To aid their plans and cloak their sins;
At nightfall, silence reigns1 above
And deviltry on earth begins.
The noise was merely the shivering to atoms of a small venetian vase which stood on a diminutive2 ebony table not far from the divan3 on which Stella was seated.
Mrs. Sinclair had accidently struck the table, and the gossips declared afterward4, in the privacy of their own Boudoirs, that she was watching her son at the very time when his accidental touching5 of Stella's hand had wrought6 so fearful a change upon his features, and, quite naturally, they argued that an intuitive fear for her adopted daughter's future made her hand unsteady. At any rate, she had turned[Pg 55] suddenly pale and grasped the slender table for support with the result already mentioned.
Maurice sprang promptly7 forward, and motioning to a servant to remove the fragments of glass, offered his arm gracefully9 to his mother and passed up the room to where the Countess Martinet10 was sitting with her angular daughter.
Stella took this opportunity to join the Misses Huntington on a neighboring sofa and again the strains of music floated through the spacious11 parlors12 and partners were soon whirling gaily13 about in the witcheries of a glorious waltz.
Never had Stella looked so superbly beautiful as to-night, with the graceful8 folds of her exquisite14 white satin draperies clinging about her charming figure. The gold of her hair scintillated15 in myriad16 iridescent17 rays about her broad forehead and snowy neck, while the gleaming diamond star that shown upon her bosom18 vied with the sparkling lustre19 of her eye, and in the opinions of the gentlemen, at least, paled woefully in the comparison.
Before this enjoyable ball was over it was no wonder that hearts, adoration20 and homes were silently or in hurried, eager whispers, laid humbly[Pg 56] upon the altar of love, and many an ardent21 lover went home that night to dream of heavenly raptures22 or exactly the reverse.
To Stella, however, the sentiment of all absorbing passion was, as yet unknown. Life was at its best and brightest with her, and the brief, inexplicable23 sensation of fear which she had felt at Maurice's touch, was the only cloud, small and visionary as it was, that in any way darkened the skies of her perfect happiness.
The fog was still resting heavily upon the earth when the last carriage rolled away and Maurice walked with his mother up the broad stairs to spend his first night in ten years beneath the parental24 roof.
Some way Stella lingered longer than usual that night over her adieux to Sir Frederic Atherton, but the fault, if fault it was, could not be laid at her door.
His carriage was the last and if he held her hand a moment longer than usual, she reasoned that, it was only because he had known her from childhood and now, at her debut25 into the world of womanly duties and pleasures, it was only natural that he[Pg 57] should feel a desire to congratulate and perhaps advise her for her future welfare.
It was with this idea in mind that she let her hand rest quietly in his and raised her eyes so confidently to his face.
What she saw there was neither the courteous26 smile of congratulation or the benign27 bearing of one about to offer sage28 admonition. Instead, she saw a look of such ineffable29 tenderness bent30 upon her, that to her inmost soul there came an instantaneous sense of security, protection and sacred confidence, and tears suffused31 her lovely eyes in a blinding flood of gratitude32 which she was powerless to control.
Another instant and his lips had touched her golden hair, and the sound of the departing carriage told her he was gone.
With a curious feeling of loneliness and amazement33 thereat, she followed, almost in a dream, to Mrs. Sinclair's door.
Stella said good night as soon as possible, thinking that in all probability mother and son would wish to converse34 on many topics of interest, but as she passed from the room she turned and[Pg 58] smiling sweetly, said, "I am sorry to usurp35 your old quarters in the west wing, Maurice, but we thought I had better not change as the south room might be more grateful to your warm country tastes."
With this slightly saucy36 allusion37 to his mysterious past, Stella kissed her finger tips to Mrs. Sinclair and closed the door softly behind her.
After Stella had gone Maurice seemed suddenly fatigued38. The light vanished from his eyes and his tones grew languid, while a certain nervousness of manner betrayed to Mrs. Sinclair's acute perceptions the fact that, for some reason, her son felt ill at ease in his mother's presence.
