Ronald Pryor returned to Harbury Court late for dinner, where Beryl and her sister awaited him. He had had a fagging day in London, spending nearly half his time with officials of the Air Department, who had at last become[102] interested in his new engine silencer. Trials of it had been made at Farnborough and elsewhere, and proof of its effectiveness had been quite adequate.
“The Department have decided1 to adopt it!” he announced triumphantly2 to Beryl as he entered the long, old-fashioned stone hall, and hung up his overcoat.
“I only hope the secret won’t leak out to the enemy,” he said, and then went along to wash his hands before sitting down to dinner.
Presently, while they were at table, and Ronnie was describing the interview he had had with the heads of three Government Departments and the reading of the confidential4 reports upon the tests made with aeroplanes to which the silencer had been fitted, the maid entered announcing that he was wanted on the telephone.
He left the table, and five minutes later returned with a grave look upon his countenance5.
For a few moments he did not answer, busying himself with his plate. Then at last, he replied:
“Oh!—well, only that I am flying ‘The Hornet’ again to-night.”
“May I not go with you?” Beryl asked eagerly. “Do let me go. It is over a week since I went up.”
He hesitated. Truth to tell, what he had heard on the telephone caused him some misgivings7. Over the wire a certain disguised message had been given to him from headquarters—a request to which he had acceded9.
Beryl was in entire ignorance of the affair. He[103] had been asked to regard it as strictly10 confidential, hence, he had not mentioned it, even to his well-beloved.
“Look here, dearest,” he said at last, looking across the big bowl of flowers in the centre of the table, “I don’t half like you coming with me to-night. There may be risk, and it is unfair that you should take it.”
“We are engaged, Ronnie; therefore, if there is any danger, why should I not share it?” was her prompt reply. “I am not afraid while I am with you.”
“That’s quite the right spirit, Beryl,” remarked her sister, approvingly.
“I quite appreciate your bravery, little one,” said Ronnie, “but flight on this misty11 night is fraught12 with more danger than people ever imagine. Once you are up you are lost, except for your compass. And to descend13 is, as you know, full of perils15.”
“I quite appreciate all that,” said Beryl. “Don’t you recollect16 when I came over from Sandgate to Folkestone, and found a thick fog on this side? Well, I went on till I found a break in it on the Surrey Downs, and descended17 quite safely at Ash, near Aldershot.”
“That was in daylight—not on a dark night like this?”
“But where are you going?” she inquired.
To her question he remained silent. His was a mission in strict confidence.
Further argument followed between the pair, until at last, by the time dinner had ended, Ronald Pryor was compelled to accede8 to her request.
Then, taking a flash-lamp, he went forth18[104] across the big meadow to the hangar and found Collins awaiting him.
“All ready, sir,” the latter announced cheerily. “I heard you quite well on the ’phone from London, but—well, sir,” he added hesitatingly, “it’s a bit risky19 to fly to-night, isn’t it?”
“Is the machine all in order—everything?” asked his master.
“Everything, sir. She only requires wheeling out,” and as he uttered the words the mechanic opened the great sliding-doors of the hangar.
Then, together, the two men wheeled out the aeroplane, and while Ronnie mounted into the pilot’s seat Collins swung over the propeller20, and his master tuned21 up his engine.
Meanwhile, Beryl having put on her air-woman’s kit22, with the leather jacket and cap, joined her lover, whom she found in the hangar poring over a map showing the East Coast between the Wash and the estuary23 of the Thames.
He was taking measurements and making some pencilled calculations, while she stood expectantly beside him.
“Well, dear!” he asked at last, “are you ready?”
“Quite!” was her reply, and a few moments later, after he had put on his muffler, his overalls24, and leather coat, they both climbed into the machine, and strapped25 themselves in.
“Light the flares26 about two o’clock, Collins. I’m making a pretty long flight, so we can’t be back before then.”
“Very well, sir.”
Then, tuning27 up again, and having tried the silencer, and found it in good working order,[105] he ran the machine swiftly across the frosty grass. Soon he rose, and, skimming the trees, soon soared away into the darkness.
