Lady Amelia had been educated in the belief that it was the height of impropriety to read a novel in the morning. Now, in the twilight1 of her days, when she had singularly little to occupy the two hours between her appearance downstairs at quarter past eleven, hatted and fragrant2 with lavender water, and the announcement of luncheon3, she adhered rigidly4 to this principle. As soon as luncheon was over, however, and coffee had been served in the drawing room; before the hot milk in his saucer had sufficiently5 cooled for Manchu to drink it; while the sunlight, in summer, streamed through the Venetian blinds of the round-fronted Regency windows; while, in winter, the carefully stacked coal-fire glowed in its round-fronted grate; while Manchu sniffed6 and sipped7 at his saucer, and Lady Amelia spread out on her knees the various shades of coarse wool with which her failing eyesight now compelled her to work; while the elegant Regency clock ticked off the two and a half hours to tea time—it was Miss Myers’s duty to read a novel aloud to her employer.
With the passing years Lady Amelia had grown increasingly fond of novels, and of novels of a particular type. They were what the assistant in the circulating library termed “strong meat” and kept in a hidden place under her desk. It was Miss Myers’s duty to fetch and return them. “Have you anything of the kind Lady Amelia likes?” she would ask sombrely.
“Well, there’s this just come in,” the assistant would answer, fishing up a volume from somewhere near her feet.
At one time Lady Amelia had enjoyed love stories about the irresponsible rich; then she had had a psychological phase; at the moment her interests were American, in the school of brutal8 realism and gross slang. “Something else like Sanctuary9 or Bessie Cotter,” Miss Myers was reluctantly obliged to demand. And as the still afternoon was disturbed by her delicately modulated10 tones enunciating page by page, in scarcely comprehensible idiom, the narratives11 of rape12 and betrayal, Lady Amelia would occasionally chuckle13 a little over her woolwork.
“Women of my age always devote themselves either to religion or novels,” she said. “I have remarked among my few surviving friends that those who read novels enjoy far better health.”
The story they were reading came to an end at half past four.
“Thank you,” said Lady Amelia. “That was most entertaining. Make a note of the author’s name, please, Miss Myers. You will be able to go to the library after tea and see whether they have another. I hope you enjoyed it.”
“Well, it was very sad, wasn’t it?”
“Sad?”
“I mean the poor young man who wrote it must come from a terrible home.”
“Why do you say that, Miss Myers?”
“Well, it was so far fetched.”
“It is odd you should think so. I invariably find modern novels painfully reticent14. Of course until lately I never read novels at all. I cannot say what they were like formerly15. I was far too busy in the old days living my own life and sharing the lives of my friends—all people who came from anything but terrible homes,” she added with a glance at her companion; a glance sharp and smart as a rap on the knuckles16 with an ivory ruler.
There was half an hour before tea; Manchu was asleep on the hearth17 rug, before the fireless grate; the sun streamed in through the blinds, casting long strips of light on the Aubusson carpet. Lady Amelia fixed18 her eyes on the embroidered19, heraldic firescreen; and proceeded dreamily. “I suppose it would not do. You couldn’t write about the things which actually happen. People are so used to novels that they would not believe them. The poor writers are constantly at pains to make the truth seem probable. Dear me, I often think, as you sit, so kindly20, reading to me, ‘If one was just to write down quite simply the events of a few years in any household one knows ... No one would believe it.’ I can hear you yourself, dear Miss Myers, saying, ‘Perhaps these things do happen, very occasionally, once in a century, in terrible homes’; instead of which they are constantly happening, every day, all round us—or at least, they were in my young days.
“Take for example the extremely ironic21 circumstances of the succession of the present Lord Cornphillip:
“I used to know the Cornphillips very well in the old days,” said Lady Amelia—“Etty was a cousin of my mother’s—and when we were first married my husband and I used to stay there every autumn for the pheasant shooting. Billy Cornphillip was a very dull man—very dull indeed. He was in my husband’s regiment22. I used to know a great many dull people at the time when I was first married, but Billy Cornphillip was notorious for dullness even among my husband’s friends. Their place is in Wiltshire. I see the boy is trying to sell it now. I am not surprised. It was very ugly and very unhealthy. I used to dread23 our visits there.
