it than is given to most women of her class—and her heart too. She would bring him to her yet, she promised herself. There was a power in her that hard work and a cramped12 life had not been able to destroy. The consciousness of femininity in a working woman, should it be alive when its necessary function of attracting a mate and securing a home is accomplished13, seldom survives the birth of her first child. Susannah Moorhouse had neither mate nor child; but it is possible that, had she gone through the [Pg 125]ordeal of acquiring both, that consciousness would have endured, damaged, perhaps, but living still. There were some large qualities in her and persistence15 was one of them, though its roots were in her settled belief in herself. She meant to employ every means to attain16 her desire. She sought no witch and brewed17 no potion, though superstition18 still lurked19 in the crevices20 of the country and one or two aged14 people professed21 themselves able to heal cattle and to deal with scalds, unrequited affection and other human difficulties, by the mild charms they practised.

But Susannah’s trust was in none of these; she knew herself to stand, by virtue22 of some indefinable quality, in a different relationship to men from that of the women about her. She would draw the man of her choice to her by that unnamed force which she knew herself to possess and which she had put forth23 so often in idleness. It was no wonder that her neighbours, shrewish [Pg 126]spinsters and toiling24 mothers of families, had not a good word for her; the gulf25 between them was so great.

Though Heber’s engagement to Catherine was a staggering blow to her, its breaking came soon enough to give her courage again. Nay26, there was a fatalism in her that had, perhaps, preserved her from superstition by taking superstition’s place; and it suggested to her mind, preoccupied27 as it was with one idea, that larger powers than her own were playing into her hands. When she heard that Charles Saunders was to marry the girl she had never seen, and was more than ever curious to see, she resolved to possess her soul in patience. She smiled, standing28 before the cheap square of looking-glass that hung on her wall. There were lines in the face before her to which she would fain have been blind, but there were other things too. And all comes to him who waits. She meant to wait—not passively, but intelligently. Then Black [Pg 127]Heber had brought the girl he loved, and, with the miraculous29 blindness of manhood, had given her into the charge of the woman who loved him.

If Susannah’s views of life were more enterprising than those of her neighbours her education had not differed from theirs, so it was a laborious30 business to her to write a letter. She went through a good deal of mental exercise before she lost sight of it in the maw of the local postman’s bag.

“MISTER SAUNDERS, Sir,” she had begun:

“I take the liberty of writing these few lines. Mister Saunders you may spose Catherine Dennis is gone with Heber, but not she. He nows no more nor you where shes gone. She run from here for fere of him sir, if you look you will find her yet.

“No more from your welwisher,

“SUSANNAH MOORHOUSE.”

Whether or no she expected an answer to this letter, she hoped for one; and when some days passed and brought no sign from Charles, she began to grow restless. Heber [Pg 128]had not returned, though, hitherto, he had always contrived31 to pay a weekly visit to his father, if but for five minutes. He was the old man’s favourite son and the only one of four brothers who lived within reach.

The uncertainty32 as to what was going on began to prey33 upon Susannah’s nerves. Events which meant so much to her had run quickly enough of late to make inaction doubly unbearable34; and, if she could not see Saunders, she must at least see her cousin. Pencoed Chapel35 was the only place in which she was sure of meeting him, and she informed her uncle that she meant to go there on the following Sunday.

The distance from Talgwynne put walking out of the question; but she descended36 from the farm gig in which an acquaintance had driven her as near to Pencoed as wheels could go, to make the rest of her way on foot. She had been obliged to start early to reach the chapel in time for the meeting, and as she neared it the sound [Pg 129]of singing came to her on the wind. She paused outside the door; looking stealthily in, and seeing the tall figure of Black Heber, she slipped noiselessly into a seat.

The little, box-like building was half full of men and women; elderly people, for the most part, in dark-coloured clothes. The windows, which were small, with diamond leaded panes37 set low in the walls, let in an even light on their subdued38 homeliness39.

Apart from them, at a table covered with faded red cloth, was the same man who had baptized Catherine in the pool at Bethesda.

The hymn40 was a long one and the singers were well embarked41 on it; the predominance of men in the gathering42 gave it a fulness and strength of sound; and, as it was one immensely popular in the district, its solemn rhythm and swaying time were marred43 by no uncertainties44. Heber stood in a line with Susannah, by the opposite wall, head and shoulders above the other [Pg 130]worshippers, his eyes fixed45 on his book. She could hear his strong, melodious46 voice separately, fervent47, and steady; and she listened to it as a person by a river’s side will listen to the tune48 of one particular eddy49 in the full underlying50 rush of water.

