I
THE STATEMENT OF SERGEANT1 CUFF2’S MAN. (1849.)
On the twenty-seventh of June last, I received instructions from Sergeant Cuff to follow three men; suspected of murder, and described as Indians. They had been seen on the Tower Wharf3 that morning, embarking4 on board the steamer bound for Rotterdam.
I left London by a steamer belonging to another company, which sailed on the morning of Thursday the twenty-eighth. Arriving at Rotterdam, I succeeded in finding the commander of the Wednesday’s steamer. He informed me that the Indians had certainly been passengers on board his vessel5—but as far as Gravesend only. Off that place, one of the three had inquired at what time they would reach Calais. On being informed that the steamer was bound to Rotterdam, the spokesman of the party expressed the greatest surprise and distress7 at the mistake which he and his two friends had made. They were all willing (he said) to sacrifice their passage money, if the commander of the steamer would only put them ashore8. Commiserating9 their position, as foreigners in a strange land, and knowing no reason for detaining them, the commander signalled for a shore boat, and the three men left the vessel.
This proceeding10 of the Indians having been plainly resolved on beforehand, as a means of preventing their being traced, I lost no time in returning to England. I left the steamer at Gravesend, and discovered that the Indians had gone from that place to London. Thence, I again traced them as having left for Plymouth. Inquiries11 made at Plymouth proved that they had sailed, forty-eight hours previously12, in the Bewley Castle, East Indiaman, bound direct to Bombay.
On receiving this intelligence, Sergeant Cuff caused the authorities at Bombay to be communicated with, overland—so that the vessel might be boarded by the police immediately on her entering the port. This step having been taken, my connection with the matter came to an end. I have heard nothing more of it since that time.
II
THE STATEMENT OF THE CAPTAIN. (1849.)
I am requested by Sergeant Cuff to set in writing certain facts, concerning three men (believed to be Hindoos) who were passengers, last summer, in the ship Bewley Castle, bound for Bombay direct, under my command.
The Hindoos joined us at Plymouth. On the passage out I heard no complaint of their conduct. They were berthed13 in the forward part of the vessel. I had but few occasions myself of personally noticing them.
In the latter part of the voyage, we had the misfortune to be becalmed for three days and nights, off the coast of India. I have not got the ship’s journal to refer to, and I cannot now call to mind the latitude14 and longitude15. As to our position, therefore, I am only able to state generally that the currents drifted us in towards the land, and that when the wind found us again, we reached our port in twenty-four hours afterwards.
The discipline of a ship (as all seafaring persons know) becomes relaxed in a long calm. The discipline of my ship became relaxed. Certain gentlemen among the passengers got some of the smaller boats lowered, and amused themselves by rowing about, and swimming, when the sun at evening time was cool enough to let them divert themselves in that way. The boats when done with ought to have been slung16 up again in their places. Instead of this they were left moored17 to the ship’s side. What with the heat, and what with the vexation of the weather, neither officers nor men seemed to be in heart for their duty while the calm lasted.
On the third night, nothing unusual was heard or seen by the watch on deck. When the morning came, the smallest of the boats was missing—and the three Hindoos were next reported to be missing, too.
If these men had stolen the boat shortly after dark (which I have no doubt they did), we were near enough to the land to make it vain to send in pursuit of them, when the discovery was made in the morning. I have no doubt they got ashore, in that calm weather (making all due allowance for fatigue18 and clumsy rowing), before day-break.
On reaching our port, I there learnt, for the first time, the reason these passengers had for seizing their opportunity of escaping from the ship. I could only make the same statement to the authorities which I have made here. They considered me to blame for allowing the discipline of the vessel to be relaxed. I have expressed my regret on this score to them, and to my owners.
Since that time, nothing has been heard to my knowledge of the three Hindoos. I have no more to add to what is here written.
III
THE STATEMENT OF MR. MURTHWAITE. (1850.)
(In a letter to Mr. Bruff.)
Have you any recollection, my dear sir, of a semi-savage person whom you met out at dinner, in London, in the autumn of ’forty-eight? Permit me to remind you that the person’s name was Murthwaite, and that you and he had a long conversation together after dinner. The talk related to an Indian Diamond, called the Moonstone, and to a conspiracy19 then in existence to get possession of the gem20.