“Etty was entirely24 different, a lively little thing with very nice eyes. People thought her fast. Of course it was a very good match for her; she was one of seven sisters and her father was a younger son, poor dear. Billy was twelve years older. She had been after him for years. I remember crying with pleasure when I received her letter telling me of the engagement ... It was at the breakfast table ... she used a very artistic25 kind of writing paper with pale blue edges and bows of blue ribbon at the corner ...
“Poor Etty was always being artistic; she tried to do something with the house—put up peacocks’ feathers and painted tambourines26 and some very modern stencil27 work—but the result was always depressing. She made a little garden for herself at some distance from the house, with a high wall and a padlocked door, where she used to retire to think—or so she said—for hours at a time. She called it the Garden of Her Thoughts. I went in with her once, as a great privilege, after one of her quarrels with Billy. Nothing grew very well there—because of the high walls, I suppose, and her doing it all herself. There was a mossy seat in the middle. I suppose she used to sit on it while she thought. The whole place had a nasty dank smell ...
“Well we were all delighted at Etty’s luck and I think she quite liked Billy at first and was prepared to behave well to him, in spite of his dullness. You see it came just when we had all despaired. Billy had been the friend of Lady Instow for a long time and we were all afraid she would never let him marry but they had a quarrel at Cowes that year and Billy went up to Scotland in a bad temper and little Etty was staying in the house; so everything was arranged and I was one of her bridesmaids.
“The only person who was not pleased was Ralph Bland28. You see he was Billy’s nearest relative and would inherit if Billy died without children and he had got very hopeful as time went on.
“He came to a very sad end—in fact I don’t know what became of him—but at the time of which I am speaking he was extremely popular, especially with women ... Poor Viola Chasm29 was terribly in love with him. Wanted to run away. She and Lady Anchorage were very jealous of each other about him. It became quite disagreeable, particularly when Viola found that Lady Anchorage was paying her maid five pounds a week to send on all Ralph’s letters to her—before Viola had read them, that was what she minded. He really had a most agreeable manner and said such ridiculous things ... The marriage was a great disappointment to Ralph; he was married himself and had two children. She had a little money at one time, but Ralph ran through it. Billy did not get on with Ralph—they had very little in common, of course—but he treated him quite well and was always getting him out of difficulties. In fact he made him a regular allowance at one time, and what with that and what he got from Viola and Lady Anchorage he was really quite comfortable. But, as he said, he had his children’s future to consider, so that Billy’s marriage was a great disappointment to him. He even talked of emigrating and Billy advanced him a large sum of money to purchase a sheep farm in New Zealand, but nothing came of that because Ralph had a Jewish friend in the city who made away with the entire amount. It all happened in a very unfortunate manner because Billy had given him this lump sum on the understanding that he should not expect an allowance. And then Viola and Lady Anchorage were greatly upset at his talk of leaving and made other arrangements so that in one way and another Ralph found himself in very low water, poor thing.
“However he began to recover his spirits when, after two years, there was no sign of an heir. People had babies very much more regularly when I was young. Everybody expected that Etty would have a baby—she was a nice healthy little thing—and when she did not, there was a great deal of ill-natured gossip. Ralph himself behaved very wrongly in the matter. He used to make jokes about it, my husband told me, quite openly at his club in the worst possible taste.
“I well remember the last time that Ralph stayed with the Cornphillips; it was a Christmas party and he came with his wife and his two children. The eldest30 boy was about six at the time and there was a very painful scene. I was not there myself, but we were staying nearby with the Lockejaws and of course we heard all about it. Billy seems to have been in his most pompous31 mood and was showing off the house when Ralph’s little boy said solemnly and very loudly, ‘Daddy says that when I step into your shoes I can pull the whole place down. The only thing worth worrying about is the money.’