From where Beryl sat she saw the glow of the little electric bulb set over the instruments shining into her lover’s strong clean-shaven face, and, by the compass, gathered that they had described a half-circle, and, though still rising rapidly, were now heading eastward28 in the direction of the sea. The roar of the engine, of course, rendered speech impossible, while the mist was very chilly29 causing her to draw her brown woollen comforter around her cheeks. There was no sign of light anywhere below—all was a great black void.
They had flown for nearly half-an-hour when, of a sudden, the long beam of a searchlight shot up from somewhere on their left, and began slowly to search the sky. Their approach had been heard by one of our air-stations.
Ronnie, watching the light made no attempt to evade30 it. Indeed, he switched on his searchlights in order to reveal himself. He had no wish to be peppered by our “Archies.”
Next second both of them were blinded by the searchlight full upon them. In a moment a second, and then a third, light converged31 upon them, so that the aviator32 and his well-beloved were compelled to shade their eyes with their gloved hands.
For a full three minutes the lights followed them, when the watchers below, having examined the tri-coloured rings on “The Hornet’s” planes and being satisfied, shut off.
Beryl saw that her lover was anxiously watching his altimeter, as well as his compass and clock.[106] It seemed as though he were apprehensive33 of something.
Suddenly he began to descend, and pulled across the lever controlling the silencer, thus cutting off the noise of the exhaust.
“We’re over the sea, now,” he remarked; “can’t you feel the difference in the atmosphere? Look on the left.”
She did so, peering down into the darkness, and there saw the twinkling of a light—a ship was signalling rapidly, being answered by another not far away.
“Where are we going, dear?” Beryl inquired.
“On a mission,” was his abrupt34 response. And, though she pressed him for information, he would vouchsafe35 no further reply.
For a full hour they flew over the North Sea, due east, until suddenly they turned south, and with the silencer still on, went along noiselessly save for the shrill36 wind whistling in the struts38.
From ten thousand feet they had now descended to a little over two thousand, when, all of a sudden, a distant searchlight shot forth.
“That’s the Belgian coast!” Ronnie remarked, and once again he started to ascend39, flying in a complete circle and undecided as to exactly where he might be. The single shaft40 of light, like a moving line in the total darkness, was soon followed by others from the same neighbourhood. Circles of light could be seen, showing that the clouds were low—a fact which would favour the intrepid41 pair.
“We’ll give those lights a wide berth42 for a little,” Ronnie said cheerfully, and again he turned northward44, and a little later to the south-east.
As they flew they watched those slowly-moving searchlights until, one by one, they disappeared.
[107]“They’ve finished their sweep of the skies,” he said at last, with satisfaction. “If there’s no alarm they won’t open out again for some time.”
And then he flew in the direction of where the lights had been, descending45 until he was again only about two thousand feet above the sea.
“From the disposition46 of those lights it seems that we are near our objective,” he remarked. “I hope you are not nervous, darling?”
“Why should I be with you, Ronnie?” she asked, placing her gloved hand tenderly upon his shoulder.
“Well, because we’re now entering the danger-zone,” he replied, “and I think I ought not to conceal47 it from you. Would you like to turn back?”
“Turn back!” echoed the brave girl. “Never! Where you dare go, I will go too. Don’t think I’m in the least nervous. If anything happens, it will happen equally to both of us.”
“Well spoken, my darling,” he said, his hand touching49 her cheek in the darkness. “Then we will go forward.”
After that there was a long silence, until below they saw a cluster of faint lights, with one light flashing at regular intervals50.
“Look!” he said. “That is Zeebrugge. Beyond—that fainter light over there—is Ostend.”
He consulted a roughly drawn51 map which he now produced, and which bore certain cryptic52 marks in red and blue; he directed Beryl’s attention to a speck53 of light to the north, saying: “That surely is Heyst!”
Then he pointed54 “The Hornet’s” nose[108] upwards55, and rose until they were enveloped56 in a cloud of fog in order to evade the inquisitiveness57 of any searchlights, afterwards flying in a circle directly over the port of Zeebrugge, which both knew to contain strong defences and long-range anti-aircraft guns.
For a full quarter of an hour they hovered58 over the town, their presence entirely59 unsuspected on account of the roaring exhaust being silenced. Then, carefully, he once more descended to mark out his objective—the new German submarine base. Between two spots seen far below he was undecided. There were many faint lights burning in the town, but one, he decided, was in the centre of the submarine base.
