Mrs. Sylvestre did not leave town early. The weather was reasonably cool, the house on Lafayette Square was comfortable, and Washington in spring is at its loveliest. She liked the lull1 after the season, and enjoyed it to its utmost, wisely refusing all invitations to fitful after-Lent gayeties. She held no more receptions, but saw her more intimate acquaintances in the evening, when they made their informal calls. With each week that passed, her home gave her greater pleasure and grew prettier.
"I never lose interest in it," she said to Arbuthnot. "It is a continued delight to me. I find that I think of it a great deal, and am fond of it almost as if it was a friend I had found. I think I must have been intended for a housewife."
Mrs. Merriam's liking2 for Laurence Arbuthnot having increased as their acquaintance progressed, his intimacy3 in the household became more and more an established fact.
"One should always number among one's acquaintance," the clever dowager remarked, "an agreeable, well-bred, and reliable man-friend,—a man one can ask to do things, if unforeseen occasions arise. He must be agreeable, since one must be intimate with him, and for the same reason he must be well-bred. Notwithstanding our large circle, we are a rather lonely pair, my dear."
Gradually Mrs. Sylvestre herself had found a slight change taking place in her manner toward Arbuthnot. She became conscious of liking him better, and of giving him more mental attention, as she saw him more familiarly. The idea dawned by slow degrees upon her that[Pg 393] the triviality of which she accused him was of an unusual order; that it was accompanied by qualities and peculiarities6 which did not seem to belong to it. She had discovered that he could deny himself pleasures he desired; that he was secretly thoughtful for others; that he was—also secretly—determined, and that he had his serious moments, however persistently7 he endeavored to conceal8 them. Perhaps the professor had given her more information concerning him than she could have gained by observation in any comparatively short space of time. "This frivolous9 fellow," he said to her one night, laying an affectionate hand on Arbuthnot's arm, as they were on the point of leaving the house together, after having spent the evening there,—"this frivolous fellow is the friend of my old age. I wonder why."
"So do I," said Arbuthnot. "I assure you that you could not find a reason, professor."
"There is a kind of reason," returned the professor, "though it is scarcely worthy10 of the name. This frivolous fellow is not such a trifler as he seems, and it interests me to see his seriousness continually getting the better of him when he fancies he has got it under and trodden it under his feet."
Arbuthnot laughed again,—the full, careless laugh which was so excellent an answer to everything.
"He maligns11 me, this dissector12 of the emotions," he said. "He desires artfully to give you the impression that I am not serious by nature. I am, in fact, seriousness itself. It is the wicked world which gets the better of me."
Which statement Mrs. Sylvestre might have chosen to place some reliance in as being a plausible13 one, if she had not seen the professor at other times, when he spoke14 of this friendship of his. It was certainly a warm one, and then, feeling that there must be reason for it, she began to see these reasons for herself, and appreciate something of their significance and value.
[Pg 394]
The change which finally revealed itself in her manner was so subtle in its character that Arbuthnot himself could not be sure when he had first felt it; sometimes he fancied it had been at one time, and again at another, and even now it was not easy for him to explain to himself why he knew that they were better friends.
But there was an incident in their acquaintance which he always remembered as a landmark15.
This incident occurred at the close of the season. One bright moonlight night, having a fancy for making a call upon Bertha, who was not well enough to go out for several days, Mrs. Sylvestre made the visit on foot, accompanied by her maid. The night was so pleasant that they were walking rather slowly under the trees near Lafayette Park, when their attention was attracted by the sound of suppressed sobbing16, which came from one of two figures standing4 in the shadow, near the railings, a few yards ahead of them. The figures were those of a man and a young woman, and the instant she saw the man, who was well dressed, Agnes Sylvestre felt her heart leap in her side, for she recognized Laurence Arbuthnot. He stood quite near the woman, and seemed trying to console or control her, while she—less a woman than a girl, and revealing in her childish face and figure all that is most pathetic in youth and helplessness—wept and wrung17 her hands.
"You must be quiet and have more confidence in"—Agnes heard Arbuthnot say; and then, prompted by some desperate desire to hear no more, and to avoid being seen, she spoke to her maid.
"Marie," she said, "we will cross the street."
But when they had crossed the street some chill in the night air seemed to have struck her, and she began to shiver so that Marie looked at her in some affright.