“It was towards the end of a large and rather old-fashioned Christmas party, so no one was feeling in a forgiving mood. There was a final breach32 between the two cousins. Until then, in spite of the New Zealand venture, Billy had been reluctantly supporting Ralph. Now the allowance ceased once for all and Ralph took it in very bad part.
“You know what it is—or perhaps, dear Miss Myers, you are so fortunate as not to know what it is—when near relatives begin to quarrel. There is no limit to the savagery33 to which they will resort. I should be ashamed to indicate the behaviour of these two men towards each other during the next two or three years. No one had any sympathy with either.
“For example, Billy, of course, was a Conservative. Ralph came down and stood as a Radical34 in the General Election in his own county and got in.
“This, you must understand, was in the days before the lower classes began going into politics. It was customary for the candidates on both sides to be men of means and, in the circumstances, there was considerable expenditure35 involved. Much more in fact than Ralph could well afford, but in those days Members of Parliament had many opportunities for improving their position, so we all thought it a very wise course of Ralph’s—the first really sensible thing we had known him to do. What followed was very shocking.
“Billy of course had refused to lend his interest—that was only to be expected—but when the election was over, and everybody perfectly36 satisfied with the result, he did what I always consider a Very Wrong Thing. He made an accusation37 against Ralph of corrupt38 practices. It was a matter of three pounds which Ralph had given to a gardener whom Billy had discharged for drunkenness. I daresay that all that kind of thing has ceased nowadays, but at the time to which I refer, it was universally customary. No one had any sympathy with Billy but he pressed the charge and poor Ralph was unseated.
“Well, after this time, I really think that poor Ralph became a little unsettled in his mind. It is a very sad thing, Miss Myers, when a middle-aged39 man becomes
obsessed40 by a grievance41. You remember how difficult it was when the Vicar thought that Major Etheridge was persecuting42 him. He actually informed me that Major Etheridge
put water in the petrol tank of his motor-cycle and gave sixpences to the choir43 boys to sing out of tune—well it was like that with poor Ralph. He made up his mind
that Billy had deliberately44 ruined him. He took a cottage in the village and used to embarrass Billy terribly by coming to all the village fêtes and staring at Billy
fixedly45. Poor Billy was always embarrassed when he had to make a speech. Ralph used to laugh ironically at the wrong places but never so loudly that Billy could have
him turned out. And he used to go to public houses and drink far too much. They found him asleep on the terrace twice. And of course no one on the place liked to offend
him, because at any moment he might become Lord Cornphillip.
“It must have been a very trying time for Billy. He and Etty were not getting on at all well together, poor things, and she spent more and more time in the Garden of
Her Thoughts and brought out a very silly little book of sonnets46, mostly about Venice and Florence, though she could never induce Billy to take her abroad. He used to
think that foreign cooking upset him.
“Billy forbade her to speak to Ralph, which was very awkward as they were always meeting one another in the village and had been great friends in the old days. In fact
Ralph used often to speak very contemptuously of his cousin’s manliness47 and say it was time someone took Etty off his hands. But that was only one of Ralph’s jokes,
because Etty had been getting terribly thin and dressing48 in the most artistic way, and Ralph always liked people who were chic49 and plump—like poor Viola Chasm.
Whatever her faults —” said Lady Amelia, “Viola was always chic and plump.
“It was at the time of the Diamond Jubilee50 that the crisis took place. There was a bonfire and a great deal of merry making of a rather foolish kind and Ralph got
terribly drunk. He began threatening Billy in a very silly way and Billy had him up before the magistrates51 and they made an order against him to keep the peace and not
to reside within ten miles of Cornphillip. ‘All right,’ Ralph said, in front of the whole Court, ‘I’ll go away, but I won’t go alone.’ And will you believe it,
Miss Myers, he and Etty went off to Venice together that very afternoon.