Kissing him fondly she made haste to say, "Now darling, you had better go right to your room. We shall have plenty of time to talk in the future, for I am an old woman now and I trust my son will never feel like leaving me again."
"How old is Stella, mother?" was his somewhat irrelevant39 remark when she had finished speaking.
"She is twenty-one to day, my son, and I think you will agree that a sweeter, truer woman could[Pg 59] hardly be imagined," responded his mother warmly.
"She is very beautiful," Maurice began, but checking himself, he said abruptly40, "I have spent the last three years of my life wandering about in the heart of the Great Desert of Shamo, and some times I fancy the sulphurous fumes41 and heat of its burning lakes have impregnated my blood and tainted42 my whole system with a substance, which, although capable of overcoming other impurities43, is but a poor choice between the natural and the acquired evil."
Here, seeing his mother's look of complete mystification, he paused and added playfully, "Ah, mother, I have frightened and perplexed44 you all ready: I must retire and to-morrow you shall say whether I am brute45 or human, for in truth, some times I can hardly tell." With these words he laughed a low, musical and extraordinarily46 joyous47 laugh that had attracted her once before that evening, then touching his mother's cheek lightly with his lips, went hurriedly from the room, through the hall and up the wide staircase.
On reaching the hall above he paused for a[Pg 60] moment as if in doubt and then turned abruptly toward the west wing and, notwithstanding Stella's parting words, passed swiftly on until he reached the door of his "old quarters," then he drew a small, odd looking vial from his pocket and with it still in his hand, turned the handle and without word or warning, quietly entered the room.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
reigns
|
|
| n.君主的统治( reign的名词复数 )；君主统治时期；任期；当政期 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
diminutive
|
|
| adj.小巧可爱的，小的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
divan
|
|
| n.长沙发；（波斯或其他东方诗人的）诗集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
afterward
|
|
| adv.后来；以后 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
touching
|
|
| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
wrought
|
|
| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
promptly
|
|
| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
graceful
|
|
| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
gracefully
|
|
| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
martinet
|
|
| n.要求严格服从纪律的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
spacious
|
|
| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
parlors
|
|
| 客厅( parlor的名词复数 )； 起居室； （旅馆中的）休息室； （通常用来构成合成词）店 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
gaily
|
|
| adv.欢乐地，高兴地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
exquisite
|
|
| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
scintillated
|
|
| v.（言谈举止中）焕发才智( scintillate的过去式和过去分词 )；谈笑洒脱；闪耀；闪烁 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
myriad
|
|
| adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
iridescent
|
|
| adj.彩虹色的，闪色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
bosom
|
|
| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
lustre
|
|
| n.光亮，光泽；荣誉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
adoration
|
|
| n.爱慕，崇拜 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
ardent
|
|
| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
raptures
|
|
| 极度欢喜( rapture的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
inexplicable
|
|
| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
parental
|
|
| adj.父母的；父的；母的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
debut
|
|
| n.首次演出，初次露面 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
courteous
|
|
| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
benign
|
|
| adj.善良的，慈祥的；良性的，无危险的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
sage
|
|
| n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
ineffable
|
|
| adj.无法表达的，不可言喻的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
bent
|
|
| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
suffused
|
|
| v.（指颜色、水气等）弥漫于，布满( suffuse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
gratitude
|
|
| adj.感激，感谢 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
amazement
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
converse
|
|
| vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
usurp
|
|
| vt.篡夺，霸占；vi.篡位 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
saucy
|
|
| adj.无礼的；俊俏的；活泼的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
allusion
|
|
| n.暗示，间接提示 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
fatigued
|
|
| adj. 疲乏的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
irrelevant
|
|
| adj.不恰当的，无关系的，不相干的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
abruptly
|
|
| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
fumes
|
|
| n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
tainted
|
|
| adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
impurities
|
|
| 不纯( impurity的名词复数 )； 不洁； 淫秽； 杂质 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
perplexed
|
|
| adj.不知所措的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
brute
|
|
| n.野兽，兽性 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
extraordinarily
|
|
| adv.格外地；极端地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
joyous
|
|
| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |