WE usually accepted the appearance of distinguished1 visitors at “Green Peace” in a spirit of philosophic2 calm. Young people are little moved by what does not directly concern them.
Great was our excitement and delight, however, when Edwin Booth called on my mother. We did not then know how it happened that our house should receive such a delightful3 visitation. The explanation, however, was very simple. Our mother, who had already had a play presented on the stage, was asked by Mr. Booth’s manager to write one for him. Hence he came to see her, accompanied by his intimate friend with whom she also was acquainted, Walter Brackett, the artist.
She was very liberal in allowing us to see visitors, but evidently it was not desirable to permit school-girls of a tender and impressionable age to make the acquaintance of a young and very handsome actor. The visit took place in the room with the Gobelin carpet, thus enabling Julia and Florence to get fleeting4 glimpses of the great man from the adjoining conservatory5. We never knew whether he heard us rustling6 about among the plants, but it is highly probable that he did. It was aggravating7 to get only furtive8 glimpses of him through the glass, yet we had a fair opportunity to see the young actor.
He had not yet lost the bright color in his cheeks. His purple-black hair was at that time short, curling close to his head. “Short,” however, did not then mean close-cropped, as in the present day.
After the departure of the visitors I seized upon the chair in which Edwin Booth had sat and marked the seat (underneath) with a “B,” worked in silver thread. It will be guessed that we had already seen him upon the stage and worshiped him from afar. There were young women bold and foolish enough to write to this object of their adoration9. He disliked very much to be thus admired by silly and sentimental10 girls. Our respectful homage11 was of a very different sort. We considered him a species of superman, as may be judged from the incident of the chair.
When I branded the chair for eternal fame, I little dreamed that our hero would revisit us, and that we should have a chance to speak to him, if we dared, a year or two later. We were no longer obliged to lurk12 in the conservatory, for Booth was now a benedict, and brought his lovely wife to “Green Peace.”
When I first saw him on the stage this lady—then Miss Mary Devlin—took the principal woman’s part. The play was “The Iron Chest,” a tale of secret guilt13. The mystery of a murder, the guilty man’s remorse14 and fear of discovery, form a tragic15 theme which always interests the human mind.
The opening scene is dramatic. An old servant incautiously narrates16 to the new private secretary the story of his master’s trial and acquittal. In the midst of it they are interrupted by a voice calling from behind the scenes, “Adam Winterton, Adam Winterton, come hither to me!” With what telling effect the great actor pronounced these his first words in the drama may be guessed by those who remember Edwin Booth. The sadness in that wonderful voice struck the key-note of the tragedy. The end of the play savors17 of melodrama18. On the discovery of his guilt, Sir Edward Mortimer falls upon the stage and dies to slow music, as his lady-love rushes in and supports his head. I fancy the play would not be tolerated, except by a Bowery audience, in these days, but with Booth in the principal r?le it was a favorite in the middle of the nineteenth century.
Mary Devlin became engaged to be married to him soon afterward19, and left the stage. This was a real loss to theater-goers, for the actresses who succeeded her in the principal r?les were by no means so satisfactory. It outraged20 our youthful ideals of fitness to have Mrs. E. L. Davenport take such parts as Katharine in the “Taming of the Shrew,” or Ophelia. She was middle-aged21, thin and not beautiful. Hence, no matter how good her acting22, she did not please critical school-girls. Losing Mrs. Booth from the stage brought us compensation, however, since we soon had the pleasure of seeing both “the great B and the little B,” as my mother playfully called them, in private life.
It should here be said that the latter had earned the lasting23 gratitude24 of the great actor by her generous tribute of praise, bestowed25 at a moment when he was hurt and discouraged by harsh criticism. Her poem, “Hamlet at the Boston,” published in the Atlantic Monthly, was a word spoken in season.
Mary Booth was an exquisite27 little woman, slender, graceful28, with a charm of manner more winning than that of beauty alone. She and my mother soon became well acquainted, their pleasant friendship being cut short by her untimely death, at the age of twenty-five.