“Poor Etty, she had always wanted to go to Venice and had written so many poems about it, but it was a great surprise to us all. Apparently52 she had been meeting Ralph
for some time in the Garden of Her Thoughts.
“I don’t think Ralph ever cared about her, because, as I say, she was not at all his type, but it seemed to him a very good revenge on Billy.
“Well, the elopement was far from successful. They took rooms in a very insanitary palace, and had a gondola53 and ran up a great many bills. Then Etty got a septic
throat as a result of the sanitation54 and while she was laid up Ralph met an American woman who was much more his type. So in less than six weeks poor Etty was back in
England. Of course she did not go back to Billy at once. She wanted to stay with us, but, naturally, that wasn’t possible. It was very awkward for everyone. There was
never, I think, any talk of a divorce. It was long before that became fashionable. But we all felt it would be very inconsiderate to Billy if we had her to stay. And
then, this is what will surprise you, Miss Myers, the next thing we heard was that Etty was back at Cornphillip and about to have a baby. It was a son. Billy was very
pleased about it and I don’t believe that the boy ever knew, until quite lately, at luncheon with Lady Metroland, when my nephew Simon told him, in a rather ill-
natured way.
“As for poor Ralph’s boy, I am afraid he has come to very little good. He must be middle-aged by now. No one ever seems to hear anything of him. Perhaps he was killed
in war. I cannot remember.
“And here comes Ross with the tray; and I see that Mrs. Samson has made more of those little scones55 which you always seem to enjoy so much. I am sure, dear Miss Myers,
you would suffer much less from your migraine if you avoided them. But you take so little care of yourself, dear Miss Myers ... Give one to Manchu.”
收听单词发音 |
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twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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luncheon
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| n.午宴，午餐，便宴 | |
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rigidly
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| adv.刻板地，僵化地 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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sipped
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| v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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sanctuary
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| n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区 | |
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modulated
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| 已调整[制]的，被调的 | |
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narratives
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| 记叙文( narrative的名词复数 )； 故事； 叙述； 叙述部分 | |
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rape
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| n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸 | |
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chuckle
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| vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑 | |
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reticent
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| adj.沉默寡言的；言不如意的 | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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knuckles
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| n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝 | |
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hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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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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embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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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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ironic
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| adj.讽刺的，有讽刺意味的，出乎意料的 | |
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regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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tambourines
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| n.铃鼓，手鼓( tambourine的名词复数 )；（鸣声似铃鼓的）白胸森鸠 | |
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stencil
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| v.用模版印刷；n.模版；复写纸，蜡纸 | |
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bland
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| adj.淡而无味的，温和的，无刺激性的 | |
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chasm
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| n.深坑，断层，裂口，大分岐，利害冲突 | |
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eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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pompous
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的；夸大的；豪华的 | |
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breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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savagery
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| n.野性 | |
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radical
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| n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的 | |
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expenditure
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| n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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accusation
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| n.控告，指责，谴责 | |
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corrupt
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| v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的 | |
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middle-aged
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| adj.中年的 | |
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obsessed
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| adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的 | |
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grievance
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| n.怨愤，气恼，委屈 | |
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persecuting
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| （尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的现在分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人 | |
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43
choir
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| n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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45
fixedly
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| adv.固定地；不屈地，坚定不移地 | |
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46
sonnets
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| n.十四行诗( sonnet的名词复数 ) | |
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47
manliness
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| 刚毅 | |
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48
dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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49
chic
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| n./adj.别致(的)，时髦(的)，讲究的 | |
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50
jubilee
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| n.周年纪念；欢乐 | |
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51
magistrates
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| 地方法官，治安官( magistrate的名词复数 ) | |
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52
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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53
gondola
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| n.威尼斯的平底轻舟；飞船的吊船 | |
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sanitation
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| n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备 | |
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scones
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| n.烤饼，烤小圆面包( scone的名词复数 ) | |
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