Without uttering a word to his companion, who sat strapped in her narrow seat cramped60, breathless, and half-frozen, he passed and re-passed over the German base three or four times.
Suddenly as he went a quick swish sounded below them, and, peering down, Beryl saw a big burst of flame, followed by a terrific explosion, the concussion61 of which gave the machine a serious tilt62.
Bang!—bang!—bang! sounded so quickly in succession that hardly had one ceased before the other reached them.
Below, the bright red flashes, angry points of light in the blackness of the night, showed vividly63, while at the moment that the searchlights shone forth Ronnie, having dropped his bombs, climbed swiftly into the bank of cloud.
Higher and higher they went, until below them they only saw the clouds aglow64 with the glare, whether by the incendiary fires they had caused among the enemy or the searchlights they knew not.
[109]“‘The Hornet’ has done considerable damage this time!” Ronnie laughed hoarsely65, as the altimeter showed that they were still ascending66. “I saw that the second bomb dropped plumb67 into the fitting-shop! It has, no doubt, put an end to Fritz’s activity for a good many days to come.”
“What do you intend doing now?” asked Beryl. “Going home?”
“Home? No. I’ve got four more bombs for them, yet.”
As he spoke48, however, they heard the sharp bark of the enemy’s anti-aircraft guns. Yet no shell whistled near them.
The Hun is a bully68, and hence a coward. Taken unawares, as he was at Zeebrugge that night, when he heard nothing and saw nothing, it was but natural that he should fire even into the air in order to scare off the British raider.
But Ronald Pryor was not the man to be scared off. He had had an objective to reach and he had reached it, but he had not yet finished, and did not intend to take any bombs back.
He knew that as long as he kept above the low clouds, and as long as his machine was silent, as it would remain, it would be impossible for the gunners below to hit him. Therefore he drew away seaward again, according to his compass, then back to land, and for half-an-hour flew round the little town of Heyst.
Now and then, as they passed from one cloud to another, they watched the lights of Zeebrugge searching for them, until it seemed that the alarm had died down.
At two points, however, they could see great fierce fires burning—conflagrations they had caused in the heart of the submarine base. One[110] of Ronnie’s bombs had, as was afterwards known, dropped upon the oil-tanks, and, the blazing oil having been scattered69 over a large area, had caused devastation70 throughout the neighbourhood.
“Hark! What’s that?” asked Beryl holding her breath, her quick ears having detected a familiar sound.
Ronnie, listening, suddenly said:
“Ah! I quite expected that—their airmen are up, looking for us! Now we may have a little excitement. Collins put the gun ready. Is it all right?”
“Quite,” said the girl. Long ago Ronnie had taught her how to manipulate the Lewis gun. Therefore, she placed her hand upon it and drew the shoulder-piece towards her, swinging the machine-gun easily upon its pivot71.
“Keep cool, darling! Don’t fire till I tell you,” he urged. “We’re going over the town again to give them a farewell salute—all explosives this time. I want to get those warehouses72 at the docks! I can see them plainly now—the fires show them up. By Jove, they’ll get a shock when they find themselves bombed again, won’t they?” and he laughed merrily as he turned “The Hornet’s” nose back in the direction of Zeebrugge. Flying as low as he dared, he approached the spot where the red flames leapt up far below, and the smoke greeted their nostrils73 with increasing intensity74.
By this time the searchlights had been switched off, though Hun machines could be heard in the air. Those who controlled the searchlights knew that their aeroplanes would work best in the darkness, being fitted with small searchlights themselves.
[111]Leisurely, Ronnie came over the town, flying high and in silence, until, when just over where the darting75 flames were showing up the buildings all around, he suddenly released his remaining bombs—all but one.
Terrific explosions sounded in quick succession, and, though so far above, they could both feel the concussion. Indeed, “The Hornet” very narrowly escaped a serious nose-dive in consequence. Next moment they saw that the row of buildings facing the docks was aflame from end to end, and beginning to burn almost as fiercely as the submarine oil-dep?t.
Ronnie, however, did not have it all his own way.