"Madame is cold," she said. "Is it possible that madame has a chill?"
"I am afraid so," her mistress replied, turning about[Pg 395] hurriedly. "I will not make the visit. I will return home."
A few minutes later, Mrs. Merriam, who had settled her small figure comfortably in a large arm-chair by the fire, and prepared to spend the rest of the evening with a new book, looked up from its first chapter in amazement18, as her niece entered the room.
"Agnes!" she exclaimed. "What has happened! Are you ill? Why, child! you are as white as a lily."
It was true that Mrs. Sylvestre's fair face had lost all trace of its always delicate color, and that her hands trembled as she drew off her gloves.
"I began—suddenly—to feel so cold," she said, "that I thought it better to come back."
Mrs. Merriam rose anxiously.
"I hope it is not malaria19, after all," she said. "I shall begin to think the place is as bad as Rome. You must have some hot wine."
"Send it upstairs, if you please," said Agnes. "I am going to my room; there is a large fire there."
And she went out as suddenly as she had appeared.
"I really believe she does not wish me to follow her," said Mrs. Merriam to herself.
"Is this malaria?" And having pondered upon this question, while she gave orders that the wine should be heated, she returned to her book after doing it, with the decision, "No, it is not."
Agnes drank very little of the wine when it was brought. She sat by the fire in her room and did not regain20 her color. The cold which had struck her had struck very deep; she felt as if she could not soon get warm again. Her eyes had a stern look as they rested on the fire; her delicate mouth was set into a curve of hopeless, bitter scorn; the quiet which settled upon her was even a little terrible, in some mysterious way. She heard a ring at the door-bell, but did not move, though she knew a caller was allowed to go to Mrs. Merriam. She was not in a mood to see callers; she could see [Pg 396]nobody; she wished to be left alone; but, in about half an hour, a servant came into her room.
"Mr. Arbuthnot is downstairs, and Mrs. Merriam wishes to know if Mrs. Sylvestre is better."
Mrs. Sylvestre hesitated a second before she replied.
"Say to Mrs. Merriam that I am better, and will join her."
She was as white as ever when she rose, even a shade whiter, and she felt like marble, though she no longer trembled.
"I will go down," she said, mechanically. "Yes, I will go down."
What she meant to say or do when she entered the room below perhaps she had not clearly decided21 herself. As she came in, and Arbuthnot rose to receive her, he felt a startled thrill of apprehension22 and surprise.
"I am afraid you are not really better," he said. "Perhaps I should not have asked to be allowed to see you."
He had suddenly an absurd feeling that there was such distance between them—that something inexplicable23 had set them so far apart—that it might almost be necessary to raise his voice to make her hear him.
"Thank you," she replied. "I was not really ill," and passed the chair he offered her, as if not seeing it, taking another one which placed the table between them.
Arbuthnot gave her a steady glance and sat down himself. Resolving in a moment's time that something incomprehensible had happened, he gathered himself together with another resolve, which did equal credit to his intelligence and presence of mind. This resolution was that he would not permit himself to be overborne by the mystery until he understood what it was, and that he would understand what it was before he left the house, if such a thing were possible. He had the coolness and courage to refuse to be misunderstood.
"I should not have hoped to see you," he said, in a quiet, level tone, still watching her, "but Mrs. Merriam[Pg 397] was so kind as to think you would be interested in something I came to tell her."
"Of course she will be interested," said Mrs. Merriam. "Such a story would interest any woman. Tell it to her at once."
"I wish you would do it for me," said Arbuthnot, with a rather reluctant accession of gravity. "It is really out of my line. You will make it touching24—women see things so differently. I'll confess to you that I only see the miserable25, sordid26, forlorn side of it, and don't know what to do with the pathos27. When that poor, little wretch28 cried at me and wrung her hands I had not the remotest idea what I ought to say to stop her—and Heaven knows I wanted her to stop. I could only make the mistaken remark that she must have confidence in me, and I would do my best for the childish, irresponsible pair of them, though why they should have confidence in me I can only say 'Heaven knows,' again."
After she had seated herself Agnes had lightly rested her head upon her hand, as if to shade her eyes somewhat. When Arbuthnot began to speak she had stirred, dropping her hand a moment later and leaning forward; at this juncture29 she rose from her chair, and came forward with a swift, unconscious-looking movement. She stood up before Arbuthnot, and spoke to him.