It was easy to see, here in the quietness of the chapel, how much more of youth there was in the man than in the impression he gave to others. He was little over thirty and the lines on his face were not lines of care, but the marks traced by exposure and hard exercise. His eyes were the narrowed eyes of men who look over long distances in rigorous weathers, and if his thin beard hid jaw51 and chin, the outline of his chest and shoulders was sharp and young. Now and again he would look up, throwing back his head as he sent a note from his expanded lungs into the swell52 of the hymn. The words that floated out round her had neither interest nor meaning for Susannah; for her there was only a [Pg 131]single person, a single voice, under that roof. They had reached the last lines:

    “Ye men of God, lift up your souls,

    Nor halt with failing breath;

    Yet one more stream before us rolls,

    The dark blue flood of death.

    Across its waves our pathway lies,

    The hosts go on before;

    And Zion’s city meets our eyes

    Set on the other shore.”

As the singing ceased, Heber shut his book and looked round like one awakened53, straight at Susannah. The act was so spontaneous that neither he nor the woman, whose gaze was fixed on him, had time to return from the widely separated regions in which their respective souls roamed.

In that instant there was revealed to the shepherd the thing that he had never suspected. Perhaps the feelings roused by the strenuous54, half-militant spirit of the hymn and the beat of its swinging music had lighted the whole range of his imagination; [Pg 132]perhaps the shock of the contrast between that seen by his inner and his outer vision quickened it; in any case, the passion in Susannah’s face shot its message across the chapel and he stood stock still while the rest of the congregation sat down. Then he thought of his cousin and Catherine as he had seen them that night in the kitchen at Talgwynne, and the blood ran hot to his tanned face.

Black Heber was not vain; he had no time for vanity, had it been in him; nevertheless, Susannah’s look pierced to his inactive, remote self-consciousness. He resumed his seat, feeling as if a rough hand had taken him by the collar. When a man without vanity loves a woman as much as he loved Catherine Dennis, the unasked favour of another is only a gyve to be shaken off. Unreturned love must be worn either as a fetter55 or as a decoration; and though there are many men whose pride it is to go through life decked out in the [Pg 133]cheap jewellery of the affections, the shepherd was not one of them. Had he found time to think of such things they would have irritated him. He did not care for ornaments56; he only cared for freedom and for getting what he wanted. Though he believed himself to have lost Catherine for good and all, his freedom remained; and he felt now as though Susannah menaced it.

The religious emotion that had such a hold upon his character was gone for the time being and during the rest of the meeting he followed what was going on mechanically, his mind struggling with problems that took him far from the place in which he sat and the sermon to which his ears were deaf. He was nothing if not shrewd, and he was groping on the edge of a new suspicion. He was perplexed57 and disturbed, for the two facts of Susannah’s love for him—almost incredible as he found that love—and Catherine’s flight from her house struck [Pg 134]him as pregnant ones when taken together. He remembered his cousin’s odd want of cordiality when she received the girl. He resolved to evade58 her, if he could, when his neighbours dispersed59.

Mrs. Job, who was in chapel, was occupied with his affairs too. It was some time since she had seen the shepherd; and the last sign she had had of him was the sound of his horse’s tread on the night when he had ridden from Pencoed with Catherine. Though she had no acquaintance with Susannah, she knew her by sight and was one of the few who had observed her stealing into the place of worship. It did not take her long to make the discovery that the stranger had come neither to pray, nor to listen, nor to sing.

From where she sat, Susannah’s face was perfectly60 plain to her, and when she saw how her eyes were set on her cousin, and how no movement of his, no turn of the head, no tone of the voice, escaped her, the [Pg 135]devout Mrs. Job ignored her Bible and let her thoughts dwell, unrebuked, upon the pair. What revealed itself to the shepherd revealed itself with a thousandfold more conviction to her. She was not accustomed to take much notice of love at any time; but her warm affection for Heber made her acutely alive to everything that concerned him. While she was assured that Catherine Dennis was not good enough for him, Susannah’s air brought revulsion to her Puritan nature. She began to dislike her with all her strength.

Almost at the final words of the final prayer Heber rose from his place and made for the door, and Susannah, who was on her knees with the rest of the assembly, had not courage to follow; for she was hemmed61 in by a woman and two men, who had entered later than herself, and who knelt immovably by her side. The shepherd gained the doorstep just as the minister’s voice ceased, and one or two people looked [Pg 136]up, curious at his unusual haste. He was often the last to go.

He crossed the grass road hurriedly and went to the other side of Mrs. Job’s house. From an outsider’s point of view the deed was ignominious62, but his plain intention was to avoid Susannah, and, as usual, he took the most direct way of doing it. He had meant to spend a little time with his friend, but he left her dwelling63 behind him and hurried towards the nearest dingle. Beside his distaste for the discovery he had made, the sight of his cousin brought back his trouble afresh.

Susannah and Mrs. Job came out of the chapel at the same moment. The former looked round in search of Heber. He was nowhere to be seen and she wondered if he had gone into her companion’s cottage; with that probability in her mind, she bid her good-day, introducing herself as a member of the shepherd’s family.

Mrs. Job replied shortly to her greeting [Pg 137]and made no comment on the information. They went across the grass, side by side, and when they had reached the doorstep without any suggestion of hospitality passing between them, the younger woman spoke64 again.