Ten seconds after dropping those bombs, and causing panic in the occupied Belgian port, the sky was again ablaze76 with searchlights. At that moment Ronnie was out of one cloud, and travelling very swiftly into another.
The searchlights were, however, too quick for him, and picked him up.
Hardly had he spoken when the anti-aircraft guns from below commenced to bark sharply, with now and then a deep boom. They could both hear the shells whistling close to them, but so high were they by this time that accurate aim by the enemy was well-nigh impossible.
In such a circumstance the wisest course was to fly in a wide circle, descending and ascending, a course which Ronnie, expert airman that he was, adopted.
Those were highly exciting moments! Beryl held her breath. Her hand was upon the Lewis gun, but her lover had given no order. In her[112] observer’s seat she sat alert, eager, with every nerve strained to its fullest tension. They were in the danger-zone, surrounded by what seemed a swarm78 of aeroplanes, which had ascended79 in order to prevent their returning to sea.
The little bulb in front of Ronnie burnt on, shedding its meagre light over instruments and maps. Beryl saw by the altimeter—which she had so often watched when flying the machine alone—that they were up five thousand six hundred feet.
The dark waters were beneath them. A stray shell from the enemy would cast them both down—deep down into the North Sea.
More than once they heard the whirr of an aeroplane-engine quite close to them, but going forward, slipping through the air without noise, thanks to Pryor’s silencer, which the authorities had now recognised as a remarkable80 and highly useful invention in aerial warfare81, they managed to evade their adversaries82. The strain of it all was, however, terrible.
Upon the misty clouds below shone the glow of searchlights from land and sea, lighting83 up the billow mists, until they were quite picturesque84 undulations, like a fairy landscape. Yet through those mists they saw the deadly enemy flying to and fro in search of them as they went out to sea in silence.
Beryl watched it all from her observer’s seat. She knew that their raid had been successful, and that enormous damage had been done to the Hun submarine base. On her left showed the faint lights of Ostend, where she had spent one summer with her sister Iris85 and her husband, two years before the war. She had walked along the Digue in a smart summer gown, and she had[113] gambled at boule and eaten ices in the great Casino which, according to report, was now used as a German hospital. Ah, how times had changed! She had never dreamt that she would be flying as an enemy over that sandy coast.
Ronnie, with all his wits about him, was heading straight for the English coast north of the Thames when, of a sudden, there arose from the dark void below the rapid throb86 of an enemy seaplane, which, a few seconds later, opened out its searchlight.
Then began a desperate fight for life. The German aviator, having marked his prey88, rose like a hawk89, and then bore down upon him swiftly, his searchlight glaring into Beryl’s face like some evil eye.
The girl unstrapped herself and rose in order to be able to handle the machine-gun without encumbrance90, for they were now flying upon an even keel.
“Hold on, dear!” the pilot exclaimed, and then suddenly he banked his machine over, swerving91 away none too soon from the hostile seaplane.
A heavy shower of bullets passed them harmlessly, whistling all around them, while from somewhere—possibly from a German warship—a high explosive shell burst perilously94 near them, causing “The Hornet” to roll and wallow in a most disconcerting manner.
Again and again Ronnie’s adversary fired full upon him, but all to no purpose. Then[114] suddenly a second machine came up from somewhere, and that also let loose its machine-gun. Quick spurts96 of blood-red flame showed first upon one side then upon the other, yet Ronnie remained quite cool, awaiting his chance of gaining an advantage and to strike.
A piece of the high explosive shell had torn the fabric98 of one of the planes. That was all the damage they had sustained up to the present. Surely no woman could ever have a more exciting or so perilous95 an experience, midway between sky and sea!
Suddenly, after climbing and diving, Ronnie saw his opportunity, and, making a sudden swerve99, cried to Beryl:
“Get ready!”
“I’m ready,” she answered.
Again he climbed, and as he rose past the machine which was pressing him so closely, he said:
“Fire!”
In an instant Beryl’s gun spluttered, sending forth its leaden hail full into the centre of the German machine. Beryl held her breath, and watched the enemy’s searchlight quiver, rise, and then suddenly pointing downwards100, swiftly become smaller and smaller as it descended towards the sea.
“He’s gone!” cried Ronnie with relief. “Pilot and observer both killed, I should say.”