"I wish to hear the story very much," she said, with a thrill of appeal in her sweet voice. "I wish you to tell it to me. You will tell it as—as we should hear it."
Nothing but a prolonged and severe course of training could have enabled Arbuthnot to preserve at this moment his outward composure. Indeed, he was by no means sure that it was preserved intact; he was afraid that his blond countenance30 flushed a little, and that his eyes were not entirely31 steady. He felt it necessary to assume a lightness of demeanor32 entirely out of keeping with his mental condition.
[Pg 398]
"I appreciate your confidence in me," he answered, "all the more because I feel my entire inadequacy33 to the situation. The person who could tell it as you ought to hear it is the young woman who waylaid34 me with tears near Lafayette Park about half an hour ago. She is a very young woman, in fact, an infant, who is legally united in marriage to another infant, who has been in the employ of the government, in the building I adorn35 with my presence. Why they felt it incumbent36 upon themselves to marry on an income of seventy-five dollars a month they do not explain in any manner at all satisfactory to the worldly mind. They did so, however, and lived together for several months in what is described as a state of bliss38. They had two small rooms, and the female infant wore calico gowns, and did her own ridiculous, sordid, inferior housework, and rejoiced in the society of the male infant when a grateful nation released him from his daily labors39."
Agnes quietly slipped into the chair he had first placed for her. She did it with a gentle, yielding movement, to which he was so little blind that he paused a second and looked at the fire, and made a point of resuming his story with a lighter40 air than before.
"They could not have been either happy or content under such absurd circumstances," he said; "but they thought they were. I used to see the male infant beaming over his labors in a manner to infuriate you. His wife used to come down to bear him from the office to the two rooms in a sort of triumphal procession. She had round eyes and dimples in her cheeks, and a little, round head with curls. Her husband, whose tastes were simple, regarded her as a beauty, and was given to confiding41 his opinion of her to his fellow-clerks. There was no objection to him but his youth and innocence42. I am told he worked with undue43 enthusiasm in the hope of keeping his position, or even getting a better one, and had guileless, frenzied44 dreams of being able, in the course of the ensuing century, to purchase a small house[Pg 399] 'on time.' I don't ask you to believe me when I tell you that the pair actually had such a house in their imbecile young minds, and had saved out of their starvation income a few dollars toward making their first payment on it. I didn't believe the man who told me, and I assure you he is a far more reliable fellow than I am."
He paused a second more. Was it possible that he found himself obliged to do so?
"They said," he added, "they said they 'wanted a home.'"
He heard a soft, little sound at his side,—a soft, emotional little sound. It came from Mrs. Sylvestre. She sat with her slender hands clasped upon her knee, and, as the little sound broke from her lips, she clasped them more closely.
"Ah!" she said. "Ah! poor children!"
Arbuthnot went on.
"Ought I to blush to admit that I watched these two young candidates for Saint Elizabeth, and the poorhouse, with interest? They assisted me to beguile45 away some weary hours in speculation46. I wondered when they would begin to be tired of each other; when they would find out their mistake, and loathe47 the paltriness48 of their surroundings; when the female infant would discover that her dimples might have been better invested, and that calico gowns were unworthy of her charms? I do blush to confess that I scraped an acquaintance with the male infant, with a view to drawing forth49 his views on matrimony and life as a whole. He had been wont50 to smoke inferior cigarettes in the days of his gay and untrammelled bachelorhood, but had given up the luxurious51 habit on engaging himself to the object of his affections. He remarked to me that 'a man ought to have principle enough to deny himself things when he had something to deny himself for, and when a man had a wife and a home he had something to deny himself for, and if he was a man[Pg 400] he'd do it.' He was very ingenuous52, and very fond of enlarging confidingly53 upon domestic topics and virtues54 and joys, and being encouraged could be relied upon so to enlarge—always innocently and with inoffensive, youthful enthusiasm—until deftly55 headed off by the soulless worldling. I gave him cigars, and an order of attention, which seemed to please him. He remarked to his fellow-clerks that I was a man who had 'principles' and 'feelings,' consequently I felt grateful to him. He had great confidence in 'principles.' The bold thought had presented itself to him that if we were more governed by 'principles,' as a nation, we should thrive better, and there would be less difficulty in steering56 the ship of state; but he advanced the opinion hesitantly as fearing injustice57 to his country in the suggestion."
