The aspect of the castle presented nothing remarkable2. Built in the middle of the fifteenth century, its architecture, or rather its construction, was massive. Two towers with pointed3 roof flanked the main body of the dwelling4 exposed to the south, and commanding a view of the sea. Its thick walls, built of sandstone and granite5, were of reddish gray colour, and were irregularly cut by a few windows, which resembled loopholes for cannon6.
The only framed windows of a gallery, which ran across the entire length of the castle, on the first floor, were large and bowed.
Three of them opened upon a balcony ornamented7 with a beautiful grating of hammered iron, in the middle of which was carved the baron’s coat of arms. The same coat of arms showed upon the entablature of the principal door.
A short flight of steps descended8 to the terrace.
The necessities of civil and religious war, at the end of the last century, and the constant fear of pirates, had altered this terrace into an armed and embattled rampart, parallel with the fa?ade of the castle, and joined to the foot of the turrets9 by two sides of a right angle.
A few old orange-trees with shining leaves testified to the ancient character of this esplanade, once a smiling flower garden, but two sentry-boxes for scouts10, a few enclosures for cannon-balls, eight pieces of ordnance11, two of which were mounted, and a long, turning culverin showed that Maison-Forte of the Baron des Anbiez was in a good state of defence.
The position of this castle was the more important as the little bay it commanded, as well as the Gulf12 of La Ciotat, offered the only place where vessels13 could anchor; the rest of the coast presenting a line of unapproachable rocks.
The fa?ade of the Castle des Anbiez which looked north, and the surrounding land, were very picturesque14.
Irregular buildings, added to the principal edifice15 according to the different requirements of successive proprietors16, broke the monotony of its lines.
The stables, dog-kennels, sheepfolds, commons, and lodgings17 for labourers and farmers, formed the enclosure of an immense court, planted with two rows of sycamores. This court was reached by a drawbridge over a wide and deep ditch.
Every evening this bridge was removed, and a heavy door of oak, strongly supported on the inside, put the little colony in safely for the night.
Every window of these buildings opened upon the court, with the exception of a few dormer windows, solidly protected by iron grating, which looked out upon the plain.
Maison-Forte counted about two hundred persons among its dependents,—servants, farmers, labourers, and shepherds.
Among them were sixty men of from thirty to fifty years, accustomed to the use of arms during the civil wars in which the impetuous baron had taken part. Royalist and Catholic, Raimond V. had always mounted his horse when it was necessary to defend the ancient rights and possessions of Provence against governors or their deputies, for the kings of France were not kings of Provence, but counts.
The intendants of justice or presidents of courts, whose office it was to collect the taxes, and to announce to the assembled states the assessment18 of voluntary gifts which Provence owed to the sovereign, were almost always the first victims of these revolts against royal authority, made with the cry of “Long live the king!”
Under such circumstances Raimond V. was among the first to rebel. In the last rebellion of Cascaveoux,—so named from the word cascavoeu, the Proven?al for little bell, which the insurgents20 fastened to the end of a leather strap21, and rang as they cried, “Long live the king,”—none sounded the battle-cry, and shook his bell more violently, or made his dependents shake this signal of revolt, with more enthusiastic ardour than Raimond V.
In that, the baron showed himself the worthy22 son of his father, Raimond IV., one of the gentlemen most seriously compromised in the rebellion of the Razats, which name originated from the fact that the Proven?als had been as spoiled of their possessions as if a razor had been employed. This rebellion broke out under Henry III., in 1578, and was suppressed with great difficulty by Marshal de Retz.
The baron looked with great impatience23 upon the growth of the power of Cardinal24 Richelieu, at the expense of the royal authority, and the disappearance25 of the sovereign beneath the shadow of the prime minister.
Similar movements of resistance manifested themselves in Languedoc and in Provence, in favour of Gaston of Orleans, brother of Louis XIII., whom the royalist faction26 opposed to the cardinal.
There is no doubt that the baron would never have taken an active part in these intrigues27, but for the apprehension28 caused by the pirates along the coast, but, compelled to concentrate his forces in order to defend his house and estate, he declaimed violently against the cardinal, especially since the latter had given the government of Provence to the Marshal of Vitry.
These important functions had, up to that time, been filled by the Duke of Guise29, admiral of the Levant, who, to the great delight of the Proven?als, after many obstacles, had replaced the Duke d’Epernon.
“The young lion has devoured30 the old bear,” said C?sar of Nostradamus on this subject at the celebration of the nomination31 of the young Lorraine prince for this important post.
When the Marshal of Vitry was promoted to the position of Governor of Provence, the nobility gave vent32 to their indignation, because a member of the house of Lorraine was not considered worthy of this dignity, usually reserved for a prince of the blood.
When Louis Gallucio, marquis, was Duke of Vitry, it was remarked that the Cardinal de Retz, without otherwise blaming him for having been one of the murderers of the Marshal of Ancre, said simply of him: “He had little sense, but he was bold to temerity33, and the part he had in the murder of the Marshal of Ancre gave him, in the eyes of the world, a certain air of business and execution.” This speech gives us an idea of the times and manners.
The Baron des Anbiez, notwithstanding his fondness for independence and rebellion, was the best and most generous of men.
Adored by the peasants of his domain34, and revered35 by the inhabitants of the little town of La Ciotat, who always found him ready to direct their troops and aid them with all his power to defend themselves from the pirates, he exercised a powerful influence throughout the neighbourhood.
Finally, his vigorous opposition36 to several orders of the Marshal of Vitry, which seemed to him to aim a blow at the rights of Provence, had been highly and generally approved in the country.
When Stephanette returned to Maison-Forte, the sun was just setting. The first care of the young girl was to go to Mlle. Reine des Anbiez. Reine was accustomed to occupy a chamber37 situated38 on the first floor of one of the turrets of the castle.
This room was round in shape, serving her as a cabinet for study, and was furnished with great care and expense.
The baron, loving his daughter to idolatry, had devoted39 to the interior arrangement of this room a considerable sum. The circular walls were covered with rich Flemish tapestry40 of deep green, with designs of a darker shade, enwrought with threads of gold.
Among other pieces of furniture was a walnut41 bookcase, curiously42 carved in the style of the renaissance43, and encrusted with Florentine mosaic44. A rich, thick Turkey carpet covered the floor. The spaces separating the beams of the ceiling were of azure45 blue, studded with arabesques46 of gold of delicate workmanship.
A silver lamp was suspended from the main girder by a chain of silver. The form of these lamps, still used in some villages of Provence, was very simple. They were made of a square of metal, the edges of which, an inch in height, contained the oil, and formed a sort of beak47 at each angle from which issued the wicks.
On a table with curved legs placed in the embrasure of the window lay a lute48, a theorbo, and some pieces of unfinished tapestry.
Two portraits, one of a woman, the other of a man, in the costume of the reign19 of Henry III., were placed above this table, and lit up by oblique49 rays through little windows in leaden frames, which were set in the long and narrow casement50.
To supply the want of a chimney a large copper51 coal-pan, curiously carved, and supported by four massive claws, stood in a corner of the room. It contained a bed of ashes and some embers, upon which were smoking some sprigs of fragrant52 broom.
Reine des Anbiez wore a dress of heavy brown Tours silk, with a train, and tight waist and sleeves; her cheeks were flushed, and her features expressed not surprise only but fright.
She seized her waiting-woman by the hand, and conducted her to the table, and said to her:
“Look!”
The object to which she called the attention of Stephanette was a little vase of rock crystal.
From its long and slender neck issued an orange-coloured lily, with an azure blue calyx, in which stood pistils of silvery whiteness. This brilliant flower exhaled53 a delicious odour which resembled the mingled54 perfume of vanilla55, lemon, and jessamine.
“Oh, mademoiselle, what a beautiful flower! Is it a present from the Chevalier de Berrol?”
At the mention of her betrothed’s name, Reine turned pale and red by turns; then, without replying to Stephanette, she took up the vase with a sort of fear, and showed her a beautifully enamelled figure which she had discovered there, and the representation of a white dove with a rose-coloured beak, and extended wings, holding in its purplish bronze feet a branch of olive.
“Our Lady!” screamed Stephanette in fright. “It is the very picture of the enamelled pin that young miscreant56 robbed you of in the rocks of Ollioules, after he had saved monseigneur’s life.”
“But who brought this vase and flower here?” asked Reine.
“You do not know, mademoiselle?”
Reine turned pale and made a sign in the affirmative. “Holy Virgin57, this must be sorcery!” cried Stephanette, setting the vase back on the table as if it had burned her hand.