Thus Edwin Booth is one of those whom I remember standing29 beneath Byron’s helmet at “Green Peace.” His manners were perfectly30 simple and natural. I suspect that he was a little shy in private life. He once told us that when called before the curtain between the acts or after the play he suffered from stage fright. I do not think this is surprising. During the performance of the play the actor loses himself in his part—he is no longer Edwin Booth, but Hamlet. When he is called before the curtain, however, his position is a curious one. He is wearing the trappings and the suits of woe31 of the Prince of Denmark; yet he must bow, and perhaps make a speech, as Edwin Booth. If we had a higher appreciation32 of dramatic values we should not call an actor before the curtain. Where this is done, in the course of the play, it breaks the continuity of the impression and summons us from our dream to the prose of daily life.
Negotiations33 were now under way for the performance of my mother’s play, “Hippolytus,” with a cast including Edwin Booth and Charlotte Cushman. This was the drama which she had written for him some years before. Mr. Booth and Miss Cushman agreed to take part in the play; the manager of the Howard Athen?um, Mr. E. L. Davenport, agreed to put it on the stage. Alas34! his wife, the actress of whom I have already spoken, did not like the part assigned to her; other reasons, more or less valid35, were brought forward by the manager, and the matter was dropped, to my mother’s great disappointment. The question of its production was again brought up, long after Edwin Booth’s death and toward the end of my mother’s life. If she had lived a little longer she might have seen it appreciatively given in Boston by Margaret Anglin and a good company. Edwin Booth’s opinion of the play is given in the following letter:
Baltimore, Aug. 26th, 1858.
My dear Madam,—“Hippolytus” arrived safely a day or two since, and I have read it once. Being troubled with a bilious36 attack, I have not been able to give it a very careful reading, but am satisfied, even from my hasty perusal37 of it, that I shall like it infinitely38. Mr. Barry promises to get it up in superior style, and, believe me, I shall use my best endeavors to do justice, as far as the acting goes, to the youthful hero; the make-up to accord with Phedra’s description I fear is beyond my art. It needs very little, if any, curtailing39 or alteration40, but ’twere best to submit to Mr. Barry’s judgment41, having a better knowledge of such matters than myself.
I shall be in Boston in Oct. next, my engagement being for three weeks. I shall have plenty of time to rehearse and assist in getting up the piece to the best advantage.
My best wishes for its success and your own prosperity, Madam, I remain your servant,
Edwin Booth.
As entertaining was always a delight to my mother, she gave several Booth parties. It is chronicled that at one of them he spent much of his time playing with little Maud, then some eight years old. Clearly he did not enjoy being lionized. I have already intimated that we older girls regarded him as a species of Olympian god. This attitude of silent homage must have been trying to a man of his good sense and modesty42. Yet he doubtless was wise enough to make allowance for school-girls’ little harmless follies43.
The most important of these Booth parties was given at No. 13 Chestnut44 Street, the house in Boston to which we removed in 1862. Every one wanted to come to it, all sorts of people, artistic45, literary and fashionable, being anxious to meet Edwin Booth. The party was a great success, as my mother’s entertainments usually were. I remember that Mrs. Booth wore a high-necked silk dress of some delicate color. While we wore décolleté dresses for dances, we did not in those days think it necessary to wear our shoulders bare on all evening occasions. At her throat was a brooch composed of a single large opal. Her sudden death, a few months later, recalled to us sadly the superstition46 about this stone which is supposed to portend47 the early death of the wearer.
Sister Julia went with my mother to the funeral at Mount Auburn. Edwin Booth was overwhelmed with grief by his wife’s sudden death. He was acting in New York at the time, and did not reach Boston until all was over. The sad news was not broken to him by the friends who came to meet him until he was in the carriage. On learning it his agony was so intense that they could with difficulty hold him.
I saw him that winter on the Brighton Road, then the gay resort of rapidly moving sleighs. Some hopeful friend had evidently thought the scene might divert him from his sorrow. A glance at his face and figure showed the utter futility48 of this hope. Such an image of sorrow I have never seen. His wonderfully expressive49 features mirrored the grief within as only such features can, while his long black hair seemed a fitting frame for the dark, melancholy50 face as he sat huddled51 together in the cutter, his head sunk upon his breast. I doubt whether he saw any one of that gay throng52 of people. He saw only one face, invisible to us, and a grave in Mount Auburn a few miles away.
Fortunately he had good friends and true to help him through this sad time. Among these were the two poets, R. H. Stoddard and Thomas W. Parsons. In my collection of Booth relics53 is a note from the former to my mother, written soon after the death of Mrs. Booth. Being very sympathetic by nature, she did not shrink from her friends in time of sorrow, but strove to comfort them. Mr. Stoddard writes that Booth will see her, adding, “I think you can do him good and I have told him so.”