"You are making him very attractive," said Mrs. Merriam. "There is something touching about it all."
"He was attractive to me," returned Laurence, "and he was touching at times. He was crude, and by no means brilliant, but there wasn't an evil spot in him; and his beliefs were of a strength and magnitude to bring a blush to the cheek of the most hardened. He recalled the dreams of youth, and even in his most unintelligently ardent58 moments appealed to one. Taking all these things into consideration, you will probably see that it was likely to be something of a blow to him to find himself suddenly thrown out upon the world without any resource whatever."
"Ah!" exclaimed Mrs. Sylvestre, earnestly. "Surely you are not going to tell us"—
"That he has lost his office," said Laurence. "Yes. Thrown out. Reason—place wanted for some one else. I shouldn't call it a good reason myself. I find others who would not call it a good reason; but what are you going to do?"
"What did he do?" asked Agnes.
"He came into my room one day," answered Laurence, "just as I was leaving it. He was white and[Pg 401] his lips trembled in a boyish way that struck me at the moment as being rather awful. He looked as if he had been knocked down. He said to me, 'Mr. Arbuthnot, I've lost my place,' and then, after staring at me a few seconds, he added, 'Mr. Arbuthnot, what would you do?'"
"It is very cruel," said Agnes. "It is very hard."
"It is as cruel as Death!" said Arbuthnot. "It is as hard as Life! That such a thing is possible—that the bread and home and hopes of any honest, human creature should be used as the small change of power above him, and trafficked with to sustain that power and fix it in its place to make the most of itself and its greed, is the burning shame and burden which is slung59 around our necks, and will keep us from standing with heads erect60 until we are lightened of it."
He discovered that he was in earnest, and recklessly allowed himself to continue in earnest until he had said his say. He knew the self-indulgence was indiscreet, and felt the indiscretion all the more when he ended and found himself confronted by Mrs. Sylvestre's eyes. They were fixed62 upon him, and wore an expression he had never had the pleasure of seeing in them before. It was an expression full of charming emotion, and the color was coming and going in her cheek.
"Go on," she said, rather tremulously, "if you please."
"I did not go on," he replied. "I regret to say I couldn't. I was unable to tell him what I should do."
"But you tried to comfort him?" said Agnes. "I am sure you did what you could."
"It was very little," said Laurence. "I let him talk, and led him on a little to—well, to talking about his wife. It seemed the only thing at the moment. I found it possible to recall to his mind one or two things he had told me of her,—probably doing it in a most inefficient63 manner,—but he appeared to appreciate the effort. The idea presented itself to me that it would[Pg 402] be well to brace64 him up and give him a less deathly look before he went home to her, as she was not very well, and a childish creature at best. I probably encouraged him unduly65; but I had an absurd sense of being somehow responsible for the preservation66 of the two rooms and the peace of mind of the female infant, and the truth is, I have felt it ever since, and so has she."
He was extremely conscious of Mrs. Sylvestre's soft and earnest eyes.
"That was the reason she called to see me to-night, and, finding I had just left the house, followed me. Tom is ill,—his name is Tom Bosworth. It is nearly two months since he lost his place, and he has walked himself to a shadow in making efforts to gain another. He has written letters and presented letters; he has stood outside doors until he was faint with hunger; he has interviewed members of Congress, senators, heads of departments, officials great and small. He has hoped and longed and waited, and taken buffetings meekly67. He is not a strong fellow, and it has broken him up. He has had several chills, and is thin and nervous and excitable. Kitty—his wife's name is Kitty—is pale and thin too. She has lost her dimples, and her eyes look like a sad little owl's, and always have tears in them, which she manages to keep from falling so long as Tom is within sight. To-night she wanted to ask me if I knew any ladies who would give her sewing. She thinks she might sew until Tom gets a place again."
"I will give her sewing," exclaimed Agnes. "I can do something for them if they will let me. Oh, I am very glad that I can!"
"I felt sure you would be," said Arbuthnot. "I thought of you at once, and wished you could see her as I saw her."
She answered him a little hurriedly, and he wondered why her voice faltered68.
[Pg 403]
"I will see her to-morrow," she said, "if you will give me the address."
"I have naturally wondered if it was possible that anything could be done for the husband," he said. "If you could use your influence in any way,—you see how inevitably69 we come to that; it always becomes a question of influence; our very charities are of the nature of schemes; it is in the air we breathe."
"I will do what I can," she replied. "I will do anything—anything you think would be best."
Mrs. Merriam checked herself on the very verge70 of looking up, but though by an effort she confined herself to apparently71 giving all her attention to her knitting-needles for a few moments, she lost the effect of neither words nor voice. "No," she made mental comment, "it was not malaria."
Arbuthnot had never passed such an evening in the house as this one proved to be, and he had spent many agreeable evenings there. To-night there was a difference. Some barrier had melted or suddenly broken down. Mrs. Sylvestre was more beautiful than he had ever seen her. It thrilled his very soul to hear her speak to him and to look at her. While still entirely ignorant of the cause of her displeasure against him he knew that it was removed; that in some mysterious way she had recognized the injustice of it, and was impelled72 by a sweet, generous penitence73 to endeavor to make atonement. There was something almost like the humility74 of appeal in her voice and eyes. She did not leave him to Mrs. Merriam, but talked to him herself. When he went away, after he had left her at the parlor75 door, she lingered a moment upon the threshold, then crossed it, and followed him into the hall. They had been speaking of the Bosworths, and he fancied she was going to ask some last question. But she did not; she simply paused a short distance from where he stood and looked at him. He had often observed it in her, that she possessed76 the inestimable gift of being able to[Pg 404] stand still and remain silent with perfect grace, in such a manner that speech and movement seemed unnecessary; but he felt that she had something to say now and scarcely knew how best to say it, and it occurred to him that he might, perhaps, help her.
"You are very much better than you were when I came in," he said.
She put out her hand with a gentle, almost grateful gesture.
"Yes, I am much better," she said. "I was not well—or happy. I thought that I had met with a misfortune; but it was a mistake."
"I am glad it was a mistake," he answered. "I hope such things will always prove so."
And, a quick flush rising to his face, he bent37 and touched with his lips the slim, white fingers lying upon his palm.
The flush had not died away when he found himself in the street; he felt its glow with a sense of anger and impatience77.
"I might have known better than to do such a thing," he said. "I did know better. I am a fool yet, it seems—a fool!"
But, notwithstanding this, the evening was a landmark. From that time forward Mrs. Merriam looked upon the intimacy with renewed interest. She found Agnes very attractive in the new attitude she assumed toward their acquaintance. She indulged no longer in her old habit of depreciating78 him delicately when she spoke of him, which was rarely; her tone suggested to her relative that she was desirous of atoning79 to herself for her past coldness and injustice. There was a delicious hint of this in her manner toward him, quiet as it was; once or twice Mrs. Merriam had seen her defer80 to him, and display a disposition81 to adapt herself to his opinions, which caused a smile to flicker82 across her discreet61 countenance. Their mutual83 interest in their protégées was a tie between them, and developed a[Pg 405] degree of intimacy which had never before existed. The day after hearing their story Agnes had paid the young people a visit. The two rooms in the third story of a boarding-house presented their modest household goods to her very touchingly84. The very bridal newness of the cheap furniture struck her as being pathetic, and the unsophisticated adornments in the form of chromos and bright tidies—the last, Kitty's own handiwork—expressed to her mind their innocent sentiment. Kitty looked new herself, as she sat sewing, in a little rocking-chair, drawn85 near to the sofa on which Tom lay, flushed and bright-eyed after his chill; but there were premonitory signs of wear on her pretty, childish face. She rose, evidently terribly nervous and very much frightened at the prospect86 of receiving her visitor, when Mrs. Sylvestre entered, and, though reassured87 somewhat by the mention of Arbuthnot's name, glanced timorously89 at Tom in appeal for assistance from him. Tom gave it. His ingenuous mind knew very little fear. He tried to stagger to his feet, smiling, but was so dizzy that he made an ignominious90 failure, and sat down again at Agnes' earnest request.
"Thank you," he said. "I will, if you don't mind. It's one of my bad days, and the fever makes my head go round. Don't look so down-hearted, Kitty. Mrs. Sylvestre knows chills don't count for much. You see," he said to Agnes, with an effort at buoyancy of manner, "they knock a man over a little, and it frightens her."
Agnes took a seat beside the little rocking-chair, and there was something in the very gentleness of her movements which somewhat calmed Kitty's tremor91.