“Is Heber here?” she asked, nodding towards the walls.

“I’ll see,” said the other; and with that she entered, leaving her companion outside.

Susannah’s lips closed in an angry line; it was evident that she was to get no encouragement. She was ignorant of the reason for this plain hostility65; but it only made her more certain that her suspicion was correct and that the shepherd was not far off.

Mrs. Job reappeared, holding the door open to show a portion of her face—no more.

“He be’ant here,” she called.

But Susannah was not to be baffled so easily.

[Pg 138]

“Can ye give me a drink o’ water?” she inquired. “It’s dry work coming up the hill.”

The door was shut on her and she heard the pump working in the yard. Apparently66 the latch67 was not to be lifted again, for when Mrs. Job returned she came round the side of the house and handed her the desired drink.

Susannah swallowed the water, feeling as if it would choke her.

“Thank ye,” she said.

And, as the elder woman put out her hand to take the empty cup, she dashed it on the ground at their feet. The china flew into shivers on the step.

She went off along the track, leaving the other speechless, and when she had gone a little way she sat down on the turf and looked back. Mrs. Job had gone in and the chapel-goers were dispersing68; black figures scattered69 in retreating groups towards different quarters of the landscape. [Pg 139]Heber was with none of them and no one was going in her own direction. It seemed as if they, with Mrs. Job and the shepherd, were in the conspiracy70 against her. At last she rose and set out for the place at which she was to find the gig. Her eyes were dry, because she was too furious for tears.

About an hour afterwards Heber’s perturbed71 wanderings came to an end: he approached Pencoed again. It was not only Susannah’s demeanour and its suggestion that annoyed him, for, in his heart, he blamed her for having let slip his regained72 treasure. It was an illogical feeling, because he never doubted that Catherine had gone with Saunders, and gone willingly, repenting73 the rash step she had taken. He did not overlook the difference between himself and the richer man, though he despised Charles. He had managed to convey news of what had happened to Mrs. Job, and his heart was so sore that he longed for the sympathy [Pg 140]of the uncompromising and undemonstrative person whose partisanship74 never failed him.

There was a grim explosiveness in Mrs. Job’s manner as he entered the house, though she listened patiently while he gave her the history of Talgwynne fair-day. Her husband stole in, anxious for a pipe beside the fire, but she motioned him out; her relentless75 predominance in the household was a matter of course, and Job departed as humbly76 as he had come.

“Maybe it’s not Saunders as is at the bottom o’ this,” said she, when the shepherd was silent. “Mind you, Heber, I’ve got eyes in my head, an’ ears too—not so long as some folks, but long enough to hear from here to Talgwynne! Ah! That cousin o’ yours be a bit o’ stuff to burn yer fingers wi’, an’ no mistake. I know that!”

Moorhouse frowned and his companion took his frown for a sign of dissent77. She raised her sharp nose higher.

[Pg 141]

“What’s wrong wi’ her?” he asked.

“Wrong wi’ her? She’ve got her eye on you! An’ I’ve got mine on her, an’ had in chapel, too. I can see a thing or two, b’lieve me!”

His brows drew still closer together.

“What made ye run out o’ chapel like that?” demanded Mrs. Job, coming closer. “It cost me a good chinay cup, that run o’ yours did. She just up wi’ her hand an’ down wi’ the cup on the stones an’ bruk it to pieces—if it had been my head my lady would ha’ been better pleased, her would—askin’ me for a drink. A drink indeed! Her wanted to get into the house to see if ye was in it. But her didn’t know me!”

She gave him no time for comment.

“I saw her watchin’ ye i’ the chapel,” she went on, “an’ I heard o’ her walkin’ about Talgwynne fair wi’ Saunders! Where was ye, Heber, that day?”

“I wasn’t no more’n an hour i’ the town,” [Pg 142]said he, “an’ I’d business to do afore I could get to father’s——”

“And Catherine was gone, sure enough, by then,” broke in the other; “an’ if ye tell me that baggage didn’t get rid o’ her I won’t believe ye, that’s all! Her may be wi’ Saunders an’ her mayn’t.”

If these new lights were dazzling the shepherd, they showed him his vague suspicions in more definite shape. He stood staring at Mrs. Job as if he could see into her brain. Mentally she travelled faster than he did, but he was following.

“The sooner I get after Susannah the better,” he said, as he turned away.

“D’ye think she’ll tell ye the truth? Go home, ye foondy feller, an’ don’t be wastin’ shoe-leather!” she exclaimed loudly.

He said nothing but the obstinate78 determination on his face spoke volumes.

After he passed the window a horrible fear shook her.

“You take up wi’ that baggage at [Pg 143]Talgwynne, an’ I’ve done wi’ you!” she cried after him.