Doctor Parsons’ lovely verses give a true picture of Mary Booth’s exquisite personality.
We saw a good deal of Doctor Parsons at this time. He was a man of the greatest refinement54, absolutely free from self-assertion. He had, withal, a touch of genius. One day, on looking up from his work, he saw Edwin Booth standing before him. The poet could but say, “Angels and ministers of grace defend us!” his friend answering in the same sportive strain.
Walking in the neighborhood of the old Revere55 House one day, I saw Edwin Booth and a friend driving in a buggy. He had doubtless been visiting the grave of his wife at Mount Auburn. To my surprise and pleasure, he recognized me by a grave bow. As he had seen us all a number of times, at the house of our parents, there was really nothing surprising in this. But, as I have said, we regarded him as a species of superman.
After Mrs. Booth’s death we saw less of the great actor, as she had been the gracious link that united us all. When he came to spend his summers at Newport, a score of years later, the old friendship was pleasantly renewed.
Wilkes Booth I saw several times on the stage in the characters of Richard the Third, Shylock and Charles Moore in Schiller’s play of the “Robbers.” He also was handsome, taller and heavier than his brother.
Edwin Booth was filling an engagement in Boston at the time of Lincoln’s assassination56. We had tickets bought before the dreadful news came, for his matinée on the fatal Saturday of the President’s death. All places of amusement were of course closed at once. The blow, a stunning57 one to the whole country, brought to Edwin Booth the additional shock of his brother’s terrible deed. It was reported at the time that he had resolved to quit the stage forever. The actors of the day were much troubled that a member of their profession should have perpetrated such a crime. It was said, in their defense58, that actors had seldom committed deeds of violence.
Although Edwin Booth and Charlotte Cushman never acted in “Hippolytus,” they did appear together in “Macbeth.” He mischievously59 remarked to us that he longed to say to Miss Cushman: “Why don’t you kill him? You’re a great deal bigger than I am.” He did not consider himself heavy enough for the part of Macbeth. Yet his rendering60 of it was very impressive. All the dreadful drama of the murder, the knocking at the outer gate, the banquet scene where the ghost of Banquo appears, were thrilling to witness.
Who, indeed, has rendered Shakespeare like Edwin Booth? Sir Henry Irving could not, in my opinion, be compared with him.
Hamlet was thought his best part—indeed, we said he was the gentle Prince of Denmark. The gravity of his disposition61, “sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,” his natural dignity and the grace of his movements, all recalled Hamlet. When my mother saw him at the funeral of his beloved wife she remembered how often she had beheld62 him, on the stage, follow Ophelia to the grave.
Shakespeare’s “Richard the Third” was another character in which we especially liked to see him. He was so handsome, so fascinating, that the scene with Lady Anne, where he wins her from the very bier of her murdered husband, did not seem unnatural63. The scene in the tent he gave with tremendous power. After the ghosts of his victims have appeared to him, one after another, calling down defeat upon his head, he arouses himself from his uneasy slumber64. Still half-asleep, and fighting his way with his sword, he staggers to the front of the stage, crying out, “Give me another horse; bind65 up my wounds!” Kneeling for a moment, his countenance66 still distorted, he cries out, “Have mercy, Jesu!” His movements as he blindly made his way forward, the awful expression of his face, with eyes rolled upward, made this scene more terrible in its way than that of his death on Bosworth Field.
Yet this revelation of the true soul of the hump-backed king lasted but a few moments. Soon he recovers and “Richard is himself again.” (This phrase must have been added by Colley Cibber, for it is not in Shakespeare.)
As “honest Iago,” the openness of his countenance somehow conveyed to the beholder67 that it was assumed. Only in the final scene did he allow the true villainy of the character to appear on his face. His Othello was beautiful and moving. As Cardinal68 Richelieu he was wonderful, portraying69 to the life the little, cunning, powerful, yet on the whole benevolent70 old man of Bulwer’s drama. With what telling effect he drew the magic circle and gave the curse of Rome!
I saw him as Shylock a number of times, the last time shortly before his retirement71 from the stage. This impersonation had gained greatly in power since the early days. The awful look of hatred72 that, during his talk with Tubal, he allowed for a moment to play over his face was a revelation. You caught a glimpse of the race hatred accumulated through centuries of oppression.
Once when I thoughtlessly spoke26 of the principles of Christianity to a Hebrew acquaintance, I was frightened to see something of the same terrible expression come over his face.
When Booth was a young man he often played in comedy. The rollicking mischief73 and fun of his Petruchio and Don C?sar de Bazan we greatly enjoyed. He gave an abbreviated74 version of the “Taming of the Shrew” as companion piece to “The Iron Chest.”
His acting was of an intellectual and poetic75 type. It was said that those who saw Edwin Booth play Romeo to Mary Devlin’s Juliet were not likely to forget it. They were so young, so beautiful, so identified with their parts. I should not say that, ordinarily, he excelled in the lover’s r?le. Charles Fechter, in spite of his very plain face and ugly figure, could enact76 the love scenes of Claude Melnotte in “The Lady of Lyons,” with a power that Edwin Booth lacked. Was it his natural reserve which made it distasteful and difficult for him to simulate love-making in public? I think it was. Like Hamlet, he had loved once and deeply. After that I fancy he took little interest in affairs of the heart. It is true, he married again, perhaps for companionship. His second wife did not long survive their marriage.
Tenderness of another kind he could well show forth77. The scene in “King Lear,” where he brings in the dead Cordelia in his arms, hoping she is still alive, was an exquisite piece of acting.
Among my Booth relics is a bundle of playbills, the earliest dating back to November 6, 1858. This shows “Miss Mary Devlin” in the principal feminine r?le, Lady Helen, in “The Iron Chest.” The prices are astounding78. “Parquet, Balcony, and First Tier of Boxes, fifty cents; Family Circle, twenty-five cents; Amphitheater, fifteen cents. Children under twelve years of age, half price. Private Boxes, $6.00.”
A young friend to whom I lately showed this list exclaimed, “No wonder Booth was a hero to the public, when the prices were so low that every one could afford to go to see him!”
From the collection of Booth letters I have selected two from Mrs. Booth and one from Mr. Booth himself, which will be found of interest:
My dear Mrs. Howe,—I deeply regretted my absence from home yesterday when you called—but my disappointment was greatly soothed79 by soon after receiving your polite note of invitation to visit you on Sunday.
We will “tea” with you with infinite pleasure, at the hour you appoint—most happy, too, of another opportunity of meeting Miss Cushman, whose near departure makes her presence doubly dear.
Yours very sincerely,
Mary Booth.
Wednesday, May 29th.
My dear Mrs. Howe,—I should only be too delighted to be “stared at” this evening at your little party, if I were not expressly forbidden by my doctor to go into any excitement; I have been so very feeble the past few days; so for once, dear friend, pleasure must yield to duty. We will go over, “the Great B” and myself, this week to see you. Please dance a “Redowa” for me and believe me your disappointed little friend,
Mary Booth.
Friday morn, June 28th.
The following letter shows Edwin Booth’s tender care for his little motherless daughter:
Friday.
Dear Mrs. Howe,—To-morrow and Sunday night I am engaged—but think I shall remain at home on account of ill-health; to-morrow night I start for New York. I am sorry I have been unable to see you, but hope to have that pleasure before I leave the city.
Baby Booth is not with me—I feared the climate and at the last moment concluded not to bring her here. I hear from her every day. She has grown to be a most splendid child and worships her papa. I miss her very much.
My long winter’s work has completely unnerved me and it is as much as I can do to drag through my performances.
Pray present my compliments to the young ladies and to Dr. Howe and accept my thanks for your polite invitation.
Hoping soon to have an opportunity to call upon you, believe me,
Very truly,
Your servant,
Edwin Booth.
Among my early memories of “Green Peace” is a large daguerreotype81 of Charlotte Cushman. It was probably lost in one of the many movings of the Howe family.
When Miss Cushman’s furniture and personal effects were sold at Newport, many years after her death, a portrait of my mother and one of Elizabeth Barrett Browning were still hanging in her bedroom! A photograph of the great actress, taken about the time of the Civil War, I still possess.
My parents were early interested in Charlotte Cushman’s acting, as they were in that of Edwin Booth, at the beginning of his career. They invited guests to meet her at “Green Peace,” and asked their friends in other cities to extend to her social recognition.
In the summer of 1850 they were her fellow-passengers on the voyage to England. Sister Laura was then an infant. Seeing her gnaw82 her little fist, the actress exclaimed that babies were funny things, at the same time mimicking83 exactly the child’s action.
Like Sally Battle, Charlotte Cushman believed in the rigor84 of the game. She and my mother were engaged one day in a game of whist when a gentleman was rash enough to talk to the latter and to keep on talking. Charlotte Cushman bore it as long as she could, then turned to the offender85 and said, in her great, deep voice, “Remember, this is whist.” The hint was sufficient.
Another story we had from my mother was of a certain holiday performance when the theater was crowded. Miss Cushman was acting with her sister, the play being, as I think, “Romeo and Juliet.” In the midst of the tender love-making a small boy called out from the gallery, “Oh, my stummick!” The sister was nearly convulsed with laughter, when Charlotte gave her a shake and brought her to herself with the words, “Remember where you are.”
On another occasion, when Miss Cushman came bounding upon the stage as Meg Merrilies, she trod upon a needle, dropped there by some careless actress, and had to be helped from the stage in an agony of pain.
She had already grown quite gray when I first remember her, in the Civil War period. Such a wonderfully expressive face could not be called altogether homely86, although her retreating mouth prevented it from being handsome. Her teeth were small and insignificant87, while the blue of her eyes contrasted well with the gray hair. She was built on a generous scale, her figure tall and commanding. As Queen Katherine in “Henry the Eighth” she was at her best. One of her great points was in the trial scene. When the insignificant Cardinal Campeius addressed her she turned to Wolsey, with splendid gesture, looking every inch a queen, as she gave with noble emphasis the lines, “My lord cardinal, to you I speak.”
In 1915–16 I again saw this play, after an interval88 of fifty years, with Sir Beerbohm Tree as the cardinal. Anne Boleyn was graceful and charming, making one understand as never before how Henry was won from Katharine. Bluff89 King Hal was extremely well portrayed90. Cardinal Wolsey was magnificent in his vivid scarlet91 raiment, the costumes and scenery all beautiful. The whole was a feast of color for the eye. But the one great figure that had dominated the performance of early years I sadly missed. The actress who played Queen Katharine did not even attempt to make Charlotte Cushman’s great point in the trial scene. In the last sad scene Miss Cushman vividly92 portrayed for us the discarded queen, sick and suffering unto death.
I saw her also in “London Assurance,” when she took the part of Lady Gay Spanker. She was gay and rollicking enough, although her gray hair seemed a little incongruous in the part of a young woman. It was out of keeping also in “Fazio,” where she took the r?le of Bianca.
Charlotte Cushman possessed93 wigs94, for these were sold, with the rest of her theatrical95 wardrobe, one being still in curl papers! When I saw her on the stage, however, she appeared with her own gray hair.
It will be remembered that she had intended to go on the operatic stage, but, owing to the loss of her singing-voice, was obliged to give this up. The mishap96 may have been a blessing97 in disguise. For the perfect development of Miss Cushman’s great dramatic talent the legitimate98 stage was the best agent.
I had the pleasure of hearing her sing, on the occasion of a visit to Lawton’s Valley. It was a wonderful performance. It was not like any other singing, but rather a species of chanting or weird99 crooning, in which she gave us the simple and moving story of “Mary, go and call the cattle home, across the sands o’ Dee.” The deep tones of her voice intensified100 the effect.
My mother also was accustomed to sing this pathetic ballad101, to a tune102 of her own composition. With her high, clear voice the effect was very different from that produced by Charlotte Cushman; yet she, too, made her hearers feel the deep pathos103 of the ballad.
In the Newport days of which I speak we often saw Miss Cushman and her intimate friend, Emma Stebbins, the sculptress. The latter modeled the bronze statue of Horace Mann which stands in front of the State House in Boston, opposite that of Daniel Webster.
I do not think this proximity104 to the former idol105 of the Massachusetts Whigs was much relished106 by them. But my father had a way of putting through what he undertook. As an intimate friend and co-worker with Horace Mann, he was chairman of the committee for the erection of the memorial. I fancy it was he who gave the commission to Miss Stebbins and arranged for the contribution of their pennies by the school-children of Boston. Doubtless he persuaded those in power that Mann’s splendid services to the cause of education deserved this recognition from the Commonwealth107 of Massachusetts. In the twentieth century my father’s views—he was usually some fifty years ahead of his time—have come to prevail.