Next second, however, the other machine loomed103 up to exact vengeance104. Beryl had swiftly replenished105 the gun with ammunition106, and was again in readiness for the word from her lover to fire.
[115]Ronnie, fully43 alive to the fact that he was being pressed by the second machine, dived and banked, then climbed as rapidly as he could, yet, alas107! he could not shake off his pursuer.
In silence, with the wind whistling through the struts and the piece of torn fabric flapping, he pressed on, striving to escape from his relentless108 pursuer, who, no doubt, intended to shoot him down as reprisal109 for the destruction of his Hun comrade.
Again the enemy machine opened out his searchlight, and, holding him as a mark, fired rapidly. For a moment Ronnie did not reply. All his nerve was concentrated upon obtaining the advantage a second time.
Up and down, to and fro, the two machines banked, rose and fell, but Ronald Pryor could handle his machine as though it were part of himself. At last he drew up, and, setting his teeth as he pointed “The Hornet’s” nose direct at his adversary, he blurted110 out:
“Fire!”
Beryl laid the gun straight at the aeroplane, touched it, and again death rained forth.
Yet almost at that very same moment the Hun also opened fire. The spluttering was deafening111 for a few seconds, when, to the girl’s alarm, she suddenly saw her lover fall helpless and inert112 over his instruments.
The girl, who had not for a second lost her nerve, instantly realised the peril14, and without a moment’s delay—nay, even without a word—she clambered across into the pilot’s seat and took the levers, being compelled to crush past her[116] wounded lover as she did so, and not knowing the nature of his wound.
“That’s right, Beryl! Fight to the last!” the man gasped. “Bank her, then go right down and rise again. You may beat him off by that. Try, darling! Do—do your best!” he whispered, and then he sank back in the blackness of unconsciousness.
Beryl, as an expert air-woman, knew all the tricks of evasion114 while flying. She knew that her lover’s advice was the best, and she carried it out to the very letter.
Just as she banked, the Hun machine sent out another splutter of lead. Those angry spurts of red fire seemed to go straight into her face, but, though the bullets tore more holes in the fabric of the left plane and broke a strut37, they whizzed harmlessly past her.
It was truly a flight for life. Flying “The Hornet,” as she was doing, she had no means by which to retaliate115 or to drive off the enemy. Their lives now depended upon her skill in manipulating the machine. This she did with marvellous judgment116 and foresight117. To the very letter she carried out the orders of the man now lying back wounded and unconscious.
Beneath her breath she whispered a prayer to Almighty118 God for assistance, and set her teeth. Again the Hun seaplane spurted119 forth a venom120 of fire upon her, but with a dexterous121 turn she banked, and once more avoided him. He intended to shoot her down into the black waters below, but she had her wounded lover at her side, and thought only of his welfare. She recollected122 her own response when Ronnie had suggested that she should remain at home, and when she saw that cruel eye of bright light following[117] her so steadily123 she grew more and more determined124.
At last she decided upon flying by the compass quite straight towards the Essex coast, and seeing if her adversary could overtake her. At first it seemed a very perilous course, because the Hun coming up behind, shot at her continually, and once more the fabric was torn in one place near her elbow. But as she flew on in silence she all at once made a discovery. She listened. Her pursuer was gradually overtaking her. If he did, then she was entirely defenceless, and must share the same terrible fate as the machine that Ronnie had sent down into the sea.
The tension of those fateful moments was terrible. Yet she summoned all her woman’s pluck—the pluck that had come to the female sex in these days of war—and kept on flying in the direction of home.
Her ear caught something, for it was trained to the noise of aeroplanes.
Again she listened. That eye of light which was following her so ruthlessly was still upon her, yet by the noise, she knew that the hostile engine was not firing correctly. The throb was not even and incessant125.
Had Providence126 intervened to save her?
She drew a long breath, and opened out so that she put all speed into her machine. From the pace she was going she knew that the wind had sprung up, and in her favour, too. “The Hornet” was a fast machine, yet the Huns had machines quite as mobile, and she had no means of knowing the make of aeroplane against which her speed was pitted.
She flew—flew as no woman had ever flown[118] before. Half-crushed beneath her in the pilot’s seat lay Ronnie, oblivious127 to everything. She had placed her arm tenderly round his neck, but on withdrawing her hand in the darkness she had felt it strangely sticky—sticky with blood!
Ronald Pryor was evidently wounded in the neck. Perhaps he was already dead. He might have been, for all the brave girl knew. But that sound of the mis-firing of her enemy gave her courage, and she kept on—on and on—until, very slowly, she drew away from that bright evil eye that was bent128 upon her destruction.
Again came a splutter of lead upon her. Again she knew that bullets had gone through the fabric, but no great damage had been done to the machine.
She feared more for the petrol-tank than for herself. A shot in the bottom of that tank would mean a certain dive into the sea. Of a sudden another spurt97 of fire showed deep below them, and a shell coming up from somewhere, friendly or hostile she could not tell, exploded, and nearly wrecked129 them both. It was from some ship at sea—a British ship, no doubt, which, seeing aircraft with a searchlight going in the direction of the East coast at that hour of the morning, had naturally opened fire upon it.
At last, after nearly half-an-hour, Beryl still with her eye upon the compass and sailing again upon an even keel and in an increasing wind, glanced over her shoulder and saw the light of the enemy grow dimmer, and then gradually disappear. She had entered a thick cloud, and sailing on in silence, would, she knew, be at once lost to the view of her enemy.
Five minutes later, when Beryl at last realised that she had escaped, she again placed her left[119] arm tenderly round her lover and endeavoured to raise him, but without avail.
Was he dead? The thought struck her with horror! He had done what had been asked of him, but perhaps he, like so many others, had paid the toll130 of war!
Though perhaps her hand trembled a little upon the levers, yet she settled herself again as well as she could, and with her eye upon both map and compass she sped along over those dark waters, tossed by the increasing wind which had arisen behind her.
For nearly two hours she flew on. By dint131 of great effort she managed to move Ronnie into a position which she hoped might be more comfortable. She spoke to him, but there was no answer. He lay there inert and motionless, strapped in his seat. When she withdrew her ungloved hand it was again wet with blood.
She pressed forward, putting “The Hornet” along at the full pace of which the machine was capable. The little clock showed the hour to be nearly three, therefore she judged that she must be nearing the English coast again. Her surmise132 proved correct, for ten minutes later she saw the glimmer133 of a searchlight on the sky straight ahead—the light of one of our air-stations. Therefore, turning slightly to the north, she again opened the silencer as a precaution, and, with her engine suddenly roaring, made straight for it.
Ere long half-a-dozen beams of intense light were searching the skies for the incoming machine, which the watchers below were eager to examine, and it was not long before one of the beams caught and held “The Hornet” in its blinding rays, lighting up the white, inanimate face beside her, and showing the dark stain of wounds.
[120]Then three other beams became concentrated for a few moments upon her, and again, one after another, shut off, until she was once more in darkness.
The position of the lights, however, told her where she was—over a certain town a few miles inland, and taking her bearings, she rose higher, and began to describe a wide circle in order to find the four bright flares which she knew Collins had lit in the meadow at Harbury.
Another half-hour she spent in vain search, until, of a sudden, she saw points of light deep down on her left. Straining her eyes she managed at last to make out that there were four, looking close together from that height. Therefore she quickly descended, while as she did so she saw Morse flashes from a signal-lamp telling her the direction of the wind, in order that she might land head on to it.
Ten minutes later she came safely to earth, when Collins ran up, having chased the machine across the field.
In a moment Beryl told him with breathless haste what had occurred, and with but few words they at once carried Ronald back to the house, and laid him upon the sofa in the study. Then Collins rushed to the car, and drove away madly to fetch the nearest doctor.
The latter arrived with but little delay, and Beryl, her sister’s arm round her, stood outside the door, awaiting his verdict.
The examination occupied some time, but at last the medical man came forth.
“He is very severely134 wounded, Miss Gaselee,” he said, “but there is still a spark of life left—a very meagre spark. By careful attention and nursing he may possibly pull through. He is[121] not yet conscious, but we will put him to bed, and I will remain and see what I can do. We can only hope.”
Beryl, thankful that Ronnie still lived, quickly bestirred herself for his comfort, and it was not long before the senseless man was carried up to his own room, where the doctor remained watching him for many hours.