Since that time, I have been wandering in Central Asia. Thence I have drifted back to the scene of some of my past adventures in the north and north-west of India. About a fortnight since, I found myself in a certain district or province (but little known to Europeans) called Kattiawar.
Here an adventure befell me, in which (incredible as it may appear) you are personally interested.
In the wild regions of Kattiawar (and how wild they are, you will understand, when I tell you that even the husbandmen plough the land, armed to the teeth), the population is fanatically devoted21 to the old Hindoo religion—to the ancient worship of Bramah and Vishnu. The few Mahometan families, thinly scattered22 about the villages in the interior, are afraid to taste meat of any kind. A Mahometan even suspected of killing23 that sacred animal, the cow, is, as a matter of course, put to death without mercy in these parts by the pious24 Hindoo neighbours who surround him. To strengthen the religious enthusiasm of the people, two of the most famous shrines26 of Hindoo pilgrimage are contained within the boundaries of Kattiawar. One of them is Dwarka, the birthplace of the god Krishna. The other is the sacred city of Somnauth—sacked, and destroyed as long since as the eleventh century, by the Mahometan conqueror27, Mahmoud of Ghizni.
Finding myself, for the second time, in these romantic regions, I resolved not to leave Kattiawar, without looking once more on the magnificent desolation of Somnauth. At the place where I planned to do this, I was (as nearly as I could calculate it) some three days distant, journeying on foot, from the sacred city.
I had not been long on the road, before I noticed that other people—by twos and threes—appeared to be travelling in the same direction as myself.
To such of these as spoke6 to me, I gave myself out as a Hindoo-Boodhist, from a distant province, bound on a pilgrimage. It is needless to say that my dress was of the sort to carry out this description. Add, that I know the language as well as I know my own, and that I am lean enough and brown enough to make it no easy matter to detect my European origin—and you will understand that I passed muster28 with the people readily: not as one of themselves, but as a stranger from a distant part of their own country.
On the second day, the number of Hindoos travelling in my direction had increased to fifties and hundreds. On the third day, the throng29 had swollen30 to thousands; all slowly converging31 to one point—the city of Somnauth.
A trifling32 service which I was able to render to one of my fellow-pilgrims, during the third day’s journey, proved the means of introducing me to certain Hindoos of the higher caste. From these men I learnt that the multitude was on its way to a great religious ceremony, which was to take place on a hill at a little distance from Somnauth. The ceremony was in honour of the god of the Moon; and it was to be held at night.
The crowd detained us as we drew near to the place of celebration. By the time we reached the hill the moon was high in the heaven. My Hindoo friends possessed33 some special privileges which enabled them to gain access to the shrine25. They kindly34 allowed me to accompany them. When we arrived at the place, we found the shrine hidden from our view by a curtain hung between two magnificent trees. Beneath the trees a flat projection35 of rock jutted36 out, and formed a species of natural platform. Below this, I stood, in company with my Hindoo friends.
Looking back down the hill, the view presented the grandest spectacle of Nature and Man, in combination, that I have ever seen. The lower slopes of the eminence37 melted imperceptibly into a grassy38 plain, the place of the meeting of three rivers. On one side, the graceful39 winding40 of the waters stretched away, now visible, now hidden by trees, as far as the eye could see. On the other, the waveless ocean slept in the calm of the night. People this lovely scene with tens of thousands of human creatures, all dressed in white, stretching down the sides of the hill, overflowing41 into the plain, and fringing the nearer banks of the winding rivers. Light this halt of the pilgrims by the wild red flames of cressets and torches, streaming up at intervals42 from every part of the innumerable throng. Imagine the moonlight of the East, pouring in unclouded glory over all—and you will form some idea of the view that met me when I looked forth43 from the summit of the hill.
A strain of plaintive44 music, played on stringed instruments and flutes45, recalled my attention to the hidden shrine.
I turned, and saw on the rocky platform the figures of three men. In the central figure of the three I recognised the man to whom I had spoken in England, when the Indians appeared on the terrace at Lady Verinder’s house. The other two who had been his companions on that occasion were no doubt his companions also on this.
One of the spectators, near whom I was standing46, saw me start. In a whisper, he explained to me the apparition47 of the three figures on the platform of rock.
They were Brahmins (he said) who had forfeited48 their caste in the service of the god. The god had commanded that their purification should be the purification by pilgrimage. On that night, the three men were to part. In three separate directions, they were to set forth as pilgrims to the shrines of India. Never more were they to look on each other’s faces. Never more were they to rest on their wanderings, from the day which witnessed their separation, to the day which witnessed their death.
As those words were whispered to me, the plaintive music ceased. The three men prostrated49 themselves on the rock, before the curtain which hid the shrine. They rose—they looked on one another—they embraced. Then they descended50 separately among the people. The people made way for them in dead silence. In three different directions I saw the crowd part, at one and the same moment. Slowly the grand white mass of the people closed together again. The track of the doomed51 men through the ranks of their fellow mortals was obliterated52. We saw them no more.
A new strain of music, loud and jubilant, rose from the hidden shrine. The crowd around me shuddered53, and pressed together.
The curtain between the trees was drawn54 aside, and the shrine was disclosed to view.
There, raised high on a throne—seated on his typical antelope55, with his four arms stretching towards the four corners of the earth—there, soared above us, dark and awful in the mystic light of heaven, the god of the Moon. And there, in the forehead of the deity56, gleamed the yellow Diamond, whose splendour had last shone on me in England, from the bosom57 of a woman’s dress!
Yes! after the lapse58 of eight centuries, the Moonstone looks forth once more, over the walls of the sacred city in which its story first began. How it has found its way back to its wild native land—by what accident, or by what crime, the Indians regained59 possession of their sacred gem, may be in your knowledge, but is not in mine. You have lost sight of it in England, and (if I know anything of this people) you have lost sight of it for ever.
So the years pass, and repeat each other; so the same events revolve60 in the cycles of time. What will be the next adventures of the Moonstone? Who can tell?
FINIS
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1
sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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cuff
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| n.袖口；手铐；护腕；vt.用手铐铐；上袖口 | |
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wharf
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| n.码头，停泊处 | |
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embarking
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| 乘船( embark的现在分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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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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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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commiserating
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| v.怜悯，同情( commiserate的现在分词 ) | |
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proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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berthed
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| v.停泊( berth的过去式和过去分词 )；占铺位 | |
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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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longitude
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| n.经线，经度 | |
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slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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moored
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| adj. 系泊的 动词moor的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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conspiracy
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| n.阴谋，密谋，共谋 | |
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gem
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| n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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shrine
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| n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣 | |
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shrines
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| 圣地，圣坛，神圣场所( shrine的名词复数 ) | |
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27
conqueror
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| n.征服者，胜利者 | |
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muster
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| v.集合，收集，鼓起，激起；n.集合，检阅，集合人员，点名册 | |
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throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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converging
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| adj.收敛[缩]的，会聚的，趋同的v.（线条、运动的物体等）会于一点( converge的现在分词 )；（趋于）相似或相同；人或车辆汇集；聚集 | |
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trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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projection
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| n.发射，计划，突出部分 | |
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jutted
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| v.（使）突出( jut的过去式和过去分词 )；伸出；（从…）突出；高出 | |
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eminence
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| n.卓越，显赫；高地，高处；名家 | |
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grassy
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| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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overflowing
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| n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
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42
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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plaintive
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| adj.可怜的，伤心的 | |
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flutes
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| 长笛( flute的名词复数 )； 细长香槟杯（形似长笛） | |
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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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apparition
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| n.幽灵，神奇的现象 | |
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forfeited
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| （因违反协议、犯规、受罚等）丧失，失去( forfeit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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49
prostrated
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| v.使俯伏，使拜倒( prostrate的过去式和过去分词 )；（指疾病、天气等）使某人无能为力 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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51
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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52
obliterated
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| v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭 | |
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shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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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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antelope
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| n.羚羊；羚羊皮 | |
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deity
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| n.神，神性；被奉若神明的人(或物) | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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lapse
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| n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效 | |
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59
regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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revolve
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| vi.(使)旋转；循环出现 | |
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