It is sad to remember that Charlotte Cushman’s last years were clouded by an incurable108 disease—cancer. She made a splendid fight against it, keeping on with her work almost to the end of her life. She would not give it up until she had made a handsome provision for those near and dear to her.
I remember with pleasure a visit to Fanny Kemble—Mrs. Frances Anne Kemble, to give her her full name. My father took me as a little girl to see her at the Tremont House, where she received us very graciously and kindly109. I also heard her read one of Shakespeare’s plays. This she did without any help of scenery or special costume. We saw only a middle-aged, rather stout110 lady, dressed quietly in black and seated at a table. Although there was much to admire in her character, she possessed a stormy temper. It was said that she once insisted so vehemently111 on having her washing brought to her without delay that the tub containing the wet garments in the suds was finally set down before her!
In these early days she did not admire the acting of Edwin Booth. At one of his performances she was seen “sniffing,” as the story went, her countenance showing her lack of approbation113. He was already a favorite with the public, but certain friends of Mrs. Kemble followed her opinion. Vehement112 were the arguments which we as enthusiastic admirers of Booth had with the Kembelites among our young friends.
点击收听单词发音
1 distinguished | |
adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2 philosophic | |
adj.哲学的,贤明的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3 delightful | |
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4 fleeting | |
adj.短暂的,飞逝的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5 conservatory | |
n.温室,音乐学院;adj.保存性的,有保存力的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6 rustling | |
n. 瑟瑟声,沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7 aggravating | |
adj.恼人的,讨厌的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8 furtive | |
adj.鬼鬼崇崇的,偷偷摸摸的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
9 adoration | |
n.爱慕,崇拜 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
10 sentimental | |
adj.多愁善感的,感伤的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
11 homage | |
n.尊敬,敬意,崇敬 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
12 lurk | |
n.潜伏,潜行;v.潜藏,潜伏,埋伏 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
13 guilt | |
n.犯罪;内疚;过失,罪责 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
14 remorse | |
n.痛恨,悔恨,自责 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
15 tragic | |
adj.悲剧的,悲剧性的,悲惨的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
16 narrates | |
v.故事( narrate的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
17 savors | |
v.意味,带有…的性质( savor的第三人称单数 );给…加调味品;使有风味;品尝 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
18 melodrama | |
n.音乐剧;情节剧 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
19 afterward | |
adv.后来;以后 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
20 outraged | |
a.震惊的,义愤填膺的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
21 middle-aged | |
adj.中年的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
22 acting | |
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
23 lasting | |
adj.永久的,永恒的;vbl.持续,维持 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
24 gratitude | |
adj.感激,感谢 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
25 bestowed | |
赠给,授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
26 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: |
|
|
27 exquisite | |
adj.精美的;敏锐的;剧烈的,感觉强烈的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
28 graceful | |
adj.优美的,优雅的;得体的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
29 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
30 perfectly | |
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
31 woe | |
n.悲哀,苦痛,不幸,困难;int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
32 appreciation | |
n.评价;欣赏;感谢;领会,理解;价格上涨 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
33 negotiations | |
协商( negotiation的名词复数 ); 谈判; 完成(难事); 通过 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
34 alas | |
int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
35 valid | |
adj.有确实根据的;有效的;正当的,合法的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
36 bilious | |
adj.胆汁过多的;易怒的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
37 perusal | |
n.细读,熟读;目测 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
38 infinitely | |
adv.无限地,无穷地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
39 curtailing | |
v.截断,缩短( curtail的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
40 alteration | |
n.变更,改变;蚀变 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
41 judgment | |
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
42 modesty | |
n.谦逊,虚心,端庄,稳重,羞怯,朴素 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
43 follies | |
罪恶,时事讽刺剧; 愚蠢,蠢笨,愚蠢的行为、思想或做法( folly的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
44 chestnut | |
n.栗树,栗子 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
45 artistic | |
adj.艺术(家)的,美术(家)的;善于艺术创作的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
46 superstition | |
n.迷信,迷信行为 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
47 portend | |
v.预兆,预示;给…以警告 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
48 futility | |
n.无用 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
49 expressive | |
adj.表现的,表达…的,富于表情的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
50 melancholy | |
n.忧郁,愁思;adj.令人感伤(沮丧)的,忧郁的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
51 huddled | |