Days passed—days of breathless and terrible anxiety—during which the doctor forbade Beryl to see the wounded man. In the papers there had been published accounts of the enormous damage done to the enemy submarine base at Zeebrugge by a “British aeroplane,” but the name of the intrepid aviator was not given. Only the authorities and those at Harbury Court knew the truth. The authorities preserved a wise reticence135, for the publication of facts is not always in the interests of the country.
Ronnie’s wounds proved far more serious than were at first believed, and even the specialist who came down from Harley Street was not at all hopeful of his recovery. Nevertheless, the fine physique of the patient proved in his favour, and a fortnight later Beryl was allowed to see him for the first time.
From that moment Beryl became his nurse, and slowly he recovered; slowly, because both his right arm and his right leg had been so injured that they would be entirely useless in future, and he could never fly again.
Only the thought of his invention, and the great advantage it would give to our aviators136 for night-flying in the future, comforted him, when at last he was able to be wheeled about in his chair by Beryl.
[122]And was it surprising that when, three months later, the pair were married in the old, ivy-clad, church, half-a-mile from Harbury Court, the illustrated137 papers published a pathetic picture of the bridal couple emerging from the porch, the bridegroom on crutches138, and described it as “a romantic war-wedding”?
THE END.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
decided
|
|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
triumphantly
|
|
| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
joyously
|
|
| ad.快乐地, 高兴地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
confidential
|
|
| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
countenance
|
|
| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
dreaded
|
|
| 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) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
misgivings
|
|
| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
accede
|
|
| v.应允，同意 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
acceded
|
|
| v.（正式）加入( accede的过去式和过去分词 )；答应；（通过财产的添附而）增加；开始任职 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
strictly
|
|
| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
misty
|
|
| adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
fraught
|
|
| adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
descend
|
|
| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
peril
|
|
| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
perils
|
|
| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
recollect
|
|
| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
descended
|
|
| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
forth
|
|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
risky
|
|
| adj.有风险的，冒险的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
propeller
|
|
| n.螺旋桨，推进器 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
tuned
|
|
| adj.调谐的，已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
kit
|
|
| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
estuary
|
|
| n.河口，江口 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
overalls
|
|
| n.（复）工装裤；长罩衣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
strapped
|
|
| adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
flares
|
|
| n.喇叭裤v.（使）闪耀( flare的第三人称单数 )；（使）（船舷）外倾；（使）鼻孔张大；（使）（衣裙、酒杯等）呈喇叭形展开 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
tuning
|
|
| n.调谐，调整，调音v.调音( tune的现在分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
eastward
|
|
| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
chilly
|
|
| adj.凉快的，寒冷的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
evade
|
|
| vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
converged
|
|
| v.（线条、运动的物体等）会于一点( converge的过去式 )；（趋于）相似或相同；人或车辆汇集；聚集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
aviator
|
|
| n.飞行家，飞行员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
apprehensive
|
|
| adj.担心的，恐惧的，善于领会的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
abrupt
|
|
| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
vouchsafe
|
|
| v.惠予，准许 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
shrill
|
|
| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
strut
|
|
| v.肿胀，鼓起；大摇大摆地走；炫耀；支撑；撑开；n.高视阔步；支柱，撑杆 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
struts
|
|
| （框架的）支杆( strut的名词复数 )； 支柱； 趾高气扬的步态； （尤指跳舞或表演时）卖弄 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
ascend
|
|
| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
shaft
|
|
| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
intrepid
|
|
| adj.无畏的，刚毅的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
berth
|
|
| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
fully
|
|
| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
northward
|
|
| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
descending
|
|
| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
disposition
|
|
| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
conceal
|
|
| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
spoke
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
touching
|
|
| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
intervals
|
|
| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
drawn
|
|
| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
cryptic
|
|
| adj.秘密的，神秘的，含义模糊的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
speck
|
|
| n.微粒，小污点，小斑点 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
upwards
|
|
| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
enveloped
|
|
| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
inquisitiveness
|
|
| 好奇，求知欲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
hovered
|
|
| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
entirely
|
|
| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
cramped
|
|
| a.狭窄的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
concussion
|
|