Reine could scarcely control her emotion, but said to her:
“A little while ago, when I went out to see my father mount his horse, I promenaded58 until nightfall in the great walk by the drawbridge, and when I returned I found this flower on this table. My first thought, like yours, was that Chevalier de Berrol had sent it or brought it, although such a flower in this season would be a miracle; I asked if the chevalier had arrived at Maison-Forte, and was told he had not; besides, I had the key of this apartment with me.”
“Then, mademoiselle, it must be magic.”
“I do not know what to think. In examining the vase more attentively59, I see the enamelled likeness60 of the pin that—”
Reine could not say more.
Her face and form betrayed the violent emotion which the memory of that strange day caused her, the day when the foreigner had dared approach his lips to hers.
“We must consult the chaplain or the watchman, mademoiselle,” exclaimed Stephanette.
“No, no, be silent. Do not noise abroad this mystery which frightens me in spite of myself. Let us examine this apartment well; perhaps we may discover something.”
“But this flower, this vase, mademoiselle!”
As a reply, Reine threw the flower in the coal-pan.
It almost seemed that the poor flower turned itself in pain upon the burning coals; the light hissing61 produced by the water which oozed62 out from the stem, seemed like plaintive63 cries.
Soon it was in ashes.
Then Reine opened the window which looked upon the esplanade, and threw out the crystal flagon. It broke with a noise upon the parapet, and its fragments fell into the sea.
At this moment sounded heavy steps, and click of spurs upon the flagstones of the staircase. The hoarse64 voice of Raimond V. called joyously65 to his daughter to come and see—that demon66 of a Mistraon!
“Not a word of this to my father,” said Reine to Stephanette, putting her finger on her lips.
And she descended to meet the good old gentleman.
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1
baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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3
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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6
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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ornamented
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| adj.花式字体的v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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9
turrets
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| （六角）转台( turret的名词复数 )； （战舰和坦克等上的）转动炮塔； （摄影机等上的）镜头转台； （旧时攻城用的）塔车 | |
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10
scouts
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| 侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员 | |
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11
ordnance
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| n.大炮，军械 | |
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12
gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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13
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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14
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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15
edifice
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| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
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16
proprietors
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| n.所有人，业主( proprietor的名词复数 ) | |
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17
lodgings
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| n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍 | |
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18
assessment
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| n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额 | |
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19
reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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20
insurgents
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| n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 ) | |
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21
strap
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| n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎 | |
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22
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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23
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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24
cardinal
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| n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的 | |
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25
disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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26
faction
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| n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争 | |
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27
intrigues
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| n.密谋策划( intrigue的名词复数 )；神秘气氛；引人入胜的复杂情节v.搞阴谋诡计( intrigue的第三人称单数 )；激起…的好奇心 | |
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28
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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29
guise
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| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
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30
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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31
nomination
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| n.提名，任命，提名权 | |
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32
vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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33
temerity
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| n.鲁莽，冒失 | |
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34
domain
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| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
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35
revered
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| v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36
opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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37
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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38
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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39
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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40
tapestry
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| n.挂毯，丰富多采的画面 | |
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41
walnut
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| n.胡桃，胡桃木，胡桃色，茶色 | |
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42
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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43
renaissance
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| n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴 | |
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44
mosaic
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| n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的 | |
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45
azure
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| adj.天蓝色的，蔚蓝色的 | |
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46
arabesques
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| n.阿拉伯式花饰( arabesque的名词复数 )；错综图饰；阿拉伯图案；阿拉贝斯克芭蕾舞姿（独脚站立，手前伸，另一脚一手向后伸） | |
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47
beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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48
lute
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| n.琵琶，鲁特琴 | |
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49
oblique
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| adj.斜的，倾斜的，无诚意的，不坦率的 | |
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50
casement
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| n.竖铰链窗；窗扉 | |
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51
copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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52
fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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53
exhaled
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| v.呼出，发散出( exhale的过去式和过去分词 )；吐出（肺中的空气、烟等），呼气 | |
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54
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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55
vanilla
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| n.香子兰，香草 | |
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56
miscreant
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| n.恶棍 | |
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57
virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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promenaded
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| v.兜风( promenade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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60
likeness
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| n.相像，相似（之处） | |
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61
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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62
oozed
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| v.（浓液等）慢慢地冒出，渗出( ooze的过去式和过去分词 )；使（液体）缓缓流出；（浓液）渗出，慢慢流出 | |
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63
plaintive
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| adj.可怜的，伤心的 | |
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64
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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joyously
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| ad.快乐地, 高兴地 | |
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demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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