挤在一起(huddle的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
52 throng | |
n.人群,群众;v.拥挤,群集 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
53 relics | |
[pl.]n.遗物,遗迹,遗产;遗体,尸骸 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
54 refinement | |
n.文雅;高尚;精美;精制;精炼 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
55 revere | |
vt.尊崇,崇敬,敬畏 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
56 assassination | |
n.暗杀;暗杀事件 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
57 stunning | |
adj.极好的;使人晕倒的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
58 defense | |
n.防御,保卫;[pl.]防务工事;辩护,答辩 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
59 mischievously | |
adv.有害地;淘气地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
60 rendering | |
n.表现,描写 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
61 disposition | |
n.性情,性格;意向,倾向;排列,部署 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
62 beheld | |
v.看,注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 );瞧;看呀;(叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现)哎哟 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
63 unnatural | |
adj.不自然的;反常的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
64 slumber | |
n.睡眠,沉睡状态 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
65 bind | |
vt.捆,包扎;装订;约束;使凝固;vi.变硬 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
66 countenance | |
n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
67 beholder | |
n.观看者,旁观者 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
68 cardinal | |
n.(天主教的)红衣主教;adj.首要的,基本的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
69 portraying | |
v.画像( portray的现在分词 );描述;描绘;描画 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
70 benevolent | |
adj.仁慈的,乐善好施的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
71 retirement | |
n.退休,退职 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
72 hatred | |
n.憎恶,憎恨,仇恨 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
73 mischief | |
n.损害,伤害,危害;恶作剧,捣蛋,胡闹 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
74 abbreviated | |
adj. 简短的,省略的 动词abbreviate的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
75 poetic | |
adj.富有诗意的,有诗人气质的,善于抒情的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
76 enact | |
vt.制定(法律);上演,扮演 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
77 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
78 astounding | |
adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊,使大吃一惊astound的现在分词) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
79 soothed | |
v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 );抚慰;使舒服;减轻痛苦 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
80 esteem | |
n.尊敬,尊重;vt.尊重,敬重;把…看作 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
81 daguerreotype | |
n.银板照相 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
82 gnaw | |
v.不断地啃、咬;使苦恼,折磨 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
83 mimicking | |
v.(尤指为了逗乐而)模仿( mimic的现在分词 );酷似 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
84 rigor | |
n.严酷,严格,严厉 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
85 offender | |
n.冒犯者,违反者,犯罪者 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
86 homely | |
adj.家常的,简朴的;不漂亮的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
87 insignificant | |
adj.无关紧要的,可忽略的,无意义的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
88 interval | |
n.间隔,间距;幕间休息,中场休息 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
89 bluff | |
v.虚张声势,用假象骗人;n.虚张声势,欺骗 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
90 portrayed | |
v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 );描述;描绘;描画 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
91 scarlet | |
n.深红色,绯红色,红衣;adj.绯红色的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
92 vividly | |
adv.清楚地,鲜明地,生动地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
93 possessed | |
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
94 wigs | |
n.假发,法官帽( wig的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
95 theatrical | |
adj.剧场的,演戏的;做戏似的,做作的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
96 mishap | |
n.不幸的事,不幸;灾祸 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
97 blessing | |
n.祈神赐福;祷告;祝福,祝愿 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
98 legitimate | |
adj.合法的,合理的,合乎逻辑的;v.使合法 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
99 weird | |
adj.古怪的,离奇的;怪诞的,神秘而可怕的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
100 intensified | |
v.(使)增强, (使)加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
101 ballad | |
n.歌谣,民谣,流行爱情歌曲 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
102 tune | |
n.调子;和谐,协调;v.调音,调节,调整 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
103 pathos | |
n.哀婉,悲怆 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
104 proximity | |
n.接近,邻近 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
105 idol | |
n.偶像,红人,宠儿 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
106 relished | |
v.欣赏( relish的过去式和过去分词 );从…获得乐趣;渴望 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
107 commonwealth | |
n.共和国,联邦,共同体 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
108 incurable | |
adj.不能医治的,不能矫正的,无救的;n.不治的病人,无救的人 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
109 kindly | |
adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
111 vehemently | |
adv. 热烈地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
112 vehement | |
adj.感情强烈的;热烈的;(人)有强烈感情的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
113 approbation | |
n.称赞;认可 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
欢迎访问英文小说网 |