| n.脑震荡；震动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
tilt
|
|
| v.(使)倾侧；(使)倾斜；n.倾侧；倾斜 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
vividly
|
|
| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
aglow
|
|
| adj.发亮的；发红的；adv.发亮地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
hoarsely
|
|
| adv.嘶哑地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
ascending
|
|
| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
plumb
|
|
| adv.精确地，完全地；v.了解意义，测水深 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
bully
|
|
| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
scattered
|
|
| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
devastation
|
|
| n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
pivot
|
|
| v.在枢轴上转动；装枢轴，枢轴；adj.枢轴的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
warehouses
|
|
| 仓库，货栈( warehouse的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
nostrils
|
|
| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
intensity
|
|
| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
darting
|
|
| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
ablaze
|
|
| adj.着火的，燃烧的；闪耀的，灯火辉煌的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
grunted
|
|
| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
swarm
|
|
| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
ascended
|
|
| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
remarkable
|
|
| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
warfare
|
|
| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
adversaries
|
|
| n.对手，敌手( adversary的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
lighting
|
|
| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
picturesque
|
|
| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
85
iris
|
|
| n.虹膜，彩虹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
86
throb
|
|
| v.震颤，颤动；(急速强烈地)跳动，搏动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
87
fixed
|
|
| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
88
prey
|
|
| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
89
hawk
|
|
| n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
90
encumbrance
|
|
| n.妨碍物，累赘 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
91
swerving
|
|
| v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
92
swoop
|
|
| n.俯冲，攫取；v.抓取，突然袭击 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
93
adversary
|
|
| adj.敌手，对手 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
94
perilously
|
|
| adv.充满危险地，危机四伏地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
95
perilous
|
|
| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
96
spurts
|
|
| 短暂而突然的活动或努力( spurt的名词复数 )； 突然奋起 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
97
spurt
|
|
| v.喷出；突然进发；突然兴隆 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
98
fabric
|
|
| n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
99
swerve
|
|
| v.突然转向，背离；n．转向，弯曲，背离 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
100
downwards
|
|
| adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
101
gasp
|
|
| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
102
gasped
|
|
| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
103
loomed
|
|
| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
104
vengeance
|
|
| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
105
replenished
|
|
| 补充( replenish的过去式和过去分词 )； 重新装满 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
106
ammunition
|
|
| n.军火，弹药 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
107
alas
|
|
| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
108
relentless
|
|
| adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
109
reprisal
|
|
| n.报复，报仇，报复性劫掠 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
110
blurted
|
|
| v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
111
deafening
|
|
| adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
112
inert
|
|
| adj.无活动能力的，惰性的；迟钝的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
113
brutes
|
|
| 兽( brute的名词复数 )； 畜生； 残酷无情的人； 兽性 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
114
evasion
|
|
| n.逃避，偷漏(税) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
115
retaliate
|
|
| v.报复，反击 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
116
judgment
|
|
| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
117
foresight
|
|
| n.先见之明，深谋远虑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
118
almighty
|
|
| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
119
spurted
|
|
| （液体，火焰等）喷出，（使）涌出( spurt的过去式和过去分词 )； （短暂地）加速前进，冲刺 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
120
venom
|
|
| n.毒液，恶毒，痛恨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
121
dexterous
|
|
| adj.灵敏的；灵巧的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
122
recollected
|
|
| adj.冷静的；镇定的；被回忆起的；沉思默想的v.记起，想起( recollect的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
123
steadily
|
|
| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
124
determined
|
|
| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
125
incessant
|
|
| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
126
providence
|
|
| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
127
oblivious
|
|
| adj.易忘的，遗忘的，忘却的，健忘的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
128
bent
|
|
| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
129
wrecked
|
|
| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
130
toll
|
|
| n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
131
dint
|
|
| n.由于，靠；凹坑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
132
surmise
|
|
| v./n.猜想，推测 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
133
glimmer
|
|
| v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
134
severely
|
|
| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
135
reticence
|
|
| n.沉默，含蓄 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
136
aviators
|
|
| 飞机驾驶员，飞行员( aviator的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
137
illustrated
|
|
| adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
138
crutches
|
|
| n.拐杖, 支柱 v.支撑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |