Lady Henmarsh spoke2 with the accent of strong conviction, and looked around her approvingly as she did so. She and Sir Timothy had arrived by a midday train from London: the first hours after their arrival had been passed in the manner usual on similar occasions,--in seeing the house, dawdling3 about the gardens, and inspecting the hothouses; and now the moment had arrived which Katharine and her guest had each felt disposed to defer4 as long as possible--that of a tête-à-tête, in which the discussion of the past and present must necessarily have its place.
Katharine was standing5 by a window which opened like a door upon a small perfectly6-kept flower-garden, and looking musingly8 out upon the fair expanse of park and woodland which stretched away into the distance. Lady Henmarsh was looking at her with more curious scrutiny9 than she had ventured to indulge in in the presence of others; and the result of her examination was, that Katharine was more beautiful than ever. The assured demeanour, the perfect gracefulness10, the lofty ease of manner, which had been perhaps a little too pronounced in the girl, were perfectly in their place as attributes of the young matron, who did the honours of her splendid house with faultless elegance11 and aplomb12. The taste and richness of her dress, the judicious13 assortment14 of her ornaments15, the air of dignity and calm which dwelt about her, made her indeed a being to be regarded with almost wondering admiration16. And Lady Henmarsh admired and wondered--wondered how she liked it all; wondered how she and Robert got on together; whether he was afraid of Katharine (she put the question to herself in just such plain words),--thought it very likely, all things considered; wondered whether Katharine ever heard of Gordon Frere, and what she thought of him if she did; and finally wondered whether she might venture to question her on these points: but while the thought passed through her mind the answer passed through it also, and Lady Henmarsh knew perfectly well that she would never dare to mention Frere's name to Mrs. Streightley.
"This room is perfectly exquisite," Lady Henmarsh began again; "and I suppose you keep it strictly17 to yourself; that you give audience here, queen of Middlemeads, when it suits you; but shut out the profane18 vulgar,--eh, Kate?"
"Yes," answered Katharine carelessly; "it is a pretty room, and I use it a great deal,--that is to say, Ellen and I."
"Ellen and you!" repeated Lady Henmarsh with profound astonishment19. "You don't mean to tell me, Katharine, that you have really taken to be intimate with that uninteresting creature--that sheep-like young lady, the veriest type of the most detestable class of society girls that I have ever encountered! A silly, pious20, underbred girl, engaged to a vulgar missionary21 preacher! Really you amaze me, Kate. Perhaps," she said, with a covert22 glance at Katharine, and a strong effort to be perfectly familiar and natural, dictated23 by an instinctive24 feeling that she had lost ground with one whom she had formerly25 influenced--"perhaps you are doing the model wife, acting26 on the 'love-me-love-my-dog' principle, and cultivating this very modest flower for her brother's sake. If so, I admire you for it, Katharine. I am glad to see you have a due sense of the value of 'thorough' in you; there is no more precious quality; but I confess I did not expect it."
Katharine had fixed27 her large bright eyes upon Lady Henmarsh at the beginning of this speech with an expression of cold surprise, which succeeded in making the speaker feel very uncomfortable before she reached the end of it. A few moments elapsed before Katharine answered gravely:
"Miss Streightley is a person whom I like and esteem28. I fear I shall never imitate her good qualities; but I am glad to know that I have at least the grace to admire them. Of course, as Mr. Streightley's sister, I should have shown her every attention; but such a duty soon became a pleasure."
Katharine spoke in a cold and dignified29 tone, which produced an exceedingly unpleasant effect upon Lady Henmarsh, whose face assumed a certain comical expression, suggestive of an instantly-repressed inclination30 to whistle. Her feeling towards Katharine had always hovered31 on the borders of dislike; but from the present moment it crossed them, and she never tried to deceive herself more about its nature. She had been a party to the wound inflicted32 upon the pride of this haughty33 woman; she had witnessed her suffering, had spoken to her of her humiliation34, had had cognisance of the "transaction" of this marriage; and Katharine would never forgive her. In her she would find a polished, hospitable35, and attentive36 hostess, observant of every social duty, and resolute37 against every attempt on her part to reestablish an intimacy38 which had never been more than superficial and of convenience. Lady Henmarsh perceived the state of the case clearly; but as she had no feelings to be hurt in the matter, she took very kindly39 to a hearty40 dislike of Katharine.
"It is a comfort to know that Ned has got what he wanted, at all events," she thought, as she looked at the moody41 frown which had come over Katharine's countenance42 as she spoke the last sentences; "and if she's fool enough to filer le parfait amour with this City lout43 and all his kin7, or hypocrite enough to pretend to do so, so much the better,--things will be easier for Ned, and that's the main point."
"My dear Katharine, you are surely not so silly as to suppose I blame you for any attention to Mr. Streightley's sister. I daresay I shall like her very much when I know her better; and I'm sure it's quite charming to find you getting on so admirably with your people-in-law. And now, I think, having seen as much of your beautiful house as I can manage for to-day, I will disappear until dinner-time. I must look after Sir Timothy. Thank you, dear; I know my way to my rooms. How delightfully46 you have chosen for me, Kate! just the situation and aspect I like best. Sir Timothy is perfectly charmed."
Lady Henmarsh, safely secluded47 within her own apartment, proceeded to indite48 a piquant49 epistle to her "cousin Ned," in which she painted the Streightley ménage in colours highly agreeable to that gentleman's feelings, and indulged herself with some of the ridicule50 of Ellen and her brother, whose flow had been so peremptorily51 arrested by Katharine. She knew that it would be rather agreeable than otherwise to Mr. Guyon to be told, on the authority of an eye-witness, that his daughter was perfectly happy; so she gave him that pleasant assurance, inquired affectionately when he proposed coming to witness the felicity of Middlemeads in person, and hinted that his presence would add considerably52 to the attractions of that sojourn53 in her own estimation.
Robert's reception of Sir Timothy and Lady Henmarsh had been all that the most exacting54 guests could desire. The poor fellow felt unbounded gratitude55 towards Lady Henmarsh, who had, as he said to himself, "always been his friend,"--gratitude which it was a pleasure and a relief to him to feel,--gratitude which he could not extend to Mr. Guyon,--no; he was an accomplice56, not a friend; and the tie between them was, one of pain, which made itself felt, and of shame, to which no effort, no triumph, could render him insensible. He was totally ignorant of Lady Henmarsh's complicity in Mr. Guyon's manoeuvres; he knew only that he had received the warmest welcome from her when his pretensions57 were announced; that she had appeared to regard his marriage as all that it should be; and even now that the prize was won, the treasure he had paid so high a price for all his own, he attached an unreasonable59 importance to Lady Henmarsh's presence, to her approbation60. He did not say so in plain terms to himself; but he felt that she would support his cause with Katharine, that she would lend him additional importance. In the timidity of his sore conscience, he felt that it was a great thing to be strengthened by the presence of a person unconscious and unsuspicious of the means by which his success had been effected, and who had welcomed it on its own merits. So little did he understand his wife's proud isolation61 of heart, that he mistook her courtesy to her guest for respect for her opinion, and looked to Lady Henmarsh's aid in gaining Katharine's heart as ardently62 as he had hailed her support in his suit for her hand.
The truth was just the opposite of that which Robert believed it to be. From the moment Lady Henmarsh arrived at Middlemeads, Katharine's mood underwent a change unfavourable to the prospect63 of domestic happiness which had begun to dawn upon her. An atmosphere of heartlessness and worldliness surrounded this woman; and then she was associated in Katharine's mind with all the bitterness and humiliation of the past. The pain, now grown almost old, began to revive again; the restlessness and weariness of spirit, the terrible anger, the unavailing self-contempt, which rendered Katharine unapproachable to all, despite her suave64 and gracious manner, and especially to him who had afforded her the occasion to incur65 it. These feelings did not return in their intensity66 all at once; but their first approach to the invasion of Katharine's heart was made when the girl perceived the hardly veiled contempt with which her ci-devant chaperone regarded her spontaneous effort to be good and happy. It needed little to turn the balance in which the fate of Robert and Katharine Streightley hung at that moment, and Lady Henmarsh's disdainful touch did it. Not directly--she had no direct influence with Katharine now--but indirectly67, by the pain of humiliating association, by the sudden revival68 of the old bitterness, and the sense that all this was but a sordid69 bargain after all. The evil leaven70 began its work when Lady Henmarsh left Katharine, still standing by the window of her morning room, in the self-same attitude in which she had stood by the window in Queen Anne Street, and watched in vain for the coming of Gordon Frere. She moved away at length, with a restless and impatient sigh, and went to seek for Ellen.
Ellen Streightley had been rather frightened by Lady Henmarsh, whose rapid talk on a variety of subjects removed from Ellen's comprehension and experience had oppressed her considerably. She had accordingly kept out of the way, since she had contrived71 to make her escape during the tour of inspection; and Katharine ultimately discovered her in a quiet corner of the library, deeply engaged in the manufacture of an unspeakably hideous72 pair of embroidered73 slippers74. She laid aside her work at Katharine's approach, and they proceeded to discuss the time and manner of Miss Gould's expected arrival on the ensuing day, Ellen losing herself in conjectures75 as to what Katharine would think of Hester, and what Hester would think of Katharine. She had most of the discourse76 to herself, and also enjoyed a secret satisfaction in the reflection that to-morrow she would have her friend--a more important person than Lady Henmarsh--too, to make a fuss about. She wondered how Robert could like that woman so much, and be so deferential77 to her; she might be very grand and all that, but she had a way of making people feel small and uncomfortable, which was not like a real lady--not like dear Katharine, for instance; however, there was one comfort, she could not put down Hester.
"Is Miss Gould likely to marry, Ellen?" asked Katharine in the course of their conversation. "It would be a terrible take-in for the fortune-hunters, you know, or rather you don't know, if the prize of the season were found to be already won."
Ellen looked at her sister-in-law with the half-solemn, half-stupid gaze habitual78 to her when she was puzzled. Katharine had never uttered any such banale sarcasm79 to her before; that she did so now was the first symptom of the evil influence that was upon her.
"No," said Ellen slowly; "I do not think Hester ever cared for any one; she gave all her mind, she used to say, to her work. But O, Katharine, how nice it is to think that she can marry a man as poor as Decimus now, if she likes!--that is the only thing that makes it worth while to be an heiress, is it not?"
"I am not sure of that, Ellen," said Katharine; "it is a great recommendation certainly, but heiress-ship has some other advantages too. But there's the first bell; let us go and make ourselves beautiful for Sir Timothy."
"And for Robert, Katharine," said Ellen archly; "but you are always beautiful for him."
"Ay, she may marry a poor man if she likes," thought Robert's wife, as she sat before a long glass in her room, and looked at her beautiful face framed in the unbound masses of her glossy80 hair. "She may buy, instead of being bought--that's all the difference; the distinction is valuable, however."
* * * * *
Robert Streightley drove his sister to the station where he and Yeldham had hired a trap on the occasion of their visit to Middlemeads, to meet her friend on the day following Lady Henmarsh's arrival. The drive was a pleasant one, for Ellen talked of Katharine, with only occasional and brief interludes and digressions in favour of the absent missionary; and Robert was ready to extend his sympathy to his sister to a degree which would have seemed incredible to him a short time before. He was very happy that day; his face showed the gladness that was at his heart, as it reflected the smile with which Katharine had nodded a farewell to him and Ellen, as the open carriage passed the window where she was standing with her little white dog in her arms. How bright and beautiful and girlish she looked! he thought; how truly she harmonised with all around her! surely she was happy now--happier than at first.
"There's the smoke, Nelly; we are just in time," said Robert; and in another minute they were on the platform, and Ellen had caught sight of Hester's dark eyes, with a smile of recognition in them, as the train came slowly up, and stopped. Robert stood aside while the two women exchanged their greeting, after the manner characteristic of each; and during that brief interval81 he regarded Hester with some interest and curiosity. He had not seen her since she had so unexpectedly inherited her uncle's wealth,--he had hardly thought of her; the old time in which they had been familiar, if not intimate, seemed very far past now; he had lived all of his life that had been worth living since then. It occurred to him now for the first time that it might be curious to see how this young woman had borne a transition which could hardly fail to be trying. In the first place, he recognised that Hester Gould was elegantly dressed. He had become skilful82 in such observation now; he who had not formerly had an idea on the subject, and could not have told whether his sister was attired83 in velvet84 or cotton; but his close attention to every thing in which Katharine was concerned or interested, his ceaseless admiration of her, his keen perception of every thing which adorned85 the beauty which he worshipped, had educated his eyes, and he perceived at once that Hester's toilette was perfect in its taste and appropriateness. Nothing appeared in her which could annoy Katharine's refined ideas; not the least touch of vulgarity, not the most transient embarrassment86 or pretension58 of manner, nothing to convey the smallest suggestion of the nouveau riche. With the same frank courtesy that she had displayed in their former relations Miss Gould received her host's welcome; with precisely87 the correct degree of interest she inquired for Mrs. Streightley; and with a totally unchanged manner she entered into conversation with Ellen, during the necessary delay which took place while the servants were securing the luggage.
As they drove to Middlemeads, Robert talked with his guest of the country around, of the gentlemen's seats which they passed, of the Buckinghamshire backwoods, and other topics appropriate to the occasion, but which had little interest for Ellen, who was anxious to put one of her idols88 en rapport89 with the other as soon as possible. Hester had said something very civil, and perfectly sincere, about the pleasure she anticipated from seeing Middlemeads, and was listening attentively90 to Robert's anecdotes91 of the historical importance of the place, when Ellen said, in her peculiar92 interjectional fashion,
"O yes, it's all most delightful45, and ever so grand, Hester; so different, you know, to Brighton and that, that I really should have been half afraid of it if it hadn't been for Katharine. She is so delightful, you can't think, Hester. I think she could make a cabin feel like a palace. I do so long for you to see her."
"You forget that I have already seen Mrs. Streightley several times, Ellen; and I cannot believe that my admiration can be increased on better acquaintance."
Robert looked delighted, but surprised; and was just about to speak, when Ellen began again.
"Yes, yes, I remember; you saw her at the famous fête--that fête which I shall always think, in spite of Decimus, a most fortunate and praiseworthy piece of worldliness and dissipation, for there Robert fell in love with Katharine, and there I am sure Katharine fell in love with him, though I have never got her to tell me any thing about it--I suppose it's not the correct thing among fashionable people to talk about falling in love!--and then you just had a glimpse of her on her wedding-day; but I mean I want you to see her constantly in her own house, and to admire her as we do."
"I could hardly venture to do that, Ellen," said Miss Gould, in a tone which conveyed the lightest possible suggestion of ridicule of Ellen's enthusiasm, and would, therefore, have betrayed to any one thoroughly93 acquainted with Hester--supposing such an individual to exist--that her temper was momentarily disturbed. She was instantly conscious of the tone herself; and turning to Robert with unaffected good-humour, she said:
"The occasions which Ellen mentions were not the only ones on which I had the pleasure of seeing Mrs. Streightley. I think I know her by sight longer than you do."
"Indeed! how was that?" asked Robert rather eagerly, for every thing in the past, as in the present, which regarded Katharine had a potent94 interest for him.
"I taught music to the Miss Morisons, who lived next door to Mr. Guyon, during two seasons," said Hester simply; "and as they seized upon every conceivable opportunity for neglecting their lessons, they made it a point to rush to the windows to see Miss Guyon going out to ride, and I never could resist the temptation of looking out with them. I like to see a woman on horseback who looks and rides as she does. I am not sure that I did not envy the gay cavalcade95 sometimes, when I used to see them set off, and had to turn to 'one, two, three, four--pray attend to your fingering,' and so forth96, again."
"You will have horses in town too, Hester, won't you?" said Ellen; "and have cavalcades97 on your own account, and gallant98 cavaliers to escort you, as Katharine had?"
"I am not so sure of that," said Hester demurely99; "the Morison girls, who were very slang, used to talk about Miss Guyon's escort being always the 'best' men in London; and there was a Mr. Frere--her cousin, is he not?--whom they used to admire almost as enthusiastically as they admired her. Caroline, who was horribly silly, used to quote Tennyson's 'Guinevere' as they went by the windows: very appropriate to a London street, was it not?"
"Look, look, Hester!" said Ellen, jumping up in the carriage, "there's the first glimpse of Middlemeads;" and then the young lady occupied herself with pointing out every detail of the approach, until the carriage passed under the arch and drew up at the entrance, where Katharine was standing in the open doorway100, pleased to gratify her sister-in-law to the utmost by the demonstrative kindness of her reception of Miss Gould.
"We were in capital time, Katharine," said Ellen, as the three ladies passed through the hall, "and had a delightful drive, hadn't we, Robert? O, he's gone off to the library, I suppose."