Black Heber never swore; it was against his particular assortment79 of principles. But his lips moved as he passed out of earshot. He was on the nearest way to Talgwynne, and he knew that he must overtake his cousin if she were on foot; he knew also, from Mrs. Job’s story of the broken cup, that she had not started homewards at once. It was not likely that she would tell him the truth, but he had a mad hope of wresting80 it from her; how, he did not know. At any rate, he might gather something from her bearing. He would be very cautious.

At last he saw her ahead of him. She did not hear his approach on the turf until he was close to her.

Her heart beat tumultuously as they walked on together. She could not understand why he had avoided her only to pursue her afterwards. The silence by [Pg 144]which each was seeking to compel the other’s speech was broken by the shepherd.

“You’ve had no chance to tell me anything, Susannah,” he began.

“About Catherine? There’s nothing to tell. I’m main sorry for ye, that’s all. They were gone when uncle and me got home from the fair.”

“How d’ye know she be gone with Saunders? I went from the door like a fool in my haste, but maybe I’m wiser now.”

Susannah had provided herself with answers for all emergencies.

“She left a bit o’ paper with writing on the kitchen table. ‘Charles Saunders is come,’ says she, ‘an’ I’m gone wi’ him.’ No more nor that. Not a word of thanks to me, either.”

“What did ye do with it?” exclaimed he, stopping short.

“Burnt it.”

Heber made a smothered81 exclamation82.

“But Saunders was at the fair till afternoon,” [Pg 145]said he, at the end of a long pause, during which neither had looked at the other.

“I heard that. I s’pose he came back.”

To the shepherd’s practical mind there were discrepancies83 of time in Susannah’s account that he could not adjust. When he had reached Talgwynne he had found the best part of the fair over; for noon saw business ebb84 in the little hillside place. His tardy85 appearance had been hailed with interest, and he was immediately secured to ride a horse for the inspection86 of a man who, he was told, had been all day in the town. The recollection of these facts sprang up to assort itself very ill with his companion’s words. He made up his mind to get to Talgwynne on the first possible chance of absenting himself from his work and to see what he could elicit87 from his father. He could not tell how far the old man might be in Susannah’s confidence. He did not speak of his intention to her, [Pg 146]and it struck him, when he turned to take his way up the hill and they stood within sight of the waiting gig, that she made no suggestion of his coming. It was the first time in his recollection of her that she had seen him without pressing him to come soon.

They had reached a dip in the ground which hid the wayside cottage where the gig with Susannah’s friends was drawn88 up. She had looked for the expression of greater resentment89 from him, but he had cursed neither fate nor Saunders. He spoke of Catherine’s desertion of him almost as if it had happened to some one else. There was no excitement in his manner, even little concern; and, for a man who had so few scruples90 about strong measures when they suited him, he seemed to accept his defeat with curious calmness. If he had flung away from his father’s door with every sign of uncalculating bitterness, he was different now. She told herself with triumph that [Pg 147]he had taken Catherine’s measure at last. Perhaps Susannah paid too little heed91 to those inconsistencies in him which surprised others.

As they parted she held out her hand and looked up at him with half-closed, half-mocking eyes.

“Ah—you’ll forget her in time, Heber,” she said, her fingers clinging to his as he touched them. She raised her face till it was close to his own.

He thrust her away with one short, frightfully definite word.

When she got into the gig a few minutes afterwards she was as white as a sheet.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 truant zG4yW     
n.懒惰鬼,旷课者;adj.偷懒的,旷课的,游荡的;v.偷懒,旷课
参考例句:
  • I found the truant throwing stones in the river.我发现那个逃课的学生在往河里扔石子。
  • Children who play truant from school are unimaginative.逃学的孩子们都缺乏想像力。
2 harassed 50b529f688471b862d0991a96b6a1e55     
adj. 疲倦的,厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • He has complained of being harassed by the police. 他投诉受到警方侵扰。
  • harassed mothers with their children 带着孩子的疲惫不堪的母亲们
3 accomplishment 2Jkyo     
n.完成,成就,(pl.)造诣,技能
参考例句:
  • The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
  • Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标,钱是至关重要的。
4 acquiescent cJ4y4     
adj.默许的,默认的
参考例句:
  • My brother is of the acquiescent rather than the militant type.我弟弟是属于服从型的而不是好斗型的。
  • She is too acquiescent,too ready to comply.她太百依百顺了。
5 undoing Ifdz6a     
n.毁灭的原因,祸根;破坏,毁灭
参考例句:
  • That one mistake was his undoing. 他一失足即成千古恨。
  • This hard attitude may have led to his undoing. 可能就是这种强硬的态度导致了他的垮台。
6 untoward Hjvw1     
adj.不利的,不幸的,困难重重的
参考例句:
  • Untoward circumstances prevent me from being with you on this festive occasion.有些不幸的事件使我不能在这欢庆的时刻和你在一起。
  • I'll come if nothing untoward happens.我要是没有特殊情况一定来。
7 smoothly iiUzLG     
adv.平滑地,顺利地,流利地,流畅地
参考例句:
  • The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作,所以工作进展顺利。
  • Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。
8 temperament 7INzf     
n.气质,性格,性情
参考例句:
  • The analysis of what kind of temperament you possess is vital.分析一下你有什么样的气质是十分重要的。
  • Success often depends on temperament.成功常常取决于一个人的性格。
9 whit TgXwI     
n.一点,丝毫
参考例句:
  • There's not a whit of truth in the statement.这声明里没有丝毫的真实性。
  • He did not seem a whit concerned.他看来毫不在乎。
10 friendliness nsHz8c     
n.友谊,亲切,亲密
参考例句:
  • Behind the mask of friendliness,I know he really dislikes me.在友善的面具后面,我知道他其实并不喜欢我。
  • His manner was a blend of friendliness and respect.他的态度友善且毕恭毕敬。
11 mere rC1xE     
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过
参考例句:
  • That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
  • It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
12 cramped 287c2bb79385d19c466ec2df5b5ce970     
a.狭窄的
参考例句:
  • The house was terribly small and cramped, but the agent described it as a bijou residence. 房子十分狭小拥挤,但经纪人却把它说成是小巧别致的住宅。
  • working in cramped conditions 在拥挤的环境里工作
13 accomplished UzwztZ     
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的
参考例句:
  • Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
  • Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。
14 aged 6zWzdI     
adj.年老的,陈年的
参考例句:
  • He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了,也老点了。
  • He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老,然而记忆力还好。
15 persistence hSLzh     
n.坚持,持续,存留
参考例句:
  • The persistence of a cough in his daughter puzzled him.他女儿持续的咳嗽把他难住了。
  • He achieved success through dogged persistence.他靠着坚持不懈取得了成功。
16 attain HvYzX     
vt.达到,获得,完成
参考例句:
  • I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。
  • His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。
17 brewed 39ecd39437af3fe1144a49f10f99110f     
调制( brew的过去式和过去分词 ); 酝酿; 沏(茶); 煮(咖啡)
参考例句:
  • The beer is brewed in the Czech Republic. 这种啤酒是在捷克共和国酿造的。
  • The boy brewed a cup of coffee for his mother. 这男孩给他妈妈冲了一杯咖啡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 superstition VHbzg     
n.迷信,迷信行为
参考例句:
  • It's a common superstition that black cats are unlucky.认为黑猫不吉祥是一种很普遍的迷信。
  • Superstition results from ignorance.迷信产生于无知。
19 lurked 99c07b25739e85120035a70192a2ec98     
vi.潜伏,埋伏(lurk的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • The murderers lurked behind the trees. 谋杀者埋伏在树后。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Treachery lurked behind his smooth manners. 他圆滑姿态的后面潜伏着奸计。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
20 crevices 268603b2b5d88d8a9cc5258e16a1c2f8     
n.(尤指岩石的)裂缝,缺口( crevice的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • It has bedded into the deepest crevices of the store. 它已钻进了店里最隐避的隙缝。 来自辞典例句
  • The wind whistled through the crevices in the rock. 风呼啸着吹过岩石的缝隙。 来自辞典例句
21 professed 7151fdd4a4d35a0f09eaf7f0f3faf295     
公开声称的,伪称的,已立誓信教的
参考例句:
  • These, at least, were their professed reasons for pulling out of the deal. 至少这些是他们自称退出这宗交易的理由。
  • Her manner professed a gaiety that she did not feel. 她的神态显出一种她并未实际感受到的快乐。
22 virtue BpqyH     
n.德行,美德;贞操;优点;功效,效力
参考例句:
  • He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
  • You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。
23 forth Hzdz2     
adv.向前;向外,往外
参考例句:
  • The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