"It is very natural that she should feel anxious, even when there is only slight cause," Mrs. Sylvestre said, in her low, sweet voice. "Of course, the cause is slight in your case. It is only necessary that you should be a little careful."
"That's all," responded Tom. "A man with a wife[Pg 406] and home can't be too careful. He's got others to think of besides himself."
But, notwithstanding his cheerfulness and his bright eyes, he was plainly weaker than he realized, and was rather glad to lie down again, though he did it apologetically.
"Mr. Arbuthnot came in this morning and told us you were coming," he said. "You know him pretty well, I suppose."
"I see him rather frequently," answered Agnes; "but perhaps I do not know him very well."
"Ah!" said Tom. "You've got to know him very well to find out what sort of fellow he is; you've got to know him as I know him—as we know him. Eh! Kitty?"
"Yes," responded Kitty, a little startled by finding herself referred to; "only you know him best, Tom. You see, you're a man"—
"Yes," said Tom, with innocent complacency, "of course it's easier for men to understand each other. You see"—to Agnes, though with a fond glance at Kitty—"Kitty was a little afraid of him. She's shy, and hasn't seen much of the world, and he's such a swell92, in a quiet way, and when she used to come to the office for me, and caught a glimpse of him, she thought he was always making fun of everything."
"I thought he looked as if he was," put in Kitty. "And his voice sounded that way when he spoke to you, Tom. I even used to think, sometimes, that he was laughing a little at you—and I didn't like it."
"Bless you!" responded Tom, "he wasn't thinking of such a thing. He's got too much principle to make friends with a fellow, and then laugh at him. What I've always liked in him was his principle."
"I think there are a great many things to like in him," said Mrs. Sylvestre.
"There's everything to like in him," said Tom, "though, you see, I didn't find that out at first. The[Pg 407] truth is, I thought he was rather too much of a swell for his means. I've told him so since we've been more intimate, and he said that I was not mistaken; that he was too much of a swell for his means, but that was the fault of his means, and the government ought to attend to it as a sacred duty. You see the trouble is he hasn't a family. And what a fellow he would be to take care of a woman! I told him that, too, once, and he threw back his head and laughed; but he didn't laugh long. It seemed to me that it set him off thinking, he was so still after it."
"He'd be very good to his wife," said Kitty, timidly. "He's very kind to me."
"Yes," Tom went on, rejoicing in himself, "he sees things that men don't see, generally. Think of his noticing that you weren't wrapped up enough that cold day we met him, and going into his place to get a shawl from his landlady93, and making me put it on!"
"And don't you remember," said Kitty, "the day he made me so ashamed, because he said my basket was too heavy, and would carry it all the way home for me?"
Tom laughed triumphantly94.
"He would have carried a stove-pipe just the same way," he said, "and have looked just as cool about it. You'd no need to be ashamed; he wasn't. And it's not only that: see how he asks me about you, and cheers me up, and helps me along by talking to me about you when I'm knocked over, and says that you mustn't be troubled, and I must bear up, because I've got you to take care of, and that when two people are as fond of each other as we are, they've got something to hold on to that will help them to let the world go by and endure anything that don't part them."
"He said that to me, too, Tom," said Kitty, the ready tears starting to her eyes. "He said it last night when I met him on the street and couldn't help crying because you were ill. He said I must bear up for you—and he[Pg 408] was so nice that I forgot to be afraid of him at all. When I began to cry it frightened me, because I thought he wouldn't like it, and that made it so much worse that I couldn't stop, and he just put my hand on his arm and took me into Lafayette Park, where there was a seat in a dark corner under the trees. And he made me sit down and said, 'Don't be afraid to cry. It will do you good, and you had better do it before me than before Tom. Cry as much as you like. I will walk away a few steps until you are better.' And he did, and I cried until I was quiet, and then he came back to me and told me about Mrs. Sylvestre."
"He's got feelings," said Tom, a trifle brokenly,—"he's got feelings and—and principles. It makes a man think better of the world, even when he's discouraged, and it's dealt hard with him."
Mrs. Sylvestre looked out of the nearest window, there was a very feminine tremor in her throat, and something seemed to be melting before her eyes; she was full of the pain of regret and repentance95; there rose in her mind a picture of herself as she had sat before the fire in her silent room; she could not endure the memory of her own bitter contempt and scorn; she wished she might do something to make up for that half hour; she wished that it were possible that she might drive down to the Treasury96 and present herself at a certain door, and appeal for pardon with downcast eyes and broken voice. She was glad to remember the light touch upon her hand, even though it had been so very light, and he had left her after it so hurriedly.
"I am glad he spoke to you of me," she said. "I—I am grateful to him. I think I can help you. I hope you will let me. I know a great many people, and I might ask for their influence. I will do anything—anything Mr. Arbuthnot thinks best."
Tom gave her a warmly grateful glance, his susceptible97 heart greatly moved by the sweetness and tremor of her voice. She was just the woman, it seemed to him,[Pg 409] to be the friend of such a man as his hero; only a woman as beautiful, as sympathetic, and having that delicate, undefinable air of belonging to the great enchanted98 world, in which he confidingly believed Arbuthnot figured with unrivalled effect, could be worthy of him. It was characteristic of his simple nature that he should admire immensely his friend's social popularity and acquirements, and dwell upon their unbounded splendor99 with affectionate reverence100.
"He's a society fellow," he had said to Kitty, in his first description of him. "A regular society fellow! Always dressed just so, you know—sort of quiet style, but exactly up to the mark. He knows everybody and gets invited everywhere, though he makes believe he only gets taken in because he can dance and wait in the supper-room. He's out somewhere every night, bless you, and spends half his salary on kid gloves and flowers. He says people ought to supply them to fellows like him, as they supply gloves and hat-bands at English funerals. He doesn't save anything; you know, he can't, and he knows it's a mistake, but you see when a fellow is what he is, it's not easy to break off with everything. These society people want such fellows, and they will have them."
It had been this liberal description of his exalted101 position and elegant habits which had caused Kitty to stand greatly in awe102 of him, at the outset, and to feel that her bearing would never stand the test of criticism by so proficient103 an expert, and she had trembled before him accordingly and felt herself unworthy of his condescending104 notice, until having, on one or two occasions, seen something in his manner which did not exactly coincide with her conception of him as a luxurious and haughty105 worldling, she had gained a little courage. She had been greatly alarmed at the sight of Mrs. Sylvestre, feeling vaguely106 that she, also, was a part of these mysterious splendors107; but after she heard the soft break in the tone in which she said, with such gentle[Pg 410] simplicity108, "I will do anything—anything—Mr. Arbuthnot thinks best," she felt timorous88 no more, and allowed herself to be led into telling her little story, with a girlish pathos which would have melted Agnes Sylvestre's heart, if it had not been melted already. It might, perhaps, better have been called Tom's story than her own, as it was all about Tom,—Tom's struggles, Tom's disappointments, Tom's hopes, which all seemed prostrated109; the little house Tom had been thinking of buying and making nice for her; the member of Congress who had snubbed Tom; the senator who had been rough with him; the cold he had taken; the chills and fevers which had resulted; the pain in his side. "We have used all our money," she ended, with a touching little catch of her breath,—"if it had not been for Mr. Arbuthnot—Mr. Arbuthnot"—
"Yes," said Tom, wofully, "he'll have to go without a pair or so of gloves this month and smoke fewer cigars; and I couldn't have believed that there was a man living I could have borne to take money from, but, somehow, he made it seem almost as if he owed it to me."
When Mrs. Sylvestre went away she left hope and comfort behind her. Kitty followed her into the passage with new light in her eyes.
"If I have the sewing," she said, clasping her hands, "it will be such a load off Tom's mind to know that we have a little money, that he will get better. And he knows I like sewing; so, perhaps, he will not mind it so much. I am so thankful to you! If Tom will only get well," she exclaimed, in a broken whisper,—"if Tom will only get well!" And, suddenly, in response to some look on Agnes' face, and a quick, caressing110 gesture, she leaned forward, and was folded in her arms.
It is very natural to most women to resort to the simple feminine device of tears, but it was not often Mrs. Sylvestre so indulged herself, and there were tears in her eyes and in her voice, too, as she held the gentle, childish creature to her breast. She had felt a great deal during the last twenty-four hours, and the momentary111 display of emotion was a relief to her. "He will get better," she said, with almost maternal112 tenderness, "and you must help him by taking care of yourself, and giving him no cause for anxiety. You must let me help to take care of you. We will do all we can,"—and there was something akin5 to fresh relief to her in the mere113 use of the little word "we."