Katharine was much pleased with Hester Gould, and the little party at Middlemeads was apparently101 composed of the most harmonious102 elements. The great heiress was naturally an object of curiosity in that character; and Katharine was no more slow than Hester herself to perceive that her guest's presence lent an additional attraction in the eyes of the neighbourhood to the newly-mounted ménage at Middlemeads. It was not every country-house which had two such specimens103 of womanhood to show,--the one so beautiful, the other so rich; and the neighbourhood proved itself not undeserving of its opportunities. Lady Henmarsh had experienced some not unnatural104 pangs105 of apprehension107 lest the dignified dulness which her soul abhorred108 should beset109 her at Middlemeads. She had had her doubts about Robert Streightley's fitness for his new r?le in society; she had dreaded110, she did not exactly know what, in Katharine; but her apprehensions111 proved utterly112 unfounded. She did not care to look beneath the surface, and that was all that could be desired. Mrs. Streightley dispensed113 a splendid hospitality with perfect grace, and Robert had no desire save that in all things her pleasure should be done. Her pleasure was to fill her house with company, and to pass her life in a round of such amusements as were attainable114 in the country, previous to entering upon the London season with a brilliancy and splendour which should convince the world that she was one of the most fortunate persons in it, and leave herself no time to recur115 to any of the absurd fancies which had once beguiled116 her for a little. How absurd they were! She laughed at them now, and at herself; and yet the laugh was not entirely117 real. And sometimes she would think of Hester Gould's wealth with a dreadful pang106 of envy, but in which there was not an atom of sordid feeling.
Hester Gould turned every hour of her stay at Middlemeads to account. She was incapable118 of such a blunder as copying any one's manner; but she studied the best types with which she was brought in contact, and profited by them. She knew exactly the extent and value of such personal attractions as she possessed119, as well as she knew the exact sum of money which she owned; she understood her own advantages and defects to a nicety; she appreciated the utility of the interval thus attained120 for studying phases of society hitherto unknown, before entering on the great world; and she made the most of it. Impossible to unite self-possession, simplicity121 of tastes and manners, and sound common sense, more admirably than they were combined in Hester Gould. Impossible to be more popular and more impenetrable. Had she been in possession of all the truth, she could hardly have understood the "situation" more clearly than she understood it, aided only by her remarkable122 penetration123 and the quickening influence of concentrated anger. Had her heart been concerned in the scheme in which she had been defeated by the unconscious Katharine, and in which only her brain and her will had been active, she would have felt more acutely and more transiently; but as it was, her anger neither cooled nor decreased. It was characteristic of Hester that her changed position made not the least difference in her feelings. She knew that her wealth gave her opportunities in comparison with which a marriage with Robert Streightley would have been but a meagre triumph; she knew that her defeat had been practically rendered no defeat at all by the freak of fortune winch had endowed her with riches; but the knowledge had no effect on her. The ruling principle of her character, the egotism of an inflexible124 will, had suffered a deep wound, and she admitted no balm in such considerations to heal it. Katharine's had been the hand to deal this wound. As for Robert, "he never would have loved me," she said in her heart; "but I should have married him for all that." And she would punish Katharine--unless, indeed, fate should spare her the trouble. Of this vicarious vengeance125 she discerned a promising126 probability; for day by day she saw that Katharine was hardening. She was satisfied to perceive the result, without analysing the process very closely; and she discerned that her own presence, though the most unexceptionable relations subsisted127 between her and her hosts, had as sinister128 an influence as she could desire. She was not the woman to employ unnecessary activity. If she could do mischief129 passively, so much the better, so much the safer. Hester's character had received by her defeat the impulse towards the development of evil which had hitherto been wanting, and more than once she had to recall her determination never to permit any passion to gain dominion130 over her. Hitherto her will had been stronger than any indication of passion she had ever felt; if it only proved so for the future, life would have no great harm in store for her.
Lady Henmarsh had taken the young heiress under her especial patronage131 (she had a genuine admiration for rich people); and before her visit to Middlemeads had terminated, it was arranged that Miss Gould should be promoted to the place vacated by Katharine, and should make her début in London society under the auspices132 of Lady Henmarsh.
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1
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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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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dawdling
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| adj.闲逛的，懒散的v.混（时间）( dawdle的现在分词 ) | |
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4
defer
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| vt.推迟，拖延；vi.(to)遵从，听从，服从 | |
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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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6
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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musingly
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| adv.沉思地，冥想地 | |
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scrutiny
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| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
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gracefulness
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elegance
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| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
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aplomb
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| n.沉着，镇静 | |
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judicious
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| adj.明智的，明断的，能作出明智决定的 | |
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assortment
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| n.分类，各色俱备之物，聚集 | |
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ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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profane
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| adj.亵神的，亵渎的；vt.亵渎，玷污 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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covert
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| adj.隐藏的；暗地里的 | |
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dictated
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| v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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instinctive
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| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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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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esteem
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| n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作 | |
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dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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humiliation
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| n.羞辱 | |
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hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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38
intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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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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hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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41
moody
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| adj.心情不稳的，易怒的，喜怒无常的 | |
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42
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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43
lout
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| n.粗鄙的人；举止粗鲁的人 | |
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44
suavity
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| n.温和；殷勤 | |
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45
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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46
delightfully
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| 大喜，欣然 | |
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47
secluded
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| adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词) | |
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48
indite
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| v.写（文章，信等）创作 | |
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49
piquant
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| adj.辛辣的，开胃的，令人兴奋的 | |
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50
ridicule
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| v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄 | |
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51
peremptorily
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| adv.紧急地，不容分说地，专横地 | |
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52
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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53
sojourn
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| v./n.旅居，寄居；逗留 | |
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54
exacting
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| adj.苛求的，要求严格的 | |
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55
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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56
accomplice
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| n.从犯，帮凶，同谋 | |
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57
pretensions
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| 自称( pretension的名词复数 )； 自命不凡； 要求； 权力 | |
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58
pretension
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| n.要求；自命，自称；自负 | |
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59
unreasonable
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| adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的 | |
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60
approbation
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| n.称赞；认可 | |
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61
isolation
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| n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离 | |
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62
ardently
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| adv.热心地，热烈地 | |
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63
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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64
suave
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| adj.温和的；柔和的；文雅的 | |
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65
incur
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| vt.招致，蒙受，遭遇 | |
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66
intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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indirectly
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| adv.间接地，不直接了当地 | |
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revival
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| n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振 | |
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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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leaven
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| v.使发酵；n.酵母；影响 | |
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71
contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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72
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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73
embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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74
slippers
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| n. 拖鞋 | |
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conjectures
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| 推测，猜想( conjecture的名词复数 ) | |
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76
discourse
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| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
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77
deferential
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| adj. 敬意的，恭敬的 | |
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78
habitual
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| adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的 | |
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sarcasm
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| n.讥讽，讽刺，嘲弄，反话 （adj.sarcastic） | |
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glossy
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| adj.平滑的；有光泽的 | |
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81
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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82
skilful
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| (=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的 | |
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83
attired
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| adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服，使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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84
velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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85
adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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86
embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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88
idols
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| 偶像( idol的名词复数 )； 受崇拜的人或物； 受到热爱和崇拜的人或物； 神像 | |
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89
rapport
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| n.和睦，意见一致 | |
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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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anecdotes
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| n.掌故，趣闻，轶事( anecdote的名词复数 ) | |
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92
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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93
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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94
potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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95
cavalcade
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| n.车队等的行列 | |
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96
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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97
cavalcades
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| n.骑马队伍，车队( cavalcade的名词复数 ) | |
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gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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demurely
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| adv.装成端庄地，认真地 | |
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100
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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101
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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102
harmonious
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| adj.和睦的，调和的，和谐的，协调的 | |
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103
specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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104
unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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105
pangs
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| 突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛 | |
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106
pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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107
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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108
abhorred
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| v.憎恶( abhor的过去式和过去分词 )；（厌恶地）回避；拒绝；淘汰 | |
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109
beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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110
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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111
apprehensions
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| 疑惧 | |
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112
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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113
dispensed
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| v.分配( dispense的过去式和过去分词 )；施与；配（药） | |
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114
attainable
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| a.可达到的，可获得的 | |
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115
recur
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| vi.复发，重现，再发生 | |
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116
beguiled
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| v.欺骗( beguile的过去式和过去分词 )；使陶醉；使高兴；消磨（时间等） | |
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117
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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118
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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119
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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120
attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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121
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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122
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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123
penetration
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| n.穿透，穿人，渗透 | |
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124
inflexible
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| adj.不可改变的，不受影响的，不屈服的 | |
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125
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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126
promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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127
subsisted
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| v.（靠很少的钱或食物）维持生活，生存下去( subsist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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128
sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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129
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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130
dominion
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| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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131
patronage
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| n.赞助，支援，援助；光顾，捧场 | |
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132
auspices
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| n.资助，赞助 | |
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