  • He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
24 toiling 9e6f5a89c05478ce0b1205d063d361e5     
长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 ); 艰难缓慢地移动,跋涉
参考例句:
  • The fiery orator contrasted the idle rich with the toiling working classes. 这位激昂的演说家把无所事事的富人同终日辛劳的工人阶级进行了对比。
  • She felt like a beetle toiling in the dust. She was filled with repulsion. 她觉得自己像只甲虫在地里挣扎,心中涌满愤恨。
25 gulf 1e0xp     
n.海湾;深渊,鸿沟;分歧,隔阂
参考例句:
  • The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
  • There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。
26 nay unjzAQ     
adv.不;n.反对票,投反对票者
参考例句:
  • He was grateful for and proud of his son's remarkable,nay,unique performance.他为儿子出色的,不,应该是独一无二的表演心怀感激和骄傲。
  • Long essays,nay,whole books have been written on this.许多长篇大论的文章,不,应该说是整部整部的书都是关于这件事的。
27 preoccupied TPBxZ     
adj.全神贯注的,入神的;被抢先占有的;心事重重的v.占据(某人)思想,使对…全神贯注,使专心于( preoccupy的过去式)
参考例句:
  • He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice anything wrong. 他只顾想着心事,没注意到有什么不对。
  • The question of going to the Mount Tai preoccupied his mind. 去游泰山的问题盘踞在他心头。 来自《简明英汉词典》
28 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
29 miraculous DDdxA     
adj.像奇迹一样的,不可思议的
参考例句:
  • The wounded man made a miraculous recovery.伤员奇迹般地痊愈了。
  • They won a miraculous victory over much stronger enemy.他们战胜了远比自己强大的敌人,赢得了非凡的胜利。
30 laborious VxoyD     
adj.吃力的,努力的,不流畅
参考例句:
  • They had the laborious task of cutting down the huge tree.他们接受了伐大树的艰苦工作。
  • Ants and bees are laborious insects.蚂蚁与蜜蜂是勤劳的昆虫。
31 contrived ivBzmO     
adj.不自然的,做作的;虚构的
参考例句:
  • There was nothing contrived or calculated about what he said.他说的话里没有任何蓄意捏造的成分。
  • The plot seems contrived.情节看起来不真实。
32 uncertainty NlFwK     
n.易变,靠不住,不确知,不确定的事物
参考例句:
  • Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
  • After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后,压力开始产生影响了。
33 prey g1czH     
n.被掠食者,牺牲者,掠食;v.捕食,掠夺,折磨
参考例句:
  • Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
  • The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。
34 unbearable alCwB     
adj.不能容忍的;忍受不住的
参考例句:
  • It is unbearable to be always on thorns.老是处于焦虑不安的情况中是受不了的。
  • The more he thought of it the more unbearable it became.他越想越觉得无法忍受。
35 chapel UXNzg     
n.小教堂,殡仪馆
参考例句:
  • The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
  • She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午,她在小教堂的演出,可以说是登峰造极。
36 descended guQzoy     
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的
参考例句:
  • A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
  • The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。
37 panes c8bd1ed369fcd03fe15520d551ab1d48     
窗玻璃( pane的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The sun caught the panes and flashed back at him. 阳光照到窗玻璃上,又反射到他身上。
  • The window-panes are dim with steam. 玻璃窗上蒙上了一层蒸汽。
38 subdued 76419335ce506a486af8913f13b8981d     
adj. 屈服的,柔和的,减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
  • I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候,我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。
39 homeliness 8f2090f6a2bd792a5be3a0973188257a     
n.简朴,朴实;相貌平平
参考例句:
  • Fine clothes could not conceal the girl's homeliness. 华丽的衣服并不能掩盖这个女孩的寻常容貌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
40 hymn m4Wyw     
n.赞美诗,圣歌,颂歌
参考例句:
  • They sang a hymn of praise to God.他们唱着圣歌,赞美上帝。
  • The choir has sung only two verses of the last hymn.合唱团只唱了最后一首赞美诗的两个段落。
41 embarked e63154942be4f2a5c3c51f6b865db3de     
乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 ); 装载; 从事
参考例句:
  • We stood on the pier and watched as they embarked. 我们站在突码头上目送他们登船。
  • She embarked on a discourse about the town's origins. 她开始讲本市的起源。
42 gathering ChmxZ     
n.集会,聚会,聚集
参考例句:
  • He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
  • He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。
43 marred 5fc2896f7cb5af68d251672a8d30b5b5     
adj. 被损毁, 污损的
参考例句:
  • The game was marred by the behaviour of drunken fans. 喝醉了的球迷行为不轨,把比赛给搅了。
  • Bad diction marred the effectiveness of his speech. 措词不当影响了他演说的效果。
44 uncertainties 40ee42d4a978cba8d720415c7afff06a     
无把握( uncertainty的名词复数 ); 不确定; 变化不定; 无把握、不确定的事物
参考例句:
  • One of the uncertainties of military duty is that you never know when you might suddenly get posted away. 任军职不稳定的因素之一是你永远不知道什么时候会突然被派往它处。
  • Uncertainties affecting peace and development are on the rise. 影响和平与发展的不确定因素在增加。 来自汉英非文学 - 十六大报告
45 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
46 melodious gCnxb     
adj.旋律美妙的,调子优美的,音乐性的
参考例句:
  • She spoke in a quietly melodious voice.她说话轻声细语,嗓音甜美。
  • Everybody was attracted by her melodious voice.大家都被她悦耳的声音吸引住了。
47 fervent SlByg     
adj.热的,热烈的,热情的
参考例句:
  • It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。