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1
lull
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| v.使安静，使入睡，缓和，哄骗；n.暂停，间歇 | |
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liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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3
intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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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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akin
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| adj.同族的，类似的 | |
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peculiarities
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| n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪 | |
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7
persistently
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| ad.坚持地；固执地 | |
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8
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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frivolous
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| adj.轻薄的；轻率的 | |
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10
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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maligns
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| vt.污蔑，诽谤（malign的第三人称单数形式） | |
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dissector
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| n.解剖者，解剖学家，解剖器 | |
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13
plausible
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| adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的 | |
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14
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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15
landmark
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| n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标 | |
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16
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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17
wrung
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| 绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 )； 握紧（尤指别人的手）； 把（湿衣服）拧干； 绞掉（水） | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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malaria
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| n.疟疾 | |
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20
regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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21
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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23
inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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24
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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25
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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sordid
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| adj.肮脏的，不干净的，卑鄙的，暗淡的 | |
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pathos
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| n.哀婉，悲怆 | |
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28
wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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juncture
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| n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头 | |
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30
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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31
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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demeanor
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| n.行为；风度 | |
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inadequacy
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| n.无法胜任，信心不足 | |
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34
waylaid
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| v.拦截，拦路( waylay的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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adorn
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| vt.使美化，装饰 | |
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incumbent
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| adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的 | |
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37
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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38
bliss
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| n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福 | |
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39
labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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40
lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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41
confiding
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| adj.相信人的，易于相信的v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的现在分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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42
innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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43
undue
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| adj.过分的；不适当的；未到期的 | |
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44
frenzied
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| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
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45
beguile
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| vt.欺骗，消遣 | |
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46
speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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47
loathe
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| v.厌恶，嫌恶 | |
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48
paltriness
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| n.不足取，无价值 | |
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49
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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50
wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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51
luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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52
ingenuous
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| adj.纯朴的，单纯的；天真的；坦率的 | |
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53
confidingly
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| adv.信任地 | |
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54
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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55
deftly
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| adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地 | |
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56
steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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57
injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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58
ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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59
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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60
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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61
discreet
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| adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的 | |
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62
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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63
inefficient
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| adj.效率低的，无效的 | |
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64
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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65
unduly
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| adv.过度地，不适当地 | |
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66
preservation
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| n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持 | |
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67
meekly
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| adv.温顺地，逆来顺受地 | |
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68
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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69
inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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70
verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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71
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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72
impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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73
penitence
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| n.忏悔，赎罪；悔过 | |
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74
humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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75
parlor
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| n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅 | |
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76
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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77
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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78
depreciating
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| v.贬值，跌价，减价( depreciate的现在分词 )；贬低，蔑视，轻视 | |
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79
atoning
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| v.补偿，赎（罪）( atone的现在分词 )；补偿，弥补，赎回 | |
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80
defer
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| vt.推迟，拖延；vi.(to)遵从，听从，服从 | |
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81
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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82
flicker
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| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
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83
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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84
touchingly
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| adv.令人同情地，感人地，动人地 | |
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85
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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86
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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87
reassured
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| adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词) | |
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88
timorous
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| adj.胆怯的，胆小的 | |
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89
timorously
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| adv.胆怯地，羞怯地 | |
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90
ignominious
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| adj.可鄙的，不光彩的，耻辱的 | |
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91
tremor
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| n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震 | |
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92
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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93
landlady
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| n.女房东，女地主 | |
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94
triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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95
repentance
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| n.懊悔 | |
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96
treasury
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| n.宝库；国库，金库；文库 | |
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97
susceptible
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| adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的 | |
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98
enchanted
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| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
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99
splendor
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| n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌 | |
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100
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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101
exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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102
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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103
proficient
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| adj.熟练的，精通的；n.能手，专家 | |
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104
condescending
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| adj.谦逊的,故意屈尊的 | |
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105
haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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106
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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107
splendors
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| n.华丽( splendor的名词复数 )；壮丽；光辉；显赫 | |
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108
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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109
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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110
caressing
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| 爱抚的，表现爱情的，亲切的 | |
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111
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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112
maternal
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| adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的 | |
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113
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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