  • Austria was among the most fervent supporters of adolf hitler.奥地利是阿道夫希特勒最狂热的支持者之一。
48 tune NmnwW     
n.调子;和谐,协调;v.调音,调节,调整
参考例句:
  • He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子,并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
  • The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。
49 eddy 6kxzZ     
n.漩涡,涡流
参考例句:
  • The motor car disappeared in eddy of dust.汽车在一片扬尘的涡流中不见了。
  • In Taylor's picture,the eddy is the basic element of turbulence.在泰勒的描述里,旋涡是湍流的基本要素。
50 underlying 5fyz8c     
adj.在下面的,含蓄的,潜在的
参考例句:
  • The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
  • This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。
51 jaw 5xgy9     
n.颚,颌,说教,流言蜚语;v.喋喋不休,教训
参考例句:
  • He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
  • A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。
52 swell IHnzB     
vi.膨胀,肿胀;增长,增强
参考例句:
  • The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。
  • His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。
53 awakened de71059d0b3cd8a1de21151c9166f9f0     
v.(使)醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 );(使)觉醒;弄醒;(使)意识到
参考例句:
  • She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。
  • The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》
54 strenuous 8GvzN     
adj.奋发的,使劲的;紧张的;热烈的,狂热的
参考例句:
  • He made strenuous efforts to improve his reading. 他奋发努力提高阅读能力。
  • You may run yourself down in this strenuous week.你可能会在这紧张的一周透支掉自己。
55 fetter Vzbyf     
n./vt.脚镣,束缚
参考例句:
  • This does not mean that we wish to fetter the trade union movement.这并不意味着我们想限制工会运动。
  • Reform will be deepened to remove the institutional obstacles that fetter the development of productive forces.继续深化改革,突破束缚生产力发展的体制性障碍。
56 ornaments 2bf24c2bab75a8ff45e650a1e4388dec     
n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 );点缀;装饰品;首饰v.装饰,点缀,美化( ornament的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • The shelves were chock-a-block with ornaments. 架子上堆满了装饰品。
  • Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments. 一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。 来自《简明英汉词典》
57 perplexed A3Rz0     
adj.不知所措的
参考例句:
  • The farmer felt the cow,went away,returned,sorely perplexed,always afraid of being cheated.那农民摸摸那头牛,走了又回来,犹豫不决,总怕上当受骗。
  • The child was perplexed by the intricate plot of the story.这孩子被那头绪纷繁的故事弄得迷惑不解。
58 evade evade     
vt.逃避,回避;避开,躲避
参考例句:
  • He tried to evade the embarrassing question.他企图回避这令人难堪的问题。
  • You are in charge of the job.How could you evade the issue?你是负责人,你怎么能对这个问题不置可否?
59 dispersed b24c637ca8e58669bce3496236c839fa     
adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的
参考例句:
  • The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。
  • After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后,孩子们四散回家了。
60 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
61 hemmed 16d335eff409da16d63987f05fc78f5a     
缝…的褶边( hem的过去式和过去分词 ); 包围
参考例句:
  • He hemmed and hawed but wouldn't say anything definite. 他总是哼儿哈儿的,就是不说句痛快话。
  • The soldiers were hemmed in on all sides. 士兵们被四面包围了。
62 ignominious qczza     
adj.可鄙的,不光彩的,耻辱的
参考例句:
  • The marriage was considered especially ignominious since she was of royal descent.由于她出身王族,这门婚事被认为是奇耻大辱。
  • Many thought that he was doomed to ignominious failure.许多人认为他注定会极不光彩地失败。
63 dwelling auzzQk     
n.住宅,住所,寓所
参考例句:
  • Those two men are dwelling with us.那两个人跟我们住在一起。
  • He occupies a three-story dwelling place on the Park Street.他在派克街上有一幢3层楼的寓所。
64 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
65 hostility hdyzQ     
n.敌对,敌意;抵制[pl.]交战,战争
参考例句:
  • There is open hostility between the two leaders.两位领导人表现出公开的敌意。
  • His hostility to your plan is well known.他对你的计划所持的敌意是众所周知的。
66 apparently tMmyQ     
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎
参考例句:
  • An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽,豁然开朗。
  • He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
67 latch g2wxS     
n.门闩,窗闩;弹簧锁
参考例句:
  • She laid her hand on the latch of the door.她把手放在门闩上。
  • The repairman installed an iron latch on the door.修理工在门上安了铁门闩。
68 dispersing dispersing     
adj. 分散的 动词disperse的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • Whereas gasoline fumes linger close to the ground before dispersing. 而汽油烟气却靠近地面迟迟不散。
  • Earthworms may be instrumental in dispersing fungi or bacteria. 蚯蚓可能是散布真菌及细菌的工具。
69 scattered 7jgzKF     
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的
参考例句:
  • Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来,塞进文件夹里。
70 conspiracy NpczE     
n.阴谋,密谋,共谋
参考例句:
  • The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
  • He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。
71 perturbed 7lnzsL     
adj.烦燥不安的v.使(某人)烦恼,不安( perturb的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • I am deeply perturbed by the alarming way the situation developing. 我对形势令人忧虑的发展深感不安。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Mother was much perturbed by my illness. 母亲为我的病甚感烦恼不安。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
72 regained 51ada49e953b830c8bd8fddd6bcd03aa     
复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 ); 赢回; 重回; 复至某地
参考例句:
  • The majority of the people in the world have regained their liberty. 世界上大多数人已重获自由。
  • She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise. 她犹豫片刻,但很快恢复了镇静。
73 repenting 10dc7b21190caf580a173b5f4caf6f2b     
对(自己的所为)感到懊悔或忏悔( repent的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • He was repenting rapidly. 他很快就后悔了。
  • Repenting of his crime the thief returned the jewels and confessed to the police. 那贼对自己的罪行痛悔不已;归还了珠宝并向警方坦白。
74 Partisanship Partisanship     
n. 党派性, 党派偏见
参考例句:
  • Her violent partisanship was fighting Soames's battle. 她的激烈偏袒等于替索米斯卖气力。
  • There was a link of understanding between them, more important than affection or partisanship. ' 比起人间的感情,比起相同的政见,这一点都来得格外重要。 来自英汉文学
75 relentless VBjzv     
adj.残酷的,不留情的,无怜悯心的
参考例句:
  • The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
  • Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。
76 humbly humbly     
adv. 恭顺地,谦卑地
参考例句:
  • We humbly beg Your Majesty to show mercy. 我们恳请陛下发发慈悲。
  • "You must be right, Sir,'said John humbly. “你一定是对的,先生,”约翰恭顺地说道。
77 dissent ytaxU     
n./v.不同意,持异议
参考例句:
  • It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
  • He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。
78 obstinate m0dy6     
adj.顽固的,倔强的,不易屈服的,较难治愈的
参考例句:
  • She's too obstinate to let anyone help her.她太倔强了,不会让任何人帮她的。
  • The trader was obstinate in the negotiation.这个商人在谈判中拗强固执。
79 assortment FVDzT     
n.分类,各色俱备之物,聚集
参考例句:
  • This shop has a good assortment of goods to choose from.该店各色货物俱全,任君选择。
  • She was wearing an odd assortment of clothes.她穿着奇装异服。
80 wresting 56ba79604a43b144708e461886c1dc15     
动词wrest的现在进行式
参考例句:
  • The amphitheater was a sealed off round structure. Swordplay, wresting, gladiatoral and other contests were held there. 该竞技场为四周封闭式结构,可以举行斗剑、格斗、斗兽及其他竞赛项目。
  • This paper introduces mechanism and control system of instrument for wresting training. 本文详细介绍了摔跤训练器的机械机构与控制方法。
81 smothered b9bebf478c8f7045d977e80734a8ed1d     
(使)窒息, (使)透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 ); 覆盖; 忍住; 抑制
参考例句:
  • He smothered the baby with a pillow. 他用枕头把婴儿闷死了。
  • The fire is smothered by ashes. 火被灰闷熄了。
82 exclamation onBxZ     
n.感叹号,惊呼,惊叹词
参考例句:
  • He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。
  • The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号,以引起读者的注意。
83 discrepancies 5ae435bbd140222573d5f589c82a7ff3     
n.差异,不符合(之处),不一致(之处)( discrepancy的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • wide discrepancies in prices quoted for the work 这项工作的报价出入很大
  • When both versions of the story were collated,major discrepancies were found. 在将这个故事的两个版本对照后,找出了主要的不符之处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
84 ebb ebb     
vi.衰退,减退;n.处于低潮,处于衰退状态
参考例句:
  • The flood and ebb tides alternates with each other.涨潮和落潮交替更迭。
  • They swam till the tide began to ebb.他们一直游到开始退潮。
85 tardy zq3wF     
adj.缓慢的,迟缓的
参考例句:
  • It's impolite to make a tardy appearance.晚到是不礼貌的。
  • The boss is unsatisfied with the tardy tempo.老板不满于这种缓慢的进度。
86 inspection y6TxG     
n.检查,审查,检阅
参考例句:
  • On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查,发现肉变质了。
  • The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。
87 elicit R8ByG     
v.引出,抽出,引起
参考例句:
  • It was designed to elicit the best thinking within the government. 机构的设置是为了在政府内部集思广益。
  • Don't try to elicit business secrets from me. I won't tell you anything. 你休想从我这里套问出我们的商业机密, 我什么都不会告诉你的。
88 drawn MuXzIi     
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的
参考例句:
  • All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
  • Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
89 resentment 4sgyv     
n.怨愤,忿恨
参考例句:
  • All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
  • She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。
90 scruples 14d2b6347f5953bad0a0c5eebf78068a     
n.良心上的不安( scruple的名词复数 );顾虑,顾忌v.感到于心不安,有顾忌( scruple的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • I overcame my moral scruples. 我抛开了道德方面的顾虑。
  • I'm not ashamed of my scruples about your family. They were natural. 我并未因为对你家人的顾虑而感到羞耻。这种感觉是自然而然的。 来自疯狂英语突破英语语调
91 heed ldQzi     
v.注意,留意;n.注意,留心
参考例句:
  • You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
  • For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。


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